I giggle with delight sometimes at the goofy way God works. We try to box Him up and force Him into our strictures of how He should do His work and then He blows it all up with His tender love and gracious actions toward those He calls to Himself.
I spoke a couple of weeks ago at Pima Community College in David Gainey's class entitled "Religion and Pop Culture." David is a good friend and asks me to speak to his class each semester around the theme of spiritual warfare and demons and angels. He has the class watch the horror movie The Exorcism of Emily Rose as a setup for my visit. Since I am not a professor but only a guest speaker, I am not bound by rules about sharing my faith. The class is full of folks who self-identify from every imaginable religious background as well as agnostics and atheists. I usually tell some stories around demonic influences in peoples' lives. That triggers some great conversations. We talked about "sensing" evil on Thursday and one guy, Frank, asked me if I ever experienced evil in a place. Were there places where I "felt the evil." I told him there were places that made me uncomfortable and he asked me to name one. I told him that Sedona, Arizona was one of the most beautiful places on earth but that it felt very spiritually dead to me. He said, "I love Sedona. Thanks for ruining it for me!" That got a good laugh from his classmates and soon because a punchline in several other questions during our time together.
Unbeknownst to me, Frank went home that day and told his girlfriend Jessica about my lecture. She was experiencing all kinds of spiritual darkness and had weird encounters in the night that would give her chills and then make her sick the following day. She got my name from Frank and searched the internet for my number. When she found it, she called me on a Monday and asked if I could come and bless their house and make the forces of darkness leave. I told her that I would love to pray for her but that I would like to meet and talk elsewhere first. She agreed to come to the church on Wednesday and talk with my co-pastor, Eric, and me.
She came and told us her story. It is an amazing story! She was born in Italy, near Milan, and her parents were followers of Rev. Moon. As members of the Unification Church the marriage had been arranged in order to bring harmony in the future. Jessica's father was abusive and eventually her mother took her and her brother to the United States to get away from their father. Her mother left the church and began to abuse drugs and alcohol. She introduced all sorts of strange men into her life. Jessica's father eventually came to the states as well and they reestablished a bit of a relationship. Jessica had a few wild moments also, but eventually became deeply involved in the cult activities. She would raise money and even got involved in political efforts in Washington on behalf of the church. She hobnobbed with high government officials before she was eighteen years old. She was matched and married in a mass ceremony in New York. Her new husband was from Korea and wanted to go back to Korea, but instead they moved in with his parents in Tucson. He was mean and abusive to her. She got pregnant but the baby died seven months into the pregnancy. It was a horrific blow to her since she had always longed to be a mom and raise children. She got pregnant again and had her daughter. She finally ran away from her husband, divorced him, and had a series of relationships before settling in with Frank. Frank became a father figure to her little girl and they have been together for five years.
We listened to her story. Eric asked her what she wanted and she wept and told us she wanted to be free of the darkness. She told us she was going to all kinds of spiritualists looking for help. Eric asked her what she believe about Jesus and she told us that she was taught Jesus could have been the Messiah but that he had failed to get married and have children so that he was a failed Messiah. He was considered a wise and good prophet. Eric told her that we believe Jesus was the Messiah and that he was God. "For reals?" she said. "You actually believe Jesus is God?" She had a hard time getting her head around that. Eric did a beautiful job of telling the story of the gospel to her and she sat back, amazed. I told her that we would love to walk with her but to truly find peace she would have to come to grips with Jesus being God. She said she wasn't sure she was ready to acknowledge that. We told her we would love to help as best we could in anyway and that we would pray with her.
She bowed her head and Eric asked her if she would like to pray first. She nodded her head and started an argument with herself. She went back and forth first announcing that Jesus was God and then denying it was possible. Then she would say it more firmly and renounce it again. It was amazing to listen to. Finally, she announced that she was choosing to believe that Jesus was God and that she wanted to give him her whole life, as messed up as it was. It was a sweet moment watching the peace flow over her. We prayed for her and she took a Bible and some passages that Eric said she should read and left with a promise to come to church and become part of that community. We prayed that she would find a new place to live and that she would find peace from the torment and sickness.
She called me the next day to tell me that when the demons had come to her in the night she had told them to go away since she now belonged to Jesus and then she cried out to Jesus to come and rescue her. She said that the chills left immediately and that she did not wake up sick. She was thrilled to have found such peace. She also told me they would be moving into a new apartment the next day. Those were beautiful answers to prayer!
On Thursday after Missional Cafe', I was visiting with my sister in Englewood. The phone rang and it was Jessica. She told me they were moved in and that she was unpacking. She said that her boyfriend, Frank, had told her to relax and that he would pay the bills for awhile while she took care of herself. Frank identifies himself as an unbeliever who has occasionally gone to church on Easter or Christmas or whenever he feels bad about his life. Jessica told me that she was feeling guilty not doing things and wondered what the requirements were to belong to the Village. She told me she wanted to do lots of things including helping people, but wanted to also start doing things that the church would require of her. She must have used the word "do" fifty times. I finally interrupted her and told her that she didn't have to do anything. I told her that she was dearly loved by God and to just "be" Jessica. I told her to love her daughter and Frank and take joy in not having to do anything. She started to cry.
She told me how much she loved being home with her daughter, meeting her new neighbors, and decorating their new apartment. She cried some more. I told her to continue to do the things that delighted her. She said that every night she was reading books to her five-year-old before she went to bed and how much fun that was. She said she felt like a good mom.
