Worship

South Carolina trip: You’ve heard it said, ‘this is just what the doctor ordered.’ I can attest to you that the Global Tabernacle of David leaders gathering was, in fact, just what the LORD ordered!! Small in nature, very community oriented, and completely focused on worship, I had the amazing privilege of being deeply encouraged, as well as being able to deeply encourage others. Bible study and reading, personal sharing and ministry time, and glorious times of worshiping the Lord together, both publicly and privately, were among the main items of interest. I found years of things the Lord has taught me and put inside me, just flowing out to encourage and edify other worship leaders just getting their feet wet in the area of leading. It truly was so fulfilling in that regard, and reminded me of a calling the Lord has been putting on me for sometime now, to help raise up and encourage others in worship leading. We all have a contribution to the Kingdom of GOD and the furthering of it on this side of Heaven. It is my extreme honor, to assist others in knowing, learning and growing in this knowledge, both in practice and in theory. I love this, and whether it’s in this country or another, I thank the Lord for such opportunities. As a wise friend once said to me, “you can never worship the Lord too much”…..oh how right that is. VOB is so pleased to be a part of GToD, and may the Lord bless David Gereghty and his family, as they work to pioneer this ministry. Let us know if you wanna be notified when we do our online global worship streams!

*. . . and Wayne just had some good KC barbecue with team members.*

Kansas City Missouri trip: Lithuania, Poland, Germany, France, Chile, and the Philippines were some of the nations represented at our biannual Living Waters leaders conference. This conference had to cancel in 2021, due to pandemic, thus it had been 4 years since we last gathered. And what a gathering it was. There is just something about having brothers and sisters who are quite different in shapes, sizes, colors, tongues, culture, etc, but united in having One God in common. Also knitted together in our likeminded truth telling about what the Lord has set free in our personal brokenness and woundings. This truth that helps set the captives free because Jesus said it would!! He is The Truth and the work He does in this healing ministry of Living Waters sparks us all to spread that freedom! Such a blessing to work with Desert Stream and the amazing team of wounded healers who work tireless schedules of mentoring, teaching, counseling, proclaiming – online – in small groups – church platforms – all around the world. And if I might add, some of these international laborers sacrifice even greater, as they are persecuted and threatened with persecution in their homelands for being truth tellers and Truth followers!

Gary: This isn’t a “lastly” addition to this update, but instead, mentioned here at the bottom because the 2 reports above may never have happened without Gary Goodells ‘welcome to San Diego,’ almost 28 years ago. As Wayne said in his tribute on Facebook, The Lord told us to “Go” (from NC) and Gary invited us to “Come” (to SD), but then taught us how to serve and follow that One who sent us. We could never convey here (though many of you who have followed us all these years, know) how much Gary imparted, released, extracted, motivated, tolerated from us – how much he gave platform, permission, generosity, favor – or how much fun we had celebrating, proclaiming, demonstrating the Lord and His Gospel. Gary has joined the cloud of witnesses – the known Biblical and famous theologian ones whom he loved and often quoted, and also the many known colleagues we had the privilege to serve with over all these years, who have gone before us. No possible way to say goodbye-only certainly, ‘see ya later pastor friend!’

Carol, Gary and Wayne in San Francisco (Summer of Love 30 year anniversary – 1997)

David’s tent on the National Mall where event took place.

Sunday, Nov. 11, 2018:

We finished our last worship session. Most of the team was packed up, in the van, and ready to head to the airport. Goodbyes were said, tears were shed. Then we all went our separate ways: team members from San Diego, LA, Texas, New Hampshire and NC. What an amazing 5 days we had! Hours of worship & intercession, poured out just 3 blocks from the US Capitol building, where lawmakers will work together, to better our country. We had seen many people come in and out of the tent, during our time there, wondering what was going on, or being encouraged and joining with us in worship. Alltribes DC, day, was powerful, with hundreds gathering together, to worship and pray, and hear the Gospel….people of every color! What a blessing!

Vietnam war memorial photo by Shawn Kramer Photography

After our last session, as we all departed, 5 of us had some time, so we headed over to the Lincoln memorial, the Korean War memorial, and the Vietnam War memorial. As we walked around, taking in the sobering reality of these events, I found myself being overwhelmed with thoughts of so many battles, and things that affect so many thousands of people, across our nation.

I began to realize, at a whole new level, the importance of worship, bringing the presence of the Lord, and prayer, asking for His steady hand to change or shift things in the right direction. I thought of all those who prayed during the Civil war…or any other war—for peace and healing to come.

Our task in worship and prayer can be hard to explain to people. It’s not as obvious as meeting the needs of the poor, physically. But spiritually, we are all poor, without Jesus. Spiritually, we all need the Lord (Matthew 5:1)!

Knowing that pouring out our hearts in worship to the Lord, asking Him to come and change things, this is what our week in DC was all about. Lord knows we need a shift in our nation!

Chief Anne Richardson-in her regalia-of the Rappahannock Tribe, original inhabitants of the Jamestown, Virginia area – 1607

It was an honor and privilege to be a part of that calling, as we gathered with the original Americans/First Nations people in our nation’s capitol, to cry out together, seeking His presence. Days later, countless people having heard the Gospel through song and prayer, praising the Lord together, every tribe and tongue, we got a little glimpse of what Heaven will be like.

Let’s pray that anyone who walked into that atmosphere in that big tent, seeing the unity in the Body of Christ on the National Mall, would have felt the incredible presence of the Lord, and given their hearts to HIM!!! Thank you for being a part!!