I spent last weekend with Possibilities, Inc. on their opening retreat. Honestly I was a little skeptical, and somewhat nervous about this retreat, because I didn't know what to expect. Mike Laughlin told me about this year long program that Possibilities provides, that is designed to connect you with your community. He thought it would be an excellent opportunity for some of us at the church to utilize. So I signed up. And along with Lisa and Nolan Sanders, and Stephanie Johnson I took a weekend off to spend with 30 strangers.
I don' t consider these people strangers anymore, however. After spending the weekend with the most generationally and culturally diverse group, I am more excited for this program than I could've imagined. I learned wonderful tools and activities that are usable in all situations, including our very own church community. I even learned more about myself as an individual through some ridiculous, but challenging games.
The aspect of this weekend and program that surprised me most, however was the presence of God. Possibilities is not a publicly faith-based program. Therefore I went into the program wondering what to expect, because I've only been on family or church trips. For all I knew, I could've been spending three days with unbelievers. However, this was not the case. The majority of the 35 of us that were on the retreat, were some of the strongest Christians I've ever met. And they weren't ashamed. Some were proclaiming the good news of Jesus every chance that they got. And that got me thinking, am I proud of my faith in God? Do I share it every chance that I get?
This was not originally a "church trip," but it turned out to be a life-changing Church trip. Possibilities is not a simple group of community do-gooders. Possibilities is a group of people coming together to make a difference, by being the hands and feet of God.
And I can't wait to get started.
