amazing service

     Hey y'all!  I just got back from a ski trip with my church this afternoon, it was so amazing!  The socializing, the laughs, the junk food, the skiing!  Even though I fell 20+ times, I loved all of it, every last bit!  But my favorite part of the trip was the service that we did.  It wasn't what I'm used to- we didn't just sing, listen to the pastor, sing some more, and then go to Arby's for lunch.  I mean, yes, we did do singing and listening to a pastor... but it was different.  We sang several praise songs (which I, being a singer, loved!) and we watched Louie Giglio speak.  He talked about Ashley, a girl who was completely against God, and how in three months, she became so devoted to Christ.*
     Then after that, we did something which I thought was absolutely amazing.  It was the highlight of the trip for me.  We were all given a piece of paper, and we were told to write down whatever has been tugging on our hearts and weighing us down.  We were told to just write down whatever has been bothering us and holding us back.  We then put it on a table, and grabbed another person's (keep in mind that this was completely anonymous).  We all got into groups, we each read what the person had written, and we prayed for them.  And when I say prayed, I mean we prayed.  Instead of having leaders pray for us (which is still amazing!), we were praying for each other.  It was one of the most moving things that I've ever experienced.  I have never felt comfortable praying, and I've never "been good at it."  But that Saturday night (February 20) all the words came naturally.  Instead of trying to sound "perfect" while talking to God, it was like I was having a conversation with one of my friends. 

*I really recommend watching the video, here's the link:  click here