Have you ever experienced that sinking realization, "What have I done?" You know " in the enthusiasm of the moment you commit to something that sounds great. Like agreeing to climb a mountain. Then in the cold light of day, as the details emerge, you begin to realize the magnitude of it. There's that feeling of sheer panic as you desperately try to think of a way out. Maybe I can plead insanity, or pretend it was a giant misunderstanding " or just pack the family in the car and flee the city.

Connect09.

I still haven't got my head all the way around it. In fact, I'm trying not to straight away - a bit of foggy ignorance is probably a blessing. If all the twists, turns, trials and tribulations of the next two years were clearly visible up front, I would have been over the hills and far away by now.

I am now two weeks into my new role of coordinating a gospel opportunity of extraordinary magnitude in 2009. Two weeks is enough time to catch a glimpse of what we might be able to achieve together"”which is very, very exciting. It's also enough time to be completely overwhelmed by what lies ahead. Of course, I am not so silly as to think it all rests on my shoulders; I am one small cog in something great. And I am glad that people far wiser and more competent and experienced than I are on the bridge of this ship. But as one (the only one so far) whose day job is all about Connect09, I do experience those brief moments of panic when the fog lifts for a moment to reveal the gradient of the road ahead.

So let me tell you what it is that I am suddenly doing a whole lot more of…

Praying.

I am praying for Sydney. I am praying that God will have mercy on all these people that he has made in his image; people he loves; people who need his forgiveness; people just like me. I am praying in the mornings. I am praying on the bus. And I am praying because the very idea of Connect 09 has forced me to lift my eyes up from My Church, My Family, and My Circle of Friends to see that I am surrounded by lots and lots of people who need to hear about Jesus. I am praying because I am confronted with that fact that so many don't know of him - nor do they know anyone who can tell them. I am praying because they are beyond the reach of churches unless our churches figure out how to reach further. I am praying because I see the magnitude of the task and I know that only God can do it.

Will you pray too? Step one of Connect09 is to pray for our city. And I given the task, I can't think of a better way to start!

Andrew Nixon has been appointed by the Archbishop to implement Connect09