The Lord has been so faithful!
God has been so faithful to do what only He can do as we step out in faith and obedience to share the Gospel in every door that opens to us. Here are the highlights from August and September:
Family Church, West Carrolton, Ohio
It was a blessing to be back in West Carrolton with the great congregation of Family Church. This time, I spoke about the power of the blood of Jesus and how it impacts our lives as believers. At the end of the message, we ministered to those who came forward, believing God to meet their needs. After the service, one family shared a picture with us showing them wearing our evangelistic t-shirts on their recent trip to Disney World. It’s awesome to see people shining the light of Christ wherever they go, willing to have spiritual conversations with those around them. We are thankful for how the Lord moved that Sunday.
Living Hope Worship Center- St. Marys, Ohio
I had a chance to do an evangelistic training for the outreach team of Living Hope Worship Center. Pastor Josh asked me to provide some practical evangelism tips as well as a strategy session for how their church can make the biggest impact in their community. Our ministry created some evangelistic touch cards with their church’s info (the picture in this post is us praying over the boxes of cards). We had a great time of brainstorming, prayer and practical teaching.
For lunch, he and I went to the local festival where their church would hold an outdoor meeting the following morning. As we grabbed some food and interacted with people, we had opportunity to pray for and share the love of Jesus with them. One couple in particular had just experienced a crisis the day before, so when we offered to pray for them, the woman broke down crying. Pastor Josh was able to follow back up with several people we met to continue to build relationship. It reminds me that you never know what people might be going through. But I’m certain this couple knew the Lord was pursuing them through our encounter.
New Lebanon Assembly of God- New Lebanon, Ohio
The next morning, I was with Pastors Dan and Veronica at New Lebanon Assembly of God. I shared a message about how to stay in step with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to influence our lives in a greater capacity. We had an opportunity to pray with several people at the altars. One young man in particular said it was really hard for him to come up front, but he was glad he did. He shared some of his story through tears, and I know the Lord was working on his heart.
At lunch, we talked to an employee at a local restaurant. When we offered to pray for her, she turned us down. Then a little while later, she came back and said, “I really do need prayer.” She gave us her request but was nervous that her boss wouldn’t want her praying with customers. So, we told her we would pray as she wiped down the tables. As we step out in faith, God will open doors to people’s hearts.
Also, our ministry was blessed to be able to custom wrap and deliver a new snack cart for New Lebanon Assembly of God to use for outreach in their community (pictured above). We did a Saturday teaching with them on evangelism and we brainstormed some ways that they can connect with their community to share the love of Christ. We prayed over the cart together and their team is super excited to use it. We love having the opportunity to partner with local churches to help equip them to create evangelistic encounters in their sphere of influence.
Snack Cart Evangelism- Dayton, Ohio
We took the snack cart to downtown Dayton twice. Our team talked to a lot of people, prayed for their needs and got Gospel literature into their hands. We count it a privilege to share the love of Christ with our neighbors. We planted many seeds of the Gospel, and we pray that the Lord will cause those seeds to take root.
It’s always amazing to see how a can of soda and a bag of chips can open up the hearts of people. We met a young lady who was going to have her first child in a few months. At first she was apprehensive but then shared that she was dealing with fear and let us pray for her. We met a couple who had recently come to Christ. They had been clean from drugs for a year and the man was just baptized a few weeks ago. They were such a joy to meet. Many had physical needs that we prayed for including health issues, family problems, housing and custody. Some were very open and others not as excited that we were out there. But God loves them all.
We don’t always get to see the immediate fruit of our obedience, but we know that the Lord can take those encounters and use them to reveal Himself to each we came in contact with.
Pure Life Ministries- Dry Ridge, Kentucky
August: The God Who Hears and Sees
I preached a message at the Pure Life Ministries residential chapel on the topic of Moses’ pursuit of God. It was a part of the “Unveiling Yahweh” series and the title was “The God Who Sees and Hears.” I spoke from the story of Hagar and how the Lord pursued her when she was cast away because of her and Sarah’s difficult relationship regarding Ishmael. God revealed Himself to her as the One who can See and Hear every situation in our lives, and He cares about what we go through.
September: The Victor Over Death
My September message at Pure Life was my final message on the speaking team. Because of our move to Brazil early next year, I needed to step down from that role so that we could prepare for our transition. It was bittersweet after speaking for several years on a regular basis. My final message was called “The Victor Over Death,” and was about how God ultimately overcame the power of death through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. I encouraged the men to trust in the God who displayed His sovereign power over man’s greatest enemy.
