fifty trees:: part one

I’m pretty excited about our middle school ministry’s upcoming summer camp called “elevation” at camp chinquapin. I wanted this to be a whole new kind of camp experience- with experiences instead of sermons. I was prepping for the camp and praying and thinking about what we would do. I closed my eyes and said to myself, “picture you’re at camp chinquapin…what do you see?” and I answered myself, “I SEE TREES!” and I knew that I wanted to make use of the trees at the camp and the many times that the bible uses trees as an analogy. I started to investigate if I could make a way for each student to plant a tree while they were at the camp.

I called the camp- they specifically requested that we plant sugar pine trees. they gave me the name of a forester to talk to about trees. He told me that it was pretty late in the year to be planting trees, and that they might not survive if we planted them at this time. I told him that we just wanted the experience of planting them, and that I didn’t really care if they survived. that blew his mind. “that’s the point of planting trees! you’re missing the point!” he told me. he told me that the minimum order was 50 trees and that when they arrived I had to get them in the refrigerator right away. when they arrived, I called him and asked them how long they would last in there. He told me that they were hibernating in there and that they might make it one week. I told him that I needed them to last a month. that blew his mind too. he told me, “those things are ready to grow now! you’ve got to get them into some dirt!”


so I started thinking about how to get these trees in the ground. after thinking through a bunch of options, I finally settled on planting them in pots on my patio. I figured that I’d drive them up to the camp in June. so this morning, I planted 50 trees.

when I opened the box, the smell of Christmas wafted out of it. the trees were wet, and some of them had mold on them. they were just little twigs with roots on one end, and green leaves on the other. he actually sent me about 100 of them. I don’t think that I have ever gone to this much effort or cost for an illustration; and in the end, they may all die and I’ll have to get a new illustration!


when I dreamt up this experience, I planned to tell the students about the roots, and how we are to be rooted in Christ; and I planned on telling them about the branches, and how we are to abide in Christ- and I planned on telling them about the fruit, and how we produce for Christ when we are connected to Him. but while I was planting those trees, God used those trees as an illustration of His love and compassion for me and for the students.
I saw those little saplings like the faiths of students that I minister to.


:: These trees were young, fragile and yet full of potential. As I planted each little sapling in the pots I reflected that each little tree had the potential to grow into a mighty 30 foot tall tree, or they might not last the week.

:: I thought of the care and concern that God had over me when my young faith sprouted up. I reflected on how He planted me at First Baptist Church, and supported my little limbs with such Godly men; and how He fed my tiny roots with Scriptures and messages from the people of that church.

:: As I planted these trees, I began to feel the urgency that my forester friend had for these trees. It was a mad dash to get these trees out of the box, into the pots, and watered with fertilizer. And I began to think of how little time we have to make an impact in a student’s life. We have to support their young faith, and help them grow as quickly as we can or we might lose them. We need to create environments where they have the best opportunity to grow; and if we can just get them from the box to the pot, and from the pot to the soil, they just might make it into adulthood as a strong tree that is able to give strength to others.

:: In short, as I planted those trees, I began to care about those trees, just like my friend the forester, and I can’t wait to see them planted in the forest? Will they all make it to camp chinquapin? Probably not, but I’m going to give it my best. And who knows? Someday me and my middle school friends may go up to Chinquapin and say to a young friend,
“see that big sugar pine tree? I planted that tree myself, and now its growing big and strong- just like you and your faith.”


psalm 1
“Blessed is the man
who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked
or stand in the way of sinners
or sit in the seat of mockers.


But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.”


I’ll keep you posted on the status of the trees.
in the meantime, keep on growing. 
God is love.
-rev-rob