Wow...it's been awhile! Figured it was time to give this a little update on what's been going on, and what's been on my heart recently.
Christmastime...one of the best times of the year. You get lots of good food, presents, and some down time...at least that's the idea. It always seems like Christmas break becomes more of a "Where did all my time go?" break. This year has even been more interesting for me, because although I have downtime, I have to use that time to plan for what's ahead. Since I'm a senior this year, I have to start making some plans for what I want to do when I grow up. Sounds bad, but I still really have no idea where God wants me to go after graduation.
Because of that, I've been doing a number of different things, and right now at the top of the list is applying for graduate school programs. I've been looking at a couple different schools, but I'm not entirely convinced that is where I'm supposed to go, or even that it is what I should be preparing for after graduation. I've found that this has been a difficult time in my life...because I've never really had to make decisions like this before. I suppose that's normal though. We all go through changing times in our lives, and I've learned to take them in stride.
Another aspect of this break that has been unique for me has been the planning aspect. I've had to plan a lot more this year than any other previous year...but at the same time, I'm really excited for what's ahead! I've been attempting to come up with some ideas for the floor over J-term (for those of you who don't know, I'm moving back up to Penthouse to be a PA over J-term) and I've been getting really excited about them! I'm preparing myself to be completely open to the floor, and try to form some meaningful relationships. One thing that I've noticed is that a lot of people are just "OK" with their relationships, but have no desire to take them to the next level where they really KNOW the person. They're OK with not knowing who that person is or what they can learn from them, they just know that their personality is fun to be around. I want to change that. No simple task, but I believe that it is attainable.
The last big thing that's been on my mind is Youth Conference...like always. We've gotten some fantastic things accomplished so far, but still have so much more to do! YC is in April, so we've still got some time, but that doesn't mean I can stop preparing and praying for it now. On the contrary...I NEED to be doing those things if I want to even consider YC to be a "success".
Well...that's about all in my life right now...I really need to try to update this more, but we'll see what happens over J-term!
For now, hope you all had a Merry Christmas and hope you have a Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Now THIS is what we call "REVIVAL"
God is sooooo good! I was expecting yesterday to be a typical, boring Monday, but I was completely and thoroughly proven wrong. What happened following the Spiritual Revival service isn't something that can be completely described in words, but I'll do my best to describe some of the emotions and feelings that I had. I'm still a bit in awe and think that I always will be, but God is moving on Taylor University's campus, and it's exciting to see where God will take us now.
Last night we had a session in the Chapel for Spiritual Renewal week, and it ended in a way that no one could have ever imagined. After all the programming was done, Austin Brown jumped up on the stage and confessed his sins to the ENTIRE campus. That began a chain reaction that no one could have expected, and we basically had an "open mic" night for the rest of the night, where people were just pouring out their hearts and confessing all of their sins, making them known to the campus. I've never seen so many people become so vulnerable in my entire life. It was a very humbling experience. Just to know that these people were coming clean before God, to have his grace wash over them, and to have other people tell them that God loves them and that we as a body love them...it was absolutely INCREDIBLE!
Tonight simply solidified those thoughts for me, and made this experience even more real, which after last night, I didn't think was even possible. Spiritual renewal...a time here at Taylor where our soul will be renewed in the spirit, and we will find new life in Jesus Christ, who died for OUR sins. Tonight's service perfectly complemented last night's service, and instead of confession, it became a night of worship and prayer. As a campus, we needed that move from confession to worship, and realizing that God's grace is sufficient for us. After Chris finished speaking, they invited people to stay to simply pray and worship. Many people left, but the ones who stayed just praised God with everything that they had, and gave all the glory back to him.
There was one point were we were singing, and I just broke down in tears. I just couldn't contain myself any longer. We were singing about how we are amazed by God, and how he loves us, and I just started crying...and kept crying for a long time after that. I just couldn't fathom that all encompassing love that God has for us ALL THE TIME. It NEVER fails. He will continue to love us, regardless of what we do.
After a while of sitting in my seat, I decided to head up to the balcony where a few of the guys from Penthouse had stayed following the service. I hugged all of them, then we started praying. We just got into a group and poured out our hearts to God. IT WAS AWESOME. God was moving in that place, and it was something that we could never expect or imagine, but it was still amazing.
