READ THIS-->SLAM | Dec 17 2006 4:52 PM

READ THIS-->SLAM | Dec 17 2006 4:52 PM

WARNING:

This account is from me, so it's freakin' long. Read it anyways, I go into a lot of detail, but trust me, it's worth reading.

IT IS LONG BUT READ IT ANYWAYS YOU HAVE TIME!!

So, another amazing experience at slam (students leading a ministry) last night. we started with some worship and prayer and it was alright...but then we all kinda got confused for what to do and people started getting REALLY frustrated. So people felt like God was telling them to go to the mall...maybe it was from God, maybe not...but either way it was not successful. At all. Others were going to go to Shotwell to evangelize after a state football game was over. They didn't go. We thought SLAM was failing and God was letting us down, but we didn't give up...and we received many blessings as a result. When everyone went to the mall and shotwell (though they didn't actually end up going there) God told me to stay. Others stayed, too, like Megan, Haley, Ashley, Caitlyn, Chelsea, Blake, Chris, Sarah T, and Michael, though he went and had some alone time. While everyone left, we didn't know what we needed to do, so me and Blake went and burned a hat that had a bad word on it. (random, huh!!) So while we wasted our time setting a hat on fire, the others just kind of sat around. Chris and Blake and Chelsea left, and then Sarah left. It was down to me, Mike, Megan, Caitlyn, Ashley, and Haley. We spent some time praying over the room, and that was fun. I had a good alone time with God. Finally, the others got back and told us the disaster that had just taken place. You can understand how disapointed we were that God didn't do anything by reading my other SLAM blog from last week and the Copeland's blogs and Brett's blog on SLAM. We were pretty depressed. I went outside and played "God of Wonders" on Michael's iPod and it was a really cool experience. Up to that point I had actually had a really good experience, nothing like last week, but I knew it was still worth it. I didn't realize how much better it could get though. I also didn't realize the pain and frustration the others were going through. This hit me when I wandered into the green room, where Marcus, Michael, Megan, and Taryn were desperately crying out to God for something more. WOW. As soon as I walked in I instantly felt a passion, literally, a burning, thick, present passion that was in the air. I seriously could taste the Holy Spirit inside that room. As people were praying we were all crying out and praying with them and we were DESPERATE. My comforting experience alone with God was instantly wiped away and their desire for more overflowed to me. About 10 minutes after I had come in, the room was filled with about 6 more people who had joined us. Finally, someone prayed and victoriously said how the enemy has already been defeated, and that even though he had been fighting to keep SLAM from being successful, we were claiming victory through God over him. We all proclaimed that he is done, defeated, and that we would fight for joy. After we had gone through that, we were FIRED UP!! We were passionate and we weren't leaving the church until we saw God move! I took Michael's ipod and played "Shout unto God" (by Hillsong) through the system.

The enemy has been defeated
And death couldn't hold You down
We're gonna lift our voice in victory
We're gonna make Your praises loud

Shout unto God with a voice of triumph
Shout unto God with a voice of praise
Shout unto God with a voice of triumph
We lift Your name up
We lift Your name up

In the black room we all were shouting and singing loud. I was so pumped up!!! Back in the sound booth I just let out a yell so long and loud that I couldn't do it again if I tried and I felt the Holy Spirit enter me. I now know that because I was willing to give it my all and even yell, which is not at all normal for me, God rewarded me with filling me with the Holy Spirit. From then on I went CRAZY!!! Me and Brett, who came in later, were going ballistic. At first I was just kind of jumping by myself in the sound booth. But as we went on, I started doing crazy things and spazzing out and flailing all my limbs. It was almost as if I didn't have control over my body, I was just expressing everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) That I felt. Eventually, I pretty much did a lot of what the "dancing guy" does in the video i put in a blog (you can go and watch that in a minute after you're done reading this.). I mean, I have seriously never had that much fun in my life. I would jump and spin and dance and do really weird things that I can't even explain. Then I would get too tired and kneel down and pour out my heart to God. The problem was that I was hiding. Me and Michael would switch off picking out songs. We started with soft ones and really just emptied out our frustration and had some intimate time with God. Then, as we started picking faster upbeat songs, I came out of the booth and I started REALLY going nuts. Me and Brett would spin around and roll on the floor, and my favorite, I would run laps around the room and jump off the stage. It finally got to the point that I had to wait in the hall for literally 3 minutes before I could get a drink because I couldn't catch my breath. And I just didn't have any energy or strength because I hadn't eaten since 1:00 and It was 10:30. I felt like throwing up, Brett did, 4 times. We gave it our all for God, and I have never experienced anything like it. It was the most fun I have ever had besides camp (in which i did the same stuff - It just goes to show that God is the only satisfaction we can ever attain) So finally me and Michael painfully went to Burger King to get food, yearning the whole time to get back to the action and fun. When we got back it was too late to continue since it took us 30 minutes. I was so sweaty. can't wait till next time..