10 Year Anniversary!
We are presently in Ensenada MX attending the Mission Adventures Network Conference - the 10 year anniversary.
This is a photo of the themes devel0ped by the network every year, for the past 12 years or so. Each sign represents a different theme from a different year. It was really cool to see them all, and I realized that I was a part of a good majority of these themes for the past 8 years.
THE NETWORK:
The network has done lots in aiding teams worldwide:
by collecting resources, setting up marketing and promoting strategies, as well as sharing ideas, plans, and themes, in developing a program of excellence as well as serving the church to give groups easy access to missions.
Here in Mexico, there are representatives from bases all over the world who are a part of this network such as Norway, India, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and the USA, among many others.
TONIGHT'S MESSAGE
Sean Lambert- one of thefounders of MA, spoke today and said that celebrating the success of the program wasn't the point - our message being that we tell young people "YOU can do this", and that young people worldwide are getting this message. This of course, supports the initial vision that Loren Cunningham had of Waves of Young people bringing the gospel to the nations.
PERSONAL THOUGHTS:
My passion was renewed tonight during the message. I personally wanted to be "alive", to be a person that says "you can do it!". Not to be pessimistic or pragmatic, but to be releasing to others in God given visions and passions that they carry. What are we without hope or faith? I have been known in the past to be so passionate and open to hear God speak in many situations. However it seems in the past 2 years or so, that I can't hear anything, or that it's kind of muffled or something, and my excitement and passion have waned. I think about it lots, and it feels almost like I'm off time to the music. It's frustrating cause I know when I'm off, but what will it take for me to be "on" again?
Sometimes in YWAM sessions, we find that the same things happen every conference. You get fired up about something, and the worship leader expects a certain response, the speaker says all the "correct" things, and you expect to be refreshed in your spirit. And as before you expect to go home all jazzed up. Recently my expectations have been so high that I can almost feel let down. What will they do now to get me jazzed up? I wonder how 'good' of a worship leader this guy's gonna be. Well I'm not going to DO that just because they want me too!
Although I don't believe it is always good to do things just because people tell you too, I also see an importance of allowing myself to be open and vulnerable - to allow myself to be taught even if I don't know the outcome - that there is risk in allowing myself to be open to others.
Sean told a story of how he had been at a base and was so tired and jet lagged he just wanted to sleep and rest. He, had a meeting however, that he was expected to attend, and so he did as requested. The first part of the meeting the leader said, "hey let's pray for Sean [and 2 other speakers that were there at the time]. So they all gathered around the familiar "hot seat" of leaders and focused and prayed.
There were a couple good words, and afterwards Sean said he felt pretty good. Before he could leave however, the leader at the meeting suggested praying for a person sitting next to you and he felt that he just didn't want to do it. He was tired, he wanted to go to the bathroom, almost anything to get out of it.
"Have you ever felt yourself being caught - asked to do something like praying for someone, and you just don't want to do it?" he said. And I had to admit that I had - many times.
Of course it was a situation that he couldn't easily remove himself of, so he did it anyways. And God spoke/and did many cool things during that time. Afterwards Sean realized he felt even better than he had before when he had been prayed for, because he was open to being used, even in the face of his own resistances.
I guess I have seen that so many times. The truth is that God has called us to so many things in so many different ways, and I don't want to miss an opportunity that God has provided in front of me, because of my own baggage. I love that I can be free of that and that I don't have to worry about what others think or feel or say. The only opinion that really matters is God's.
TO LIVE:
Tonight what I realized I craved was God's spirit moving in me. I sometimes feel so dead, so empty, and I'm thankful that He is a God that brings life. (remember Ezekiel 37?) I want to be more worried about having God's spirit moving in/through me than what the person next to me thinks of me. Fear of God vs. Fear of man.
Now I know that not every moment is not an emotional high, but I also know that my life can be more "alive" if I allow Him in more and more.
Our conference manual shows that in the past 10 years MA has released over 72,000 youth to share the gospel worldwide. How many young people have been changed because I have been a faithful servant? And how many others because of them? I don't know. I don't think I'll ever know.
But what I do know, is that we do have lots to celebrate. MA is located in 46 different bases worldwide in 16 different nations and continuing to grow in numbers and in nationalities.
God is moving , and I'm thrilled to be a part of the ride - I only hope I can be open to what is happening and willing to be used, to be alive enough to participate, and committed enough to carry it through.
This is a photo of the themes devel0ped by the network every year, for the past 12 years or so. Each sign represents a different theme from a different year. It was really cool to see them all, and I realized that I was a part of a good majority of these themes for the past 8 years.
THE NETWORK:
The network has done lots in aiding teams worldwide:
by collecting resources, setting up marketing and promoting strategies, as well as sharing ideas, plans, and themes, in developing a program of excellence as well as serving the church to give groups easy access to missions.
