King of Wonders: That You Would Come

Oh that You, the King of Wonders,
would come down to stream color across our blinded vision,
that You would burn the bleakest of skies with glorious, permanent splendor,
that You would send a heartbeat into the lifeless,
that You would breathe the life of Your Son into those who gasp for oxygen,
that You would bring enlightenment to numbed minds,
that You would send the blood of Your Son to course through these veins,
that You would hand us Your heart of purity in exchange for our nothing.

Centuries led to the rugged cross,
the promise of salvation and glory for the whole world.

He cries out,"It is finished." And so it was. 

A perfect life laid down in the dust for the dead, the undeserving to breathe.
A pure heart surrendered to the perfect will of the Father who knew the power of the cross,
the only way.

Door slam open at the Resurrection,
shaking the grip of darkness for eternity,
a permanent invitation.

The powers of hell could not prevail.
Constrained by the grip of love, these glorious gates now swing.
A realization of  incomparable wonder;
the highest treasure to come and invade the darkest of hearts.
The finished cross, the confession of awakening.
Glories and riches pour out on the humbled upon their knees.
Hands unclench as Freedom overtakes a soul,
wells of living water gush forth to reveal the resources and power of the King,
awakening an unknown desire.

Tears stream over unimaginable grace,
the freest gift so easily received into the gates of a heart wide open.
Tears stream over the veil laying across the nations,
muffling the songs of heaven pouring forth,
constraining eyes to the rough pavement.
Tears stream over the depths of darkness a soul can rise from but also choose to remain in.
Tears stream for the screeching darkness,
the shadows of enticement
that lie beneath the obvious,
that mask themselves in complacency.

Tears of soaring gratitude for the beautiful Truth who forever stands to point to a new way, the only way, the inexpressible Living Hope.

A glance at the barrenness and it is clear.

Savior, take the ashes from this life.

This life belong wholly unto You. 

A voice rises to the King of glory as others join,

a song of desperation and worshipful truth

as the gates swing.

The lights explode, pouring forth to fill a darkened space. 

Angels' wings fling gold upon the thick tar upon the earth, the hearts, the eyes of those who stumble. 

Melting away, the truth of new creation emerges as hearts sing to their Maker. 

Golden air shifts in spheres around Your throne, Holy One.

The reign of the King presses darkness into the depths. 

Amidst the heavens You dwell on high over kingdoms, 

both over nations of glory and those of despair. 

Upon each child a crown is placed ever so gently,

undeserved yet freely given is this grace.

The King's crown charges life, 

streams healing,

awakens the rawest mercy and most astounding of love stories. 

He whispers, He speaks, He shouts of the cross, 

The only way. 

Oh that our eyes would turn upon Your face, 

Your glorious gaze would be enough to press our hearts and desires into all that You are. 

King of Wonders,

that You would come.

A Divine mystery of life-changing proportions, 

an incomparable gift.

Shift the nations from evil, knock down the proud, find the lost, fill the barren souls, and remind us who we are--that we exist to proclaim the reign of the King of Wonders. 

Yours we are, 

and of Your wondrous love do we sing. 

Forever undone.

A canopy of darkness shrouds,
A curtain of apathy hangs heavy in the air,
tugging the atmosphere downwards.
A blindness hovers and silences
as dust thickens their vision and dulls their senses. 

Velvet shadows dance upon these ancient walls, 

enticing one soul after another to swallow their hunger and 

become enraptured in a lie.

Bound by deception, 

they step towards conflicting whispers. 

Lips form dull empty words of vanity crashing quickly to the ground.
Smiles crack and curl,
lingering a moment too long.
Eyes shine,  
a frightening, glaring vacancy dwelling within. 
Faces flash, crowds of fragmented fearful hearts strung together. 

Amidst the crowds, a pulse jumps. 
Reviving and stirring up the stillness,
a heart ablaze.
Burning with holy fire, their feet are drawn beyond the pews. 
Shattering the silence from the inside out, 
one voice echoes the prophecy of Awakening Himself and the dead arise. 
Stirring in the heavens at the mention of His name, 
Truth's grip digs his nails into the blackness of the grave, 
pulling out son after daughter,
daughter after son, 
a transcendent rescue of the lost.

A choir of praise steadily rises as hearts catch Love's flame, 
joining with the angels they sing the praise of their Heavenly Father. 
Shadows unravel and loop together in ratty knots
in the appearance of the Majestic One. 

His arms wrap them in unity to stand as one.
In the mighty unbreakable bonds of perfect, unchanging love
His strength injects and ignites the courage of angel armies into every soaring heart. 

