“…Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! [The king of Assyria] may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!”
– 2 CHRONICLES 32:7-8

The other day, I was helping someone move their office. A lot of the things deemed worthy of the move needed to be left in the dumpster, forgotten forever. I knew, and so did they, that the trash was the inevitable end for much of the stuff we had worked so hard to “Tetris” into place inside the moving van. During the unpacking process we disturbed a handful of spiders who scampered by committee, out from the recesses of these long-forgotten pieces of furniture (further clarifying that these things belonged in the “throw-away” or “donate” piles. But, deciding the fate of things that were clearly not used was not my role on that day).  As the panicked collection of little legs and segmented bodies ran for cover in a panic, a similar reaction ensued in the people around me.

In a flurry of swearing and fear-induced limb-shaking as if suddenly every spider ever lept onto the on-lookers’ bodies, my fellow movers likewise panicked. Then, as if it were a part of my own destiny as a guy, I grabbed the spiders by their spindly limbs and held them aloft (think Simba being held up by Rafiki in the Lion King) and then I mocked the spider, declaring my power over it and all of the rest of the animal kingdom (that may not have happened exactly as I have written it). I threw the spiders onto the road and crushed them under the weight of my awesome power (read: I squished them under my Nikes).

Up to that point, removing a bevvy of daddy longlegs from old furniture wasn’t an act meeting minimum qualifications of an act of “bravery.”  But, based on the reaction of everyone else, I must be that — at least a little. Everyone retreated. Except me. I don’t retreat (unless it’s a rat, racoon, scorpion, angry squirrel, ferrell hamster, or a clown) because guys don’t retreat…

They camp.

This is the year we stop retreating. This is the year we go to camp. In the first weekend in June, we’ll host our annual Men’s Retreat MAN CAMP in the local mountains. It’s definitely not a time of hyper-emotionalism and craft-making, leaving our guy-ness at home. It’s not a time of loincloth nature over-exposure either. It’s a collection of guys from all the Mariners churches seeking to extend the scope of their friendships and deepen their faith. I’ll be joining the speaking team for the event. I can’t wait. It’s always a hit. Don’t miss it. Sign up here.

See you soon,

Jeff