One of the Ways is Essex.
Over the weekend was in Romford, Essex (or the London Borough of…talk about a place rediscovering identity) gathering with a small group of people themselves journeying outside the perimeters of organised, structural church. In Between the times of eating together, and we did a bit of that, we talked, shared, journeyed, joined, prayed and sensed a great connection. Here in this room were people carrying scars of the journey but also much in evidence was grace and healing. Most of these people had relocated to the area expecting to find the nirvana promised them as they became community. Although some good things occured, sometimes breakthrough stuff, what they found was not as they hoped. Yet the shoots of hope for today and bright hope for tomorrow sprung through. Much joy was evidenced through the pain. Marginalised through their associations and decisions to decentralise and deconstruct, God is now joining them into His bigger picture. The margins truly are becoming the story here in Romford. The creation and flow of a diamond geyser. A gusher that will flow in this gateway place between the city of London and the Nation and Nations. I felt God say prior to the weekend that this much maligned county and region would become the much aligned region. That a love affair would happen between Essex and South Wales creating a viaduct for water and fire to flow. Wildfire and the Geyser. Wildfire and the Lightning. The T.V. comedy Gavin and Stacey would be a modern day parable of the connection and love between these areas. Both areas often a sign of ridicule and maligned. But an alignment is already in motion that will sweep the M4 corridor off it’s feet. This will create a spout that will pour into mainland Europe and beyond.
Find your Voice.
Was reminded during my visit there that I had been there on a prior occasion to attend a Prophetic Round table. There was a real anointing and openness in the area for the prophetic. Since that time it is almost as though the area has become hoarse (during our time together a small child’s horse was found behind a cushion of a chair. This is where the voice has been stuffed), it has lost it’s voice. Felt that we needed to press in for the voice to be restored again. Through Jeremiah 20:9 and Revelation 10:8-10 shared about eating the scroll and speaking again. The pressing in for/resting in the supernatural/grace flow of God is right and needed, but the Voice needs to be heard again. The sound of the anvil needs to rise again. Romford find your voice, eat the scroll, speak from the guts, you cannot keep quiet. There are ears that need to hear what the Spirit is saying to His ekklesia. As we sat and talked I sensed that the prophetic round table of the past had been replaced by the kitchen tables and coffee tables of the present. The situation of the invited select few ‘ministry gift’ people had been replaced by the Voice within all people. Come on Romford, I want to hear you.
Hope Deferred…
As I touched the earth in Romford I also sensed much disappointment and disillusionment. These people had come to Romford chasing the rainbow, looking for nirvana. Transformation was promised and prophesied as they were called to relocate and become part of something bigger. Apostolic leaders were being raised up carrying an authority to bring revival to the land. These promises remain unfulfilled. The pot at the end of the rainbow was never found. The hope that was raised up never materialised and hearts became sick. This led to much death of dreams and callings, and death inside many who gave up everything for what they thought was imminently coming. Yet what I felt was a fresh hope arising. Not in looking for the big but in the margins and often out of site of the pulpits and the buildings. In ordinary people touching the street. A wheel within wheel move of God where the imprint of the tyre tread of heaven is being left in the dust of the earth. A people not looking for the next big thing or move, but part of the flow of the movement of heaven invading earth as evidenced in Ezekiel 1. Living transformation where glory imprints earth and dirt imprints heaven.
Out of Control.
The biggest challenge for the area continues to be control. The question was asked about what to do in the face of this? I felt that a key is to continue to live and give freedom in every way possible. Living out of control can often be interpreted as being rebellious but lived out in grace and love it is key to the area of Romford and beyond. The old song ‘born free, as free as the wind blows’ came to mind as I worshipped. We must be born again, again, again in freedom. But freedom must also be given, people need to be free to live even outside our sphere of understanding, and be free to make mistakes without us saying ‘I told you so’. This is where true spiritual covering will be restored as love covers over a multitude of sin. Moses still cries from the gallery of the cloud of witnesses, ‘let my people go’.
