We just returned from St. Louis where we spent the weekend with our family. We went there in response to the recent heart attack of our brother and overseer, Bishop Raphael Green.
We were thrown into the fire from the very second the plane touched the ground. We had a couple of voicemail messages waiting on the cell phone informing us that our brother had been taken back to the hospital. So, instead of taking a casual ride to his home, we had to make a sudden trip to the hospital for an emergency room visit.
When we arrived in the area where he was was being examined, we found him accompanied by his oldest daughter and our parents. As soon as we stepped in, I just grabbed his hand and said, “We’re here.” Tears came into his eyes. We immediately began to pray for him. The Lord gave us words of exhortation and encouragement and he just broke down in sobs as the Holy Spirit moved upon him.
We watched his countenance change as he relaxed with the peace of God settling upon him. The Holy Spirit kept giving us more to speak over his life until he began to worship the Lord. With hands upraised, he openly cried and worshipped. From that point, we knew he would be alright.
His daughter said it was the first time he had responded this way since the entire ordeal began last Sunday. We have learned that when something of this magnitude happens, that many motivations, agendas, personal issues and prejudices come to the surface. Our brother was suddenly surrounded by all kinds of people, but what was needed was to be surrounded by the people he knew and the people who knew him. That's FAMILY.
When crisis hits a high-profile person, many people began pushing one another to position themselves for some certain status in connection with them or their family. Selfishly and insensitively they invade the private world of the family. We stepped in and commanded some order to the situation.
After he was able to gather himself together, our brother said he had been praying all week and asking God to send him a Word; to send him a prophet. (Not trying to boast about ourselves... when we are weak, then we are strong only by the Grace of God)
Once he was moved into a regular hospital room, our younger brother, Jonathan joined us there. We began to reminisce and talk about old times. Jonny, as we call him, has the most wonderful sense of humor. When we get together, we can get on a roll and we did. He had our brother, Raphael, laughing over and over again. Ray, as we call him, finally got to the place where he could actually fall asleep, real sleep, for the first time that week.
The weekend also offered us the opportunity to connect with the widow of our spiritual son who passed away a few weeks ago. His death was attributed to heart failure. We met with her during the time our brother was being transitioned from the emergency room to the hospital room. It was a very special time to connect with her and talk through the many things that have happened prior to and after her husband’s death. It was a very precious time of connection.
The entire weekend was a continuous series of conversations and connections, sovereignly choreographed by the Holy Spirit. We received prophetic confirmations as well. Every night, we fell asleep trying to process the awesome set of events that had taken place throughout that day.
Sunday morning, we ministered to our home congregation in exhortations and prophetic declarations. We ministered for two solid hours with songs and preaching. We usually minister 45 minutes to an hour at Urban Life, but this was a critical moment that required more time and precision, like the procedure our brother had gone through in repairing his heart. The Sunday service was concluded with an additional hour of prayer for the Green family.
We are thankful for the prayerrs and the financial support that allowed us to be with our brother and family at such a critical time.
We watched the video from Sunday’s Lifetree conversation and we are very proud of our son Christopher. He did a great job in leading the conversation. Truly, God is doing something special in our church family.
We know that we are not a very traditional church. Whoever heard of a church that gathers for worship and conversation? But this is what God has given us to do this summer. Even though it is out of the comfort zone of many, it fits perfectly with the vision God has given us to rebuild, restore and renew hearts and homes.
This fall, when we return to teaching and preaching on Sundays, and shift the Lifetree conversations to Wednesdays, we will know God and know each other a lot better, and be able to walk together in unity.
We will fulfill our theme for 2012. We will know God, know His presence, know His power, and know His will. We will express our theme scripture: ...the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits! Daniel 11:32b
We're not here to build a big ministry. We're building people.
