Having moved back to the area, finding a community of people to interact with me has been important. A lot can change in 9 years, however I went back to the most familiar place I could think of. I can not claim that I grew up in the church, rather that a determined set of high school friends brought Christianity to me. I came to know God through Student Impact, which is a ministry of Willow Creek directed towards high school students. I was not interested in church, or the idea of Christianity, I conceded to attend because I thought my friends would stop asking me to go if I went once. It was the beginning of an amazing transformation which will be a more direct topic of a future entry. However, for more information about Willow Creek, visit www.willowcreek.org.
Jesus arrives and Willow Creek and is ready for a weekend of teaching, and worship. I am really glad that Jesus was so enthusiastic because honestly, I was nervous for what this weekend would bring. It had been 9 years since I had been to Willow Creek, and I admit, my relationship with God is not the same as when I left. While in Maine I struggled to find a community that I could really connect strongly with. A month an a half ago when I moved back, I went to Willow not because I was feeling excited about God, rather because it seemed like the right thing to do. Willow is a large church, and I had planned to use that to my advantage and try to be invisible. However my plan failed, people welcomed me, and before long I was signed up to attend the AXIS retreat.
It was quite an internal struggle as to whether I would attend the retreat or not. In the end I decided to go along with it, and follow the motions. Maybe it was not the best way to make a decision, and maybe it was not the right reason, never-the-less I made it to Timber-Lee to say "Here I Am". In our first session we learned about two different ways of seeking God, each with three characteristics. One from the story of Moses and the burning bush in Exodus, and the other from a vision of the prophet Isiah. Moses' story "Here I Am" included having: 1 no expectations, 2 afraid to look at God, and 3 resists God's voice. Wait, what? That's me, this is going to be a long weekend! "Here am I", Isiah's story included: 1 willingness to look at God, 2 understanding one's own position, and 3 mend my sole/asking God to heal. Yes, I am not a perfect human, nor a perfect Christian. I may not be in the right state of mind all the time, however the importance of this message was clear. How can one be in a state where they can take as much from this retreat as it has to offer.
Jesus makes a new friend, and so do I. Sarah does not know this yet, however she was integral in helping me transition this weekend from following the motions, to actively engaging. It was amazing the similarities we shared, and she is a fantastic and kind person. Cheesy as it may sound, it is true. It is really nice to know you are not the only one in whatever issue you may face.
Before long Jesus and I had an entire group of friends. For such a large church, it is amazingly difficult to go unnoticed. Even though I wanted to be invisible, I am glad that people were inviting, and wanted to get to know me. Going to this retreat I wanted to be invisible because I did not want to answer any question, and I did not want anyone to ask for my opinion. I was perfectly happy to sit back and be an innocent bystander. If there is one thing true about AXIS, not only are they excited about God, but also they are excited to share God with you.
Jesus says drink your milk! Not only should you drink your milk, be sure to obtain it from the proper cooler! Jesus is watching...
Jesus was on overdrive this weekend, here he takes a minute to refuel. The weekend was packed with activities, and little sleep, I'm not going to lie.
"God you are here with us, constantly here with us. You are everything faithful and true." Here Jesus says simply amazing job Charlie Hall, give me five! Our worship this weekend was led by the Charlie Hall Band. I found his lyrics inspirational, honest, and real. The music was truly fantastic, and we were all blessed to have the band our guests. If you are interested, which you should be, check out The Charlie Hall Band.
One fine looking group! This would be Jesus' version of Wheres Waldo.
Maybe I attended this retreat merely for the reason that it felt like the right thing to do. Following the motions may not always be such a bad thing, one just has to realize when the motions lead them to where they were supposed to go in the first place. I cannot say that I have everything figured out, but It feels ok that I do not because I have found a group or people to help me along in this journey. To learn more about what it means to be part of a community that believes there is something amazing and unique about each of its members, visit AXIS.
Mel: I cried when I read this! It was God working through me. I am so glad that this Jesus adventure left you realizing that we are in this journey TOGETHER! See you Wednesday.
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