God’s Sovereign Appointment Book!

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This week Tim and I are in Cape Town, South Africa. Hard to imagine from the picture isn’t it. We are here to explore and plan for an upcoming trip we are taking with the Colorado Christian University women’s basketball team. Arriving late the night before, we were a little draggy starting our day, but excited for our first appointment at a retreat center run by Africa Leadership International. While walking up to the main building we were greeted with a chorus of prayers coming out of the meeting room. Simultaneous prayers offered by all the participants, bringing praise and petition to their Father individually, and corporately. It was a beautiful melody, reminding us of what our Abba Father hears each day as the countless prayers of His children reach His ears.

As the prayers ceased, we walked into the retreat center and were greeted by what seemed like people from every tribe and nation. Introductions and conversations proceeded as we were once again made aware of the orchestration and connectedness of the kingdom of God. All of our worlds seemed to collide as conversations arose about ministries God used to bring us to this moment. Promise Keepers, World Vision, Beautiful Gate Lesotho, Beautiful Gate Cape Town, and Open Door Ministries were a common thread that God had woven through our journeys, bringing us together at this seemly insignificant place on the side of a mountain.

As we were talking about our amazing day, we discussed Acts chapter 10. How Both Cornelius, a Roman centurion, and Peter a devote Jew were set up for a Divine Appointment through prayer. Their worlds would have never collided in the natural realm but through the spiritual realm the Holy Spirit birthed an explosive movement of God among the Gentiles. Tim and I would have never experienced what we did today if not for prayer and God’s sovereign appointment book. Read Acts 10 if you have sometime today and meditate on the power of two praying men and the unleashing of the Kingdom of God into the world. Let this story and ours motivate you to keep calling on the name of your Good Father and watch God’s divine appointments flood your life with His glory.

Say “Yes to the Dress”

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When I looked at the picture on her phone my heart overwhelmed me and caused my eyes to flood with tears.  I guess I wasn’t ready to see my little girl Anna all grown up wearing the wedding dress she picked out.  My little girl who claimed she would never wear a dress said, “YES to the dress,” sparkled with a radiant glow and dad was at a loss for words-just tears.

By far this is the most expensive clothing item I have purchased, but at that moment money meant nothing, the joy on my daughter’s face was worth it all. 

The morning after the dress encounter, I was dialoguing with the Father about it in my journal and here is portion of what I wrote on New Year’s Day.

“Anna found a wedding dress, she looked beautiful… a glorious bride…brought me to tears and took my breath away.  Father this is how you must feel when we put on Christ by faith, when we wear the Holy Spirit.  O Father what glory you must feel, you pay for the dress for your children-and it is costly-but you delight in it, seeing your children sparkle…thank you Father for this amazing gift of love.”

It was a great picture gift the Father had given me to start out 2019. My Father paid with the life of His only Son to cover me with the Holy white of Heaven’s pure love and make me sparkle for His glory.  My Father looks at me through the perfection of Jesus and His heart is moved by what He sees.

As you walk forward with the eyes of faith in 2019 do so with your soul rejoicing with thanksgiving and praise. Your Father is beaming with tears of joy over you as you wear the wedding garments of salvation He has prepared for you (Isa. 61:10).

You are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Gal. 3:26-27).

A Prayer for “Infinitely More” in 2019

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Reflecting on 2018 this text from Eph. 3:20 came to mind:  “He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would every dare to ask or hope,” (NLT).

I could list countless examples of how this verse has proven true over and over again this last year for Oceans Ministries, but here is a recent one that touched me.

In December my wife and I were “personal shoppers” at an event hosted by Providence Network. This holistic ministry takes people off the streets, provides housing, and helps them heal from addictions, abuse, and the effects of homelessness.

It was such a blessing to walk alongside the Providence Network residents as they shopped for Christmas gifts for their families for a minimal amount. Once gifts were chosen and wrapped individuals were given the opportunity to donate money to help another ministry. To our surprise one of the ministries options was Oceans.

To say the Goodness of God overwhelmed me was an understatement as Oceans received a check for $366.  Abba was pouring out His love through His children who had limited resources, children who had been rescued from the streets of Denver and were just learning to get back on their feet.  I am excited to pass on this Holy Blessing from God to be applied toward the building of Abba’s Play Room at Beautiful Gate in Lesotho Africa.  God’s rescued children in downtown Denver are blessing God’s rescued orphan children in Lesotho Africa!!

