WOW!

From Tara Blair, Softball, Jr...

WOW! If anyone was to ask me to sum up SALT, "WOW" is what I would say to them. I would need a lot of time to explain to them all the amazing things that happened to me in just one week.

First, me being there was truly planned by God. Through a lot of struggles God has placed and kept me at Bethel College and allowed me to attend SALT. During the week the most amazing thing that God did for me was to allow me to step out of my comfort zone. I am normally a very shy person until I get to know people and going into SALT I thought there was no way I was going to be able to open up to people I barely knew in one week. I went into SALT only really knowing my softball teammate (Mandy Cripe), but God allowed me to open up to everyone and every activity we did. He kept telling me that was the first step for Him to impact my life, which he did in many many ways.

I could talk for days about this trip but I will tell of the other main subject that God kept telling me about all week long. That is the issue of accountability. God was telling me that my relationship with Him is number one but He also kept telling me that there is no way I can do it on my own. I had been trying for years to build a stronger relationship with Him by myself and it was not working. SALT allowed me to build relationships with some of the most wonderful people I have ever met. God showed me every second of every day that I was in West Virginia that surrounding yourself with God-like people is very important. Like Mandy Cripe said every single person that went on the trip impacted my life in different but amazing ways.

I have never been more excited for school to start so that I can continue to learn and grow and pass on what I am learning to the entire Bethel College campus. Once again I say WOW to God and all that He did that week and all the He is continuing to do!!

From Mandy Cripe, Softball, Jr...

SALT was an incrediable experience for me that made a positive impact on my life. Before we left I was nervous not knowing what the week had in store for me, but my nerves were gone by the time we arrived. Playing games and getting to know the other athletes on the bus was a great start to the week!

At the beginning of the week I felt God telling me that I really needed to focus on my relationship with Him. A lot of the time I get caught up in everyday life and so many distractions. One of te best things for me during SALT was being away from the worries and struggles of life. Being in West Virginia without any distractions was a fresh new start to my relationship with the Lord. Having time alone with God every morning was a great way to start the day. It allowed me time to journal and read God's word. This is one thing that I wanted to bring back to my everyday life. Since I have been back home from SALT I have been having time alone with God daily. I have been reading "The Purpose Driven Life" and it has been amazing to see experiences from SALT while reading it. Journaling is a great way to express in words the ways that God is working in your life.

I agree with Tyler (Brown) when he said this week changed his heart towards people. I also learned not to assume what people are like, but get to know who they are before you assume. He is so right in the fact that we built friendships this week that I could have never imagined. Each individual that went on SALT impacted me without even realizing it. I saw God work through so many people to reach me. Some of the ways God worked through others is through their testimonies, through playing games, or even just talking to one another. I made some great friends and grew closer to friends I already had. I am excited to continue getting closer with each individual there!!

Like I said SALT made a positive impact on my life that I am excited to share with my teammates and classmates! This week was truly the best week of my life and taught me so much! One of the most important things it taught me was to surrender myself to the Lord, and wait patiently for Him!

Keep the Fire Hot

From Dennis Engbrecht, VP of Student Development at Bethel College....

I just finished reading from the SALT Blog about how each of you was impacted through an intentional effort to focus on God and hear His voice. I have to tell you that I am so moved by the authentic comments that reveal the clear “fingerprint of God” pressed upon the hearts SALT attendees. Wow! The Lord is pouring out His Spirit on our student-athletes in a very unusual way! This is an answer to prayer!

I want to challenge you personally to bring back to campus that which you experienced on the SALT retreat. In my own experience I have sometimes allowed the insights and blessings of a retreat or camp experience to remain precisely where I encountered God: at the retreat site and lost in my memory. By not processing what God says to us in these moments, applying these rich insights to our lives subsequent to the retreat experience, and failing to prioritize the actions we need to take as a result of hearing from God, we often lose the full impact of experiencing an awesome encounter with God. So what does it entail to avoid missing out on all the awesome insights and experiences of the SALT Retreat?

1. First, Process: What happened at the SALT Retreat? What made it such an incredible experience? How can I continue what God did in my life there and then, here and now? What was God saying to me at the SALT retreat? By asking and answering these questions, we process the entire experience and it becomes a part of our long term growth in the Lord.
2. Second, Apply: How do I apply what I learned at the SALT Retreat? What actions do I need to take as a result of what I learned, from what I sensed God saying to me? How will the SALT experience help my teammates who did not attend the SALT Retreat? An encounter with God always needs to produce an application of His truth. John Wesley called this “the Fruit of Repentance.” Without fruit, or in other words without the evidence, there really wasn’t a genuine encounter with God. So what do I need to do as a result of what I experienced at the SALT Retreat?
3. Finally, Prioritize: Often experiences like what you have just encountered produce several insights and a lot of follow-up application for each of us. That is when we become overwhelmed with everything we have learned from the Lord during a retreat like the one you attended. When we are overwhelmed, the tendency is to simply move on without any action at all because we don’t know where to start. Thus, I encourage you to sit down with pen and paper (if you already haven’t done so) and prioritize the action steps you need to take. For example, your priority list might look something like this:

• I need personal accountability with someone I trust for an area of my life where I really struggle. I commit to find that person within the next week.
• I have a timid witness. I commit to seek God’s direction to the persons with whom He wants me to share my faith, and I will share this person’s name with my accountability partner so that I can be held responsible for following through.
• My prayer life is so sporadic and weak. I commit to begin each day with a quiet time of solitude listening and talking to the Lord.

