“What a blessing, would a breeze be just now to us who sit in this heavy atmosphere! How gladly would we hail a gust from the breezy down, or a gale from the open sea! If the winds of earth are so refreshing, what must a wind from heaven be!” (Charles Spurgeon)

I’m fairly confident there would be multitudes on the earth right now (July, 2020), who would identify with the words of Spurgeon and who would gladly welcome a gust of fresh air from a breezy down, or a blast of ocean air that invigorates mind, soul and spirit.

I also think everyone would agree that this year has been like no other. History’s pages are full of heartache, crisis and drama, yet it’s been a rare phenomenon for the entire world to feel the collective effect of this current global pandemic and the aftermath thereof. Regardless of our individual view or vista — there is a world gasping for breath, gasping for reprieve, gasping for a new world, a new reality, a new freedom.

So, it feels like no mere coincidence that the language around our (postponed) July 2020 Hillsong Conference was “Breathe Again”. At what would have been our 35th milestone year as a leadership conference, our hope (twelve months earlier when planning and projecting) was that the prophetic breath of God would be felt; that the Wind and Spirit of the Living God would refresh and inspire leaders and believers alike; and that together the Body of Christ would rise in greater strength and deeper anointing for the days that lie ahead. Now in retrospect, we know God’s hand was guiding, because who could have foreseen a global virus that primarily attacks the breath in our lungs; who could have foreseen a world now masked and fearful to breathe the same air as the person alongside them; and most poignantly, who could have foreseen a world witnessing a long overdue awakening to racial inequality and oppression — an awakening that began with a fellow human being gasping and crying “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.” If you have suffered loss of any kind in this collective season, our prayers are with you and our trust is that you will sense His goodness and presence leading and guiding you through.

So here we are friends.

Alive in turbulent times and in days that possibly feel unfamiliar and uncertain for many… yet we write these words to encourage and remind that God’s divine will for this earth (and for you personally) remains steadfast. His Word remains, His promises remain, the Great Commission remains, and our prayer is that whilst ‘daylight’ remains, we also will remain steadfast.

Like many other events, this year’s conference has been postponed to 2021, and we will just have to wait with patience to hear from the friends and guests who would have been flying into Sydney (and London) this month. In the meantime, we simply want to encourage you as one who has been a part of this beautiful leadership landscape. Browse through the invitation and allow the words to resonate again. Revisit the video trailer and feel the weightiness of the days. Allow yourself to be reminded of what the collective, diverse and beautiful Body of Christ feels like, and allow God to breathe afresh upon you.

We love you, we believe in you, and we find ourselves praying that His presence and promises will overshadow and sustain you. Until we gather again, and we find ourselves worshipping together and lifting His praises into the atmosphere — be blessed! The best is (surely) yet to come for those who honour and serve the risen King of Heaven — a King who is committed to bring all He has begun to a flourishing finish. (Philippians 1:6 MSG)

“Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.” (Ezekiel 37:9 NIV)

With love and affection,
Brian and Bobbie Houston
(with your Hillsong friends and family)

Download the Hillsong Conference 2021 brochure