Retreat
It's been awhile since I posted, but last week was a little busier than usual. This past weekend we (a bunch of us from the campus ministry at USF) went to Lake Wales for an annual statewide retreat. Groups from FSU, UF, UCF and Florida Gulf Coast University were there and I've always enjoyed them (gone the last 5 years, first two as a student) for that simple reason. It's encouraging to see others from across the state's campuses with Christ as the common factor.
Our speaker this year was Mark Cahill, former Auburn basketball player turned passionate follower of Christ. His message for us was a stark contrast from last year's speaker, Tommy Oaks. Oaks is a musically-gifted, emotional and energetic speaker who challenged us to improved character while encouraging us to see God's love, forgiveness and grace with the wonder of a child. Cahill is equally passionate, while direct and challenging in calling Christ-followers to share this love with others. Although the tone and content of each was completely different, there really was a natural progression there. While Oaks basically said "get to know and celebrate God's love for you", Cahill followed that up by asking us "why would we ever keep that to ourselves?!".
From everything others have said and the stories he told, Mark Cahill practices what he preaches. He will share Jesus Christ anywhere with anyone. I talked with a few of our students about what they thought and they seemed to have similar reactions to him. I was a little concerned by this. Each of them seemed to focus on only one or two things they didn't like about what he said or the way he does things and that's all they talked about. It seemed the heart of what he was saying - to share God's love with others - was lost in a defensive reaction to his directness. However, I don't believe the things they said were the real issue. I think it had much more to do with the fact that Cahill was calling us to actually use words and talk about our faith.
Let's face it. That's a scary proposition to most Christians. Most figure they'll let their actions do all the talking. It's more comfortable to let others try to figure it out on their own than actually get it out in the open in a real conversation. You've probably heard the famous quote attributed to Francis of Assisi that most Christ-followers have unconsciously made their spiritual life's motto: "Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." There's truth in that, but there's also a lot of fear-motivated adherence to those words and most have practiced it to the point that they're paralyzed when challenged or given the opportunity to actually talk about their faith in God. I know. I've been there. That's what Mark Cahill was challenging. But not just that we wouldn't be afraid to talk about Christ, but that we would be genuinely motivated by Love to tell others about Love.
Before I had the chance to personally listen to the heart of Mark Cahill, I had questions about some of the ways he shares his faith. There's still some difference of opinion there, but there are no questions about his love for people and his desire for the "other" to be loved by God.
Our speaker this year was Mark Cahill, former Auburn basketball player turned passionate follower of Christ. His message for us was a stark contrast from last year's speaker, Tommy Oaks. Oaks is a musically-gifted, emotional and energetic speaker who challenged us to improved character while encouraging us to see God's love, forgiveness and grace with the wonder of a child. Cahill is equally passionate, while direct and challenging in calling Christ-followers to share this love with others. Although the tone and content of each was completely different, there really was a natural progression there. While Oaks basically said "get to know and celebrate God's love for you", Cahill followed that up by asking us "why would we ever keep that to ourselves?!".
From everything others have said and the stories he told, Mark Cahill practices what he preaches. He will share Jesus Christ anywhere with anyone. I talked with a few of our students about what they thought and they seemed to have similar reactions to him. I was a little concerned by this. Each of them seemed to focus on only one or two things they didn't like about what he said or the way he does things and that's all they talked about. It seemed the heart of what he was saying - to share God's love with others - was lost in a defensive reaction to his directness. However, I don't believe the things they said were the real issue. I think it had much more to do with the fact that Cahill was calling us to actually use words and talk about our faith.
Let's face it. That's a scary proposition to most Christians. Most figure they'll let their actions do all the talking. It's more comfortable to let others try to figure it out on their own than actually get it out in the open in a real conversation. You've probably heard the famous quote attributed to Francis of Assisi that most Christ-followers have unconsciously made their spiritual life's motto: "Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary, use words." There's truth in that, but there's also a lot of fear-motivated adherence to those words and most have practiced it to the point that they're paralyzed when challenged or given the opportunity to actually talk about their faith in God. I know. I've been there. That's what Mark Cahill was challenging. But not just that we wouldn't be afraid to talk about Christ, but that we would be genuinely motivated by Love to tell others about Love.
Before I had the chance to personally listen to the heart of Mark Cahill, I had questions about some of the ways he shares his faith. There's still some difference of opinion there, but there are no questions about his love for people and his desire for the "other" to be loved by God.
posted by John V at 7:48 PM
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