Passion Regional Conference ATL

The Lord is so faithful. I wasn't even planning on going to this conference, but last Tuesday a ticket became available. I am really glad i got to go. I'll say this until the day I die - there is something to be said about our generation- when we come together in a corporate setting like this conference- watch out! The Lord moves in hearts and His kingdom is advancing in a overwhelming capacity. We are not settling for complacent faith, a complacent God or a quiet heart. Love wins and this generation is taking the love story of the cross to the ends of the earth. The gospel is living and and active, wow was this apparent! In a world that has so many distractions, the gospel still shines brighter and the message will never get old.

I've been challenged to dig into my faith and begin to address the questions I've wrestled with for far too long. You can talk the talk very easily and most of the time, fake the walking, but truly passionate Christ followers have this authenticity that is unbelievable. It's a Holy Spirit thing undeniably.

Freedom is the song of my heat at the moment. Do i really understand it? I strive to, Holy Spirit willing. i know i want it.... need it daily. In boldness i walk towards the cross and its message.

D-Now Crestview, Fla

Man, i love this church. I've had the blessing to share life with these youth for the past three years now. Wow. They have grown so much...it's beautiful. The weekend was about our identity in Christ. We looked at Saul's conversion to Paul. Saul led a life full of persecution and hatred yet, still considered himself a devote religious Jew. Jesus intervened and well, you know the rest of the story- he became a world changer, a history maker. He advanced the Kingdom. At all costs Paul knew the message of the gospel had to be preached. Even in prison chains and under house arrest awaiting trial, he still persevered for the Kingdom. His life was not his own. "To die is gain and to live is Christ!" Oh man, the conviction this brings! How many times do we read this verse and simply continue reading? Do you hear and understand what Pauls is saying!? TO DIE IS GAIN AND TO LIVE IS CHRIST! Oh, how i long to live that out in my daily life! How different my days would look, how transformed my mindset would be! Paul simply chose to see and believe his identity in Christ on the Damascus road that day. He didn't understand it fully but he was obedient.

My 8th grade guys were blown away by this story. They have heard it countless times in Sunday school im sure but im confident that it really took root in their hearts and minds this weekend. The beautiful truth remains. The transforming God of Saul to Paul is the same God today, he IS UNCHANGING! He removed the scales from those 8th graders' eyes. With the scales removed, they can see who they are in Christ! They can find eternal identity and begin to wrap their minds around what die to Christ to gain everything really looks like. Praise the Lord for refreshing me with this truth. Praise the Lord for freedom in himself.

Love dat Peter...(the second)

Not wanting to start studying for finals i decided i needed some perspective...and boy did i get it. Just want to write a quick note proving his faithfulness to me. Once again as crazy as my life is right now he remains bigger and better. :: 2nd Peter 1.3-4 (soak this in) ::

As we know Christ better, his divine power gives us EVERYTHING we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! And by that same mighty power, he has given us all his rich and wonderful promises... make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life. Then your faith will produce a life of moral excellence which leads to knowing God better. Knowing God leads to self-control. Self-control leads to patient endurance, and patient endurance leads to love for other Christians, and finally you will grow to have genuine love for everyone.

Pretty much sums up our purpose and how to get there... study time now.

Light of Gracious Love

Sittin in cambridge coffee, my home away from home and the Lord is faithful... i sit back and think how crazy this is... (his faithfulness in and to His word) the creator of the universe chose to speak life right into my life in a way only he can do in Auburn Alabama while drinking coffee on a regular old Tuesday morning. And, he is the same faithful father to all creation everyday, at all times, always, never changing ... for all eternity. He chooses to love us faithfully and he is so much more commited to my heart then i ever could be to him. So, i am loved by the Father and therefore because of Christ's compassion for me i am charged to shed the light of love and walk as a child of light. |Eph. 4.29 - 5.21| i read over those verses and was convicted and floored by the perspective my heart gained.

We are to be imitators of God... and live a life of love. We are challenged to hold our tongues, remove ourselves from bitterness and cast hatred far from our hearts. So many times because i think im a "nice person" and rarely have beef with anyone that my heart doesn't harbor these things towards people. Man was i wrong, i sat back and really dug into my heart and discovered some things that Christ has already set me free from yet i was still holding onto. "Walk as children of light because everything exposed in the light becomes visible... so therefore, wake up sleeper rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you."