Afterwords, I got to thinking some more about how this can turn into a lifestyle instead of just some "event" that HAD us fired up for God, but then let it die down. I genuinely WANT to be on fire for Christ, dig deep into people's lives, and REALLY get to know them. THAT is what the "intentional community" we always talk about at Taylor really is. THAT is how we can build up our brothers and sisters in Christ. We as a campus NEEDED this experience to open our eyes, and show us the community that we LONG for...the community that we NEED to have surrounding us.
This really has been one of the greatest experiences of my life...and I don't want it to end here. I'll be praying that we, as a campus, won't just let this fade into the background and just become "another event" in Taylor's history. I want this to CHANGE us. I know it's changed me, and I'd love to hear how it's changed you too!
I'll keep you posted.
Last night we had a session in the Chapel for Spiritual Renewal week, and it ended in a way that no one could have ever imagined. After all the programming was done, Austin Brown jumped up on the stage and confessed his sins to the ENTIRE campus. That began a chain reaction that no one could have expected, and we basically had an "open mic" night for the rest of the night, where people were just pouring out their hearts and confessing all of their sins, making them known to the campus. I've never seen so many people become so vulnerable in my entire life. It was a very humbling experience. Just to know that these people were coming clean before God, to have his grace wash over them, and to have other people tell them that God loves them and that we as a body love them...it was absolutely INCREDIBLE!
Tonight simply solidified those thoughts for me, and made this experience even more real, which after last night, I didn't think was even possible. Spiritual renewal...a time here at Taylor where our soul will be renewed in the spirit, and we will find new life in Jesus Christ, who died for OUR sins. Tonight's service perfectly complemented last night's service, and instead of confession, it became a night of worship and prayer. As a campus, we needed that move from confession to worship, and realizing that God's grace is sufficient for us. After Chris finished speaking, they invited people to stay to simply pray and worship. Many people left, but the ones who stayed just praised God with everything that they had, and gave all the glory back to him.
There was one point were we were singing, and I just broke down in tears. I just couldn't contain myself any longer. We were singing about how we are amazed by God, and how he loves us, and I just started crying...and kept crying for a long time after that. I just couldn't fathom that all encompassing love that God has for us ALL THE TIME. It NEVER fails. He will continue to love us, regardless of what we do.
After a while of sitting in my seat, I decided to head up to the balcony where a few of the guys from Penthouse had stayed following the service. I hugged all of them, then we started praying. We just got into a group and poured out our hearts to God. IT WAS AWESOME. God was moving in that place, and it was something that we could never expect or imagine, but it was still amazing.
Afterwords, I got to thinking some more about how this can turn into a lifestyle instead of just some "event" that HAD us fired up for God, but then let it die down. I genuinely WANT to be on fire for Christ, dig deep into people's lives, and REALLY get to know them. THAT is what the "intentional community" we always talk about at Taylor really is. THAT is how we can build up our brothers and sisters in Christ. We as a campus NEEDED this experience to open our eyes, and show us the community that we LONG for...the community that we NEED to have surrounding us.
This really has been one of the greatest experiences of my life...and I don't want it to end here. I'll be praying that we, as a campus, won't just let this fade into the background and just become "another event" in Taylor's history. I want this to CHANGE us. I know it's changed me, and I'd love to hear how it's changed you too!
I'll keep you posted.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
One Family, One Love
This comes a little late...but it's never too late to talk more about camp! It's an amazing experience each and every year, and completely different every year, even though you see the same people there year after year. This year's theme was "One Family, One Love". Basically what they were trying to teach at camp was that we are all a part of God's family, and we are all encompassed by his astounding love for us. This happens more than I would ever be able to describe in words every single year at camp, which is one of the reasons I keep going back.
I was asked the question, "what keeps you coming back to camp year after year?" a few times this year, and I've never really been asked that question before, so it kind-of caught me off guard. I couldn't really come up with a good answer, other than "I don't know". GREAT answer, huh? But it really is the best answer I have, because the experience I have at camp is indescribable and completely different each time I go. The only reasonable explanation I can come up with is that it is the people that keep me coming back, and longing for next year's camp each and every year. Ask me about it sometime, and I can probably give you a really long explanation and try to explain it a little better, plus I love talking about it, so I'd love to talk some more about it!
