Our first full day just ended and we have been so blessed by the Lord today!  We heard from Francis Chan this morning and Bryan McWhite this evening.  Both speakers were such a blessing and challenged us to expand our view of God and to respond to God's gift of salvation in our lives. 

Bryan's message was especially good.  One of his illustrations really spoke to many of us here.  He talked about how Christians often live as if they were spiritually dead.  He compared it to being like Batman.  Batman has no inherent superpowers but is Bruce Wayne and has to work train and discipline himself to be Batman.  The flipside is living like we are alive.  Christians are more comparable to Superman.  Superman has superpowers and doesn't have to work at being Superman.  In fact, he has to pretend to be Clark Kent.  Christians need to live not based on our old life, but based on our new life in Jesus Christ.  He also challenged us with a simple statement.  All of us face temptations to sin, but we have to remember that we are alive in Christ and we can choose to live faithfully in the Lord's strength and power.  The statement is:
(whatever temptation you face) is the way of the dead, but I'm alive and I choose (faithful opposite of the temptation).  For example, Pride is the way of the dead, but I'm alive and I choose humility.  It's a great reminder for us all and I hope to apply that in my life from now on.


We also had a chance to do a project called Love Moves.  The EFCA is starting a Child sponsorship program in Haiti and we put together care packages for the orphans the ministry will focus on.  We learned that the average Haitian makes $2 a day and over 80% are illiterate.  We got a small taste of what daily life is like for the Haitians and saw examples of what their houses looked like as we prayed for them. 


Overall, it was a great day and we are excited about what God will be doing tomorrow.


Mark