Fourth Day

By Jake Tobolewski

Hello all,
I am so grateful to have been part of this past Footsteps weekend, I hope that you had a meaningful experience.  Today is the 4th day.  I suspect today you are going through a wide range of emotions today, sad that Footsteps is over, joyful that you got to meet people you became incredibly close with over the short span of three days, and no doubt you are tired.
The fourth day comes with responsibility, responsibility that you do not forget and pass off what the weekend has meant to you. A responsibility to be a light in the life of the people around you.  As it was said in the Music Box, it wasn’t meant to be kept with yourself.  Share your joy!
I encourage you to spend time reflecting on the things you experienced over the weekend and the talks that you heard.  Reflect on Joe’s Jesus Christ talk and read the gospels for yourself to determine what the bible says about Jesus, not what society may say about him.   Remember Jasmine’s Forgiveness talk and remember that there is NOTHING you can ever do to make God not love you.  Find courage to ask for forgiveness from those you have wronged, ask God for forgiveness from your sins, and allow yourself to let go of the pain from the wrongs done to you.  Continue your path towards God enhancing your faith and spirituality as Karina and Angie spoke about.  Reflect on the other talks and the experiences you had during Holy Night.
Remember the importance of finding a church that feeds you spiritually, and keep looking until you find one.  Find your self a small group, a small church, that pushes you to be better, supports you, and holds you accountable.  If you don’t have one, talk to the others, support each other, love one another.
Faith can not happen only once every three months at Footsteps, it needs to happen continuously, and that is the importance of being deliberately pious.  That doesn’t mean you won’t have spiritual ups and downs (you will), but it means that you can’t undo what you felt this weekend.  
Know that more than anything else you are Loved and Cherished children of God.

Love,
Jake Tobolewski