Record

That was intense!  Watching someone in their final hours of sleep depravity, little food, and standing ringing a bell for 60 hours is pretty intense.  What was amazing was seeing that this endeavor brought a community together, gave people a chance to talk about God, and showed people that church isn't always some serious sit down and be quiet kind of thing.  A lot of people hear about what was going on from the news or facebook or a friend.  Everyone was talking about it.  And, they may or may not have stopped out to talk to him, but they were rooting for him, a community all on the same team, cheering together.  Someone said that when they heard a pastor was doing this they were concerned because they assumed he was old.  They got to the place and were surprised to see a young pastor there.  There are so many stereotypes and they need to be broken!  This was definitely a way to get exposure for the church and the Christian community.  As conversations came up about the pastor who was setting a world record, it became easier to say things like "he needs prayers" or "God is definitely with him right now."
In the last few hours, people gathered to support his efforts.  His goal was $5000.  The last I had heard the amount raised wasn't close.  By midnight, he had gone beyond his goal to raise over $6000!  Most of the crowd was from his church, showing what it means to be a church family.  They cheered him on, they brought snacks for the crowd, and gave him pep talks when he needed them.  Some people came that heard about it but had never met him.  Whatever the reason, it was an awesome thing seeing them there to lift him up when he needed it.  And, I'm pretty sure without prayers and people, the struggle would have been too tough to fight.
So, where was God today?  He was in the people who cheered, who prayed, who donated to this cause.  And, he was in the pastor who had a dream, who somehow managed to get through, and in that 60 hours did so much more than ring a bell.
Blessings,
Jennifer