Picture it. You’re at an amusement park that you’ve been anticipating going to for a really long time. You anxiously stand in the line, sweating because it’s sweltering outside, you slowly move up the 
line until it’s your turn. You jump on the roller coaster eager to see if it’s all that others have said that it will be. Will it live up to it’s reputation? Will it be exhilarating? Will I want to throw up? Will I want to ride it over and over? It takes off, and it’s more than you ever expected. You hit the water section of the ride and get jolted with a refreshing amount of water. The second part of the ride is just as incredible as the first and as you start to come to the end of the ride you think, “wow, I can’t wait to do that again!”
Attending our staff conference is sort of like riding an incredible roller coaster. We wait for 2 years and then amp up for the trip to get there (sort of like waiting in a long line for an epic ride at a park). We expect it to be great and for God to show up but we really are never sure what will transpire while there. So you get on that ride, buckle in, and hold on tight. The past 10 days have been fast and furious, filled with epic speakers who have dowsed us with a refreshing amount of truth from God’s Word and encouraged us to go out and do what we have been called to do. Tonight we were reminded by David Platte that we are not needed but we are invited by a God who loves us. And for that reason I am compelled to do what we do.
Right now I feel a little dizzy from the ride. I need some sleep and time to really process the fire hose of goodness that we have just received. Hopefully in the next couple days I’ll get time to do that.
What about you? If you’re staff, what did you learn while at the conference? If you’re not, what exhilarating ride are you on right now (even if you wish that it would stop so you could get off the ride)? I’d love to hear it.
Great stuff. I love the part about God not needing us, but inviting us out of love. Been learning a lot about Him lately (and a lot about my own screwy perceptions) and repenting. As I learned in Bible study today, everything about God’s goodness is about doing. There’s no such thing as inactive goodness: goodness DOES.
I’m trying to DO goodness with a Spirit-filled mind of kindness, which tempers the difficulty of doing goodness that may cause pain (like rebuking). It’s a tough one.