“And David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouting and the sound of the trumpet. Then it happened as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord…” (2 Samuel 6:14-16)

I spent this past Thursday through Sunday at United Pursuit’s Reunion 2017 gathering in Bon Aqua, Ten.  I took my family and a group from One Direction Community up to Reunion to experience raw worship and prayer.  It was attended by approximately 1,500 simple worshippers and lovers of Jesus from across our country from LA to Boston, and a some from overseas. Together we camped in tents in the middle of a farm that was in the middle of no where.  Because of issues with portable showers we took cold showers all weekend and we endured portable toilets.  However the lack of “western standard” comforts only highlighted why we were there, to simply encounter Jesus.

Reaffirming simply encountering Jesus at the DNA of what my ministry and life needs to flow out of has been the theme God and the Holy Spirit has been speaking to me and re-calibrating my life around the past couple weeks. As I looked back at my morning reflections blog posts, before the tragedy of the shooting in Las Vegas drew our hearts and prayers to those effected, my posts reflect this theme.  “Repent”, “Jesus Came”, “Are You Sure God Said Me?” and “Twist and Shout” have all been reflections leading me back to the basics of seeking, embracing, worshipping and loving Jesus.

This past weekend at Reunion 2017 I found myself in the “oldest” 10% of those attending. I was surrounded by young people in their 20s and 30s and their passionate, sold-out, undignified, jumping, dancing, and completely saturating them selves in the worship of their Lord and King Jesus was so beautiful and it so blessed and encouraged me! It drew me into the dance and we all got caught up in the Spirit in pure, raw, powerful worship.  “As the lyrics to the United Pursuit song we sang one night state,

“There’s no shame

in looking like a fool.

When I give you what I can’t keep

And take ahold of you.’

Here is a link to a video I took of a short portion of our Saturday morning worship session.  It is a little "rocky" as I was dancing while I recorded it! :) 

And it is in that place where I give all of myself to God and take ahold of him and loose all shame and dignity in worship that I find myself in the embrace of a Father who has absolutely no reservation, no shame or no dignity in expressing his love for me.  During our time of worship Saturday night those leading worship asked the gathering if those who are struggling with shame in worship or their identity in Christ, and have feelings of unworthiness to sit down. (We all were standing in Worship.)  They asked those standing to lay hands on them and pray over and with them.  All around me young people were sitting and others were praying over each other.  At one point I was on my knees praying and laying my hands, one on each of the backs of two young men who where face down on the floor needing prayer.  As I was praying, I felt the hands of someone on my shoulders.  And from behind me I heard the prayers of a young man speaking amazing words over me.  I found my self on my knees in the middle of hands on my shoulders pouring into me while I had hands on people pouring into them. I was in almost perfect communion with the Holy Spirit.  After our time of prayer I stood up and turned around to see who had been anointing me with prayers.  We introduced ourselves and his name was Alex, he was 23 years old from North Carolina.  He said he was in the back asking God who he needed to pray over.  He said God told him to pray over someone in a Cleveland baseball cap. (I had my Indians cap on).  He said he does not follow baseball at all, yet he walked around not knowing why looking for someone with a Cleveland cap on, saw me on my knees praying, and knew I was the one he was to pray over. The whole weekend was full of God moments like this.

After each night’s worship ended, people would gather around the 30 or so camp fires around the farm and share lives and stories of God, pray over each other, cook smores, and sing worship songs until 2:00am or later.

I know this blog is a little less concise than most, as what I and those that attended the weekend experienced if not concisely explained. All I know is Jesus is calling me into a deeper, freer, more fool-like love and worship of him. I found myself this morning praying and meditating in the Spirit the lyrics of another United Pursuit song, and asking God,   

Help me let You go

Help me give up control

of the god i have made you

when my fear has contained you.

My family, I pray this Monday as you begin your week you begin to let go of God and all you have conformed him, contained him, and made him into by your fear of pure worship of him and fears of who he really may be and who you may be if you surrendered completely to him.  I pray you will let go of those fears and let God be free to be God, and be free to be God in you, for you, and around you all who is truly is, so that you may be free to be, live and worship as you were truly meant to be.  PLEASE pray the same for me!  God bless you my Friends!

 

Gary Liederbach-Lead Follower

One Direction Community

Please share your reflections and prayers in the comment box below.

 

I so welcome your support and partnership in to enable me to reach out as a missionary into our community.

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