"Rod," she said. "I might have messed up, but I need to tell you something." She went on to tell me that she had been reading a book to her daughter and when they finished her daughter pointed to the Bible and said, "Let's read the new book you got, Mommy."
She told me she didn't know where to read from so she just opened the book and started reading. She told me she was reading about some guy pursuing a girl and describing her with an ivory neck and breasts like towers and like fawns. Jessica said, "I don't know if you have read that part of the Bible, Rod, but it is hilarious. My daughter and I were rolling on the floor laughing. It was so funny my daughter kept asking me to read more. We giggled all night. I don't know if it was appropriate for my daughter or not or if that is what I should be reading myself, but was very good and very funny."
I told her that the man in the story was God and that she was the girl He was loving and pursuing. I told her that the girl in the story didn't have to do anything to earn the love of the man and that she didn't have to do anything to earn God's love either. I told her to giggle and laugh and roll on the floor in delight and take pleasure in being loved by God. She wept for a long time before she whispered, "I needed to hear that," and we finally hung up.
Sunday, she and Frank and her little girl came to the Village. Folks engaged them and asked them good questions. They made them feel welcome. It was good to see them being gently enfolded into the community. Since they were surrounded with folks, I ate dinner with April and her husband Michael, who is also not a believer. He says he is just supporting April and isn't at the Village to hear about God. He had liked some things in the sermon and was talking to me about it. He is a prison guard and liked the idea of confession as a path to be released from darkness since prison inmates are always trying to turn guards and it is important for guards to quickly confess when they have done wrong so as to keep from being turned. Frank stopped by the table to tell me how much he appreciated the message and that he had learned a lot. He said he would be back next week along with Jessica and her daughter. Michael told him to make sure to come back because even though he himself wasn't a Christian, people at the Village were "good people" who cared about each other and helped other people. Michael said that he himself was learning a lot of stuff about God. Frank assured Michael that he would be back.
You have to love when unbelievers are inviting other unbelievers to church! You have to really love when God uses horror movies, new apartments, and randon verses from the Song of Songs to draw people to Himself. You have to love the gospel.
I love telling the stories of God's victories!
On Thursday after Missional Cafe', I was visiting with my sister in Englewood. The phone rang and it was Jessica. She told me they were moved in and that she was unpacking. She said that her boyfriend, Frank, had told her to relax and that he would pay the bills for awhile while she took care of herself. Frank identifies himself as an unbeliever who has occasionally gone to church on Easter or Christmas or whenever he feels bad about his life. Jessica told me that she was feeling guilty not doing things and wondered what the requirements were to belong to the Village. She told me she wanted to do lots of things including helping people, but wanted to also start doing things that the church would require of her. She must have used the word "do" fifty times. I finally interrupted her and told her that she didn't have to do anything. I told her that she was dearly loved by God and to just "be" Jessica. I told her to love her daughter and Frank and take joy in not having to do anything. She started to cry.
She told me how much she loved being home with her daughter, meeting her new neighbors, and decorating their new apartment. She cried some more. I told her to continue to do the things that delighted her. She said that every night she was reading books to her five-year-old before she went to bed and how much fun that was. She said she felt like a good mom.
"Rod," she said. "I might have messed up, but I need to tell you something." She went on to tell me that she had been reading a book to her daughter and when they finished her daughter pointed to the Bible and said, "Let's read the new book you got, Mommy."
She told me she didn't know where to read from so she just opened the book and started reading. She told me she was reading about some guy pursuing a girl and describing her with an ivory neck and breasts like towers and like fawns. Jessica said, "I don't know if you have read that part of the Bible, Rod, but it is hilarious. My daughter and I were rolling on the floor laughing. It was so funny my daughter kept asking me to read more. We giggled all night. I don't know if it was appropriate for my daughter or not or if that is what I should be reading myself, but was very good and very funny."
I told her that the man in the story was God and that she was the girl He was loving and pursuing. I told her that the girl in the story didn't have to do anything to earn the love of the man and that she didn't have to do anything to earn God's love either. I told her to giggle and laugh and roll on the floor in delight and take pleasure in being loved by God. She wept for a long time before she whispered, "I needed to hear that," and we finally hung up.
Sunday, she and Frank and her little girl came to the Village. Folks engaged them and asked them good questions. They made them feel welcome. It was good to see them being gently enfolded into the community. Since they were surrounded with folks, I ate dinner with April and her husband Michael, who is also not a believer. He says he is just supporting April and isn't at the Village to hear about God. He had liked some things in the sermon and was talking to me about it. He is a prison guard and liked the idea of confession as a path to be released from darkness since prison inmates are always trying to turn guards and it is important for guards to quickly confess when they have done wrong so as to keep from being turned. Frank stopped by the table to tell me how much he appreciated the message and that he had learned a lot. He said he would be back next week along with Jessica and her daughter. Michael told him to make sure to come back because even though he himself wasn't a Christian, people at the Village were "good people" who cared about each other and helped other people. Michael said that he himself was learning a lot of stuff about God. Frank assured Michael that he would be back.
You have to love when unbelievers are inviting other unbelievers to church! You have to really love when God uses horror movies, new apartments, and randon verses from the Song of Songs to draw people to Himself. You have to love the gospel.
I love telling the stories of God's victories!
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