Power and Love Conference

Jennifer and I attended a "power and love" conference this past week. A grueling 4 days x 14 hours a day, it was an intense experience for us. The teaching was so well balanced, but what was so life changing was the opportunities we had to "practice" what we were learning. At each lunch and dinner break, we were to go out in 2's (or 4's) and strike up conversations with strangers in our paths and/or pray for people we came across. The goal was to "demonstrate the love of God."

This was the first paradigm shift for me. I thought the goal was to heal people. I learned that the goal was to show people's God's love...and healing was just one of many ways to do that. One experience pointed this out to me: We were at Denny's and before we ate our dinner, I asked the waitress if she had a family member who might need prayer. She immediately teared up and said her sister (who had cancer). Then she thanked us for caring enough to ask. It was at this moment I realized the truth of what our teachers had told us. It wasn't about us healing folks. It was about God's presence permeating a situation and demonstrating His tangible love and concern for people.

We had countless other encounters with folks, and heard incredible testimonies from others who were amazed that God would use them so easily. The lessons learned?

1. Pick the longest line at the store, and strike up conversations with people to discover their needs. Then ask if you can pray with them...and bring God's love and power to bear in the encounter.
2. It's not about me.
3. The power of God is often restricted by our lack of faith that is motivated by LOVE.