Fire in our hearts - The Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTSNEW GENERATIONJason went back starry-eyed to work things out in Bristol. Hischurch was shy of charismatic gifts, let alone community. Heenthused, inspired, and even raged about ‘Zion’. They understood.He was young. But in the end he was unable to copewith a tamed life. Jason pined away and began to stumble. Ifound him in Bristol and brought him back to our Men AliveFor God Day. Jesus Life captured the mood:Bright banners and swirling patterns; the name of Jesus in coloursspinning on the wall. Smoke, lights and wild dancing. Thestrength and sound of 600 men worshipping together, holdinghigh the torch. Masculinity and friendship. Informal seminars.Energy, buzz and anointing. Flowing with the river or climbingthe spiritual mountain. Exuberant youth abseiling from the ceilingand challenging us to be daring. Adoration and rave culminatingin a spine-tingling finale, ‘All hail the power of Jesusname’. 130But it wasn’t the amazing technicolour that touched Jason.It was the prophetic clarity and the common cause. Jason wepthis heart out. The following morning, as we all worshippedtogether, he seemed to see just one man, one body. ‘This is it,’he said. ‘This is the bride.’ And the tears flowed. We calledhim Jason Tenderheart.A few days later, he said goodbye to his old council estatein Bristol and moved to Cornhill Manor. Jason was a hungrydisciple who wanted the works and milked me for wisdom.We would go off adventuring, sometimes following ‘words’from the Lord. ‘Fox and Hounds’ was one of his. But therewere so many inns with that name in the county that ourwould-be evangelism turned into a non-alcoholic pub-crawl!377