You’re going to think I’m crazy but... DEMONS!

Worship had just finished. Some people were headed to the fellowship hall for coffee and snacks. There were small groups of people still in the sanctuary talking, laughing and enjoying one another’s company. I was just hanging around and talking to random people. As I was getting ready to head to the “goodies” a young couple approached me. The conversation started something like this, “Pastor Lance, you’re going to think we are crazy…” The couple was fairly new to our church but I had known them (and their families) from a previous town and church. They were in a small group Bible study that was sponsored by another church. The leaders of the study were a young couple that had two very small children. This couple had been seeing some very startling “entities” in their house. These demonic presences were manifesting themselves with increasing frequency. The couple went to the pastor of their church. The pastor was leading the church through a major building project and about to retire and did not have time or energy to help them. They were frustrated and didn’t know what to do. They told their Bible study about the situation. The young couple from our church asked if it would be alright for them to tell their pastor (me!) about the situation and see if there was anything that Evergreen could do to help them.

Fast forward a couple of years… After church another young couple came up to me after church and the conversation went something like this, “Pastor Lance, you’re going to think we are crazy…” This couple was seeing demonic presences in their house!

Fast forward several years (last night)… I had an interesting phone call from my daughter. She had just received the care package I sent (muffins, scones, bagels, Starbucks gift card, Safeway gift card, her absentee ballot and a note) and wanted to say thanks. She did not start the conversation with the “crazy” line. She knew I wouldn’t think she was crazy. She had been a part of mission trip where we had to deal with a demonic presence. It appears that a gal that goes to the ministry she is involved in has a demonic presence in her. The staff person who leads the ministry has been made aware of the situation and has not done anything. He is overwhelmed with staff out of town, a wife who is expecting and with keeping the ministry going. My daughter does not believe that doing nothing is an option. She is frustrated.

Our church has had to deal with demons on several occasions. My daughter thought that most Christian ministries would have had to deal with them and would know what to do. I told her that I thought most pastors and churches intellectually believe that demons exist but have not had to actually deal with them.

Here’s my question for all of you blog readers… Have you had to deal with demons? Please post your responses!