Last Year:
Fall Retreat 2011 blew my mind! I encountered God and I felt HIS love for the first time! It was a weekend full of worship (Worship team = amazing!) and bonding with my small group brothers! I remember the late-night ping pong and talking to Mark about sports, North Carolina, and the future. After this retreat, I asked Stephen for a playlist filled with Christian music played with songs from the retreat and my path towards righteousness started.
Pre-Retreat:
Honestly, I had little faith that this year's retreat could match or exceed 2011's. It's awful to say or think but it was in the back of my mind. I signed up for the retreat on the last Wednesday before the retreat. I wanted to go by faith. I asked and prayed to Jesus, but I didn't feel led to go. People asked why I hadn't signed up yet and I responded with that answer. Right now, I'm not sure why I signed up. Usually, I would always feel ecstatic about all Chi Alpha events and such, but not this semester.
Since I was unsure about going on the retreat, I obviously didn't plan on preparing to go. A lot of work had to be done from Wednesday to Friday, which included a test on Friday morning. I had to start/continue a CS programming project while finding time to study for a multi-var calc test. The project was due by Friday at midnight but rides to the retreat leave at 2:30. There were some rides that were leaving at a later time but I was not able to find a spot in one. It's difficult to balance studying and working on the project because the project could either take, for example, 7 hours or 1 hour and I preferred to finish by 2pm. In the end, I didn't do well on my test and I couldn't get the max credit for my project. If only I had a bit more time, but that's all in the past now.
Fall Retreat 2012: "What The Heav'n Is Going On?"
This year, Fall Retreat was held at Pine Creek Camp instead of..somewhere in North Carolina. The speaker is a missionary from Spain. When the staff announced that the retreat's theme would be focused on Revelation, that immediately interested me. I have a small history with the Book of Revelation. I attempted to start reading it earlier this year, but God told me that it was not the right now. The speaker The speaker talked about the seven churches mentioned in chapter two and three. Each church had its own tribulation and we were asked to determine which one greatly related to us. Afterwards, he went over parts from chapter four to nineteen. On the last day, he tied together the concepts of Revelation that included Missionary Language. (~This was so long ago, oh how I wish I could add more details!~)
Just some notes I wrote:
- God gets glory through justice and mercy, but HE prefers glory through mercy
- When we enter worship, we join with all people and creation (that worship in heaven)
- We live in a passive culture
- Our goal is to bring together God + those who don't know Him
- Overcome trials and tribulation
- Coconut = heaven
Summary:
God worked in a different way this year. It's great to take some time off and rest in His presence. It was the beginning of many new friendships. Another Holy Ghost Party ignited on a Saturday night. I prayed and talked to the Lord like never before. John Rob and I saw the staff praying for one another... I expanded that worship music library that I keep in my head (translation: learned new songs). Worship is always great at these retreats :)
Speaking of Worship...
Here are a couple of the songs that struck me that weekend:
"O Praise the one who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead"
Goosebumps, energy, and leaps of joy appear when that part is sung. There's just so much power in those words!
Song: Jesus Paid It All
Artist: Kristian Stanfill
Album: Passion: Everything Glorious
Lyrics:
This next song basically became the theme of the weekend. I was really lacking faith that weekend. I didn't truly trust God and His power to move. Like it says in the lyrics: My flesh may fail, but my God never will. It's great to be able to lean on one with such a quality. These verses are words that I wanted to pray but couldn't find them in my mind.
Song: Give Me Faith
Artist: Elevation Worship
Album: Kingdom Come
Lyrics:
The following verse provides an outstanding description of Jesus and His relationship with us. HE takes our sins and puts it all on Himself. For us, we are the armies of heaven that are clean and pure. Jesus didn't have to do this. HE could be the one wearing the clean and pure clothing. We could have been the ones wearing stained clothing. Thank you Jesus for being that slain Lamb, taking our sins and providing us with such grace!
He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. (Revelation 19:13-14)
-Spontaneous, with Purpose
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