At UCCF I was exposed to people my own age – 17, 18, 19 at the time – who were intensely in love with Jesus Christ.  I was blown away! This wasn’t just some church group, where you could tell half of the youth were forced to be there by their parents and they’d rather be in bed! This was a group of young people who enjoyed the presence of God!  I enjoyed intense worship, great Bible studies and growing friendships.

I was also exposed to something else. The power of God! I loved God, read my Bible, and went to church every Sunday… but I never, never, saw God moving like I did on those daily devotion times….

As a nice, little Nazarene boy in the Caribbean, I was never taught that the Holy Spirit’s power could be so… tangible. I mean, they were visitations when you’d have people crowding around the altar rail crying out to God, but to have teenagers weeping and worshipping – kneeling and lying postrate on the floor of an auditorium and not a ’sanctified’ church building was awe-inspiring.  But what blew me away was seeing the gifts of the Spirit in operation.  I’d never seen that before!  Tongues, prophetic words… it was all new to me, because I’d never been taught that at church.

I remember when one of my friends, Annette, invited the fellowship to her church.  As is wont in some congregations, visitors are welcomed by being asked to stand and be acknowledged. Because we were a big group (maybe 10 people, I can’t remember) we were asked to stand at the front. Then the pastor told the congregation, “Stand up and bless them in your heavenly language!”  Then these 40 people got up, pointed their fingers at us and started spouting off in this …. gaggle.  I was scared! I slided up to Annette and asked her nervously, “What are they doing????”