an amazing week

Last week, Adam and I went down to the University of Tennessee in Knoxville with about 35 of our high school students. Why in the world would I go down to TENNESSEE, Land Of The Humid Bugginess And The Humidity And The Bugs, Not To Mention The Vols in the middle of the summer? For one of the most transformative weeks that I have ever gotten to be a part of. Every three years, the Evangelical Covenant Church gets all of its high school students together for a week of goodness. We call this week CHIC, which stands for Covenant High In Christ. Clever, huh? Okay, more like old school, but it stuck when it was introduced back in 1956.

Taken from the Evangelical Covenant Church's website: "CHIC exists to be a catalyst that inspires Christ-like change, challenge students to see themselves as part of something bigger and inspire students towards the journey of following Christ. Through CHIC, we want to see students be a Christ-centered community (Genesis 28:3),confident in their relationship with Christ (Romans 8:38-39) and committed to doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly wih their God (Micah 6:8)."

Each morning had a different focus; Our Experience with World, with Others, with Self, and with God. Two directors from the Not For Sale Campaign joined us for the World day, and shared how we can become Backyard Abolitionists. God spoke to Adam and I on that day specifically, and our lives will never be the same. Stay tuned for some exciting announcements that I cannot share yet. But be ye not afraid, for they are exciting.

Anyway, that is not where I planned to go with this post. These high school students, 5200 to be approximate, became passionate about what justice looks like in this world. They began to understand the depths of who God is. They loved each other. Some had the chance to have the "call" affirmed. Some now know that New England is and will always be their mission, for it is quite the mission! I know I'm using cliche terms here, and I hate it, but I can't for the life of me come up with anything other words to describe these phenomena.

There are so many stories that I want to share, but they can't find the right way out yet. Again, be ye not afraid, for they will work their way through of my fingers and onto these keys. Until then, go in peace.