Vistas

vis·ta ( P ) Pronunciation Key (vst)n.

A distant view or prospect, especially one seen through an opening, as between rows of buildings or trees.
Have you ever seen a beautiful vista? Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a rut and longed for a new vista? Have you ever sat and talked with a Pastor only to have them pray over you and then say, “I feel like you are going to have many vistas to choose from.” To the all of the above I say yes, and I am not too sure what my reaction should be.

In less than a year life has so dramatically changed that I can’t even begin to explain. A year ago, I would have been up to my knees in processing fresh sockeye salmon. Today I am in what is referred to as “The Armpit of America”. A year ago, I was fresh off the Midnight Sun Festival in Fairbanks, Alaska and my first endeavor into the Special Events Management side of life for a non profit. Today, I work for the International House of Prayer, another non-profit. A year ago, we were gearing up for a new cell group that comprised of young married couples and new Christians. Today, we are longing for the community we held so dear.

The pastor mentioned above is a great man of God. He once told me that his goal once was to be like Jesus. He told me that he gave up on that goal to be replaced by some other. I neglected then to tell him that to me, he was very much like Jesus. When I was at my worst, he didn’t guilt me, he loved me. When I hurt his feelings, he didn’t hold a grudge, he loved me. When I answered the door right after exhaling marijuana and he was on the other side, he asked how I was and loved on me.

So how then, is a person to take it when the pastor says, “you are going to have many vistas to choose from”. It is like a mom cutting the apron strings holding a child close. The vistas have been coming continually. At one point, we thought we were on to something with the Children’s Equipping Center, we actually still do. But it has felt like only half of the puzzle was complete. We have been praying for revelation and clarity. We even called our former and much beloved cell group to fasting and praying for us.

And then it happened another vista appeared. Thanks Pastor. I guess I should be careful what I ask for.

Fasting and Praying

Tonight, Rachel and I had a discussion with our pastor in Fairbanks. We were discussing with him a lot of topics all related to where we were feeling God was taking us.

We come from a cell based church. We miss the people that were in our cell greatly. If there is one thing that IHOP-KC is not expert in, it is community. That is, unless you go through one of the programs that they have here.

After about an hour on the phone, our pastor said he was going to call a two week period of fasting and praying for breakthrough and revelation for Rachel and I. We told him how great that was of him, but I thought that there were many of the group that aren't even really sure what fasting is all about. After all, it was only this past January that I tried my first fast. In my search of what it is to fast, and how to do it I came upon a message by Misty Edwards from the House of Prayer. It takes about 45 minutes to listen to but LISTEN TO IT. HERE
You will have to scroll down just a bit to were you see "The Fasted Lifestyle" then click on the head phones and it will start automatically. I am pleading with you to listen to this message it will change your life!

As for our cell group in Fairbanks, we miss you and thank you for taking this matter to heart and joining with us.

Signs and Wonders Camp '06 WRAPS

Signs and Wonders Camp is officially over as of 15 minutes ago. Here are a few highlights of the last 24 hours:

• Mrs. Sanitize finally had enough and nearly served one young man for breakfast. While the fella was joking, I believe it was God's impartation of wisdom to him to not mess with a woman who is tired.
• Officially, Tracy LaGuardia is the funniest person at IHOP-KC. We told her she should put her 'bits' together in a show of some sort. She is tremendously gifted in working with kids.
• God performed Signs and Wonders last night as large thunderstorm split in half right over KC and prevented us having to evacuate the camp in the middle of the night.
• Even though all the workers were/are tired, emotions and tempers were kept in check and everyone is going home tonight knowing the job was well done.

This camp really is amazing. There is so much in society for kids to do that is similar to ingesting garbage. Like the saying goes, garbage in, garbage out. This conference was like eating at a fine Sunday brunch only better. The basic model for children to seek God on their own in order to establish an intimate relationship with Him was presented. The leaders then reinforced this and helped lead the kids deeper into the Word. What a difference a few days can make. If at the end of this camp, all we did was help one kid connect to God permanently, then this was a success.

