Youth Councils Weekend

What a weekend!

Nestled between being very, very cold and really tired was Holy Spirit.




A little background into Northern New England...

Spiritually the ground in this area is hard - very hard! After arriving here I heard this area referred to as the cold NorthEast. It can literally get super cold around here(temp wise) - I have experienced that first hand. However, the cold that I am talking about is different. Its the spiritual effect of the work of satan.

Many of the Christians around Northern New England have become stale, stagnant, allowing satan to step in and harden up the ground; the very ground that my friends and I are trying to pound. When pounding hard spiritual pavement, its difficult to mold things into the way God really wants. Soft ground is so much easier to deal with; easier to mold. Because the ground is hard and difficult to form does not mean we stop trying. God is commanding the Army here to work, plow hard, struggle though because He is here and wants satan out!

At Youth Councils '06, Holy Spirit moved amonst the young people in this division mightily! It was amazing. I was blessed to be a part of that. Coming back into YC '07 I had a feeling that much of what had happened the year before had slipped into just a simple memory; the memory of "a good time." That wasn't good enough. So walking into some sessions this past weekend brought on very heavy spiritual feelings.

Thinking about hard ground makes me think of my dad's death. My dad passed away in the winter when the ground was frozen and very hard. Because of this, they were not able to bury him until the spring when the temperature rose and the ground softened; causing us to have to go through many of the same feelings that we thought we dealt with back in the winter. I was reminded of this when looking at comparisons of YC '06 and '07.

The process of softening the ground started here last year. Then winter hit, hardening the ground, bringing worldly vices into the lives of the teens, leaving a few left to struggle, attempting to dig up the ground with a tiny little shovel.

The process continued this year with many of the teenagers around here throwing off these vices that were keeping them from realizing that they are seen, known and loved by God. Holy Spirit showed up once more time and blew over everyone present. Many of the teens headed home in good standing with Jesus, having dealt with much sin in their lives. Praise the Lord.

At the end of the weekend my heart began to feel a very heavy burden for all the young people present. That burden shifted from them to their leaders. The teens understood what was going on, they were seeking after God wholeheartedly(Jeremiah 29:13), now it is up to the leadership. If we don't start pushing things relationally(spirit-led)then things will remain just how we've always known them to be(program led)...then where will we be? In this exact same spot next year; waiting for God and begging Holy Spirit to show up at these larger youth events, then going home and twiddling our thumbs, getting back into the daily grind...the grind that satan loves to pounce on.

I was able to give this last word to the youth leaders of this division and confirmation was given by many. The ground, in respect to the youth, is now becoming softer, almost muddy...its fun to play in the mud! Pray for us as we work to make sure it stays that way.

Blessings.