Today was a day of strong impressions. Even at breakfast this morning, God was at work in people. In the morning session, Thom Black, who worked with George Barna on “Revolution”, told about some significant events in his life, which were originally negative but which God turned to the positive. That was followed by workshops; I chose ‘Intimacy with the Father’, because it is a topic which I’ve been dealing with in the past weeks. I didn’t hear anything new, but it was a good refresher.
We had a time of prayer for a few people at the end of the workshop. I had a picture of ‘orange’ – simply a wall of orange colour. It meant nothing to me, but, after some explanation because the person I was praying for did not understand English very well, it turned out to mean something very positive for him! I had almost felt silly mentioning it! That should probably be a lesson for us, to trust our impressions from God even when they seem totally ridiculous.
I met Ken for lunch, who told me his amazing and beautiful story; he was involved in a car crash around 7 years ago, in which he broke his neck and back, and suffered severe inner head injuries. He could not remember his wife or children, or how to read or write. When he was released from hospital, the doctors told his wife that he would probably never be able to do any more challenging work than greeting people coming into a supermarket. He had also lost his senses of taste and smell, because the nerves had been severed in the accident, and the doctors could not repair them; they told him that if the nerves had not regenerated within 6 months, he would never taste or smell again. 18 months later, the Holy Spirit healed both nerves at once during a worship service. It was a story of immense difficulty and struggle, but also of coming close to God and being transformed. Today, Ken is very healthy, and a wonderful example of God’s power and love.
I had dinner with Mark from West Virginia, who is at the start of his exploration of house church, and hear to learn and connect with people. It was an interesting time, and I would like to visit him if we get time during our visit to the east coast.
This evening, Rolland Baker spoke about his experiences in Mozambique, and, by example, how desperately we need the Holy Spirit instead of plans and strategies. It was immensely touching, and had me in tears several times. The Holy Spirit moved during the prayers at the end, touching many people’s hearts, including mine.
I also managed to get some business cards printed today, having forgotten to bring any with me. I think they look good!
