ASU BCM

I had one of the most amazing experiences last night at BCM.
That is the campus ministry that I have been attending here at school. It has just been such an incredible overall worship experience on Tuesday nights. I am so blessed to have the opportunity to attend BCM and to be around so many other believers here on campus at once. Whether or not I know many of them, just the presence of all those people coming to BCM because they want to experience God and strengthen their faith is really powerful, because I often feel lonely in this cold world.
Last night was just super awesome! 

The "service" was based on John 17, when Jesus is praying. I've never attended or been a part of a worship experience like last night. There was no music. Which made me realize we don't need music to commune and experience God in that type of setting. The whole night was based around prayer. Jonathan would read a few verses then we would "participate." 
My friend, Sarah, and I spotted a seat around where we normally would sit in the middle of the right side (looking from the back of the sanctuary), sorta just off to the side. There were people in the way so we were going to walk around the front of the pews to get to where we wanted to sit. Well our friend, Kelsey, was sitting on the second pew. We stopped to say hey, and she then encouraged us to sit on the front pew so that we could be in her group for something later on. So I thought about it and pushed my comfort level and sat right down (forcing Sarah to sit with me). I'm glad we did. Thank you Kelsey!
I would not have had the same experience, had I sat farther back. I would have been more distracted by my own problems and worries that I would have probably missed out a little more on the whole experience. There was no one else sitting on the front pew, so I first I felt a little skeptical, but it was just the coolest thing! 
So Jonathan read the first 5 verses of John 17.

"After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began."

First we did a call and response type thing, where he read a line and we responded together as a group with a line. 
We do that at my "home" church, and it often doesn't mean a whole lot to me. Sometimes I go back and reread the words later, but during the service it doesn't really affect me. I get more wrapped up in the fact that not everyone pauses at the right time and how we technically should only pause at commas and periods, but often pause other places to "take a breath" to keep on reading.
Anyways, last night I felt more power in the experience because we had been sitting in the quiet and I really felt that it was meant to get us into the heart of worship. I felt how everyone was speaking those words and they just filled me up and consumed me. 
Then Jonathan read a few more verses of John 17. 
Then he opened up the floor for us to read a favorite passage or verse out loud. Sitting there in silence and listening person to person to person read a verse, about how God is always with you or how He is helping you in a time of need, was just so amazing. Hearing all of them just strung together, His word being read aloud like that was absolutely incredible. I cannot even describe with words how I felt God filling me up with that time.
Following that he read the next few verses from John 17. Then two people got up and spoke about part of their story. One struggled with self-worth and making God his one true identity over a gift that God gave him and taking the glory for doing that well. The other spoke about how she is trying to make friends and shine God's light into the SAGA (Sexuality and Gender Alliance) group here on campus. It is so cool and inspiring to hear about people like that who are going out and acting in God's name. Who are actually going into the world with the gospel.
When you have nothing and no one else left, God has to be enough for you. He has to become our identity, nothing else deserves the place of our identity and will really fill that place in our lives. Only God. Gifts from Him can become idols if we aren't careful, because you think it's what you're "supposed" to be doing because you're good at it and it seems like you're serving God. When the reality is, you're good at it, and you're taking the credit instead of giving it to God. We are NOTHING without Him. NOTHING. We have NOTHING. HE is our EVERYTHING. He is the reason we wake up in the morning. He is the reason we take our next breath. He is the one that is constantly blessing us in our lives. When you can answer yes to "Is He worth it?" then He is your true identity. Not something that we do for Him, but what He does for us. When we are stuck in a maze, we often can't see why we are there or how to get out, but God, the over seer, knows and you have to trust Him.
Next few verses and we prayed and confessed our sins aloud. Jonathan said, "Confessions in community helps hold you accountable. You are cleansed when you confess, and He will be faithful to you." Sitting in silence and hearing people cry out to God for forgiveness for their earthly desires and mistakes was also pretty incredible. Hearing other people admit their faults and knowing that I am not alone in what I struggle with every day was just so comforting. Yes it takes a lot of bravery to confess those things aloud, but you feel the weight just lifted from your shoulders, and that was just so astonishing.
The next few verses were read and we had communion, in silence, no music. Very powerful experience. And we prayed for protection of other believers all over the world. And we prayed for our fellow believers in the room. We prayed for those who felt a burden on their heart to go somewhere specific with the gospel. We prayed for God to lead them and show them the right time for things. 
This was honestly one of the most powerful worship experiences I have ever been to. I cannot be thankful enough for BCM and how it has touched me thus far.
Following the worship experience in the chapel, we got in groups and went on prayer walks around campus. We took that time to focus on other people and pray for them. We prayed for the people inside buildings we walked by. We prayed aloud, in a conversational way, just back and forth. "God please be with those professors in that building, we know that it is a tough place to be for them, help them to stand up for you." "God please be with the ROTC students that live in this dorm, help them to feel your presence as they prepare to serve our country."
Again, absolutely incredible experience! I cannot even describe it all with words, this was merely an outline of my experience. The rest was in the heart. And I loved it! I love God! I love BCM! I love my life!