Still. Not excatly the way you would characterize over 300 teenagers, but that's exactly what they were as they sat in silence listening to God speak. The city wide worship service centered around the idea of being still before God, slowing down enough to hear Him speak to us. Now don't get me wrong, there was plenty of noise. From the roar of their voices in worship to the belly laughs after watching their friends compete in a mashmellow homerun derby, the night was full of energy. It was an evening full of fun, community, worship and challenge.
Paul Mumaw, local senior pastor at Genesis Church challenged our students to hear God's voice gentle voice the same way Elijah did in the Old Testament. He told students that if they have to make the effort and be still in order to hear God speak. You could hear a pin drop as he challenged them to go without their cell phones this Thanksgiving. That's right, survive one day of your teenage life without your digital lifeline. What was amazing was as a panel of studnets were questioned about the challenged they almost seemed to look forward to a day without Twitter or texting.
The night had two more great moments. One was during the worship when students were invited to get prayer from one of the adults in a circle surrounding the room of teenagers. The other was the number of students admitting they are looking for a closer relationship with Jesus.
Uprising ended with another challenge. Each student recieved a little tea lamp on their way home. Their challenge was simple burn the candle when they spend time alone with God. Their goal is to burn the candle within the next month all while spending time praying and reading God's word. As long as they don't burn down their house, I think it could be an incredible experience.
With about a half dozen churches and organizations represented, the night was a huge success. The Kingdom of Heaven took one giant step forward last night. I can't wait to see what God has to say to our students.
