Copied and Pasted..
So this year, I was in the ReDefine Reality track, quite different from the Leadership Team track, where I learned a lot about who God made me to be, how to work well on a team, and about Christian leadership in general. In ReDefine Reality, we started off with a bunch of simulations (which are always fun and stimulating) to acknowledge that there is a lot of brokenness in the world and that some people are just born into it. We also talked a lot about God's original plan and how the world looked before the mess. Spending time in Genesis really showed me how messy we made God's creation and that we can't do anything to restore shalom, thus God sends Jesus to enter the mess. I've heard all this before and to be honest, I was getting pretty tired at this point and really wanted to get to the application part of the track. Before that happened, God showed me how much I need to be humbled. During quiet time, I realized how easy it was to get caught up in the acts of social justice and to lose sight of why I was doing it in the first place (like the disciples in Matthew 26 and Mark 14). I am not perfect. I am part of what makes this world messy! And despite all of that, God still blesses me with gifts and "power" that can be used to give others a hand up and not just a handout. Using the power that we have as college students can help restore shalom in this broken world.
From this track, I now have a better idea of what it means for me to use the "talents" God has given me. I need to continue to pray for humility so that I will not be judging my brothers and sisters (in CMU and in NY) as I encourage them to care more about social justice. And while I am here in NY for the summer, I am hoping to connect to a Homeless Ministry. I was able to get a few names over winter break, but never got a chance to visit.
So if you're in NY and would like to join me in my quest to serve God's city, holler!
So this year, I was in the ReDefine Reality track, quite different from the Leadership Team track, where I learned a lot about who God made me to be, how to work well on a team, and about Christian leadership in general. In ReDefine Reality, we started off with a bunch of simulations (which are always fun and stimulating) to acknowledge that there is a lot of brokenness in the world and that some people are just born into it. We also talked a lot about God's original plan and how the world looked before the mess. Spending time in Genesis really showed me how messy we made God's creation and that we can't do anything to restore shalom, thus God sends Jesus to enter the mess. I've heard all this before and to be honest, I was getting pretty tired at this point and really wanted to get to the application part of the track. Before that happened, God showed me how much I need to be humbled. During quiet time, I realized how easy it was to get caught up in the acts of social justice and to lose sight of why I was doing it in the first place (like the disciples in Matthew 26 and Mark 14). I am not perfect. I am part of what makes this world messy! And despite all of that, God still blesses me with gifts and "power" that can be used to give others a hand up and not just a handout. Using the power that we have as college students can help restore shalom in this broken world.
From this track, I now have a better idea of what it means for me to use the "talents" God has given me. I need to continue to pray for humility so that I will not be judging my brothers and sisters (in CMU and in NY) as I encourage them to care more about social justice. And while I am here in NY for the summer, I am hoping to connect to a Homeless Ministry. I was able to get a few names over winter break, but never got a chance to visit.
So if you're in NY and would like to join me in my quest to serve God's city, holler!
