A Gathering of Brothers

Friday afternoon I left work early to prepare for our annual church men's retreat. This year, they changed the working from retreat to advance, and I think it makes sense, even though it is hard to get used to. We are not supposed to 'retreat', we are supposed to advance and lead. I like that.

Later Friday afternoon after I packed, grabbed some cash, and chatted with my wife, we went to the church to wait for my ride. I was riding with the same two guys I rode with last year, both of them quiet. I was in a chatty mood so I was able to keep the conversation going while we traveled.

The 'advance' was being held at the same location as it was the year before, Glen Rose Lakes Methodist Camp in Glen Rose, TX. It is about a 2 hour drive south west of our church and in a rather pretty area. There is a shallow river running through the camp and a fair amount of things to do (paintball, ropes course, water park, etc) as long as you have paid to do them, be we decided to keep the cost down and allow more men to come that we would skip the frills. We received bunkhouse style lodging (2 nights) with 4 meals and the use of a conference room for $70 per man. Not a bad deal if you do not mind bunk house style lodging.

We arrived later on Friday evening due to a miscommunication on riding arrangements and traffic, not to mention none of us had eaten yet. So our 4:30 start time was pushed to about 6 PM or so. We arrived about 7:30, found our bunkhouse, unloaded the car, made a trip to the latrine, and went for our first group session led by Captain Cary Snelling, a Chaplain in the United States Army. A man of God AND a soldier, he is a powerful speaker. After a 2 hour session and small group, we headed back to the bunkhouse.

I was instructed to go to house 4, since I tend to snore a bit. That was the bunkhouse that housed the guys that tend to snore, so I had no problem. The first nights sleep was good. The bunk (a typical foam mattress pad on a plywood and 2 by 4 frame) was in good condition. We had 3 toilets, sinks, and showers for about 15 men, so as long as I got up at my normal time, I should be able to get a shower and brush my teeth before chow and the morning group sessions.

The shower had plenty of hot water and was pretty clean, much cleaner than I expected. I tend to rise early when I travel or am away from my wife, so I had about 40 minutes to kill before they opened the mess hall for coffee. Meals were at specific times during the day (breakfast was 2 hours later than I was used to, but I managed). A few of us met for coffee both mornings and that was quite nice. Most of the men are near may age, though some are older and a few younger.

The first session was immediately after chow and lasted for a couple of hours. We had about 1 hour free until lunch, so I just wandered the camp. It was bustling with some college kids who were on a leadership outing. It was coed, but the sleep arrangements were obviously separated. I thought the young women were dressed a bit to risque for a church camp (tight, short shorts, bikini tops, etc) but that is just my opinion. I could be distracting to a bunch of men in search of spiritual healing.

After chow I went to the gym and got spanked in air hockey (which surprised me...I am a decent air hockey player) and watched the guy who defeated me defeat 2 other guys in short time. I do not know if he plays much, but he showed me that he is not to be take lightly.

After my defeat, I took a younger, newer BiC (Brother in Christ) who had been beaten in air hockey as well, on a hike up a rocky cliff that overlooked the camp. At the end of the trail is a bonfire pit where people can meet, have a fire (safely) and get down to some serious spiritual healing. We walked up during the heat of the day and our bottled water was soon gone. It is not a long hike, maybe 20 minutes or so, but it is a take strenuous and has a couple of places that the footing is very hazardous. You hike at your own risk.

The view from the top of the cliff is wonderful and as soon as I get some time I will post the photos I took (well, some of them at least). It has a great view of the sunset at the proper time and I was looking forward to that.

The hike starts with a 200 meter trek down the shallow river that is behind the camp. Once you hike down to the proper place, then cross it (it is very shallow) and co up a six foot ledge to the path. Once on the path it is easy to follow the path, but not so easy to traverse it. We had many who had to take the back way up via pickup truck.

The hike down would be impossible at night without hurting yourself. It is required that anyone who goes up to do a bonfire MUST come back via the road. It is a twisty narrow patch that is strewn with boulders, exposed roots, and fallen trees. Tricky during the day and very dangerous at night.

After hiking up and back, I was a bit tired, so I grabbed some shut-eye. While I did not mean to, I ended up sleeping for close to 2 hours, getting up just in time for chow. I walked over to the chow hall and joined my BiC's for our evening meal. While not fantastic, the meal was palatable. Camp food is seldom good but it is usually edible. This was better than edible, bit not quite 'good'.

