Maryland Tent Revival

 

I grew up in the era of huge tent revivals! So, being the God-called evangelists my dad and mom were, we had a huge gospel tent.  It took days to put that thing up! It was not a good look for a young teenage girl to have sweat dripping off of every inch of her body, hair soaked with sweat, and the heat so bad you just wanted to melt, helping to put up a gospel tent in the middle of a field. Even with help, it was still hours of work, hundreds of chairs, putting up and wrapping the stage, setting up equipment in 1000 degree weather.  

But the meetings were always exciting and hoppin', lol!

SO MY CHURCH (BRAT) STORY begins:

We were in Maryland in a tent revival.  It was so hot, but people came from miles around to experience the revival under the tent. The services usually started around 8pm to allow the heat to calm down under the tent. But did it ever really get any cooler?  I am going to say -- no! lol  

My oldest sister, Debbi, played the straight-up pentecostal Hammond B3 organ. I mean, really were you even in a tent revival without a B3 Hammond organ? I played (don't laugh) drums for many years. There were other instruments, but the organ and drums set the pace for the service!  My sister and I were close, and we could always seem to read each other.  Needless to say, that wasn't always for the best! Well, for her anyway!

One particular night we had been playing for about 2 hours.  The people had been rejoicing, shouting, running, and just really enjoying a good tent service. If you have ever been in a pentecostal tent service, you know how things are after a few hours. We were exhausted from playing and the heat!

Just when we were about to wind down, we saw a van pull up around 10pm, low and behold, a van load of people come piling out. It would almost remind you of a circus clown car... how did they all fit in there!?? Looking back now, I think they were a black gospel group because as they got out, they were ready for church.  They were already playing their tambourines, singing, dancing, and running into the tent to join the others.

As they came running under the tent, Deb and I noticed this short, tiny man that was ready for revival! He came running in!  He was praising and shouting and somehow shimmied up the middle tent pole.  We still do not know how he did it! The middle tent pole is important; it held everything together.  You gotta understand that if that particular pole comes down, the whole tent comes down!  But, he wasn't a large man by any means, so Deb and I were not too worried about the tent collapsing.  We watched him literally scamper up that pole with no help.  It was slick; there was nothing to help anyone climb it!  

We laughed (ya'll know me - I was about to lose my mind!).  So, for another 2 hours, we played, and everyone had a good old- fashion revival time under the giant tent.  But Deb and I had a secret - we kept looking up to see if our secret was safe!  Yes, it was!  Poor guy, for hours, he kept hanging on for dear life!!!

The service ended after another 1-1.5 hours of preaching.  There he still was; you could tell he was tiring out!  Finally, the service ended, and of course, no one just goes straight home; everyone stands and talks for another hour or so... I looked up there he still was, barely holding on.  

Everyone started leaving, and the gospel van pulled out WITHOUT their guy!  I went running back in to make sure he was still there, and he was.  

Now, picture this:  I was drenched in sweat, don't even get me started on my wet hair, in a long maxi shirt running and chasing this van like a crazy person! After a few minutes, they looked, and I finally got their attention and told them that they had left someone.  They counted and said, "No, we have everyone!"   Poor little guy!  I told them to come and look because I was pretty sure he was with them.  

They ALL came out of the van and stood around the middle tent pole and looked up, and someone said, " Yep, that is Sammy, alright!"  Then it dawned on one of them, "Ya'll gotta get that boy down. He is flat, right out scared of heights!"

They pulled out a ladder, and Sammy came scampering down.  He said, "I got up, but I couldn't never figure out how to get down.  I "hain't " never, ever been so scared in my life.  But I kept praising Jesus!  Bishop, I never stopped praising Jesus!"

Goodness, another shouting spell hit the whole van load - they couldn't hardly pull themselves together to get back in the van, but they did only this time they took Sammy with them!

For years Debbi and I would look and say, "Poor Sammy, wonder how he is doing!?"

WHAT'S ON MY MIND?  GLAD YOU ASKED!

I love going to church. Going to worship my Maker and doing it with my church family. What an honor to connect with God and each other. Being able to gather at His house is a "freedom" — one that may soon be taken away.  

How much regret will you have when you CAN’T go to church and not that you simply WON’T go to church? I know Covid has made us feel different in many ways. We have all felt like we have missed out on a whole year. Because of that lapse in time, we want to make up for the time we lost. I understand that it is tempting to want to go out and do all the things you missed this time last year. Yes, I understand that we all work through the week and we feel like we deserve time to ourselves. Yes, it seems as though the summer of 2020 was all about lockdowns and we were all cut off from each other. I know that we feel like now is the time to have people over for dinner, go out and see a movie, have date nights, doing family things, just whenever everyone can get together without giving a second thought to what day it is.

But where is our heart? What are we teaching our children or our unsaved friends and family about Jesus being a priority in our life? What example are we setting for them to see?

The bottom line is this:

Jesus is either first in your life with priorities or He isn’t. He will not play second fiddle to your life. How can you expect Him to just show up when you are in trouble, but neglect Him in your happy, comfortable times?  

How can you call Him Lord and say He is the most important thing in your life when He is just an "add-on"? Jesus said:

Luke 6:46

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?

Do I think you have to be in church every time the door is open? No, I don't think that you are hell-bound in a "Do not pass go and do not collect $200" (a monopoly reference lol) way. 

But, let me explain something, missing a service here or there is one thing. But to continually plan things on Sunday (circus, getting pictures made, ballgames, hobbies,...etc..) and not go to church. Make plans on midweek prayer/Bible study night and saying to ourselves, "He knows my heart" - this is a cop-out. A tragedy really. Why not plan those parties for after worship service and sit for a few minutes to get fed from His table with the rest of your family? Yes, He does know "my heart" and that should scare us to our knees in repentance at the feet of Jesus.

Do you really love Him? Check out Luke 6:46 again.

Christianity in the USA has conditioned us that gathering is an option, praying at home and corporately is an option, reading your Bible and listening to others bring the Word is an option —- it isn’t. 

These things may not be accessible to us at some point in this nation. If we don't see it in our lifetime, our children will. Then what?  Have we instilled in them what it takes to survive spiritually?

Do you love Him enough to let that sink in and feel the hurt we cause our King by conning yourself into believing a lie? Are you sitting in the devil's arms as he sings you a lullaby and as you are being rocked back and forth, back and forth to deep sleep?

Whose arms are you in? Jesus' arms or the devil's arms? Can we sing as Solomon did?

Song of Solomon 2:6

“Let his left hand be under my head

And his right hand embrace me.”

It saddens my heart to watch as Jesus is an add-on and not our lives. I cannot imagine what He feels when we do this to His heart. With Him, it is all or nothing.

Psalm 139: 23

Search me, O God, and know my heart! 

Try me and know my thoughts!

6

Pray this with me today (in your own words)

Jesus, the first thing I want to do is worship You. You have done so much, and I have given so little back to You in return. Yet, You love me!

You see me, You know my heart. I am asking You to pull out anything that is not like you. Just as David called out to You to search his heart - search my heart! Anything that has become an idol in my life, destroy it, and I will no longer bow to it.  

I want YOU to be Lord. I surrender my life to You, right now in this Holy moment, to do what You want with it. Give me the courage to stand - loving You no matter what others think. I only care about what You think. Make me more like You!

Amen