This post first appeared in July of 2013 as a devotional from Barclay Press.

Another of my favorite hikes is found at Quaker Meadow Christian Camp. As a camp counselor, I loved to take a small group of students on this tough and strenuous hike early in the morning. Our goal: Get to the top of the granite mountain in time to watch the morning sunrise.

From the top of the mountain the views are amazing. Miles and miles of forest filled with pine trees and sequoias. In the early, predawn hours the only sounds you could hear was from the wildlife rustling through the bushes and trees or flying overhead. I enjoyed sharing this peaceful surrounding with this small group of students.

This peace is finally broken as the sun begins to appear, rising up through the trees in the distance. Shortly after sunrise, the camp bell rings, waking campers who are still sleeping. Within minutes, the valley below is filled once again with laughter from hundreds of young people. But nothing brought me greater joy than to be surrounded by students removed from the distractions of the world back home, experiencing God’s creation.

There is something magical and transformative about being in such a place, at that hour and with my special friends.

Prayer Suggestion: Pray for a spirit of transformation and a new, deeper understanding of peace and joy this week.

-Pastor Rick Ellis
Pastor at Friends Community Church