An Encounter with the Holy Spirit

Nathan By Nathan3 min read971 views

Right now, I’m driving back from Grand Rapids, MI, where I attended the 2021 Encounter Conference. Encounter is a ministry founded by Fr. Mathias Thelen and Patrick Reis that equips Christians to minister in the power of the Holy Spirit. My community, Alleluia, hosts a satellite campus that provides the training in Augusta.

So what does the Encounter Conference look like? Imagine about 4,200 people from all across the US who have a burning desire to do big things for Jesus. Priests, missionaries, youth ministers, hungry lay people, and beggars like me came together to celebrate the Mass, hear talks on living the Gospels more fully, and pray for one another for more of the Holy Spirit.

The talks were great, the prayers powerful, and the fellowship warm and exciting. I’m coming home with a renewed enthusiasm for whatever God has planned for me.

A couple of things hit me during the conference. Being slightly extroverted, I had a chance to meet a bunch of new people. Even though I came with a larger group from Alleluia, I didn’t eat all of my meals with my crew because, well, I couldn’t find them all of the time. People who are led by the Spirit are like the  wind. Who knows where they’re coming from or where they are going?

A hunger for Christian Community.

Talking to people from all over the country, I heard over and over how much they desired community. When a person has an encounter with Jesus that has changes their lives forever, a desire springs up to share life with other people who want to live 100% for Jesus.

I was able to tell everyone who shared that desire for Christian community, “Yes, Christian community is awesome. I’ve been doing it for nearly 15 years in a community that is about to turn 50.” Fantastic conversations ensued.

I’d already decided to write more about living in a Christian community, but this confirmed that I should follow through. In the coming weeks and months, I’m going to describe my life in the Alleluia Community in a series of posts called, “Living the Benedict Option.”

Stirring up desire.

Perhaps more importantly, God used the conference to convict me of complacency in my Christian walk. It’s been nearly 15 years since my conversion, and it’s easy to get comfortable. Family life keeps me busy, my job gives me an opportunity to live the Gospel on a daily basis by feeding the hungry. I think that at some subconscious level I had checked the “Christianity” box like I’ve got it in the bag.

The foolishness of this attitude seems obvious to me today, but a week ago I didn’t realize that I had fallen into that trap. My life is so busy now that it has been easy to forget the intensity of my desire for God back when I first discovered Jesus.

At some point, I think I forgot that life in Christ travels from glory to glory. No matter how advanced I become in the spiritual life, I still have infinite room for growth. My goal in this life is to become as much like Jesus as I can. I am a man. He is God. So no matter how holy or good I become, God still has more to offer. That’s super exciting.

A Holy Spirit Bonfire.

I have to thank my wife for agreeing that God wanted me to attend this conference during Christmas vacation. She made a big sacrifice. My gift to her bringing back fresh fire of the Holy Spirit.

St. Paul writes to Timothy about stirring up the fire that he received through the imposition of the hands. The fire of the Holy Spirit can burn down to embers if not carefully tended. One way that God stirs this fire back into flame is bringing a bunch of His people together for a Holy Spirit Bonfire.

The Encounter Conference blazed brightly. The fire of the Holy Spirit burns away anything that prevents us from becoming more like Jesus, if we’re willing to throw it into the fire. I am coming home more free, more joyful, and better equipped to love my wife and family as we seek to do the Lord’s will together.


If you want to read more about how my conversion happened in the first place, check out Demoniac, now available on Amazon.

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