A Generation Free to Worship

As I mentioned last month, I had been asked to be a speaker at a large children's and youth event here in Connecticut. Put on by the House of Restoration Church in Hartford, this event drew children and youth from all over the northeast.

One Friday evening, we loaded up the church bus with thirteen of our kids and headed off to Hartford. It was a cold and rainy night, but the kids were excited - this was the first time they had gone to an event like this as a group. We found the church easily, and went inside, not really knowing what to expect.

That first service was amazing. We entered as worship was going on. There was a group consisting of about ten youth and thirty or so children (plus an excellent band) singing "We Cry Out," which is one of my favorite worship songs. The church was beautiful. We were welcomed warmly and taken to our seats. One really touching moment was when they played a video clip of John Mark McMillan telling the story behind his song "How He Loves." The worship team then led out in that beautiful song.

The preaching that night was great. They did a four-preacher tag team message based around the story of Lazarus, complete with musical and lighting cues and silent drama woven into the message. After the message, the altar was packed.

Saturday was awesome as well. The theme of the entire weekend was "A Generation Free to Worship." There were breakouts for the children and the youth, all centered around this theme, after an opening worship session. Our children and youth who attended were really blessed by the event. There were dancers, and flag teams and everything else you could imagine.

My session was loosly titled "Don't Be Too Quiet." I talked about being bold in worship, and the importance of worshippers in spiritual battles, using Judah as an example. To open the session, Justin and I sang "We Won't Be Quiet" by David Crowder* Band, playing guitar and keys live and using a drum loop I created. (We had also prepared to do "Foreverandeveretc..." but wound up not using it.)

In the end, it was a great weekend, and I hope we've forged some new bonds of friendship with this church.