Since I put in my newsletter that I would post some thoughts about Urbana, I should probably do that.
The main lessons that I learned from Urbana weren't anything new to me, but they were reminders of what I have been doing and what I should be doing. I was reminded of how God desperately wants to enter into my places of brokenness and fill me up completely and wholly. He isn't in the business of patching people together. He wants to fully restore us.
I was also reminded of the extraordinary measures that God will go to in order to save people. Look at the woman at the well. Jews often don't pass through Samaria, but it says in John 4.4 that Jesus had to go through Samaria. I believe it's because Jesus knew the Samaritan woman was looking for someone to fill her deepest needs, and that someone was Jesus.
None of the plenary speakers stood out to me quite like they did 3 years ago, but what they said was simple and to the point. Patrick Fung probably summed it up the best when he said that we need to live to be forgotten. This has stuck with me because we are part of a culture that teaches us to make a name for ourselves, wherever we go.
The drama and dance captivated me, because it presented the Gospel of John in a creative and relevant way. If you love dance, drama, and music, check out this video. (It is almost 16 minutes long, but it worth it!) Even if you don't, you will be in awe because of the artistic creativity, but also because of the message of John 1.
These are main thoughts and what I learned. It is easy for me to speak about what my students learned, but harder to speak about what I learned. So, I have deliberately started with myself. I'll tell you more about my students next time.
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