Shaken and Stirred

Got back from a powerful weekend with leaders of C3 praying and dreaming. It was like a family weekend vacation. 15 adults and two two month olds in a house overlooking Lake Erie in Lakeside.

Lakeside has been an important spot for God encounters for the Thompson clan.

Shaina and I went there in 2010. We were trying to discern the next steps of what God wanted from us. We sensed a very real call to consider moving to Kenya to provide leadership on the ground there with a microfinance operation we were blessed to be connected to. We also sensed that staying put where we were serving, putting my hat in the ring for a lead pastor position and considering church planting were all on the table.

We were in Acts 4 doing some reflecting and praying. It talked about how there was a pivotal crossroads where John and Peter had healed a guy crippled from birth and gotten in hot water with the same people who crucified Jesus.

They were imprisoned and told not to do any more Jesus talking, Jesus signs and wondering...or else.

And when released from prison they went to tell the rest of the church what they were told.

And the church, rather than praying for a hedge of protection...prayed for more boldness and more resolve to commit their lives to the gospel and to making disciples.

Amazing...the followers of a guy who got beaten humiliated and crucified now standing up with courage to the same men who killed their leader.

And when they finished praying, the Holy Spirit fell on them with power and the place was literally shaken.

We read that passage in 2010 and then after reflection time went to fix lunch in the kitchen and...no kidding...the entire house started to shake.

It was incredible! The Holy Spirit! Just like in Acts. People praying and the ground (and the world) shaking! I couldn't believe it!

I called our friend who had hooked us up with the location and I was like, "Is there any reason that the whole house might shake fairly violently?!"

She laughed and told me that the Marblehead Quarry was just up the street and they blasted at the quarry pretty regularly.

Ok, so maybe that is a logical explanation. haha. But it was the only blast in 72 hours during the week and it was right after we read Acts 4! And it was that very day that God took Kenya off the table for us and moved our hearts to planting a church that had an impact on the 20 something generation.

And we are in Columbus because of that retreat.

So to take our leaders up to the same area (two streets over from where we stayed 3 years ago!) was pretty amazing! And so I began the retreat with a talk from Acts 4. That we would be a people filled with Boldness...Resolve...and Unity.

And that the world would shake because of His people.

It's my prayer for my family. My prayer prayer for C3.

And it's my prayer for you.

Change starts here.