From the ashes of theBurn

Last weekend we had our first "Burn" gathering at the Boiler Room. If you have never been, a Burn is like a Friday night 6:22 meeting mixed with intense prayer, fasting and some extra hours of worship (in this case, seven). It is a glimpse what we believe will be happening in Greenville 24/7 one day! Every time we do a Burn I sense such an intense grace from God, and I believe these meetings really touch God’s heart and are His will for 6:22 and the Boiler Room. The Holy Spirit seems to show Himself during these times in a unique and powerful way.

So last Friday night, from 6pm to 3am, the Boiler Room was INTENSE. Joshua Pake, one of the prayer leaders, said that the atmosphere was “literally electric.” He walked into the meeting with his cell phone battery on two bars and walked out with it fully charged! The thickness of God’s presence was overwhelming. For about four out of nine hours, there was hardly any free space in the prayer room. A handful of students stayed and worshiped for the whole time. At 3am, there were still about 20 people who did not want to leave!

Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/622ministries/sets/72157622595924637/
Highlights Video: Coming soon to http://www.vimeo.com/sixtwentytwo

Worship leaders and prayers leaders represented the following ministries: 6:22 Ministries (obviously), Campus Christian Fellowship, Greenville Christian Fellowship, Covenant United Methodist Church, Victory Campus Ministries, Collide Ministries, Discovery Church, Building Hope Community Life Center and Integrity Baptist Church. It was an awesome display of unity.

A new friend, Eric, approached me after 6:22’s set and gave me a prophetic word he had received for theBurn:

"My faithful flock I am with you. Fear not for I am with you. I love you dearly. I have you in my name to cast out demons and heal the sick. I am the Lord thy God. I go before thee in this war. I train your hands to do battle against the plans of the enemy. Fear not for I am with you."

We really did sense God was going before us to fight for the peace and safety of Greenville, and the hearts of the students who were downtown on Halloween. We may never know the extent of how God moved in our city (that is the nature of praying by faith), but we know He moved in those who attended theBurn. This is what Sean Tucker, one of the worship leaders sent to me on Facebook:

"Dude God changed my life tonight, like seriously. He dealt with so many things in such a small window of time that I've been trying to deal with myself with for like ever. Thanks for letting me be a part =]"

We had multiple students asking us why we didn’t do a Burn every weekend!

Here’s the thing: We want to. In fact, we want to do it every day.

Why do we not do them more often? Because there are not enough people willing to come lead worship and prayer at the Boiler Room on a consistent basis. Most of the worship leaders are playing every week somewhere already. The administration and planning that goes into a Burn is too much to do without consistent worship leaders. God has told us there will be those who, while committed to fellowship in local churches, will have their primary place of ministry be with 6:22. We are praying for those who will commit to the Boiler Room – to stand before God with creative, prophetic worship and prayer day and night.

But for now, as we are growing slowly, we have some short-term plans in place to help us move Greenville towards day and night worship and prayer.

• The Fuel School. Monday, November 9, Luke 18 Project & Jacob Ferrell (from IHOP-KC) is hosting three hours of teaching, training and equipping on how to sustain night and day prayer in our city. Come to the Boiler Room from 6-9pm. It is free.
• Morning Prayer. Starting after the Fuel School, the Boiler Room will have “public hours” on Monday-Thursday from 10:00-11:30am. The prayer room will be open with either live worship or a CD for you to come spend some time with God. Coffee will be available in the Fire Escape.
• New Year’s Eve Burn. Our next Burn will be from noon to midnight on New Year’s Eve at the Boiler Room. Twelve hours of live worship music, prayer and fasting for revival in 2010. We’ll break the fast and party together at midnight.
• Global Bridegroom Fast. Starting in December the Boiler Room will be promoting the Global Bridegroom Fast (GBF), a monthly, three-day “global solemn assembly” of believers unified by the Holy Spirit in worship, prayer, and fasting. It is the first Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of each month. We will be gathering at the Boiler Room from 7-9pm on those days to pray, with a live video web stream from IHOP-KC.
• Internships. We are planning 1-4 month young adult internships at the Boiler Room in 2010. We are still working out the details, but we will have a sign-up sheet at the Fuel School for those possibly interested.

Please join what God is doing in Greenville. I believe day and night worship and prayer is the key to revival in our city.

How you can get involved:

• Come to the Boiler Room. Experience it for yourself - 6:22 on Fridays, the Fuel School next Monday, morning prayer, the Burns, etc.
• Give financially. As we are becoming more of a building ministry than a blessing ministry, our financial needs are primarily for committed monthly partners. One time gifts are appreciated, but there are less “big events” to give towards. We want to build something sustained and lasting.
• Join our staff. We need to find those who are called to this ministry of day and night worship and prayer. Whether it is full-time, part-time, volunteer, once-a-month or whatever! Just talk to us if that is you.

