Reflections on Frontline's Dazzled Youth Retreat
Reflections on Frontline’s Dazzled Youth Retreat
A group of KingsWay’s youth, parents, and youth leaders headed to Sovereign Grace’s 3-day regional youth retreat this past August to press further into knowing God personally and being dazzled by Him. Reflections from two KingsWay parents who attended the retreat, and numerous KingsWay students, bring to life what took place at the retreat and how it impacted them:
Reflections from KingsWay parent Stephanie Bowman:
Tedd Tripp reminds us that, "We're made to stand back and gape, to wonder, and be overwhelmed by the glory and goodness and greatness of God." This is our prayer for our teens: that they would be overwhelmed with wonder about the Gospel. The Dazzled conference brought this into perspective. The messages reflected the realness of what it is like being a teen in today’s world, wrapped with the message of the Gospel. Each message had everyone engaged with personal stories from each speaker. The world looks good to the young people. Our prayer is that the Lord and his amazing work would look even better to them.
Attending the retreat is not just sitting and listening to messages; some of the best memories were those made after the sessions. Sitting and talking about what spoke to them the most from the message, to having a blast together cheering each other on while doing silly things together. Memories that will be theirs forever. Not what mom and dad did, but what they did.
Even a few weeks later, things from the messages come up in conversation. This means they were listening. This means there were seeds planted.
Reflections from KingsWay youth:
Q: What was one thing about God that really struck you during the retreat, or something you had heard before but that really sunk in for the first time?
KingsWay youth said:
We cannot be tourists of the Word of God.
Social media is toxic and we should not be of this world. Worldliness and social media are unhelpful for our faith.
We need to accept Him.
God’s glory hits us with weight and leaves us undone.
[Reading from] the book of Matthew, the treasure in the field parable stood out to me: We should go all in for Jesus!
Q: Describe the retreat in one word.
KingsWay youth said:
Q: What is it about God that most “dazzles” you?
KingsWay youth said:
He loves us enough to send His Son to die because He wants us to spend eternity with Him.
His unconditional love for us truly dazzles me.
His constant pursuit of us [dazzles me], how he seeks us out. God is so good to His people.
He is the Creator, all-knowing, all-powerful, and merciful.
He is willing to put up with me and steer me in the right direction.
He forgives everything.
He loved us while we were still sinners.
His beauty [dazzles me], like in Psalm 8.
He loves me… ME! It’s really crazy to deeply think about it.
Q: What do you want the younger kids to know about what to expect at the retreat?
KingsWay youth said: Expect lots of fun, food, and games, but not much sleep! You’ll be together with people from other churches, but it’s not that intimidating. The people are so kind; don’t be afraid to be open. There is good fellowship and an ability to just be friends with kids you don’t even know. You get to know more about God. Have an open mind about it and that will make it so much more fun. Expect extremely fun, long-lasting memories. It is amazing bonding time.
Reflections from KingsWay parent John Buffington:
One of the highlights of the retreat was the rich, gospel-centered teaching. All the songs and sermons focused on why we ought to be captured, struck, astonished, floored, amazed, and overwhelmed by the Lord – that we were made by God to be in awe of His Glory, His Word, and the Gospel.
The gospel preaching that weekend was introduced in a powerful way by Joe Lechner, who taught on being dazzled by the Glory of God. Joe argued that glory is a word that cannot simply be defined but rather needs to be described. He spent time illustrating the WEIGHT of God’s glory – that He is on an unrivaled scale and magnitude. He is impressively different, unusually great, in a class all by Himself, incomparable and stunning. He is still the same God as in Isaiah 6 when the prophet Isaiah is completely undone when he sees the glory of the Lord; or in Exodus 33 when God shows Moses only a part of His glory as He passes by, knowing that if Moses saw the Lord in the fullness of His glory that it would kill him; or in Rev 1 when John encounters the risen Jesus as if the sun is shining in its full strength.
He then moved to the WORTH of God’s glory, arguing from Scripture that God alone is worthy of all our devotion, trust, praise, worship, and even our whole lives. Nothing is better in heaven or on earth than God (Psalm 73). The Lord’s steadfast love (just that one part of Him, that one aspect of His character) is better than life itself (Psalm 63). The Lord is to be treasured and is more valuable than all that we have or that the world has to offer (Matt. 13:44).
What a powerful message it was for me personally to hear, and I’m especially grateful our teenagers heard it as well. Teens are engulfed by the voices of our culture all around them and on social media screaming that this world is where life is found. How relevant the timeless wonders of God and the truth of the Gospel are even in the digital age!
Audio Files
If you or someone you know would benefit from listening to the teachings given at the Dazzled retreat, you can find them here.