Story of A Tree

A fresh tree stump is like a magnet to me. I have to look at the rings to read the tree’s story. It’s at once humbling to look inside a living thing that is much longer-lived than yourself, but also encouraging to see how it weathered the ups and downs of life, the good times and the bad.

It’s woodcutting season here at Camp. Volunteer groups from several churches come to fell trees, cut them into logs, split logs into firewood, and stack the firewood so it’s ready to burn. It’s an amazing thing to see: pre-teens, teens, young adults, and seasoned leaders all working together to accomplish a massive hands-on task. Not only is it a inter-generational relationship building blast for churches — but it also is a huge boost to Camp. So far this year, our woodcutters have processed 48 cords of firewood: the equivalent of $12,000 at local prices. This also helps us keep the grounds beautiful and safe as many of the trees removed are dead or dying and a hazard to buildings and people.

Woodcutting means there’s no shortage of stumps with stories to tell. But this season, we’re telling a different story of trees: how trees connect sky to ground. It’s really amazing when you think about it — a tree takes nothing more than air and water, and by the power of sunlight, converts this to as much as 40-80 tons of roots, wood, and leaves. Because trees can make wood and sugar from thin air, they have a central role in feeding the entire ecosystem of the forest. Did you know that trees release some of their sugar into the soil to feed bacteria and fungus that in-turn break down components for the trees and surrounding plants — including releasing minerals from solid rock? Trees also create weather by the huge amounts of water they soak up and release into the air — many of the Summer thunderstorms that come to Camp are made by huge forest in PA.

This story of trees points to a metaphorical connection between people and trees. The Bible tells us:

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord,
    whose confidence is in him.
⁸ They will be like a tree planted by the water
    that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
    its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
    and never fails to bear fruit.”
(Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV)

Like tree connects sky and ground, a person is meant to connect Heaven to Earth. Discipleship on every level is about helping people grow deep roots into the stream of the Lord so they will have peace no matter the surrounding political and cultural climate and bear fruit even in times of economic, emotional, and spiritual dryness in the World.

But how do humans connect Heaven and Earth? Every person is reaching for something in life — reaching for Heaven in some way: this is their aspiration. They are also firmly planted in the reality of their Earthly here-and-now: this is their situation. If we develop skills to listen and hold the tension between these realities, we open up space for God to do something. I’ve seen him do it so many times before — dozens and dozens literally. That’s why I can’t wait to share the story of how we — people who want to be faithful friends on other’s spiritual journeys — can start that journey with those around us.

If this sounds interesting to you, take a look at the Story of a Tree hand-out below and then scroll down for more information about how you can learn to connect to the spiritual journey of those around you.

Story of a Tree is based on the skill of Empathetic Listening — a core skill in The Story Zone of The Journey Map discipleship-through-mission framework. This framework helps individuals and organizations travel together on spiritual journeys, creating movement while building capacity. Camp Deerpark has begun to use this framework as a ministry model in its youth and children’s ministry and also as a support to churches who are passionate about reaching others with compassion and the Gospel of Christ. If you’d like to know more, check out our Discipleship & Leadership Development Initiative and sign up on that page for notifications about resources and events.

What about Woodcutting and Forestry? If you’re interested in bringing your church, youth group, or family to camp for a inter-generational work experience — come on! We have plenty of wood to be harvested and chopped at all times, but we also have other projects for people interested in woodsmanship, forestry, earth-care, and sustainability. Did you know that burning firewood, when connected to proper forestry management, is a carbon-neutral energy source? Removing dead and dying tree causes the surrounding forest to grow faster and sequester more carbon in wood and soil. This cancels out the emission of the wood burned creating a low-emissions and renewable energy resource. If you’re interested in volunteering Contact Us and check out our Stewardship Initiative page.