The twenty-fifth annual Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) Cowboy Camp Meeting was held in a scenic valley surrounded by 12,000-foot (3,650-meter) peaks of the Uncompahgre National Forest in western Colorado, United States, July 9-13. Attendees came from as far away as California and Georgia, and a common theme of conversation was that this is one of the most beautiful locations in Colorado.
Nathan and Charolet James presented inspiring messages in the morning and evening. Nathan is pastor at the Hot Springs and Custer Seventh-day Adventist churches in South Dakota. His wife, Charolet, has a master’s degree in music education and serves at the state veterans’ home as a certified nursing assistant (CNA). In addition to morning and evening meetings, there was a women’s tea, a plant walk to identify edible plants, and a Sabbath School for the little campers.
A Mountain Experience With God
The theme of Nathan James’s messages was having a mountain experience with God and nature. He began his messages with fascinating stories of amazing ants, capturing bobcats in chicken coops, mountain goats licking salt from hikers, and a flying squirrel that he thought was a bear leaping on him while he was sleeping in his hammock at 2:00 a.m. one morning. He also talked about lifesaving wilderness rescues and wilderness quotes by Ellen G. White and naturalist John Muir.
James spoke of the importance of each of us to make gratitude a primary focus in our lives and how it would influence us, asking, “What do I have to be thankful for and what benefits are lacking in my life because of a lack of gratitude?” He spoke of making sure there is room in our hearts for Jesus every day and not underestimating the power of our testimony.
A Message From Isaiah
Charolet James’s messages were on Isaiah, a Bible book of contrast and complexity that presents God’s work of salvation with the themes of judgment, comfort, and hope. The first 39 chapters are filled with judgment for sin, and the last 27 chapters declare a message of forgiveness, comfort, and hope.
She shared her study methods of journaling and highlighting texts using colored pencils to lace and develop Isaiah’s thoughts: red for when Jesus is speaking, blue for when Isaiah is speaking, yellow for happy thoughts, orange for warning, purple for sad, and green for instruction.
Tiffany Westmoreland, an attendee of the camp meeting, commented, “A highlight for me was the description of the character of Isaiah. His fiery rage against the iniquity of God’s people. Yet he sees God’s goodness and mercy in contrast to his own lack of love and empathy for God’s wayward people.”
A Plant Walk and Music
The plant walk, attended by 23 people, was organized by the health and young adult ministries of the Grand Junction Seventh-day Adventist Church in Grand Junction, Colorado, and led by Duane-Sue Jardinico. Aaron and Jami Dove, attendees and members of the Grand Junction church, stated that their favorite takeaway from the walk was learning that aspen tree bark has yeast that can be used for baking bread and also learning uses for arnica, red clover, various thistles, wild currants, yarrow, and wild red raspberry.
The Jameses said they also enjoyed the music. “There is something special about worshipping together in the mountains,” they said. Jami Dove said, “The children enjoyed songs, stories, and art projects. One of their favorite activities included pulling nature items, such as flowers, pinecones, and leaves, out of a treasure box. Everyone learned how much Jesus loves us.”
A Hidden Waterfall
Cindy Pickell reflected about the camp meeting, saying, “I really appreciated the wonderful, fun, upbeat gospel songs led by Charolet and Tiffany, and it was great to have so many musical instruments—accordion, ukulele, violins, guitars, and recorders. I also appreciated the pastor’s stories and the study of Isaiah, which is something I have not heard before.”
Karen Fishell, also a member of the Grand Junction church, shared her perspective about the camp meeting: “[This is] my first time to camp during the camp meeting, and it was an amazing experience. We were blessed by friendly people, incredible views, and wonderful music and speakers! We met new friends and were encouraged and blessed by this experience.”
The original version of this story was posted on the Rocky Mountain Conference news site.
