Dust

Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.  Return to the Lord, your God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

(Words used during the Imposition of Ashes during  Ash Wednesday prayer services at Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church)

Aimee and the Middle School Youth of Pleasant Hill Pres in Asheville City Park, June 2012

On this Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, I can’t help but think about the sudden and shocking death of a beloved servant leader in the Presbyterian Church (USA), respected colleague, and friend, the The Rev. Aimee Wallis Buchanan.

Last summer, the middle school youth at Pleasant Hill Presbyterian in Duluth spent a week with the mission organization that Aimee and her husband Bill founded a few years ago, Asheville Youth Mission in Asheville, NC. On the last day, Aimee took our group on a morning spirituality walk through Asheville. Along the way, we stopped at various spots to read and discuss the story of the paralytic in Luke 5:17-26.  It was one of the most profound and sacred experiences that we’ve ever had, due greatly in part to the love of God that exuded from Aimee’s entire being.

I remember we were walking down one street when Aimee saw a friend, a homeless woman named Raven whom she had helped out on several previous occassions. “Raven!” Aimee shouted enthusiastically and with that trademark smile on her face. “How are you doing?”  Aimee stopped and gave Raven a hug and then listened for a few minutes as Raven told her about the troubles she was having.  Aimee hugged her, told her that she loved her and that she would be praying for her.  A few steps later, we came upon a man sitting on the sidewalk with his head in his hands.  Aimee explained that Ray, who was also homeless, often had severe migraines and health problems that made him despondent at times.  Again, she stopped and spoke to him, leaned down so Ray could hear her and to make sure he wasn’t in need of any emergency medical care and then led us onward. It was clear that Aimee had become immersed in the city of Asheville and the lives of the poor and downtrodden. She was, I thought at the time (and still believe) the Mother Theresa of Asheville.

Water fountain in Asheville, NC

Later, toward the end of the walk, we stopped at a beautiful fountain overflowing with water that then drips down and forms a pool around the base.  It was here that Aimee reminded us of who we are (children of God) and to whom we belong (God). She spoke about how baptism is a sign of God’s love for us and how baptismal waters cleans, refreshes and sustains us on our journeys. As a way of joyfully remembering our baptisms and the life we have been given , Aimee then encouraged us to splash one another with the water from the fountain. And with a spark of mischief in her eye, she hinted that the youth might want to make sure they did a good job reminding me of how the waters feel. Needless to say, I was soaked. But also renewed at the same time.

You see, there had been some tension in the group that week, especially between me and some of the 6th grade girls (typical you’re not listening and acting immature v. you’re being over-bearing jerk with the rules). Aimee knew instinctively that frustrations and anger and tiredness and stress had dried us up and that we needed to play in the refreshing waters of life.

I find it more than ironic (quite providential actually) that Aimee’s legacy of AYM is having to begin without her during this Lenten season and beyond.  Although Asheville is named after an 18th century North Carolina governor, the homophone is significant.  Aimee lived and breathed the meaning of Ash Wednesday and Lent in a town of Ash (which is actually representative of all towns and places) where the broken are waiting to be mended and healed, to be treated with dignity and respect, to be marked with the unconditional mercy of Christ forever.

Thanks be to God for the mark of Christ and the saints like Aimee who came from dust and return to dust, having sprinkled love and grace on God’s people forever.

Like those who have gone before walking the road of Christ, on this day you also wear the mark of the cross. As you wear the mark this day, may you be mindful of ways in which the cross has already marked your life. At the end of the day, when you wash this mark of grit and ash from your body, may you remember the one whose love washes over us.

(Blessing used at end of Ash Wednesday prayer services at Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church)

PLGRM’s Promise

PLGRM, Volume 1-Issue 1, Summer 2012, PLGRM Media LLC. Cover art “Reversal” by Ryan Kemp-Pappan

If you’re in full time paid ministry (or even if you are a volunteer, regular church goer, seeker”, member of another religious tradition or non-believer in spiritual matters) and you haven’t heard of PLGRM: Wake Up/Discern/Imagine/Do, then stop what you are doing and order the first issue today! This is a terrific seasonal magazine and resource for those working in the Church who desire fresh ideas and approaches to being a Jesus follower in the 21st century. Landon Whitsitt, the Publisher & Editor-In-Chief, explains it all here. 

