Stokes State Forest

It was good to go camping with the Redeemer gang in the wilds of New Jersey, although we were not the only large group there. No, we had the good fortune to snag a spot next to a group that had a club-sized sound system pounding out dirge-like Latin music first thing in the morning. And near another group (possibly boy scouts) that apparently used their car alarms as an alarm clock - afterward, they strummed a guitar and sang for a while.


Standing: Matt, Karen, Kat, Miguel, Gina, Omar, Austin, Seung-Jin, Jonathan
Kneeling: Sai-Kit, Gina, Grace, Fiona, Andrew, Patricia
Sitting: Lee

On Saturday, Grace and I - as Grand Canyon rafting veterans - took to the water along with Sai-Kit, Austin, and both Ginas. But this time we tried kayaking. It was very relaxing "whitewater" (maybe level I+ in places), and we were served margaritas en route by a kindly stranger. We also floated by some cliffs prominently marked "NO TRESPASSING", from which about 10 intrepid souls were jumping (or, in some cases, thinking about jumping) while their friends kept the rented rafts moored on the rocks. A lazy, sunny afternoon, with just enough splashing and swimming to keep cool.

In the evening, our neighbors were blasting much cooler music, including one song that I would love to get a copy of but cannot possibly describe and thus will most likely never hear again.*

People stayed up after dark around the bonfire - Sai piled on an unbelievable amount of wood which I suppose would have come in handy if we'd been expecting a rescue by air. Despite a certain amount of trepidation voiced among certain members of the group, none of us were eaten by bears and I'm pretty sure that hardly anyone disappeared during the moonlight hike.

This evening, I made it to the 5 o'clock service at Redeemer. The message seemed directly intended for me (it was a letter from JC via John to the church in Laodicea), so I was glad I went. According to Tim Keller, Laodicea was a place that attracted ambitious, successful people (thus a lot like NYC and ancient Corinth). In fact, Laodicea was a top medical center, particularly renowned for its eye salves, as well as a bustling textile center known for the glossy black wool of its sheep; and the city and its citizens were so rich that they declined assistance from Rome to rebuild after an earthquake. (This last part is somewhat unlike NYC, which was perfectly happy to accept federal funds after 9/11.) The letter sharply rebuked the Laodiceans as "poor, blind and naked" - the absolute inverse of their material state - for their spiritual tepidness and unconscious arrogance.

FN* Alas, the only words I could distinguish from the jumble of Spanish were "Ave!" and "Alleluia!" but I'm pretty sure that was neither the chorus nor the name of the song.