rain.rain splashing.falling.rain.rain

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Brusters on thursday eve.mmmm. nottanothathing like it!

ok. So you may be thinking right now 'dude. wait.bruster.are you talking about that heffalump from winnie the pooh in episode #229?' And then I'd be like 'no.that was rooster. it sounds allota like bruster.but its not.brusters is an ice cream parlor.in central PA.

However, the greatest pleasure here,at brusters is not that of milk.cream.and.sugar. But rather, that of which we call in christiandom..fellowship! In modern vernacular, this could be godly young adults hanging out at 'the stick' of their choice. which, realistically, is great medicine for the soul, food for the spirit and fat for the tummy.

So.thursday eve.us young adults at CCC were having a blast. eating the cream, chicken-the-strips, laughing and carrying on. meanwhile, a storm was a brewin'. in the midst of all this great stuff we felt compelled to gather around in a circle and beckon the Holy Spirit to come blast us.fill us up with zeal, and vigor; and do whatever He wants. I remember all soo well...

Jesus!! Rock this town.fill us with love and compassion for people in this city.we claim this city! Lets take this whole region! Come fill us with your fire.power.and love God.we pray for spontaneous combustions of your presence popping up in the most random places.we also long and ache for your rain to fall.and.fill the earth. Kinda like Noah N' the Ark. Except the rain of your spirit Lord. fill the earth.the nations.your people up to the tippie-top and then let it spill out over the sides til' it fills up the sink holes everywhere. Whoa God.

At this point we were definitely pretty wacked. but nonetheless, we continued in prayer for several more minuetes as the storm began to fall. Everybody disbursed in their cars for shelter.

But I had a plan. And THIS plan had been A' Brewin for..like..since 9am this morning.
run.in.the.rain. Not that I'm weird or anything. ok well I am weird. despite the weirdness, however, I was and still am, very.very.very determined to chop the lbs down like a cherry tree. In other words, lose weight. Little did I know, that this would be a prettysuperamazing experience with the Giver of Life. the King of Showers. rain.and that this time, dancingintherain would become much more than a romantic proverb, but this time, become like.really deep man.yeah.crazy deep.

So I was already suited up in my pennstate pajama pants, rolled up like to my knees and my superhero shirt on.we started off like any other run.when all of a sudden...DOWNPOUR!!

We just ran and ran when all of a sudden, my hair started dripping furiously like a drenched mop.and my shirt became wet.and everything became cool.like jumping in a pool on a hot summer day.all of a sudden, I rounded the corner, and I started praying.and praying.and praising God for this.

God. Thank you for the rain that waters the earth.produces vegetation.causes the sower, and the reaper to rejoice together.the water that keeps us from becoming thirsty.the rain that we dance in and play in as kids.the rain that sparks a romance in 8 out of 10 chick flicks. God!! You are the God of Rain! You are the God of water! You are the Art of Woo!

This whole moment triggered a memory of about a month ago at Life Center when I was praying there. and all of a sudden. I heard this still small voice say:

'Bill, don't open the umbrella this time. don't be afraid to let the rain trickle down your face.

At first, it seemed kinda weird. but then like, 10 seconds later, I realized that I never really liked getting wet as a child growing up. and probably the worst thing for me was letting in trickle down my face.because it tickled! And it felt weird! But in this moment, I felt Jesus was kinda saying/asking; why do people ALWAYS open the umbrella when it rains? Be the one that enjoys it!

In the weeks that followed, every chance I could get, I would run out into the rain on purpose. To break through the proverbial discomfort of rain.and it worked.actually.

Fast forward. two months and I was planning for a rain jog!

Farms depend on the rain for their food.paycheck.pleasure.music.family health.weather forecast.entertainment.etc. And yet we get annoyed with rain, and dash for shelter! huh? Why are we so afraid of the beautiful touch of rain?

When was the last time you prayed for a local farmer? When was the last time you jumped out and danced in the rain? When was the last time you asked for the clouds to rip and heavens rain spill down all over you? How bout physical storm-rain? When was the last time you asked God to allow your car to leak? Or the fire sprinklers at work to start spraying all over your head, desk, papers, computer..everything that you THINK you need to perform your job?! Are you afraid of those fire sprinklers going off? When was the last time you asked God for your own personal rain cloud to follow you around everywhere that you go?!

Whoa.let us dance, spin and love in in the rain of the God of Heaven!
May we all carry around, our own personal, rain cloud! Nourish us Lord. Be out food.drink.pleasure and music.

Peace. /*\