God-incidence

This week the YWAM staff all went on retreat. So, I came up to Bethel Church in Redding, CA to do some retreating of my own.
My "goal" - loosely - was to hang out with old friends from Madison who are in school here at Bethel...Chris and Sarah Pollasch, Melissa Haunty and Anne Collins.  People I loved as children and LOVE LOVE LOVE as adults.  (Plus Chris and Sarah have the most brilliant, creative, hilarious boys...when I'm a grandma, I'm going to have grandkids like Jackson and Leo!

Arrived Friday by bus. It's 106 degrees in Redding and eerily quiet. No police sirens, ambulances, or random yelling.  Found myself listening really closely because there was almost nothing to hear!  Too dry for crickets and too hot for anything else.

SAturday I headed to Bethel to visit their healing room. You come, listen to wonderful music, watch artists paint and dancers dance. And, when it's your turn, people pray for you.  Come on, let's do this in Madison!!!

I had a list, prior to coming, of people I wanted to meet.  I heard rumors that someone was doing healing prayer with art.  Also heard about a woman who paints pictures of brains and trees. She's praying for the healing of broken minds through her painting.

I walk in the door.  A lovely woman greets me, "I"m looking for two people. I don't know anything about them except that one woman paints brains and trees and another woman is doing healing prayer with art.  Can you help me?"

Smiling lady turns and points to artists painting on easels in the center of the huge room.  "These two...they're the women you're looking for."

There they are - Eliena and Gail - painting right next to each other.  I introduce myself. Tell them I want to learn about doing healing prayer with art and I want to hear about Eliene's vision for the healing of broken minds.  Tell them about the women of the Tenderloin.

Eliene says, "Can I come to the women's center and paint?  I'd be willing to teach classes for women. And, I'd like to come and pray and paint what God says about healing broken minds."

Gail says, "If you have time this afternoon I could meet with you. Talk about doing healing prayer with art. Would you like to do some yourself?"

This was only the beginning.  I've met with a therapist who does healing prayer with trauma survivors. She wants to come, with a couple of her friends, to the Women's Center to train BJM staff in working with severe trauma.  "The place where I used to work has funds budgeted for therapists to share this kind of skill and information with non-profits and ministries like BJM.  We could come. They would pay for it."   I had no words. Not a one (Yeah, you don't believe that's possible...go ahead and think it).  Finally I blurted out, "Really?"  She laughed. "Yeah. Isn't this the coolest thing!  God is so amazing!"

Today I had a whirlwind meeting with a woman who is exploring new ways to envision and create healthy personal boundaries (Instead of just learning how to say "No" you get to learn how to discover yourself as the queen in your castle....taking your jewels to others as they are able to handle and receive.....wow)  Tomorrow I have a healing prayer time just for ME!  And Friday I get to hear Eliene talk about healing minds and touching the soul through art.

Can I say unbelievable?  Spectacular?  Unexpected?  cool?

Returning to San Francisco for one final week. Then, back to Madison.

If you haven't been following this blog regularly, I need to let you know that I've decided to return to San Francisco.  I'll spend 4-6 weeks in Madison (Maybe squeeze in a visit to my New York daughter) and then a cross-country road trip...My 1999 camry and I will pull into the YWAM base in late october-ish. I've committed myself to spend a year here, giving what I can to the women's center, pouring love into the young YWAM staff, creating resources for healing and recovery. Praying for random people anywhere I can find them.  Releasing the Kingdom of God and setting spiritual fires wherever I go.

I'll post a couple more times before this "summer blog" draws to an end.   love to all,.....