God is oh so good!

What an awesome weekend - sums it up brilliantly, or 'amazing and challenging' to quote the 2 words I popped under Wenda's door! I went not wanting to go at all and left not wanting to come home! I could not think of a better way to have spent new years weekend!
I went wanting to shut myself away from God, not wanting him to say anything. When Roger said he wanted to get to know each of us a little, I sat and thought not me, please just don't get to know me!

I'm sure it's when we're like that the God gets us all the more!! By the 2nd day I was feeling truly challenged by God, so much so that it became overwhelming, but I soon got used to it and began to really enjoy the conference and just longed for more and more of God!
It's really helped me to put things into perspective.

I really did find the whole weekend such an encouragement; being with other Christians, chatting about God, praying together, worshipping together and getting really stirred - it was amazing; one of those experiences you treasure just because it was such a 'God-incident'!

One thing that's really struck me again is the power of prayer. I would say I truly discovered this for the first time on camp in the summer, when mari, lauren, rachel and i prayed into the night once, but again, i've learned how important it is to hold one another up in prayer, as not only is it powerful, but it really helps to improve my prayer life!

This past few months I've become so aware of God and his work in my life and the lives around me, it's mindblowing. I know he's got so much more planned for me and his work through me and i'm just so excited about what there is to come next! I won't pretend 2004 was an easy year, coz it wasn't in many ways, but I just praise God so much for all that he taught me through many of the difficult and challenging experiences. I know I've still got to work through some things, but I know that with God I can do that, and one day i shall be able to testify to his work in me with the overcoming of many things.

I 'became a christian' on my first GCU camp in 97. Yeah, sure I did! I had no idea what the word meant!! We were talking about it in my dorm and i rapidly realised i was the only one who wasn't a christian, so I prayed that i could be one! It wasn't until some years later that i actually realised being a christian didn't just mean 'wearing a label', but it also meant you had to live like the product inside the packaging! I thought i was a christian, but no way!! I don't think there was a moment where i can say 'yes, that's when i became a christian'. But what i can say is that God taught me what it meant, he's taught me so much more since and he's gonna keep on teaching me til the day i die!

I was thinking the other day about 'being a christian' and about philippians 1:6. and i thought that maybe becoming a christian is a long drawn out process and you can't actually be called a christian until His good work in you is complete. i dunno! but what i do know is that i've really tasted the joy of the lord these past few months and i just pray that I'll continue to taste it as long as i live. and that i'll be able to share it with others; christian and non-christian!!