Happenings...

Today I am sitting in the Longview Library and I am overwhelmed by the mercies of the Lord. I have been on a journey for the last few years and yes I mean years... I have been on a journey that no, is not complete but the outer edges of the puzzle are being formed for His glory. 

I am excited to announce that my sweet friend, the first one in Longview was

baptized last night in the wonderful saving name of Jesus Christ! I am so excited about where God is opening the door for me here in ministry. It is not about me or who I am but it is about the work of the Lord.

He has called me here for a purpose and that door has begun to open.  A few weeks ago I met Jimmy at the public library, which is why I am here today actually. I came looking for him to bring him an umbrella. It has begun to rain and he has not been able to get into shelter yet as far as I know. I felt led of the Lord to come to the Library a few weeks ago and that is where I met some new friends Jimmy and Dan. They were sitting on the park bench outside and something just came over me and I went up to them both. I ended up sitting there for over 2 hours just listening to their stories and being a friend. Then Jimmy decided to come to church with me on a Wednesday night. I was so excited! Here a door of opportunity to meet people at the library who are broken and alone.

Jimmy referred me to volunteer and go to a local soup kitchen. It was the third or fourth time that I was recommended to visit this place, so I went. I was welcomed and began volunteering the very next day. When moving to Longview I had a temporary job with a local homeless organization but this job had ended. I had some free time and there is something in me that compels me to reach for those in need. I really can’t explain it… When you are reaching for souls and you see results something makes you want to reach for them even more…

I spent a few days at the soup kitchen and was able to pour into several people. There was one young man and I will call him Dave. He was drawn to me the whole four hours I was there. He told me it was his birthday. I burst out into song and anyone who knows me (knows this is often). He stopped me and said, “Wait, wait, I want to record you, I am moving to Las Vegas and I can listen to you on the bus the whole way there!” I was honored and sang into the camera for him. He knew I was Pentecostal and said that he had been raised around people like me. He was so excited to know me. I am glad I took the time to be kind to him because the next day I was told that he was dying of aids and that he was going to live with loved ones in Las Vegas. You never know whom you are impacting and how just a little extra time can change someone’s life and give them hope.

Another homeless friend I have been working with has allowed me to pray with her. She came to me in tears thinking she was sick with cancer. I laid hands on her and declared healing for her body. It is not me but the Jesus in me who is using me for His glory. I mention her because she is a part of the job where I was working. I was able to see her and another lady from the shelter down at the kitchen. I was able to sit and minister to these families. They are broken and just need someone to come along and give them hope. It seems that yes, I am but one person yet each one can reach one.

What is your focus? Are you reaching for those who are hurting? I challenge you to step out in faith and speak hope to someone around you. Jesus brings in the increase but its our job to toss the net and those who are hungry will eat. We don’t determine who is worthy and who will come to Him but the more we throw out our net the more they will eat.

You can never stop reaching! You must be reaching for all you meet. You can ask God to open the door but you must be willing to step through when He gives you an opening. There might be only one chance to tell them. Don’t be scared! Just show them genuine love and compassion and they will be drawn to you. I have been in Longview about 4 months and I counted up the amount of people God has led me to and the number is astonishing! One person really can reach their world!

Her name is Bonnie my first friend to get baptized in Longview. God has allowed me to reach 7 homeless friends from the streets of Ann Arbor. Revival is springing forth in a city that I am no longer in but I was the starter. Will you be a starter? Will you reach your world? You don’t have to go to the homeless shelters, the library steps, the soup kitchens, or even the streets to reach the hungry. You can reach them on your job, your neighborhood and the local supermarket. You can make a difference!

My new friend Sammy is a dynamic soul winner, he lives in Dallas and he has inspired me to speak every where I am at… Boy am I inspired and in awe. In a short while he won 9 families to the Lord and in the past year alone he won 18 different people to the Lord. I am humbled and honored that the Lord allowed him to come into my life. I have so much to learn and it is so inspiring!

… Another friend Faith who is also moving to the Dallas area is talented in outreach. She has been a prayer partner and an instant friend. She too has seen many souls come to the Lord. These are the type of people that I want to learn from. I want to be a soul winner for all types of people. I never want to be limited inside a box of my own making.

Both of these friends God has been putting me in contact with in the last few weeks. God does not make mistakes. He knows just who to bring into our lives and just when they will make the greatest impact. It is my desire to impact those of you who are reading this… We all need a little bit more inspiration. Just think that you reach today could be the greatest soul winner of our time or that soul winner just might be you! 

*Praise report! I was blessed with a memory foam bed when I have been sleeping on the floor for 3 months! 

**I got a full time solid job with full benefits and the whole nine yards! 

This has been one of the greatest weeks for blessings! God is always right on time! 

A Call to Volunteer

A Call To Volunteer

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I: send me.

Isaiah 6:7

I wonder how many people don’t yield to the calling of the Lord in their lives. I am sure the rate is alarmingly high for I myself was there at one point in my life. I think the main problem was that I didn’t think I was worthy of the calling. How could the Lord want to use me? I was such an unlikely choice. I have said this before in a few forums, but I was 12 years old when the Lord called me. I was crying myself to sleep from the bullying at school. I heard Him call me so sweetly and He told me He had a plan for my life and that it was in the ministry. I honestly didn’t believe it!

