Sunday, August 9
This is the first “lesson from Lily’s pad.”

“For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve,
and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Mark 10:45

Hi!  My name is Lily, and I’m a frog!  That’s right – a frog!  I was hatched in the swamp behind the chapel at Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp.  This week, I will give you a little taste of life at Fortune Lake and, hopefully, connect with your life too.  Each day, you can get an online “lesson from Lily’s pad.”

Today begins the final week of the summer camping season at Fortune Lake.  I’ve enjoyed watching the kids playing in the big green field, and swimming at the beach.  But most of all, I’ve loved listening to the joyful noise that they make during chapel.  The guitars and drums and energetic counselors can sure get the kids singing!

The theme for the summer has been “Love to Serve.”  At first, I didn’t know what that meant.  I know you Lutherans are really good at serving coffee, funeral luncheons, and potluck suppers.  But I’ve learned that there is much more to serving!

As the Bible verse for today says, Jesus didn’t come to be served, but to serve.  He helped people in lots of ways.  He healed the sick, helped the lame to walk and the blind to see, and loads of other stuff.  But the most important way he served was by actually dying in your place.  WOW!

Thank you, God, for sending Jesus as a servant to live among your world.  He was the model servant.  Help us to live our lives following Jesus’ example of serving others.  Amen.

Monday, August 10
This is the second “lesson from Lily’s pad.”

“I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.”
John 15:17

Lily, here.  It’s Monday, and today’s theme is “Freed to Serve,” part of the overall theme, “Love to Serve.”

You know, I’ve been hanging around humans for a pretty long time now and one thing I’ve noticed is that you humans don’t like too many rules.  You put up with the ones that keep you safe or protect your property, but you don’t like to be told what to do – right?
So how do you feel about Jesus commanding you to love one another?

At Fortune Lake, we have a favorite phrase:  “you don’t HAVE to; you GET to!”  It turns a rule or command into an opportunity.  It frees you up to love and to serve each other.  You don’t HAVE to help others – you GET to!  It’s all a matter of attitude – responding to the freedom you have been given.  Because Jesus “gave His life a ransom for many,” you have been “Freed to serve!”

Servant Jesus, when we grow tired of rules and regulations, remind us that, because you  “had to” buy our freedom, we “get to” serve others.  Amen.

Tuesday, August 11
This is the third “lesson from Lily’s pad.”

“Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image,
according to our likeness;
and let them have dominion over…every creeping thing…”
Genesis 1:26

Lily here again.  Today is Tuesday and today’s theme is “Created to Serve,” the second part of the overall theme, “Love to Serve.”

To be perfectly honest, we frogs could be offended by today’s Bible verse.  God has given you humans dominion over us creeping – and jumping – things.   God has put you humans in charge of everything else God created.  I wonder what would have happened if God had put frogs in charge! 

As an outdoor ministry, the campers and staff are serious about their assignment of caring for the earth.  They recycle and reuse materials.  They even have a flashback lunch when leftovers are served in interesting ways!  They remind each other not to litter at the canteen and are learning how to compost to add nutrients to the garden.

A lot of responsibility goes with being created in the image of God!  God created you to take care of creation. You have been “created to serve.”

Creator God, your creation is amazing!  You have given us a tough assignment to care for your creation.  Guide us and remind us that we are created to serve all of your creation.  Amen.

Wednesday, August 12
This is the fourth “lesson from Lily’s pad.”

And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 
Samuel 3:10b

“Hello, this is Lily.  Did you call?”   Wednesday’s theme at camp is “Called to Serve,” the third part of the overall theme, “Love to Serve.”

You humans are big on communication.  You have cell phones and email, Facebook and Myspace, My Circle, and Friends and Family, just to name a few.  It reminds me of dusk in the swamp during spring time when all the frogs are making noise to attract mates!  The sound can be deafening!

Don’t get me wrong -- I’m all for communication.  But with all the calling going on, is anybody listening -- to God?

It took Samuel three times before he understood that God was calling him.  Then he was ready to listen and do what God asked him to do.

Because cell phones can’t pick up a signal at camp, the campers and staff at Fortune Lake communicate mainly like us frogs – by word of mouth !

When kids and adults are at camp, away from their usual busyness and distractions, sometimes it’s easier to hear God calling them to serve.  Counselors may hear God’s call through the tears of a homesick camper or through a group of eighth graders questioning their faith around a campfire.  And some jobs the staff is called to do aren’t especially fun -- like mopping the dining hall floor and doing pot wash when lasagna is on the menu!

Like Samuel, God calls each of you to do what needs to be done and to help each other in your corner of God’s world.  Do you hear God calling you to serve?  Are you listening?

