In the midst of the rhythm of the weekends, the routine for those of us that regularly gather to worship Jesus, there are also features that make every weekend unique. Sometimes there are weekends that just make “regular” seem like a joke. This weekend was so packed that sitting here on Monday, I can hardly remember what regular looks like.
First of all the WEEKEND SERVICES THEMSELVES for me were a little uncommon. We are in a long series (for us) in the book of Acts. We were rolling up on the “Day of Pentecost” story of chapter two. You may or may not be aware of how pivotal this passage has been in what the current landscape of churches looks like. There are whole denominations and groups that launch from this passage. It has kind of been a battleground text. And is usually the case in such situations, people on each side go to far and miss what God has for them. I’ve been on a journey in the last 15 years of my life to move past resistance, through openness to experience the full breadth of what the New Testament says life with Jesus should be like. This is one of those key texts in that journey so I approach it with a little trepidation and not a little stress – desiring to be faithful to the passage, not going beyond, not leaving it short, being understood without being misunderstood.
I think God was working, speaking and moving. Lots of people told me they were experiencing God in the message, but it’s one of those I’d love to have had 3 or 4 more trys at.
JASON DENNISON, our worship pastor who is on a “missional sabbatical” in Norway, was back for his first monthly 10-day stints back here. God was at work.
MEN’S RETREAT: As soon as the Friday night service ended, I headed up to Mt Palomar for our Mens Retreat. My LONG time friend Bill Yaccino was speaking for the weekend. I got there around 11:00 and there was still a spiritual buzz in the place. Some guys greeted us and told us how the guys had just finished over two hours of gut level sharing, confession, prayer and that the Holy Spirit had landed on them. Cool – talk about Acts 2 and then see it lived out a little.
Check out this video of Bill and I shooting Brian’s shot-gun (you got to love guys bringing guns to a retreat). YES, that IS me blasting the clay pigeon on my first attempt (thankfully the video ended there). Click here.
PRAYER MINISTRY LEADERS LUNCH – 2 times a year we get all our people leading prayer ministries in as many ministries as we can find together. I’m so stoked about how God is continuing to fuel the prayer fire at Journey. “Keep it up, Lord! MORE!”
SELAH – Ya can’t speak on Acts 2 and not have some time in the weekend to give it a shot! I’d like to take credit for planning it this way but it’s more that it coincided with Jason being here. It was a powerful time in which God was doing some petty deep stuff and unleashing the Spirit. Again, “MORE!”
