Hello Sweet Cheer: Fall Retreat, Wesley Style

FALL RETREAT, WESLEY STYLE.

I’m not exactly sure where to start with this post today. My heart is so full right now & really I’m still processing a lot of things. I guess I should rewind to Tuesday of last week.

Last Tuesday night, a local worship band here in Lubbock, David’s Plea, played a night of worship in promotion of their new album Becoming Less. They’re super great! If you don’t know them you should check them out for sure! They are on iTunes, have a Facebook page and a website. All of which I’ll link to at the end of this post!

Anyway, so I wanted to go to this night of worship but being the silly girl that I am, I didn’t want to show up alone. So I texted a few people asking if they were going to try & catch a ride or just find a buddy to go with. One of those people I texted was my friend Sarah. She said she wasn’t going cause she was waiting for Ariel to get to her house. Now, for some very odd reason I didn’t question her & just said “Okay, have a good night!” & went on to the worship service alone. This is weird because my best friend Ariel (who is also friends with Sarah) moved home this semester & I hadn’t seen her in months. I don’t know why but for some reason I just assumed it was a different Ariel, because surely it couldn’t be my best friend, she lives in Dallas! So I went on with my evening as usual & class the next day. (Side note: That night I had a dream that Ariel came to Lubbock & surprised me. This will be important later.) So now it’s Wednesday, I headed to class as usual & then to free lunch at the Wesley at noon. I was sitting there eating my lunch when my friend Chase called me & Claire over because he wanted to show us something. I don’t even know why I complied but alas, another weird thing about last week. We walked upstairs & into the intern office when Chase said, “Claire, Meredith, this is what I wanted to show you…” AND OUT POPPED ARIEL! I know, I know, you all saw it coming. But come on, put yourself in my shoes, I had NO IDEA. So Claire screamed & immediately ran up & hugged her. While that was happening, I LITERALLY stood there, STUNNED, with no emotion on my face. I really think I was in utter shock. I’ve never felt that way in my life. So after what felt like ages Ariel came over to hug me & I just lost it. I cried like a big huge baby.

That was a crazy feeling for me. Remember that dream I had? That moment played out EXACTLY how I dreamt it. She popped out from behind the desk & the entire situation was identical. Needless to say, I was in a bit of a daze & felt like I was dreaming. It was a huge treat to get to hug my best friend & spend almost a week with her. I got to spend from Wednesday to last night (Sunday) with her. My heart needed that more than I think I realized. I am so blessed with an incredible best friend who loves me, accepts me, challenges me, & always looks out for me. I can’t thank the Lord enough for having our paths cross when they did & for allowing us to walk through life together.

ALRIGHHHHHTTTTT. On to FALL RETREAT!

This weekend was a lot of things for me. My heart felt busy. We went to Fort Lone Tree in Capitan, NM & it was beautiful! Last time we went there was my first EVER Wesley retreat the fall semester of my freshman year. I can’t believe it’s already been two years since then…time seriously flies. Andy Hurst brought the message to us at each of the four sessions we had over the course of the weekend. I always love his sermons & this weekend was no different. Ariel led worship with the Wesley band (Dallas, Dylan, Cam & Brandon), which was a treat since she’s been gone! I got to take an amazing nap on Saturday, get to know the new freshman a little better, spend time in the great outdoors & the wonderful mountains, & just spend some good quality time in fellowship with my community. It was an awesome time!

As far as Jesus goes, He was teaching, leading, & growing me all weekend. I’m still working on sorting things out in my mind & heart, but as of now here’s what I have to share. I was reminded of the incredible work God does when sin is brought out of the darkness & into the light. Andy showed us a video of a German evangelist telling a parable at some sort of rally. The idea was that we all have a house full of rooms & Jesus wants to occupy them all. He doesn’t just want the nicest room, or half the rooms or even all but one room. He wants to inhabit our ENTIRE house. Everything we are, he wants it. This evangelist spoke about that one room that we keep private. That one space in our lives that we keep to ourselves & keep Jesus & everyone else in our lives out of.

I’ve been there. I’ve had that one deep, dark sin that I’m afraid to tell anyone. And frankly I didn’t want to tell anyone. The truth that I learned about a year & a half ago is that when brought into the light, sin is powerless. Christ died & rose to save me from the depths of sin. We are called to confess our sins to God & one another. I can’t put into words how much growth & change entered my life after I told just ONE person about the room I was keeping a secret. I felt FREEDOM after confessing my sin. The weight on my shoulders got lighter & lighter over time & eventually it was lifted completely. I’ve given it to him to carry, because I know I cannot. The truth is, Satan delights in our sin. He tells us lies about it, that people will judge us if we tell, or that no one else struggles with the same thing. These are attacks from the enemy & I want to encourage anyone & everyone who reads this that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I promise someone struggles with what you struggle with. I promise your friends who love you & point you back to the cross will love you through whatever you’re dealing with. My hope is that we would be bold in confessing & follow through in accountability. We were not meant to be alone on this earth, we are called in to community together.

“If you divorce the people of God, if you divorce local community from the Gospel then it ceases to be the Gospel...” – Derek Webb

This is getting wordy so I think I’ll quit now. I’ll link the video we watched on retreat, the information for David’s Plea & a great new song I fell in love with this weekend!

To conclude, there is FREEDOM & DELIVERANCE in confessing your sin to Jesus & others around you. Be BOLD. My weekend was great, I am physically tired, but emotionally & spiritually FILLED UP. I’m overflowing with Joy!

Peace & blessings,

Mere

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