…when God shows up.

It.s 10.00am. —  breakfast is over. i sit on the floor indian style with my bible and notebook in my lap, surrounded by six of my twenty member ¨family.¨ we are all community. and in community we have small groups –  which aids in digging in deeper, building relationships, and keeps close accountability.

 

we dissect 1 Corinthians 13 and the topic of love for a while (i.ll write more in that later.) before we break for the day, we pray for, and over each other. we pray for passion, for boldness, for chains to be broken, for god.s power to come down on us, and for god to do miraculous things today. as i pray, the lord fills my mouth with the prayer and the confidence to believe he will do these things and more than believe – to expect him to do epic things.

 

— 2pm finds me in the very back seat of a 15 passenger van, praying for god.s spirit to come upon our upcoming mission field. the heat is intense and there is zero ventilation. diesel perfumes the air.  bumping over moon craters in the road and fighting getting carsick i close my eyes and pray once again for god to come and wash over our team. i ask him to bring his power and freedom to the drug and rebad center we.re about to visit.  our team starts declaring the same truths and promises i am specifically praying for. confirmation!

 

our van pulls up to a fenced gate. inside are three small concrete buildings. this is the drug and rehab center. we.ve been here before. ducking inside the small room, i see familiar faces of the men who live here. there are about twenty men ranging in age from 18 to maybe 65 or older. they all sit in plastic chairs lined up against the wall in silence. their bibles rest in their lap. i read pain and hurt on many of the faces. as our team fills the room the watch every move. we swap smiles and ¨holas¨.

 

jessica and some of my other teammates have been working on the ´´everything´´ skit from lifehouse. we open with their drama. powerful stuff. 

 

brett recaps the message and meaning behind the drama and how christ is pulling hard after our hearts despite the pulls and distactions from the world. josh shares a little of his testimony and also talks about faith and the importance of staying strong in faith despite the ups and downs of this life.

 

jessica shares next about how that in christ we have freedom to be crazy for christ. to do out of this world crazy things. to heal the sick to raise the dead and to cast out demons.

 

i have no plan of speaking or sharing. but, you know god…whenever i have plans he changes them as quick as can be. before even coming, he had laid on my heart the verse in phil.4.13 that says, ´´ i can do everything through chist who gives me strength.´´ i honestly don´t remember much of what i said. shared that in Christ the have the power to do whatever he has called them do to. be it, finishing rehab, or being faithful in relationships, or whatever god has called them to do. i challenged them to claim that promise. to shot it out loud…and loudly…with boldness when they we.re feeling overcome by doubt or fear.

 

our time finishes with intense, god presence power.

 

we sing, lord i left your name on high in spanish and after finishing we ask if they have a song they would like to sing. a firm no has been the answer the last two times we´ve been here. today, there is no answer…just a blast of noise and praise as 20 or more men start out in song. the volume could  lift the roof. it is incredible. they continue – song after song after song! i stand against the wall to take in the scene. faces that where once heavy with pain and faces filled with dispare are shinning. their faces not big enough for their smiles. they are clapping and hands are raised! was this the same room that i walked into an our ago?

 

no. this is a different room. this is a room that the spirit of God has filled it. this has become a living sanctuary. he has transformed. this is what happens when god shows up. and i think this is what it means in 1 corinthians 3.17 when it says, Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.