Our Work is to Believe in God's Reality

GOD'S CAMP    THE REAL REALITY

     Like all of us, I too am trapped in the world of my own making—the human camp. The first twenty one years of my life were filled with turmoil and confusion as to what to belief about both me and the strange world that surrounded me. I struggled as I slowly absorbed the beliefs of others. After all, I wanted to be accepted. I wanted to be normal! Remember the king and his kingdom and the well? I began to lose altitude in my life (remember: life is like folding a paper airplane). I noticed that most other people were losing altitude as well. I wasn’t happy and seemingly neither was anyone else! Life wasn’t working for me anymore!
     Then at the age of twenty one, during my second year in the Navy, I met Joe. Joe was a shipyard worker, a yard bird, who welded naval ships together at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in northern California. I was paired up with him to be his “fire watch.” My job was to carry a large red fire extinguisher all day and put out any fires that Joe might ignite from the flying sparks as he welded. This was not a glamorous job. I quickly noticed that Joe was a “Jesus freak.” I wanted nothing to do with that! As the weeks passed, it became very clear to me that Joe was happy. No matter how the day went or how hot it got—Joe was happy! Joe was the brunt of many jokes as the other yard birds made fun of him. Joe remained happy, however. He would laugh right along with them.
     What really disturbed me was that his joy was genuine. Joe had altitude, while I was beginning to hit the tops of large trees. I realized that deep down the other yard birds respected Joe—as did I.
     One day Joe and I were sent out to do a welding job together in one of the small “voids” near the bottom of the ship. A void is a small room plated shut with about fifty bolts. The only purpose of the void was to maintain buoyancy in case the ship was to begin to sink. These voids were placed strategically throughout the ship to act as water wings, so to speak. This particular void was located right along the hull at the bottom of the ship.
     It was an extremely hot July day. The temperature within the void was well over one hundred degrees. Joe began to work and I began to sweat. Sweat I did! I pulled off my shirt, against naval regulation, and sat there leaning uncomfortably against the hot, steep angled hull of the ship. I remember swearing a lot—out loud!
     Then the first miracle of my life began to unfold.
     I looked up and observed ole’ Joe working faithfully away, as he always did. His arms were above his head welding as the sparks rained upon his head and shoulders. He was wearing his “leathers” to protect his upper body from burns. This made it even hotter for poor ole’ Joe. Suddenly, Joe stopped welding and lowered his arms. He lifted his welder’s mask revealing a face drenched in sweat—bead upon bead, then Joe simply said, “Praise the Lord, Fred.” His face was beaming joy!
     In that moment of time I realized something that was going to change the rest of my life. Here I was: an “Electronics Technician” with two years of naval schooling to repair the navigation mainframe computers on Polaris Submarines, who would soon be working once again in spotless, air conditioned spaces on board ship; I had every reason to be happy—yet I was unhappy. Here was Joe: condemned to remain in these hell holds, welding all day with his arms held above his head hour after hour; He was supposed to have every reason to be unhappy—and he was happy!
     I realized that I was the void in a void.
     I had every earthly reason to be happy and I wasn’t, while Joe had every earthly reason to be unhappy and he was, even joyful. Deep down in my heart I really knew why! I remember saying these words to myself: “I want what Joe has.” I knew that Joe really was not living in the same reality here with the rest of us. Joe was living in the presence of God. God was Joe’s joy! I knew that I wanted to live where Joe lived and live with Joe’s God.
     One week later at fifteen minutes to knock-off, Joe and I gathered with the rest of the yard birds to wait for the shipyard’s whistle, indicating the close of the day. As we stood there, surrounded by multitudes of sweaty, hard-working men, Joe pulled out a small Gideon’s Bible from his shirt pocket and asked me if he could share his God with me. I said, “Please Joe, go ahead.” He read two short verses and asked me if I would like to inherit eternal life. I nodded and quietly said, yes. He went to the back of the little Bible and simply read the prayer that was there for times just like this. Along with Joe I said, “Amen.”
      I experienced a joy that I had never known in my life before this moment. For weeks afterward I felt inexpressible joy—and for no earthly reason! Through the years this joy has calmed to an enduring peace.
     This event occurred in 1972. This was the best decision that I have ever made in my life! The decision that I made was to change “Beliefs.” I went from a reality where there was no God to a world where God is always present, always loving, always helping—to a reality where I was no longer alone! What I didn’t know at the time, but now do, is this, “I entered into the REFUGE—the dwelling place of God. I entered into God’s camp.”
     In this section we will look at what the Bible, God’s Word, says about this “Refuge.” This Refuge is God’s camp. God’s camp is the real world—the world of real truth. God’s Word clearly describes how delusion entered into this world in the beginning and corrupted the world of mankind and separated all of us from God and His Refuge/Camp and how we entered into these bubble worlds of our own making.
     God’s Word describes the way back to the Refuge; what follows is the story of God’s Refuge/Camp as revealed through the pages and chapters of the Bible.