Day 176

It's Day 176 of  The Red Shoe Project and I'm wearing my RED shoes and comfortable clothing.  The time has come to go home.  

Who would have imagined that God would do so much, in a mere five days, right here, in Rome, Georgia?   Many of the rich experiences I've had here, I've written to you about, but there was so much more.  After all, there were at least ten people staying at Mama Fire's and many more who stayed elsewhere and attended the conference. They all take with them their own treasured memories.

There was Lesha, who played piano;  Kelly with the amazing smile and her wonderful little girl, Hope;    Edna, who preached a great word, (she's Mama's sister);  my new friends Marilyn and Carol, who know more old choruses than I do;  there was Jean, sweet Jean,  and the gals from Ohio who stayed with Kathy, (a powerhouse of prayer, who's also Mama Fire's daughter);  my FL/GA friends...  Annie and Peg;  And us Florida gals... Angie, Nancy, Bonnie and myself.  Yesterday, Angie  flew home.  Today, Bonnie, Nancy and I are driving.  We had a time of prayer, this morning, with Mama and Leslie and headed out.  I jumped in the SUV and positioned myself in the front passenger seat, Nancy hopped in the back, and Bonnie started her up -- Off we went!

I thought about all the amazing women that I was with this week. One, in particular, I got to know a little more than the others.  I can't help but think about how Marilyn and I connected.  We shared a room together.  She slept on an air mattress and I slept on the recliner.  You get to know someone when you share a room.  She played the guitar and led us in choruses well into the night.  We had a lot of laughs together.  She likes to laugh and I think that she may have as many stories as I do.  After everyone else went to sleep, Marilyn and I stayed up and chatted even longer.  A new friendship has begun!

I can't leave Georgia without giving THANKS TO GOD for the Woman of God who really made this all happen.  She'd point out all the wonderful ladies involved who cooked, prayed, preached, worshipped, ministered, invited, housed, transported, advertised and funded this whole project.  And they are to be commended.   But at the heart of it all is our beloved,  "Mama Fire"...  a woman sold out to God - to do His work - to lead souls to Christ - to preach His Word - to lay hands on people and pray for their salvation,  baptism,  healing,  and deliverance.  She's there to be an example, and to direct and guide women, like us, whom God has given the opportunity to sit at her feet.



"The Spirit of the Sovereign 
 LORD is on me, because 
 the LORD has anointed me
 to proclaim good news 
 to the poor.
 He has sent me to 
 bind up the brokenhearted, 
 to proclaim freedom for the 
 captives and release from 
 darkness for the prisoners, 
 to proclaim the year of the 
 LORD's favor and the day
 of vengeance of our God..."
 Isaiah 61:1

THANK YOU Mama Fire 

for your generosity and love!

We made it back to Sarasota in about ten hours.  We stopped many times for gas, snacks, and restroom breaks. We weren't gone half an hour and we pulled into the first Starbucks we saw for a Chai Tea Latte. (That was my idea!)  LOL.   We finished reading our book on "Deliverance."   We had some good ministry discussion.  We testified back and forth of all the things the Lord had done.  We laughed. And we cried.

We popped on some victory music and hooted and hollered, joyfully, unto the Lord!  Then, right as we were pulling into Sarasota, we saw a rainbow.

It was a GREAT road trip in RED shoes!

Gail

Day 175

I started off Day 175 of The Red Shoe Project  in RED high heels and headed out of the house bright and early to Glory Tabernacle.  What a service!!!  Not only was Nancy waving the flag,  today she was wearing high heels.  It wasn't long ago that she was sitting at home in her office chair on wheels.  She'd roll around the room on that chair pushing the vacuum cleaner.  She had so little strength, that was the only way she could clean her carpet.  Yes... how sad, but NOW...  she's dancing in high heels and waving flags!  Glory Hallelujah! God has done miracles in her life and she is not wasting a moment  to give Him praise!

