The Call to London

It all began in the spring of 2006. My friend Ed Rosella had asked me to consider going on a mission trip to Romania with him. The plan was to go to Romania later in the year, possibly during the fall. In the weeks that followed, our trip began to include a possible stop in London, England to conduct a Hands of Mercy conference nearby with our friend, Kurt Erickson of Eleos Christian Church.

Kurt, who is a pastor and missionary in London, had introduced Ed to my wife Angie and me back in 2004. We had known Kurt for a few years prior to meeting Ed. Kurt was a member of the ministerial association that we were a part of while we were the pastors of a local church in Unadilla, Georgia. It was while on a visit to the United States that Kurt had ministered at our church. It was then that our friendship with him began.

As I was looking forward to my first trip across the Atlantic, another interesting development was taking place. I had no way of seeing this one coming. It was further proof that I was being led by the unseen hand of the sovereign God.

Soon after Angie and I agreed that I would join Ed on this trip, the desire to visit my birth father entered my heart. I have been blessed to have had a daddy who married my mother when I was only three years old and has loved me and my siblings as his own. Still I felt that I needed to reach out to my birth father, the one who as an alcoholic had been abusive to my mother. I had not seen him since I was a toddler and that had been more than 35 years before.

My oldest brother Paul came with me the day I finally went to visit him. When we arrived, I did not find the hostile man that had once filled my heart with fear. Rather, I found a man that seemed somewhat contrite and meek. I believe it really ministered to him when I looked him in the eyes and said the words, “I forgive you.” I must say it ministered to me also. Two years later, I was privileged to lead him in a prayer as he invited Jesus into his heart. A few weeks later, I was honored once again to be the one to baptize him.

I asked during that first visit if he had ever had any other children. He lifted his finger and said, “One.” He then informed us that our brother, Brian, whom we had never met, was a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army. Of all places on this planet, he was stationed in England! Little did I know what started out as a mission trip to Romania was actually being navigated by the hand of God toward England. Nothing that happened beforehand was a coincidence. Not long after this revelation, I met my brother Brian by phone for the very first time.

In the weeks that followed, things begin to fall into place and by the time that Ed and I stepped onto the plane for our mission trip, we were headed to England with Romania no longer in the picture. When we landed in London we were greeted by Kurt and Brian. It was fitting that my two missionary friends were the ones who were there when I met my younger brother in person for the first time.

After spending a good part of the day together, Ed and Kurt stayed in London for the conference that was coming up in the southern part of England while Brian and I headed north to Harrogate. My mission trip to Romania turned into a week with my newfound brother in the heart of England.

After returning home, I began to occasionally have moments when I would feel as if God was placing London on my heart. However, as we often do, I would turn my attention elsewhere. I later made two more visits to London in 2008: once in February with my wife and once alone that summer.

I was there in June 2008 to teach a seminar entitled “Jesus and the Covenant”. I remember taking a stroll alone in East London early Sunday afternoon. The church service wasn’t until 3:00 that afternoon so I had some time on my hands. I remember saying to myself as I was taking in the sights and sounds, “I don’t want to move to London.” I once again dismissed the thought of this place as a longer term ministry field for us.

Later that year, in the fall of 2008, our friend Kurt experienced a personal tragedy when his wife Asha, of 18 years, passed away. Kurt is now a single parent of two sons and carrying on the work that he and his lovely wife begin many years ago. His ministry includes among other things fulltime Pastoral work, ministry to the
homeless, and Eleos School of Practical Theology (i.e. Bible School Ministry).

I am grateful to the Lord that during my last visit to London in June of 2008, I had the opportunity to visit with Asha and I thank God for his word that tells us to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

From January through June 2009, the desire for London continued to surface in my heart, especially during times of sincere honesty before God concerning His direction. I remember while we talking with a dear friend concerning Angie’s upcoming trip to London, I began to break inside with compassion in my heart for Kurt and it nearly broke me into tears. The longing was getting stronger and I didn’t know exactly what to do.

