One of the things that I have enjoyed, is traveling to different places and states across America. From going to the East Coast, to a three day drive out to the West Coast. As I sat there in the passenger seat driving from Arizona border to California, I kept thinking about one man that spent most of his time traveling; apostle Paul. This man traveled more than any other disciple. And the impact he left behind was huge. I kept wondering that may be seeing the amazing creation of God inspired him and made his faith even more active to keep doing what he did! Did he see the Grand Canyon? May be! But thinking of Paul and his journeys kept me occupied all the way to our final destination and how I think it's very important for us to travel and see different things that are lettered with God's signatures.
Talking of things littered with God's signatures; seeing the leaves changing colors out in the east was magnificent for me, I had never seen anything like that before. And then seeing the Grand Canyon was even more grand for me; mind boggling. There's no way you can fail to say a prayer of thanks giving to the creator after seeing all these amazing stuff. The mountains in Colorado are so pretty and so are the beaches in California. These trips opened my eyes to see how beautiful this country really is. How diverse it is and how all encompassing it looked to me.
And each State seems to differ from the other in one way or the other. Seeing clay building in New Mexico got all of us looking at each other, because these, you can find in Uganda and even South Sudan. It was visibly the poorest of all the more than 25 States we have been to.
California is very beautiful and the weather was just perfect for me. Especially when we got told that we left Michigan just in the right time away from some big inches of snow and a blizzard. And to add on this, California is the face of America to the outside world and in most cases what is associated with it isn't good stuff, the movies; both good and bad, the drugs, the gay rights and activities, and also some controversial churches too (I have friends who seem to have eternal dislike for RickW Waren's church) and also some amazing people and amazing churches as well. It has got it all. As I thought about a proper description of California, the story of Lot and Abraham came to mind. When they had to separate because their herdsmen were always fighting. Abraham gave Lot an opportunity to choose first. And Lot, being a man of senses, looked around and chose a place that looked good, with hills and was green...in other wards, he chose the best part and left the dry areas for his uncle. Lot did not have the faith to live and subdue the place that he chose and this place ( Sodom and Gomorrah) is said to have been wicked and sinful against The Lord, but then, Lot and his household were righteous before The Lord. So, even though California is known for the bad stuff, there are some Lots there, people who are righteous and love and worship The Lord. And I got to have such divine experience in Northern California that I'll tell you in a bit.
Before I share with you my one moment of bliss in America, I would like to say something. All along, I have been observing and thinking about many things and yesterday, I went to visit my Ugandan friend who has been in the States for the last 7 years. The visit was to be able to play and catch up on familiar conversations since I have been feeling home sick recently, but our conversations took a direction that none of us expected and before long, the whole room was filled with the presence of The Lord! I was still literally shaking about an hour later in the car on our way home.
This is one remarkable difference between a majority of Christians here and Christians in Africa. Here, a majority of Christians are knowledgable with the Bible, they have read it, they own two or three versions, etc. A majority of Christians in Africa have seldom read the whole Bible, many of them don't even own them and some of them don't own one because they can't even read it. But, because of their limitations in many areas, they cry out to God for almost everything and the Lord's response has been a hunger for people to seek him and know him mor. As a result, people have had encounters with The Lord and to them, he's everything, provider, healer, comforter, protector, name it. It's only in Africa where someone will walk in front of the church and testify in tears, how The Lord miraculously provided them with food! They literally rely on him for everything and their testimonies sound more like the obvious things, and yet to them, they are miraculous. Where as most Christians here would probably encourage you with a number of scriptures, there, it's testimonies that someone will encourage you with because that's all they know.
And this brings me to what I love doing the most; worship. I have always thought and meditated on Christ's statement when he said the father seeks those who worship him in spirit and in truth. And in most cases, as our pastor here put it on Sunday (and I couldn't agree with him more), we tend to put a performance even right in church. This happens everywhere. In true worship, it's inside out and not outside in. We cease to think about other people's opinions and views regarding the way we worship, we don't lift up our hands only when the worship leader or the pastor says so, because in moments of true worship, the world around you ceases to be and it's just you and the father. I love it every time aim transported into his presence in worship, where dignity is thrown out of the window and freedom comes in, where laughter can erupt and tears of joy that those around you will be startled to see. In true worship there are no boundaries, no limits, no time, nothing. Instead you get the hunger and the desire for more and more and more and you want to keep doing it. In some of these moments, some people weep, others may laugh, some may fall down, some may burst out speaking in strange tongues, some will worship in voices that are not theirs, and many more. Because when you are in the presence of God, you don't remain the same, the disciples saw Christ's face shining when he had that divine visitation, Isaiah says he fell down when he saw the face of The Lord, David was glad to go to the house of The Lord because he knew what happens there,and many others had different reactions because one thing is certain,when you see him, you never remain standing, never!
My favorite time of the week is always during worship in church and I must say I have enjoyed that in many churches here.
One of the places I wanted to visit while here in the States was The Bethel church in Redding, Northern California. I love their worship albums, especially the lofty sessions. And having read many great things about the place, I really wanted to be there and see it for my self. While in California, we made plans to visit the famous healing rooms. We had to drive close to 10 hours from the south and stayed in a hotel nearby. The next day we made a short trip there and I was very expectant. We listened to really anointed worship music by Beckie's friend's husband. The moment I stepped inside Bethel, I knew it. I could sense it, feel it and smell it. The presence of The Lord was so real and so tangible. I was on familiar grounds, holy grounds. The part that I really enjoyed the most was the soaking room. With live soaking music being sang by the worship team, the place was littered with people worshipping the creator in many different ways and forms. Some were lying down, others were cheerfully painting, some were dancing, others we're weeping, some appeared to be sleeping, it was just AWESOME! I swum in that holy atmosphere and I would walk in there every Saturday if it was close enough! And sometimes I think that's all we need, lay down a platform for people to come and just enjoy the presence of The Lord as much as they want and then they can go back. No sermon, just let him speak to each person the way he wants. It was beautiful there and that to me, was my moment of Bliss in America. We need more of this everywhere, places where the personal encounter with the King is made easier. I could write on and on and on about these things, but I must stop here. Thanks for your continuous reading of my posts and your feedback keeps encouraging me to write more. Next week, God willing, I am planning to write about what Africa really needs from America, a must read for anyone who has a heart for Africa and you will be surprised that it's not money. Till next week, stay better and not bitter. Bless you.
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