A Roar in the Forest

I carry in my Bible the tattered notes of a message I preached on January 25, 1989 here at Living Word Chapel in Forest, Wisconsin. (Side note: our mailing address says we are in Emerald but our actual location is Forest. Forest isn’t big enough to merit its own Post Office…for that matter, neither is Emerald since they closed it several years ago…but I digress) Anyway, where was I…?

Oh yes, the tattered notes. The title of the message is, “A Roar in the Forest”. It is based on a passage in Amos 3 that describes a lion’s roar in a forest when it has captured prey. The image is that of God or His people roaring like a lion when an enemy has been seized and neutralized. I spoke prophetically then of this little hamlet in the middle of no-where being a place of the choice of God for an invasion of His Kingdom and His Presence. I’ve carried those notes for 19 years as a reminder to me of God’s precious promise that this “little” place would someday be in the vortex of His mighty roar…that someday is today.

For over 3 full months we have been trembling in awe of a “heaven on earth” outpouring in our rural setting. I have often jokingly told people that I pastor a church of 150 in a town of 15…We’ve reached our city for Jesus, now we’re coming after YOURS. I am frequently amused by the slick church growth pamphlets I receive in the mail that promise me a conference sure to inspire me to “take my city for Jesus”. Hmmm…I suppose we could go after the cows on the other side of the highway…but again, I digress.

On quiet Monday mornings lately I walk across the empty sanctuary and my body just starts to “buzz” from the spiritual energy left over from the day before. The supernatural testimonies of what is happening among us are far too many to list here. For every one that I can recall, ten more come to mind later. It is simply amazing.

I don’t often refer to our podcast web-site but I feel compelled to do so today. Go to www.lwc1.com and click on podcasts. Last Wednesday evening is a sweet sampling of what God is saying and doing in the middle of a cow pasture in western Wisconsin.

I guess since He was born in a barn and laid in a manger, He apparently He enjoys the ambiance.