Liberty Rising – the Dawning of Freedom

Posted on October 30, 2020February 13, 2022 by Dr. Meri Crouley

We are at a time in History where the battle lines have been drawn. It is the “Moment of Truth”. We are at a transition where the very life and heart of the culture is at stake. With the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic which happened at the beginning of 2020 the nation reeled. But there were those of us who only stood up and spoke up!

In prayer one morning, I heard the voice of God speak to me and say, “COVID 19 means Christ Overcoming Victory in Disease – Psalms 19”. I was able to share this on NBC and BBC:

Religious Group Defies California Public Health Order

I had been at a baptism which some friends of mine were hosting called Saturate OC. The BBC had come out and were interviewing people about the event. I was able to share this clip in front of millions around the world.

The mainstream news media has been one of the biggest proponents of fear. They are part of the swamp! God is draining the swamp and we are at the beginning of a renaissance in media! We cannot be afraid to speak up at this time in history!

In May 2020, I again heard God speak to me when I awoke. These words have been part of my life for the last several months!

WE WON’T SHUT UP – UNTIL YOU OPEN UP!
OPEN THE HEAVENS!!

A Mandate for Seven Baptisms

The 1st Baptism – Corona del Mar

I was then given the mandate to do seven baptisms along the western seaboard of the United States. I was told to do the first baptism on May 30, 2020 at Pirate’s Cove in Corona Del Mar, CA. That date just so happened to be the Feast of Pentecost. It was an amazing day! When we arrived at Pirate’s Cove at 9:00 a.m. we saw an unusual phenomenon of a rainbow around the sun.

We had dozens of people who came out to worship and be baptized! God did indeed Open the Heavens!

But the real interesting thing was that it was fifty years ago in 1970 that Pastor Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel and Hippie preacher, Lonnie Frisbee started the first baptisms.

The Jesus Movement Baptisms

Eventually there were thousands of people attending these baptisms and Time Magazine started covering these events and termed it “The Jesus Movement”. A Movement had begun and millions around the world would become part of that wave!

The 2nd Baptism – San Diego

The 2nd Baptism was held in San Diego on Father’s Day weekend, June 20, 2020 at Buccaneer Beach. There were many who attended and we felt the Father’s love on that beach!

The 3rd Baptism – Venice Beach

The 3rd Baptism was at Venice Beach, CA and Pastor Derrick Gates, and many other Pastors and their congregants attended. We worshipped the Lord and were told by a local official to not sing. We pointed out that there were people all over the Beach doing similar things and they were not told to stop. We said that we were willing to be arrested if need be. But we were not going to SHUT UP – UNTIL THE HEAVEN OPENS UP! We took a stand.

The 4th Baptism – Santa Monica

The 4th Baptism was in Santa Monica Beach at Lifeguard stand 25 on Saturday, September 19, 2020. That date just so happened to fall on another Jewish Feast – Rosh Hashanah. This Feast is the Jewish New Year! The significant thing about this date is that 24 years ago on Friday, September 13, 1996, I did the very first Youthwave Concert. Over 5,000 kids showed up and 500 gave their hearts to the Lord! God told me that there was going to be a “Greater Move of God than the Jesus Movement” and I was told to call this event “Youthwave” and the slogan was “Be a part of the New Wave!” It was historical that the 4th baptism was on the same day I did the first Youthwave concert 24 years earlier! Wow!

The 5th Baptism – San Francisco

The 5th Baptism was on Saturday, October 3, 2020 at Baker Beach in San Francisco overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge. When we arrived that morning at Baker Beach there were dozens of people worshipping Jesus on the sand. There were many people who came and were baptized in the Pacific Ocean overlooking the fabulous Golden Gate Bridge. It was a sight to behold! But another amazing fact is that it was on another Jewish Feast – the Feast of Tabernacles. Also, Pastor Chuck Smith had graduated to Heaven seven years prior on October 3, 2013. You can’t make this stuff up folks! God is planning the “Greatest Show on Earth”.

On October 12, 2020 as I was walking the shores of Laguna Beach, CA, I heard God speak and say to me, “You need to finish the last two baptisms in Seattle and Vancouver B.C. You need to do it before the US Presidential elections.” I was stunned!

I had less than two weeks to plan this and facilitate these baptisms in order to be obedient to the directives of God!

