An Unexpected Encounter

We arrived back from our trip late last night, and I'm busy in the office trying to catch up on a pile of projects before the weekend. In the coming days I'll try and post some of the incredible things that happened while we were away. But for now, I have to share the highlight of the trip for me.

It was Sunday morning. Andy and I had been up way too late (again!) talking about everything under the sun. We were awoken by the sound of the alarm, and neither of us rushed to shut it off and get going. Somewhere in the darkness I heard Andy groan, and I knew how he felt. We finally drug ourselves to life and I hopped in the shower. As we were getting ready to leave, I looked over at the clock and realized that my church family at Hope was arriving at the Fairgrounds and getting ready for their own time of worship together. I paused to pray for them and especially for Mick as he would share God's message.

We made our way over to the Embassy Suites where a meeting room had been set aside for the convention worship service. I wasn't sure what to expect. Apparently the last time Andy had led worship at this convention, it was pretty much just the band, the preacher, and one person in the audience. But the convention staff had already moved this year's service to a larger room on the balcony overlooking the atrium and food court (where a couple dozen people were below us having breakfast).

There were just a handful of people in this large room as the time for our worship service drew near. Then they started arriving. Person after person walked in the room, grabbed a song sheet, and found a place to sit. Before long, the room was full. Full! Wow!

Then the music began. It was so simple; everything was acapella. We started with the doxology, and I was taken back by the hearty, enthusiastic voices that filled the room and spilled out the open doors to the atrium below. Here we were at a gaming convention, praising God with gusto for everyone to hear.

Suddenly I found myself totally surrounded by an almost electric presence of the Holy Spirit. I'm really not sure how else to describe it; I was overwhelmed by what was practically a tangible sense of God's presence in our midst, and the tears began to stream down my face. I couldn't even sing. I just stood there as the sound of worship washed over me and God stirred deep in my soul in ways that I still don't totally understand.

The message that followed was great; Derek did a terrific job of being both compelling and engaging (gamers have a great, quirky sense of humor!). I enjoyed the privilege of sharing communion with brothers and sisters whose names I may never know. And I was deeply impressed with Dave's relentless, stubborn commitment to simply bringing glory to God in every circumstance -- including bringing worship to the convention.

But it was the worship that still lingers with me almost a week later. When I left for our trip, I was thinking of it as a moment of escape -- a time to get away from the responsibilities of church and the challenging expectations people have of a pastor, and an opportunity to reconnect with old friends, laugh, and simply have fun. Never did I expect to encounter the Lord in such an amazing, transforming way. I suspect it will take me a while to process all that God revealed to me during that time. I tried to share some of it with Margo, but I found myself tripping over my words because it was almost a "you had to be there" kind of experience.

One thing is for certain: I have a renewed passion for people who desperately need the grace of God -- a sense of urgency that is burning deep within my soul, and a priority which absolutely must shape the dreams and visions not only of my church but more importantly of my own life.