Gasoline, Guns, and Grace: 2008 Men's Fall Retreat

By Brian LaMew

When men get together for a weekend retreat you can count on three things gasoline, guns, and grace. Let me tell you more.

A signature part of every Fall Men's Retreat is our bonfire. Prior to arriving at Grace Adventures Camp, I told our camp host that since the theme of our retreat is "Ignite" we will need a big bonfire on Saturday night. The representative from the camp said that lots of groups have bonfires and that it wouldn't be a problem. She said she would schedule a fire pit for us to use.

"Let me redefine 'big,'" I said. "Ridiculously huge. We bring a flatbed trailer filled with wood."

I love her comment here, "Just how big of a trailer are you talking about??"

The camp staff ended up digging a huge hole for us out in the middle of a clearing a mile from the camp. They finally got the idea. That night, after dousing the two story structure of pallets and lumber with gasoline, we lit it up and it blazed with a fury that brought a smile to face of every guy around the circle that night. For those of you feeling nervous, we had a fireman, a bulldozer, and a fire extinguisher on hand.

We also saw a bunch of gas being burned up on the Silver Lake Dunes as vehicles of every shape and size sped up and down the sand hills. Our guys are still talking about an old orange beater truck that had its engine catch fire trudging up one of the sand hills. The owner of the vehicle jumped from the cab, opened the hood, and put the fire out with his two liter of Coke. Then in a triumphant finale, took the last swig of Coke from the bottle, threw the empty in the bed of the truck and started her back up. We heard him say a couple minutes later, "Runs better than before."

Of course there was also lots of shot guns, skeet shooting, golf and good ol' fashioned hanging out. But what always makes the retreat more than just a weekend of primitive fun, is the way we discover the grace of God as we are gathered together. Through bible study, worship, personal reflection, and prayer God shows up in ways that are unmistakeable. One of the highlights for me is the sound of men singing praises to the Lord. Ever year I am surprised by how loud and strong the guys sing. Also, before the big bonfire on Saturday night, guys had a chance to pray for each other. Out of all the manly activities that day that was the moment when the men were at their manly best. The presence of divine grace was there. Men arrive as strangers and aquaintences, but leave as brothers re-ignited as followers of Christ.