A Sobering Moment

October 17, 2010

This day caught us both off guard, but it was yet another day of the Lord confirming his will for our lives. The day started out as any other day, but we knew that one of our good friends from Ghana, Hilary Nicol-Lewis was speaking at our church, Meadowbrook Community Church. We were looking forward to Pastor Hilary speaking that morning, but before the offering was taken, our friend's dad, Dr Keith Hendrie, shared a testimony on how God had used him for over 25 years while working as a professor in Uganda, Kenya and other countries throughout central Africa. His testimony for so powerful, that once again, I knew that God was calling me to something bigger than myself. He was calling me to separate myself unto Him. He was calling me to leave the world and cleave to his Word. Both Dr Hendrie's testimony and Hilary's message left me wanting more. To give it all up and submit to the will of God. I was so overwhelmed with God's desire to use me, mold me and make me into the man of God that He can use for eternal significance.

After the morning message, we had the opportunity to pray with Dr Hendrie. He was sharing on his experiences and I knew that God was speaking through him, and all I could do was start to cry. He looked at me and said, "You'll do that a lot in Africa." Dr Hendrie prayed over us and commissioned us to do his work. I sensed the powerful hand of God on our lives in a very real and tangible way.

After Dr Hendrie returned home that week, I had the opportunity to give him a call and chat about formal seminary education. I've never been formally trained and the Lord spoke to me and said that His desire was for me to get some formal education. I've been involved in college campus ministry for 10 years, but I've never been formally educated. He shared with me that he believed that education was a very important foundation for ministry, after all, the disciples were trained for 3 years by Christ himself. It was around this time that I applied to and was accepted into the Ministerial Credentialing program through Global University.

With Hilary Nicol-Lewis

That week, we invited Pastor Hilary to come and share at Fusion our college ministry that we coordinate. As he was sharing, I sensed God wanting us to go to Africa on a mission's trip. At the end of the talk that night in the basement of our home, Hilary invited Fusion to come to Ghana to minister and serve through Youth for Christ International. There was an overwhelming response from all of the students and so we prayed about it and decided to go. For Jenn and I, we felt like this was the perfect opportunity to test the waters of ministry in Africa.

A Vision...A Calling...

August 28, 2010...a day in our lives that could forever change our family, our heritage, our vision, our ministry...

One single day. One single moment. One single event that will forever be sealed in my memory as the voice of God speaking, leading, directing and unveiling.

August 28, 2010.

I was at a men's retreat up at Utica, IL (Starved Rock State Park). Pastor Michel, a pastor from Togo shared a message on that Saturday night. After his message, he challenged all of us men to get down on our knees and cry out to God. To ask for strength, courage and direction for our lives. As I was on my hands and knees, kneeling on that metal folder chair, God whispered. He spoke to me and called my name. And he gave me a vision. Not just any vision, but a specific vision for a specific place. All he said was,

"Johannesburg. Johannesburg. Johannesburg."

It was if someone was sitting right next to me whispering in my ear. It was unmistakable. It was as clear as a bell and simply undeniable. It was so clear that I actually opened my eyes and looked around. No one else was in the vicinity.

Apparently he needed to tell me this three times. Only once  in all of Scripture is a word used thrice over, and that is when John describes the very nature and character of God in the book of Revelation: Holy, Holy, Holy. The 24 elders around the throne in Revelation along with myriads upon myriads of angels proclaim this attribute 3 times, thus signifying its importance. This is has nothing to do with me, other than the fact that I'm a knuckle-head and he had to tell me something 3 times so that I would recognize what I was supposed to do. Not sure why Johannesburg was communicated to me like this. He didn't tell me what to do, why to do it, or when to do it. All he did was speak to me.

I got home from the retreat, and told Jenn about my "vision" for Johannesburg (which we will call Jo'burg from now on). She didn't quite grasp the magnitude of the vision (neither did I in all honesty). It felt like we were all of a sudden transported back to the movie "Field of Dreams" and Kevin Costner's wife says "If you build WHAT, WHO will COME?" I again told her that all He had said was "Jo'burg." We didn't quite understand all that this meant, but we decided to keep it on the down low for a while and just simply sit back and pray.