Acquire the Fire ---> From Aaron's perspective

Hello to all!

Wow! It's been forever since my last post. Sorry to all of those waiting for more! Thank you for keeping tuned in.

As Jessie said, Acquire the Fire was in San Antonio this past weekend. It was an amazing time to spend with the teens from our youth group, worshiping God and learning more and more about Him together. Friday started in the evening, and ended the day with a Sanctus Real concert. It was awesome! That night was spent imagining Jesus living in our modern times, born in 1976. It truly made us stop to think more about the way people accepted or rejected Him, even 2000 years ago.

On Saturday, we covered the topics all teenagers need to hear. 1) guy-girl separate workshop, focusing on relationships with the opposite gender. 2) the need to have a passion for extending God's kingdom through missions. 3) the challenge to attack the Bible, reading, memorizing, and living it. 4) learning to relate better with our parents. Those were the main things talked about that day, but curiously enough, God chose a different way to reveal what I most needed to hear that weekend...

On Friday night, both at the event, and even driving back to New Braunfels, I felt God putting something on my heart. I didn't know exactly what to think of it, but I knew it was something I needed to figure out. On Saturday though, God revealed it more and more to me, and I realized that it had truly become an uneeded burden for me. Throughout the day, I couldn't stop thinking of it, and what God was trying to do with my heart at the time. After dinner, we went back into the building from the van where we ate, and started the most amazing time of worship ever. Some of our group went down to be on the main floor for the time, while the rest (including myself) stayed on the 2nd level of the seats. During the worship time, not a single knee of our youth group was unbent. All of us, regardless of where we were, were bowing down, worshiping God, loving Him, receiving His love for us. It was sensational! I myself heard God speaking clearly to me, and later wrote it all down in my notebook using a borrowed cell phone for light. Needless to say, he revealed what was to be done. It wasn't over yet though!

A little while later, after worship, there was a call for us to write down things that were keeping us from getting to where we wanted to be with God. I thought about it first, and then started writing down a couple things.... amazingly, seven things later, I was nailing them (quite literally) to a cross set up on the floor. Even though it was symbolic, I knew God had lifted these things from between us, swept them away. All it took was for me to humble myself and acknowledge them. One of these things was the burden I had discovered the night before. To sum it up, I must say: how amazing and great and powerful is God? He who can reveal a burden, break my heart of it, and have me lay it at his feet in 24 hours is truly an awesome God!!! praise Him!!!

Yesterday in church, I shared a little bit of what God did for me, as well as listened to a couple others give their account of what God taught them. It was really neat to feel closer and closer to God through the weekend. When I look back on it, not only did it draw me closer to Him, but God also allowed me to feel more and more a part of the group than before. I feel like I belong. Thank God for his never-ending mercy, wisdom and love for us. I also thank the church family at Dayspring Christian Fellowship for opening their arms to my family and myself.

God loves us, has a purpose for our life, and will never hesitate to touch us when we need it. The last thing I will mention is the fact that after nailing the paper to the cross, all my barriers were lifted except the one. That one was lifted 5 minutes later, when I lost my focus on all else, and was completely absorbed in God. Never lose your focus, put it where it belongs, 100%, and God will relieve your soul.

Thanks for reading,
Aaron