Last year on January 1, 2017, a young (er than me) guy named Blaise stepped in to help lead worship at Gateway.Community Church (my home church). It wasn’t too long after that when I decided to friend him on Facebook. I actually kind of Facebook stalked the guy thinking he was being added to the worship team there.
Soon after I saw his posts for this interesting worship opportunity called “Cliffside 360 Worship”. Going against my usual “I’m not doing that alone” attitude, I decided to head up one Sunday afternoon and see for myself exactly what this was all about. Aside from feeling a little old, with most of the group being somewhere between 18 and 25(ish), I felt at home and welcomed. Praise and Worship has long been the chief method God uses to speak into the deepest recesses of me.
As the worship time came to an end, I was faced with two options. I could have walked back down the cliff side, and not talked to a soul. That was what everything within me wanted to do. God had other plans. It was as if I felt a hand at my back, gently nudging me to walk over to talk with Blaise and Kyle—the other half of the duo leading this incredible group of young people. I introduced myself and began a conversation that has led to some wonderful friendships with these godly men, and many others.
As I spoke with these men and women, the first thought in my head was, “I was driving home drunk from 6th Street at their age, among other bad decisions.” I remember thinking, for a second, that I wasn’t good enough to stand among them. That thought faded quickly because I was so lovingly welcomed in by this group of strangers, as if I had always been part of the group.
In the coming weeks and months, Blaise would spend more than a few Sundays singing at Gateway, which afforded us more opportunities to talk. I quickly realized that he was the real deal, and God was doing something larger than any of us through this ministry that had come from his and Kyle’s hearts. I knew I wanted to be as much a part of the ministry as possible.
The young people who came to Cliffside 360 represented churches from all over Austin, and it was clear that God was working something incredible by bringing people, from so many different churches/denominations together in one voice.
In early 2018, Blaise announced that he was going to be a contestant on The Voice. God used that opportunity to dawn more light on this ministry I’d grown so fond of and placed him on this path to take this ministry to incredible heights. From dividing our group to send some of us to bear witness downtown at the Graffiti Wall, to CornerUp, where we set up at street corners up and down 6th Street to witness to those willing to listen, this ministry continues to grow as God’s plan continues to unfold.
Between Blaise, Kyle, John David, Nathan, Brooke, Cory, Josh, Debra and so many other singers, musicians, and leaders, God has brought Cliffside 360 and our city a group of incredible Christ Followers to be the small rocks that hit the boulders, that start the avalanche that will change this great city (the greatest in Texas).
They have certainly changed me through their ministry.
I tell this story because of what we learned at the July Cliffside 360. We saw God’s plan unfold yet again, as the largest group in a long time stood atop the cliff. A group of volunteers were setup with a table and sheets to sign. We quickly learned that they were there to gather support to against a decision to take this private land and turn it into development land. The plan is to build homes and businesses along the cliff side and take away this incredible space that has been the site of so many weddings, proposals, photo shoots, and many other groups and events (including Cliffside 360 Worship). Not to mention one of the most beautiful overlooks in all of Austin.
God put our group there in such a large congregation for a reason. The cliff side should be left open as the owner of the land desires. It belongs to God and deserves to be a place where His great power and purpose is brought to fruition. It belongs to those who would find beauty, joy and happiness there; those who would make memories there.
If you are reading this and you would have the cliff side (on either side of the 360 bridge) remain open, please comment and share. Let’s make sure our local government knows just how much the land means to us. If you’re a writer, share your story. If you’re a photographer, share your memories through photos. However you wish to share, share!
You can also click on the link below and fill out the survey. You’ll have the opportunity to provide your email address and a description of your own personal story of what this cliff side area means to you and why.
Let’s pull together as one voice and let it be known that the cliff side is so much more than a place. It has become part of a movement. An idea has become something greater than itself; greater than the sum of its parts.
I’ll leave you with this quote from Victor Hugo “Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.”
The time has come!
The Random Musings of a Nerdy Christ Follower 