Encountering God at #Creation15.
Sunday, July 19, 2015 @ 10:41 PM with
I believe I encountered God during WORD/Creation Rally 2015.
My first experience with Creation Rally was in 2013. As someone who connects with lyrics of songs and just loves music in general, I enjoyed all the songs that were sung,played and just the general atmosphere of worshipping God with many other fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I told myself that I would be back for the next one for sure.
I'm not too sure why I didn't go for #Creation14, I didn't hear any news about it at all, but I was happy when I finally heard about Creation 15. I would finally get to go for hours of singing with cool music and dancing, PLUS, no 1 hour sermons!! (Yay!)
It also helped that the team for #Creation15 were great in building up the hype by organizing visits to the church, doing workshops like word X, plus as a design student, I could appreciate the typography and graphics on all the ads and slides which were #OnPOINT.
When the day of WORD came, I woke up and found myself in an great state of pain as my ongoing problem of chronic stomach pains came back to me, and my clumsy self seemed to have hit my head on the wall in the middle of my sleep. (I still don't know how it happened.) It was quite bad ; I couldn't walk properly and I was feeling nauseous the entire morning/afternoon. I was confined to my room, thus having to miss WORD usher duty, but by 5pm, I was able to stand and a (literally) hobbled to the bus stop and made my way to Calvary Baptist from the East. (Talk about walking the road to Calvary. Gosh, our God has a wonderful sense of humor. (: ) I just really didn't want to miss WORD.
The set started great, and I even managed to stand up for majority of the first set and briefly wave my hands around during the fast songs.
My encounter started during the message shared by Pastor Philip.
The parts of the message that spoke to me was:
1. Don't say you want the will of God, and then take one step back.
Sometimes the will of God starts speaking to you in an inaudible voice, and then as it slowly gets louder, you realize you can use the excuse of "I think I hear wrongly" because you aren't comfortable with what God is asking you to do. I found myself reflecting if I was reading the bible intentionally or if I was afraid to do so, in case I was going to hear God's instructions which I didn't want to follow. Was I going against what I said I wanted for my life?
2. God has a SPECIFIC design and purpose for you.
"I want you to circle the word SPECIFIC" said Pastor Philip.
At this point in my life where I've been sharing with multiple people how I am completely lost and without any confidence on my next milestone in life, I was reminded again that God made my exactly the way I was and gave me the exact talents and gifts he did, so that I could serve him TOTALLY.
"Talents and gifts will not make ANY spiritual impact" unless it is used for God. What kind of impact was I making? None at all? Temporary kinds of the world? Eternal ones for God's glory?
3. A person used by God puts God's call above self limitations.
I'm so thankful for this apt reminder because despite all my failings, disobedience, struggles and sins, God will decided to encourage me with this point and used it to remind me of His love for me. That despite my weakness, I could always find strength and refuge in him. I could approach him for forgiveness no matter how many times or how broken a state I am in each time.
"In my weaknesses you are my confidence" those were the lyrics that rang loud in my head as we got to the last few songs of the night. I am overwhelmed with the measure of God's grace, love and mercy for me that he would choose to remind me of his love in my time of need.
As we got to the alter call of the night, I told myself that I didn't want to go up, because early this year, I already rededicated my life and service for God. I told myself I didn't want to go up because I didn't want to "lose the meaning of rededication", when in actual fact, it was my pride stopping me from responding.
As Pastor Philip was calling for the different groups of people to step out, each time I would be like "nope. Not me not me not me." , "nope. I don't need to go up. I can pray it right here." And the best part was when Pastor added the last call along the lines of "for those who want to hear God's voice but you need to overcome a temptation. You need to guard your heart." By that moment, I was already in tears because of my conviction that it was exactly what I needed to confess and repent from, but I still refused to step out.
"That's not me. I'm not facing any temptation. If I step out, it means I'm admitting that my struggle is wrong. But it's not wrong! It's not me. He's talking about all those other people stepping out. You see? It can't be me."
