The Vine and the Branches

“He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do produce fruit so they will produce even more.”
John 15:2

Today, I had the privilege of talking to a good friend of mine that I don’t get to see too often. We started talking about what the Lord has been putting on his heart lately, and he brought the whole picture of the vine and branches. To be perfectly honest, since being at the Honor Academy, I’ve heard that portion of scripture so much and have never really understood it. It’s always just gone through one ear and out the other. Anyways, this is what he said,

“Yeah, like the vine and branches is such a powerful picture, because without the vine the branches will die. Not just not do well, but straight up die.” 

He went on to explain it a bit more, but I think that that statement is what’s most put it in perspective for me. 

Anyways, continuing on.. We talked about it a bit more, and then he just said where it was all found- in John 15. Of course I was interested in what my bible had to say, so I read it. But as soon as I started reading it, I got stuck on the second verse- which I’ve given to you up at the beginning of this post. I kept reading the chapter, but I couldn’t get past what that verse said about pruning the branches that produce fruit so that they’ll produce more fruit. 

And I think the reason why I kept thinking about that is maybe because that’s what God is bringing me through. Pruning. But what does that mean? What the heck is pruning? I just looked it up, literally. 

To prune is to: Trim (a tree, shrub, or bush) by cutting away dead or overgrown branches or stems, esp. to increase fruitfulness and growth.

Yep. That’s what it is. Cutting away dead or overgrown branches to increase fruitfulness and growth.

There are things in ourselves that are dead or overgrown, things that keep us stuck so we can’t grow anymore. There are things in ME that are dead and overgrown that I need God to cut away. I would imagine that if I were a tree, the whole pruning thing would hurt a lot- you know.. having several parts of you cut off. It must not be so different for us as God’s pruning us. As he’s cutting away those things, it hurts.. like crazy.

God’s been cutting things off of me from my past, from my present, my way of thinking, from my personality and who I think I am. He knows the pain that it’s been bringing. He’s not oblivious. But he’s not doing it for the purpose of hurting me. He’s doing it so that I can grow. So that I can leave certain things behind as I learn from them and let them go. He’s doing it so that I can live life without anything holding me back because Jesus came to give us life, and life abundantly. That’s what he said, and that’s what I believe.

Pruning is a part of life, and although the pain sucks it’s for our own good. 

I guess it’s a perspective I’ve been needing a while, but I think it’s come at the perfect time. 

A Cry In Tulsa

This weekend, we were in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We were OVER sold-out with over 6,200 attendees crunched into the Mabee Center at Oral Roberts University. Needless to say, it was an amazing event. 

I’m not sure if you’ve ever had the experience of being in one place packed full of teenagers who all have one thing in common, but it’s amazing. Being in an arena with almost 7,000 people coming together to encounter a God who wants to capture them with his love is the most intense, inspiring, and gut-wrenching thing ever. 

The Lord was there. And that’s all that matters.

Despite complications with equipment Saturday morning (like a side projector that decided it worked enough for one weekend, and some L6-20 heads melting together), the Lord moved. Teenagers looked to God and found themselves there. 

I honestly don’t even know what to say about this past event. More is to come with Winston Salem, NC this weekend and 5-6 more events after this. 

Right now, my team is in deep financial need, including myself. And if we are not in policy by the end of this weekend, we’ll be going back to campus until the next event, and that’ll happen after every event until we ARE in policy. If you would like to be a part of changing the lives of teenagers all across North America, contact me at one of these email addresses:

rachael.ann.blackburn@gmail.com
rachael.blackburn@teenmania.org

For a list of names and jobs of everyone on this year’s August Ministry Team, go to: 

https://www.facebook.com/RelentlessPursuitAugustMinistryTeam

To donate to a certain Ministry Team member, go to:

1. honoracademy.com/donate
2. Choose US donor or Canadian donor
3. Enter a Ministry Team member’s ID#
4. Put in the amount you would like to donate

Thank you so much for your support in this season. 

God bless.

Rewind to Kansas City

Hello ladies and gents.

It's been a while.

