it’s different, if just for a weekend

Each year, hundred – if not thousands – of youth ministries embark on a “fall retreat.”

Our group of teenagers is no different.

What is different about our group is that we head to rural Indiana and sleep in my parents house. The house is probably just a bit too crowded and our retreat is probably just a bit too “schedule-less.”

But that is on purpose.

You see, these teenagers spend all year in houses that are too big, separated from actual human contact. For much of their life, they’re a captive audience of a screen (computer, tv, cell phone). For one weekend, they cannot ignore the presence of others in their lives.

Also, you see, these teenagers have their entire day scheduled for them. From 7am until7pm, they live by a strict pace.Wake up, Bus, Class, Class, Class, Lunch, Class, Class, Class, Class, band practice, Homework, TV, Sleep, Repeat. For one weekend, they live by a different schedule; a schedule revolved around connecting with God and others rather than a schedule revolved around performance and standards.

And you see, they love it. They yearn for it. They live for it. As soon as this weekend is over, they’ll be talking about next year. They’ll be talking about how remarkable it the weekend was.

Slowing down. Connecting and sharing life with other humans. That – sadly – is remarkable in our world.