At St. John’s, we get two weeks for “spring break,” which is actually a late-winter work period for those of us underclassmen who need to finish their Annual Papers. The first week was spent with my family in New York. I was working on an outline for a paper on Virgil’s Aeneid (another one), and visiting with the folks there. Good times. I love y’all. For the second week I resolved to do no work on my paper as I went down to Panama City Beach for a missions trip called “Beach Reach.” Wow. It was such an exciting week.
We drove a fourteen-passenger van down with five guys (four midshipmen from the Naval Academy, plus me), and we brought Maggie (another Johnny whom we met for the mission down there) back for the ride home. Let me say plainly that these midshipmen, none of whom did I know before, are some of the best people I can ever hope to meet—a bunch of genuine, passionate followers of Christ. Our mission was simple: to give people free van rides and pancakes and share our faith with them, challenging the stereotypes of modern American “Christianity” while serving people. Even simpler: to meet people where they are with the good news about Jesus Christ. There were over a hundred college students who participated in the whole operation, dozens of vans every night giving spring-breakers rides, many people out talking on the streets and serving free food in the mornings and evenings. Our group of five became six when we met Maggie down there, and then we had a perfect number for driving people around in vans. We did that every night save one, where we worked in the call center and kept our van out of the fleet.
I was out late every night till 2 AM and up early almost every morning between the van rides and free breakfasts. I should have been tired, but because of the real power of the gospel that I was both hearing from my fellows around me and preaching with my own mouth, I am left with zeal and strength where there would otherwise (without the Spirit) be weariness and faintheartedness. I am renewed and transformed. Even now, days later, after the work there has ended and the “high” of such a mission should be gone, my mind is rejoicing and set on the things of the spirit. I cannot grow weary when I bring to remembrance the love of my Savior, who died for me, and live as one who chases after such love.
I learned so many good things, many of which will be posted here in due time. I’m currently meditating on Hebrews 4:11 (read the whole chapter to get the context); all of this gospel preaching has me so heavily considering the relationship between obedience and belief, working for/with God and resting with/in God, and the paradox of striving the enter into the rest is producing a lot of really intriguing nuggets. I’ll blog more on that later.
Peace to you and grace from God.
We drove a fourteen-passenger van down with five guys (four midshipmen from the Naval Academy, plus me), and we brought Maggie (another Johnny whom we met for the mission down there) back for the ride home. Let me say plainly that these midshipmen, none of whom did I know before, are some of the best people I can ever hope to meet—a bunch of genuine, passionate followers of Christ. Our mission was simple: to give people free van rides and pancakes and share our faith with them, challenging the stereotypes of modern American “Christianity” while serving people. Even simpler: to meet people where they are with the good news about Jesus Christ. There were over a hundred college students who participated in the whole operation, dozens of vans every night giving spring-breakers rides, many people out talking on the streets and serving free food in the mornings and evenings. Our group of five became six when we met Maggie down there, and then we had a perfect number for driving people around in vans. We did that every night save one, where we worked in the call center and kept our van out of the fleet.
I was out late every night till 2 AM and up early almost every morning between the van rides and free breakfasts. I should have been tired, but because of the real power of the gospel that I was both hearing from my fellows around me and preaching with my own mouth, I am left with zeal and strength where there would otherwise (without the Spirit) be weariness and faintheartedness. I am renewed and transformed. Even now, days later, after the work there has ended and the “high” of such a mission should be gone, my mind is rejoicing and set on the things of the spirit. I cannot grow weary when I bring to remembrance the love of my Savior, who died for me, and live as one who chases after such love.
I learned so many good things, many of which will be posted here in due time. I’m currently meditating on Hebrews 4:11 (read the whole chapter to get the context); all of this gospel preaching has me so heavily considering the relationship between obedience and belief, working for/with God and resting with/in God, and the paradox of striving the enter into the rest is producing a lot of really intriguing nuggets. I’ll blog more on that later.
Peace to you and grace from God.
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