Camping Trips & Crazy Stories

To my readers,

Have you ever realized what stories you remember?

If you look back on the stories you share with friends and family, most of the time we will find that we only partly remember events, leaving details out. The story isn't always fresh anymore in our minds.

However there is a story that we remember.
We remember the story where everything goes wrong.
We remember the times when the metaphorical bomb explodes on our plans.  

A great example is a camping trip I go on with my best friends/old roommates (The Surfdom).  We go to Enchanted Rock every year over New Years for the first trip that brought us together as close friends.  However, it never fails that every trip we go on, something terrible ends up happening.  

The last trip was no exception.

Weather wasn't supposed to drop below 50.  We had ways of making a small contained fire to cook our food. We had tents.  We also had climbing gear.  We were prepared this trip.  

...or so we thought. 

A Cold front surprised us, bringing 15 degree weather with ice cold rain and eventually snow.  All the wood we had brought was too wet to start a fire.  We nearly slid off the rock as we took the most fastest and dangerous route down the forbidden area of Enchanted Rock.  We nearly fell off a small mountain while rock climbing.  I did slip down a cliff and fell into an entire patch of cactus.  My entire set of clothes for the trip were wet.  My water bottle froze.  One of our tents ended up leaking during the first snow storm and flooded the tent out.  We got stuck in the cave and had some interesting prayerful moments with God.  

Long story short, everything that could go wrong, did.  

But this is the story we remember. We remember the horrible, terrible, crazy, chaotic stories because we endure, overcome, and grow.  Its moments like these that test our faith and allow for us to deepen our relationship with Jesus.

Its these true tough stories that change us. 

Paul shares this story in a letter in the New Testament,

"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." Romans 5:6-8, NLT.

The most sad and terrible story ever told is how the only perfect person died so that we who deserve death could have the price paid for our sins.  The greatest love story ever told is a story for a father and his children and how nothing can separate them from his love.  

Don't let this be just another story. This story forever changed everything for me.  If we truly let the Gospel into our lives, the greatest loves story, the world would change.  If you hear anything from this, let the story of Jesus be the story that changes your life.  

Who will you tell this story to?

Simple,

Tex G.M. Rule
"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners." Romans 5:6-8, NLT.