My hats off to all the leaders, the work crews, to those who covered the camp continuously in prayer, and Lenny and Tracy LaGuardia. It was a pleasure for me to be a part of camp and with such a great team.

Signs and Wonders Camp '06 III

We are entering the home stretch of the camp. The kids go home Thursday afternoon. I cannot express my gratitude enough to the staff that has put this whole camp on. This is truly an amazing accomplishment.

Last night was the Healing Service. The kids were praying for people from all over the KC Metro area with illness, pain and any other things in that category. As the folks filed out after the service there was a buzz among them. I heard one elderly gentleman say, "As soon as she put her hands on my back I could feel heat pulsing through my back, then all the pain vanished." Another lady said to her friend, "This is awesome, it is what it is all about, having the kids pray was so cool".

My daughter was fried before the service. The lack of sleep, the chaos of all the kids, and lack of a routine was pushing her to her limit. She said she would hang on through the Healing Service. Kassidy is full of faith in God. We have prayed over and over again for God to protect her child heart and build up a solid foundation of faith in Him. We are thankful she has the heart she has.

Last night, at the service, Kassidy prayed for someone. This alone, is a bit outside her comfort zone, but she wanted to. She told me later, "Daddy, all I did was say, in Jesus' name be healed! Then I almost got squished as the lady fell to the floor. She was asleep for about 45 minutes!" Kassidy hasnt even heard terms like slain in the Spirit, or being zapped by God. It was the faith of a child, believing in her God that saw her Maker restore a woman's health right before her very eyes. I say it again folks, HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD?

Continue to pray for these little warriors. This last 24 hours of camp are so crucial in sealing thier hearts and ensuring the seeds planting in their hearts find fertile soil. Also, please continue praying for the leaders of the camp, there hasn't been much sleep or rest for that matter, but they are doing an INCREDIBLE job!

Signs and Wonders Camp '06 II

Oh to be a kid again! After breakfast yesterday, the kids were gearing up for a vicious game of Capture the Flag. My understanding is the outcome was after three games, 2-1 girls!

Monday was a pretty warm day of 95. Thankfully the kids were at the IHOP Mission Base and the pool. The groups were taken care of very well with sessions led by CEC staff, and swimming fun for all. My super big thanks goes to the kitchen staff whom performed admirably under pressure. I was there to witness the very last green beans served much to the amazement of the kitchen crew led by Mrs. Sanitize herself. They all thought the green beans would last until next year. As it turned out, all 250 people were served and finished in just about an hour! WAY TO GO!

The evening progressed into the main session led by the head macho honcho himself, Lenny LaGuardia. They closed the doors, allowed no visitors and pressed deeply into the Word. The comment I got from one of the group leaders was "man, kids were seriously touched tonight. Kids that were having bad attitude had 180 degree turn around and were committed to living a better life". How cool is that, and how Great is our God?

I was shuttle driver extrodinaire after the session. We had planned to be using a big 60 passenger bus and two 'peanut' shuttles, but the big bus just couldn't handle life with all these kids and gave up the fight. With two 15 passengers shuttles, we got all the kids delivered to camp by 11pm. This was just in time for Smores ('cause ya always some more) for the kids and then it was off to bed. I heard this morning that a snipe hunt took place too. No word on the success of this escapade.

Rachel and I left camp at 1230am and were in bed about a half hour later. I was back in the captian's chair of shuttle number 2 (big bus still down) at 7am hauling people tot he much needed showers. Funny part about this, as I took the last load of girls back to camp, their leader told them how good the bus smelled. I laughed and told her that I had noticed how aromatic the bus was after the girls got on, but when I was transporting the boys, I was pretty sure I had somehow picked up a wet dog. Oh well, I guess thats what the pool is for :)

So far, today has gone well, lunch has just completed and Rachel aka Mrs. Sanitize is still standing along with the rest of the kitchen crew. It should be a great night. Please continue to pray for the camp as a whole. Great things are happening!

