Tonight I leave for my Emmaus weekend. I'll admit, I have NO idea what to expect. It makes me really nervous, quite frankly, but I think it's a good kind of nervous-a what is going to happen, I know I'm going to be blown away, and I can't believe how big God is type of nervous. :) We'll see. I'm sure I will write about it when I get back.

In other news, I've started meeting with a group of people from church as part of a creativity team for our "postmodern" service, . I think it's going to be a wonderful creative outlet and a chance for us to do some really great things to impact the 20-30 something generation that lives, learns, and works in Bloomington. We have a lot of people right here at our doorstep that are just crying out for something to believe in, and we have exactly what they need. This service is a great chance to reach those people in a way that is honest, open, and, more than anything else, God-oriented. There's a great quote in the book "the Emerging Church" that sums up what I feel 629 can, should, and is about--
"We should be returning to a no-holds-barred approach to worship and teaching so that when we gather, there is no doubt we are in the presence of a Holy God. I believe both believers and nonbelievers in this emerging culture are hungry for this. It isn't about clever apologetics or careful exegetical and expository preaching or great worship bands. It is about believers in Jesus falling to their knees in worship, truly taking their faith seriously, and even repenting publicly in prayer. It is about the Spirit of God as an evident participant in our midst as the Holy Scriptures are read. This is what people in this emerging culture are drawn to. We no longer have to apologize for what we do. Explain ourselves and teach clearly, yes. But apologize? No longer. Emerging generations are hungering to experience God in worship."