I have absolutely no idea where I’m going to get the time, but weeks like the one we just had make me realize I need to blog daily.  I can’t believe I haven’t posted since Tuesday morning.  So much has happened since then – so many great moments, conversations, worship gatherings and thoughts.  I would love to write at length about each.  But instead, let’s go with the quick, random recap of the week:

• Tuesday night at AU = beautiful
• Students taking communion
• Mike and Magen leading so well
• “You Alone Can Rescue”
• Allan sharing his heart and moving us all
• Love how loud the Kay Center gets
• Production team is amazing – wrestlers and marines get the job done!
• Wednesday staff meeting = I love this team
• Please, Mason, stop moving our rooms!!!
• Smallest “ballroom” I’ve ever seen
• Chris, Matt and our production volunteers are AMAZING
• Haiti panel
• Stories that need telling
• There is Hope For Haiti.  His name is Jesus.
• Students who are the embodiment of all we pray for in The Gathering
• So glad you interrupted me, Sarah!
• That room was packed
• Hello, UMD!!  Nice to have you back
• Where did you all come from?!?
• Thank you for letting me share what God is doing in Haiti
• Mike Juday is funny!!
• Loved my conversation with LJ
• Got very cold
• Rest
• Not enough rest
• Dinner with Haiti team from Mason
• Virginians have got to figure out how to deal with snow

Whew…I loved every minute of it.  Can’t wait to see what this week holds.

John

Last Wednesday at Mason was an incredibly special time as we started the spring semester, welcomed our Haiti team home and talked about God’s heart to reassure us when doubts enter our lives.  We just posted the message from last Wednesday to The Gathering Podcast.  You can download it now. Just click here.

This is a great week for The Gathering.  All of our campuses are back up and running now.  I know, I know…UMD has the longest winter break I’ve ever heard of – today is only their first day of class!!  But no matter how long it took, we’re all back for what I believe is going to be an amazing run this spring.  I definitely feel like God is going to stretch us and challenge us but I also think we are going to see Him do amazing things as we follow Him.  So, honestly, I can’t wait!

I also feel like the start of a new semester is as good a time as any to ask you to pray for our staff team.  I honestly love the team I get to serve with every day.  Allan, Brett, Mike and Natalie are incredible people with amazing gifts who love Christ.  I can’t believe I get to work with a group of people that I respect this much and call friends.  And we’re not alone – there is an amazing team of volunteers, worship leaders, musicians, students and small group leaders who really make The Gathering run.  You are each incredible and I love serving with you!  But our little staff team carries a lot during these 14 week sprints known as semesters.  Long days, late nights, time away from family and friends are pretty common.  Not complaining at all; just asking for your prayers.  It would mean so much to all of us to know you were praying for us and these campuses.

I’m trusting God to do amazing things this spring.  And I can’t think of a group of people I would rather experience that with than all of you.  Let’s run together after God’s plan for this generation!

John

Over the past few days, I’ve heard from a number of you asking for the backstory on our Haiti team: more of what they did in Percin before the earthquake, more of their story when the quake hit and more about how they got back home.  I’ve loved all of those questions but what I’ve felt each time is a tremendous sense that it’s not really my story to tell.  Yeah, someone once told me a pastor is the “chief storyteller of his people.”  But I wasn’t on this trip and those who were should be the ones to speak now.

That’s why I’m so excited for The Gathering this Wednesday at George Mason.  It’s going to be a unique night: we will still have a time of worship in song but the center of the night will be the members of the Haiti team sharing their story.  We’re still working on details but are thinking of a panel and we hope to find a way to collect your questions.  I’ve spent hours with these guys since they got back to Florida and, trust me, you want to hear what they have to say!!

By the way, feel free to invite friends and others from the Mason community.  We’re meeting Wednesday night at 9 as always and will be in Dewberry Hall this week.  For those of you on other campuses, you’re welcome to join us.  But we’re also trying to figure out some other options for your campuses as well.

I will say this on behalf of the Haiti team: they’re speaking out on Wednesday to inspire compassion in each of us.  You’re going to be moved by what God is doing in Haiti – the stories you’ll hear, the pictures you’ll see.  But our hope is that emotion turns into genuine compassion.  Our hope is that together we will be used to continue our mission of loving and serving the people of Haiti.

Good morning from Florida!

I can’t tell you how grateful I was for the chance to come here yesterday to prepare for our Haiti team’s arrival, to welcome them back and to spend these first few hours in the States with them.  I loved seeing them come walking out of the airport last night.  It was so good to be able to hug them, to tell them how much we all love them and how grateful we are for them and all they’ve done.

