The Charlotte Fellows has provided me with rich experiences relationally, spiritually, and vocationally. This program has helped me grow in so many ways, so as it is nearing the end I wanted to share some of my takeaways that I hope to hold onto and continue to embrace in this next chapter:
A few weeks ago, we joined the Greenville Fellows for a presentation by Rich Rardin. He shared how many stories in the Bible are told through a three-step pattern: transaction, transition, and transformation.
In our seminary class last week we talked about the role Christians have in culture to bring God’s kingdom to earth. In our book To Change the World, by James Davison Hunter, it explains the author’s opinion as to how cultures change: from the top down. Institutional power comes from the social networks of elite groups of people who have the credibility and power to create change. It has been interesting to learn about the disproportionate cultural power institutions have.
It’s hard to believe half of the fellows year is already past. Coming back to Charlotte post Christmas break, the first thing we did was go on a retreat at Emerald Isle. The focus: Sabbath. The retreat provided sweet time together, polar plunges (different levels of enthusiasm about this), lots of cooking, games, and best of all: rest in the Lord. The time spent in Emerald Isle was much needed after a full first semester and busy holiday season. It was a time to refocus, refresh and be renewed by God.
Back in October, the Charlotte Fellows and the Davidson Fellows participated in Barnabas Basic Training, a day-long seminar about how to have deeper conversations and love others better. My understanding of dignity and depravity became so much richer through this course. I learned more about how God made us in our dignity to have desires and longings, yet we live in a fallen world where our own depravity and disappointment is very real. We were made for relationships, yet often try to live life on our own.
It is hard to come to terms with the idea that on this side of eternity, we will never experience the fullness of light. We often long for God to illuminate the rest of our time on earth and in doing so, reveal our future so we don’t have to wait for it in the dark. While it is frustrating, and even scary at times, to not know what the future holds, I am beginning to view it more as an invitation. God is graciously extending to us the opportunity to rely on Him each and every day.
In my major in college there was always disappointment. In the Sustainable Development department at Appalachian State, we studied the world’s problems and the outlook was grim. We would look at the painful parts of our world, like poverty, racism, and other issues, and study the ways people have tried to go about fixing them. We never really arrived at an answer to the world’s problems (shocking, I know), and many of us were frustrated that we weren’t offered a quick fix. After all, we were in this major to change the world! To be honest, I became a little disillusioned with the hope of making a real impact in the world.
At the beginning of February, I wrote in my journal, “Who am I to deny what the Lord can do? I don’t know how it will all work out, but I also don’t have to know everything.”
This is a slight nod and hopeful prayer to my compulsive desire to control my life. While writing this, I read over my first blog and I am delighted to see that God has been working on me and for me all along.
Sin is something I never want to talk about.
I find false comfort in painting this perfect, composed, bubbly picture of myself to others, and sin just makes the canvas messy and distorts what I want people to think of me. So, I pick the shiniest and most pigmented hues to try and cover up any and all blemishes, believing I’ve prevented sin from slipping through the cracks.
But as we all know, that’s just not how it works. Yet I still try to convince myself that I’m not in need of Jesus’ grace.
The Charlotte Fellows Program is full of opportunities for us to serve in our community. Whether it be through our not-for-profit exposure, work in our churches, or volunteering at schools, there are many ways that we can serve. But it can be easy to forget how often people are serving us in this season of life.
Do you have questions about what life looks like as a fellow? Contact us by filling out the form below, and learn more about the Charlotte Fellows!