Shortly before Angie left for her visit to London I asked her to speak to Kurt while there about the possibility of our coming for an extended period of time, possibly six months. I guess I was trying to test the waters to see if what I was experiencing was of the Lord. This didn’t go over very well with Angie because she thought that maybe I was simply grabbing for straws. She also told me that to leave her home, friends, and teaching career for a six-month “visit” to London was not something she could do. I once again had to dismiss it as all in my head.

The day came when I took Angie to the airport. She was truly beautiful as she glowed with anticipation about her trip. Little did I know what God was about to do. For several weeks my wife had been reading a book by Francis Chan entitled Crazy Love. This book became a catalyst to shift her entire idea of what it meant to truly be given over to God’s will and to pursue doing whatever was necessary to do what He requires of us. She did not realize how soon He would make the next steps of His will known to her.

As Angie headed to London, I spent the next few days helping with a youth camp in a rural area in west Georgia. While in London, the Spirit of the Lord began to open Angie’s heart for the people there. During that week she became captured by a desire to leave the comfort of life as she had known it and was set on fire with a passion for England as a missionary. She was totally engulfed with the call of God and has never looked back.

The amazing thing in all of this is that Angie had totally forgotten that I had mentioned to her to ask Kurt about our coming for an extended period. God was dealing with her independently of anything that he had been doing in my heart. When the desire came into her heart, she took it and never let go.

After returning from England, she held it in her heart for a day or two and on the evening that we went out for our 15th wedding anniversary, London became the main topic of discussion. In the days and weeks and months that followed, I wish I could say that I began living in the excitement of the confirmation of the will of God. Instead I fell into depression and fear as the thoughts of the uncertainty of what was before us begin to settle in. From late-June through early December, I honestly wanted the thought of London to just go away. Why couldn’t I just be a pastor of a local church nearby or have an opportunity somewhere here? Why London? Why must we sell out and leave everything behind? What if we fail? What about our son? How will he be affected? The whole thing was unsettling to me. I felt as if I were on an island all alone.

The fears of the unknown and the uncertainty of how it was all going to work out were driving me into depression and I didn’t know how to get out. Any hint of not being all in would disappoint Angie, and yet I felt like I had no one to walk with me through this inner struggle. I just wanted a way out. I had in me this deep dread of failure. I felt that the burden of pulling it all together was upon my shoulders and I knew that I was incapable of doing what needed to be done.

As I sought God, a breakthrough finally came in December when my friend Ed once again reached out to me. During this time I begin to open my heart to Ed who took the time to help me work through some of the uncertainties that I had. Even as the desire began to reawaken in my heart, it wasn’t without continued opposition from the enemy. However, the more I gave myself to the call of God for London, those other things continued to lose their grip.

The crossover finally came one morning in January 2010. I was lying on the sofa thinking about the reality of everything involving in the move to London. I considered the necessary sale of our house and how much our home meant to me. I have to admit this was one of my biggest hurdles. I oversaw the building of this house myself. My family (including my parents and brothers) had spent many tiresome days doing most of the work ourselves. Our home was to me a memorial of the goodness of God, and I didn’t want to let that go. I will never forget that day in January because there came a moment when my heart said, “Lord, You can have it.” That same hour something happened in me. The fears and uncertainties that had kept me from completely surrendering to the Lord’s will dissolved. They were replaced with a determination to do what we had to do.

Occasionally, I still have one of those “What are you doing?!” moments. But it’s OK, because He that has begun a good work in me is going to perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. As I walk out this missionary journey, I’m learning that surrender is an ongoing process and God is faithful to lead us from glory to glory by His Spirit within us.

There is still much that needs to take place before the vision set before us becomes a reality. However, Angie and I are both convinced that God wants to demonstrate His power so that He alone will be glorified.

