All-Seminary Chapel features executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute
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03/10/10
“I have a personal confession,” began Kara Powell, assistant professor of youth and family ministry and executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute, in All-Seminary Chapel on Wednesday, March 10. “As much as I love the Lord, sometimes I end up surprised at how long I can go without thinking about God.”
In her talk, “Sitting at Jesus’s Feet Even as Life Sprints Forward,” Powell discussed the story in Luke 10:38-42 of Mary and Martha. She explained that even though she connects with God in a time set aside each morning, her time with God can be compared to the green beans in a frozen dinner—kept separate from the different parts of the meal. “Sometimes in the sprint of life, I end up feeling kind of dry,” Powell observed, noting that she had previously been unsure how to integrate her relationship with God into her daily life of marriage, family, and career.
It was John Ortberg’s book God is Closer Than You Think that provided Powell with an “aha moment” last fall, causing her to look at the Mary and Martha story in a different way. “What if the image of Mary at Jesus’s feet isn’t only about her geographical position, but about her attitude?” she asked. She described a way of intimacy with Christ that is about experiencing Jesus in the present moment.
“My biggest goal for 2010 is just that I would experience Jesus,” shared Powell. “That’s become my constant prayer.” Whether she is at her first-grade daughter’s school play, doing research for work, or in the dentist’s chair, Powell finds herself asking to experience Jesus. In this way, she hopes to have an integrated life that is more like a pot pie than a frozen dinner—everything is mixed together.
“Wouldn’t it be great,” Powell asked in conclusion, “If Fuller were known as a place where Jesus is the thread that weaves his way through our study, our work, and our lives?”