1/30/07
Retreats always make us think- check that- rethink. Moses had to retreat from God's people to remember why he still wanted to help them- even after they gave up on God and were annoying him beyond all patience. Jesus retreated after feeding the 5000 (cooking for that many would do it to anyone) to to find peace and reconnect with God. Both just happened to be to mountains.
I just returned from a weekend ski retreat in Utah with 28 students and 5 amazing adult leaders and, let me tell you, this one was no different in making me rethink a number of things. From witnessing the accepted boundaries of human consumption being stretched beyond reason by baked ziti and the effects of peer pressure on those boundaries, to the existentialist late-night symposiums of where and how the 7th Harry Potter book would end to the prevailing- check that- supposed rumors (nothing more, of course) of Bigfoot skiing in Brian Head, Utah, I was forced to rethink much. Things that I traditionally accept as "normal" were not so, and I would have to say that something- check that- someone was the cause. Take a moment to think about your reaction to these true statements of this past weekend:
28 high school students rode on a bus for 22 total hours in a span of 76 hours and loved every minute of it.
5 adults with important lives said "Yes" to spend time loving high school students and "No" to getting much sleep.
Students were engaged in morning devotionals and evening discussions of God's power and sought out opportunities to ask more questions.
If your reaction to these statements was "Wow" or "That's amazing," I agree with you. I was forced to rethink the effect of God's power on His people. Why, you might ask? Because there is something special about 35 brothers and sisters in Christ spending a weekend laughing, eating, discussing, and playing in God's name. It is not uncommon for people to tell me that "Skiing for Jesus" is simply a ploy to get a vacation on God's credit card. I honestly believe it's because they haven't had- check that- taken the opportunity to rethink their walk with God and retreat. The disciples learned almost everything they learned from Jesus while eating, fishing, walking through the countryside, attending parties, and fishing. Sounds to me as though Jesus knew a good bit about hanging out.
When did we get it into our heads that God is encountered only on Sunday mornings on a church campus? I'm not sure but it is far too rare a thing. Why shouldn't we seek Him out elsewhere, particularly on mountain tops? When was the last time you retreated from your busy life and was forced to rethink your walk? This past weekend was my opportunity and I am truly grateful for its results. Maybe retreating is exactly what we need to rethink how God's power is surrounding us as His love is poured out on and through us. Only then are we able to see God in all that is around us, even if it leads us to seeing Him in the eyes of a senior girl holding her own in a baked ziti eating contest.
