nywc: inspirations from general session 5

Generally speaking...

This particular morning I missed out on some of the general session due to a meeting I had with my buddy Chris Folmsbee. I really enjoy joining into the things Chris is processing, and believe his perspective has added to the YS seminar line-ups quite well. Hopefully the Sonlife/Youthfront merger continues forward in all the best ways possible.

What I did pick up through the General Session, though, was a lesson on pace.

Inspirations from Mark Yaconelli...

• So apparently it's okay to open with contemplative prayer and close with a disco party. Good to know for future reference.



• The "slow club." I know this tension all too well - trying to hurry up the people and things around you because you know the line that needs to be crossed is urgent... only to find that you miss so much along the way that should be breathed in, appreciated, and celebrated. Yaconelli shared how he came to discover this through his son, Joseph, making him join his self-made "slow club" one day. For me, I thought of my youngest son and the pace he often lives life by... and the odd reason (or lack of reason) I often find myself trying to hurry him up.



• The soul hidden deep within us knows we are deeply meant to know God, and yet we neglect its nudge when we run so fast we can't even see ourselves. The things that God created are arrows, but we must take the time to appreciate such things. But that doesn't mean life must be somber for there is great music all around us, inviting us to dance... and we must never become content to sit on the sidelines with our hands in our pockets.
  
  


• This week I plan to slow down more and enjoy the life around me. I will go back home and let God guide my calendar for the next seven days... I mean, I think He already does, but perhaps I need to slow down to double check. I plan on "visiting" with people more, from the church I serve to the strangers I meet. And I plan on staring at my family in the face more... soaking in who they are... but not enough staring to make them thing I have bug eyes or anything. :)