vocational discernment: the journey continues

Last semester, I had the opportunity to take a course called Peacemaking Seminar as a directed study. One of the objectives of the course was vocational discernment, particularly around my call and identity as a peacebuilder. Not only did I get to spend the semester deeply engaged in questions of discernment and identity, I got to do so alongside one of my professors whose life has been an example for me of what it means to live peace. I was required to keep a journal for the semester, part of which included weekly vocational reflections (my journal from Peacemaking Seminar can be found here). This little journaling project taught me two important lessons about vocational discernment (and about life, but I will stick with the topic at hand):

1. Intentionality is everything.
To look back on my vocational reflections from spring semester is to look back on a collection of experiences of which I could have easily missed the significance. For me, the requirement to reflect weekly on identity and vocation was an invitation to live life ever open to God’s leading. Last semester was an incredible time of discernment precisely because it was an intentional time of discernment.

2. Significance lies in the small things.
Reflecting every week on vocational discernment forced me to find the significance in everyday experiences. Some weeks, there were obvious times of discernment, such as my spring break spent visiting seminaries. However, some weeks were filled with classes and not much else. Such is the life of a college student, but I learned to find significance in the small things. I reflected on lectures, on readings from various classes, and from conversations with friends and professors. Looking back, those experiences are the ones that add texture to the broad strokes of discernment that paint the picture of my life.

Moving forward, I am no longer required to reflect on identity, vocation, or anything else for that matter! However, Peacemaking Seminar was never about a grade or an assignment; it was about who I am and who I am becoming. That work is not over, nor will it ever be. I hope to use this blog to continue the journey of discernment, a journey I believe cannot be walked alone. I hope you will join me!

sophomore year: lessons learned

Nine months. Eleven classes. Hundreds of pages written. Thousands of pages read. Countless hours in the library. Much laughter. More than a few crazy escapades. Many conversations that have challenged how I see the world. A year lived in a community that has changed my life. It’s been another fantastic year at Bluffton.

So what have I learned this year?

1. Treasure the people with whom you share your life.

Relationships are the most important part of life. Period. If this year taught me anything at all, it is that life is about living in the present, loving the people God has placed in your life today, and being open and honest in your relationships. The greatest gift is now—the community, the opportunities, the emotions, the conversations of today. Spend time with the people you care about. Tell people what they mean to you. Cry hard, laugh harder. Be real and be honest. Tomorrow will come, but today is what matters.

2. Do your absolute best.

This year, I worked harder than I knew was possible and learned more than I even realize at this point. Just when I thought I was doing my best, I pushed myself to do more, and it paid off in ways I never could have imagined. I achieved things I did not know I was capable of, and I stand here halfway through college having already exceeded my highest expectations for my undergraduate career. Hard work pays off—I cannot wait to see what the next two years will bring!

3. Peace is a journey.

Last year, I came to believe in the power of nonviolence. This year, I learned that making a commitment to nonviolence is not a one-time event, but the first step of a lifelong journey. Furthermore, I learned that this journey is one that must be lived in and sustained by community. For me, this year has been an important part of my journey toward peace; I am a million miles from perfect, but I am better at embodying peace now than I was in August, and that is the measure of success.

4. Education can change the world.

In the fall, I studied education as a means of social change in my Social Justice & Social Change class. In the spring, I identified education as my primary gift and calling as a peacebuilder in my Theories of Peace & Conflict class. This entire year, I have learned to see education as a form of peacemaking; I believe that my transforming minds, we can transform the world for peace. This is a lesson that has transformed how I experience education and how I understand my identity as a peacebuilder. As I move forward in my education, I do so knowing that by transforming my mind, I am working toward the transformation of the world.

5. Make time for waffles.

To describe this year as academically demanding would be an understatement. I was known on my floor for long days and nights of reading and writing, but this year I also learned how to make time in the midst of academic chaos for things like Waffle House runs, pizza parties, and movies with friends. In the end, the crazy memories with my friends are worth more than that chapter of Karl Barth I read for Theology. After all, I have all summer and the rest of my life so spend time with Barth…my friends don’t fit so well on my bookshelf. So, make time for waffles. Make time for people. Make time for fun.