Hearts scream of thankfulness, the rich praise of the Holy One. 
Lives recklessly dance to proclaim the wonders of Truth and Wisdom beneath His wings,
Radiance swells and beams from the faces of the found.
The canopy lies a heap of ashes, a pit of lies stomped down. 
Passion charges craving hearts, 
Death forever silenced in triumph. 

Eyes widen and souls are overwhelmed with the taste 

as they are brought to their knees in wonder. 

Precious tears drip of heaven's glory, 

A reality forever undone.

Perfect, wonderful Majestic Jesus may we never stray from You to chase after the lies of this world. Your Truth, Your promises, Your name is enough to keep us upon our feet with hands raised for a lifetime. This world, our families, our friendships  need a touch from the Holy One.  We desperately need to be reminded day in and day out that we have access and a relationship to the Father through the precious blood of Your son Jesus. You are calling out a generation from the pews to seek Your face and to not settle for the ways of this world. You desire for every heart to run into Your healing embrace and to encounter the reality of Jesus. You change it all- every lie to Truth, every season of mourning to dancing, every pain to healing, every broken thing into the beautiful. We refuse to believe the lies of the enemy that this world cannot be reached or changed by the power of Your great Name. You are Life itself and hold every moment in Your hands- we choose to trust You and go deeper for Your sake and for the sake of those in search of a purpose to fight for.  

May Your precious and steadfast love continue to shatter false perceptions of reality for Your followers and undo the walls of pain, of fear, and of apathy that hold all others in this world back from standing in wonder at the name of Jesus Christ and devoting this one life they have to You.   

Yours is the Kingdom. Use us. 

  (Inspiration: Isaiah 55, Ezekiel 37, Daniel 9)

"Yes"

Dreaming is scary to say the least.

It's scary take risks, to run the race without regard to what people think, to take leaps beyond your comfort zone, to come face to face with opposition...but then I look back at people alive today who I deeply admire.

I know this world has many dedicated followers of Christ , true dreamers and heroes, who are amidst the workplace, our schools, and companies. Called to bring Him there, I am in awe of them as well and their obedience to His call. However, I do know not everyone is meant for that. There are some God sets a fire in to herald the reality of His presence to.

There are some serious dreamers.
These are people who are not just talkers but people who worship Christ in deed and truth. They have showed me that true faith is one that treasures Christ and puts Him ahead of themselves.  These are people who continue to fire my heart for the gospel.  

Louie Giglio (Passion 268 Generation Movement)

This man has impacted me more than he may ever know. His deepest desire was to see a generation awake to the love and fire of Christ. He desperately wanted to see Christ magnified and for hearts to be set ablaze for the sake of Christ's coming Kingdom.  His fearless pursuit of this dream has ignited me as I have listened to the music, tuned into these sermons, and have been continually inspired by one man's courageous and fierce love.

This uncontainable passion explodes from his words and dedication to preaching Truth.

This is one of the only verses I can use to capture Giglio's passion for God.

"But if I say, “I will not mention his word
    or speak anymore in his name,”
his word is in my heart like a fire,
    a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;    indeed, I cannot." -Jeremiah 20:9

Steven Furtick (Elevation Church)

Furtick's bold love for the gospel and for Truth to be magnified inspires me to delve deeper into the Scriptures. His inspiring and simple approach to preaching reminds me that the gospel rests upon the power of God and not human wisdom or eloquence (1 Corinthians 2:1). 

Bill Hybels (Willow Creek Community Church)

Hybels began a church so many years ago that is now sparking new church planting in the U.S. and across the nations. Being a catalyst for leadership reformation and training, he is pressing for deep change.

John Piper (Pastor and author of "Don't Waste Your Life")

His bold and blunt sharing of the gospel may turn some away but the clear cut honesty blazes a path for all to see the cross-centered life will always be worth and in fact, is the only way to the abundant life Jesus promises (John 10:10). His book "Don't Waste Your Life" challenges me to come face to face with the fact that this life flies by and the way to make it all count is centering it around the King of Kings and going all out for His sake!

Bill Bright- (Campus Crusade for Christ)

These ordinary people said "yes" to the dreams Jesus laid upon their hearts and because of this the course of my life has been changed.

Because Bill Hybels said "yes" back in the 1970's to the dream of building an Acts 2 church, I am changed.  Being a mediocre, half-hearted Christian my whole life, I was basically forced to attend a Willow Creek youth group my sophomore year of high school after I dealt with some drama and friend issues.  Praise be to Him for in this youth group where Christ's pursuit for my heart became known to me and I was drawn into God's radical love that had been there all along.