“A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.” - Proverbs 16:9

Jesus: The Lamb of God

He is the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Genesis 3:21; Revelation 13:8)

He is the more excellent sacrifice offered by Abel (Genesis 4:1-10; Hebrews 11:4)

He is the sweet smelling savor offered by Noah: providing mercy, favor and covenant (Genesis 8:20-22: 9:1, 8-17)

He is Isaac’s Substitution: the ram caught in the thicket by the horns (Genesis 22:1-13)

He is the Passover: Who delivered the children of Israel for the bondage and slavery of sin (Ex 12; Numbers 9:1-14; 2Chronicles 30:1; 1Corinthians 5:7)

He is the burnt offering: wholly consecrated for to the Lord for us (Leviticus 1)

He is the meat offering: holy and perfect and without sin (Leviticus 2)

He is the peace offering: the free gift of grace to be received with thanksgiving (Leviticus 3; Colossians 1:20-22)

He is the sin offering: He bore the sins of the world (Leviticus 4; 1Corinthians 5:21)

He is the trespass offering: He paid the price for all the trespasses of the child of God (Leviticus 5&6; 1John 1:7-9)

He is the continual burnt offering: our once for all sacrifice, eternal and everlasting (Exodus 29:38-42; Leviticus 6:9-13)

He is the fire that must never go out: burning continually upon the upon the coals of our heart (Leviticus 6)

He is the consecration ram: His blood is applied to the priest for hearing, service, and fellowship (Exodus 29; Leviticus 8)

He is the drink offering who poured out His life for us all (Exodus 29; Isa 53:12; Ps 22:14)

He is the scapegoat who took our sins away (Leviticus 16; Hebrews 9:26; Isaiah 53:6)

He is the cleanser of the Levites in purifying us for service (Numbers 8)

He is the perpetual truth in the daily ministrations: the continual burnt offering ever rising to the Father, the lamp in the tabernacle always giving light, and the incense ever rising in the prayers of those who seek God with the whole heart. (Hebrews 10:11; Exodus 29:38-42; Ex 30:7-9)

He is the cleanser of the leper: He restores the outcast to fellowship (Leviticus 14-15)

He is salvation to the Gentiles: Rahab’s true token (Joshua 2:12-21)

He is the glorious sound of the ram’s horn: This was heard before the shout that knocked down flat the walls of Jericho (Joshua 6)

He is the burnt offering offered by Gideon: Gideon received insight from the Lord (Judges 6)

He is the peace offering: Hanna’s vow was answered (1Samuel 1-2)

He the burnt offering offered by Samuel: God thundered upon the Philistines (1Samuel 7)

He is the ram that was offered: out of His horns Samuel poured the anointing oil upon David to be King (1Samuel 16:1-13)

He is the burnt offering offered by David, which atoned for sin and stopped the plague (2Samuel 24:18-25; 1Chronicles 21-22; 1Chrosnicles 21:26)

He is Solomon’s burnt offering by which Solomon sought God and asked for wisdom which truly is the principle thing (2Chroncles 1:1-12)

He is the offering at the dedication of the tabernacle and the temple causing the house to be filled with the Glory of God (Leviticus 9:22-24; 1Kings 8:62-64; 2Chronicles 7:1-2)

He is Elijah’s burnt offering triumphing over all our enemies (1Kings 18:21-46)

He is Jehoshaphat’s meat offering: the one who sanctifies (2Kings 2:30)

He is Job’s burnt offering: He turns captivity through intercession (Job 42:7-17)

He is Jonah’s thanksgiving (peace) offering: Jonah gave thanks by faith from the belly of the whale (Jonah 2; Ho 14:2; 1Kings 8:38-39; Mt 12:40-41; Ps 16:9-11; Acts 2:25-28)

He is the peace offering, by whom we give thanks as in the case of Hezekiah ((Ps 103:1-5; Ps 116:12-19; 2Chronicles 32:24-26)