Signs and Wonders Camp '06

Saturday several people involved with the CEC and many of the counselors for camp all assembled in a large field near Terrace Lakes. The mission of the day was to set-up camp. We put up 20+ 10 man tents as well as a couple gazebos. It was a gorgeous day and the work went relatively smooth. The only damage done happened to be by a particular Alaskan female who didn't realize her own brute strength and snapped a pole used for one of the tents. She says that it was previously damaged, but there is no proof of this.

Sunday was not only Fathers Day, but Opening Day for camp. My own father called me at one point, which was good because I had no idea how to reach him. Once we talked however, I son realized I was going to be challenged to wish him Happy Father's Day as he was sitting in Valdez, Alaska preparing his boat for a voyage to sea for several days. I am as green as the sea with envy, but I digress.

We began our day with my son buying his dad a cup of coffee at the IHOP coffee shop then off to camp. We showed up at 1030 and from then on, it was a steady stream of people. I have not heard the official number of kids this year, but suffice it to say it is very close to 250. This is over a 100% increase from last year. The registration of the children went well and only one parent found it necessary to go to the local one-stop-shop to buy their children a "luggage tent". Seriously folks, you are camping for 4 days in 95 degree heat, what do you need to have with you that requires a pull behind suitcase?

About 1 pm we had to shuttle these children from the camp to the CEC about 2 miles away. Yours truly got to drive a shuttle and had great fun. I will put back on my chauffeurs hat the next three mornings to take the children to the showers. This should provide excitement as there are 7 shower heads and about an hour for all the kids to go through. Can you say military style? RINSE! LATHER! RINSE! GET OUT! Oh I can hardly wait to see how this goes.

The evening finally came to an end about 1130 and the children one by one passed out, I mean went to sleep. I heard this morning from some of the counselors that many kids were up today at 5:30. This provided for some grumpy counselors who stayed up too late.

Rachel is doing a great job being Rachel. She has everybody on the kitchen staff under her sanitizing thumb. So much so, the kids even made a little cheer about her. By the time this is all over she will have a whole new reputation. Seriously though, I am proud of her and the kitchen team. Feeding this many children ANYTHING much less real food is impressive.

One last note. My daughter, Kassidy turns 10 today. I can't believe that she is officially closer to 18 than birth. We are very proud of her and how well she has adapted to KC and growing into her personality. She is a beautiful girl, especially on the inside. Kassidy, may not only today be joyous, but the remainder of you childhood. Keep pressing into what God has for you and keep praying!

Where 2 or More...

OK, Bible Sword Drill. Where in the Bible does it say where two or more are gathered together you are having church (paraphrased).

Today I have been 'having' church from 7am pretty much non-stop. Friday normally begins with a Gun Club mtg. I cannot give out details due to club rules, but suffice it to say it does have talk of God and other spiritual matters. A founding member's wife says "it involves strong drink and no women. There is some truth to this.

I continue my Fridays by working 8 hours at IHOP. This by itself does not give to 'having' church, but when you couple it with myself and a coworker webstreaming the Prayer Room (which is about 40 steps to my east), I call that church. Today the power of God flowed through speakers everywhere which simply does not happen ALL the time. During the 2-4pm CST set, Misty Edwards led and it was really good. She sang these lyrics at one point:

I dont want to waste my life, living on the outside.
I'm gonna live my life, from the inside out.

I set forth another challenge to you all (all 2 of you), take those words to heart! As you pray for the Signs and Wonders Camp over the next few days, ask God to assist you in living from the inside out.

What a Week, TO COME!

I can't hardly believe that I last posted on Sunday. This week has gone by so fast! Work has been a blur of reconciliations and new acquaintances. Day by day though I am beginning to get settled in the new job.

Last night we enjoyed dinner with some new friends that have a new breed of dog. They are called Escaping Labradors. These dogs are famous for their ability to make Houdini shake his head in shame. They can leap through windows better than any convict. Their ability to smash boards makes even the best martial artist blush. There is no doubt these dogs are priceless!

