Friday, February 24, 2023

On Feb 11-12, CedarCreek held its Fifth Annual Preach Off! A few weeks before, I was asked if I would be the on-field reporter for the weekend and it was such a unique experience. From the prep and to the weekend was full of laughter, fun, and held some crazy cool impact on people's lives! From onstage reporting to conversations in the lobby to hot dogs and chips, it will truly be a weekend I will never forget. I was able to step outside my comfort zone and trust God more. I loved learning and watching how our team comes together to intentionally create a weekend of fun and impact. Throughout the weekend, when I was in the lobby, I got the chance to talk to some ladies from our Oregon campus that came to support Andy. For one of them, it was their first time in CedarCreek! They recognized me from stage and asked if I could take their picture together. Through that, I got the chance to hear their story and hear how God has been moving in their life, including what led them to Preach-Off! I also got to meet Barbara, who was also newer to CedarCreek. She had only been coming for a few weeks but had already started Growth Track and was in a Group! I got to have a heart-level conversation about connection and how we aren’t meant to do life alone. Over the weekend, I was able to have many connecting conversations with people and left celebrating how God is moving in the lives of those around me. I even got the chance to pray over someone on my team who was really struggling! Which is such a soft way for me to serve them in all of the serving they do for others. Initially, when I said yes, I wasn’t sure what to expect or what would be in store, but wow!! From getting to say things like “Holy Guacamole!” onstage to praying over a Dream Team member, this weekend left an impact.

On purpose for a purpose. I love how as a church, we get the opportunity to create fun weekends but also provide our guests to take next steps into discovering how God has wired them. Before CedarCreek, I never could have imagined being onstage for something like preach-off, but through God and some amazing people, I was able to step into that. Thank you for supporting me and allowing me the opportunity to step further in my purpose, and now I get the opportunity to help others do the same. I could not do this without you! Thank you!