| REPORTS FROM: The Coming Rain
Grace Evangelical Church, Fayetteville
June 21 1999 in Real G-2
June 21, 1999
Matthew 18: 5-9 Whoever receives one little
child like this in my name receives me. Whoever causes harm of the little ones who
believe in me, it would be better for him a millstone were hung around his neck and drown
in the depths of the sea.
You have to view the end before the beginning....ROCK: nothing
to hide .....
Grace Evangelical:
I received a call from Lynn; said "Something Great is
Goin' On!"... said it would be worth it to fire up the $150.00 a trip Web Mobile an' come on down...
Now, lots of folks call about GREAT
things going on . . . but then, GREAT is relative! And I have FEW RELATIVES GREAT (Ha!
Ha!). But Lynn was brimming with JOY (ENTHUSIASM to the Greeks as in Biblical). She kept
mentioning "Clearing The Way" and "Lighting The Darkness and an
"Awakening Call" .. and that YOUTH would be providing both the means and the
WILL. . .
Yes, she said Youth
... So we GO!
Monday,
10.00 AM:
No "jump" in the car type
program here. Having completed the SBC last week demonstrated our need to test and refine.
I would have to start out at 3 to get to Fayetteville by 5 to be ready for 7. It meant a
whole day of preparation. And I would arrive before Dynamic Duo Two.. as in Vic, Vicki and
Victoria (hey, and believe me, "they" are all one person--depending on time of
day, amount of obligation and energy level!!).
04:30
PM: I was greeted by a HUGE and
MUCHDOLLARSPENT Church, complete with HIGH-TECH cameras and lots of wasteful....
OOPS!! Wrong Church!!!!
That's right! For I halted the
lumbering, looking-for-some-large-gas-station-to-gluttony-feed Web Mobile at the Wrong
Church! The imposing group of structures were across the street from my destiny: a
semi-large, yet simple, non-imposing structure with a simple sign.
05:00: (Now,
do not count on any precise timing here, I am known to never look at a watch!) I began to
set up the Web Mobile and took a look at the interior of the building. Entering into the
lobby, I was greeted by signs that pointed out an art class, nursery and such. Not
expensive in looks, but mighty expensive in LOVE!
From
the lobby -- Rock's Opening (now, as an
originally Italian Catholic, we would say Vestibule.. or something like that) I entered
through two of four doors that revealed a large room with a small stage where musicians
were setting up. Yes, in this large yet simple room, a group of dedicated Spiritual
warriors would sound a call by Scripture to Battle; they would entertain with much Joy,
some Sorrow (to think that here, in our own City and Nation, there were and are THOUSANDS
of youth whom are selling their Bodies and Souls for a hit of crack and were and would be
suffering as the Glory and Beauty Of Christ was being shown at that very moment in time),
and GREAT Worship..
Yes, in the heartland of one of the
wealthiest counties in the Nation, a place I would normally be delivering some of Paul's
Rebuking ---if you know what I am about--- I found a group of Christian's whom were LOVING
and KIND and so with JOY to TELL me what they were and have been accomplishing; how they
purchased the land and began this Ministry, this Church, This Portion Of The Body Of
Christ, and how they have and are delivering HIM and HIS WORD to countless countries and
the peoples whom inhabited far away, dark and suffering lands for twenty years!
As dedicated
in their descriptions --Vern
and his daughter -- as as they have been in
their works, they provided the fact and the proof that one cannot have faith without
works! Their (those whom had been leading and doing for the past twenty years) secondary
goal was to pass to their children the need and joy of delivering Christ Jesus and HIS
Word to far away, restless and darkening countries.
06:00: Well,
my motivation has arrived; complete with water, camera (we have yet to get the one I
dropped fixed!! Have ta wait for da buckets.. not the wooden kind but the greenery ones!
REMEMBER, WE NEED A GOOD CAMERA AND LIGHT PACK!!), Tape Recorder (Vicki wound up loosing
this important tool ... so, anyone finds a tape recorder sitting around Grace Evangelical
Church.. let us know.. Thanks) paper, pens (now, this is rare commodity .. the pen! I get
so used to Typing!) and a bottle of Coca-cola (she drinks water, but NEVER comes
over without some of that caffeine stuff for me.. sorry to those of you with the Body Is
The Temple . . . this here temple runs twenty hours a day.. when the Temple is Exhausted,
Jesus takes over!) Yes, the Duo portion of the whole, Victoria, arrived and brought some
more sunshine!
So,
The focus of this evenings events were to deliver a new
beginning, to rally those of the Spirit to Warrior.. to elicit the response and team work
of the Faithful, to demonstrate that there are some youth in this nation whom are of The
Faith and are well on their way to assisting other youth to become and overcome/// In The Name Of Jesus...
The evenings events included Praise, Worship and the Call To Arms
(as in two edged sword) and GLORIOUS entertainment by Awakening Call (not
in any order): Eric Abney - Travis McAffee - Scott
Matthies -- Chris Hale -- Pete Bond .
