Filling in the blanks

I’ve now had some time to process the events of the weekend and wanted to share them with you.

After Pastor Adams and I left the museum on Saturday we went to the church where I preached an afternoon session on temptation, using the temptation of Jesus as the passage to teach from. During the afternoon session several came forward to make commitments of renewal and repentance. When I was done preaching, a local pastor from the mountains, Apostle Musa Kibet, stood and began to speak. He taught the congregation a Swahili song he had written that talks about the greatness of God, being greater than all other things.

As Musa was singing, the Lord impressed upon me two things that needed to happen in the evening. The first was that Musa needed to lead the congregation in that song and that he needed to lead out in worship. The second thing was that I needed to solicit the testimonies of the people as part of the worship. When this service was over the people were asking if we could just go straight through until the next service later in the evening; however, it was decided that we should break for dinner.

While we were at dinner the Lord prompted me that I needed to preach on the healing of Naaman. The Lord also directed me that I needed to get alone with Him in prayer. I informed my hosts, that as soon as possible I needed to return to the church and spend some time before the Lord, that I believed something great was going to happen.

After dinner we returned to the church. Pastor Adams, Pastor Wachira and his wife Esther joined me, each of us praying individually. I could hear Pastor Adams weeping and his prayers in English were just as clear as if he were a native English speaker. In his prayers I could hear him weeping.

As I was praying the Lord told me that He would reveal His healing presence in the service tonight. He told me to not be intimidated by any condition, but to trust that His hand would be at work. He also told me that the Esther had a word for me. When I inquired of Esther as to what the Lord had been speaking to her, she responded that He had shown her that His Spirit was falling upon the people and that miracles would occur during this service.

We then joined hands and consecrated ourselves as vessels in the Lord’s hands.

When I walked out to the platform, I observed the worship team on their knees with their faces to the floor, weeping as they were singing. I was overcome with an overpowering joy and began to weep, the only words coming from my mouth were “Thank You Jesus.”

The people were visibly moved by the presence of God. Some were prostrate, others had their hands raised, many were weeping.

Once the worship in music was finished, many came forward giving testimonies of God removing obstacles, so they could attend. Many talked of delivery from physical symptoms and others talked about the birthing of revival in their hearts. As I prepared to speak, Pastor Musa approached me and said: “You are to pray for the sick tonight, God is going to use the testimonies of healing from this service tonight, to fuel His the worship of His presence tomorrow.”

Before I spoke the Lord led me to pray for the removal of the spirit of stubbornness and the spirit of unbelief. Applause rang out as this prayer was prayed. I then proceeded to teach for the next hour on the healing of Naaman and the importance of his obedience in seeing the power of God in his life.

When it was over the Lord directed me to begin praying for the sick and those who needed deliverance. The Lord prompted me to have Pastor Musa, Pastor Wachira and Pastor Adams lay hands on the sick with me, as I prayed.

The second person I laid hands immediately fell when I said “In Jesus name…”

I have seen God do many amazing things, but have never had anyone become dead weight under my hands. In this first round of prayer, I prayed over some 40 people…this falling out occurred one other time as I prayed over the sick.

As I finished praying, Pastor Adams said that we needed to call everyone forward to pray for the fire of revival to take hold in each of their lives. As he called them forward, Pastor Musa began to lead worship in song. One woman screamed out and began to weep. Then each of the minister went through the crowd touching each person, asking for the fire of revival to come upon each one. As these prayers were prayed weeping was heard throughout the congregation and 2 or 3 others went to the floor.

As I finished praying all I could do was weep and cry out “Thank You Jesus.” It was now 11:30PM and many were crying out, could we continue on. We told them to go and testify, so that others would be present on Sunday morning.

When I got back to my room, I found myself weeping again. I could not even record my video journal, I was so shaken…I told the Lord, I don’t know what just happened there…but I have never felt You so strongly. Please let me continue to walk in the intensity of your presence.

