Being Aware

Here we are in KC staying steady with our assignment here. We have been busy with many aspects of our work here. Dean of Men position is still taking most of my thought and energies while still maintaining work as director of Campus Management.

We have just returned from our "Spring Ministry Trips" SMT in which the entire student body travels to various locations to help minister and strengthen the local church. Katie and I helped lead a group of 28 students to Little Rock Arkansas. This was a new location for the University so we call it a "pioneer location." We served multiple ministries and churches in the Little Rock area including a foster care halfway house, a distribution warehouse that served over 200 Arkansas churches, an after school ministry and 3 churches.

We held prayer meetings each morning at one of the churches using the harp and bowl model that we use in Kansas City for our 24/7 prayer room. We also had a couple evening prayer meetings with another local church where we were able to lead the prayer meeting as well as prophecy over the family of believers there.

In all the 10 day trip was an awesome experience for all the students as well as the ministries we went to serve. We feel this pioneer city will have a long term connection with our university for years to come. We are so engaged with seeing our Father in heaven bring His church into unity as the day of His Son's return approaches. We long to see the body of Christ love one another beyond the doctrinal differences we have. We saw such a shift on our trip and are so encouraged by the uniqueness of the body of Christ and the important part each plays to proclaim the life we have as son's of the most high God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Join with us in the place of prayer as we look for the Father's understanding and expression of what it means to be the family of God. What binds us is eternal and is what we will be rejoicing in together for the next billion years. What a glorious hope we have as we look to the "Head" and love each other in the uniqueness of each part we carry as His body, His bride!

With that said, I would like to share some of the things I am finding in my journey that is filling in many of the missing pieces that are bringing the picture into view for me.

What an amazing hour we live in. I often ask myself; am I seeing life from the right perspective. I clearly know the foundations of my life are right and true. However is my paradigm of life founded from the right starting point? I am aware more and more that the Spirit of the Lord is operating in this time of man not to impress us and convince us about Who He is but because He has purposed in Himself and in His will and desire an eternal plan that we are invited into.

We have been invited into this story line, into a narrative that is fully in His purpose that was birthed before the time of man was put in place. He designed a plan before the foundation of the world and invited us into that purpose of life. We were created to be a part of the eternal will of God who is a Father. The reality of family was not a design of humanity. It was in the heart of Father God before time.

Ephesians 1 explains it well. Who; God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... When; before the foundation of the world... How; in Him... What; He chose us... Where; before Him in love... Why; to or for Himself. This has always been His intention! We have been invited into a Master plan that will come to pass. In all we do, this must be the starting place to have a right perspective. Before the time of man, God as the Father produced a story line to have a family. He created us to be sons. He created us to be a bride for His Son.

Our perspective is to be formed from His design. It is a right paradigm of life when we see from what was, what is and what is yet to come through His design and will.

We are entering the culmination of the time of man. How we see His narrative is critical for a right understanding of the events that are taking place. The mystery of His will is according to His good pleasure that He purposed in Himself! We have the glorious privilege to live according to how and what we were created for; to be sons of the God of all creation.

This lost time of man has a place of escape. Not just a place to struggle through but a place to prevail in the eternal hope we were created for. This is an hour of transition. The church is discovering her identity as the earth prepares for the Bridegroom's coming. The first commandment is becoming first. The bride is seeing her beauty in her abiding in the Bridegroom. In an hour of unprecedented darkness that is filling our culture and society, the Holy Spirit is anointing a people to walk holy with a voice to proclaim good news. The broken are being healed. Liberty is being announced to the captive and oppressed. Eyes are being opened to salvation. Ears to here the word of the Lord are becoming opened and clear. Luke 4:18 and Isa 61.

So much more to say as we see the hand of God moving in His church today. We still see the challenge of a weak perspective and the struggle to hold on to self will but the Holy Spirit is helping the church see past these values to a higher standard for us to live by and reach for.

Katie and I look forward to the months ahead and look forward to meeting with you our dear friends face to face one day hopefully. Until that day may our Lord bless and keep you in His love and care!

Our Student Ministry Trip (SMT) brought us to the Arkansas State Capital where the Senate was in session. We we able to pray over the legislators as they were in debating bills.

Our IHOPU student team ministering at a local church with a "harp and bowl" prayer set. In these prayer times we combine prayer, the Word and music. We were able to pray for the church in Little Rock Arkansas.

Our Student Ministry Team. IHOPU 2021 (Little Rock Arkansas Trip)