Because Louie Giglio said "yes" back in the late 90's to pursuing Christ's call of a generational awakening for high school and college students, I am changed. This passion to see a fire kindled in the souls of this generation, to see the ruins of generations come to life here and now, and to inspire students to rise up into their calling within the Kingdom has changed my life.  Sparking in my heart that day I recommitted my life to Christ on a retreat the summer heading into my freshman year, passion has only continued to grow.  His passionate call inspired and empowered me to pursue a movement of Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ) at Hope College where I attend school.  The Passion Movement continues to challenge me to enlarge my perspective and realize the world-wide awakening Christ is stirring not only here in America but all across the world.  It empowers me to play the part the Lord has assigned to me and to realize the eternal impact of my days on this earth. 

Because Steven Furtick said "yes" to God's call on his life at the age of 16 and began to pursue His call to become a pastor in a major city, I have been impacted. His fierce love of God's people and hatred of injustice and evil in the world continues to challenge me to love and stretch myself as I seek Christ daily.

Because Bill Bright said "yes" to God's call to begin Campus Crusade for Christ- thousands upon thousands are impacted by the gospel and commissioned to reach their schools with the gospel.  Because he said yes to Jesus there are now ministries popping up all over the country set on fulfilling the Great Commission.  I have been impacted deeply by this ministry's mission and now Cru has been launched on Hope's campus and if the Lord wills it will continue to set a fire in the student body from Christ Himself that will extend far beyond the borders of Holland, Michigan. 

The most powerful thing of all is that when I look at every one of these people I see Jesus. I see dreamers whose very heart and soul's desire is for the world to see the One who changed them. They fervently desire for all of the lost to see the One who rescued their life from emptiness and brought them to the true purpose of this life-- to magnify the Risen Christ, Precious Savior, and Majestic King of Glory. 

If each of these people had chosen to back away, to step backwards into safety, and away from the dream the Lord had revealed to them, I know I would not be the same.  Christ used each one of them (and many others in my life) to show me what authentic, Christ-exalting leaders look like who day by day ask the world to follow them as they follow Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Turning to Scripture, we see their prime example, Jesus, whose eyes were firmly set on the Father and His will.  John 14:31 says, "I have done as the Father has commanded me so that the world may know that I love the Father."  Kneeling down in the Garden of Gesthemane, He prays if possible for this cup to pass. Tears of blood ran down His perfect face as He agonized over the road ahead of Him and yet these words escaped His lips: "...Not my will but Yours be done" (Luke 22:42).

And as I survey these dreamers, my heart screams YES! 

Jesus, show Your face, Your glory, Your great calling upon the lives of this generation and generations past.  Every single person has a part to play if they would allow the King of Glory into the doors of their hearts. The ruins of the generations past would stop HERE. New life could begin today.  I believe we would see a decrease in suicide, depression, divorce, hopelessness, apathy, and we would see a generation rise up to meet Christ- the Healer, Sanctifier, Lover, and Savior of the world.

To anyone who is reading this, I know you long for more in your life.  Christian or non-Christian, You have longed to belong to something larger than yourself, you've longed to feel accepted, you've longed to feel valued, you've longed to dream.

And this is your push:
Go. Dream. Live life in love with Christ.
Don't let your dreams just be dreams. Seek the Lord and ask Him if they line up with His will. If they do, you'll be sure to see them come to pass as your pursue Christ and surrender them over to Him.

Say "yes" to what God is laying on your heart to pursue and let Him set your heart ablaze with His life in you. You never know those who will be impacted by your obedience. 

In faithfulness

Before my eyes,

unfolding perfect light
guiding my heart to the throne

of Perfect Love.

One step in front of the other. 

Straining, pressing, sprinting, moving

to stand before the King on that final day,

propelled and maintained by His grace alone.

Hearts, O how they stray.

Drawn to long, to dream, to cling to lackluster dreams and desires. 

Clutching a wandering heart in my chest, 

the faithful heartbeat resounds of my King and I am reminded: 

In Your strength do I sprint.

In Your desperation do I shout of love.

In Your reign do I dwell. 

In Your heart do I find my vision.

In Your faithfulness do I walk, Jesus.

Steadfast when I falter, unfailing love and glory 

keep my eyes turned upon the greatness of my King.  

Wrapped in glory

The deepest hunger of this soul; 

to be found by Beauty.

To have the ruins of this heart laid bare 

and yet to taste the fullness of love.

The radiance of Your brilliance, 

Your passion for the world to see,

all consuming.

Wrapped in passionate fire,  Jesus is.

Colors ebb and flow.

Colors ignite; 

intertwining, weaving, beckoning my heart to soar.

Upwards my heart moves, 

colliding with the glory of my great King.

