I still don’t know who got more out of Winter Retreat 2008…the students or the leaders? I saw so many people have a moving experience that it was truly amazing. I am still reeling from the incredible, unbelievable amount of love that poured out of each of you. For God. And for each other.
I spoke to my team (wiki-wiki GREEN!) before we broke camp. All weekend I saw students step past their boundaries and truly gel as a group. What I told them (In a nutshell) applies to the entire Crew: “You all worked together as a team. You got to know, worked with and had fun with people that you would not normally hang out with. Don’t let that stay here. Take it with you. When you see each other after retreat, remember that you all grew together. From here on out, continue to grow together. Do not forget it and do not leave it here!”
Paul Hinzman (our great speaker with the crazy insane dodgeball skills) spoke about serving others. I think that most of, if not all of us grasped that concept.
Don’t leave it at retreat.
Paul also talked about the Crew becoming the driving force for Christ in the Chicagoland area. I don’t think he was lying.
It is as simple as stepping out of the boxes that you leaped out of at retreat. Don’t let others push you back into your old mold. Believe in what Christ means to you. Believe in yourself. Believe in your friends. Believe in The Crew.
You have been renewed by retreat. I don’t think that any one of us can deny that.
Rekindled. Reformed. Reforged.
Take this momentum and run with it. Every single one of you has it in you to push forward for God. Leaders lead by example. To me, all of you are leaders in one way or another. Each of you lead in different areas of life, each of you have your strengths. Each of us has our weaknesses. Every single one of you has something to contribute. As part of The Crew, you knit together into a whole and your strengths shine while faults become less glaring. What you do to further your faith, your church and your love is up to you.
Together, The Crew holds the spark for a truly unique revolution.
I know that a fire burns in each of you.
The spark lay in your hands.
What you do with it is up to you.
Bring It.
5 comments:
Very nice thoughts, we just need to focus on keeping the momentum.
great words of encouragement.
why is it your blog is so meaningful and I just make a list of crazy stuff that happened?
I'm glad that you believe that God has plans for this group. I think it's our job to convince these students of the greatness that is possible in their lives.
I enjoyed reading this. Thanks for the thoughts. What you have to say is soo true. I don't want to leave my cries, hunger, and passion for Jesus at retreat. I want to keep it with me forever.
Mike, I definitely agree with this blog. I enjoyed reading it. Winter retreat was a very meaningful time and many of us have grown in such a way. It would be a shame if we just left it at retreat and came back the same. But yeah I definitely agree with you, like I said when I was up at the mic on the last day. We all are a special part of the crew, we could change the world and change many people's lives. We need to make the family bigger though...and also all of us are just as important as the others. It was really great reading this. You're awesome Mike. GO GRED TEAM! (Green/Red) =]
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