Shifting Atmospheres...."They're getting ready to leave...they just don't know it yet."

Saturday at Golden Gate Park..lunch al fresco, tour of the deYoung Museum of Contemporary Art...dinner at a great restaurant in Little Saigon.  All with Cathie Fredrichsen - a college girlfriend I haven't seen since 1975. Yep....dinosaurs roamed the earth last time we were together.  But, we had a blast.  Tomorrow taking a walking tour of the Castro neighborhood followed by Brunch.  About as much coolness as I can handle for a single weekend.

What's happening?  An intense, action-filled week.  Nail Day with Hannah Montana sing-along.  Tuesday we've started an "experiencing God" bible study.  Same day I met Tyler, a homeless 20-something guy sitting on the sidewalk reading his bible.  He knows a lot and says "I wouldn't have made it except for Jesus. "  He looked high. Like he might have caught the less-successful end of a fight recently.  Tired and maybe hungry.  And there he was, reading the New Testament. Just hanging out getting food for his soul.  We talked for a while. He let me speak to him about destiny and his Father God - who is calling him home.

Learning about shifting spiritual atmospheres.  Here in the Tenderloin, people often create a spiritual atmosphere of chaos, anger, fear, or hyper-sexuality.  This week, a bunch of guys parked their car in front of the base. Bone shakingly LOUD, pretty crude rap music pouring from their stereo. They're passing bottles around. Making rude and suggestive comments to any female on the street.  the whole emotional atmosphere suddenly begins to shift. Yelling. Arguing. One woman starts to do a gyrating, pole-style dance right there in the street.  A fight brews and threatens to break out.

The BJM beam has been learning about shifting spiritual atmospheres.  Because we walk with God, the atmosphere doesn't change us, WE change the atmosphere.  So, we began to release JOY.  Peace instead of fear.  We began to simply say, "This is holy ground. Holiness and goodness all around.  Love lives here.  LOVE is peaceful. Kindness. Peace all around....."  We kept simply speaking these TRUE things.  Here we are, standing inside the YWAM base.  Outside, things were pretty crazy.  We continued....recognizing that they had created one kind of atmosphere, but we carry and create a different one.

"Holiness. Holiness.  God is all around.  Love is all around. You are standing on holy ground."
Suddenly, the men get into their car.   "They're getting ready to leave...they just don't know it yet," someone says.  And, sure enough. They shut the doors and drive away.  Just like that!   Why?  We can't be sure.  But perhaps the spiritual atmosphere simply made them uncomfortable!

Within minutes, the street quieted.  The arguing guys drifted apart.  People began to go about their business.  Mmmm...Much better.

This is a lesson for me in the Tenderloin.  Where an atmosphere of fear, anger, conflict, chaos or sexual degradation occurs, we don't have to accept it. We also carry and can release a spiritual atmosphere.  We can say to the atmosphere, "I see you. And I have authority over you."