I immediately went into action and everything fell into place. I’m actually writing this blog from my hotel room in Washington State. This past weekend we just completed the last two baptisms in Seattle and Vancouver B.C.

The 6th Baptism – Seattle

On Saturday, October 24, 2020 there were fourteen people who came to Lincoln Park in Seattle for the 6th baptism. We walked down to the Puget Sound, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and worshipped Jesus with flags and shofars. God brought out the sun that day and we had an amazing time. Something shifted in the atmosphere and the “Gates of Heaven were opened”.

The 7th and Final Baptism – Vancouver, B.C.

The 7th and final baptism happened on Sunday, October 25, 2020 on White Rock Beach in Vancouver B.C. at 12:00 noon. The borders of Canada are closed to Americans, so I facilitated a simulcast where we did a split screen on Facebook Live and the world got to see two nations coming together as one. Rev. Dr. Ed Hird helped facilitate this along with Harvest City Church members Dan Smith, Joyce Johnson, Janina and Eli and several others. We all came together as a Dream Team.

https://www.facebook.com/meri.crouley/videos/10224906270987900

Open the Heavens – Vancouver Baptism
Meri Crouley was Live

I have been to Vancouver B.C. and have spoken at Harvest City Church several times. We honored the late Pastor George Johnson at this event as well. He passed away in December of 2019 of cancer at 77 years old. It would have been his 78th birthday on the date of our 7th baptism. God had told me that this 7th baptism was going to be the “CROWNING MOMENT”. That Canada was going to “Crown” America.

This last baptism was “off the charts” amazing. Again, the moment we showed up the sun broke through. It was a crisp 48 degrees but it was a beautiful sunny day. We opened up on Facebook Live with Rev. Ed Hird on the Canadian side on the Bay and Meri Crouley on the American side. You could literally see the famous White Rock where they were going to be doing the baptisms. We started with 20 minutes of worship and then we honored late Pastor George Johnson. Finally, there were two brothers, Aidan and Micah who were baptized by Rev. Ed Hird. I believe that this was symbolic of God releasing a double-portion anointing to the youth for a “Greater Move of God than the Jesus Movement” which is happening NOW!

At the conclusion of the “Open the Heavens” final baptism there were several shofars which were blown on both sides! We all shouted in unison “OPEN THE HEAVENS!” Something shifted in the atmosphere and I know that God “Showed Up and Showed Off”. God sent His mighty Angelic Hosts into the region and cleaned up!

We are at the moment in History of “The Greatest Show on Earth”. The Greatest Revival in History is about ready to break out on the scene. No matter what it looks like – WE MUST BELIEVE. It always looks the darkest before the dawn. Don’t be distracted by the lies of the enemy.

God is going to use the media now to “Show up and Show Off”.

God will orchestrate this move and we will see miraculous signs and wonders in the Heavens.
This Presidential election will be one of the most important races in History. You need to look at the platform both men are running on and it won’t be hard to decide. Trump is pro-life; Biden believes in abortion up until birth. On that one issue alone it is not even a choice if you’re a Christian who you should vote for.

400-Year Anniversary of the Mayflower Compact and Founding of America

Our country is coming up to the 400 year anniversary of the Mayflower compact and the founding of America. On September 16, 1620, the ship called Mayflower set sail for Plymouth – on board were more than 100 passengers all hoping to start a new life in America! These early settlers would become known as Pilgrims, and their arrival in North America would shape the history of the nation for generations.

These passengers were divided into groups known as the ‘Saints’ and ‘Strangers’. The Saints were also known as ‘Separatists’ or ‘Puritans’, a group of people who wanted to live a life free from the Church of England (which had grown very corrupt) to start a new church in America.

Life on the ship was extremely difficult with people crammed together like sardines. Eventually, after a difficult two months, the Mayflower made it to America.

Before going ashore, Pilgrim leaders drafted something called, “The Mayflower Compact” to avoid arguments and fighting. Signed by 41 men on board, the compact was an agreement to cooperate for the general good of the colony. The pilgrims would deal with issues by voting, establish laws with decisions made democratically by the majority. God was establishing a group of Christians who wanted to have a fair community established through justice and equality.

And so in closing this blog, I want to remind you that America was established upon Freedom – not tyranny. We are at the Dawning of a new time of liberty and freedom for our nation.

