Stained Hands, Contrite Heart

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This past weekend we had the privilege of volunteering at a Christian conference center called Horn Creek. Greeted by the smell of pines and golden aspen leaves, we arrived Friday evening and enjoyed dinner meeting the young people who work at the conference center and attend a gap year program of their own. We jumped in to help them clean up dinner and spent the evening developing new friendships.

Saturday morning came early, and we embarked on a day full of staining porches to prepare Horn Creek for winter weather. Jim, our volunteer coordinator, spoke with our students about the purpose behind volunteer work, describing Jesus’ emphasis on servant leadership. With cans of stain and paint brushes in hand, we broke into groups and worked as teams to stain fifteen cabin porches, a few picnic tables, and almost an entire fence before lunch.

The real test of humility and stamina began when we returned to work after lunch. Tired of moving…of stain…of new projects, we spent the next four and a half hours serving in spite of self-seeking attitudes.  We were challenged to evaluate our motivations and learned how to enjoy the afternoon by valuing hard work and looking to each other and God for encouragement. Saturday evening we were exhausted. The day had been a leadership practicum for students to put into practice what they had learned in the classroom.

Sunday we attended church together and helped clean rooms, readying the conference center for a new group of people arriving the following day. Our students cleaned toilets, showers, cabinets, and floors for no monetary pay, yet they saw delight and thankfulness evident in the Horn Creek workers’ eyes. A fulfilling weekend—the students learned about giving without return, working through hardship, developing friendships in short amounts of time, and being empowered with responsibility. Staining our hands last weekend taught us about what it means to have contrite hearts.

By Hannah Sharp

Our Trip to the Secular Church

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You and I as Christians tend to think the same way as the world around us. It is not because we lack faith, but rather that secular thinking is pressed upon us by the culture. However, we are called to conform our thinking to the truth expressed in the Bible.  As Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” How can we conform our minds to Christ’s?

At Worldview at the Abbey, we earnestly seek to conform our minds to Christ’s, and one way we put this into practice is through zoo and museum tours. Zoos and museums are the worship centers of secular culture; people go there to experience the awe and wonder that Christians experience in church. They choose not to worship God and instead worship His creation.

Last Friday, Worldview at the Abbey experienced a zoo tour led by Bill Jack. He gave this tour as an example so students can lead their own tour in the coming weeks. During the tour, Bill sought to undermine the secular concepts that have invaded Christian thinking and replace them with biblical truth. For example, when the students visited the giraffes, Bill asked them whether or not the giraffe was designed or an accident. The students responded that it was designed. He then asked who designed it. Many students answered, “God.” Bill responded that they can use the J-word, Jesus. Bill led the students through this line of questioning at every animal we visited, reminding all of us that Jesus designed each animal.

This reminder is required to retrain our thinking. As we go out into the culture, we need the courage to speak truthfully, to unapologetically describe each trend and object in accordance with the Bible. This mindset is not politically correct, but it is biblically correct. The students learned that secular culture either worships animals or destroys them. Some members of culture seek to preserve animals, but they elevate animal life so highly that human life is diminished in comparison. Examine the laws concerning eagle eggs versus unborn human beings and you will see the difference. Other members seek only to exploit animals for their value, like those who kill rhinos for their horns. This selfish destruction opposes biblical stewardship.

Christians can help non-Christians take care of animals. One way to inspire good stewardship of animal life is to eat the animal. By “eat,” I mean find a way the animal benefits man so others will have a reason to take care of it. For example, bison were nearly wiped out by those who sought to harm the Native Americans by destroying their main food source. Today, around half a million bison are owned by ranchers who sell the meat, which is delicious and low in cholesterol and fat. Bison are now being preserved because man has found a use for them, and thus he is interested in keeping them healthy. We can be good stewards of animals and use them for our benefit.

Retraining our thinking is neither an easy nor fully comfortable process. Confessing out loud during the tour that Jesus designed each animal was uncomfortable, but it is true.  We as Christians need to bear witness to the truth. We need to enter the public square and proclaim truth, not only so others can hear it, but so our children can watch us stand for what is true.

By Nathan Pegors

Great Sand Dunes National Park: A Practicum in Servant Leadership

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One day, when the Apostles were bickering about who should be considered the “greatest,” their enigmatic teacher turned their worlds upside-­down: “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves” (Luke 22:25­26). Talk about a paradigm-­shift!

Today, we're still wrestling with that paradigm-­shift at Worldview at the Abbey. Christ calls His followers to die to themselves and imitate Him—to look for ways to serve others instead of lording it over them. The Lord of the universe served us even unto death on a cross! We need to be serious about the business of serving others.

In my experience, one of the best ways to teach the biblical concept of servant leadership is through wilderness adventures—especially camping and hiking. Teachers can talk about serving until we're blue in the face, but the sin nature is stubborn. It's easy for students to hear about servant leadership while still practicing subtle forms of selfishness—perceiving themselves as the center of the universe and viewing everyone else as on the periphery. But life in the wild makes such a position untenable!

This weekend, Worldview at the Abbey camped at Great Sand Dunes National Park near Alamosa, Colorado. Our students had a wonderful time, hiking up Mosca Pass to almost 10,000 feet above sea level, climbing in the sand dunes (you can't really appreciate how high those dunes are until you're trudging up them!), and splashing in Zapata Falls. But they also learned, in a practical way, how to serve their classmates.

Camping is a stretch for everyone. You might be good at building fires or pitching your tent, but you might also be a lousy cook. Those who can carry lots of firewood might not be so good at boiling water. We find places where we are weak and places where we are strong. And suddenly we're not at the center of the universe anymore. 

If the team wants to get on the trail at nine in the morning, then those who are good at cutting potatoes need to cut the potatoes, and those who are good at building the fire need to build the fire. Every team member needs to look around and see where he can serve the team. Is your tent-­mate wrestling with the rainfly? Help him out. Do you see that someone forgot to fill their water bottles? Fill them up. You can only move when your team is ready to move, so you need eyes that see how to help your team.

Granted, there could be some selfish motives involved here. But the principle is firm: the team benefits when you notice and serve. The team spins its wheels when you stay at the center of your universe.

And as odd as it sounds, a big part of serving is simply noticing. Once we get in the habit of looking at other people—really looking—and seeing where they struggle, we've put ourselves in a position to serve. The Spirit will still have to lead, but we've opened the door. We'll never serve well if we don't notice where service should happen.

This principle holds true on the trail. Are you a faster hiker than some of your teammates? Well, you can set the pace and walk them into the ground in the first mile— preventing everyone from making it to the top—or you can notice when people need a rest or a slower pace or a sip of water. You can serve them by putting their needs ahead of your own need to show how fast you can hike.

As I mentioned earlier, the whole team made it to the top of Mosca Pass. Everyone! Which tells you all you need to know about the lessons learned this past weekend. Our students took big strides toward practicing servant leadership. We can't wait to see them living this sort of life every day in the dorm!

By Jeff Baldwin

Rafting the Arkansas River through Bighorn Sheep Canyon

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Our class experienced the wonder of God's creation while riding the rapids of the Arkansas River last Saturday afternoon.  The guides challenged each paddler's biblical foundation through presenting rafting the river as an analogy for trusting God amidst the challenges of live.  In the same way it was important for us to listen to the instructions of our guide while navigating each rapid, it is important for believers to be continuously attune to the truth of God's word. 

 

Preview at the Abbey Announcement!

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We are excited to announce that Worldview at the Abbey is hosting its second Preview at the Abbey on October 9th - 10th! 

Preview is a weekend for prospective students to visit our campus, attend classes, meet current students, and receive a hands-on experience of our program. October 9th - 10th is the weekend preceding Worldview Academy Colorado Fall Camp, enabling you to combine two Colorado Worldview experiences into one trip! 

To view a sample schedule for Preview at the Abbey or register for the weekend, visit our website and click Preview at the Abbey under the Events tab. We look forward to meeting you as you explore making Worldview at the Abbey part of your future plans! 

If you have any questions about our program or Preview at the Abbey, feel free to email Hannah Hall at hhall@worldview.org. We would love to serve you as you seek God's guidance for your next steps! 

Worldview at the Abbey: Apprehend, Apply, Articulate Your Faith

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At Worldview at the Abbey, we have nine months of discipleship and academics with students. In that time, we want them to take away three primary objectives:

1.     To apprehend their faith. When commonly thinking of the word apprehend, one thinks of taking hold of or arresting, but it also means to comprehend or understand. We want both for our students.

We teach using the Socratic method, which means that the classroom is driven by dialogue rather than only by lectures. Because of this, students have to prepared ahead of class in order to do well academically, which teaches initiative and responsibility for their studies. 

But taking hold of education is not where we stop. We also use classical literature for our reading, and our curriculum constantly revolves around examining the foundations of the concepts being dealt with, the biblical understanding of the subject, and the consequences of those foundations on modern society. This allows students to better evaluate and understand the worldview behind the art, media, and classrooms of our culture. 

2.     To apply their faith. If students grow in academic and intellectual knowledge but miss out on the practical difference that makes in their lives, we consider ourselves to have failed. Our students participate in formulating their own evangelism tools, synthesizing their own biblically correct zoo and museum tours (courtesy of Bill Jack), and participate in numerous hands-on leadership practicums such as a camping trip, rafting trip, and high ropes course where the concepts they are learning in class have the opportunity to be acted on in a real-life scenario.

On top of these, we require students to have a certain number of community involvement hours per week. We call it community involvement very intentionally because we don’t want students to segregate doing evangelism and being in an everyday community, but rather to go into the community and make friends with people who may not be believers. Doing this allows them to put a face and name with a different Worldview than their own, which brings in the element of compassion to what they are learning. 

3.     To articulate their faith. In this present culture, our safe areas in Christianity are shrinking, and we will increasingly be viewed as bigoted, judgmental, and close-minded. The vision of the Abbey is to train up leaders who not only apply the Christian faith to their lives, but can speak eloquently, persuasively, and coherently on what Christianity is, and the practical consequences it has on our lives.

It is vital that we stand out ground on issues such as abortion and homosexuality, but can we articulate why we do so in such a way that communicates care and love for those around us? We believe that Christianity has consequences not only for the future life but for this present one, and we want to train leaders who can stand, lead, and give a consistent defense of their faith in truth and grace.

As 2 Corinthians 10 reminds us, we wage a war against ideas and lofty arguments that set themselves up against the truth of God, and the whomever it is in the next generation who can speak well and give an answer to the questions of society will lead the culture – and that is what we’re teaching and training students to do at Worldview Academy’s Bridge Year. That is our vision, and we hope you will consider us in your future.