Summing up With Loose Ends
Connections with some great people. Reconnection with someone I had not seen for 25 years totally out of the blue as we walked the street. Lightning girl. Diamond Geyser. Eating and laughter. Tree climbing and hugging. Misshapen shapes. Shapeless shapes. New shapes. New days, fresh days, old days. Romford clearing it’s throat ready to speak, refusing to be controlled, grasping fresh hope. Rainbows being released. Mick and Christine Smith, Gerry, Jane and all the gang, love you all loads. Here is a Tia Maria coffee to the road ahead, whatever it may look like.
Really key statement here from Paul: “The margins truly are becoming the story here in Romford” – has to be as we learn to lay down life, the universe and everything. I remember, as always, the word Martin brought about the cogwheel turning in Romford – leading to “One thing to turn, one thing to move, one thing to turn for the first fruit” (from Godfrey’s song Fill my Ears).
Paul’s comment about the tyre tread of heaven leaving an imprint in the dust of the earth responds to the question “Can anything good come out of Romford?” Yes, an imprint of heaven here – we are expectant…
Sounds as if you were a greatly encouraged encourager Paul!
Love the ‘feel’ of this – earth and heaven together. So often it is one or the other… maybe this is also part of the alignment that will manifest?
Love the way you prophetically communicate, Paul! Thanks for that. Ours is a different, but also ‘margin/ maligned’ kind of story; not the end of the story, though!!
Yahooooo to your prophetic encouragement-gift, Paul! Let the Lion roar over there and across the earth in His inimitable way!! to quote something that really touched me:
‘a wheel within a wheel’ move of God!! G.
Watch out for the Romford Geezer headed your way!!!!!!!! xx
I can understand the joy and (especially) the pain part. The radical edge has developed decidedly conservative overtones. But the thing I am realising is that there is a lot more going on than meets the eye, or at least, there is a lot more going on than I understand. For me, I still believe in the phoenix, because somewhere amidst the ashes there is fire still – and its time is coming. (But if it reaches Mick & Co. before it reaches here, I know where Mick lives…)
Ken, the wildfire is already around – it’s already burning. The problem is recognising it for what it is – wildfire from heaven – and going with it. It’s uncontainable, un-boxable and, as the nature of wildfire is, it spreads and it’s catching… Who was it who said “…they come to watch me burn”? Wesley? It’s the same stuff and it’s breaking out again…
lol – i think i need a prophet dictionary to understand most of this – sounds wonderful tho, very poetic, but then i dont really get poetry either. the essential thing is that God’s word was heard in what ever form it comes. and that relationship and trust are built. sounds like both were happening.
sounds like some mending is needed and a fresh look at what expectations should be had. i imagine they have sat down and said what were we expecting? was anyone else expecting that ? how did we think it would work ? why didn’t it ? do we still want the same things ? how else shall we try to do it ? – i have found “soft systems analysis” has some helpful ideas tho applying the full thing as maths formulas seems a bit of a clat. and in the back pages of a ywam short termers help book there is a really good questionnaire that i think can be applied to all sorts of things. tho i expect they’ve already thought of that sort of stuff, i expect there’s lots more books and courses around about these things these days.
as a singer (once upon a time) the thing that comes to mind about the hoarse throat is that it really is not a good idea to force it. you can for one urgent event but you risk to do permanent damage. ideally you treat whatever has caused it to be rough – the throat infection, sinusitis, lack of sleep, stress. it almost always needs rest and protecting from draughts for a while till it can recuperate. i think it’s like that verse about love covers a multitude of sins. it makes me think of sticking plaster. you wash the wound to get out dirt and grit – forgiveness, honesty, truthfulness, apologising, you know, all that stuff. then you put a sticking plaster of love over it till it can heal over – over looking some things, confronting others, the two judgings – one you do and one you dont – not being judgemental, but do exercise right judgement, the usual things. and like you said about freedom. there is a lot of control in the bible but it seems to be exclusively self control. you dont control sheep, you guide or lead. you dont even feed them much i dont think – you show them where food is. really is a funny type of farmer for God to chose to be like.
i’m glad you’re continuing to accompany these dear folks.
