re:focus
We just got back from our first CGC youth retreat (well, first since we've been here). It was exhausting (I slept for 15 hours when I got back), but very rewarding and of course, crazy fun
, as always. Chad came back to be the speaker, which was awesome, and the theme was refocusing our lives on Jesus. It was amazing to see the teens really desire a deeper relationship with God. The picture here is of the devotional time, early in the morning when we scattered to spend time with God alone. We told them to find somewhere private... so some of the girls went into these closet cubbies. :)
On the last night as everyone was getting ready for bed, one of the girls asked if she could talk to me. We went down to the empty sanctuary, and she told me about how she couldn't talk to anyone and felt like she couldn't open up because she was afraid of getting hurt. Slowly, she began to tell me about her doubts and fears, and the things that had been weighing her down heavily just spilled out. It was clear that she had been holding her own burdens for so long and just needed catharsis. Inside my head, I was just praying for God to speak through me and give me the words to say. I tried to tell her that it was okay to have doubts -- the key is to struggle through them with God -- in fact, they can even bring you closer to God as long as you talk to Him about it. I told her that Jesus was the best friend anyone could ever have -- he would never backstab her or gossip about her or look down on her. When I asked her if she wanted to accept Jesus into her heart, she said that she had already said the prayer -- multiple times, in fact. We talked a little bit about the fact that you can't lose your salvation, and nothing can separate us from the love of God. And finally, she and I prayed together one last time, and this time I think she really meant it when she committed her life to Jesus.
Praise God! :)
, as always. Chad came back to be the speaker, which was awesome, and the theme was refocusing our lives on Jesus. It was amazing to see the teens really desire a deeper relationship with God. The picture here is of the devotional time, early in the morning when we scattered to spend time with God alone. We told them to find somewhere private... so some of the girls went into these closet cubbies. :)On the last night as everyone was getting ready for bed, one of the girls asked if she could talk to me. We went down to the empty sanctuary, and she told me about how she couldn't talk to anyone and felt like she couldn't open up because she was afraid of getting hurt. Slowly, she began to tell me about her doubts and fears, and the things that had been weighing her down heavily just spilled out. It was clear that she had been holding her own burdens for so long and just needed catharsis. Inside my head, I was just praying for God to speak through me and give me the words to say. I tried to tell her that it was okay to have doubts -- the key is to struggle through them with God -- in fact, they can even bring you closer to God as long as you talk to Him about it. I told her that Jesus was the best friend anyone could ever have -- he would never backstab her or gossip about her or look down on her. When I asked her if she wanted to accept Jesus into her heart, she said that she had already said the prayer -- multiple times, in fact. We talked a little bit about the fact that you can't lose your salvation, and nothing can separate us from the love of God. And finally, she and I prayed together one last time, and this time I think she really meant it when she committed her life to Jesus.
Praise God! :)
"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:38-39
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