Fall Retreat
I cannot adequately express the amount of JOY that was present by students and staff alike at fall retreat this last month! Thank you so much for your prayers! The photo above was take at retreat and included nearly 250 students! Each of these students got to be really nourished by our speakers, Ronnie Worsham (who originally started FOCUS) and some student testimonies from those in our community, enjoy rest and be rejuvenated through worship, and engage in crazy and fun community building games with what we affectionately call the “camp cup”. For me, fall retreat was made up of so many small interactions and deeper conversations with students that paint a very special weekend.
Ronnie talked to our students about what finding identity in God has looked like for him throughout his life.
My number one prayer going into retreat was that the students would leave knowing how deep God’s love for them truly goes. In Ronnie’s talk on identity he talked about how we cannot know who we are until we look at God as he’s gazing back at us, overflowing with never-ending love and delight. This has opened so many doors to have conversations with students about this idea! Literally just today I had one of these conversations with a girl and she expressed that because of what she is finally truly believing at a heart level about God’s love towards her, she is opening up and confessing with others about parts of her life she used to find shame in!
Each of our small groups, “Cores”, got paired up to form teams for the camp cup. This was a huge hit with the students!
Building Trust
Outside of Fall Retreat, this month has been full of closer connections with students as I’ve had more time to build relationships with them. Even just in these few short months I’ve seen such a change in some of the students I get to meet with. One of the girls I am studying the Bible with started out the year riddled with anxiety and had so much fear about sharing her true thoughts on scripture and God. But lately I’ve gotten to encourage her because I’ve seen her push past her anxiety so much in our conversations and really let herself be known by me and others in Core.
Happy Halloween from the Denton FOCUS staff! We dressed up as places around Denton! :)
The title, “It’s gonna be a brighter day”, comes from a song that the choir at retreat taught us. One of my other favorite parts of this song, that really encapsulates this month and what I pray for each of our students, goes like this:
“Nothing can compare to the joy you bring, an everlasting love affair. Jesus, my life would never be the same. I found someone who truly cares. I never knew I could be so happy. I never knew I’d be so secure. Because of your love, life has brand new meaning. It’s gonna be a brighter day, brighter day”
But what about you? How has God brought you joy in your life? Or in what areas of your life do you long for him to transform by his joy and love? I pray these questions don’t just stay on this page, but that you talk about them with God, who loves you immeasurably more than you know, and with others as you go about your week!
Lastly, I want to share with you an opportunity if you feel led and encouraged by what you’ve been hearing each month! You can click on the image to learn more:
