Last weekend was Kalahari. It was themed 'Red: the Words of Jesus'. DC Curry, of Grainger Community Church in Grainger, Indiana. There were 1000+ people, an indoor water park, solid worship, and hilarious music videos by Mark and Josh.
Stacie and I have been at 4 retreats since Christmas, in Indiana, Pennsylvania, California, and now Ohio. This was the first one where we were not the speakers. Don't hear me wrong -- I love teaching. LOVE it. But last weekend, not teaching, allowed me to be so refreshed. To learn from DC's teaching. To engage deeply in worship. To spend free time talking with friends and students, instead of prepping for the next session. Even to get to play for a couple hours in the water park.
The whole experience just reminded me of how necessary it is for us to take a Sabbath. To rest. To be refreshed and refocused and reenergized. And I'm so thankful. Thankful that the Lord knows that we need such refreshment, and that he then provides it.
God moved last weekend. For the next week and a half, Stacie and I get to see plenty of these students as we travel through Ohio, and I can't wait to hear about how their lives are different.
We are going to Kalahari this weekend. For you non-Buckeyes out there, Kalahari is an indoor water park in Ohio, and the site of a massive winter retreat. We get to help our friend Brad Deetscreek (youth pastor at Grace Church, Bath campus) with follow up with students who make decisions. We're pumped about that.
We're also excited to be hanging out with Operation Barnabas alumni, Operation Barnabas 2010 students, and so many of our friends who are youth staff and youth pastors at these churches.
We're expecting God to do great things, to work in hearts of students and adults alike, and to leave us in awe of him.
Today I got to dream. About my future. About where God might take me. About how he could use the gifts he's given me.
The best part?
My boss initiated it.
We talked about what I've been learning over this last year, how I've grown and changed, and what God's been doing in my life.
And then he started thinking outside the box. Bold vision. Big opportunities. Grand ideas. Dreams.
I don't know what God's going to do. I don't know where he'll take me. I don't plan to leave CE anytime soon, nor was my boss suggesting that. But I was so encouraged today, because he really wants me to pursue whatever it is God has for my life. And he wants to help me dream.
Stacie and I got home Sunday afternoon. Final stats:
30days.
6042 miles.
16 states.
18 host homes.
God was so good and faithful to us. We got to meet with so many pastors, youth staff, and young people, and hear about what God is doing in churches all over the country. There were a number of times that I believe we were more refreshed and encouraged than the people we were meeting with. And he kept us safe through so many miles and so many states, which is something we have learned not to take for granted.
And now we're going to California, to live in the summer sun (I bet Kristin Artrip picked up on that song reference...) We'll be at the Northern California winter retreat for the weekend with Matt Wheeland and Ed. Walking out the door now.. update soon!
I think felt needs are so important. That's probably pretty clearly illustrated through the things I've chosen to invest my time and money in (like this, or this, or this). I don't say that to pat myself on the back, but I know that the Lord fills us with passion for different things, and I am definitely burdened for those who are hurting.
Sometimes my desire to address the felt needs (whether that's in a tsunami-destroyed village in Thailand, or with a girl I'm discipling) seems to overshadow my desire to share the gospel. The phrase 'People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care' sat well with me.
Lots of people who are wiser and more godly than me have challenged me in this, and pushed me to understand that both are necessary: as followers of Jesus we have to be about meeting both the physical and the spiritual needs. Recently as I was reading Total Church, I found a great summary of this idea:
...it is never enough to address people's felt needs. Felt needs can be a good point to start because the gospel address the human condition in all its complexity. But people do not as a rule express God's judgement as a felt need. People are blind to their true plight. They do not see their greatest need, which is to be reconciled to God through the gospel. If we do not keep people's eternal plight in mind, then immediate needs will force their way to the top of our agenda, and we will betray the gospel and the people we profess to love. The most loving thing we can do for the poor is to proclaim the good news of eternal salvation through Christ. It is by no means the only loving thing we can do for them, but it is the most loving thing we can do. It would be a crime of monumental proportions knowingly to withhold such good news.
A commitment to the proclamation of the gospel is what makes Christian social involvement distinctly Christian. This is challenging to me, because proclaiming the gospel is not always easy for me. But if I claim to love people, to love the poor, to love the hurting, then I should want to do the most loving thing. And that's to share the gospel.
