Young people across the South England Conference (SEC) and a few from the North England Conference and Welsh Mission gathered at Hay's Wood for the SEC's winter youth retreat, Rise and Lead, from 11-13 November.
The main speaker was Pastor Benjamin Lundquist, who currently serves as the Young Adult Ministries Director for the Oregon Conference and serves as the Young Adult Ministries Coordinator for the North American Division. He also hosts The Rise and Lead podcast, currently being downloaded in over 115 countries. The Rise and Lead podcast is designed to motivate and equip listeners to live their most fabulous lives with maximum impact.
The youth had plenty of team-building icebreakers organised by Taryll Viviers (host and SEC Student Ministries Lead) and Pastor Anthony Fuller. They had everyone getting to know one another.
One of the critical things that I took away from Lundquist's message was that the 'words we speak over our own lives matter'. He used the story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) to illustrate that your identity and who you say you are, is the foundation of everything. The Prodigal Son devalued himself, but his father saw only the son he loved, not his mistakes and failings, which is true of our Heavenly Father. He highlighted four steps to live by; 1. Steward the words you say about yourself. 2. Write a positive declaration statement about yourself daily. 3. Surround yourself with people who affirm and recognise what God has put around you. 4. Affirm worth and value in others. 'Know who you are and whose you are!'.
Fuller emphasised that we need to run our race at our own pace and that comparison can be a killer. Having run several marathons, he has noticed firsthand the physical and mental effects of trying to run someone else's race. For example, sprinting to pass someone only to be overtaken several miles down the road because you've exhausted all your energy too quickly trying to stay ahead of everyone else. Lundquist again pointed out that "we often compare our year ones to others' year 20." Each of us has been called to greatness, and we must focus on what God has put in front of us.
Lundquist took us through the key points of how to 'Rise and Lead' ourselves and others, drawing on crucial Bible characters like David, Nehemiah, and the woman at the well for their humility and unwavering faith in God to follow the assignment He gave them. He also pointed out that God gives us worth and value, no one else. Our first calling is to God, and the second is to have an impact on the world. We need to be faithful and fruitful to God's assignment. Every assignment matters, so give 110%.
We are all leaders, and one of our key assignments is to develop others. God will expand our sphere of influence on the quality of our character. David led on the principle of serving, humbly obeying his father and his Heavenly Father despite others, including his father, saying he wasn't good enough in 3 recorded events.
After Lundquist shared his message on Sunday morning, Taryll spoke about being comfortable with being uncomfortable. He emphasised that we must slow down and move at the pace of grace, live life with purpose, and sacrifice potential to get to the purpose.
Many commented on the relaxing atmosphere and how wonderful the retreat was and praised the speakers for their inspirational words of encouragement. Always remember you have survived 100% of your bad days, and you must believe in yourself the way God believes in you!