These are just examples of prioritizing. You will need to determine what the Lord was saying to you at SALT and then determine which responses merit the most urgent action.

I am so encouraged by what you and your fellow SALT colleagues have both experienced and shared via blogs. My prayer is that we will see the “fruit of the SALT” this fall when all students return to campus.

Keep the fire hot!

Dennis

A Stronger Walk with the Lord

Tyler Brown, JR, Men's Basketball shares his SALT 2008 experience.

SALT was an amazing week for me personally. I grew so much deeper in love with Christ through all of the activities that were planned. I expected to see God move during the week but it surpassed anything that I could have imagined. I was a little apprehensive when the week started because I didn't have a deep relationship with many people there, but as the week went on people started opening up and letting their true colors show.

The most meaningful thing for me was to see the entire group be vulnerable and share the struggles that we all have to deal with. It was so good to be there for people and have others be there for me. The solo alone time with God was unreal! I never thought that I would be able to spend 4 hours alone with God, but when I was finished I had a such a peace with God. It was indescribable. That was the most special thing for me. Every athlete there was affected in some way, everyone was changed.

The trust that was on display all week was so refreshing, it allowed people to feel like they could share anything. It was good to compete in the team games all week and get to know the athletes better in that element. This week changed my heart towards people. I learned that I need to get to know people before I just assume what they are like, I made some great friends during the week and can't wait to get even closer to them in the future.

SALT also let me see the benefits of just listening to God and waiting for Him to move instead of just talking to Him. This week gave me the time to just wait for Him. This week just reaffirmed that when I allow God to be the center of my life, I can overcome any temptation that is thrown my way.

My SALT Experience

We are back from an amazing week in West Virginia. The week was characterized by a great deal of challenging teaching, vulnerability, brokenness, learning, fellowship, and amazing new friendships. On the bus ride back, Kory Lantz lead the group through an extensive debriefing process. One of the products of this process was a single sentence describing their SALT 2008 experience:

Tyler Brown, Men’s Basketball…”SALT 2008 was about vulnerability, healing, fellowship, and growth. Hoorah!!!”

Shanna Page, Women’s Golf…”SALT was about great conversation, fun, and growing.”

Kara Ballinger, Women’s Golf…”SALT showed me that God is in control of all of the details of my life.”

Tara Blair, Softball…"SALT 2008 helped me grow, bond with others, and changed my life.”

Ashley Wray, Women’s Cross Country…”SALT 2008 was very eye-opening; I am going home changed and challenged.”

Carly Dunbar, Women’s Basketball…”God taught me so much about openness, change, and growth and SALT 2008.”

Carrie Edison, Women’s Tennis…”SALT deepened by view on life spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.”

Brad Wilson, Men’s Track…”My SALT experience challenged, built, and grew me from within.”

Jessie Spearman, Women’s Track…”My SALT experience was full of excitement and conviction.”

Abby Husch, Women’s Soccer…”My week at SALT was awesome because God revealed Himself to me in several ways. I had an awesome experience in worship, and I got to real fellowship with my fellow peers.”

Serena Fry, Women’s Tennis…”My week at SALT is summed up in 3 words: Relationships, Spiritual, and Trust.”

Arron Patrick, Men’s Soccer…"SALT should stand for Spectacular, Amazing, Laughing, and Team because those are the feelings you experience everyday at SALT, BOOYAH!!!”

Heather Casteel, Cheerleading…"SALT was great for me to look at myself and reexamine my desires and the sins in my life, but also what God can do through other people and my time alone with Him.”

Mandy Cripe, Softball…"My week at SALT was molding, meaningful, and memorable!”

Ali Brunner, Women’s Soccer…”My SALT experience has broken misconceptions that I had by showing me how God is moving in others lives and this has in turn shown me the extreme need that I have to let God work in my life again.”

Candice Obregon, Volleyball…”My SALT experience has been full of joy, happiness, and God’s amazing love.”

Michelle Werner, Volleyball…”My week at SALT has been full of love, laughter, and life.”

Scott Terry (Woody), Men’s Soccer…”My SALT experience has been challenging, emotional, and influential.”

Vincent Reel, Men’s Track…”My SALT experience was full of learning, serving, and excitement.”

Ryan Waybright, Men’s Cross Country…”My SALT experience can be explained in three words: Growth, friendship, and experiences.”

