The beginning of opening ceremonies was just a TASTE of what else was to come. Shortly after, we spent time with the Lord. We had a chance to reflect on all of the questions that we had been given over the course of the day. The question Carl asked us to think about, amidst our time of prayer and devotion, was this:
"In ten years, what parts of YOUR story do you want to remember?"
I remember sitting on the beach, thinking hard about what it was that I really wanted to remember. After an entire year (1/10 of this total), I was surprised and excited that last summer (the first time I went to LT) is still so striking and unforgettable in my mind. So naturally, it gave me hope for remembering all of the great experiences that are going to happen this year as well.
I decided that what I want to remember the most is really engaging with the things that come my way, but dealing with them in a more Godly perspective. Before, and even still now, I have always struggled with letting every single thing get personal. I want to remember the struggles and the joys, but also use them to create perseverance, character, and hope, the very things that God is calling us to while following Jesus (Romans 5:4). It's a verse that has stuck with me through so much the last two years of my life since I read it in the summer of 2011 while visiting this very same place. Hope, aside with faith and love, are the greatest things we as followers of Christ could ever possibly have.
10 hours later, we took another pilgrimage! Note for everyone: this is the SAME beach imaged earlier from the same day. The atmosphere turned to Cape Cod, and things became misty and even eerie (yet still awesome!). This time in the evening, we decided to hear yet another story.
Staff member Ryan Hartsook welcomed us to the "Driftwood Diaries."
It was a story about how we tend to feel defined by our mistakes, our struggles, our lies about ourselves, and especially our failures. The moral and the questions that we were faced with soon made us think even more about the deeper messages we have heard and believed about ourselves for years. The questions were this:
"What has defined me and my life and my story?"
"What is the new story that I want God to write?"
While answering these questions, Ryan and Josh (also pictured) brought a cross made completely our of tan driftwood (hence the name...shocker!). Along with the cross, they brought a box of nails and a hammer. After thinking about these questions, we wrote our beliefs of ourselves and the things we feel define us on index cards and were told to nail them to the driftwood. The idea behind this was to show that no matter where we are coming from, what we have done, or what we think of ourselves, GOD HAS OTHER IDEAS. He believes the best of us, he sees our potential, and his love was so deep for us that he gave us Jesus to die for all of our everything. Our lies about ourselves died with Jesus, and then He overcame them.
So naturally, as followers of Jesus, we have that ability to overcome those same lies.
"The perfectly innocent died for the hopelessly guilty."
"He who was seated on the throne said, "Behold! I am making all things new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." -Revelation 21:5
10 hours later, we took another pilgrimage! Note for everyone: this is the SAME beach imaged earlier from the same day. The atmosphere turned to Cape Cod, and things became misty and even eerie (yet still awesome!). This time in the evening, we decided to hear yet another story.
Staff member Ryan Hartsook welcomed us to the "Driftwood Diaries."
It was a story about how we tend to feel defined by our mistakes, our struggles, our lies about ourselves, and especially our failures. The moral and the questions that we were faced with soon made us think even more about the deeper messages we have heard and believed about ourselves for years. The questions were this:
"What has defined me and my life and my story?"
"What is the new story that I want God to write?"
While answering these questions, Ryan and Josh (also pictured) brought a cross made completely our of tan driftwood (hence the name...shocker!). Along with the cross, they brought a box of nails and a hammer. After thinking about these questions, we wrote our beliefs of ourselves and the things we feel define us on index cards and were told to nail them to the driftwood. The idea behind this was to show that no matter where we are coming from, what we have done, or what we think of ourselves, GOD HAS OTHER IDEAS. He believes the best of us, he sees our potential, and his love was so deep for us that he gave us Jesus to die for all of our everything. Our lies about ourselves died with Jesus, and then He overcame them.
So naturally, as followers of Jesus, we have that ability to overcome those same lies.
"The perfectly innocent died for the hopelessly guilty."
"He who was seated on the throne said, "Behold! I am making all things new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." -Revelation 21:5
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