This weekend we prepare for the Signs and Wonders Camp here in KC. Over 200 kids aged 7-12 are invading the House of Prayer for a week of intense time with God. This week Rachel and I are going to be helping quite a bit with all that goes on there. I will be working 9-5 in the business office and then going to the camp to fill in as needed and tie up children... I mean loose ends ;) Rachel will be... get this... assisting in the kitchen with Tracy LaGuardia. Frankly, I am jealous of both of them. Whenever we around Tracy we laugh so hard and feel so refreshed afterwards. This will also be our kids first camp. With the thunderstorms that are predicted and Kennys poison ivy rash, it has all the makings of a very memorable experience for everyone.

Please be praying for the camp, the staff and our family as we work our way through the next ten days or so. We could use all the prayer we can get.

Burn!

As many of you know, Rachel and I are soon to be the leaders of the Prayer Ground for the Children's Equipping Center. Now don't let the title fool you, or then again perhaps you should. The Prayer Ground is what other churches call the nursery. It is the 1-5 year olds. The idea behind calling it the Prayer Ground is this; just like a baseball team has a field to practice on and get better, children need a field of their own to practice prayer on. Thus, the Prayer Ground.

As my last post mentioned, we were working at our first conference this past weekend. It was really our first submersion into what we will be doing in the future. The conference began on Thursday. While I was at work I received a phone call from Rachel. She went to make breakfast for her and the kids and turned the burner on. Soon after, while gathering the eggs and the frying pan, she noticed the burner was not sitting properly and pushed on it with her hand to put it in place. She forgot it was already on and fully heated up. Sizzle.

So when I got the call, we rushed her to the doctor and they bandaged up her 2nd degree burned hand. It looked really charred and blistery. I figured it would be a couple weeks before she would be close to normal again. This was also on Thursday afternoon with our first session at the conference to be that evening.

When we arrived to work, Rachel was bandaged up, but all in all , in good spirit. The problem was that most of the kids were really concerned/interested in what happened to "Miss Rachel". Tracy Laguardia explained the injury and then led prayer for Rachel's hand with a couple of the children adding their prayers too, after all, this is the "prayer ground" where they can 'practice'.

Friday morning, Rachel unbandaged her hand and could not believe what she saw. The burn was all but gone. The pain, gone! The only thing that remained was the dead skin that had already turned while from being fully cooked. We joke that it is her reminder to not do it again.

This experience serves as our introduction into the Prayer Ground. God moves through the "least of these". For any of you out there with kids, read this:
Luke 18:16 "Jesus, however, called for them and said, "Let the little children come to me, and stop keeping them away. For the kingdom of God belongs to people like these".

If you have kids, or a younger relative, don't be shy, tell them about God. If you are here in KC, and you are a dad with your child in the Prayer Ground, be forewarned, they're practicing!

Slow to Anger

Last night we attended/worked at the Forerunner and End Times Conference here in KC. I could write for days on my thoughts about the end times and how unschooled and lethargic society is about the End of Days. I am astounded that the majority of people asked could care less about the end than where their next beer is coming from.

Justin Rizzo, led the worship last night and I particularly like his sets. He began with a song with these lyrics:
Lord., you are gracious
You are slow to anger,
Abounding in love,
You are, good to all!

Those words have been echoing in my mind all night and all day today. Allen Hood spoke last night, and I cannot recommend him enough. Every time I hear him preach I am provoked, challenged, inspired and moved. He began his teaching as sweetly as I have ever witnessed. He called his wife to the stage and asked her to pray over him before he started. As she was walking up, he says, "Isn't she so cute?" After she prayed and was returning to her seat, he repeated that about 3 more times saying, "I know I am dead, so I a have to make sure I get it all in". Now, the audience thought it was funny, and it was, but I was actually touched. I was thrilled to see a husband, loving his wife so much that he wanted her to pray over him, and then gush over her. You just don't see this everyday, let alone once a year.