They’ll tell you, their families and their friends their stories in their own words and at their own time.  But I can tell you this – I sat with them for a few hours last night talking, laughing, crying and praying.  It was one of the most humbling and beautiful nights I’ve experienced in a long time.  It’s so easy to get jaded about Christianity, especially the American variety.  But I can tell you I saw the body of Christ be what it should be last night.  I saw a group of people huddled together to love each other, to celebrate a God who rescues and to dream about changing lives in His name.

We’re headed home today.  By the way, I know some of you have asked about meeting the team at the airport.  Please understand my heart in asking you not to do that – we want our students to be able to reunite with their families without a sea of watching eyes.  They’ll be on campus soon enough and, believe me, you’ll get the chance to welcome them back.  But for today, just pray for them.

Christ is still our Refuge,

John

This week is going to be an amazing week for all of us in The Gathering.

Wanted to give you a sense of what you could expect at this week’s Gatherings.  I’m going to be teaching Wednesday night at Mason and am so fired up to be back on that campus.  Going to be talking about the assurance Christ provides us in our moments of doubts.  This talk has stirred some amazing things in me the past few weeks and I can’t wait to share it with you guys.

Allan is going to be teaching tomorrow night at AU and Wednesday night at Georgetown.  He’s starting a two week series called “The Table.”  When he and I were talking through the series a few weeks ago, all I could say was, “now I’m jealous…I want to teach that one!”  Not even going to tell you what it’s about – just telling you to be there!

By the way, loved the graphic for “The Table” so much that I just wanted to toss it up here.

See you on campus this week…except for you UMD people…I hope you’re still enjoying the longest winter break known to man!!

John

During the summer of ’08, two members of our Gathering family spent several weeks serving the people of Percin in Petit Goave, Haiti.  So much of what God has done in that village and so much of the relationship we enjoy with that community comes out of what Rachael and Sarah did during that summer.

One of their projects was working with the kids of Percin to paint the wall in this picture.  That wall has become a focal point for all the teams that have gone since.  It’s a beacon of light, of hope and of promise in a neighborhood where all three are way too scarce.  The devastation brought about by the earthquake in Petit Goave and Percin is immense.  According to the US embassy in Haiti, “the most significant damage after the January 12 earthquake is reported to be in and around Petit-Goave, 15 kilometers (approximately 10 miles) west of Port au Prince.”

I spoke to Brett yesterday and was stunned when he told me that wall is still 100% in tact today.  I can’t tell you how much I love that.  But here’s what I really love – the message that wall is shouting to Percin today.  Here’s what it says in Creole:

Shout for joy, O heavens;
rejoice, O earth;
burst into song, O mountains!
For the Lord Comforts his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted ones

Isaiah 49:13

How amazing is that?!?  I love that the people of Percin are rebuilding with that promise front and center, staring them in the face every step of the way.  And I love that God allowed my friends Rachael and Sarah to be the ones who put it there.

There is hope for Haiti.  And by God’s grace, we’ll get to play a part in that.  But for this morning, let’s thank God.  Thank Him our team is safe.  Thank Him that those words are true: “For the Lord Comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones!!” Thank Him that He is still the source of hope for Haiti.

As we all continue to watch and pray for Haiti, it also makes sense that we would join those prayers with action.  Our partners at World Hope are doing an amazing job of reaching and serving Haiti.  At the same time, they are being exceedingly gracious in taking care of our students still in country.

Here’s what the Scriptures say:

“Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy”  - Psalm 82:3-4

In that spirit, I’m asking you to go to World Hope’s site and make a donation to Haitian disaster relief.

May God bless you as you join His work in the world.

John

The past 48 hours have been a dizzying collision of thoughts, conversations, meetings and emotions.  I’m so grateful our students are safe.  But my heart breaks for the ones they went to Percin to serve.  I’m humbled by the quiet confidence the parents of our students have shown as they wait and trust our friends at World Hope to bring their sons and daughters home.  I think we all wish there was more we could do right now, today, to alleviate the suffering of the people of Haiti.  So many  thoughts racing through all of our minds.

But one is starting to emerge prominently.  For the past two nights, our team has led college students in worship at universities here in DC; Tuesday at American and Wednesday at Georgetown.  Both of those nights were incredible.  I loved watching college students sing their hearts out.  I loved being able to talk about the absolute authority of Christ even in hard times.  I loved watching our students here in DC pray for their friends in Haiti.

What I really loved was the number of students who came up to me after each night to say one thing: “We want to go to Percin.”  Wow.  That’s why I love serving you guys.  Christ is doing something beautiful in your hearts.  Your willingness to go, to serve, to love, to share Jesus, to make a difference is so inspiring to me.  It points to the work Christ is doing in your lives.  It shows He’s real and He’s changing you.

