But beyond the call of its natural beauty, this place dared me to seek my “best self.” Drawing inspiration from Luke 2:52, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man,” the camp’s Christian founders designed programs that would “increase” each participant mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially.  Every day was a challenge to “aspire nobly, adventure daringly, and serve humbly.”  ​

In Christ love and service,
​Ava Lancaster

The Music of Life
There is a certain stream of notes and rhythms that flow together against the background of our lives.  The melodic structure and mode is ever changing as we find ourselves in various seasons of life.  The people of south Louisiana are known for two things, their food and their music!  Unfortunately, we can now add a third to the list.  Our storms…specifically hurricane Katrina and the now historic 1,000 Year Flood! 
 
August 12, 2016 will be a date for many that will not soon be forgotten.  It was the beginning of constant rain, grey skies, rising rivers, anxious hearts, watchful eyes, lingering fear, stacking heavy wet sandbags, the hum of running pumps, worry, strife, helplessness, questions, a racing against the clock, panic, sinking spirits, anger and disbelief.  Five months earlier, we faced the same, but not to the extent of this particular Friday.  The trauma of March still lingers and leaves daunting emotions.  Blood pressure rises with every thought of that horrific experience.  Suppression of that distress seems the best solution during this particular time of rising floodwaters. Just writing this paragraph and recalling 4 weeks ago makes my heart beat more rapidly and tenses my muscles. These are the thoughts from one whom has not suffered personal loss or damage, but has lived through it with my family. 

​Saturday morning, August 13th - It was evident that holding back the waters was a losing battle.  The Amite River was rising to 46 feet.  Flood stage is 26.  Soon, tributaries would swell and water would cover the interstate, my best route to rescue my parents who stayed behind to fight the water and attempt to preserve all that they had spent a lifetime building.  Now, ages of mid-seventies, no boat, no life-vest, swift current, snakes, fragile bodies caring the weight of bags with a few personal belongings, left them facing a more difficult situation.  With a strong trust in the Lord and a prayer for the best, they locked their doors finally decided to evacuate.
 
My niece’s schoolteacher lives down the road from my parents and my sister was able to contact him and ask him to boat them out from the house to the top of the road.  This was a huge request (and dangerous), but a necessary one.  We were on our way, praying every minute that we would make it across the many bridges and that the interstate would not close.  I depended on prayer and the kindness of a stranger to get my folks safely to higher ground.  My sister and I raced to the top of Hwy. 441 where we would wait.  Shortly, a large truck met us with our parents and a few bags of their personal belongings.  Once out of the boat, still wading in water, they hitched a ride with more strangers to the top of the hill, dry ground, where we were waiting.  Smiles of relief danced on their weary face.  Their bodies were slumped, exhausted from stacking furniture and a sleepless night of fighting the waters.  Upon the site of them, I felt myself release a sigh.  I think I had been holding my breath or breathing very shallow with anticipation for two days!  With no time to wait, we needed to quickly thank the strangers, exit the scene, and try to make our way back across the bridges and down the interstate, which was now beginning to flood.  Turning onto the interstate entrance ramp, we met our first bout of water.  My sister’s eyes glanced at mine with the hidden message of “uh-oh!”  My jaws clamped against one another and my shoulders began to lift with tension.  This was just the beginning.  I will not go into full disclosure of the ride back to Baton Rouge, but I will tell you that Gods angels were on our bumpers.  We drove along the 35-mile stretch of interstate and through three places with high water before we were able to drive no longer.  At the point in which we realized we could drive no further, my sister parked her car on the highest place possible.  The interstate looked like a flooded parking lot.  People were wading through with their belongings as though they thought they could walk across the Amite River Bridge.  There were thousands of people trapped…stranded.  I was determined to get home!  With bold eagerness, I flagged down a large truck and requested passage with my family across the quickly rising and swift waters.  It was the fourth section and hopefully the last. (You will have to watch the video by turning your device...I couldn't get it to download vertical!)

Let me tell you of the working of God’s wondrous hand…
Moments before I flagged down the truck, my husband Brian, made a phone call to a friend (Dennis) with whom he was supposed to sing with for a special event on Sunday (the next day.)  Dennis had been out and about helping others during the rising waters and realized he needed to head home to BR before it was too late to get through.  His route, the interstate!  During the course of their conversation, Brian realized that Dennis was less than ½ mile in front of me on the interstate and linked us together with 3-way calling.  Dennis became our eyes ahead as he forged the waters himself telling us what to look out for and whether or not he thought we could make it.  When I talked with the man in the truck and asked him if he was going to attempt driving through the waters, I shared that my friend was just ahead in his truck and was making it through.  I believe God was doubly at work, not only for us, but also for this sweet man; for I had information that he needed to move forward and he had a means to get us through.  God provided for us both!  Five minutes later, it would have been impassible as we could already begin to feel the truck lift and float from the current and ever deepening river.  I called upon many of my prayer warriors to “PRAY NOW!”  We barely made it through!  But praise God, we did!!!