The worship this morning was spectacular. Perhaps it's because we've been coming into the temple day after day after day, continually worshipping the Lord, seeking His face, hearing His Word preached and believing for The Holy Spirit to minister to us. Whenever we leave,  we go home to the house and simply gather around together there and pray, worship and testify some more. We go to sleep FULL.  We wake up FULL.  And before we know it, we are back in the House of the Lord for more.

As FULL as we all may be,  I am still quite hungry for the Lord.   I'm here in Georgia to meet with God. I've left all the distractions behind.  There's no phone calls, no classes, no appointments, no errands, no walking the dog,  no "other" things.  It's all about God here.  That's why I came.

This Christian Retreat is a time set aside for me

to withdraw  from my daily routine and environment, 

and focus my attention, my thoughts,  my actions, 

and my time...  totally on God.

As the music started this morning, I lifted my hands, closed my eyes and sang my heart out unto the Lord.  Something was different.  The whole area in front of me, from the front row to the altar seemed electrically charged.  

Earlier this morning I had taken my first shower while I've been here.  The hot water felt so good as it poured down onto my face.  Here, in the church, something else was showering down upon me. Could it be the Glory of God?  It was wonderfully refreshing. It was like raindrops of glory coming down from the heavens and falling right upon me.

In front of me, on the platform were the musicians.  A new friend of mine was sitting up there playing the flute.  She had twisted her ankle right before the service began, so she was unable to stand.  To the left of me, at the other end of the aisle, were my Florida friends. They were worshipping and clapping with great joy.   My pal, who had wondered about Pentecostal churches, smiled at me as she waved a bright pink flag, back and forth, back and forth.  Bonnie was to my immediate left.  She was just having an awesome time of worship.  

In front of me... there was a big open space.  No one was there.  Usually people came forward during the worship.  This morning,  there were only two flag wavers.  Hmmm.   I was so FULL of that glory.  My heart seemed filled with utter delight. Then the musicians began to sing  "The Happy Song."   That's my song!  That's the song I dance to in my living room.  A thought crossed my mind...

 "I suppose I could just step out there,

in that big open space,

and have a fine dance before the Lord."    

The glory continued to fall upon me.  I looked up again at my dear friend, playing the flute,  who couldn't even stand up.   

"Perhaps I could dance for the both of us," 

 I contemplated.   

Bonnie was doing her "Swishhhh" thing.  I can't even tell you what that is.   It's indescribable.  But she does it when God is really moving on her heart!  It's a sound she makes that reminds me of a gust of wind.

I opened my eyes just enough to peek out.  That space was still there -- wide open.  It felt like electricity was moving through my legs.  What a weird feeling.  The tops of my legs were like jello.  Just standing there singing, I was a bit wobbly.  Perhaps it was due to my RED high heels?  

"I wouldn't be able to dance with these shoes on."  

I thought.   "I'd be down, in a second, on the floor.  

But I could just kick my off my shoes 

and push them under my chair. 

Why not?  No one would even notice."   

So  that's exactly what I did.   I gently stepped out of my Ruby Reds...  and pushed them under my seat with my toes.   Just then that little voice in my mind went wild.

"You know...  if you don't step out there now, you're gonna miss out.  How often do you even get the opportunity to just dance before The Lord in church...  especially with all this open space.  Go for it!   Go on!  You know you want to!  Go now!" 

"Why not?"  I thought.

  "Why not now?"  

and out I went.  

I was a bit wobbly right from the start.
I guess it wasn't the heels.  LOL.
No matter...  I stomped my feet,  jumped up and down, twirled around and around,  and soared like an eagle. It was wonderful.  I enjoyed every minute of it and I think God did too.  Who knows a few onlookers might have gotten a chuckle out of it.


There's nothing like a good laugh mixed with the Holy Ghost.  I've done that myself.  That's when you start laughing because you know the person you're watching would never be part of such a public display on their own.  You know that you know that you know... that it's a God thing -- Joy Unspeakable bubbles up from your belly. You can't help yourself.  You start laughing, and that makes the glory fall all the more! That's how people get swept away in the glory.  They witness an unexpected manifestation of God on someone they know... and it's over.  They are blown away in the glory.  And all they were doing was watching.  It's a glorious thing!!! 