Josh Kiefer, Men’s Tennis…”My experience at SALT was good because God showed Himself to me through different ways like worship, prayer, and fun.”

Ryne Lightfoot, Men’s Basketball…”SALT 2008 meant to me: Purpose, pursuit, a bonding. Purpose, for what I mean to the team, pursuit for the constant journey I am on with Christ, and bonding for the amazing friendships that I have made.”

Kelsy McKee, Women’s Basketball…”My SALT experience was great getting to know other athletes, while spending time in prayer and worship with God!”

Laura Winningham, Women’s Cross Country…”My SALT experience gave me a chance to connect with God in a very real way and the tools to go home to continue to develop the disciplines in my own life and encourage my team.”

Kory Lantz, Men’s Basketball…”My SALT experience can be summed up in three words: Brokenness, Bonding, and Building.”

Eric Carnacchi, Men’s Golf…”SALT helped me become vulnerable, develop accountability, and realize the necessity of humility in my life in order to bring praise, honor, and glory to God.”

Broken down Walls

This post was made by Heather Casteel, SR, Cheerleading.

Before I ever got here, my prayer for this group was openness and obedience. The first morning we were here, I already saw God answering that prayer. After our morning devotional time, we had the opportunity to share what we learned, thought, or felt during that hour. I was blown away with the vulnerability and honesty of those who shared; that laid the foundation for the rest of the week.

Everyone has either shared in a large or small group about what God has placed on their hearts and how He’s been moving. Tuesday night we as leaders felt that it would be beneficial to offer time for the athletes to wash someone’s feet. We were unsure on how receptive the idea would be, but it went so well. That night I saw walls crumbling down and masks taken off; people were revealing their raw selves. There were very honest and real conversations occurring between teammates, athletes and leaders, and even athletes from different teams. I could see the Holy Spirit at work that night around the bonfire.

It has been very encouraging for me to see how this group has welcomed each other’s differences and embraced them. They recognize the diversity but understand that there can be great unity within that challenge. I have witnessed friendships begin and some strengthened, each encouraging and supporting the other in his/her walk with Christ. I am excited to see how they all continue these relationships after returning home.

My prayer for the team now is to continue in the growth they’ve made here and then be obedient to what God is calling them to. I want them to continue practicing the spiritual disciplines that they have all seemed to thoroughly engage in this week. And as a leader, I want to be there with them, taking the same steps, and motivating them to keep walking forward, seeking God’s face; not losing focus, but centering their lives around Christ. And the walls and masks that were broken here, they would remain desolated. God is doing a great work in these athletes, may they not be afraid to share it with those they encounter at home and Bethel.

God is working among us

This post was written by Josh Kiefer, SR, Men's Tennis

SALT 2008 is underway in West Virginia and Jesus didn’t waste any time showing us His face. Just listening to all our stories it is evident Christ has His finger on each of us and this whole event. It is such a blessing for me to get the chance to come back for my second year and be a student leader. All these athletes are starting to realize their gifts are unique and special. All of us, myself included, now understand what we can bring to our teams, families, and fellow students. With three days to go, the group is looking forward to a lot of fun, (white water rafting, and a day at the beach) but we are also anticipating our ‘solo experience’ where we will spend several hours alone with our thoughts and with the Lord. Finally, we are looking forward to more fellowship together and applying what we have learned about leadership once the upcoming school year starts.

------------Josh Kiefer

It begins . . .

Since coming to Bethel one of the best compliments I've heard about the college is the desire for spiritual development of its students. The purpose of this retreat is to foster such growth. We arrived less than 24 hrs ago and I am already impressed with the character of this group. They seem prepared and focused. Many understand the sacrifices athletes make, which was evident by many getting up early to get in workouts . . . and doing them with such joy! Then after some encouraging words and points to ponder they headed out for TAWG (time alone with God). What a sight to see young people scattered around the grounds eagerly soaking in the Word of God. During the following worship time together many shared thoughts, insights, and words of encouragement. The depth of their comments was awesome. The group seems willing to be vulnerable and moldable, which is critical for the week. At this rate we will return and witness a dynamic influence on teams and the entire campus. Wow, what a beginning! I leave you with a paraphrased nugget of wisdom shared this morning by one of the student leaders: "Don't look for a big spiritual experience this week. Rather be real/be yourself and it will find you."

We are here....

We are all safely at the Opposum Creek Retreat Center. After some pizza and a crazy game of "Capture the Flag" we will sit down and talk about why we are taking six days to discuss our roles as spiritual leaders at our athletic venues and on the campus of Bethel College.

On the bus ride today this group was the liveliest most interactive group we have had attend a SALT Retreat. They were more like groups are at the end of the week. What does that mean for this group?

We are praying that God would move in a very real way amongst these student-athletes. My prayer is that they could each gain a more accurate picture of the awesome God we serve and in turn take that view to their dorm, their team, and their campus. I am asking God for vulnerability and brokeness among these athletes.