Inside Out 2007

I recently participated for a second year in Riverbend Church's "Inside Out." "Inside Out" is a weekend excursion for high school and middle school students. It's an opportunity for all involved to reconnect with God in the new year.

This year's theme was "Closer than you think" as in, God is closer than you think. My friend Jackie and I co-led a group a seven eighth grade ladies.

Over the course of the weekend we discussed the theme in small groups, met at the church for praise and worship, stayed up late talking, laughing, and eating junk food (admittedly these ladies wore me out. I was in bed much earlier than they were). One of the changes we had this year was in our service project. For the last several years Inside Out served a local ranch for troubled individuals. Our tasks ranged from outdoor maintenance to working in the greenhouse. This year, we teamed up with Mt. Zion church and served East Austin by hosting a community block party

This gave the group a chance to commune with each other, their counterparts and Mt. Zion, and the community.

The entire experience was an opportunity for me to get back to the basics. It is so funny, because I volunteer for Inside Out to be a mentor and serve young ladies. But after spending five minutes with them, I realized there is so much that I can learn from them. Their perspective on faith is so much clearer at times...its like they lack some of the interference that builds up in your life after 27 years. I am also reminded that the problems facing an eighth grader young lady are not that much different than the problems that Jackie and I face in our late twenties—career/school, men/boys, societal pressure/peer pressure, body image issues, abuse of all kinds. All of these issues are issues that we all deal with. Inside Out was a chance for us to remember that God is closer than we think...he is next to us, carrying us, through the good and the bad and no matter what, he is always there.

When the weekend ended we all felt closer to God and closer to each other.
I am thankful that they...my eight graders have each other to lean on as they go through their day to day issues, and I hope they will remember that (Jackie and ) I are there for them as well.

- RXW