retreat...

While I was waiting to head to JB with my mum and sis, I began to read the book 'Jesus driven ministry' (Which i strongly recommend to any Christian, especially those serving in the ministry). Interestingly, the topic i was reading about was on "Retreats Help People Escape The Tyranny Of Busyness". He quoted this person called Henri Nouwen who said something that caught my attention:

"In a society in which entertainment and distraction are such important preoccupations, ministers are also tempted to join the ranks of those who consider it their primary task to keep other people busy"

Isn't this so true? We have TV, Cable TV, Mio TV, Mob TV, computer, games, movies, Internet, so may things to take our attention and keep us busy. Even in the work I do in SYFC, especially when the holidays for the secondary students are in, it is so easy to be busy planning and planning in hope of catching the students, and become like what the author described, no different compared to secular activities in the market. Scary but true. Then Nouwen then went on to say:

"Our task is the opposite of distraction... The question that must guide all organizing activities in a parish is not how to keep people busy, but how to keep them from being so busy that they can no longer hear the voice of God who speaks in silence"

This should be always at the back of my mind even though at moments I do feel like I am just planning activities to simply create opportunities to meet them. I have to take it one step further, that in every meeting, my goal is to draw them nearer, if even 1cm, to God. And this should energize me to keep on planning, for that sole purpose that these young people who come through the door of SYFC be impacted by God and challenged to share to their friends.