Sunday morning as I came to the platform, there was a line of visitors standing in front of the church. Each one was stating that they had come, because they had heard of the miracles that had happened as the “man of God” had spoken.

Following a lengthy time of worship many came and gave testimonies of new commitments, new insights into God’s Word and testimonies of healing. One of these testimonies was from Pastor Wachira’s oldest son. Immediately when I had prayed for him, the holes in his diseased teeth had filled in.

As the testimonies were ending one of the elders placed a clock on the podium. I told Pastor Adams: “I hope that me, because I won’t be looking at it.” Pastor Wachira laughed as I told him, that I would quit speaking when God was finished.

I preached on the healing of the blind man, and Jesus revelation to him, that He was the Messiah. I reminded the congregation, that the purpose of God’s miracles is to remind us that He is fully capable of cleansing us from our sin and unrighteousness. The purpose of the miracle is to strengthen our faith and bear witness to the lost.

At the invitation another 6-8 people came forward for prayer and commitment.

During the afternoon I spoke with teenagers and church leaders. My time of teaching with the church leaders was so life impacting that Pastor Wachira made notes for each of his church leaders.

Yesterday morning and afternoon I met with approximately 30 church leaders. Pastor Adams again had me speak from the things I had taught the previous afternoon. I could see many pastors taking notes and I later learned that this was the first meeting of this kind attended by that many local pastors in Kitale. I spoke greatly to them about their need to co-labor with one another for the sake of God’s Kingdom. I took them through practical exercises of accountability, co-laboring and mentoring.

During my teaching on co-laboring, I shared my own victories and defeats and then I invited others to share. Pastor Musa spoke up and shared that his heart was torn. He was struggling with preaching and teaching, wondering if he was even truly called to be a minister. I asked others to speak into his life and the room was silent, when all of the sudden the Lord prompted me. I told Pastor Musa that I believed he was truly called of the Lord, but that he was not operating in the strength of his call. I went on to tell him, that I saw in him a passion for worship and a capability to bring groups of people to the throne of the Lord through song. I told him, that although he has a shepherd’s heart, the preaching ministry was not his call and was therefore causing him inner turmoil. I challenged him to groom a Timothy to take over the preaching duties. I then asked the group, since many knew him if I was speaking truth? Their heads nodded in agreement. Pastor Musa then cried out to a friend and mentor to speak what he and his wife had already told Musa. It was exactly what I had spoken.

A Proper Send Off

One of the things that I have done since I began travelling internationally is a time of prayer and commissioning before I leave.  Tonight I was joined by a dozen or so of my closest prayer supporters.  Several scripture passages were given to me during this time.   They included Jeremiah 33:3 and Philippians 4:8-9 among others.   The key theme of each passage and the words that were spoken to me was the Lord’s promise to be with me,  His direction to follow Him in obedience and the promise of His Spirit working through me.  A word was also given about a stubborn spirit in those I would be speaking to and the need to pray for open doors and effective doors.

The group then anointed my head with oil and spent 20 minutes laying hands upon me and praying for me as the Lord led.   This was such a special time and their prayers echoed the longings of my soul.   When it was finished one of the intercessors shared a vision she had while praying for me of Holy fire surrounding my entire person.

We ended our time by sharing a pan of brownies that Collin had baked this afternoon with the words “Goodbye Dad” written on the top.

2 Days and Counting

It is hard to believe that in 2 days I will board a plane here in Corpus Christi and spend the next 24 hours making my way to Africa.   This trip has me lit up with anticipation of all that God seeks to do in Kenya and Uganda, but more importantly in me.   This is not my first mission trip overseas alone, but there is a difference this time.  I have a greater awareness this go around of my full dependence upon God.

Those who pray for me and give regular counsel are all saying similar things.  Each one reiterating the understanding that this trip is the Lord’s doorway into the next chapter of my ministry call and my walk with Him.   The Lord has spent the last several months taking me through the process of complete surrender to Him.   Every step of faith has been a practical exercise in drawing closer to Him.

