I just spent 3 days on Mackinac Island in northern Michigan with 24 youth and chaperones from my congregation, along with almost 1000 other youth. We had a great time learning more about God as our mighty fortress. We focused in on 2 Samuel 22:2, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer….”
It was great to be able to gather in the fort built on the rock of Mackinac Island for a group event one evening. It reinforced the power of God that protects us so we can go on the offensive to attack Satan and his influence in the world. We were emboldened by the Good News of our free forgiveness from Jesus that inspires us to hand out life to the world.
A relevant example of that effort to share the Gospel took place just before the event in the fort. Our group was gathered on the lawn in front of the fort. We decided to take a group picture with the fort as our backdrop. Here’s that picture…
If you look closely toward the center of our group, you’ll see that our photo was “bombed” by a man with both arms raised. He was sitting on the edge of the statue behind us and couldn’t resist the opportunity. After I looked at the picture on my phone and realized what he’d done, I made eye contact with him and shared a big smile. This opened the door for a great conversation with my new friend, Ryan. As we talked, I learned that Ryan grew up in MN, near where I first served as a pastor. We shared more stories. When Ryan asked about our group, it opened a great door for witness. He was eager to hear about why we were there and what we were learning.
I could have reacted with judgement or anger to Ryan’s photo bomb. Instead, it was great to be able to point Ryan’s eyes to the awesome, powerful love of Jesus, our Mighty Fortress. Another example of being ready to hand out life wherever we go.