Use Your Freedom – Go Out and Vote

So please use your freedom and go out and vote. And vote for the candidate whose principles reflect the Godly heritage of what our nation was founded on. “In God we Trust” is on our money.

We don’t want socialism but Freedom. We want community not communism.

It was in St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, that Patrick Henry delivered his most famous speech. With war against Great Britain looming, Henry proclaimed, “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

If we don’t stand for something we will fall for anything! The words which I heard back in May are sounding loudly in my ears, “We won’t shut up – until you open up! OPEN THE HEAVENS!

II Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways. Then I will hear from Heaven and heal their land.

It’s time again for our nation to become:

One nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all!
God bless America!

Dr. Meri Crouley

The Greatest Show on Earth

Posted on June 14, 2018July 30, 2021 by Dr. Meri Crouley

We have shifted into a new season and God is releasing new mantles and mandates for a Great Harvest. Last year I started hearing in my spirit that “The Greatest Show on Earth” was going to come to the earth. I live in Los Angeles and have been involved in producing media for the Kingdom. When the movie “The Greatest Showman” came out on 12/22/17 I knew that this was a prophetic sign from God that things were going to change radically.

“The Greatest Showman” was about P.T. Barnum who started a circus with people, who in the natural, were very odd and who some people would call freaks. But the show was very entertaining and made the people laugh and enjoy themselves during the production. I have seen the movie five times and it always speaks prophetically to me that God is going to use people we would not even imagine during this next move of God.

In 1996 I was instructed by the Lord while speaking at a conference in San Diego to start reaching out to the youth. I stepped out by faith with a group of women and just started praying. We were instructed by God to start looking for venues and we jumped in with both feet. We didn’t know what we were going to call the concert – but we proceeded to be obedient to the Holy Spirit.

“Youthwave” Concerts

A few days later, I was driving home from the gym on Crown Valley Parkway in Orange County, when suddenly God spoke to me and said, “A greater move of God is coming than the Jesus Movement. I want you to call the event “Youthwave” and the slogan is “Be a part of the NEW WAVE”.

The first Youthwave concert was at the Anaheim Vineyard on September 13, 1996 and there were over 5,000 young people in attendance. That night just happened to be Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Years. That was over 22 years ago.

In the meantime, God had me doing Youthwave concerts in various locations in Southern California for another 11 years. Some of the places he had me go were San Diego State Open Air Theatre (representing schools); Oceanside Amphitheatre (representing the beach/coast); Calvary Chapel (where Jesus Movement broke out with Lonnie Frisbee); Jackie Robinson Stadium in Compton (representing inner cities); Camp Pendleton (representing the military bases). Each of these locations were representing a different demographic and area of society where God wanted to touch.

The last Youthwave concert was in 2007 at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Warehouse 14. We had the well-known group – “Skillet” come play along with many other groups. I have not done a concert since then but now God is breathing upon these dry bones again and I’m relaunching the Youthwave concerts again starting in San Diego.

The significance of this venue at the Orange County Fairgrounds was that a young hippie named Lonnie Frisbee was hitchhiking on Fair Drive when Chuck Smith’s daughter’s boyfriend, John, picked up Lonnie Frisbee and drove him to Chuck Smith’s house.

You see, Chuck and Kay Smith, had been pastoring a tiny church in Costa Mesa, California for over 17 years. Their church was very small and not growing. Chuck had been thinking about quitting the pastorate. Chuck and Kay used to go down to Laguna Beach, California and watch dozens of hippies lining the streets. Chuck would shake his head and say, “Dirty Hippies, why don’t they take a bath!”

His wife Kay replied, “Chuck, don’t say that! We need to pray that God is going to reach these kids…our kids are about the same age!” The heart of a mother appealed to her husband to think differently. Chuck told his family “If you see a hippie bring one home…I want to talk to them!”

That’s exactly what happened! God orchestrated and staged the whole encounter where Lonnie Frisbee was brought right to his door. The thing he initially disdained became his destiny!

This radical hippie named Lonnie had an encounter on a mountain several months earlier. He went to Tahquiz Canyon near Palm Springs, California. He cried in a loud voice, “God if you’re real – reveal yourself to me.”

