Burning Fires, When Prayers Are Answered

Author’s note: To read about what the Gathering is, please take a look-see here. And once you understand the “what,” the “why” begins to fall into place…

It is a trite way to start a blog entry to be true, but I’m going to do it anyway…

It was a dark and chilly night. 

Um…no.

Chilly is selling it short.

The night was cold. In fact, it was the coldest night of the year up to that point.

It was the kind of cold that gets between your toes and your fingers and pinches you to let you know its there.

Mean cold.

And to top it off, the night seemed darker than usual. It was as if the moon and the stars were so cold that the light coming from them had to squeeze through the black…and the light was losing the fight.

Yup. A dark and chilly night, indeed.

It was one heck of a night to host the second official Gathering in our backyard.

As cold as it was, however, I was prepared. Knowing that the temperature was going to plummet more than 20 degrees from the average, I was going to do all that was in my power to make everyone comfortable. I had lit a fire in the fire pit before the sun had even dipped under the horizon. To combat the darkness, Tiki torches, candle lanterns and Christmas lights had been called into service. Fire and light blazed throughout the landscape. And it was good.

But even with the fire in the fire pit, half a dozen flaming torches and over a dozen candle lanterns blazing (and a gas grill cooking hot dogs and warming some amazing chili prepared by my phenomenal wife)…it was C-O-L-D. It’s pretty tough to hold a conversation when your teeth are chattering so loudly that flecks of enamel are flying to and fro (maybe that description was a little extreme, but you get the point). Yet, even with the cold, even with the dark, over fifteen young Wilmington professionals braved the night to attend the second Gathering-Wilmington. Being so close to Halloween, we knew that there were a number of commitments around town that were going to occupy folks and prevent them from attending, not to mention, the freeze warning that had been issued earlier that day.

But its about quality, not quantity.

And over fifteen quality folk from churches all across Wilmington had shown up for food, fun and fellowship in the name of Christ under a cold and dark October night sky.

But why? Why come out in the cold to a simple little backyard gathering in Wilmington, NC?

It finally clicked when Stephen crossed his arms, took a deep breath, looked me straight in the eye and said “This is such an answer to prayer.”

And just like that, boom, the Spirit dropped in and became a palpable presence at the second Gathering.

Not a word was said in reply. The only sound that could be heard was the crackling snap and hiss of the fire, for a deep hush had fallen over the conversations of the fifteen people who were still braving the chilly night air.

To be completely honest, looking back, I don’t even know if anyone other than my wife and I had heard what Stephen said. And I don’t really think that it mattered.  Because even though these folks had no idea what Stephen had said, in one instant the entire group dynamic changed. I’m not saying that everyone started speaking in tongues, started holding hands and singing kum-ba-ya or started falling out because we were slain in the Spirit. That’s not what I am saying at all. What I am saying is that conversations began to turn from independent subjects of the world and onto matters of the collective heart and spirit. I noticed that the talk went away from TV shows and ballgames and things that were going wrong in people’s lives and instead to making a positive difference in lives, the community and deeper concerns of the soul. Talk moved away from the failure of the temporary and shifted to the power of the testimony. And it was good.

People stopped talking about the cold.

The shivering ceased.

The flames from the fire-pit blazed warmer.

The shadows…less invasive.

The Fire, capital -F- intended, had arrived. In full truth, He was always there. He had just been waiting on us to give Him an opportunity. And Stephen, as he is wont to do, offered it.

People started talking about freedom, joy, unity, compassion, truth, patience, kindness, love and generosity. Folks started talking about what it really means to be a Christian, that its not about where you go to church, or how much more you tithe than the next person, that defines you and your walk. Its not about how hard you work or strive. Its not about acting sweet to someone’s face during the morning service, criticizing them at the lunch table in the afternoon and slandering them at the dinner table at night (because that’s not God, and that’s not Christian). True Christianity is  about how much you actually walk in the footsteps of the love of the Savior. Its about wanting the likeness of Jesus all over your life. It’s about not just reflecting the love of God on a Sunday morning, but absolutely shining with it every moment of every day, including the times when you are away from the public eye. It’s a lot like that country music song by Blake Shelton that asks “who are you when I’m not lookin?” Because He is always around and He is always wanting to show up in every moment of every day, so being a true Christian means that you are giving the Holy Spirit the opportunity to invade the space you have influence over at all times.  That you are always accepted and loved, and in turn this acceptance and love shines from you.

And if you think that is impossible, there is this book called the New Testament and a person named Jesus that I would love to introduce you to. And it is possible, because His Spirit is everywhere.

And boy, He was really showing up in our backyard.

In that small token moment, in the dark and cold of night, in the space between the spaces, with just the few simple words “this is such an answer to prayer,” the night instantly changed because the presence of God was everywhere and it was infecting everything. Stephen had voiced something which had activated the Holy Spirit, something that allowed a blessing to flow from Heaven to Earth.

(Now I know some of you reading this just completely checked out. I get it. Some of you are saying “I knew this guy was bonkos. Talking about that whole Holy Spirit thing that my pastor doesn’t even like to discuss because the Son and God are so easy to talk about but the Holy Spirit…man, what is that; talking about Heaven on Earth, which just makes me uncomfortable because of all the terrible things going on all over this planet, so how in the world does Heaven on Earth happen, and since I don’t understand it, it means it must not be true, which that means what was happening in that backyard was just mass hypnosis or delusion brought about by the cold or some weird chemical in the wood they were burning in that fire pit, yadda yadda…”

And that’s okay. I used to say the same things until one day I got smashed with the Holy Spirit defibrillator and realized just exactly what the Holy Spirit is. But that is another discussion for another time…so stay tuned).

