Stories ::: The Emerge(ing) Journey - Part 2
If you missed Part 1, please click here and read it first!
India. Not the first place in the world that I thought I would go to visit. However, it’s where I saw God at work in a whole new way. It was a place where God worked on me in a whole new way.
We had been traveling for many hours and completely wiped out. We crawled into our hotel rooms and had early wakeup calls to catch our shuttle. We headed to a school in the slums where the kids are provided with a meal and a uniform. The school provides their education plus they learn about Jesus by learning/reciting scripture and songs. These kids tore at my heart as they sang “Open The Eyes of My Heart Lord.” While the kids may be raised in Muslim or Buddhist families, their family loves to send them to this school so they can have better lives. The scriptures that are being imprinted on their minds and hearts are part of God working on those kids and their families!
We spent the next 7 days seeing the countryside and the big cities of India. We could see where God was working on the hearts of the kids and parents. We could see how the Pastors are incredibly bold and building the kingdom at the potential expense of their own lives or family members. We saw the hungry being fed. We saw God in a new way in the midst of the slums. These people didn’t have anything but a lot of them had Jesus! Isn’t that all that we truly need?! YES!
Here are a few photos that captured my heart for the people and areas in India.
As part of this trip, we had the opportunity to train hundreds of small group leaders and pastors over 3 days. It was a great time to hear many stories as to how God was working in their lives. We used some of the knowledge we had to train them, too.
I had the opportunity to preach at a church in Kolkata. The church has 16 services each weekend and offers 8 services in different languages. They have multiple congregations meeting at the same time to make great use of their facilities. I preached at the Telugu service which was a more traditional service. It was my first time to preach through a translator (this young man was my translator and a college student).
At the end of the trip, God spoke to me in a vision about me leading a church when I returned back to the US. It scared me to death, quite honestly, and I suppressed it. I was negotiating with God that I didn’t feel qualified and that I was quite happy where and what I was doing at the church.
Fast-forward 10 months and God showed me the vision again. I opened myself up to praying about it and asking God during the 21 Days of Prayer in January 2019 to bring a pastor on staff to replace me or to close the location that I was overseeing. I kept hearing close but it just didn’t make sense to me …. at that time.
A few weeks after the 21 Days of Prayer, I had 4 key leaders of our campus all come to me independently and they didn’t tell anyone. They all had different words, but the same message of
“I love you and the church, but I need to tell you that my last day will be June 30”.
After the last person came to me, I was called by my senior pastor that evening. “Hey, Curt. Great News! We are starting the new building. However, we will be having the last services at your campus on June 30th.”
WOW! I couldn’t believe it … all the leaders said June 30th and then pastor called to tell me that would be the last day at the campus! Can you make it any clearer, God?! Wow!
We closed the campus and transitioned to the main campus. I open up to God for the 21 Days of Prayer in August of 2019, again.
My prayer was “God, make it clear that you are calling me to start a new church!”
I went into the 21 Days of prayer ready to hear from God and I went on a strict water-only fast for 10 days. I was specifically looking for clarity in this calling. Over the 10 days, I had 37 people come to me asking:
Are you a Senior Pastor? || Are you going to start a church? || When are you starting a church?
Emily and I couldn’t believe that 37 people came to us …. it was unbelievable!
“Alright, God! We’re hearing you … but let’s get some more clarity! You are calling me to start a church but I don’t have resources. Can you verify that we will be financially covered?”
The very next morning, I had breakfast with someone. He said, “I’ve been avoiding you and know why. I’m going to tithe to you because you need to start a church!”
NO WAY!!!! Unbelievable .. another answered prayer!
Over the remainder of the 21 Days, we had another 99 people come to us …. WOW!! Our prayer was that God would send people to us and that we would NOT ask one person. He sent 136 people in our path to confirm what He was calling us to do!
Emily and I said to each other, “There’s no way we can hold church in our house if this many people are interested in joining us!”.
SO, my prayer … “Alright, God. I hear you calling us and sending all of these people. You’ve verified your resources, financially. Now, I’m asking for a sound system. That’s the next biggest expense for a portable church.”
The next morning over a cup of coffee …. a grown man starts crying!
“Yesterday, my wife and I felt this burden to give you a sound system. Plus we have a projector, TV, some lights, and other stuff. We don’t know why we are to give it to you, though”
NO WAY!!! I started crying … unbelievable!! Another huge answer to prayer!!! A sound system dropped right in our lap!
God revealed to me that the path moving forward was to temporarily take a new sales job and it would start on October 1st. I applied to over 100 jobs and they were all no’s. I sat down for a cup of coffee and at the end of the interview he said “You will be starting something new on 10/1 and I’ll send an offer over in a few days.” I was so excited as it lined up with what God said and it was a great opportunity.
“Curt, I know I told you I would give you the offer but I hired another person.”
Ugggg, I was devastated! “Where did my signals get crossed, God?!” It literally put me in a bit of a fog.
That was September 6th and we were leaving on vacation on September 23rd. Emily and I looked at each other and said “We know all things are possible through God, but this is going to be tight for an October 1 start at a job that doesn’t exist.”
In my quiet time with God, I said “I give up doing this in my own power. It’s all Your’s, God.”
I stopped searching for a job and just rested in His presence knowing that He was going to provide richly and by October 1st. Well, look at God work His miracles. I sat down for a cup of coffee on September 16th…
“Curt, my sales guy recently left and I’m drowning. I need to hire someone just like you. Who do you know?”
Was what he said … as I almost spit out my coffee! I said, “Can you repeat that?!”. So, he did and I raised my hand. He was shocked, I was shocked. Yay, God!! I was offered the job on the spot with a start date of October 1st. WOW!!!
1 I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in you;
I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.Psalm 9:1-2 NIV
Yes! We will give thanks to you, Lord and tell of your wonderful deeds! So amazing and affirming ….. (continued on Part 3)