Passion 2008

okay so i'm finally home from my passion 08 experience and i must say that i wish i was still there now! like stacie mentioned in her blog i am completely speechless i'm not sure what to say or tell people when they ask me how it was except for "wow it was just incredible no but wow like i can't even explain" and literally thats how i still feel now i'm just blown away by this experience i have been swept up in Gods grace and i'm just smiling and i can't help it. So its been rather hard for me to put all my thoughts down about my experience but this is it.... i am going to start with a lyrics to a song we sang at passion that i feel in my experience there describes what this weekend meant to me!

(okay so i had a really hard time finding the lyrics of the song but i will put down the lyrics i can rem.)

"Chainbreaker, Heart saver Jesus your the great redeemer...Liborator Jesus my great redeemer" I'm sure i messed up somewhere but it goes on to say..."Sons and Daughters you chains have been broken now run in liberty."

Either way this song signifies exactly how i felt at the passion this weekend. I felt that my chains have been broken and for the first time in my walk with Christ i feel this freedom to run in his grace that covers me and this makes me smile all over. I think more importantly before i start tazlking about something else was that this weekend my chains were broken! Those things that were holding my down from really enjoying my jesus and my savior had been broken this weekend and it had been shedded off my back and it felt and feels so good to be free from those doubts, fears, shame , guilt and insecurties! It allowed me to just worship God in the a new way dancing and smiling with my hands lifted high yelling at the top of my lungs (hence my hoarse voice that sounds scary) and that to me was running in my new found freedom!

I must say that i was challenged significantly by several things Louie and Francis said about God encounters and getting out of the darkness and inviting the holy spirit to come in and guide you step by step (something i really never ever consider doing) why? i will tell you why because i was scared why because the holy spirit convicts like there is no tommorrow and invites you to do things you never imagined you could do and as exciting as it sounds its also very scary because you don't know what might happen. But Francis (who is amazing!) made an amazing point in his sermon on saturday afternoon that we need to live life like a caterpillar! He said a caterpillar life is so boring the slug around climb a new tree and than they take a long nap they get up and boom they have these new wings...and instead of staying a caterpillar they look around and flap there wings and is like "shut up!" and i think that i have to rem. i am a new creation in christ when i turned my life over to jesus christ when i was 6 i became a NEW CREATURE one who has the freedom to fly and i think for to long i have forgotten how to use my wings...The holy spirit in us is a incredible thing why? well that same holy spirit that dwells in kristy selecky...was what dwelled in Jesus tomb when he breathe life int him again...it's what caused people to speak a million languages...its what came down in a flame to guide moses...and that very SAME holy spirit is what endwells our hearts! how powerful man! i was just so taken back by those things! i for so long would doubt God no God i can't go on missions or no God i can't build a gaint therapy center in africa...but what i have the holy spirit in my heart dwelling guding me how can i not make these decsions to DO IT!?! finally realizing this i totally had a heart to heart with God asking him to send Holy spirt and have it endwell me and give me life again and give me guidance and shed those stupid insecurties i have because i am free! Doing this meant yes Lord take me where you want me even though i don't know where it may be! Which means i surrendered to my calling my heart for missions and ministry something i have been struggling...a fear that rose high because who wants to commit if God wants to send me far i mean i don't even have a husband yet?!?! but its my heart and i no longer fear because God is painting a beautiful picture and i can't wait to see what it looks like in the end!

Louie also shared an amazing story of a girl named ashely and the impact of her life...i challenge you to go read his blog for the story because its long the whole point was that ashely before she died used her flame to reach people and not give her fame but give it to God! I loved it! Its so not about us its not about others its about giving fame to my jesus! Louie gave this wonderful example...Imagine our lives as a match...if we light it by ourselves its small and last about a total of 20 seconds BUT God is an eternal flame that burns forever and so if we can somehow get our little match to light into God's eternal flame that 1. it brings fame to God and 2. We last an eternity! So impacting because i want Gods flame to shine through me in miami lakes, at nova university, and FRC! i want it to be soooo bright that people can't help but look at it! Ashley never lived to see what God did as a result of herfew months as a christian but over 20,000 college students at passion have seen it....and her unsaved dad has seen the flame but can't quite understand...her X boyfriend has seen it! And all My savior can do is smile because his plan worked! My prayer is that i encounter God that way that it will be in my face and i did! i so did! i encountered my savior at passion and i want my light to burn bright!

I think the most powerful part was sitting the last night in the back of the stadium...and just seeing all of us worshipping and prasing God (man i still get chills thinking about it!) It was a site i think i will never forget...our voices together singing...."I see a generation Rising up to take the placeWith selfless faith, with selfless faith I see a new revival Staring as we pray and seek We're on our knees, we're on our knees" Hearing the voices together singing to our Hosanna...the one has broken are chains...it was simply INCREDIBLE! To think that as a generation of young people we want to change our cities our colleges our lives to bring fame to Jesus! I can't say more because i mean it was the mos amazing site i have ever witnessed!

We prayed for each of those things i prayed for nova like there was no tommorrow! and than we had to call out byname the people we wanted to see touched by theholy spirit...i named my family memebers by name and my friends from nova...and as the song we sang that i will share in a minute played these people ran through my mind face by face one by one!

The song goes like this..."Greater things have yet to come Great things are still to be done In this city Greater things are still to come And greater things are still to be done here" i can still hear in my head us singing it together as one voice! It moved me so much that it encouraged me that there are people like me that want our cities to change and i want miami, florida to be swept away by Jesus and his unending grace! i want them to fall in love with him just like i did! The song has an amazing story behind it see apparently in Malaysia in a city known for sex and more sex...a group of missionaries from not this country went there to just pray over the city when they arrived the band was asked to play at the "climax" bar...and so in there in english they played that song in the bar! while people walked in and out...what powerful words! Great things have happened at FRC but God is going to do even GREATER things then things that are happening now! wow i can't even imagine but i can't wait to witness it!

My experience at passion was a life changing thing in my life it has radically changed me! My thoughts, My hopes, My passion, My visions! It has made me realize that i am free so act like it! Its not all about me! Its about Jesus who poured out a river of grace and broke my bondages and had that river run over me and washe me clean (i see the picture in my head lol) and so i need to love like it! I want my flame to bring light to God and so i have changed! and i can't be any happier about it! Thank You Jesus you are amazing! without him none of this is possible! i'm so happy God opened the doors for me to go!

I also want to say that as incredilbe the experience was the people were too! i enjoyed the relationships i built on this weekend i feel blessed to have people like this to call friends that i am doing life with! i love them all! and they are such passionate, incredible, people and i am so glad has placed us together!