Allison Johnston participated in the June 2007 race and it awoke her to so much more that life and the Holy Spirit had to offer.  Now, almost three years later, she still radically serves Jesus, fully expects to raise the dead and exhorts hundreds of young adults every year to seek the same.

 “So, I am going to raise the dead.”
Always a great conversation starter; or a conversation end-er.  Never can tell what kind of response I might get. 
 
Here is the deal:  I really do believe it.  I believe Matthew 10:9
when Jesus says: “raise the dead”.  I believe it when Jesus says that
if we have faith in Him we will do even greater things. (John 14:12)  I
just believe it. 
 
I haven’t seen it happen yet.  I practiced once, but the lady was
old and we are pretty sure that she was resting with Jesus and he
wanted her to just hang out with him.  But we still gave it a whirl.  
 
I still wrestle with the “why should we want them to come back to
this earth?  Aren’t they better off in heaven?” argument.  I really am
not sure how I feel about a lot of things these days.  But I just know
in my knower that one day Jesus will raise the dead through me.  I just
know.
 
 “So, I am going to raise the dead”
 
I have started a few conversations this way lately.
 I kind of use it as a litmus test of sorts.  I can almost immediately
tell how the rest of the conversation is going to go.  You know all
those fancy psychology tests that are floating around?  The theories
discussed in books like the Outliers and Blink?  yep.  This is like my
own personal litmus test.  
 
I have had 2 semi-blind dates lately and both times I
have tossed the ole’ “so I am going to raise the dead” out there.  And
yeah…both times I have not gotten called back!  ha!  A smarter person
may stop using the line, but not me!  It actually kind of keeps me
going.  I know I want to date someone that may go on crazy,
dead-raising escapades with me, so might as well toss it out there.
 
I was teaching recently at the World Race launch in
New Zealand.  110 brand new racers.  May have been a little early to
toss around the “dead-raising” plans, but at least they know who they
are working with, right?  There were a few stunned faces in the crowd.
 And there were quite a few that were right there with me.  
 
Friends and family have pretty much given up trying to figure out my wild ideas.  So they just kind of nod and smile. 
 
But Jesus, my Jesus, He is sitting up there cheering me on and
screaming “get on with it!!!!” And His opinion is really the only one
that counts.