“I’m putting a light on you to reach lost people”

All of a sudden, the atmosphere of the canyon changed. Lonnie had a vision of the Pacific Ocean. But instead of being filled with water – it was filled with people in darkness. Jesus appeared to Lonnie and told him “I’m putting a light on you to reach lost people”.

The rest is history. Lonnie Frisbee and his wife, Connie, moved in with Chuck and Kay. They started evangelizing the beaches and hundreds of hippies started coming to Calvary Chapel. So many people started coming that within a few months they had to erect a tent on the property. They started doing mass baptisms at the beach at Pirates Cove near Corona Del Mar. Time magazine heard about it and started covering it as “The Jesus Movement”.

A greater move of the Holy Spirit is upon us. It will be greater than Azusa Street and the Jesus Movement combined. It will help facilitate the billion-soul youth harvest which prophet Bob Jones was shown by God in a vision many years ago. It will truly be a wave of God’s spirit and will touch the youth in a great wave of Glory – YOUTHWAVE!

The Greatest Show on Earth has Begun

The Greatest Show on Earth has begun. It will bring in those people who many would never think God would use. In fact, I interviewed Lonnie’s former wife, Connie, several years ago on my television program “Now is the Time”. Connie told me that Lonnie was shown before his death that the LGBT community was going to be touched by God in a tremendous way. That they would be one people group who God was going to reveal himself to and restore.

In closing, Lonnie was molested as an eight-year old boy for two years. He tried to tell his mother and step-father. They didn’t believe him. Lonnie got into the homosexual lifestyle at 15 years old in Laguna Beach. But at 17 years old he was touched on that mountain by God’s spirit. He was used by God as a catalyst to spark a movement where millions were touched.

Lonnie did not own the title of being homosexual. But at times in his life he struggled with his identity. Just as many in the body of Christ struggle with addictions to alcohol, pornography, drugs, etc. Lonnie died in March of 1993 due to complications arising from AIDS. He had gotten very bitter the last year of his life because he felt that the church wanted him for his anointing and the power God placed on him – but they didn’t really want him. But the last two months of his life God revealed himself to Lonnie as Father! He came full circle and finally felt embraced as a son and surrendered into the loving hands of God on March 12, 1993.

This will be a move where God is going to bring Malachi 4 back to his church, “Behold I will send you Elijah the Prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And He shall turn the heart of the Father’s to the children, and the heart of the children to their Fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.” In this great coming move of God – Fathers and Mothers will love these new converts and disciple them into their destiny. It will truly be the “Greatest Show on Earth”. And as one of the songs from the movie “the Greatest Showman” states – “It’s everything you ever want, it’s everything you ever need…and it’s here right in front of you….this is where you want to be.”

God is going to bring forth his family. And it will be about community and unity. It will be about complete instead of compete. Where the manifestations of the sons and daughters will truly arise to take their destiny. God is going to be the Director and it might look like a three-ring circus. But it will be “The Greatest Show on Earth.” And millions will want to come and be a part of this show!

Just grab hold of it and hold on for the ride of your life!

2014 – A Year of the Double Portion

Posted on December 27, 2013July 29, 2021 by Dr. Meri Crouley

I believe that we are on the verge of the greatest move of God in history! God is going to give us double for our trouble! Double portion, double honor, double favor! But many of you have experienced so many trials and challenges you have come into a position where it seems like it will never happen.

It’s time for the Restoration of All Things

Two years ago at Christmas time I heard the spirit of the Lord speak to me, “Tell the people, I am going to make their dreams come true!” This is the time that God is going to restore everything that was lost, broken and forgotten. It’s always darkest before the dawn! It’s time for the restoration of all things and for the great harvest of souls to come into God’s kingdom before the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ!

As I was researching about the number 14, I found some very interesting things! The number fourteen is a multiple of 7 x 2. The number seven means spiritual perfection or completion. And so the #14 implies a double measure of spiritual perfection.

There are 3 sets of 14 generations between Abraham and Joseph (husband of Mary). So all the generations from Abraham to David are 14 generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon is 14 generations, and from the captivity until Jesus Christ are 14 generations.

The #14 represents deliverance and salvation and is used 22 times in the bible. The 14th day of the month is the Passover when God delivered the firstborn of Israel from death. On the 14th day of the first month in 30 AD, Jesus was crucified as the perfect sacrifice to save mankind from sin. Jesus death on Passover completed His ministry on this earth to free the world from sin.