If you’re not sure about plopping down $15 for the first issue, you can download a digital copy for free. I did that just to get a preview and was so taken aback, I had to throw some money in to support. Plus, I’m a sucker for holding something tangible like a new magazine in my hands…no matter how cool it is to read articles on an iPad/iPhone/Kindle, etc. 

I don’t want to give any spoilers except to say that the first issue fulfills the magazine’s mission statement and then some. It’s a bold, honest, and imaginative publication that stirs up a lot of conversation, discernment and ideas for blending old traditions with the new and in many cases, starting completely over or going back to the roots of scripture to grow something never before seen.  I’m only halfway through the inaugural issue, entitled “The Great Reversal,” and the questions are starting to swirl loudly in my heart and brain, like the excerpt from Diana Butler Bass’s recent book (which sparked the idea for this magazine) Christianity After Religion: The End of Church and the Birth of a New Spiritual Awakening ; the conversation the PLGRM editors have about DBB’s book and idea; ”Say In Your Heart” an article about belief and doubt by Two Friars and a Fool, and “Trauma and Sovereignty” an essay written by Jenny Sue about the trauma caused by a loved one’s addiction. I look forward to reading the rest of the issue, especially an interview with friend and seminary classmate Rachel Parsons-Wells and an essay on urban ministry by a new acquaintance and preacher extraordinaire Theresa Cho. 

In addition to excellent content by a variety of voices and views, PLGRM is simply a beautiful magazine, both in its binding and design as well as it’s art and photos.  This is a mustard seed that has the potential to grow far and wide in the New Spiritual Awakening that is occurring in the 21st Century. And the cover is adorned with a colorful and mesmerizing picture of a Luche Libre wrestler in front of a church! How awesome is that?!?! 

So join the PLGRM journey. You’ll be glad you did. Promise.

 

 

Open Source Church

In August, I had the privilege of leading a couple of workshops for the Presbytery of Sheppards and Lapsley’s  Christian Education conference called the Main Event, seeing old friends and making a new one in keynote speaker/preacher Landon Whitsitt. Landon is the Vice Moderator for the 219th General Assembly of the PC(USA), and co-host of God Complex Radio with Carol Howard Merritt who shared thoughts about the Peace of Christ on this blog in 2008.

Landon is a great guy and another important voice in the denomination and the Church Universal and after hearing him speak at the Main Event and talking to him afterwards, I grabbed a copy of his book Open Source Church: Making Room For The Wisdom of All (Alban Institute Publishers, April 2011), which I finally finished yesterday (The latter is not indicative of the quality of the book. I just take a long time to read…usually because I spend my spare time on the computer or watching TV).

Open Source Church is a remarkable book that offers a model for being/doing Church–one that addresses problems of membership decline and leadership burnout and can help congregations grow and flourish as the body of Christ in the 21st century.

The model itself isn’t new per se but the lens in which Landon looks at the Church’s call in the world or the metaphor he uses to show how the Church can have a meaningful impact  is brilliant and exciting!

To put it simply, Landon draws from open source technology practices to dream of ways in which the Church can be more faithful to God, its mission and its members who are called to embody Christ’s teachings in their daily lives. Here is a snippet of the book’s concept, which Landon shared with folks at the Main Event:

Great stuff, huh? Here are some other powerful insights from Landon’s book that also grabbed the attention of my mind and heart as a pastor:

Being an open source church is about making sure people can do the things they think they need to do to make church work for them. Too often churches and their organizational structures are so firmly established that it is virtually impossible for someone to come to church and begin contributing to its life in a meaningful way. These new people feel like they are stuck at every turn…

