Spiritual Emphasis Week

Once during the school year, ICSB has a special event. This event is called "Spiritual Emphasis Week." During this week, each grade level (elementary, middle, high) have special chapel services each day that focus on growing with the Lord. Schedules are rearranged so that all the students go to chapel each day, and guest speakers come in. Each grade level's week looks different, but all have the same goal: To consciously focus on the Lord.

At the elementary level, sports was the theme. The topic was "Get in the Game!" Each day, the speaker (the PE teacher!!) used a different sports analogy. For example, one day was "Keep your eye on the ball". The ball symbolized God. Another day's topic was focused on teams. Jesus had a team of 12 disciples. Now, after Jesus' resurrection, are you on his team? The sport theme was further emphasized by the visiting Crazy Coach Carl. He sported a puffy afro, silly glasses, and gross, buck teeth. As crazy as he was, he sure knew how to explain things like trust and faith. Each day, the students had a journal to write in about what they learned. One 5th grade, Asian student came to fully trust in Christ. Still others were starting to ask hard questions...like, "How can Jesus be our coach if we can't see him?" These kinds enjoyed the week and will hopefully never think about basketball the same!

In the middle school, the theme was 180°: This changes everything! The speaker, a local youth pastor, was brought in to discuss the topic. He talked about everything from how to take our thoughts captive, how to have pure bodies, and how to be in the body of Christ. During one of his most convicting talks, he challenged the middle schoolers to combat cliques within the school. We also spent a lot of time in prayer. The students had small groups which they prayed in each day. A worship band was brought in to help us praise God, and the worship sets always ended in a wonderful time of silent prayer.

The high school's Spiritual Emphasis Week was planned by the students themselves. What the planners wanted was to focus on how to become closer in their daily walks with God. This lead the way for a father and missionary in Budapest to speak about spiritual disciplines. The beginning of the week began with self-analysis. The students took an assessment to find out how they best connect with God...through nature...public worship...outreach...and still other ways. Many thought this was insightful; "Of course I fall asleep during my quiet time when how I REALLY connect with God is out on a walk in nature!" Throughout the week, the speaker introduced different spiritual disciplines like Lectio Divina (reading the Bible for relationship). Other ideas were outreach, spiritual retreats, worship music, and more. Each student was challenged to make a daily/monthly/yearly plan. I must admit, it was so important for me to hear as well, and I am trying to use Lectio Divina daily.

The challenge now is to make Spiritual Emphasis Week more than that...into a Month, and Year, a Life. How can we take what God revealed to us during this one week and apply it in a normal schedule? Would you pray for me, the students, and the other teachers here to really live this out? Also, would you pray for the non-believing students? That they would have felt God as well?

The week ended with a time of worship on Friday evening. Many students broke down during this time and confessed sins to God and to others. Our hope is that the students would desire those meetings with God everyday of their lives.

Here is an 8th grade girl's testimony from the week:

"During SEW, John Punch was talking about a 180 degree turnaround in our lives that we should be aiming for that week. During the first chapel with our 180 groups, I realized that I had something of an idol in my life. I realized that I actually had been worshiping someone other than God. I wasn't bowing down and praying to them, but I was thinking about them way more than I was thinking about Jesus or Godly things. That first day of SEW I prayed that that week I would be able to give it up.

All week, I prayed constantly that God would become the #1 priority in my life, but I didn’t feel any different. On Friday night when I was getting ready to go to the Upper Floor, I expected that it would be a great time of worship, but not really anything more. However during the songs, I felt the Lord’s presence so strongly that it completely took me off guard. Reality finally came crashing down on me. I recognized that I hadn’t been trying very hard to give up my idol, because I hadn’t really wanted to. During the prayer time, I prayed with my two closest friends and I literally begged God to take away my selfish desires. Throughout this time, I felt God working in me—and that was the night that I gave my life back to Jesus. I finally realized that God can satisfy me so much more than anything or anyone on this earth. God completely wiped away my aspiration that I had been idolizing. After that night, and after I heard God speaking to me so clearly, I feel like I can finally begin living my life for Jesus with all of my heart."

*I would love to share materials from the High School's week with you. Email me at meredith.karlin@gmail.com, or comment to me if you would like the assessment, Lectio Devina, or anything else :-)