Here in Mexico, there are representatives from bases all over the world who are a part of this network such as Norway, India, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and the USA, among many others.
TONIGHT'S MESSAGE
Sean Lambert- one of thefounders of MA, spoke today and said that celebrating the success of the program wasn't the point - our message being that we tell young people "YOU can do this", and that young people worldwide are getting this message. This of course, supports the initial vision that Loren Cunningham had of Waves of Young people bringing the gospel to the nations.
PERSONAL THOUGHTS:
My passion was renewed tonight during the message. I personally wanted to be "alive", to be a person that says "you can do it!". Not to be pessimistic or pragmatic, but to be releasing to others in God given visions and passions that they carry. What are we without hope or faith? I have been known in the past to be so passionate and open to hear God speak in many situations. However it seems in the past 2 years or so, that I can't hear anything, or that it's kind of muffled or something, and my excitement and passion have waned. I think about it lots, and it feels almost like I'm off time to the music. It's frustrating cause I know when I'm off, but what will it take for me to be "on" again?
Sometimes in YWAM sessions, we find that the same things happen every conference. You get fired up about something, and the worship leader expects a certain response, the speaker says all the "correct" things, and you expect to be refreshed in your spirit. And as before you expect to go home all jazzed up. Recently my expectations have been so high that I can almost feel let down. What will they do now to get me jazzed up? I wonder how 'good' of a worship leader this guy's gonna be. Well I'm not going to DO that just because they want me too!
Although I don't believe it is always good to do things just because people tell you too, I also see an importance of allowing myself to be open and vulnerable - to allow myself to be taught even if I don't know the outcome - that there is risk in allowing myself to be open to others.
Sean told a story of how he had been at a base and was so tired and jet lagged he just wanted to sleep and rest. He, had a meeting however, that he was expected to attend, and so he did as requested. The first part of the meeting the leader said, "hey let's pray for Sean [and 2 other speakers that were there at the time]. So they all gathered around the familiar "hot seat" of leaders and focused and prayed.
There were a couple good words, and afterwards Sean said he felt pretty good. Before he could leave however, the leader at the meeting suggested praying for a person sitting next to you and he felt that he just didn't want to do it. He was tired, he wanted to go to the bathroom, almost anything to get out of it.
"Have you ever felt yourself being caught - asked to do something like praying for someone, and you just don't want to do it?" he said. And I had to admit that I had - many times.
Of course it was a situation that he couldn't easily remove himself of, so he did it anyways. And God spoke/and did many cool things during that time. Afterwards Sean realized he felt even better than he had before when he had been prayed for, because he was open to being used, even in the face of his own resistances.
I guess I have seen that so many times. The truth is that God has called us to so many things in so many different ways, and I don't want to miss an opportunity that God has provided in front of me, because of my own baggage. I love that I can be free of that and that I don't have to worry about what others think or feel or say. The only opinion that really matters is God's.
TO LIVE:
Tonight what I realized I craved was God's spirit moving in me. I sometimes feel so dead, so empty, and I'm thankful that He is a God that brings life. (remember Ezekiel 37?) I want to be more worried about having God's spirit moving in/through me than what the person next to me thinks of me. Fear of God vs. Fear of man.
Now I know that not every moment is not an emotional high, but I also know that my life can be more "alive" if I allow Him in more and more.
Our conference manual shows that in the past 10 years MA has released over 72,000 youth to share the gospel worldwide. How many young people have been changed because I have been a faithful servant? And how many others because of them? I don't know. I don't think I'll ever know.
But what I do know, is that we do have lots to celebrate. MA is located in 46 different bases worldwide in 16 different nations and continuing to grow in numbers and in nationalities.
God is moving , and I'm thrilled to be a part of the ride - I only hope I can be open to what is happening and willing to be used, to be alive enough to participate, and committed enough to carry it through.
Comments
i'm so glad you posted all that, i always like knowing what and how you're thinking, especially this stuff.
when you get woken up, you always roar well. don't forget what you bring...you have a lot of authority there.
have so much fun soaking it in and loving this time.
can't wait to hear more, love you so much.
Jo
PS Sophia was in Mexico yesterday with you, Uncle, Jonathan, Tessa and Becca. Okay, it was actually the closet, but she was having fun.
PPS not even a twinge of a contraction....
"Have you ever felt yourself being caught - asked to do something like praying for someone, and you just don't want to do it?" he said. And I had to admit that I had - many times.
It is really bad when you have to tell your kids that you didn't do what you know God told you to do. It is amazing to have to teach other people that life is not fair though.I enjoyed reading your thoughts. love Caroline (Joanna's favorite sister-you know the one who has five kids and doesn't live in Hawaii.)