Where to start? May 7, 2008

(I’m thinking this could be a long post!)

So, ROOTS was amazing. We got to Southport on Thursday evening to find blue sky (a big change from rainy London). We did a little bit of unpacking and then discussed some practicalities over a meal.

Friday dawned bright, and again sunny, and so we wended our way to the (lovely, spacious, white) tent to begin the set up. The day passed in a blur of mounting posters, assembling lampstands, splaying black fabric and setting up gazebos. Gradually more and more of the glorious folks who would make up the prayer team arrived, and so our assembling was punctuated by hugs, greetings and catch ups with some dear friends. Later on we had a collective staff meeting, which was a great chance to hand over the whole thing to God and connect with him before the madness started!

In the late afternoon delegates began arriving, which was great, as everything started to feel really alive and like it was really happening. We had an ‘after-hours’ slot in the prayer tent, and people came in really ready to connect with God and the theme. Historically the Friday night is sometimes a bit quiet, and it takes people a while to get into things, but this year seemed different – right from the start there was a real passion and fervence about the prayer going on.

Saturday was great too – the fervence continued, and loads of people came in for prayer. It had rained overnight, so we had to do a bit of bailing out, but it was dry for most of the day, despite a severe weather warning! We had some groovy seminars, including one about going ‘beyond 24-7′, which was really inspiring. The day passed in a rush of conversations and praying. We had a blue gazebo where some of the team were interceding at all times, so we popped in and out of there throughout the day. That night we had another ‘after hours’ slot, titled ‘Ignite’. We wanted to leave space for the Holy Spirit to do stuff, and He definitely did, in ways we didn’t expect.

Sunday began quite wet, so much so that we had to build a moat around the prayer tent, which was a first! We had some more seminars, more praying with people, and another great after-hours slot, where we cut people free of things that were holding them back. I had a couple of really useful and inspiring meetings, and went to bed feeling very excited about things God is up to!

And then it was all over too quickly – Monday morning flew past, and before we knew it we were packing down. This seemed to pass in record time, and everything fitted neatly into the van. We said lots of goodbyes, then had a relaxed meal with the seven of us that remained. It was lovely to wrap everything up and discuss some of the breakthroughs we had seen.

It was then back down the M6, merrily spotting Eddie Stobarts, chatting about all we’d seen and done. There were no traffic jams, and it was lovely to see Wandsworth again.

I was astounded again over the weekend by the power of prayer and the difference it can make. I was surprised again by the presence of God in unexpected places. I was personally challenged and convicted about lots of things. Think that all deserves a seperate post though! Suffice to say that it was an awesome time and there is lots to be thankful for!