Chip

Last night at the Downtown Gathering we had one of those "breakthrough" moments with Chip. Chip is a troubled young man with an extremely quick temper and a lot of history in his few years. Chip has been attending regularly for several months now, but frankly I've wondered why. Usually he just sits quietly by himself with his arms crossed, his ear buds in and a look on his face that says, "Leave me alone!" The exception to that has been when he gets provoked, possibly by just a word of greeting, and he starts complaining and yelling and stomps out in a rage. We have been worried about him and have been praying for him. I have also been tempted to ban him from attending due to his threats and outbursts.



But God (my favorite phrase from Scripture), has been working on him and tonight he shared with the group for several minutes; discussing his family and his issues, apologizing to several others present for his raging, and ending with an apology to God and to his deceased mother. It was beautiful and touching and reminded me of the story of a demon-possessed man who was suddenly in his right mind due to his encounter with Jesus.

I don't know what tonight's breakthrough will lead to for Chip or for the rest of us, but I will praise God for that glimpse of healing and repentance and renewal. It thrilled my soul and further confirmed to me that God is at work in our little gatherings, where "everyone who seeks peace is welcome". The world is watching!