I go to Presbyterian College, and I have a wonderful friend, Ashley, who attends Clemson, and I had decided to visit her on this particular weekend. It was Saturday night, and she wanted to take me to a friend’s house to hang out. We came up to the apartment, and she told me this is where "House Church" is on Wednesday nights. To be honest, I was a little nervous. I had met a few of the guys before, but the sound of “ house church” was a little intimidating for some reason. I went in and went to the “ Hammock room”. I looked at the way they had built it, and thought it was pretty awesome, Caleb was laying in a Hammock, and Ashley sat down. I was looking at the wood where the Hammocks were hanging from, and saw where people had written bible verses all around the frame. I saw a certain Verse, Matthew 6 : 35 (or 34 I cant remember), but that made me excited because one of my favorite verses is Matthew 6: 34( I was a worrier, so this verse went right in with my life.. ha)
So I finally got in a Hammock, and Caleb didn’t really do the whole small talk thing. “So tell me your story, I want to know about Lindsey Harris,” he said. I was definitely taken back by that, and really didn’t know how to respond for a few minutes, I kept looking at Ash for help, but I was kinda on my own. I started talking. I really don’t remember what I said, I was pretty uncomfortable, but I thought it was cool how he was interested in getting to know me. It was pretty late when we got there so after a little while of talking I started to walk downstairs to grab my purse.
Downstairs I ran into John and Austin. John immediately looked at me and just “had to ask me something”. He said, “This is kinda awesome, but I was talking to God in my quiet time earlier and he told me something about Presbyterian College, and gave me a vision of a small group of people trying to speak to a larger body of people.” Immediately I started to tear up, he said that “God was really making it clear that it was PC and not any other college, and I just think its pretty awesome that YOU are here now, and YOU are from PC.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. PC is starting YoungLife at Clinton High this year (He had no idea of this) and we had just started going to the high school with only 7 people.
So I was like, “ Umm YEA! that’s freakin ridiculous!” The look on his face was just pure Joy. We just started talking more about what God had put on his heart. I had NEVER had anyone speak truth to me like that, without holding back, or worrying how strange he might sound. Well after a little while Ash and Caleb came down and I was just pretty emotional about everything, I just couldn’t believe how he had said that.
When Ash and Caleb came downstairs she could tell something was going on. Ash ended up pulling me aside and was telling me how she thought it would be pretty awesome to have these awesome men of God pray over me. Recently I had been struggling with a past relationship that had ended, and it was REALLY holding me back from having any true connection with God or “ really getting it” as I like to call it now. She said she thought there would be so much healing in having these guys pray that I would release him, and cut the ties, and just completely let it all go, and to ask God to heal me from my own pride and desires. I couldn’t help but cry for some reason I felt more ready than ever to do that. I NEEDED to let a lot of things out, and let a lot go. I had never met these guys, and really had never shared these private things with a lot of people, much less people I had just met, but there was a feeling like I have never had before to go through with it. Ash went and talked to them-( I think), and they were all SO cool about it.. they pulled up a chair, and kinda all just got around me.. I was so uncomfortable, overwhelmed, and confused. I didn’t know whether to act cool (ha!), or to cry, or to sit and observe, or to pray. What the heck this had NEVER happened to me before! Austin stood up and gave everything to God before he spoke, he said it was all Him, and that he wasn’t really sure how this was going to go, but that God was in it, he was sure of it. so it started..
He started praying for me, and for about 5 minutes, I was pretty relaxed just in my chair closing my eyes listening… then after that things started getting crazy. I couldn’t help but lift my hands; it was like it wasn’t me doing it. I got so overwhelmed with emotion, I started crying, laughing, talking, and praying ALL AT ONCE. It was insane!
Michael started telling a vision of my being PURE and dressed in white, dancing with Jesus in a rose garden. It was like he was watching something I had wanted for so long, he painted a perfect picture. He had the biggest smile ever and was just laughing and so excited for me, I have never seen anyone be SO happy for me! He didn’t even know me, it couldn’t have been just him, it was like someone was speaking through him telling me how much they loved me and wanted to hold me and love me and tell me I was pure again! I could feel John’s hand on my left arm the entire time, steady, never moving. When he would pray it was so powerful, the words he would say spoke to me like nothing I had ever heard. Caleb was in front of me on the ground just PRAISING God like I had never seen. He would pray and I promise I could feel his hand on my knee and it was SOOOO cold, not just like cold from his hand being cold, but like ICE! I’m serious it was unnatural. It was like cold water being poured over my knee and rinsing me of what was not pure. Austin started to speak and he had never talked to me or never heard my heart or knew NOTHING about me, and just spoke truth. He said, “ Lindsey, I feel like there are some things that you have been wanting to confess and get off of your heart, and God wants you to know that you can do that now. Some things that are unpure and that you are ashamed of.”
I have never cried so hard in my life as I did at that point. It was like he knew exactly what I was holding. The weight of it was soo heavy that I never could have let it go without help. I had some things I had done in my relationship that I was NOT proud of, and that really weighed heavy on me. I stood up crying and lifting my hands in the air and just spoke out the things I needed to confess and give to God, and begged for complete purity. I started to pray for my ex’s wife, and asking for her forgiveness! That thought had NEVER crossed my mind, it HAD to of come from God, because something like that had never even been on my conscious. I asked for my ex’s forgiveness and that God would heal him as well. It was all flooding in, a million thoughts and things just flowing out of my mouth, I wasn’t ashamed, or embarrassed to speak these things out. Mind you, I was STANDING and crying and praying in front of guys I had NEVER met in my life. I was completely with God and he was taking all the hurt, shame, guilt, and sin away. It was amazing. Ash was behind me and praying for me, I have never been so happy to have a friend like her as I was at that moment. She asked for God to CUT those ties I had with him at that point, and to let me be FREE of it all so I could completely be free to Love and have a relationship with God. She spoke truth like I had never heard her speak before. I have NO doubt that the Spirit of God was in that room with us, and that it was OVERWHELMING me. We went through this for about 45 minutes and it felt like 5 minutes. After it was all over I just sat and took it all in. The smiles everyone gave me were ridiculous. I didn’t know what to do, but I had never felt so at peace in my life. I felt like a COMPLETELY knew person. I had encountered the power, and love of God and it was incredible.
Afterwards we were all sitting around, and Austin looked at me and smiled, he said “You guys, look at her…she is so different, even the way she is sitting now , she is so relaxed, and you can tell she is changed.” He was completely right, and I LOVED IT! He also randomly asked, “Lindsey, does a red balloon and a track mean anything to you?” At first I couldn’t connect it at all. Then all I could think about was how in High school, before Volleyball matches we used to all have a balloon and write a goal on the balloon and set them free. A few times I would pray and send it up. ☺ Then it hit me, I would pray to the balloons, and we would be RIGHT beside the High school track field! He laughed and said, “Okay good, because God wants you to know that He got your prayer and He loves you too.” HOW AWESOME?!!? Ahh this night could not have gotten any cooler. After all of this, we went outside to lay on the road and looked at the beautiful stars, I knew from that point that my life was going to change drastically, and it certainly has. I FINALLY GET IT. I know what it means to have a REAL relationship that I depend on EVERY second of the day. There have been times I have struggled since then, but I went back to school and had been completely changed. I was so happy and excited, it was like “new me.” I truly believe that the Spirit of God changed me that night, and it was in some CRAZY ways.
-Lindsey Harris
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