It's an annual thing (starting this year) for the juniors to head up to Sierra Lodge during the summer and have a discipleship retreat with Pastor Ed and Kelly Kang. It's a nice getaway from Berkeley, and as beautiful as campus is during the summer, it's just not the same as going to the mountains, rivers, lakes, and meadows of the Sierras.
About 50 of us--all the juniors of Gracepoint Fellowship Church involved in discipleship classes--took off from Berkeley on Friday afternoon. We arrived (after stopping by In-N-Out) around 9:30. After the requisite registration stuffs, we sat down for a guys-dominated game of King Kong Shower (yes, we crushed the sisters), and then each wrote out one truth, one lie. It was one way to get to know one another, laugh a little, and for names to attach themselves to faces. For many people, it was their first time seeing all their classmates in one room. Last year's Gracepoint Live seemed like a massive throng of people, but this was a lot cozier, and it was a real opportunity to see who our "partners in the gospel" were.
We listened to Tony Campolo's "Seize the Day" message, as well as Bill Hybell's "5 Tests of Leadership". Together with Philippians 1 and the message on Isaiah 40, we were filled to bursting with a sense of calling for our lives to reveal the glory of the Lord as we fill the valleys and flatten the hills in our own hearts.
There was a bunch of other stuff we did... organize the basement full of tools, clear the hillside of combustible material, string bows and shoot at our own archery range (2 sisters hit the bulls-eye... no brothers--although Daniel, infamous author of Dis-Gracepoint, hit a granite rock), race on kayaks, throw each other into the water, sing Les Mis, hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, eat good food, have a lot of brownies, use Sierra Lodge rental Nalgenes, miss the Boreal exit, get worked by mosquitos, have our own Sunday Worship Service with college student band, sing How Great Thou Art at the lake, sing all of Beauty and the Beast and The Sound of Music with Emily & HG7, and more. What a list of stuff! Can't do all of that at Berkeley, Gracepoint Juniors! Only at Sierra Lodge!
We had a great time. And, more seriously, I'm very thankful we had this opportunity to reflect on the trajectory of our lives, and how we want to grow as Christ-followers together in the upcoming year.
Thanks to all the juniors, Hannah (who took care of all the food), Pastor Ed and Kelly Kang (for all the messages, challenge, encouragement, and inspiration), Ben (for taking care of the whole trip, not to mention the rides), Daniel (for laughs), and all the other brothers and sisters of Davis Waypoint and Berkeley Gracepoint Fellowship Church who helped build Sierra Lodge so great times like this can happen!
Acts2 Network – Gracepoint Ministries’ new name!
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Today’s big news from the headline is: Acts2 Network! That’s the new name
that replaces the familiar Gracepoint Ministries. It’s certainly not going
to ...
9 months ago
6 comments:
And thanks, Kevan, for taking all the pictures and doing sound/tech. :)
Those were three of the funnest and most enlightening days I have had. Besides discovering that we junior brothers are lousy at archery, I also found out that we also stink at arm wrestling as three of our strongest brothers (Alex Cho, Justin Teng, and Mike Kim) lost to Daniel Kim...consecutively. Oh the shame...
Other than that, Junior Discipleship retreat was an awesome time for me to reflect on my identity as a Christ follower and what that entails in respect to my future and present. I was very blessed by the the vision sharing time when each one of us were challenged to dream big dreams. Sometimes with school and other issues clouding my mind, it becomes difficult for me to take a step back and critically think about, why i do the things I do and if my convictions align with how I live my life. The great thing about the retreat was knowing that there are other Juniors who are going through the same struggles, asking the same questions and who share the same sentiments as i do. This encouraged me greatly as I look forward to tackling the mission of loving others with my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ this coming semester.
The only criticism I have about the retreat was that it was too short! And I know there are others who share the same opinion.
It's okay: the bible promises that God's love does not fail and that it cannot be deterred, even if you guys stink at archery and at arm wrestling. Some things, God says, are more important than others. As for your criticism, I wholeheartedly agree.
I'm looking forward to the upcoming year, and am excited at how you guys can take small steps in fulfilling the "big dreams" so many of you guys shared.
i loved junior retreat :), oh and thanks kevan for taking pictures during the retreat!
*to k ding's comment: i also learned that the junior sisters can't play king kong shower ^^", how sad...
The Junior Discipleship Retreat was awesome! amazing! astounding!astonishing! I really enjoyed kayaking, playing games, "guys ruling" king kong shower, hiking etc. All the activities were definitely super fun and I felt that I got to know a lot of my junior peers a lot better throughout these activities.
The retreat really allowed me to see where my visions are set and what I want to do with my life after college. Setting my visions for the next two years and the years after college really re-focused my mind on things going on now. My decisions now work towards those visions that I have set for myself and it is those visions that allow me to stay focused on my goals to bring glory to the kingdom of God. It's so easy to get caught up in different things that go on but this retreat really allowed me to focus my mind on greater things that I should be living my life for. I was also really impacted by the messages. Bill Hybel's message about leadership/discipleship gave a clear description about discipleship and what it actually entails. The time to reflect on the sheet about where we stand on each of the aspects of discipleship allowed me to see where I personally was on my spiritual walk with God. Tony Campolo's message about our "dead" generation and setting our minds and hearts on things above this world really challenged me to live for my visions and goals for God.
I am super excited for the upcoming year for the junior class and I personally feel that we could make an impactful year together as a group!
Many would know that I had a lot of difficulty deciding whether to go to the Jr. Discipleship Retreat or not. In the midst of my MCAT, with my test a quick week and a half a way, I was not sure if this was the wisest choice for me. Yet, I lamented over the possibility of missing out on the opportunity to be with my peers, and the important base-building that is needed for our class to grow more united.
I am now so thankful and glad to have gone to the retreat. I found much more at the retreat than I expected: I found my vision. This vision became my new driving force just as when my inspiration towards the MCAT was beginning to wane; I found strength in my vision and decided to renew my efforts to just push on. Above all, it gave me a hope and a trust in the Lord for the future. Furthermore, the message on Isaiah 40, about soaring on the wings of eagles and leaning on God’s strength was also important to me as I pushed past more self-dreamt limits.
Finally, I was also really refreshed by the opportunity to meet with others of my class, as getting to know one another can be one of the most fun and worthy endeavors. When I played taboo with other peers the other day, one person tried to describe a word by saying, “Something we do at a retreat.” The most prominent response was “kayaking”, “fun”, and “water”. Undoubtedly, these were precious moments, ones which I gladly reminisce about and helped us grow more comfortable with each other.
Though I went with low expectations, I believe the return can only be described as winning a jackpot. I was as skeptical and unwilling as could be, and yet I returned so much richer and fully rejuvenated.
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