Hillsong United Conference Night 1

I write this from our Hilton hotel in Houston. It's across the street from NASA and our 8th story window looks out over a big lake/bay...so it's pretty sweet. There is just no wi-fi here, which is why I'm using a pen and not a keyboard to write this (until now!). We drove to Waco and Houston, picked up tickets at the will call...and heard Joel Houston and the band practicing "With Everything". It was one of those moments where we all just stood there for a while and really kind of realized that the guys are right there...and we're hearing them live. It got us all pretty excited too. We then checked into our hotel, then went back to Grace Community Church and waited inside for a while. The halls were packed full of people as we waited for the doors to open. When they did, we entered into the HUGE 10,000 seat auditorium and sat down. When I got up to walk around, I found myself sort of starstruck left and right. Dylan Thomas passed me as I walked by Leeland's reserved section where Leeland's brother sat, talking to a couple fans. In the lobby, Matt Crocker was selling merch. I was half surprised no one recognized him and tried to talk to him. But, expectations rose the longer we waited in the auditorium. I couldn't wait any longer. Finally the lights dimmed as a video began playing on the three screens...the lights completely blew everyone away. The whole backdrop was completely made up of individual LED lights (a program called soft LED) that made the most amazing looking patterns. The video spoke of the lost and the lonely and how we are all one in christ, ending with the huge i-heart heart onstage turning red, red lights at the base of the projector screens "pulsing" like a heartbeat, and the entire backdrop lighting up as veins pumping blood to the heart. It was an incredible display. This is when United came onstage and began playing You Deserve, which rocked my toms off, and would have rocked socks off too had I been wearing some. Jonathan Dougless went crazy, and words can't fully describe how amazing United was live. The lights only complemented the intense, powerful worship being exuded from the stage. More amazing was the fact that as soon as they started playing, the spirit immediately and totally convicted me of areas in my life where I've been running from God, or just been too tangled in sin to escape. Places I haven't seen before as well as areas I've been well aware of. And along with this came a perfect peace that replaced shame and guilt and allowed me to truly worship and experience God for the first time in at least a week. From then on the experience was purely God...getting to glorify Him with my favorite musicians through my favorite songs. When Phil Dooley, former youth pastor of United, spoke, he further confirmed God's freedom in my life. The message was about how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead despite preconceptions, or inconveniences, or discomforts that other people had (he stinketh much!). We finished with more worship that was both free and joyful. I can't wait to see what happens from a whole day of this if only a single service has already raised me from the dead in more than one area of my life. I am a new person, and I want change. Big change, and big stages. That's my calling.