Our God is truly the God who is “able to accomplish infinitely more than we would every dare to ask or hope.“ I could never imagine God working in the way He did with the Christmas event, but that is the amazing God of love we serve.

God, our Father desires to show Himself glorious in your life. Would you make this verse your testimony for today, for this New Year?

In the verses that precede this verse Paul’s passionate prayer is for the church to unleash God’s glory in our lives. I want to continue to pray these inspired words in 2019 and I urge you to join me as together we watch our Father do “infinitely more” than we could ever dare dream. May we join the apostle Paul in this!

I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will give mighty inner strength through His Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love.

And may you have the power to understand as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. May you experience the love of Christ; though it is so great you will never fully understand it.

Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope. May He be given glory in the church and in Christ Jesus forever and ever through endless ages. Amen! (Eph. 3:16-21, NLT).

Learning from the Language of Heaven – O come Let us Adore Him

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One of my all-time favorite Christmas Choruses is “O Come Let Us Adore Him.”  The powerful lyrics and music bring forth such exuberant praise for the amazing gift of Jesus-graciously given to us by a Good Father. 

The other morning I asked Siri to play the triumphant song on YouTube and she did not disappoint as this glorious rendition sung by Bethel Worship popped up:

What was so powerful about this video was as the song was sung people were baptized.  Each person emerged from the water with hands raised and cheers ringing out. Wow! Christ was jubilantly glorified indeed! I encourage you to take a few moments, click on the link, and be blessed this Christmas Day!

This glorious scene links with the last chapter in Revelation. This invitation is extended:

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life, (Rev. 22:17).

The people heard the call of the “Spirit” and the “Bride” (the church) and jumped into the “water of life” the River of God that flows from the healing wounds of Christ the LORD.  They came to Jesus as their Savior and Lord and joined the choirs of Heaven to sing His glory for all ages.

This is the goal of Heaven’s Language, the words from Revelation call us to come and adore the Father and the Son through the work of the Holy Spirit.

We are created to “come and behold Him born the King of angels,” to adore Him and “Give to our Father glory in the Highest!”

This Christmas Day, listen to the invitation of the Spirit of Heaven calling you to COME to your Father and Jesus your Savior and drink in abundance from the “free gift of the water of life,” and as you do may you find peace for your soul.

Merry Christmas from Oceans Ministries! We thank you for your gifts of prayer and support as we call spiritual and physical orphans to experience the love of God the Father! sW

Learning from the Language of Heaven – His Love Wins!

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God continues to speak to me about the concept of “hope!” Ever since the end of October I have had daily encounters with this precious Biblical theme.  In fact right after writing this blog I will jump into a sermon for this coming Sunday, any guess on what Lenten subject I was given to teach on?  Hope!  And the crazy thing is the church I’m preaching at is called, “Hope.”  Do you think God wants me to learn a few things about the importance of this word?

Recently, I was speaking to a group of inmates and I wanted to get their input on the subject so I asked them, “What are you hoping for?” To be honest I thought a majority of them would say “getting out” or  “their freedom.”  The shocker was not one of them responded this way.  Everyone one of their answers had to do with love.  Either restoring a broken relationship with a family member or their love relationship with God.  Their hearts were hoping for love.

A continuous bombardment of the word HOPE has been teaching me the importance of love. Deep down in the depths of every heart is a desire to be known and loved unconditionally. Our hope gets skewed at times by the deceptive plots of the enemy to refocus our longings on temporal fixes that never touch the deep ache in our hearts, so we keep searching but are never satisfied.

Reading and rereading the book of Revelation over the last month stirs my soul to a deeper awakening of hope for the unfolding of history.  As you listen to the language of heaven you discover that every detail being worked out in history is to bring God’s beloved bride to the Bridegroom Jesus Christ (Read Rev. 19). Every battle being fought with beasts and the dragon in the heavenly realm and every plague cast upon the earth has an all-consuming purpose, to bring us into forever love.

Your Father is moving heaven and earth, He is using every battle and trial you and I face to prepare our hearts for an everlasting perfect love.  I challenge you to read the book of Revelation. You won’t understand it all, I sure don’t, but it leaves me with this hope – His love is unfailing and His love always wins!!!!

“Then I heard again what sounded like the shout of a huge crowd, or the roar of mighty ocean waves, or the crash of loud thunder. Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and honor Him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of theLamb, and the bride has prepared herself. She is permitted to wear the finest white line. (Fine linen represents the good deeds done by the people of God.)…Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb.…these are the true words that come from God,”(Rev. 19:6-9 NLT).