What would you do if every time you suggested a new idea, you were told that the church had either already tried that or that it wouldn’t work here or that we are not the kind of church that would do something like that? I can tell you what I would do. I would go find another church. Most people want to have a church experience that is more open that it is closed. They want to be a part of a group that will accept their contributions, not force them to merely be a cog in another machine. By and large, being treated like a cog is what people deal with everyday at their jobs. People don’t get to be creative…

Why can’t the church be the one place in someone’s life where it is not only acceptable but also expected that they act creatively and contribute significantly to the life of the church community and the community at large? If we Christians understand God to be the ‘creator of heaven and earth,’ and if we believe we are all made in God’s image, then why can’t the church be the place where we each find permission to operate out of that understanding of belief. I believe this is precisely the kind of place the church should be…

Some even are or fairly close to being the type of church Landon imagines. And many more churches can be a place where room is truly made for the wisdom of all if we as Christians can allow ourselves to be guided by one basic principle which Landon expresses in the video above and in the book: To proclaim Jesus Chris is to proclaim freedom and to proclaim freedom is to proclaim Jesus Christ.

The unfortunate reality, however, says Landon, is that much of life (especially the church) is guided not by freedom but by a need to control–a need for power…

A lot of churches see congregational leaders as the gatekeepers of the church’s mission rather than the unleashers of it. Members of congregations have a lot of ideas about how to be the people of God, and many times it seems that congregational leaders see their job as making sure no one “goes off the deep end.” A culture of micromanagement will stifle any mission or ministry that a member might try to start.

Not only do churches see congregational leaders as gatekeepers, pastors do too…especially me! Granted, I don’t believe that my sole purpose is the gatekeeper in the current church where I serve (which incidentally follows much of the open source model albeit unintentionally) but there are days where I feel that I’ve spent most of my time making sure some folks don’t go off the deep end.

Sometimes its necessary but other times  I wonder if I’ve over-functioned in the role or remained in “gatekeeper” mode too long at moments, stifling the creativity of those who truly aren’t going off the deep end. Or maybe because the one or two going-off-the-deep-enders zaps so much energy, I choose to do more things myself, thus leading me quicker to burn-out. Worse, it excludes others from sharing in the work of ministry.

I will continue to ponder the meaning Open Source Church has for me as a pastor, the church where I’m serving and the Church in the weeks and months ahead.

At any rate, Landon’s book is a convicting, astute and heartfelt must-read for church leaders and congregations. Once you do read it (or if you have already), let me know how you might share this book in your church, i.e. with a Sunday School class or Session/church board; as a mid-week small group study series or Christian Education workshop; with a selection of folks who are more technological minded and active users of Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, Blogger, YouTube, etc.

Or just share your thoughts about Landon’s premise. I’m open to more conversation.

Back To The Start: The Gospel According to Chipotle and Moneyball

A couple of weeks ago, Elizabeth and I saw the movie Moneyball starring Brad Pitt as the Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane’s successful attempt to put together a winning baseball club, under serious financial straits, by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.

The film is terrific and deservedly joins other greats in the Baseball Movie Hall of Fame, like The Natural, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, Sandlot, Major League, A League of Their Own and *61.  Moneyball also focuses on themes that can easily be applied to the Church, i.e. how to let go of the old ways of ministry that no longer work and embrace new perspectives on doing ministry; how to value the person and their gifts instead of treating members like giving units; how to be innovative, creative, risky and bold instead of being stuck, resistant, unwilling to compromise or move forward, etc.

Essentially, Moneyball is a great lesson on how to go “back to the start,” how to get off the busy wheel and return to the simple love and joy of being, living and playing..in God’s creation. Even more striking than the film itself is that it is preceded (at least at the showing we attended) aptly enough by this new commercial from Chipotle called “Back to The Start.”

