Sometimes you forget why you're doing what you're doing, you get lost in the details, in the every day things that need to happen. And being in full-time ministry is no different. Then there are those wonderful times that come along once in a while that reminds you so clearly why you've been persevering.
It was a simple conversation that I had yesterday with a student who I just met on Sunday. He was introduced to me by another student who attends New Church, and the two have talked off and on about faith, and this guy has a lot of questions. So we sat at Cafe Strada yesterday for about an hour and talked about the heart of the gospel, who Jesus was, why He had to die, what His resurrection means, and what God is calling us to do in response.
He had to go to class, but said he'd be back next week, and at church on Sunday. It is really amazing to be able to be a part of what God is doing in Berkeley. And I know this isn't the only conversation like this being had, so I praise God for His work in people's lives. And I look forward to being able to see more clearly all that He has done!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
College Life Fall Retreat 2007
Thanks to all of you who prayed for our Fall Retreat this past weekend: October 5-7th up at Clear Lake (apparently the largest fresh water lake completely contained in California!). We had an awesome time of rest and reflection away from Berkeley. Almost 30 of us drove up on Friday and came back early early Sunday morning in time for church.
One of the best parts was to watch people bond with one another and come away with a sense of belonging to the community, belonging to one another. I am excited to see how that will translate into deeper relationships here, and a greater impact on the people we interact with on a daily basis.
It was also great to spend some time in the word, Psalm 27 was the main passage I talked about on Saturday night. We were encouraged to be strong and take heart, and wait for the Lord. Many things may come along that may cause us to fear, but like David did when he was pursued by his enemies, we should not run around anxious and try to fix it ourselves, but rather turn and seek the Lord's face and wait for Him. He will work things out on our behalf for our good, as we delight ourselves in Him.
Here are a couple pictures from the retreat. You can also see more by going here: http://picasaweb.google.com/steve.r.childs/CollegeLifeFallRetreat2007?authkey=o3Pqxh_45kA
