KABOOM!!!

That sound you just heard was of my mind exploding.

I have been in Austin for 3 months, and it seems that God is set against my keeping anything recognizable in my life. THank God! Even my ministry has changed.

This weekend I am attending the National Youth workers convention. I cannot explain all that God has already done for me here. It seems that every time someone prays for me, they are saying the things that are exactly relevant to what I have been struggling with inside. I have cried 14 times already (ok 2 of those were at home) and one of them was a doozie. God has opened my heart and is changing my mind as I attend this seemingly innocuous conference. God has already broken me down and released things I have been fighting with for a long time.

I feel as if I have been around these people for years, and the conference started 2 days ago for me. If I was "whelmed" before (is whelmed a word? Overwhelmed is...) I am overwhelmed with God. His presence has been more real to me here than it has ever been before in my life. I am eternally greatful. I realize that this mountaintop experience cannot stay, but I hope to learn how to worship our Father in the valleys.

Someone in my Critical Concerns course said "Have you ever looked at the mountaintops? THey are bare. Look now into the valleys, they are green and lush. This is because things grow in the valley." So the hardest times produce the most growth. I have heard that for a long time, but I don't think I have ever heard so clear an example.

Praise be to God my father,
may I continue to worship Him and learn from HIm daily..

Christa