A Fruitful Month of Ministry!
January was a flurry of activity, as the Lord opened so many doors for our ministry. I am so grateful for the way that the Holy Spirit moved in every event. Here’s are the highlights:
Risen Church, Dayton, Ohio
I was invited to preach on Sunday, January 7, at Risen Church in Dayton, Ohio. Pastors Paul and Ann Simpson have a great congregation there. They have a real heart for the community and offer meals after services for those in the neighborhood who could use some extra help. That morning, I spoke about how the experience of Pentecost was never meant to be a one-time event for the church, but an ongoing lifestyle. Several responded to a call for salvation and I had the opportunity to pray for several at the altars for a fresh touch from the Lord. It was a blessing to be a part of what God is doing at Risen Church!
Real Life Church, Charlotte, Michigan
I traveled to Michigan to speak at two churches on the weekend of January 14th. On Sunday morning, I was blessed with the opportunity to minister with Pastors Andy and Emily Shaver at Real Life Church. Their church has a heart for their city and during the service, a team of several intercessors shared about their prayer strategy for the local schools. It was great to hear about the impact they are making in their community. We had a great time of worship and I spoke about maintaining our intimacy with the Lord despite the spiritual atmosphere all around us that wants to choke it out. Several responded during the altar time, asking the Lord to keep their fire burning. It was a special time with these precious believers.
Journey Life Church, Holt, Michigan
That evening, I spoke at Journey Life Church in Holt, Michigan. They invited me to come to their monthly Saturate Revival Night service. The church sets this time aside for seeking the Lord and allowing the Holy Spirit to move freely. There was a sweet presence of the Holy Spirit all night and I could sense the hunger of the people. I shared from the book of I Kings about the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel. I used it to share about what happens when the glory of God enters our lives and situations. Afterwards, we prayed for many people. One young man received the baptism in the Holy Spirit with tears streaming down his face. I also received a testimony from one of the church members that a woman had a vision at the altar that had a significant impact in her life. Praise the Lord for what He is doing!
Pure Life Ministries Residential Chapel, Dry Ridge, Kentucky
Sunday morning, January 21, I traveled down to Pure Life Ministries to minister in their Residential Chapel service. We are continuing to preach through the Life of Christ Series, and my passage was about the cleansing of the Temple and the cursing of the fig tree. As I studied these two passages, the connection between what Jesus was doing in the Gospels and the Old Testament passages about Israel became apparent. I also discovered how the cursing and the cleansing were two prophetic acts linked to each other. The Lord ministered to the hearts of the men that morning, and it was a great time of ministry.
Minister’s Retreat, Sandusky, Ohio
From there, we headed up to Sandusky, Ohio to take part in the Minister’s Retreat for the Ohio Ministry Network. This is an annual gathering for all of the Assembly of God ministers and their families in the state. Through a series of Holy Spirit connections, I was invited to speak this year at the retreat. I was both humbled and honored to do so. What is even more amazing is that the other speaker, Pastor Greg Mundis, was the one who had to call me back in 2010 to ask me to resign from my position as a Missionary Associate due to my sin. Talk about an amazing act of restoration on the Lord’s part. He continues to bring things in my life full circle, and I’m so grateful for His work.
I had a chance to speak to many pastors at a luncheon for evangelism training. I provided encouragement and practical resources about how to ignite evangelism in their local churches. The feedback was great and one young man reached out to me and shared how he and his wife had already begun to step out in faith to share Jesus in the community in a new way.
Tuesday evening was the session where I was asked to share my story. Having an opportunity to speak to ministers is special because I’m able to share some of the difficult lessons that I have learned in ministry, to hopefully prevent others from having to learn them the hard way. I shared my story in detail, highlighting my journey as a minister specifically. I then shared several points about what I have learned through my story. We had an altar time and many came forward to respond to the Lord for various reasons. I believe the Lord is already using it in the lives of many to help some come into the light and others to be encouraged to press forward in their ministries.
East Dayton Christian School Chapels
That Thursday morning, I had the opportunity to preach at East Dayton Christian School for their middle and high school chapels. I felt at the last minute that I was supposed to change my plan and share about the work of the Holy Spirit and the need for students to learn to walk with Him. The Holy Spirit moved in a special way in both services. In the middle school chapel, many young people went to the altar and others students went forward to pray with one another. At one point, I got down on my knees to pray at my seat, and several students came to pray for me. I felt the presence of God in a tangible way and I was so encouraged by the faith and passion of the young people. God is raising up a generation of young people on fire!
The Covering Womens Ministry Special Services
We had three nights of special services for The Covering Womens Residential Program on January 25-27. I sit on the Board for their ministry and I love how the leadership makes room for the Lord to move. Each night, God did something special for all in attendance. The theme of the services was, “Called Out of Darkness to Shine.” The first night, I spoke on how the Lord helps us to break out of the darkness in our lives. I talked about Jesus’ interaction with the man possessed by demons in Luke 8 and the woman caught in adultery in John 8. Several responded to a call to rededicate their lives to Christ and we had a time of ministry for those who wanted freedom in areas of their lives.
On the second night, I spoke about how we are called to walk through the darkness as Christians. I gave a strong call to holiness. At the end, I felt led to invite people to pray for the American church as a whole. Several came forward and offered passionate prayers for the Lord to help the Body of Christ to see our need for Jesus and to reject the things of the world.
The third night, I spoke about shining in the darkness. As believers, we are called to bring the light of Christ to the world around us. I spoke about how we can do that by sharing our story, participating in evangelism and doing good works. At the end, we prayed for a fresh touch and several were ministered to in a special way. One young man was baptized in the Holy Spirit and a woman was touched by God and later testified that that was the first time she had been able to cry in a year and a half! I’m so grateful for the way He moved among us during those special meetings.
What an incredible month we had! God has been so faithful to move in the way that He wants. Souls are being rescued out of darkness and Christians are being set on fire. I’m so excited to see what God is doing. Please continue to pray for us. We cannot do what God has called us to without the faithful intercession of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
If you would like to sow financially into our ministry, please go to our Donate Page or you can mail a check made out to Make Way Ministries to:
Make Way Ministries, PO Box 292914, Kettering, OH 45429
Thank you for your prayers and financial support. We pray the Lord will bless you richly!
