Name Drop vs. Name Lift

Lisa and I just got back from a seven day trip to Sydney, Austrailia where we spoke a total of 10 times in 6 days (yeah, we're fatigued, but on fire!) As we look back, we reflect on the days and nights we spent at Hillsong Church and are humbled to have been a part of their oustanding, "Love, Sex, and Relationships" conference and the weekend services at both campuses - the Hills Campus and the City Campus.

4500 people packed the Hills Campus on Tuesday and Wednesday nights (yes, 4500 people each night - on weekdays) and about 2000 people packed the City Campus on Thursday and Friday nights for the conference! And the weekend services were just as high energy. Obviously, the passion that the Hillsong team displays is caught and reflected back by those who attend the church.

And once again, the entire Hillsong staff and crew blew us away with their hospitality and enthusiasm for the work of the Lord. Having the chance to hang out with Pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston (name drop) and their family was a blessing. They love the Lord with all of their heart and serve him with nothing but grace and honor. This is evident in their work ethic, their treatment of those they work with and their interaction with their children. They are the real deal (name lift).

Some people may look at Hillsong phenomena from a distance and think it is all about a musical revolution. But we have seen firsthand that it runs much deeper than that. Don't get me wrong, the music is incredible. But their heart for evangelism, missions and spiritual development rise high above the music. The energy for Christ fuels the entire environment of Hillsong.

Thank you Hillsong Church for pouring into our lives! Thanks to Brian, Bobbie, Ben, Lucille, Laura, and Joel; Krishan and Danielle; Joel and Julia; and Jason. We look forward to being together again!

Comments

[Michael]

Hey Edy and Lisa,

Your seminar was fantastic and totally changed both Me and My wife.

You mentioned that you would post your 10 marriage commandments on your blog, but I couldnt find it.

Can you post this or direct me to the post

Thanks & Kind Regards

God Bless

[Gareth]

Ed,

You're absolutely right. I got to carry the bags and attend the Hillsong conference with one of the speakers that I served a couple of years ago and was struck by how Brian has empowered every person who calls Hillsong home. My first experience was in the parking lot on a Thursday morning as a volunteer passionately directed traffic... I had the opportunity to be with many of their staff and volunteers behind the scenes and started asking why everyone was so passionate. Every single person mentioned that the culture was such that they owned what was going on and Brian really believed that what they where doing was as important as what anyone that was preaching or singing was doing...

While Hillsong has certainly raised the water level of worship in churches around the world, I firmly believe that leadership and creating a culture where people are empowered will be Brian legacy.

Certainly a life changing 10 days for me.

[Pastor Kraig]

This sounds great! I wish I could have been there!

[Nathan]

Hi Ed,

Unfortunately I couldn't make it to the seminar, but I visited Hillsong the following Saturday night and was able to get my hands on the audio CDs from the seminar at the Hills campus. As always, your teaching and your honesty are very much appreciated. I'm getting married next year, so it's great to listen to the perspective of a Godly couple doing it the right way. :)

You're a blessing!

In Him,

Nathan

Sydney, Australia

[Ron Dougher]

After reading this blog...you could simply replace the name of the church, the location and the names of staff. Replace it with Allaso Ranch, Hawkins, The Fords. Everything else in the blog is about excitement, high energy, passion. We are excited about Fellowship coming to East Texas. We've been praying for the campus since we found out about it over a year ago when we moved here from Frisco. We are excited that we have a place that we worship, hear sound preaching and can be a part what we hope will be a wonderful extension of Fellowship...

[Mike]

I like Hillsongs kids personally. Especially the song Jesus in my heart.