One God. One Church. One Weekend.
That was the theme of Break Forth 2017. We gathered under a large and generous umbrella that included Catholics, Charismatics, Liturgicals and Evangelicals. Even a group of traditionally isolationist Mennonite young adults came to Break Forth to explore how others, who call Jesus their Lord, worship. They were blown away by a celebration of the story of grace, a message that had never reached their community. A group of Muslims, who had been invited by friends in their profession, came to investigate Christianity. It was a big umbrella indeed!
We were blessed by many branches providing so many different perspectives to growth in faith through the dozens of classes offered.
As speakers and artists facilitated our connection with God through music, comedy, story-telling and teaching, I was reminded of the metaphor of the tree representing the body of Christ. We heard from the roots: people like Luis Palau, a vivacious octogenarian with a sturdy, unmovable faith. He has lived long enough to recognize the patterns of revival. How encouraging to hear from this spiritual statesman that he sees early signs of revival in our country.
We heard from those who comprise the tree trunk, strong but still adding rings of growth: Mercy Me shared their recent grasp of grace very personal ways. Louis Giglio admonished us in a very visual way not to invite The Enemy to the table that our Shepherd sets before. Judy Peterson challenged us to enter into to Jesus’ life as well as inviting him into ours. She reminded us that the 1” Jesus who can fit into our hearts is too small to be who he is and wants to be in us.
We were blessed by many branches providing so many different perspectives to growth in faith through the dozens of classes offered. (Choosing which ones to attend was painful because there were so many great options!) And then there were the fresh new leaves showing us which way the wind is blowing. They were the emerging young artists and young men and women who shared what Jesus was doing in their own lives and communities.
At the end of our session, we invited people who wanted that day to be the last one they lived as a victim to raise their hands for prayer. Almost a third of the room raised their hands.
Kevann and I got to participate by presenting a class called 6 Ways to Kill off Your Inner Victim. As usual, we brought different perspectives to the issue we were discussing, which was learning to leverage our pain; Kevann representing the new leaves, and me— a big, old branch.
It was really fun to present together to a live audience. We had a packed room with eager participants. When you’re podcasting, you’re never sure anyone is really out there listening! (So, yes, we appreciate those of you who reach out on social media!) At the end of our session, we invited people who wanted that day to be the last one they lived as a victim to raise their hands for prayer. Almost a third of the room raised their hands. Kevann prayed beautifully over them. I trust God will help them to employ the strategies we talked about. And help them move forward as victors, instead of victims.
What an awesome event to be a part of. One God. One Church. One Weekend. All under one big umbrella.
