A story from Magnitude

As I got home from Magnitude, I found myself reflecting on the week myself and over 2000 others experienced. Among the large number, it felt like a very personal experience and at moments felt like it was just you and God speaking to each other in a big (smelly and sweaty) tent. Whenever it wasn’t a quiet moment with you and God, there was an amazing unity of other teenagers who face persecution at school joining together with love for one another and ultimately the Lord. Magnitude was a tangible picture of the body of Christ coming together, and it was unforgettable.

In that campsite, there was something being stirred in many hearts; the reminder that our faith isn’t just showing up on Sunday. Instead, it is an active, vibrant and ever-changing relationship with Jesus. At the main sessions, we were taught through Philippians. This letter is not one that just tells you to go to church and smile at one another. Instead, it’s a calling from Paul to love your neighbour with all the love you have, and more importantly, the love Jesus and shows us. It was clear that this love was existent at Magnitude, from the volunteers and leaders giving up their time to support us, to the hugging through the tears all over the tent during worship. It was here that we couldn’t help but feel hopeful for the future of the church.

That leads me to my biggest takeaway from the festival: the need for continued prayer. We got to see a powerful glimpse of what God is doing, and it MUST continue! From this devotional, I want to ask you for your partnership in prayer, just as Paul requested partnership in his ministry, not just for me, but for all the young people who attended and beyond that. Please pray that the seeds planted that week will sprout into a beautiful love and growth in the joy of the Lord. Pray most of all that the fire we felt at this camp won't fade away now that the fog machines and shredding electric guitars are gone, but that we will go to our churches and share that there truly is hope for the future, even though on the news and at our schools it seems the opposite.