MACCSR Windermere 08

"the fact that there is so much we can take for granted speaks volumes of how much God has really given us." - jeff, in a prayer during a worship team meeting late yesterday (Sunday) night. we had gathered to plan the setlist and debrief on how things had been going, and we left with a sense that we were part of something great, something larger than ourselves, and for that - we were going to enjoy our last set at this Labor Day MACCSR retreat. whether or not God went big - He could do as He wished - we were going to enjoy Him, because we had seen Him at work the last couple days, and it was simply something extraordinary to get to worship like we did.

it was such a privilege to get to play bass in the worship band, such a reward to get to be in the position that i found myself in. not only could i worship, but i was a leader for a small group. and right from the first meeting, i found a connection with a guy named Yuanfu, a high school kid who used to be a sponsored skateboarder. i can sincerely say that it was amazing watching him grow and seeing how God was moving in him throughout the weekend, and to see him really worship and respond to the movement of God.

the worship team had met Sunday night and planned the songs and prayed for great things to happen. i'm not sure if i was exactly expecting for something big to happen, and even if i had been expecting, what happened was surely greater. even from the beginning, i had the privilege and grace to be filled with joy. just being up there and getting to behold the sounds coming from jeff's violin and the people around me and jojo behind me worshipping was enough to keep me smiling. we did the song Amazed and then transitioned to the chorus of All I Need is You, and i think it was around that point that i lifted my hands as a point of surrender. if something was going to happen, i was not going to touch it - it would have to be God. shortly after, i saw Richard by the set and thought that i should pray for him. so i went, and he had left the set to get a drink of water, and i prayed over him. then i went and prayed for Yuanfu and, well...things started happening. towards the end of the very last song, Here I Am, someone started crying. then things exploded.

and all i could do at that point was point upwards and think "this is our God. i had nothing to do with this." i guess it was simply greater than anything i could imagine. one of those things that you might pray for, but not expect to receive. (i guess that really goes to say that God not only answers prayer, but really does go beyond our expectations.) people were crying all around, and when they did an altar call, i saw Jerry and Yuanfu go. and Chris Tsang was talking with Richard and i got to pray with Cheezit, and little groups formed of just people crying and praying over one another, sharing testimony. and i couldn't stop smiling, because God had moved, and i could not deny that.

anyways, being at Windermere was simply a great weekend. somewhat of a vacation, but, in all honesty, i enjoyed it. hearing benji speak on Jonah and getting to build relationships through basketball and hanging out... i really felt like God was moving through me. it felt like i could speak truth and even impact the lives around me. it felt like God really could reach out through me to touch a hungry and thirsty generation. this last morning, one thing continued to resonate within me: a desire for others not to have to despair, not to have to be hopeless, not to have to settle for anything less than the best. but to know that God has given more than the best, to know His unending, unrelenting, unconditional love. and to be able to rejoice and take comfort in that. the God of the heavens and earth, the God of our relationships, our families, our problems, our inconsistencies and sins and schools and jobs and fears...is for us, and not against us.

so i guess i wish to extend that prayer towards you as you read this as well. to rejoice in a loving God, to know you don't have to be burdened, to be alone, to settle for things just the way they are now. you have something greater to look forward to, even now. even when you screw up on so many different levels, you can rejoice in that you are forgiven. and even though there is a great chance that you know more than me or have seen more than me - i believe this is something that doesn't change, something foundational to my faith.

and don't forget to enjoy yourself. you are part of something great, no matter who you are. be confident in that.