Reflections on Fall Retreat

It's crazy that it's already been almost a week since Fall Retreat and this is one of my first times to really sit down and attempt to reflect on the weekend. It was a mix of feelings, but overwhelmingly positive on a whole. I went into Fall Retreat more excited than even the previous year, because I knew this was my last one, after four years. It's wonderfully to see where the Lord has taken our ministry because it's so easy to lose sight of the fact that He has been so gracious to us. Sometimes we get so caught up in what we have to do next that we don't simply acknowledge his goodness which is in complete contrast to our own sin and insecurities.

That's what this weekend was a reminder of for me personally. And I didn't get enough physical rest (a testament to why I'm sick now), but the spiritual rest was exponential. There's something about getting away in the mountains, waking up early, finding a nice abandoned tree stump, and cracking open God's Word.

Psalm 37 particularly stuck out to me because it talks about the passage of time in a sense. A man is young and then he is old (In my terms that's 4 years), and yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken. This speaks to me reminding me that anxiety about my future whether it be jobs, relationship status, or anything is unfounded. God is good.

The recurring theme of surrendering continued coming back to me over the weekend as I prayed through, said allowed, and talked with close friends about my own insecurities that I need to continue to surrender. Another good reminder is that the Christian life is not about imitating, which I so often attempt and fail at, but it's much simpler than that. It's about letting the spirit inhabit you and make its home inside of you so you are so radically changed because the Gospel that it leads to massive side effects in your entire existence.

There were also some wonderful reminders about calling courtesy of Os Guinness, but really this weekend I was blessed with one on one time. One on one time with friends, praying, hearing testimonies, and just sharing meals together. But also vital one and one time with my Lord and Savior. I'm feeling refreshed, and in my worldly sickness, I somehow feel more alive.

All the Glory to Him.

Before, Now, and Yet to Come....

Before (2012)

Now (2015)

Church Connoisseurs, What it Means to Love Others, Etc.

This is going to be rather like stream consciousness so bear with me...

Last week I was sitting in the library and I read the opening line of Psalm 14. It reads as follows: "The fool says in his heart, there is no God." That's a pretty blatant statement to get thrown at you, but there's no way to interpret it any other way. It suggests that all these people around me searching for knowledge and success are fools and that's a hard pill to swallow and acknowledge.

However, there just doesn't seem to be any other way to look at this, but we do have to compare that with our own state. We are no better, because we too are fools. However, in our case we are fools for the Gospel. In essence out of our minds for Christ, which seems utterly ridiculous by the world's standards. In other words, this Psalm totally flips the paradigm denouncing the way of this earth, but also beckoning us Christians to live a different sort of life. One of humility, compassion, and one where we are totally in love with our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Today I was thinking to myself about the old adage, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." In many ways that statement has weaved itself into my daily life. I like to call it tact, being considerate, and tasteful. But it got me thinking is not saying what we are feeling or holding onto that annoyance really any better than the alternative. What if instead of saying something that tears down, or not saying anything at all, we do the radical thing and say something that is honest, vulnerable, and ultimately fosters a greater connection with those around us.


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Recently I have also been thinking a lot about what it means to find a church home. I am a very loyal person and I want to find a body and a family that I can get connected in and stay with through thick and thin. I am against division, for harmony and the like. College years are in one instance hard, because there is a likelihood that we will not be in the same place for a long time and yet the last thing that I want to create is a pattern of church hopping. In The Screwtape Letter C.S. Lewis aptly callas it being a "Church Connoisseur." But I can take solace in the fact if I live in the spirit God will put me in the right congregation. It's important to note that right doesn't always mean easy. That's an important disclaimer that should be put on the Christian life in general.