What Is That?

As soon as you open the door you hear it. It doesn't matter if it's early morning or just before dark. There's that eerie, buzzing, humming, somewhat of a "roar" sound. To the uninitiated, it sounds like a low budget horror film when the hordes of "killer" insects are about to come over the mountain. Actually, it's the "Seventeen Year Locust" which aren't really locusts at all but cicadas.

Every seventeen years this unusual inhabitant of God's creation makes it's appearance in the hardwood forests of eastern North America. These red eyed, 2"-3" long, harmless creatures swarm the mountains and for a few weeks we constantly hear their "love song". After 17 years of life underground the cicada comes to the surface, reproduces and dies. There is only this brief opportunity to create another generation of cicadas for the next cycle then they are gone for almost two decades.

This week we are conducting Summer Staff Orientation at Camp Nathanael. As we're on the verge of the 2008 camp season I'm reminded of what a brief opportunity we will have in the weeks ahead to introduce another generation of campers to the Gospel and the opportunity to be born into God's family through their personal acceptance of Jesus Christ.

No doubt you've heard the saying, "Only one life will soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last." Pray that we will take this saying to heart in the weeks to come.

That's what's happening along the banks of Troublesome Creek until next time.