I finally have some free time to update my blog about my AMAZING weekend at Lake Winnipesauske, NH with Real Life Boston's Fall Retreat. Not only did I get to wake board!!! But I got to hear an amazing speaker, Brian Loritts, who is the pastor at Fellowship Memphis. He really gave amazing insight to the character of God. This was the first retreat that I had been too where it was evangelical, instead it was for college students, who are actively involved on their campus in the greater Boston area, in leadership positions involving Christianity. Anyways, I'm going to try and post summaries of Brian's talks up here so people can reflect as well.

Session 1: Had to do with Romans 12:1: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." Brian talked about the word "therefore" which means you have to understand what has happened in the first 11 chapters of Romans to really understand this concept of offering your body as a living sacrifice. Which has to do with the view that faith leads to actions - not the other way around. Too many people get caught up in good deeds, it should be the other way around. Brian talked about in Genesis that first Abraham puts his faith in God (chapter 10), THEN/THEREFORE gets circumsized (chapter 17).

Another thing Brian talked about was the idea of having a "hands off" lifestyle. He gave a detailed description of how in the old days people gave sacrifices to God. They would pick their best/purest sheep. Then wash it. Then get it inspected by the priests. And finally present it to be offered to the Lord. It is isn't until after people take their hands off the animal can it be a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord. This still applies to us in the present day. God still cause us to offer up our body's no strings (or hands attached).

That was session one. I'll add more later, but now I need to run to the Boys and Girls Club in Watertown for service learning.