Hey all, I have been processing our weekend at Dare2Share and thought I'd put some of my thoughts down in writing... I know that this was a very powerful weekend for MANY of you who attended the conference, this is based on the many conversations I've had with some of you over breakfast, traveling in the vehicles, hanging out over lunch, or back at the church.
For those who didn't go this weekend, you NEED to go next year! I've purchased 10 more tickets than we did this year. I've already got permission to take the bus for the weekend next year, so start thinking and planning on going next year. (The dates and location are: Dayton, March 1,2 (& maybe 3), 2012.
Let me preface my thoughts with this little piece of information, I've been taking our students to this conference since their first year in Columbus (about 10 years ago). There are other conferences for teens, but I keep bringing our students back to this conference because of their genuine love for and commitment to teens. Their purpose is to raise up a generation of teens who are equipped to share their faith with their peers and instill a life-long commitment to THE Cause (Great Commission). The message never changes -- they stick to the message. However, the medium does change (technology, cultural relevance, etc.). In the early years, cell phones weren't so common, nor was texting. Now they are central to the challenge given to the teens in sharing their faith. Same goes for the film clips that illustrate some of the points given throughout the weekend.
So -- here are some of the take-aways I came home with this weekend:
We're doing a GREAT job at loving each other and encouraging each other. In my 20+ years of student ministry (almost 14 hear at Tabernacle), I have NEVER had a group of students who was so encouraging and accepting of one another. We need to take that love and concern to our friends, to our visitors and take the opportunity to share Christ with any and all of them (both those who come through our doors and to the ones who never will).
We need to be more DELIBERATE in living THE Cause. Jessica suggested to me that we do the sharpie challenge periodically through the year. She suggested I issue the challenge and pass out the sharpies one week, then ask you to finish the challenge by the next week and be prepared to share the results! (GREAT idea, Jessica!)
We need to think of ways that we can live THE Cause throughout the year. As mentioned above, the sharpie challenge can be just one way. Each of us has a different style (remember the 4 styles they explained at the confernce?). We need to find ways that EACH of us can share.
Not only do we need to hold each other accountable to living THE Cause, we need to remember that it's not just sharing the Gospel, it's living a life that is set apart. We need to call one another to personal holiness, to sharpen one another in the faith, in our study of God's Word and in living out what we say we believe. We need to live transparent lives before one another, to be REAL with one another.
Something that is lacking in our ministry is prayer -- I am praying for you, but I haven't been calling you to prayer. We're not setting aside time to pray together. After spending some time in prayer in the boys' room on Saturday night, I am convinced that we need to devote more time and attention to concerted, deliberate prayer. (For our friends, family, even ourselves). Greg touched on the need for prayer in the adult leaders' session on Saturday morning. It was a slap to my forehead from the Holy Spirit! (Kind of like the "Hello, Mcfly" line from "Back to the Future")
We've got some momentum, we just need to keep it going. There will be some minor course corrections we'll be making over the next several weeks. We've got a good thing going, but it DEFINITELY can be better. PLEASE - if you have any ideas, or if God has laid something on your heart this weekend, let me know. God speaking to you is JUST as important as God speaking to me. (Sometimes He speaks to me THROUGH you!)
