Shawn Johnson in the pool after baptism at barn revival on his farm.

By Susan Shanklin

We are in an extreme heat warning for about the second or third time this summer. Rather rare for us Minnesotans. We like it cool, ha. But I want to tell you about an extreme heat on fire barn revival Tom and I had the total joy ministering at in Pipestone, Minnesota.

It starts many months prior with prayer, willingness, and cooperation. If you want to do anything, especially for the Gospel, you have to pray. It’s talking to God about His Word and what He wants and can do. Next is the willingness of your host. Do they really, really want to have this event? Are they really going the extra two and three miles, turning over every rock to get the word out? Third is cooperation. Folks, if you don’t have cooperation from others, well, it can flop.

Pray, Tom and I did, as well as others. Maybe you did; thank you.

Willingness to sit in the car for hours to hold a meeting in the middle of a corn field.

Cooperating with other saints, Shawn and Maria, our hosts, and with the Holy Ghost.

I have been at Shawn and Maria Johnson’s farm before, but I really didn’t remember it.

We arrive an hour early and drive up to a well-used machine shed with a big old dog and black cat to greet us.

There’s a blue Porta Potty sitting a couple of feet from the door. I would rather hold it than use it, but use it I did, and shockingly it smelled really nice. Ha ha.

Walking inside the machine shed, you are hit with the pungent smell of diesel fuel, grease, and dust. People, this is the machine shed for a manure-spreading operation. Where else is better to have a revival than a manure spreading machine shed! Think about it! I got my white sneakers dirty, but it sure was fun!

Brown metal folding chairs, 73 of them, all lined up with a pathway in between. Huge battered pulpit on wheels that looked like the bough of a boat at the helm. To the right are musical instruments. On the wall are artifacts of days gone by, as well as wrenches, wire, bolts, belts, and metal thingies.

Slowly, people meander in, some carrying their own chairs, others not. Tall people, short people, skinny people, old people, tattooed people, farmer people, town people, toddler people, young people, baby carrier people, good-looking people, ugly people. Oh, just kidding.

There were saved people, unsaved people, and borderline people. The WORLD came. We need the world to come. We need the world to see Jesus in us. We need to love the people of the world to reach them for Jesus.

Anyway, hot, smelly air filled the shed, and people stood to listen and embrace the very youthful guitar player, singers, keyboard player, and box drum thumping player. They were High School kids singing for Jesus! You can’t get any better than this.

Shawn opens up nervously, or so I think, with greetings, introductions, order of service, baptisms, and a baby dedication. Former non-saint, Shawn, covered in tats, ear embellishments, and the sweetest soul manure spreader ever. The labor he put forth to bring the gospel to the shed was palpable. Shawn’s love for his family was palpable.

The praise and worship youths led the service with respect and reverence to the Lord. The youth band even had their own youth groupies to encourage them and support them. That was cool to see.

Next up is me. I wrote some notes back at the motel on some art paper with pencil, scriptures, and stuff that I never really got to. My plan went off the rails, so to speak. It’s a blur, but I think all that had ears to hear got it.

Tom was next, and he looked so cute in his black and white checkered shirt, black suspenders, and tan pants. He he.

It was great to have young people leading worship in the machine shed.

He talked about OUR heart. Not the other guy’s heart but OUR hearts. He did something I had never seen him do before … he MADE a red paper heart and stuck it on his shirt as an object lesson prop.

The condition of OUR heart has got to line up with God’s heart, amen?

A prayer of commitment to the Lord and prayer for needs finished up the shed revival meeting.

What comes next is glorious, thrilling, and the right thing to do: get baptized in water, that is, a lawn pool. The kind of pool that has a ladder to get into.

The pool is a little ways from the shed, and cutie pie Adam, Shawn and Maria’s youngest son, drives Tom and me over in a black roll-bar ATV. Hot dog, that was fun! Ha ha.

One by one adults and youngsters descend into the warm blue water to be buried with Christ. Now that was fun and right.

People linger, people hug, people smile, and Tom packs up his books and CDs, and we head back to our hotel, weary, and yet like we touched an electric fence.

It was good, people. Let’s do more of it. Is your backyard available? Is your garage available? Do you have a park pavilion available? Do you?

Update: Pipestone Barn Revival Brings Life