Ten years ago in West Virginia after a long day of leading the project, Eric Retterbush said to Clint, “We’ve got to go running before we go to sleep tonight.”
It was 1:30 in the morning, but Eric put on his flip flops, and decided to run down the dark, windy streets of Panther anyway. They were running along when all of a sudden, a wild-looking man jumped out of the bushes and began to spew vile language at them.
Clint was winded from the run, but boldly demanded, “Do you want to see the Father?”
“We can’t see the Father,” the man replied.
“Do you want to see the Father?!” This time, Clint was yelling at the man.
“Show me the Father!” The man replied.
“Then look into my eyes.”
The man stared into Clint’s eyes and his spirit became calm, “I’ve never felt the peace I’m feeling right now,” he declared. “What is this?”
“It’s the Father,” Clint said, thinking of the time when Jesus said, “Have I been with you so long. You’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” Clint wasn’t equating himself with God, but he knew that God’s light was reflected through his eyes. He knew that as a child of the most high, he carried God’s presence and authority with him.
After they’d talked some more, the man said, “Do you want to come to my house?”
So they went to house, where, sitting on the tailgate of his pickup, the man offered to get his guitar and play for them. He didn’t want them to go; he didn’t want the peace to go. The man sat playing songs on his guitar and after a while noted, “The voices in my head have stopped talking to me.”
Clint asked, “Do you want them to go for good?”
They stayed with the man for three hours before heading back home. And when they left, the authority they carried with them lingered.
Clint’s story leaves me with this question: Whose authority do I carry with me? Do people feel the presence of the Father because they’ve been with me? How would you answer that question?
WOW!!! *mind blitzing*
This incident is a potent example of the Father will never leave us, nor forsake us, and he shines through us when we are willing to work on his behalf.
Thanks for sharing it.
Like it or not, we carry Jesus to the world. It a fantastic & terrible responsibility, all rolled into one.
Didn’t Jesus say “As I am in the world, so are you?”
This goes with some thoughts I’ve been pondering over lately. Christians have trouble relating to the rest of American culture, and now Christianity is being considering irrelevant. Instead of forming little country clubs, then going out and preaching to the masses, Christians should be Christ wherever they go. People will see God within us, and crave what we have and what we carry.
Wow, strength and Grace directly from the Lord.
1. John 1.7
Reminds me of David playing his harp to King Saul and it calmed him down. It seems God loves an opportunity to channel His power through us. I often feel like a flea next to an elephant when I think about the greatness of God and the smallness of me, yet He seems to like to do this stuff! The restraint He must have to use to channel His presence and power through little us so it doesn’t blow us all away must be incredible.
Encouraging story. Don’t know how I would have answered that question but I’m going to remember Clint’s reply!
I love this story. Clint is crazy! What authority!
Amen! That’s powerful!
What a God we serve that HE would quicken Clint’s message..almost prophecy..yes God…we do serve an AWESOME God. Great story! Running in the dark seems danger zone, but God runs before Clint! Let this testimony be known in the hiways and biways.
Haven’t thought about this in a while. Gave me goosebumps all over again, one of the most powerful nights with God I have ever had. Interesting tidbit, he told us he sold his soul to satan to be able to play, and he played well, but really it was all he had at the time.
And another thing, they were burkes, not flip flops…keep running Clint!