After that song, we sang a beautiful chorus called "Shikinah Glory." 

"We wait for You.

We wait for You.

We wait for You.

To walk in the room."

"Here we are, standing in your presence.

Here we are, standing in your presence.

Shikinah Glory come down.

Shikinah Glory come down."

"Release the fullness of Your Spirit.

Shikinah Glory come.  

Shikinah Glory come.

We want more. We want more.

We want more. We want more.

We want more.  We want more

More of Your Spirit.

The Lord has given us freedom, given us freedom , given us joy!

The Lord has given us freedom, given us freedom, given us joy!

Lord I can't get enough of your presence.

I said I can't get enough of your presence.

I said I can't get get enough of your presence.

I can't get enough... Can't get enough.

One of the things that I love about old time Pentecostal churches is that they will sing and sing and sing a chorus until everyone pretty much knows all the words by heart.  We must have sung this song for twenty minutes or longer. It was great!   I just stood at the front, eyes closed, hands raised to God, swaying back and forth to the music as I sang whole-heartedly unto the Lord.  

You know... the funniest thing happened.  The Glory of God was so present that when I opened my eyes, I could of swore that I saw angels... all over the place.  That open area that I talked about earlier was now filled with people... but stuffed in amongst all the people, as well as on the platform, and even throughout all the seats in the sanctuary were angels galore.  I remember thinking that there was more angels in the sanctuary than people. I don't quite know how to explain to you what that looks like.  It's like you see this heavenly realm of angels, super-imposed over the earthly realm of people.  Everyone - People and Angels -- was crowded into Glory Tabernacle and it was AWESOME! Of course I didn't tell anyone that!  That is until I heard several women at the house talking about how they saw angels all over the sanctuary.  I guess I wasn't the only one!

I know that you might think that this is a little much.  I don't expect you to fully get it because you weren't there. Just know that glorious things happen when you hunger and search after God.  He will be found.  Perhaps one day you'll have your own Glory stories.

Twirling in RED shoes,

Gail

Day 174

On Day 174 of  The Red Shoe Project, I was up bright and early, fitted in my RED shoes, and off to Glory Tabernacle for a morning of ministry.  I hitched a ride with a new friend who was heading over to the church early to get things in order for the worship service.  I had no idea what God had in store for me this day.  It would be powerful!

Glory Tabernacle is a small church.  It reminded me of the church I co-pastored years ago in Rhode Island.  When I arrived,  I found the light switches and turned them on.  I proceeded to walk up and down the isles, touching every chair and praying for the person that would sit there.  After that, I began straightening the rows of chairs that were in disarray from last night's service.  I love when the House of God is in order.  For years, that was one of my jobs...  I cleaned our church and made sure that everything was in order.   Oh how this church was bringing back memories.

Did you know that I was married for twenty years and that I had co-pastored a church?  That was a long time ago.  Those nine years of being a pastor's wife of a church plant were some of the best times of my life.  My children were babies.  We were a young family serving the Lord with all our hearts.  I was working full time for Jesus.  What's better than that?

Years later I was divorced.  I tell my story in The Yellow Brick Road:  A Woman's Journey to the Edge and Back.  Thinking back to that time in my life now, it's hard to remember the details of those wonderful days.  Sometimes when you experience something very painful, you forget it and only remember the good things.  In my case, the painful things stayed in the forefront of my mind and the good things were forgotten.  At the time of the divorce, I was so broken, I just had to shut that door completely and move on.


When the service started, the Spirit of God began to minister to my heart.  I heard Him tell me that it was very important to open that door to my past, and  embrace all the good memories.  I really didn't want to do that, but He continued to encourage me to trust Him.  I really had to go deep into the closet of my mind just to remember the names and faces of dear friends from that time.

Eventually there it was:  

Release!  