Precious stones, 

sapphires and emeralds are laid one by one,

consumed by the radiance of the Sun's beams,

Once shaken, now secured beneath the shelter of my King.

The wonder of it all too marvelous, 

too unimaginable, 

the dream too raw, too beautiful 

to confine within. 

Rising up,

A song of rescue I scream,

I'll shout it.

I'll whisper the name of Love that saved my life in the quiet, 

who found me in my most desperate of hours 

and the One who gripped the ashes of my life in His scarred hands and chose me.

The most glorious of songs has taught my heart to believe, 

to trust in unfailing love, 

to stand enveloped in lavished grace.

Beating to bring the Resurrection into focus, 

the cross of glory to shine and awaken the ashes,

this heart sings.

Longing for more for this world, these eyes shine.

Make Your presence known here.

Isaiah 54:11-14, Psalm 96.

The Voice of Truth

In the darkest of nights, 
the silence buzzed.
Black ink flowed, 
blotting out the lights.
Confusion rang in the air, 
twisted thoughts in fear.
Voices flickered, 
lies sparked.
They ebbed and flowed,
Flooding my thoughts.
Cutting through the darkness,
stopping my heart, 
a heated flame, a voice of heavenly hosts breathed my name,
"Taylor."

A sweet, loving murmur of the Savior's heart, 
His voice of Truth to split the heavens, the skies, 
to enter into the tiny details of my fleeting life, 
and remind me.

Almighty Warrior,
Precious Friend,
Righteous King, 
God of the rescue,
Extravagant Love,
Dream come to life.

I am because He is. 
I speak because He goes after to confirm Truth.
I'm alive because He lives,
I run because He is worthy.
I am undeniably weak and frail but He is strong.

For the world to bow,
to know in their innermost hearts that You died for them to come alive,
to be set ablaze with eternal purpose and everlasting love.
To cry out to You,
to raise a song to You, 
to hear Your voice,
to reach up and behold the mystery of a Creator who loves us enough to respond.

No higher joy, 
no higher purpose, 
no deeper love than being joined to You.

I have seen Your power flow, Your love awaken, Your name set hearts and minds free,

I have prayed and watched as Your power turns lives around.

You brought my life up from the dead ashes and showed me life.

I follow, I listen, I commit because I have seen it and felt it. 

With eyes on You, I move.

Empty handed I step forward.
If all I can give to You is a song with my life,
I will sing over You, my God, with every ounce of my heart, my life, my passion.
Humbly I bow, praying You would increase in my life
Show Your glory to a world awaiting purpose and glory.


"The one who has the bride is the bridegroom.The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.” -John 3:29-30

Jesus, You are captivating. One glimpse of Your power, an encounter with Majesty, and we can be changed. Lord, I pray for anyone who is reading this that their eyes would turn upwards to You, to Your throne. All it takes is coming to You with an open and willing heart to receive Your love into their life. I pray You would awaken each and every heart to Your love, Your depth, Your greatness for You are the Almighty One who pursues and longs to see each heart be drawn into You. 

"But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!"
And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory"
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe

the voice of Truth."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcuiuIwtpa4 "Voice of Truth" 

Burning butterflies.

I want to be a butterfly on fire. Captivating, radiating, transparent, burning. Does that sound strange? Think about it...if you ever saw one you would stop, mouth agape, wondering where on earth it came from and you'd probably want to follow it straight to the source. Yeah, it probably isn't practical...mainly because if a butterfly were literally on fire it would die. But what if this meant moving beyond the surface to something much deeper within ourselves that works its way out of our hearts and into our lives.  Something all consuming. If we as Christians began encountering the presence of the living God and turning our faces to Him we would radiate and burn with a type of light that would not be ignored.  We would be blazing symbols of the freedom of Jesus Christ. So deeply invested in His heart that our heart's desire would be to return again and again to the One who lights freedom's wick in our souls daily.  Bringing the news of freedom to touch the weary, the burdened, the afflicted, the empty, and the hurting I believe our world could be transformed. Proverbs 3:3 says. "Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart." Etching His love on a human heart does not allow it to be contained. We were made to be in love with God, to know Him, be known, and make Him known. That is our calling and purpose in the short time we have here on earth. To deeply and intimately know Him is to possess a heart intertwined with heaven consumed by His love to pulse and beat to the melody of His life living through us.  It cannot restrain the outpouring of love lavished from the throne of God.   Flying within the freedom of His reign is the silent exclamation of the Kingdom and King who is on His way. It is the symbol of blazing hope that dashes the doubts and blinders that the darkness holds so tightly over our eyes. And as Christians this can be our joy and delight- to blaze long enough for people to take notice and then to step aside to unveil the Holy God of fire and unending love. I want people to look at me and see past what I look like, talk like, seem like, or whatever the heck else and see Jesus, the King of Kings, and most worthy God. I want people to wonder where the heck I came from so I can point to the source of my flame.  I desperately want people to draw near enough to catch the flame, for the scales to drop as they encounter the majesty of His name. Now, don't get me wrong.  Fire can be scary. You can't control it, tame it, and always understand it. But this fire is different- the flame of the Spirit is one of healing, renewal, empowerment, boldness, and guidance.  This living fire of God leads you forward deeper into the heart of Christ.   Jesus lives and I want to be like that.  The world is need of some burning butterflies. So I pray to You. Fire fall down on us so we may live, breathe, and sing, participating in the love that is blazing a way for the world to know You, the one true King. You are eternal life.

