Urban Lake Champion PLUS

I was truly blessed to be a part of the team for the Urban Lake Champion retreat this past weekend! Several things happened in which I know God was moving. Erica and Macho Lara were used in tremendous ways this weekend.

Erica was the speaker for the Urban youth who came from: Brooklyn, Queens, Trenton, Paterson and Manhattan. She spoke on being a Joshua Generation, seeking out a life like that of Joshua and seeking that which Joshua sought. She spoke of Joshua's faith and dependence on God. She mentioned the Jericho scene and challenged the teens to write down the walls that have been blocking them from God onto a box. She then gathered all the boxes from each group and had a teenager symbolically TEAR them down! All in all, I truly believe that the teens interacted and engaged with their Father on a new level and really were able to take out the trash and tear down the walls!

Macho (or Rafael as he likes to be called in his elder age...which is actually his real name) was the worship leader along with Red, Isaiah and Kyle who rocked it out. I think the style was different or our Urban Youth, but they enjoyed the worship and it was truly fantastic! I've always loved worshiping with Macho leading...God has truly gifted my brother to lead others to the throne room of Christ!

This weekend, I learned a new phrase in my vocabulary with the Lord: Utterly Dependant. I was unaware, but had strep throat the entire weekend and as anyone behind the scenes could tell you, I looked and acted as if I had it. I felt like I was going to die on Saturday, but I took dinner off, prayed for God to heal me (at least for the day) and took a nap. When I woke up, I could swallow without much pain and I got on the mic and emceed the most energetic session all weekend!

Since being diagnosed yesterday with strep and not receiving my medicine until early afternoon, I took the day off today (you are still contagious 24 hours after your first dose of meds.) which for me is HARD...harder still I didn't go to youth group so my body can recover for this weekend (JR. High Lake Champion!!) I fully trust my intern MARKO REQUENA but it is HARD for me to not do my job. I have that nagging voice in my head that says: work til you die Marv, don't stop...

As you can see it's been quite a week, but God is TRULY good and I know that all of this has happened for his purposes or can be made to fit his purposes. I am just about recovered and can't WAIT to start work at 8am tomorrow...who else do you know is begging to go to work? My job rocks and I can't wait to see how Marko did.