This past weekend was our second conference led by Vineyard evangelist, Robby Dawkins. In case you missed the Saturday or Sunday services, we have the audio available under "Sermons" here. 

Pastor Chris offers his takeaway after the events of this past weekend:

"I was tempted to post of Facebook: if you don't believe in spiritual warfare, invite Robby Dawkins in for a conference at your church!  While I'm certainly not blaming the enemy, or Robby ;-) for everything that went wrong leading up to the conference, it was clear to me that the enemy indeed felt threatened & lobbied considerable pushback on myself and the church body.

I must admit, that many times I questioned whether it was worth it or not and if it hadn't been for my close friendship with Robby I likely would have just canceled, but when the day came to pick him up from the airport I was at a "no-regrets-level". Fast forward to Sunday at the end of the weekend I was at the "I-am-so-blown-away-with-how-awesome-God-is" level. I've continued at this level throughout this week as stories continue to roll in from those who attended the conference about how they were either healed or encouraged. Some were even more inspirational with how they are now boldly stepping out to bring healing, encouragement and salvation to others.

One of those stories came in a few days ago while sitting in Starbucks preparing for my Easter sermon. The news came in that a young man came to faith in Christ as a result of one of our teams doing some outreach in a downtown park during the Robby Dawkins conference. I immediately broke down and started crying. Yes, right in the middle of Starbucks. You do stuff like that when you hit the "I-am-so-blown-away-with-how-awesome-God-is" level. 

Maybe more on that story next week but the good news is that everyone can get to that level, it just requires stepping out of your comfort zone a little bit and giving God space to show you and everyone around you how awesome He really is."

To buy some of Robby Dawkins video DVDs and resources on How to Hear and Follow God's Voice, visit 
http://robbydawkins.com/estore/ .

Post Written by Sean Coyle

I grew up playing with G.I. Joe figures, and watched the TV show regularly. If you've ever watched it, you would know that they did little public service announcements at the end of each show, giving safety tips and other helpful information. A young kid would always say, “that’s good to know.” In return G.I. Joe would say, “And knowing is half the battle.”
 
I always wondered what the other half was. As we come to the end of our "Identity Theft" series I am coming to the conclusion that as Christians knowing who we are in Christ is actually the whole battle. This series has definitley opened my eyes to why it is so important to know who we are in Christ, the authority we have, and how much we are loved. I believe this why Jesus was able to endure everything he did; because he knew his identity.        
 
Jesus knew from a young age who he was. When His parents were concerned that he went missing on a trip to Jerusalem, they found Him in the temple "sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions." (Luke 2:46). When asked why He would disappear and worry them, He told His parents: “’Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?’ But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.” (Luke 2:49-50). Joseph and Mary may not have understood, but Jesus certainly did understand at the age of twelve that He was the Son of God. 
 
I also believe Jesus was able to love the way He did because He knew who He was. We see in John that "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from the Father and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist (John 13:3-4)." Jesus goes on to wash his disciples feet. As I am writing this it dawns on me that Judas is one of the disciples. The disciple that is about to betray him. Jesus knows this the whole time he's washing his feet. I am not sure if you have ever been betrayed but it's not a good feeling, at all. It hurts and it hurts worst the closer you are to the person. The night Jesus was going to be betrayed, what was he doing? Telling them and showing them how much he loved them. Even the one who was about to betray him.  
 
Every couple years I change my thoughts on what should be the first domino that knocks down the rest of the dominos in my walk with Christ. I think for now it's my identity. The more we know who we are in Christ, the easier it is to overcome those negitive voices in our head and the fear that comes along with them. When we know who we are it makes it easier to be vulnerable. When we know we are in Christ, we know when it's time to minister and time to rest. We don't freak out as much when we slip up in our old ways of dealing with stress because we know our salvation is secure in Jesus. The list goes on and on. The benefits of knowing who you are in the Beloved are limitless. May you come to know your Identity and how much you are deeply loved.
 
Grace and Peace, 
 
Sean