I will give You all my praise

Every Monday night here at camp, we have something called Renewal. It's a time of worship and fellowship for kitchen staff, ranch staff, and the operations team, since we don't have chapel every night with a cabin like the counselors do. I love the intimacy of the group of 20-30 as opposed to the all-staff chapels of around 70 that we have on Sunday afternoons just before a new week of camp starts. I've been pretty sick for the last few days and ended up losing my voice completely. Renewal is first and foremost a worship service, and I couldn't even sing. Literally, I was opening my mouth and no sound would come out. I was longing to sing praise, but I couldn't. And then I wondered at the thought of never being able to praise Him. I am so thankful for the simple privilege of being able to sing songs of worship to our awesome God.

I was able to sit and listen to the voices of my fellow staff members, people I'm now able to call my friends, as they lifted their praise to God. Some were a little off key and others were simply sitting with their heads in their hands, undoubtedly having a very personal worship experience. I was just so struck by the fact that I was suddenly unable to sing my praise, and had to figure out some other way to worship the God who has been so gracious to me in the time I've spent here so far. And I was longing to express my gratitude for His provision.

I'm in the place where I recommitted my life to Jesus years ago and found myself in a real community of people who also loved Jesus for the very first time. I'm surrounded by God's beautiful creation. This place is a getaway from everyday life, a place where a kid can come and experience God and His love for them, maybe for the first time ever. I'm part of a team of people who believe in camp ministry and are willing to give up everything they have for it. I have countless new friends who I know genuinely care about me, people who ask me how I'm doing each time they see me and I can tell they actually want to know. I'm learning more about God's love for me and all of humanity as I spend time getting to know these people who literally exude love in every possible way. I'm being stretched beyond where I ever thought possible, and that's where I'm encountering God. I'm doing something that I love- living the adventure I was looking for. And for all of that, I have reason to sing.