Sojourner #026: Challenged By Grace (DNow 2025)

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is." (Romans 12:2)

Many of us can almost immediately associate certain months with certain activities. For instance, for some, December means Christmas and ugly sweaters. For you, Spring might mean Easter or gardening. Perhaps March means allergies, or college basketball and brackets. 

As a pastor to students, there are just certain months or seasons during a typical year that my mind will immediately associate with certain events. For me, July tends to carry a summer camp flavor. Each August, we throw a fun 7-Up themed event at our church which acts as an official welcome to 7th graders graduating up – leaving 6th grade in the dust and moving up into our youth program (we run 7th through 12th grades). However, if you mention the month of February around me, my brain is almost instantly flooded with thoughts of DNow.

What is DNow? DNow (or Disciple Now) is historically a weekend retreat where students have the opportunity to gather together with peers for main sessions with a guest speaker, small group Bible studies divided up by age and gender, lots of high-energy worship under the direction of a band, and oftentimes service or outreach projects of some sort.

Throw in some high carb late night snacks and wee-hour-of-the-night chats, and you have a weekend designed to engage students in surrendering their lives to Christ and strengthening their walk with Him. My favorite part is that students who come in not knowing Jesus as Savior are challenged and invited to trust Him by grace through faith in His glorious gospel and begin their eternal life as a believer. 

We know how challenging and even tumultuous the teenage years can be. Those adolescent years are perhaps the years we as humans mature, develop in personhood, and transform most naturally. There are threats to those in their teen years. This world, as well as their own flesh, may seek to pull them far from faith, the strength of a gospel preaching and loving church, and from an abiding relationship with the Lord.

DNow is designed to provide our students with the opportunity to grow as disciples who engage the world around them for the sake of the gospel and to develop in their love for God, the Bible, and valuable spiritual disciplines. So much of that begins (or is further developed) in the mind of these kids during this powerful weekend. 

Romans 12:2 tells us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

If you’ll humor me, I’d like to take a chance to boast in Christ.

We had the privilege of bringing our group of around 60 (plus the best volunteer leader team around) and witness the Lord do wonderful things in the lives of many. Also, we had the honor of welcoming to the family several new brothers and sisters in the faith family. 

This won’t be our last DNow. I am already looking forward with great anticipation to next year’s thrilling DNow… but first, a little rest and planning.

For churches who do not yet enjoy this discipleship tool in the lives of their young members (and those in the community they seek to reach with the Gospel), I am more than happy to explain how they can add this powerful weekend to their ministry calendar. 

It's not difficult for me to see why, when I think of February, there’s a reason my mind goes to this fun, action-packed event we call DNow.

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About the Author: Nathan Raiche serves as the Student Pastor at Southside Baptist Church in Southside, AL. He and his wife have been married twenty years and have three children. Nathan earned his Bachelor's Degree in International Missions from Piedmont Baptist College and his Youth Ministries Emphasis Degree from the Word of Life Institute. 

Learn more about Southside Baptist Church here.

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