On June fourth this past summer I embarked on a, life-changing journey; Kairos. In Greek, the word Kairos means “appointed time”, but on this retreat it is specified as “a time for God.” Kairos is a four day long retreat that is offered to high school and college students, and as a member of a private Catholic school, I was given the option to attend this retreat during my senior year of high school. I was anxious about attending because the majority of the retreat was kept secret from any student that had not gone, so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The retreat consisted of talks from the student and adult leaders, activities as a large group, sessions in our designated small groups, and individual time for reflection. Throughout the entire retreat we were encouraged …show more content…
Learning to love who you are is not easy, but with the help of my small group, I realized that I have a great outgoing personality, and with my story I could help numerous kids. I was determined to be a leader on a Kairos retreat and share my story so people in the same situation I had been in know they are not alone. When September came around it was time to apply to be a Kairos leader and after submitting an application, I was one of the eight students chosen to lead. Immense amounts of time went into planning the entire retreat and writing my 30 minute talk I would give. I requested the talk “The Real Me” because of its great impact on me, and was given the talk even though it is normally given by an adult leader. On the first day of the retreat my nerves were off the chart because very few people knew about the information I would share the next day. All the students on the retreat were from my class of 280 students, some of them being my closest friends do that knew none of the information, so saying I was nervous is a bit of an
When my family and I could feel the warm fine sand, the gentle cool breeze, witness the crystal clear aquamarine ocean and swaying palm trees, and smell the sweet fragrant scent of plumerias, we must have gone to heaven. The enchanting beauty of this Hawaiian island, Maui, gives us a sense of warmth, peace, and serenity. In search of paradise, we explore the infamous Road to Hana, snorkel with underwater marine life, and journey back in time to experience the true customs, traditional cuisine and the original song, music and dance of Hawaii at a luau.
It’s a Sunday morning, and I am getting ready for church. The leaves outside are many different colors and the wind is a bit cold up against my skin. I put on a fitted, off-white, v-neck sweater, black jeans, a short beige trench raincoat, and a pair of pointed strappy flats that are a darker beige color. I paired all this with a light and silky cheetah print scarf. I stare back at myself in the mirror. I look like I am trying too hard. People will glare at me once I get to church.
Step by step, I have grown more to become an influential leader. Before my senior year of high school, I was always timid and shy to speak up. I knew I was capable of becoming a leader with my responsibility and intelligence skills, but my shyness held me back from achieving a leadership role at school and in the community. At school, I broke out of my insecurity bubble when I became the President of HOSA and later the President of the National Honor Society. In the community, I broke out of my shyness when I became a lector at church and became a teacher assistant in Sunday school. I became more confident with myself along with the people at my school and community. My leadership skills will grow and will become resourceful for my
The Hero’s Journey is a basic template utilized by writers everywhere. Joseph Campbell, an American scholar, analyzed an abundance of myths and literature and decided that almost all of them followed a template that has around twelve steps. He would call these steps the Hero’s Journey. The steps to the Hero’s Journey are a hero is born into ordinary circumstances, call to adventure/action, refusal of call, a push to go on the journey, aid by mentor, a crossing of the threshold, the hero is tested, defeat of a villain, possible prize, hero goes home. The Hero’s Journey is more or less the same journey every time. It is a circular pattern used in stories or myths.
Since the day I was born into my outrageous family, I have always been the youngest child; always told what to do and I could never be in charge of anything other than myself. Growing up with my older sister and cousins that have been in 4-H and FFA have set the bar high for me, but it's a challenge I accepted. I have been in 4-H for 9 years and will be completing my 4th year of FFA. I have held many offices in my local 4-H club (Spring Creek Lively Steppers) which include Game leader, song leader, reporter, and historian. Through my years of holding these offices I have learned valuable lessons that I couldn't have learned without them. When growing up I used to be extremely shy and quiet, often having my older siblings to speak for me. This caused me to be a very poor public speaker.
I was being held under with no idea when I may get up, getting tumbled and dragged along the ocean floor. Each chance I pop up and gasp for another breath of air another wave crashes on me causing me to choke on the salt from the ocean. This has been my experience in high school, and once I am graduated it will feel like I can finally catch my breath and ride that first wave.
