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| Snapshot from a student named Austin of the snow day at camp |
HOWDY and HELLO!
January has come and gone, and I wanted to spend most of my blog sharing with y'all some powerful stories from our retreat.
Every day we got to spend together was a catalyst for fellowship and community. Not everyone in our core could go, but Mauricio, Garrett, Sully, and I were there. It was definitely a great sight to see Sully getting more plugged in, and I have already seen him being more comfortable in core after us sharing this trip together.
It was Garrett and Sully's first time at this retreat, so it was their first time getting to see the entire ministry of FOCUS from across DFW get together. I think it put some perspective on what God has been bringing them to and encouraged them to see His hand at a larger scale than UTA.
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| The Core guys on last day at retreat |
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Some of the UTA fellas wanted a snow day pic. Lots of great guys here.
Many will be leaders in the coming years. |
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| Rhett, Mauricio, and Josh before a worship session |
Every day we had sessions taught by a visiting seminary professor, Dr. Lee. He is from Foster College, and he was such a delight to have that week. He was sharing on the subject of God's grace, and he was using the term, "Disruptive Grace" as a theme. He talked about just how radical and life changing God's grace actually is. It is not just a small bit of mercy here and there for our "small, little" sins. No it is a grace that challenges our understanding of day to day life, or relationships, and of forgiveness. Can a good God really love me? The surprising, amazing answer is yes.
Not only does He love you, even as the mess you are, but He wants to enter into a Covenant Partnership with you. He wants you to be a part of His plan to redeem the world. This was the kind of Good News that changed my life forever. I could not imagine before college that I was really accepted and even trusted to be the hands and feet of Christ to those around me. That news gave my life purpose in a new way, and I think Dr. Lee's message had a similar effect for many of our students.
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| Took these cool cats out on the coldest morning hike yet |
One of my roles at retreat has been hosting a morning hike for any students interested. I love it, cause I get to meet students from different campuses and hear some of their stories. I also get to show them some wonderful bits of nature, and I get to skip some rocks down by the river bed.
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| This might be the worst photo of me to date, but it is so funny, I had to share. |
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| A much nicer photo of me coming to join the students at Kickball |
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| Who knows what I was doing with my hands, but my friend Josh here is one of the sweetest guys you will meet. He just recently came to know Christ, and has been on fire all year. |
Meals were great ways of connecting with students. I would either catch up with them, since I had not seen them since before Christmas, but I also got to chat with them about the various sessions and teachings we heard. Many students were touched by a lesson of God wanting us to bring our full emotions and baggage to the table. Where we can sometimes be too afraid to really express our fears, frustrations, or questions to God, He desperately waits for us to get vulnerable and trust Him.
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| Dr. Lee was not only wise and passionate, but he was such a great guest. He was friendly and sat and talked with students for many hours of the trip. |
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| Lunch was always a great time to reconnect with the guys I had not seen over the break |
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| This is me searching for the flattest, roundest rocks available. I look like a goblin and felt like one too. |
Now that we are back on campus, my schedule has gotten back to normal. I am back to studying the Bible weekly one on one with several guys. I am going to the UTA Library to meet new guys in the gaming area, and I have had more success with connection there. I am hosting my core with Mauricio on Monday nights. I am now planning our leader meetings with my co-pastor Sophie. I am getting to host a Public Reading of Scripture for 2 hours every week. And in all of these, I think God is maturing me alongside these students.
So much of this job is serving and meeting needs, but I often find myself in awe of God and what He allows me to do. I am in awe of what I get to do through you all who support me. With my little girl on the way in July, I feel so blessed that I am becoming the father she needs through this calling. I get to engage with God and His people. I get to think critically about the spiritual health and growth of those younger than me. I get to cultivate a community of young believers who will adore my daughter nearly as much as I will. Thank you for your continued support and trust in me.
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| Some of the UTA guys after the morning hike. Thankful for the quality of friendships being formed on this trip and prior to it. |
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| We played Snake Oil our first night there. It is a wonderfully silly game of presenting fake products with ludicrous promises to one stereotyped investor. |
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