These times... They are a changin'

In 2 days I will be helping to lead the School of Worship here at YWAM Denver. We have 16 students that are coming to dig deep into the reasons of why their heart beats so strongly to the rhythm of leading people into the presence of God. I hope to be a part of that process as I personally lead a band of 6 students; coaching them, encouraging them, challenging them, and pushing them forward in their gifts, talents, and desires. We have students from the U.S., Nepal, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Albania, England, and Canada. It's going to be a fun next 3 months!

Over the past several weeks God has been challenging me about the word "Expect." There are two different realities that I am seeking to plunder into my heart and figure out. The first being that of the expectations that are put on our lives... either by other people or ourselves... but mainly how those expectations affect us. I make certain decisions, be it positive or negative, because of what is expected of me. Seeking to find out what those expectations are can be as simple as noticing how someone greets you with a hug (expecting that you will reciprocate) or maybe more personal, like how you react to certain stressful stimuli. The challenge for me currently is that I would not let any expectations dictate how I act or who I am. When I feel as though I "should" be something, but know that maybe that's not the true "Will" that I want to be, I am now trying to respond, react, or be the reflection of Christ that I know I am... rather than what is just simply expected of me.

The second "expect" part is that of an expectancy. I woke up a few weeks ago on a normal Monday morning and was just having a chat with God. After the typical greetings and salutations I sensed that He was asking me what I was expecting from worship at the base that morning. Slowly I began to realize that I expected nothing.... I expected that we would sing some songs, maybe someone would give a Scripture or a word of exhortation/ encouragement, there would be a few announcements, and then I would leave and begin to prepare lunch for the base. In that moment, I had this sense of broken heartedness come over me. How could I go into the presence of God and not expect one single thing from Him? Why don't I walk in hoping, praying, and expecting God for miracles, for chains to be broken off peoples lives, for relationships to be restored, for His manifest presence to be so thick that we have to fall on our faces in humble adoration and holy fear?!

So here I am, seeking to identify the expectations that are on my life that hold me back from being the man of God I truly desire to be, and desiring to live in an everyday expectancy that God is going to miraculously transform lives. These next three months are going to be intense and I am expecting God to do GREAT things.