I woke up on Labor Day of 2013 and heard the Lord speak to me, “It’s time for the earth to give birth.” I knew that God was speaking to me about a great harvest which was going to come forth! I believe that we are now at the door for this movement to come into fruition.

In 1996 I formed a foundation called “Youthwave Explosion” under the guidance of the Lord. God spoke to me and said there was a greater move of God coming Lonnie Frisbee than in the Jesus Movement. In the late sixties the Lord touched a Hippie named Lonnie Frisbee with the power of the Holy Spirit. Through a series of divine coincidences God brought Pastor Chuck Smith and Lonnie Frisbee together. It erupted into a movement and the rest is history. Thousands of people came to the Lord and Calvary Chapel (Chuck Smith’s small church) exploded on the scene where thousands of hippies found redemption through Christ!

The Changing of the Guard is At Hand

The changing of the guard is at hand. Many church fathers have recently gone home to heaven including Pastor Chuck Smith (October 3, 2013) and Paul Crouch who started Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) on November 30, 2013. Evangelist Billy Graham is very frail and also on the verge of being taken home to heaven.Calvary Chapel

In Malachi 4: 4-5 the Bible states: “Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.. And he will turn the hearts of the Fathers to the children and the heart of the children to their Father’s, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”

The Lord is bringing forth another movement – only this will be a movement of the Father. The Lord said He was going to send the spirit of Elijah before the coming of Jesus. The spirit of Elijah is a double portion anointing!

In II Kings 2 Elijah is ready to be taken up into heaven. Elisha had been serving Elijah and by the spirit knew that it was time for his departure. He asked for a double portion of the spirit that was on Elijah as seen in II Kings 2: 9 – 14:

9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;

14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

Do you notice that Elisha cries out in verse 12: “My Father, My Father”. Elisha did receive a double portion of the spirit of Elijah and in his ministry did twice the works of his spiritual father, Elijah.

Let Go of the Past, to Receive the New Thing

2014 is going to be a year of the double portion. The Lord is sending forth the spirit of Elijah and is going to be restoring families, finances and futures. But Elisha had to tear his own clothes in two before he picked up the mantle of Elijah. You have to let go of the past and what has not worked up until now to receive the new thing.

We have never walked this way where we are going. The Father God in heaven is going to be bringing forth the “Greatest Show on Earth.” It will look very different than any other movement in history. But it will turn father’s hearts back to their children and will restore the lost. This will be the last move before the coming of Jesus Christ to this earth. It’s time for the earth to give birth! It’s time for the double portion anointing! It’s time for the harvest of God’s sons and daughters! Get ready….on your mark, get set…..GO!

Mother’s Day 2012

Posted on May 11, 2012July 30, 2021 by Dr. Meri Crouley

This is the season that we are going to be celebrating Mothers. On May 13th it will be Mother’s Day! Everyone who has ever been born has had a Mother! I feel the Lord say that God is about ready to birth something new in the earth. Another wave of His spirit is here!

There was a significant event that happened on Mother’s Day 32 years ago. John Wimber had been pastoring a church called Calvary Chapel in Yorba Linda. He invited a young evangelist named Lonnie Frisbee to come and share that day. Lonnie Frisbee had been a hippie during the Jesus Movement and God used Lonnie in a tremendous way during the late sixties and early seventies. In 1967 Lonnie went up to Tahquitz Canyon and dropped LSD. He cried out “God, if you’re real….reveal yourself to me!”. He had an encounter where Lonnie had a vision of the Pacific Ocean. But instead of being filled with water….it was filled with people who were in darkness. Jesus appeared to Lonnie and told him that God was putting a light on him to reach lost people. The rest is history. God sparked a movement where thousands of young people came to know Jesus.

So now it is 1980 and the Jesus Movement had come and gone. Many had been touched and still following after the Lord. But something had shifted and many were crying out to God to see a fresh outpouring of His spirit. John Wimber and Lonnie Frisbee had met a few months prior to this event at a pastor’s conference. John had been seeking the Lord for a fresh visitation and believing that signs and wonders would follow. He invited Lonnie Frisbee to come and share on Mother’s Day. It was a typical Sunday morning. John Wimber shared his message and then invited Lonnie Frisbee to come up. Lonnie walked up to the podium and started sharing stories from the past about the Jesus Movement. He called all the young people up around the altar. He then raised his hands and said, “Come Holy Spirit”. All of a sudden the power of God hit the place and all the young people fell to the ground under the power of the Holy Spirit. They were all speaking in tongues and under a heavy anointing.

