Post #17: An Outpouring

September 2, 2026

5 Weeks of Healing & Reflection   

In the winter of 2023, something remarkable happened in the small town of Wilmore, Kentucky, home of Asbury University and seminary. Some call it a revival, some an awakening. Whatever the term, it surely was sparked by an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Wednesday, February 8 began as a normal, weekly, 50-minute chapel service of students worshipping with songs and prayers in Hughes Chapel. When that ended, most people left for class but a few lingered, continuing to sing near the alter. Within that next hour, two students stood in front of the small group to confess of their own personal struggles and ask for prayer. It was sincere and powerful.

From that 10:00 am service and for 16 more days, Hughes Chapel was filled. Filled with people because it was filled with the Holy Spirit – an OUTPOURING of the Holy Spirit. For 16 full days and nights, 24/7, there was worship that spilled out onto the rest of campus – and, in fact, the world.

In a town with a population of 6,000 (1,600 of those being students) suddenly an estimated 50,000-70,000 pilgrims converged on Wilmore to experience what they had heard about through social media. They came from 286 campuses and 40 different countries.

Jill Kimbrough, Kelly Bottcher and I were three of them.

We arrived on the last Sunday before the university felt the need to shut things down and get students back to class. We stood in line for three hours in the freezing cold with thousands of others waiting to get into Hughes Chapel. By then, they had set-up large screens and were livestreaming the worship to those outside as well as to seven other campus buildings. We sang and prayed and were filled with tears of joy as we stood in the cold.

There were no famous preachers or praise bands. No celebrities but Jesus. Just praise and worship and singing and repentance. Even with all those people surrounding me, there was a feeling that it was just Jesus and me. It was the most amazing experience I have ever encountered, truly a mountaintop moment.

And it all began with a few faithful believers willing to linger together.

The Bible talks about being filled with the Holy Spirit beginning in Exodus 31:3 when the Lord filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God giving him “skill, ability and knowledge in all kids of crafts.”

The Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, is busy at work throughout the Bible story, but my favorite accounts have to be in Acts 1 and 2. I encourage you to read all of those two chapters.

In the beginning of Acts, Jesus instructs the apostles to wait for the gift from God which is the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:8 Jesus tells them, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

I love that as soon as he tells them that they will receive the power of the Holy Spirit, he then tells them to use that as a witness to Him everywhere.

Then ten days after the ascension of Jesus, the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost (an annual Jewish festival of Thanksgiving for the harvested crops – Don’t you just love that timing?!) At that moment there were 120 believers on this earth. By Acts chapter 4, the number was 5,000.

The Holy Spirit moved somewhere between 50 and 60 times in Acts alone. And He is moving yet today.

An outpouring of the Holy Spirit begins within each one of us. When we seek Him and are filled with the Spirit, it is then that we can and should allow Him to overflow to others.

In John 7:38 Jesus cries out, “Whoever believes in me . . . rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Then John immediately explains that Jesus was speaking about the Holy Spirit. In this passage, Jesus describes being filled with the Spirit as something that flows or overflows from the believer.

In the past four months, I have experienced a tremendous outpouring of love from friends and family. That outpouring begins with the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, and, as a result, they have allowed that love to overflow to me. Each of us has opportunities every single day for the Lord to use us as a way to pour His love and Spirit onto others. We are called to look for those opportunities and use them for His Glory.

That overflow can come in many forms: an encouraging text or card, a nourishing meal, time spent together, the sharing of a favorite verse, praying for - or better yet - with someone. One friend just simply sends me a text with a red heart. No words. That is more than sufficient.

And to the anonymous person who left the pocket Jesus on my mailbox, thank you for that tiny Jesus that reminds me that He is really Mighty Jesus.  It makes me smile every single day.

“Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20

Prayer

Lord, we acknowledge that our bodies are not our own but the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. Let us receive the power of the Holy Spirit with thanksgiving and reverence, remembering that it is by the blood of Jesus that the Holy Spirit was poured out to us.  Lord, thank you for the people who have poured into me and didn't let their faith stop with them. Help me be that person for someone else. Show me who I need to invest in and give me the courage to pass on what I have received. In Jesus' mighty name we pray. Amen.

 A Song for Your Day: Pour Your Spirit Out