Worth it

My only prayer is that all would see Your worth right now, Jesus. That they might gaze upon Your face and see their life is hidden in Christ and can be ignited to rise up from the ashes to live beneath the shadow of Your wings.

My prayer is that whoever is reading this might stop and pause. 

They might stop and turn their gaze to the skies and consider that maybe it is all real. Maybe what you've heard about Jesus being the answer and the way really is all truth. 

Jesus, the pursuit of Your love, Your cross, Your ways is what we have been created for. Apart from you it is all meaningless. If this is all there is and at the end of it all whether in 5 years or 70 we just get put down in a grave then why try? 

Why love? Why risk? Why believe in anything other than ourselves? 

I cannot adequately express the worth and the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ.  He is the King of Kings, the Healer, the Lord over creation, the Redeemer, and the One who has died to set you free from the confines of yourself to live for His glory and renown in this world.  It is His face I see on display as I reflect on the redemptive power of His love raising my life up and healing the lives of those who have turned to Him all around me.

I've been there. I have thought people followed Jesus because it was a crutch, something to cling to, and a nice additive to the "good life". How wrong I was. 

Jesus, He is the One you've waited for your whole life.  He is the One who will fill the gaping hole and the desire of your heart. Only Him. 

You think you want an exciting life?
Try to living in a world that is a battle between the Kingdom of Light and Darkness. Place your trust in a God whose plan for you transcends anything you could plan on your own according to glory at work within you. 

You want to help those around you?
Delve into the heart of Christ, the only One who can truly redeem, save, or rescue someone else from the darkness of this place. Knowing Him enables you to serve and help people in the most profound ways. 

You want something to fulfill you?
Lift your face to the glory and lifter of your head, Jesus Christ, who blesses you with the fullness of His presence, His mercy, His healing, and His Spirit.

You want direction and guidance?
Seek the living God who hears you and will answer you. When you are encountered by the reality that He is alive I guarantee you won't want to flee from Him. 

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday and it is not just another day. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is an event that changed everything about our reality.  Because of Jesus we are now blessed with the opportunity to choose life over death but that's just the thing... God loves us so deeply He has given us freedom and a choice.  The choice to choose the Son He freely gave us that is the only One who can give us life.

Watching "The Passion of the Christ" yesterday I was struck by how deep the pain of regret is.  Watching Judas betray Jesus with a kiss and then desperately try and take it all back by throwing the money back in the Pharisees' faces it stung.   

Regardless of where you stand in your faith- you don't believe, don't care, don't see the importance of it all at the end of your life you will have to stand before the Father to testify about the life you lived in the time He gave you.  You get one life, one shot, one try. That is it. No do overs. 

I guarantee you looking in the fire of His gaze, you will want to take back every wasted moment. You will see the desperate and fiery love of God that pursued you your entire life but you were too busy or consumed with the "things" of this world to notice.  

Entrusting your heart to Christ is difficult. 
It is painful. People and this world resist you. You will face lies. You may have people walk out of your life or disappear...maybe they won't get it.  But the thing is you will never regret a moment spent loving and pouring out your heart for Him.  Nothing done in His name is ever in vain.  Your reward is knowing Christ and living your life in love to honor the King. 

Mark 14:3-9 reminds me that nothing is wasted.  This woman poured her everything out upon Jesus and was mocked but He saw the worth. She recognized Him for who He was.

Right now, Jesus is asking you. Who do you say that He is? Is He who He said He is? 

He is.  I can testify to the fact that Jesus is alive and reigning now--He is truly alive. This changes absolutely everything. The life you desire is hidden within Christ and nowhere else will you find it.

May the grace of God draw you in to experience the beauty of His Kingdom, His lavished love, His adoption, His healing flood, and His resurrection power to awaken your heart to what you have been born to fulfill on this earth.