The word the Lord has given me for this journey is “steadfastness.”  I will be speaking to these Christian leaders about examples of standing firm…Moses, Joseph, Daniel and others.    This word is also for me.   The Lord has been teaching me how to stand firm, even when it seems nearly impossible.

When I return, we will be considering our next steps as a ministry.  The Lord has been speaking to me about “mobility” in serving the body and we find ourselves through the transitions of life once again honed down to a core nucleus in our ministry.   The Lord is at work, but He has not yet fully revealed His plan for Simplicity in the days to come.

Time alone with God

Last September I started a retreat series called “Longing for His Presence.”  The purpose of this series is to help a person build solid spiritual formation disciplines into their lives.  Each retreat is 2 1/2 days in length and focuses on a few key disciplines.  In the first retreat about 30% of the time is spent in silence and the remaining 70% is content.  The second retreat is about 60% silence and solitude and 40% content.   The third retreat is 90% silence and solitude and 10% content.

Today I completed the third retreat.  My time in silence and solitude before the Lord was very refreshing.  I found that my soul had grown somewhat parched and I needed a refreshing flood of the Lord’s presence.   The theme for this retreat was John 15 and for me the key thought was “Abide in My rest.”

Over the past 2 1/2 days the Lord has reminded me of His great love, His all sufficient grace and His constant presence.   He also helped me to see some things about myself more clearly.   The greatest illumination came in the area of my expectancy.   Over the past few years, the Lord has been preparing my heart for some exciting things.   With these preparations came a sense of expectancy; however, over time I have allowed that sense of expectancy in some ways to become an expectation of how God should be moving and at what speed.   This subtle shift creates an undesirable quality in my character…impatience.   I found myself today asking the Lord to give me a new found joy in times of waiting.

The Lord also showed me that I struggle with wanting to see stability and structure in my circumstances, because I often view myself as unworthy to fulfill the call on my life.   Humbling revelations about myself, yet they are very accurate.   A fellow brother helped me to see this reality more clearly…he chuckled, because I was already doing the things I felt unworthy to be doing.

Tomorrow it will be one week until I leave for Kenya and Uganda.   I still lack about $2,000 of covering my ground transportation, lodging and meals.   I know the Lord will provide, even though those provisions are not realized yet.  Living on the edge in faith and walking in complete trust are all apart of the journey He has me on.

Preparing for Kenya/Uganda

I’ve been watching the clock tick by quickly and was finding myself wrestling with doubts about my upcoming trip to Africa.  The Lord has spoken clearly on several occassions directing me to make this journey, but things didn’t seem to be coming together.

Today the Lord began to clear the path in front of me.  This afternoon I was handed an envelope that covered my airfare to and from Nairobi.  There was enough extra for me to get my anti-malaria pills and a yellow fever vaccination.

My wife and I both find ourselves eager to see how God provides the remaining resources for my in country travel.

I am also thrilled, because my partner pastor in Kenya asked if I had a spare laptop that he could use for the Bible college.  It just so happens I have one that simply needs to have the power button fixed.   I was so glad that I can meet that need for him.

Serve the Body

Several weeks ago I was seeking the Lord for greater clarity for these days that I find myself in.   Out of that time of searching came the words:  “Serve the Body.”   I understood this to mean that I needed to become a steadfast servant to the body of Christ.

Last night, I was having trouble getting to sleep, so I spent some time travelling down memory lane watching music performances from the 70’s and 80’s.   Around 11PM, my email went off and I received a note from a woman in Houston.   In this note, she told me about her father and two brothers who had started a church on the north side of Corpus Christi that, after four years, found itself struggling.   She then asked if I could assist her dad in any way.   

I responded back and asked her to have him call me.  Within the hour, she had emailed back telling me that she was so excited she had called her dad and awakened him with the news of my willingness to help.

This evening I joined this man and his church for their Tuesday night service.  It became clear to me that he is God’s chosen man for this work, but he feels inadequate and has continued to try to bring someone else in.   Needless to say this coming Monday, he and I will begin going door to door in the neighborhood offering to minister to all who will receive in the precious name of Jesus.

