I'm back!
Where have you been? you ask. Sorry, and you'll recall that I set this blog up so that I would be better about updating more often. Well, thank you to the many that keep me accountable to keeping this somewhat up-to-date.
The subject today is this year's teachers' retreat. I must admit that I always approach the teachers' retreat with some reserve. I think it must be something in my personality, knowing that I can't be my usual reserved self while on the retreat. I'm the same way, it seems, when it comes to summer camps. But as is often the case with the summer camps, I always end up enjoying them immensely. I would say there were three aspects to the retreat which really made it a great experience for us all.
First of all, well, it is a retreat. From Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon we were away. Away from students, classes, work, routine, etc. There is something to that that, if you let it, is always very relaxing and refreshing. It helped that we were on the beach. Granted it was the middle of "winter" and there are days, even in the Yucatan, when you cannot enjoy being at the beach to the fullest. But the the ocean with its waves and breeze and sandy beach is a retreat in and of itself, which I always enjoy.
Secondly, it was a time of bonding for the teachers. We played beach soccer and kick ball together. We laughed charades and jokes. We spent time together that we just don't seem to find during the day at school. Again, away from it all (even the director declared that she was not the director while on the retreat) we let our guards down, forgot about our worries, got to know each other and enjoyed each other.
Now, so far, it is a decent retreat. I think we would have walked away relaxed and feeling a little bit closer to each other than we were before. But what really made this retreat unforgettable and invaluable was the spiritual nourishment we received. I should have known. I should have expected it and eagerly looked forward to it. I can remember clearly last year's teachers' retreat and how much it meant to me. This year was incredible.
I missed the first session Friday afternoon because of a wedding. Saturday morning, we continued with the self-evaluation they had seen the day before. The overall theme for the retreat was self-evaluation and mutual accountability. The topics for the morning were Humility and Love. We had a time of worship together and then spent some time along to pray through a list of questions. The first was "How honest a person are you?" Of course this is just setting you up the the next 20 or so heart- and habit-probing questions. It was intense and, really, it was cleansing. Later we would get back together in groups of 3 or 4 to share some of the areas we struggled in.
In the afternoon a pastor, whose son attends the school, came to speak to us. I mentioned before that the morning's session was intense and probing. Even so, I was shocked when the pastor, who is somewhat of a friend of mine, started out addressing a group of evangelical church-going, Christ-professing teachers of a Christian school regarding the none-too-light subject of losing your salvation. The room went from laughs and light remarks to dead silence in an instant. This was not exactly your everyday weekend retreat material. As he continued, however, there was no fire and brimstone and he steered well clear of any doctrinal controversy. The message was basically this:
The mark of a believer is not whether or not he goes to the right church. There will always be those who seem to be lost but are not and those who say they know Christ but do not. So then we talked about what the true marks of a Christian and those of an unbeliever are. Pulling mainly from 1 John, an unbeliever continues in his sin, disregarding the teaching of the Bible, though he may claim to believe in Christ. The mark of a true believer is repentance, turning away from the sin in our lives. At this point, he pointed out that this applies just as much to gossip (a prominent sin in the church and among Christians here as well, I'm sure, as everywhere) as it does to adultery. The question we need to ask ourselves is "Am I content to keep on sinning or do I want with all my heart to rid myself of sin?" Another mark of a true believer is a desire for God, which manifests itself through among other things prayer, Bible study, and spending time with God. A no-brainer, huh? But how many of us, through either laziness, apathy, or "lack of time" just don't spend much time with God. Now we have begun to understand the pastor's original remarks about the security of our salvation.
He wasn't really suggesting that some of us were not saved. He was asking us, honestly, "Are you a follower of Christ?" And if you say yes, do you bear the marks of a believer or do you, like so many in our churches, bear the marks of an unbeliever. It is a standing challenge to me. [Actually, the Bible reading for my weekly Bible study was from 1 John when he discusses these things. Aside from really driving home that message, it showed me that this was not a message from a pastor on a retreat, but a message from God.] It has been a challenge to all of us. From time to time, you still here the teachers in groups of 2 or 3 discussing what this means for them. How does this apply to my life? Do my actions and habits confirm Christ as my Lord and Savior? What sin do I need to get rid of? How can I improve my relationship with God.
I said before that the retreat was unforgettable and invaluable. Well, that's it, right there. The Word of God planted in our hearts. The Spirit at work in our lives. Teachers with a zeal to live for God. The retreat was truly a renewal of our spirits. It was priceless.