Hi all. Here’s how yesterday went:

In the morning we had a housing meeting with Megan, our ACL. I learned I CAN listen to “secular” music (whatever exactly that means) in the apartment as long as it’s in headphones and not out loud. I am content with this compromise. I still have a whole lot of thoughts churning in my head about how the spiritual benefit of a song is more dependent on the effect it has on the listener than the original intention of the song or performer. I can listen to a song about yearning for freedom, and although the songwriter may have written it more about travelling the world or something like that, I instinctively relate it to freedom in Christ. Clearly there are some songs with unbiblical messages, but there are also songs produced by the secular music industry (or by indie artists–how do you categorise those if they don’t make their ideological affiliation explicit?) that do have very biblically compatible themes, or are at least neutral. Even the neutral songs, when listened to by one used to seeing God’s hand in everything, can be very much something that brings one’s spirit into alignment with the way it was created to be. Let me say it this way: many of the “secular” songs on my playlists carry my emotions to good places, and make me feel more like the person I am meant to be. Whether or not they were written with the intention of communicating a biblical message or drawing the listener closer to God.

And that’s enough of that spiel for now.

In the afternoon all the interns played dodgeball. I was proud of myself– I threw the ball a few times, even if I never hit anyone.

After dinner we went to FCF for the service. Benjamin Nolot, the maker of the documentary Nefarious: Merchant of Souls about sexual exploitation in the world today (www.nefariousdocumentary.com), gave the message. He talked about “rebuking the oppressor” as God says to do in Isaiah 1:17.

Afterwards, intercession for justice broke out, let with prophetic singing by the worship team. I was crying in a way I haven’t for a long time, and in a way I never have before for this issue.

Then from 10:00 to midnight the FCF auditorium went into prayer room mode, more chill, everyone more or less doing their own thing with a worship team singing on stage, mostly spontaneously. It was a sweet time. 🙂

So, my Friday blog was incorrect– after a teaching on consecration in the afternoon, tonight is my first full six hours in the prayer room. It’s actually going to be two hours, then dinner, then six more. God’s already shown up in big ways for me– I can’t wait to see what he does when I place myself before him for that entire time!