Boots on the Ground.

Okay, I'm reviewing my year, and setting course for this next season. A year ago today, I got the first inkling that I should start prayer-walking to reclaim territory in downtown Bakersfield. I didn't know what that meant at the time, but I started in by prayer walking through the neighborhoods on my way to church.

I love the downtown, and I live in the tree-lined streets just bordering the concrete center of the city. The '01 is my zip code; 93301. This area encompasses the majority of Bakersfield's historic downtown, and Colonel Baker's field where everything originated in the 1800's:

I began to get serious about walking every street in the spring of this year, and got strategic about putting militant boots on the ground in early summer; stitching together a map and tracing neighborhoods, nooks, and nether regions visited in green ink. I spent some early mornings walking multiple circles around some buildings singled out by the Spirit - the abortion clinic, the Mason's hall, the Lectorium Rosicrucianum, a prominent strip club - and some places that got singled out for blessing and reclamation - defunct churches, crack hotels, residences. I faced off with crazed dogs, saw glowing sunrises, talked with broken transients, and discovered corners of my hometown that I'd never considered. 

I have only a few streets to mop up now, and I still need to do some blessing-walking around Bakersfield High School, which is closed off because the stadium is under reconstruction. My map now looks like this:

During the travels, the biggest change for me was that my mental map expanded from thinking in terms of territory to thinking in terms of inhabitants. Who lives here, both human and spirit? Who owns this space? ... And to pray, declaring, accordingly.

And now, What to do when I'm done? I don't get a gold star. Like the Golden Gate bridge, when you finish painting at one end, start over at the other. There's some streets that need a fresh coat of prayer. I'll find some cold mornings to get back out there now that the weather's changing.