The following is from a book called "Invasion of Wales By the Spirit" and describes the revival that took place there in 1904-1905. This is what I want and pray for St. Louis.
It was plainly evident now to everybody that God had entered the agonizing prayers of His people and had sent a mighty spiritual upheaval. A sense of the Lord's presence was everywhere. His presence was felt in the homes, on the street, in the mines, the factories and school, and even in the drinking saloons.
So great was His presence felt that even the places of amusement and carousels became places of holy awe. Many were the instances of men entering taverns, ordering drinks and then turning on their heels and leaving them untouched. Wales up to this time was in the grip of football fever, when tens of thousands of working class men thought and talked only of one thing: they gambled also on the result of the games. Now the famous football players themselves got converted and joined the open-air street meetings to testify what glorious things the Lord had done for them. Many of the teams were disbanded as the players got converted and the stadiums were empty.
Beneath the ground the miners gathered for worship and Bible study before they dispersed to the various sections of the mines. Even the children in the schools came under the spell of God.
Pray with me for our city. Let's bring this in together!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Waves
Recently I happened to catch a documentary about a world-famous surfing location in Northern California called Mavericks. I was amazed at the talent and guts necessary to ride the waves there. However, that is not what stuck with me. What I took away was the story within the story which focused on the first person to surf Mavericks, Jeff Clark:
(source: wikipedia)
Jeff Clark, having grown up in Half Moon Bay, watched Maverick's from an early age from the campus of Half Moon Bay High School and on the rugged coastal shores of Pillar Point. At that time the location was deemed too dangerous to surf. He spent time watching the break, and conceived the possibility of riding Hawaii-sized waves in Northern California. One day in 1975, at the age of 17 and with the waves topping out at 20 to 24 feet (7.3 m), Clark paddled out alone to face Maverick's. He was successful, catching a number of left-breaking waves, thereby becoming the first person (documented) to tackle Maverick's head-on.
For the next 15 years, Clark continued surfing Maverick's alone. Clark's feat has become legendary in big wave surfing: surfing giant waves 1/2 mile off shore year after year, with no one else, no reliable weather tracking and no rescue teams that today's surfers use. It was Clark's secret winter 'giant north shore-sized surf' surfing spot. Other than a few close friends who had paddled out and seen Maverick's themselves, no big wave surfers believed in its existence. The popular opinion of the time was that there simply were no large, Hawaii-sized waves in California.[2] Yet Clark's classmates from Half Moon Bay High School often speak of cutting class on big surf days to sit on the bluff and watch Clark ride the giant waves alone.
Interesting to me is the fact that Clark "spent time watching the break." He wasn't satisfied with the spots everyone else was surfing. He wanted more. He took the time to study the patterns. He wasn't afraid to dream, and even more, he had the guts to finally jump in and go for it. He threw popular opinion to the wind and did something nobody else had done to that point. No more status quo. He determined to charter new territory and he did it.
God is looking for the same qualities with respect to the waves of revival. Popular opinion might say that Christianity is in survival mode and we must focus simply on "making it." That's not good enough for me. I don't care what popular opinion says. We serve a big God and there is a remnant that still believes in REvival, not merely SURvival. We are to throw off the status quo and be victorious. We need to eat, drink, live and breathe revival. We need to study the patterns and conditions that ushered in past revivals. We need to take the time to pursue the Reviver Himself and make His passions our passions. We need to pray!
There will be two groups of people - those who spectate and those who participate. God is looking for a breed that has not only prepared themselves, but has the guts to get in and do it. We must determine that even if we think we are the sole participant, that cannot deter us. If I have to "go it alone" like Jeff Clark did, I will, but I know I am NOT alone. Let's press in, band together, encourage one another, and go for it - for yourself, your family, your neighborhood, our great city, our nation, and the world!!
(source: wikipedia)
Jeff Clark, having grown up in Half Moon Bay, watched Maverick's from an early age from the campus of Half Moon Bay High School and on the rugged coastal shores of Pillar Point. At that time the location was deemed too dangerous to surf. He spent time watching the break, and conceived the possibility of riding Hawaii-sized waves in Northern California. One day in 1975, at the age of 17 and with the waves topping out at 20 to 24 feet (7.3 m), Clark paddled out alone to face Maverick's. He was successful, catching a number of left-breaking waves, thereby becoming the first person (documented) to tackle Maverick's head-on.
For the next 15 years, Clark continued surfing Maverick's alone. Clark's feat has become legendary in big wave surfing: surfing giant waves 1/2 mile off shore year after year, with no one else, no reliable weather tracking and no rescue teams that today's surfers use. It was Clark's secret winter 'giant north shore-sized surf' surfing spot. Other than a few close friends who had paddled out and seen Maverick's themselves, no big wave surfers believed in its existence. The popular opinion of the time was that there simply were no large, Hawaii-sized waves in California.[2] Yet Clark's classmates from Half Moon Bay High School often speak of cutting class on big surf days to sit on the bluff and watch Clark ride the giant waves alone.
Interesting to me is the fact that Clark "spent time watching the break." He wasn't satisfied with the spots everyone else was surfing. He wanted more. He took the time to study the patterns. He wasn't afraid to dream, and even more, he had the guts to finally jump in and go for it. He threw popular opinion to the wind and did something nobody else had done to that point. No more status quo. He determined to charter new territory and he did it.
God is looking for the same qualities with respect to the waves of revival. Popular opinion might say that Christianity is in survival mode and we must focus simply on "making it." That's not good enough for me. I don't care what popular opinion says. We serve a big God and there is a remnant that still believes in REvival, not merely SURvival. We are to throw off the status quo and be victorious. We need to eat, drink, live and breathe revival. We need to study the patterns and conditions that ushered in past revivals. We need to take the time to pursue the Reviver Himself and make His passions our passions. We need to pray!
There will be two groups of people - those who spectate and those who participate. God is looking for a breed that has not only prepared themselves, but has the guts to get in and do it. We must determine that even if we think we are the sole participant, that cannot deter us. If I have to "go it alone" like Jeff Clark did, I will, but I know I am NOT alone. Let's press in, band together, encourage one another, and go for it - for yourself, your family, your neighborhood, our great city, our nation, and the world!!
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