Training Camp Post 3 of 3
I met a wildly tame, concretely abstract, fundamentally “out there”, South African man at training camp. His name is Deon. Adjectives struggle to define him.
Deon says things like “I was so angry, I could spit on a cat and make its hair fall out.”
The man has a tendency for one-liners.
Deon has traveled the world, worked in missions, studied in seminary, and now teaches. He speaks from a lot of experience – his words reverberate authority and wisdom; so when he drops a one-liner, it’s typically dense.
I’m a skeptic, so when I heard him talking about healing people, my initial response was this guy’s full of it.
Then I thought about it, and I realized that by saying something is impossible, I’m putting God into a box. I’m literally putting a hard line on what God (an incomprehensible, higher dimensional being) is capable of. I have no idea what’s possible, but I’m surely arrogant enough to believe I know how this universe works.
I decided to talk with Deon about it instead of judging him, or at least before I judged him(I really just wanted to assure myself that he was crazy). I asked him about his experience with healings, and different aspects of the Holy Spirit.
That was the first time I spoke one on one with Deon. We didn’t just step down or test the water, he jumped off a cliff and pulled me with him. We fell into conversation.
He shared some wild testimonies of experiences around the world. Things that I heard and couldn’t help but wonder, What if this man isn’t completely full of it?
He started to gain some momentum in his speech. He so easily transitioned into preaching that it was hardly noticeable. His eyes darted off into the surrounding woods while he wove stories and scripture together, leaving me immersed in fascination and thought.
Our free fall slammed to a halt when he paused mid-sentence, gathered himself with a deep breath and looked into my eyes, “Do you want to see the Kingdom of God? Do you want to experience the Spirit?”
“Yes, man, of course.”
He paused again, as if to get his words right.
“Do the things that other people won’t do.”
I will never forget that one sentence, and it has since seeped its way into every aspect of life. It is profound. He handed me a little treasure to carry around.
It’s as simple as that. Start using that as a scope to view the world and there can be an entire paradigm shift.
The night I preached I thought of what Deon said, and it gave me the push to go ahead and follow through with preaching. It’s what I think of while walking by a homeless man, begging for change. Instead of giving a dollar or ignoring him, ask him his story. Ask him what he’s good at. Encourage him. Direct him to a shelter.
Instead of going to church once a week, get involved with ministry.
Instead of gossiping about someone, change the subject.
Instead of littering, find a way to invest in the environment.
Instead of sleeping in, wake up and start a morning routine with time dedicated to God.
I guess this includes, instead of dismissing the act of praying over someone as being silly, try praying over someone.
People often stick to what’s comfortable, so when trying to “do the things that other people won’t do,” it calls for becoming uncomfortable. This is a small sacrifice to experience a space of love and freedom, a sacred place of pure relationship with God, ourselves, others, and creation. Becoming uncomfortable is a small price to experience the Kingdom of God.
