Never In A Thousand Years Would I Have Believed!

I was raised in Canton, Ohio and had no intentions of ever leaving, let alone getting on an airplane and flying half way around the world. I believed in "missions" and even supported some. But my argument (or should I say excuse), was that there was enough work to be done here at home and then, after that work was completed, we could think about going somewhere in the world. Never mind the "Great Commission" that commanded us to go to the world; I was a young pastor that had made up his mind that there would always be an excuse as to why missions weren't for me.

It didn't seem to really matter that my pastor in Anaheim, California had called me out of 4,000 people and prophesied over me that my destiny and legacy would take me to the nations. I had never met him nor did he know anything about me, but so strongly rooted within my emotions was the fear of missionary work that I figured he had definitely called out the wrong guy even though he had mentioned my home town, Canton, by name. That was amazing and unexplainable but not enough to get me on a plane.

So you can imagine what was going through my mind in April, 1993 as I boarded a plane bound for L'viv Ukraine. For me to tell you the events that got me to this point, would occupy a hundred blogs, and most of you wouldn't believe a lot of it anyways. That was 1993, and less than one year later, I was on a 48 hour trek to India. Since those early days, with I'm sure the Holy Spirit laughing at me (God has a sense of humor), I have traveled all over Europe, organized History Maker I in Cyprus, which was a healing conference for youth that included believing Jews and believing Arabs from 8 different nations, gone to Australia twice, have come to have a passion for the people of Armenia, traveled extensively in the Middle East and have fallen in love with the land of Abraham , Isaac, and Jacob nine times over! How could I explain each of these incredible seasons of my life? I have done just that in the second book that I am just now finishing," Legacy: The Power Purpose and Passion of Divine Appointments."But for the purpose of this blog, I want to reveal the "rhema" or spiritual truth revealed to me when I said,"YES." I might just mention that if I had said no, I would have not experienced events that have made me who I am.

Why do I mention that the "missionary" part of my journey has been one of those greatest parts of my walk? Let me tell you. Foundational, when you confront your fears and defeat them, He will turn your weaknesses into strengths! He will take the very thing that you don't want to do and make it your passion, if He is in it. Secondly, when we come "out of the box " so to speak and realize just how blessed we are as American believers, we gain a new appreciation of our place and responsibility to reach out to those less fortunate. Thirdly, I have been humbled many times over by the hospitality of poor believers who have nothing of financial substance but serve us beyond measure when we stay at their homes. I have found out after the fact that believers in Ukraine, for one example, had saved money for months, just to serve us incredible meals. Hospitality in America is a lost art for many believers, but in my travels, I have learned from my brothers and sisters the true meaning of practicing and living in hospitality.

Finally, who I am...my destiny, and my legacy (the life deposit that I will leave behind) have all been formed by the relationships of those whom have become "family," from Ukraine to Armenia and from India to Syria. My life has been enriched by so many customs and cultural experiences too numerous to mention. All because of saying Yes to Jesus and no to my fears, I have come to visualize the world as my horizon and in a very small way helped others to gain spiritual sight while overcoming their fears. What area of your walk do you need to say Yes to today so that your future can be unlocked and your legacy established?

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