 and he has a great plan for you, for your life, and for today. I'm Tom Hollis, I'm here with Amanda Brocker and Sydney Agoldman, and we are gonna just see, we're gonna hear about some great things happening, Sydney. Sure are, you know, coming up in just a moment on Hope Today, students of the Asbury revival had a chance to sit down with them and hear their experience and how the move of God has forever marked their lives. And I know for all of us, we are hungry, we're crying out for awakening revival. I believe that it's here, but I think it is so important, Amanda, that we seriously seek the heart of the Father while he still may be found. Amen. I think one really important thing that happens, I know, in my life is that when I really begin to seek him, we see things around this and we want them to change, but God begins to change me. And I think if we wanna talk about revival, it has to start with me. Like am I ready to change? Am I ready? Cause when we think about that, like I can't keep doing the same thing repetitively and expect a different outcome. I think they call that insanity. So I have to be willing to make some changes and when I begin to seek God, Tom, that's where the Lord starts the work. Well, I mean, you hit on something that I heard this years ago that if we want revival, it's not an outward thing. It's inward, draw a circle on the floor, step in the circle and say, Lord, bring revival to the circle. In other words, it starts with us. It starts, are we going to hear God? Are we going to, you know, there's always a repentance aspect to revival too. I was talking about that a little bit later when we minister, but, you know, God wants to show up in special ways in ways that are different than what we've experienced. That's what revival is. It's not just the same old going along. Those are many days are gonna be like that. But when the day of revival comes, something changes. And I'm just thinking of that scripture. I believe it's somewhere in Psalms. I can't remember where, cause you know, there's like a hundred and what? 40 books in the book, like in book of Psalms. But there's one that says, revive my heart, oh Lord. And I think that is something that just what Tom and Amanda were talking about when it comes to revival and awakening is sometimes God is like, does the shaking and the shifting within us. Sometimes he puts us in the fire. Sometimes it's not pretty and it hurts, but that's in the place where we are transformed. That's where we are renewed. And you know, one thing I just think of is even if there's times, like even in this holiday season as we're celebrating Christmas, or celebrating the birth of the Savior, take time just even in the midst of the busyness. I know we just had Thanksgiving and there's a lot of cooking. You're probably eating your leftovers or you're getting ready right now. People are buying gifts. But in this season, let us focus on the greatest gift that was ever given to humanity. And that was Jesus Christ. I mean, if we could think for a moment if Jesus never came to earth, if he was never born in a manger, if he never walked the earth, if he was never our example, whoa, where would we be? If he didn't go on the cross and if he didn't die and resurrect, how would we even? I don't even want to think about it, you know, but I just think in these moments, it's so important that we take time to reverence and fear the Lord through worship and through prayer and just really taking time to just sit aside and be with him. There was a message, you know, thinking about the Asbury revival that was brought forth to the students and the staff. And it was very much of humility and getting things right with each other and forgiving, like you cannot expect God to move when you're in an offensive place to the Holy Spirit. And it was very much look at yourself, like quit looking at everyone else. And I think it's amazing that God, his spirit literally breaks out right in that campus after that message. I know, and a tangible presence of God that was in that place, God wants that in each of our lives. And the only way that happens is when we hear the voice of the spirit and we seek him. So I'm excited to hear what's going to be shared. Yeah, so stay tuned. Don't go away because when we come back, you are going to hear the story, the testimony and the amazing way that God broke through at Asbury God. We'll be right back. In this month of Thanksgiving, we're excited to send you the special daily gratitude journal with your best gift. This easy to use journal will encourage you to bookend each day with short personal reflections that bring insight and intentionality to your busy and always changing life. How can six simple questions help you better navigate life's uncertainty? Bestselling author Tish Oxenreiter invites you to lean into the rhythms that each morning and evening offers with a twice daily thought exercise focusing on gratitude, truth, grace and more. As you reflect on three key questions near the beginning and end of your day, you will be more poised and prepared for whatever God has for you in the hours between. Request your gratitude journal today when you give. Call 888-665-4483 or donate online at ctvn.org slash donate. Thank you for giving to Cornerstone Television. The Asbury University Revival is a moment in history the students who experience it will never forget. The awakening made headlines after Asbury's chapel service turned into weeks long of worship, drawing