actually, I'm really excited about it.
I think it's going to be a great thing for us.
About a month or so ago, I was really aware of the fact that we don't spend a lot of time just being still before God. I know I've heard tons of people talk about this too, but I was actually feeling it in my heart. It was almost like being sick or kinda depressed, like how your body feels heavy. I really felt like I - and the group of people I'm around at church - need to sort of rediscover that part of life. Being intentional and carving out space to be quiet before God. It honestly reminded me a bit of my late high school years, when I'd get together with people at a friend's house, and we'd just sing songs, pray, and read scripture. We didn't structure or program, we just showed up and our agenda was as simple as 'we want to be in the presence of God.' That was our agenda.
What's crazy is that it worked.
No "over-programming the crap out of stuff," just us being still and listening for what God wanted to be and know. It was really amazing. Honestly, it was one of the most important things for me as far as shaping my thoughts and beliefs about God. And when college & life didn't pan out, and I found myself wondering whether or not God was really in charge of things, I remembered the times and places I'd seen him move around me, and I know those things were too big to be circumstantial.
All that to say, I had sort of planned to bring this idea up, and not even this soon, it just sort of happened. And it really sparked something. And that's not to say "go me! you planned something!" that's really to say that God wanted this thing to happen, and while I was getting there, He decided to go ahead and get it moving. Fine by me. His timing is better than mine anyways. It's encouraging because I feel like I'm pointed the direction God wants us to go.
And that's a really good thing.
And, I've had some conversations with some of the youth in our group about it, and it seems to be hitting a place that for some, is a deep desire for them. To really know and be aware that God is close. Or to reawaken in some cases. For some, it's something they're waking up to entirely.
And that's a really REALLY good thing.
All that to say, we all agreed to try this "silence" thing out for the week, and see what's good about it, what's hard about it, and if anything happens. For me, I sometimes need music to get me to a point to be still, so I put a playlist together for us all to check out. Feel free to come use it if you feel like it fits you.
I'm going to journal during this whole thing too, so, if you've never journaled, feel free to do so. If you need ideas of what that looks like, feel free to ask me about it.
Have a good, quiet week.
