The Beginning of Ignite

Every year for the last several years, we host a winter weekend retreat with our students at West Park.

In the middle of dreary winter, the weekend together is meant to Ignite our faith by employing the various means of grace available to us. Some of the key ingredients include prayer, worship, community, recreation, service, and the word. These elements are interwoven into the three basic components of the weekend: time together in homes, time together in sessions, and time together in activity.

The challenge is always to see past the details and focus on the heart (i.e. prayer, worship, community, etc.) behind every component (i.e. homes, sessions, activities). It is easy enough to skip like a pebble across the surface, from one bank of the weekend to the other.

But the real trick is to sink like a stone, both as a leader and as a participant.

To sink into the word despite its familiarity. To sink into prayer despite your busy mind. To sink into community despite your insecurities and frustrations. To sink into service despite your tiredness. To sink into what is, not what you wished it to be. To sink into what God has for you instead of all your tedious plans.

Will you pray with us that we would sink into the peaceful, meaningful depths of what God has for us this weekend?