Happy Tuesday!

Yesterday, while sitting in the airport waiting for a delayed flight in the Fresno Air Terminal (FAT), I noticed a man smelling a tree. It was a fake tree, designed to look like a pine tree. It was obviously a fake, and obviously, it had no smell. He crept behind it to avoid being spotted. But I spotted him! He stood with his face pressed into the plastic branches.

He soon spotted me, spotting him. He then reached quickly to grab something in the plastic wood chips at the base of the tree. It was at that time that I realized he was actually playing with a young boy unseen by me on the other side of the tree. The boy hadn't seen him either, but was wondering why his toys were disappearing. There was a sense of wonder in the boy's face, and a clear sense of delight in the man's face. He suddenly looked far more intelligent than the daft older man I had originally pegged him to be.

As our eyes caught again, we smiled, and I realized that we were in much the same business. He was seeking to be creative and mischievous to show his love for his grandson, not caring how foolish he appeared. The staff at Hume understands this principle very well; appearing foolish to the world, while maintaining a very specific purpose and goal; not to share love to grandkids, but God's love to His kids. We are willing to do whatever it takes, no matter how silly it appears to the world, if it means we can reach one more with the message of God's love.

Maybe this summer you can see some of the crazy themes, games and skits. Just don't be caught smiling.

Kept,

Jeff Lilley
Executive Director
Hume Lake Christian Camps
jlilley@humelake.org

You can find some of Hume's ridiculous videos on our podcast. (iTunes required)

Or play some childish games here: www.humelake.org/games