little tongue talker - post as a note on FB

Today’s message in church was about speaking in tongues. I felt lead to share my testimony with it.

Speaking in tongues was as foreign to me as the sound of it is. I was brought up in a small missionary baptist church. Every now and again on rare occasions there were a few people that would "shout". It would scare everyone in the church and would be followed by whispers of people all over the church. That was the only experience I had with people encountering the Holy Spirit.

When I first came to NCCA in 2007 I was completely weirded out. It was palm Sunday and everyone was waving palm branches, flagging, singing modern songs. The speaking in tongues was intriguing but made me feel nervous, I know now it was my own spirit man doing a little dance, not nervousness. I had never experienced that kind of freedom in worship or that kind of joy. In my home church joy was expressed in tears that looked the same as sadness.
I kept coming back, so desperate to feel Gods peace again that I was determined to find it, taking what I could and leaving the rest for those that wanted it. It was several months maybe even years before I decided I too wanted more. I was just curious and desperately broken enough to step up to the ledge and peer over.

Pastor Randy was doing a class on speaking in tongues. My curiosity lead me there. I didn't think it was for me but at that point I needed more and I had nothing to lose. I had no idea it would propel me into a life I had not even dared to dream of. He led us in an activation to repeat the words “telephone book” after him. He said, I didn't make you say those words, I just gave you the sound to make. Then we all separated and prayed silently, he said to write down any sounds we heard and repeat them. So, I did. He left us with the instructions to repeat the syllables until more came. I thought, yeah...okay whatever you say and shut my book. Not convinced it was legit. More certain it was just me wanting to drink the kool aid.

That night a friend and I were going to Philips Arena to see Fleetwood Mac. We had a few pre-gaming cocktails and hopped on Marta. When we got to the arena, I got a call letting me know I got my house, I would be a homeowner.  I was so incredibly over joyed. A year prior I was told no, but I had started tithing and knew the news was because God was moving, for me. He was showing me the Blessings he had for me! I stood in the outside courts of the CNN center and gave praise.

We go in for the show and find we are pretty high up in the arena. I was still so happy about my day, I didn't care. We went out to get a couple of drinks and a lady working at the arena comes up to us and asks if we want better seats. Well of course we do! I could not believe how awesome my day was going. She leads us to our seats that seems to be smack dab directly in the center of the arena, just as they begin to sing big love. The folks around us are happy to join us into their dance party. I stand there, and quickly become overwhelmed with emotion. I close my eyes, feeling the atmosphere around me. When I open then I see the thousands of people, hands raised...I felt them all hungry for Jesus. They were cheering for Fleetwood but what I saw was a sea of people reaching up and crying out for Jesus with hungry hearts. I thought, if only I could pray for them all. How would I even start to pray for thousands I don't know and have no way of knowing their needs. If only there was a way...then God reminded me that there was. I could use my prayer language. I argued with God for a second, reminded him that I had had a couple drinks and was probably too tipsy to be useful. Then He told me he was just looking for someone willing and to open my mouth. So I did...I began to pray in tongues, for real. As if God and I were the only ones in the arena. I stood there for the remainder of the show weeping and praying, hands raised fully surrendered. People around me were looking at me, concerned, annoyed, freaked out. I didn't care, I was so charged up. I am not sure how I even feel about the fact that I’d had a couple of beers before this moment, but I was much more of a donkey then than I am now. God worked it out and in that moment maybe for the first and possibly only time God used my lowered inhibitions for His Glory. I was so young in the spirit that I had no idea how to handle my prayer language or a prayer burden like that. I couldn't control it and frankly didn't want to. It was the refreshing I had been so desperately seeking. My friend that was with me was also a baby Christian and was very self-conscious. He was embarrassed but was so sweet, putting his arm around me and leading me out of the arena when the show ended. I was still going...praying hard and loud. I continued all the way home on the Marta and in the car. I stopped when we got home. I walked into the apartment and tried to tell sara what happened and I just knew it wasn't making sense. It made no sense to me. I went to my room to sleep. I began my bed time prayers, and the tongues came again. Still not knowing it was okay to use a little volume control...I ran out of my bedroom and into the living room where sara lay watching TV. She immediately jumped up put her arm around me and said it's okay buddy, let it out. Thank God for strategically placing me with a Pentecostal roommate. We went onto the deck and sat there weeping and praying together.

From that night on I have never questioned if prayer languages are legit. Only God could make this shy, blend into the background girl, step out so fiercely, in front if hundreds; praying for the burdens of thousands. At a Fleetwood Mac concert! Since then I have learned to control the volume and be inconspicuous when praying. Sometimes I wish I wouldn't have learned that. Fleetwood has never sounded the same, and I Praise God for that