For our God is a devouring (or consuming) fire.
Is it possible that it really has been 17 years?
Lot has happened since then.
For one thing, I'm seventeen years older. Not complaining, simply stating a fact.
October 6, 1998, I made a journey to Toronto to attend the "Catch The Fire" conference.
Toronto plays an important part in the history of our church. In fact, I would say that what took place during that conference laid the foundation for everything I do today. Had no clue that such would happen....just a knowing that I needed to go there and experience this move of God for myself.
A good friend of ours, Randy Horvath, had called us in 1994 to alert us to the fact that something was going on at the Toronto Vineyard, and that we'd better get up there to check it out for ourselves. Several from Gadsden Vineyard made the trek to see what all the hubbub was about. Turned out that God had begun a move of His Spirit and it was growing with each passing day. The ones from our church who attended came back changed. They would never be the same. There was a new hunger for God, for His word, and to participate in His Kingdom work. In other words, they were not content to simply sit in church any more. God had let them have the keys to the car (so to speak) and once they had tasted driving they didn't want to go back to the old way of doing things.
I was not able to be a part of these early journey's to Toronto.
It wasn't until the fall of 1998 that I was approached about going.....by myself.....alone....no one else. I said o.k.
Wasn't sure what was going to happen, but I was open to whatever God wanted to do.
I flew out of Birmingham on Monday Oct. 6th. - 7:45 a.m. headed North.
The one thing I felt for certain about was that God had told me I was to go and observe. He would show me what I was to bring back.
Prior to my trip, I'd been having dreams. May not sound like much, but I really don't dream. Let me rephrase that. I don't remember dreams. If I do, then I take them to be from God. I'd had several dreams in the days before leaving, and they all centered around one thing.....Blue's music. In one, I was in a library looking for a book. Jim Bentley was with me, and we were moving up and down the isles in search of a book that I didn't even know the title. At one point Jim turned to me and said, "Here, you're going to need this."
He handed me a book that had a cloth cover. The cover was a faded blue, almost like jeans that had been washed a gazillion times. The title of the book was embossed on the front..."THE BLUES WAY". I took the book, asking Jim, "Why this one?" He replied, "I don't know. I just know that you're to need it." As I type this, it suddenly dawned on me that Jim didn't say that I needed to read this book....Just that I was going to need it.
My initial impression of the conference on the opening session, was that I felt like an intruder. Like I had wandered into a private party and was going to be asked to leave at any moment. Of course I tend to feel this way at anything or place that is new to me. As I moved into the main auditorium, my ears were filled with the most wonderful, and beautiful sound I'd ever heard. There was worship going on, but it was a different kind of worship. It was "Blues" worship. Turned out that the worship leaders for the week were Bryn Haworth and Dave Markee, both incredible musicians from England. Both had toured and recorded with the heavy weights of the music world. Here they were together leading the worship for the conference. Blues? The book Jim gave me in the dream was "The Blues Way"....hmmmmm. Are you trying to tell me something? Yes He was. And yes He did. This style of music would become the basis for everything I have done in recovery. Why this style? Because it truly speaks to the heart of those who are struggling with addiction. In the natural, blues music is nothing more than an outlet for the pain and misery one is going through. Take that same music and turn it into worship, and you take the pain and misery and give to the Healer, Jesus. Big difference.
This week I spent there (Oct. 6 through 11) was incredible. The reason it was so wasn't fully realized until later. I'm a person who likes to record his thoughts and experiences on paper. So I kept a running journal during my time at the Catch The Fire conference. This has allowed me to revisit my journey from time to time and see how God's hand was upon the entire event. Like I said earlier, this conference was the foundation for what I am doing today.
I've been in a lot of meetings, but the one I attended in Toronto will always hold a special place in my heart. This was where God gave me direction that is still in play today. He started me on a journey that I could never have chosen for myself. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to go to Toronto and to be changed by a God who is still in love with those outside His will. Those who are living under a cloud of depression and misery that we call addiction.
Here is the song that started it all for me. This is the song that grabbed me and pointed me to the path I've been walking on for the past 17 years.
Bry Haworth's "I Can Do All Things".
Enjoy!
God on you..........
michael b.
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