Urbana 2003
after a busy, spirit-filled 5 days on the university of illinois campus, i am one among 20,000 others who can now proudly say that i was a delegate at urbana 2003. was it fun? sure. was it convicting? definitely. was it eye-opening? no doubt.
this past week has consisted of airplane flights, cold weather, long lines, nice talks, new friends, evening and morning sessions at the assembly hall aka "the giant wok," interesting seminars, late-night dominoes pizza, countless trips to the bookstore, and endless walking.
through it all, ive gained a better understanding of God's call to missions and His love for all people.
there were many amazing speakers at the conference. it was awesome hearing about how God has been working in their lives as they shared testimonies and various messages.
geri rodman taught that "we need to turn from the idols that enslave us, that demonize us, dehumanize us and degrade us, and return to the living God." frankly speaking, i had never considered idolatry as something i struggle with. needless to say, it was quite humbling to realize that idolatry is concerned with more than just material things, and the area in which i struggled with the most was with myself. after listening to her message, i made a decision to give up my idols of self-glory, self-comfort, and self-reliance.
lisa espineli chinn emphasized that "we must learn to say, 'yes your majesty.'" it was through her messages that i came to see how majestic Jesus really is. He truly is the King, so who am i to say "no" to His calling?
nikki toyama revealed a valuable lesson in that "following Jesus is costly, but not following Jesus is more costly." no matter how much we have to give up to follow after Jesus, it is nothing in comparison with how much Jesus sacrificed for us.
jonathan maracle of the native american band, broken walls, commented that "it isn't the drums, but the heart of the drummer" that really matters. it opened my eyes to see that people of every color and background can come together to worship God. God is awesome, no?
david zac niringiye shared that "a fragmented church is not much help to a fragmented world." in order for us Christians to truly share the Good News and reach out to nonbelievers, the church must be united for such a great cause.
nairy ohanian spoke about how "God leads and designes our adventures with him." it's okay to be a scaredy-cat, as long as you don't allow your fears to prevent you from living for Him. in nairy's words, "if we focus on our fears, we'll never get out the front door." so how can we be sure that God will provide for each of our needs? how can we be sure that there is no need to worry? simply put, "God gives us Himself, and that is always enough." plan jesus or nothing.
alex gee stated that "we measure our knowledge of the Lord through how we love our brothers and sisters." i have brothers and sisters all across the globe. everywhere i go, no matter what the people look like or what language they speak, i know that i have family there. what an awesome feeling =)
as if that wasn't enough, i also got a chance to go to a few seminars..
Alive to God: Spiritual Disciplines for the Journey led by Doug & Marilyn Stewart showed me that i need to take some time away from all the noise of this world and simply be alone with God. it's kinda frightening to think that i never hear silence, even when im asleep.
Why We Don't Pray For and Engage Our Unchurched Friends led by Gideon Y. Tsang was a good reminder that i should always keep all my friends in my prayers while being persistent in evangelism.
God's Dream vs. the American Dream led by Scott Bessenecker spoke of the ill-effects of materialism. no man can serve two Gods, right? right.
Understanding Prayer & Spiritual Warfare led by Vicky Porterfield made me realize that there really is a war taking place beyond what my eyes can see. but, rest assured, we're all equipped with the proper weapons to protect ourselves.
putting all this aside, perhaps the most amazing experience i had in urbana was on the first night, when i was walking in circles inside the assembly hall looking for a seat. it was amazing seeing so many people of all different races and backgrounds joining together to worship the King. it felt like a glimpse of heaven =)
after a busy, spirit-filled 5 days on the university of illinois campus, i am one among 20,000 others who can now proudly say that i was a delegate at urbana 2003. was it fun? sure. was it convicting? definitely. was it eye-opening? no doubt.
this past week has consisted of airplane flights, cold weather, long lines, nice talks, new friends, evening and morning sessions at the assembly hall aka "the giant wok," interesting seminars, late-night dominoes pizza, countless trips to the bookstore, and endless walking.
through it all, ive gained a better understanding of God's call to missions and His love for all people.
there were many amazing speakers at the conference. it was awesome hearing about how God has been working in their lives as they shared testimonies and various messages.
geri rodman taught that "we need to turn from the idols that enslave us, that demonize us, dehumanize us and degrade us, and return to the living God." frankly speaking, i had never considered idolatry as something i struggle with. needless to say, it was quite humbling to realize that idolatry is concerned with more than just material things, and the area in which i struggled with the most was with myself. after listening to her message, i made a decision to give up my idols of self-glory, self-comfort, and self-reliance.
lisa espineli chinn emphasized that "we must learn to say, 'yes your majesty.'" it was through her messages that i came to see how majestic Jesus really is. He truly is the King, so who am i to say "no" to His calling?
nikki toyama revealed a valuable lesson in that "following Jesus is costly, but not following Jesus is more costly." no matter how much we have to give up to follow after Jesus, it is nothing in comparison with how much Jesus sacrificed for us.
jonathan maracle of the native american band, broken walls, commented that "it isn't the drums, but the heart of the drummer" that really matters. it opened my eyes to see that people of every color and background can come together to worship God. God is awesome, no?
david zac niringiye shared that "a fragmented church is not much help to a fragmented world." in order for us Christians to truly share the Good News and reach out to nonbelievers, the church must be united for such a great cause.
nairy ohanian spoke about how "God leads and designes our adventures with him." it's okay to be a scaredy-cat, as long as you don't allow your fears to prevent you from living for Him. in nairy's words, "if we focus on our fears, we'll never get out the front door." so how can we be sure that God will provide for each of our needs? how can we be sure that there is no need to worry? simply put, "God gives us Himself, and that is always enough." plan jesus or nothing.
alex gee stated that "we measure our knowledge of the Lord through how we love our brothers and sisters." i have brothers and sisters all across the globe. everywhere i go, no matter what the people look like or what language they speak, i know that i have family there. what an awesome feeling =)
as if that wasn't enough, i also got a chance to go to a few seminars..
Alive to God: Spiritual Disciplines for the Journey led by Doug & Marilyn Stewart showed me that i need to take some time away from all the noise of this world and simply be alone with God. it's kinda frightening to think that i never hear silence, even when im asleep.
Why We Don't Pray For and Engage Our Unchurched Friends led by Gideon Y. Tsang was a good reminder that i should always keep all my friends in my prayers while being persistent in evangelism.
God's Dream vs. the American Dream led by Scott Bessenecker spoke of the ill-effects of materialism. no man can serve two Gods, right? right.
Understanding Prayer & Spiritual Warfare led by Vicky Porterfield made me realize that there really is a war taking place beyond what my eyes can see. but, rest assured, we're all equipped with the proper weapons to protect ourselves.
putting all this aside, perhaps the most amazing experience i had in urbana was on the first night, when i was walking in circles inside the assembly hall looking for a seat. it was amazing seeing so many people of all different races and backgrounds joining together to worship the King. it felt like a glimpse of heaven =)
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