An Amazing Blizzard
Where to begin? Blizzard was phenomenal. Once again it was a jam-packed weekend with even less time to just sit down and take it all in. God blessed us with gorgeous, brisk, weather that was perfect for a winter retreat. I'm tired and sore, but in a very fulfilling way.
The message of the weekend was something else. It was hard-hitting and raw. Friday night, Paul, our speaker, started the weekend off by inviting everyone to join God's family. To become his adopted children. I can't think of a retreat or event where the invitation came first. The normal way of things is to warm them up over the course of the weekend and then invite them on the last night. It was definitely different but in a great way.
Saturday morning's session was about what it means to be a part of the family. And this is where he hit us hard - those both new to the family and us lifers. I just hope I can do is message justice. How can we, as North American people of Faith, stand by and watch the rest of the world die of poverty while we sit so nice and comfy in our consumeristic culture? How can we expect to spread the Gospel if we never get our hands dirty? Is throwing money at problems really going to solve things? It was a tough message to hear because he didn't hold anything back. He kept the bar as high as God set it Himself. The message was uncompromising and pure; not diluted one bit.
The rest of the weekend Paul tried to answer the obvious question: How on earth can I make a difference against such an enormous challenge? That question is tough for me, let alone for a high school student. He gave the example of Moses and how God wants someone who's willing to be patient. Paul figured that it probably would have taken Moses at least ten minutes to study that burning bush before figuring out that it wasn't being consumed. And that makes sense since it most likely looked like just any another fire as opposed to the way it's depicted in drawings. So God wants someone that can be still and wait on God. Paul also gave the example of Abraham the pillar of faith. How Abraham didn't hold back anything from God, not even his beloved son. Abraham was wholly available to God and we should be too.
The music of the weekend was fantastic as well. The Penny Merchants were so tight musically and so in tune with the moving of the Holy Spirit. Saturday night's worship was incredibly freeing for me. As a worship leader it can be really tough trying focus on worshiping God and not get distracted by the technical side of things. That was never an issue with the Penny Merchants. It was so exciting watching the majority of the 450 people in that room worshiping God straight from their hearts. And did I mention that pyrotechnics that went off during worship? Woo hoo hoo that was sweet.
Well I think that's enough for this post. I'll definitely write some more later in the week. Hopefully I can finally remember to nab some pics from Steve.
Matthew.
The message of the weekend was something else. It was hard-hitting and raw. Friday night, Paul, our speaker, started the weekend off by inviting everyone to join God's family. To become his adopted children. I can't think of a retreat or event where the invitation came first. The normal way of things is to warm them up over the course of the weekend and then invite them on the last night. It was definitely different but in a great way.
Saturday morning's session was about what it means to be a part of the family. And this is where he hit us hard - those both new to the family and us lifers. I just hope I can do is message justice. How can we, as North American people of Faith, stand by and watch the rest of the world die of poverty while we sit so nice and comfy in our consumeristic culture? How can we expect to spread the Gospel if we never get our hands dirty? Is throwing money at problems really going to solve things? It was a tough message to hear because he didn't hold anything back. He kept the bar as high as God set it Himself. The message was uncompromising and pure; not diluted one bit.
The rest of the weekend Paul tried to answer the obvious question: How on earth can I make a difference against such an enormous challenge? That question is tough for me, let alone for a high school student. He gave the example of Moses and how God wants someone who's willing to be patient. Paul figured that it probably would have taken Moses at least ten minutes to study that burning bush before figuring out that it wasn't being consumed. And that makes sense since it most likely looked like just any another fire as opposed to the way it's depicted in drawings. So God wants someone that can be still and wait on God. Paul also gave the example of Abraham the pillar of faith. How Abraham didn't hold back anything from God, not even his beloved son. Abraham was wholly available to God and we should be too.
The music of the weekend was fantastic as well. The Penny Merchants were so tight musically and so in tune with the moving of the Holy Spirit. Saturday night's worship was incredibly freeing for me. As a worship leader it can be really tough trying focus on worshiping God and not get distracted by the technical side of things. That was never an issue with the Penny Merchants. It was so exciting watching the majority of the 450 people in that room worshiping God straight from their hearts. And did I mention that pyrotechnics that went off during worship? Woo hoo hoo that was sweet.
Well I think that's enough for this post. I'll definitely write some more later in the week. Hopefully I can finally remember to nab some pics from Steve.
Matthew.
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