The Blood Still Works

The one where Dylan talks about his experience in Youngstown at a tent revival.

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So I said, Oh man, the blood still works. It's, it's still a thing that we can leave the faith is still a thing we can lean on. Where is this coming from? go on a trip with me. A little while ago, I was talking to Bishop Paramore. Shout out to Bishop Paramore, Christ centered church. That's where I was ordained. He is still training me. I still my bishop. That's my man's. And so he was talking about how they used to do tent revivals. They used to do tent revivals in the city he's from Youngstown. So I used to see him all the time. He used to do them himself in Youngstown and in Akron. And I was like, Bishop, I'm 33. I have never seen a tent revival ever. And he swears that the power of God shows up and like people are changed, lives are changed, like, the city is different after you do these tent revivals, and I was like, Okay, one, why did y'all ever stop to right like, I've never seen this, you got to show me something because like, let me be straight with you. When he said that, like these still work. The reason that he has to say that they still work is because like, I don't believe them. I'm a pastor, let me be, let me keep let me keep it a buck with you. The brand of Jesus Christ is not great right now. I'm saying like, it is not cool to be a Christian. And it is difficult to convince me that like you could get people to show up outside to listen to you talk about the Lord. Like, that's just is is hard for me to believe. Right? And he says to me, not long before the end of the year, you will see it, right? Like we don't put one together and you don't see it before the end of year. I'm like, big bet you aint lied to me, as long as I know you so cool. Let's do this thing. So he says he sets it up, gets it done, out in Youngstown. And it comes together crazy fast, right? And so like, it's in Youngstown, I'm like, Alright, I'm gonna come out there to see it. Right? So I'm driving out there. I'm from Cleveland. Youngstown, is about an hour and a half. And like, I'm I'm really trying to conceptualize, okay, so what do I do if there's only 20 people here? Right? Do I still believe that the power of God, the blood still works, if only 20 people shows up, right? Because, like, in my mind, conceptually, the only people who don't show up are people who were like, maybe from his church, you know what I'm saying? Like, you know, like, this wouldn't be a, this wouldn't be a thing, like we wouldn't see. Mini revival. Boy, was I wrong? Let me tell you, right, like, so the thing was supposed to start at six, I pull up about five 530. And I'm like, yeah, where did all these people come from? Like, who are these people? And it's not just like, you know, how, like you you do something like that. And it's a their workers, you know, like people who are serving a volunteer, like, yes, those people were there. But the, the DAG on tip was starting to fill up. Now mind you, this tent is huge. It can hold like 100 150 people. So like the tent is starting to fill up. It's 530 that thing started six, and it's starting to fill up. So I'm like, okay, whatever I thought this was going to be it's not going to be that and I'm getting hype, right? So like, I'm trying to settle myself. Because I, I'm excited. Because like, it's like, oh, oh my god, people still love Jesus. Okay, so this is a thing. Alright. So like, I go into mode of, how do you pull something like this off? So now I'm looking around at like the tent, right? Like, mind you. It's about 545. Now, the things about half full. There's about 50 people sitting, right? This is not counting the people who are like putting the thing on this is 50 people sitting right because you know how we love to fudge the numbers. We will say that there was there was 150 people there and 150 people was there to work it. There'll be like there wasn't like 150 people there to experience it cool. There was 50 people there already right? And so like I'm like, Alright, so like, Where am I get this? Where am I get this tent from? How much does this tent cost? We need porta potties, I didn't even think about needing the porta potti I guess you would need porta potties if you're gonna be outside people have to use the bathroom. Okay, so there's a there's a stage they got they got musicians like I'm I'm in mode, trying to figure out how are we going to execute this thing? Because I'm looking at it logistically right. This is day one. Six o'clock rolls around the places full at six o'clock. I'm talking and I'm not talking about wifo I'm talking about black folk, black folk at six o'clock like when this thing start. The thing is full. They get up there. They're preaching and like I am, I am in all of what I'm saying like it has not hit me yet the like, the it's not a spiritual thing for me yet. It's an organizing thing for me at this point. And you would have to know me to know that, like my mind thinks in terms of like organizing first, generally. And so like the first night, I'm just thinking, like the sheer effort of organizing to get 100 people under a tent to show up for two hours. Do you know how difficult that is? Right? Like, it is not an easy thing to do, from an organizing standpoint, to get that many people to show up in a space. And we just again, we're just talking about people who are there to experience it. We're not talking about the volunteers. There's there's about 50 volunteers by themselves. And then there's the people who are there. So experiences