back to the drums

Last night from the stage of one of Crosspoint's churches in Crestview, someone asked us about the the threats of voodoo, and about how we handle it.  For a while Matt spoke about how God handles it, and as I listened and thought about how far, far away the drumming seems today, and how close, close it will be again in just a few days...I realized that in my mind, I STILL think of every drummer, every dancer, every man and woman partying and praising and cursing in the moonlight as Belony.  Belony before Jesus.

Taking it back to a post in 2011...

Two nights ago when Matt and I were laying in bed unable to sleep because the Voodoo drums at Noah's were pounding SO LOUDLY, the Lord gave me a different perspective.  (The Noah story is KILLER good, if you have a few minutes).  Normally, the erratic and deafening drumming is irritating, or discouraging, or frustrating (because it wakes Lily up!).  But Wednesday night, the Lord gave me a spirit of excitement.

This is why:  Belony, the evangelist/staff/past student that you have heard so much about, has his own Paul story.  A gifted musician, ten years ago it was Belony who was pounding for different witchdoctors, Belony who as a youth spent all of his time practicing and playing the drums and leading various satanic services. 

As I lay there, thinking about Belony today, Belony AFTER meeting Christ on the road to Damascus, as I thought about ALL the people who have come to know Him because of Belony...of Pehpay, who was led to the Lord and brought back from the near dead because of Christ in Belony....Belony, leading dozens to the Lord after the earthquake just by boldly proclaiming the whole Gospel...

I felt NOTHING that night but excitement for the young men whose hands were slapping the cow skins right then and banging on 5-gallon buckets.  If God could take Saul and then bring about ALL that He did with Paul, if God could take the old Belony and then bring about ALL That He IS doing in Belony today, then I have nothing but excitement for those that are participating in Voodoo today.

One sunny day, Belony just put down his sticks, left the fire and followed Christ and became a fisher of men.

The POTENTIAL of Christ-died-and-rose-again-for-them is ELECTRIFYING.  Until He comes, there is hope for the drummers of Saccanville, hope for Konpesh, for Au Bois, for Haiti, for the world.

Thank you for your prayers this weekend!

Very thankful as we're here, as we're heading home...as we look at America, as we look at Haiti and the world...very thankful that there is NO Saul that God cannot transform.  Very thankful that God works in ways and places that NO one thought possible.  Very thankful to be IN Christ, the One who is not damaged or changed by the evil hearts of man, and the One who can actually and truly CHANGE the evil hearts of man....like mine.

There may be drumming, friends.

But He isn't finished.