It’s that time of year again!

Next week, I’m spending five days in Colorado at CIY Wilderness.

I do this every year, and I refuse to miss it, it’s that important to me.

It refreshes my soul.

In a nutshell, Wilderness is an opportunity for youth ministers to connect with God and one another. It’s a chance to get away from the daily stresses of life and ministry. It’s a chance to let God revitalize me.

Here’s what happens at Wilderness. First thing in the morning, it is encouraged that no one speak. Silence is encouraged. Before breakfast, we get together and break that silence with Scripture and song.

At breakfast, we are given a journal topic. After that, we are released to go find a spot to connect with God. And for the next few hours, it’s just me and God, with my Bible and my journal, and maybe a book that he’s using to teach me.

When we come back together as a group, it’s lunch time. And then the afternoon is free. We can play games, go hiking or fishing, climb a mountain, take a nap, sit around and visit with one another, or just about anything we want to do.

The evening starts with supper, followed by a worship session and a challenge from one of the mentors or the CIY staff.

And the rest of the evening is filled with my mentoring group. This is a group of six or eight other guys, roughly the same age as me, and in similar ministry experiences as me. We talk about the day’s topic. We discuss our ministries, our success, our struggles. And we pray for one another. Sometimes, this lasts for hours, and I don’t even notice. And I have the best mentoring group leader that you can find.

Yeah, it’s that good.

I get so excited about Wilderness. I look forward to it eagerly. Starting in September, I become so excited that Wilderness is just around the corner that I can’t sleep. I’m giddy with excitement. I laugh. I cry. I can’t wait for it to get here!

And, one of the past parts… It’s in Colorado! I love Colorado! I love the mountains! I love the aspen trees! I love the altitude that makes it hard for me to breathe! I love the clarity of the night sky when it’s so close! I love the rushing mountain streams and the brightly colored leaves that fall into them! I love the Rock Mountains! I always take my camera with me, looking for great shots of the scenery and mountains!

For the past few years, Wilderness has been in the Colorado Springs area. With some changes in the management of Bear Trap Ranch, that has changed for this year. We will be at a new location, a couple of hours west of Denver. That seems bittersweet to me. Colorado Springs holds so many incredible Wilderness experiences for me that I’m going to miss it. But at the same time, the YMCA of the Rockies, where we’ll be staying this year, at Snow Mountain Ranch, will be brand new scenery and opportunities.

Like I said, I can’t wait!

I’m excited about what God will do in my heart and soul this year. God has done a lot in my life over the past few months, giving me new dreams and passions, while increasing my passion in other areas. I’m excited to see what he does in this extended time spent with him in Colorado.

As excited as I am about this, Wilderness is only one of the tools I use to revitalize my soul. Granted, it’s a big one. But there are other tools in my arsenal as well, such as daily reading of his Word, personal retreat days every few weeks that help me stay focused, my personal life plan, and our family devotions, to name a few.

And while those are all crucial elements of my spiritual growth, this yearly opportunity holds a special place in my life. I love what it brings into my life. And I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

What do you do regularly to revitalize your relationship with God? You can share your thoughts in the comment section below.