USA Tour: Day Three

A relaxing morning today, I went for a good walk in the freezing morning air and then Godfrey I went for a drive to a couple of music stores – a drum store and a Guitar Center. I got a nice pair of ProMark lightweight sticks and a couple of things for my kids back home. If you’re reading this Rachel & Ethan you’ll have to wait and see what I got you! Godfrey then took me out to lunch at a “Cracker Barrel” restaurant, (http://www.crackerbarrel.com/menu-fancyfixins.cfm?doc_id=899) and I had the Cracker Barrel Sampler; this was our first proper American meal since we got here. Wow – there was NOTHING green on the plate. I doubt you’d live long if you eat it regularly but it sure was tasty!

I spent a few hours this afternoon preparing the PowerPoint file for the Charlotte, Charleston & Nashville dates so we avoided a repeat of the problems the first night in Atlanta. Then we headed out to the Bethel Atlanta School Of Ministry. There were a lot less people than on Sunday as it’s not an open public meeting but a school people have signed up to and paid to attend. However the atmosphere was hungry, expectant and open. Amazingly Dave Vaughan from Emerge Wales arrived just as we were about to start – we didn’t expect him until it was all over. He was tired but full of the Holy Spirit and pretty drunk as usual. Godfrey introduced him before we got going and Dave told the meeting about some revelations God had given him regarding an out-pouring of his Spirit that was coming to the East Coast of the USA. The expectancy in the room cranked up a notch immediately – you could feel the draw on heaven before we’d even sang a note. Godfrey started off with “I Will Set My Face” and the room took off – it was like we started from the place we’d got to on Sunday rather than having to start all over again…we followed that with “Lift Up Your Heads” and the room popped! We used the song to pray over Atlanta to hear the word of the Lord and it was powerful stuff. People we already reeling from the glorious presence of Jesus when Godfrey pulled Dave up again and told everyone that he would impart the Welsh wild-fire to anyone who wanted it and pray for them so to come forward if you wanted that but it was OK to stay where you were if you weren’t sure. There was no need for a second call – it was like a flash-mob in action! Pretty much the whole room surged to the front to surround Godfrey and Dave and as Dave started working his way round the 4 row deep semi-circle of hungry Jesus lovers laying hands on them Godfrey lead us into “Jesus Faithful and True” – the guys from Bethel would have sung the refrain of “Fly to breathtaking heights” all night I think. The band did a cracking job following the flow of the Holy Spirit and the meeting was wrecked! Sadly they had a guest speaker from South Africa booked to speak so when Dave had worked his way round all the folks wanting an impartation we had to stop to let him take over. We packed up (just sticks into a bag for me – what a blessing not to have to dismantle and pack a drum kit!) and headed off out for meal leaving the guys to the rest of their school night. I think if Dave & Godfrey had been able to have the whole evening we could really have gone somewhere pretty special but it was still a great night and I’m sure they’ll want them back again and give them more space and time to help the guys crack things open wider than ever.

Dave had just got off an eight hour flight from Heathrow and had been on the go for sixteen hours but you’d never have known – he was his usual mischievous, lovable, glory filled self.

We went out to a good restaurant that Graham knew and had a lovely meal courtesy of the marvellous Mr. Birtill. Root Beer to drink and a blue cheese topped burger cooked medium rare so it was good and pink/red in the middle. Awesome.

Dave’s keen for us to make a pact to not back off at all and pursue the drunken glory to its fullest extent while we’re on the road together. Considering we’ve hardly stopped laughing since he arrived and the guy serving us in the restaurant must have thought we were hammered drunk already I think we can safely say we’re off to a good start. Dave’s stated aim is to make sure John Scotland looks like the sober one of the four of us. I told him – count me in! Help us Jesus – we’re gonna need it. Tomorrow we set off to Charleston on the coast which according to Google Maps is a five and a half hour drive. Wednesday night Godfrey and I rehearse with the band and the conference starts on Thursday with John Scotland joining us on Friday. Shing-Boing-Hey!