A breakthrough!  The good times flooded back into my memory.  The Lord assured me that I had nothing to be ashamed of or feel guilty about.  Those old lies were from the enemy of my soul.  God knew my heart then and He knows my heart now.   I was free!  It felt good to remember.

During all this, worship was taking place.  I was standing with my arms raised and my eyes closed.  The music was like a balm being poured out upon my fragile heart.  How soothing the Holy Spirit can be in such vulnerable and tender times.  Suddenly, I felt a joy rise up within me.  I sensed a smile upon my face.  My heart was content.


I know it sounds so simple, but that small act of remembering was a giant leap of faith for me.  It was scary.  I trusted that this act of faith that God was requiring of me was as important as He suggested it was.  And I trusted God to keep me safe.  He did. Why now?  It was just time.  It was His time.  It was a significant piece of the process, all orchestrated by God, Himself.


As I enjoyed this wonderful time of bathing in worship,  an extraordinary thing happened...
God showed me a vision.
I saw myself, standing before God, bent over slightly, with my mouth wide open.  Coming from my mouth was a thick, fisherman's rope.  God was pulling the rope, hand over hand,  from my mouth.  Three big bundles of fish were attached to the rope and came forth, from my mouth, one at a time.


He said to me...

"This is going to hurt, 

but it will be worth it."  

 I remember responding to Him,  

"I birthed three kids, all naturally,

 and one of them was 9 pounds, 14 ounces."  

I can do this!"

Mama Fire told me later that the fish represent souls and that whenever God brings this vision to my mind, I need to get on my face and pray it through. 

If God said it,  in His time,  He'll do it. 

Some road trip, huh?  God is blessing us all at Glory Tabernacle.  This church is perfectly named, for the Glory of God certainly dwells in this sanctuary.

Just another day in RED shoes!

Gail

Day 173

It's  Day 173 of  The Red Shoe Project and I have been wearing my  RED high heels, every day at the Daughters of Destiny Conference at Glory Tabernacle in Rome, Georgia.   "Mama Fire"  is the pastor and she has brought together some wonderful men and women of God to help her with the conference worship and ministry.
------ Pastor Inez Lucas - "Mama Fire" ------>


Last night before the evening service, a friend of mine from Florida, who's also staying with us at Mama Fire's house, asked me a question.

"So have you ever been to a pentecostal church?  

I'm just wondering what to expect."  

I assured her that if she's been comfortable with all the ministry that we've been experiencing at the house, she'll have no problem with the church.  She confessed to me that she had attended a pentecostal church once and was rather surprised when she saw people waving flags, dancing, and twirling ribbons on sticks.  It was much different than anything she had ever experienced before.  This lead to a great discussion about God's Church and all it's parts.

(1 Corinthians 12:12-27)

Over the years I've heard many sermons on this portion of scripture.  It's gives great understanding into how the local church, as a whole, is made up of many people.  Each individual  has an important gift to contribute to the local body.
No matter how big or small an individual's spiritual gift may be perceived by
others, it has value and is critical for the church's optimal effectiveness.


Thereby, every person must not only exercise their gift, but they must do it in unity, one with another.   That's a nice way of saying that we need to appreciate what each person brings to the table and encourage 100% participation.


Personally, I've always perceived this to be true when it comes to Christ's "global church" as well.  There are many Christian denominations and each one contributes it's unique and valuable gifts to the Body of Christ.

Some are outstanding when it comes to winning the lost.  Others major in teaching the Bible and equipping the saints.  Still others are great at feeding the hungry.  Some shine when it comes to missionary work.  Others are over the top when it comes to taking a stand against things like abortion.

Still others make their mark in the world when it comes to taking care of orphans and widows. Some churches have flourishing children's programs that minister to hundreds. The list goes on and on.  All of these efforts are to be commended.  No one church does them all, let alone does them all well.

But if we put all these Christian denominations together, and if they were to operate in unity, with one another,  surely God would see them as one global church,  His Church, the true Body of Christ,  and smile at the team effort put forth to fulfill the complete will of God.  I'm not saying we're there yet, but I do believe that's God's intended plan.

