Sara Choe wrote this for our general World Race Updates page… and it is an excellent briefing of the last two weeks in Ireland, so I thought I would share.
..This time of year, Ireland is about five hours ahead and twenty degrees
(Fahrenheit) cooler than the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. Just
outside of Dublin, in the town of Clondalkin, over three hundred
members of the World Race family met for four days (August 30 –
September 2, 2010) at the Green Isle Hotel and Camac Valley Campground
to worship, rest, pray, learn and have fun.
This was the World Race’s second annual Awakening, and this gathering lived up to its name.
We believe that the Holy Spirit lives in each of us who believe and
follow Christ. When such people are gathered, the presence of God is
amplified, which is what happened. His presence electrified the
environs, permeating through everything that went on.
Jonathan David Helser and his band led worship biblically – in Spirit and in truth – and in the manner of David, who danced with all his might before the
Lord. Just as a piece of music is dynamic – ranging from pianissimo
(very soft) to fortissimo (very loud) and everything in between – so
were the times of worship.
There was a good amount of standing on chairs, declaring loudly the
promises of God, and jumping and shouting, approaching the throne of
grace with boldness and confidence. There were also moments of quiet,
waiting and listening for the Lord, kneeling face down to the ground in
humility. In the midst of praise there was also petition and
intercessory prayer broke out – even over the internet (thank God for
technology!).
- Life at its best = you at your best + Jesus as His best + the church at her best
- The
ways the earth groans for the sons and daughters of God to realize
their identity, mature and fill the earth with the knowledge of the
glory of God - What it means to be adopted into the family
of God and receive our inheritance, getting on with the “family
business” a.k.a. the kingdom (some of Andrew’s messages are also available here) - The
old and new covenants, that the church today has been living a newer
version of the old covenant.
- Seth showed some ways to turn kingdom dreams into reality.
- Jimmy shared with some Racers what life after the World Race might look like and tips on how to navigate through that transition
- The
Helsers shared some of their heart and story with worship leaders and
had them find their sound and open up the wells of their soul. - Allison and Caroline demystified prophesy and facilitated some practice of the prophetic.
And just as life on the World Race isn’t always super-spiritual, there
was also a good amount of fun and play. Racers played kickball and
Capture the Flag which were fun, but not many participated. Instead,
most of them focused on rehearsing for the Dance-Off, the much
anticipated inter-squad dance competition of the Awakening.
Complete with some Irish river dance, an homage to traditional Ugandan
dance, a parody of a robbery set to MC Hammer, hip-hop, the compulsory
Christmas song, and the Maori Haka, the N Squad (January 2010) easily took first place. The L-Squad (October 2009) and P-Squad
(July 2010) took second and third place, respectively. Even the
alumni, who represented all past World Races, got to flash their
dancing prowess.
Wednesday night after the evening session, World Racers danced, painted, poeticized, and sang, offering their art as
worship. For a couple nights and days, photography was exhibited
(artfully orchestrated by Ashley Huizenga – from Africa!), a powerful and poignant display of the places and people God puts on the hearts of World Racers.
and ministered to one another, the Kingdom within everyone was
expanded. Old and new alumni return home awake, staff and coaches are
reminded why they accepted their positions, and current World Racers
are rejuvenated, excited to continue extended the borders of His
kingdom within themselves and the world.
