For those in youth ministry, fall tends to be retreat season. We participate each year in two retreat hosted at our church camp, Butler Springs. This weekend we will take students to the High School Retreat. Just over a week ago we participated in the Junior High weekend. The theme was Lost & Found and we emphasized how God celebrates when lost people are found.
Our group enjoyed the weekend as we sang together, played games, hung out, looked for Pokemon and even dressed up in costumes!
As school has started and summer temperatures seem to be giving a hint of starting to feel more like fall, we are gearing up for our first fall events. For the last couple of years our IMPACT leadership team has laid out a school year calendar that gives an overview of what we are doing from September to May. As we move into Labor Day weekend, the fall months are here.
Here’s our first flier for fall events. Here is to a great school year!
I took the dog out for a walk this morning and had a few minutes to look at the changing leaves and enjoy the quiet of the morning. I took a couple of pictures with my iPhone of the changing leaves and some that had already fallen. As I did, it got me to thinking about our longing for beauty. What is it about us that causes us to pause when we see the colors in the sky at sunrise or sunset? Why we do we marvel at the various trees as their leaves begin to change?
I read earlier this week that Instagram surpassed Twitter in number of users. Someone commented that pictures have more power than words. While many pictures on Instagram are of people, many of them are of natures, works of art or things that simply capture the eye of the photographer.
When it comes down to it, we long for beauty. And that longing is the fingerprint of God in our lives. God loves beauty and He has placed that in our hearts. So, this month as you take in the changing leaves or pause to watch a sunset, just be reminded that it reflects the character of God in each of us.
Thoughts from a Hoosier Fan in the Buckeye Land 