Have you ever thought something was a good idea until it wasn’t? Have you ever had an idea, played the perfect scenario out in your head, and smiled because it was just so good? Those ideas are perfect in your head, but not so much when you go to put them in action!

Believe it or not, every idea I have is not always as cool as it seems. I get so excited and run these ideas by my friends, and they join in on the excitement, so you know they will play out exactly as planned. Do you know why? Because I am a planner! I have lists! I am a doer!

Then, I put the idea to the test in real life, and BAM! Just like that, all the perfection that I thought was going to play out — doesn’t. As a matter of fact, sometimes it is a disaster!

This is one of those times.

SO MY CHURCH (BRAT) STORY begins:

I have been friends with Tammy for about 25 years. Tammy started a business, Rise Above the Waves, and she puts together retreats, vacations, and getaways. I told her I wanted to support her new business, but I would like to plan the retreat activities. So we agreed, I would plan the events, and she would set up the condo, get the food there on time, and handle the details. She is good at what she does, and it has been perfect every time!

So, this is where the idea of a Prayer Beach Retreat came to me.

We have worked together for the last 5 years for this event. I have friends from all over, and with spaces being limited, I can only ask a few to go with me. It is so much fun for me to get together with friends, some I haven’t seen in a while. I know, I know, it is hard to believe I can do things that are not “church events,” but I do have a life with friends that I do not go to church with! Really! I do!

I plan for a whole year to be with my friends for this Prayer Beach Retreat. The name sounds harmless enough. Some prayer warriors and I get together, we read, pray, have fun, journal, meditate on the Lord, pray, we come together in a room to see what God is speaking to us. We pray for each other, we pray for our families, we pray for our churches, because, again, everyone is not from the same church.

So, as you can see, there is a lot of stuff going on. I love every minute of it, from planning it, to putting it all together for us to have prayer and have some fun.

Ironically, I am not a beach bum in any sense of the word. I do not go out on the beach or in the water. I stay tightly nestled in my corner of the condo, doing what I love to do and watching it all unfold!

This one particular year, as we were leaving the trip going back home, one of my dear friends, Suzy, found out her dad was not doing well. We left the beach, and all of us got to go home, but Suzy went to the hospital to be with her dad and family. Sadly, her father passed away. We had prayed over Suzy for strength to endure what she had to face. Bravely, she did.

Fast forward to the following year. Same place, but some different people arrived! I wanted to do something super special to remember Suzy and the loss she suffered the year before. The idea in my head was perfect! I was going to put it into action!!! It was going to be beautiful, something to remember and be talked about the rest of the year and would continue to be talked about until we met the following year again.

Well, it was talked about for the next year and beyond that! It made an impression, but not in the way I was hoping it would!

We had been praying. My theme was letting go of things and letting God take control of us. So my idea was to have the last lesson go on the balcony, release Chinese lanterns, and say goodbye to the things we were holding on to.

I had Tammy get the Chinese Lanterns so they would be there when I got there. We didn’t try them out, but the man she got them from, assured her that they would be fine. Tammy and I were both apprehensive, but we had no idea what was getting ready to happen!!!! In my wildest dreams, this would have never been a scenario I would have played out!

So, we had intercessory prayer. God moved powerfully in the room. We were all overwhelmed with who He was and what He was doing! We prayed alone, prayed for each other, cried with those that were hurting. We surrounded Suzy and prayed for her!

The time to shine had come. Tammy and I both were super excited! We had hidden the lanterns, and the ladies had no idea what we were going to do. I asked everyone to go on the balcony, where we gave each of them a lantern.

Oh, it was going to be beautiful! Artful even! Majestic! We would talk about this for years to come…and we did!

This is my recollection of the chaos! Paraphrasing when necessary lol

My idea was to tell God what we were releasing to Him, light the lanterns and release them into the night. I could just see all the sky above us lit up with different colors and patterns from the lantern!

Since Suzy had been the one that had received mainly from the Lord that night in the form of emotional healing, we agreed that she should go first.

Come with me into the night that was supposed to be perfect!

Imagine about 10 of us on the balcony. We were a mess from crying and praying. Some were still crying. I told Suzy that she should be first. So, Suzy gets her lantern and starts to tell us what she is free from! You could hear sniffles and cries of “We love you Suzy,” coming from the crowd on the balcony ! Oh, my, how glorious that moment was going to be, and it was…well, for a second anyway!

This all happened so fast I cannot even remember all she said. I do remember her last words were something like this, “And Lord, I release all the hurt and pain to you!”

It was all so perfect and so beautiful….until…it wasn’t!

We all were looking into the night sky from the 7th floor balcony. We looked and squinted, and looked and we didn’t see the lantern! Where in the world did it go!?

Suddenly, I heard someone panicking and screaming, “There it is, there it is, OH NO!” Everyone was still looking up at the sky and she was pointing down! It seems like all of us looked down at the same time!