So.. to make up for lost time, let me give you a little insight as to what's been going on since we all came back from Christmas break:

We came back to campus on January 6th. The next morning started January Pre-production. Yes, there is another Ministry Team. While we're on one coast of the US putting on Acquire The Fire events and preaching the gospel to thousands of teenagers each weekend, the January team is doing just the same on the other side of the United States. Pretty amazing, right? Exactly.

A few weeks ago, we had our very first event for the Spring Tour- which started in Houston. Both the August and January Ministry Teams were at this event. This is the highlight video for that event:

Next, our August Ministry Team (or as we call it, the Red Team) went off to Richmond, Virginia as the January team went back to campus in Garden Valley, TX to continue their preproduction.
2013 Richmond highlight

And last weekend, we were in frigid Kansas City. I say frigid because when we were loading in, it was 19 degrees outside and we had to bring everything up a hill to get inside the venue. Ha ha! An adventure? I think so. It was a lot of hard work, frustration, and teammates were getting sick left and right, but the Lord used our weakness and brokenness in such a great way.

Food For Thought on Worship

Disclaimer:: These are my own opinions and thoughts. They're not entirely complete, and this post is always open for comments. This is just something that the Lord has been putting on my heart to really think about lately.

---------

As a church we need to take the focus off of ourselves and onto the Holy God.

We so often sing songs revolving around us, and what the Lord can do for us and what He DOES do for us. But is that really worship? Is that really praise? I often hear from worship leaders that worship isn't about us- it's about him. However, that isn't what I've seen in the church.

We are so self-focused, self-entitled, and just plain selfish that we even make worship toward the Lord about ourselves. God isn't good because of the blessings He gives us. He's good because He is God. That is who He is. God isn't faithful because He's never forsaken us. God is just faithful. That's who He is. He can't deny who He is. He can't go against who He is. He is LOVE, that's why He is loving and loves us.

Do we worship God for what He does for us? Or do we worship God for who He is?

Just some food for thought.

Fall Tour

So, Fall Tour has come to a close.

We're back on campus and getting ready for the January Gala and Graduation this Friday and Saturday. I can honestly say I love working. This team, this group of people- they're all such a blessing. Nothing is ever normal for them, and their love for God is obvious in the way they talk, live their lives, and love people.

Anyways, here are the rest of the highlight videos from this past tour.

Chicago, IL: 

Cleveland, OH:

Anaheim, CA:

Billings, MT:

And finally, this past weekend we were in

Phoenix, AZ:

I think, by far, Anaheim has been my favorite and most memorable event yet. However, God has moved incredibly at each event. Each state and each city so much different from the last. 

I honestly can't wait for the Spring Tour to start up. So many more cities, faces, and things that God's going to do. 

Mississauga, Canada

This weekend, we were in Mississauga, Canada.

Both load-in and load-out went pretty smoothly, and the trucks were the correct weight this time. 

The video team, however, ran into more than one problem.

Several times, Isadora crashed in the middle of the drama or worship.

Funny thing though.. 

It always started working right when I needed it to. What do ya know?

At this particular event, there were about 4,000 youth, parents, and youth pastors.

And it was held at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, Canada.

Here's the highlight video for this event made by CCM Studios.

I have been so blessed to be a part of this ministry, and even more in this particular branch of the ministry.

I love what I do.

And I love the people I work with.

Next stop:

Chicago.

I am still a part of this ministry because of the grace of God

and the donations that family and friends have so graciously blessed me with.

If you would like to donate, go to: 

honoracademy.com/donate

and use my id #.

#2645877

Then put the amount you would like to donate.

Amherst, MA 2012

This past weekend in Amherst was amazing.

There were a lot of mistakes made in every department- granted this was our very first event. HOWEVER, from what I keep hearing, it was the best Amherst event ever. For every bump and bruise, there were at least a hundred things that went right. But honestly, that's just the cherry on top.

The best part, and the only important part, was that God showed up and wrecked these kids lives.
I know some people get extremely confused when we say the word wrecked like that. But it's true. God comes in and wrecks us. He gives us a taste of his love and then we can never be the same.. ever again.
And that's what he did.

I've no other way to describe it. This event just blew my mind completely, and showed me that God is still faithful even when I'm not. What I do has no bearing on God's ability to move hearts.