Are you a God fearing man?

We have had a great increase in numbers to our Potter's crew lately. We see between 15-20 volunteers each Tuesday. This resurgence has left us with an excess of helping hands. In order to keep the kitchen from becoming a zoo we have been going on prayer walks. I'm really not sure what a prayer walk is. I mean I've heard of them. I know Christian leaders who do this sort of thing. I believe the elders and staff at our home church do these together from time to time. But theologically, I don't really understand it. I don't really understand prayer theologically beyond the usefulness it has for me and my relationship with God.

So me and 8 girls/woman head out to the street and walk the neighborhood after praying for the Lord's guidance. At times I am in solemn prayer for the neighborhood and community, asking God to redeem the people. At times I am just observing the gentrification process that is occurring in the community. And at other times I am discussing with my friends the recent attacks of cougars on humans when their habitat is shrinking. We are not having conversations with people and we are not interacting with the community very much. I feel kind of ineffective. I do this in faith. It stretches me.

When we return the worship is wrapping up. Jon begins speaking and its not even ten minutes when someone starts having an argument. I move from the back door and sit near the front to get a better sense of whats going on. I listen to Jon a bit, read through psalm 73 a bit, pray a bit. There is one guy who is making threatening gestures to others in the service. I get up and sit down beside him on the bench and ask him to be quiet. He leans over and asks me if I'm a pastor. I say no. He asks me if I'm Jon's bodyguard. I say no. He asks me if I fear the Lord. I say yes. He's says well I don't. Someone beside me says, than why are you here? His attention is now off the other people and on me. With a steely eyed, jail hardened stare he tries to intimidate me. He begins to make threats about how he will hurt he. After a minute of him grumbling out threats I turn and say to him, because I fear the Lord I fear no man. He continues to stare and I stare back. Then he says, I can see the fear in your eyes. Yes for sure he could. My heart was racing and I was probably going flush. The words were more bold than my faith. None the less I stayed seated in prayer as he told me how he was going to end me with a pipe pole. He played with roles of newspaper of which could have concealed this pipe pole he was talking of. He pulled a stringed necklace out from under his shirt of which sharp scissors hung at the end of. It was a well rehearsed jailhouse baring of teeth.

He had won the stare down so I ignored him mostly. His threats were quite and were not disturbing anyone so I let him ramble on. A few times when he got louder or put his finger in my face I would tell him to be at peace or to just keep it down. There were others who talked to him and told him he had to be quiet but he was unresponsive. I spent a lot of time in prayer. I prayed for safety but I also prayer that any demonic presence that would interfere with his salvation would be taken from us so that the gospel could be heard. I did sense their oppressive presence and poured myself into pleading with the Lord to cast them out in his might.

When the service was done I stayed with him and said a few words. I only remember saying I wish I could give you hope. He railed about his girlfriend that had been murdered by the cops and thrown in his back yard and an Asian guy that had been hung. He said where is the God in that triumphantly as if he had won a verbal spar by sheer shock. Obviously he had suffered a lot of pain by his thick protective exterior and I prayed for a word that could pierce it. Alas none came and maybe it was better to remain silent. Garvin came by and said it would probably be better if he left once he got his food. I let Garvin sit down beside him and talk to him and Jon came to talk to him as well. I don't know what happened after that. I remember seeing him leave and I wanted to say something but when he saw me he turned in a manner that suggested he did not want any more words. I wonder if there is a little bit of shame underneath all that rough exterior that he would utter such violent threats to someone who obviously meant him no harm.