Been up for a while, can't sleep since about 3:30.  But its 8AM somewhere, right?  We're having a great vacation break but I feel somewhat stirred by a noble theme.  I feel Divine permission to write down this part of our journey, for the glory of God's name.

Vast stretches of my life with Jesus have been rather atypical, late-20th-century(plus)-Americana.  By this I mean marriage, children and strings of professional accomplishment.  But I've also had some sudden, left-turn right-turn bursts into stretches of profound and unusual jaunts into visibility and influence that can only be described as God-ordained.  When those have happened I hope to have been consistent to not attribute it to any particular personality trait or political manipulation that I cleverly accomplished.  However, there is one simple standard to which I have aspired, and one to which I have yet to master: doing whatever Jesus says to do.  Sounds simple, maybe.  I understood early in my post-salvation encounter with the Risen Christ that the prospect of leaving behind everything was something God could say to any person, (cf. Matthew 19:29 where Jesus says, "And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life").

Its not inevitable for everyone, but its wisdom and actually basic Christianity to be willing.  Every one who hears the Master's voice, who treasures His Word, who understand we all can only gain our life by losing it (cf. Matthew 16:25 where Jesus says, "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.") has this standard.  Its not 'heroic'... its the only way into His life and His will.  Jesus did not flinch when He said this, nor was He tired and having a bad day.  He was (and is) Love breaking open the news of His Kingdom, a journey where every inch is paved with love.

In December of 1989 I was sent a book called Taking Our Cities for God, written by John Dawson.  Our friends, Wes and Sandi Tullis, sent the book to us with a newspaper printing (about 8 pages) called the Kansas City Fellowship Newsletter.  Both were implosive and riveting, being escorts into a change of worldview concerning several things: 1) God's perspective of His Church, 2) the authenticity of God speaking profoundly to His Church today, 3) God's desire for none to perish, 4) that prayer is the only way to bear fruit.  In this last point my understanding has continued to deepen and widen in the unfolding years since; I am absolutely convinced by the precedence of the early Church, by the prophetic testimony in God's salvation history and by the teaching He has available in His Word that prayer is the way we gain entrance into God's mind and heart, and find grace to accomplish the invitations He offers us as He makes His will known.

I'm expanding here beyond what I intended but I'll not delete this backdrop for 'Eleven Twentythree'.  In the early 90s the Lord shot my family and I (Matthew was just a little dude, born January 1, 1989 in Austin) into missions with YWAM, briefly.  Then He called us out of that to wait in transition back in Austin.  In some ways it was truly a glorious time as He was speaking and showing us things to come in some jaw-dropping ways.  One of those was this, which is the specific backdrop for 'Eleven Twentythree':

In that transition we had developed relationship with the Harvest Evangelism team... to the point that we had applied for and been accepted as missionaries.  Caryn and I had met with Ed Silvoso and with Dave Thompson (and the H.E. board) and we agreed this was God's will to join in (there is a ton more to this part of our story but thats for a different time).  On August 30 of 1994, the Lord gave me a word cryptically that 'the ark was hidden at Obed-Edom's house for 3 months'.  I was fascinated and watching for His word.  Other confirmation comes during this time that change is upon our family.  One thing in the mix was that we meet the Yuba City/Marysville pastors, a gathering of whom Ed had been teaching and bearing witness to the move of God in Argentina concerning the advancing of the gospel in cities there.  We met them and I confirmed to the lead pastor of the group that we would move there to help them reach their cities if they chose to invite us.  So I was literally waiting for a red light or green light and by all means it was unconfirmed for a number of weeks.

In early December we come home to a message on our answering machine.  The lead pastor had called and said they had been in prayer and thought they should go for it and would like us to move there to help reach their cities entirely with the gospel.  Caryn and I sat on our bed and listened to the message and I was moved to prayer.  We held hands and I said, 'Lord, this is not by the will of man.  Only you have brought us to this place and opened this door.  You are a great and awesome God.  This is a defining moment in our life, is there something You would say to us?'  To me, it was a moment pregnant with promise and overflowing with Divine unction and it just seemed right for Him to speak if there ever was a moment when I should expect Him to speak.  As we waited briefly, an unfamiliar scripture reference popped into my mind: Numbers 11:23.  I said, excitedly, 'Caryn, I think the Lord says Numbers 11:23'.  We grabbed a bible and read the verse: "The LORD answered Moses, "Is the LORD's arm too short? You will now see whether or not what I say will come true for you."  It was a holy moment with the Living God.  As the scripture says in Isaiah 53:1 - "Who has believed our report?  And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?"  After we moved to California and began working with the pastors we learned that on November 30 (3 months after the Obed Edom scripture came to me) the pastors had met and prayed and decided to invite us to work with them.

OK, fast forward to our sojourn in Charlotte.  We had moved from California and lived in Charlotte for a handful of years, then had started our harp and bowl prayer meetings in October of 2002.  The Lord tells me 3 years of weakness then He will build 24 hour prayer in Charlotte.  In October of 2005, unaware of the date, Kirk and Dee Bennett are blessed and released at the IHOP in Kansas City to move to Fort Mill.  It was exactly 3 years to the day.  They lead a group of young people from the midwest and in January of 2006, ZHOP is formed and begins 24 hour prayer.

Three years ago Caryn and I took steps to sell our house in Charlotte and move to Fort Mill.  I understood that the safety of the house of prayer lies in drawing close together, so I felt compelled and we were excited to make the move.  The realities of being part of such a community was so attractive, and God was answering prayer in clear and tangible ways.  In that lingering little step between the old house being sold and the new house not quite ready, we rented a room with some new friends in Regent Park.  The first morning we were there was on August 30 (of 2006 for those of you keeping track).  That morning when we sat with our friends, the husband of the couple said he felt he had a scripture for me.  Curious, I asked what that might be.  He answered, "Hebrews 11:23".  We opened the bible and read this verse:

"By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king's command."

Upon hearing this and then beginning to think it through, my mind began reeling.  I remembered a '3 month' promise before.  Then it got clearer and it dawned upon me: 12 year before, to the day, the Lord had given me the 3 month marker.  Further, at the end of the time, he had given me a unique 11:23 verse.  As I pondered this I became incredulous.  How many verses are there in the bible about something being 'hidden' for 3 months'?  And to do so in a way that intersected both times with an 11:23 reference into my experience?  My mind was boggled, I felt so small.  And that I was a part of something God was doing that was bigger than we could completely see and being led in a way that was beyond our ability to bring to pass.

I wondered at that time if the '3 months' was again literal, and if the Lord might again release me into a destiny and position to see prayer intensified and a city reached.  The 3 months came and passed without such a door opening, though ZHOP was engaged and flourishing.  So I continued to work and lead my family, and to watch and to pray.  But now we are approaching the 3 year mark.  And we watch, and pray.  Watch, and pray.

Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has taught Him? - Isaiah 40:13