The incredible animation and Willie Nelson’s beautiful cover of the Coldplay song “The Scientist” (which features the line “I’m going back to the start”) pulls you into the story of this farmer who realizes that his efforts to streamline his farm to keep up with a super fast and demanding consumer society is causing more problems instead of making life easier. The commercial is a reminder of how we as individuals and as the Church need to step back and revaluate our fast paced streamlined lives so that we can slow down and focus more on being in loving and nurturing relationships with God, creation and one another.

As the late Henri Nouwen so eloquently put it:

“More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets. It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them.”  

Caring for the Poor

Children at The Good Shepherd School in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti

Note: My column for the September 22 issue of Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church’s newsletter “The Chosen Word”

“An individual has not started living until he or she can rise above the narrow confines of his or her individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

—Martin Luther King Jr.

“The guarantee of one’s prayer is not saying a lot of words. The guarantee of one’s petition is very easy to know: how do I treat the poor? Because that is where God is.”

—Archbishop Oscar Romero

“The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.”

–Proverbs 29:7

 

In a few days, a 16-member mission team from PHPC, including myself, will be preparing to leave (if not already en route) for Port-Au-Prince, Haiti for a week from September 24 to October 1. During that time, we will be

• working with Architecture For Humanity on the reconstruction project at the Haiti Child Sponsorship program’s Good Shepherd School

• assisting the folks at The Apparent Project who empower women and families to create a sustainable living through jewelry-making, book-binding and sewing, and…

• visiting the Sisters of Charity orphanage to feed infants, play with toddlers and deliver more than 200 “lovie” blankets.

Playing with the children at Sisters of Charity Orphanage in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti

One of the mission team members, Meg, has created a blog for the congregation to keep up with our daily activities and experiences in Haiti as well as witness how God is presently at work among people who continue to recover from the devastating earthquake of January 2010 and decades of injustice and oppression.

Even though most of the congregation is not physically going to Haiti, all of you are part of the journey and the mission work that God is calling us to do in the country.  Some of you have made “lovie” blankets while others have donated funds, school and craft supplies, soccer balls and cereal boxes. Several volunteered to be prayer partners for individual team members and many more of you will pray for the team during the week.  The mission team and I are grateful for your loving support and the ways in which you help us prepare for the trip and also welcome us back with comforting embraces and listening hearts.

Often, colleagues and people in the community ask me to tell them about PHPC, I always and without hesitation, joyfully share the church’s passion for serving those in need. I am proud to be an associate pastor of a faith community that takes seriously God’s call to care for the hungry, poor and oppressed in the Atlanta area, in the U.S. and abroad.  It is truly a blessing to work alongside you to care for others whom society has mistreated and forgotten.  I look forward to the ministry we will continue to do together to help make God’s loving and mercy-filled kingdom a reality in this world.

The Power of Words

Note: I originally wrote the following column for the front page of Pleasant Hill Presbyterian Church’s newsletter “The Chosen Word” published on July 24.

“Words are, in my not so humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic, capable of both inflicting injury and remedying it.” —Professor Albus Dumbledore, from the film Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Part 2

“We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.”—Ephesians 4:14-15 and 29

We live in a technological age where we are constantly bombarded by words in a variety of formats, 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blogs, websites, podcasts, radio, computers, iPads, smart phones, newspapers, newsletters, emails, Post-It notes, postal mail, flyers, magazines, books, e-readers, billboard advertisements, TV and film. That’s in addition to the dozens of daily conversations we have with people face to face!

Words are essential to our existence as human beings. Without them, we’d be at a loss as to what do with our lives. If there were no words, there would be no written or verbal communication and extremely few, if any, ideas, dreams, and aspirations to be expressed and embodied in the world.  Words are a precious commodity that should always be appreciated and never taken for granted.

But despite the wonderfully countless ways in which we can use words to sincerely communicate our thoughts and feelings (or to connect with one another), we often forget the value of words. The various mediums for sharing words has taken away, more often than not, our ability to filter out or discern what words should be shared and which words shouldn’t. These days, most of the words we read in print or hear from an audio speaker or see on a screen are empty, arrogant, condescending, angry and hateful. Words meant to discredit and dehumanize another human being.

