Russell A. Cardwell Online

Chrysalis was wonderful. Some of the events are a little different from Emmaus. And some of the special chapel services may be even more powerful than their Emmaus counterparts.

The kids on my team did a great job, and all the caterpillars seemed to get a lot out of it.

I’ve grown increasingly suspicious of ministry activities that seem to benefit those doing the ministry more than those they are ministering to. Emmaus has often been afflicted with this. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard people say, “I need to work another Emmaus Walk. I need a spiritual boost.” I confess to doing this myself in the past. But that’s completely backwards. And I think it is the source of most of the trouble that has plagued the Emmaus community over the years. The sad fact is that many of our churches are not feeding their congregations. Some leave, looking for better churches; others give up on the church altogether. But many stay, as I did for years, and are forced to search elsewhere for their spiritual food. So I know what it’s like to devote major resources in time and money to find ways outside the church to get spiritually filled, and then bring it back to church, only to be sucked dry in no time flat. I spent years like that, so I sympathize with those who are stuck in that position. I thank God I’m no longer at a prodigal church, but there are many who for various reasons are stuck where they are, often due to family, or commitments. So there is no condemnation. It’s a shame, that’s all.

There is always a secondary gain, though, and I did benefit from the Chrysalis this weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was relaxing and fun, but it wasn’t any big “spiritual boost.” As far as what new revelation I carried away from it, when somebody asked, I said “I think I’ve finally overcome my compulsive need to know what the hell I’m doing. I was totally clueless all weekend and it went great!” That’s freedom. It felt wonderful.

So does that mean that cluelessness is the key to freedom?

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