05.17.12
Summer Staff Scouting Trip!
Here are a couple of pics as the guys from OLD School Summer staff head out in the woods today!
Here are a couple of pics as the guys from OLD School Summer staff head out in the woods today!
What makes an OLD School trip a “success”? Good weather? Proper planning? Knowledgeable yet funny instructors?
The last blog entry Spencer posted was about making all things in our lives about the Gospel. This is what we strive to do here at OLD School. This summer we have 10 OLD School trips. What if on every single one it rains the whole time? What if all of our canoes sink to the bottom of the lake or if all of our mountain bikes break? If we are able to preach the Gospel to students while building relationships with them for the purpose of discipleship, then OLD School is a success. But if the weather is picture perfect, the lake and river are gorgeous, the mountain bikes perform perfectly, and we neglect teaching and instructing from God’s Word by His Spirit then we fail in the most powerful sense of the word.
Proper planning and great gear are super-important… but think about this – how much greater is the Gospel than a trip down the river? How much more of an impact does time spent in the word have than time spent checking out the views? What benefit does a camping trip have over memorizing scripture? If anyone loves rafting, mountain biking, backpacking, and rock climbing, it’s me, but let’s be clear in what we are about here – I would happily forfeit all of those for the sake of growing more like Jesus.
This summer we will be teaching and challenging students from the book of Colossians; while on their courses students will also be challenged to memorize Col. 1:15-20. It is our hope and prayer that students’ lives will be changed by the power of the Gospel this summer… that through these weeks we will see pastors, missionaries, and a legacy of godly families emerge, and if these same students develop a love for the outdoors, and gain valuable wilderness skill as well, then that goal is accomplished too.
Please pray for our staff as they continue to study through and prepare to teach Colossians. We will be starting some of our staff training next week and things will really get rolling the week after that. The OLD School staff this summer are Zach White, Tyler Kijawski, Maggie Maddox, and Dani Fortune; please be praying for them and the students as the summer draws ever closer that their lives may be changed continually into the image of Christ.
-Love you!
Harry
We love rafting…
… I mean, what’s not to like? There is nothing like it! – the rush, the feel, the speed, working together with the current, the sun glinting off the water, the cold waves splashing you as you drop over a huge ledge…
… it’s incredible. It’s fun. We enjoy it. It’s surprisingly simple! Think about it – filling a glorified tube up with air, sitting atop it, and using sticks to maneuver your way through the river. Part of the beauty of rafting is the simplicity.
…but what is rafting without the Gospel? Empty. Meaningless. A few minutes’ distraction. Often, we hear folks complaining about the emptiness of their lives: work, sleep, eat, make money, pay bills, work, sleep, eat. So to find meaning amid this cycle, what do most Americans do? Take a vacation, take a break, pick up a hobby, go rafting… These distractions do not contain meaning… just distraction!
Whatever you do today, make it about the Gospel.
So you’re not a missionary? Not a pastor? Not a professor, a theologian? You can still live a Gospel-centered life. If your life is centered around the spread of the good news of Christ crucified and risen – even the mundane finds its meaning. Hobbies, travel, and diversions are great if they’re kept in perspective. These things are necessary releases… but they do not contain life. Christ does. Live this life. Pursue Christ. Make disciples. Make whatever you do today about the Gospel.
