Retreat

Just got home from the 220 Crew Retreat. It was good. Some good time reflecting about what a restored life looks like. Some good time praying for one another.

Standard 220 stuff: Laughter, silliness, daring James to do random stuff (catch a duck . . .) JD shrieking like a girl, late LATE nights, junk food, tears. Oh, and a t-shirt!

Challenged my thinking: Brittany told a story about being in a foreign country wearing a "christian" t-shirt. Someone asked her if she was a "real Christian" or something like that. And then asked, are you a Christian who prays or who leads? There was some commentary following that story about putting that on a t-shirt. Not a fan. Don't mind my thinking being challenged, but I don't know, it almost feels like you have to choose, praying or leading. Left with a choice, I think there is only one.

Bible Thoughts: Three examples of people seeking Jesus.
John 6:20 The crowds sought him because He had previously fed them. They were NOT seeking Him because he was Jesus, not for who he was, but for what he could do. They even asked him for another miracle!
Mark 5:21 Jairus' daughter was dying and he knew that Jesus could help him. He knew this was one thing he couldn't fix on his own. So he asked Jesus to come to his house and heal his daughter. But Jesus got distracted by a woman who touched his garment, and by the time he got to Jairus' daughter, she had died. But he raised her from the dead and THEN told her parents (and his three disciples who were there) not to say anything. ???
Mark 5:25 The woman with the issue of blood had tried everything, doctors, etc., had spent all her money trying to get better and had only gotten worse. She knew that if she could only get close enough to Jesus she would be healed.

The question these stories make me ask myself: Which one am I? Am I the one who seeks Him just for what I want, or do I seek Him only when I know I can't fix it myself, or do I seek Him only after I have exhausted all other options? AND if He reveals himself and His power, how do I respond to that? Do I say, "well show me something else now!", like the first group did. Or, do I fall at his feet like the woman did when she was healed,? Or do I take it all in quietly, holding the mystery, and walk in what He has done, like Jairus?

Good questions to ask.

All that to say, I am always amazed at the moments in which God reveals Himself.