Not for wimps...

Christianity, that is. It's not for wimps. Taking the Gospel into the world means running headlong into the rejection and disregard that have been traveling companions for the good news ever since the beginning. It's that whole cross thing. Want to be a Christian? Then you better look good on wood, as the old saying goes.

...which is one of the reasons why we take our kids to Confirmation Camp.

That was last week's adventure: five days of running around the hills and woods at LMC. It's a great place staffed by good, faithful folks who have the awesome responsibility of sharing the faith with little kids and teenagers. It's a lot of fun...everything from cannonball contests at the pool to silly songs at campfire. And it's a place to be tested instead of coddled...to learn that you can do more than you ever thought possible.

Have you ever climbed a rock wall? For the lean, lanky and athletic, it's a matter of reaching the next hand-hold and scampering up. But for most kids, it's a real challenge. Fear of heights. Fear that the folks on the rope might not be able to hold me. Fear that my legs and arms just aren't strong enough to hang on. Fear that I'll fail in front of my peers. It's a risk just to decide to do it.

And it's a risk that every one of our kids took. They worked hard. They trusted the folks who were holding them even when they couldn't see them. They discovered a group of friends who screamed their encouragement when letting go seemed like the best option and cheered them at the end. They didn't quit...and in the process learned that they're tougher and more able than they thought they were.

I'm glad we go to camp and do Bible study and play games and swim and sing. But I'm especially glad that we go to camp to push ourselves...to try something new and seemingly dangerous...to go places where we wouldn't ordinarily go, and learn to trust that it's going to be OK in the end...that God has a hold of the rope, and he's not letting go.

Someplace...somehow...we need to learn to trust that. Why? Because it's true. Because it's the strength we need to live. Because following after Jesus can be a tough business. Because Christianity isn't for wimps.