I have spoken to several people who were at this meeting. They said it looked chaotic! Half of the elders walked out of the church because they didn’t think it was God! John Wimber just sat there looking around in amazement. He had been praying for God to start moving with signs and wonders! Was this the Lord? John went home that night and got a phone call from a pastor in Denver. God had woken up the pastor and told him to call John Wimber and tell John that what was going on in his church was of the Lord. When John put the phone down he was truly amazed! It was the Lord! God was pouring out His spirit and the Lord was moving in signs and wonders.

The rest again is history! The Vineyard church had been birthed on Mother’s Day. John Wimber had been a Calvary Chapel but decided to branch out and become a Vineyard Church. Chuck Smith blessed the ministry and they took off running! The Vineyard Church started growing in a miraculous way. Many people were coming and accepting Jesus as their personal Savior. But they were also seeing the Lord moving in signs and wonders.

We are at the time in history for another movement. It will be a movement which will affect the media. God is doing a new thing and He is pouring out His spirit in a new fashion. This Mother’s Day God is going to break the seal. I see Him choosing a new wine which he is going to break the seal, pop the cork and start pouring. It’s time for a fresh new wine…..it times for another outpouring.

The Lord is birthing something new in the earth! Get ready…..it’s time for the sons of God to be birthed in the earth. It’s time for another awakening!

Another Jesus Movement is at Hand

Posted on February 9, 2012July 28, 2021 by Dr. Meri Crouley

In 1967 there was a 17 year old young man named Lonnie Frisbee. He had gone up to Tahquitz Canyon and dropped LSD. He cried out to God, “God if you’re real….reveal yourself to me!” All of a sudden the canyon started to change. He had a vision of the Pacific Ocean. But instead of being filled with water it was filled with people. They were all in darkness and lost! Jesus then appeared to Lonnie and told him that God was putting a light on him to reach lost people.

At the same time in history there was another middle aged man named Chuck Smith. He had been pastoring a small church for 17 years and was disillusioned. He didn’t feel that he was making an impact anymore and was thinking about quitting the ministry. Chuck and his wife, Kay, used to go down to Laguna Beach and watch all the hippies as they would sit on the sidewalks. Chuck would shake his head and say, “Dirty hippies, why don’t they take a bath”. But his wife would cry out and say, “Chuck, don’t say that! We have to reach these kids! “

“If you ever see a hippie – bring one home!”

Chuck went home and told his kids, “If you ever see a hippie – bring one home!” Well the Lord caused the path of these two men to connect. Lonnie used to hitchhike around southern California to tell people about the Lord. One day he was hitchhiking and Chuck Smith’s daughter’s boyfriend, John, saw Lonnie and picked him up. He brought him home to meet Chuck and the rest is history.

The moment the door opened and Chuck and Lonnie met there was an immediate connection. Lonnie started attending the small church and bringing hundreds of hippies to the services. Within a few months the church had exploded into a movement!

They started doing mass baptisms at the ocean in Corona Del Mar. Time magazine heard about it and started covering the story. They started calling it “The Jesus Revolution” and even put Jesus on the cover of Time.

The Jesus Movement

The Jesus Movement had begun! It was very different than the established church of its time both in style and substance. The differences were very obvious in style. The Movement’s leaders and workers were long-haired bearded hippies in sandals who sang and preached on street corners, parks and coffeehouses, baptisms were often in the ocean at popular surfing beaches, and folk-rock “Jesus music” became a lasting form of contemporary worship that’s still popular in many churches today.

Some in the movement adapted aspects of the sixties counterculture including peaceful demonstrations, marches, and communal living. But the hallmark of the Jesus Movement was its return to a simple Gospel and the New Testament prototype of Christianity, centered in the life and teachings of Jesus and demanding a personal relationship with him, placing a renewed emphasis on discipleship, evangelism and Bible Study. It wasn’t about political or social agendas, it was about Jesus and His life in us and centering our lives around His teachings. It caught a lot of traditional churches by surprise, sounding a wake-up call to comfortable Christians while proclaiming good news to those outside.

