Like Mike

When I think about special times, really special times in my life, I can quickly form a list in my mind’s eye. I see them laid out before me, like a collage made of fragments of photos spanning my years of existence. As I gaze at them I can see that there is a common thread that links together the mosaic of my life. Some stand out strong… formative… indelible in my mind. I remember my grandfather's woodshop in his basement. I remember how special and loved I felt there. I remember the way I felt when I watched Mr. Rogers. He said that he loved me no matter what, unconditional love. Other moments share this theme, each with this warm feeling of being surrounded in a warm nest of love. It is this shepherd-like quality that I so identify with.

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

Acts 20:28

And that is what I long to share with my youth. On our mission trips there is this special moment on Thursday night where we have a foot washing ceremony. After a person's feet are washed, the leader offers to pray with the youth. These prayers of intersession can be short, rote blessings… or can be long power prayers where the two share back and forth what the Spirit lays on the participants’ hearts at that time. You can guess which one I go for. I have been a crazy prayer guy. YEAH!

There is this awesome feeling of closeness that I have only experienced in this sort of communion, two believers snuggled close in a hug, bound together by an outpouring of the spirit and words just coming… words that build… words that edify… words that make you who you are and who you want to be and transform you into the new person in Christ’s image that YOU HAD TO BE! I love prayer. And know that while I seem to have some sort of a gift for this sort of thing, I don’t take the credit for being good at prayer (Michael Casey states in Towards God that there is no such thing as good or bad prayer. Both bring you closer to God, which means it’s a success… see Romans chapter 8). But I do know that I am not afraid to let the Spirit work through me. Its all Him.

More of YOU… Less of me. –Jeremy Camp

But where did I pick this up? What happened that turned me from a hardened hearted fool who wasn’t into praying or crying or sharing my feelings into a crying, praying, hugging Jesus freak? To understand that you must know Mike. Mike was my pastor, my mentor, my shepherd, my councilor, my teacher…. And Mike is my friend. Mike is my inspiration. Mike has the kind of heart that I strive to have.

Mike isn’t with us anymore. But everyday I remember what he was. I remember the way he pulled you in real close, put his arm around you and asked, “How are you doing?” I remember that way he prayed with you… He would hug you tight, place his mouth by year ear and say, “Dear Jesus, thank you so much for this sweet child. He is the light of the world. Build him up daily with your life-changing GRACE. May he walk with you everyday of his life…”

When I draw someone in close to share a prayer of intersession, I am just doing what I witnessed Mike do so many times. He wasn’t there to perform a ritual… it was certainly no absolution of sin… Mike was always quick to point out that a much better pastor did that for us all two thousand years ago. He was there to build up that person with words, to bring a blessing of the Holy Spirit, to make that person feel so loved, so changed, so blessed, so at peace with who they are in the grand scheme of God’s perfection that they would leave walking on clouds. Prayer with Mike was like a mushroom on Super Mario Brothers. It built you up and prepared you for spiritual combat; be it missions work or daily struggles.

Everyday I strive to be the kind of shepherd Mike was to our little group. Lord may I find his heart to serve and his love for people. AMEN.