So on Saturday morning, I actually ended up sleeping through the morning session (oops), but was able to catch up on a little sleep from the pub outreach and successfully make it to the afternoon outreach. For the afternoon outreach, we were sent out with more water bottles (it was HOT), and I was put in the group that went downtown to the Commons Park/Skatepark area. My friend Nick and I paired up and decided to tackle Commons Park. So we began walking around and handing out water, and ended up being invited to play a game of volleyball by some awesome people that we gave water to. After that, Nick decided that he wanted to sit down and do more of a treasure hunt-type afternoon. Now, in our church, we have something that we call a treasure hunt, where we sit down before going out to do outreach and ask God for specific pictures, phrases or scripture that would pertain to exact people that He would want us to talk to at that given time. So, that's what Nick and I did. We sat in the shade, we asked God to show us who He would have us talk to, and we sat in silence and waited on the Lord's response. While we were silent, I saw a picture of a 7-11 looking convenience store, but waved it off as probably not from God. After we had stayed silent for awhile, Nick started explaining that almost right after he had silenced himself, he had gotten a name--but one that made absolutely no sense. So after trying to figure out who "David Curtain" was, we decided to move on, as it probably wasn't from God. Then he asked me what I had gotten, and I told him about the 7-11, and also that I had no idea how we were supposed to do anything with that. So we started brainstorming about whether he might want us to go to a 7-11 and see if we found anyone there that needed prayer. Well, just then, a man walked by with his dog-- and he was wearing a shirt from the gym he's most likely a member too. But I read the shirt and it was for a gym called "Genesis Gym". Well, that struck me as strange. I've never heard of a Genesis Gym before. That sounds really Biblical. WAIT! So then, I realized that one of things that God can give you on a treasure hunt is scripture references.
I started wracking my brain. Genesis WHAT, God? Genesis WHAT? I need numbers...
And then it struck me. 7-11. What if it's Genesis 7:11?
In the six hundreth year of Noah's life, on the seventeenth day of the second month--on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. Genesis 7:11.
And then I just knew that God was saying, "This is what I'm doing to this city right now. The floodgates are open, and I am raining down my spirit on you".
And so, for the first time in my life, God spoke directly and amazingly to me. Directly to me. I still get chills just thinking about it.
So after I had shared all of that with Nick, we continued on for the remainder of the time we were in Denver with a renewed faith in what we were doing and the wonderful God we were doing it for.
After we had dinner, Nick and I then headed to the final session of the weekend. The session opened as always with really, really great worship, led by the wonderful AnaBeth Morgan. After they finished their set, AnaBeth was praying and I got another picture from God, but this time of an orange-brown cobra, with the neck frills and everything, looking like it was ready to strike. And again, I didn't really know what to do with it. Oh, me of little faith.
The enemy will strike you, but I will prevail.
And that was the sentence that I heard. So for the second time in my life, God spoke directly to me. And wow, that's a sentence to ponder. So honest, but so encouraging. Things will get us down. Satan will strike us down and try to drag us under, but our Almighty Father will never, ever let go of us. He will prevail over all evil and come out victorious in the end of the fight!! Our God is the King and ruler of all!!
And then Jay (my pastor) spoke, and gave the most amazing talk. I didn't write down much, I have to be honest, but there is one thing that really, really struck me. Jay was talking about how much of an analytical person he is, and therefore how he combs the Bible (especially when Jesus performs miracles) to figure out exactly how it happens. So he began telling us about his analysis of the miracle Jesus performs in Luke 9, where He feeds the 5,000. He began talking about how if Jesus wanted to, He could have made all of the bread and fish fall out of the sky (I mean, He is Jesus...). But don't you think that the Bible would have included that? So then Jay started to talk about the fact that the Bible probably would have also mentioned if, when Jesus blessed the bread and the fish, there were suddenly hundreds of loaves and fish surrounding Him. "No," Jay said. The miracle of it all happened in the disciple's hands. The disciples, doubting Jesus plan, took a step of faith and obeyed their Lord-- and look what happened. The miracle happened in their hands.
What a "Wow, God" moment.
Anyways, then Jay continued talking about how some people are just signed up for the showy-ness of God, and aren't prepared to stick it out when things go downhill. He continued talking about that for awhile and then came to his last point: there is something in every person's values that needs to die before we can become closer with God. (What a lighthearted concept, but really!). Whether it be lust, an addiction, ambition, pride, etc., it needs to die, or we will only be going through the motions of following God-- because we wouldn't be allowing him to transform us from the inside, out. Jay continued by saying that if we really wanted to pray a brave prayer, that we should ask God what that thing or things inside of us is that He would want to kill.
So I did.
And then I heard two words. Your dreams. And for the third time in one day (strange how God works in threes), my Lord and Savior bent down to whisper in my ear.
And I bawled. I had these dreams of moving to Germany to become an opera singer, and they were really big, and they consumed a big portion of my thoughts and goals. So, naturally, I was devastated, confused, scared-- a whole array of feelings.
But gradually over the course of the night, I came to peace with it, as I felt God communicating to me that He has a dream for me that's much bigger and better than one I could ever imagine-- and more importantly, one that will bring me more joy than I could ever imagine. And all because I believe that His plan for me will bring me into relationships that will benefit me incredibly, send me places I can only dream of going, and have me doing things I could have never imagined myself doing. And now, since it's been almost a month since this happened, and I've had time to let it sink in and mull over, I can't even begin to describe how excited I am to see what God's plan for me is.
So, guys, there you go. The day that changed my life.
Please let me know if you have questions or comments or similar stories to share! I would LOVE to hear them. Our God is just so GOOD!!!
I love you all, God Bless!!
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