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Middle School Camp 2012 click to register
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I hate being late! I especially hate being late when I miss the beginning of a sporting event, play, movie or just about anything. Most of that tendency comes from growing up with a father who felt like being 5 minutes early was really being late. The other part comes from just plain not wanting to miss out on anything important. It is a killer to show up at a game and you have not idea why the score is what it is and sometimes, depending on the sport, there is no more scoring in the entire game! Or get to a play a few minutes late and they shut the door and won't let you in until the end of the first act. You loose the whole context of the story. And then there are movies that start at warp speed and never slow down. Miss the opening 5 minutes and you've missed a bunch of the story! So, my rule is this- get there early, relax and get ready for the action!
That's kind of how we need to get into God's story. Its opening scene also starts with a relentless pace that doesn't let up. The first line reads, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).
Right off the bat we find the main character in the story is not you or me. It's God. And the rest of The Story will unfold out of the nature and person of this character. Just ten words in and there is enough action to leave you breathless.
It doesn't take long to find out what God's great passion is. Birds? Nope. Animals? Not quite. Sun, moon or stars? Good guess. No, in Genesis 3:8 we find that God is walking in the Garden with Adam and Eve in the "cool of the day."
Sounds nice if you are in a hot, humid climate, doesn't it? And yet the "cool of the day" is not the focus. God is, and he is near. He is right with Adam and Eve. And He is right here with us. His simple vision for his creation was to spend time with them every day, to take a walk with them. God's supreme passion is to be with us.
Some of you have lived your life with the idea that God is some angry cosmic kill-joy Who sits in the heavens and watches you, waiting for you to make a mistake so He can zap you. Or, you feel He is distant and doesn't care or has simply forgotten you.
But from the beginning He has shown us this is not the case. He wants to be with you. He has not forgotten you. In fact, this might be a perfect time for you to go on a walk!
