What a retreat!
I've got to hand it to God for showing up in classic fashion at Encounter 2007! Even though I missed most of Saturday, what I got on Friday, Saturday night, and Sunday morning is enough to keep me full for months... that is, if I choose to chew on it.
Before I reflect on some of the big points that hit me, may I depart for Christian etiquette and thank Paul and Christie Johnson by name for all the work they did to make this retreat happen? Yes, I know and the Johnson's know that God is the real hero in this story. But let's be real and recognize the fact that if the Johnson's didn't suffer and sacrifice to make this retreat happen, it wouldn't have happened… and we would have missed an opportunity to see God. So again, THANK YOU Paul and Christie. May your reward be great in heaven.
Now for a few points of personal reflection:
Friday night: Andy Gray shared his life story. As he shared about the partying, the girls, the life that the world says is "the good life", I thought, "Here's a guy that actually lived the life that sometimes I secretly desire. And he found it to be garbage… hmmm." It really helped me lose my curiosity for "the dark side" and strain ever more passionately for the light. I love the verse he shared from John 8: 12
"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." Jesus
Saturday night: This was the walk through the book of Ruth teaching. He talked about pain. The pain of death. The pain of life (Naomi changing her name to Mara which means bitter). At one point Andy said, "Pain entices us to start over." What was interesting, though, is that for one sister-in-law, Orpah, that meant leaving Naomi and for the other, Ruth, that mean clinging to her all the more tightly. Nothing more is said of Orpah, but much is said of the character and loyalty of Ruth. In fact, Ruth, a Moabite woman, went on to become the great great grandmother of David and was in the lineage of the Messiah.
That's where Andy's main point was: the blessing of commitment and loyalty to the spiritual family. The exercise of throwing the stick on the fire demonstrated how God receives great glory as we die to our stick (life) when we throw ourselves into the body of Christ (the fire). Proverbs 20:6 really spoke to me,
"Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?"Pain is the fire that tests every person's faithfulness to loyalty/ commitment to the body of Christ.
Sunday morning: This was a rare teaching on the importance and priority of helping the poor. Andy elaborated on how Justice and Shalom are tied together. He described Shalom as reweaving the fabric of society that has been torn by sin. Helping the poor and needy, of which Andy gave several powerful examples, furthers the gospel by bringing Shalom into the world. Andy's call to
"Do justice rather than make judgment"was right on the mark. It's so easy to judge the poor as to why they are in the predicament that they are in and not "do justice" by meeting their pain. The parable of the Good Samaritan rang truer that it ever has before for me. Am I one who walks on the other side?
I saw a toothless woman with a "Will work for food sign" outside the expanding east Hy-Vee today. I had compassion on her.
Comments
Good thoughts there, Tim. Will there be mp3 recordings posted anywhere of Andy's teachings? Angie and I had to miss the retreat while we wait for our little guy to be born...:)
Posted by: Rob at September 25, 2007 01:56 AMOh yeah, there had better be. The teachings should be posted on the Rock website and the Alive website soon... I hope.
Posted by: Tim at September 25, 2007 10:48 AMThe retreat shook the ground for me on a number of levels. Hopefully will get some time to blog about it these next few days.
As for the teachings, we're working to have them up on rockisu.com before Friday.
Posted by: Matt at September 26, 2007 01:06 AMThinking about pain... I would say that it gives us an opportunity to draw closer to God. It is the death of our self serving desires and life to those around us.
Another pastor said that hardships come so that we may display Christ to the world. To show how He can hold up his saints in their time of need. "On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."
Posted by: Steve O at September 27, 2007 01:07 PM