Monday, November 24, 2008

National youth workers conference


So, I'm in Nashville at the national youth workers conference... wow - it's amazing - full of incredibly rich and cool experiences. I went to a Christian comedy show last night... hilarious... there was an image that stuck with me - someone talking about the footsteps poem but how they saw theirs as a set of footprints and then a drag mark behind them.... ;-) funny but oh so true.
I had an opportunity to talk tonight about God's huge plan of salvation - the salvation that busts out of the church and into the world... the gospel as good news to the poor... what does that mean and how often do we need to remember? Jesus exists for something bigger than my own life. It's that simple. I remembered again tonight and pledged anew to be part of the plan God has to bless the whole world. I don't want to grow a church - I want to change the world. Bring it.
And then to top the evening off I got to hang out with some War College grads and good friends with refreshing times of catching up and rejoicing with all that God is doing and has done and will do - can I get a witness??
Oh and did I mention the egg nog lattes?? heellllllooo.
grace to you as you lose your life for something greater!
D

1 comment:

Treva said...

Danielle,
I was lucky enough to get to hear you speak at the National Youth Worker's Convention. I felt encouraged and inspired by your talk and so I came home and attempted to pass on your message to my husband. I can't seem to forget the words you used at one point where you said that salvation wasn't for us, or our families or our churches but salvation was for the poor and we needed to spit it out. What a fantastic image of the whale spitting out Jonah, the person in charge of bringing salvation to the Ninevites. My husband and I are on the road of "spitting out" our salvation, of disentangeling ourselves from the American dream and cutting our ties to this consumeristic mindset that set up it's home in our minds before we could even talk. Your message reminded me that we are on the right path and that we are called to "be a part of the plan God has to bless the WHOLE world." Thanks so much.
Treva Williams