Fire in our hearts - The Jesus Army

FIRE IN OUR HEARTS THE LORD TOOK HOLD OF BUGBROOKEgets saved, and goes round spreading the good news. Somehowit really touched Rufus.He was glad when Noel and John Thom appeared. Theywould sit on orange boxes and sip herbal teas with Rufus andJess. On one occasion they prayed and God’s presence filledthe room.The crunch came three weeks later when Rufus devoured aswiss roll at his mum’s place. That was macrobiotic sin. Hecame away despairing and, in a burst of anger, slammed thedog against the wall. The dog followed meekly after. Rufusturned and asked Jess whether she still loved him. ‘Yeah!’she said. Rufus felt like he was falling apart.Back home, he ran upstairs and shut himself in an emptyroom. There in the darkness he saw it all so vividly. The TibetanBook of the Dead, the I Ching, the mantras he hadchanted, the mandalas he had looked at, the numerous yogicpostures he had learned, the kohans he had read, the mescalinand acid he had taken — they all seemed to be laughing athim. Rufus broke down and out of the darkness, he cried outto God: ‘I can never get to you, Lord. You’ve got to reachdown and pick me up.’In a moment he knew: it was Jesus. He went downstairs toJessie. ‘Jess, what if we left everything and went round justtelling people about Jesus. Would you come, Jess?’She paused. ‘What — with the baby — just telling people?’‘Yeah, with the baby,’ said Rufus.‘Yes — I’d come,’ said Jess.Rufus went out to the phone kiosk. ‘Look, Noel,’ he said, ‘Iknow I’m a sinner. I just want to find Jesus.’79