Today I invite you to join with me in a practice we use during nightly devotions with our campers. I challenge you to engage with this devotion with another person, it maybe someone you live with, it may be a phone call to a friend from church or someone who has helped you in your faith journey, but engaging with another person will help you with this style of devotion.
At Luther Heights Bible Camp we use the Faith 5 strategy from Faith Inkubators (www.faith5.org)
Share...
Share with each other your high and low for the day.
Read...
Read a Bible verse or story.
For today, we will focus on our theme verse for the summer, Psalm 100:5
For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Talk...
What does this verse mean to you? Are there key words or phrases that stick out? How does this verse help you to want to know God, and not just know things about God?
Today, I am drawn to “his steadfast love endures forever”. This portion of verse 5 uplifts in its reassurance that the love of God is forever lasting, in every season of life. I think of my faith as a child as I learned prayers and what is was like to participate in worship. I reflect upon my college age self and my first summer working at a resident camp where I first had the courage to pray aloud for the first time. I reflect upon the importance of gathering in a church and with a community of family and friends whom have helped me along my journey when I got married and how having children has taught me much about Jesus’s love for us. I am thankful for as life has changed and I have grown that God has been an important part of every step of my journey.
I also am pulled to the “all generations” ending. I reflect upon a donor who I recently called and thanked for her partnership, then joyfully listened as she shared her own experiences from the time she was 9 years old to now decades later at LHBC, and her belief of the importance of outdoor ministry experiences for all ages and for years to come. I reflect upon a new donor who chose to donate a part of their stimulus check to Lutheran organizations and chose LHBC for the first time because she looks forward to her grandchildren growing up here and experiencing the love, grace, and joy of the Lord in new ways.
Pray...
You can pray in whatever way you wish. You could pray with your partner about needs of the world or family struggles or wishes for the next month. You could use the Lord’s Prayer or a prayer book or try this one using your hand.
- Thumb: Pray for something you want to THANK God for.
- Pointer Finger: Pray for those who POINT you in the right direction.
- Middle Finger: Pray for those who LEAD, those who lead in your family, community, churches, and country.
- Ring Finger: Pray for those closest to your HEART, those in your family and close friends.
- Little Finger: Pray for YOURSELF and a personal need.
Bless...
Bless each other as you end this time in devotion and with God and community.
Irish Blessing
May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Kelly Preboski
Executive Director
Luther Heights Bible Camp
