Fire in our hearts - The Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTSAWAKE O ZION!Soon he was sitting in chapel, pony tail, earring, large gingerbeard, and all. After creating a disturbance in the meeting,the likeable roughneck was prayed for, delivered from ademonic power, and settled in at the Hall to join Dave, Steve,and Malcolm’s physics teacher. A few days later Mark walkedacross the back lawn and his eyes nearly popped out. Therewas the veranda!Rodger, Pete and I came from the flat to join the pioneersat the Hall and were closely followed by John Cornish andIan, a law graduate from my old college. Our numbers quicklyincreased. Mark went into town and accosted a drunken vicepresidentof the Hell’s Angels, who looked twice as fierce asMark. Mark spoke to him about Jesus and stuffed an invitationcard into his jacket. The ‘Angel’ soon turned up and movedin.We were an odd bunch: ex-bikers, hippies and graduates,plus an ex-lay-preacher and her daughter, a pair of villagenewlyweds, and a Christian family who’d exchanged theircouncil house for a ‘mansion’! Life at the Hall was fun, chaoticand rough. We didn’t care. If there was any time to loseour comforts, it was now. What we lacked in competence wemade up for in enthusiasm. God was real and we were discoveringbrotherhood and sisterhood.The house had wet rot, dry rot and woodworm. One bedroomwas called the green room from the colour of the funguswhere the rain trickled down the wallpaper! At weekendsthe place was packed out with people on the floors andthere was a queue to move into community. If only they knewwhat it meant!116