I know, my
friends. I promised to tell you about
the Lamplighter Guild weeks ago.
Life
does this thing, you know, where it’s running ahead and leaving me five steps
behind, trying desperately to catch up….but that never happens to you, I’m
sure!
Honestly I
don’t think I’ve fully recovered from the Guild yet, even a month later….the
first week or so I spent processing and jealously taking every moment I could
to be alone with God, basking in the wonder of what He has done in me.
Then there were the doors He started opening
up to new opportunities, filling me with excitement and keeping my mind
busy! Throw in a bonus meet-up with new
friends from the Guild and almost dying in the process (refer to my previous
post), my brother’s wedding, a nasty head cold, a surprise overseas trip in the
fall to plan for, and my grandparents due to move into a new living arrangement
in a couple weeks….not to mention my allergies going berserk….and I can’t seem
to even keep up with the basic business in everyday life, much less sit down
and write something coherent!
But I am
making myself do this. As much for my
own sake as anything. And you know
what? I hope I never, ever recover from
the Guild.
Because it was the most
amazing experience of my life.
There are a
lot of things I definitely want to improve on, like my time management skills
and self-discipline, in order to have more margin in life for the most
important things. Everything is feeling
helter-skelter these days. But I never
wish to recover from the incredible work God did in my heart during that
week. I never want to get over this new
love for Jesus and His Word. I never
want to stop pursuing the dreams He plants in my heart to use the particular
gifts He’s given me as His co-creator and glory-proclaimer in this world! I want to be ever-increasing in desire to be
as close to Jesus as I possibly can!
Ah, how do I
even begin to sum up the Lamplighter Guild?
Beautiful,
humble servants of God giving of their time, resources, energy, and gifts to
pour into the next generation….to make ready a people prepared for HIS GLORY!
Breathtaking
scenery and a magical location filled with new delights everywhere we turned!
A fellowship
of new friends with hearts after God and connections that may serve us
spiritually and professionally for the rest of our lives!
Passion for
the Word and the glory of God like I have never before seen….a passion that is
contagious!
Marvelous
speakers, insightful times of reflection in the Scriptures both individually
and in a group, being mentored in the creative arts by people who are masters
of their craft and use it to proclaim Christ to the world!
The
food….wow….the best I’ve ever tasted!
Being
lavishly served in such a way that I felt like a rich person for a week!
Late nights,
early mornings, endless brainstorming, crunching deadlines, tight schedules,
spiritual adrenaline keeping me going.
Working
together in a team of very different and unique people to produce something
that seemed nearly impossible when we started out!
Early morning
hikes, sunrise from a mountaintop, stargazing in the gardens, walking in the
woods with God, rock scrambling and water fun!
Worship full
of awe!
Recording
some of my most precious wow moments with God on my phone because my thoughts
were tumbling too fast to write down the revelations breaking over me!
Being
taught, mentored, and given hands-on experience in writing, but also having the
chance to test the waters with drama and discover that my dramatic spark is
stronger than I realized!
Stepping
into release, freedom, surrender, and joy in abundance!
Being fully
convinced that God is my portion, my delight, and my satisfaction in life….that
it really is all about HIS GLORY….and that all I want to do for the rest of my life is to know and proclaim HIS GLORY!
Wow. After all that I need to take a breather.
I think this is enough to give you a snapshot of my Guild experience. But there is so much more I want to share! And I haven't even told you about my latest upcoming adventure!
So stay tuned...I can't promise it will come soon, but there is more to come!
"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy!" Psalm 126:3