You were worth it for Him to lay His life down. 
Jesus will always be worth your pursuit. Right now, He wants to know you, to speak truth over your life, and bring you into His presence.  Saying yes to Him is saying yes to a God who has already said yes to you. 

Worth it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUUmhnOPBdE How He Loves with Matt Chandler and John Piper.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Joj2qEYa8VA Encounter Me by Citipointe Live.  

Swing open the gates

Swing open the gates,
I pray revival all around,
hearts to burn with the song of freedom rising deep from within the ashes.

And as I marvel, you whisper fiery words of loving discipline that press me to cry out and say something unexpected:
"Jesus, start with me."

I've only skimmed the surface of You, danced across it.
Merely flipped the pages and caught a summary.
How I need Him more.
How we all need Him more.

How can we expect others to see You? To care? To desperately want You as their God
If they don't see our own face radiating with the swelling love and blinding light of the King of Kings.

Pour out Your lifestream into our hearts,
the burning and jealous love that ransomed us from the grave,
that turned our fragmented blindness into glimpses of heavenly redemption,
that reached down into the depths of the grave and pulled us out with mighty hands
to shine a Light that changed it all.

For Your own sake shine upon us,
the desolate sanctuaries you ignite to burn for a lifetime,
never to be overcome.

I pray revival all around.
Yet my prayer begins with the heart I shakily offer to You in prayer.

Revive this heart, the only one I can truly offer at Your throne
but the one which You will use to spread the radiant truth and bells of freedom to ring.

For you care for the masses, the nations,
yet You speak tenderly to Your children.
Melodies and sonnets of tender love to the orphaned living apart from You,
Painted dreams across the blackest of skies of regret and shame,
whispering the freedom that winds its way around our chains, unlocking them in victory.

I humble myself and say:
Purify me,
change me,
mold me,
move me.

Yes, they need You even if they can't see it now
but my command is to love You with all that I have.
The overflow and steady stream of Your love will always be the source

Jesus, I pray revival.
I pray revival in this heart, in this season, with these people. For I know it is only through You that my little life might extend itself in compassion and love to blow up the smallest or largest of sparks within another.

Swing open the gates,
Start with me.

Psalm 119:19-24

Immerse

Drowning.

This is what initially came to mind as I pictured the word immersed. Someone submerged and immersed in water, drowning and gasping for breath...not exactly positive imagery.

And looking up the definition of "immerse" I found that this is one of three definitions.

The first states that it is "to cover completely in a liquid". The second is to "baptize by submerging in water" while the third and most clearly relevant one states "to engage wholly or deeply; absorb." 

This is where a recollection of the past four days begins.  Immerse 2012.  You might say we were drowning but only in the most positive of ways :), surrounded by and sinking into the love and grace of God! :) Haha.

I had the opportunity this past week to attend Cru's Christmas conference and what an immense privilege and blessing it was.  Engaging deeply in the life of Christ and being reminded of the grand invitation to step into the epic story He is telling, Immerse 2012 was a conference worth remembering. Here are some of the highlights:

Opening for worship, the song "Forever Reign" screamed the truth out we all need to resonate and be immersed in.  Forever reigning, our King has appeared and because of this, our soul can feel again. Our soul can know its worth secure in Him.  The first speaker, Brian Loritz, preached the hard Truth that the gospel of Christ must never be confused with religion.  The gospel states I am accepted therefore I do, not I do, therefore I am accepted.  



Break out sessions
The second day there were break-out sessions with topics ranging from how to have girl/guy friendships in the Body of Christ without something more attached to it to the one I went to which was how to freely love others by the power of the Spirit.  The one I attended was absolutely wonderful and proclaimed such freedom to walk in the truth and how devoting more of your time and life to Him frees you to love people more by His power.  Was a great reminder our greatest call is to love and not be the Savior who rescues people!

Skill set sessions

The last full day there were skill set sessions ranging from advanced evangelism, how to effectively lead a small group, healing from addiction, and how to truly change by the power of the Spirit. I attended the first option and came away with a fresh perspective on sharing my faith and it was awesome!

Amazing Grace.
And for the moment that touched the depths of my heart and stands very vividly in my memory.  Before this, Mike Erre, a speaker paved the way for it, paving a very powerful message relating to identity.  His main point derived from the central message of the gospel Ephesians 1 that we have already been chosen in love to be His children.  Mike provided the horrifying facts behind the cultural context of this passage that explained how deformed and imperfect babies at the time were left at the top of the hill to be abandoned and eventually die.   Ephesians 1 paints the picture of our beautiful God who runs to the top of the hill to the unwanted, the hurting, the empty, the sick, and provides them with permanent adoption into His family.

