2010 Solemn Assembly

My good friend and brother Kit just wrote a reflection on the 2010 New England Solemn Assembly and I’m going to take a few minutes to post my thoughts as well for those of you who were unable to make it.

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Ashley and I have as much a sense of direction as a squirrel in front of traffic. We were supposed to be a half hour early to meet my mother and father to drive to Plymouth, MA, but ended up being fifteen minutes late when we pulled in to our meeting place. For those of you who know us, this is not a new routine.

Coffees in hand, we drove and wondered aloud what the Assembly was really going to be like. It didn’t offer a program guide like other one-day conferences we’d been to so we were left holding onto the vague idea that we would be gathering with a bunch of believers who were longing for a living and breathing church and nation. Good enough.

We pulled in to the town of Plymouth and followed the crowds of people to the center where the meeting was going to be held. I yelled out the window when I recognized Kit’s orange hat and they saved us a seat while we passed by people carrying Shofars. Plymouth was as quaint as other New England sea towns, speckled with some marinas and seafood restaurants.

There was a buzz about the room as the Assembly was called to order with some worship and prayer. It was clear that there was a range of denominations, geographic locations and ethnicities represented. Within a few minutes the shofar were being blown and speakers came up to deliver passionate speeches and words urging us to call our church and our nation back to God in a personal, tangible, prayerful and global way.

I agree with Kit’s post that there was one point in particular which stood out from the rest. A First Nations man was invited up to speak. He began rather softly and in the heart of the “National Day of Repentance” he spoke come clear and poignant words. He asked forgiveness from us for harboring anger and resentment at what our forefathers had done to the First Nations people hundreds of years ago. He asked forgiveness for calling Christianity “White-man’s religion” and then professed that it is all man’s religion and he stood with us saying that Jesus is Lord and Savior. How powerful it was to see a First Nations man, a Mohawk, asking forgiveness from us! We were all blown away. He spoke a while longer and towards the end an exchange of gifts was made between him and another man signifying friendship, peace and forgiveness. It was one of the most powerful things I have ever witnessed.

The Assembly continued on until four in the afternoon. Four hours of worship, prayer, prophecy and gathering left us hungry so we walked past the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock (which Kit enjoyed reminding everything that this was not the actual Plymouth Rock or Mayflower) to enjoy a seafood dinner while mulling over the day.

I left encouraged. There were things which I agreed with and things which I didn’t, but the overarching message for me was that there are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of churches and believers in New England (and across the globe) who believe that it is time to breath again, to live, to return to our God and to claim this time and place as his.

The Intentionality of Living

Living in the Pioneer Valley requires tremendous intentionality. One cannot simply move to this area and expect to mingle with the people and pursue Christ without tangible pushback. Therefore, to hold ground and to move forward, we must be extremely persistent and intentional. Intentional about what? Everything.

We have had to be intentional about visiting other churches and going to events. It would be unwise (and ineffective) for Ashley and I to pray for unity without intentionally choosing to create it.

We have had to be intentional about reaching out to meet other Christians in the area. The church in this area will not experience revival without a solid foundation of Christians who offer up a spirit-led cry pleading for God to breathe into his Bride.

We have had to be intentional about our marriage. If we do not pay attention to the ways in which our enemy seeks to drive a wedge into our relationship, we could find ourselves looking at a stranger sleeping in bed next to us. The family is a source of power and blessing in God’s kingdom, Satan will seek to destroy it.

We have had to be intentional about spending time with Jesus collectively and in solitude. Personally, I have made my morning drive to work (often before 5 or 6 a.m.) a time of prayer. That is my base and beginning for a day seeking Christ first. If time allows, I spend more time in prayer throughout the day and in the evening. At night, Ashley and I make sure that we pray and read together- sometimes tuning in to some sermons from faithful men and women who have posted their messages online.

We have had to be intentional about getting rest and being healthy physically. It is really easy to get tired around here (and in other mission fields specific to your calling) because there’s so much to do. We could easily work all day, meet people at night, go out to dinner and for a coffee or beer, come back home, read, watch TV, email, etc. Simply put, we need to intentionally prioritize our time. Without prioritizing, important things get left out, our bodies suffer from lack of sleep and our spirits become weary. Often Ashley and I will find ourselves falling asleep before 10 p.m. At first it felt lame since we’re still in our 20′s, but we know from experience that it is better to miss that last hour or two at night to gain a full rested day.