God of all kinds of communication, we are listening.  Help us to recognize your call through everyday routines and relationships.  Motivate us to answer your call to serve.  Amen.

Thursday, August 13
This is the fifth “lesson from Lily’s pad.”

“So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,
you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” 
John 13:14

Here I am hopping around the final week of the summer program at Fortune Lake.  Thursday’s theme is “Saved to Serve,” the fourth part of the theme, “Love to Serve.”

Some weeks at camp, the campers are invited on a Christ Walk.  The staff picks out important scenes in the life of Jesus and acts them out at various locations around camp.  The campers walk, like Christ walked, from his birth to his death on the cross and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.  They are reminded of the path Christ took, step by step.

Jesus was the leader and teacher of his little group of 12 disciples.  Before he died, he did a very humble thing – he washed their feet.  Then, he told them to wash each other’s feet. 

It’s great when pastors come to camp with the kids and adults that are members of their congregations.  The campers get to see their pastor as a real person who comes to breakfast looking sleepy, shoots baskets, plays volleyball, paddles a canoe, and is actually an okay person to talk to.   In a way, the pastors are washing their members’ feet! 

Jesus has saved you to serve others, especially those who suffer.  Jesus asks you to “wash the feet” of the hungry, the poor, the lonely, the sick, and those who are rejected because they look or act different than you.

Thank you, Jesus, for showing us how to be humble servants.  Inspire us to be willing to do the humble jobs in life and to care for others. Amen.

Friday, August 14
This is the sixth “lesson from Lily’s pad.”

“But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.” 
Mark 10:31

It’s Friday at Fortune Lake and the campers are getting ready to head back home.  The final day’s theme -- “Sent to Serve,” will send them on their way!

Living in the swamp at Fortune Lake, I get to do a lot of people watching.  You humans seem to have a thing about competition!   Most people want to be first in line.  Kids want to be the “cutiest,” the most athletic, or the most popular.  Everybody wants to be #1 – top frog – I mean, top dog!  Okay, I’ll admit that we frogs want to get ahead of other frogs too.  I suppose that’s where the game Leap Frog comes from!

In the Bible passage for today, the disciples were arguing about who was the greatest too.  Jesus gave them a topsy-turvy answer:  “many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”   That’s a surprising lesson for humans and frogs to learn.

The staff tries to downplay competition at camp.  In fact, lots of new games are played that have no winners at all.  Nobody is cut from a team and everyone is welcome to play – not to win, but just for the fun of playing.  It’s hard for campers and staff to change their way of thinking, but, by Friday, they have at least experienced God’s upside-down logic.

Today the campers will be sent home to share what they have experienced and learned with their families and friends.  Hopefully, they will be more willing to pay attention to the needs of others because they are being sent to serve!

Servant Savior, we confess that we sometimes want to be better than others. Help us to put the needs of others before our own desires.  Give us courage as we are sent out into our communities to serve others.  Amen.

Saturday, August 15
This is the final “lesson from Lily’s pad.”

“For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve,
and to give his life a ransom for many.” 
Mark 10:45

It’s Saturday, August 15, the final day of the summer camping season.  The campers left yesterday and today the summer staff will pack up their belongings and say their farewells.  It’s not easy to say goodbye to folks you’ve lived with for about ten weeks.  Together, they have sung around scores of campfires, have cooked dozens of pudgy pies, have washed thousands of dishes, and have swatted millions of mosquitoes!  (yum!) 

Like the Bible verse above says, the summer staff came to Fortune Lake “not to be served but to serve.”  Fortunately, unlike Jesus, no one had to give his or her life in service.  But they did give their talents, their time, energy, patience, compassion and understanding.  

This Lily is no liar, so I won’t tell you that everything was perfect all summer.  Even from the swamp, I heard about some arguments and misunderstandings, some whining and complaining.  Serving can be exhausting and frustrating!  LOVING to serve is a tough assignment!

Like the campers who returned to their homes each week, the summer staff will return to their lives with this reminder:  God has freed them to serve, has created them to serve, has called them to serve, has saved them to serve, and now sends them to serve where they live, and study, and work. 

But the serving will continue at Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp.  The new adult lodge will be ready to welcome the women’s synodical convention in just a few days.  And the retreat schedule looks busy on into the fall.  Come and join us.  You may even hear a chorus of my relatives and me singing from the swamp!

So this is Lily, the frog, asking you to pray for the campers and staff who have experienced God’s grace during the summer.  Pray that this outdoor ministry experience has helped them to grow in faith – maybe even cause them to take a LEAP of faith!  Amen.