Asheville, NC On the first night of our journey, I was able to fulfill another dream.
My team brought a cajón (box drum) and a djembe (African drum) to downtown Asheville, and jumped in to a drum circle to worship our Creator (I’ve been wanting to do that for years!). 🙂
As some of my teammates beat playfully on the drums, others of us walked around and talked with people in the middle of a city that has a reputation for a lot of spiritual darkness. I could see the influence of hallucinogens in the eyes of a few of the men and women with whom I spoke.
Our host, Jeremy, listened to the story of one man who stood along the sidelines. As he prayed with the man, he told him: “I see a picture of your heart. It’s beautiful, with gold streaks… and God the Father is reaching in with his fingers to pull out the melted gold.”
The man was shocked. He dove into his backpack and pulled out a picture he himself had painted: a heart, interwoven with gold, with gold flowing from it.
Father is definitely pursuing his heart!
Ithaca, New York In upstate New York, we led a night of musical worship in a church building. I sang and played guitar with my teammates Drew and Liz, while others accompanied on the cajón, electric and bass.
Halfway through our set, Liz signaled for me to keep singing. I watched in amazement as she set down her mic and ran out to dance in front of the stage with joy.
No reserves.
Suddenly, someone else jumped up to join her. And then another. One woman even began to pull up members of the audience who were still seated. By the end of the song, the carpet-turned-dance floor was full of a dancing audience. Even the pastor kicked up his feet!
Harrisburg, PA Our ministry hosts in Harrisburg live in an old mansion, smack-dab in the middle of the “hood”. While we were there, we helped host an Easter party for their neighborhood kids. Families readily accepted our invitation to join us for a party at the mansion, which, to me, was a testimony to how well our hosts have loved their neighbors over these past few years.
After a donut-eating contest and an Easter-egg hunt (which provided much laughter for kids and adults alike!), everyone sat down with snacks and fresh lemonade, and our host shared the story of Jesus. Then we took brightly colored pieces of chalk to the brick wall behind him, and each child came up to write something for which they were thankful.
I picked up a piece of chalk, too, and began to write… only to discover, to my amazement, that the nine-year-old next to me had already began to write the same word. Hope.
“What did you think about the story of Jesus?” I asked her as we colored on the bricks.
“I liked it,” she responded, shyly.
“Would you like to invite Jesus into your heart?” I questioned.
“Yes!” She responded enthusiastically. “…but I don’t know how.”
Together, we knelt in the grass, and I led her in a simple prayer with our hands over our hearts, thanking Jesus for dying on the cross and loving us forever.
Little Erica accepted Jesus that day!
I stepped back to observe the wall with a glad heart. These colorful words were written by kids who live in a neighborhood riddled with gunshots every night:
“Freedom.” “Hope.” “Holy Spirit.”
“Jesus is my everything.”
They’ve discovered a richness and a safety that will carry them beyond.
There were so many more incredible moments on our trip. The words of acceptance and hope the Father gave us to share with homeless men and women. The family-style meals we shared with our gracious and wonderful hosts in each city. The way we witnessed a simple act of praise completely transform an environment.
After taking time to hear people’s stories, pray with them, and watch them walk into freedom and hope on this road trip, I have a bigger vision of what music and worship ministry can look like in our day-to-day lives.
And I’m so excited.
