Sliding Down the Mountainside

A Kairos weekend is a great mountain top experience. Because of that the days and weeks after can be a real downer. I was thinking that if I could identify exactly why these weekends are so great; perhaps I could duplicate some of the elements into my daily life and raise the level of those days closer to the mountain top. Well, here goes.

1. Seeing God work. One thing that clearly happens on a Kairos weekend is that God moves. He seems to move like at no other time. Or is it that we are so focused on Him that we notice His moves more than at other times. Isn’t God always moving? Maybe we just need to be more alert and more focused.

2. Focused on the mission. We always talk about the great commission and being used by God. However, it really happens on a Kairos weekend. From Thursday noon to Sunday night, everything we do is about pointing folks to Jesus. It might not be possible to be that focused every day; but certainly we could be more focused that we usually are.

3. Our gifts are used. One of the things I love about these weekends is that I get to teach and “preach.” I get to work one on one with individuals. The gifts that God has given me are used. Sadly this isn’t true each day. The church is miserable about using the gifts of its people. The modern Church in America is all about what the paid staff does. Our buildings are set up like theaters and almost all of “church” is done in the building. We think that church is a spectator sport. Surely there must be a way that the gifts God gave each of us can be put to better us on a day to day basis.

4. Our perceptions are changed. You can’t spend a weekend with men who are incarcerated,  most of whom will never  be released, without realizing that your own “issues” aren’t so big. If you articulate your problems, in that setting, they actually seem silly. Shouldn’t  we be more perceptive on a daily basis about where the real problems are in this world? Shouldn’t we realize just how blessed we really are?

5. Time with the people of God. On a Kairos weekend all our time is spent with people who love God and with people who are learning to love God. We aren’t just on a mission; we are God’s people on a mission. We need to get together with God’s people more, not just to be together, but to carry out His mission together. That’s how others see how we love each other; that’s how we encourage each other. 

I still feel like I’m sliding down the Mountainside; but maybe I see some ways to slow the fall and to make the valley as blessed as the mountain top.

Be blessed.

Nick