Since I began studying and preaching on Isaiah the last few months, one of Isaiah’s main themes through out the book is to trust God alone (Isa 7:9b), which requires that you STOP TRUSTING IN MAN (Isa 2:22). Practically, this is to stop exalting our leaders and to stop self exaltation. (http://www.westloop-church.org/index.php/messages/old-testament/32-isaiah-messages/410-the-ideal-and-the-actual-isaiah-2)

Manger/small scale/low cost/agreed upon location/theme, etc would perhaps be a good place to start.

JohnY: Any thoughts?

“True courage is not the brutal force of vulgar heroes, but the firm resolve of virtue and reason.”
— Alfred North Whitehead

so if there ever was a simple event, why not a place like to detroit to spur it’s economy, pray for it’s people, see what a blessed place it was/can be (island park in the river,etc)

i grew up by a little lake which had a wishing well to drop pennies in, but later it got filled up w dirt like a big flower planter so not a danger to fall in:)

“Folks, If you really read this it should make you mad that we are this bad. Will anyone address this and the broken process and lack of visibility or will we just go on about our business and bury our heads in the sand?”

Wow! I envision the day when senior ubf leaders say such things :)

So if we did have some sort of a retreat, most if not all of the pressure of a ubf conference would be non-existent because we wouldn’t be trying to control people. And we wouldn’t have to “plan for free time”. You are 100% free to do whatever you want during a professional conference. The event planners simply present and let people learn and attend.

So like the Well, such a thing is more of an “event” and an “encounter” rather than a “program” and a “conference”.

If we had such a retreat, I would volunteer to present Andy Stanley’s sermon from the GLS. (And Joshua the grape-fest would need to be handled carefully or not at all if underage folks attend)

Joe you mentioned something that struck a chord with me: “I attended The Well 8 months ago and it was an excellent event. But it was treated with suspicion and heavily criticized by some older ubf leaders. The team of young people that ran that event has been disbanded; JY is no longer overseeing it. The Well will not take place this year.”

I already knew this, however what strikes me is that I had a vision (really more of just an idea) while attending the WCA GLS this year.

I thought, why not have The Well sponsored by ubfriends this year? Why not have a ubfriends retreat where people in ubf who never got to express their ideas could organize the event? It would be low-budget for sure, but couldn’t we pull it off if we worked together?

Faith or Observance of the Law
1 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? 4 Have you suffered so much for nothing–if it really was for nothing? 5 Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard?

legalism is the worst sin for it severely damages lives, pushing into either self-righteous fantasy or self-condemning apathy (either of which only intensifies bondage to other sins: hopefully not used intentionally to control for ‘religious’ purpose, for that would be an ‘unforgivable’ sin deserving the hottest fires of hell):

only the Holy Spirit saves/sets free/rescues from such pernicious/vitriolic evil
& only those who sincerely seek Him; may our children be saved from pandering control

I wanted to help the 2nd gens to hear God’s call for themselves personally and primarily before God, rather than secondarily through their parents and missionaries. I wanted God to be their own God, rather than simply the God of their parents.

But the GD at that time told others something to the effect that I was not training the 2nd Gens, and that I was not “structuring” YDC. So he replaced me with a younger Korean missionary who would do whatever he said and wanted.

But thank God that the precedent has already been set such that The Well cannot be scripted and controlled as much as other UBF conferences. Thus, according to many accounts, The Well (which is not controlled by older UBF leaders) is the best UBF conference.

Sorry, if it sounds like I am bragging. Maybe I am. Lord, if I am then I already received my reward. Lord, have mercy!

And I read a life testimony of another second gen of Moscow ubf. He is promising to be a shepherd for Russian students because it is “God’s call” for him. Inside ubf it is a nice sogam. (In our chapter I saw that the second gens knew how to write sogams, just putting some minimal “repentance” and a promise to be a shepherd for many Russians). But outside ubf it is simply crazy. I see youth of my church, they are many and they are free to grow in the Lord, and I can’t imagine what it would look like if a Korean young man appears to become their “shepherd”. When ubf directors and parents dictate such words to their children’s sogams they just don’t know what they are doing. It seems to me that they are destroying the faith of the little ones. They don’t allow second gens to hear God’s call but just put the “bury-your-bones-in-the-mission-field-missionary” heritage into them.

“But at its core do you think it is because UBF has apotheosized her leaders?” – It is not clear who “ubf” is/are. I think that it is better to put the question this way, “But at its core do you think it is because UBF leaders have apotheosized themselves?” – Yes, I think so. They apotheosized themselves and want and demand others to think of them as of untouchable and special “servants of God”.

I liked Wesley Notes on Jude 1:1 about the “servants”, “Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ – The highest glory which any, either angel or man, can aspire to. The word servant, under the old covenant, was adapted to the spirit of fear and bondage that clave to that dispensation. But when the time appointed of the Father was come, for the sending of his Son to redeem them that were under the law, the word servant (used by the apostles concerning themselves and all the children of God) signified one that, having the Spirit of adoption, is made free by the Son of God. His being a servant is the fruit and perfection of his being a son. And whenever the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in the new Jerusalem, then will it be indeed that “his servants shall serve him,” Rev 22:3.”.

Every time I see such kind of articles I wander two things.

1) I wander who is this ‘UBF’ monster that thinks and acts by itself? I used to think that UBF is me and my friends with whom we serve God together.

2) I wander what is the goal of the author: to glorify God or just to blame someone?

Excuse me Dr.Ben, you ask important questions but I don’t like you in a ‘dirt-thrower’ image. I would really appreciate if you show a practical example how you solve such problems in your local church. Or, if you have none, what solution(s) you think would be useful and practical. God bless you.

As for the comments, yes we are sinners, yes we were blessed, yes we should forgive and yes there are two sides to the story. However:

1) For two sides – a student does not begin with an agenda to rise the ranks in UBF, BUT a shepherd always has the system in their consciousness regardless or whether they honour it or not.

2) Yes, we are all sinners – that’s why Jesus is so desirable.

3) To command forgiveness not only implies, but actually declares that wrong doing occurred. I think that point must be considered more deeply by leadership to be accountable.

4) My favourite of the lot!! Oh yes! You showered me with food, gifts rides and so on – but in the beginning many sheep do not expect any of this. In fact some people get uncomfortable because of the ‘love bombing’ approach. After a while students may get used to it and even take it for granted, but that remains the ownership of the shepherd who continues to pursue those means to attain loyalty.

*In terms of God blessing UBF etc…..you already have my comments for the record.