In the same way, everyone of those denominations celebrates Christ a little differently.  Some wave flags.  Some wave their hands.  Some dance and twirl ribbons.  Some stay quiet and still.  

Others may shout with joy.  In some churches I've seen a man designated to blow the shofar.  Some churches have great worship teams with many instruments and talented singers.  Some enjoy contemporary music while others prefer the golden oldies... hymns!


Some denominations focus their attention on  bringing in the next generation.

They use Christian rock bands with stage lights. They have exceptional community outreaches and use advanced social media marketing campaigns.  Jumping up and down for Jesus is more than acceptable!  They clap. They snap.  They lift their hands above their heads in praise.

Many others prefer to celebrate Christ in much quieter, more liturgical settings.   Less movement and more inner contemplation.  Some have one service a week, some have several.  Some  meet on Sundays.  Others meet on Saturdays.  Some are open 24/7.  Others are open only in the mornings or the evenings.

There's a vast spectrum of personalities, traditions, methods, atmospheres, and structures - or lack of structure.  The point is... there's something for everyone.  

 I don't believe that anyone will 

stand at the gates of Heaven and tell God, 

"Sorry, I couldn't find a church I liked." 

If they do, He'll have every right to tell them 

they didn't look hard enough. 

With that, I encouraged my friend to keep an open mind.


That night, we sat next to each other, on the front row of this little pentecostal church, clapping our hands and singing joyfully unto the Lord.  Suddenly... we noticed our friend,  Nancy, was standing between us and the altar,  praising the Lord and vigorously waving this huge flag.  LOL.  What was with her?  She was so into it!  A couple times I thought her flag was going to knock me in the head. I'm being honest with you... those thoughts really did run through my mind.  But I've been around church for many years and I've learned never to judge.  

Don't think for a moment, 

the devil won't try to get you 

to take your eyes off Christ 

and get an attitude towards people. 

We can get a little big for our britches at times and think that things need to be the way we'd like them to be.  That's one of the devil's most popular tricks of the trade.  But I know that God loves a true worshipper.  He doesn't get as wrapped up as we do in the perfect presentation of things.  He looks at the heart.   So I shooed the enemy away and said to myself, "Who cares?  Let her wonderfully celebrate the Lord with that flag.  More power to her!  She's not bothering me." 

The enemy was undoubtedly poking at my flesh.  But as I looked at her,  I could see that she was totally in the spirit,  joyfully worshipping the King of Kings with all her heart, mind, soul and strength.  It was undeniable!  It was beautiful!   I had to smile.  Not to mention the fact that she never,  ever,  does anything like this.  It's gotta be a "God thing!"

So this morning, we all returned to the church again for service.  I shared with my friend something very interesting that I learned at breakfast.  Just a few weeks ago, Nancy was unable to  lift her arms up high enough to even comb her hair.  God has touched her so powerfully, that a supernatural energy and healing has filled her.  Suddenly, amongst other things,  she's able to hold, well above her head, a big heavy flag and wave it unto the glory of God in thanksgiving for all He's done for her.  What faith!  She is plowing forward, proclaiming Victory in Jesus!  Glory to God!

The church was so filled with God's presence this morning.  As I told my friend this story, we both began to weep.  God was tugging on our hearts and doing a deep work.  We agreed that this little piece of information changed everything.  My perspective was not even closely aligned with God's perspective. We confessed together, before God, in the front row of that little pentecostal church, that we were wrong.  We  "got it!"  Another lesson learned.  We turned not only from our wrongful perspectives this morning, but towards God, moving closer into His presence.  We are hungry to see things as He does that we might respond in a way that's consistently pleasing to Him.

Besides... who knew that tomorrow, my friend would be waving a flag herself, and I'd be dancing, quite vigorously before the Lord - twirling and waving like there was no tomorrow?  LOL.  I wonder who the devil was poking in the flesh about that?  He's always looking for someone to take their eyes off Jesus.

Going deeper,
Gail