So, yes, we will continue to serve Haiti.  Yes, God willing, our two trips scheduled for March will still go forward.  Yes, AU, you’ll go in May.  I know we all feel a commitment to serving the people of Percin.  I love the photo I got this morning – it was taken last spring in a church we doubt stands today.  Those little kids mean so much to all of us.  They are a reminder of all we are trusting God for in these days.

And, yes, hope will return to Haiti.  Hope rooted in Christ.  Hope rooted in His promises.  Hope that outlasts even the grave.

Christ is King,

John

No major update but I know how many of you are tracking along with our team in Haiti and I thought you would be encouraged to know we did get a call from them this morning.  We obviously loving hearing that they are safe, had a good night and are looking for ways to make a difference while they were there.  But it was even better to hear the strength and optimism in Brett’s voice.  I loved hearing a bit about how the team is sticking together, how God has strengthened all of their friendships through this and how they are trusting Him.

By later this morning, we hope to get some sense of how Percin and Petit Guove are doing.  But for now, we’re thanking Christ that the team is well and in His hands.

As the full extent of the devastation in Haiti becomes more apparent throughout the day today, I know many of us are looking for updates, for answers and for ways to be involved.

Early this morning, our team was able to meet up with a local missionary and send some emails continuing to reassure us they are safe and trusting Christ to use them for His glory during this time.  Don’t ask me how they pulled it off, but they also sent us this picture.  I love their smiles and their optimism.  So, please, be assured they are doing well.

As we continue to work with our friends at World Hope, we’ll be sharing different ways to help alleviate the suffering in Percin and the nation of Haiti.  But for now, the one thing we can all do is pray.  Sometimes it’s hard to know what to pray for, so here are a few thoughts:

1.  The Gathering students from Mason on the ground.  Continue to pray for their health, their safety and their stamina.  Pray their hearts would be strong and encouraged this afternoon.  Pray their eyes would stay fixed on Christ.  Pray also for their effectiveness – the opportunity to serve Haiti in a time of great need is real.  Pray the Lord would give them wisdom as they look for ways to serve and pray they would be effective.

2.  The families of our students.  We have been in contact with all of the student’s parents and they are an amazing group who are handling this with amazing grace and trust in God’s faithfulness.  But it’s not easy having a son or daughter in Haiti today.  Pray God would comfort and encourage them.

3.  Thony: World Hope’s Country Director.  He is with our team in Petit Goave.  His wife and the majority of his staff team are in Port Au Prince and it must be incredibly difficult to be separated from them now.  Thony is an amazing follower of Jesus and has one of the most beautiful hearts I’ve ever experienced.  He’s a great friend in the Gospel and I would love to have all of us praying for him as he leads in this moment.

4.  The people of Haiti and Percin.  Haiti is all too familiar with devastation.  Pray this tiny island nation will band together and help each other in the days and months to come.

5.  The church in Haiti.  All day long our team has been praying that through this, the church would shine brightly in Haiti.  May the glory of Christ be seen amidst the rubble of PAP.  Let broken hearts be mended by a Sovereign King.  May faith emerge at a time when it seems hardest to believe and trust.

Your prayers matter.  I’ve been thinking a lot today about a prayer written by David thousands of years ago.  He wrote this, “But my eyes are fixed on You, O Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge.” (Ps.141:8)  May all of our eyes and the eyes of the people of Haiti stay fixed on the One who reigns today.  The One who conquered the grave.  The One who offers life to all who would believe.  His name is Jesus.  And He is the Hope for all Haiti.

It was really good to end the day with a call from Brett Becker, the person on our staff traveling with Mason’s Haiti team.  He was finally able to get a call out to confirm the text message we had gotten earlier in the evening – the team is together, safe and staying at the compound we use in Haiti.  They actually were there when the earthquake hit and have stayed put ever since.  I’m also really happy that Thony, the Director of World Hope Haiti, is with our team; he’s very knowledgeable and knows Haiti well.

At this point, we don’t have any other information about how long the team will stay in Haiti or plans to bring them home.  We’ll obviously be working with our partners at World Hope throughout the day tomorrow as more information is available.  Assuming cell signals stay up, Brett is going to check in with me tomorrow morning and I’ll be sure to update this blog as soon as we hear from him.

For now, I hope you’ll join me in praying for the amazing students who make up this team.  Their faith humbles and challenges me.  Here’s the text I got from one of them this evening.  It gives you a pretty good sense of how they’re doing:

“John, the team is 100% ok. were all safe. my phone is the only one that will work tho…we’re praying, leaning on God….we need prayer tho…In Him, earthquake missionaries.”