Criminal Injustice: Collateral Consequences and the Gospel of Reconciliation

A couple weeks ago, I participated in the C. Henry Smith Peace Oratorical Contest at Bluffton University. It was an exciting opportunity to proclaim God's message of grace and reconciliation, and I ended up earning second place! So, for those of you who didn't make it out that night (or for those of you who did), here is the text of my speech:
_____

      This evening, I would like to invite you into an unlikely dialogue— a dialogue between the U.S. criminal justice policy and the biblical text. Specifically, I will focus on the collateral consequences of criminal convictions, which are the laws and policies in place that make reintegration into society nearly impossible after individuals have served prison sentences. Turning to the biblical text, I will examine these laws and policies through the lens of the story of the Prodigal Son in the Gospel of Luke, exposing and dismantling the structural violence in the U.S. criminal justice system. Finally, I will issue a challenge for each and every one of us— to imagine and create a criminal justice system shaped by the narrative of reconciliation found in the biblical text rather than the narrative of violence, injustice, and fear that permeates the world in which we live. As God’s people, the story of the Prodigal Son— a story of abundant grace and reconciliation— is our story; informed by this narrative, we must work for criminal justice reform, calling for a truly just system characterized by reintegration, restoration, and reconciliation.

       First, we must expose the structural violence in the U.S. criminal justice system. While the injustice in the system is extensive, this evening I will focus specifically on the collateral consequences laws. While many people assume that a person’s prison sentence is the extent of their punishment, this is simply not the case; the collateral consequences laws impose life-long punishment over and above time in prison. According to Marc Mauer in the Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law, in addition to their prison sentence, 18-year old first-time drug offenders in many states are denied access to welfare benefits, public housing, and federal loans for college, as well as permanently denied the right to vote (610).

Further, Mauer points out the common practice of denying employment to individuals with even minor previous criminal convictions. With 47 million people having criminal records on file (Mauer 3), these laws and policies impact nearly one in six of the 312 million people currently living in the United States according to the Census Bureau. One in six of our sisters and brothers in the United States left without a job, without access to food and housing, without the hope and opportunity of an education, and even denied the right to vote. One in six of our sisters and brothers trapped in a cycle of poverty, violence, and crime. One in six of our sisters and brothers, shackled for life by invisible chains of injustice that have been locked with our consent, the key thrown away as we have remained complicit to the status quo of the criminal justice system.

With these 47 million people in mind— 47 million real lives, real faces, and real stories— let us turn now to the biblical text. Luke 15 tells the story of the Prodigal Son, the story of a young man who takes his share of his father’s estate, runs away to a distant country, and throws away his resources and the honor of his family in corrupt living. Realizing the mistake he has made, and ashamed of his actions, he chooses to return to his father, hoping to be taken in as a hired hand since he is no longer worthy of the family name. This is the story of a sinner, an offender, a criminal, returning to his community— an experience familiar to many of our sisters and brothers in the criminal justice system.

With them in mind, hear now the story of the return of the Prodigal Son from the Gospel of Luke: “While he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him…the son said… ‘Father, I have sinned against…you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son. But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe— the best one— and put it on him…get the fatted calf and kill it…let us eat and celebrate, for this son of mine was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found!’” (Luke 15.20-24 NRSV). Tonight, I would like to suggest that the story of the Prodigal Son subverts the status quo of our criminal justice system, exposing and dismantling structures of injustice and oppression and inviting us to imagine and create a system marked by the reconciliation of the sinner, the offender— the Prodigal Son.

When people complete their prison sentences, the U.S. criminal justice policy prevents the story of the Prodigal Son from playing out in our communities. People with previous convictions are denied employment in the U.S., but the biblical narrative goes beyond employment, welcoming the offender not as an employee but as a member of the family, as a son, as a daughter; and not only that, the Prodigal Son is the most treasured family member precisely because he was lost, he did make mistakes, but now he has returned, he is found, he is alive! (Luke 15.24) The father welcoming his son back into his family is an act of abundant grace and reconciliation. Before the son can even get the words out of his mouth, “I am no longer worthy…” (Luke 15.21), the father exclaims, “this is my son!” Here we find no collateral consequences— only collateral compassion and collateral celebration.
        Comparing the U.S. criminal justice policy and the story of the Prodigal Son also leads us to consider issues of scarcity and abundance. While the collateral consequences laws create a world of scarcity in which many people with past criminal convictions are deprived of basic human needs, the story of the Prodigal Son is a narrative of abundance. While the criminal justice system says to those returning to their community, “You don’t deserve anything,” the father in the story of the Prodigal Son says, “Give my beloved son the best we have.” The U.S. criminal justice policy condemns those with previous criminal records, deeming them unworthy of life itself by denying them access to the things they need to survive. But in the story of the Prodigal Son, the father affirms the sacred worth of his child, giving him not only everything he needs, but everything the father has— everything the son does not deserve. That, my friends, is grace— completely unmerited, undeserved free gift.

