Cabin on the Moon or pizza delivery people are from GOD
Mens' retreats are always interesting for their own reasons. This year several of the men went to the retreat. I believe it was about a 130% increase over the prior retreat. We of course got a late start and then the various map services from the net pretty much torpedoed our best efforts to get there before dark. After getting lost in the fog, and driving back and forth over the same few miles of road (after asking directions at a local market, you know the locals say "just a bit down the road around the corner past the crooked tree, two streets past the rock that's shaped like Bob, and turn right at the old Stetson place, YOU CAN'T MISS IT!" Well we did.) We finally stopped and asked someone else (at a liquor store, cause you know they're reliable) and they gave us directions that actually had references in miles. We got almost there before getting lost that time. Then, out of the fog (oh, the fog, yes! Bitchen fog. It was great, we couldn't see more than ten feet in front of us at best at any given time. Mountain road driving, everybody looking to see just when we would plummet to our death, and we of course were lost because of those cool internet map sites previously mentioned.) comes an angel sent by GOD, or Dominos. It was the pizza delivery lady. She stops in front of two vehicles filled with us men and asks us if we're lost (of course not, but if we were, and I ain't sayin' we are, but if we were, how would we get there from here?) and proceeded to give us exact instructions on how to reach our destination. Like WE needed the help of some WOMAN! heh! Pizza must make you smarter or something. O.K. so this woman from the fog saved us. We are on the right road now heading in the right direction (confirmed by the directions that my wife supplied and if I had read them back in Pasadena we would have never been in the position of needing to be saved by Pizza Girl)
and when we finally get to the edge of the camp (at the sign on which had a cross) the dense fog stopped! I mean, like clear skies, unlimited visability, perfect. At the camp we were standing around in the dark trying to figure out where we should go, when again someone from out of nowhere told us where we needed to be. How cool, whenever we were lost someone would show up to provide us with directions.
The retreat for us started with a late arrival as the meeting was in progress when we arrived, Bishop was speaking, and it seemed he was speaking to me. Dang, I hate it when a message means something in my life. After the meeting, we were receiving room assignments, and it seemed that we were all going to be split up amongst various locations around the camp. Then, I was informed that this would be remedied and to wait. O.K. so now it was fixed, we would all be together in the only cabin that had not been assigned. (We later found out why it was empty) Great, I wouldn't have to be with unfamiliar people. I soon found out that unfamiliar people might have been better than previously thought. My priest, my brothers, and two guests accended to the heavens where our infamous cabin #6 was located. I'm glad there was a priest present because I thought I was going to DIE. My FREAKIN' CABIN WAS ON THE MOON! I inquired if anybody knew CPR and was not to happy when not only did nobody seem to know CPR, but since I took too long to get up to the cabin they had closed the door so there was no light outside on the HILLSIDE OF DEATH. It was probably thirty five degrees or so and I was sweating! Also a five thousand plus feet, breathing was fun. I would suck in air and would still be out of breath. I thought I would see my lungs any minute. Funny thing, 5000+ ft., lots of stairs, ice cold steel hand rail, slippery wet leaves on the steps, totally exhausted, bad knees and a dang duffle bag that weighed as much as a Packard. I really needed a Sherpa and a Yak to get to this place. My brothers saved my butt, they took some of my load off me to lighten my burden and would have taken it all if I had let them. My brother in Christ are an awesome group of men. When I got to the cabin, the freakin' heater (one of the few cabins to have a working heater) was on full blast, I mean it was at least 85 degrees in there. You had to walk out of the cabin to keep from bursting into flames. What a view. What the heck inspired someone to look up at this freakin' hill from down in the camp, with all the other flat or near flat spots available, and decide; hey what a bitchin' spot to build! No cell phone service, so calling an ambulance seemed out of the question too. Whatever. The schedule was such that I only had to descend the steps of death once on friday and after evening prayer I ascended the steps of death once again to the cabin on the moon. Friday was unbelievable, I am convinced that even Satan wouldn't have been able to resist worshipping and praising God that night! As a side note, the original arrangements would have put me in a cabin with people I didn't know, but only about half a dozen steps to the door! Oh well, all in all a great retreat experience. Awesome praise and worship, great words from the Lord and I'm glad everything worked out the way it did. Some elements we will be able to laugh at for a while, but the time spent with my priest and my brothers I will cherish for some time to come. An awesome group.
and when we finally get to the edge of the camp (at the sign on which had a cross) the dense fog stopped! I mean, like clear skies, unlimited visability, perfect. At the camp we were standing around in the dark trying to figure out where we should go, when again someone from out of nowhere told us where we needed to be. How cool, whenever we were lost someone would show up to provide us with directions.
The retreat for us started with a late arrival as the meeting was in progress when we arrived, Bishop was speaking, and it seemed he was speaking to me. Dang, I hate it when a message means something in my life. After the meeting, we were receiving room assignments, and it seemed that we were all going to be split up amongst various locations around the camp. Then, I was informed that this would be remedied and to wait. O.K. so now it was fixed, we would all be together in the only cabin that had not been assigned. (We later found out why it was empty) Great, I wouldn't have to be with unfamiliar people. I soon found out that unfamiliar people might have been better than previously thought. My priest, my brothers, and two guests accended to the heavens where our infamous cabin #6 was located. I'm glad there was a priest present because I thought I was going to DIE. My FREAKIN' CABIN WAS ON THE MOON! I inquired if anybody knew CPR and was not to happy when not only did nobody seem to know CPR, but since I took too long to get up to the cabin they had closed the door so there was no light outside on the HILLSIDE OF DEATH. It was probably thirty five degrees or so and I was sweating! Also a five thousand plus feet, breathing was fun. I would suck in air and would still be out of breath. I thought I would see my lungs any minute. Funny thing, 5000+ ft., lots of stairs, ice cold steel hand rail, slippery wet leaves on the steps, totally exhausted, bad knees and a dang duffle bag that weighed as much as a Packard. I really needed a Sherpa and a Yak to get to this place. My brothers saved my butt, they took some of my load off me to lighten my burden and would have taken it all if I had let them. My brother in Christ are an awesome group of men. When I got to the cabin, the freakin' heater (one of the few cabins to have a working heater) was on full blast, I mean it was at least 85 degrees in there. You had to walk out of the cabin to keep from bursting into flames. What a view. What the heck inspired someone to look up at this freakin' hill from down in the camp, with all the other flat or near flat spots available, and decide; hey what a bitchin' spot to build! No cell phone service, so calling an ambulance seemed out of the question too. Whatever. The schedule was such that I only had to descend the steps of death once on friday and after evening prayer I ascended the steps of death once again to the cabin on the moon. Friday was unbelievable, I am convinced that even Satan wouldn't have been able to resist worshipping and praising God that night! As a side note, the original arrangements would have put me in a cabin with people I didn't know, but only about half a dozen steps to the door! Oh well, all in all a great retreat experience. Awesome praise and worship, great words from the Lord and I'm glad everything worked out the way it did. Some elements we will be able to laugh at for a while, but the time spent with my priest and my brothers I will cherish for some time to come. An awesome group.
posted by Scott at 5:21 PM
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