tens of thousands of people from around the world to the campus in Wilmore, Kentucky. And we are so excited because joining us today are four students from Asbury who witnessed the move of God, Elena, Sarah, Asher and Charlie. We are so grateful to have you with us today. Thank you, we're grateful to be here. Well, yeah, well I know like before we get into the move that happened, the revival, just wanna talk to you guys. What's campus been like since coming back? I mean, the revival happened last semester, now you're in the fall semester. So talk to us about what's it like right now at school. I think one of our favorite things to kind of like even say about the revival, the outpouring, is that it's one of those things that just doesn't end. Even though like we don't have the same worship services anymore, like just the feeling on campus, the excitement that a lot of people are having and just honestly like something I can't describe in any way other than the spiritual temperature is just higher. People are just really excited to like be with the Lord and be with each other in community. Ladies, what are some of your thoughts about campus right now? Yeah, I think there's just like a lot more openness in campus or on campus in general. Like people in chapel used to just stand there and not really sing and not everybody's singing. And now people are taking time like outside of chapel to get together with their friends and just like talk about Jesus, which has just been awesome to see. That's truly incredible. And so now let's get into a little bit about your experience. I mean, we watched here in Pittsburgh and all the places around the world, it unfolding, but it's pretty incredible that you guys got to experience it firsthand. So, Sarah, I just wanna ask you, what was it like for you? Yeah, so I was actually one of the like 19 who stayed after chapel and three of us total stayed after chapel. But I just remember, so I was sitting on the end of my row in chapel and I had all of these soccer players and other people and I was like, oh, like I gotta get out of here, like I gotta get out of these people's ways so they can go to class and so I was making my way down the aisle and I saw my friend and all of a sudden Jesus was like, I just had this like sense of like, you need to stay. And so I didn't leave her 14 hours. But it was just really cool to see how the Lord just radically changed lives and broke chains. It's truly like life changing when the spirit of God, when you have an encounter with him. So, Asher, what about you? Tell us about your experience. My experience is a little bit unique compared to these three. So actually on the chapel day, I skipped chapel that day, I wasn't present. And I didn't actually get into the chapel building until about 1230, about an hour and a half after the chapel service had ended. And as soon as I walked in, I was immediately just hit with just an overwhelming presence of knowing that the spirit of the Lord was there. It was just, the atmosphere was different. It was just so incredible for me to walk in and just look around and see. At that point, probably 150 to 200 people, my peers just worshiping and crying out to the Lord with just such a pureness and just such a hunger to want to know him better. So for me, walking in that first day was just an incredible, an experience I don't think I'll ever forget. Definitely when you experience that touch of God, like you are never left the same. And Charlie, tell us about your experience. What did God do in you and through you that has left you forever marked? Yeah, I like Sarah and Elena. I was there after chapel and I just remember, like it ended and I had lunch hour right after chapel. Everyone either has lunch or a class or fill in the blank. And I just remember thinking like, I can stay for 15 more minutes. And then 15 more minutes turned into 15 more minutes and 15 more minutes. For me, honestly, that first little bit of time in the chapel was really, really raw. And I even, I shared a little bit of my testimony and that first little bed and shared just where God has brought me from. And I was able to really encourage just struggles with mental health, suicide, but then God's redeeming grace through that and how he saved me from that. And so that was really, really cool and really, really encouraging to share that and to like stand in that victory with my community. Charlie, that's so beautiful what you shared because I know a lot of people deal with like depression and that heaviness, but there's something about when God is so close to you, he says he's near to the broken hearted that he does think that he transforms our mind and he gives us that peace. And so I also wanna ask you all because I think a lot of people are hearing, you're saying 15 hours, what was happening in the midst of, I don't even call it services because it was just truly just God moving and sweeping through the room. So Elena, can you just tell us what was going on? What was happening in transpire? Yeah, it was kind of crazy because after chapel ended like worship kept going, which is kind of normal and some of us stayed behind and it was weird when chapel or when the like worship never stopped. I remember like an hour in, I was like, how are they still playing? How do they know the chords? No way, they practiced all of this. And that's what it was for 16 days just people like really the Holy Spirit moving through people and like creating such a unity