Revival

Revival started tonight. It's a big deal here.
I helped set up chairs for it this morning and was up at the butt crack of dawn helping put things together with the steering committee to make it work.
I went tonight as a counselor. I fell asleep about five or six times. I won't lie about it. I was really wanting to get through the invitation as quickly as possible so I could come back to my room and crash when a friend of mine singled me out as he came forward and went to go talk to me.
That was fine. I don't mind talking to him. His intentions for coming down were a bit inappropriate. But, he needed some guidance and I tried to give him the best of what I had.
However, I have beef with revival. Serious beef. A whole cow, actually.
I think the tradition of a Big Tent Revival is antiquated and old. Don't get me wrong, I love that we have one, I think it's cute, but that's just it. It's cute. It's nice. It's traditional. How effective is it?
We are college kids. We are young adults. Revival is to revive us. The speaker was good tonight. The worship band was really good. I just think we should have something more. Something more intimate. Something more real that hits people where they're at.
I understand that the goal of every organization on campus is to reach the athletes and break outside of the bubble. And to be honest, I can see why Christians would leave this school because of that bubble. To me, it's as simple as a "good morning....hey what's up....need a spotter...whatcha doing this weekend..." Relationships. Relationships work.
Jesus didn't delegate His work to the church so it could be delegated down to a committee in charge of advertising and publicity to ensure that the seats would be filled. Jesus told us to go out and make disciples. To be fishers of men. Jesus went out and sought the lost and hurting and confused.
I see flyers and posters and sidewalk chalk and hear chapel announcements all the time. How many steering committee members do I see sitting with them at lunch? How man committee heads do I see spotting the athletes in the rec in the afternoons getting to know them?
You want to change this campus? You want to break through the bubble?
Make a relationship. Talk to them. Get to know their name. Understand where they're coming from. Don't advertise and put up publicity. Go to them.
Jesus didn't say to the disciples, "Go into the next town and put up flyers at the well and make an announcement at synagogue that I'm coming." He just went.

Past this, I think revival should be more mature. More in depth. If it is to truly revive us and revive our relationship with God, then let's do more than hire some speaker. Let's do more than set up a big tent in the quad. Small group sessions. Discussion time. Let's fast beforehand. Let's talk about things and live out the high the band gives us at the peak of music. Let's make it real. Testimonies and speakers and prayers and this and that are great, but man they've all been done before. We wouldn't have the same goal of reaching the athletes each year if we were actually reaching them.

Anyway. I've got a cow, like I said.