Discipleship Now 2016

Every year my church does something called "Discipleship Now." It is a weekend filled with worship and service. Kind of like a summer camp, but over a weekend and it is usually in the spring.

Students will show up on a Friday evening and have dinner with the group. After that there is a series of large-group and small-group bible studies. The smaller groups (i.e., junior-high girls, senior-high girls, junior-high boys and senior-high boys) then split up and head to a "host home." A host home belongs to a church member that has volunteered to allow a certain group to stay with them Friday and Saturday night. Ideally, lights-out before eleven. Realistically, lights out before about 3 a.m.. Saturday morning there will be a large group session and small group session again. The mission project is after lunch on Saturday, and then the groups will join together to have some sort of activity (like hiking or going to the movies). The day ends with another large group and small group session. The groups return to their host homes and crash for the night. This year, the groups met at one of our favorite breakfast places before church. The final large group and small group sessions were held Sunday evening, but I had to work so I didn't get to experience those.

Last weekend was DNow at Burkemont, and this year I was blessed enough to be able to teach the junior high girls. I had to re-work my work schedule so I could be there for half of the weekend (I also went to prom on Saturday night), but it was very much worth it. I don't have pictures, but I have a list of things that I learned from the weekend that will be included in this "review."

Overview

D-Now this year was an incredible, overwhelming experience and I am very blessed to have gone. God spent the entire weekend speaking to me. (I love it when He does that!) The girls I was teaching, and my co-teacher, were very open with each other and I'm hoping we can keep up with that. (One of my least favorite things about church activities like that is that groups usually disband at the end of the event and the members do not stay connected.) We spent the weekend learning how to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. In smaller group sessions, we found ways to apply that to everyday life and we challenged each other to do so. 

I only got 2 hours of sleep on Friday night (not really sure why--but probably because Autumn, my sister, wasn't there). That made for a very long Saturday and a very interesting prom Saturday night. Saturday, I got 3 hours of sleep. Sunday I was absolutely exhausted because I was going on 5 hours of sleep from all weekend. However, the lack of sleep taught me that I was capable I think. 

D-Now is something I would definitely recommend for all families with junior high or high school aged children. It is a full worship weekend, and it is amazing to me how God always shows up in some way. Even, and perhaps especially if the child attending is not a religious person it is a very good event to participate in. 

What I learned

I came home Saturday night from prom still thinking about the abundance of information and revelation that I had gotten from D-Now. Before I forgot everything, I made a list. (Then I passed out and went to sleep.)

• One of my students taught me that we are individuals, and wanting to be like someone else is discrediting what God made in you. (I knew that, but she put it to me in a very profound way). She also taught me to write down what I learn so that I can reflect on it later. I had gotten out of the habit of doing that. 
• My co-teacher (Becca) taught me that she can sing ANY Rihanna song better than even Rihanna can. Probably any pop song in general, actually.
• Becca also taught me that it is important to share my story, because you never know how God might use it. God can take broken things and make them beautiful. 
• Seek justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God. 
• If we only love those who love us back, then what kind of love are we showing? 
• Being "normal" is not only overrated, it is impossible. Be who you were created to be, because God made you for a reason. 
• Everyone has made mistakes, so don't ever feel like you have rights to judge someone or retaliate against them. They do deserve forgiveness for whatever they have done. 
• Do not feel like you do not deserve forgiveness. You do. 
• Sleep more than 2 hours at night if you want to be functional the next day. 
• Be vulnerable. It's okay.
• Do not be a teacher of God's word, but rather let The Teacher speak through you. 
• God is good. ALWAYS.
• Pray throughout your day. It might seem like it won't help you at all, but  nothing is more beautiful than being in constant conversation with God. It gives you a totally different perspective. 
• Yes, you can. You are capable. 
• God has never failed to use someone who says "Yes." 
• Sometimes, you reconnect with old friends and find out how your situations really weren't that different. 
• People belong to God. He owns their souls. He simply lets the souls mingle while they are here, and that is why you have loved ones. 

What was significant

That list has more meaning than I wrote down in my notebook. Well... some of it does.

 

If we only love those who love us back, then what kind of love are we showing? Ask yourself that. What is your answer? Comment in the comment section below. I had to ponder that question for several moments Friday night. I am sometimes guilty of not showing love to people who I feel have wronged me. But aren't we all? I definitely need to work on loving those who do not love me, because that is what God calls us as Christians to do. We are supposed to be God tangible (Jesus with skin), so we have to do a better job at showing God-like love. 

Forgiveness to me basically means I am telling the other person it's like it never happened. Even though I cannot literally forget the way some people have hurt me, I can forgive them and say that it is like it never happened. The forgiveness sometimes isn't even for them, it is for me. That being said, I've been in a place where I felt like I had gone too far to be forgiven. Specifically, I felt like I had gone too far to be forgiven by my family--those that I treasured more than anything. But I have discovered that if we show a God-like love, then we are forgivable. Jesus died to forgive us, so we have no right to withhold forgiveness from others. 

It is okay to be vulnerable, no matter what the world tells you. Christians especially need to be vulnerable when telling their testimony. If you show other's how real God is to you, then they will see Him as real, too. Opening up to someone does not mean that you are weak, and don't ever let society tell you otherwise. Just let God lead your words.

