Anywhere The Wind Blows

Tonight, as we read and discussed the third Chapter of John, verses one through sixteen, and then prayed in our bedroom chapel, three wonderful women of God came to mind. It all happened as I pondered over the verse that says:

Jesus answered, I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, You must be born again. The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

Such deep and seemingly mysterious words. Of course as with all things spiritual, it took my son about three seconds to understand the message behind these words. But this is often the case with most children. He immediately grasped the concept of people who are physically alive but spiritually dead, people who are in desperate need of a savior. This is precisely what Jesus was talking about. The body dies, but the spirit, our spirit lives forever. As my son told me matter of factly, "in heaven, we will always live."

Just like the highly analytical Nicodemus, to whom Jesus was talking, I found myself getting caught up in the complexities of Jesus' words. As a meteorology officer, I found myself scrutinizing the phrase "the wind blows wherever it pleases." I thought about the fact that with all the computers in the world working together, man could never predict the precise wind direction in every cubic meter of air of the earth's atmosphere over the next hour. Impossible, when you have a butterfly in Africa that can set off a stampede of wildebeest that sets off a dust cloud that sets off a thunderstorm and so on as the story goes. That's why we have a category of wind speed and direction called "light and variable," because any attempt to figure out the slightest wind would be chasing it with our minds.

That's when it hit me. Why do people fight against the wind of the Spirit? Why do people try to figure it out? I can not think of a more frustrating thought than fighting against God with the human will and the human mind. And, that's when they came to my mind all in a flood of thoughts. Three women who flow with the Spirit. Three women unknown by the standards of the world, but known by God for the standards of their faith. Why these three? I don't know, but that's where the Spirit wanted to take me.

Mary Louise Vigil, woman of God, my dad's associate pastor. Here's a woman who defies all the odds. She can tell you her story of being an alcoholic at the age of twelve. She can tell you how God delivered her cold turkey at the altar with no withdrawals. One story of hers I want to tell is about her faith.

I remember the day she told me about one of the largest store buildings in town, the former A.J. Bayless building in Douglas, Arizona. That summer day about four years, she told me that she had two experiences where she prayed that this building would be used for the Lord's work. So strong was the presence of God when she told me this that I immediately took out a piece of paper and together we started planning the usage of this building. We laid out the future sanctuary and I negotiated with her for a portion of this building for the youth. Never mind, literally, that a company owned the building and that it was still in business. I will never forget when she told me a couple years later that the company had tried and tried to sell this building to no avail. When they could not find a buyer they resulted to donating the property. But to whom? Well, unknown to her and any of us, they chose the church where Mary Louise attended and ministered without so much as giving an explanation for their choice. In fact, we had no idea that the company was even thinking about donating the property. We all found out after the fact. Why on earth would one of the largest properties in Douglas, Arizona with one of the largest parking lots in the city be given to the Lord's work for free? Simple, because Mary Louise follows the wind of the Holy Spirit.

Then there's my niece, Cindy. She's over in Thailand right now as a missionary. She was there before the Tsunami and she'll be there after the last relief efforts have run their course. One of her missions is to "buy" young girls before they are sold into prostitution by their desperate and destitute parents. She can tell you about the miracles that happen over there. She can tell you about the hope that her mission brings. But the question I want to ask is: why did my American niece leave the security and comforts of her Southern Californian home to go over to a dangerous and poverty stricken country to rescue total strangers? Simple, because Cindy follows the wind of the Holy Spirit.

Lastly, our good friend and former youth member, Lorena. My wife and I always saw the awesome potential in this young lady. We saw even despite her shyness that she would one day be used mightily by God. Recently, we were invited to attend the Royal Navy's celebration of Trafalgar Day (where our picture was taken in noticeably poor lighting). We had asked Lorena to baby sit for us that night. After the celebration, we returned and I began the laborious task of taking off my uniform---my undersized cumberbund was quite grateful as its velcro teeth were screaming the entire night and would pop off with each bite of food :-). As I was changing into my civilian clothes to take Lorena home, the Lord spoke to me and said "Lorena has a message from me to you." I remembered her shyness and thought "did I just hear that?" We got into the car and on the way to her home I asked about the family. After the small talk came the long silence and then all of a sudden. "Guess What?!!!" she shouted. I had never seen her so excited. She gathered herself and said "last night the Lord used me to give words of knowledge." For those who may not know, these put the best psychics to shame, because these come from the Almighty, all-knowing, and only God of the Universe (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). She went on to tell me how one by one the Lord revealed things about several of her family members while in their presence. She ministered at length to each one, praying for sicknesses and marital problems only known by the affected persons. As she told me this, I was reminded of what the Lord had told me. I asked her to pray for me and she gave me the word of encouragement my family and career needed at that particular moment. How does she do it? How can a teenage girl be used of God so powerfully? Simple, because Lorena follows the wind of the Holy Spirit.

There are a thousand and one reasons not to believe these three stories. There are a thousand and one explanations and criticisms. You hear its sound, but are you fighting or following the wind of the Holy Spirit? Jesus put it very simply "you must be born again." The adult mind will never understand what a child's faith takes for granted. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. Follow the wind of the Holy Spirit, any which way it blows. Follow Christ.

Bro DJ

Oh and just so you don't think I forgot about the men. Check out how these two M.O.Gs (Men of God) follow the wind of the Holy Spirit with little more than their backpacks, one change of clothes, a camera, and a world map: www.traveltheroad.com. Thanks Bro Fin-daddy for the site!