On Wednesday night, I told a friend I would be gone for the weekend. I told him I would be in a building from Thursday until Sunday with 40 or more other men, no cell phone, no watches or clocks, and no television or internet. Then I told him we would be told when to eat, go to bed, and wake up. He replied to me and asked, "man, what did you do to go to jail?"
Thursday evening came around and dinner was the first meal served for the extended weekend. After we were fed and then told to remain in silence until the morning, I thought, "man, what did I do to go to jail?!"
I was nervous and apprehensive going into my Emmaus Walk and the night in meditative silence certainly didn't help ease my anxieties. We all know how much I enjoy talking so to remain silent for an entire night and morning was pretty much the equivalent to a slap in the face. But little did I know, I was in for the greatest weekend of my life.
I am not going to get into too many details about the actual events in the Walk itself in case anybody who reads this is considering making the commitment themselves, but I am going to give you a short rundown.
A group of men were brought together from different physical places, different generations, different places in their spirituality, and different walks with Christ. A building full of men who have faced and are facing different obstacles through the darkness in their search for Christ. Men from different occupations and denominations, but one common denominator bonded us as brothers before weekend's end: our love for Jesus. We prayed a lot, laughed, smiled, talked, listened, cried a WHOLE lot, learned, and shared. The overall outcome from all of those combined... we GREW. We grew in different ways from one another, but also through shared ways that nobody who has an Emmaus experience could argue. We grew physically through our love for the snack table haha. In all seriousness, we grew SPIRITUALLY through Christ's unconditional and unending love for us.
This weekend, through much prayer, meditation, conversation, singing, and fellowship, I grew closer to Christ than I ever even DREAMT I would. The love that was shown from hundreds of strangers from all over the world in putting this experience together reconfirmed that although we may be in what I believe to be a postmodern and post-Christianity world, there is still MUCH love to be given and light to be shed.
This weekend, I had a moment. As it was named during the ending ceremony, I had an "ah-HA" moment. A moment where I felt the absolute presence of a God I love so much, but whom loves me infinitely more! Covered in goosebumps, drenched in my own tears, and brought to my knees, this weekend, I rededicated my life to Christ. I refuse to live another day without learning the word of God and incorporating my faith in all the decisions I make.
So, jail? Not close. As a matter of fact, it was the contrary; this weekend was the most LIBERATING weekend I have ever experienced. It was the most important, challenging, and insightful times I have ever had. As a fellow brother worded it, "I can tell you one things ladies and gentlemen, I AM FREE!" This weekend has changed my life forever.
Decolores.
And until next time...
Check me out on twitter! @PrallyD
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith. Show all posts
Monday, November 11, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Intricately Designed
A popular question I'm sure many of you have contemplated for yourself is "chance or design?" Are we here by random chance or was our planet/universe designed by a creator? Both sides of this argument, at their core, boil down to theory. There isn't any "evidence" that exists which points to an answer about our creation. It simply comes down to one's preference of science or faith.
For me, that choice seems fairly easy. As I look at the world around me, I see a world full of things that have been designed. An engine, watch, cell phone, computer, television, houses, works of art... the list could go on forever. Each of these named things have been carefully designed and given a purpose by a designer; man. I use that same form of logic when I look around at the world and how it works. Our planet is like a carefully designed machine: different parts of all sizes working together with specific purposes in order to keep the whole part running. To me, that doesn't seem to be something that is likely to happen merely by chance, but only by our Creator's hand. Let's look at a few examples of how our world operates together to enhance our chance of survival (I am no scientist, these are VERY basic examples):
Honeybees: the honey bee is very under-appreciated by us. Honeybees pollinate 80 percent of our flowering crops (1/3 of everything we eat). Without these bees, our diet would be very limited at best. Not only are crops such as soybeans, broccoli, celery, nuts, and many fruits dependent on bees, but they also pollinate the majority of alfalfa, which is crucial to our cattle's diet. The honeybee is one of the most important factors in our food supply. What would we do without them? Probably eat grains and drink water.
Marine Algae: many of us have been brought to believe that rainforests are the main producer of the oxygen we desperately need to survive, but that isn't the case (although they are important, producing roughly 1/3 of the oxygen). Marine algae, yes that nasty looking green stuff, produces 70 percent of the oxygen we breathe daily. The plants produce the gas as a byproduct photosynthesis. We literally would not survive without single celled, photosynthetic algae. Crazy thought, huh?
