Truth

Art conveys truth. Art can make us better people. Art reflects the truth of Jesus in a way that catches us off guard and is deeply moving.

I say all this because of Matt’s illustration in a devotion this morning on the subject of failure. The text was John 21 where Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him. A wonderful devotion (sorry, it was a staff devotion where we didn’t have a microphone… but check out his sermon yesterday, it was great too!). Anyhow, this devotion spoke to God’s requirement for leadership: failure. God does not require perfection but humility and love arising from weakness. Great devo… and one of the illustrations he used was from the Broadway show Hamilton. Just remembering that magnificent show brought tears to my eyes.

A wonderful moment in that wonderful production comes late in the show after Alexander has been humbled. His marriage is shaken from an affair, his son Philip has been killed in a duel. In this context, that beautiful song Quiet Uptown speaks truth “The Hamiltons move uptown/ And learn to live with the unimaginable/ I spend hours in the garden/ I walk alone to the store/ And it’s quiet uptown/ I never liked the quiet before. I take the children to church on Sunday/ A sign of the cross at the door/ And I pray./ That never used to happen before.” Alexander has hit rock bottom. He is broken and the family is in a dark place. He can’t say or do anything to fix things, and the chorus sings “There are moments that the words don’t reach/ There is a grace too powerful to name/ We push away what we can never understand… She takes his hand” and the Chorus sings from the background “Forgiveness”. Truth conveyed: softening every cynical, jaded, apathetic heart in the audience. Remembering that moment still moves me… and it made me think of camp.

Our cynical, jaded, apathetic hearts are softened in this community. Truth is breaking through, bit by bit, and our eyes see what was often not noticed before. Camp takes the simple truth of love and makes it real. This is clear to those who enter the camp community without reservation. It is noticed with even a casual glance… Any moment at Camp is a lot like art.

The concert last night was a perfect accent to a perfect day. Sunday’s should be the best day of the week (why expect less from “The Lord’s Day”?), so we try to make a restful day fun for children. Main Campers “Get it” better than most… and seeing them enjoy the day was a delight to this old director’s eyes. Four leaf clovers, World Cup Soccer, tennis games, softball games, riflery matches, swimming matches, and see-saws were all used to good effect. Dave Barnes gave a great concert with perfect weather to accompany the moment. It is hard not to experience such a day without thinking that this place is beautiful. An intricate work of art that softens our hearts.

Today will be a good one. The EP tonight is brand new… hugely complex… and just might be AMAZING… we think… but who knows! Actually, we can roll out new stuff at Main Camp with a high degree of confidence for a good outcome because of the nature of the Main Campers. They just love being together and make anything fun. I honestly think we could announce an EP at the field where we have some bouncy balls and nothing else… and they would have a blast! Some girls would pick up the ball and invent a game… magic. Tonight’s EP will be a hit… but I can’t explain it to you now. No time. Check in tomorrow for the rundown.

Food Today:

• Breakfast: Egg, Sausage, Hash Brown Breakfast Burritos
• Lunch: Roast Beef Sandwiches
• Dinner: Pizza!!!

We did a video about making Pizza at Greystone… pretty cool!