First, thank you for your prayers for me as I took a short break from my writing focus to address some urgent ministry administrative issues (read AAAAACK…Book Keeping!)
Monday, after all my deadlines were met (by the virtual skin of my teeth) I went looking for all my “Tales” and “Agape Force” souvenirs and donated things and paraphernalia. I’m so glad I did that! I found a veritable treasure trove of content that blew fresh wind into my accounting damaged brain. With both AF memories (which we hope will encourage and enlighten) as well as in other areas of our current ministry it seems Holy Spirit has been whispering. “Content. Content! Content!!” And so my brain is all a-swirl now and darting hither and thither with ideas. Excitement surging. Plans bubbling and gurgling. Desperation for God’s anointing and guidance building.
So it’s time to bring order to the mental whirly-gig. Every idea must become a to-do list in the end and getting it from mental image and elevated emotions to a concrete, actionable plan isn’t always the easiest thing for me. So…..I’ve planned out posts for November and December and peace is returning.
They say it’s always best to begin at the beginning. I didn’t really do that with the “Tales” blog, but started with where we are now and the pressure, the ticking clock, the urgency and what I now perceive as the necessity to chronicle as much as I can from my perspective (which is the only perspective I have). What follows today I find nowhere in the draft version of the “Tales” Manuscript from 1995 - but it was in the treasure trove of individual print outs and really provides a short “beginning” which I think captures the essence; the DNA, if you will, of the spirit and spark that flared into what became the Agape Force.
It was good for me to see that little piece and be drawn back into that sprout (They say sprouts have the most life, the most nutrition of any food), that soul feeding nugget that sprang from the seed that eventually fell into the ground, died and then sprouted again in dozens, perhaps hundreds of places.
#AGAPELOVE
#UNSELFISHLOVE
#GODSLOVE!
#GODSLOVEIS
#THEGREATESTFORCEINTHEUNIVERSE
In The Very Beginning There Was No Agape Force - But Then God
In April of 1970 four Christians, all from one youth group, at one church in Garden Grove, a Southern California suburb city in Orange County, started to seek God about how He wanted them to reach people for Himself. They decided, after much prayer, to share the message of Christ’s love anywhere a door opened and to anyone who would listen. This was the beginning of Agape Force.
Agape force was, by todays definition, a missions organization, but more closely resembled the revivalists of old, EXCEPT rolled out in a way no one had seen before. They soon garnered a reputation for radical tactics, for having a radical message and for walking in radical faith. For the most part Agape Force teams took the gospel to the streets and church of the US and Canada. Later, however, powerful works were started in Mexico, Australia, Africa and other places around the world. A huge impact and influence was also felt in the Christian Contemporary Music genre because of their efforts there.
In 1990 after twenty years, the Agape Force was disbanded. ONE GENERATION. Yet, the love of God lives on through the lives of those who committed big portions of their youth and young adulthood, many giving their college years to God full-time, joining themselves to this idea of using “every open door" and the calling and hope of seeing revival come to America and the world. Many are still involved in various kinds of ministry today. Amazingly, dozens, perhaps even hundreds of ministries as well as churches were birthed out of the Agape Force itself.
All over the world there are Agape Force alumni (and those they have discipled) who continue to press on toward their high calling in Christ Jesus. Whatever they have gone through, where ever they are. Whether they have finished their race or still press on. God's love continues to be "the greatest force in the universe".
So. I’m going to post this on the ABOUT page here at agapeforce.com - it just seems appropriate today somehow.
I also really appreciate your input and comments and there have been several requests to get information and would like (me?) to dig a little deeper into the Jesus Movement ~ saying ~ "There ought to be a book about THAT! The amazing truth is that AF did not exist in a void. We were just one small part of something VERY big that God was doing. So, I’ve been watching some YouTube videos and have found some that really give a great idea of what was happening at the time we also began. I don't really think I'm the person to chronicle the entire Jesus Movement. Perhaps it has been or is already being done. It is enough that I attempt to look into our little corner of it and try to follow the glowing thread of the mantle and the anointing that was and in many cases, still is, ours.
Here is one video called “The Upper Room” (A Look At The Jesus Movement) Part 1
Part 2 and Part 3 will automatically show up after you watch the first one and some may have seen it already. It prominently features one of our own ~ Barry McGuire. I hope you enjoyed it. I sure did.