Burning Rose
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From... New York City? Say Wha?

Yes that is correct. Through a crazy series of events that unfolded in the past few days God has brought me to New York City, about a block from Broadway. I'll just copy and paste what I told someone in an email to explain the details. (I hope they don't mind) Its so much that it doesn't feel like we only started this 8 days ago._________________________________

We went out again on Friday. We were going to go to Jacksonville again, but God made it to where we had to do it in Fernandina. So we're walking around hoping to make eye contact and maybe people will find us like Tuesday. Nothing happened. So then we decided to sit and look intriguing with the camera. People kept walking by. And we were like "Ok God what's the deal? Give us who you want us to speak with." This WHOLE TIME there was a table of old people sitting there talking. God said "Approach them." So we did, and this little old lady gave us a good little word of yet again encouragement. But the men she was with were very scientific and did not want to answer the question. That set off a chain reaction of different interviews that God blessed us with, including another lady who basically said it should all be about love- God's love.


It also gave us an allegory of the Church. We can't parade around or even sit and look good and still be effective with the gospel. We need to take it to people and actually talk with them. We need to love them, which was also a theme I was finding through all of these answers.


During that Friday, we realized we were getting a lot of people who grew up in church and knew it all of their lives. And those who hadn't didn't want to say anything because they knew they were in the Bible Belt and feared people's reaction. So we were thinking "wouldn't it be cool to take this to NY? There's a huge mix of people there." God steps in again…


Saturday Sam and I got together with some people and had an awesome time of prayer until like 2am. Yet something else that we had not intended or expected! I got on facebook when I got home and as soon as I got on a friend of mine from NC IM'd me and asked me what's up. I told him a lot and asked him what was going on. He said "well I'm going with a team to NY to meet about doing a crusade there. Hey! As a matter of fact, do you want to come with me? Meet me at my house on Tuesday and we'll leave Wednesday morning. You can ride and room with me. Just make it to NC."


I got to his house on Tuesday and he said that the people he was doing the planning meeting with weren't comfortable with me coming because they didn't know me or whatever. I was actually kind of upset. He said, "I didn't know it was going to be like this, so with my employee discount I'll get you your own room in NY. you just can't hang out with us until Saturday. If you're ok with that?" I'm more of a chill person so I said lets do it. The only room he could get me was ONE in Manhattan. And he'll be in Queens. Too far away to hook up until Saturday. This almost sounds messed up right? --> I'm going to be in NY city for the first time. By myself. Doing a video.


After I prayed about it a lot by myself and with others, God showed me from five thousand different ways that this is what he wants. That way he could use me and grow me into something so much more than I can ever imagine on my own.


While I was praying I asked God to show me who to speak to and show his love to in NY. He gave me three specific people. A black guy with a red shirt- be careful around him. A guy with spikey blond hair, a black shirt and a chain. And a blond lady with a green shirt. I thought "Wow did I just make that up or did God just give me a specific vision?" SO I tried making up more people in my head like that but nothing came. And Sam and I prayed for a while over the phone. Praise God for all he does and is still doing in us, his people, by the power of his love and Spirit.


We finally got here tonight. Chad put me in the hotel and left for Queens. Right beside my hotel on 36th street is "Metropolitan Community Church." I thought "How cool is that? A church beside the hotel. And its not too late. They look like something is going on. Its Wednesday." I decided to check it out after I got settled in my room.


I walked up to some guys standing outside and asked them if they were part of this church. They just looked at me kind of weird. One guy said something in French, and the other guy mumbled something about "they meet on Sundays." Then a girl (maybe a little older than us) walked out. He said "She's the one you want to ask if you want to know about this place."

So I ask her "What do you guys got going on?" because people were going in and out.


"Are you gay or bi?" (with some Austrian sounding accent)

I said "no"

"Then this is not the place for you."

It is a shelter for gays/lesbians/bisexuals (who seemed to be in their teens and 20's).

Then she asked me why I was here in NY exactly. I said I really don't know exactly why I'm here. Then this english black guy started talking to me, and asked if I wanted him to show me around. I said sure and he was telling me all about his busy life and how his dad is a musician and they're from Oxford.


His name is Chritsof. He asked me what I was doing in NY alone. I told him the short version of the story. He said we'd go as soon as he spoke with someone about something. He was trying to get his stuff from the shelter, but the person that knew it was HIS stuff wasn't there. I started praying about what God wanted me to do because going to the bars in "The Village" with this guy just didn't sound like the best thing to do. About that time I noticed he was wearing a RED SHIRT.


I talked some more with him and the girl and he realized that if he wanted to stay in the shelter tonight he had to be in by 9:00 and it was 8:45. I told him I was tired from the trip anyways. He said he would be there tomorrow afternoon and to text him if I wanted to do something. So I'll probably talk to him tomorrow.


So God is using these situations to set up something really cool. When I got here, I could feel such a HUGE spirit of darkness. One that is so huge I've never felt it before. But God is already nullifying that. It's not gone, but its not active. Already I can see God's hand in all of these situations, and I know he has more to bring me into tomorrow. I pray that I will be able to hear what God is saying so that he will use me to speak to those he needs to speak to, using my mouth. And hopefully pray for those I need to pray over. And whatever God needs. He brought me here for a reason. I am alone for a reason.


I'm thinking I'm going to bring the camera to the Broadway strip tomorrow. But that's just what I'm thinking at the moment... I'm so excited.


He is real. He is powerful. He is bringing something about everywhere that will be something so much more than anyone can predict. And it will not start in the walls of churches. It is starting in the streets and on the campuses and in the fields and in the hearts of people. He will use those who would otherwise be considered low in the eyes of the world to advance his kingdom and destroy the wisdom of the wise and the knowledge of those who know so much. (1 Cor. 1:19- 31). God is wonderful and doing wonderful things!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Keep it up, Jeremy. I love reading all of this. It's so encouraging, and so real... You keep walkin' it out, man. I'll be praying for you.

The Sour Cupcake said...

I haven't had time to really read all of your entries, but I will say that what your doing in honorable, and I pray that you keep listening to what the Spirit is telling you. Keep it up! My blog has a different writing style, but your blog caught my eye, so I decided to follow. Very cool stuff.

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