Open hearts…

There is something happening in Canada today. Something is moving and stirring in the deepness of our country, deeper than the roots of the great Maples, deeper than the foundations of the Rocky Mountains, God, the Ancient of Days is moving in the deepness of the heart of His Church in Canada.

As I sit to write these words, my heart is still burning from the fullness of what God did amongst us in Ottawa from March 29-April 3, as about three hundred of us from across the nation joined in a small hotel room to cry out to the God of the Universe to heal our land, our hearts and to let his glory rest in Canada. Trying to describe this experience with these words is really like trying to describe a sunset to someone, as the beauty and wonder of all of who God is and how He moved goes beyond anything words could hope to express or capture, but I'll try my best!

In our wonder-filled moments together, I really felt like I was entering into the heart of the Church in Canada and into the presence and heart of God. As we worshipped, listened, prayed, shouted, proclaimed, wept, humbled ourselves, and shared from our hearts together, I was amazed to see the beauty of God's work in weaving all those hearts together in unity through Him and leading us to His heart. In this time of listening and waiting in God's presence together, I felt very privileged and honored to hear God speak to us, both through his servants and through his Spirit.

Through the transparency of my Inuit brothers and sisters who shared their hearts wide open, I heard that the heart of a godly warrior is characterized by humility and brokenness. In front of all of us, Charlie and Billy, two of the Inuit leaders humbled themselves before each other and God himself, to ask each other for forgiveness and to reconcile their relationship that had been broken because of past hurts and wounds. Hearing the prayers they offered up and the way that they cried out to God has deeply impacted me, as there is such authority and desperation expressed from their hearts, and a beauty in their humble actions and words. They are such a wonderful people!

Through the dancing, the laughter, the deep passion, the spontaneity, and freedom of my French brothers and sisters, I heard that God has given us a heart to express His love to each other and back to Him with abandonment. Having the opportunity to spend time with the French dance team, Alliance et Vie, and worship with them as well, I experienced the heart of French Canada like I never had before, and it was so full of a extravagant love, passion and abandonment. Never would I have expected to be jigging and waltzing with these brothers and sisters in a late night dance party as I left for Ottawa, but there we were, my English-Canadian and Korean-Canadian friends trying our best to work out our two left feet, all the while enjoying being in the middle of this celebration of a beautiful people of Canada!

Through the deep repentance, the great acceptance, the loving hugs and the many encouraging words from the hearts of the parental generations towards the Gen Xers and youth, I heard that there is a family that wants to walk together, and parents who are turning their hearts to their children and children who are turning their hearts to their parents. I was so humbled and impacted to be a recipient of so many of those words of encouragement and hugs, even though one of Dennis Wedrick's bear hugs almost killed me! At one point I was so overwhelmed with this love that I curled up and laid my head on the chest of one of my spiritual parents, Mark Adams, and just wept over the beauty of this connection. In listening to his heart I found that there is a communication that is deeper than words could express, it is a language from the heart. To all you Gen Xers out there, it is true, there really are many mothers and fathers in our nation who love us, accept us and want to walk with us into where God is moving. I have heard it not only through their words and hugs, but also from the deepness of their hearts-they really love us!

Lastly, through the amazing times of worship and intimacy before God with brothers and sisters from many tribes, tongues and nations, I heard the heart of the unified family of God expressing a deep love for their Father and desperate cry for His presence. At one point during our singing I went over and stood with one of our Inuit brothers, Billy, and there we sang our hearts out to our loving Creator together, arms over each others shoulders, connected with the same Spirit, and with the same heart. I believe that God is drawing His people, His bride, more and more into His heart of intimacy, and that from the unity of our hearts in him, the world will begin to pulse with the heart of God as He draws many more lost hearts to Himself. It was an incredibly humbling, joyful and honoring experience to be part of all that God did in Ottawa, and I am left longing even more for a closer connection with my new found friends, and with God's heart, which is full of blazing love for His bride, the Church. His Kingdom is coming, so make sure to get on your dancing shoes for I hear that there's going to be one great celebration when Jesus returns!