Youth Meeting

By Joseph Byler Jr.

When August arrived, I began to anticipate in a more excited way the coming of conference. The reuniting of friends. The waiting in line for meals. The evening youth activities. "What would this conference be like, and would I be encouraged in my Christian walk? Refreshed? Inspired to take new steps towards God? Would this conference touch me like the ones in the past?"

Well, now that Conference 2000 is over, my questions are answered. The youth meetings at the Conservative Mennonite Conference 2000 were spiritually refreshing. But that was not all; the worship was meaningful and the Spirit of God entered the place in a powerful way, touching our lives. Then came the messages delivered by Joe Wood, messages that were sent straight from God. It impacted my life, opening my eyes to areas in my life that needed changing, challenging me to pursue God with my life.

Joe Wood is from Hydro, Oklahoma, and is the pastor of a church in that area. Joe proved to have a message that was laid heavy on his heart by God. This message was the importance and need of pursuing God with all one's heart. He broke this down into three different steps: desiring, pursuing, and responding to the heart of God.

Many humorous stories and illustrations were intermingled within Joe's message. Stories about a pig, loose in a manure pit, to help illustrate the meaning behind the parable of the prodigal son. A man floating around with weather balloons tied to a lawn chair in the air space of Los Angeles airport illustrated in a unique way the need to just get up and obey God. Joe had a way of presenting his points with stories that captured the attention of everyone and helped me see how the message related to me.

"The greatest sickness in America is apathetic Christians..." This was one of the main points that Joe Wood made. He said that every Christian is called to reach out and share Christ with others. This is not something that just preachers or missionaries do. If you are a Christian, you must pursue God by responding to God's desire that all be saved.

After the three youth sessions, I was overwhelmed. As I think back on the event. I can't fully describe and put into words the happenings. The worship and meeting God through songs and prayer. The sermons and feeling God's tug on my heart showing me areas where I needed to pursue God more. The testimonies of people touched during the service, seeing God work visibly as people walked forward and rededicated their lives to God, or came forward to have someone pray with them. Laughing at the stories told by Joe in his southern accent. Having fun and catching up at the evening youth activities with people that I don't get to see often. To sum everything up, all I can say is that God moved in a powerful way. My life as well as many others were touched and challenged to pursue God with all of our heart.

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