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From the Dust of the Ground: An Untold Tale from Wife Swap By Steve and Kristin Hoover
Steve’s Side—The Promise of Azusa Street
It was in April of 2006. Kristin had just returned from the Azusa Street Centennial Celebration, marking 100 years since the Azusa Street Revival began. The revival was one of Holy Spirit baptism with the physical evidence of speaking in other tongues, much like the initiation in the Upper Room and throughout the recorded Acts of the Apostles. The revival propelled the gospel of Jesus and spurred missionary efforts around the world. Today, nearly 600 million Christians can trace their roots to the mission on Azusa Street.
Kristin returned from the Centennial Celebration enthused, and told me God impressed on her to pray for the boldness of the Apostles and enter into a deeper level of commitment. With Pentecostal boldness, the Apostles preached Jesus constantly, everywhere and in every facet of their lives.
Kristin then produced a small bag of dirt she collected from the Azusa Street site. She said, “I brought this home to remind us that the promise of the Holy Spirit is for this generation, and our God wants us to declare it boldly.” She hung it in the kitchen to remind her of it daily. (Her devotion and personal time with the Lord was greatly increased from that day on and it is quite evident in our family life.)
Between Fear and Faith Eight months later, when the call came from RDF (the company that produces Wife Swap for ABC), my wife immediately mentioned the Azusa Street promise, and her feelings that God would do something with new boldness.
As we prepared for participation in the filming of our episode, I tried to remove the bag of dirt she had brought home with her. My faith is cautious, and I feared national coverage of “Conservative Bible Thumper Family Hangs Magical Dirt in Kitchen.” For me, much of Christianity is heavy on symbolism and light on substance. I wished to portray a solid traditional, Christian family without any mystical overtones.
Kristin insisted the bag stay hanging in the kitchen but reluctantly agreed to tuck it out of sight behind the clock. She was convinced it was not only God’s will, for us to participate in ABC’s Wife Swap, but also that God was reminding us of His promise with this little bag of Azusa Street dirt.
Then the TV Cameras Arrived The filming commenced and soon Kristin left our home for an unknown destination, but not before she reminded me to keep the symbol of her calling in place.
“Don’t you dare take that bag down,” she said it playfully, but I knew she meant every word of it.
Rocker Mom Tish Meeks moved in and tried to “be Kristin,” even drinking late night coffee as we talked about each others lives. We casually discussed the Lord and the conservative Hoover family. Tish told me the Christian lifestyle was something she had experienced but had no more interest in. I was amazed to hear she was married to an ex-pastor. I prayed for Tish and Tony that night, asking God to ignite a longing for Him in their hearts through His Holy Spirit.
Tish was friendly and kind to my three children, and though I had been skeptical, I was beginning to relax a bit. The week progressed and we had some great times as well as heated confrontations.
Ummm, About That Mystical Dirt It was the day the girls and I were making “Red Fire’s” music video that the director called me into the kitchen. There were several other crew members present. She said, “Steve, we have had to re-shoot some scenes, and to do this we have been resetting the clock here in the kitchen. There is this bag…. of something…. and we can’t seem to get it back in place”
I was stunned—and I know it showed.
“I—it’s, um… it’s okay, I’ll get it,” I stuttered.
“But, what is it? If you don’t mind me asking…”
Still dazed, I shared the story of the Azusa Street revival and Kristin’s attendance at the Centennial Celebration where she got the bag of dirt. I also, shared my reluctance to hang it in the kitchen.
Take it from a “cautious Christian,” the gospel of Jesus cannot be hid—it must be preached!
Kristin’s Turn—God’s Surprising Love Upon spreading the news that we would be on the reality TV show, Wife Swap, we received our share of cautions from well-meaning friends. The cautions were legitimate concerns and each night I brought them to the Lord and fervently sought His guidance. Every time I left my place of prayer, I felt God’s urging to “Go!” I wasn’t exactly sure, but I felt this might be the exact reason why He had prepared me, and spoke to my heart at the Azusa Street Centennial.
Soon enough, I was in Texas living with the Meeks family.
The night we filmed my singing with the band, after the camera was packed away, Tony and I sat down for a long conversation. He spoke of a premonition he had when signing up for Wife Swap, and how God might use the experience to draw him back to Calvary. He had even prayed God would not do this, saying he wasn’t ready yet.
The presence of the Lord was palpable, so I shared my story. I realized God loved Tony so much He was even willing to work through a television show. He would move heaven and earth to reach one who had lost his way. Tears flowed as I shared God’s amazing love, and the promise of the Holy Ghost to our generation. I spoke of the power that is promised to the believer when they receive the baptism of the Spirit. We then read Acts chapter two, which describes the first outpouring of the Holy Ghost.
During my stay in Texas, many conversations about God transpired. One night we stayed up late singing praise and worship songs in a large notebook Tony kept from his pastoral days. God was gently calling this soul back home.
How Did That Get There? The last day of my stay in the Meeks home, I hugged Hannah and high-fived Benji their goodbyes. We had about an hour’s drive to the designated table meeting with my husband Steve, and Tony’s wife, Tish.
On the drive to Houston, Tony and I once again discussed God’s love. Tony stated he was opening the door a little for God to come back into his life.
We called the television crew in the van behind us, asking to make a rest stop and pulled off the busy highway at a truck stop, where everyone got out. While I was chatting with the crew members, Tony and Ed, the story line producer, were in deep conversation.
Suddenly, an excited Tony and Ed motioned me to them. “You’ll never believe this, Kristin!” they almost said in unison.
“I was just talking with Ed about letting God back into my life, when we both looked down and saw this,” Tony exclaimed. They both pointed to a shiny glimmer of something they found sticking out of the dirt. It was a small charm—in the shape of a cross! This was just too incredible to be a coincidence. We all felt the moment was divinely orchestrated.
Back in the car, after a long silence, I asked Tony if he would lead us in song. He started to sing, “Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling . . . calling oh sinner, come home,” and “I have decided to follow Jesus . . . no turning back!” The Spirit of God filled the car so strongly and we became emotional in His presence. No doubt, even the crew member, in the back seat listening, must have been affected.
The Rest of the Story God’s amazing love continues to impact the Meeks family, and they describe their lives as taking ‘baby steps’ back to God. They are attending Bible studies with a Spirit-filled group in Texas and continue a close relationship with the Hoover family.
Through the Hoover/Meeks Wife Swap episode, God has brought others to realize their need for a closer relationship with Him. He continues to work with the Hoover family. Group Bible studies have also become a weekly experience at the Hoover House, and some have received the baptism of the Spirit.
I still believe in the promise symbolized in that bag of dirt hanging in our kitchen. The best part is it’s a promise for everyone, if we’ll just become passionate for Jesus and allow Him to work with boldness in these last days.
ninetyandnine.com
© 2007, Steve and Kristin Hoover
---------- The Hoover Family hails from Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks. Steve is a Chimney Sweep and Kristin is a Registered Nurse turned stay-at-home mom. Kristin spends her free time baking breads and pies, home schooling, teaching Bible studies, and doing laundry, while Steve stays occupied building cradles for (hopeful) future offspring.
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