Biblically speaking, teachers, pastors and leaders are held to a higher standard. But if you are called to teach God's word, remember that He is the only One who can properly interpret and reveal it's truth. In order to teach His word, you have to let Him move through you. If you don't allow God to work, then what kind of a teacher would you be? 

Prayer was my favorite part of D-Now. We prayed about everything, and I have to mention that prayer always brings me closer to God. Sometimes I forget to pray or I figure I will just do it later, but when I make time to speak with God, He blesses me by "showing up." In other words, He reveals Himself to me when I pray. It is a very overwhelming experience, but it is proof that my relationship with my God is personal. 

When I say "Yes, you can. You are capable," that goes much deeper than those words can truly show. I actually got to stay the night Friday (which is part of the event). Because of my diabetes, I am not usually allowed to do anything like that. Also, I go in and out of states of depression where I feel like I am useless and incapable of anything. Not only did I get to stay the night and enjoy the fellowship/worship, I was capable of being a leader. That was a much needed confidence builder. God showed me that I can do anything I want to, regardless of what physical limitations He has given me. 

People belong to God. They are not mine, even though I claim them sometimes. For example, my sister is my best friend in the world. My mother is also my best friend in the world. I claim both of them and they both mean pretty much everything to me. But I have to recognize that they are precious gifts from God--i.e., they are not mine. God just loved me enough to let me enjoy them while I am here. That is huge for me, because that means I am giving God my most prized "possessions," recognizing that they are not mine to begin with. I am putting Him first and trusting Him with them. 

 My Final Report

If I had to give D-Now a letter grade, I'd give it an A-. The reasons for that are pretty evident in the above article. I always love it when God reveals Himself, and kids at these ages really need Him to do so. The only reason for the minus is the disconnect after the event, which is yet to be determined from this year's D-Now. It is a good thing for teens and young adults to participate in for sure! God never fails to use those who say "yes," and He usually gets involved in things like this. 

 

Marion-Con 2016

I recently posted about some of the potential adventures coming up. Marion-con was definitely on that list! I went with my adventure partner, Aki (little sister) to Marion-con yesterday and there is quite a bit I would like to share.

Overview

Marion-Con's venders, staff, cosplayers and artists were all very family-friendly and definitely easy to talk to! Aki and I had a blast getting to know the people and experiencing another small-town convention. I have to say, I found Marion-Con much more enjoyable than Morganton-Con this year (probably partly because I had the flu--but Aki said the same thing). Morganton-Con gave a more industrial, city-type environment and it felt like everyone had their own agenda. Marion-Con, by contrast, felt extremely friendly and the environment was family-like. There was a line wrapped around the building and down the street to get into the convention, but it was a good time and well worth the wait. 

Venders

One of the things that stuck out the most to me at Marion-Con was that their were more people looking for donations for local shelters, children with cancer and other such things than actual venders. There were some venders trying to earn a pretty penny off of their products, but mostly there were people trying to raise money to help other people. That is pretty amazing to me, and I am proud of those "venders" for renting a booth to do that! Aki and I donated to some of these groups, but we didn't buy anything else at the convention. If we were going to buy something, it would definitely have been from the artists! They were all very open and friendly, and they let us take pictures of our favorite artwork. 

Staff

The staff at Marion-Con (not the venders, but the actual staff) was minimal. That is very much okay for a small-town comic-con. They were all very friendly and helpful. Everyone seemed eager to please the con-goers. 

Cosplayers

*There will be an entire separate post with pictures of cosplayers and other things*

Aki and I cosplayed as Hinata Hyuga and Kiba Inozuka from Naruto. Naturally, this got a lot of attention. There were a lot of cosplayers at Marion-Con! Aki and I counted the Dead Pools--there were only two--and we got a picture of them. There was no conga-line, but it's okay because it was their first con :) (see Diabetically Speaking > Yama-Con 2016, The Slants and a Conga Line) There was a "Pool Party" though, as the Dead Pools were playing music out of a jukebox downstairs. There were a variety of cosplayers near the music--some of which we recognized. Actually, some of the cosplays were things that we didn't even see at Yama-Con in December. It was pretty great to realize exactly how many people love the same things we do, and that they aren't that far away from us. Yes, we are complete geeks sometimes. But now we know that we are not alone! 

Artists

I think Aki and I spent the majority of our time downstairs with the artists. Some of our favorites from Morganton-Con were also at Marion-Con. (The next post with pictures will have photos of the art as well, and there will be information on who the art belongs to.) I got to talk to most of the artists and each group were very friendly and EXTREMELY TALENTED. Some of the artists were painting, drawing or doing other forms of art while at the con so people could see them work. I always enjoy watching the artists use the talent that God gave them. Others were talking to the crowd to try to upsell their products. Even with the louder marketing, none of the artists seemed pushy or rude. They all had a great personality and were very friendly.

Aki and I have never stayed for longer than an hour at one of the smaller cons, but we stayed at Marion-Con for 2 and a half hours. It was easy to do, because there were so many friendly faces and so many things to look at. It's also easy to stick around somewhere that you feel welcomed, and Marion-Con was very good at making their guests feel welcomed. This will definitely be something that I do again! 

Something else I feel is noteworthy is Marion-Con's marketing genius. Before the con there was a lot of social media presence that brought more attention to the event. The event staff seemed very enthusiastic and inviting, and so more people were willing to "like, comment, and share" their posts. This is undoubtedly part of the reason for the great turn out! Great job letting everyone know about the event, Marion-Con! You guys definitely delivered a great time!