Added November 15, 2005

I was so excited to be asked to join a group to go to Italy and play music in the streets of Padova. Of course I wasn’t going to go to Italy without taking my wife Julia so I asked her to go with me as well. Then I thought to invite my friend  “tk” if he wanted to be my musical accompaniment, which he said that he was willing if the Lord somehow provided him with the means to go. Shortly thereafter a brother in the Lord, who joined us every Wednesday for bible study and prayer, wrote out a check that almost covered the whole amount needed. 

      So on September 15th 2005 we flew out of San Francisco to Frankfurt, Germany, and then from there flew to Venice, Italy. Of course from Venice we then took a bus to Padova, Italy. Pastor Steve Gray met us at the airport and showed us the ropes in exchanging U.S. currency to Euros. 

We were told that the hotel that we were to stay at was “walking distance” to the church and that they both were “walking distance” from the bus station. So we all got off the bus and gathered our luggage and carry-on bags and began to walk to the hotel. Well we walked for many blocks and yet we still weren’t at the hotel. I began wondering what was going on. I will tell you what was going on, the Lord was breaking us in for a reality check that we really needed. In my heart I was complaining, but by the time that we got to our hotel the Lord already spoke to my heart. The question came to me, “how far did our Savior Jesus carry His cross?” Then the thought “He didn’t have any dolly or rollers to push it along and He was beaten and whipped first and crowned with piercing thorns on His head. But Steve walked along as if this was a walk just to get the newspaper out in front of the house. No big deal at all. 

I was asked to come and play my music out in the squares, which tk and I did. While we played and sang, others from our group passed out invitations to a coffee house gathering that was being held later on in that week. We sang in the English language but we felt that the Holy Spirit was working Who communicates beyond earthly languages. When people watched us we would just smile at them and they really responded. As a result of those efforts, 8 of them came to the church and fellowshipped with the rest of us. We also led in worship at the church on two occasions, which was a wonderful experience! The international church in Padova is made up of Liberians, Nigerians, Italians, Romanians, Albanians, Americans, and folks from other nations as well such as Ghana, the Congo and Moldava and England. 

Patti Gray took us to the old gates of the city that were still existing from the 12th century and we would pray at each gate as the Holy Spirit led. Patti then would have us come together and then share whatever the Lord had put into our hearts to pray about. We were told that we were the seventh group to come and pray at each gate. So now it seems fitting that the next group with circle the city seven times like what took place at Jericho. 

This attitude inspired me to get back to prayer walking in my own neighborhood and community to pray for all the souls in that community. I prayed and asked the Lord to inspire me with a song that I could send to the church at Padova as a constant reminder of their called mission by the Lord Himself. 

I don’t remember exactly when I was inspired but I think shortly before arriving in Italy I thought to read in the book of Luke and then follow up into the book of Acts. While reading in Luke the following scripture jumped out at me, “Luke 4:18-19
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."  NIV. This is the scripture that Jesus stood up and read and then sat down and then after everyone was very amused He stood back up and proclaimed that this very scripture was fulfilled in their very hearing that day, which then ticked off all the Pharisees and Scribes and Sadducees.

Then I was inspired to read in Isaiah 61 from which Jesus had read this passage. 
Isa 61 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion--to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. 
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. 
5 Aliens will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. 
6 And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. 
7 Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs. 
8 "For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them. 
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed." 
10 I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 
11 For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. NIV 

What I had realized was so amazing! First of all, this little international church in Padova fit the descriptions laid out in Isaiah 61. Then the Holy Spirit put the thought in my mind that the first person to utter these words was Isaiah the prophet. These words were pertinent to him and his calling and then hundreds of years later were also pertinent to Jesus and his ministry. And I will go one step further, that these words are pertinent to us as believers and followers of Jesus the Christ. Yes I am suggesting that you read these words again as if you are saying them in regards to yourself. If you have been washed by the blood of Christ, the Holy Spirit is upon you, and within you, and has empowered you to be joint heirs with Christ. And you have been commissioned to continue the work of Christ until He returns or you go to be with Him in Heaven. 

