First night of the Living Sacrifices Worship Conference at Gadsden Vineyard.
To me, it was like a family reunion. Seeing people I don't get to see on a regular basis. Catching up, sharing stories and hugs. Funny, but when I first saw Carl, I was overwhelmed by the thought that here was a man who was there with John Wimber at the beginning of the Vineyard Movement. California has come to Gadsden.
John Barnett takes the stage to lead worship, backed by our own folks. Brook Finlayson on lead guitar, Liz Wood on keyboards, LeNola Bagley on Bass and Becky Trussell on drums.
John opens with Never Was A Love. Simple song, profound and powerful. Proclamation of the unfailing love of God. Worship should be simple---something that touches the heart of God. As we sing, I am well aware that His presence has filled the room. I can feel Him. I am aware of so great a love that I have no words to describe it. In fact, such a love as His was never designed for words. It was given freely to be experience. I want to dive into the depths of Your love, Lord, and come up screaming of Your goodness.
Show Your Power - Old Vineyard worship song. Part of our heritage. It still rings true even after all these years. The cry for God to manifest Himself and His power, is fresh once again. Come and show Your power among us. Yet, as the song plays and I worship, I hear it with a different heart than years ago when it was first played. A heart that has seen a lot. A hear that has known the struggle and sting of warfare. A heart that has won some battles and lost others. I do not want to lose Your fire, Father. "Show Your Power" Now more than every before. Show Your power in my life.
I Delight In The Lord My God - John Barnett has found a voice, some chords wrapped in a rhythm that proclaims the simplicity of the gospel of Christ. How can you not fall in love with Jesus? I sing the words, but do I truly delight in You? I don't want these to be mere words spoken to fill the air. I don't want to have a Matthew 15 moment where I am merely going through the motions of worship, but my heart is far removed.I have found joy and peace in turning my heart to God and finding out that the desire of my heart is whatever the desire of His heart is.
Carl Tuttle takes the stage/ or rather sits down at the edge and begins to share. He plows through his history with John Wimber and the Vineyard which is so entwined in who we are as a fellowship. It is strange to sit in that room and listen to our legacy being shared who has lived it. Now before I go any further, I want to interject that as far as Carl is concerned, he is grateful for the journey but is looking forward to what lies ahead. I just didn't want anyone to get the idea that we sat around swapping "Back in my day" Stories.
Carl emphasized that we needed (as John always told us) to celebrate the diversity and the wisdom of the body of Christ. He went on to share that whenever you saw an application of Scripture which only bound up and abused people....an application of Scripture that did not lead to freedom, then that Scripture has been misused and becomes a weapon wrongly applied.
As Carl was making his closing statements, he said he would be up front if anyone needed prayer. I knew why I had come to this meeting. I began with the Vineyard in 1994. Home groups and worship were my schools at the beginning, learning how to lead worship and pastor others. When I moved into full time ministry, my seminary was a tape closet there at the church. I spent 8+ years listening to John Wimber teach. I listened to Carl Tuttle teach on worship, and now here he was at Gadsden Vineyard. I knew that I was to ask Carl to bless me for what God had out there waiting. Bless, he did! That voice that was ingrained in my heart because of the hours of tapes I had listened to, taking notes from and allowed to become a part of me, had now prayed over me.
I drove home last night, full of God....grateful for who He is. As I turned the corner at 4th street, headed to 759....I began to sing...."O Lord, have mercy on me." It was a good night.
More from Living Sacrifices Worship Conference tomorrow.
See you then.
God on you....
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