AAC RECAP
It’s been a week since the Appalachia Awakening Conference and I have finally been able to get back into a semi-normal routine again. Truthfully, after a weekend like that I am not sure I know or understand what normal is any longer. It was that good. If you were there, you know what I am talking about. If you weren’t there, I don’t want you to feel like you missed out, but you should definitely make plans to come next year. This conference really felt like a stake in the ground moment for us as a spiritual family. We moved forward as a Church body in a profound way and the vision for reaching and stewarding awakening in this region has never felt more tangible and possible. That said, I am so grateful for each of you. For your prayers, for your support and for the privilege to run this race with you.
Your wholehearted participation with what God is doing is part of the reason doing “Church” at Livingston First Church is such a joy and just plain fun. So again thank you. I wanted to take a moment to point out three takeaways that I saw during the conference that were worth mentioning. I think you will appreciate celebrating with me…
This vision God has called us to is for a region but also has a global impact. It is incredible to believe that people would travel from places like England or Mexico to be a part of what Jesus is doing in Appalachia. Believe it or not, they are. Not only did we get to fellowship with on-fire believers from within Appalachia we also got to worship with those who may have traveled hundreds if not thousands of miles to be connected to what God is doing in the nation of Appalachia. This is mind blowing, but obviously more proof that what we are doing is of God. Jesus’s bride is His Church, and His Church is global, even if certain expressions of the Church are called to specific regions. Through our Kaleo Family and beyond we have Family in Christ all over the world who are believing with us that God is pouring out revival in Appalachia. That is exciting. Not only are we exposing the global Church to God’s cry for Appalachia, but also we are engaging the Global Church to pray and prophecy with us over what Jesus is doing in this region. This is profound.
This call is a generational movement and will continue long after we graduate from this life. There was a moment during the conference where the Lord called the baby boomers at the conference to pray over and affirm the Gen X and millennials into their individual calls into this vision of revival from God. It was a powerful moment and there was a palpable weighty presence of God. It wasn’t a passing of the mantle moment. It was one generation who have now become seasoned mothers and fathers praying over another generation who have really just come into their own. It was a moment of blessing and affirmation. It was a reminder that the Church is family with generational blessing and legacy, and that we are running our race with the momentum of the Generation of believers who ran the race before us. It’s the same with this call to awakening in Appalachia. We are just a part of the story. This call is also an inheritance and legacy that will be passed to the next generation of on fire believers. This generational big picture outlook reminds us that what we are doing is much bigger than us. To be called to something like this is life changing and also worth giving our lives away for.
We are a family that likes to celebrate! Part of the goal of this conference was for people to be exposed to and celebrate all the good things God is doing and all the people He is doing it through. You may have noticed that interspersed throughout the weekend we kept introducing different ministers and ministries that were present at the conference. These ministries would then tell us what God is doing through them, and then we would spend some time praying, prophesying and celebrating them. I really loved this. I love that you all participated in this. I love that we are able to do this. We are able to do this because we as a Church have really taken hold of the concept that we are a family. At First Church there are no hoops to jump through to be accepted, and there are no spiritual ladders to climb into different titles or positions. There are only genuine Spirit-filled believers doing what God is calling them to do respectfully while celebrating their brothers and sisters in their calls. This is rare. Our Church family is not filled with jealousy and strife. That’s why this worked so well at this conference. We can celebrate with one another. Hallelujah what a blessing!
Once more thank you. Your participation at whatever level you were able is treasured and appreciated. There is more. Our imaginations cannot perceive all that God wants to do through this vision in and among our Church. I look forward to seeing what the Lord does next.
Love,
Pastor John
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