FIRE For Life Summer School 2007 re-cap

The following is more or less an expanded version of the newsletter I wrote about the summer school and will be sending out in the next week. Believe me, the pictures below can say a lot, but it would be best if you had time to listen to the teachings I’ve selected for the FIRE Nederland podcast, and catch the vision.

Other than the “Fire on Your Head” show Dan and I record regularly for it, we post selected teachings from summer schools and various other things pertinent to the vision here, so that you can be a part of it even if you’re not in the Netherlands. In fact, I’m working on this entry while I’m editing the teachings for mp3 format to be mailed to those of you who may be reading this who attended it this year and who’ve purchased the teachings. While converting the edited teachings ( meaning the worship at the beginning and altar time at the end is cut out), I turn back to this document to write additional paragraphs.

Needless to say, if you looked at the pictures below or are reading this from being directed here through Facebook, then you can see the Fire for Life Summer School 2007 was very fruitful, and we saw the Lord move in powerful ways. Every year that I try describing it in a newsletter or a blog entry I feel like I’m trying to make an atomic bomb go off inside a Campbell’s soup can, but I will try giving an adequate sum-up, but time and space compels me to leave out MANY things I’d love to share here.

There were many people who came for the full two weeks, and many more visitors for the evening sessions, and probably on average we had about 40-50 people in attendance each day. People got touched by God, as well as stretched and challenged in their relationship with Him. But specifically, we sense the momentum that THIS is the time to see the Netherlands changed, and each speaker deposited something into us to help see that come about and how to mobilize ourselves for it, preparing for the national day of prayer in The Hague for Aug 8th, 2008. In the past the FIRE summer schools were for teaching and grounding people in the Word of God and stirring up a holy fire in them. This year definitely had a unique focus geared towards taking that fire and changing the nations – in this case specifically the Netherlands, of course.

Jerome Ocampo, founder of Jesus Revolution Now! movement in the Philippines spoke primarily about the joining of the generations, and about ours being able to see this nation changed if we mobilize and recognize the timing and season we are in to do so. Tommi Femrite, president of Gatekeepers International, laid a solid Scriptural foundation during the first week to pave the way for our understanding of how to pray and intercede for others and for nations, and to receive inner healing and deliverance in our personal lives. I was personally stretched (in a good way!) and ultimately felt a relief as her teachings ministered to me personally.

Dr. Josh Peters, director of my American missions organization FIRE International also was ministered to us about godly character and leadership the first week. Being one of the mentoring figures in my life, it was great to spend time with him and his wife over lunch one day talking about life and being spanked verbally for not knowing more of this country’s language than I do. Ik betuig mijn zonden.

On the second Sunday morning, I taught on faith and healing. I had a lot of fun, and people were shocked that I could “go from stand-up comedian to anointed preacher” (exact quote from someone), and ultimately it’s a subject I’m passionate about—no surprise to those of you who already frequent this blog, I’m sure. I could say more, but if you’d like to hear how it went, you can hear it and several of the teachings, including one from each guest speaker on the FIRE Nederland podcast, available on iTunes (or go here http://firenederland.podbean.comto hear them streamed online). My personal faith teaching is embedded at the bottom of this entry. I strongly encourage you to check out the teachings for yourself to get a taste of what God is doing in our midst and in the nations, specifically to be challenged in your own life about bringing about radical change to those around you and the nation you find yourself in. Download this episode (right click and save)



The Abortion Outreach, Silent Prayer and Intercession Marches

We also organized a silent prayer and intercession march in front of an abortion clinic in Rotterdam the first Thursday afternoon, and then one in nearby Utrect the second week. We didn’t attack anyone or shout at them or try to kill any doctors or block the entrance to the buildings or anything like that—although one person attacked us in Rotterdam!

One of the families present had some toys put to the side away from where we were standing and praying, and their children were drawing on the ground with sidewalk chalk. An angry man came out of the building and started getting irate that the toys were supposedly "in his way" from going to his mailbox (they clearly were not). From what I understand, nobody moved them like he wanted so he did himself—and placed them all in the rain outside of the shelter under which we all were singing and praising God under at this point.

After this, the man began to walk towards the most obvious street intersection, but as he was halfway between there and where we were, he turned around and came back, and picked up the box of chalk a 3 year old girl in our group was using, and threw them all over the street and got in the face of her parents. The rest of us politely ignored him as another man came out from somewhere and told us to show respect (apparently throwing little children’s toys around and grabbing things from them is perfectly acceptable behavior). Someone told me later, that this particular man was one of the doctors from the clinic who performed the abortions. This would make total sense since he had absolutely no respect for the young children present, and even acted in such anger and hatred towards them it seemed.

So anyway, almost all of us wore tape over our mouths with the word life written over it, symbolically indicating we stand with the aborted babies who never had a say in their own death. To my shock, we received little to no opposition the second week, and almost everyone walking or biking by would take our handouts—almost grabbing them from us without waiting for us to offer them.

In other “people angry with us” stories, the very next day we had the men and women split into different groups, with the women meeting in our dining area. Apparently a woman came into the building and with force joined the group, and aggressively trying to stick some kind of pro-choice pamphlet in peoples’ faces--literally. When one of the leaders there tried asking her to leave, this woman tried getting violent with several of the girls, including said leader. I’m not sure of the exact details, as I’ve heard this second hand from a few different people who were present, but I recall hearing a commotion in their room at the time, but this is the jist of what had happened, from what I understand.

Isn’t it odd that a group of pro-choice lesbians would go out of their way to find us in the middle of nowhere and try to start a fight? But we bless those who curse us, and kept our cool with her and the abortion doctor the day before, realizing that if we’re going to be a bold witness for change in society, we will attract reaction, including such forceful opposition. But it shows just what we’re stirring up in the spiritual realm, as we don’t hate the people for being passionate for the killing of innocent babies—we realize they’re deceived, but God can break through and heal any heart. Testimonies about this are recorded in the right hand embedded player and on our podcast if you want to hear first hand from a few people who were there just what God did.

Dr. Michael Brown came for Thursday and Friday of the second week and really rocked our worlds and challenged us in one of his messages with 8 things The Church could learn about changing society by looking at how the homosexual movement did it. Very soon I will make that mp3 available on our podcast as well as one more by Tommi Femrite on healing the land. As well, Dr. Brown's visit was timed to allow for a meeting with many leaders and pastors in the Netherlands to share the vision about the national day of prayer next year. Friday night of each week also ended with prayer tunnels, in typical FIRE fashion.

Other than this VERY BRIEF update/recap on the summer school, I could use prayer about my living situation; that the Lord would pave the way for a cheap place to live in November when our lease is up. If Joel and I have to move, it would take a miracle to find something as cheap as where we’ve lived all year, and may require an increase in my support level. Please pray for this or that the Timon Group who owns our apartment would give us favor and allow us to stay another year—that would be great, but doesn’t seem likely. We will find out in about 15 days what their decision is, SO PLEASE PRAY. Staying where we are is what we’re praying about, but God holds it all in His control.

Well, that is all for this entry.
Be blessed.

Episode 9 of Fire On Your Head: "How To Change The World In One Day"

Powered by Podbean.com

Download this episode (right click and save)