In my last post I talked about going “Beyond Macon”. Well yesterday I definitely went Beyond Macon. I met people and experienced things that before had been far-off realities. I live about an hour north of Lakeland, FL where there have been reports of the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit in healing and revival for the last 65 days or so [floridaoutpouring.com]. I drove down to Lakeland yesterday to spend the day there and attend the 10AM and 7PM services of the Lakeland Revival. I’m going to try to keep this post really organized because I have felt fairly overwhelmed over the last twelve hours.
Morning 10AM Service:
I went to the morning service which started with 45-60 minutes of worship time. I love worship. The format and structure was a little bit different than I am used to and I felt a little bit out of my element. Still, I was committed to experiencing what the Holy Spirit was doing in Lakeland, and I tried not to let my habits get in the way.
When I felt as though my head was trying to take over or my discomfort was getting the best of me, I sat down, closed my eyes, bowed my head and tried to re-center myself with Jesus. I prayed that He would continue to fill me and tried to (re)immerse myself in the worship that was filling the air. At one point I opened my eyes and saw a man who was maybe in his early forties wearing blue jeans and striped polo shirt. He had a pretty good-sized gut and was slightly balding. He was also dancing for the Lord like nobody was watching. In that moment I looked around the room and was struck by the diversity of the people who were thirsty for the Spirit — young, old, foreign, and domestic. I thought of times when I was in a room where my worship style was on the fringe. I was more committed than ever to experience as much as I could of the Revival in which many of these people had been caught up for weeks. I left the morning service excited to join with thousands at the evening session.
Experiences that were brand new for me on Wednesday:
- Worshiping with believers who readily and liberally speak in tongues
- Witnessing believers be overcome with the Spirit to the point of falling on the floor
- Praying expectantly for resurrection and material gain
- Being in a room where I am pretty sure a war was being waged in the spiritual realm
Evening 7PM Service OR Being reassured in the World Race:
I spent the first two hours of the evening session sitting/standing by myself participating in the worship. Much like the morning session, there were definite periods when my head got in the way or my discomfort got the best of me. But for sure I was able to worship with all of my heart as I have loved to do for years. At one point in particular I really got into clapping with the beat of the music that was being played (I can’t sing and clap on beat at the same time). The worship leader, who was great by the way, got out to the middle of the stage and started dancing like I’ve never seen anyone dance before. Her movements almost looked like martial arts, but more artistic and inspired. Her dance seemed almost choreographed, but too random to be such. As I watched I thought to myself “this woman is dancing with purpose — that is more than dancing, but somehow dancing nonetheless”. Shortly after I had this thought, one of the leaders stepped forward and said “Just in case you’re wondering what’s going on, we’re in the midst of a battle right now, but it’s OK because God is gonna win and we’re dancing on the Devil”. My heart said “YES”.
At 9:00 I got to meet up with some World Race graduates. There had been a wreck that closed down the interstate and they were delayed a few hours. By this time I was glad to see someone I at least kinda sorta (not really) knew, or at least someone I could sit with, because Todd Bentley was about to take the stage and I knew I was about to be way out of my element.
I had decided to visit Lakeland after I read a blog post by a girl named Allison Johnston who just returned from the World Race who was traveling to Lakeland with a few of her WR teammates. She and I exchanged emails and phone numbers and she was patient and relentless in being sure I could meet up with their crew. I identified with a lot of the things she had expressed in her original Lakeland Journal blog post (allisonjohnston.theworldrace.org); she has since continued to update her friends and supporters as to her group’s experience at the Revival over the past few days.
At the end of the service everyone who was in the tent lined up and waited to receive a blessing from Todd Bentley of Fresh Fire Ministries and the other leaders of the Revival. Many of the people collapsed under the power of the Spirit. In those moments before, during and after that blessing, I believe God placed those World Racers around me to help me process all the new things I was experiencing. I thank God for his provision of even those brief moments of community in what otherwise might have been a very confusing experience for me.
As I drove home I just tried to decompress all the new things that had happened to me that day. My conclusion was that meeting a group of individuals who had traveled the world together as I plan to do in my own community of believers beginning in October alone could have made the entire trip worth it. I’m glad I have now experienced what is happening in Lakeland, even if I will still need a few days, weeks, or even years to wrestle with the things I have now seen, heard, and experienced.
If I hadn’t had some people who were willing to listen to my initial reactions in love and understanding as I was in that place last night, I would have left with my head spinning even faster than it was. I thank God for those Racers and that he put them in that place at that time and that he called me to join them this week in Lakeland.
