In 1989 I was ambushed by God. I attended a leadership conference at Willow Creek Church in Chicago and there God stirred and prompted my heart to leave my life in the Mid-South and my extended family and friends and move to the Seattle area to start a new church that would eventually become Meadowbrook. I can take you to the very spot where I made that life-altering decision. It feels like holy ground to me.
Every year since then I have attended a leadership conference at Willow or at a satellite location and every year God has met with me in a special way and spoken into my life in a powerful and timely fashion.
This year I registered once again and I’m attending a satellite in Redmond. However, my work load and schedule of late has me feeling a bit pressured and I was tempted to skip the conference this year and spend the two days getting more work done.
Thursday morning I attended the first session and within ten minutes of hearing Bill Hybels make a presentation I knew that God had planned to once again meet with me. That sense of “divine appointment” is profound beyond my capacity to express with words. Six billion people on the planet with millions of scenarios and crises that require the attention and power of God and yet I’m keenly aware that God is present with me in my seat in an auditorium. As I listen to a speaker or singer it is as if God takes their words and brings them to areas of my heart that need to take it in. Vision and mental images come up on the screen of my mind. I’m freshly reminded that the Christian life is about relationship with a living God. It’s not ritual or religion or formulas with God but dynamic, authentic, living relationship. I am again grateful that I get to know the God of the ages, the God of creation, the God of salvation and redemption.
I’m sure I’ll share more reflections later.
Every year since then I have attended a leadership conference at Willow or at a satellite location and every year God has met with me in a special way and spoken into my life in a powerful and timely fashion.
This year I registered once again and I’m attending a satellite in Redmond. However, my work load and schedule of late has me feeling a bit pressured and I was tempted to skip the conference this year and spend the two days getting more work done.
Thursday morning I attended the first session and within ten minutes of hearing Bill Hybels make a presentation I knew that God had planned to once again meet with me. That sense of “divine appointment” is profound beyond my capacity to express with words. Six billion people on the planet with millions of scenarios and crises that require the attention and power of God and yet I’m keenly aware that God is present with me in my seat in an auditorium. As I listen to a speaker or singer it is as if God takes their words and brings them to areas of my heart that need to take it in. Vision and mental images come up on the screen of my mind. I’m freshly reminded that the Christian life is about relationship with a living God. It’s not ritual or religion or formulas with God but dynamic, authentic, living relationship. I am again grateful that I get to know the God of the ages, the God of creation, the God of salvation and redemption.
I’m sure I’ll share more reflections later.
1 comment:
Hello Scott-
The reason you gave last Sunday for the confusion of language God delivered at the tower of Babel was quite interesting to me. I have never thought of the idea that God created nations by confusing language to protect his people by creating a tool to keep sin in check makes a lot of sense to me. This principle can be seen in action today.
You are an amazing teacher and I think I should start calling you "Rabbi".
I am going on vacation starting tonight and I am going to give my best effort to live in the moment per your previous blog!
Shalom
Larry S.
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