This is the 7th and final post regarding my experiences at The Great Escape.
I have not been a consistent blogger in the past but I have wanted to share how God impacted me and the hundreds of students & leaders at The Great Escape (week-long middle school retreat). I have relearned that one of the most effective ways to process an experience is to journal about it. This blog has served as a place to record how I saw God at work last month at that camp.
I am grateful that I was asked to serve as a leader at The Great Escape 2015. I thought that I was going to fill a gap of male leadership for Restoration Church. I had no idea how much God would also impact me through the experience. God melted my heart and he renewed my love for serving, student ministry and retreats. Once again, God showed me how stepping out of the normal rhythm (and stress!) of life can provide a window of opportunity for him to restore us.
I will finish this series of posts by providing links to each of them along with a link to one of the songs that the worship team led at The Great Escape. These songs deeply impacted me and they will remind me of what God did in the lives of all of those who had the opportunity to be there this summer.
I have learned that set of songs which relate to a time in my life can function like a musical journal for me. These songs will always elicit sweet memories of the friendships, laughs, mud and God-sightings of this impactful week. In many ways, these songs form the musical backdrop to what God did in the lives of the precious students and also in my life along the way.
I invite you to read any of the posts that you haven’t read and to listen to the songs. May God give you a taste what we all experienced together at The Great Escape 2015.
Part 1 – The Party Wouldn’t Be The Same Without You
The grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It’s for you I created the universe. I love you.” ~ Frederick Buechner
Brighter – Hillsong Young & Free
Brighter from Sammynet on Vimeo.
Part 2 – Diving In
Every leader faces a choice.
A leader can choose to lead from a distance or lead through involvement. The distant leader seeks to influence through a title or a position. The involved leader seeks to influence through shared experiences and strong relationships. I faced this type of choice a few weeks ago at The Great Escape…
I Belong To You – by Jesus Culture
Part 3 – Chasing You
Something happened to music when I got married… The songs that focus on chasing after someone, however, do not have the same impact as they used to. I still seek date my wife and pursue her but the songs about the “what if” no longer elicit the same emotions like they did in the past and that is a good thing since I am happily married. But something happened at The Great Escape (week-long Middle School retreat) a few weeks ago…
Chasing You – Jenn Johnson & Bethel Music
Part 4 – The Exact Point of your Doubt
I have questions about God. I believe that we all have questions about God. Every person needs to decide if they are going to be honest about their God questions. Are you honest with your God questions? I had the opportunity to be part of an honest circle of middle school students a few weeks ago at The Great Escape (week-long middle school retreat)…
Forever – Kari Jobe
Part 5 – The Intersection of Life Stories
Every person is a life story and something significant happens when life stories intersect with one another. To what extent do you realize that you are a life story and that something significant can happen every time your story intersects with someone else’s story? How can your shared experiences help you see your life and God in a new light? Perhaps God wants to bring his healing, hope and restoration to you through another person’s story intersecting with yours.
Holy Spirit – Kim Walker & Jesus Culture
Kim Walker & Jesus Culture – Holy Spirit (Passion 2013) from Markkinho on Vimeo.
Part 6 – Under the Influence
What was the result of the raw honesty of The Great Escape? Many of the students experienced a freedom that they had never experienced before. They realized in the depths of their beings that they were loved and cherished by the God who created them. They experienced the acceptance and care of adult leaders and their peers. They were given the opportunity to laugh and play together. They worshiped with complete abandon in the morning and in the evening. They drank in God’s goodness… I clearly saw the outcome of their drinking in of God’s love and goodness during the final night…
Oceans – Hillsong United
Hillsong United – Oceans (Live) from Hillsong Church on Vimeo.