Camp is like a portal story.

Do you like portal stories? The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe or The Lost World or The Paradise War or The Polar Express, these are all portal stories. I’m actually writing a portal story right now. A portal story takes the protagonist through some kind of portal and into another world. Whether it is an old wardrobe, a deadly plateau in South America, a Celtic burial mound, or a mysterious train, portal stories take you to a magical place. Just like camp.

When you walk into camp, you walk into another world. Camp takes normal, everyday people and turns them into campers or counselors. It resides outside of the ordinary. Deep in the forest, away from homework and cellphones, traffic tickets and PE. People sing at camp, when they won’t anywhere else on earth. Sometimes they even do hand motions! People play pranks at camp and rush through the forest in camouflage clothing and eat an entire bowl of Jell-O just because someone said that they couldn’t. Camp opens the eye to the amazing creation that surrounds us and opens the heart to the amazing God who made us and loves us as His own.

Even God wrote a portal story. One about how He saw that we would never reach Him no matter how hard we tried. So He stepped down from on high, into our world, to give us a chance.

I love portal stories. How about you?

Boo Boo