Allen went on to talk about not letting anger get a foothold in your life. Don't we all need to hear that! He said there is a key difference between being undisturbed and holy. You can be left alone and think you are being holy, but what are the thoughts in your spirit? What do you do when you get walked on or bumped by some person? Surely, there is a bit of truth in their accusations, but what do you do about it? Do you fire back according to how much truth there was in the insult? Or do you truly forgive the person and even pray a blessing on them, maybe even go as far as to do something nice for them? I tell you folks, that message last night could have, and probably should have been a several week series.

And then I blew it. We left the church, and had to run to our local grocery store for a few items. It was late, everyone was tired. I was grumpy and the kids were bouncing off the walls like they usually do right before they collapse. As we were leaving the store and my patience was all used up, my son was skipping around in circles and trying to do tricks as if he were riding a skateboard. He jumped, twisted, and twirled and crashed to the ground losing a flip-flop. I yell, "What are you doing? Get up!" He no sooner gets to his feet, and around the corner comes Allen Hood's wife and their three sons. Surely they heard every word I barked at my child. Bad, Ken! Nothing like a big 'ole slice of humble pie for dessert.

I challenge everyone, be slow to anger. Forgive those that hurt you and bless them. Life is much more enjoyable that way.

Kid Left Behind
I believe that there is a certain family here at IHOP that narrowly avoided an embarrasing moment. Thank God that the mom was devoted to the Global Bridegroom Fast or who knows what would have happened!

Aint They Cute!

A couple days ago while Rachel and I were wrapping up the household chores, our kids disappeared. Shortly afterward, they came back dressed to the nine. They began dancing around the great room and we couldn't resist taking a few snaps. We wont mention how they later acted like they were going out on a date complete with flowers.

We are so thankful that the kids are friends and love playing together. In a couple weeks they will be attending their first ever camp. Granted, we will be working there too but it should make for some great stories.

Rachel and Kassidy recently went on a walk in the area the camp is going to be and discovered a wild grapevine. We have noticed that many people have grapevines around here and found out that they are Concord grapes. Yum.

Slowly but surely we are learning different ways to stretch our income. Where wild salmon and moose used to fill our freezers (we always accept charity you Alaskans :), we are trying to grow extra veggies and not eat so much meat. We have been looking at our budget and realize that we are living now on less income than we have had in many many years. We have faith that God will provide. He always has.

Malachi 3:10 says "...Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the flodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have enough room for it."

We have been faithful even when we have had very little and God has always made sure we were taken care of. It is what I refer to as a safety net for us. Because we tithe, God provides.

Last Day of Vacation

Today ends the transfer from Fairbanks to Kansas City for us. Tomorrow, I begin my new job with IHOP in the business office doing accounting. I am very excited by this opportunity as I will be working with CPA's who know what they are doing and have fun doing it. Also, over the next few weeks we will be heavily involved with the Signs & Wonders Camp that the Children's Equipping Center holds every June. They are expecting over 200 kids from around the world! We are going to busy, and are blessed to be able to help and particiapte.

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Here is a before and after of the painting we did. We wanted an accent wall and do we ever have it! We wanted an accent wall and do we ever have it. This picture makes it look brighter than it really is. The color is actually roasted red pepper. We used a dual sponge roller with our boston cream pie yellow and the red pepper to to do an undercoat, then sponged on the red pepper to darken it a bit.



We also repainted the kitchen from a dark navy blue to the yeloow we chose and painted the hallway the same color. THe living room changed from NEON lime green to a softer sage/seafoam green. All together it looks really nice.

We hung the clothes line yesterday so that we might be able to do laundry again. The umbrella for the patio set is now securely fastened for future deck dinners. The umbrella we bought didnt fit in the table we chose so we had to fasten it to he deck railing, but hey, it works.

All in all, today and this weekend will be the end of the transition and the beginning of the new life in Kansas City in earnest. Please keep praying for us as we are for you.