Text by Ruthe Kee
What can I say, the entire Youth Conference was a BLAST! From the beginning to the end, everything was just so amazing that all I could do was to soak in every sight and sound. How do I put it? It wasn’t just the 9-minute summarized story of Joseph by Pastor Judah Smith at the workshop or the awesome time of worship we had with Hillsong United… It was an accumulation of everything, how every single event that happened at The Zone today simply consisted and upheld one another in the presence of God, glorifying God. And this really spoke to me, like how, really, every single thingthat happens to me in my life glorifies God. Regardless of how we feel about the things (good or bad) that happen in our lives, they still end up glorifying God because He makes ALL things work for good. To me, this is truly beautiful, for it means that even the worst thing that we have done, God can use it to glorify Himself. I mean, it’s not even about us trying to glorify God anymore, but when we stop looking at ourselves and what we can do and start lifting up our hands, worshipping Him and letting Him work through us that we glorify Him the most. And you know what? That’s 0% our efforts, 100% rest in God (God is doing ALL the work, all we do is follow!). That’s crazy! And that is, to quote Pastor Judah Smith, scandalous grace.
That's me, second from the right!
As for Pastor Judah Smith’s sermon, it was like revelations nonstop all the way! I was so blown away when he said this:“Grace is not man coming to God; it’s God coming to man.” I mean, this sentence just sums it all up! Jesus is Grace! And Jesus came to us, not the other way round. Truly, at that point in time, I could just feel Jesus grabbing (not touching!) the casket that I have hidden myself in for so long and asking me to sit up and speak up, to be who He’s called me to me. It was a time of metanoia (=renewal of mind) for me, and I believe for many others there too. I really love how Pastor Judah was so real with us and so open to share about his life, as well as his numerous hilarious illustrations of the Bible and made it relevant to us. It just spurs me on to want to know Jesus more and dig into the Bible deeper for truths I have previously skimmed through. So here’s a little feedback from me… MORE OF PASTOR JUDAH SMITH PLEASE! 
Pastor Judah Smith preaching at The Zone '09!
And the concert? Well I feel like singing all over again: Your name is glorious, glorious / Your love is changing us, calling us… It feels like a whole new level of worship, a deep work began in my heart, a seed sown and watered and growing steadfast within me, a desire to want to worship God, over and over again. The whole atmosphere during the concert was simply put, infectious. Isn’t it cool that while the world is worrying their heads off over H1N1, here we are, being infected with the spirit of worship? I really love how the lyrics to Hillsong United’s Tear Down The Walls goes, that we don’t need to see our miracle to believe that God has already worked on it. I ♥ Hillsong 
A whole new level of worship
It’s really special when the entire youth ministry comes together for a time of worship like this, ’cause it just felt like family time, where we were just upholding each other in our praises and worship to our Abba Daddy, praying for one another. It’s so beautiful to see the entire youth ministry united in one voice, unrestricted by self in the presence of our great God.
Thank you, dear church for organizing this awesome-st event for us!
