I just felt God was there big time in every service. From Craig to Joel, from Jentezen to Louie. It was like powerful impact each time.

How do they do it? I mean the conference just gets better and better each year. Maybe I should say the conference continues to impact my life each year. This year was no different - only I feel like I've been even more impacted.

The main things I hear from the Lord over the week (and it has taken me a few weeks to process) is that God is calling me to some deeper prayer. I hear His quiet and gentle voice urging me to spend more time in His presence. Steve Penny's comment of just sitting in the chair each morning "waiting" on the Lord touch a very deep part of me.

As a leader of a growing church I know I need a message each week and we need to do a service (or 3) each week. But we can't just go through the motions. Each sermon and each service needs to be bathed in much prayer, every sermon to simmer in special prayer so we can communicate for a change!

So thanks to Brian and Bobbi for continuing to put this conference on each year!! 2010 sounds awesome with T D Jakes and Andy Stanley. Make sure you've booked for either Hillsong Conference Sydney or the one for Europe.

Thanks for reading. I hope this inspires others.

Tom Rawls

(Check out Andy Stanley's new book, "Communicating for a change.")

COMMUNICATING FOR A CHANGE - ANDY STANLEY A brilliant book about how we can preach and teach more effectively . Click here to buy from Amazon.co.uk

Denise and I are resting in a Bangkok hotel! We've done some shopping (bought a really nice coat!) and eating some great Thai food. We've slept in both mornings, walking a lot each day and just spending some good time together. Bangkok is a great place to just take a break.

I know a few pastors who hardly ever take holidays and hardly ever take a day off each week. When Denise is present during a discussion like this she goes for the jugular vein. No one gets off the hook. She says it isn't fair on your wife or your children. You can’t work every day and every week with no time off. You're breaking a "Sabbath" principle established by God in Genesis.

God thought it was a great idea to rest and review His work. Resting for us mere mortals is to renew our strength and re-create. It is an opportunity to spend valuable time with our spouse and children. They need us to have undivided time to concentrate on them exclusively.

Time away is also great to see things from another perspective. It is a time to work ON the church and not IN the church. It is a time of review; we tend to see things differently from a distance. We will see some things we'd never see if we weren't separated by space and time.

We're here in Bangkok until Sunday morning when we board Thai to Sydney. Hillsong Conference starts on Tuesday and we're excited about being there!! We'll arrive rested and relaxed ready to receive revelation and inspiration. We won’t be trying to overcome jet lag or getting over our tiredness from work.

Sometimes you just need to take a break!

Bless,

Tom Rawls