The last 8 years of my life have been completely devoted to the ministry of reaching this generation with the message of the Cross. That message ranges from the need for true repentance and tangible fruit of righteousness to the development of top level leaders through intense discipleship. As I have been seeking the Lord over the last couple of months, the Holy Spirit has been speaking to me expressly about the next 5 yrs of my life and the mandate He has for Amie and I. As many of you know, the last 10 yrs (from ’01-’11) has been spent serving my father here at Bethany in the role of senior associate (on top of youth pastor). This season has been an amazing time of growing and serving that I know has prepared me for what the Lord has ahead. Now, with the transition to my brother Jonathan as senior pastor, my role here is changing to both support him as the new leader and branch out into the prophetic\apostolic ministry the Lord has called me to. Bottom line:
My heart is to serve emerging leaders by any means necessary! From aspiring youth pastors\leaders to brand new generational lead pastors, the Lord has put a burden to give freely that which He has placed on my life. In everything from wisdom for real life to faith for supernatural vision, there is a definite passion in my heart to empower leaders to be supernatural leaders. Whether through daily microblogs of encouragement to my new book (to be released soon, stay tuned) on the power of radical discipleship, my daily task will be to lend a helping hand to those desiring help. My final prayer in all of this is that the Lord would use all that I have been through and seen by way of success for His glory. His glory is everything to me!
1 Cor 11:1 Follow me, as I follow Christ!

Wow! What a start to this marvelous decade of 2011-2020. 2011 was awash with transition and new beginnings but as we move forward into 2012 there are so many things materializing in the Spirit! Here are a few things the Lord has been speaking to me concerning this new year. I pray that you will be blessed, encouraged, and motivated to seek the Lord for yourself in regards to His amazing plans for your life in the NOW dimension of FAITH! Enjoy:

1. Release of the old (Acts 1)- the old decade and ALL it’s remnants are gone and the newness of life found in this 2nd decade of the 21st century has come. We all have a tendency to hold on to what is familiar and I see the Lord has taken out all regret and focus on what could have been and shifted our whole attention to the great work at hand.

2. Release of the new (Acts 2)- there will be significant progress made this year toward fresh vision. As revelation came in ’11 now confirmation by supernatural fruit will come to pass. If 2011 was the spring weather shifting then 2012 will be the first buds to break forth and CONFIRM that we are indeed moving into amazing life and expansion.

3. Release of sons and daughters (Acts 6)- 12 is the age of accountability and I hear the Lord saying that there will be many faithful sons and daughters that will find themselves at the moment of release into greater roles. Those who have labored as spiritual fathers and mothers should not be stingy in holding them back but gracious in understanding what the Lord is doing. We must be careful to not allow those who have been faithful to keep going on and on in a role that they now have matured out of and others should step into. The Kingdom is always expanding and this expansion will happen in 2012 through young Timothy’s being sent on their first assignment without Paul’s direct oversight. This is the picture of where many of our loyal disciples find themselves these days. We grieve at losing their help because it is so valuable, and we hate to see them grow up and leave (as a parent with their beloved child), BUT this is their season of release. We must not keep them past the moment of release or risk hindering what we have worked so hard to achieve in their formation. RELEASE THEM, says the Lord!!!!

4. Release of the warring spirit (Judg. 3:1-2)- The time is now for the adolescent Bride to learn how to war. A holy zeal is rising in the remnant of true believers as the comfortable atmosphere of godliness we have known in past decades is nearly gone. The erosion of the “godly soil” has been catastrophic and a new foundation must be layed through the tears and travail of the saints. The Lord is saying to me that He is indeed teaching a new generation how to war and this begins with becoming a warrior! He is preparing young disciples to overcome their selfish ambition and take up their cross. These young warriors will be skilled in the word of God and know the voice of the Holy Spirit. As fathers and mothers we must foster this “warring spirit” with times of extended prayer that is not self related but focused on Kingdom expansion through the winning of the lost. Nations must be adopted, tribes must be possessed, burdens for regions must come with great passion in order for this new generation to take up the cause of finishing the Great Task (Commission). It is time for the warring spirit to be released! See 1 Jn. 2:14

We serve a healing Jesus! Wanted to take a quick minute and update all of you who have prayed and believed with me in this last week. Today it has been a week since the surgery and things are moving along well in the healing process. As always, surgery is surgery and it is always difficult, but my strength continues to grow day by day. I learned many years ago that when it comes to recovering from surgery you have to take it slow!

The result of the surgery has (and will continue to be) excellent up to this point. The bottom line purpose of fixing my dialysis access was completely successful. Amazingly, the surgeon was able to take a vein from my leg and patch the problematic area in my arm.

Finally, I am so grateful for the support that the Lord has put in my life during these trying times. Doc Crandall has been a God-send for me and I thank the Lord for his guidance and help daily. My parents and in-laws have stood with us faithfully, and of course, last but not least, my dear and precious wife Amie. Without her I don’t know what I would do! She is truly a great treasure sent from heaven!

Thank you all for your continued prayer and support as we watch the Lord do miracles in my body. Healing and Health are mine in Jesus name!

1 Pet. 2:24 “and by His stripes you WERE healed!”

For all of you who are wondering about the details surrounding this emergency surgery that I am having today (Fri, Dec. 2), here is the inside scoop.

In my right arm is a dialysis access port. This port is my “lifeline” for treatment 3 times a week. During the course of the last few weeks there has been a battle raging with an infected needle sight. This sight is connected to the artery in my arm and has become exposed to infection and continued bleeding. Obviously, this is not good! Several weeks ago there was an episode where this site became dangerously infected. After hospitalization for 3 days and many antibiotics, the infection completely left. This enabled me to be home for Thanksgiving (all of this occurred in south Fla.), and I am so thankful for that time with family and friends.

Fast forward to Wednesday of this week, the site in my arm developed another serious issue that brought clarity to the fact that without surgical revision to my arm the problem at hand would persist and even be life threatening (due to potential rapid blood loss). So today they are going to take a vein from my leg and “patch” the necrotic (dead) tissue in my arm. This procedure is not dangerous but has many potential complications. On top of this surgery, a temporary catheter must be placed in order to sustain dialysis while my permanent access heals in my arm.

I know this is a lot of medical jargon but the bottom line is we’re gonna get this patched up so life can move forward. Your prayers and thoughts are so valuable and we are truly grateful for all the support and love that has already been shown. Amie and I are strong in faith but weary with the battle (as you can imagine). Any way the Lord would put us on your heart to pray would be appreciated!

I hope this little update will help you to know the situation more closely. In parting, we must have a Scripture for everything I am and aspire to be is built on the rock of His glorious Word:

2 Tim. 2:8-13 ESV
8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,
9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!
10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us;
13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.