Spiritual Red Bull

As I talked with our youth minister Jason about the TCTC youth convention, it was interesting hearing his observations.  He felt the convention went well, and students seemed to enjoy the conference.  Yet he could tell by watching their responses that they are used to a diet of such things.  He compared this type of feeding for students to the caffeine drink "Red Bull."  He was saying that while they were energized, it was the sort of short term boost one might get from a caffeine drink -- short-lived and non-nutritious.

How many of us move from peak to peak in our spiritual journeys, counting on shots in the arm and big highs to sustain us?  A healthy spiritual life involves taking in good, consistent spiritual food.  Life isn't always full of highs and joys and mountaintops.  In fact, the greatest fruit in our spiritual journeys are often found in the valleys, not the mountaintops.

If we take this insight seriously, the question that naturally follows is how that changes our understanding of the importance of conferences and retreats and camps for spiritual health.  We ought not count on them to sustain us, but rather to be in addition to healthy personal devotional habits.  Caffeine has its place (thank God for morning coffee!), but makes a poor diet.