by Diana Kim
“Praise the Lord.” These are the words that come to mind when reflecting on the past retreat weekend. The attendees of this year’s joint retreat with Lighthouse Bible Churches of Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego were blessed to be under the teachings of Pastor Carl Hargrove who taught how to “Live a Life of Prayer and Proclamation.” We were blessed to experience a new retreat site at the Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center and fellowship with new and old friends from the OC and LA Lighthouse Alliance churches. We were able to keep up previous traditions of encouraging each team (Hipsters vs. Athletes) with social media posts, exciting games, and delicious snacks, but also adopted new forms of entertainment through quality beans and latte art at the coffee station, a fabulously talent-filled Untalent show, and Lip Dub nostalgic songs which blossomed our creativity and teamwork.
What was unique throughout retreat was that the topic of prayer and evangelism, by the passionate teachings of Pastor Hargrove, was very applicable right then and there. The discussion questions probed for deeper conversation over the leading text of Colossians 4:2-6, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” We were reminded that as believers, prayer is not optional and we must readily be alert against distractions.
In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, it was encouraging to witness all the genuine relationships forming. Sure, there was a lack of sleep for many, but it was definitely worth losing in place of gaining and building up friendships. Many people were able to come out of their comfort zone and look beyond an overwhelming crowd to share struggles, joys, and pray for one another. Ephesians 6:18, “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.” I witnessed fellow brothers and sisters approach one another with love and care through unselfish motives, families serve through participation in activities, discussions, and prayer, people stepping up to take responsibilities that were not required or expected of them, and much more.
Even leading up to the event, I found myself praying to have a heart of servitude and grow in desire to bless others. The fun moments of hyping up the team through silly Facebook posts, cheering and encouraging teammates to participate in games, sharing the love and joy of coffee, chatting about challenges of spreading evangelism at the workplace, were all a wonderful times of blessing that I have learned to cherish.
We are now a few weeks into the reality of work, school, and other routine activities, but may we continue to push ourselves and encourage one another to constantly have a prayerful heart and attitude. May we seek to walk with genuine opportunity, promoting God’s kingdom with every chance, not fearing man. May we pray with Scripture, developing a tender heart for tragic events, fight against our wandering minds with lists, ultimately doing all these things because we love our Lord God who graciously gives us each moment by moment. Indeed, praise the Lord for this past weekend.