CIY "Move" Day 3: Godliness

Major concept for the day: Godliness is more than simply "not sinning," it's pursuing what God wants for us. Today was a great day to take the burden off of spiritual disciplines and see the joy in them!

This morning was a great time of reflection and discussion about the theme of true godliness, and then the teens got to see a bunch of CIY favorite videos from the past - it was really fun for them as well as informative to hear the heart behind the videos. The adults had some great time to themselves today also. We attended a class about how to better counsel teenagers, which was very practical and helpful, and then, instead of eating at the cafeteria, the adults (including Damien) and the two graduated seniors (Kim M. and Tyler W.) that came to CIY left campus to go eat at a fantastic Japanese Steak House-type restaurant (which was much cheaper than Joplin's--just sayin').

During the D-Group time earlier in the day, part of the lesson was for each student to write on a little square mirror an attribute of God that they desire to reflect in their life. Each did so with a sharpie, and we collected all of these mirrors. Danny Curry did a phenomenal job bringing the message tonight, as did the band with worship, but the pinnacle of the evening was after the message was over, during a time of worship, a very large disco-ball was brought out on stage, and it was timed perfectly to be illuminated with the song "Shine" (a newer worship song). The sight and meaning of that alone was cool, but then everyone realized that the little square mirrors on the disco ball was actually the students' mirrors with their desired attributes of God that they want to "reflect." It was AWESOME for them to experience together, realizing what it would look like to the world if the church would unify and each shine with the attributes and gifts that God has given him or her. Very cool stuff.

Youth group time was fun and introspective at first, and then became very emotional and heavy. The mercy seat is being used, hearts are being broken, and sins are being confessed. This is a critical moment for the teens - please pray for wisdom for me and the leaders here to know what to say and when to say it, for Holy Spirit guidance in counseling and listening, and for extra energy as we are beginning to get physically and emotionally drained.

Finally, pray for us as we get on the river tomorrow to go rafting - it's gonna be a blast, but of course I would love your prayers for safety. (also, feel free to comment and ask questions on here). Thank you.