Expiration Date

My expiration date has come for my time in Richmond.

I was at Lighthouse for two months under the grace of God’s providence and the openness of the hearts of the people. The Holdeman family was willing to let me come and observe them almost daily in the office to see the operation of the church. I am beyond grateful for the chance to have been in Richmond, especially at Lighthouse. God put the people of Lighthouse into my heart. There will be songs and memories associated with Lighthouse which I will cherish for a lifetime.

On my last Sunday at Lighthouse I was able to participate in the bus ministry of Lighthouse Church. The bus ministry is a very large part of Lighthouse’s heart. It was amazing. God opened some doors for me to have conversations with a couple girls on the bus. As I rode the bus, I felt right at home as I was reminded of the summers of riding the bus with activities for Epworth. If I had stayed in Richmond, I would have liked to have done more bus rides.

Also, on my last Sunday God showed me the impact my prayers for Lighthouse were making. He confirmed four different things I had been praying about specifically. God opened my heart to see the value I could contribute to Lighthouse. A large part of me wanted to stay in Richmond and work with the ministries associated with Lighthouse. However, in the past week God confirmed my place was not to stay in Richmond, at least for now, and more than likely indefinitely.

There is one ministry in particular I am most excited about God stirring in Richmond and sad I will miss out on being part of. Lighthouse has had a Friday Night Outreach where some believers go downtown Richmond to feed and pray with people. However, during the cold months it was harder to do. Therefore, the FNO was morphing into a new outreach. When I left the name was still undecided, but a possible name was the Lamp. At the Lamp on Friday nights believers were going to provide food for individuals of Richmond to come in for a meal. While eating, the believers would sit, talk, share the meal, and maybe pray with the people. Then, as God led, maybe one person would get up to share a gospel centered message. The Holy Spirit was going to be in lead of the whole night. What I loved is that the ministry was providing for a very real need in the middle of downtown Richmond, which in return would allow for the gospel to be shared. I look forward to hearing how God uses the Lamp to reach more people of Richmond.

As I look back on my time in Richmond my overall take away is something I already knew, but now sense a greater depth of truth...the power of intercession. I left a prayer journal for Pastor Ralph filled with the prayers for Lighthouse from every day I was in Richmond. Each day I set a focus and prayed. I followed Joy Dawson’s steps of intercession which I learned from Youth With A Mission almost 13 years ago. Some days it was difficult to sense the Spirit’s heart for a particular area, but nevertheless as I continued to push God would meet me in the Secret Place to intercede for Lighthouse. I prayed for all of Lighthouse from teens to the technology department to the bus ministry to the deacons and armor bearers. Part of me wishes I kept the journal as a souvenir of my time at Lighthouse, but it was to be a sacrifice for Lighthouse to see God’s great love and heart for them.

I share about the prayer journal not to toot my own horn, but as a testament of the power of intercession to cause a heart to fall in love with God’s love for a place and people. While praying every day for Lighthouse God developed a great deal of care in my heart for the people of Lighthouse. While this internship in Lighthouse was only ever supposed to be for two months from the beginning, through intercession I found my heart wanting to stay. I started to have visions of what I could do in ministry at Lighthouse and around Richmond moving forward. My heart found a home with the people of Lighthouse and Richmond. Leaving was so difficult to do. Even now tears come to my eyes as I think of those I left at Lighthouse.

Prayer is an ever important part of a Christian’s walk with God. When we pray for someone, a place or situation we allow God to work His will and heart for that person, place, or situation into our lives. Countless times I have seen how prayer has covered offenses, repaired my heart, and let love be first for a situation, place, or person. Dave Earley writes in his book Prayer: The Timeless Secret of High-Impact Leaders, “Prayer allows God to do more in days, hours, minutes, or even seconds than we could accomplish without him in months, or even years of work.”

As we learn more about God’s will, we learn how God gave believers prayer as a power tool. S.D. Gordon suggests in his book Quiet Talks on Prayer, “God will do as a result of the praying of the humblest one here what otherwise he would not do.” Prayer is a means of God empowering a believer to do what a mere human cannot do of his or her own accord. Gordon goes on to write, “Prayer brings power. Prayer is power. The time of prayer is the time of power. The place of prayer is the place of power. Prayer is tightening the connections with the divine dynamo so that the power may flow freely without loss or interruption.” What prayer can do for the Kingdom of God far outweighs what a believer does without prayer. Nothing of real power can be done until we have prayer laid down. The battle is won in secret first. Prayer is the secret service weapon given for the battle. As believers are found in prayer, sub-quarters are developed for God to move through.

My time at Lighthouse was filled with prayer. I prayed in tongues and in English, but it was all allowing God to use me as a tool to bring His power into my relationship with Lighthouse. I knew that if I had had a good prayer time on a day in Richmond, I would face a spiritual battle. On one of my last days at Lighthouse I had an incredible prayer time and watched as the battle ensued around me. Prayer is not for the faint of heart, but I do promise it will give you strength in the battle. Ephesians 6:18 reminds me that prayer is part of the armor God gives for His believers to stand strong.

If you are struggling to love someone, I challenge you to pray. Perhaps you are moving to a new place, pray for that place. Maybe a situation is battling against you, pray. It may not come as an easy fix, but you will be amazed at how God will change your vision of the person, place, or situation.

Selah

Being home I was able to go to a Clemson football game with my sister. While I am sad to not be

in Richmond with my Lighthouse family, I am glad to have gotten to see my tigers play a game

at home.