Let the whole world see...

Greetings! On Sept. 20, I attended a conference called the Next Mile at my church. It was an all-day conference filled with worship, messages, Scripture, and seminars (oh, and lunch). It was for those people who have gone on STMs, team leaders, and for team organizers wanting to know what the 'next mile' is to be. After starting out with worship and a message, we went to our first seminar (choice of five, and yes, I did make a decision). The morning one I went to was called 'The Next Mile: STM for the Long Haul'. The main theme in that was about follow-through, not just after you've gone on a team but even before you go and while you are gone. It was very interesting and the guy that was speaking started it out with a couple funny video clips, and he seemed like he had a passion for people who go on STMs and seeing the Gospel spread throughout the world.
After the morning seminar, they served us lunch which was a choice of sandwiches plus other lunch fixins. Once the food was all digested, we went to the next seminar (again, I had to make a choice and after a couple minutes, decided). I went to the seminar called 'Gift-based ministry: serving in your SHAPE'. It was the only one of the four that I thought really applied to me. The guy that spoke in this one I think goes to GSCC and wanted us to know more about how to find our individual shape and how to go about doing so. He gave us handouts of certain tests that we can do ourselves to help us figure out who we are and what gifts we have. (Feel free to inquire me of them if you are interested). I myself am very much going to do at least one of those tests, if not more. That was also very interesting.
Then we had a focus group time and I went to one about 'post ministry-real life'. We talked about being home after gone on a STM and how we were going to keep the fire for Jesus alive. I even spoke up at least once and shared. We ended the day with more worship and message. During our last song, Here I am to Worship, we had a chance to go up and write down on pieces of fabric something we learned or that changed us during that day and sign it. Then a lady is going to make a quilt of all of them. It was very neat to do that. All in all, it was a very COOL day! I am glad that I went, and I also got to see two good brothers in Christ that I hadn't seen in a while and went out to dinner with them afterward at La Caretta.
I did go to church Sunday morning, and one of the songs we sang spoke to me and it was in my head ALL day long. I would like to share it with you now:

Mighty to Save

Everyone needs compassion
Love that's never failing
Let mercy fall on me.

Everyone needs forgiveness
The kindness of a Savior
The Hope of nations.

Savior, He can move the mountains.
My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave.

So take me as You find me
All my fears and failures
Fill my life again

I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in
Now I surrender...

Savior, He can move the mountains,
My God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation
He rose and conquered the grave
Jesus conquered the grave.

Shine your light and let the whole world see...
we're singing for the glory for the risen King...

I must mention this...on my way home from work on Monday, I was listening to the Fish and Dave said that he loves this one song that he was going to play and that he had sung it at his church yesterday. The song was...Mighty to save! I'm like...we sung it too and it was in my head all day long. I almost wanted to email him and let him know that! Oh, and if you want to know, it has been in my head off and on all this last week, and then I went to church this morning and guess what...we sang it again!!

I leave you this day with a verse from the second seminar that was said (and I knew it right away):
'But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.' 1 Cor 12:18

PS STM stands for Short Term Mission.