Can I just say how good God is? Last night and this morning were intense times of spiritual warfare, that's for sure. Let me give you a little background. I often spend time with Holy Spirit by hiking with Him. The mountains that I hike are practically in the middle of the city - you can see the Greater Phoenix Area in its entirety. I like to take advantage of that view to pray over CCC and our community. Last February, during one of these times, I saw Holy Spirit descend like a fog over CCC. It was so freaky and cool at the same time. That experience brought about an awareness that there was a blockage, we were essentially running against a wall.
Last night, I felt spontaneously called by Holy Spirit to go on one of these hikes. It was that time of day where the moon in the night sky was to the left of me and the fuchsia of the setting sun was to the right of me. The day was transitioning into night. It was incredible. Anyways, when I got to the top of the hill, I started to pray. While I was praying, I saw Holy Spirit descend over CCC again. I specifically prayed that barriers would begin to disintegrate in the presence of His Holy Fire.
I know that I'm not the only that has been praying against blockages like this one. There have been a lot of people, actually! I fully believe that God and the enemy alike have been listening to our prayers. I'm incredibly aware that actions like these really anger the enemy. I believe that he is really angry with us. Thanks be to God!
I believe his anger caused him to bring this wall to our attention this morning. It was so evident. The power went out (no air conditioning), major tech problems happened, babies shrieked, powerpoints disappeared, videos didn't work, brunch was cancelled. Everything! That wall was straight-up staring us in the face. Big, and thick, and ugly, and solid!
There was a point in the worship today that the tension caused by the praises and prayers of His people began to break down that wall. There was such a release of Holy Spirit - goodness, mercy, grace, peace. Everything! This wall has begun to disintegrate! And, with the power of God, it will continue!
I found myself wondering why all this happened today. Well, the sermon happened to be about fishing and making new disciples. There were also tons of fish in the congregation - old and new. Amidst all the intended distraction, that message was heard loud and clear by fish and fishermen alike. Hallelujah! What a dangerous message, but the fever has begun to break!
We WILL preach the gospel to our neighbors. We WILL praise Him for His victory over death. We WILL live lives that scream love and grace. We WILL, by the power of God, we WILL!
So, last Friday and Saturday, I helped lead a team of Jr. High students on their very first mission trip! I was so excited for them.
We started our trip at 8 a.m. After a short devotional, we headed out to serve at St. Mary's food bank where we packed over 1400 boxes of emergency food supplies for families. Our team was so great! They hardly ever complained. We made a lot of fun memories like OJ Crew and the Can Cheer. It was so cool to get to see them working together. They had joy in it, so, naturally, so did I. We took a break for lunch, and then came back for another shift. This one involved putting together the actual boxes that would be used for the emergency food boxes. Let me tell you, it was hot, the tape was stubborn, and the task was tedious, but we pulled through and worked together.
We left the food bank at around 4 p.m. and headed back to the church. We had a short debrief, passed out fliers for the next day's mobile car wash and did a prayer walk. After that, we went to Starbucks for some energy. The evening's activities included spray painting our own shirts, making dinner together, and playing Sardines.
Our Saturday started at 6:30 a.m. with breakfast and devotions. After that, we busted out into teams for the car wash. My team experienced rejection, gratitude, synergy, and cookies. Though we only washed about 6 cars, it was evident that we were making an impact in our neighborhood. 
After this trip, it is entirely evident that this generation is going to change their world. These kids totally rock!