But yet, finally, just as Pastor Philip was about to start praying, he gave the option to "raise your hands" as he prays if you need that prayer.
How amazing God's love, that he wants everyone to respond!
I saw that as my window of opportunity and took the physically tiniest step, but emotionally largest jump I have ever taken, from my seat, and raised my hand as high as it would go, without attracting any attention to myself, thus confessing that I was indeed one of the people that needed prayer.
I never went out on stage that night. My alter call happened right at my seat.
I was never comfortable with the phrase "encountering God". I've always been associating it with HUGE and dramatic events and large signs. I imagined encountering God as Him coming into my body and filling me with the spirit so I could miraculously understand Greek, finally pass my Chinese exams, or I would see visions and pictures of what my future would look like or I would hear God's voice "Carissa, you are going to marry ______. Go and find him now, he is in ________". I would be healed from my stomach ache, I would feel INVINCIBLE and SOAR on the wings of Eagles which were now my feet!
Yeah. But, none of that happened.
I left the church, stomach still uncomfortable, a clear reminder of how weak and helpless I was without God, but a renewed hope and call to obey and respond to God.
"A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17
My encounter with God was nothing like my expectations, but everything I needed to hear. God gave us the most powerful gift, of free will, and unless we put down our pride and respond in obedience, we can't blame God for not speaking to us.
I'm thankful for my experience in WORD, the promptings I received that night, the opportunites that came after so that I could apply what I said I would do, and most of all I'm thankful that I am on a journey and have a relationship, with a God such as mine.
xx,
Encountering God at #Creation15.
Sunday, July 19, 2015 @ 10:41 PM with
I believe I encountered God during WORD/Creation Rally 2015.
My first experience with Creation Rally was in 2013. As someone who connects with lyrics of songs and just loves music in general, I enjoyed all the songs that were sung,played and just the general atmosphere of worshipping God with many other fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. I told myself that I would be back for the next one for sure.
I'm not too sure why I didn't go for #Creation14, I didn't hear any news about it at all, but I was happy when I finally heard about Creation 15. I would finally get to go for hours of singing with cool music and dancing, PLUS, no 1 hour sermons!! (Yay!)
It also helped that the team for #Creation15 were great in building up the hype by organizing visits to the church, doing workshops like word X, plus as a design student, I could appreciate the typography and graphics on all the ads and slides which were #OnPOINT.
When the day of WORD came, I woke up and found myself in an great state of pain as my ongoing problem of chronic stomach pains came back to me, and my clumsy self seemed to have hit my head on the wall in the middle of my sleep. (I still don't know how it happened.) It was quite bad ; I couldn't walk properly and I was feeling nauseous the entire morning/afternoon. I was confined to my room, thus having to miss WORD usher duty, but by 5pm, I was able to stand and a (literally) hobbled to the bus stop and made my way to Calvary Baptist from the East. (Talk about walking the road to Calvary. Gosh, our God has a wonderful sense of humor. (: ) I just really didn't want to miss WORD.
The set started great, and I even managed to stand up for majority of the first set and briefly wave my hands around during the fast songs.
My encounter started during the message shared by Pastor Philip.
The parts of the message that spoke to me was:
1. Don't say you want the will of God, and then take one step back.
Sometimes the will of God starts speaking to you in an inaudible voice, and then as it slowly gets louder, you realize you can use the excuse of "I think I hear wrongly" because you aren't comfortable with what God is asking you to do. I found myself reflecting if I was reading the bible intentionally or if I was afraid to do so, in case I was going to hear God's instructions which I didn't want to follow. Was I going against what I said I wanted for my life?
2. God has a SPECIFIC design and purpose for you.
"I want you to circle the word SPECIFIC" said Pastor Philip.
At this point in my life where I've been sharing with multiple people how I am completely lost and without any confidence on my next milestone in life, I was reminded again that God made my exactly the way I was and gave me the exact talents and gifts he did, so that I could serve him TOTALLY.
