For The Life Of The World

So it has been said ... and more appropriately, burned into my mind that when we "fail to plan"we "plan to fail."

So true, so it is important to know where you are going and why. Being thematic and purposed helps tremendously.

Therefore each Kaléo year we have a theme.
This years Kaléo Program theme is For The Life Of The World!  A great tag-on question for this theme is 'What is my salvation for?'

The thought behind this theme starts in Gen.1:28.  God directs us to fill the earth and subdue it.  As Kingdom leaders and developers its paramount to see that God has, from the start, desired our presence to be effective and everywhere.
As leaders and followers of Jesus are we ready to live as God intended us to fill the spheres of influence we find ourselves in from moment to moment? 

We should ask too , with what are we "filling"?

God also clearly calls us to what are we to fill with.  It comes out of Matt. 22:37-39 to love Him and love others - The two greatest commandments coming from the New Covenant in Jesus.  Love is a huge theme of Scripture and should therefore be weaved into everything that we do, say and fill.

As leaders and followers of Jesus are we living and loving as God intends us to?  If our salvation is for the Life Of The World then we must carefully, honestly and diligently love those around us, difficult or not, as God loves us, unconditionally.

The last thing Jesus leaves with his disciples, was to lead others.  As it says in Matt.18:19, to go and teach all nations.  

As leaders and followers of Jesus are we living and leading as God intends us to?  Who are we leading? And what are we leading them to?  Whats the goal for your leading?

As the year presents itself ... may this Class of 2017 move into a deep conviction to FILL, LOVE and LEAD for the life of the world.  After all, this is what our salvation is for.

Danika Schellenberg - Community Award Winner

I'm a lover of Thin Places.  Places where the veil between heaven and earth seems to have a slight tear in it, places where the face of Jesus is seen reflected more brilliantly than usual, where His joy and strength are in abundance and love gives birth to the fruit of the Spirit.

Thin places do not just happen, they are created, and it honestly takes the perseverance of generations to build such a place.   You are most fortunate to be entering into a place where much of the ground work has already been done.  However, it is not those who have paved the way up to now,  that are responsible for your program's health.  It is not your interns nor directors who create a thriving community.  Do not allow the Devil to lull you into passivity as you expect your leaders to create events and build community.  You must each take personal responsibility.

Before this season of summer camp I had a mentor proclaim over me that Jesus would be my Gap Filler.  Through a summer of cabin leading it has become evident that Jesus does this through His Body, when I am weak then He can be strong.  When I am weak then I can lean on the Body of Christ to support me and step up.  You are called to be a gap filler and so you can also expect your brothers and sisters to fill in the gaps that you yourself leave behind.  And so I urge you, brothers and sisters, as the Apostle Paul did, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice to this new place in the Body of Christ that you will soon find yourself in.

Love is something that is spontaneous.  We must love without an agenda.

But Paul also recognised that effective love, consistent love, requires organisation.  Are you the encourager of the group?  The truth speaker and seeker?  The one who pursues peace?  Live out that identity and more.  Are you a comforter?  Live out that identity.  Thin Places need prayer, an attitude of attentiveness, and joyful service.  Thin places only thrive when all the members come together and honour a commitment of prayer and sacrificial love.  And yes, living within the organisation that YOU decide to create requires the daily renewing of you mind, a daily choice to live out the gospel and to live in joy.  

Each of you have strengths you were created with, and you were also created with weaknesses.  You have areas that you need to allow others to fill your gaps, just as they do the same for you.  Do so with joy. 

Your community needs you to recognise their individual strengths and they need to be encouraged in those.  And they may need to be strengthened in their weaknesses.  This is a leadership training program.  Be a leader in this.  Don't you dare wait for someone else to step up.  Because you'll probably be waiting until March.

   

My brothers and sisters, remember that knowledge puffs up, yet love builds up.  Seek to grow to love the Body of Christ and Christ Himself first in all things.  Doctrine and theology are no good to a hard and bitter heart.  My prayer for you is a prayer that Paul prayed over the Church of Ephesus.  I pray that out of the Father's glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Seek to unify His Body.

