A Glowing Smile

      Many times when we tell people we live in Grenoble, we are asked, "Isn't that the place where that nuclear power plant exploded?". They take an unconscious step backward, as if we might be radio-active.  Then there are usually looks of relief when they learn we do not live in Chernobyl, (which is in the Ukraine), combined with a sheepish smile over evidently not having passed junior high geography. No, there is not radiation emanating from our city, but there is a lot of pent-up spiritual promise ready to explode and radiate outward to affect the cities, regions and nations around us.

     Why am I convinced of this? Because there is an undeniable part of this city's past that has profound repercussions for its near future.  Let me take you back to the Wars of Religion in France. From 1562-98 and again from 1685-1787, the Roman Catholic monarchy attempted to snuff out the presence of all Protestants in the country.  Many thousands fled to Switzerland and other European countries. Other less-fortunate, multiplied thousands were either systematically hunted down and executed or captured and sent to die slow, difficult deaths. Those not immediately killed ended up suffering a more drawn-out death, men condemned for life as  galley slaves on ships and women  sentenced to languish in unbelievably squalid tower prisons. Louis XIV himself proudly boasted that out of a Huguenot population of 800,000 to 900,000, only 1,000 to 1,500 had remained in France.

     The Grenoble Parliament played a particularly notorious role in terrorizing the lives of these Protestants, known as Huguenots.  Innocent families from all over France, many with young children, in attempting to flee to Geneva, were caught at the borders of the Savoie region just north of Grenoble. They were brought to this city, their children permanently stripped from them and sent to monasteries, while they themselves were thrown in the local, over-crowded prison to await condemnation to various horrible fates.  Here is just a sampling of the carnage:

          *1524 - Pierre de Sébiville, a Lutheran pastor in Grenoble, was burned at the stake for   preaching the Gospel.
          *1525 - Pastor Ginin was arrested and takren to prison at Grenoble, where his legs were bound and he was thrown into the Isere river.
          *1575 - Montbrun, leader of Prostestant resistance, was captured, shot and beheaded by the Grenoble Parliament.
          *1685 -  3 families from Bresse were brought to Grenoble. Their children were taken from them while the men's heads were cut off and put on posts in front of their houses.
          *1686 - Jaque Bouillane a new convert was strangled at Place de Breuil, thrown in the fire and his ashes scattered in the wind
          *1745 - Pastor Roger, 80 years old, was hung in Grenoble.  On his way to the scaffold he sang aloud the 51st Psalm. His body was displayed for 24 hours, and later dragged through the streets and thrown in the Isere river for preaching in Protestant assemblies

     The blood of the martyrs was sown in the soil of Grenoble. And yet, the percentage of evangelical believers rests at less than 1% of the population. Jesus' promise has always been that if a seed falls to the ground and dies, it produces many seeds. The martyrs of Revelation 6:10 will cry out from their honored place in heaven in the last days,  “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”.  We are believing for a last days avenging of the blood of the saints martyred in Grenoble and all over the south of France. Not in judgment and condemnation, but in an outpouring of His grace before Jesus returns. We envision a widespread move of God's Spirit in Grenoble that sees many miracles, conviction of sin, restoration of broken lives, and healing of communities that  results in many thousands and thousands turning to Christ. All as God honors His word and the price paid by so many thousands of faithful, innocent believers. God's memory is long and is faithfulness endures to thousands of generations

    In 1925, over a million people from around the world came to Grenoble to attend an International Exposition of Hydroelectric power. The method of harnessing power was invented in this region and the nations flocked here to learn about this new source of renewable energy.  Again in 1968, the nations converged on Grenoble, this time to see the spectacle of the Winter Olympic Games.  It is our prayer that Grenoble once again sees a great influx of nations coming to participate in something powerful, dynamic and attractive, but this time we believe it is going to be another source of power - the power of God displayed among his people, resulting in miraculous reconciliations with God and among men. A pure, true last days revival.  Maybe one day, people will ask us about Grenoble, "Hey, isn't that the place where there is an explosion of God's presence?" And this time, the smile will be ours.

Can You Resist?

     The Day of the Tiles. Despite what it sounds like, it is not an event that has to do with a visit to Home Depot. It's actually the day that sparked the fires of the French Revolution and it took place right here in Grenoble on June 7, 1788. Grenoble is called the cradle of the revolution because the actions of the people here on that day inspired the rest of the nation, including Paris, to have the courage to stand up to tyranny. The king had sent his troops to quell dissent in the local parliament and put down a brewing rebellion. What he didn't count on was the improbable audacity and the impeccable aim of Grenoble's citizens. Unappreciative of His Majesty's show of force, they spontaneously ascended the roofs of buildings and began hurling tiles down on the heads of the soldiers. Weapons of mass construction. It's days like that where it doesn't pay to be head and shoulders above the rest. The soldiers took that as a hint to leave, and the parliament quickly reconvened, where it drafted the rights of man that still exist today as the motto of France and which  helped shape the future constitution.  Later, the storming of the Bastille in Paris became the more well-known catalyst for the revolution. But resistance had already found its naissant spirit in a small alpine city in the south of France where a nation was inspired to follow suit.

