The Midwest Presbytery featured a youth retreat at Shawnee, Kan., RP Church in December with a showing of about 80 youth. Pastor Steve Rockhill spoke about the “Principles of Reformation” from Nehemiah.

The retreat was full of talking with friends and delicious food. We played games like ninja, ghosts in the graveyard, round robin, and various card games. There were also lots of new people to meet and hang out with. I am grateful to Shawnee RPC for providing delicious meals and useful facilities. It was a great blessing to be able to learn, but also a blast to catch up with friends.

This conference was over New Year’s Eve. One of my fondest memories from the conference is gathering outside in the cold to sing psalms and our national anthem. And, of course, there were sparklers and fireworks as we rang in the new year!

The main focus of the retreat was the excellent lectures given by Pastor Rockhill. The first lecture was titled “Foundations of Reformation.” Before you can do any reforming, you need to start at the rock bottom foundation of God’s Word. Pastor Rockhill used the example of the Israelites in Nehemiah to show how we should think. We should follow their example in turning to the Scriptures and seeking out the truth.

Pastor Rockhill outlined many steps to personal reformation. One that really stood out to me was that we need to hunger for God’s Word. It’s easy to know intellectually that reading the Bible is wholesome, but a common phrase in our discussion groups was, “I read sometimes, but not as much as I should.” Reading the Bible regularly will nourish your soul, but we also need to hunger for the Word and rely on it, just as we rely on food, make feeding on the Word like eating lunch.

Pastor Rockhill’s second lecture was titled “The Fruit of Repentance.” Again, the Israelites in Nehemiah are an example to us of how vital repentance is to Christians, which is demonstrated in our behavior.

The way to repent that stood out to me the most was that we need to confess our sins. When I envision confessing my sins, I think of a Catholic confessional where I would speak to the priest about the horrible things I’ve done. While that’s a bit weird, there really is something to the concrete action of stating your wrongs out loud to another person. You certainly don’t need a confessional, but verbally identifying what you’ve done wrong and “spilling the beans” with someone you trust is cathartic to the soul.

This puts a big mirror in front of our face and shows us who we really are. Sharing your sins with a friend lifts a huge burden from your back. Share your struggles with others, and don’t lock yourself in the prison cell of secret sin. Be honest out loud, and there will be kind people to help you through your struggles.

Rockhill’s third lecture was “Reformation, a Work of God’s Grace.” Nehemiah describes how God gave the Israelites many blessings while they were in Egypt. He gave them food, water, shoes, and rest, but the Israelites returned the favor by cursing and abandoning God. No matter what happened, He still showed them His steadfast love.

Apply this to yourself, and you will grow in your assurance that “nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:39). Even if you are exiled in a foreign land, God will always grant His people the grace of repentance and draw you back to Himself.

Our final lecture was “Covenant Commitment of Reformation.” We learned that Reformed Presbyterians were called Covenanters because they followed covenants and lived out their promises with God. We saw the same in Nehemiah where every single person signed his covenant.

We’ve all confessed the covenant of communicant membership. Reread those vows and think deeply about how they apply to your life. Cherish the gospel and live out your love for God by keeping your covenants.