He was kind enough to drive us to my doorstep.  My eyes still fill with tears as I recall all of us spilling out of that truck, in which my sister and niece had to ride in the truck bed in the wind and rain.  My small home was now a place of rest and refuge for my family.  I later discovered that thousands had been stranded on the interstate for over 36 hours.  We could have easily been in that number.  God answered many of your prayers!  I am forever thankful.

​For me, these events and all of life’s seasons, create a type of symphonic poem or tone poem.  A symphonic poem is a musical term for an orchestral piece of music that contains a single continuous movement.  It illustrates through music the contents of a story, painting, landscape, or other non-musical sources.  Franz Liszt created this genre during the Romantic period and the musical form is free but is akin to sonata form (exposition, development, & recapitulation) used in the first movement of symphonies.  Through listening, one can visualize and experience the scenes or emotions in which the composer is trying to convey. 

​The Lord awakened me during the night to write this story to you.  He has entitled it The Music of Life.  My job is to explain the difference between rhythm and steady beat and to compare and contrast it with the Christian life.  So in these few more sentences, comprehend well.  Seek to deeply understand; you don’t need a music degree to help you grasp what He wants to speak.
 
A steady beat is referred to as the heart beat of music.  It is a constant pulsing that maintains order, is used in measuring time, and is not always heard or seen, but always sensed or felt.  That is my best definition! 
 
Rhythm is totally different.  Rhythm consists of a combination of long and short pulses or sounds.  It is the combination of steady beat and rhythm, along with melody and harmony that makes melodious music.  Music then may be played with many different instruments or sung.  Music can be played without a steady beat, but its unpredictable path can bring about feelings of confusion and frustration, leaving the listener in a state of anxious anticipation and unrest. 

​In our walk as Christians, God is the source of our steady beat.  He’s the heartbeat of our life!  He is constant.  God maintains a certain order for all things, and He is the true measure of time.  He is not always seen and oft we choose not to hear His voice, but if we search deep within our spirit, as believers, He is always sensed and His presence is felt.  It is when we are not walking in step with Him that He seems distant.  Our lives loose order and are exchanged for chaos.  Our spiritual eyes are blind and our ears become deaf to His promptings and leading.  Our life seems unpredictable and filled with feelings of confusion and frustration.  It leaves us anxious and our spirit is full of unrest.

​Rhythm represents His chosen children who step into our lives.  Some are there for long periods of time, others short.  They are the ones with whom God has entrusted to encourage us, admonish us, walk with us, and live life.  Our long-term people are the friends and family who love us for who we are despite our shortcomings and failures.  They love us and pray for us.  They are our first responders during times of difficulty.  They are the ones upon whom we call to share prayer requests or tell of wonderful news!  They are dependable, for their repeated motif (musical term for pattern) has been one of the driving forces that help move us forward.  These are the people whom God has chosen…for us!  Sometimes they are the least likely ones you would have thought about or even chosen for yourself.  God is that way…He has His best in mind for you! 
 
The short-term people whom God sends your way are often seasonal or perhaps only show up once in your life!  I like to call the one-timers “grace notes!“ Their punctuated occurrence is surely from the Lord.  They pop in, just in the nick of time!  A type of angel, much like the man driving the truck that took us through the rising waters.  They make an impact, satisfy a need, and then disappear.  The running eighth-note types of people are quick to your aid and keep a continuous supply of movement or push forward, enabling you to reach the completion of your so-called song, destination, or season of life.

​The melody (a single sequence of notes-musically satisfying) is your life song.  It is created by the Master Composer and is full of climax, tension, risings and descending, repeats, modulations, and accents!  There are times when we live out loud – forte (f). There are times when life is quiet and reflective – piano (p). The melody of our life may at times be playful, somber, or moderate and move through major and minor progressions.  These notes strung together help to determine the mode (major, minor, or the 7 Greek modes). 
 
Harmony occurs when two or more notes are joined together.  Harmony can be dissonant (notes combined that are in conflict with one another, causing friction).  There are times when they work well together amidst other notes, but grouped alone they just don’t mix!  Harmony also takes place when notes are in agreement or sound pleasing.  Together they form a consistent whole…like the body of Christ working together with different gifts!  When harmonic tones are grouped, they produce chords.  Those chords are strung along into progressions and all have a particular function and a unique sound. (ie. jazz/blues) Harmony adds flavor to a melody.  It does what a melody cannot do alone. Other people, when grouped with us, add flavor to our life and the music produced can cause others to take notice!

​The citizens of south Louisiana have made beautiful music together these past four weeks.  The music of their lives has produced everything from emotional tear jerking ballads to songs of praise!  Each melodic phrase has been formed with questions & answers, risings & swellings, climaxes, and descents.  The rhythmic lilt of their song has been rich with running eighth notes and grace notes.  An underlying drone of the Spirit of God has added cohesion, harmony, and fullness to the Master’s composition. We hope that the melody will have no repeats!
 
Each life is a type of symphonic poem.  Remember? It is a genre of music that causes the listener to “see” or “experience an emotion” that the composer is trying to convey.  As born-again believers in Christ, we know the importance and the impact of His constant steady beat in our lives.  Our life song is rich with many elements of music and will develop into a symphony of powerful, moving, and aesthetic refrains.