Dancing, Serving, and Gunfire!

Dancing, Serving, and Gunfire!

Saturday, April 4, 2009
The past few weeks have been far from humdrum and the monotonous. Dancing wildly under the exuberance of summer sun, then serving God’s children with a shovel in the midst of an unusual snowstorm, and lastly dodging real bullets aimed at me!
My updates never cease to have a little peculiar flare, do they? My lovesickness for Jesus has truly wrecked me for the ordinary as I live for divergent motives than this temporal life on earth. The “dancing wildly” was a joyous occasion that also included worshipping loudly and shouting the name of Jesus in the streets! It was St. Patty’s Day among the busy streets of Kansas City, which is known for having one of the largest Saint Patrick’s Day Parades. I joined IHOP in their evangelism for the event…which began around 7am…much earlier than I have been getting up lately (The prayer room seems to hold me captive until the wee hours of every morning). By God’s grace, I was ever-so-enthused for the opportunity to share my passion for Jesus.
The day was filled with video interviews, fun surveys, street preaching, and worship on the sidewalk. The name of Jesus was being proclaimed…Hallelujah. The climax of the festive day, however, was being in the parade itself. We asked God for good weather, and He answered with the outstanding conditions of near 80-degree sunny blue skies. Tulips were popping, white winter faces were coming out to enjoy the first spring day, and IHOP’s parade “float” was a manmade mountain with “St. Patty” preaching over loud speakers. After his mini sermon, almost a thousand people who passionately love Jesus shouted with gleeful praise and worship songs… and rest assured, I was up front shining my Jesus smile and dancing before my Heavenly Father! In front of over 200,000 parade spectators!!!
Seeds were planted as the crowd watched in awe as the whole street was overtaken by lovers of Jesus! You’d have to be there to understand my excitement…check out some pictures I posted on my Facebook profile here. It took two weeks of applying aloe vera on my scorched skin, and before I knew it, the Midwest was hit by an unusual snowstorm! I found myself voluntarily shoveling sluggish snow in the midst of the whiteout and getting cars unstuck in the icy conditions all day! I was thoroughly drenched and dripped my way into the prayer room at dusk with an aching back and a big Jesus smile. I spent the remainder of the night thanking God for such opportunities to crucify my flesh, rejoice in suffering, and serve His children with a joyful heart in a freezing blizzard.
So now I have told you of my “dancing” and “serving” but what about the “gunfire” I mentioned in my title? It is true…just last night as I was sleeping in my subaru, somebody drove up, pulled out a real hand gun and fired two shots at me!!! No joke! No worries though, my angels stopped the bullets before they hit me. God had His protecting hand around me. The bullets pierced through my car doors and disappeared, so now I have two very obvious bullet holes in my Subaru doors. When I inspected the holes there afterward, I simply laughed and rejoiced as I recalled Jesus’ words in Matthew “God blesses you when you are mocked and persecuted and lied about because you are my followers. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven.” I now have one more person to forgive, to pray for, and to bless: the guy who pointed his gun at me (Matt 5:44, 6:15, Rom 12:14).
Why somebody shot at me? I don’t know, but I do know this: Satan really hates me right now and wants me dead. But I also know that my Father in heaven is far more powerful, the Holy Spirit is within me for guidance, my “buff” angels never sleep, and my best friend Jesus is interceding for me. Hallelujah! Prior to this somewhat frightening yet joyous incident, I asked God for confirmation if it was time to go. He provided the confirmation…and it was gunfire persecution. His ways are not our ways, yea? (Isa 55:8). He reminded me of His words to His disciples upon sending them out in Matt 10:23 “When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next.” Among other confirmations, God declared my time here at IHOP is complete and I am to make the journey West.
So my journey back to Idaho begins! Please pray for travel protection, clarity on where to go, where to stop, and where to avoid more handguns pointed at me. My Subaru has become a tabernacle of worship, so rest assured, 24/7 prayer and worship will be with me every mile. My God-given hunger for His Word continues to increase, so an audio Bible will accompany my travels so my eyes don’t become fixated on verses instead of the road! My stay here at IHOP can be summed up in one word: explosion! My personal bubble has exploded as well as the box I had inadvertently put God in. God has faithfully and graciously opened my eyes to the truth as I surrender my rights to Him. I’m eagerly anticipating sharing it with those of you back in Idaho.
So here I come…
Until the Glorious day our lovesick Bridegroom Jesus returns as Judge and King, may God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace.

Zach Hooley
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