Whew

Well where do I begin, haha? We've been having a 'break' from our regular programming here @ CSF-LHU. Two weeks ago we had students share a little bit about what they experienced and what God taught them on the mission's trip to Cleveland. That was certainly an exciting time, or at least it was for Emily and I. It was so cool to see and hear students come to realizations and conclusions that they were able to arrive at simply because they were living their lives in a way that is near the heart of God, loving and serving people. It's something Emily and I have been teaching and preaching on for a while, but this experience, I think, is credible proof for St. Francis of Assisi's quote, "Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." There's something to be said about hearing someone talk to you about living your life the way God would want and going out to actually do it, even if for a short period of time. Just last week, we had a movie night where we watched 'The Grace Card.' It was a great movie, despite the awkwardness of the acting at times. It conveyed a good message and many of the students loved it.

I must confess that I am a little nervous for tonight, but despite the feelings of anxiety that I do have, I think my feelings of excitement are just a little stronger. Tonight we've been able to partner with a local supporting church, Blanchard Church of Christ, and we are holding our 'service' out there. Tonight, since it's 'Passion Week' we're going to be doing something called the 'Stations of the Cross.' Traditionally, I believe this is something that originated or at least is primarily done in the Catholic Church. However I see GREAT merit in doing something like this and I'm just about as non-denominational as someone can get, haha, so I adopted the idea. I've had the privilege to participate in this 3 times already in my life and it's certainly a different experience. My hope is to allow people to engage their non-linear parts of their brains and encounter God, as they take a 'journey' through meditation, Scripture reading, and prayer along the path that Jesus took to the cross. My hope is that students will take it seriously and not see it as something boring that's going to make them move, but as an opportunity to engage all of their senses as they really reflect on the significance of why we as Christians celebrate this week as we do. I would appreciate any prayer that you guys could lift up for us tonight! I look forward to updating you (hopefully tomorrow) on how everything went! I hope you are all doing well! Until next time! =)


Pat