TUYC07 - "Waking God"

It's the middle of April. This means it's time for my favorite weekend of the year. We just got done with Youth Conference 2007 at Taylor yesterday and it was an amazing weekend.

Highlights for me from the weekend:

1. The sessions by J.R. Kerr (a Taylor grad) were incredible. The sessions flowed from a focus on the individual (we are made in the image of God) to community (God created us to do life together; we need each other) to the church (it's a broken vessel, but it is God's vessel to love his people) to the world (we live in a dark world which needs hope).
2. Mighty to Save. An amazing song that has amazing lyrics:

Everyone needs compassion
A love that's never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
A kindness of a Savior
The hope of nations
Savior, He can move the mountains
My God is Mighty to save
He is Mighty to save
Forever, Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave
So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again
I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender
Shine your light and let the whole world see
We're singing for the glory of the risen King...Jesus

3. Saturday night worship concert down by the lake. I’ve never had so much fun jumping around and singing praises to God in my life. Jesus Freak was amazing.
4. Watching 400 people build the walls for 2 houses in just about 3 hours.
5. Seeing Small Groups laugh together, share stories, and really open up to each other.
6. Being overwhelmed by the power and love of our God.
7. Focusing on the fact that we all feel shame and we all are marred, yet still Christ pursues us with reckless abandon.
8. Being challenged to be the church despite the fact we’ve been hurt by it. The church is still the hope of the world.
9. Seeing kids cry out to God and kneel at the foot of the cross in repentance and show a desire to come to Jesus.Seeing another Youth Conference come and go and believing now more than ever that God uses this weekend to change lives. I’m one of them.
10. Laying on the grassy knoll after it was all said and done and thinking, "I'm tired. I am spent. But I feel great!"