"The Sound Heard Far Away"

Remember this place? This was the place where it all started (for a lot of us). I have lots of good memories in the Youth House. The "Persecuted Church" service we did, when Daniel and Caleb came in as Soldiers (with real guns!!) and pretended to drown me. How about all the times singing "Trading my sorrows", and bringing the house down on the "Yes, yes, Lord" part. From the times of tragedy and grief (after Barbara died, and when you guys sang to us over the phone when Ezra was in the hospital) to times of joy (Ezra's first time in the youth house, and all of the "End of School" celebrations), the youth house marks a very special era in our lives.
But a new era is just about to begin. The new building is almost complete. When we went on the prayer walk during the half-time of the Super Bowl, I got goosebumps thinking about all of the possibilities and opportunities.
I've been doing a study on Joy in the Bible. If you've read John Piper at all, you know the phrase "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him". God wants us..commands us.. to be happy(I don't think there's a Biblical difference between happiness and joy). When I walked through that building, I got happy. I'm excited to see what God's going to do through all of this. That's why we sing, that's why we sing LOUD! Loud enough for people to hear from far away, Our God is Good, He is the BEAUTIFUL ONE, He covers us in WAVES OF MERCY, we will worship Him even if it makes us look UNDIGNIFIED, because I've been made a FRIEND OF GOD, Because ROMANS 16:19 says God will CRUSH SATAN, yep, that's why we sing our HAPPY SONG!
Ezra 3:13b "For the people shouted with a loud shout, and the shout was heard far away!"