My friend is part of a team who goes to Burning Man every year. They have a tent on the playa, and invite people in to interpret their dreams. It's cutting edge stuff, perhaps even controversial.
Rather than beat them over the head with the Gospel, they love these people, they listen to them, they minister to them at their point of need.
Read on:
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In a dream there was a field of wheat. And the wheat became your hands.
You waved them so beautifully. That I had to cover my face.
~ A poem from a woman who had a spiritual encounter with us at Burning Man
Friends,
The dust has settled. After Katie’s coming home from week on the desert playa where Burning Man’s Black Rock City plays out, we can say that in the best of implications. It was a year of peculiar warfare, delays, questions and impossible dust storms. I can only convey a thumbnail of description to what Gods hand looked like on the Spirit Dream team. I will do it poorly, the volume will be forever written in the history of the King.
From the onsite intercessors view, it seem to look atmospherically like a demonic hoard headed to the playa. To other intercessors, it was the tangible sense of the cloud of witnesses and angels with us. Both visions are valid. For our team in a place of weakness (leaning on her Beloved), I think God was emphasizing a key point in the Master’s ministry. In coming in the appearance of man and a servant, he had needs that had to be fulfilled by those he came to serve. The Son of God had a cadre of women following him to attend to some of them. I can see the headlines in the Jewish times, “Rabbi’s point out Jesus lives off the support of some who are suspected to be prostitutes.” I’m sure God thought this would be an interesting place to deliver his particular flavor of grace for this year. I heard stories of how our friends, impacted by interacting with us in past years by love and a higher calling, came to help set up camp, organize our visiting people, sing for our entertainment and more. We forgot our sound speakers. The Lithuanian camp next door joyfully lends us theirs. A chef made a outstanding breakfast and delivered it, a hot dog/hamburger lunch appeared one day and we answered an invitation from Rhythm Wave dance camp to a dinner. From Jesus we learn, it’s important to dine with the right people.
All that delightfully messes with collective Christian consciousness, performance orientation issues. In our need, we get better integrated into community.
Someone counted 77 bicycles parked outside our structures one day. Fifty people in line waiting to get in our coffee dome and/or spiritual encounter tent. The depth of engagement was again too much to tell . Charity, one of our two team mates from Scotland said at one point she lead nine people to Jesus and, if I understand the story, she hardly had to try to do it.
Here’s Katie’s story of one encounter. The story of Will.
I usually serve in the Coffee Dome, making drinks and eye contact. On Wednesday afternoon I was invited to go to the Encounter tent and be part of a team there. I was delighted and happily went over to our Encounter tent. I was placed on a team with our beloved Waterbrook/ Barb as Lead and GI/ Larry. Will, a young man in his early 30’s, was escorted to us. He said a friend in his camp strongly encouraged him to come to Spirit Dream for an encounter as he (the friend) had been greatly helped the previous year. Waterbrook asked what, if anything, from the menu board was he interested in. He replied that he had just (less than a week previous) ended a long-term relationship with a woman 20 years his senior. He was feeling guilt, condemnation & shame, among other things.
The next 3 hours flew by like a blink of any eye while we helped Will walk back in time to the various places of emotional/spiritual injury resulting in lies believed, vows made and life playing out for him completely opposite his design. He, wisely, had good, valid questions along the way and once answered and/or explained he fully partnered with how (Spirit) was leading. He was fully invested in receiving healing and getting as much freedom as he could on that day.
Each of us played different and significant roles throughout the process. GI was a “father” figure. Will’s own father was a workaholic and emotionally absent. GI, representing a healthy father figure, was a very important team component. At times, Will would have GI hold his hand or hug him in a very genuine father embrace. Then, Will was ready to continue. On other occasions it would be Waterbrook (as a Mom) or myself, a Wisdom from experience component. The dysfunctional patterns in his life were being destroyed (choosing older women who dominate and violate his “will” - like his mother did). It was truly amazing to watch our beloved Creator do deep work within this young man.
At length I had the sense that I should speak to his personal spirit (we are spirit, soul and body). He understood and gave permission. I called his spirit forward and began to bring legitimacy, affirming him and speaking truth about his design and the attributes he possesses and is now released to unpack. Additionally, I restored / affirmed his “will” to him as it had been violated, diminished, pushed aside for the “will” of others.
I also had the leading that I should take him to a certain Spirit-inspired piece of art hanging in the tent. This art is four painted fabric pieces suspended from the ceiling depicting the 4 living creatures: Lion, Face of a Man, Ox, Eagle. The Man is actually a depiction of Jesus inspired by the artist Akaine. I asked Will if he would be willing to go with me, that there was something I wanted to show him. He said yes, of course. I stood with him and took his arm and walked him around to the other side of where we were sitting and showed him the face of the Man, saying…”there’s someone I’d like you to meet - you have Him to thank for what has happened to you today.” As Will looked up at the face he immediately fell backward and down to his knees, sobbing and sobbing. I knelt beside him & put my arm around his shoulder. Will looked me in the eyes and said that when I began speaking to his spirit he “...saw a man’s face who was walking toward him on the playa. And, although the man had a dust mask on….THIS FACE was the same face.” He then lay flat on the playa-dust filled floor of the tent and continued weeping. Back to his knees, we stayed in that place & I held him there for some time. He then made the comment: “Who’d have thought I’d meet Jesus on the playa?!” We laughed out loud together.
Indeed. Who’d have thought?!
Back to our chairs and we spent a bit more time with him as he asked if we’d help (pray) for him regarding finding the “right” woman and not fall prey to the old pattern.
Waterbrook pretty much had that one by way of a necklace her son’s girlfriend had made to be given to someone special on the playa this year.
Although Waterbrook had thought it would be given to a woman. She knew it was to be given to Will and he would give it to the “right” woman. The words “Princess” were on the necklace.
It was wonderful to see how Spirit flowed into that encounter and how each team member played a part. Will was truly changed and has asked to continue contact. Waterbrook and I are both in contact with him. His life is, in a way, just beginning for him. Not only is he excited, be we are as well. What a privilege to be included in this process for this one man.
As a postscript to Katie’s story, Will has expressed interest in attending The Art of Hearing God course coming up in Carson City! This is an interesting development. In addition there are maybe a half dozen more Burner friends who want to attend! This is new frontier. Please pray. I need to insert here how appreciative Katie and I are of you people who spiritually followed Katie to Burning Man and gave financially into God’s dream here. And, how deeply thankful we are that you carried us in intercession (and some still are, knowing the after effects of spiritual engagement)!
Yesterday, I walked out of my appointment with my hip surgeon with the less than thrilling news that I had another 6 weeks to go on crutches. Apparently, the healing in the femoral neck area is sometimes slow. I fit the sometimes. Please pray for the quick knitting of my bones. God is in this and I don’t see all the chess moves - of course! Meanwhile, I am making some progress on a book on rethinking the great commission for these times. It’s quite challenging and slow but exciting to see ideas flow onto the computer screen. That’s prayer item three.
The fourth item for prayer: There’s a flurry of Stream’s courses that I will be teaching soon. If you haven’t taken one and would enjoy a fall visit to north Idaho, now is a good time. There’s also the one in Reno as mentioned.
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