She Chose the Streets

After the ups and downs of spiritual and emotional battle with our house guest last night, I thought we had perhaps reached a turning point, but sadly I was wrong.   When Carol went to see what she wanted for lunch, she found that our guest had packed up and left.   

The hardest part of ministry has always been wanting more for people than they want for themselves.   In the long run, the streets are familiar, in-spite of their inherant dangers.   For our part, God let our family work together for the benefit of someone else.   All we can do is be obedient and love others, what they do with that love still remains their choice.

In a very small way I understand what God must go through when He pours His love out on people and they still choose to walk away from Him.

Living in a War Zone

We often forget that the lives we know are really in the middle of a battle zone for the soul.   Jesus has already won the victory, but not everyone knows that and so the enemy does his best to lure, deceive and taunt.   His lies are smooth, but they have destructive result.

Tonight was one of those nights in our home.  Our house guest just wanted to stay in bed this evening, even though we were supposed to be at Organic Group.   She became rebellious and defiant with Carol and would not speak to me.   It was time for Carol and I to gird ourselves up and stand in the gap.   The triggering mechanism was a lies of hopelessness and the need for comfort…”a cigarette sure would help, you can’t make it without them.”

For nearly an hour we spoke truth and prayed over our guest.  At one point she told me she wanted to return to the street, because she couldn’t handle it anymore.   After an exhausting exchange, love won out.   The Lord once again broke through the lies and darkness, allowing our guest to see the truth of the love around her.  She broke down in tears, having trouble understanding how people could love her enough to fight for her.

Of course the enemy wasn’t quite done yet.  Our Organic Group host and her brother are both smokers.  Bless his heart, he has a learning disability and in his charming, simple way he offered our guest a cigarette.   She stood firm…battle #1 over and done.   She then went to the kitchen to get more coffee and there on the counter was a pack of cigarettes.   She began to tailspin once again.  So we gathered around her, prayed and got beyond it.   On the way home, she began to realize that she had been under the influence of a spirit that was not hers and she also recognized that she had been victorious.

Our guest doesn’t know much about God or Jesus, but He is showing her great things about His love for her.   After our guest went to bed, I had to remind my wife that she too was victorious.  We are both being stretched.  This is not the ministry assignment we originally signed up for, but it is the one God has given us and for that we are grateful.

I Really Want to Know More About Jesus

All I can say is that God is awesome!  His power is incredible!   How I got to have a front row seat, is beyond me…I’m just glad to be here!  Let me give you the highlight reel:

  • Our house guest today was floored, astounded (insert any other appropriate word here), because she realized late this afternoon that she had not had a cigarette in over 30 hours, and she had not even had the craving for one.
  • Today she was watching a video series of the Gospel of John that we have.  She was holding up the box saying:  “I really want to know more about Jesus.”   I told her that He wanted her to know more about Him also.   Startled, she looked at us and said:  “Did I say that out loud?”   The overflow of a heart touched by the love of Jesus is a beautiful thing.
  • Tonight she asked Carol to read scripture to her as she went to sleep

We also felt her pain as she talked to loved ones and learned that her daughter had recently spent time in jail.   The enemy tried to overwhelm her with hopelessness, but the Lord brought comfort through her tears.  I challenged her to be the demonstration to her children of how God can turn a person’s life around.

Tomorrow I will be meeting with two fellow ministers from the area to discuss how our ministry neighborhood can be set free by Jesus, and how He wants to use us in that process.

Weekend Update

Yesterday Mike and I met up at the church with my friend William, who leads a local intercessory prayer ministry here in Corpus Christi.  William and his wife had been at our house warming last week and heard some of the spiritual warfare things Mike and I were encountering.   He had asked us to meet with him, so that he could encourage us and provide some basic principles for us to utilize in this area of our faith walk.