that people could like continue to worship in such authentic ways. And so we saw and we experienced a lot of worship not just through music, but also like there were people painting and there were a lot of people just sitting down reading their Bibles and like there was just worship but unlike I've ever seen and with a new freedom. Talk about that freedom because that's like an interesting thing. Like what did that freedom sound like in that chapel in that space? I think for me, definitely something in my testimony that I really experienced was what it looks like to actually walk into a new freedom. The Lord wrecked my heart that first day and he just showed me that Asher, this is the freedom I want you to walk in. And I think it was the freedom of just truly understanding that we are not worthy to be called the sons and daughters of the Lord, but he still loves us so much that he wants us to have that title that he chooses us that he's ordained us to be in this place right now. And I think with that, just that understanding of knowing I'm not worthy of this but this is what the Lord lavishes upon me that we get to just rejoice and just walk and understanding that, hey, our classes while they're important, this is more important right now. Work, it's important, but honoring and praising the Lord is more important right now. And I think just walking in that freedom of understanding that I was so unworthy but the Lord still loved me and he still chooses me. I think that idea of walking in the freedom was the main, one of the main characteristics of the chapel building. Asher, as you're just talking, I think about the scripture who the sun sets free is free indeed. And Sarah, I just want to hear from you. So what did Jesus do to you in that moment? Cause I mean, experiencing his glory, just being saturated in that around all of your, there's students and there's people like you don't even know. What was, what, tell us about your experience. So I think for me, like the first couple of days I kind of stepped into like a leadership position from like a leading worship perspective. And I was kind of just like, yeah, Jesus, like you've called me to like lead here. Like I'm going to do that. Like I don't really feel like we need to like work on anything. Like I don't want to talk about my stuff. And then eventually I think it was like day four or five. He was like, all right, Sarah, like we got to work on some stuff. And I was like, no, like please no. And then I just, I don't remember exactly what happened but I remember all of these people just coming and surrounding me and just praying for me. And I remember in that moment, Jesus was just saying to me, like your identity is not in like your depression or your anxiety or your eating disorders or like your past or like the guilt and shame that you have like your identity is in me. And so I think coming from like it was so weird cause like coming from that leadership position to absolutely just like seeing all of these people who were wanting to know Jesus more and then me coming to the throne room in that way and him just like totally radically breaking those chains all my life was just so crazy. You know, I love that both you, Sarah and Charlie that you're bringing up of just the experience you had where you were carrying some things that probably most people didn't know about but God knew and he showed up to break you free from that. That is truly powerful. And one thing I remember reading and just watching and hearing about that repentance and there was actually deliverance that was taking place. So can you just share with some of those things that are happening? Cause I'm hearing this theme of God met me and I know my identity but also chains were breaking. Charlie. Yeah, it was like it was almost so simple. Like I remember hearing a thing that one of the seminary prof said was a wildest thing about it is that there isn't anything wild about it. It was almost like throwing back to like the basics of Christianity. Like what we all know is a lot of it was worshiping God and a lot of it was what you were just saying of just like we're coming before the father we're confessing sins and then we're experiencing freedom as people are praying for us and praying with us and we're all just coming before the father together. I think one of the coolest experiences was even like 20 minutes after chapel ended over half the room was already at the altar. Whether they were there for themselves or they were there praying for someone that they knew and it was just this time of like we were just desperately needing God. And I think that's what sets look like in a lot of ways that's what made it so special was it was just all of us coming before the father and being like we need you so much. And I just like I can see even Charlie like the tears in your eyes like that he really like it touching you like we you need father and you're Gen Z. And so you guys have like face your generation is facing things that my generation is a millennial the baby boomers Gen X aren't facing and dealing with but God knew that he's like I'm gonna meet my sons and daughters I'm gonna touch them in a powerful way. That is so beautiful. And I also wanna ask you guys I mean when you have an experience like that and that total surrender and breaking before the Lord he switched some of your career paths hasn't he? So let's just talk about like now as your juniors and seniors and you know you have your educations