CHIC UNDONE 2009

From July 12-16 I had the opportunity to attend a youth conference called CHIC. CHIC stands for Covenant High In Christ. This conference is sponsored by the Evangelical Covenant Church and happens every 3 years.

The trip started out with a 24 hour bus ride departing from Duluth, MN and ending at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. We started our journey at 11:45 AM and arrived the next day at 10:00 AM. I have done many bus rides in my day, but despite the many stops we made along the way, I was unsuccessful in trying to find a comfortable position to accumulate a significant amount of sleep. We did make it without any significant problems.

Upon arrival I found Massey Hall and checked in to my dorm room. Yes I stayed in the dorms. Thankfully the dorm room had air conditioning but the bed was quite uncomfortable. After check in I began to explore the campus. Unfortunately for me my room was on the opposite side of the campus from where everything was going on. With the handy dandy little map I was able to navigate my way around campus.

There were tons of things to do and I liked swimming, playing frisbee, listening to live music, playing some basketball, and doing some crafts.

The main event of the evening was called Mainstage. We sang worship music lead by the CHIC worship band, Israel Houghton, David Crowder Band and Third Day. I learned about mission work in Thailand and was challenged by some speakers. The speakers I listened to were Erwin McManus who challenged us to make sure that we dream big. He emphasized I should never think my dreams are ordinary. He called me to dream of a life to make the world better.

On the second night Shane Claiborne spoke of "The Simple Plan." He had the opportunity to work with Mother Teresa. His story is amazing. Shane challenged us, "the best thing to do is give the best thing away." His story is amazing and I would encourage you to google him to learn more. He lives simply.

On the third night we listened to the pastor of Elevation Church of Charlotte NC Steven Furtick. Steven assured us that despite any mistake made in the past the Lord will forgive. He said, "God didn't put you in this world to survive it, he put you here to change it."

And on the final night I listened to Efrem Smith from Santuary Covenant Church in Minneapolis MN. Efrem challenged me not be afraid of God's call and to have time to find God's call. He asked us to have courage to answer God's call no matter what it may be.

It was a great week to refocus my life and remember that there are so many more important things in this life that stuff you can buy with money.

I would strongly encourage you to google CHIC UNDONE 2009 if you are curious. CHIC 2012 is going to be great.