5 Minute Friday prompt: Blue

Five Minute Friday is a weekly writing challenge and linkup, where you write for 5 minutes on a designated word.   Every so often,  when I find myself with some writing time between Friday and Sunday,  I plan to take this challenge.  When I have done this I find that my 5 mintues of writing tends to reflect something that is going on in my life or my general reflections.  So I share these short posts with this in mind – this is simply my immediate thoughts when I read this word today.

This week’s Five Minute Friday prompt is: Blue

Blue Gowns of Graduation

This weekend I went to Canberra (approx 4,000km away) to celebrate the concluding of (graduating from) a 3 month internship with Joshua.  They wore blue gowns.

Graduating from Lachlan Macquarie Internship

And that really is all this post has to do with Blue!  But that is what came to mind when I sat down…

This internship was about training Christians to be competent in the public sphere of influence.  (Lachlan Macquarie Internship) Over the three months they have studied theology, philosophy, history.  They’ve practiced researching, writing, thinking strategically, public speaking and debate.  They have had discussion after discussion and in doing so not only fine tuning their thinking and communicating skills but also learning how to listen to others with differing opinions, how to pushback and how to respond when being disagreed with.  They have lived in community, a melting pot of different personalities, backgrounds, and beliefs (even though all Christians) and they have come out at the end, friends and band of supporters wherever the next step takes each of them.

During this course, the interns have met with, dined with, discussed with Christian men and women of influence, Christian people who have been in the public scene and who want to glorify God in the circumstances they find themselves in.  How exciting to have such calibre of men and women speaking into these young people’s lives.

The bottom line of most of their readings, lessons, discussion and projects was to be well versed in Biblical worldview – that is seeing the world and each sphere through the eyes of God’s purposes, and to then be able to not only live in a world that holds to a different worldview, but to influence it towards God.   (And these are lessons that need to be taught in our home, they are important for every person – not just those going into academic spheres of society.)

One thing that I have appreciated observing is that this course, though it was very intense academically, did focus on relationships.  The co-ordinator reminded us today that it was going to be relationships that these young people have with each other, and with others, that will keep them true in their vision and actions, it is relationships with people that will pull them up, gently correct and encourage when they start on a slippery slope away from God’s word.  It is too easy to forget this truth and think that academic ability is what will bring success.

Graduations are a funny thing – on the one hand it is a celebration and an end of one season of life and on the other hand, it is a new beginning, though maybe towards an unknown next season of life.  And the future is unknown for Josh at this stage though he has gained some solid skills to not only step out into the future, but to continue to grow and prepare for whatever is always next.

And we are proud to be his parents – ready to walk with him along the way!

Two dear friends who have known Josh since he was 12 were able to be with us.

Read more thoughts on Blue over at 5 Minute Friday