Miamisburg Assembly of God- Miamisburg, Ohio
Brittany and I were blessed to both minister at our home church in August. Brittany spoke during the mid-week service on the topic of hope. Several came forward for prayer after the message and shared how it spoke to their hearts. I spoke that Sunday about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and how we can allow God’s power to flow through us on a regular basis. The altars were filled with people seeking more of God in their lives. I’m so grateful to be part of a church community that loves the presence of God and is hungry for more.
Connection Pointe Church of God- Grove City, Ohio
I spent two Wednesday nights with the men of Connection Pointe Church of God. They were in the middle of a special series for the men and asked me to come and talk about some important issues that men are dealing with in society today. The first night, I shared about staying sexually pure and how to walk in freedom from pornography. The second night, I shared some principles from the life of Christ about spiritual leadership. We had great discussion and it was a blessing to have some of the youth in the meetings as well. God is moving in this generation of men and they are rising up to their potential in Christ!
MWM Family and Friends Banquet- Kettering, Ohio
We had such a great ministry banquet in September. This was the first big event we held as a ministry, and we were so encouraged with the many people who came to join us to hear about what God has been doing and where we are headed. Several commented about how much they felt the presence of God during the event. We wrote a brief ministry report about the banquet, and you can read it here.
Warren First Assembly of God- Warren, Ohio
We had a great weekend with Pastor Rich and the congregation of Warren First for their 111th anniversary weekend. It was a time of celebration for the history of what the Lord has done through their church for over a century! They had a special choir and time to reflect on the heritage of the church. I was honored to be a part of it.
We had a men’s luncheon on Saturday, where I shared my testimony and encouraged the men to walk in purity and help other men to do the same. Many said they were very encouraged by the meeting.
On Sunday morning, I shared a message about developing a sensitivity to and relationship with the Holy Spirit. Several people responded to the call to salvation/ rededication. When I asked for anyone who wanted to grow in their relationship with the Holy Spirit to come forward, many responded and the altars were filled with people crying out to God for more of Him. It was a beautiful morning in His presence.
That evening, after worship, I felt led to have all of the students come forward so that we could pray over the next generation of the church. Then, I preached about how to position our lives to put the pursuit of God’s presence in its proper place. Several people came forward to seek God with specific needs and we prayed that the Lord would meet them in a powerful way.
On the final day, we met a lady who worked at the hotel who was serving breakfast. I asked her if we could pray for her and she responded with wide eyes, “How did you know I needed prayer? Can you tell by the look on my face?” We assured her it wasn’t us that knew, but God wanted to encourage her and remind her how much He loves her. We prayed with her and she was very touched by the encounter. You never know what people are going through all around us. All we are called to do is be the light and trust the Lord with the results!
Christian Center Assembly of God- Yellow Springs, Ohio
I had the privilege of being invited back to minister with Pastor Charlie and the congregation of Christian Center Assembly of God. I shared a message about developing an urgency to share the Gospel and making sure that the souls of people are one of our top priorities. After preaching, Pastor Charlie and I prayed over each person individually. One of the young men in the church came to me afterwards and shared about how amazing it was to hear our prayers for people, because many of them were exactly what the people needed, even though I didn’t know any of their situations. It’s amazing how the Holy Spirit operates when we allow Him to flow through us. I’m so grateful for how the Lord ministered in Yellow Springs.
Forge Men’s Event- Lima, Ohio
The Holy Spirit moved in a powerful way when I spoke at the Forge Men’s event at Lima First. Men from many different churches came together on a Friday night to worship, fellowship and hear the Word of God. The Lord gave me a message called “Slaying the Elephant.” I spoke candidly about the issue of sexual sin that is impacting so many in our churches. I shared from the story of Phineas, who stepped into a similar situation and took decisive action to intervene. I encouraged the men that they are either walking in freedom, or can be used by God to come alongside other men to help them get free. The altars were packed with men crying out to the Lord and others praying with them for their freedom. I believe the Lord stirred the hearts of many men and I’m so thankful for how He ministered that night.
We are so grateful for how the Lord continues to move as we step out to preach the Gospel. Many of you are praying for us over each door that opens and we are really grateful that you are with us on this journey. Thanks for your support!
