Power to Remain Recap

Willow Weston | March 24, 2015

We had such an amazing Collide at Hillcrest Chapel!

We centered around part of Jesus’ farewell speech in John 15 where He re-invites us to walk with Him just as He did in the garden before things go so very messy and broken.

Three artists on our Collide ministry team, Lindsey Kinery, Nia Sayers and Christine Gerhart, worked tirelessly for weeks beforehand painting these three giant canvases to resemble a beautiful garden. (Which by the way, we are selling and you can message us here if you are interested in having these beauties on your wall) The morning of Collide started by being reminded of the garden the Lord made and invited Adam and Eve to walk and spend time with Him in. As we all the know, the story goes that things went a little haywire and Adam and Eve found themselves hiding, rather than remaining with God.

As this part of the story was being told, the canvases were then covered in black and brown and slashed as if to show the destruction and pain of the distance we choose.

All throughout this beautiful day, women shared stories of God re-inviting them to remain in Him when they had given up, when they had lost hope, when they had distanced themselves and as women shared, this painting slowly became a beautiful garden again.

This was such a beautiful reminder to all of us that God renews what has been destroyed. God reinvites where there has been rejection. God replants where there has been pruning.

Jesus says 11 times, the word “remain” in this passage. There clearly is something about you and about me that God so desires us to stay, be steadfast, not waver or give up and create distance. Of all the things Jesus could have said in His farewell speech, this was key. Remain. May we continue to walk with Him when all else pulls us away.

It was a joy to gather with women with all different stories of hiding and running and pulling away and yet all different stories of God’s reinvitation and rewriting and redemption. There were so many things that took place from the messages to the “Restroom” drama to the worship to the amazing pull pork lunch to the dancers from Dancing for Joy to each individual conversation we got to have by intentionally setting aside a Saturday to convene with God.