Termites and Cockroaches: as I read those bold letters, my first thought is, "ew." Not so much when you realize what these little critters do for us though. Termites recycle tons of cellulose-containing materials (such as dead trees and plants), returning them to the soil as nutrient-rich mulch. For those of you who have been doing your landscaping this spring, you understand the importance of good mulch. Cockroaches are even more important to humans than termites. These roaches, like termites, also break down dead plant and animal material. Without the existence of the cockroach through time (about 250 million years), scientists suggest that our rainforests would be smothered in decaying material.
It seems to me that our world is analogous to an intricately designed machine; gears turning, notch in notch, helping the next one turn respectively. Earth's ecosystem is full of checks and balances that work together to keep it operating efficiently. Is this all by chance? Sure, it could be, but that's not what I choose to believe and choice is exactly what answers this question for each of us.
(A precursor to my next blog: People with a Purpose) Behind everything designed, there's a purpose. Even things we don't fully understand (yet) have purpose. I'll leave you with one hypothetical situation:
Imagine something so tiny that we can only view it through a microscope. We don't understand its purpose, but we notice the even smaller parts of it kind of bouncing back and forth in interaction with one another. Do you think it could have purpose? If you answered "no," do you also think we have no purpose? To put it into perspective, that's exactly what we are. In the scale of the universe, we are merely a microscopic spec of dust... if that.
Until next time...
Check me out on twitter: @PrallyD
For me, that choice seems fairly easy. As I look at the world around me, I see a world full of things that have been designed. An engine, watch, cell phone, computer, television, houses, works of art... the list could go on forever. Each of these named things have been carefully designed and given a purpose by a designer; man. I use that same form of logic when I look around at the world and how it works. Our planet is like a carefully designed machine: different parts of all sizes working together with specific purposes in order to keep the whole part running. To me, that doesn't seem to be something that is likely to happen merely by chance, but only by our Creator's hand. Let's look at a few examples of how our world operates together to enhance our chance of survival (I am no scientist, these are VERY basic examples):
Honeybees: the honey bee is very under-appreciated by us. Honeybees pollinate 80 percent of our flowering crops (1/3 of everything we eat). Without these bees, our diet would be very limited at best. Not only are crops such as soybeans, broccoli, celery, nuts, and many fruits dependent on bees, but they also pollinate the majority of alfalfa, which is crucial to our cattle's diet. The honeybee is one of the most important factors in our food supply. What would we do without them? Probably eat grains and drink water.
Marine Algae: many of us have been brought to believe that rainforests are the main producer of the oxygen we desperately need to survive, but that isn't the case (although they are important, producing roughly 1/3 of the oxygen). Marine algae, yes that nasty looking green stuff, produces 70 percent of the oxygen we breathe daily. The plants produce the gas as a byproduct photosynthesis. We literally would not survive without single celled, photosynthetic algae. Crazy thought, huh?
Termites and Cockroaches: as I read those bold letters, my first thought is, "ew." Not so much when you realize what these little critters do for us though. Termites recycle tons of cellulose-containing materials (such as dead trees and plants), returning them to the soil as nutrient-rich mulch. For those of you who have been doing your landscaping this spring, you understand the importance of good mulch. Cockroaches are even more important to humans than termites. These roaches, like termites, also break down dead plant and animal material. Without the existence of the cockroach through time (about 250 million years), scientists suggest that our rainforests would be smothered in decaying material.
It seems to me that our world is analogous to an intricately designed machine; gears turning, notch in notch, helping the next one turn respectively. Earth's ecosystem is full of checks and balances that work together to keep it operating efficiently. Is this all by chance? Sure, it could be, but that's not what I choose to believe and choice is exactly what answers this question for each of us.
(A precursor to my next blog: People with a Purpose) Behind everything designed, there's a purpose. Even things we don't fully understand (yet) have purpose. I'll leave you with one hypothetical situation:
Imagine something so tiny that we can only view it through a microscope. We don't understand its purpose, but we notice the even smaller parts of it kind of bouncing back and forth in interaction with one another. Do you think it could have purpose? If you answered "no," do you also think we have no purpose? To put it into perspective, that's exactly what we are. In the scale of the universe, we are merely a microscopic spec of dust... if that.
Until next time...
Check me out on twitter: @PrallyD
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