And it seems that everyone—politicians, political pundits, celebrities, comedians, athletes, talk show hosts, and religious leaders as well as the average person (thanks mostly to Facebook and Twitter)—wants to inflict injury with their harmful and insulting words. To make it worse, those in the news business who don’t necessarily use incendiary words want to make sure that the rest of us see those harmful words ad-nauseum!

While Christians and churches are just as guilty of using words to cause irreparable damage, I do believe that the community of faith is where we have the greatest opportunity to learn a different and more excellent way to speak to one another. This summer I’ve had the fortune of witnessing first-hand the power of words that can not only remedy injuries but also prevent injuries from occurring.

During the High School Youth Conference at Montreat, the PHPC group has a tradition of writing notes to others in the group about how they made the week a special time, and to sharing verbally, words of strength to the graduated seniors as they embark on a new journey in their lives. The latter exercise moved 30 youth and 9 adults to tears as folks shared loving and grace-filled messages—words that affirmed they were and will always be beloved children of God.

On the recent High School Youth Mission Trip to Honduras, the youth and adults—many of whom were not fluent in Spanish—spoke words of love to those we served, and the Hondurans—who knew little to no English—did the same in return. Through words and actions, we communicated to one another: We love you. You are a child of God. You are family. You are part of my story. These beautiful and sacred words are rooted in scripture and in God’s Word that has breathed among us. They are words spoken and sung in worship, taught in church school,   youth group, and Vacation Bible School, and shared on summer youth trips, and mission projects and fellowship events.

May we all continue to use words in our church, home, work-places, community and world that recognize God’s love in the other, the stranger, the refugee, the immigrant, the foreigner, the Muslim, the gay school teacher, the mentally handicapped woman, the hungry, the poor, the oppressed, the sick, the prisoner, the terrorist, the oppressor and the grumpy. Doing so is useful for the building of God’s kingdom and is grace to one’s ears.

Make Haiti Apparent

It’s been nearly four days since 3-5 inches of snow and ice blanketed much of the South and the Atlanta Metro Area where we live, and we’ve managed to get out of the house twice–once late Monday afternoon to get a few snacks for that evening’s BCS National Championship Game (Auburn v. Oregon) and about 3:30 pm today to pick up a few grocery staples like milk, vegetables, a frozen pizza for dinner and admittedly, ingredients to make blonde brownies.

In between Monday and today, we’ve been stuck at home because the snow that fell late Sunday night froze over early Tuesday morning, making roads and highways extremely dangerous for travel.  Although we’ve had fun playing in the snow with our two-year-old daughter and enjoyed our brief grocery excursions,  each of us (Elizabeth, Katie, Anne-the-mother-in-law and me) are getting a bit of cabin fever.

On one hand, I’ve enjoyed having time to sleep in, read and play video games in addition to spending quality time with the family. On the other, I’m starting to feel restless, anxious and unable to focus on one particular activity, which is sort of ironic considering how much time I have to do a lot of activities that I was hoping to get accomplished during this snow break.  Maybe, as a friend and colleague noted, its God’s way of forcing me to take a Sabbath and do mostly nothing. No agenda. No scheduled activities. No list of things to do and mark off. No do. Only be. Very Yoda of God, I know.

It’s not easy to just be and go with the flow.  I’m so stir crazy at this point that I’m even having difficulty writing this post; my mind is racing all over the place and I think my knee just twitched twice over the course of writing the previous sentence.

And yet just as I feel like I’m about to lose it and flip out, something inside me tells me to be still and breathe and remember that what I’m experiencing is not so bad.  Sure, there’s cabin fever and seasonal effect disorder and this growing sense of tension that next week will be entirely thrown off by this unexpected break away from work as a minister (already, I’m worrying about how I’m going to focus on writing a sermon for Sunday when I’m so darn fidgety).

