Empowered Church!!

LAND SAKES! I just don't know where to start this morning. We've just had one of the MOST powerful conferences at our church that I have EVER been to!! I mean, POWERFUL!!! The Holy Spirit not only showed up but He SHOWED OFF!!! (sorry for the yelling but I'm excited people!) It started first thing Sunday morning in the 8am service and my prayer is that it won't end! I don't even know how to put it all into words.
Sunday morning our counseling rooms were so full that they were sitting out in the halls with people. There were little boys and girls, teens, moms, dads, even a few grandparents!! It was AMAZING! Our pastoral staff were pulling people from the pews to come and counsel people because we didn't have enough decision counselors. Then Monday night the entire church came to the altar to pray together as a body. I mean there was hardly a person left in their seats and those who didn't come up knelt in their pews. The last night the Holy Spirit sparked a fire and people were on their feet shouting - yes I said SHOUTING at the Grove!!! WOOHOOOOOOOOO! lol
There's been a lot of 'talk' about our church and while I will admit that there are issues and we are not a perfect church I will also tell you this, I've been in church "all my life and 9 months before that" (to quote Dr. Roc Collins) and my dad was on staff in several of those churches. I've been in big churches. I've been in little churches. I've been in churches that were on FIRE and I've been in churches that you would've sworn you were the only one with a pulse. The bottom line is this. As long as we are on this earth, there will NEVER be a perfect church. Anywhere. You won't find it. The minute you think you've found the perfect church you'd better look out 'cause the enemy is on to you and he'll get busy! You won't find a perfect church because PEOPLE are in it and besides Christ Himself there's no perfect people. I say all that to say this. I love my church. I'm grateful for the blessings we have there and I'm grateful to be serving the Lord there and I'm grateful that He has answered my prayers for His Hand to move.
I'm claiming Hosea 6:1-3 for my church.
"Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us; that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth." (emp mine) Y'all our conference was THREE DAYS long and I'll tell you I feel restored as a body of Christ! I believe He will. I believe He's begun already.
BTW - Remember how I said the Lord has been faithful to give me little 'hugs' to know that I'm doin' ok with teaching my Sunday school class? Well He sent me a hug, a kiss and a bouquet of roses Sunday morning!!! One of my girls went forward to rededicate her life and to be baptized!!!! WOOOOHOOOOOOOO Thank you Jesus for Ashley and her Momma!! I love you Lord! I thank you for this time of restoration and I pray that you will continue to appear. Continue to come to us. Continue to bind up our wounds. Continue to use the Grove as a place of healing for the hurting and continue to bring lost souls in!! Thank you Lord! Thank you!!!