Monday, January 27, 2014

Monday Musings - State of the Hume, Winter 2014



I have returned victorious from Hume! Winter Hume was always the best weekend of the year back when I was a teenager, and I love going back now. Part of the reason is because that I want to help my middle schoolers have the same experience I did, but I would be foolish to say that middle school students are the only people who gain anything from Hume.


Certainly as an adult, I have to give more to The Hume Experience than I did as a teenager. I sacrifice vacation time at work just to go to Hume. That, however, is a necessary exercise. The day I shrug off an experience to connect with God because I have work is the day that my priorities are out of order. Offering God my vacation time to do His work instead of relaxing is a way of keep my priorities in check. Funnily enough, though, I enjoy Hume so much that I usually return mentally refreshed (albeit tired).

Then there are the teachings. The nice thing about middle school sermons is that they are short, funny, and to the main points of Christianity. I always want to dig deeper into the Bible, but I also need to remember why I am a Christian to begin with. There is no point in being able to discuss deeper issues if you are not actively in touch with the gospel. Sometimes, we all just need a little reminder, and the messages at Hume provide that.

That is a bit of a fault with the Young Adult Christian scene, as far as I can see. We stray away from the basics, largely because it can be boring. If you grow up a Christian, you’ve heard the spiel so many times that you will just ignore a sermon if it sounds repetitive. The problem with that attitude, though, is that you can’t catch yourself if you have strayed.

For example, many young Christians (including me) hate the obligatory Sex Talk sermons. Personally I find them to be a way for married couples to lord over singles. However, as I have gotten older, I have found those sermons to be more necessary because they remind me that I am following the Bible, and I am not alone doing so. At the same time, though, I have met plenty of Christians who have unbiblical views or are just ignoring the Bible in regards to sex. The Sex Talk sermons are still vital, and even if we 20-something Christians have heard the sermon before, we should be reminded. It is the same thing with the gospel. The gospel, that truth, is just as true for the middle school students as it is for counselors, and I appreciate that reminder every year.

So yay Hume! I am grateful for this past weekend, as tiring as it is, and I am excited to see how God continues to use me (and Hume) in the future. Woot!

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