We eat better. Why? Because it makes us feel better. Also, because it is part of being a faithful steward; both of our bodies and of our resources. A healthy body helps us in leading a balanced and healthy life. It also lends itself to helping support local agriculture and preventing to never-ending spiral of global food monopolies creating cheap hormone-pumped food.

Living in the Pioneer Valley requires intentionality but so does living in any field where God has you. We must be intentional with our time, relationships and efforts. The church needs it. Your family needs it.

On a more personal note, for those of you who are keeping up with the happenings in our time here in Northampton, there have been some memorable moments in the past few days.

• Last Thursday a handful of us met in our apartment for the first to time kick off the fast leading up to the Solemn Assembly at the end of the month. It was a great time with some great conversation and prayer. We expect to continue meeting weekly for prayer and fellowship but have not yet decided on a day. Stay posted on that.
• We have received continual confirmation that prayer, by and large, is what we are supposed to be doing right now (hence the weekly meeting). We have heard from several people and in our own times of searching that prayer is the foundational element that will begin the process of revival in this city.
• Ashley and her friend were hanging around town the other day when they stopped to talk with a homeless woman. They ended up buying her some lunch but as they were about to leave, Ashley asked if they could pray for her (her name is Judy). Without missing a beat, Judy looked up and said, “Yes. You can. You can pray that would be angels.” So we did. We have heard from others about asking for angels and have been following that leading to see where it is going.
• We went to a church last night (Saturday night) and experienced some good music and met a handful of people…this was one of the events where we received confirmation that indeed, the Pioneer Valley is a war zone, and prayer and angels are needed.
• We went to another church this morning to get a sense of the Christian culture in this area and found a community of people who desire Christ and are close-knit but will probably soon enter into a time where God shows up in some big ways.
• We heard a pastor from India give a testimony and found it interesting that the only real requirements for pastors out there are some basic theological education, a bike and a drum. The bike is for transportation and a drum is to beat so that people know it’s time for “church” where they come to meet under a lantern hung from a tree. What if all we needed to start churches out here was a bike, a drum, and a simple message of grace?
• We watched Food, Inc. and learned a lot about our food and where it comes from…we think you should watch it too. How we live and eat does not escape the command to live as faithful stewards, so look into it.

Thank you for checking in and following our blog. There has been a lot going on and we always appreciate you prayer and support. As always, if we can pray for you please let us know. To learn more about what we are doing or to come to our weekly prayer meeting, shoot us an email. oldhamn@gmail.com

( a picture of Emily and I warming up the pipes before meeting on Thursday evening)

Coming Up This Week

It’s 8:30 am and now I consider this “sleeping in” as I sit and write to you from the Noho Starbucks, pretty quiet in between the morning rush and the late sleepers. Works starts in about an hour and a half promising long trip to some school over three hours away.

I wanted to share a passage with you that I came across while I was reading in Jeremiah the other day. I think it rings true to God’s heart for this town and this time:

Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. ⁷ I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. ⁸ I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. ⁹ Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.

Thursday, Ashley and I are opening our doors to a small group of friends, family and anyone else who wants to come over for a time of hanging out and prayer. It is the beginning of a 10 day fast for many in New England as we approach a meeting called the “Solemn Assembly” at the end of the month (the meeting is essentially a bunch of Christian leaders, churches and prayers gathering to pray and worship and intercede for an “awakening” in New England). Since fasting is better practiced in community, we will be having this time to learn a little bit about fasting and to “kick off” the fast as a small group.

If you are interested in joining the fast or learning about the Solemn Assembly, feel free to email me. If you want to come by our apartment, send me another email and I will give you our address , etc. We do hope that you will consider praying for New England over the next ten days (Sept. 9-19th) if you do not want to fast or are unable to. This area needs your support and prayer, never discount what one more prayer will add to the numbers of us already committing to prayer in this time.