Grace and Peace to you, beloved children of God.

-Danika

Rebekah Sheppard - Academic Award Winner

Greetings Kaléo 2017,

Well, you’re off!  Or nearly off anyway.  No matter how far from home your trip to Qwanoes takes you, you can be sure you’re in for an adventure, in pretty much every sense of the word.  And while adventure might be a large part of the allure of the Kaléo program, it is my privilege to address the academic component of your year at Qwanoes.  

My name is Rebekah Sheppard and I am last year’s Academic Award Winner.  If your year is anything like mine, academically you’ll run the gamut from those who finish their assignments 2 weeks early (and here I do not refer to myself, although I wish I did...), to those who fight the clock, madly structuring arguments, finding quotes, and composing sentences as precious seconds mercilessly tick away toward that ever-approaching deadline (I offer no comment as to whether I ever found myself in this situation ;) ).  In any case, I hope to offer some advice that will be helpful to you, no matter where you fall on the academic spectrum. 

Just Do It.  Whether the academic portion of the Kaléo program excites you or not, whether you’re a bookworm or you get your daily dose of literacy off the back of the cereal box, whether you’re a straight A student or you’re thrilled (or maybe worried) that a 2.0 GPA is needed to graduate, just do it.  Go to class.  Read your books.  Write your papers.  Like so many things in life, Briercrest academics are governed by that sensible, yet often pesky rule of “You get out of it what you put into it.”  So, if you put in an attentiveness during lectures that alternates between day dreaming and actual dreaming, quickly skim your books, and start studying for exams in the wee hours of the morning the day you have to write them, you’ll end up with a handful of fuzzy concepts, a grumpy yet passionate desire for coffee, and a mark that reflects your efforts (and if Ernst is there, a nerf dart to the face), when you could have had so much more.  That’s not to say that these things don’t happen, it’s college, they do, but please don’t let them be your modus operandi, your norm.  Strive for more.  And strive for more in whatever way works for you.  If you need to study alone, study alone.  If you need to study in groups, study in groups.  If you need a quite space to sit and read for hours, find it.  If you need to methodically wander the downstairs hallways, book in hand, headphones on and music blaring, occasionally crashing into people, all in an effort to stay awake while reading, do it.  Put the effort in in whatever way works for you, but put the effort in.  Go to class.  Read your books.  Write your papers.  Just do it.

Take Advantage.  No, this does not mean sleep in and take advantage of your roommates’ willingness to lend you their notes.  Take advantage of the opportunity you have to learn, and the assistance that is available to help you learn well.  While you may not have the pleasure of attending “Grammar with Lyann” (a highlight of my year) there will be academic workshops designed to help you get the most out of what you’re hearing and reading.  Go to them.  Additionally, you’ll be studying in a very small, unique environment, where your profs, your leaders, your interns, and your fellow students want to see you succeed.  Go to them.  Talk about concepts you don’t understand, ask your profs questions, get your papers edited, and volunteer to edit those of your classmates.  Also, use the time you’re given.  If there’s an open day on the schedule, chances are you have a book to read or a paper to write.  And because all the students operate on the same schedule, all your friends have work to do too.  Sure, take breaks and enjoy each other’s company, but don’t let yourself be overly distracted and don’t distract your classmates.  Yes, community is important, and I’ll let Danika enlighten you as to those benefits (of which there are many, trust me), but academics too form a vital component of your time at Qwanoes.    

Stay Focused. By this I mean keep the goals of your year in the Kaléo Program, the point of the academics, clear in your mind. As we were told countless times throughout the year, the purpose of the classes is not information, but transformation. This means that the marks you receive don't matter nearly as much as whether you come out of your classes more like Jesus. Academics are a great way to gain more knowledge, to really make you think about what you believe, to challenge and stretch you, to connect with your classmates, and to help you learn more about God, but they are a means, not an end. The goal is transformation. So, to those of you who struggle academically, who may not excel at essays or readings, please try your hardest, put effort in, but remember that the garden you receive are not the be all and the end all of your experience.  Don't be discouraged, be transformed. And to those of you who might have an aptitude for academics, to whom reading and learning comes easily, please put effort in, but don't become engrossed by a quest for high marks. God is more important. 