 You see, this story is not just about criminals— this story is about you and me, ordinary prodigals. This is the story of our journey, our sin, our reconciliation to God, and our call to continue God’s work of reconciliation in the world. We have been prodigal daughters and prodigal sons— we have squandered the free gift of God— and we have been and are being welcomed home into the arms of God, our mother and our father. The fatted calf has been killed, the celebration has begun— this reality of abundant grace and reconciliation is our reality, the reality in which we live and the reality we are called to create.

In closing, let us consider these words from John Howard Yoder’s Body Politics: “Church and world are not…two institutions with contradictory assignments, but two levels of the pertinence of the same Lordship. The church is called to be today what the world is called to be ultimately” (10). This means that the dialogue between the U.S. criminal justice policy and the story of the Prodigal Son is not a debate between two separate, competing realities. The point is not for us to live in the reality of God’s grace and reconciliation and ignore the harsh, unforgiving reality of the world around us. Rather, as God’s people, we are called to engage in the reality of the world, transforming structures of oppression and injustice and creating a world shaped by God’s vision of reconciliation, justice, and peace. As prodigals who have been reconciled by the abundant grace of God, we must call for a criminal justice system shaped by the gospel— the good news— of reconciliation. And along with God, our abundantly merciful mother and father, we are called to celebrate as our prodigal sisters and brothers return home, proclaiming, “This—this is my sister! She was dead, but she is alive again! She was lost, but now she is found!” With these words and this welcome, let the celebration begin!

           

Works Cited

Mauer, Marc. “Collateral Consequences of Criminal Convictions: Barriers to Reentry for the Formerly Incarcerated.” Presented to House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. 9 June 2010.

Mauer, Marc. “Thinking About Prison and its Impact in the Twenty-First Century.” The Ohio State Journal of Criminal Law 2:607 (2005): 607-618.

"U.S. & World Population Clock." Census Bureau Home Page. Web. 02 Apr. 2011.

Yoder, John Howard. Body Politics. Scottdale, PA: Herald, 2001.

so be it.

I am no longer my own, but yours. 
Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing, put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,
exalted for you or brought low for you;
let me be full, let me be empty;
let me have all things, let me have nothing;
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. 
And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.  So be it. 
And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven. 
Amen.

why hello there week 12.

This semester is flying by. Part of me is excited to get it behind me, but another part of me is sad to see it coming to a close. This has been an intense semester, both inside and outside the classroom. Classes have stretched me more this semester than ever before; they have challenged me academically, but more than that they have challenged the way I understand and relate to the world. I can confidently say that I have learned and grown more this semester than I ever could have imagined, but it definitely hasn’t been easy! And I know that I’ve learned far more than I realize at this point, still in the middle of the hectic push toward the finish line. Outside of classes, life has been quite the rollercoaster this semester. I have hardly had the chance to have a “normal” few weeks without a crisis of some sort, which has made it difficult to concentrate at times. But in spite of it all, on this Monday night of week 12, I am still alive and pressing on. Next week is Thanksgiving Break, followed by weeks 14, 15, and finals. It’s hard to believe we only have two more weeks of classes after this week!

So, besides classes (which are in and of themselves great opportunities), this semester I’ve had some pretty incredible opportunities and experiences. First, I went to a conference called Israel/Palestine: Pathways to Peace, which was a great opportunity to learn more about peacemaking efforts in the Middle East. Then, I went on a silence & solitude retreat for my Spiritual Disciplines class, which turned out to be a lot more enjoyable than I had anticipated! And my last two weekends have been filled with training: first, I went through Module II Hispanic ministry training, so now I am a certified lay missioner for Hispanic ministry in the UMC! And this past weekend I finished my mediation training at Bluffton, which means I can start co-mediating cases for my mediation certification. All of these things have been awesome, but they’ve made for busy weekends (aka no weekends at all)! And this weekend I am headed to GA with PEACE Club for a nonviolent demonstration. Then…home for Thanksgiving!

