This past week was spring break and as always I was looking forward to time with my kids and wife. I had checked out multiple options of inexpensive places we could go and potential activities that would be fun for us to do. I even took the week off from the ministry so that I would have the time needed for this incredible week! Much to my surprise when I brought up the options of what we could do as a family my children all informed me that none of my options were really that great because they had decided they were all volunteering all day Monday-Thursday in our first spring break kids camp in BonTon. Amazing that my idea of a break was getting away from the ministry for a week and my Children’s idea was to go to the inner city every day and demonstrate the love of Christ to kids and families who have never had the option of traveling or even doing some of the activities I was planning.

This camp was amazing and was primarily put together by three amazing volunteers who weekly organize our Children’s ministry for HIS BridgeBuilders! How humbled I was that my children have once again shown me their value system of what they love is often times more like Christ’s than mine. There is in my heart a great expectation for what God has planned for my children’s generation that Is 58 describes as true religion!

I will never forget this spring break where 62 children from BonTon were made to feel very special and loved! Prayerfully we will all have more of this true religion instead of our continued comfort and entertainment! The world is in great need, from Japan to our country and our cities. Interesting that for most of us, including me, my first thought when given time off was what I want to do. I am grateful that my kids asked God what He wanted them to do with their spring breaks. Think of all the mininstry God had prepared for all of us that we missed because we never asked our creator for His plans for our lives! Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is older he may remind you of the way you are to go! Thank you kids for reminding me of God’s priorities and purpose for an incredible Spring Break!

You bless me and humble me by your love for God and the least of these! Enjoy the video from our Kids Camp as the children declare, “It’s in my hands, It’s in my feet, It’s all over me, it’s destiny…I’m Saved, I’m Saved, Gonna tell everybody I’m saved!”

These past few months have been some of the most miraculous of my life and ministry. I marvel at the way the Holy Spirit is calling, empowering, and sending people to be a part of this work of God. Acts 13:2-3 states, “while they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.”
The Holy Spirit calls us and sends us on mission. He is calling each of us to surrender our lives to His leading. Typically when the Holy Spirit is calling and leading, it will be very different from what we think we should do for the Lord. Paul was constrained by the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem, knowing he would be beaten and imprisoned. Yet, he still went. Acts 20:22 “And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there.”

While I was praying one morning last week about the PCA baseball team coming and serving in Bonton, we had given them the typical list of projects that suburban people like to do to serve the poor. It became very clear through the Holy Spirit’s leading that we should lock the kids in our gym each night and keep them in the inner city for 3 days. Amazingly the leadership of the team thought it was awesome but our own ministry team thought it would be logistically very difficult on such short notice. If the world’s logic is used to comprehend the leading of the Holy Spirit then we will miss the miracle every time. This group of young men have ignited our own city staff by going door to door evangelizing and praying with men and women. They prayed with a heroin addict who wept and said, “I am just so tired of living this way.” To their amazement some of the inner-city residents began praying for them and encouraging them to continue serving God and pursuing Christ. Some of the youth asked a homeless man how he was doing expecting an answer of despair and he simply smiled and said, “I’m blessed!” It stunned the young men who quickly realized that we can have everything, yet nothing when Jesus isn’t Lord of our lives.

The PCA students worshipped with an inner city basketball team in the video below. The coach came up afterwards and said, “my young men don’t have what you have, will you do a Bible study for my team each week after practice?” The Lord just launched our sports ministry! The PCA guys were shaken, as was our staff, and in one word we were all “awakened”. Many of the young men have committed to coming down next week for our Kid’s Day Camp and others are praying about serving this summer as summer missionaries to the city. One of the most interesting responses one of the young men said when asked what holds us back from following the leading of the Holy Spirit… “We have to break out of the plan that others have made for our life and just follow Him.”

The week ended with us washing the feet of these 30+ young men. We wept and prayed over these amazing guys. Eight of the students prayed for a greater surrender of their lives to God. We praise God that through His leading and our obeying we have all been “awakened” for the glory of God!