We will not be meeting this Friday because of the Onething conference. See you all next Monday at the Fuel School!

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I Think Satan's Pissed... and that God's Trying to Teach Me Something

Yesterday my external hard drive fell off the sub woofer that it normally sits on. I thought nothing of it (I've dropped it before) until I tried to access the files on it, and it could not be read. After some research, it appears that the hard drive has been damaged and will only be fixed with data recovery ($750+).

On this external hard drive was all of my personal files including documents, web site designs, and recordings. I have backed it up before, but it's been months. Which means that my entire new solo album, and all the work I have done for 6:22's soaking CD has been lost. This is weeks, if not months, worth of work. There's a small chance some stuff will be recovered, but it's not likely.

Add this to other circumstances, and yesterday was tough.

Now I do not want this blog to turn into a place for me to vent and complain, but I do want you who care to know what is going on.

I think Satan is pissed, but I also think God is trying to teach us some things. I think theBurn this weekend is going to be really good. It seems like that around this time each year the spiritual atmosphere gets active - there's a disturbance in the force. There's a war going on. God is moving in awesome ways. You have seen the recent testimonies I have posted. This along with what God is doing at ECU, and the increasing surge of prayer in our city and inevitably there will be resistance.

I'm not one to blame everything bad on Satan. Sometimes bad things happen. We live in a fallen world. Sometimes we bring things upon ourselves. And sometimes there just seems to be a series of uncontrollable circumstances that seem to be a spiritual attack that God is wanting to use to develop our character. But the pit that the enemy digs is what he falls into. The places we are attacked are the places that God is going to use us the most. So part of this is just developing my faith. Trying to remember that God is in charge, He has a good plan, I can trust him, and that stuff is just stuff.

Maybe there's more to it. If you have any ideas, I'm listening.

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Changing Seasons (and friends)

For a few months I have been working on another solo album called "Changing Seasons." I have felt like seasons were changing since 2007. In that year Shepard and I got back together, 24 hour worships were happening every month, I was getting my "eight" revelations, there was major church drama, I quit my job and went into full time ministry, I got married. In 2008, we changed churches, and 6:22 went through major shifting - our entire board changed within a year, except myself and we formed a new band. By the end of the year, Shepard and I were involved in Collide, found out we were having a baby and were attending another church again. Now Shiloh's here and the Boiler Room has happened. The whirlwind has not stopped.

This morning at church, Mike talked about how GCF was having its 19 year anniversary, and how some of the original people were still around. I respect organizations that have had people be faithful for long periods of time. If I ever had a real band, I'd want to be one that stays together with the same band members for decades, ya know? Imagine the bonds and the memories. And you would really feel like you have built something historic together.

Shepard and I went over to my parents this afternoon. Mark and Jeremy were there for a while and I got a bit nostalgic - they were two of the original four 6:22 band members.

We hung out with Ray and Hannah tonight and spent some time talking about some people that used to be involved with 6:22. Many of them left over the years because of "changing seasons" but now seem to be wandering aimlessly. Some of them running from God. Some of them apathetic and uninvolved in ministry. It's frustrating.

Then I got home and got another one of those emails. As a leader in a ministry, I have gotten used to getting them. They are from one of your staff. It is not an "I quit" email, but you know that it is the first bit of communication on the way to that point. Seasons are changing.

Another rotation of people. Another band to teach my songs to. Another group of staff to train. Another set of friends. Another group of people "on fire for God"only to end up back in the same habits, living at home, trying to figure out what to do when they grow up.

I am ready to find that community that will build something together for decades. That team... that band. The ones that have memories from the "old days" but are still excited about what is happening now. I pray that I don't have to start from scratch with relationships every six months.

Since 6:22 started, Shepard is the only one who is still involved that was from the beginning. Ray and Rebekah are pretty close, and both of them were gone for long bits of time. Those that remember the song "A Fire Inside" don't know the song "Chosen Generation" and vica versa. Those that know the Boiler Room don't remember Agape Christian Fellowship. There are many 6:22ers who have gone on to be in the mission field or get married and love Jesus, but there are quite a few who are just farting around with life (and this is to no one in particular - there's a whole list). Part of me wants to forget what has happened, but something in me wants to believe that they will come to their senses and remember that God really did have a calling on their life.

It's frustrating... and that's sort of where I am tonight. I know it's selfish, and that's frustrating too. I am no better than anyone else, and I will admit that. I would just like a group of friends that I could admit that too that would stick around for more than a year.

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