The spiritual influences that formed me have been diverse.
I’ve already spoken of the impact of my ‘growing up’ church
experience.
Immediately after Debbie and I were married, we took up
residence in Wilmore, Kentucky where I attended Asbury Theological Seminary for
three years. It was a United Methodist
school, so the diversity represented there – in professors and students – wasn’t
extreme.
However, within two years of leaving Asbury, I continued my
theological education at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. In this setting the theology department was
focusing on multiple threads of training:
Liberation Theology, Feminist Theology [half my classmates were women],
Calvinistic Theology, and Process Theology.
I struggled with the challenges I faced during this period, but I
believe I came out stronger as a result of this exposure and tension.
While attending PTS, I also dabbled in some Roman Catholic
experiences. I was particularly impacted
by a program called ‘Domus Dei’ [House of God].
It was an exhaustive engagement with a group of people who determined to
experience God through introspection and meditation! I made new friends and developed a greater
intimacy with God through blended and shared expressions of solitude and silence.
Within a very short time, I began studying for a Master of
Arts degree in Counseling at the Franciscan University of Steubenville
[OH]. Franciscan is a charismatic
Catholic University. My classmates
became my friends. I attended full-time
for two years to accomplish my goal [while being a full-time pastor of a
growing church and a husband and dad]. During this two years, I attended the
noon mass on campus with my classmates.
I picketed abortion clinics with my classmates. Debbie and I became very close to one couple
in particular. Ed had a heavy impact on
me during these years.
During the summer, Franciscan held massive tent meetings on
campus. People came from far and wide to
attend these meetings. I participated in
these several times and was deeply influenced by the powerful manifestation of
the Spirit in these meetings.
One of the things that impressed me most was that when the
meetings ended, I remained in my seat and just didn’t want to leave! I was not alone! Many remained in their seats. The worship team continued to play and we
continued to worship. Sometimes these ‘post-worship’
seasons went on for another hour! The
presence of God was tangible! There was
weeping. People went forward – alone or
in groups – to pray. The singing
moderated between joyful awareness and humble submission. The worship team was extremely sensitive to
the mood of the people! I was always one
of the last to leave! My most memorable and dynamic experiences of the presence of God took place in those tents and in that chapel!
From this time forward, I tried to train worship teams to
replicate this type of experience. The
difference was in the realization that the worship team had two roles:
1. To lead
passionately and draw people into the presence of God. This implied that the worship team members
had to already BE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD!
2. To lead
responsively – sensing and responding to the mood of the worshippers. This required courage and a yielding to the
Spirit in the moment!
I remember the first time that our people began to linger
after the worship service ended. While
many left the sanctuary, others remained and moved closer to the worship team
to be united with them in delivering our praise to God! I was exuberant to see this occurring! I felt that a barrier had been broken!
I was indelibly impacted by these eclectic and divergent
experiences. I am thankful to God for
guiding me and allowing me to experience His presence in environments that were
not part of my ‘growing-up’ tradition!
It has enriched my life in innumerable ways!
