I remember being confused when Brian first announced the theme for CHIC 2009, the fall before the conference. As he unpacked promotional t-shirts and posters from a crisp cardboard box, I found myself wondering what it could possibly mean. The shattered logo and the images of faceless, fractured teens left me feeling uneasy; "undone" lacked the upbeat, reassuring ring of One Life themes like "overjoyed."

It wasn’t until I experienced CHIC for myself that I came to fully understand what exactly "undone" meant. The word comes from the King James translation of Isaiah 6, when Isaiah is offered a life-changing glimpse of Almighty God in all his glory. As he stands in God’s holy presence, Isaiah’s self – his preconceptions, prior commitments, and comfort zones – is completely unraveled, his sins cleansed. Much of CHIC, including our morning "base camp" sessions, focused on letting God undo our ideas about ourselves, others, and Him. But Isaiah's encounter with God doesn't simply end with his undoing. Once God has humbled him, He sends Isaiah on a special mission – and that's where the second aspect of "undone" comes in.

Being undone is also about doing the "undone" work that God has prepared for us to do. At CHIC, this included raising money to help women and farmers in Thailand find employment, packaging food to feed malnourished children in places like Africa and Haiti, and writing letters to congressmen and senators about stopping the modern slave trade right here in America. Like the prophet Isaiah, God has called us all to do his work, to spread the good news and share his love with others. Being "undone" by God is the foundation for living a life of service in Christ.

The true meaning of the word "undone" was never clearer than on the night Shane Claiborne spoke to us about his amazing life of service to God. When Shane walked out on stage, the first – and only – thing I noticed about him were his long dreadlocks and baggy t-shirt and jeans. But Shane had not been speaking for a full minute before all my arrogant assumptions and superficial judgments were utterly demolished by the raw power and truth of his message. This man was the real deal. In plain, down-to-earth terms, he told us about how he and a group of friends had left everything behind to work alongside Mother Teresa in the slums of India, giving everything they had to the poor and depending on God to provide even the most basic necessities of life. After finishing his ministry there, Shane headed to Philadelphia, where he fought to protect the rights of the homeless, and spent time in jail for his activism. Here was a man whose life had clearly been undone, his notions about worth, security, faith, and love radically altered. But even though he admitted that at times God's plan frightened him, Shane responded to God's work in his life with passionate action. His life in Christ didn't end with his salvation; being undone was only the beginning.

This is what I will take away from CHIC: that not only must my attitudes and perceptions be constantly shaped and reshaped by God's grace, but that God has a plan and a purpose for my life that has true and lasting value. I'd like to give a special thanks to all the members of the congregation who donated their time, resources, and prayer in support of CHIC and the LCC senior high, and especially to those who set aside their daily lives to become undone with us: Brian Zahasky, Jim Pas, Eric and Jessica Sawyer, Darilyn Anderson, and Nancy McLinden. Your generosity provided a life-changing experience for all of us, one that I hope future LCC youth will also be able to share.

Sarah is a senior at Grayslake High School and actively participates in the life of LCC.