So late call Monday to be a part of our team that was going up to the Christian & Missionary Alliance Conference last night. C&MA is the denomination that my church is associated with.
To start with, I just was excited about the chance to get out of work early. I had no Idea what I was getting myself in to. I didn't know how big this would be. I didn't know how transformational of a start it was gonna be for both the denomination and for me. I didn't know Jesus was gonna let me have that kind of effect on churches across our country and the world. I went in feeling very unprepared and I started hearing what was gonna be happening, what we were gonna be doing and what Pete was gonna be sharing. Thankfully we got in some good prayer time where I got to ask Jesus to get me up to speed. And man did He.
I was getting to go up and be a part of the music team and do a performed song and lead some worship. Basically we were giving the other churches a glimpse into what Quest does. Josh edited together a great video and we got to come out of that into a pretty powerful song. Then Pete got up and was interviewed by the President. He said some pretty stirring things that should have gotten people excited, and I don't know how many people in the room got it.
Speaking of that, there were about 2400 people there. The room had as many seats as our new auditorium will. Luckily our new auditorium will sound better. :)
But then after Pete got off, our group got to step back up and lead the room in worship. We did Reign in Us which was obviously new to people. Most of the churches and people represented still follow a very traditional style of worship, which is great, but we definitely aren't. You could tell everything we did caught people off guard. Getting to watch the room shift a little bit was great.
The here comes Todd Adams, a missionary in the conference. Holy crap. Jesus put so much stirring power in his words. He spoke of a father willing to do anything to get his kids back. Anything! It was so shaking. It was so the heart of what I get to be a part of at Quest. Love them home. It was amazing. I think that caught the majority of the room back on their heels as well. I hope people took it and did real work with why a message of truth like that might have been hard for them to hear. I sure did. It wasn't hard to hear for me but definitely got me on pages of wanting to step out where I have been so scared to in the past. I even had dreams of getting to be sitting down leading people to Jesus. Its what I want to see and do. What else is worth living for.
I get to be a part of the Ichthus Altar Ministry this year. We had the training session last night after service. I don't know how Jesus wants to use me but I want to be used. I don't have the luxury in that setting of avoiding the talks and avoiding people and slipping into my normal paths. I will be upfront confronted with people who need Him and they will be assigned to me in some ways. Where I have been afraid to take someones hand and help them put it in Jesus', this is hands being placed in mine with no ifs ands or buts and saying lets go. I'm really looking forward to the stretch and to see what Jesus really wants to do in these kids lives.
I wish I was able to get back up to some more of the conference this week, but I don't think that will happen. We did get to share some good time with the other musicians that were up there. It was brief but I think it was needed. The band for the week at the conference are all students from Nyack College in New York who are on a tour of sorts. They played really well and only got to practice and meet the worship leader on Monday night. We got to encourage them a bit and I think help connect them further to what they get to be a part of. It was fun.
On the way back, had some great conversation with Garner and Chris Hall. It was all in all a great experience. This week has been amazing thus far. Minus having to be at work, things have really been different for me in my heart this week. Brighter on so many levels and just stirred to be used in ways that I have yet to even see. Let's do this thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment