The Jeff Johnson Experience

DNOW - this past weekend. I wasn't looking forward to it. I was a color mom, and thought I was going to have G$, and that I'd have to do a lot of shuffling him around to get the job done. I thought about backing out, which I never do. (Ok, I did drop that history class with 14 reading assignments but I don't back out when I've given someone my word). G$'s dad called out of the blue and asked to have him over the weekend, and there it was. God's hand, sweeping down and saying, "I'm taking care of this. You can't quit. And you won't have G$ (does God refer to him as G$? Not sure...) so you won't have any mom guilt."

Ok, God. Thanks. What about the other reasons I don't want to do this? It's going to be hot. I'm tired. I'm lazy. I'm spiritually weak right now. Satan is in my head telling me to exclude myself. But He had taken care of the main thing (G$), and I gave my word to my friends that I would do it, so I did. And of course, like He always does, God shows up and meets me right where I am.

The Holy Spirit really spoke to me through the music. Music is my thing. I love to sing, buy music, share it, listen to it over and over...just wear it out. Not having G$, I decided to go to worship and hear this Jeff Johnson guy and his band. I heard a lot of great things about him from Super Summer and was really looking forward to it.

I met Jeff Johnson. He sings well, he plays well. And he was really nice. Can he walk on water? Probably not. He was a normal guy, humbly anointed by God to lead worship. There was a moment on the first night when one of the kids yelled out, "I love you Jeff Johnson!" And I saw the look on his face...he smiled, but there was angst there too. The kids loving him is not what it's about. It's about getting to a place where it's not about the spot you're standing in, or the people you're standing with, or who is on the stage...but where are you with God? I had a moment of internal dialogue where I thought of a witticism I read somewhere, something like, "If you’re not close to God anymore, guess who moved?" Ok, I did. I don’t know when, probably little by little. Somehow, the main thing hasn’t been the main thing in a long time.

Our guest speaker, Richard Ross, spoke on Sunday morning about praying to a little Jesus what we can take in and out of our pocket when we need Him and then put Him back. After meeting with Him in worship Saturday night, I knew without a doubt - I don't want a little Jesus. I want Big, Almighty, Powerful, Overwhelming God. I realized that being truly happy, truly satisfied, is believing and living that He is Enough.

So I did my color mom thing, connected with some teenagers I didn't know that well and realized how awesome our youth are. They love Jesus. And they listen. And they have good hearts. And they blessed me by letting me be with them. My team didn't win. Another way God put me in my place. I wanted to win for me, for bragging rights. But He said no. God used the weekend to remind me that he is sovereign, that He has the power to fill me up, and that when I submit to Him, He shows up and reveals Himself.