From the moment I was greeted to the time I left the scenic grounds of the Glen Eyrie Conference Center in Colorado Springs, Co., I found the National Seminar on Holiness was designed with purpose and provided ample opportunity to reflect on holy living.
I came without expectations in order to be open to whatever God had for me. My only expectation was that God would have something to say, whether conviction, clarification or confirmation. During this time I found He often convicted my heart, but with that came hope.
On the first night we heard from National Chief Secretary Colonel Ralph Bukiewicz. He didn’t ease into the deep challenges but right off challenged us to pray three daring prayers of surrender:
- Lord, help me to see sin as You see it.
- Lord, help me to see others from Your point of view.
- Lord, help me to see how I fit into Your plan of redemption.
When we genuinely pray this way, we may be surprised by the answers we receive. This call to surrender set the tone for the week. The schedule included plenty of time for worship, learning, small groups, quiet reflection and prayer, and fellowship. We began each day in our small groups in prayer.
This time opened our minds to hear whatever God had to say to us that day. After breakfast we participated in Sealed Orders. These personal devotions were based in Luke 24 where the resurrected Jesus walks along two men on the road to Emmaus.
This time of meditation was one of my favorite parts of the seminar. I would sit by the stream with the mountains in front of me and just read and reflect on God’s Word surrounded by His beautiful creation. It is where God talked to me the most, convicting me of things I needed to admit to myself and confess to Him.
After Sealed Orders, we moved into teaching sessions by National Ambassadors for Holiness Dr. Bill Ury and Rev. Diane Ury. These meetings were deep and thought-provoking. People sought the Lord at the altar during each session. The Holy Spirit was at work in our hearts
On Wednesday, Meredith Bauman talked about the importance of simply dwelling in God’s presence. That afternoon, instead of meeting in small groups, we each found a quiet place on campus just to be with God. For someone like me who identifies as a “Martha,” a person perpetually busy and who prioritizes getting things done, this was hard. It was only about 45 minutes before I was distracted, but this exercise helped me realize that I need to dwell with Him more.
Throughout the seminar, we were privileged to hear from many speakers. Each of them was passionate about holiness and living holy lives. But more importantly than what we learned, God started to mold us into holy people who are ready to reflect Jesus to the world.
By Joy Caro
