The vicious cycle of Basileia.

My students must think I'm a broken record.

Basileia this, Basileia that.  Come to Basileia!  Let's get you to Basileia!  Sign up for Basileia!  Basileia is awesome!  [Insert any fabulous, passionate vision about why you should come to Basileia here!]

They must think I'm getting paid on commission per student I get to register for Basileia, or get some kind of bonus.  Now wouldn't that be pretty sweet.  Too bad it's not true.

We start talking about Basileia early.  And yet, I don't think we start talking about it early enough.  We talk about Basileia a lot.  And yet, I don't think that we talk about it enough.

The hope is that students will have the dates in their calendar before they start setting up their summer plans.  The hope is that we'll communicate the value of Basileia enough so that students will actually make it priority to put it into their summer plans.

Makes sense, right?  Sounds like a great plan, right?  Well, somewhere along the way this plan always morphs into its own monster.  We talk about Basileia early, and then students say they don't know what they're doing at that time, so they don't want to commit.  We talk about Basileia the month before, and then we start hearing some form of a reason why they can't go.  Co-ops.  Not enough money.  Too far away.  Aka, "I committed to something else."

I often translate these reasons to really mean:  students don't trust God enough to provide their needs, and/or students don't think there's enough value to make it a priority.

But my goodness, if you don't think God can provide the funds, time, or transportation to get there, then what does that say about the God we claim to trust and follow, or seek?  

I don't know about my students, but I believe that God is trustworthy and faithful.  I don't want students to come to Basileia for the sake of having another body in the room.  I have personally experienced and witnessed the power of God through His ministry at Basileia and want others to have an experience of their own.  And that is not so that they could leave with a temporary, spiritual high, but that they can remember how God met them, how He is faithful, and how He will continue to be faithful and powerful even after they've come down from the Adirondack mountain top.  Basileia can be a tremendous turning point for us as individuals and as a community, and I don't want students to miss that opportunity. 

And here are 5 Reasons why I think Basileia is WORTH IT, students:

1. Your presence makes a difference.  You think it won't matter or make a difference if you're not there, but that's a lie.  That's why I don't just accept it when you say, "Oh, I'll just go next year."  I believe God speaks to us individually, but He also speaks to us as an RIT community as well, your voice and presence is a vital part of shaping our response to His invitations.      

2. Your leadership potential and spiritual growth is worth investing in just as much as your education.  You spend tens of thousands of dollars and/or work to earn that money in scholarships to invest in your vocation.  How about spending a few hundred to invest in your spiritual growth and leadership development?  And guess what?  I don't think figuring out the money is a big deal because we believe in the God of the universe, a God of abundance, not of scarcity.  Do you trust that He'll provide?  Have you tried to creatively problem-solve your situation with your co-op, your family, or others?

3. Basileia is a unique time and space you can't re-create at home.  Yes, God will still be present with you wherever you are.  He is still doing a work in you.  But there's something about spending a week off campus, with peers who share the same values, at a beautiful lake with no school work or tests to worry about that creates space for the Holy Spirit to move in ways that you just don't experience in a different setting.

4. You gain skills for personal growth and community leadership.  It's not this temporary spiritual high of meeting with Jesus and then coming back down the mountain only for the glow to fade and everything to go back to the way things were before.  These are skills you can take with you back to campus, as well as the rest of your life either directly or if you apply them to your context.

5. Meet InterVarsity students and staff from other colleges and universities.  RIT's chapter is part of a bigger movement.  At Basileia you get a glimpse of what God is doing in others on different campuses.  These students and staff can have such valuable insight, wisdom, and ideas to share with you, but they also understand some of the burdens you carry as a college student and the difficulties of leading others.  Take advantage of the time you have there with them!