Don't be consumed, be transformed. 

In any case, you’ll soon be off on an amazing adventure, joining others, forming friendships, climbing mountains, reading books, ministering to those around you, and growing closer to God.  Be excited, you’re becoming a part of a program that has touched many lives, and you have the opportunity to make this year count.  So in whatever you do, in academics, in adventure, in leadership, in ministry, and in community, work at it with all your heart, put effort in.  Seek God and let him transform you.  

All the best and God bless,

Rebekah

Derek Crombie - Adventure Award

Hi there, I’m Derek.  This past year I was given the Adventure award. I am blessed with the opportunity to share with you a little about how my year was in the Kaléo Program. First I would like to congratulate you on your decision to step into an awesome year; I can guarantee you will find this chapter in your life to be filled with a wealth of knowledge from all the great people in your unique community that you will build.

This is what I hope you will remember as you are challenged this year. 

BE HONEST - What I mean by that, aside from just good old honesty, is be true to you, express yourself fully. You are in an environment that encourages growth, where fear of judgment is needless. So start now, to take down those barriers we all raise in our lives to conceal ourselves; choose to praise God for who He has made you to be. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:13-14

BE GENEROUS - Although it will often feel as though you have no time to give, and that you have to much work to complete to allow for anything else. Be focused on letting the Spirit guide you in all the ways you spend your time, whether it’s a serious conversation that might take your entire evening, or a quick run to the kitchen for tea and snacks, be mindful of your actions and in prayer always. You will be blessed when you choose to give unto the Lord your time and attention daily, and be willing to give unto others. “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

SET GOALS - At the start of the year I had some goals in mind of how I wanted to see myself grow in my walk with God. When the year came to a sudden end, I realized that the Lord worked through me in very different ways than what I had initially perceived, and of course, His way was exactly what I needed. All though I strived to never stop giving my best in my work, my focus was never primarily about the grades I got, and I believe that should be applicable to anybody doing the Kaléo program. A more community oriented focus will flourish in the program; something directed towards seeing yourself improve in being able to work in a team, or feeling able to be confident as a mentor for a friend, will be a much more rewarding goal to set rather than, being able to confidently quote the Bible, which is similar to one of my goals that was left unaccomplished, but for good reason; God made better use of my time, teaching me to help others through listening to them, and allowing the Spirit to respond through me. So be willing to open yourself up to one another, you may find that when you are most vulnerable that the Lord will do a wonderful work in you, and it may very likely be through one of your new friends you meet this year.

CHOOSE JOY - The absolute joy I find in trying new things, and my love of exploration, are probably good contributors towards how I ended up receiving the Adventure award. Something I did strive for from the beginning of the year was to refrain from negativity, I tried to remain in a good mood despite whatever worries or pains life threw my way. It is far too easy to get disillusioned by our struggles and to neglect acknowledging how we are blessed; with a pair of mightily sore feet, three quarters of the way up a mountain side, I can choose to complain or I can look at the beauty all around me and think, “wow, not to many other people in the world have such an amazing opportunity as this.”  And it really is more meaningful and life-changing, then you could ever imagine. 

JOURNAL IT ALL - One more thing, if you are considering journaling but are unsure, I’d say you should defiantly keep a journal, I found it to be well worth the time, and it really helped unpack and record a portion of the massive amounts of info you will receive on a constant basis, and if you’re not considering journaling… why not? 

So be prepared, to be stretched and to challenge, (nope, not just to be challenged, but more importantly to challenge, yup that means you have a responsibility to challenge those around you.) to learn and to love, to be pursued by God and to seek Him!  God bless you all, I will be praying for you often.

Derek.