The Chinese Lantern was still lit and was bouncing down the balcony railing of each and every balcony all the way down. We were gasping, laughing, and panicking all at the same time. We watched as it went floating down, down, down to the chairs beside the pool. It was still on fire! It hit the chairs and bounced off onto the patio part of the pool. Someone came out of nowhere and put the fire out. We all backed away from the railing as he looked up to see where it had come from! We peeked over and saw a giant purple stain on the patio. But, the fire was out!

We all got in such a hurry, we turned to go back in and we tried to cram through the door, all of us at the same time and no one could get in! We dispersed and went running inside the condo. You could hear conversations everywhere. The whole condo was in chaos!

Then I heard some conversations, everyone talking at the same time! I remember hearing this:

Tammy: Oh, no, I will never get another condo in this complex!

Other: What are we going to do? Should we go down and see what is happening?

Lisa: We are all going to jail!

Other: Where is Amy?

Rita: Oh, no, girls, do you hear that knock? It may be the cops! As she goes flying to the door, she turns and says, “It’s the cops!”

We all started running around in circles, going nowhere, trying to get away! Some tried to run into the bedroom, some ran back on the balcony, some just stood there awaiting the punishment for the “crime!”

Rita: I’m just kidding ya’ll! There ain’t no one there!

We all erupted in laughter. We never in a million years suspected, quiet, shy(or so we thought lol), Rita, of doing anything so sneaky! We were laughing so hard; I was laughing to the point of losing my breath — I literally could not breathe!

Other: Girls, where is Amy?

At that point, Amy, comes in the door to the shouts of: “Where have you been?” “You just left us here for the cops to get us?”

Amy: Well, I went running downstairs to check it out, and by the time I got there, I saw the man putting out the fire. I just walked past him to the beach and just walked like I was praying.

Another eruption of laughter. We were all holding our sides and some in the floor at this point!

I could just hear her humming Amazing Grace as she casually walked past the confusion on the pool patio!

I cannot say it was the perfect moment I hoped for, but it was the perfect moment for us as we laughed together. The memory will always be etched in our minds!

I laugh every time I think about it! I barely got through this story because I was laughing so hard and remembering that not so perfect moment in time ended up being just what we all needed!

WHAT’S ON MY MIND?  GLAD YOU ASKED!

We have all had those times that we thought we knew what was best for us. We planned, we made lists, we played out scenarios, but we did not include God in our plans.

I have been guilty of it and I am sure you have, too. The thing is, it is human nature to think we do not need anyone else in our lives, we can simply do it ourselves. That is our ego and our arrogance talking! That is us thinking we are bigger and greater than our Creator, God.

We all have those things we need to release to God. Hurt, betrayal, anger, bitterness, un-forgiveness, hatred, envy…etc. Things that make us people we are not designed to be.

Galatians 5:16-21  

Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness,  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We release them to God and sometimes, they fall short of going up to Him. Maybe we get distracted and we are looking one place and God is moving in another direction. Maybe we are listening to people and not to God. People will let you down, but Jesus is always there!

I cannot think of anyone more trustworthy than Jesus! He wants you to ask Him into your situations. He wants to direct you and give you peace about your life. He brings joy, kindness, and goodness.

Galatians 5:22-23 NIV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

See, we have to remember, we see what is in front of our face, however, Jesus sees (and is) eternity. He sees the bigger picture, past this earth, past this lifetime, past the temporary into the eternal.

Everyone, at some point in their lives, are looking in the sky for a lantern that is not there. What if we are looking for God to move in one way and He is moving in another? God is not predictable! You cannot put Him in a box and expect Him to stay there.

Suzy had all those women around her, loving her, hurting with her. I am a firm believer that God places people in our lives that will make us better Christians, better people, better employees, better listeners…etc. Those are the people that when I am down and cannot hear from God, I can call on them to pray with me. If I am in a dark place, they can pull me into the light.

BUT

God is my ultimate safe place, source of strength, and He is the most trustworthy. So, will I listen to Him before anyone else? Yes!!! Absolutely! But what if I am not seeing or hearing Him? I have those warriors around me fighting for me when I cannot fight for myself. I have people in my life that will say, “There it is, there it is!” because they have your back in prayer. They are listening to God.

Do you have those people in your life? Are YOU one of those people in someone else’s life?

I will leave you with some quotes:

“I have complete confidence that God is able to take care of any situation and provide an answer to any question or problem – He has all the resources of the universe to draw upon in helping each one of us through any type of crisis if we will trust Him.” Charles Stanley

“The more you believe and trust God, the more limitless your possibilities become for your family, your career – for your life!” Rick Warren

Listen and worship as we get ready to pray. God Reigns!

PRAY THIS WITH ME TODAY (in your own words)

Jesus

First I want to say that I love You! I trust You! You have given everything, including Your life for me. You are the ultimate sacrifice and You did it for me and I am thankful.

Jesus, You reign supreme and for eternity!

God, I look to You for my answers. Help me to see where You are. Help me to know Your voice. Help me have the wisdom to know what You want and what I should be doing. Get me out of my comfort zone and use me in any capacity You want to use me in!

I will love You with all that I have. I have made this the day that I will release to You all hatred, bitterness, un-forgiveness, anything not like You. Make me like You. I want to be more and more like You, Jesus!

Amen