Anticipation

OK before I get into my thoughts on anticipating I have to make a few comments that have absolutely nothing to do with this entry. First, I'm sorry that I haven't posted in a few weeks. Most of my time has been consumed with prepping for River of Life (from here on out I will refer to River of Life as ROL...that's the local lingo around these parts.) Second, because it's taken me so long to get to this entry, it took me quite a while to remember my user name and password. Don't you hate when that happens? It seems like I have to have a user name and password for everything these days. My email, my blog, my bank account, my cell phone account, my itunes, rhapsody, laptop, desktop, church computer, home computer, every piece of software that I buy and register, I even have to have a password to get to my passwords that i have stored on my palm pilot!!! I'm overloaded with passwords. So, tonight's password is....anticipation.

Just because I'm a nerd, I thought I would check out the definition of anticipation. Here are a few different definitions that I thought helped to describe the anticipation that I am feeling as I look toward ROL.

1.realization in advance; foretaste.
2.expectation or hope.
3 : mental attitude that influences a later response
4: anticipating with confidence of fulfillment

all of these definitions came from different places, but I think they all help us to understand anticipation a little bit better.

Here's what I think is interesting. Myself and many others are waiting...anticipating something cool to happen at ROL. Many of you reading this are agreeing with me. The questions is what are we anticipating? Fun with friends? Feelings of satisfaction for a job well done? good worship music? exciting environment? getting out of the house for a few days? have a slumber party for a week with 200 of your closest friends? for God to move? Maybe it's a little bit of all of these, but I can't help but think that there are a few of us that are anticipating an encounter with a real living God.

Everything in me wants to argue that we should always come to church expecting God to move, or that we don't need ROL to encounter God, or what makes ROL so special it's the same band, and the same room, etc. But the truth is I know that I too anticipate something different. I know that when you get right down to it, so much of the set up is the same 'ole routine. But for some reason this week is different. I think it has more to do with definition number three. Attitude. The attitude that you and I bring to this week is so positive and so strong, that it helps us all to focus, and it helps us put away frustration and anxieties, and seek after a God that loves us.

It is my prayer that you would begin now to have God work on your attitude about ROL. If you come to ROL expecting to meet God, you will.

Anticipation...What are you anticipating this week?

If you want, reply to this blog or email me at jeremywilson@foresthillsmacon.com with some of the things that you are anticipating this week from ROL.

thanks

jeremy