I just had my Fantasy Baseball draft a few days ago. I’ve been playing Fantasy Baseball for 7 seasons now with the same group of guys...most of which are college buddies. This is a way (without Facebook) that we stay in touch and find commonality even though distance has separated most of us. Our league is just for fun so there’s no real money exchanged and we don’t pay for our players like in other leagues. We set a lineup for the week and play head to head against other teams and the best record wins. Draft day is always fun for me because I really spend time looking into who I’ll choose and how I can win the season come October. There are some guys I draft because they’re on the Cubs, there are some I draft because they are the best at their position, there are some I draft hoping they’ll be better than projected (sleepers), and there are some I draft knowing I can trade them away for someone better later in the season. All in all, there is a mad science to it all from my perspective and I love it. This year I had a great draft and I’m excited to get the season started. As I look at “my team” I started to wonder how good of a team I actually do have if you put them all on the field together. They would be unbeatable in real life and will probably do well in fantasy life also. If it was a real team the payroll would make the Yankees look like chump-change. If it was a real team there wouldn’t be a need to wait for October to see who is the best in baseball...there would be no contest. If it were a real team the manager would struggle with egos. If it were a real team fans would pay double to watch them. I could go on and on but the fact remains it is merely a fantasy...it only exists in my world as a team. But what if it were real? I find that every summer we struggle with the same concept at camp...especially at the end of camp. Well if I had this or that or this person or that person in the “real world” with me life would be a lot easier. If I could take the “camp bubble” with me back home there would be no contest...I would succeed in life. I could go on and on but the fact remains it is merely a fantasy...camp only exists in these gates. But what if it didn’t? In John 18:36 Jesus clearly says, “My kingdom doesn’t consist of what you see around you. If it did my followers would fight so I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king.” We are called to live in the world but not of the world. So which world is fantasy and which is reality? The Kingdom of God, where Christ is King, exists everywhere because you take that with you everywhere you go. Where we live is temporary but the way we live is eternal. The community of camp, the sense of the Holy Spirit, the power of commonality, the beauty of children, the wonder of creation, the awe of overcoming, the emotion of loving...they are all very real at camp. They are also all very real where you are right now...you just have to recognize it and accept it. Camp is not magical, you just get away from distraction and focus. You get away from the things that His Kingdom don’t consist of. His Kingdom always and forever consists of community, the presence of the Holy Spirit, the power of commonality, the beauty of children (they are the most important), the wonder of creation, the awe of overcoming (the world), the emotion of loving (so much to die). So find a way today and everyday to get away from distraction and focus. Live in the fantasy of belonging to Christ (He is King) because that’s the only reality worth chasing.