While there is more to unpack from the staff conference than I (Jeff) can write here, I’d like to highlight some of the things I am still processing.
As a Hispanic American with a rough past, Dr. Adam Saenz had beautiful experiences growing in Christ while on staff with Cru; but he also had some very painful experiences in a mostly white community that didn’t always get or accept his differences. He
has gone on to get more degrees than I can count and was asked to help us learn what it means to truly “ō heis” just as Jesus and the Father are one (John 17:21).
Adam explained that people can go through different stages of community. In the first stage, “pseudo community,” we’re all smiles and talking about what we have in common (avoiding any parts of ourselves that might divide). It feels good, but it’s shallow and short-lived. Life happens, those differences come out and we fight
over who is right. We can’t stay there, so we either retreat back to pseudo community or move forward by surrendering our need to fix, convert and control. When we share our own brokenness, and accept each other’s with love, true community and healing happens… usually with lots of tears!
Pray for this to happen across the body of Christ!
Grant Ministry 