Esse Quam Videri

I spent Monday through Wednesday morning with the Forge at Pine Cove.  If you've been a reader around here or know our family, you know that Pine Cove's family camps are a huge blessing to our lives and we're huge fans of their ministry.  So just about any time we can give back to them in ministry, we do.

The Forge is a 8-month discipleship and leadership training program where students live onsite and, through classes, experiences, and service, grow in an intense and intentional environment in the areas of spirituality, life skills, leadership, and ministry.  It's run by Matt Lantz and Jennifer Crouse who do an excellent job managing both the logistics of the 24 students and keeping a finger on the pulse of the individuals and the group.

One of the things I like most about the Forge is their tagline:  Esse Quam Videri.  Apparently (I had to ask before I left on Wednesday), that's Latin for "To be, not to seem."

I love that.  I'm praying for myself this year that I'd be authentic.  So I hope to have a lot more "be" and a lot less "seem" when it's all said and done.  And I pray of our church that we'd "be" and not "seem."  The lives of 24 college students who can "be" and not "seem" also benefit from that intention.

It strikes me that the difference between "being" and "seeming" isn't so much the distance between the two but the hard work or commitment it takes to make the transition.

But that's just me thinking thoughts...