What To Expect For Spark 2015

AUTHOR: RICHARD GOODPASTURE

I can't believe that Christmas is around the corner, and that Spark 2015 is almost here.

The other day, the message at church was a Christmas message. It laid out how the stars speak of God's plan and His will for His children, us. There was one part that showed how the stars talk and speak His message in a real way. It sounds cheesy, but all I could say was WOW! How He orchestrates His will, our lives, our story. 

This year at Spark we are praying for the experience of God's WOW. Like last year how His spirit was so evident with all on their knees raising voices to Him. Like the story that He wove through all of the messages delivered and how He expressed the theme of "Jump" in the content of each...WOW. It was like everyone got together and planned their talks before they gave them. Bob Goff telling of how he jumped into the prosecution of witch doctors, how David Nelson jumped to Haiti to love it's children and how, during Veronica Tutaj's message, the entire auditorium fell to its knees as they experienced God's presence. I am so excited to see how He does it this year...how He uses this years theme, Awaken. Finally, we can't forget how God loves laughter. So, I know you're as excited as I am to see what Mo & Sloop have for us to laugh at. Let me give you a hint..,'First World Focus'.

So, I hope to spend the weekend with you in Roanoke, VA at the 2015 Spark Conference : Awaken (Christian Conference).

As the sun rises, from the east coast to the west coast, let us Awaken to see what God wants to say and do March 27 & 28.

Once Burned, Twice Shy

Author: Bryan "Mo" Morrell

1990, 4th of July, small town Virginia.  I was a small but (obviously) ruggedly handsome lad on the prowl for the same thing every other boy was hoping to find that night…and I was in luck. We had a grand night planned, and we possessed a box full of illegal gigantic cool stuff that my crazy uncle had NOT purchased in the United States (if you know what I mean - contraband - my friends).

I was ready to start pulling out some of the big guns when my mom, sweet...sweet mom...in all of her motherly wisdom, pulls out a box of sparklers and hands them to us with a gleam in her eye that said, “Yeah, I know this is totally what you were waiting for.” I however, didn’t have time for this nonsense, I had bigger fish to fry…and fry I would. I took the three puny sparklers I was given, lit them all on fire at the same time, and began swinging my arm like a crazy air guitarist making gigantic circles in an attempt to make them burn faster. I needed to fast-forward with “kiddy time” and get down to brass tacks.

Well, on about the 5th or 6th rotation, I heard a boom in the distance and saw the sky light up. The annual celebration of the US of A had kicked off once again. When I turned to look, my arm swung in hard behind me and my “triple stack sparkler bundle of death”, at this point burning at around 900 degrees kelvin, came around and caught the back of my right knee - burning me worse than my 4th grade girlfriend (of 3 days) did when she told me she just wanted to be friends. I crumbled, fell to the ground in pain, and I cried like a two year old toddler who’s big brother had just hit him in the back of the knee with 3 flaming sparklers! Luckily my aunt was a nurse, she treated me, and we were able to save the leg.

I tell you that story because I think we can all agree, a small Spark can cause enormous things to happen! A single spark can light a warm cozy fire, or set a whole forest ablaze. This spring, I believe the Christian conference known through out the land as “Spark," held in Roanoke, VA, is going to be one of those events that could totally transform the trajectory of peoples' lives. Even yours. Christ followers will gather, engage in amazing worship, and be encouraged and spurred on by some of the world's best communicators (like Bob Goff!). Plus, I’ll be there doing all sorts of dumb stuff so you’re not going to want to miss that! Look, don’t be a fool and get burned in the knee…be there!

The Real Deal: An Outsider's Inside View

Mike Childress

I attended the Spark Conference last year.

To be honest, I really didn't know what to expect when I purchased my ticket.

And though I didn't know what to expect, when I walked through the doors, I was outfitted with my full-on consumer, Christian-Conférencier attitude. I was hoping to be entertained, hear some inspiring speakers, and perhaps touch the hem of Bob Goff's tunic. He wasn't wearing a tunic, but this is just hyperbole anyway. I wish you'd just read this and stop tearing apart my writing.

Sorry to get so mad. It is not you, it's me. Anyway, I was immediately struck by the depth and focus of the Spark Conference. As Spark kicked off, my self-focus rapidly re-aligned on my Savior and Creator. The worship wasn't canned...it was free and heartfelt. The speakers dove deeply into the unchanging-truth of the Bible and challenged us to take our role as Christ followers seriously. There was no Christian jargon. It was just, well, practical. The ministry partners at Spark were spearheading powerful ministry all around the world. I was also struck, once again, by the level of attractiveness of the leadership team here at Spark. I really just can't stress that part enough.

This year, I have had the great privilege to help, behind the scenes, with the conference. I have been allowed an inside view of how the conference is planned and executed. I am inspired. You should see the faith, prayer, and faithful-hard-work that goes into this conference. They'd be super braggy if they said that, but I can say it for them.

We live in a world where so much of what we see and believe is an illusion. I mean, how many of us thought fast-food hamburgers were made of actual, untainted meat? Too many of us. We were naive, and we ate that pink slime like it was the real deal. Once you see "behind the scenes," it is often easy to be saddened by what you see. Not so with Spark. Spark is the real deal, and I am inspired.