Tuesday, January 23, 2007

DAC

Currently Reading
The Pursuit of God in the Company of Friends
By Richard Lamb
see related




A couple months ago, I received an Evite to Cal-IV's Discipleship After College (DAC) conference that was occurring this past weekend for both the Class of 2007 and recent alumni. I still miss my fellow believers up north and I actually could use a few days away from the busyness down here, so I figured....why not? =)

I flew up really early on Friday morning (by the way, JetBlue is a hands-down awesome airline) and stayed with fellow IVers, Nathan and Matt, who never cease to intrigue and tickle me with laughter over their viewpoints and antics. I made my usual visiting rounds with my coffee buddy Carol as well as CEFC friends. A delicious dinner with CE friend Greg (another IVer) topped the first day too. The best parts, of course, were seeing and catching up with numerous Christian brothers and sisters at Large Group (LG) and DAC. I'm amazed at how God has both grown the Class of 2007 to be ready for the real world as well as instill energy in the new incoming students to actively and prayerfully change their campus community with love. What can I say..except that it's so exciting!

Some things I took away from the talks at both events:
  1. When it come to the pains we face, God does not waste any part of it. He will use it to grow you build up the Body. But it is only after we work our personal stuff out will our fellowship be a temple of God. Ephesians 2:11-22
  2. When it comes to money management, it's not about how much you have, but how you steward it that will the person. While it's important to establish your standard of living, it's even more important to know that God will hold you accountable for the money He gave you. 1 Timothy 6:17-19, Romans 14, Matthew 8:20, 1 Corinthians 9 & 12, Luke 12:48
  3. When it comes to women, men (in general) are pretty dumb. Guys need to be told if we are doing something annoying and/or stupid. But not all is lost - if you try to read her mind and even guess what they think and what they like, it will do wonders for your relationship and they would be impressed with your honest efforts.

As I was preparing to leave for home, I was actually relaxed and ready to go. Instead of rushing to meet as many people as I can (like previous visits), I actually took my time that weekend and spent quality moments with friends. I didn't need to pass any "words of wisdom" during DAC, but really just listen, share the relevance of my post-college experiences, and encourage them to God's blessings out in the real world. Perhaps this is why we revisit memories like these: to see what has happened in time and the joy of knowing that we accepted God's invitation to be a part of it. All good stuff. =)




Tuesday, January 2, 2007

Urbana 06 - Preview

I'm back from Urbana 06! So much to share. So much to feel. So much to learn and live out. And I don't know even where to start. For now, until I have more time to process this surreal experience, I can only say that God has forever changed my view on His mission for His people.

Stay tuned, friends. Pictures and thoughts will be on their way soon. Promise.




And of course, Happy New Year, brothers and sisters!!