Using the new Illustrated Faith “Camp Revival” kit in my Catholic Journaling Bible has me reliving all the childhood memories! The same time my mom was entering the Catholic Church with my sister and me, my dad was in the throws of being a Southern Baptist–welcome to the world of divorce. And although I am a practicing Catholic, Traditional Latin Mass at that, I very much appreciate my summers spent in a small town Baptist church. The smell of gluesticks, felt board characters, and a carpeted church instantly take me back to 8 years old. Very few things top my happiness list like old hymns and worn out leather Bibles. And revival, ‘ain’t nothing like a good revival.
1 : an act or instance of reviving: the state of being revived: such as
a : renewed attention to or interest in something
b : a new presentation or publication of something old
c (1) : a period of renewed religious interest (2) : an often highly emotional evangelistic meeting or series of meetings
2 : restoration of force, validity, or effect (as to a contract)
John Piper relates, “In the history of the church, the term revival in its most biblical sense has meant a sovereign work of God in which the whole region of many churches, many Christians have been lifted out of spiritual indifference and worldliness into conviction of sin, earnest desires for more of Christ and his word, boldness in witness, purity of life, lots of conversions, joyful worship, renewed commitment to missions. You feel God has moved here.”
And reading his impression of what a revival is, I can see why late summer is a great time to have one. Summer is a time when the world seems to slow down, not only schools, but the churches as well. Many people are traveling due to the open and sometimes entirely empty calendar which leaves an outflow of members and an inflow of visitors. Bible study groups take a break and sometimes that lack of scheduled community can slow our own spiritual life down as well. (Although our Online Bible Study Community is in full force this month thanks be to God!)
So a summer revival is a perfect theme for this month’s Illustrated Faith Bible Journaling Kit. This theme is a lovely example of intentionally reigniting our own personal Bible reading or gathering a group of friends to spend time “exploring” and “traveling” through the Word. And although I only attended a church camp once in my childhood, sorting through the Bible Journaling kit goodies made me feel like a real deal camper–badges included!
I took this lovely kit and spent some time pondering and working in the Book of Sirach, Chapter 39, verses 1-5 in my Catholic Journaling Bible.
“How different the person who devotes himself to the study of the law of the Most High! He explores the wisdom of all the ancients and is occupied with the prophecies; He preserves the discourses of the famous, and goes to the heart of involved sayings; He seeks out the hidden meaning of proverbs, and is busied with the enigmas found in parables. He is in attendance on the great, and appears before rulers. He travels among the peoples of foreign lands to test what is good and evil among people. His care is to rise early to seek the Lord his Maker, to petition the Most High, To open his mouth in prayer, to ask pardon for his sins.”
This kit gets at the heart of revival whether personal or in a group setting. The die cuts, stamps, and embellishments all inspire the sense of adventure and wonder. The heart of God right? If a revival is meant to reignite, revive, and renew, then this “Camp Revival” kit fits the bill. It reminded me that seeking God is the greatest adventure there is in this life. And that while seeking Him, sometimes what may seem like wandering, is actually exploring.
You can find more of my Catholic Journaling Bible posts on this page.
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