The Twin Brothers

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In the midst of one of the biggest snowstorms to hit in decades, a stalwart band of Calgarians plowed their way to Edmonton on January 7, 2011 for a time of worship and waiting together on the Lord with their brothers and sister in the Capital Region.

We had expected the Lord would dive into the issues between the two cities – the historic animosity that has characterized the relationship between Calgary and Edmonton since before the founding of the province.  But to our surprise He  focused instead on the unity among the generations.    The fathers and mothers felt the Lord had a specific message for the Gen X generation.  So Jim Bredeson directed all the Gen Xers to sit in their chairs and for each Boomer to place themselves directly in front of a Gen Xer.  At the count of 3 the Boomers were to lift up the Gen Xers from their seat by their hands and declare “Rise up and take your place”.

We really didn’t know what to expect from such a simple prophetic act.  But, as we obeyed, a wave of the Holy Spirit travelled from one side of the room to the other.  Some Gen Xers reported afterwards that in that moment they felt instantly delivered from a heaviness/weight/sorrow they had been carrying for many years.

The Lord then led us to stand together, arms interlinked – Gen X and Boomers from Edmonton and Calgary -  and declare, through song, our willingness to surrender, to do our part in seeing  His  purposes in the province fulfilled. 

                                                                       Dwell in the midst of us
                                                                  Come and dwell in this place
                                                                       Dwell in the midst of us
                                                                    Come and have Your way

                                                                        Dwell in the midst of us
                                                                  Wipe the tears from our faces
                                                                        Dwell in the midst of us
                                                                      You can have Your way

                                                                   Not our will but Yours be done
                                                                          Come and change us
                                                                   Not your will but your be done
                                                                              Come sustain us

                                                                       Dwell in the midst of us
                                                                      You can have Your way

We then continued in an extended time of worship that lasted the rest of the evening.  When we returned the next morning, the Lord said we were not finished with the worship and so we continued for another hour or so, until we felt a release in our spirits.  We then shared with one another what the Lord had been speaking to us/doing in our hearts.  Two clear themes emerged:

  1. Winter has passed and a new season is beginning.   Many people felt the Lord releasing them from hope deferred.
  1. A knitting of hearts between the cities.  Some people shared how they had always disliked the “other city” – often without any clear understanding of why.  But somehow as we worshipped together, we experienced the pleasure of the Lord and a manifestation of His glory that knit our hearts into a divine unity of brotherly love.

As we finished our time together, the Lord spoke a simple word to us:  “Now you can call this Alberta.”   And we felt the Lord enlarging our hearts with His heart for the whole province and we sensed that from that day forward Edmonton and Calgary were to begin to fast and pray together, both for each other’s cities and for the province as a whole.