“God, my shepherd!   I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.

(Psalm 23:1-3, MSG)

I am spending this week among the trees, the tall redwood trees in the Santa Cruz mountains of Northern California…one of my favorite places on Earth!  I have so many memories of this place…as a child I attended camp here with my family every summer, I worked on summer staff all through college and have attended pastor camp here off and on for the last 20+ years.

For me this is a place where I am known deeply to the core of who I am.  As a child it was spending time with friends who attended the same week of camp every year.  As a young adult it was the place where I felt my call to ministry and the place where my faith became my own (and no longer my parents.)  As a pastor this has become the place where I am known by peers, supported in my ministry, encouraged in my struggles and loved deeply through friendships that have walked with me in the highs and lows of my life.

This is also a place where I feel the most connected to God.  Sitting amongst the trees, looking towards the heavens.  Listening to the trickle of the stream as it turns into the rush of the waterfall.  Watching the birds and the squirrels as they go about their daily tasks.  All of these things work together to remind me of how great God is – so creative, so powerful and such an eye for detail. The more time I spend alone with God, the more I am reminded of how much God cares for me, even in the smallest of details.

Do you have a place like this in your life?  A place that you return to again and again?  A place where you are known and deeply loved?  A place where you feel God’s love surround you and enfold you?   I hope the answer is “Yes!” …because we all need that place, those people and the chance to pause and completely unplug.

Jesus said, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me.  Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

(Matthew 11:28-30)

Blessings,
Pastor Jenni