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Throughout all of
the serpent handling, drinking of strychnine, speaking in tongues,
amazing music, and passion-filled dancing and spinning that we witnessed
that particular Homecoming weekend, what hit me the most powerfully was
a healing that took place on Saturday evening. This event was so
powerful, in fact, that it drove me to tears.
Up on the
stage, a middle-aged man, whom Chuck and I had not seen before that
evening, puts down his guitar and walks up to the microphone:
I come from Georgia,
and I’d like to testify a little bit, if that’s all right. You know,
I’ve come a long way today, I left this morning at 10:30. I can’t thank
the Lord enough, you know, because a boy, he wanted to come with me. He
said, “I’m going with you, I believe I can get my healing at that
church.” He come with me. He didn’t know these people, he still don’t
know them – I don’t know many of them…So you know, you can handle
serpents all day long – God can move on you to handle these serpents,
and there’s nothing like that feeling in the world when God moves on you
to handle, I’m telling you right now. But there’s also that last sign –
He said that if you lay hands on the sick they shall recover…And
I believe they will…I know God can heal, and I know this boy come with
me tonight. So if you believe God can heal him, I’m going to call him
up here tonight. If you believe that God can move to heal this boy
right now, then get out of your seat and join me.
With that, a
young man who appears to be in his mid-twenties, comes from behind us
and steps onto the dance floor, kneels down on the ground and presses
his forehead to the floor. All at once, the people who had been seated
in the pews rush forward to lay hands on the boy. Twenty-five people
surround him, touching his head, shoulders, and back, speaking words up
to God. A song erupts to fill the room, with Lydia’s powerful voice
leading. All of a sudden it seems that each person in the room has
completely focused his or her energy on this one boy – on this one
stranger. The huddle around him extends outward to the edges of the
dance floor. Even those not touching him are dancing, stomping,
spinning, and praying out loud – all for this young man that none of
them knows. Tears cannot help but form in my eyes as I see this
incredible display of love and faith. I am struck by the fact that
although no one knows this boy, they are revealing such a deep love for
him. No one knows from what he needs to be healed, no one knows if this
boy is “worthy” of being healed, no one knows what type of life this boy
leads. None of this matters because all people are worthy in their
eyes. This unconditional love they display for perfect strangers is
unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed before. These individuals are
incredible people who have deeply struck my heart.
After about ten minutes of continual
praying and laying of hands, the boy jumps up and begins to dance
furiously. He is joyous, filled with the love and spirit of God. He
goes outside and runs down the street. Whatever was holding him down
seems to have been lifted from his shoulders and he is freed, he is
healed.
© Shannon Bell, 2000
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