“Coach Nick, Coach Nick, come play tetherball with us!” were the shouts heard as Nick and I walked alongside the fence of the playground of Lugonia Elementary School. Nick In’t Hout is one of the pastors at The River, a church in Redlands California. The River has officially adopted Lugonia, a nearby public school which has an overwhelming population of students attending with difficult circumstances. In response to that need, The River decided to faithfully send volunteers to assist in the library, tutor students, and help out in the PE program.

As Nick we entered the stucco building to check in and continue on with a tour of the campus, it seemed that everyone knew who Nick was, from the office staff, to the teachers, even the maintenance workers, and of course the excited kids who surrounded him as we walked onto the playground. Nick called so many of kids by name which resulted in countless beaming faces, along with laughter and smiles as the kids pulled him on the court to play tetherball. It was clear that something special was taking place.

The kids had persuaded him and went nuts as he jumped in line to participate; they danced around as they waited to take their turn to challenge him. I thought Nick may just let a young Spanish girl who gave it her all win, but no, it was a match to the very end. As the recess bell rang the kids begrudgingly lined up to return to their classrooms, shouts were heard about a rematch next time he comes. As we left the school we passed a group of students coming out of the library yelling, “Look its Dr. Seuss!” Nick responded in a whisper, “No, I’m just his brother.” When I asked Nick what that was about he told me that for Dr. Seuss’ Birthday he had dressed up as this beloved character and spent the day reading books in several classrooms.

As we left the campus I filled with so much joy! I was so blessed by what I had just witnessed. I said to Nick, “This is the Kingdom of God! Right here in the middle of a needy part of the city.” Nick and the other volunteers from The River brought the love of the Father in a tangible way. From tetherball games to reading “Fried Eggs and Ham,” heaven’s love was coming to earth and it was contagious. It reminded me of the text from Romans 14:17-18:

For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men.

 God’s pleasure, peace, and joy were all over that campus as King Jesus demonstrated the Father’s Kingdom through faithful volunteers being His love through beautiful acts of service. People like you and me living our daily lives!

I left challenged and motivated by the “Holy Ground” I experienced at Lugonia School. I want to be available do whatever it takes to bring the love of the Father’s Kingdom to earth, maybe even dressing up like Dr. Seuss.

 

Bob has the gift of intercession and as he prayed I could sense the darkness shake in our midst as he called on heaven to break the strongholds in our city. After a group of us finished praying on a Saturday morning for our city I had the privilege to talk with Bob and thank him for his bold prayers. In the course of our conversation he told me about a missionary to the Muslims in North Africa, Lilias Trotter.

 

The story blessed and encouraged me; I hope it inspires you as well. Lilias was a single woman who spent a good portion of her life sharing Christ’s love in the spiritually dark environment of Algiers Africa in the early 1900’s. Many who converted to Christ were killed and Lilias and others were continuously opposed and attacked for their work. Lilias became a powerful prayer warrior and believed her persistent prayers would break the strongholds of satan in Algiers and usher in a move of the Holy Spirit in the country.

 

God revealed to her in a tangible sign of how this would work in a very unexpected way. One day the building where she lived collapsed. When the investigation was completed the reason why was pinned to the bread baker who worked in the basement of the building. For 7 years the machine to knead the bread caused vibrations that daily penetrated into the foundation of the building, and eventually cracked the foundation leading to the fall of the entire building. Here is Miss Trotter’s amazing spiritual interpretation of the event:

 

For there is a vibrating power going on down in the darkness and dust of this world that can make itself visible in starting results in the upper air and sunlight of the invisible world, “mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God.” Each prayer-beat down here vibrates up to the very throne of God, and does its work through that throne on the principalities and powers around us, just as each one of the repeated throbs from below told on the structure of our house, though it was only the last one that produced the visible effect. We can never tell which prayer will liberate the answer, but we can tell that each one will do its work: we know that “if we ask anything according to His will He heareth us, and if we know that He hear us we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.”

 

Each prayer has powerful effects and over time prayer pulls down strongholds in the heavenly realm:

 

For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 2 Cor. 10:4

 

So take courage and continue to persevere in your prayers believing your prayers are powerful vibrations that Abba Father in time will use to destroy the strongholds of addictions, false religions, strangling fears, and anything else that will stand in the way of knowing the healing love of God the Father.