so total on the first night, there's 150 people there, right? So I don't go to a hotel, because I'm there for three days, right? Like, this is a three day hike. And this was day one, and I'm like, Alright, like, what's what's coming. Day two, right? They two happens. And I get there this time around like 545. And like, thank God, there was priority parking for me as a pastor, because I would not have I wouldn't have had a parking spot. We're talking about maybe three blocks deep. At that point, about three blocks deep, full of cars, the tennis for the service hasn't started yet. And you're starting to see people on their porches. And this is important, right? Because now you know you're affecting the actual community that you're sitting in. Because yes, revival is for the for the believers, but it's also to draw in people. So like, there's people on their porches. There's people like driving by and so like, now I'm now starting to hit me. Oh my god, the Spirit of God is still moving. The church is fine. The faith is fine. What are we doing wrong? Like as the organizers of this thing, what are we doing wrong? That like, because the blood still works? people still believe, right? And so like, what are we doing wrong? And this is hitting me. And so like, by two I'm in tears are like no joke. Full on tears, because like, I didn't believe that this was possible. I'm like Thomas out here, you're gonna have to show me I need to see the holes in your hands. He was gonna have to show me and he did. that showed up in a major way. And it wasn't just older people, right? It was like babies to grandma's. and everything in between. It was it was so like mind numbing, that like, Oh my God, if this can happen in Youngstown, surely, surely God could do it in Cleveland. Surely, he he's still in the blessing business and wanting people to come unto him. Surely that's the thing. And then like, it hit me on night two. how simple it was. It wasn't a production. Hear me y'all. It was not a production. It was they simply put up a tent. Had a stage and some porta potties. They had some people who were singing, and some people who was gonna preach, that was it. They just waited for God to show up. And it was just like, there was no, there wasn't a smoke, there wasn't any extra lights. There wasn't none of that. It was just a tent. It was just God's people coming together, to worship Him, to worship God, to celebrate with one another. To hear a word from him. That's something different could happen to get some hope in their city, right. And this is a city that's been struck by violence, much like ours, right? Like, Youngstown and Cleveland. Right? Like, we are some violent cities. And so these people, these believers are, are coming together. In a simple there's no media, right? Nobody's with a camera. Nobody's trying to be saying there wasn't a press conference. It was just worshippers. And it was just it's, I'm having a hard time like keeping it together right now as I'm recording this for y'all because like, you had to be there to see it. Right. So night three, I don't have to tell you bigger turnout, right? This is the last night. And I'm telling you we're four blocks deep of cars. Cars are like all over the place. And now people have started to pull up on their in their cars, and they're sitting in their cars. I can add the drive in movie because there's no space under the tent, there isn't a seat. So they're pulling up in their cars because that's the only seat you have. You've heard, I'm saying Like it's it's nuts, what's happening here and now now you're looking on porches and these porches look like somebody is having a barbecue is not just a couple of people on these porches now now like it looked like grandma Nam or Auntie nm called and was just like uh you need to get over here they're they're worshipping God right like that's that's what happened and so on the porches our field is insane like you've I've never seen anything like it and it wasn't a situation where it's like they weren't there to put on a show. They were they were just there to do what they know to do to worship and petition this got to do something different. And I'm gonna leave you with this. Because if you're listening to this, you know that like I believe in the Lord and I believe in his power right? So while we were there, and this was on the first night down the street from where we were having service, a young lady was in her car, and somebody sprayed her car with an ak 47. Think about this for a second, she's in the car, they spray the car with an ak 47. And if you know what the AK 47 is automatic rifle, and like those rounds are not small. She walked away from it unscathed. Not just walked away. But like wasn't hurt, at all. Let that sink in. This is an ak 47 in a car. Let's say you're the worst shot in the world. With an ak 47 and a car. You don't you don't just walk away from that you might not have been dead. But you don't just walk away. You're getting hit. Something's happening to you. And she walked away without a scratch. Listen, if that don't prove that, like God is real, and he was present with I've done a talk. I really ain't got no more to say this is probably one of the longest ones that I've done because I'm so hype about it. And like I believe that we're going to see that. Like we're going to see God do that. Like I believe in. You don't have me preaching this. Listen, this was the podcast. That's what this was. So I said I just did a listen. I'm out here for 20 minutes talking about the goodness of the Lord. I'm I'm going I'm out. See y'all later.