A Revolution of Righteousness

Well, I believe that we are at a similar time in history where another revolution is at hand. But this will be a revolution of righteousness and it will be greater than the former Jesus Movement.

The young people of today really don’t get impacted by the mega churches which have exploded around the country. They want something to believe in that they would give their life for. God is looking for radical believers who will give their whole life for the Lord. Lonnie Frisbee was one of those radicals who God used in a tremendous way to reach the culture during that time.

In 1996 the Lord spoke to me and said that there was a greater wave coming to this country than the Jesus Movement. He told me to call my organization “Youthwave” and the slogan would be, “Be a part of the new wave!”

The new wave is here NOW! It’s time to get on board and prepare for the new thing which God is breaking forth in California. But get ready for God to use things which possibly could offend you or the church.

Lonnie Frisbee made a comment when he was on the Kathryn Kuhlman program. He said, “And the church for so long has been expecting a certain mold of what the Christian should look like, what the Christian should say, and what the Christian should be.

But God is blowing everybody’s minds….because He’s saving the hippies. And nobody thought a hippie could be saved. Get ready for God to use the foolish thing to confound the wise. Get ready for a huge tsunami of God’s love and grace which are going to rock our culture. Surf’s up dude…grab your boards and get ready for the ride of your life!

Lonnie Frisbee, ‘Hippie Preacher’ by Kari Browning

Posted on January 2, 2012July 28, 2021 by Dr. Meri Crouley

I wish I could have met Lonnie Frisbee in person. He died at the age of 43 on March 12, 1993.

Lonnie was known as the “hippie preacher” and was a catalyst for the “Jesus Movement” that began in the 1960’s. Lonnie led thousands to the Lord and was the spark that ignited revival in both the Calvary Chapel and Vineyard movements, two worldwide denominations.

During the 60’s and 70’s, the country was being greatly impacted by the Jesus Movement. Lonnie would walk the beaches during the day and convert the young people and bring them back to the church for the nightly services. Frisbee’s appearance helped appeal to hippies and the youth culture, and Frisbee believed that the young people would play a prominent role in the Christian movement in the United States.

Acts 2:17-18 “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.”

His ministry influenced many, including Dr. James Maloney and Shawn Bolz who will be speaking at our upcoming “The Fullness of Time” conference. They both were exposed to the raw power of God in Lonnie’s meetings and were forever changed.

Lonnie led Greg Laurie to the Lord in 1970. Greg is the senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship, one of the largest churches in the United States.

In Greg’s Own Words:

“A young man named Lonnie Frisbee stood up with a Bible in his hand. He was a youth pastor with Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa where the Jesus movement was in full swing. With his shoulder-length hair and beard, he almost looked the way I had seen Jesus depicted in paintings and in the movies. He opened the Bible and began to speak. Although I listened to what he said that day, I don’t remember many of his comments except for one statement: Jesus said, ‘You are either for Me or against Me.’ What side are you on?

That really struck me. Never before had I heard that faith in Christ was an either or deal. Jesus was just this wonderful historical figure who lived a long time ago, did a lot of good turns, and taught brotherly love. As a teenager, I thought that was cool. But for the first time, I had heard that it was actually possible to know Him in a personal way. It seemed too good to be true. I looked over at these Christians, all sitting cross-legged in a circle, and thought, undoubtedly, they are for Him. Knowing I was not one of them, it dawned on me that this must mean I was against Him.

This impassioned preacher told the group that anyone who wanted to know Jesus in a personal way should get up and walk forward. I found myself standing with a handful of other brave souls, praying with the long-haired minister to receive Jesus Christ into my heart and life.”

Jesus Freaks

“Jesus Freaks,” as they were often called, began to be featured in major magazines such as Life, Newsweek, and Rolling Stone. Lonnie, because of his prominence in the movement, was frequently photographed and interviewed.

On Mother’s Day 1980, Lonnie was invited by John Wimber to speak at his Yorba Linda Calvary Chapel church. After speaking, Lonnie invited all the young people 25 and under to come forward. Shawn Bolz was 8 years old at the time and was in that service. Lonnie said these now famous words, “the Church has for years grieved the Holy Spirit, but He’s getting over it! Come Holy Spirit!” Hundreds were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to shake and speak in tongues. Chairs were falling over and the young people were falling on top of the chairs. Everyone was in shock, including John Wimber.

