“Prayer to me is far more than just a monologue with God.  It’s breathing…it’s being.”

Triibe is a group of guys, that primarily go to Believers Church, that are exploring news ways of communicating and praying with God through drums.

You can check out a short video about Triibe here.

Recently, the Triibe guys went down to an area in Tulsa called Brookside to have a time of prayer whilst beating on drums late on a Thursday night.  Several of the guys play percussion while others will get on the mic and intercede with the rhythm.  This was a small, closed session in an abandoned retail store, until the room began to get stuffy and someone opened the front door to let some air in.  The room started to fill with patrons from the surrounding restaurants and bars on Brookside.  This was exciting.  Then it started to get a little more exciting when the people coming in from off of the streets began to pray on the microphones.  A closed prayer session started finding itself gaining momentum in a hurry.

One of the people from off the street began praying on the mic in a very bizarre way.  He was swearing at God.  His prayers were full of anger and the cuss words were flying.  Adam, one of the Triibe guys, went over to ask him what was going on.  He responded, “I hate God.  I hate the Church.”  Adam said, “I’m sorry to hear that.”  The guy, still full of anger, continued on about how destructive the Church has been to him.  Adam replied again, “I’m sorry to hear that.  We care about you, man.”  Then the guy inquired, “How much do you guys rent this space for?”  Adam said, “He didn’t know.  He was just down here to pray, but he could find out.”  After that, the guy remarked, “Because I would like to pay for the next three months rent for you guys to be down here.”

In a matter of five minutes, this guy went from swearing at God on the microphone, to offering to pay for the rent so Triibe could continue to pray in that space.  The living God is at work in our cities.  May we be open to His rhythms.

The last few years I have been doing summer mission in Ibiza, Spain.  Ibiza (pronounced Eye-bee-tha) is a small Mediterranean island off the coast of Spain that is often known as the party capital of Europe.  It is an intense environment to show the love of Jesus.  A small team from England decided to move there to help bring peace and love to the island through prayer and mission.  Here is a short video about these guys:  Prayer as Mission

Once while in Ibiza, I encountered a guy named Lee.  He asked me what 24-7 Ibiza was, as I was wearing a 24-7 Ibiza t-shirt.  I told him that it was a Christian organization that focuses on prayer and kindness.  He looked at me in confusion and after a long pause he said, “In Ibiza?  You’ve come to help a bunch of drunk people?  Why?  Why don’t you go to Africa and work in an orphanage?”  Half drunk himself, Lee continued, “People in Ibiza don’t deserve help.  They choose this lifestyle.  Why don’t you go help kids with AIDS?”

I still think about this encounter.  What struck me was how hard it was for Lee to accept that 24-7 Ibiza wanted to help those that “didn’t deserve it.”  He was all right with people receiving help if they warranted it, but not those who chose wrongdoing purposefully.  He was begging to ask these questions, “Is help only for those who deserve it?  Is mercy only for those who warrant it?”

Oftentimes, when you walk someone to their hotel that has had too much to drink in Ibiza, they will offer you money to compensate.  The response is always no.  When they persist and persist, the team will say, “Hasn’t anyone ever done something nice for you without asking for something in return?”  Mercy.  Shown in the simple act of walking somebody home.