These signs just follow...Lou Engle.

It seemed like a perfectly good idea this morning.

In culmination of 40 days of fasting and prayer at a church near Harvard, Lou rallied the troups and laid out the plan: We would break up into many small groups, syncronize our watches, & march around Harvard Yard in prayer seven times. Then, at precisely 11:30 AM, we all convene on the steps of a building in the center...marching from different sides of the Yard and singing the same song.


So we did. We walked. And we prayed. On the second lap, I found where someone had painted the word BELIEVE on the red brick sidewalk, so we walked, prayed, and BELIEVED. This kind of stuff only happens around Lou.


At at 11:30 AM Central Cell Phone Time, we entered through our designated gate, only to hear a shout from the center of the Yard. We saw the main group gathered, and along with a few stragglers from all four directions, we came running.


I cannot accurately describe the deafening roar that rose in the middle of the yard as people ran from all sides to join the main group. It was like a call to war....It had a little Braveheart feel to it. I expected Lou to emerge in a kilt with braids.

Instead, he began to speak to the crowd gathered about Harvard's orthodox Christian roots and the inroads that had been made by humanism. Suddenly, it was apparant something was a little squirrelly. According to my phone, the text message I sent to Kelsey at that moment was this:

11:43 AM // MESSAGE SENT // WHEN 100 PEOPLE ALL WANDER INTO HARVARD AND ALL SHOUT ON COMMAND, MEN IN SUITS REALLY FREAK OUT!

Now, here's where it gets a little fuzzy. I'm not sure Lou was aware of the nature of the building we had gathered near. The steps we were standing on led to a very proper brick building that happened to be The Memorial Church.

The men in suits freaking out represented that church where, unbeknownst to us, a Palm Sunday service was being held. (A word of explaination....one could stare at the present state of Harvard for a long time and make the assumption that it had not hosted worship services in an eternity.)

One particularly frustrated gentleman in a clerical collar asked "I hope you're worshipping out here....Can you hear us worshiping inside?"

A few interns answered "Uh...no."

Then, in an icy voice somehow reserved for ministers in Hollywood movies, put the icing on the cake: "Then let us not hear you...."

Our folks: "We're sorry."

Bishop Grumpy Pants: "Good!", upon which he spun on the heel of his polished shoes and marched back to worship the Lord in peace and quiet.

Oh. One more thing. I'm not sure if Lou knew they were having services, but I'm quite positive he didn't know that, according to their website, Tony Compolo was preaching.

Or that his sermon title was "Praying in the Revolution".

Or that his text was:
"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words." Mathew 6:5–7

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! I'm rolling....it would be impossible to make this stuff up!!!!

Tomorrow, my micro-posse and I head for Logan and points beyond.

We've had a great time in Boston.

We love the mix of new and old, grit and class. We wish we could have seen more...hiked the Freedom Trail further...or ate at The Sausage Guy just to say we did.

But we're still glad to get home to Kelsey and Zion. :)