For Christ’s Fame,

John

I’ve fallen into the habit of tweeting (yes…I still can’t believe I’m using that word with a straight face!) a verse or two on an almost daily basis.  Every once in a while someone asks me why I bother or why I think people want to read them.  Great questions and I’ll try giving you a short answer.

Before I do that though, let me say I am aware that most of the people who follow me on Twitter probably own a Bible.  I’m not thinking I’m leading you to something you couldn’t find on your own.  Nor do I want to be your sole source for Scripture.

But I tweet those verses for 2 reasons:

1.  I know so many followers of Jesus who struggle to read the Bible on a daily basis.  It’s not that those verses are enough to replace your own time in the Word of God.  It’s my prayer that they inspire you to open up your Bible and read even more on your own.

2.  Nothing apart from Jesus has changed my life more than the Word of God.  When I think of the students of The Gathering, my deepest desire is that you would experience the same.  My prayer is that God will lead me daily to passages that will inspire you to turn from the brokenness of sin and live for the fame of Jesus.  If 140 characters inspire even a tiny bit of that, then it’s well worth it.

So, there you have it.  If that makes you more inclined to follow me on Twitter, then go for it: https://twitter.com/iamjohnmcgowan

In the last eight weeks of the fall semester, God did something truly amazing at Georgetown.  He took a small band of student leaders with no budget and very little help from our staff team (we’re already pretty stretched with the other Gatherings in DC) and breathed life into a ministry.  It’s an amazing story of what a passionate group of college students can do when led and strengthened by the Spirit of God.  It’s a story of some amazing volunteers who came alongside the vision to provide whatever support and mentoring they could to these students.  But most of all, it’s a story of God’s grace, God’s faithfulness and God’s passion for His name to be magnified on the campuses of DC.

Our worship Gatherings at Georgetown normally occur at the exact same time as our Gatherings at Mason.  Pretty cool but it also means our whole team never gets to be at one of those campuses.  Except this coming Wednesday.  Mason’s still on break and that’s opening up a pretty cool opportunity at Georgetown.  Matt Walkley, Nick Jones and our band are coming to lead alongside Mike and John.  Allan and I are both going to be shaping different parts of the night and we’re praying God will rain His grace on us that night and allow all of us to come together and be inspired to pursue the cause of Christ on the Hilltop.

We’re asking God to stir much and He already is.  We’ve moved our location to the ICC Auditorium for this week only.  We’re praying God will fill that room with students who love Him and students who doubt Him.  We’re asking Him to launch something major in all of our hearts.  So, here’s what I’m asking you to do:  anything you can to spread the word at Georgetown.  We’re doing this right at the start of the semester and it’s going to be tricky to communicate details to all the students we would love to see there.  Would you be willing to help us with that?  Text some friends, use Twitter, update your Facebook status, forward the Facebook event to friends?  Whatever you can think of!!  Here’s the info:

The Gathering

Wednesday, January 13th

9.00PM

ICC Auditorium

Whether you can be there or not, it would be awesome to have you praying for that night.  Believe with us for great things!  God is able!!

Ever been in one of those places in life where there’s so much running through your mind, you’re desperate to get it all out but you just don’t know where to start?  Welcome to my world post-Passion2010.  I could talk for hours about the amazing students who made up the purple community group (I really do love you guys).  Or I could go on and on about the stunning generosity of the college students who gave so much to the work of God around the world.  Or I could talk about amazing truth, beautiful worship or the friends I love serving alongside.  But at the end, that would all miss the point – Jesus is amazing.  And I want to live all of life making Him famous in the collegiate generation.  That’s the story for me.  Our God really is greater than any other.  His fame is the cause I want to live for and I can’t wait to trade small things for really big stuff.  God sized stuff.

But here’s what’s really in my heart today: it doesn’t matter so much whether or not you were at Passion2010.  If you were there, that’s awesome.  If you weren’t, you can still tap into the heartbeat of those days.  Passion isn’t an event, it’s a movement that seeks to make Jesus famous.  Jump into that with all that you are.  Live for Him.  Make Him known on the campuses of DC.  And if you were there, do something with everything God poured into you!  Don’t just sit around and look at pictures (as awesome as that is and, yes, I have looked at many since I got home).  Look at the pictures and then go talk with people about Christ. Talk about the Jesus who breathed life into 2010 and who longs to do the same in our world today.

There’s so much in my heart right now.  I’m not even sure it’s coming out in waves that makes sense.  So, just to make sure you don’t miss the main point – Jesus is King!