Adventures in Urbana! - Final Night

"What Story Will You Tell?"

This conference was not about comfort. And it's wasn't supposed to be. It's supposed to be challenging; spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically (for me at least... guys the high for Thursday is 38º and I made the mistake of only bringing a rain jacket!).

The goal of this conference was to gather Christians (non-Christians are invited) all over the world from different Intervarsity and International Fellowship Evangelical Student (IFES) groups to learn about missional work and take time out of our vacations to figure out where God is leading us as individuals.

I really enjoyed the fact that there are so many people from different cultures and backgrounds. Other than Bible studies, morning sessions, and evening sessions, we had the option to attend seminars and lounges (smaller groups of people that have something in common). The staff did a fantastic job of making sure traffic inside the convention center flowed smoothly without major problems. We got a chance to hear talks from people like Francis Chan, David Platt and other ministry workers from around the world.

During the last morning session, we got to experience how native/indigenous peoples of the pacific islands worship. It's cool to see that some aspects are very similar to how traditional black churches worship. The music was heartfelt, lively, and gave individuals a chance to pour out their hearts to God in a way that some of us aren't used to. I absolutely loved it. In fact, it makes me want to experience more of that kind of worship.

Despite being cold, many of the hotels are pretty close to the convention center. One of the hotels is very close to the Arch. Downtown St. Louis has a lot of one way streets and buildings that remind me of downtown Cleveland and Chicago. It makes me want to go back and explore. On a much warmer day, of course.

I've talked about what I liked but, here's what didn't make me "fan of it" list. The small group Bible studies were not in fact small. My group easily had around 200+ people each day. And while we did have opportunities to discuss the topic with our neighbors (3-5 people), I still prefer the closeness and consistency of meeting with a group of no more than 10 people every session. Another dislike is that we didn't have very much downtime or personal reflection time. Introverts, like me, need time to think and decompress uninterrupted for much longer than 30 minutes.

Two words for how Urbana 15 celebrated the coming of the New Year: Infectious Worship. The dome was filled with singing, dancing, and celebration. Celebration for the Almighty God that we serve. Celebrating the 681 attendees that decided to give their lives to Christ during the conference. And celebrating the coming of the new year. What a perfect time to sing, "Yes Lord".

How could anyone not be excited after experiencing something like that??

One of the things that I believe that God showed me was that missional work is not exclusively "front-line work", or the more extroverted route. I was reminded again and again that God uses the people who work in the background just as much as he uses the speakers, the teachers and the missionaries. For every called missionary, ministry leader, teacher, speaker, there's a person... a team of individuals that are called to use their skills to help things flow smoothly.

Every individual has a story. We tell it to each other verbally and non-verbally. God has a story, too. As individuals who have decided to follow Jesus and accept him as Lord and Savior, it's our job to tell the world the greatest love story there ever was. As Christians, we need to invite God into the good parts of our stories and the rough, tension parts.

People in other countries have also made the commitment to follow Jesus and experience severe punishment as a result. Their voices aren't as loud and sometimes go untold to the world. As Christians, our job is to pray, help and share their story.

"What Story Will You Tell?"

Adventures in Urbana! - Days 3 and 4

Last night was different. It was humbling... eye-opening. It's the kind of thing that I wish all Christians in America could see. The theme of last night was Christian persecution in different countries. After hearing about some experiences, we... all 16,000 of us, had the opportunity to pray and meditate. As I sat in my seat taking in everything I said, 

"God, I have no idea what to say. There are a lot of people hurting right now. Please help them."

To my left, someone prayed the entire hour. At times, you could hear small and large groups of people singing and crying out. Others wrote and some, like me, just sat quietly.

I wish I had the opportunity to go off to a different place in the building to think, write and pray on my own then come back. I, like others, have a hard time trying to imagine not being able to go to church or worship at a large event without fear of having my family, home or life threatened. But for my other brothers and sisters in Christ this is something that happens daily. Reader, if you don't know about Christian persecution in different countries, I urge you to go to the World Watch List.