Anyways, following camp for the past 3 years I've really had an urge to come back to school. This year it was no different, and the last 4 days I had at my internship were extremely difficult. All in all, the experience was a fantastic one, but it hasn't really helped me decide anything about my future career, other than the fact that I don't think that I want to go into business anymore. That's really the conclusion I've come to after working in the business world this summer, which is a bit of a downer, because I am a business major, and that rules out a whole lot of possibilities for me. It also gets me thinking about what I really want to do after I graduate. I still don't have a good answer for that one...but I know God does, so I'll trust putting my fate in his hands. He'll do all the worrying for me!
At this point...my room looks like a couple tornadoes went through it, and it will probably continue looking like that until Tuesday morning right before I leave...but I'm OK with that, because it means that I'm close to getting back to school and seeing all the people that I've missed all summer! Can't wait!
Well, this post has been all over the place, but I hope I made some sense...can't wait to see you at TU in a couple weeks!
That's all for now!
I was asked the question, "what keeps you coming back to camp year after year?" a few times this year, and I've never really been asked that question before, so it kind-of caught me off guard. I couldn't really come up with a good answer, other than "I don't know". GREAT answer, huh? But it really is the best answer I have, because the experience I have at camp is indescribable and completely different each time I go. The only reasonable explanation I can come up with is that it is the people that keep me coming back, and longing for next year's camp each and every year. Ask me about it sometime, and I can probably give you a really long explanation and try to explain it a little better, plus I love talking about it, so I'd love to talk some more about it!
Anyways, following camp for the past 3 years I've really had an urge to come back to school. This year it was no different, and the last 4 days I had at my internship were extremely difficult. All in all, the experience was a fantastic one, but it hasn't really helped me decide anything about my future career, other than the fact that I don't think that I want to go into business anymore. That's really the conclusion I've come to after working in the business world this summer, which is a bit of a downer, because I am a business major, and that rules out a whole lot of possibilities for me. It also gets me thinking about what I really want to do after I graduate. I still don't have a good answer for that one...but I know God does, so I'll trust putting my fate in his hands. He'll do all the worrying for me!
At this point...my room looks like a couple tornadoes went through it, and it will probably continue looking like that until Tuesday morning right before I leave...but I'm OK with that, because it means that I'm close to getting back to school and seeing all the people that I've missed all summer! Can't wait!
Well, this post has been all over the place, but I hope I made some sense...can't wait to see you at TU in a couple weeks!
That's all for now!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
It's That Time of Year...
Anyone who even remotely knows me knows that I get fired up every year about a camp that I volunteer at every summer. Well, that camp is coming up next week, and I'm so excited that I just can't hold it in anymore! Camp Sunshine has been one of the greatest things that I've ever been involved in, and I absolutely LOVE working there summer after summer.
For those of you who don't really know that much, or anything about Camp Sunshine, let me tell you a little bit about why I love it so much, and continue to to back year after year. Camp Sunshine is a camp designed for developmentally disabled individuals where each camper gets their own counselor for the duration of camp. There are two sessions, each one 3 1/2 days. Each day of camp there are arts and crafts, activities, swimming, different people coming in to perform, and lots of other things. These things are all great, and they keep the campers entertained, but the most influential part of the week happens at a time called "Lessons with Doc". Doc is basically like the "pastor" of camp for the week, and has been at camp for a loooooooong time. We have a worship time to kick this time off, then Doc has a lesson all planned out, and usually he involves as many of the campers as he can.
Now, the awesome part of these lessons happens when these campers do get involved. Each and every one of them is completely genuine and have a true child like heart. The simple answer to this is that because they don't know any better, so that is what they do, simply love God and everyone around them with everything they have, and not care what other people think about them. They have absolutely no reservations, and make that very clear in everything that they do. Every year I wonder why all of us can't be more like them.