Walking in grace and love (children of light) assumes something. That anger, bitteress, greed, jealousy, pride or sexual immorality are not the dominant feeling of our hearts.

We are beloved children of the King, walk in it.

Honduras SB2K7

So much is going thru my head and heart since i've returned, man. It's even hard to put into words when folks ask... pictures hardly do a justice. Its just hard to articulate how the spirit of God moved in my heart while in Honduras. The bottom line (and this is gonna be a short post cause im sleepy but i didn't want to forget what needs to be expressed right now) and the song of our team's heart while in Hondo was this truth which holds so much hope for all creation, "Life flows from God" don't miss it, its not super deep, but it is the basis for each breath we take as Christians. As much as we were going to "save" and be Christ to a poor people, i was saved. I saw how beautiful His life flowed out of every dirty face, every little smile, every grubby outstretched hand and every conversation i attempted to have in my broken spanish. For now, ill just say Hondo was a celebration of life and how he is the perfector of it. He holds it all together. And whether we live in a a huge air conditioned home or a shack on a side of a mountain, Christ promises to be ENOUGH in every circumstance. He is good and life is made complete thru his suffering. He poured himself out for all... LIFE FLOWS FROM GOD

Passion 07 (a few months late)

1.2.07

So many people... good Lord! 24,000+ in ATL, its crazy, great, frustrating, Awesome, powerful, and exhausting. There is just something to be said about our generation coming together to be apart of the grand story of Him while recognizing the smallness of us seeking to do God size things. We are a radical generation, stubborn at times, seeking only what’s the best and biggest, while passionate to spread the name and love of Christ. Its humbling to be apart of... really, it is.

Louie simply reminded us last nite whose we are, and what was done on that cross so long ago for claim to be made on our behalf. His wounds TRULY paid our ransom...brought us from death to life, from utter despair to eternity with the glorious creator of the universe. Such an amazing rescue our Jesus undertook. He does the qualifying work to make us worthy to be put into the Kingdom of God. He chose us.

Beth Moore spoke truth into our hearts as she discussed the effects of a prideful lifestyle. “Humble yourself while young” she said. There is none other adjective that is translated from the ancient text that means “hyper exalted” then the one used when describing the name of God. Its only when we truly lower ourselves and our agendas that we see the powerful evidence of the cross in others.

Francis chan dang brought it tonight as the day came to a close in our final session. He was so passionate, so full of Christ and his words pierced and shed truth that only the Father inspired. He posed the question... Do we truly love Jesus. Is he our everything? Do we truly believe that he has our best interest in mind and that he wants to give us the desires of our hearts? He challenged us to be Hot in the mouth of Christ... really hit home in my heart for sure. I love retreats like this... so much chipping away, so much molding and his beautiful constant pursuit was so evident once again... He became tangible. As we were finishing up in worship, I couldn’t help but glory and simply pause in the moment. I looked around and saw close to 22,000 people seeking the heart of their creator... it was such a perfect picture of what heaven will be like... unending, authentic worship... participating in the very thing i was solely created for. Im so thankful and humbled as I further discover his pursuit on my heart.

Nite.

Faithful

Before i start another week and forget the small ways he's faithful ill share before i start studying for the nite (boo!) So, im going to Honduras for SB2K7 right? $700 is needed by tomorrow to secure the plan tickets for each team member right? this whole weekend, i was freaking out cause im a little short of the above figure but i just trusted...coming home from encounter leaders meeting at Cornerstone i decided to check the mailbox one last time before the weekend was out. Sure enough, the exact amount came in that i needed to meet tomorrow's deadline. i know its not a huge deal, but to me it was! it just made me appreciate and love Jesus even more... he is such a God of detail and intimacy. Now, talkin bout intimacy leads me to share about leader's meeting tonite. "WOW" is all i got! Matt briefly spoke on the freedom we have in Christ and how we so often walk around still carrying our junk, still trying to carry the cross and bare the burden he did so many years ago. it makes no sense why he went to the cross, not in the world's eyes atleast - but he did... tonite i was reminded of how ACCESSIBLE he is, how he knows where i need to be met day in and day out, if i simply ask and acknowledge. He knew my heart needed to hear "zach its not about YOU" stop trying to make life work...

you can only deny the nudges of your creator for so long.... (love it)

~ZeB