Oh, long weekends, how I love thee! That extra day just feels so precious. However you choose to spend it! But the past four days have been especially memorable and, I'm praying, life- and ministry-impacting. Along with the youth leadership team at church, I've been at stunning Mount Tamborine for YNET - an annual weekend conference for those involved in youth and children's ministry leadership.
It's always with eager anticipation that I look forward to YNET... So now, having returned home a few hours ago, it's exciting to reflect on the past four days which not only met my high expectations, but seemed to soar straight past them, taking the team from my church, and multiple other churches from Qld and beyond, along for the ride.
Admittedly, a huge part of these things is just being there. Spending those few days together - beautifully diverse, yet so deeply united. Living together, sharing bedrooms and toilet/shower facilities, eating the same food, shivering in the same evening briskness, basking in the same golden afternoon sunlight...
Singing the same songs.
Soaking in and absorbing the same eternal, life-filled truths.
Worshipping the same God.
So. Anything I attempt to share on here will naturally be a pale comparison with the real deal! Yet I think it's still worth sharing. Here are some glimpses into YNET 2012 as captured by my eyes, ears, mind and emotions (would love it if others shared what little snapshots you captured also... Let's collage it up!)
One. The conference was based around The Psalms: Praying the Prayers of Jesus. Our brilliant speaker encouraged and challenged us, as together we thought and felt our way through Psalms 16, 18, 34, 109 and 20. It was a wonderful rollercoaster of head and heart... and most of all, they made me, and us, want more - to know not only more about God, but to really know God more deeply and intimately than ever. To read and know the psalms, to sing along with the psalmist, and to sing and pray along with Jesus Himself.
We were challenged in looking at some of the harder passages and sentiments in the psalms... such as the prayer for vengeance of Psalm 109 and the uncomfortable "gap" that exists between the words of unwavering dedication to God and our own less-than-perfect experience in some psalms (eg Ps 16). One overarching gem of wisdom from our speaker was exploring how Jesus took the words of the psalms Himself... He interpreted His own ministry from the psalms, and used the words of the psalms as His own prayers. (Some examples: Mark 12:10 and Psalm 118:22-23; John 13:18 and Psalm 41:9; Mark 15:34 and Psalm 22:1; Luke 24:44-47). We see how the psalms "hang loosely" on our own experience, and even the psalmists' experience... yet they are fulfilled and completely "filled-out" in Jesus. And through His total faithfulness, the prayers of the psalms can be ours.
It was wonderful to explore the psalms and to realise the emotion and the experience of God in them. We can come to God with overflowing joy, thankfulness, disappointment, anger, neediness, and anything else. We can come to God with total honesty in prayer - that's abundantly clear from the psalms!
Our memory verse for the weekend was, "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who goes to him for safety". Psalm 34:8. "Head knowledge" about God - treating God as an academic exercise - just isn't enough. We need to taste and see... to know and experience Jesus, and His love and faithfulness, even in the messiness and confusion of life. And ultimately, growing in this intimacy and honesty before God equips us to better love and minister to others - particularly the youth and kids that God has given us. To pass these truths on to them, particularly as these teenagers deal with the emotions, life experiences, excitements and struggles of life and growing up. And through all this, to see the gospel story become their story by God's grace and the work of the Holy Spirit.
Two. Music. Firstly, our team had the massive blessing of being involved in the music side of the conference. Personally, I just loved playing and singing with such a great, humble group of musos and to bask in the gifts God has given them for His and our enjoyment! And then singing in worship of Jesus together with brothers and sisters from far and wide, their joyful hearts and enthusiastic adoption of new songs... awesome.
Secondly, the unexpected but soul-satisfyingly wonderful times of spontaneous singing and music... A guitar, a bunch of voices and unhurried time stretching out before us into the night. Singing praises and learning psalms by heart thanks to the musical creativity of others; amongst the sharing of stories, life lessons and tears.
I especially loved learning Psalm 134...
Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD;
Who stand by night in the house of the LORD
Lift up your hands in the holy place
and bless the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion;
Maker of the heavens and the earth.
(If you'd like to hear/learn the tune we were taught, ask me or one of the other YNET attendees! Funky and memorable.)
Three. I was blessed with very cool, relevant electives. I learnt a lot about how to partner with parents of the youth and kids entrusted to us, was challenged to think about evangelism in community and the effect of worldviews and philosophies, and how to be more perceptive in working within that to share with people. I also had a super-interesting and challenging elective on Life Online... thinking through things like social networking and the benefits and dangers associated with our internet connectedness... how it affects us, and the way we relate and think. I'm determined to continue to think about and work through this for myself, as well as for the youth and those who are and will struggle with the same things in this increasingly digital world.
Four. Getting to know some gorgeous people from other churches, ages, experiences... The value of community was so clear this weekend. Had some times of deep and precious sharing deeply with new and old friends, as well as some real laughter and fun. Humanity is such a glorious kaleidoscope! Some little highlights:
One sunshiny friend, amongst other things, brought her own pretty teacup and Earl Grey and Lavendar tea, and continued to wear her hair in creative, beautiful ways...
Definition: "glamping" (Glamorous Camping).
Sharing chai lattes/coffees/hot choccies with new friends in the cosy booth of a funky coffee place.
A morning run with the couple of the other guys from our group - enjoying the beautiful mountain morning, the way the fellas cheered on the other runners and cyclists out and about, and mud-skiing down the damper-than-expected bushwalking paths we explored on the way (You just don't look like a real runner without muddy legs.)
So, so many other things to share, but I've probably said enough already! It was a weekend full of learning and blessing. God is faithful in the big and small things, and YNET was packed with evidence of both of these, and everything in between.
For those who went to YNET: what were your highlights? What did you learn? What made you laugh? What has God placed on your heart?
For those who didn't: how was your long weekend? What did you do, learn, laugh about?
~ A little disclaimer ~
This has been long enough already, but I feel the need to add something.
All of the above is totally true, and I'm so excited and thankful for the weekend, and what is now to come! But I'm also aware of the tendency we have to filter what we share through social networking, blogging... our online appearance to others. So I guess I just wanted to also give lip service to the times of tiredness; of saying things I wished I hadn't; of not saying things I wish I had; of insecurity and not always quite knowing who to sit with at a mealtime; of frustration in the recognition of sins and struggles that I don't feel should still be here with me. These are my struggles, but I guess the experience of ups and downs is familiar to all! But ultimately, this only makes the unfailing grace of God more incredible, wonderful and real.
