Heaven Fest 2009

So, we may have doubled from last year.  The final count remains to be seen.

There are so many things to recall from yesterday.  So many things almost made me burst into tears, in a good way. Things like… 

• Like walking through the hip-hop stage auditorium and seeing hundreds of kids, wall-to-wall, shoulder-to-shoulder belting out, “Our God is an Awesome God.”  I was seriously catapulted into the Presence within seconds.
• Or coming out of the finance office and looking out, from my high staircase vantage point, and seeing a 3-mile long line of cars to the west, another one to the north and crossing east as far as I could see, no end of them in sight.  Then, looking around the yard just below me and seeing small groups of people in circles praying for one another while just a few yards away, professional skateboarders were preaching the gospel to a lot of young men and they were responding to the invitation to follow Christ.
• Then there was almost running out of parking (we only had space for 7000 cars or so) and having the farmer right next to the HF offer his land to us at the last possible second for a very low fee.  That is grace!  That is a miracle!  And for a couple of hours, Dave and Tara and Luke and Tredessa and Kyle-O got out in the dusty field (yes, the festival “big wigs”) and directed cars like any parking volunteer would.
• Tireless volunteers (so many) who worked themselves sick to make the Name of Jesus glorious.  Leadership who had to “go with the flow” when things fell through the cracks and they did it with great humility and longsuffering.  I saw the “leaders” serving and sweeping floors and picking up trash and pounding fence posts and I saw them work around the clock (still there in the middle of the night, for goodness’ sake), going above and beyond what we could ever have asked because God called them to it.  If I mention names, I will miss some one, but will you know yourself when you read this?  I hope so…
• The Sacred Assembly – hearing the crowd behind me chant “Jesus…Jesus…” with the sky being electrically lit up in the offing, watching low fog clouds roll in while a fresh breeze cooled us.  And seeing husbands and wives and youth groups serve each other communion and just stay and worship…long after Third Day and Skillet had rolled off the property.
• The Kid’s area was a happening place! There was a mini-brob for the kids and jumpy castles-so much great stuff.
• Kent Henry – my favorite worship leader of all time…got to hear him preach it up (very prophetic) and lead worship (Tristan played drums for him) and he prayed over my kids and spoke into their lives.  He was there as a spiritual father, a worshiper who has impacted the worshipers who are putting HF on.  We were so honored that he came. 

Oh, it was a good day.

But mainly?  I love that making the Name of Jesus glorious was what every. single. thing. was. all. about!  Yes, Lord!  Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven!

I am so loving and praising God for His faithfulness…Jeanie

NOTE TO SELF: Thank all the people who made this happen – no matter how long that takes.  Watch for and tend to the fruit…

“The LORD has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes.  This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  Psalm 118.23-24 NIV

www.heavenfest.com photos should be posted in a few days