In those moments of stillness and clarity, I look deep within and immediately around me to realize that I have nothing to truly be anxious about. My family is here and healthy. We have a nice home that is keeping us protected from the cold (a stable roof, a gas fireplace and working electricity). We have food to eat and clean water to drink, plus soda, tea, beer and coffee. We have cars and the ability to actually drive somewhere and get food, whether we actually need it or not.  And we have solid financial resources.

I’m finding this extremely important to remember today and this week–the one year anniversary of the earthquake that devastated Haiti, a country already mired in poverty and suffering.

Today, hundreds of thousands of Haitians still live in deplorable conditions, unable to work and eat. Today, 90 percent of the rubble remains unmoved. Today, resources and supplies sit in warehouses and fields because there is no responsible working government, no organized leadership to make decisions and distribute supplies. Today, billions of funds promised to Haiti by the West remain tied up in red political tape. Today, people starve from lack of nutrition or diseases like cholera. Today, restlessness, anxiousness, frustration, and anger are justifiable for anyone living in Haiti.  Being cooped up in a warm home because of thick snow and ice on the ground and roads is nothing compared to being cooped up in a tent with five people or more–no food and water; no plumbing or sanitary way to dispose of waste; no possibility of earning a sustainable income.

While Atlanta area residents complain about city and state official’s reaction to the storm that hasn’t greatly altered their lives, the people of Haiti forge on without complaint. They are a resilient people who refuse to lose faith or hope in God or the idea that they can build a better tomorrow for themselves.  They are survivors of centuries of atrocities who go on living and doing what little they can to keep their families and communities together and to encourage one another to rise above the devastation around them. And there are people from all over the world who continue to reach out and empower Haitians with resources and opportunities to improve their lives and country.

My hope is that many, many more folks will continue to reach out to Haiti in ways that truly help.  If you’re looking for a place to begin (which could be a welcome distraction from the cabin fever, whether you are in Atlanta or New York), please visit the following sites: The Apparent Project Blog; Haiti Child Sponsorship Program; Hearts With Haiti; World Vision; Presbyterian Disaster Assistance; Heifer International; and Five Ways You Can Still Help In Haiti

And above else, please pray for healing, love, justice, courage and peace for the people of the country as they move forward with their lives.

Make Haiti apparent in your heart, mind and soul for when we recognize and embrace the oppressed and marginalized, we usher in the righteous and merciful kingdom of God.

I Like To Move It, Move It: Videos from the PHPC Haiti Mission Trip, 2010

I’m still processing the experience 14 of us had in Haiti doing mission work at The Good Shepherd School and surrounding community in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti last week. But I promise to post stories and reflections soon. In the meantime, here are some short videos I took on the trip.  Even in the midst of despair, there is a time for singing and dancing:

Following the worship service at the school on Sunday Oct. 3, some of the boys decided to show their love for pop sensation Michael Jackson by demonstrating a few signature moves and singing the hit Beat It…

MJ was followed by the popular song from the animated film series Madagascar–I Like to Move It, Move It…

That afternoon at Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity orphanage, a youth group from the area who was using part of the facility for a day retreat, began singing this fun song with a line that is familiar to many Westerners…

Busting Through the Coburn Block

I was shocked to learn this week that the reason why a Congressional approved $1.15 billion in aide to Haiti hasn’t been sent to the devastated country is because Republican Senator Tom Coburn placed a secret hold on the bill for “further study.”   The Daily Show with Jon Stewart analyzes this utterly ridiculous act of selfishness with the following segment from it’s September 30 episode:

Now that the word is out, I pray that our nation’s leaders on both sides of the aisle will reclaim the aide for Haiti that Coburn has hijacked and send to the hurting country.  In the meantime, a 14-member team from the church (including me) are heading to Haiti (from Oct. 2-9) with $5,000 and more than 300 pounds of school supplies, peanut butter and tools to help the folks with Haitian Child Sponsorship Program and Good Shepherd School as well as the surrounding community in Port-Au-Prince.

Love and hope can’t be stopped Senator Coburn. It can’t be stopped.