So, here’s to peace and protests and turkeys and theology and huge papers and friends and everything else that will fill the pages of my life for the next few weeks!



Peace.

Katie :)

it’s a beautiful bluffton life :)

I am in the middle of a crazy semester. Actually, I’m just past the middle…and it’s flying by. It’s hard to believe that sophomore year at Bluffton is 1/4 over…it feels like we just moved back to campus! But time flies when you’re having fun (or in the library…or both), and we’ve definitely been having fun. Here’s some proof:

    
It has been a fantastic year so far. But it has been a deeper form of fantastic than pictures can capture…filled with so much learning, reflecting, discussing, and hoping in a community that never ceases to amaze, surprise, and encourage me.

So…here’s to blogging again. Here’s to reflecting on life’s experiences both inside and outside the classroom that are changing who I am and how I see the world. Here’s to the beautiful Bluffton life! :)

Pray Peace. Make Peace. Live Peace.

Katie :)

reflections on "The Spirit of the Disciplines" chapters 5-7

This week, I would like to reflect on a few different parts of chapters 5-7 of Dallas Willard’s The Spirit of the Disciplines. As I have spent more time with this text, it has become increasingly clear that Willard’s theology is very different from my own. My experience with this text has been frustrating and rewarding, and it seems like with every page comes a new reaction, question, or frustration. This journal is a reflection of those experiences— the good, the bad, and everything in between.

I really struggle with Willard’s definition of spirituality in chapter five. I would agree with his statement that “spirituality is a matter of another reality,” but in the next sentence he goes on to say that “[spirituality] is not a ‘commitment’ and it is not a ‘lifestyle’” (67). For me, what makes spirituality another reality is the fact that it is a commitment and is a lifestyle. I view faith and spirituality as a commitment, not in addition to all of my other commitments…but as the one commitment that supersedes all others. Some synonyms for commitment are loyalty, pledge, promise, and dedication. For me, spirituality is all of these things. Spirituality creates space for me to live into an alternate reality only when spirituality is a commitment— my highest loyalty. The second thing Willard says that spirituality is not is a lifestyle (67). This seems like a complete contradiction to chapter three, which is entitled, “Salvation Is a Life” (28). If salvation is a way of life, and our way of life is to reflect our salvation, then spirituality is a lifestyle. Willard goes on to say that though spirituality is not a commitment or a lifestyle, “a commitment and lifestyle will come from it” (67). I would argue that a commitment and lifestyle are not simply results of spirituality; these things are the essence of spirituality.

Willard also asserts that spirituality is “not a social or political stance” and that “the essence and aim of spirituality is not to correct social and political injustices” (67). He goes on to say that while “[correcting injustices] will be its effect…that is not its use” (67). For me, the alternate reality in which spirituality enables us to live is an inherently social and political one. As for the social aspect of spirituality, Willard himself says in chapter seven that “the new life in Christ…is a life of the whole embodied person in the social context” (111). It is difficult for me to understand how it is possible for an “embodied” spiritual life “in the social context” to be separate from a “social stance” (Willard 67, 111). As for the political nature of spirituality, I would argue that our faith commitment is a political stance. In his book He Came Preaching Peace, John Howard Yoder illustrates the political implications of citizenship in God’s Kingdom: “This new nation, the people of God, is the Christian’s first loyalty. No political nation, no geographic homeland to which one belongs by birth, can take precedence over the heavenly citizenship of a Christian in one’s new birth” (23). Spirituality— living a life according to one’s faith commitment— is as political as pledging allegiance to the flag of any nation. Last but not least, this idea that spirituality will result in, but should not be used for, the correction of injustices, is a difficult one for me to grasp. This is partly because I understand spirituality to be a whole life endeavor and partly because of my understanding of Christ’s life as a political one. Christ consistently and unapologetically confronted situations of oppression and injustice (Matt. 21.12-13) and we are called to do the same. For me, confronting and correcting injustices cannot be separated from spirituality.

So, in conclusion, I would like to express my appreciation for this text. In this journal it may seem like I disagree with everything Willard has to say, but this is not really the case. There are also many things I agree with, but journaling about the things in the book that I struggle with helps me better understand my own theology in light of Willard’s. I value this opportunity to read and engage a text written by an author whose theology stands in contrast to my own.

Pray Peace. Make Peace. Live Peace.