Delving into the profound implications of this radical idea of being chosen amidst our sin and mess, Erre chose to examine the perfectionist cloud hanging over our society. The airbrushed women, million dollar bank accounts, billion dollar Hollywood industry, and an emphasis on perfect grades, all shoving us to be immersed in the lie that we will never be "good enough", never have enough, or be satisfied as we are.

The truth He proclaimed at the end was that the deepest longing of the heart is to know we are loved in spite of the darkness within us, that there is a Father longing to wrap His arms around us and make us new.

He painted the picture of a child who has been abused his entire life and because of this picks up habits such as hiding food around the house due to his punishment which included being starved. Once he is later put in the foster care system, his new loving parents take him into their home and are grieved to find out he is still hiding food around the house as a result of the pain.

He went on saying very seriously: "You don't have to do that here. This is not like your old family. You willnever be hungry again."

Just as this child experienced a new adoption with loving parents, so have you. You now have a loving Father who has in the riches of His grace and mercy, bestowed upon you the blessing of a new title: a beloved son or daughter of the Most High King.  You have a Father who will never leave nor forsake you and who offers you a new life in Him: one where you will never go hungry again.

Hearing this John 6:35 came to mind. 

"I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty." -John 6:35 About to close His talk, Mike paused and the crowd sensed a change.  Looking us straight in the eyes he addressed the audience and said these words: "I know there are some of you in the audience who are having a hard time buying into this idea of God's love. It sounds too good to be true, you don't know why people are so excited about Jesus, you are still figuring this whole God thing out.  I want to ask if there are any of you out there right now who are struggling with this and would be bold. Come up to the front of the stage so that we may cover you in prayer and anyone who feels led can come up to pray over you." With that, a bold boy jumped out of his seat and literally ran to the front of the stage. Slowly as the minutes went on, more and more people gathered at the front of the stage til there were about 30 people surrounding the stage. Mike then called up the prayers and with that, me and about 60 others rushed to the stage and layed hands upon each and every one of them. The worship band came on stage and that is where the most moving and spiritual moment emerged. "Amazing Grace" rang out and the room was filled with a beautiful choir of voice crying and singing out to God. "My chains are gone I've been set free My God, my Savior has ransomed me And like a flood His mercy rains Unending love, Amazing grace." Amidst the doubting, amidst the trials and pain, amidst the diversity in the room, we were able to unite as a body of believers and lift up praise for the unbelievable riches of His love that redeems and the grace that brought us to stand there in that room. Lifting my eyes from the boy that I had prayed over, I was overwhelmed by emotion as I watched the prayer and support unfolding all around me. Acts 4:32 sprang to mind and the feeling of being "of one heart and one mind" brought joy to the inner depths of my soul.  I knew it was a moment I would not forget for some time. Outreach day. Tagging along with the U of I campus, we went to a church New Covenant Life Church Center in Indianapolis to be prepped for outreach.  Before this we had been given "Knowing God Personally" booklets and walked through the basic steps of sharing the gospel with someone. This was incredibly helpful and by the time prepping was done I was so excited for this opportunity to see God move!! Coming to the church we were greeted by the pastor who opened with a absolutely breathtaking story from last year.  A group from this same U of I campus had done outreach door to door, with survey and food in hand to come across a guy named William who lived in the area. William was down on his luck and at a place where he had come to recognize his own emptiness and need for something beyond himself.  Opening his door he was surprised to find students waiting with a smile.  Letting them in, the conversation began and the students later asked if he would be interested in knowing God personally.  Explaining the gospel, something sparked in William and after the students had left, he went that very day to New Life to become a member of the church. Now one year later after accepting Jesus, he is a new man.  At 54 years old, he is in preparation to be a deacon at the church and is engaged to be married to the pastor's daughter. 2 Corinthians 5:17 could not be more true of this man, a vivid picture of what it looks like to be a new creation in Christ. Hearing this I was blown away by the beauty of our God and how He would choose to use students like us in this man's life and the lives of many others in outreach.  Leading up to this conference evangelism and sharing my faith has been something huge God has laid on my heart and seeing how central this is to the mission of Cru was so incredible! Their view on evangelism is "taking the initiative in the power of the Spirit to share the gospel and leaving the results up to God." Such a freeing thing to realize that our job is to take the initiative and to be faithful to the gospel, not to "convert" or change someone.  Going out into the community and seeing God moving and changing people before our eyes brought the reality of Christ one step closer and the power we have in the Spirit.  