moving forth but you know with life ahead of you so tell us about how God redirected some of your career plans. Yeah I think me and Asher both kind of have a story for this I was double majoring in history and adventure leadership and actually I was about to go on like a field semester that was supposed to be this semester and I was really excited about it right and then February came along and like God wrecked me in the best way you know completely changed my life and then throughout the summer I just like wasn't feeling peace about going on the field semester and I was like God what's going on? You know like I thought this is where I was supposed to be and evidently not and so I went back and I was like okay I've been thinking about a Bible Theo minor since before I even got here because I'm a nerd because Bible Theo is just Jesus history okay and so I looked back and I was like wait this is something that I would really enjoy and that I could finish in time and so I you know dropped a major out at a minor and since then like the Lord has just really been teaching me who he's calling me to be through the classes that I'm taking and also through like experiences like this. It's been awesome. I think from my experience it wasn't per se a career shift but a heart posture shift going into my career. I'm a pre-medical major at Asbury I love it. I'm very similar to Elena a big nerd in the science field and with that I think a lot of the reason that I wanted to go into the medical field before the outpouring was just almost selfishish reasons reasons for myself, reasons for status for financial gain all those different things and I was gifted in the ability to have success in my studies and have a passion for it but if my heart wasn't in it for the Lord then truly it wasn't gonna be a fruitful ministry and a fruitful career for me and really something that I experienced during the outpouring is this idea of hey like everything that we are supposed to do we are to do it for the Lord and I'm reminded right now Colossians 317 it's like in everything you do in Warder D do it for the Lord Jesus Christ and it's like I think that is a heart posture that now I'm approaching my career with that Jesus I pray I get to be a physician and for you I pray I get to honor you in that and everything I do That's beautiful, Sarah, what are your plans? So I think Jesus has kind of just been refining like my call to missions over time and I still don't exactly know what that looks like but to an extent him being like hey Sarah like I have ordained your future and your steps and so you don't have to worry just have open hands and surrender to me and I have everything under control so I know I wanna go into like the missions ministry field but just wait to see what he does Yeah, help order your steps and Charlie for your plans I think kind of similar to Sarah I don't really know exactly what the future holds but I'm really passionate about ministry and missions and so whether that's gonna be like in the United States my dad was pastor I'm passionate I could see myself going into that or if it would be somewhere on the other side of the world Yeah, I'm learning to be more open handed and just being ready for whatever God wants I just wanna say like I'm just so like so proud of all of you and just like being on fire for God because I know in college you could be doing so many other things but it's so beautiful just to see your surrender and your humility and I can tell that you've truly been marked by the Holy Spirit and so run and be passionate and be fierce for Jesus your future is so bright Elena, Sarah, Asher and Charlie thank you so much for joining us and having this conversation we just say we love you and just go forth in the power of Jesus Thank you You make a difference every day you share the gospel you inspire believers you offer wholesome family entertainment and so much more we're thankful for you and as year in approaches we're sharing some strategic giving options that may give you a tax break too first is a rollover gift from your IRA if you're 70 and a half years or older you can give up to $100,000 from your IRA and not add a penny to your taxable income if you're 73 or older it counts toward your required minimum distribution second, consider donating appreciated assets donate stocks or property you've held for more than a year and you often get a tax deduction plus avoid the capital gains tax too for more information about these or other strategic giving options contact us at 412-349-4361 or email info at ctvn.org Thank you for changing lives and sharing hope together with Cornerstone Television Network What a wonderful, wonderful discussion with the young students from Asbury and all that God is doing there all that God has done what I love about it is how they it launched them it's launching all of them into something God is intersecting their life now we've all got a testimony of God intersecting our life of God rescuing us from the world and bringing us into his kingdom but he doesn't stop there he wants to continue to intersect us and continue to bring us to that place where he wants us to be and I've got a scripture for you it's from Acts 319 and it's in the passion translation it's this it says, and now you must repent and turn back to God so that your sins will be removed and so the times of refreshing will stream from the Lord's presence they were talking all about times of refreshing but the component the