The hills are alive with a multitude of group camping experiences.

I am currently attending a family camp in western Wisconsin, enjoying time around a private lake nestled in the rolling ridge tops and forested bluffs for which this part of the Midwest is known.

These hardwood forests and flood plane sloughs, at just under 2,000 feet above sea level, offer a refreshing break from the rugged topography of the mountain Landscapes I enjoy in Colorado, especially in our northwest corner. Even the humidity is welcome making my skin feel naturally softer than it does at home.

Attending this camp with some of my grandchildren means I am a bit more active than usual; oh to be young again.

I may be hard to beat at foosball or Scrabble, but I haven’t faired well playing kickball and I am not brave enough for the paintball wars or the climbing tower.

Time alone in the woods, large group meetings with others singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, as well as listening to the Bible expounded intentionally, bring one’s thoughts back to God.

We all need breaks from the routine of life and time away from the riggers of work to realign and be refreshed.

Like Engedi waterfalls and fresh water pools near the Dead Sea or oases in the desert like Elim with its 12 springs and 70 palm trees, God is our respite from this weary life and whirlwind existence.

Psalms 107:35 “He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.”

The experience of rest and rejuvenation we can enjoy at a group camp is but a dim glimpse of the eternal rest that waits those who hope in the Lord.

Jesus said it like this: Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Leonard Browning is the senior pastor at The Journey at First Baptist Church in Craig.