I am going to be honest, which is what a blog is for I suppose....by the time the trip rolled around, I was sick of hearing about The Ramp. I kept hearing about it from the youth (because they were anticipating a move of God like last time), I was hearing about it from some adults (because three of our youth are now students at the Ramp School of Ministry) and I was getting reports from the students that were there. Now, don't think I am a hater - on the contrary. However, I was getting such an irritation in my belly like a splinter that just wouldn't come out. It was getting more and more bothersome.
Therefore, I wasn't very excited for the trip.
*gasp*
It's true.
I wasn't irritated because everyone was excited or that I was hearing about it so much. I believe in what the Ramp is doing (so much so that we have partnered with them), I believe God is moving in the miraculous there and I believe the students that are going to school there will return not the same.
I was irritated because it seemed like no one believed that God could move here like He moves there.
Preposterous!
Don't get me wrong, my time there was awesome. The speakers really hit home with their points and I caught myself nodding my head so much that I probably looked like a bobble head. The worship was powerful and I was getting Holy Ghost bumps (goosebumps) the moment I stepped foot in there. Not to mention the miraculous did happen when a paraplegic stood from his wheelchair and danced to the King of Kings. Still, there was that needling that was just pressing into my skin.
God is not reserved for Hamilton, Alabama. He is not just spreading out his spirit there. He is the same here as He is there. So why is the spirit so thick there? Why is it so thick that it hangs on you like a robe?
Expectation.
We go there with the expectation that God is going to meet us. We go there knowing we are with other believers that are also expecting a move of God. We are going there knowing we won't settle for anything less than meeting God face to face.
Isn't that how every Sunday should be? Perhaps if we went to church with that same excitement and expectation then we will have the same move of God. God delights in His people. He wants to just envelope them and wrap them in His glory. But if we are going to church on Sunday just to go through the motions and to not feel guilty.....then how can we expect Him to shower down all He has for us? That is kind of selfish, dontcha think?
I will be married 14 years this December to a man that sometimes I think my heart will burst with how much I adore him. If I only met with him once a week, maybe even twice....if I never hugged him or showed him affection....if when I was with him I thought about what I needed to do for the day or what I was going to eat for lunch....if I only sat next to him and held his hand so I didn't feel guilty about ignoring him the rest of the week......I couldn't say we would be married for 14 years. That relationship would not last. Therefore, how can we expect our relationship with God to flourish if we do not express our love to Him by talking to Him daily, praying, worshipping, crying, laughing and just loving Him? Not because we feel we have to...but because we want to. If we are made after God's own image and we long for companionship (hello....God created Eve because Adam would not do well being alone), then doesn't He long for companionship as well - with us?
He is the creator of the heavens and the earth. He tells the ocean how far to go....he tells the lightning where to strike....he can make cancer disappear as if it never were just by saying so. And yet we feel He only deserves an hour or two a week?
Expectation.
Go to church with an expectation. Go with the mindset that you are going to God's house to spend time with him. You are going there with other believers to give him the worship He deserves. If that means you jump around, laugh, cry...run around, do a cartwheel.....then do it! You are there to please an audience of One and He delights in your worship.
I can imagine God and Jesus hanging out in heaven. The doors of the church are open, the worship team is getting ready, I am making my way to the front to give Him all the glory and I can see God nudging Jesus and saying - "Here she comes. Everyone quiet. I am about to spend some time with my daughter."
Do I suggest going to The Ramp? I do. I highly suggest anyone go there because you will get a touch from God and I guarantee you won't come back the same. It is radical worship and God *is* moving in phenomenal ways there. However, once you go and come back and then continue witho not get caught up in the fireworks. Do not get caught up in the show---wait for the encore, it is usually the best anyway.
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