The other two children that were asked to preach went ahead of me and they were as nervous as I was. As soon as they finished I stepped up to the podium and all nervousness and anxiety went away. I finished giving my first 20 minute sermon with no stuttering, no hiccups, or mistakes. Throughout my school career I have been placed in many leadership positions. Many times when there is a group project to be done the group that I am assigned to choose me to spear head the project. In middle school when I was a part of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS), I was chosen to be the president of the group. I value school and the things we learn in it. Some courses may not be my strong points but I still try to take away as much as I can from the subjects. I am currently in the dental program at E.C. Glass, and every day the teacher shows us a new tool or technique I’m in the front of the class studying it. Even in my English courses, I take note of the information my teacher gives us and apply it to my writing to improve it. My thirst for knowledge doesn’t
For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to be an encouraging influence for others. As a child I was very shy and unsure of myself partly due to my overwhelming fear of others and feelings of inadequacy. Nevertheless deep inside I knew of my true worth but was afraid to show the world who I really was because I may be rejected. Those feelings of rejection kept me from being who I am and sent me down a dark, lonely, and destructive path.
7am. That was the time I arrived at the parking lot of the First Presbyterian Church in Woodbridge, New Jersey. I was heading to Montreat, North Carolina with twelve other kids to attend my first Montreat Youth Conference, focused on strengthening and shaping youth’s faith. I’ve heard great stories of what a week in the black mountain area of North Carolina entailed, however, in hearing the greatness and multitude of them I wanted stories of my own. I’ve heard that this trip was supposed to be life changing, and that Montreat was a “thin place between heaven and earth,” but I wasn’t really sure what any of that meant before actually going on the trip. But after a twelve-hour drive, a week there, and another twelve-hour drive back, I surprisingly found myself in a spiritual sense, and actively strove towards creating a newfound relationship with God.
The Spiritual Formation event allows students to not only connect in a deeper way with ourselves and God, but also to slow down and listen to all God has to say for our lives and our journeys we are on. Listening and discerning what God is doing in my life becomes challenging with the fast pace of this program. Spiritual Formation helps students discern God’s voice and attempt to listen to what God is telling them for the point of their journey that they are on. The Spiritual Formation event reminded me that God never shames, and the harsh and brutal voice is of the accuser. God’s voice is always in agreement with scripture and whenever we are unsure if what we are hearing is from the Lord we need to test it against the scripture and biblical principles we know to decide if it aligns or
The choices one makes, along with the actions they take, originates from one’s identity. If one’s identity is Christ, their actions, thoughts, words and principles will reflect the love and wisdom of Christ. Over the past eight weeks, this course has taught me the importance of integrating theology into situations within my everyday life such as how I treat strangers on the street, people within my class and family, and the choices I make regarding friendships, relationships and church involvement. In conclusion, these last eight weeks has changed my attitude towards this course from negative to positive, and from ungrateful to grateful; and this course has reiterated the importance of integrating theology into my everyday
In these past few months, my life has been dramatically changed for the better. I have gone from hiding under a rock to sparking on fire for God 's sake. In all of these changes, there is not exactly one easy event that will influence my academic journey moving forward, but a whole series of God speaking to me that will guide my through it. To fully comprehend the Grace that has led me to knock on the door of college again, the experience can only be explained through a story. That being said, this story will begin around December of 2014 where I found myself missing a Christian summer camp I use to work at, and really wishing I could be a part of the conference I once loved so much. I began debating with myself (and a little bit of God when
I would like to start off with a very influential and meaningful quote said by Maya Angelou, “The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them.” When I was in the 7th grade, a new student joined us by the name of Kieran Rose. I was assigned to show him around school, help him make friends and most importantly make sure he was comfortable in his new environment. Six years later, he is now my best and closest friend.
I am by myself wearing my blue jeans and an old flannel shirt. It is cool outside but I decided to leave my gloves at home, feeling comfortable with my warm shirt and my sturdy boots.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss a service that I got to attend that was different from my own religious tradition. I decided to go with my chosen topic because to be honest I had never experienced or thought to experience a different type of church service other than the one I grew up in. I grew up in a Christian home and attended a non-denominational Christian church on a regular basis. I just never felt the need to experience something that was different. So I decided to attend a mass at a Catholic church. I had been to weddings in a Catholic church and even funerals with a Catholic involvement but not an actual mass.