10.5 years ago I was on a road trip down I-5 to LA. I was a small town boy from Creswell, Oregon following a dream that the Lord had birthed in my heart. The dream was simple - to follow Jesus with all that I had. That passion led me to Foursquare's bible college in San Dimas, California. I remember being so overwhelmed by the vastness of LA. I was used to a town of 4,000 - with the big city of 150,000+ 10 miles away.
Culture shock.
“Nazareth!” exclaimed Nathanael. “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Nathanael hadn't yet seen that it is not place of birth or immediate circumstantial power that dictates one's ability to influence the world. Jesus calls whom he wills and then fills that person and molds them so that even the overlooked can dramatically influence the world.
The students on this trip are catching a vision that is bigger than themselves. A part of that vision may include LIFE Pacific College.
Yesterday we were able to take the official tour of the LIFE campus. I was impressed with the facility upgrades and improvements, but even more so I was glad to hear that the foundational mission of the college is being retained. LIFE is working hard to be an excellent training center for ministers of the good news. Our students were skeptical until they listened to Professor Larry Powers teach Prison Epistles. Larry shared how he sees his own life as a Dixie cup. His life is to be filled with the living water of Christ so that others may partake and be refreshed - but then thrown away.
Larry sees himself as a vessel to be used by the Lord - the Lord is not the vessel that glorifies Larry.
A passion for knowledge and training has been birthed. A passion for God's redemptive mission is being cultivated.
After our morning at LIFE we traveled to the Dream Center to get settled there. They didn't have us scheduled for any ministry yesterday afternoon or evening so we went out on our own mission. We drove up to Griffith Observatory to see LA from up high.
We took to time to pray and listen to what the Lord was speaking to each of us - about this particular week of serving, but also to listen to his heart for the city.
On the way home we had dinner at McDonald's. We met a homeless drunk named Paul on the way out. Our students ministered to him and listened to the Lord's leading. After 15 minutes of conversation (good job Michelle!) and a fish sandwich we all felt that we had done all that we could do for this man. He wanted money, but we didn't feel that the Holy Spirit was leading in that way.
We prayed for Paul. And then we took time to talk as a team about what we felt and what we learned from that experience. We shared our fears and encouraged one another that hearing the Lord in situations like that isn't as difficult as we like to make it.
Paul didn't want help. So we prayed that he would respond to the Lord's grace - and that he would respond to his own deficiency.
Today is the grand tour of the Dream Center and the first official ministry effort - all afternoon and evening serving!
Continue to pray please!
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