That night, John Wimber could not sleep. He stayed up with books on church history and past revivals. He was praying, seeking the Lord for answers, and trying to understand what had taken place in his church. About 5 am, he received a phone call from Tom Stipe who was a Calvary Chapel pastor in Denver. Tom said, “I don’t know what’s going on there, John, but the Lord woke me and told me to call you and tell you that it’s Him. Does that make any sense?”

The young kids, many in Junior High and High School, were so “filled with the Spirit” that they soon started baptizing friends in hot tubs and swimming pools around town. The church catapulted in growth over the next few months and the event is credited with launching the Vineyard Movement. Lonnie began to travel with John Wimber to many nations and they taught on the Kingdom of God and equipped others in power evangelism and signs and wonders.

I was greatly influenced by John Wimber and the Vineyard movement in the early 90’s and attended conferences at the Anaheim Vineyard. I am very grateful for the equipping I received and John’s message that “we can all do the stuff.”

Both Lonnie Frisbee and John Wimber have gone to be with the Lord; Lonnie in 1993, and John in 1997. On November 17, 2003, I had a strange dream where John Wimber’s secretary called me and told me that John was going to come “the weekend before the Dews come.” When I awoke from that dream, I realized the weekend that Bill and Carol Dew were scheduled to speak at our church was the last weekend in February 2004. The weekend before that was the weekend of February 22 (2-22).

After I had that dream, I picked up a book on John Wimber’s life entitled The Way it Was. I was shocked and amazed to learn that he died on the same date that I had the dream, November 17th. That really got my attention!

Dreams

God speaks in parabolic language and dream language is often symbolic. I felt that the date 2/22 was important in understanding the message of the dream. I felt it had to do with Isaiah 22:22: “I will place on His shoulder the key to the house of David; what He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.”

On February 25, 2009, Shawn Bolz had a dream about breakthrough coming to California. In the dream, he was given 22 stakes, and on 11 of them he painted the word “Breakthrough” and also painted images of keys and crowns. When he awoke from the dream, he felt that the 22 stakes represented Isaiah 22:22.

In the dream, he went to 11 regions and presented a stake to different pastors/ministry leaders throughout California – to stake the land out for breakthrough to happen. He felt it had to do with Isaiah 11:11 that states the following: “in that day the Lord will reach out His hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of His people…” God is going to reclaim His purpose in California one more time!

One of the names of God in Hebrew is Baal-Perazim which means “Master of the Breakthrough.”

After Shawn had the dream, he found out that there is a plaque in the center of Los Angeles that states 11 men, 11 women, and 22 children came to pioneer the great City of Angels!

I remembered reading in Lou Engle’s book “Digging the Wells of Revival” that Lou had gone to the place where the Azusa Street Revival of 1906 began. He, and a group of intercessors, drove a stake into the ground, declaring that the Azusa Revival well in Los Angeles would break forth again. When Lou got back in his car, the clock read 2:22 pm. He thought of Isaiah 22:22 and realized that God had given him the key to open that well.

When Shawn told me the dream, I remembered that John Wimber’s birthday was February 25th, the date Shawn had the dream. John Wimber and Lonnie Frisbee both ministered in the Los Angeles area and it was the epicenter of the Jesus Movement.

God is Looking for History Makers

I believe that God is looking for candidates in this generation who will imitate the faith of John Wimber and Lonnie Frisbee and become history makers. He uses ordinary men and women who are surrendered to Him to spark revival and change the world.

Meri Crouley is currently working on a major feature film of Lonnie Frisbee’s life story. She will be showing the trailer from the film and sharing about the project at an added session at “The Fullness of Time” conference.

Lonnie’s art teacher, Barbara Irvine (who Lonnie led to the Lord), will be painting at the conference. Lonnie lived with Barbara and her husband at one time and commissioned her into the ministry.

I have a sense that both John Wimber and Lonnie Frisbee are cheering us on from the cloud of witnesses as we continue in their footsteps and contend for historic revival.

Kari Browning

Tag: Chuck Smith