     Fast-forward to World War II.  Just outside the city in 1940, French forces repelled the Nazi army that had previously advanced with success everywhere else. It wasn't until the French government eventually capitulated to the Germans that Grenoble was finally occupied. But by that time, most of the troops in the city had refused to collaborate and retreated into the mountains surrounding the city to fight a drawn out war of resistance until the end of the war. Such was the success and resiliency of this sabotaging underground force of former officers, students and common citizens, that General de Gaulle came to Grenoble and awarded the city.He gave Grenoble the title, Companion of the Liberation, to recognise what he called "a heroic city at the peak of the French resistance and combat for the liberation."

     Revolution. Resistance. Liberty. It is what Grenoble has always stood for. It's part of its fabric  and one of the reasons we believe that God has called us here. France is in need of a new revolution, but this time it is one of the Spirit.  We believe that God will again lead Grenoble  to play the part of catalyst for a new thing that will spread and radiate from here. There is a need for freedom from a religious spirit as well as liberation from stark individualism and militant secularism. We are here to lead a band of counter-culturists who mount a resistance of revolutionary love for all peoples, spiritual vitality in all spheres of society, and personal authenticity.  It's a revolution of living  the good news everywhere. Of being a real community of Christ-followers who lay down our lives for one another. A resistance against judging and controlling others as we love completely, welcome wholeheartedly, and give extravagantly. We are praying that the anointing that rests on Jesus continues to set at liberty the captives.  And that He shares that anointing with us.

     The revolution has started in Grenoble.  Again.

Don't Shudder, Open the Shutters

Something is not right. As I took my daughter to school this morning at 7:30am, it was dark outside. Then later in the day when driving home after picking her up, I had to turn on the car's headlights again.  So that was all the light this November Monday had to offer us - one school-bell book-ended day's worth? Granted, I know Grenoble  is not the frozen tundra of northern Finland.  I know this because the French do not eat canned decayed fish remains. And because we also get the occasional December sun rays. But really, as we edge our way closer to winter, night creeps in just a little too quickly for my liking.  I was explaining  to Emma as streetlights illumined our way home, that each year, from June 21st to Dec 20th, it gets darker one minute earlier every day.  Then I thought the same could be said for the spiritual atmosphere -  the world  getting a bit darker day by day, until one day you look around and say, "Is that all the light we've got?"  A little too much world, and much too few Christ-followers shining. The problem with that is that an overdose of darkness can cause some to sink into  depression or just feel like ordering take-home and hunkering down for a long night. But I hate giving in to darkness.

I instinctively want to turn on all the lights possible, despite high electric bills. And the Green Party. And I love flashlights. Never saw one in the store that didn't appeal to my purchashing instincts. My wife says I can never have too many of them.  I also don't like French shutters. Or should I say I don't like them closed. Almost every French house has shutters, a hold-over from the early days in ancient Gaul, where the state would tax citizens on the evidence of wealth that could be seen in their homes. As the king's officers came around for a little looky-see in the windows of the neighborhood, shutters became a sort  of  medieval tax-evasion.  Sure, they make the outside of a French home look quaint and post-card worthy. But when closed, they turn a man's castle into a cave.  One of my first jobs in the morning is to open the shutters and let the sunshine in. Ok, actually you already know what one of my first jobs in the morning is. But directly AFTER that is when I open the shutters.  I like there to be light. And not just any light, but natural light. The problem with artificial light is, well, it's so... fake.  But there's nothing like real, true, bonifide sunshine to illumine a room, light up a smile, or brighten your life.

One great thing about the winter solstice, is that right after it marks the year's darkest day is when the momentum begins to change. Light begins to hold sway, as we are led by increasingly longer-lasting days  to early spring sunrises and late summer sunsets.   Authentic light. This is what we need more of as our days get increasingly darker.  God is going to do His part. He's the father of lights, not shifting shadows, in whom there is no darkness at all. He has already programmed into the seasons of history that bright Day that will illumine every dark word and shadowy deed. A world plunged into darkness will one day be bathed in His light. No matter how dark it gets, He is destined to shine. But in the meantime, how bright am I making it in my corner of this dark planet?  We should neither run from nor curse the darkness. Let's break out every flashlight, candle and lantern we have and throw open the shutters, illuminating every home and every neighborhood with as much of His authentic light as we can as the Day approaches.