Daily Devotion

by Ken Holdt

For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.                                     Psalm 100:5

As I look at the financial and relational contributors to the effort of supporting the faith journey at Camp Luther posted on the wall of the Lodge, I am pleased to see some familiar families of Good Shepherd past and present: John and Mary Kalberg, Marlin and Naomi Morris, Allen and Pat Olson, and Paul, Sally, Ben, and Scott Alexander, to name a few.  Names I know and many names I don’t, but each of whom contributed to their own generation of those on a faith walk, and as I read their names while on retreat with my own family here, contributed to the faith walk of my kids, Amber, and me.

Having grown up here as an interloping, cling-on day camper coming with my mom as she served as administrator of Camp Luther in the mid-late 80s, it was natural for me to want to share the fondness for the Camp Luther experience with the next generation of my family.  I am reminded of the baptism rite where we parents pledge to shape the faith of our children.  Camp is second-to-none in being a fun and palpable way to model, refine, and share my own faith with my kids, Amber and me to grow in faith as a couple, as well as mold and shape our faith in the context of our nuclear family, within a greater community of God’s family with those gathered here, all encapsulated in a beautiful setting.

This is our fourth year coming to Camp Luther.  Our kids are now 10 (Lily), 8 (Isaac), 6 (Kate), and 4 (Hannah); and we feel as if we’ve hit stride with Lily connecting with and heading off independently with the preteens, Isaac and Kate’s friend group taking shape, and Hannah tagging along with her newly more-independent siblings.  Having them reach milestones in a safe, caring environment is a huge part of the sense of community felt here. 

Further, experiencing a more meaningful and deeper dive into scripture, word, song, community, and God’s love is all part of it too.  Having to worry less about diapers, and being unnecessarily self-conscious about disturbing others with our noisiness (we’ve learned that all is part of the “make a joyful noise” tapestry!), we’ve been front row in a transformation as we watch our children’s faith grow with members of the GSLC faith community here, listening as our kids articulate their feelings about the nature of God during family devotions, offer prayer for the dining hall, and sing in the kids choir for the Wednesday night camp musical.

We are here thanks to the generations that came before us, like John and Mary and Marlin and Naomi.  Though the future is as uncertain as ever, what is sure is our shelter in the time of storm in God’s through-the-generations-unassailable steadfast love.  

Prayer: God, we thank you for your promise of faithfulness to each of us. Help us to trust in your faithfulness so that we might be a blessing to others. Amen.j