Chapel

 TCA met for chapel yesterday morning. It became evident right from the beginning that God meant business and so did the students. The worship was intense. Of all the chapel services I have attended at the school this one had the sincerest worship. Students singing from their hearts and not just their minds and mouths. It had to be extended a little. The praise team lingered in worship longer than the prescribed order of worship. 

The message was powerful taken from Hebrews 12:1-4. God spoke to people. It really got interesting when I looked down and the allotted time for chapel had passed and the speaker was still going. I would say 98% of the student body responded by going to the altar. I saw a senior guy literally running to the altar as the first one. Dozens upon dozens followed close behind. They packed the altar area so much that people were kneeling three and four deep. Some were backed up in the aisles a few paces. 

An hour and a half into the service the majority of students were still praying, repenting, going to one another to mend fractured relationships, and praying for one another. Several students came to me to pray for personal needs. We cut into classroom time. Some were released as God got through with them. Some lingered longer even as administrators and teachers tried to get the students to wrap things up. 

At an hour and 45 minutes many were still seeking God. One person lay prostrate on the ground. From my vantage point I could not tell if it was a guy or girl. The head of the Bible department sat down next to the student on the floor to minister. A girl from the worship team went back on the stage and grabbed her guitar. She turned her back to those left and sat on the floor strumming her guitar in worship. Another girl from the praise team followed by one other student went up and sat next to her singing. 

One girl came to me to apologize for being grumpy to me in the mornings. I prayed for her and told her I loved her. God burdened me for one student who has strained relationships with her parents. I saw her at the front sitting on the floor. I knelt behind her putting my hand on her shoulder asking God to heal her heart. Another guy asked me to pray for him because he was carrying unforgiveness toward someone. We prayed asking God to help deliver him. 

I can't say for sure how long the last students remained. It had to have been pushing close to two hours. God gave me the opportunity to pray for one of our administrators. It is tough trying to balance God's repeated moves and academics. We prayed for wisdom and discernment to know how to go forward. 

God is not done. Next week our students will go on mission trips to Greece, Mexico, TN, OR, and Tyler, TX. They will spend the whole week ministering and giving their lives away. Following that week is our Spring Break. It will be two weeks before we regather as a student body. May God fan the flame during that time even stronger than the flames burn now. Pleae pray toward that end with me and that it spreads all over the county and the nation.