It felt like an honour.
Seeing the passion of the young, being amongst it, is always pretty much awe inspiring.
Seeing these guys and girls respond last night, was humbling to say the least.
And how times are changing.
I cast my mind back to when I was at summer camp all those years ago now, how if the floor was thrown open for testimonies, there would be a dead silence, a pure tumbleweed moment. Then probably someone in the staff would desperately give the most spiritual student, who was probably seen as a bit of a geek, a prompting eye gesture to get up and speak, and the poor geeky Christian would have to put his rep on the line once again! And the rest of us would say "O he or she is up again!"
But last night?
Now, in 2012?
The testimony time was just filled with the testimony after testimony of the young. Raw, honest, funny, and deeply moving.
Every single one of them spoke about the importance of prayer.
This generation is embracing the vital essence and the none negotiability of prayer.
Yeah, times are changing alright.
The prayer generation is rising.
I spoke to this generation last night about taking the bended knee to the street, about the vital intertwining between prayer and mission, and these guys get it.
The passion of the young
An amazing thing.
I was so encouraged.
Which was much needed.
Because earlier in the day, at Sanctuary21 I was tending to another young person.
Phil.
He had taken an E on top of a shed load of alcohol.
He lay on our couch in tears, speech incredibly slurred, clothes rotten from a night sleeping behind Argos in Durham. He kept saying over and over again "there is no hope for me, there is no hope for me."
We sat with him as his eyes rolled and he just faded into a deep comatic sleep.
The police came in and were telling me that phil had been to court just the day before, which I knew about, but they said he is being sent to another city to a rehab centre and it is his last chance really. He constantly steals, he abuses drugs and alcohol, he begs on the street, he sleeps rough.
I spent the day just whacking God with prayers for phil.
I felt a hopelessness that I quite often feel in the everyday struggle for lives in our mission.
By hopelessness I mean a human hopelessness, a form of frustration really. Frustration that guys like Phil who I work to rescue everyday seem to be so heading for oblivion.
When Phil roused slightly on a couch in our HOP, I prayed directly with him, with a proper laying on of hands and a proper desperation from my heart.
Tears of hopelessness ran straight down his massive cheeks leaving tracks in his dirty face.
So last night I had come straight from that to standing in front of loads of young people. Some the same age as Phil, yet clean, bright and ready. and I saw in this generation that hope is alive. I pray that the generations coming through now would minister to the Phil's of this world. That they would take prayer beyond the bricks and mortar of the church. I believe times are changing, I believe that more and more people are becoming intolerant of bland religion and joining the movement of Jesus Christ through his Spirit in our communities. I see it in the actions of those passionate young people last night who don't bat an eyelid at responding to what God is doing.
I was so encouraged that people are seeing that prayer is a none negotiable.
And in that vein, I don't do this often on my blog, but I ask if there is anyone out there that would join me in praying for Phil right now. The truth is he could die. I have my doubts about the rehab. I know in his heart he is giving up on life. He is a young man of 25. My team pray for hundreds of Phil's but I feel God asking me to ask for some help on this one. So if you have a spare moment please pray for him. He is an alcoholic, a drug addict, and he is heading for oblivion.
Humanly hopeless.
But spiritually full of hope in Jesus
Thank you
Gaz
