What a Time in God!!!!!
The women with the Good News are a mighty army!!! PS 66 in the CJB says, "Come and see what God has done. His awesome dealings with humankind!!! and PS 67 says, "God be gracious to us and bless us. May he make his face shine toward us... SO THAT your way may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations." I think we got a good start on that today!!
Paul, Stephen and others told their stories chronologically in the Bible, so I'm going to chronical things the same way as I saw them before, during and after this amazing GOD TIME. Here goes...
o Received notice of AGLOW'S meeting with Joy Green.
o Friday night before the Saturday meeting... I received an e-mail from my friend, Sharon, that made me aware that the Islamic Society in our county was going to hold a protest against Israel over the flotilla incident at a major intersection in our town during the time we were to meet with Joy Green, our Regional rep., and other seasoned women of God from all over the region as well as our leaders in Bay County. Sharon had heard about the event on our local 94.5 radiio station via talk show host, Doc Washburn. He was encouraging folks to come out to protest the protest and stand in support of Israel and said he would be there with the radio station van. For months I had been praying to meet the Muslim community in our town, and now they were going to be assembled publicly. I forwarded the e-mail to Donna, a local woman on the Aglow area team were Joy was staying during her visit. It was late, but I knew I had to stay up and get God's heart on the matter. He showed me his heart through Psalm 50. "Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother, thou slanderest thine own (father's) son." As soon as I read it, he just connected the scripture with Aglow's Watchman on the Wall training manual pages concerning God's love for Arabs, "the other brother." God sees the decendants of Isaac and Ishmael (the sons of Abraham) each speaking against their brother; slandering, fighting and warring against the son of their father. It grieves his heart. Abraham loved both of his sons and so does the God of Abraham. The God of the Bible made promises to both sons and their future generations. So, between 1 and 3 a.m. I began to put together 50 or so handouts consisting of 3 things... a Day to Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem Prayer Card (Eagle's Wings Ministries) with portions encouraging prayer for Jews and Arabs alike highlighted in pink; 2 portions from Aglow's Watchman on the Wall Manuel, again speaking to God's love for both brothers; and lastly, a 3 Muskateers candy bite stapled to the flyer (because Jesus is the sweetest name I know and we need to be all for one and one for all:)
o Saturday morning. When I awoke, I knew I was going to the Aglow meeting, but I thought I might have to leave right in the middle of it to go to the protest. But, God did an even more amazing thing!!!!! There were about 25 of us at the meeting. The leaders responded to the report and then to God's heart in the matter and decided to make it part of our event outreach!!! So, after anointed praise and worship and dynamic leadership training from Joy, about half of the women stayed to pray as the rest of us went out. As we arrived, the protestors were assemble on two corners of the intersection and supporters of Israel were assembled on another. Part of our team drove in to where they parked and stood with the mostly Christian group (I say mostly Christian because one guy was yelling to the Muslims to go back to the Middle East) standing up for Israel. Doc was there with the van, too. The other part of our Love Stealth Team drove into the bank parking lot and ended up right at one corner where the Islamic Society folks were! We mixed right with them! I was carring my medium size flag of Israel with a long stemed pink artificial rose and passing out flyers as I said, "We're not against you! We are for Israel, but we are not against you." Most received the flyers. We shook many hands and I had an opportunity to say that I had been to Jordan as well as Israel and God showed me so many beautiful Children in both countries and I knew they could very well be ones who would die if brother keeps railing against brother... both decendants of the sons of Abraham. I was able to say face to face that they were valuable to God and to me. So many others got to share, too, in so many diverse ways. Our worship leader brought her omnicord and played and sang unmiked on the Israel corner... changing the atmosphere. It was just all so awesome. Some agreed to dialog with us in the near future. God was just OVER THE TOP in it all !!!! I got to give the rose to one young Arab woman:)
We met back again with our prayer cover team and all had lunch where we shared our stories of the outing. God did a deeper level of bonding in our fellowship with Aglow girls from across the Panhandle that was wonderful to see. Joy, a fine example of a leader fashioned by the Lord through Aglow and sent out to help equip others in their calling, did some more of just that in the afternoon. We ended our day extending our hands to the Gulf and declaring and decreeing over the waters including declarations concerning the oil spill.
Sunday. The local newspaper had a write-up on the front page of one of the sections which will be good for Jews to read and be touched that The Church was there in support of Israel. Some of the local Aglow women had already had it in their hearts to rebuild a rotted fence at the local Jewish temple. Today, I thought of not only how cool it would be to get to "restore the wall", but about what an act of kindness and blessing to overturn the hurts of the acts of destruction of temples, grave sites, school, business, etc. that have taken place around the world against his people. God does love both sons... Isaac and Ishmael and he is giving our Regional, Area, and Local Aglow women an opportunity to be his heart, his hands, his feet and his voice to both of his son's families of our day as we move in his compassion. GOOD JOB, GOD!!!!!