With those simple words, the Lord was illustrating why The Gathering was so important for those in attendance. After all, answers to prayers are pretty dang important.

When I pressed Stephen a little further on why it was an answer to prayer,  he did not hesitate with an explanation.

“It’s nice to be able to talk freely about what God is doing with people our age outside of a church building.”

It’s that simple.

That’s what the Gathering is all about.

Look, I love church. I grew up in church. I vigorously support attending church. And tithing. And serving.  The Church, as a body, is the Bride of Christ (not just your church…if you think the word “church” means only your particular church, maybe you should look up the word ekklesia, which was the meaning that Jesus used when he said “church” in Matthew 16:18). But being a Christian is about more than being a part of a church-building and only participating in selected church-related functions, small groups and worship nights. When the idea for the Gathering was conceived, a few threatened individuals believed and spread the lie that the Gathering was designed to take people away from the church. And that’s not true at all. In fact, it’s the opposite.There is something that happens, that activates, when you celebrate your faith outside of a walled building. There is a tremendous freedom with celebrating God in public without an agenda other than acceptance of and loving of your fellow man. And it is good.

The Gathering is just that, a gathering- a gathering of young professionals who are hungry for God and a move of the Holy Spirit that is not contained within the walls of a building.

My Jesus is bigger than just a single building. He is bigger than every building.

Shouldn’t you let yours be?

And what’s amazing is, when you give the Holy Spirit opportunity to move, anywhere you are, He actually shows up!

Because He is always there.

He is waiting on us.

And The Gathering is waiting for you too.

 

-Ken

 

Want to join us for the next Gathering? We’d love to have you! The Gathering takes place (with few exceptions) the last Friday of every month at rotating and various locations around Wilmington-NC. For more details, follow us here, on Facebook and Twitter!

 

 

The Gathering…Just What Exactly Is It?

Yup, the first blog post is a shameless plug. I admit it. But hey, we aren’t selling anything, so there is no shame! This being said…here we go!

Have you ever looked around your church and asked, “Where the heck are all the young professionals? And the ones I do see, how come I never see them outside of church?”

Go ahead and laugh, but you know you have asked it.I know I have.
So in response, we began The Gathering.

The Gathering seeks to provide young professionals (and young at heart professionals) with a place to gather once a month for food, fellowship and fun.

The Gathering is not a small group. The Gathering is not a church replacement. There are no sermons, there are no agendas. The Gathering is a place for you to come and be you. Married, single, kids or no kids. It doesn’t matter. If you are between the ages of 22-45, The Gathering wants you to be a part.

The Gathering is also a great place for the new believer or non-Christians who are curious about what the whole real Christian thing is about.

Look, let’s be honest. Church scares a lot people nowadays because people’s perceptions have been skewed by the business of American church. Would you like to walk into someplace where you feel like you are going to be judged or indoctrinated, or worse yet, looked at as a walking ATM machine? Right or wrong, that is how most non-Christian Americans feel when they think about church. Many people were given the wrong impression of church when they were younger, have heard nightmare stories of religious cults, received the wrong ideas by agenda-driven media groups, been on the wrong end of church-engendered manipulation or have just been downright hurt by religious people (usually the biggest culprit). Not to mention the fact that when you say the word Christian to some folks, the dreaded tele-evangelists come to mind. Yikes. Some people have been turned off by what they perceive as stale ritual in the more formal churches while others have been downright freaked out by the hands in the air, dancing and exuberant worship in the Spirit-filled churches.

The Gathering provides a safe place for the curious and the new believer. Sure, there may be some guitar and bongo playing accompanied by a little singing, someone may ever pray for you, but we promise, you won’t handle any snakes, have to walk on coals or get whipped in the eye by an errant prayer flag…at least on your first visit (kidding).

All of The Gathering’s core members are deeply involved with various churches in Wilmington, NC. We each have a deeply rooted passion for God’s Kingdom and people. This being said, The Gathering is not directly supported nor sponsored by any church or religious organization, nor does it seek such sponsorship. 

The Gathering’s primary objective is UNITY. In fact, amongst the core members of The Gathering, if you were to ask them what their biggest desire was for, besides Christ, each of them would have UNITY at the top of the list. It’s a big deal.

How big of a deal is unity? Did you know that before Jesus was arrested to be crucified that unity was forefront in His mind (John 17:20-23)? Before Jesus was to be hauled off, condemned, tortured, beaten, mocked, and hung on a tree…He prayed for unity in the body of believers. He didn’t pray for a quick death. He didn’t pray for a numbing agent to kill the pain. Jesus, the Son of God, prayed for us. He prayed that we would come together as one.

Wow. Kind of makes you think, huh?

Unity is bigger than one church. It is bigger than one building. Unity is more than praying for other churches. Unity is about standing and meeting with your brothers and sisters in Christ. For far too long we have let our differences separate us, when it is our commonalities that should be bringing us together. In Christ, we are all lights to this world. And lights shine brighter when they shine together.

No matter your stage in your walk, no matter your background, no matter who you think you are, The Gathering is for you.

Come join us the last Friday of every month. Bring a side-dish or a soda. Bring a musical instrument to join in on the worship. But mostly, just bring yourself. That’s all we really need.

-Ken