Five years ago today I resigned from my position at Grace College & Seminary. It does not seem as if five years have already passed but it was January 21, 2003 when we had finished the 21 day fast that I knew I was to move to Osceola and be a part of Voice Ministries. Although I must say that we are not where I thought we would be … we made great strides forward … and then were cut way back. I have seen many come and go, commit, recommit, and disappear. People have come from the oddest places and have pured in short times of ministry, and others have come and created interesting situations and bizarre circumstances. In all of it though, I have seen many healed and set free, I have had the privilege of experiencing some of the most amazing times of worship, high praise, and fervent prayer. I have been able to stand next to and experience the life stories of many lovers of God.
2007 was a year I was glad to close. Some of my best friends were called out – the ones I never thought would leave, the ones who would stand with us until the end – to move to other areas of ministry in other areas of the country. That was a hard one. But I think that sometimes we get so focused on what we think is the way, that some times we lose sight of what was His way. Despite all the ground we think we lost, and despite all the people who come and went, I still think that the ground we did gain was in experience. Learning what we did wrong, what we did well, how we treated people badly, and how we were able to best minister to their needs – those were all lessons that we had to learn before we can move forward. Many times a ministry is measured by how many people attend. My hope is that ours will always be measured by how much we love and how much we shared that love with others who came across our paths. Our journey of life will always intersect with other’s journeys – may we always be so centered in Christ that in our crossing, they will see and experience the love of Jesus.
So to another 5 years … unless the Lord wills otherwise!
josh your experience has bolstered up your faith and vision. may God richly continue to give you growing experiences so you may be the person He wants you to blossom into. love dad
Yes, and amen. And may we never forget what we have learned. As we move forward, let me just say that I am honored to working alongside such a steadfast warrior of God, and a true friend. Ed and I appreciate you more than you could know. Thanks!
Joshua, You are such an incredible man of God. I am blessed and honored to have you as a brother. May you continue to see the love and blessings of Christ through this next season as the chapter begins!
Blessings,
d
I am glad God called you from Grace. I think so many great people with great potential could be growing, but yet, the Grace bubble holds them captive…great place to be for college, but I love to see people move on and mourn MANY, not all, of those that linger there.
Keep swimming, brother.
What a ride! I was just asked by someone the other day what I think “happened” with IHOP-Michiana and Voice. I paused for a moment and then all I could think of and speak of was the love that is in my heart for our family at Voice. My resolve was that God has produced and is continuing to produce a great love in all of us toward each other.
Josh, I can’t believe its been 5 years. On one hand it feels a lot longer, like we’ve been there at Voice forever and on the other hand it feels like I just blinked and it was over.
Hey, do you remember when we all lived together at the Camp – you, me, Denny and Evelyn, Candy and Robert and Dave/Liz down the road at Bob’s? How we all used to eat together downstairs – Denny would cook, I would play piano and Robert would try to get food after Denny, but Denny wouldn’t let him?
I loved those days and I remember, just prior to you guys moving out, how sad I was (I know its a miracle that thinkers actually feel) because I knew that those were precious days that would never be the same again. Looking back, I wish we could have done something better to capture them while we were there. I guess that’s part of the process of learning how to love that we are all on.