i wonder if someone would mind explaining : the only one i really dont get is wildfire. it’s terrible if it happens here. if the wind is up and the ground dry it spreads like crazy and can take days and weeks to stop it and leaves any amount of damage. often it’s set off deliberately by arsonists, or sometimes by people who want insurance money for the land or to spoil the land so it has to be put up for sale cheaply. there was a situation near here where someone was working at his lathe in his workshop and a spark jumped onto some dry grass outside. terrible. like in the bible where the spark that sets it off is gossip and it wreaks havoc. someone prophesied about wildfire in our church here and they seemed pleased, – words coming from the pastors tongue that would leap from bush to bush. i wish it had been words of the gospel. maybe that was what the prophet hoped that it meant. i suppose the bearer didnt know much about how wildfire works – it turns out it was a warning and it was actually gossip and hurtful or careless words on the pastor’s tongue (aided and abetted by members of his family) that ripped through our little church and wrecked it. i’m sure you all mean something else when you talk about it
) perhaps you mean something more like a welders torch that cleans things, melts them so they can be pushed back into shape, or melted so the things can weld to each other. purifying fire ?, or day of pentecost tongues of fire maybe (makes me think of our gas burner)? or torchlight, the light of the gospel ?
did you know about the prophecy given by fabienne pons, a french worship song writer in 1992 at new wine ? i heard her talk about it some while later. she saw and eagle flying over britain. it was seeing holes in the clouds where flaming torches (or maybe they were the system of beacons that britain has but she didnt know about them) had broken through the darkness and dark clouds and it was where groups of people were worshipping God. when the eagle flew over france there were very few. we need to worship God to break through the clouds of darkness here on the continent. what ever your fire represents, if it’s bringing praise and honour to God over here the M4 can channel all it wants. the last time i came down that road was 19 years ago coming from Wales to France. we did a von trapp family departure – the four of us were prayed out in llanelli on the thursday morning, we got in the car and drove straight to the north of france to live. i think several others have followed (and we were by far from being the first). Maybe we’ve helped wear a little groove
I can’t say for sure what Jane means, but for me it is a bit like the Celtic term for the Holy Spirit as the ‘Wild Goose’. There is an unpredictability and uncontrollability to what he does. I can see why the picture would not work so well for you, although I think you have captured the wildness nicely. I suppose for me (and I am sure many others) our hearts are looking for an outbreak of the Holy Spirit that is utterly unconfined, utterly uncontrolled – and yes there might be some destruction along the way, but only of things that need destroying.
Hi Liz, so appreciate all that you share and all that remains not understood at this time. I always find myself hesitant to explain what something means as I do not want to influence the definition from a personal perspective. Sometimes it is good just to let the questions live and take shape in their own ways without the influence of someone else, including the one who gave the word. I only have a personal take on what I see God is saying anyway. Yet saying that on the question of the Wildfire, this relates to a prophecy given by Martin Scott at the end of the ’90′s that out of Wales a wild fire would come that would not be containted, would not be tame, would not be controlled and that it would burn into England, then into Europe all the way through Africa to the Middle East. I have tried to look for a copy of the Word given online but cannot find it yet, when I do I will send you a copy. So Ken’s interpretation looks in line with what was originally given. Systems, religiousness, empire etc., all these things need burning by the Wild fire. But what will come forth will be pure, new, wild. Hope that helps. The true interpretation is over to God though
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Liz, I too have heard of that wildfire that burns everything and is almost impossible to stop… I was thinking more of a wildfire as Ken describes – a Holy Spirit wildfire that spreads uncontrollably (so it has that characteristic) but is not destructive; one that is heavenly and burns for God; one that catches all our hearts and causes us to burn inside for Jesus and his kingdom.
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I too wouldn’t want to define it further but hope you understand what I mean. And yes, to your later comment, sometimes the wildfire burns up stubble but as is often true after a fire, the green shoots are sweeter and more lush…
(Sometimes it does help to have a prophetic dictionary!
J xx
oh i get. like burning the stubble from the previous crop so that the shoots of the new crops can grow through.
is there a
well what ever it is, if it’s from God i’ll have some here – wouldnt it be awful to just get stuck at the last revival but one …