I believe the Lord is calling me to rally the worshippers and prayer leaders who will help serve and facilitate consistent prayer and worship in the Fort Smith River Valley, and that the first three to six months of 2008 are critical;  He has promised to “make a way” for those who will make specific time commitments… are you heeding the call?

My biggest concern in this season is NOT the facility, it’s the facilitators.  There are plenty of gatherings and opportunities for worshippers and pray-ers to serve, but it’s time for a step-up in the quality and diversity of the musicians, singers, and prayer leaders.  We may never know WHY the Lord wired we humans to respond the way that we do to musical worship, and why it makes prayer and devotional focus so much easier at times, but He did it, He likes it, He wants it, and He is eager to honor the sacrifices you will make in committing to serving in this capacity.

So, for you musicians and singers, and you pray-ers who feel called to help lead others in prayer from a place of leadership during a gathering (you know who you are), it’s time.  Please contact me so we can work out your monthly/weekly commitments.

For you devout pray-ers and lovers of God who aren’t musically or microphonally (yes, I made that up) inclined, we need your support.  Please pray for the Lord to release these watchmen, and for Him to make a way for them: schedule-wise, money-wise, and desire-wise to be able to commit to this calling on their lives.

On a somewhat related note, the Lord has asked Robin and I to serve in a more full-time capacity at Heritage Church while the pastor is deployed to Iraq with his National Guard unit.  I came on as the interim Worship Arts Coordinator, as they searched for a full-time Worship Arts Pastor (in a very divinely orchestrated way, I might add), but we immediately felt the Lord stepping it up from “very short term interim” to “put some other things on pause and help provide stability here while Pastor Wes is gone - interim”.  The great thing is they know my heart and calling to the region, and give me full freedom in pursuing those things (time and energy wise).

With this increase in time commitment comes an increase in pay.  So, in remaining consistent with our open-book financial policy, I wanted you guys to know that we will be receiving full-time pay from Heritage for our service there.  My initial flesh reaction was to contact our supporters and encourage them to start sending their money somewhere else, but, with prayer and thought, I feel the Lord is asking us to press towards the goal of having our budget fully funded with supporters, even though we will be receiving a full-time paycheck from Heritage.  “Blasphemy!” you say?  We believe this window of opportunity to get fully-funded is the Lord’s grace on us, and we believe we have divine strategy for how to use any moneys in excessive of the standard of living the Lord had us establish.  Any support received will prayerfully be applied to either (a) clearing our last remaining debts, or (b) given to other missionaries.  I believe some of those “other missionaries” will be the worshippers the Lord is having us rally.  We need to be in a place where we can help them make the transitions into this more consistent place of service.

We appreciate your continued prayer and support as we join together to accept the prophetic invitations of the Lord to establish a zone of glory, an epicenter of revival, a valley of regue, and a fruitful vally in the River Valley.

Now that the Jacksons are back in town and have had a chance to sure-up some of the things the Lord has asked us to do, we have put together our “normal budget” for living the life Jesus has called us to in this season, and are posting it here as a part of our call for an “Open Book Policy”.  I say “normal” because, just like Paul, we are to learn how to “abase and to abound” depending on the giving of others in support of ministry.

We received $1130.00 in support for the month of August from four sources ($1000, $100, $20, and $10).  I had an outstanding web development project that I completed for an additional $1000, which gave us a total income for August of $2130.00.  Although it was more than $1000 short of the normal budget we have developed with outside counsel and prayer, it looks like we are going to make it out of August with everything immediately due paid, and having had to make an extra trip to Van Buren from Kansas City and back with two vehicles (gas… ouch!).

As of today, we know of about $200 in support that we can expect for September, and accepted tent-making proposals for about $3000.  However, all of that depends on people writing checks, and such - so, although it is very close to our actual need, we ask that you would still pray about how the Lord would have you partner in His work with us by sowing financially with us.

Also, we are humbled, but confident, that it is the Lord’s desire to move us completely into a place of full-time commitment to prayer, worship, fasting, outreach, and serving the churches of our region by being fully-funded through your giving alone.  The Lord has really opened the scriptures to me that have incorrectly shaped my view of tent-making and full-time ministry in the last few months.  For example, Paul made tents in Thessalonica because they believed that the rapture had already come, or was eminent, and weren’t working at all, at anything.  This was NOT Paul’s normal way of living; this was an exception to the way he normally ministered because these believers needed an example of how believers (whose lives were not devoted to gospel full-time) were to live.  Even in this passage, Paul reminds them that he, as one whose life is devoted to the gospel, “has the authority” to receive support from the church - but he was “making an example of how they should follow them.”  Then, on top of that, the Lord has rebuked me sharply with the charge, “Do you not know that being a watchman on the walls is real work?  Do you not value the place of intercession as highly as the place of carpenter, a staff pastor, or a computer programmer?”

“Okay, Lord.  You win.”

I felt His grace to accept a part-time interim Worship Arts Coordinator position with a local congregation here in Van Buren as they continue the search for a full-time Worship Arts Pastor, and as we transition into raising support (which is a large chunk of the expected tent-making income for September), but, again, the Lord is asking us to pursue being fully-funded by your partnership.  So, as you are led, please visit our Partnering page where you can donate on-line, schedule automated monthly donations, or get the correct address and information for sending your support via regular mail.