By Mike Skinner

I had the privilege of serving as a counselor at Sky Ranch Christian Summer Camp during the summer of 2007. It was an experience that I will never forget, as it has shaped and molded me beyond explanation. It was during my time at Sky Ranch that I learned many invaluable leadership skills and the necessity of abiding in Christ for every minute and hour of the day.  As I think over all of the memories I have from that summer, I am reminded of an unforgettable experience I had the very last week of camp.

For the last week of the summer, Sky Ranch hosts what is called "True Camp" where they bring in and host kids who have one or both parents in prison. It is an incredible ministry that God uses powerfully. There was a boy that week, Cole (not his real name), who for whatever reason looked up to me and attached himself to me. During the week, he confided in me that his dad was in prison for the attempted murder of his mother. Apparently, Cole's dad had tried to burn his mother alive when he was just a baby, and his dad had been in prison for Cole's entire life and probably would stay there forever. My heart broke for him and throughout the week we became good friends.

On the last day of camp, I sat down with him to talk about Jesus and life and to say "good-bye." I showed him a few of my favorite things about Jesus, and we talked about grace and hope. As we were talking, he began opening up about his dad and the hurt in his heart because of his dad's actions and lack of presence. He unpacked for me years of confusion and fear over his father with unsettling clarity for just an eight-year-old.  I'll never forget what he said next. In fact, I can still hear it perfectly in my mind. He looked up at me with tears streaming down his face and asked, "Will you be my daddy?"

That night as I lay in bed, I was unable to find the relief of sleep while my mind whirled with questions for God. I had thought and studied at length about the problem of evil, but as I was faced with a real-life example, my heart was troubled deeply.  Despite being able to talk about theodicy for hours, I could not understand how this little boy's hurt and pain could possibly glorify God. How could God have allowed this to happen? How does God feel about and react to such evil?  And, maybe more importantly, what is my role as a Christian? How do I respond to the presence of evil?

To be continued...

Mike is the Pastor of First Colony Church in Sugar Land, TX, and is a communicator for Transform Ministries. Alongside those ministries, Mike is currently a senior at Houston Baptist University where he is double majoring in Christianity and Biblical Languages. For more information on Mike, visit his website.