After chow we had another group session, this one led by a Nigerian Bishop. The sermon was right on target, and though his accent kept many of the newer BiC's from understanding every word, the message was loud and clear...even when coming from a quiet Nigerian man. After that we began the official hike to the cross for the gathering of men at the bonfire. While it was not dark yet, the sun was setting and we had just enough time to safely make it along the trail up the cliff before the fire was lit.

We spent about 2 hours at the top of the cliff around the bonfire laughing and crying, building each other up, and praying for those who were in pain, spiritual and physical. We shared and we listened and learned new things about our BiC's, both old and new that we never knew until that night. While some of the things you learn might surprise you, you are seldom worried by them. Some of these men (myself included) have been through Hell and have made it back by the Grace of God and the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ. I am getting misty eyed at this moment thinking about the trials some of these men have dealt with.

After the bonfire we loaded into trucks and took the 'easy' way down. It is almost as long to get there by truck as it is to walk, and the route is just as difficult for a truck as the other way is for people. When we made it to the river crossing point, we were stopped by another vehicle coming up as we were coming down. The only place wide enough to allow us both to pass was in the river itself. While it was a bit unnerving to do at night, it was mostly safe. The river is very shallow (less than a foot) and the bottom is solid stone...no mud or sand to get mired down in.

After returning to the camp, we decided that ice cream was in order, as if all the 'man food' we consumed over the course of the past 24 hours was not enough. We all piled BACK into the trucks and headed into Glen Rose towards the Dairy Queen in search if frozen treats.

We arrived at DQ 20 minutes before closing and 25+ Christian men that comprised the caravan began placing orders. We piled in the rear of the establishment and began to cut up, having a good time until our goodies arrived. The poor server was new and look genuinely frightened of us, or at least a few of us. One of the guys there stated that he heard a quote that said something along the lines of, "Men are just one weekend away from dancing naked around a bonfire and placing dead animal heads on the end of spears". I think was correct. Amazing how uncouth a group of men can become when they are on an outing away from the only human on the planet who is able to keep them under control...Their wife!

While no naked dancing took place (THANK YOU JESUS!) I did experience 'raw manliness' in action. While it can be funny to witness, I am glad these things only take place once a year. I am not sure I could handle more than that!

While I am poking fun at this, the weekend was serious to me in the fact that God has convicted me of some of my behavior as a man. God commands us (as men) to be leaders and I have been shirking in that duty lately. He also commands us to nurture and nourish our wives. That point really hurt, because I have not been doing that. Needless to say I spent a good deal of time praying regarding this matter.

Sunday I woke up did my normal routine (shower, brush teeth, morning walk, etc) and had coffee with my brothers. Once the chow hall opened we ate and went back to pack. After packing we had our last session, which was more of a sermon, but it was very welcome nonetheless. When the sermon was over we all chatted and said our good-byes, loaded into the vehicles we were assigned and headed home.

I drove back with the guy who beat me at air hockey. I did not know this but he hates driving by himself. Had I known this earlier, I would have driven down with him since he had to drive down by himself. I do not like to see people travel by themselves if I can help it.

We had a good productive talk on the way back and I thing we both learned a few things. He dropped me off at my house and I said good-bye, gave him a hug and returned to my world...

Coming home to my dogs was interesting and rewarding. I let them out to use the bathroom, but they were more interested in me, so I let them back in. It was hot so I knew leaving them out very long was dangerous. I unpacked and tidied a few things before logging on to my PC and checking my mail and doing a few bills. Once that was done I updated www.mistergeek.com and finished watching 'Aeon Flux', as I previously blogged. Big waste of time.

Later that evening, my wife and I had a light dinner and watched 'The New World'. I did not like it but my wife seemed to enjoy it, so I sat there and watched, holding my wife's hand while she explained it to me. That is a first!

After watching an episode of Babylon 5, I went to bed. That was as much TV as could handle for one day. I normally do not watch much, but I only have 10 episodes left of the 5th season of B5 left to watch and then I can start back up on Farscape. I had 'Aeon Flux' and 'The New World' last week but never got a chance to finish AF, even though it is only 90 minutes long. My wife and I never had enough time together to watch TNW,so we shelved it until the summer re-runs started. Now that no more original episodes are going to be aired (outside the last 2 epi's of 24 tonight), I can catch up on all my sci-fi!