bcmatson

The personal weblog of Bradley C. Matson.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007   Spiritual Sine Curve

As the snow retreated the spring of my sophomore year I was sprinting in my walk with God. I was defining and exploring new aspects of my spirituality; new disciplines, Pentecostalism, visions, and random callings from God peppered my exponential growth. This growth, however, could not be sustained.

Junior year of college I came to campus as the newly elected Vice President of the Student Body. Drunk with power and eager to utilize my new found abilities I searched for opportunities to flex my title. Then hurricane Katrina lit up the media. The Student Body President and I sprung into action with a school-wide effort to save those in need. The “Pulling for Hope” project was initiated, hurricane graphic logo and all.

This brought me down another path of service a few weeks later as I went with fifty other Hope students to Gulfport Mississippi to do hurricane relief work during fall break. A trip I repeated three times before the year was up. During that trip we did a lot of distribution and saw God work in amazing ways through answers to prayer and miracles. The operation was run by World Hope International, which was based at a local Baptist church. My eyes were opened to the administrative side of missions and how much management was needed to care for people in need; in need of supplies, shelter, and most importantly, Jesus. I had further defined my secondary calling. I was on fire.

Perhaps I was unready, my roots too weak, or God simply took me in a new direction, but as the summer before my senior year took hold my views were shifting. Call it backsliding, but I no longer engaged in the wild expressions and explorations in my faith I once had. Instead I started noticing the dark side of religion. I grew a new heart for the unbeliever and how they often saw the Church. I communed with the “outsiders” and empathized with their state.





<< Home

Archives

November 2005   January 2006   July 2006   August 2006   September 2006   November 2006   January 2007   February 2007   March 2007   April 2007   May 2007   June 2007   July 2007   August 2007   September 2007   October 2007   November 2007   December 2007   January 2008   February 2008   March 2008   April 2008   May 2008   June 2008   July 2008   August 2008   September 2008   October 2008   November 2008  

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?