To grow a fire for sharing your faith, I guarantee seeing someone come to know Christ for the first time will do just that!! And want to hear something crazy amazing!? In one day there were over 1000 gospel conversations and as a result, 72 people chose to put their trust in Christ!! Praise God!! Oh...and Phil Wickam performed? No big deal or anything... ;) His worship was the most inspiring and Spirit-empowered worship I have ever witnessed in my life!!!!!!! I felt as if God had given us a glimpse into Heaven and what worship will be there!!  Here is one of the songs He sang! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6lZLY-SjUc "Heaven Fall Down" International Night There was another night all about the nations and how God wants to reach the world through us. It was an awesome night to hear about the international programs through Cru that are reaching people all around the world. One ministry is reaching out to women through the Iruna Project to pull them out of human trafficking and bringing them to Christ while another is ministering to college students in Asia. It wa s a night of worship and asking God for big things. The goal for the funds of the night among the college students was $80,000...and guess how much was raised? Over $114,000!!!!!! Yeah Jesus!!!  Paul Tripp The last few days Paul Tripp spoke and with words bearing the truth of the gospel day after day came tremendous conviction for me and the rest of the students in the audience. His main point across his talks revolved around the fact that our biggest problem in is us.  This is the biggest reason we are in desperate need of a Redeemer because the sin within us is not something we can change by our own strength. The issue is not  merely our world or our circumstances but that which is inside of us. The greatest war is between the kingdom of self and the Kingdom of God. Sin makes us shrink our lives down to us which we were not created to do and this causes despair. The words and actions of our everyday are telling of exactly what is present within our hearts!  With sin controlling our heart and actions from the inside out, we will inevitably have empty lives for ourselves that will never satisfy. However the hope is that in Christ our vision enlarges to the greater story He is telling! His love now controls us and we are free to live an upward life towards His call. Jesus came to break your bondage to you! Only in the acceptance of the news that you are in desperate need of Him because of your condition can the good news finally click. The sad song of humanity is that we make life our party when it is meant to be His all along! Nerd Party (Geeking it out!!) Well whoever said Christians don't know how to have fun obviously have it wrong ;). There was an awesome party in the ballroom full of 3000 college students all dressed in the nerdiest attire rocking out and dancing like fools to "Call Me Maybe"...so I would say it was pretty awesome!!    (The four roomies for the trip! Abigail, Amelia, Me, and Megan!)(My friend Amelia watching a youtube video on how to tie a bowtie :)) From there, we headed to worship in the main conference area. We got to rang in the new year worshiping God for all He has done and is yet to do in the coming year of 2013 which I believe is a whole lot!! We spent time in prayer for our nation, its leaders, our campuses, and each other which was wonderful. Friends, if you made it this far into this very lengthy post, I thank you!! It was such a beautiful and God-given opportunity to attend Indycc and cannot wait to bring as many of you next year as possible to experience it!! Seeing college students from all over the Midwest from Northwestern, U of I, Michigan State, UIC, Purdue, Calvin, and many other schools come together to worship the King was absolutely stunning. and such a reminder that our generation is one I believe Jesus wants to use to change the world and carry the hope of His name! There was incredible speakers, convicting and inspiring messages, beautiful worship, opportunity for outreach, but beyond all of this was the focus on Christ amidst every single one of these aspects: the One person we can be immersed in and never have enough of. Drowning. This is where we find ourselves in a life apart from Him: trying to fulfill the expectations of others, please other people, living into the dreams of the world, chasing after things other than His love, and this leads to suffocation. With Christ we find that He is the air we breathe, the refreshment for our soul, and the only One who will ever satisfy the deepest cries and hunger of our hearts. Immerse 2012 was a beautiful experience and has only set the stage for this coming semester!! Get excited for seeing Cru launched!! I sure am and hope you come out to support what Jesus has in store!! :) "In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul." -Isaiah 26:8 God bless my friends, Taylor

Random pictures from Indycc:

(Out in the hall before the very first session!)

(Beautiful stained glass at New Life! Power of prayer baby!)

(This is awesome!!! haha Check it out!)

(Stairs was an option when the elevators were super crowded! My friend Megan and I ran up 18 flights a few times! Good thing we survived the conference ;))

(Notes from the first speaker, Brian Loritz, The gospel- "I love you too much not to tell you." Gospel motivation.)

(Veinte coffee to kickstart the day! The line for coffee was a mile long every day...me included!)

(The Surrender sign we all put a signature on the last night!! )

(Dinner at church after outreach!! )

(Chick-fil-a was one of the many places in the food court we went to connected to the hotel! Chicken is gooooood!!!)

(Yes...there was  a dancing cow!!!) 

(Awesome worship leader for the retreat: Matt McCoy of Harvest Bible Chapel!)