The Packing List

At our meeting a couple of weeks ago we were given a sort of "packing list" with suggestions of what to bring:

• Comfy casual clothes - I have plenty of those! I rarely wear anything but. Check!
• Khaki shorts - part of the Blue Skies "uniform" on arrival day is khaki shorts and the Blue Skies tee shirt we will get when we arrive. Khaki shorts - check!

• Running shoes - hmmmm...definately not a runner but a morning walk on the beach is right up my alley - Check!
• White shirt for spa day - Plenty of those too. Check!
• Hawaiian Shirt - Well, this calls for some shopping. Working on that one.
• Pirate Night costume - someone help please?
• Red, Whitie and Blue Western Night - got the red shorts but will need to shop for a cute white and blue western shirt. Love an excuse to shop!

The physical preparation and packing for Blue Skies is easy. It's the spiritual/emotional preparation that can be a little more challenging. Part of the application process for Blue Skies was a bit of sharing about our individual faith journey. This morning I sat at my computer, preparing my lesson for our adult Sunday School class tomorrow. We're studying the faith journey of Moses. Through Moses, God gives us so many wonderful examples of the importance of faith, of following, of allowing to be led. My lesson tomorrow focuses on the victories that Moses experienced as a result of his faithfulness to God's call and on those mountaintop experiences that I hope everyone experiences at some time. But the journey to the top of the mountain can be a rough one. God led the Israelites out of Egypt to the Red Sea in a very roundabout way and he had very specific reasons for doing it this way. As they got to the Red Sea and looked back they saw the Egyptians, hot on their trail, and they respond with grumbling and doubts about the path they were on. They asked, wouldn't it have been better to have remained slaves in Egypt? I love what Moses tells them. He says, "The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still."

The families coming to Blue Skies have been fighting. I have been privileged to be a witness to many a family's fight. Part of my faith story is a result of this witness; faithful families who leaned into their faith during incredibly difficult times and showed me what true faith was about. I pray that during the upcoming retreats, these families can "be still" and let the Lord fight for them, as he promised he would.

Next item on the list? Bible - Check! Wouldn't leave home without it!

25 More days!!!