my chains fell off, my heart was free!

God did amazing things for us at Exchange this year. He went beyond our highest expectations, as He does.

Josiah Connor & Nathan Robinson from City Life Church in Melbourne came to speak to us. I think everyone's jaw dropped when we found out Josiah was only 20yrs old... and he's engaged. There's a culture of marrying young amongst the churches here in Australia, which I already don't fit in. Haha...

The majority of us were greatly impacted by this one night at resort, when Nathan spoke to us about silence. "Shut up and slow down". He questioned why we have become so anti-silence. We never slow down or shut up long enough to hear the whispers of the Holy Spirit. When we wake up, when we're in our cars, even when we pray... we turn on the radio, tv, even play praise & worship music in the background..He suggested that when God said "be still and know that I am God", He meant "be still" not "do still". Maybe, he proposed, we need to start positioning ourselves in the quiet places to rest in God's presence, just listening to Him and waiting on Him to speak. He shared 1 Kings 19:11-12:

"Then he was told, "Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by."A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but wasn't to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn't in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn't in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper."

Of course we wouldn't hear God in the fire, in the wind and earthquake, Nathan asserted. God would have to fight for our attention through the noise and chaos.

Nathan promptly led us into a time of practicing what we had just heard. Some of us lay on the floor, some sat in the corners, some bowed their heads and some just lay back in their chairs. The lights were dimmed and the auditorium was silent. At first people were uncomfortable. You could hear the awkward coughs and shifts. After about 5 minutes or so, the atmosphere began to relax itself. For myself and many others, the next 30mins- 1hr (i'm not exactly sure how long it went) was the most intimate encounter we had with God in awhile. In stark silence, forgetting everything else for that time in space... focusing only on our own breathing and keenly aware of being in the very presence of God.... just resting, just soaking, just waiting.

Wow. Since resort, I have tried to set time aside for this, besides the usual time of reading & praying. Just sitting and listening is great. We move at an unbelievable pace. Each day, the amount of thoughts & tasks that surround us are both incredible and ridiculous. We often ask God to speak to us yet we never slow down and shut up long enough to let Him. I believe He speaks to us in many forms, through nature, through animals (oh yes, He regularly speaks to me through Terry) but it's also necessary to create a sacred space and time for this.

God also did something very personal for me at resort. He used Jess to encourage me, to stop beating myself up over falling into pits over and over again, because He is bigger than that... and no matter how many times I fall into a pit, it will be okay because He will pick me up again.

He also strengthened the bonds of our friendship on a spiritual level. There was this one moment when Jess, Wan Jun and myself all felt this strong urge to pray for Cheryl. That was incredible as it was overflowing with God's great love for Cheryl, that He would want her to know He has sent friends to support and love her and help her on this walk with Him, not even just 1 but 4 including Pet ;p

Every year, Resort never fails to bring something fresh and life-changing. It is my hope and strong desire that the changes don't stop there, that as we continue to behold Him, we will truly be transformed to transform the world around us.

The city is waiting...