So here's what I want you to do. God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what He wants from you and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity. God brings the best out of you, develops well-informed maturity in you.
~ Romans 12:1-2 (The Message)
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| Our own youth group and leaders: Cordell, Darren, Courtney, Taylor, Stephen, Darren, Jamie, Crystal, Kelly, Chris and Sonya |
We heard from speakers: Shane Claiborne, Tony Campolo, and Shanti Feldhahn.
They taught us that the true gospel of Jesus should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable. They unveiled the tragic mess we have made of our world and the hope that another world is possible if we fix our eyes on Jesus and do something about it. As Shane says: "Jesus is what love looks like with skin on." His ministry experience has led him to work alongside Mother Theresa in Calcutta, spending time in Iraq with the Iraq Peace Team in Baghdad, and serving the mega-congregation of Willow Creek in Chicago. Tony is a professor, minister, and author who has helped establish schools in several developing countries. He reminded us to be a city on a hill, burning brightly and shining for God's glory, not our own. Shauti is a best-selling author and columnist. She spoke to the youth about gender distinctions and how the sexes relate to each other.
The amazing praise and worship was led by Brett Younker. He is amazingly gifted and passionate about using his gifts as a ministry. He has a heart for helping people to see and experience the fullness of God in their lives.
There was time and space set aside for introspection and being open to the Holy Spirit in prayer, through Journey to the Cross, the Prayer Sanctuary, and the Art Den. Spiritual Directors and Counselors were there to meet with youth and leaders as a soul friend. They listened with an ear toward you and an ear toward God. The Art Den was a creative space where you could go to talk to God and have Him talk to you through drawing, painting, writing, sculpting or just doodling. I took my small group there and we were all open to the Holy Spirit through art and creative meditation.
There were powerful "Reach-In" workshops and seminars and "Reach-Out" opportunities in the community. Some of the Reach-In workshops included: A Glimpse into YWAM; Creative Ways to Tell Others About Jesus; Life in the Trenches with Jude St. John; Going Through Garbage; and Depression: Increasing our Awareness. Some of the Reach-Outs included: pulling weeds, playing bingo with seniors, a free car wash, and a Treasure Hunt - about being open to God's direction and loving people in ways that seem too simple to be true. I heard many wonderful stories of God's faithfulness through the Reach-In and Out workshops.
We also heard from amazing Christian comedians, and a talented Christian break-dancer and graffiti artist crew taught us how to break dance. It's awesome how people take the gifts they have been given and use them for God's glory.
The incredible passion and energy of all of the volunteers inspired me to be Christ's hands and feet in imaginative "mustard seed" ways.
At the last praise and worship session Shane talked about how God can use our brokenness, like Paul, to make a big difference in this world. We can make a difference by continuing a relationship with Him. When people ask: Why doesn't God do something in this broken world? We can say: He did do something, He created you! Many people do not trust the church to give money where it is needed. This is because many churches invest in themselves before sharing it with those in need. So, at the last session, a Reverse Offering took place. At the foot of the crosses in the worship center were placed hundreds of crisp five dollar bills. On the front and back of the bill, the word 'love' was stamped. We were told to prayerfully consider how this five dollars could be used to help others. We could go up to the cross and take five dollars and use it how we chose. Five dollars may seem like a small amount to some people, but the truth is, we don't know how God will use it. He might have something powerful in store for the way that money is used. That little 'love' stamp might just make a big difference to someone in financial need or in spiritual need. It was so encouraging to see a reverse offering take place and to hear of how we can do big and little things to honour Him.
Following Jesus is not an easy task. It calls us to self-sacrifice, humility, and even suffering. There will be times for us to leave it all behind as we serve God, but there are also times when we need to step back and take time alone with Jesus. We all need spiritual rejuvenation sometimes. A group retreat or a time of solitude can be a great time to hear Him say, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). Working with youth in small groups and hearing how God was speaking to them all weekend through the speakers and worship was such a blessing for me as a leader. The youth shared stories on the weary drive home and I know deep roots were planted. Now the hard part of keeping close to the vine and trying to produce only good fruit. I will continue to pray and expect great things from our youth.
There is so much more I could share about this past weekend. It was evident that we should not feel alone in our work as youth leaders. I learned that teens have generous hearts as there were many opportunities to give to organizations like CRWRC, Compassion, Chicks for Nic[aragua] and more. I learned a great new silly song about llamas. The unspoken wristband colour rule always seems to come out at these events. When 1000 youth come together, they are clever at determining who is single (white wristband - turn your wristband inside out) and who is taken (yellow wristband). I learned a few great new games. We know that we can have our eyes fixed on Jesus and experience the fullness of joy, fun, and fellowship.
Rest for the soul and rejuvenation of the spirit. Isn't that what weekends are for?
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