I was an outcast in school. I was alienated for years and my self confidence was non-existent. It was at this young age that I began to wall up my emotions, so surely God could not be calling me. The bottom line I was scared…

I missed my calling when I came home from Bible School because I was too scared and I counted the cost to be too much for me to handle. I didn’t pray like I was supposed to and I gave up on the calling on my life because the road was too hard. I felt inadequate and I was right because I didn’t pursue His will in my life.

He will only use you if you are willing to seek after His will in your life. He is looking for a willing volunteer to go. He will not force you to do His calling. But when you sell out you must be willing to answer His calling… No matter the cost.

I coined a phrase, “It cost you nothing for salvation but once you’re saved it cost you everything to answer the call.”

Whom shall I send? God was looking for someone to go and answer the call. He asked a question because we must be willing volunteers. We must be willing to sell out and do whatever He is calling us to do.

1) You will be lonely

2) Those you love will turn their backs on you

3) No one will understand you

4) You will look and seem insane

It is the price to pay. At one moment they will sing your praises and in the next moment they will want to crucify you. The important thing to remember is that the will of God is not predicated on your emotions or the emotions of others. You will want to give up. You will want to run for the hills. It might seem easier to run but then what of the souls?

I asked the Lord before I began this current part of my journey, “Lord, are you sure? I see so many doors opening; you are saving so many souls.” He said to me that there were needy people everywhere but this is where He was calling me. I swallowed deep and told the Lord that His will be done and not my own. He wanted me to be a willing volunteer. He wanted me to sell out and want to go and do what He was telling me to do.

God knows our hearts and His question might be, “Who will go?” But it is more of a reflexive question. He is a God who is waiting for our ready hearts to be willing to reveal themselves and to answer the call. He is waiting for the, “Lord send me” statements. He wants to reach the lost through willing hearts not hearts that don’t want to be used.

It has been a process and I have realized that although I want to do His will. I have not embraced moving like I should. I have been distracted by my surroundings and I have been looking at the situation with the wrong eyes. I think I have failed at my task to be a willing and surrendered servant for the Kingdom. I have felt compelled and maybe almost forced to be here. I have come at the situation all wrong and I have failed miserably.

Have you been waiting for God to force you to serve Him? He is looking for willing volunteers. I have realized that being willing to come and then regretting my decision, and then asking God to release me, has made me my own stumbling block. I did not choose the location but now I choose to answer the call no matter the cost!

 We have to be a witness, a missionary, a Christian worker who has decided to answer the calling. It is a divine commission Jesus gives us the calling and we are willing volunteers who desire to answer the call no matter what. I want to be like Isaiah and be the answer to God’s question. I want to answer the call… I have prayed all my life, “Lord, send me! Here I am! Not my will but thy will be done!” Isaiah did not hesitate and that is my desire, not to hesitate when God tells me to do anything. I want my life to be lived as a willing servant.

A few things I have learned on the journey are that you have to have a heart that is in the presence of God.

1) You can’t expect that anyone else can know your heart or even understand you in the least. I challenge you to lose yourself in the presence of the Lord. It will be painful but it will be worth it in the end.

2) Just as Isaiah had a heart that had been touched by fire, you too will have a fire experience. It will be a cleansing fire. He will ask you to give up the things of this world. He will call you to a life of prayer, fasting, and dedication to the Word of God.

In return He will give you a heart that hears the voice of God to reach the nations. He will give you a heart for souls. He will change how you view life and its worth. He will become your all consuming fire! He will become your everything.

 He will strip away everything from your life but He will replace it with a peace that surpasses all understanding. He will replace hate with love. He will give you compassion for those around you that no one understands why you care. He will take every particle of your being and say,

“This is what I have for you… Trust me. I will never leave you or forsake you. I have you in the palm of my hand. I did not bring you this far just to drop you. You can’t see the whole picture but the pieces are in play. I am your protector. There is nothing that I do not have for you. Hold fast to my promises and my word and ye shall see it come to pass.”

These are just a few things that God has spoken to me. But if He said it to me then He will say it to you. He is no respector of persons and His word is forever settled in Heaven. He is looking for a volunteer. Will you be that volunteer? You can have as much of God as you want. God loves us all the same but how much do you love Him? That is the crux of the matter… Now is the time! Now is the time to give up this selfish life and sell out to answering the call of the King. It won’t be easy. You will want to give up. Everyone will tell you to give up.

But if you seek after His calling and become a willing volunteer, your life will be fulfilled. Every void you are trying to fill will become full. You must be willing to answer the call and then take your hand from it and let God do it. His word cannot return void. His will shall be fulfilled in your life. You just have to stop trying to fix it all alone. I learned this lesson the hard way. God is not looking for our help in the situation. He is only looking for our willingness. He will move the mountain you just have to be willing to wait in the valley until He moves it.

Are you being called to volunteer? If you are it will be worth the valley…