I lost my Chapter Camp folder

...and so I have very little details to go by in writing today's post. Which probably means that as I write, this post will not be about anything chapter camp related. I'm usually not this careless or forgetful but ever since junior year started, I've become less punctual, less meticulous, and less enthusiastic about things. On the flip-side, college has really opened my eyes to the breadth of His Kingdom. Although my overall approach to life has become lazier, my understanding of how and for what purpose He works has grown exponentially. The experiences I've had and the friendships I've stumbled upon have shown me that even in the remotest corners of our lives, the parts that seem so nonreligious and secular (redundant), God is there waiting for me to find Him.

Maybe this is constantly in my head because it was quite annoying, but at the Winter/Spring IV retreat in Gatlinburg, VA/TN (Eunice went too), the opening skit was about waiting One of the people performing would say something along the lines of, "I want to hear what God is doing in my life and how He wants me to serve" and then the other person would say, "Wait" and then there would be a LONG, like REALLY LONG, pause. My notes from back then don't have the specific passage but while leafing through the Bible (as in checking the handy-dandy concordance) I found two passages in Psalms and Isaiah that I think the skit was trying to express:

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him -Psalm 37:7-

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. -Isaiah 40:31-

One of the questions from that night was what does it feel lik to have no other instruction than to wait? And, as the impatient and slightly ADD person that I am, I could only think of the futility of waiting. Yet the message pointed out that by working without rest we could very well fail to see the Big picture. And in so doing our actions show that we prefer and enjoy the good of the creation over the greatness of the creator. We focus on the simplicity of self over the complexity of community. And we carry out our agenda instead of God's.

Maybe I'm saying this because I have no experience planning something so far in advance; but I think we need to take a longer time praying and waiting for His ACF agenda. It's more difficult with everyone literally all over the world and the states, but the biggest and most profound lesson I've learned in college is the power and importance of prayer. Prayer to me is talking to God and asking Him to be the sole guide and protector of my life. It's an act of surrender and faith because who else can you turn and pray to during your most difficult times and about your deepest hurts? And who do you praise and give thanks to in your most joyful and content times?

So I encourage you all to take time out of your day (I have yet to find the discipline to pray in the morning everyday) to just talk to God. Ask Him questions, tell Him what you're thinking, ask forgiveness, give thanks and praise, just enjoy His presence through conversation. And specifically, pray for patience in waiting to see what He wants us to do. (The reason I'm uncomfortable with popcorn and one-person prayers is that my prayers are so scatter-brained that no one would except my Heavenly Father would understand, so my out-loud prayers are quite forced and awkward). But no matter how and when you pray, just pray.

Jane

p.s. Andy Stanley has a pretty awesome series on prayer, you can download it as a podcast on iTunes, just search for Andy Stanley and it should be under Northpoint or something like that.