Youth Bible School was such a rich blessing this year.  Times of conviction, repentance, and crying out to God melded with sweet fellowship, joyous amen’s, and heartfelt singing from the voices of over 1,000 people during the evening revival services.  Those are my memories of YBS.  Most of all, I met God at Bible School and was able to spend an entire week focusing on His Word and His Work, away from my work, the internet, business clients, and other distractions that steal my focus in my far too busy life.  Friendships were renewed, new ones begun and a better understanding on my part has begun to develop of what God has for my life.  Funny how the important things in life come into such clear focus the closer we are in fellowship with Him.

A few comments on the sessions:

Mose Stoltzfus’ study of the Life of Moses convicted me in areas of my life where I have given in to the “pleasures of Egypt for a season”, instead of allowing God to mold my life according to His Plan.

The Faith of Your Fathers by Denny Kenaston struck a chord in my heart as I considered the times I have sat down in that easy chair and viewed the landscape that my parents have fought for in the spiritual realm all the while allowing those convictions and open understandings of God’s Will to cloud over as I “meander in the maze of mediocrity”.

Chorus had me worried until the end of Friday’s session.  The selections were beautiful but quite challenging for all 670 of us to wrap our musical abilities around.  I would have to say that my favorite was the song Lord, I Want To Be a Christian in My Heart.

Profiles of Faith and Folly changed my perspective on some well-known Bible characters and taught important lessons about how character must be built in my own life through the experiences God sends my way.

Prayer and Sharing time was an enriching experience as 9 of us young men shared the burdens and convictions of our hearts each afternoon.  One thing that always strikes me during this time is how similar the experiences of all young men are.  We fight many of the same battles and encounter the same temptations along the path of life.  Prayer and sharing allows us to see the similarities and encourage one another to fight those battles and persevere in the quests that God has laid on our hearts.

Finally, the message on Sunday morning Survival After Revival by Rick Leibee, reminded me of some personal experiences in this area and helped me to tool up for future times of surviving the trials that sometimes come into our lives to test us after times of revival.

(One additional post about YBS with photos etc. follows this one. It is password protected.  The password is the last word on page 7 of this year’s chorus book.)

Posted on November 13th, 2008 by Josh Champagne
Filed under: Thinking Aloud, Travel