With poetic grace, the YOUTH of
Grace Evangelical would transform that main room with its tiny stage into Hallow and
Blessed Ground. Yes, the stage became the Light and The Youth The Word Of Christ!
Yes, my friend, these youth
demonstrated that there are some whom are in Joy and Endeavor . . . for those whom
witnessed this blessed event remained as silent as the tombs of the ancients, Paul,
Abraham, David, John, Matthew, Peter . . . yet SHOUTED AS LOUDLY as those Elders and
Saints so do today in the Word and The Book Of Life in their Glorious Strength and
Endeavor and Faith and Love and Blessings in Jesus, Thee Christ!
Yes, it was Silence of Faith that called the Faithful to Prayer
and Worship and Blessings that led Jesus to the Throng! For, without a doubt, Our Father Was There Last Night!
To this hard won,
perpetually-battling-on-the-streets-in-the-thick-of-it-all-warrior, these were YOUTH
whom provided a not so simply venue, but a true and moving experience that combined song
and praise with "skits" where scripture were read in the dark from the sound
booth across from the stage ( or seemed to come from... WOW! Brilliant.. no?), behind the
enthralled faithful, and individually answered in the glow of candle light from the stage.
Yes, a moving experience. Tears and
joy of the faithful. Much Joy and Pride In Jesus and HIS word (as told by these young
persons whom were and will be TRUE leaders in Christ).
Some Of The Faithful:
Jason Tatum: God Squad
International:
Jason struck me as someone to talk
to. He seemed eager to say something . . . his enthusiasm genuine. He was eager to
greet us.
17 with English and Creek ancestry,
the past was knocking at the door. It must have been the Creek; seeing that I had the most
memorable time ever with the Navaho during my 7 year journey living upon the streets as a
youth.
Yes, Jason, eager to tell me how he
was, and is, delivering Christ to those less fortunate. How music was going to be the
means and the tool and that they were going to GO INTERNATIONAL with it..
Yes, 17 and a Dream with a Goal and
the desire, faith and JOY to see it complete!
AMEN !! My brother Jason!!!
PS: GO!! August 20, 1999-- Peachtree
Amphitheater
Jason Tatum, Operations Manager, God
Squad International, Governor's Walk Shopping Center, Highway 54 East. Peachtree City, Ga,
30269. 770.632.4486
David Hicks: Taking the the Gospel World Wide by handing the
riegns to the youth
David Hicks struck me as an IBM VP.. of God's IBM?-- as, maybe,
International Baptism Missionaries??!!
Sharp with a gentle nature, David's living by the keen in the
word mind could not hide the joy and pride (in Jesus Name.. let thy LIGHT shine
BEFORE MEN so that the FATHER, who is in Heaven, may be GLORIFIED!!) in both his wife
(whom arrived, bags loaded with food in hand, scooting from car to me then to and through
the doors in a rush with great Blessings, Hugs, Joy and Love to "feed Her
KIDS"-- which turned out to be the entire YOUTH troops) and son, 20 year old Peter
Hicks, whom not only is a veteran Missionary (hey, I AM NOT KIDDING, THIS CHURCH BODY HAS
LOTS OF CHILDREN WHOM HAVE ACCOMPLISHED GREAT MISSIONARY WORKS AROUND THE GLOBE!! ) but
also supervised the evenings entertainment as in band!
David and family are veterans of Operation Mobilization. From
India to Lagos, they have spread the Joy and continue to do so!
Franky Baby! (not realy called or thought of that way,
but, ya knows what I'm takin' aboud!) .
Frank Fortunato: International Music Director. AD2000.
Worship and Arts Resource Network ... what Frank is involved in.
Uplifting and motivating fine and not so fine artists to do the works man!
Frank impressed me with his gentleness, fortitude and
professionalism. Frank, in fact, had a beautiful daughter, she with much love and laughter
and LOVE of the Lord (and the computer, she was on one of the web mobile computers
clicking away the instant she saw it!). Yes, and she is of Indian Heritage and adopted by
Frank and his wife.
Put your money and FAITH where your mouth is? Well, Frank and
family have (you should have met this bundle of 7 to Heaven Joy! "Who is the most important in the Kingdom, asked... and Jesus placed
the child on His knee and said . . ." Wad Aboud Dis!
).
Well, not to say that the works by Grace Evangelical are wrong,
or that we were not both impressed and blessed, but that we always have to put our
two-cents into our reporting. So, the following is a MUST! Behind the scenes with the
duo... not under wraps....
Zechariah 9:9 "Rejoice greatly, O daughter
of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem; behold your King comes to you: he is just, and
having salvation; lowly and riding upon an ass.
HOME: NAFCJ LSYF/YOA
©LSYF/YOA
1999
Pictures
Before/After
Fast Pictures
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