Within a matter of hours I found it necessary to deploy some of these suggestions, especially those dealing with expanding my prayer covering.   Before the day was over, we would see Christopher encounter a serious blowout on a Houston freeway with a car full of Navy cadets, our daughter would crash her bicycle into our pool and the ignition switch went out on our van.

Christopher's car after the blowout

Christopher's car after the blowout

After the Loop 610 incident

After the Loop 610 incident

Yet through it all, God showed Himself faithful.  Christopher and the other cadets were not hurt.   Caitlyn was scared, but also unhurt (although her CD player didn’t survive 4ft of water) and a tap from a rubber handle on a socket wrench got the key to turn in the van.

During the afternoon we called on those that God impressed upon us to surround us in a covering of prayer.   By 4PM, the spirit of peace within me was overwhelming…those prayers could be felt within and without.  We did however call my friend William and asked him to bring a group of intercessors to our home to pray over us and the home.

This morning, I woke up with a heaviness looming over me that seemed very unshakeable.  Even as I prayed before service this morning, I just couldn’t seem to shake it.  Even Mike’s wife, Kim, could see it on my face.   When I got done praying, I opened the door of the church and sat back down.   I watched out the window as a woman walked past and then made a button hook into the door.

She declared that she was tired of living on the streets and asked if we could help.  At first it was the normal request:  “A few dollars for bus fare to Flour Bluff and something to eat at Whataburger.”   I asked her if we could pray for her, but she didn’t answer me.   She went on to elaborate that she had not slept, that she needed to wash her clothes and that she wanted to get off the streets.

I told her that we did not give out money, but that I would make sure she was fed and we would give her a ride to Flour Bluff if needed.   I also offered to let her do laundry and share lunch with our family and Mike’s family.   She balked and said she just needed money.  I asked her how a few dollars was going to get her off the street?

After a few moments of silence, she asked if she could just have some coffee and said she was going to leave.  I reminded her that she had not answered my question about praying for her.   She told me I could pray for her, but she saw my bottle of annointing oil and told me that I could not annoint her with oil.   I told her that was fair.

I prayed for her deliverance from the streets and the bondage that kept her there.  She sat for several minutes, got some coffee and sat down.   I started into the service and she kept staring at me.   Then all of the sudden, shen leaned over and asked me if we would really help her out as I had indicated before.   I reiterated what I had said and then the Lord gave me a word of deliverance that went straight to her heart.  Immediately the tears began to flow and we bathed her in prayer.

The Lord had already been impressing upon my wife and I that part of the reason He moved us to Padre Island was to create a safe haven for people He was delivering from the streets.  Out here there is no city bus, no red light district, no street culture…a place of safety.   Carol and I both felt compelled without speaking that she was to be the first to find the healing and deliverance of God’s kingdom in our home.

As we drove to Mike and Kim’s for lunch, the tears continued to flow…but they were tears of joy and laughter that burst forth from within.  She also indicated that she has smoked her last cigarette, so I prayed over her cravings, yearnings and desires.  Our new house guest said she had not laughed in years.   While lunch was being prepared, our guest showered and was given a new change of clothes.  The woman who shared a meal with our families was not the same woman who had entered our door a few hours before.

As the afternoon wore on, the pain of years on the street was released in tears as Carol held tightly to her.  I found myself weeping in the adjacent room as I listened to God releasing the pain from within.   Several times she exclaimed..”I can’t believe I’m not craving a cigarette.”

This evening the days of hard living had ended in an early bedtime.  Carol has already had to comfort her once, because of the nightmares she was having.   Our guest’s greatest fear is that we were going to dump her back on the streets.  The mess the enemy makes out of people’s lives….truly the earth groans for the touch of Jesus.

Also this evening the intercessory team spent time in our home.   The Lord spoke to the group collectively about the testing that Carol and I have been under, saying:  “They passed.”   Of course that word was proceeded with the word “patience.”

My friend spoke a valuable word to me as well.  My role in the kingdom is parental in nature…when the time is right the “fatherly” blessing I give as those restored spread their wings and fly will become monumental.