So Planet Wisdom was awesome, as always. Mark is a great speaker and a very smart and real Christian. "By the Tree" was great, too. If you guys haven't checked out the Planet Wisdom website, you should. There's a link to it from our blog. Go check it out. There's a lot of cool stuff there.
A couple thoughts about what we experienced there: Remember what Mark said about us being the next generation of the church? Do we ever think about that? It's true. We are. I know it's hard to keep that in mind sometimes. The church doesn't do much to remind us. But we are the next generation. One day, they'll be gone and we will be in charge (well, hopefully God will be in charge, but you know what I mean). What will the church be like then? Will it be the same as it is now? Should it be?
I also want to encourage all of you guys to pay attention to what's happening in our youth group. Are we growing closer? I think about the seinor high boys in my hotel room that night - wrestling around (keeping the girls awake, lol, sorry Melody). Do we recognize that God was moving even there? God is moving everytime we are together, no matter what we're doing. He wants us to grow closer so that we can be more effective for Him. That's why I've set up this blog - to encourage communication. So keep posting. Share your thoughts about Planet Wisdom on the comment section, or, if you have some pics to share, make a new post. Tell us what God laid on your heart through that experience. He put it there for a reason.
5 comments:
Planet Wisdom was amazing! =) Though for me it was a bit of a different experience than what everyone else had I think. There was so much more happening in my life at that time, and it just amazes me how God planned all of this out so perfectly.
I apologize for the long post (I know, a long post from ME??), but I felt like I was meant to post all of this. I haven't even talked to anyone about this yet, except for Javonna (she may have told Gary. Still, that's only two people). So what I'm going to write may or may not be interesting to you, but it's close to my heart.
I think it's amazing how everything worked out so well in the end with us having to go to Fortworth instead of Dallas. Because the week that we were going to go to Dallas, I didn't want to go to Planet Wisdom. I didn't realize it at the time, but I wasn't willing to listen to God at that time. I was being stubborn because I wasn't willing to let go of a certain sin that I had. I think that sin made me deaf to hearing God speak to me. When the Dallas Planet Wisdom trip was cancelled I just stayed home and started drawing some art in my room. While I was in the quiet of my room God was slowly working on me. One night, just days before the Forthworth PW trip, I felt like something was laid on my heart, and I just could not ignore it no matter how hard I tried to shut it out. I realized that I had to let go of the sin that I had been holding on to, but this was something very hard for me. I had been holding on to this sin like a lifeline for a year. The only true lifeline is God, and what I had been holding on to was coming between us. For many hours I just talked to God, telling him that I had tried for so long to stop this by myself but a part of me always shut off and gave up. I prayed for him to give me the words to say and for the strength to carry this through. And for exactly one year, February 22nd 2005 to February the 22nd 2006, I had been holding this back for so long, but I finally gave it all to God.
I thought I would be crushed, I thought that I wouldn't want to keep going after all of this. God gave me such an incredible sense of peace and stillness even though I had given up so much. I was finally free. Broken, but free.
I didn't know it, but that brokenness was the beginning foundation for a very important friendship that I found that week at Planet Wisdom. When at the end of Planet Wisdom when they had the Alter call I think everyone in that room was moved (some more than others). I was as well, I felt gently called to go down at first, but I didn't think I need to go down. Then, stronger and louder than I had heard in years, I heard God say to me "Are you willing to follow me?". It was almost as if I could reach out and touch the words he spoke. The words were said so strong, yet gentle at the same time it just sent chills all through me. I knew right away that hesitating God's word in the past was not at all the way to go. So within just seconds after hearing God speak to me I jumped up out of my seat and walked to that Alter, saying "Yes Lord. I will follow you!"
I could have made the excuse that there were people sitting to the side of me who were crying, and that I shouldn't disturb them by walking past them. I could have told God that I was exhausted because it was Saturday and I hadn't slept since Thursday that week. I was way up on the balcony and the Alter was way down there, it was pretty intimidating to have to go that far. I could have just said "no". But this time I didn't.
I wandered may way down from the balcony to the first floor. For anyone else I'm sure you don't even think about this as anything important. But I have a great fear of being around people that I don't know in a place that I have never been to before. In fact, just hours before going down, I wouldn't leave Gary's side for twenty minutes because I had been too afraid to explore the place on my own. Not this time though, I felt like I knew exactly where I was going and there was no fear of heading through the crowd. I didn't even notice the people there, all I saw was the stage where everyone gathered around. I knew that was where I was meant to be.
Mrs Javonna went with me, and after Mark Matlock (Who happens to look really short the closer you get to him) prayed, we went to a back room in one of the near by buildings. I didn't entirely know why God had called me there, in fact I had no idea at the moment what to tell Javonna why I had gone down there. All I knew was that I was called and I answered. Very soon after that I really opened up and just really talked to Javonna, which is something that is also hard for me. Talking just really isn't my thing. "Small talk" alludes me, and deep conversations just never happened. I thought that pain was meant to be hidden, so I never let go of the things that I was holding. I finally let myself trust someone and open up. After fifteen tear filled minutes of letting go, I realized that maybe this is part of what was God was calling to me to.
He had asked me to give up the sin I held, and I did. He gave me peace. He asked me to follow him, and I did. He gave me friendship.
The storm in Dallas, the delay, then going to Forthworth instead. Just a week's difference, but that one week period of time changed possibly a lifetime heading in a new direction. So yes, Planet Wisdom was amazing, but God's work through it was what really made the true impact.
I am still in awe of everything that God is doing right now, and I wish to stay amazed of the greatness of God forever. =)
It's been really cool hearing your thoughts, Melody. You're a really cool and thoughtful person. I'm not sure why you choose to hide that from us at church. Then again, I do sorta know what it's like to not like large crowds.
It's cool how things worked out with Planet Wisdom. When I first heard that the Dallas trip was being cancelled, Gary made it seem as though there would be no chance of us going to Fort Worth. He mentioned it only in mentioning something about First Baptist going. But he had no intentions of trying to go himself, so when I found out, I was devastated. I kept wondering what in the world was going to happen. Why was God doing this? I trust God in all things, but I couldn't see anyway in which not going to Planet Wisdom was better for our youth group than going. I don't know what finally changed Gary's mind to start looking into the possibility of going to Forth Worth, but once he did, I knew God had something up His sleeve.
While we're on the subject, pray for Gary that he'll learn to take things as they come. I don't doubt Gary's faith at all, but sometimes, he gives up too soon or refuses to see any alternative paths. I guess he just gets discouraged.
lol. I thought about captioning them, but I didn't know what to say.
I've never been into rap myself, but I thought the Solomon thing was an interesting addition. It did get old, but I liked the attempt at diversity. A lot of people complained about not liking it. Some asked me what I thought, and when they would, I just thought, "Does it really matter whether or not I like it if one person here does?" I don't know. For what it was, it wasn't that bad.
Greg... You learned some really deep lessons that week at Planet Wisdom! *Laughs* =P But yeah, I agree with you both about the Rap.
Oh, and thank you, Jason. =)
I appreciate that you took the time to read all of that, and actually took interest.
Though I don't 'choose' to hide from the Church.. It just feels like a part of me shuts off and I can't get myself to stretch beyond my own comfort zone. I'm trying though, I really am.
My progress is slow going, but at least I'm getting somewhere. =)
You are. I've noticed.
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