Friday, May 27, 2011

Surrendered

Last weekend was our district youth convention, you can search it on twitter under the hashtag EODYC or #EODYC to find all the tweets that went out.


This is my brief summary, no not summary - more like a concentrated synopsis of greatness, glory and commitment.  


Here's the honest truth, I don't remember a ton of the words that came from Banning Liebscher's mouth, in fact I remember more the irony of my dear wife slugging the guy as he went to the stage to preach and in the end interact with students in a healing service.  


Friday night started out with a concert from Gungor, the guys and girls who used to be a strictly worship band from somewhere in the great United States, but are now more hipster Christian indie band then anything else, yes they still rock the worship songs, but they do so in scruffy beards and stage 3 V-necks (click the link, it's worth the read).


Then the 'epic' event to launch all YC weekends.  Chris Chase (aka Chrischase101) pops the crowd into a frenzy by singing Rebecca Black's 'Friday', you can view the effort by clicking here.


After all the fun, from Chase, card tricks, speakers getting punched and the total loss of sleep, God moved. In spectacular yet simple ways.  From commitments to say yes to God, and a move of the Spirit as students and leaders surrendered to God and agreed to become the chosen and not just the called, to all generations receiving healing by the word of testimony and activating their faith.  We saw asthma leave the building, broken tailbones healed, a girl with what seemed like shattered everything give word to having no pain and fresh ability to move.


Youth pastors and leaders were prayed for, revivalists were called on, and WE were challenged to not sit and watch but to take it home with us and live it out.


I don't want to miss all the importance of the weekend for any of you, but since we have some students sharing on Sunday morning, I want to leave most of it for them to share, then I will possibly regurgitate some more.


Here's what I took home:


When we attend an event like this one, we encounter God on a new level, one we have never witnessed before, mostly because for many of us the only time we see 1200 people in one place is in high school, not in a church service.  This changed that for our 8 students and 3 leaders.  God rushed in and they responded, with joy and excitement.  But what happens after we leave on Sunday?  Is it just life back to normal?  NO!  Not if you raised your hand and had even an inkling of sincerity behind it.  And if you raised your hand because others did, well that's another story and blog post in itself.  If you meant it at all, you made a public declaration that you are going to serve God now from that moment with the same passion you showed all weekend, even in the face of trial and temptation and discouragement.


We are called and now we are the chosen, God has asked something of our lives, and we need to deliver on it.  


Closing thought: If your faith didn't cost you anything, it isn't worth much.


Q4U: what do you feel God has placed in your arena of life for this moment?

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