August 7th, 2007 — Posted in God's Story, Stories, Announcements
I just got through reading the feedback sheets that youth workers and students submitted at Merge. Wow.I am humbled and encouraged by how so many people responded to God through his story. It is such a privilege to be a part of Merge and to inspire so many people to find themselves in a greater story!!DOWLOAD a page of responses by clicking here! Here is one of my favorite quotes from a student at Merge (it rocked my world): “I began to see the context of my life within God’s story. The Bible’s not distant anymore. It’s like – whoa! – my life has merged with God’s story. I’m part of what He’s doing, I’m a Kingdom participant and builder. I realize that community is the most important thing I could give my life to. That’s what its all about – a bunch of people getting together to live collectively and individually the life Jesus came to show us.”– Natalie Thanks for all of you who trusted us with your time and resources to be a part of Merge.– Michael
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July 29th, 2007 — Posted in Miscellaneous
Make sure you check out the new videos and photos from Merge 2007!
Click on the links above for photos and videos.
We want to hear about your experience at Merge 2007.
Share with us on the “your stories” comment section,
send us your artwork to post, or post photos on Merge Flickr account!
Thanks for making Merge 2007 great!
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July 25th, 2007 — Posted in Miscellaneous
It’s hard to believe that Merge 2007 is already over with! I don’t know about you, but I had an absolute BLAST learning more about God’s story and what that means for my life, as well as hanging out with students and youth workers.
Now that we’re back at home and settled into our routines again, what are some things that God is continuing to teach and speak to you about? I think for me, one of the things that I was challenged to think about through out my time at Merge was seeing God’s story in a new way and acknowledging its relevance in my life. I think a lot of times it is easy for us to go about our life and just think of God’s story as something that happened a long time ago, with nothing that could possibly apply to our lives. At Merge, however, we realized that God’s story is alive and more exciting than ever today! More than that, we are actually privileged enough to be a PART of His action packed story! That makes me so excited and I hope it makes you excited to!
What are some ways that you see the relevance of God’s story in your life? How do you see your role in God’s story? Does it make you excited!? We would love to hear what you think and what God has been teaching you since you left Merge!
Amanda
For the Sonlife Team
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July 19th, 2007 — Posted in Miscellaneous
All of the experiences at Merge are centered on stories from the Bible that are told each morning in the Story Gathering:
- Creation
- Separation
- People of Promise
- God-With-Us
- Death to Life
- The Church
The narratives shared at Merge are woven together from many biblical texts to create an accurate, detailed account of these life-changing stories.
Want to hear these stories? We’ve got audio recordings by our very own Kelly Dolan available here.
Also, visit echothestory.com to find out more about the development of these stories. There you can find the entire 22 story set available for download.
~Vanessa~
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July 17th, 2007 — Posted in Miscellaneous
My favorite experience so far at Merge: Response Time.
Each evening after a day full of stories, discussion, reflection and interaction, we all come together for an opportunity to respond to God and all He’s been doing in our hearts and minds.
We get to choose from one of three places to process and express our thoughts: the Art Station (HEART), Prayer Room (SOUL) and Study and Discussion (MIND). These stations cultivate a heart of worship, sensitivity, and reflection that create environments conducive to connecting with God and the discovery of how He is speaking into our lives.
After the stations, we gather as a whole group to share, answering these questions:
Where did you notice God working today? How?
What parts of the story have caused you to think about your own life?
What do you think God is saying to you through his story?
Students are sharing insights into God’s story that seem to come from a wisdom well beyond their years. Their comments are intelligent, insightful and inspiring. It has been amazing to hear about all that God is doing.
Vanessa
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July 12th, 2007 — Posted in God's Story
On Tuesday each group walked through a replica of the Tabernacle—the place of worship established by God in the Old Testament.
Every step was filled with symbolism and really made me realize that God truly is the author of an amazing story. It’s an amazing story not only because of its message of redemption and restoration, but because of the way God carried out his plan.
I’ve always loved symbolism in literature, so seeing the symbolism in God’s story through the Tabernacle experience was very meaningful to me.
Christ’s death on the cross means even more after learning about God’s former requirements of animal sacrifice at the Brazen altar. The tearing of the curtain at Christ’s death finally made sense—it was the veil surrounding the Holy of Holies, and the tear showed that God’s presence was no longer confined to that space, that he now dwells with all people.
God’s vast love for humankind is becoming more and more apparent to me as I see how intricately he has planned for the restoration of the world. I’m drawn in to his love and I’m excited to know him more…
Vanessa
for the Sonlife team
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July 11th, 2007 — Posted in Announcements
We’re already a few days into Merge here at Wheaton College!
On Sunday afternoon 11 groups from across North America arrived to begin a journey to explore God’s Story. Check-in weekend was hot, but we settled out belongings in our rooms and headed off to start the week!
At the Gatherings we’ve begun to explore God’s story by reviewing key details and really thinking about exactly what went on in those stories we’ve heard since childhood. From there we have a discussion time where, together, we get to explore deep questions that really get us thinking. Questions like “what does this story tell us about God?” and “what does this story suggest that God desires for his people?”
It’s been encouraging to hear so many stories from students about ways that God is speaking to them. Stay tuned for more specifics this week and next week!VanessaFor the Sonlife team
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June 1st, 2007 — Posted in Miscellaneous
During your week at Merge, we will be looking at the concept of Storying… taking basic Bible stories and really digging into them in order to better understand what they mean for our lives and the lives of others. The purpose of Storying (short for Chronological Bible Storying) is to create an environment for us to connect with God through his Story.
At Merge, we will be using a set of stories or narratives created by Michael Novelli and Caesar Kalinowski. You can now download an extended set of these narratives for individual and local church use (free of charge!) at Echo The Story.
Storying can inspire you and your students to truly find yourselves in God’s amazing Story. So check out this great resource! We also encourage you to take a look at these before coming to Merge to get a sneak peek of what your week will be like!
Amanda
For the Sonlife Team
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May 15th, 2007 — Posted in Media
This year at Cornerstone, the huge music festival set in a corn field in Illinois, there will be a formal “(re)marriage of worship and the arts.” Cornerstone is known for their music, yet it has always promoted visual arts. But this year, they are specifically focusing on their visual arts program, called Burning Brush. Part of this experience will include a Labyrinth featuring the Stations of the Cross, as well as a Pilgrimage, displaying art on the Names of God. Cornerstone also incorporates film into their 4-day celebration.
This integration of art and worship only seems natural. Created in God’s image, we have been given the amazing gift of creativity. It is something that we focus on at Merge, too, as we incorporate hands-on activities, visual arts, music and media into our daily activities. At Merge, you can also participate in walk-through experiences such as the Tabernacle and the Journey to the Cross.
In what other ways do you see a marriage of worship and the arts? How can we worship God through the arts?
Kelli
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May 11th, 2007 — Posted in Being Jesus, Miscellaneous
I came across this quote the other day that makes me think of one of the things we explore at Merge—how our love for others reflects our love for God… take a look at it and tell me what you think!
Our love to God is measured by our everyday fellowship with others and the love it displays.
~ Andrew Murray
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