TOAM and LOVE

Sadly TOAM is not just the aldi version of MAOAM sweets...actually it's better than that. Together on a Mission has been the yearly conference I've attended for the past four years in Brighton.

I've been home for a few days now but what with a wedding, church and general Sunday madness, and then back to the office today it's been a little like life is on fast forward.This time last week we'd arrived in Brighton, entered our beautiful 12 person apartment on the seafront, with views over the beach and the iconic Brighton pier. We'd had a rather tasty meal if I do say so myself (I cooked) and were busy chatting and chilling out, little aware of what was ahead of us.Early mornings, a mad scramble to get into the showers, and the laughter as we fell out of the front door, rather late, and hurried to the conference centre. I've always been a little confused by those people who seem to know everyone in a crowd of over 6000. Now, I'm not saying I know that many, quite the opposite, but what with doing FP, going to about a billion different meetings and conferences this year and visiting a lot of different churches, it was pretty great bumping into so many people, catching up and seeing where people were at. I think I'd forgotten just how many new people I've met his year. Insane. 

The teaching this week was phenomenal. Some of the things I heard were genuinely life changing. God showed up and totally did something in the Spirit that I wasn't expecting so I'm feeling a little giddy in terms of where I stand with things. Ever have that moment where you remember JUST how much God knows your heart? I was given the joy of seeing that a couple of times this week with things God said to me directly or through others who don't know me. Incredible.

Anyway, with loads of fun together, lots of dancing, lots of bumping into FPers, and a swim in the sea at about 10.30pm on the final night we had a lot of fun... I am still sooo sleepy though!

Last night managed to give me a further boost though, for after watching an incredible film called 'Furious Love' which looked at the way God loves in the darkest of places, when there is no other hope, we had the most incredible spontaneous worship and prayer session...just 20 of us in someone's lounge. 

I've often pondered the nature of love. Is it just a chemical reaction? or an emotion? is it based purely on attraction or need? Or, is it, as I suspect, something almost other worldly, something other, something that comes from God, that has a power and a strength that is unnoticed and undiscovered by so many. Love is like  so many of those other 'L' words; Life and Light. With it, comes connotations of hope and possibility. 

God is Love. Whether recognised or not, any love at all involves God and His Grace. Ephesians 3v17-19

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."