Reflections--Sonship Retreat Schladming Style

I spent 5 days in the Austrian Alps in this adorable town called Schladming with my team going through Sonship. Sonship is curriculum put out by World Harvest and I would highly recommend you look into it. The Gospel was presented in a beautiful way and I was reminded yet again that the Gospel is more than just the entryway into the Christian faith, but that it is so much more powerful than that. 


Here are some of my thoughts about Sonship: 


This life, therefore, is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness; not health, but healing;  not being, but becoming;  not rest, but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it.   The process is not yet finished, but it is going on. This is not the end, but it is the road. All does not yet gleam in glory, but all is being purified. --Martin Luther


We analyzed idols in our lives: things we put our trust in, desire, or fear above God and how these things blind us to God's love. Sometimes these idols can be good things that we just allow to take priority in our lives and put before God. The good news is that God never tires of forgiving us. His well never runs dry. He still calls us to Himself as His beloved children. This blows my mind and what it really did was break my heart. How can I, such a wretched sinner, be so incredibly loved and still smiled upon after all the sins that I commit on a daily basis? Still rejoiced over? (Zeph. 3:17) I thought of Psalm 51:17, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." When we present ourselves broken to God, He welcomes us with open arms as His child. The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I see my sin and my need for a Savior. Thank God that the Gospel continues to work because you cannot look at the intensity of your sin and the holiness of God unless you have a huge Jesus to bridge the gap between the two. This life is a constant process of sanctification and it is pretty messy. Sometimes it's two steps forward, three steps back. But God does not grow faint or weary and He will keep pushing us along, always looking at us with favor because we are His children and He delights in us. 


While enjoying some quiet time in the mountains, I felt what it was like to be rejoiced over. That the King of the Universe delights in me, this vapor, and a sinful vapor at that. I felt so little sitting in the middle of these giant mountains, yet felt so at peace and so loved by my creator. He loves me in spite of my sin and still wants me to draw near to Him and discover His heart. 

Strength in Weakness

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.--2 Corinthians 12:9-10.

My tendency has always been to hide my weaknesses to protect my reputation, so that I may still appear to be a good Christian, a good role model. The thought never really crossed my mind that showing weakness was okay because it could point people to Christ. When I admit my weaknesses, Christ gets the glory because I show that I need Him and that I'm not self-sufficient, yet dependent on a great God. I am a weak vessel that He has chosen to be a light in this dark world. A weak vessel with a powerful God living within me. Because of this fact I can say, "Hey, I am utterly weak and without God's grace I would be nothing, but praise be to God for giving me the strength and making me a competent minister of His glorious grace. There is nothing that I could have done to become who I am today on my own. It is the work of God within me." When we admit our weaknesses, our fears, our sin and let the Spirit of God move in us, it is a beautiful, freeing thing. It allows you to delight in the Lord so much more than when you thought you could do it all on your own and when you hid your weaknesses. Admitting weakness, though at first it may seem detrimental, it strengthens you because it lets God fill you up with His strength. 

So there you have it world: I am weak. I am sinful. I am wretched. But my God is strong. He is gracious. He heals. He gives hope. He gives life. He delights in me when I cry out to Him. He saves. He loves. 

Summer Highlights Part 1

Well, my summer in Vienna is half way complete. It has been joyous, difficult, challenging, uplifting, and so much more. I want to list off some of my highlights of this adventure thus far...

• Walking around the 1st district both by myself and with my team
• Discipleship with Lindsay
• Coffee and lots of it :) 
• Lots of good Jesus time. Hard, but much needed lessons learned.
• Day trip to Bratislava, Slovakia 
• The food!!! Meat, cheese, bread, chocolate, nutella, bratwurst, wiener schnitzel 
• Getting to bond with the Hunter kids
• English camp. Though exhausting, I love those kids. 
• Shopping at H&M 
• Reading in historic areas of the city 
• Sacher Torte at the Sacher Hotel 
• Hearing Handel's Messiah at St. Stephan's Cathedral 
• Skyping with my family, friends, and boyfriend. They provide a lot of stability when I'm feeling feeble. 
• Going the Prater and riding the sketchy roller coaster and 383 ft. swing
• Enjoying some amazing views 
• People watching 
• Hanging out at the Naschmarkt
• Bonding with my fellow interns 

The summer is still young. I look forward to writing the second part of this post in 4 weeks with more highlights!