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Weekend for 'radicals'
What have a crazy Frenchman called Claude, an impromptu rendition of a new worship single and the minor prophets all got in common...?
They were all part of the ID youth weekend away to Cumbria last weekend! Twenty-two of us braved the wintry weather to go to Knock Christian Centre – a purpose built youth centre with excellent facilities. We had great food - Neil’s pancakes and Lorna’s tiffin made the whole trip worthwhile! Great friendship building – as people who knew each other well and not so well came together as family for the weekend. And great fun - Saturday afternoon was spent "hunting the leader" around Appleby town centre. Let’s just say there were some very suspicious characters lurking (including crazy Claude)!
And of course we encountered God together. The theme of the weekend was ‘radical living’ and we explored the messages the Minor Prophets brought to their contemporaries, and we looked at modern day radicals who have been a voice for God in our age – Shane Claiborne, Brother Andrew, Mother Theresa and Jim Elliot to name just a few. And we learned that whilst we may not have funny names like Habakkuk or Haggai and we may not all be called to move to Africa or India or to sacrifice our lives ... we are all called to speak God’s voice to our contemporaries and we are all called to shun religious living that simply pays lip service to God and instead to live a life that embodies God’s values and takes them to a broken world.
As usual, as we allowed space for God to minister he came and touched people’s hearts and set them on fire. We left feeling filled – with great food but also with God’s word and we left hurting – our ribs from all the laughing we’d done but our hearts we hurting for the broken and needy in our world. We’ve returned, having made promises that we will take action in big and small ways. Will you join us?
Micah 6 v 8: “What does the Lord require of you? To seek justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with the Lord your God.”