Answered Prayers - ABUNDANT blessings...

"Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work WITHIN us, he is able to accomplish INFINITELY MORE than we would ever dare to ask or hope." Eph. 4:20 (NLT)

i am learning that in so many ways. He has indeed blessed in exceeding amounts before campus challenge, during campus challenge and even right after campus challenge.

i would not say that campus challenge is a turning point... for me, it was crazy affirmation of things that God has been teaching me, and revealing to me about what it means to pray, and pray HARD, and pray expectantly. he POUNDED those lessons in so hard, in a way that i can't forget it... and will have me thinking and reflecting and praising Him even more.

Eph. 3-4, 6. Actually.. the ENTIRE BOOK. it is a beautiful book. Every word points directly to the things the Lord has been saying. He even used the text of the CC handbook to speak. It is freaky how one year ago, the Lord spoke so strongly as I prayed about being worship coordinator. And this year, He spoke so strongly once again, not only what He has in store for me, but what He has in store for CCF... His beloved.... !

Okay okay.. three/four days until June hits... I still have yet to fully reflect on Campus Challenge 2005 - but come on, I HAD to post something. It was TOO GOOD to not share about it!!!! And I'm almost positive that everyone who attended will have something awesome to share about at this conference. Community. Unity in heart, in mind, in prayer, in belief that the Lord was there with us, and is with us to do amazing things.

Certain passages of Ephesians stuck out so strongly - worded perfectly to phrase my scattered thoughts. How appropriate that it is a letter written during the time of the early churches? How appropriate that what we've been exploring at Sanctuary West HAS been the early church in Acts? How appropriate that many of the fellowships across Ontario have been exploring this same concept? Going back to the early church, and understanding what it means to truly be a Biblical community? How appropriate INDEED!

"When I pray, coincidences happen. When I stop praying, coincidences stop." - a quote from a saint.. i believe... that always always comes to mind ...

i assure you more will come from my reflections on CC... but already, as time passes, this post wasn't merely a reflection of one singular event, but a reflection on concepts and truths that I've been chewing on for awhile now - it takes awhile to get the ball rolling, but once you've experienced it a bit - there's always a stash of moments that just need to be carefully pieced together...

Just like when you actually build a puzzle - we usually start with the edge pieces right? The clearly defined pieces.. that are easy to put together - to build the frame.... and then you start piecing in the finer detailed-puzzle pieces.. one by one.... it's a puzzle that'll take a lifetime, if not longer, to complete... and sometimes, you'll get lost in the middle pieces...starting on one particular patch of the picture... forgetting about the bigger picture. Sooner or later, you'll have to look to the colours on the framed edge again for reference to where those little pieces fit into the grander picture... :) constantly moving from inside the frame, to the frame, back inside...

so it is with our walks. there are moments where we are just laying the foundation... and that is perhaps where I need to start reflecting... figuring out the basic topic of what the Lord has been teaching... i have thoughts that need to be written down and refined. And there are certainly a lot of patches that i want to focus on... but i need to get that framework down - so that when and if i get caught up in the nitty gritty, i am able to step back and remind myself of what i'm doing in context of the bigger picture... :)

Praise the Lord for how He has always blessed me in so many ways... each time, each day - in more ways than i can ever imagine!