I feel like I’m on a mountain of sorts. Which is fitting since we’re talking about the Seven Mountains of Influence at church camp this week. Oh…you didn’t know I was doing church camp this week? I suppose that bit of ignorance could be attributed to the fact that I haven’t blogged in, um, almost forever. Sorry, y’all! It’s been a busy time, but it’s also been of time of evaluating why I blog and what the original purpose of this blog is. I don’t know if y’all remember, but the very reason I started a blog was to share with others what God is doing in my life. I think somewhere along the way I lost that, but now I want to come back to it. Not that there won’t be fun, rambling posts at times about the cute things the kids in my life say or stuff my dog does or just the normal weirdness of our family. But my focus is going to be on what God is teaching me and how He is working.
Which brings me back to church camp. :) This is not your ordinary church camp (I wonder if RFF has ever done anything in an ordinary fashion?). First of all, because the format is more of a day camp held at the church building—we have stuff going from 9am to 4pm, and then 7-9ish in the evening. But the bigger difference is the people and their focus in this camp. We’re not here to goof off and just have fun (though believe me, we are having FUN!); we’re here to learn, to grow, to influence, to pass on a legacy of faithfulness, to become equipped as warriors in the army of God. The theme of the camp is the Seven Mountains of Influence: education, family, government, religion, media, commerce, and arts/entertainment. These are the seven main areas of influence in a culture. Slowly, bit by bit, we as believers have given these mountains over to the world—and our goal is take them back. Like King Josiah in 1 Kings 22 & 23, we want to tear down the idols, take back the high ground, and restore our nation to a culture of Godly worship. And during this camp, we are being trained not only to fight to take the mountains, but also to equip others to join us.
The whole camp has been great so far, but my favorite part to this point is, hands down, the worship service we had tonight. At 23, I’m the oldest young person in the camp. Tonight, I stood surrounded by young people—among whom the average age is 16—and listened and watched as they worshipped God with their whole hearts; as they fell on their faces before Him and cried out with tears running down their faces; as they prayed out loud with boldness and confidence and a heart that burned with passion for God alone. And I knew—there is hope for this generation. For my generation. God is raising up a remnant that will fight for Him as long as He gives us breath, and it is an amazing thing to not only watch, but to get to participate! I cannot help but stand in absolute awe of Him!
As we prayed, in my heart and mind I could see a wall; a wall of young warriors, standing strong and proclaiming to the oncoming tide of sin, “You will go no farther! We have a drawn a line; enough! We, standing in the strength of Almighty God, will stem the tide and push it back!” After the time of worship and prayer, Pastor Joe spoke briefly about being set apart for God and being anointed. He then had all of us young people come stand in the front where he was going to pray for us and anoint us with oil as something that is set apart for God. He asked us all to stand in a line, and as we stood there, I realized: we had a formed a wall.
Father, I pray that as You call Your people to their place in the wall, that we would step up and stand strong in Your power and might, that there would be no breach in the wall You are building. Help us to follow only You, knowing when to stand and when to push forward. You are so amazing, God, and I am so excited as I watch You at work!
Which brings me back to church camp. :) This is not your ordinary church camp (I wonder if RFF has ever done anything in an ordinary fashion?). First of all, because the format is more of a day camp held at the church building—we have stuff going from 9am to 4pm, and then 7-9ish in the evening. But the bigger difference is the people and their focus in this camp. We’re not here to goof off and just have fun (though believe me, we are having FUN!); we’re here to learn, to grow, to influence, to pass on a legacy of faithfulness, to become equipped as warriors in the army of God. The theme of the camp is the Seven Mountains of Influence: education, family, government, religion, media, commerce, and arts/entertainment. These are the seven main areas of influence in a culture. Slowly, bit by bit, we as believers have given these mountains over to the world—and our goal is take them back. Like King Josiah in 1 Kings 22 & 23, we want to tear down the idols, take back the high ground, and restore our nation to a culture of Godly worship. And during this camp, we are being trained not only to fight to take the mountains, but also to equip others to join us.
The whole camp has been great so far, but my favorite part to this point is, hands down, the worship service we had tonight. At 23, I’m the oldest young person in the camp. Tonight, I stood surrounded by young people—among whom the average age is 16—and listened and watched as they worshipped God with their whole hearts; as they fell on their faces before Him and cried out with tears running down their faces; as they prayed out loud with boldness and confidence and a heart that burned with passion for God alone. And I knew—there is hope for this generation. For my generation. God is raising up a remnant that will fight for Him as long as He gives us breath, and it is an amazing thing to not only watch, but to get to participate! I cannot help but stand in absolute awe of Him!
As we prayed, in my heart and mind I could see a wall; a wall of young warriors, standing strong and proclaiming to the oncoming tide of sin, “You will go no farther! We have a drawn a line; enough! We, standing in the strength of Almighty God, will stem the tide and push it back!” After the time of worship and prayer, Pastor Joe spoke briefly about being set apart for God and being anointed. He then had all of us young people come stand in the front where he was going to pray for us and anoint us with oil as something that is set apart for God. He asked us all to stand in a line, and as we stood there, I realized: we had a formed a wall.
Father, I pray that as You call Your people to their place in the wall, that we would step up and stand strong in Your power and might, that there would be no breach in the wall You are building. Help us to follow only You, knowing when to stand and when to push forward. You are so amazing, God, and I am so excited as I watch You at work!
Comments
I love the passion you have for the Lord, and it encourages me more than I can ever say to see how much you love Him and are committed to following Him wherever He leads, through whatever battles lie ahead. Press on, ever closer to Your Father's heart! I love you...