Mountaintop

Well yesterday I attended Brooklyn Tabernacle Church's staff meeting with Jim Cymbala, met with a man named Bishop, who spent 51 years in prison and attended the 4 hour prayer meeting (5-9 pm). Besides the obvious time alone with God and hearing Jim speak about our fellowship with God, I was considerably blessed by two things:

1. My time with Bishop. Back in 1956, Bishop killed a man on the streets of Louisiana. He was sentenced to death. While in prison, a chaplain prayed for him like this..."Lord do not heal his body and flesh but heal his soul." Bishop went on to tell us that that night in 1963, he went on to pray to God and if God was real, He needed to show him or else he was going to kill himself in his cell. At that moment, bishop felt a large rush of wind and He felt his heart melt and accepted Jesus as his Savior. Ever since, Bishop led the church ministry in the Prision. God interviened and for some reason his death sentence was changed to life in prison and then He was released 6 months ago. 51 years in prison! He was released with $20 and a bus ticket. God's grace. He said God could not use a murder, He could not use Moses the murderer, He could not use David, the murderer and God could not use Bishop, the murderer but God could use all these men who repented!!! He continued to believe even in the pit of Satan's people! God protected him and now He is preaching to young men and old about Jesus. He had over 1,200 men accept christ in the prison ministry that he had. BTW, Bishop killed a preacher!!! How God works.
2. The second was the Prayer time. People kept on coming in. With all the cares and troubles in the world, especially in Brooklyn NY. They needed to meet with God! most people in the Anglican churches want to do their time and leave, yet they people were hungry for God. they wanted to be with him. Being there was different. I have been in St Patricks Cathedral and other big churches but this was different. It seemed that God lived there! The house is definately a house of Prayer. we prayed and worshiped and prayed and annointed and prayed and heard the word and then Prayed more. Together, alone, in small groups, in holy huddles...lifting our voices to praise His name for what seemd like seconds but turned out to be 5 hours.

On the mountaintop, I wondered if we could sustain the praise when we were in the valley. Do we hunger to be with God? I mean really hunger it! thirst for it.

When we get down to it that is all He wants!

ET Ramblings