A week ago, I had to be coerced into going to a conference at Morning Star Ministries in For Mills, South Carolina. A friend I met while I was traveling in Ireland asked me to go. It was not in my budget, so I passed on it. Then she contacted me again said she already had the double room reserved, was already planning on paying the gas by herself, but if I’d agree to go, she would come by way of Harlan from New York and I’d only have to worry about meals.

How could I say no to that?

The conference was called the Joshua and Caleb Generation 50+ Gathering. It sounded a little overwhelming from the title, but speakers like Rick Joyner and Jeremiah Johnson, James Levesque and Bobby Connor’s widow were keynote speakers, so I though it would at least be interesting.

It was not what I expected at all. It was like spending several days similar to youth camp, flooded with good music, good speakers, new friends and lots of fun. BUT, everyone was over 50 years old. Let me tell you, the fire has not gone out of the 50+ baby boomer generation who still love God.

Youth bring their exuberance and joy to the church, but the seasoned warriors who have endured over time, carry their battle scars, but still love the Lord with a passion are the generals of the faith. It is a time in Christian history where most churches cater to the young who blow in and out according to their whims from week to week. They don’t support the church financially, but they use up an awful lot of the resources. They are the “entitled” generation.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t be concerned about the youth and try to reach them and teach them however we can. The church would die without them. What I am saying is that church should be a multigenerational experience where everything from the music to the offering is for all. Our young people need the wisdom and stability of the older generation.

More than light shows, fog, and blaring music, the younger generations need to experience the genuine love of God. They need to learn the authentic Word of God and not some watered-down gospel that is more concerned with being politically correct than being truthful.

All of us together need to see, experience, and demonstrate the authentic life changing power of God. Whether it be through miraculous healings, passion, evangelism, teaching, or whatever avenue, all roads should lead out to a world in need of a real encounter with God.

I say these things knowing that there will be those who read these words and scoff at me for writing them. But I also know that even the scoffers and the haters hope that there is something real in the churches of today. Even the agnostics and atheists would be glad to have a one on one encounter with God and discover Him to be real.

My week was certainly different, and I loved every minute of it!

The conference was way outside of my normal routine. It was off my budget. It took hours on the road coming and going, but I’m so glad I was persuaded to go. I met people from Australia, Ireland, Korea, and Ghana, California, Tennessee, and New York. I talked to people from all over the country and world travlers. It was an amazing trip.

On the way down, we stopped at Billy Graham’s library somewhere along the route. I was as much moved by that as all the rest. Reviewing the life of the famous evangelist showed me three things: 1) what the true authority of God looks like, 2) what the favor of God looks like on an individual’s life, and 3) all of it wrapped in humility. If I may add 4) Do something totally different and enjoy!

Reach longtime Enterprise columnist Judith Victoria Hensley at judith99@bellsouth.net or on Facebook. Check out her blog: One Step Beyond the Door.