OK - I'm gonna vent a bit with deep appreciation for any and all of you who pray for Long Island and NYC. God love you and bless you for that. I know this may seem out of the blue but it is something that has been building up for me over the past few decades.
Today, I recieved a critique of the region's desperate need for prayer from someone I know has no real understanding of the region. Time after time, we have hosted or invited people who have a heart to minister here and they have been terrific, yet naive. Because of pre-conceived notions or a misreading of what they are encountering, they have often missed great opportunities because of an immature view of the region and her needs. We so appreciate the hearts of those who pray for this region - really we do. It's just that there's more than meets the eye and we so desperatly need you to have "eyes that see and ears that hear" in order to be a help, rather than a hindrance to the efforts of those who labor here.
I remember, back in 1990, taking a group of beautiful young believers out to Missouri for a youth conference. After a grueling 28 hour journey in a bus that was too small for the amount of people and luggage we had, a short stint sleeping together in one bedroom at a hotel we didn't have enough money for and junk food out the wazoo, we collapsed in the dorm hallway of the college we were going to be staying at - waiting for our room assignment. We were smelly, pierced, punk, tattooed and hungry for Jesus. Not a pretty picture at first glance but beautiful in God's eyes. A group of welll-dressed, clean cut, blond-haired, bible raised young people came up to us and said "Where are ally'all from?" We replied," Long Island and NYC." Their answer was honest but brutal. "New York?? I didn't think there were any Christians in New York!" That says it all..... They didn't mean harm but it stayed with all of us. Of course a few years later we got our revenge at that same conference when we named our volleyball team "Pray Naked" and then proceeded to win game after game - with our offensive name announced every morning as the winners - but that's another story....
ANYWAY....as someone who was born here, returned time after time after moving away to come back here and will most likely die here, I need to go on record as saying I LOVE LONG ISLAND, NYC and the TRI-State Region in the deepest places of my heart. I know her short-comings. I have died a million deaths and prayed a million prayers while sitting in hours of traffic on every parkway and expressway within 50 miles of here (which are never clear enough to truly be an "express way" -btw). I know just about every short cut to by-pass traffic, every decent Deli and Bagel place at least from Exit 68 on the LIE to the Queens Border (although I do know some from both the North and South Fork too) and some really great ones in and around the City. I know our weaknesses and I know our strengths. I know what kills us and what thrills us. I know what makes us appear ugly and I know what is truly beautiful. I know our aggression and I know our deep and powerful affection. There are truly no better huggers and deep lovers than the beautiful people of this region.
As some one who prays for this area regularly, I have seen and heard all sorts of ideas about how to best "save" this area as well as what is wrong with it, the many demonic strongholds, etc. and every time someone comes from outside of the region to do missions, I hear assessments of our need and the darkness over our area. Can I ask all of you to please take a step back, contact someone who labors over this area in prayer and LIVES here and ask them what is needed?? You can NOT effectively intercede for this region in any truth or with any power unless you love her enough to lay down your life for her. You MUST know and love this region in order to serve her with a right and humble heart. You MUST approach the skyline of Manhattan EVERY time and say "Blessings on the Beautiful City" or else you entirely miss God's Beautiful, Tremendous, Courageous love for the "City that Never Sleeps". She IS (among many places) The "Big Apple" of God's eye and He LOVES HER!! … Along with every one of the almost 19 million people who live in the Metro-plex of NYC/NEWARK and call her "Home".
There are literally HUNDREDS of Churches and Synagogues in this region that serve and bless her. (As an FYI... The Synagogues are part of the believing community! GOD LOVES THE JEWISH PEOPLE!!! Remember His promises??? Their time of awakening is coming!!! ) There are millions of lovers of Jesus Christ who express themselves in quirky, brilliantly unique, often self-centered and sometimes annoying ways in this region and YES, we need love, friendship, trust, unity and AWAKENING in a profoundly deep and powerful way - BUT ( and yes we often have big ones - butts that is) .... when that happens- look out because LOVE will be on the Loose and there are no lovers like those who hail from this Region. We are relentless, driven, unyielding and desperate for the King and His Kingdom. We all expectantly pray for and long for the Church to walk in mature love and bless the socks off of every living creature on the planet. When we are prayed for with life and love, we will be some of the most generous people on the planet and there is no end to the variations of food, music, missionaries and kisses that will flow from this region.
Please, don’t concentrate on all that is wrong with us… we already know!! Instead, please pray us into our Father's intended purpose for the area. Pray for prayer and worship to DRENCH the area by those who are indigenous and love her deeply. Pray us into life, love, generosity, peace, wisdom, blessings for governing the nations in true righteousness and justice, wisdom and responsibility regarding the eco-system of the planet, blessing and honor upon the First Nation Peoples here, care for the poor, the immigrant, the orphan and the widow. Pray that we would be a Waterfall of Love and Power to transform lives through the blessings of the Kingdom of God. Pray that our educational system would be fountains of ingenuity, creativity and mutual responsibility. Pray that our love for the nations would pour love INTO the nations. Pray that our media resources would champion truth, humility and kindness. These, my friends, are the gifts of Long Island & NYC that are meant to be called into fruition.
I have to add this....I recently had a friend who hails from out of state write a letter grieved that there were so few “bible-believing” churches in a certain area that they had visited here. They were, in particular, grieved that the same area is instead filled with Jewish and Catholic Communities. My friends, the fact that those neighborhoods are Catholic and Jewish is a beautiful thing. The truth is that both of these communities have been part of a large, long, deep history of birthing the believing culture here on LI/NYC. There is more here than meets the eye. The Jewish people are loved by God and are beautiful neighbors who we enjoy and bless. We have been praying deeply for our Jewish brothers because we trust that the Lord is faithful to His commitment to them. They are the “tree” we gentiles were grafted into, remember??? They are awaiting their Messiah. YAY – So are we.
The Catholic Church has sent up round the clock prayers for LI and NYC for a century and although many Catholics have some of their theology weighed down by doctrines that are man-made, they have birthed many, many people on Long Island into a deep faith and walk with Jesus. For many, they are the only ties they have to an active faith and I have met plenty of wonderful Catholic believers through the years who demonstrate God’s love in great beauty – not the least of which constitute a great many of the clergy who have honored roles in schools and hospitals in the region. (BTW - Many of these same schools and hospitals have either Jewish or Catholic Foundations!!)
In essence both of these communities are “mothers” to many of the followers of Jesus here in the region. We honor our "Fathers and Mothers" and in this case, both of those communities have been a source of blessing, not cursing for us. Not everything is as it may appear. If you want to pray for them, please pray that His love would overwhelm these communities and awaken them into a deep revelation of His beauty, grace and truth - that they would come alive in their faith and fulfill their original call in the Lord's heart and dream for them. If they have an awakening, they will be a powerful blessing and conduit of the Kingdom of God here on Long Island/NYC.
Alrighty then, Let’s get to it!! Love, grace and blessings on you. Pray Naked. love, t
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