Katie :)

reflections on “The Spirit of the Disciplines” ch. 1-3

This week as I have read from The Spirit of the Disciplines, I have found myself laying a foundation for my understanding of the spiritual disciplines. In chapter one, Willard explains that the secret of the “easy yoke” is passionately living one’s faith in one’s WHOLE life, not just in parts (10). To expand on this principle, Willard explained that the goal of spiritual disciplines and spirituality in general is to become so much like Christ that Christ-like actions and decisions come naturally to us (9). I was struck by this concept: “True Christlikeness comes at the point where it is hard not to respond as [Christ] would” (8). Here, Willard is basically saying that the point of following Christ is not to arrive at a point in our lives where acting like Christ is a viable option; the point of following Christ is to arrive at a point in our lives where acting like Christ is the only option. This radical view of discipleship has caused me to ask different questions about where I am on my faith journey. Instead of asking if I am willing and ready to follow Christ, this view forces me to ask if I am willing and ready to do anything BUT follow Christ. If there are still other options besides Christ’s way in my life, I have missed the point of following Christ in the first place.

In the second chapter of The Spirit of the Disciplines, Willard stressed the importance of intentional, planned discipleship with the goal of transformation. One point that seemed especially harsh, yet true, was that claiming to follow Christ but doing so without a plan is no better than intentionally planning not to follow Christ (9). This is true in our personal lives, but it is also true in our life together in Christian community. Willard stressed the importance of being intentional about the spiritual disciplines both in our personal lives and in our churches. If our churches do not have set plans for discipleship, complete with means to measure the success or failure of these efforts, Willard says that we have failed to embody the second half of the Great Commission (15). Furthermore, Willard says that if faithful, regular attendees of our churches are not transformed by the ministry, we have failed these individuals (18). Unfortunately, by these measures, many of our churches today are failing. In my personal context, this language of transformation caught my eye, as “transformation” is part of the mission statement of the United Methodist Church. Our mission statement is to “make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” It seems to me that perhaps my church’s mission statement is missing the second half of the Great Commission, or as Willard might say, perhaps we are making the “great omission” (15). We strive to make disciples for the purpose of transforming the world, but Willard stresses the importance of also transforming the disciples and “teaching them to obey everything that [Christ has] commanded [us]” (Matthew 28.20 NRSV). I would argue that the United Methodist Church is not failing to do this all together, but it is interesting to think about why we chose to emphasize the transformation of the world while omitting the transformation of the people in our congregations. Perhaps it is assumed…one can hope!

In the third chapter, Willard discussed salvation as a life and not simply as forgiveness of sins (33). This topic is one that is rather familiar to me, as this summer I read the book Shalom: The Bible’s Word for Salvation, Justice, and Peace by Perry Yoder. This book discussed in detail the biblical understanding of the word “shalom,” and in exploring this concept focused extensively on the concept of salvation as a physical, material, social, and political reality. Willard also noted this concept, emphasizing that salvation in Scripture is understood to be the “translation” into God’s Kingdom, here and now (40). He described life in God’s present Kingdom as “[living] in a different world” (37). One of the words that Yoder used in Shalom to describe this change from the world to God’s Kingdom was “transfer.” This word really resonated with me, as I have experienced a “transfer” in my life when I left ONU to come to Bluffton. For me, the word “transfer” brings up memories of a time of abrupt, radical change in my life not only from one school to another, but from one world to another. The atmosphere, the philosophy of education, the values, the faculty, the expectations…absolutely everything imaginable turned out to be completely different at Bluffton. My head was spinning for my first few weeks on campus, and it took me about half the semester to adjust to this new way of life and education. As I reflect on the idea of salvation as a “transfer” into God’s Kingdom, these memories and experiences that I associate with the word “transfer” inform my understanding of salvation. Just as transferring to Bluffton was a life-changing adventure for me, so salvation is the life-altering “transfer” into God’s Kingdom, here and now.

warning: academics ahead

So, classes start Monday. My blog will most likely reflect this (fantastic, long awaited) change in a few different ways. I just wanted to take a moment to give you all fair warning.

First of all, I’d like to point out my little bookshelf on the right side of this page. The books on my shelf are my textbooks for this semester, and it’s likely that I will be referencing them and/or quoting them in my blogs this semester.

Next, several of my classes require me to write journal entries and submit them online. Obviously, some of this will be more interesting than others. But there is a good possibility that I will post some of my journal entries on here.

