A young couple got out of their car, just arriving for camp, and walked up the sidewalk to Cedar Lodge. He turned to her and said, “I feel like I am coming home.”

There is a desire in all of us to feel like we are coming home. The descriptions of “home” may vary from person to person. Unconditional love, acceptance, certain types of food, relationships, traditions, a place and space that feeds the soul, are all parts that make up this ideal of “home.”

Bev, my wife, often asks me this question: “Does it feed your soul?” What a great question when we think about home and all that it means. My favorite place at home is the fire circle. Recently, I went to the fire circle by myself and built a fire, and people started to gather. We laughed, talked, prayed, and even spent time just staring into the beauty and warmth of the fire. I was home. My soul was being fed.

The truth is, this desire to come home is from God. He is with us on a journey that brings us home to be with Him forever. Being with Him is the ultimate place of unconditional love, acceptance, feasts, relationships, and traditions that will last forever. With Him, we know that our soul is fed.

At camp, coming home might be connection with friends, cinnamon rolls, riding a horse, or paddling a canoe. It might be a favorite space or the sunsets. Whatever it means to you to come home to camp, please know that it is evidence of a deeper reality: God, through His Son Jesus Christ, invites us to live with Him forever. 

Coming Home…

Ed McDowell, Executive Director
Warm Beach Camp and Conference Center