Awakening

Behind Prison Walls I was towards the end of serving a 4 ½ year prison sentence, and by the Grace of God was granted weekend release. After attending a C3 Church I grabbed an Awakening booklet but I wouldn’t read it until I was back in the confines of my prison cell. It was in that place where I was first Awakened to the awesome things God was doing amongst Young Adults. Unity, Justice, Faith, Hope and above all Love rung true in my ears as I read what had been written, “Our Heart, His Glory”…I wanted to attend so bad! But circumstances wouldn’t allow me to be there. That did not stop me being apart of it. God placed a dream in my heart soon after, that would ultimately shake down the walls of the prison inside the hearts of Men, and on February 1 2008 we held Day 1 of Awakening Conference at Oberon Correctional Centre...
Pastor Andrew Godden of Oberon CLC was our guest speaker, we had testimonies from men who had found God whilst serving time and messages that proclaimed “Its not about what Church you go to, or what denomination you are, it’s all about God, He wants to be apart of your life, all you have to do is accept His invitation to AWAKEN YOUR HEART…” Running time was 3 days with an attendance rate of 30+ men each day (1/4 of the jail population), lives impacted, hearts changed, Christ revealed and God Glorified. Thanks be to Him. 6 months after my release from prison I was able to attend Awakening 09 “Awaken This Love”. What an amazing event. I left changed, inspired and hungry for more of God’s Love. I believe that God is calling us and stirring our hearts now, not just to gear up for an amazing time in February 2010, but also to adopt Awakening as our lifestyle and our culture so that when we do come together God can impact our lives and city in ways in which we have never seen before. Live the Love…This is how we know. Ben Nicholson