After the loss of four hours of sleep, four (or so) hours of driving, and the creation of a few more inside jokes, I can now look back at convention, rather than look forward to it.

I'll be honest when I say that I don't get a whole lot out of the messages I hear at those things. Sure, I can connect with a few of the speakers, here and there, but, for the most part, the messages are more and more of the same. That's not to say, however, that I don't hear the message and appreciate it. Some of the messages pave the way for powerful altar calls and prayer, and those, of course, are my favorite messages. As one of the songs I just listened to, not five minutes ago, simply states, "There's no other place that I'd rather be than in the arms of my Savior."

I actually thought the theme of this convention, "Extraordinary," was going to be about something completely different than what it was about. Sure, the line that I expected to hear, "We serve an extraordinary God," was in there, but the extraordinary part came about in the sense that we are all ordinary, yet God puts the extra in extraordinary. Rick Lorimer used a lot of comparison to the universe, on the first day. In my notes, I have, "We're inconsequential to the Universe, yet we're of the utmost importance to God."

A being that can speak and the stars and planets come flying from His mouth cares about us, beings that are smaller than a pin-point, when put in perspective of the Universe. Yeah, I've heard it before, worded in different ways, but the way it was used was, in my opinion... well... cool.

There was an altar call, that night, for those that were serving God, but not the way they should. One of the youth stood up, and, at first, I was simply going to go with him to support and pray with him. As I hopped over the pew, I suddenly felt this load hit me, and heard someone say, "You need to be down there, too." I love it when I feel and hear God, like that, even if it isn't always for Him to say something like, "Well done."

The second day included a nice proclamation of "Today is a good day to die," but that wasn't until the end. The first meeting was a message about how God has an impression on our past, works in our present, then deals with our potential. All of this was backed by John 4, where Jesus spoke with a Samaritan woman.

The second meeting turned each and every youth into their own alabaster jar, full of perfume. No two of us are the same, and, in order to get the "good stuff" out, we have to be broken. God will break us and our talents and abilities will be poured out. Others will call it a waste, while God will simply call it worship (see Matthew 14:3-9). Not long after he finished with the illustration, he said this line: "If you're really on fire for Jesus, you don't run from the battle, you run to it," which was followed closely by him asking us, if we were serious, to shout out, "It's a good day to die," before getting up for one final music-worship set/prayer session.

The prayer services and music-sets that are played are what draw me closer to God than the services. Sure, the alabaster jar illustration was a great illustration, and one of those, "Wow this sets this whole service up for the perfect altar call," feelings, but even that doesn't ever give me as much as simply raising my hands, in complete silence, as a gesture of worship. I love altar calls, even if I don't respond to them, just for the atmosphere and the presence of God in the room. I love the passion behind the music, and how much fun the musicians have when they play.

I guess all of it excites me, since it makes me wonder exactly what I'm going to be doing with the ministries that God is going to pave the way for me to participate in. I know the group my ministries will focus on, but not what I will be doing. So, for now, I'm doing what I feel He's leading me to do, and that is praying and waiting on Him.

I really need to get some sleep. I tried to give this post more structure than it has, but I'm unable to think completely clearly since somebody got me sick during convention. Ah well.

God bless,

Mike