Jest Kidding (Home)

In just a couple of days Vicky and I will leave for about six straight weeks of camps and Bible schools. For many years we would be gone for ten weeks at a time. That is a long time. For most of those years we traveled in a converted Greyhound type bus. The bus was our home away from home. It had a small kitchen, a very small bathroom and beds for the six of us. One of the things it didn�t have was a shower. Well, a hot shower anyway. A garden hose hooked up to the outside facet of a church only gives you a few seconds of water just above freezing.

When you know that you are going to be on the road for ten weeks and that the vehicle you will be living in doesnââ?¬â?¢t have a shower, you take a long shower before heading out. Every year I would dread heading out knowing it could be a long time before I could enjoy a ââ?¬Å?realââ?¬Â shower again. So right before we would leave, I would head to the shower and quite often stay in there until there wasnââ?¬â?¢t any more hot water. Oh how good it feels to stand under a nice shower and let the water beat down on you. You just soak it up and enjoy every drop.

Now don�t get the idea that we went ten weeks without bathing. We would heat water on the little stove and take sponge baths. Other times we would take turns pumping the pump for each other so that we could wash our hair in a city or state park. Some of that water is so cold it will give you an instant headache.

The days of the bus have been gone for a few years now. Ya, we still travel. Most camps have fairly nice places for their speakers to stay in ââ?¬â?? with showers. While doing Bible schools we often stay in someoneââ?¬â?¢s camper for the week and occasionally in their home – with showers.

Today I was reminded about taking that long last shower as I worshiped with my brothers and sisters at our church. I realized that this was going to be the last time I would be able to enjoy the fellowship, the music and the preaching of God�s Word for several weeks. You see, for the next six weeks it is going to be day after day of giving, giving and giving some more. Ministry really does drain a person. So today I stood in the midst of other believers and just soaked in every drop of blessing.

Thank you Howie, worship team, musicians and everyone around me. It will be close to two months before I can be back with you again for another shower.

Friends, when you sing, sing with all of your heart. You may not realize that you may be providing a spiritual shower to someone standing within the sound of your voice. They may be there soaking up every drop knowing it is going to be a long time before they can experience that shower of blessing again.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Colossians 3:16

This entry was posted on Monday, July 9th, 2007 at 11:13 pm and is filed under General, Road Noise.