O2 Experience- West Coast 2013!

By Beau Ouellette

“How beautiful on the mountains are
the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good
tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God
reigns!'”  (Isaiah 52:7)

I have been on the road for the
past 10 days on the O2 Experience West Coast tour 2013!  The O2 Experience
is an evangelical outreach to cities with the desire to share Christ so that
those attending become Christians.  It was wonderful to see salvation come
to lives as the gospel was preached!  Pastor Levi Lusko did a wonderful
job, in Christ, sharing the Word of Life as many people made decisions that
lead them into heaven!  Pretty cool.
We at Running Light have been
blessed to have a booth at the O2 Experience for the past 4 years.  We
have traveled to Colorado, Montana, Washington, Oregon, California and Idaho
with the O2 team!
What we experienced this year in
Orange County, California was absolutely wonderful!  On this leg of the
tour our RLM team joined forces in the O.C.!   Katy, Caleb, Peter,
Anissa, Pastor Scott and Sean were all there with me sharing the Better
Pleasure that is in Christ. We shared information for those who wanted to know
more.  It was so awesome to witness the team sharing with people. 
One of the greatest joys as a Pastor is to see those you love and feed into
with the Word mimicking you!  In Philippians 4:1, the Rabbi Paul tells the
beloved brethren, “You are my joy and crown!”  To Paul there was
no greater enjoyment than to see those he fed into, in turn, feeding others. 
This is what Church growth is all about. 2 Timothy 2:2 says it this way,
“And the things you have heard from me commit to faithful witnesses who
will be able to teach others also.”  The Church grows as we multiply
ourselves.  Find people who have a heart for Christ and His Word, feed
into them and continue to do so.  Then give them opportunity to
share!  Back in the O.C., I stood there listening to what the RLM team shared
with others and all I could think about is that I have worked myself out a job
(haha)!  What a blessing!  The words that were shared by the team, with
those who approached the booth, brought people to contemplate the Word of God
(and what He has to say) in the area of sex.  So many were grateful to
understand the purpose and plan of sexuality and how thinking about the topic
brings us to a deeper study of God, Himself! 
But the best was yet to come! 
Midway through the O2 Experience a young man, who was about 16 years old, came
to our table. He was working at a Krispy Kreme doughnut table at the
event.  I’m not sure why he came over, but he ended up in a battle of
words with Peter, Sean and Caleb.  One of these three would speak and
then the boy would respond and talk. It was like a wrestling match, as one of
the RLM team would be tagged into the conversation next!  Pastor Scott and
I were off to the side praying in our hearts, praising God, and
listening.  This went on for nearly an hour, I think.  The gospel was
presented- the power of Christ to forgive, the need for us to be forgiven, and
the Spirit’s gift to move us toward betterment.  And at the end of the
conversation an invitation was given and the boy received Christ into his
life!  New life was given to that boy that night.  As the night finished up, my
heart was so excited to see what God has done in this ministry from Tucson,
Arizona and in the lives of those who are a part of it.
At the end of the O.C. event, the
RLM team prayed with each other. We were so close together in a circle that
night I think our heads were touching.  True koinonia.  It was fellowship like no other.  Our hearts
were on Christ.  We are in love with Him.  There was no thinking of
whether it was right or not to be ‘praying with women’ and the vain things that
happen when we see things out of the Agape context.  This was absolutely
beautiful.  I hope to experience this again as I know it is not something
that happens often.
What has brought on such
fellowship?  Simply put… being real.   This RLM team is not a
perfect team.  We have flaws.  Each and every one of us has flaws. 
We share them with one another and pray for each other. 

“Confess your sins to one
another that you might be healed.” (James 5:16)  

We are weak and need to have Christ
manifest His truth in and through us.  Our hope is that others will see that we
are dependent on the Savior, for there is nothing else that meets our
needs.  The work of the Spirit is amazing and hard to describe.  I
can relate to Jesus, in John 3, when He talks about the Spirit being like the
wind, blowing where it wishes.  God is merciful and gracious and rich in
mercy.  We are well aware of our own weakness and His great strength.
I do not know the future of RLM,
what the ministry holds or the direction it will go. Sure, it began with a
vision to help those in sexual bondage to seek the Better Pleasure that Jesus
is, but what direction is it going to go in?  God knows and I’m good with
that.  This same move of the Spirit has flowed into our student ministry
at Calvary too.  Students are getting saved, coming to know Christ in a
deeper way, and seeking Christ daily as the nourishment they truly need! 
I’ve always heard this
statement- “Teach the Word and love the people.”  How true that is
and now I see even another part to this admonition.  Show the
people!  As the RLM team and I have let people know our own failures (confession)
and, in turn, how we are pressing into Christ, others see the example and are
following suit!  Giving people a look at a life lived in the Word and not
just a look at the Word is what, I think, we leaders are learning.  This
means opening up our own lives to those that we desire to see changed.  It
also means that there needs to be vulnerability in us before men.  We
might be weak and fragile, yet how great it is that the power to change lives
is done by God and not by us.
We are learning to know no other
than Christ and Him crucified.  For a moment I think I get it… and then
it’s like my brain is in a pinball machine that got hit hard and gets thrown
into ‘TILT’ mode again. All we can do is press forward to the goal of
seeing Christ glorified in us.
Happy (blessed) are we,
Pastor Beau