The AWAKENING Conference
For the last 5 days in Romania, our team camped out in Brasov for a spiritual AWAKENING conference, along with 200+ other racers, alumni, staff, and coaches.
This was the first year the Awakening Conference took place, and it was held in “Probably the best city in the world.” God has been opening our eyes and hearts to see more of his greatness. Often for us to grow into more mature beings for Christ, we must be challenged and pushed beyond what we know and are comfortable with. We all need to have spiritual “awakenings” that take us to another level.
The awakening conference was just that for many of us. It was an opportunity to for us to reconnect with our squadmates, meet other World Racers and hear their experiences on the race, for racers to reunite, and for all of us to be challenged to walk deeper into the love and knowledge that God has poured out for us. It was also an opportunity to recieve guidance, insight, counsel and encouragement from AIM’s leadership. One of the greatest things about the conference was the community of believers. We all come from different states (or countries), but we all have an intense bond through the race and thru the love of Christ. Getting to share with one another our experiences and hearing all of the incredible things God has been doing is so encouraging and was such a blessing! And what set the tone for such an incredible time together was the worship that we gave to God in song and heart! I really love worship, and it is such a joyous time where we can just rest and be at peace with our God, our savior, and our closest friend and Abba! I love it!
In addition to the discipleship, we had the privilege of hearing from some of leaders about such topics like “Developing Your Kingdom Dreams”, “Intercessary Prayer”, “Prophecy”, “Spiritual Hygiene”, “Re-Entry.” I would say that I benefited most from the talk by Seth Barnes (founder of AIM) teaching about developing kingdom dreams, which was about taking the desires and interests that God has cultivated within our hearts and begun formulating a plan to implement them for the purpose of furthuring God’s kingdom. This was important for me to hear, because it is easy for me to get distracted by immediate surroundings, and sometimes forget that there is more to the life Christ has offered us than just what I am able to see on my own. It is important that none of us settle for less than God’s best for our lives, and it is imperative that we realize that His spirit within us is the force that gives us true life. I think so many Christians do settle, and they miss out on so much joy that Christ intends for us to have. You were created in God’s image, with a plan and purpose in mind, to do great things that the Lord has already prepared for us (Eph 2:10). And if you are a believer in Christ, then you have been specifically chosen by God and adopted as his very own son or daughter. And He loves you more than you can ever imagine! I find that I must remind myself of this is daily! It is our human tendency to forget, and fall subject to the lies we have allowed ourselves to accept as truth. But remember that they are just that, lies. And Christ has set us free, and we are no longer imprisoned. The love of Christ and the understanding of our true identity empowers us!