In classes that don’t have journals as a requirement, and possibly even for those that do, I plan to use this blog to share quotes and reflect on the things I am learning in class…and outside of class, for that matter. And on that note, here comes the first textbook quote:

“The ultimate goal of biblical exegesis is not information but transformation. True exegesis is accomplished only when individuals and communities engage in the embodiment of the text.”
-Michael Gorman, Elements of Biblical Exegesis

See, this idea of “information” versus “transformation” really resonates with me, in my context as a student here at Bluffton. I came from a university with a strong focus on information. When I transferred to Bluffton, my whole life started changing…and it hasn’t stopped. At Bluffton, who we are becoming matters far more than where we are going. Character is valued over success. Education is about transforming, not just informing. That makes more difference than I can express in words.

But obviously, this quote is about more than the unique, world-class education offered at Bluffton University. It’s about biblical exegesis! One of my classes this semester is Old Testament Exegetical Studies: Wisdom Literature. So, I get to dive into exegesis this semester! I can’t wait to spend huge amounts of time engaging scripture in this incredible community. You will no doubt hear a LOT about this over the next 15 weeks.

I can’t wait to see what God has in store for this semester. I can’t wait to see what God is going to teach me both inside and outside the classroom, through professors and friends, through books and late night conversations. Education by transformation blurs the lines between education and life. I can’t tell you where my classes end and my life begins…where homework ends and discipleship begins…

And that’s a beautiful thing.



Pray Peace. Make Peace. Live Peace.

Katie :)

great in your midst

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been back at Bluffton for two days already! I moved back onto campus on Tuesday, which was a rather warm experience both in terms of temperature and welcome! And I spent the past two days at the fall retreat for Bluffton’s Leadership Development Program. Basically, campus student leaders and student life faculty spend a couple days together at our nature preserve. Tomorrow the new students (first years and transfers) move in, followed by returning students on Saturday and Sunday! My amazing roommate returns home to campus on Saturday, so I am REALLY looking forward to that day! :) The weekend is filled with all kinds of welcome back activities, and classes start Monday! I am also really looking forward to that day!

So, how has my sophomore year been so far? Pretty fantastic. If this is any indication of what is to come, it’s going to be an incredible year. Being on campus four days earlier than most everyone I hang out with has been a great opportunity to get to know new people and turn acquaintances into friends. The LDP retreat was time well spent. It was very Bluffton…full of community and joy and fun and God and growth and laughter! We played lots of community-building (and just plain fun) games, learned how to understand and use our God-given gifts and strengths, and worshiped together. The first day was mostly ice-breakers and introduction to the leadership material we covered, followed by a bonfire, singing, smores, and a night hike! I’m not much of a hiker, but I decided to go on the night hike simply because the nature preserve closes at dusk, so it was my one chance to see it in the dark! One of the most memorable parts of the hike was crossing the giant swinging bridge over the creek in the pitch dark with about 50 other people, most of whom were JUMPING! It was terrifying! But since I survived, it’s one of those epic college memories! We also got to see the nature preserve lake with the super bright moon glowing in the sky, which was stunning! And last but not least, we got to make fireworks in our mouths with lifesaver mints. (quote: "this is the only time in your lives that you'll be asked to chew with your mouth really wide open while someone else looks in!") If you’ve never tried this, you really should. It was so much fun!

Then today we went more in-depth with our training on gifts and strengths-based leadership, played lots more games, sang crazy songs, put on skits about life at Bluffton, did guided meditation with our dean, and spent time brainstorming and planning for our organizations. My favorite part of the day was this crazy game called “It’s A What?” Basically, it is a game where tons of people sit in a circle and pass items around the circle in rhythm, telling one neighbor what the item is while listening to see what the next item is at well. I realize this sounds ridiculous and like no fun at all, but it is absolutely hilarious. And guided meditation was pretty cool too…different than what I’m used to, but it was a good experience!

Throughout the retreat, I couldn’t help but think about how unique Bluffton is. There is something so wonderful about being at a college where it is normal and expected for faculty and students to spend time getting to know one another, worshiping God together, and sharing lots and lots of laughter! I love this place so much because it’s a Kingdom community….a community where who we are together is greater than who we could be alone. A community that pushes me to do and think and become things I could never have imagined. A community in which God lives and breathes.

“Sing praises to God, for God has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
–Isaiah 12.5-6

Great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

God is here.

Katie :)