Also, as a side note where Isaiah talks about those mourning in Zion I want to comment. God says in 2 Chronicles 16:9 (first half of verse) that “The eyes of the Lord go to and fro about the earth seeking to strongly support those whose hearts are completely His”. He is very aware of all who are continually steadfastly faithful to Him. In the case as mentioned there were remnants of God’s chosen people who stayed faithful. Even though for over 400 years there wasn’t a prophet speaking on behalf of the Lord amongst the nations of Israel there were the “few” who were yet mourning and grieving because of the unfaithfulness of God’s people. And Luke reported about two of them in his writings. In Luke 2:25-38 you will see two such people in Simeon and the prophetess Anna. When reading of these two individuals I prayed that the Lord would keep me steadfastly faith like them no matter what our times bring to this world. I pray that you too will be inspired by them and know that God will sustain us regardless of surmounting numbers of the spirit of anti-Christ if that be the case.

Anyway, we were scheduled each morning to have devotions and prayer and breakfast and then go out to either pray at the scheduled gates for that day or go out and sing songs in the squares where the people all gathered for shopping and business and eating. We did a lot of walking and carrying our instruments with us wherever we would stop and perform. Steve asked me to play my up tempo songs quite a bit as he believed that would attract the most people. So I played a lot of double-time strums at each location. Now I play my guitar a lot but rarely do I ever get my arm so sore that I can hardly lift it up as happened after about 3 days in Italy. But I felt honored to be able to use my talent for the Lord. 

After a few days we also experienced some of the normal things that you experience when you are with any group of family or friends for more than a normal duration. There were sometimes misunderstandings of communications or lack of communications or changed communications that caused at least one person (not always the same person) to miss our devotions and prayer time before we went out to minister. It wasn’t until the last day that we were there that everyone attended those devotions and prayer time. I saw this as an education in regards to our local churches. This is what pastors and lay leaders deal with all of the time. And there must be a healthy amount of patience, grace and admonishments continually going on prayerfully so as to maintain the right perspectives of what we are all about as a church body. The sort of things that get in the way are: self-centeredness, spiritual pride, religiosity, unforgiveness, judgmentalism, walking in the flesh rather than the Spirit. What defeats the divisions that Satan wants to see occur is grace, steadfastness, prayer and love. 

Satan didn’t like us being there and praying for the college students of Padova. Satan didn’t like us praying for the reconciliation of the people of Italy to God’s truths over worldly philosophy's and religious traditions, rituals and idolatries. If he could divide us or at least cause strained relationships between the mission workers, he could possibly defeat our holy assignment.  We could have easily been distracted to first and foremost shopping and seeing the sights. But that wasn’t why the Lord brought us to Italy. 

I am very grateful for having received the invitation to go to Italy because I found out how I am spoiled and how I’ve been off focus to some degree in my purpose in life. All when I thought I was a pretty obedient servant to the Lord. Seeing Steve and Patti working so diligently every day to build a church that would stand for God in Padova helped me see how focused we all need to be. We met other missionaries who came to be support there as well. Harvey and Maria Skinner and one of their daughters are from Ohio district serve as missionaries to Muslims. Maria Skinner also serves as an interpreter. Alicia Gray also serves at the church and works with the youth ministry there. Kurtis Denton and his wife Amy and young baby have come from Arkansas to serve, as did another couple from the U.S. But all of them have a heart to serve the Lord on His terms. 

My friend and brother in the Lord Brian Paiva, also went with us and he remained at the church four extra days while my wife and I and others spent a few extra days seeing other parts of Italy. Brian is sold out for the Lord. It is his desire to be a full time minister and have his son and wife serve with him wherever the Lord may send them. He came to the Lord simply by a friend of his who rode with him to work having prayed for him and having a group of men who meet once a week for prayer, also pray together for him. One day he came to meet those in that group and he was prayed for and healed and has never looked back since. Brian went out with George Franco and Harvey and passed out tracks to Muslim’s in Padova on one occasion. Two of the men that they met, later came to the church for fellowship. Harvey’s been beaten for ministering to Muslims. But he goes right back out there again and again.

I could write a book about what I learned and experienced in Padova Italy. Perhaps I will one day. But for now I just want to encourage you who will take the time to read what I am sharing here, that if you have accepted Jesus Christ’s gift of salvation through His shed blood at the cross of Calvary, you will also partake of the resurrection to everlasting life. That means that you’ve already died with Christ and are in fact raised to an eternal life future that no one can take away. So now in the meantime, won’t you serve the Lord within the gifting(s) that He has given you? He is so aware of even the smallest things that we do for His namesake. Pray for the souls of those in your community. Don’t just love those who love you. Love even your enemies. For even when you were once at enmity with God, He so loved you that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. We must be determined to love (Agape) for we have received this exceedingly great Reward for doing nothing but believing/entrusting our lives unto Christ’s holy work on the cross. 

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