The Awakening 2011 kicked off last night at Adventures in Missions‘s base in Gainesville, GA. Under the tent, 250+ alumni, friends, family and staff gathered for worship led by Jonathan David Helser and teaching from Anthony Chapman. Recording of Chapman’s message is available for download here. Last night’s session was also tweeted here; keep track on Twitter with “#awaken11“.
10:08 am Folks are trickling in under the tent.
10:10 “We’re gonna start in 30 seconds,” Caroline says on the mic. Members of the
band make their way to the stage.
band make their way to the stage.
10:12 Images from last year’s Awakening flash onto the tent.
10:14 “We
have 430 Racers right now on the field,” Caroline says. The Race began with 25 people. Today’s about
the present, what God’s doing right now.
have 430 Racers right now on the field,” Caroline says. The Race began with 25 people. Today’s about
the present, what God’s doing right now.
10:15
Caroline invites us to pray, “Thank you for what you’re doing what right now.”
Before we begin, we’re filling the tent with gratitude, thanksgiving.
Caroline invites us to pray, “Thank you for what you’re doing what right now.”
Before we begin, we’re filling the tent with gratitude, thanksgiving.
10:17 The
band begins playing, strumming quietly, intro to “Fly”. We also sing “Abba”. Jonathan David Helser leads us through a few spontaneous choruses like, “Everlasting love is all you have for me,” and “We are
your sons and daughters, no longer slaves to fear”.
band begins playing, strumming quietly, intro to “Fly”. We also sing “Abba”. Jonathan David Helser leads us through a few spontaneous choruses like, “Everlasting love is all you have for me,” and “We are
your sons and daughters, no longer slaves to fear”.
10:51 Caroline just gives the rundown on where all the squads (T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z & A) are right now — Cambodia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Peru, Romania, Uganda, Philippines, and Romania.
We’re
watching a video message from Garrett McNeill, O squad alumnus & X squad
leader, who tells us a story of what’s happened in Romania. One of the teams is working with a pastor of an evangelical church, the only one in town, in a country that is predominantly Orthodox. The pastor asks them, “Guys, are you ready to get
persecuted?”
watching a video message from Garrett McNeill, O squad alumnus & X squad
leader, who tells us a story of what’s happened in Romania. One of the teams is working with a pastor of an evangelical church, the only one in town, in a country that is predominantly Orthodox. The pastor asks them, “Guys, are you ready to get
persecuted?”
Garrett’s asked to give his testimony, who shares it with a Russian Orthodox pastor
they’d met. He asks if the team to help him build a house;
eventually, this pastor begins visiting the church, which is an evangelical
one. The Russian pastor had previously opposed to this church because they were “stirring the waters in this place”, but having heard and seen God’s love through this team, has been softening up.
they’d met. He asks if the team to help him build a house;
eventually, this pastor begins visiting the church, which is an evangelical
one. The Russian pastor had previously opposed to this church because they were “stirring the waters in this place”, but having heard and seen God’s love through this team, has been softening up.
10:58 Garrett encourages the alumni, pointing out how teams
are meeting people of influence. “We really are changing the world,” he says; it’s not just empty words or trite phrases.
are meeting people of influence. “We really are changing the world,” he says; it’s not just empty words or trite phrases.
10:59
Anthony comes up to begin teaching. “If I preach too long it’s your fault; when
people sponge, revelation keeps going.” He shows a
photo of Parc Guell in Barcelona to demonstrate that the angle from which we view things
determines our perception. The perception is only the conclusion of the angle
from which we view things; this is how he introduces his talk, “Living in the Parenthesis”.
Anthony comes up to begin teaching. “If I preach too long it’s your fault; when
people sponge, revelation keeps going.” He shows a
photo of Parc Guell in Barcelona to demonstrate that the angle from which we view things
determines our perception. The perception is only the conclusion of the angle
from which we view things; this is how he introduces his talk, “Living in the Parenthesis”.
[Henceforth is a list of points made during his talk; admittedly, it was a challenge to capture everything said and understand it at the same time. And… even more challenging to summarize.]
- Scripture references:
Genesis 6 (Noah); Jonah; Revelation 22:13, 1:8; Galatians 4:21; Hebrews 6:1, 11:8, 12; Isaiah 9:7 - [A sort of continuation from last night’s message] God never meant for us to live by the rule of law but rather the strength of our relationship with him.
- The law was introduced because the need arose, but that’s not what God intended in the beginning; the law showed us how impossible it is for us to reach him, it didn’t (doesn’t) show us how to do so.
-
“Why
do you think you’re such an emotional being? It’s because God is an emotional
being.” - Sometimes, God makes decisions based on his feelings, changes his mind then partners with us change the world.
- Examples of the above include Noah and Jonah, who know that if Nineveh would repent, God would relent.
- So then, the will of God isn’t as inevitable, absolute, fixed or established as much as it is variable and possible.
- Jesus taught us that with God all things are possible, not inevitable.
- Our generation needs to be set free from fear and condemnation of missing out on God’s will for our lives; God isn’t surprised nor derailed by our missteps.
5(2+8) – 5 = 13 or 45?
- In math, a parenthesis is a bracketed portion of a equation; it is not the equation.
- By the way, the answer to the above equation is 45.
- If we don’t know how to handle the parenthesis, we arrive at different — even incorrect — conclusion.
- This applies to life, to the kingdom of God.
- We tend to reduce God to a parenthesis.
- We tend to confuses different parentheses — the law, doctrine, eschatology, for example — for the equation.
- “Some might consider me a pan-millennialist; I believe it will all pan out.”
- Some of us have drawn premature conclusions about God and his kingdom because we’re stuck in these kinds of parentheses.
- Theology focused on destination (getting saved and getting into heaven) vs. theology focused on direction (why are we going where we’re headed?).
- The Hebrew word for glory means ”
weight,
heaviness, substance, significance, importance, meaning, purpose”; glory isn’t a spooked out, ethereal thing. - Our parentheses have made us defensive and fearful; we’ve not shown love as we ought to as a result, especially to people who parentheses look different from ours.
- God has not called us to terrorize the nations into submission; God isn’t mad at us, his anger was satisfied when Jesus died on the cross.
- God is bigger than the brackets we’ve created; don’t put God in a parenthesis of your current circumstance or past experience; let your
equation get bigger.
12:07 p.m.Caroline has dismissed the group for lunch. In the training center, tablesladen with pizzas and sweet tea await the alumni, who sit on the couches or the
floor. Merchandise, like CDs &
t-shirts from Jonathan David Helser, is available for purchase throughout the
day. A massage therapist offered 10-minute massages for $5 and plenty of alumni paid homage to the always-fun photo
booth (with props!)
2:12 The training center’s gotten quiet; alumni are probably hanging out and about
in town this afternoon before the evening session. Alumni-turned-staff resume working before the evening session.
in town this afternoon before the evening session. Alumni-turned-staff resume working before the evening session.
photos from Allison Johnston & Holland Cox.
