Right in the mist of it, dead in the thick of it, how many times did we talk bout this?
Right in the thick of it, hold up the mist of it. This, is, it!
So this year we talk a lot about prayer, about being the answer to your prayers, about being the hands and feet of Jesus. About turning up and being. We got excited about people that were out doing the stuff, living life on the edge and feeling alive. Echoes of Jackie Pullenges ‘’..if you wana see revival build your church in the gutter..’’ and the classic ‘’Some wanna live in the sound of church and chapel bell, but me, I wanna run a rescue shop in the very gates of hell’’.
Spurred on by the desire and passion of people to pray, we ventured out to the darken mhallah secvers? To take on an upfront full night of prayer. Armed with sleeping bags bibles and the knowledge that God can do Immeasurably more (well, simmo on the other hand was prepared for everything other than nuclear fall out with his SAS survival kit) we set up base, expecting to meet the boss, hear his plane and join with his cries for change in the forgotten end of town
In English this place is called Gypsy Street, named after a high ranking roma the population could be around 150 families. The tone of the place is set as we arrived and are greeted by an 11 year old boy sitting on the side of the road at 1130pm eating a bag of crisp. I got questions, with no answers, wot can we strange English boys do hear, can we make a difference? Will us staying up all night in any way be of any help to this community. In the natural, no! I’m sure a lot of folk stay up all night. But in the spiritual flipping heck yeah. ‘’..pray as if it all depends on God..’’ Right here, right now, it all depends on God, flicking through the pages remembering the promises. We join with the cries of Gods heart for his people called by his name to turn once again to the creator of all things. We thank God for the lives that have been changed by the relentless work of his soldiers on the ground and dare, slightly naturally sceptically, to ask for more. More than this, more than we can think or imagine or sometimes even understand. Some times without knowing the words to say I just find myself imagining wot could be!, if the tide turned, if this little street in this little known place caught the fire and was transformed. Do we dare believe for this, dare imagine the repercussions on this town this city this country. It’s hard in a place like this, when you look in the faces of the kids. You contemplate what they will become, how they will live the little prospects they have and the likely hood they are faced with in becoming a product of their environment.
And then, as dawn breaks and the daylight floods in, I see a rose. Growing strong out of the mix of concert, rubbish and dirt. Fully in bloom and beautiful and I’m touch that God can make something so sweet, so beautiful so strong out the rubbish, out of the grime, out of this place. We’ve be taught to find God in a culture. Today I saw God, in a flower and I’m amazed, again at how the same
God who made the universe, in this small part of his earth care’s enuff to shine a light hear, that there might be growth, that there might be beauty, that there might be life!
If you get some time, pray for Mahalla scevers (Gypsy street) pray the daylight would flood this place that darkness would be flushed out and that the kingdom would be firmly planted hear. Pray for Pepe and Driton, and the other Christians that live in this community. Pray for the relentless work of the church hear, that they wouldn’t get tired of doing good.
This morning at church wot a humbling experience it was having prayed in this street to see 4 young girls from the community stand up and act out a little drama they had put together themselves about how good it is to read the bible, pray and worship the living God. They are coming to prayer together at 5pm tomorrow in out basement. Is this more than we can imaging? I think God has a lot more in store for this place, lets join him in seeing it come to be........
thanks
Right in the thick of it, hold up the mist of it. This, is, it!
So this year we talk a lot about prayer, about being the answer to your prayers, about being the hands and feet of Jesus. About turning up and being. We got excited about people that were out doing the stuff, living life on the edge and feeling alive. Echoes of Jackie Pullenges ‘’..if you wana see revival build your church in the gutter..’’ and the classic ‘’Some wanna live in the sound of church and chapel bell, but me, I wanna run a rescue shop in the very gates of hell’’.
Spurred on by the desire and passion of people to pray, we ventured out to the darken mhallah secvers? To take on an upfront full night of prayer. Armed with sleeping bags bibles and the knowledge that God can do Immeasurably more (well, simmo on the other hand was prepared for everything other than nuclear fall out with his SAS survival kit) we set up base, expecting to meet the boss, hear his plane and join with his cries for change in the forgotten end of town
In English this place is called Gypsy Street, named after a high ranking roma the population could be around 150 families. The tone of the place is set as we arrived and are greeted by an 11 year old boy sitting on the side of the road at 1130pm eating a bag of crisp. I got questions, with no answers, wot can we strange English boys do hear, can we make a difference? Will us staying up all night in any way be of any help to this community. In the natural, no! I’m sure a lot of folk stay up all night. But in the spiritual flipping heck yeah. ‘’..pray as if it all depends on God..’’ Right here, right now, it all depends on God, flicking through the pages remembering the promises. We join with the cries of Gods heart for his people called by his name to turn once again to the creator of all things. We thank God for the lives that have been changed by the relentless work of his soldiers on the ground and dare, slightly naturally sceptically, to ask for more. More than this, more than we can think or imagine or sometimes even understand. Some times without knowing the words to say I just find myself imagining wot could be!, if the tide turned, if this little street in this little known place caught the fire and was transformed. Do we dare believe for this, dare imagine the repercussions on this town this city this country. It’s hard in a place like this, when you look in the faces of the kids. You contemplate what they will become, how they will live the little prospects they have and the likely hood they are faced with in becoming a product of their environment.
And then, as dawn breaks and the daylight floods in, I see a rose. Growing strong out of the mix of concert, rubbish and dirt. Fully in bloom and beautiful and I’m touch that God can make something so sweet, so beautiful so strong out the rubbish, out of the grime, out of this place. We’ve be taught to find God in a culture. Today I saw God, in a flower and I’m amazed, again at how the same
God who made the universe, in this small part of his earth care’s enuff to shine a light hear, that there might be growth, that there might be beauty, that there might be life!If you get some time, pray for Mahalla scevers (Gypsy street) pray the daylight would flood this place that darkness would be flushed out and that the kingdom would be firmly planted hear. Pray for Pepe and Driton, and the other Christians that live in this community. Pray for the relentless work of the church hear, that they wouldn’t get tired of doing good.
This morning at church wot a humbling experience it was having prayed in this street to see 4 young girls from the community stand up and act out a little drama they had put together themselves about how good it is to read the bible, pray and worship the living God. They are coming to prayer together at 5pm tomorrow in out basement. Is this more than we can imaging? I think God has a lot more in store for this place, lets join him in seeing it come to be........
thanks
What if?
ReplyDeleteJust imagine ...
' your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions, even on my servants both men and women I will pour out my Spirit in those days, I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth .....
what if??