What if we all walked around simply loving everyone around us, not caring what they looked like, what they've done to us in the past, or what they're doing right now? What if we loved God with a Child like spirit that he tells us to? What if we lived without a care in the world? How would this world change? Then I wonder what kind of change just one person doing those things could make. It could start a revolution. Then again, what probably would happen is this: that person would be shunned by the community in which they live, and would be deemed an outcast.
I wish this wasn't so, but it is, and that is the world we live in. Every year I go to camp, and every year, I come away with this kind of thought. I'm really looking forward to seeing what God's going to do at camp this year, and I'm open to the things that he's going to teach me. Hopefully I'll have some wisdom to impart in a couple weeks when I get back!
That's all for now!
For those of you who don't really know that much, or anything about Camp Sunshine, let me tell you a little bit about why I love it so much, and continue to to back year after year. Camp Sunshine is a camp designed for developmentally disabled individuals where each camper gets their own counselor for the duration of camp. There are two sessions, each one 3 1/2 days. Each day of camp there are arts and crafts, activities, swimming, different people coming in to perform, and lots of other things. These things are all great, and they keep the campers entertained, but the most influential part of the week happens at a time called "Lessons with Doc". Doc is basically like the "pastor" of camp for the week, and has been at camp for a loooooooong time. We have a worship time to kick this time off, then Doc has a lesson all planned out, and usually he involves as many of the campers as he can.
Now, the awesome part of these lessons happens when these campers do get involved. Each and every one of them is completely genuine and have a true child like heart. The simple answer to this is that because they don't know any better, so that is what they do, simply love God and everyone around them with everything they have, and not care what other people think about them. They have absolutely no reservations, and make that very clear in everything that they do. Every year I wonder why all of us can't be more like them.
What if we all walked around simply loving everyone around us, not caring what they looked like, what they've done to us in the past, or what they're doing right now? What if we loved God with a Child like spirit that he tells us to? What if we lived without a care in the world? How would this world change? Then I wonder what kind of change just one person doing those things could make. It could start a revolution. Then again, what probably would happen is this: that person would be shunned by the community in which they live, and would be deemed an outcast.
I wish this wasn't so, but it is, and that is the world we live in. Every year I go to camp, and every year, I come away with this kind of thought. I'm really looking forward to seeing what God's going to do at camp this year, and I'm open to the things that he's going to teach me. Hopefully I'll have some wisdom to impart in a couple weeks when I get back!
That's all for now!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Friends Forever
I love seeing friends you haven't seen or talked to in awhile...and even making some new ones while you're at it! This summer has been awesome so far, because I've actually been able to see some of my friends from Taylor this summer, which is something I haven't really been able to do in the past. I've also been looking forward to hanging out with some new friends that I've made during the process of going to a couple weddings. All in all, now that we're just about half way through the summer, I'm starting to get into the mindset of school...thinking more about Youth Conference, my floor, and a new chapter in my life.
All that being said, I'm really thankful for all the close friends God has put in my life. He knows just what people I need and when I need them, and I'm grateful for each and every one of them! I'm really looking forward to spending time with those people, and also getting to know even more people from around campus next year.
I am going to be in a different position this year, however, because I'm living off-campus. I truly believe that this will be a great experience for me, and I'm really excited for it! I've resolved to make sure that I set aside time each week to spend with the guys on Penthouse, both those who I already know and want to continue our friendship, and also those new people living there who I haven't met yet.
On top of simply hanging out, a few things I’ve put on the “Must do once I get back to Taylor” list include: 1) Playing Lava Monster, 2) ULTIMATE, 3) Frisbee Golf, 4) Get an Ivanhoes Shake, 5) Continue planning YC.
That’s all for now!
Monday, June 15, 2009
What's in a name?
Being the YC co-director for next year means that I am constantly thinking about things for next years Youth Conference. From themes, cabinet, speakers, and a band, my thoughts are constantly filled with thoughts about it. My co-director, Amanda Fichtl, sent me an email recently, and said she was thinking a lot about the what our name in Christ is. So that got me to thinking about it, and, low and behold, in one of the books I'm reading this summer, I read a little bit about what our name in Christ is and what it means.
