But, enough complaining : ) Other than the fact that we hardly saw him, the conferences were AMAZING! I went to the worship sessions every evening and took the children. There is nothing that I can put into words to describe the intensity of fervor and hunger in that room. Especially the last 3 nights, with the Desperation Conference geared for high-schoolers. There is just something about thousands of young lives that are THAT intense and passionate which energizes the whole air of the place. You have to realize that most of these kids paid some price to be there-- they weren't brought unwillingly from 4 states away--- they WANTED to come. With all my heart, I know that God meets us when we set time aside for Him; when these few minutes, or hours, or days, are deliberately blocked off for no one but Him, He will meet with us. He loves to!!!
In today's world, with the concern of being PC, and all that jazz, you can water down Christianity till there's nothing left but to drown in this culture of relativity and "middle-ground land." But when you look at a sea of young faces as they are told that in order to walk a Christian life, you will have to sacrifice, you will have to pay a price; that there is an unseen war and we are in the middle of it and can influence the present and the future; that there is absolute right and wrong; that we are the light of the world, so BE the light of the world; that God is worthy of all we have, all we are, He wants it all..... when you look at the hunger and desire on their faces, you realize that we don't have to apologize for our Faith- they WANT the challenge, they WANT something in which they can be totally sold out. They want to stand on sure foundation, to know the boundaries, to live in the light, and walk against the currents of society and culture.
It was such a beautiful thing to see. Sometimes it can be discouraging to see where the world is headed; all the pain, all the injustice around us, in nations all over the globe. There is nothing better that gives me such hope, as I am reminded I am not alone in what makes my heart burn.
2 comments:
The thought of 120 hours makes me want to cry for you! Good job, friend! I am so impressed! How great that you got to go and experience part of it too. Hopefully that made things a bit easier. :)
Thank you so much for your encouragement last week... how desperately I needed it! Things are going much better, but I know it's only a matter of time until the challenges seem too big to bear again. I am so thankful for friends to walk through this journey with. I treasure you, even from across the miles! Love you!
I really did make a difference in being able to go to the conferences. The children and I would be able to see Andrew, if only for a minute, before and after the sessions. And just experiencing it, like you said, at least helped the time pass more quickly... and it was fun : )
I put a family portrait in the mail to you. Thank YOU for being such a supportive friend as well, through all of the past 4 years and what they have held. Its amazing how 4 years can change your whole world, isn't it?!
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