House of Mirrors

“Imagine having no family to run to because the only family you've got forced you to keep quiet or…. ‘I'm sending you back to foster care.’ Imagine keeping cries silent, tears locked away. Keep your mouth shut because what happened could ruin this man’s life. He has a wife and he has kids three, but you… You have nothing to lose. You'll get over it. Imagine going to sleep and not being able to wake up because even in my sleep, he has his strong hold over me. I can't open my eyes. I'm trying to move, I'm trying to scream for help. But I can't move. I can't scream. Please Lord please; get his hands off of me. Remove his smell, remove his touch, remove this pain, and remove his lust.”

These words rang through World Impact LA’s Teen Center last month as a part of “House of Mirrors.” This is a vibrant worship service, partnered with The Rock Church, where everything is centered on the arts. Musical theater is used in lieu of the sermon; dance, art, poetry and music are infused with worship; people share their testimonies; we share our offerings; and we learn the Scriptures together. Tiera Monks, an active member, has been coming each month worshiping and experiencing the service. This past April, the leadership team issued a “Brave Challenge” for people to do something they have been afraid to do. Tiera took the challenge and started to prepare a poem that would tell her story.

Five months later she stood before a packed audience and left them mesmerized by her strength. She creatively spoke of an uncle that raped repeatedly her and a family that forced her to keep quiet. As she spoke, different pictures came on the screen from a photo shoot done to connect with the poem entitled, “Silent No More!” The last picture was a silhouette of woman freed from her chains. Tiera ended her poem with a prayer for her uncle, forgiving him and letting God’s freedom engulf her. Others in the audience shared how her story inspired them to want to break free and share their own stories as well. This service was another opportunity to be reminded of the importance of ministries like “House of Mirrors.” God continues to use the arts to reflect society but serve as its conscience to speak to a hurting generation.

“This is the House of Mirrors – shaping boys into men, molding God-fearing sisters. Within about an hour, you'll experience a power that can devour, and conquer your monsters and extract every life-given blister. The objective of the mirror is to project your reflection. We been through the struggles, battered, scraped and bruised. So we use the arts as a tool and we make it look cool.”

We can use the arts to demonstrate compassion and justice to broken people in the city. We can see the gospel through the arts; hearts are healed and restored through God’s presence in gatherings like these.