"Talents and gifts will not make ANY spiritual impact" unless it is used for God. What kind of impact was I making? None at all? Temporary kinds of the world? Eternal ones for God's glory?
3. A person used by God puts God's call above self limitations.
I'm so thankful for this apt reminder because despite all my failings, disobedience, struggles and sins, God will decided to encourage me with this point and used it to remind me of His love for me. That despite my weakness, I could always find strength and refuge in him. I could approach him for forgiveness no matter how many times or how broken a state I am in each time.
"In my weaknesses you are my confidence" those were the lyrics that rang loud in my head as we got to the last few songs of the night. I am overwhelmed with the measure of God's grace, love and mercy for me that he would choose to remind me of his love in my time of need.
As we got to the alter call of the night, I told myself that I didn't want to go up, because early this year, I already rededicated my life and service for God. I told myself I didn't want to go up because I didn't want to "lose the meaning of rededication", when in actual fact, it was my pride stopping me from responding.
As Pastor Philip was calling for the different groups of people to step out, each time I would be like "nope. Not me not me not me." , "nope. I don't need to go up. I can pray it right here." And the best part was when Pastor added the last call along the lines of "for those who want to hear God's voice but you need to overcome a temptation. You need to guard your heart." By that moment, I was already in tears because of my conviction that it was exactly what I needed to confess and repent from, but I still refused to step out.
"That's not me. I'm not facing any temptation. If I step out, it means I'm admitting that my struggle is wrong. But it's not wrong! It's not me. He's talking about all those other people stepping out. You see? It can't be me."
But yet, finally, just as Pastor Philip was about to start praying, he gave the option to "raise your hands" as he prays if you need that prayer.
How amazing God's love, that he wants everyone to respond!
I saw that as my window of opportunity and took the physically tiniest step, but emotionally largest jump I have ever taken, from my seat, and raised my hand as high as it would go, without attracting any attention to myself, thus confessing that I was indeed one of the people that needed prayer.
I never went out on stage that night. My alter call happened right at my seat.
I was never comfortable with the phrase "encountering God". I've always been associating it with HUGE and dramatic events and large signs. I imagined encountering God as Him coming into my body and filling me with the spirit so I could miraculously understand Greek, finally pass my Chinese exams, or I would see visions and pictures of what my future would look like or I would hear God's voice "Carissa, you are going to marry ______. Go and find him now, he is in ________". I would be healed from my stomach ache, I would feel INVINCIBLE and SOAR on the wings of Eagles which were now my feet!
Yeah. But, none of that happened.
I left the church, stomach still uncomfortable, a clear reminder of how weak and helpless I was without God, but a renewed hope and call to obey and respond to God.
"A broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise." Psalm 51:17
My encounter with God was nothing like my expectations, but everything I needed to hear. God gave us the most powerful gift, of free will, and unless we put down our pride and respond in obedience, we can't blame God for not speaking to us.
I'm thankful for my experience in WORD, the promptings I received that night, the opportunites that came after so that I could apply what I said I would do, and most of all I'm thankful that I am on a journey and have a relationship, with a God such as mine.
xx,
"Who Are You?"
C A R I S S A.
Carissa. (:
God. Family. Friends.
Everything else can wait.
Child Of God
Design Trained. ENFP. Animal Lover. Chocoholic. Higaholic.
Currently pursuing Communications ; Still finding my place in life.
I want to live, not just survive. I aim to keep the faith and finish the race.
I am a
HUGE fan of: Ryan Higa, Disney, Mentalist, Cheesecake, Milktea, Chocolates (especially those with jellies and marshmallows ashfdjkdsah), Clouds, Ice-Cream, Sleeping, Singing & Pretty packaging.
i feel that
maths is as important as
fashion but i have
never done well in either of them.
In ways, i am like you -
i want to be loved.
I'm saving my heart for that someone special, whom I may or may not have met(yet).
And one day,
I will have my happily ever after. ♥
Tell Me More.
My Design Portfolio
HERE
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HERE
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If you want me to link/remove your link, message me! (:
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