After some much needed morning quiet time and a delish black bean burger with corn salsa, (my vegan taste buds were singing) I went to the seminar that I had been looking forward to the most. Writing and Publishing as a Missional Vocation.

When the seminar started I didn't feel uncomfortable or feeling as if I didn't belong there. I didn't even have "aha!" moment. I just was at peace. Out of all the seminars I went to, this one made me feel like I was in the right place; that this was what God wanted me to hear. I actively took notes and I even got a chance to talk with the speaker and a couple of other Urbana goers as well. Okay, I felt a little nervous initiating a conversation with the speaker. She's a published author and to me, they're like rock-stars. I left the seminar feeling at ease and excited for what God has in store for me as a writer.

And at dinner, I talked with another person about... BOOKS! Another fellow book lover like myself. So, right now, I'm at ease and I'm kinda eager to get further in book 2 of Percy Jackson and The Sea of Monsters. As usual, I don't know what else God has in store for us tonight or tomorrow. I haven't made any expectations so far and look how things have turned out.

Adventures in Urbana! - Days 2 and 3

Good afternoon readers! (or night... or morning depending on when you read this.) The evening of day two was amazing.

Last night, many of us (myself included) went back to our hotels on a spiritual high. With the combination of singing songs in different languages, learning about gospel music, learning about authority under Christ from Francis Chan, and why the Church needs to get involved with Black Lives Matter from a local activist... I'd be surprised if someone went home feeling nothing. The passion and electricity in the arena confirmed that God was present and that He had a message for every person there.

Today, I went to my seminars: a panel discussion on lessons from Black Lives Matter and "Hacking is Priestly Work". One of the themes that stuck with me was that everyone will not be called to "work on the front lines". Some of us will be the people to go where there's a need and to work with alongside others with skills different from ours. As an introverted Christian, I see a strong emphasis on being an outgoing, extroverted Christian who's eager to get out be on the front lines in missional work. When you feel as if you don't fit that mold, it can be pretty discouraging. To be honest, I'm still feeling a little confused and left-out but, I'm learning that my calling is somewhere in the background, using my gifts and skills to fill in a need that furthers God's kingdom.

So, as I wrap up this quick post, I'm thinking about the shooting deaths of two black individuals in Chicago last night but, looking forward to what else God has for us this evening.

I'm also grateful that today is a dry day weather-wise. Cold... but dry.

Until next time!

Adventures in Urbana! - Day One

Hello, readers! I'm writing you to from St. Louis. I'm at a Christian conference with Intervarsity called Urbana 15. My master plan: provide little updates on how things are going and some of my thoughts.

After a rainy 8 hour drive, we checked into our hotel and checked in for the event. My first thoughts upon arriving: "There are so many people here. And of different cultures and ethnicities."

The evening brought a jam-packed worship session (and more rain). This was my first time experiencing a worship session that included singing and praying in different languages. Korean, Spanish, French, Swahili. This is what Christ's Church should look like. People of all backgrounds, cultures, socio-economic levels coming together for one common purpose: to be with and learn about God.

This morning, for the first time, I got a chance to hear a message about diversity, unity and the Church. The speaker, Christena Cleveland, gave such a moving speech. So moving that I figured that if her writing is a wonderful as her public speaking, then her book, Disunity in Christ, may end up being a favorite of mine. I gotta say, I can't wait to read it.

The rest of the early-mid afternoon consisted of lunch with friends, (more rain, more wind... guys I really need a new umbrella!), and seminars. With 16,000 people here, seminar seats are "first come, first serve, no saves". I didn't get the opportunity to go to my first choice for the second round of seminars but, I did go to another one that was on the bottom of my list. (Hey, I'm being honest!) Singleness. Well, more so singleness while in the field of missions. Reader, I wish I could say that I learned something new or that the seminar gave me a new look on singleness. Perhaps, I need more time.

While, I don't know what else the rest of the day will hold, I'm hoping that it will be great. Until next time, reader.