This morning in my time with the Lord I was reflecting on upcoming events in my life. This week in particular is peculiar to me as I realized coming into it that I had three major meetings. These meetings and their outcome will undoubtedly have an impact on the direction of ministry. Anything that impacts ministry impacts my life, as well as the life of my family. So, these meetings are a big deal.
Hosanna!
As I write this post, the first meeting already occurred. It was a meeting with Pastor Tim Hatt, the Kingdom Expansion Pastor of Hosanna! Lutheran Church in Lakeville. If you have read my testimony, you may remember that I described Pastor Tim as someone with whom I was cut from the same cloth. Also, Pastor Tim is one of my wife’s bosses. You may also remember that Hosanna! is my home Church, the Church that equipped me and through Pastor Tim, the Church that blessed and released me to pursue Breakthrough Ministries. The backdrop of this story is that the relationship has been difficult for both organizations. Now, Hosanna! is a big Church, so when include them as I did in that last sentence, it is probably more safe to say that it was difficult for a few key people rather than their whole organization. The reality is that when I set out to launch this ministry, I ventured into territory that was foreign to both organizations and that created tension. Over the years, we were confronted with complex situations that required discussion, dialog, and decision. I can only speak for myself, but these were difficult times for me and some of these discussions did not always end well. I can say however, that the road we walked was charted by Scripture and we followed the Biblical principles. As I see it today, in the hands of our Sovereign Lord, it was all necessary and part of God’s perfect plan. So, with that said, I entered this meeting which Pastor Tim called with a certain sense of peace. We went to a coffee house and talked. Two things happened that are significant; One, through our conversation I sense we connected on a level that I have been yearning for, for years. Two, Pastor Tim asked me to apply for Associate Partnership in which Hosanna! would support Breakthrough financially and give us a spiritual covering. What this means financially is more stability which Breakthrough needs and will undoubtedly welcome, something we can measure. The impact of the spiritual covering is something we have lacked and will far outweigh any financial support we may ever get. This is HUGE! Thank you Lord!
North Branch
I am excited to say the least and now looking forward to the second meeting which will occur tomorrow. This meeting is up in North Branch. God has given every Christian a command. We call this particular command The Great Commission – in which we are told to (Paraphrased) “Go, make disciples, baptize them, teach them to obey, and trust I am with you until the end.” Matthew 28:19-20. Breakthrough Ministries is about just that. But, as I continue this journey at this point in time, I feel the Lord telling me that what we are doing with this ministry is just the start. That the next step in our journey is found in Acts 1:8 “…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” For me, I live in the Twin Cities – the idea is that the Twin Cities is my Jerusalem. The region of Minnesota is my Samaria, and the U.S. is my Judea, and then of course to the ends of the earth. Could it be that the Lord has bigger plans for me? Bigger plans for Breakthrough? These have been the prevailing thoughts for sometime. I remember Pastor G talking about the superhighway of 35W from Albert Lea to the Twin Cities. I also remember thinking that it went to Duluth. After analyzing this over the past year, I recalled a time when God gave me a vision for Minnesota. A vision that had Albert Lea as the hub over the Southern part of the State with Pastor G as the Spiritual Leader of this region. Pine City was the the hub over the Northern part of the state with Pastor Pete Couper as the Spiritual head of this region. And the Twin Cities was the hub over the central part of the state. After receiving this download, the Lord directed me to pour into Albert Lea, which we did in August at SoulFest. When we were driving home in the Breakthrough Bus, Pete and I were talking about next years plan to pour into Pine City. It was at that point we heard from the Lord that it was North Branch. To understand why we are so excited about what God is going to do there, you need to read my blog post titled September 3rd, 2015. It contains the confirmation – all we needed. The bottom line is that God has revealed His intention to target North Branch as the place of revival. He will pour Himself into North Branch and we are to prepare to receive it. So, the meeting tomorrow is our first organized meeting with the people the Lord has led us to. Pastor G will drive up from Albert Lear with his wife Pastor Jill, we together will drive up from the Twin Cities, and Pastor Pete will drive down from Pine City. We will meet with Pastor Frank Gomes, Pastor Steve Weihsmann, Marion Bartels, Gloria, and whomever the Lord brings to lay out the framework and preparation for this meeting. We are praying specifically for an invitation from the whole ministerium of which Pastor Frank Chairs. We desire unity and harmony from this community and we will not go into North Branch without one.
CityTeam International / DMM
The Last of the three meetings will occur Friday and will include Pastor Pete Couper, Jim Lilly, and Richard Williams. Jim Lilly is the pioneer of DMM in the Twin Cities and a partner. Richard is with CityTeam International and from this organization a great Disciple Making Movement started in Africa in 2005. This is significant because we will be talking about building an Equipping Center here in the Twin Cities. I shared this vision with Jim Lilly last year and unbenounced to me, he shared it with Richard. Richard flew out to the Twin Cities from Philadelphia to discuss this vision because the leadership group from CityTeam had been praying about building an Equipping Center somewhere in the US. This all has the aroma of Heaven. I say that because I received a vision, I shared it, I did not ask for the opportunity, it just presented itself AND I have not pursued it and it returned. So, where it goes is entirely up to the Lord, but this is not just any ordinary discussion. This discussion could make the Twin Cities an International hub for training people and sending them to the ends of the earth.
Also, Friday and Saturday, we will be meeting with a group of leaders from this region. People we have been building relationship with over the last two years. This is a Disciple Making Movement (DMM) that clearly fits with the mission of The Great Commission and something I have helped to pioneer here in the Twin Cities with Jim Lilly and a few others. The two days will be spent with a focus on prayer mapping.
So, as I sat here this morning, I pondered over these meetings and their significance. These thoughts and my prayer over them led me to consider what else was on the horizon. I am preparing to go to Israel in 9 days, Cuba in April. It occurs to me that all of this was always on God’s agenda for my life. This all has to do with His Sovereignty. I didn’t know about any of this until recently, but God did. That thought get’s me thinking about what else is in store for me. What else is on God’s agenda for me that I am completely unaware of at this moment.
Guess what I just realized? Not only does He have my agenda under control – but the outcomes are determined as well. What peace! Pursuing Breakthrough is what this blog is about, for me – that simply means I get to sit on PaPa’s lap and talk to Him. I get to ask questions and He answers. It is the most amazing experience. Let me encourage you to do the same.
Pursuing Breakthrough 