Big John Holland and the Chickens

No, this isn’t about the missing chickens from a couple of days ago – hopefully we’ll track them down, but there does seems to be something about chickens going on right now.

Big John and his wife went on a trip to Israel with a bunch of folks from a certain ministry. The ministry was pretty much a family affair, a closed circle and all that. Up on Mount Tabor John prophesied over the patriarch of the family that he was to get his house in order because the Lord was taking him home within six months. Of course since Big John wasn’t part of the inner circle he was dismissed as being out-of-touch with God – I guess you had to be in the inner circle for God to speak to you. If you’ve lived long enough you’ve probably seen that mentality in more than one place.

You know the rest of the story – sure enough, the patriarch went home to be with Jesus within the appointed time. Big John didn’t tell me about this, I don’t think he was into talking too much about himself – those are usually the folks who get the real words from God, the ones that don’t pay attention to themselves.

I went with John to a Navajo church meeting under a big tent on the reservation – and my how those folks could dance to Jesus. Now I’ve seen my share of dancing in church, some of it was sweet, and some of it…well, it’s not for me to say is it? I can say that most of it has been sweet indeed. I don’t mind a little dance now and then myself.

The thing that matters to me is context. If people are expressing themselves within their natural cultural context then I say, “Go for it.” If, however, various expressions are used as a measure of spirituality or to try to manipulate God, then I say go on over to McDonald’s and order a Number Two with a Dr. Pepper, you’ll be better off – even with the carbs and fat and all that – and there ain’t nothing wrong with a Dr. Pepper.  

I was once in a United Pentecostal church where the dancing and running got to be so much that a sister suggested we call in a traffic cop.

Anyway, like I said, those Navajo brothers and sisters sure could dance – it was just beautiful.

One day out at John’s mission to the Navajo in the Four Corners area – that’s where those southwestern states come together – all touching each other at one particular spot where the US Geological Survey has a special marker – I went with John to pick up some chickens to take back to the mission. John didn’t have a truck, didn’t have a trailer, but he did have a car with a trunk. The feet of the chickens were tied together so they wouldn’t go nuts in the trunk and we drove back to the mission.

When we got to the mission we unloaded the chickens, putting them on the ground and cutting the twine from their feet. Do you know what those chickens did? Nothing. They just laid there. We told the chickens that they could get up and move, though admittedly we used English and not Navajo, but the chickens still didn’t move. Finally we gave the chickens some contact with our feet and they started to move, but not much. When we gave them a little more foot contact they finally got off the ground and checked out their new home.

Those chickens remind me of a lot of Christians. Christ has set us free to live in Him and for Him and for others, greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world – but we just lay on the ground, in the earth-realm, and act like we’re still bound up in sin and death and all that mess. The difference between the chickens and many Christians is that the chickens finally got the message.