So in 2011, we continued to be “going through it” financially. Recall that 2008 word “It’s going to be a while. Two years.”
Specifically, I recall May 2011 we were leading National Day of Prayer on the Westport Veterans town green. For these previous two years of difficulty and humbling (2009-2011) we had learned alot. We had experienced alot. So many miracles of provision. Understanding the US banking system of debt. Being crushed underneath it.
The night before the prayer (May 5, 2011) I had a significant dream. In the dream I had to go to the bathroom (bathrooms can symbolize repentance and cleansing in dreams). I wanted privacy. But there was none. It was a public restroom with many urinals and stalls but no privacy doors.
I knew what God was asking me personally to do, was to publically repent for my sins of trusting in self and money. In our culture, one this is not usually viewed as sun at all, but a sign of success. Also public declarations of sin almost ever happen. In fact I don’t recall any specific time where someone I know personally as a Christian ministry leader had done it. But I was convicted that the Lord was requiring it of me (if I was willing). So I humbled myself and as part of our prayers for our town, county, state and country I took time to do this in front of the dozen or so others who were there. Out in the open air. It was awkward. It was freeing. It was good.
That summer we made our trek to Cape Cod. To save money on fuel, we decided to only take one car for the next two months.
Later that fall, I attended a Seismic Shift conference Sep 2011. My friend and fellow financial faith traveler Jonathan Friz and his family were going through a housing crisis. They couldn’t make rent. We prayed together for God’s help. Jonathan received a wonderful gift that winter of a new house to stay in rent free right on the beach North Shore of Mass.
Seperately, I had received a warning dream going into that meeting. It had to do with an “expired prescription” and “false husband” which I knew was related to the “Egyptian Pharoah” type of pride in the church that was associated with the sins of our land – that of instead of trusting in God we were leaning on self strength and monetary power to get things accomplished.
Specifically, God did not want us in the New England Church falling into this trap of pride and worldliness. That having authority and government in Christ was necessarily different to that of the systems of men and this world. The upside-down Kingdom. Our goal should not be to take dominion by works of the flesh or simply adding the title of “Christian” on top of worldly education, worldly business praticises or worldly political methods of capturing power.
Later that October the Lord asked me to approach his leaders in our area and suggest organizing and hosting a Feast of Tabernacles celebration. I said that Zech 14 shows us that this forgotten feast was not just a Jewish tradition, it is a “feast of the Lord” ordained for celebration for “evermore”. Specifically the nations of the world (Gentiles) are specifically commanded to celebrate it. Otherwise, “Egypt” will be subject to plague and drought. This was fascinating to me.
Summer 2011 marked the culmination of our “two years” of wilderness trial. When I researched the biblical origin of Sukkot, I realized “why” God had put this festival on my heart.
The Isralites were shown to celebrate for a full 8 days their deliverance from the firey trials of 40 years in the desert wilderness. That the remnant had “made it” to the Promise Land. A land of “milk and honey”. They were to humbly remeber that they dwelled in tents or “booths” for those long years. And God delivered them. Just as he promised.
The parallel for us as a family was notable. Now was a time to celebrate God getting us through all the difficulties. Experiencing amazing signs and wonders and miracles.
The area Pastors and ministry leaders declined to join in an be a part of organizing. I went back to he Lord and said, “what happened?” and “now what?” I was shown that it was not off the table, but rather I was told “you organize it at your house”. So, we invited everyone we knew anyway. Many came that day. The kids went out into the woods and I showed them the biblical method of making types of leafy branch shelters and “booths”. It was a community BBQ and pot luck. We had open air worship, prayer and teaching.
What a great day it was!