In his book Wild at Heart, John Eldredge shows us just how important a name really is. He changed Abram's name, which means "high father" in hebrew, to Abraham, which means "father of many". Abraham went on to become the father of the entire nation of Israel, and became the father of many. Jacob ("supplanter") becomes Israel ("he who struggles with God"), Saul ("borrowed") becomes Paul ("little"), and Simon ("it is heard") becomes Peter ("a rock"), just to name a few. So why did God bring about these name changes? If you look at each of these stories in the Bible, you'll find that their names were changed at significant points in their lives. Coincidence? I THINK NOT!
God values our name, and each of us is given a specific name for a reason. God's always had a plan in mind for our ENTIRE lives. Do you think he didn't plan out what we were going to be named? Did he miss that one tiny little fact about our creation? I'm going to say that's a firm, resounding NO. God takes great pride in each and every one of us, so he's also going to take pride in naming us, as that is how we will be known for the rest of our lives.
I know I've complained that I don't like my name...that I wish I had been named something different, something more unique, at different times in my life, but "Benjamin" is my name, and it's pretty neat! It means "son of my right hand" which is so cool! I get to be the son of my Father's right hand, and in the Bible, to be the "right hand" of someone in high rank meant that you were on equal level with that person of high rank. So for me to be the "son of my right hand", means that I am the Father's son, and that makes me a part of his family! That's so cool to me!
So, now that I've explored my name and the importance and significance of that, I want to leave you with one question: What's in YOUR name?
In his book Wild at Heart, John Eldredge shows us just how important a name really is. He changed Abram's name, which means "high father" in hebrew, to Abraham, which means "father of many". Abraham went on to become the father of the entire nation of Israel, and became the father of many. Jacob ("supplanter") becomes Israel ("he who struggles with God"), Saul ("borrowed") becomes Paul ("little"), and Simon ("it is heard") becomes Peter ("a rock"), just to name a few. So why did God bring about these name changes? If you look at each of these stories in the Bible, you'll find that their names were changed at significant points in their lives. Coincidence? I THINK NOT!
God values our name, and each of us is given a specific name for a reason. God's always had a plan in mind for our ENTIRE lives. Do you think he didn't plan out what we were going to be named? Did he miss that one tiny little fact about our creation? I'm going to say that's a firm, resounding NO. God takes great pride in each and every one of us, so he's also going to take pride in naming us, as that is how we will be known for the rest of our lives.
I know I've complained that I don't like my name...that I wish I had been named something different, something more unique, at different times in my life, but "Benjamin" is my name, and it's pretty neat! It means "son of my right hand" which is so cool! I get to be the son of my Father's right hand, and in the Bible, to be the "right hand" of someone in high rank meant that you were on equal level with that person of high rank. So for me to be the "son of my right hand", means that I am the Father's son, and that makes me a part of his family! That's so cool to me!
So, now that I've explored my name and the importance and significance of that, I want to leave you with one question: What's in YOUR name?
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Psalm 13
Psalm 13
1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
1 How long, O LORD ? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3 Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;
4 my enemy will say, "I have overcome him,"
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
5 But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD,
for he has been good to me.
I've been reading through Psalms recently...and I think that this is going to be one of my favorites. There's so much in there that happens all the time to me, and its encouraging to know that God's already thought about all thoe things and already has an answer prepared for me...I just have to know where to look. We talked about this same idea in church today too, how we do question God about some of the things that happen in our lives. We NEVER understand why these things happen to us, and almost always question God, instead of turn to him. We say, "I've volunteered for this, this, and this. I've put in my time...so why are you letting this happen to me?" We have to learn not to question God, but instead learn to continue praising him, whether we be in good times or bad.
Now, I know that this is much easier said than done, and this is no less true for me than anyone else. The only way that I know that this is possible is to completely change my mindset about everything that happens to me. One of the recurring themes in Psalms deals with the wise man and the fool. I don't know about any of you, but I sure don't want to be like the fools that David is continually talking about. I would consider David to be a wise man, so I want to become more like these wise men of David. This is how I believe I will continue to grow, and also how I wish to grow. I may never know why some things happen to me, but I want to be able to praise God in these times, no matter what the circumstance.
I hope this has been an encouragement to you all!
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