component was repentance the component was getting our hearts right before the Lord I just want us to take a moment to stop and say where are we with God the one young lady with the red hair Sydney what was her name I can't remember Elena she was like well I'm a leader here I'm just gonna leave you know God you're doing your stuff in people's lives my bad it was Sarah Sarah I'm sorry I'm just gonna lead and then the Lord said I've got something I want to do in you too so what does God want to do in you today what does God want to do in me God brings he brings his light to bear on things and guess what it's not always the most comfortable thing when he does that but it's the right and holy and true and good thing that he wants to do in you and in me so allow him that examination today and he does that through us and through showing us our own hearts and when he does it's it may be painful but it's a good kind of pain that you come out the other side launched and knowing him better and ready to do some great things for him I loved how the one student was just said she went to leave it may have been the same one and the Holy Spirit was drawing her to stay and it's just that image that God is drawing on us like are we being like Martha or Mary you know Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus and we all have this wonderful opportunity that he's invited us to to follow him to be with him but so often in life I feel like we are the Martha's and we are getting our tasks done we're checking things off the list and I am guilty of it myself because I want to get everything prepared for Jesus but he's like I'm right here will you just stay just stay a while and I encourage you in your walk with him to make time create time I know we all have a lot of things to do but just stay a while I feel your heavenly father's just asking you to stay a while and you're just saying that Amanda about staying a while I just think of those moments cause I think you know sometimes we've all done it like you're reading your word or maybe you're listening to a little worship and you're like okay that was 30 minutes or that was an hour and I got to go back to the things to do but just what you were saying Amanda about just staying a while because I think of how many times is our heavenly father nudging us and whispering us can you just stay with me a little longer there's things I want to speak to you I just want to be near and close to you and that is just hitting my spirit so much of just stay a while can we imagine what our heavenly father is when he's asking us to do this in this season that he sees the lights he sees the trees he sees the Amazon packages coming on your porch but all he wants you to do is just I just want to be with you you and I that's intimacy that's what we're called as the bride of Christ think a lot of times we forget that he's calling us to be a bride and he's looking for a bride without spot or blemish or wrinkle and so when we think about a bride when we think about the bride room we're talking about marriage we're talking about a relationship because you know relationships they get frayed and they get infractured and they break down when there's separation and you don't spend time and there's things that are going on but maybe in this season God is just saying for all of us just stay a while with me just stay and just listen and sometimes you don't have to speak you don't have to say a word but it's in those moments where I have found I even did it this past weekend where I was just putting on some worship music and I wanted to get up but there was every time another it was like God was like hijacking my playlist and another song would just come on I was like okay God let me just be with you right now and that's what we want for you because that is a beautiful place to be and the other thing that God spoke in my spirit is that when we talk about repentance it's a Greek word called metanoia and it means to like turn from so what God is calling us in the season is to turn away from those distractions to turn away from those idols to turn away from those things so we can turn and be face to face with him and so we just encourage you today look in your heart look in your life assess it be like all right Holy Spirit what do you wanna knock out what do you want me to walk away from what do you want me to do and I know that when you begin to do those things that God is going to speak to you he's gonna love on you and he's gonna begin to do the deep rooted work that is so necessary and needed so that you'd be healed and delivered and set free Tom and he's gonna put his finger on something and he's gonna say that attitude right there that heart thing that you've held on to that little root of bitterness I died for that I died for that to make that right to make that pure to make you holy he's drawing us closer his heart is for you there's so much just like Sidney said that he wants to just draw you into his presence in a new and a fresh way and guess what coming out the other side you know you come out the other side of this time of repentance still in the presence of God into this solid place that you could stand firmly Amanda Amen so we encourage you today to stay just fixed on Christ eyes on him I feel like he's just zoning in on you and my encouragement for you today would be to zone in on him all the Christmas chores will get done you can trust him you can surely trust him today we love you have a great day