Saturday, November 15, 2008, Nashville, Tennessee, 8:12 p.m., C.S.T.~
Dear Journal~
Johnathon here. Sorry for not writing in a while; have been doing church work, taking classes in preparation for the upcoming retreat, which will be a week from now.
The retreat and the classes are all in response to Cleansing Stream. Cleansing stream is a ministry committed to partnering with pastors and churches in teaching/training leaders and maturing believers to personal cleansing, deliverance, and spiritual warfare so they can be released to serve, minister, and disciple others in the Body of Christ (definition taken from the Cleansing Stream workbook).
It is supposed to help believers empower themselves in taking charge of past hurts, bad memories, or lies that the enemy (satan) has put upon them, or their lives. It is also designed to help them become more bold in witnessing to others about Jesus Christ, to release the pain that's been inflicted upon their lives (healing). There is lots of praise/worship, ministry, the three step process of revelation, repentence, and renouncing (breaking) ties to past hurts/sins.
Maman and daddy have gone to a Cleansing Stream class session/retreat before (two years ago); they haven't been the same since. They've been wanting to have us kids go through it; some of us are dealing with things in our lives that we need to get rid of, once and for all. I don't know if I have anything going on in my own life, but won't know until I go.
They showed us the tape of the retreat, and it was like a big continuous church service/prayer session. It looked neat. There were people crying, some were laughing, and all looked relieved, if exhausted, after because of being "set free" from the bondages/sins that held them back. I saw maman laughing, and daddy weeping. I don't know what they were set free from, but it must have been really huge to make them act that way.
Now I'm getting ready to go to this thing, and to tell you the truth, I'm scared. I don't know what I'll get out of it, and I don't know if I am ready to deal with past hurts in my life or how to get rid of them, or if the devil's going to try to mess things up, to keep me from going. He can do that, you know.
The retreat's going to be held at our church this weekend; it's our first time hosting the event. There'll be people from all over Tennessee, as well as from Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland in attendance. They are expecting a whole lot of people; I don't know if our church can hold that many people, or where they're going to put everyone. They might have to put bleachers or tents outside, for all the extra people!! And they might have to use the car lot across the street to accomodate all the extra cars, vans, and whatnot.
It's going to be very interesting is all I can say!
Just keep me in your prayers, pray I don't get sick before I go to this thing, and also pray that I get a lot out of it, and it I am going through something, that it can be dealt with and be set free, once and for all!
Well, I have church tomorrow; no doubt the sermon will probably be all about the Cleansing Stream retreat. Oh, joy! Make me all the more nervous!! I'm already plenty nervous enough now!! YIKES!
I gotta go to bed, gotta get my sleep for tomorrow. I want to be as fresh as a daisy for tomorrow, and especially this weekend. I just hope I don't have a ton of homework to keep me from going; I'd really love to attend this retreat!! Take care and God bless you!
~Love, your pal, Johnathon. :/ (nervous!)