Jezebel in the ATL

Queen Jezebel

Today was the 2010 Georgia primary for the office of governor, a variety of state official positions, U.S. Congressional seats and with Pleasant Hill Presbyterian being one of the polling sites in Gwinnett County, there was a steady flow of people coming in and out of the church.

About 11:30 am, a friendly woman in her mid-30s (white blouse with “I’m A Georgia Voter” sticker above her heart and a pair of jeans) appeared in the doorway of my office with her two young sons. She told me her name and then said with tears welling up in her eyes, “Would it be ok if I share with you a conviction I have about Jezebel’s hold over the city of Duluth? I’m going around to different churches to ask pastors to join me in prayer and fasting for 21 days. I once had an affair and this is something I have to do.”

Since this is not something you hear in the Presbyterian Church (USA) everyday, I was a bit startled by the request although I did my best not to show it on my face. My brain was doing flips inside my head trying to figure out what was going on and honestly trying to remember who Jezebel was in the Bible.

I pulled a couple of chairs over and invited her and her boys to sit down. The oldest, who seemed to be 5 or 6, climbed into the chair next to his mom while mom held the younger brother, who I later learned was almost 3, in her lap. The boys were adorable but quiet so I introduced myself to make them feel more at ease and they told me their names in return.

I then sat down in my chair and the woman began to tell me her story which began with this “conviction” she had during a Bible study at International House of Prayer in Atlanta. She believed strongly that the demonic spirit of Jezebel had taken hold of Atlanta, primarily Duluth, and that she was called to make people aware of the evil Jezebel causes in the community. She felt that even the smallest amount of prayer and fasting would reach its way upward and begin to open the heavens so that Jezebel’s hold could be released.

We talked for about half an hour. She shared how her husband’s verbal abuse led to her seeking companionship from someone else and how wrong she was to have an affair. She explained that since she told her husband of the affair over a year ago, things between them have gotten better.

With tears running down her cheeks, she said she realized that she put too many expectations on her husband to be perfect and the only man that she could rely on being perfect was Jesus. When I asked her more about the verbal abuse, she mentioned an incident when she asked her husband to stop playing video games and pay more attention to the children, which resulted in him yelling at her. And yet it was clear by the look on her face that she felt her request was too high of an expectation of her husband’s responsibility to the family.

I gently encouraged her and her husband to seek out marriage counseling or a pastoral counselor so that they could regularly address issues that may have existed prior to the verbal abuse and subsequent affair. She assured me that they were doing good. She explained that her friends at IHOP-Atlanta had helped her and her husband go through some Old Testament cleansing rituals that rid the evil spirits’ hold over them.

We then spent a few minutes talking about the Spirit. Actually, she asked me how often church leaders spoke about the Spirit and I replied that we as pastors talk about the Spirit during sermons and Bible study and pray to God in the Spirit. I added that we often refer to God’s Spirit or presence or use phrases like “It’s a Spirit thing,” when something amazing occurs in ministry, i.e. someone tells you they have a call to a particular area of service about the time that you are looking for someone to serve in that capacity or how youth bond together at a Youth Conference or on a Mission Trip.

We talked about various other things which I’m only remembering bits and pieces now because at the time I was still trying to wrap my head around the different theological and scriptural language she was using.

At the end of our conversation, we prayed. I asked that God give the family strength, love and healing; to mend broken relationships in the community and help people make better choices in their relationships and how they treat one another. The woman prayed that Jezebel’s hold over the city be ended and then asked that God be with me on my heart and in my ministry. We both said “Amen in Jesus’ name” and then she stood up and with a smile on her face, she shook my hand and thanked me for my time. I walked her and her sons out of the office and into the main lobby, and as they walked down the hallway leading out to the church parking lot, she said, “Have a great day, God bless you.” I blessed her in return and walked back to my office, puzzled by the experience.

Is it a case of “it is what it is” or is there some deeper meaning or lesson God wants me to learn from the conversation. I honestly don’t know and may not ever. Tis the mystery of God and faith, I suppose.