Thought for Monday, July 9th

July 9, 2012

Student Life

An Audacious Experience

Day One

Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.

  Let all your things be done with charity.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

The adventure begins by loading up a van with all the students, all the students things and all the supplies needed to sustain the students and chaperones for a week-long experience together.

This is not a small task in and of itself.

As the journey begins we must first get our focus on the purpose that is before us.  And while that sounds easy, you must remember there will be a beach, a swimming pool, a Jacuzzi and a number of other fun and exciting events and activities to captivate our attention and to demand our energy that will have nothing to do with our actual spiritual growth.

So before we can even leave the parking lot we must seek God’s guidance and ask for His safety, protection and direction (not that the driver doesn’t know how to get there) just that we want God to lead us through everything this week, so in the end it will have been all about Him and not all about us.

The theme verse for our retreat instructs us to be watchful as we stand in faith, reaming bold, strong and courageous as we seek to grow in our love for God and our love for each other this week.

Our journey takes us to the Ocean Center to register, to our hotel to settle in our room and fix our first meal together and then back to the Ocean Center for a great night of praise and worship with Chris Tomlin and a challenging word from Lou Gigglio.

This is just the beginning, but I know God has great plans, many lessons and a lot of blessings as we seek to submit ourselves to being willing to be audacious in the way we live for Him

The youth of Y.E.L.L. want to ask you for and thank you for your continued prayers.

Today’s Prayer

Father, lead us: guide us and work in our hearts: change our lives and begin your work in us making us more audacious servants for you.

“When the music fades
All is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that's of worth
That will bless Your heart
I'll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You're looking into my heart
I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
When it's all about You,
It's all about You, Jesus “

-  Lyrics from ‘Heart of Worship’ by Matt Redman