We're Alive & Ready!

Conference was great this past week. I honestly had never listened to Bob Russell speak before (I know, crazy) so to hear him 6 times in a matter of 3 days, and to converse one on one over breakfast was great encouragement. It’s so interesting to see his vision behind Southeast’s ministry. It gave me such an understanding for where it is today, and well as how churches can continue to be effective in the future.

After a ceremony honoring the different churches and their leaders yesterday afternoon, everyone left. We have spent the past twenty-four hours cleaning Zakościele and preparing for camps this next week. I’m SOOO ready for camps to kick into gear. I’ve heard some stories of White Mills  High School camp this past week (the camp I normally work at back home), and it makes me so excited to see what is in store for Poland.

Also, we walked with the new interns to the church down the street last night to get some fresh air. I think it was more beautiful than it was the first time. We spent about an hour wandering the graveyard and I feel closer to the culture of Poland because of it. Another sidenote, I watched Defiance during a long break the other day. It was a great movie that gave me a lot of insight to the Polish culture as well. Adam Śmoriek and I talk about the themes seen throughout the film afterward. His insight was soooo helpful. He has been blessed with such an eye for certain things.

Everything else is going well. We are just preparing for Sunday. Erich and I are leading counselor devotions every morning next week, so please be in prayer for that. We will be planning most of it tomorrow afternoon.

I hope everything is going well back home. We continue to learn each day. I started a book today called “Sabbath”, by Dan Allender. The first chapter was so refreshing. I hope to tell you more about it as I continue to read. The line that hooked me simply said:

“What has happened for me in working with this manuscript is a transposition of the Sabbath from RULE and COMMANDED OBSERVANCE to HOLY ROMP and SECRET PLAYGROUND where each visit only ADDS another level of DELIGHT.”

He goes on to say:

“We enter DELIGHT only as we gaze equally and simultaneously at creation and redemption, IN SPITE of the darkness that surrounds us and constantly clamors to be truer than God.”

What a beautiful picture. I hope that resounds with you today. May God bless you with a personal encounter with his DELIGHT sometime this week.

-Dane