January 2012

Hello Everyone!!

Happy New Year to you all. Heather and I are very excited to be bringing our family home to Texas this month to begin a new chapter in our lives. Having turned the church here over to some wonderful, very competent pastors, we are satisfied to head home with a great sense of accomplishment and a knowing in our hearts that we have obeyed God to the very best of our ability. As a great basketball coach used to say, “we left it all on the court.” We are so pleased that the church here has stayed strong during the transition and the Hand of God has been evident in every way. After our last Christmas in Ireland, full of goodbyes and bittersweet going away parties, we turn toward our new assignment with terrific expectation.

Starting something new is always challenging, but we believe that it is particularly significant that we are starting something new in 2012. Twelve is a very prophetic number in the Bible and reveals many, many things. It “speaks” about God’s government and structure. There was no leadership manual for the New Testament church, only 12 men that were selected by God Himself to lead it. There were 12 sons of Jacob which became the 12 Tribes of Israel and the founders of a new nation, God’s nation in the earth. There were 12 precious stones on the breastplate of the High Priest signifying that it was God’s structure and ministry… close to His heart. There were twelve rods in the Ark of the Covenant, one for each tribal leader. There are 12 gates in the New Jerusalem and 12 foundations… the structure undergirding the Holy City. That’s why we believe that this year is particularly important to the plan of God: it is foundational for God’s structure! To be starting again this year, we believe we have found the timing of God to lay a foundation for something powerful. And foundations are so very important!

The other day I was sitting on the sofa and talking with my Father-in-Law who was with us over the holidays, Dr. Henry McGowen, and Elisabeth was crawling on me. As I was loving on her and enjoying our playful little toddler of three, I lamented out loud what a sad thing it was that she would never remember these sweet and wonderful moments. I began to ponder the joys of putting her to bed at night and praying for her, and those special times singing together while driving down the road in the car. It was then that the Holy Spirit whispered something so exciting to me. He said that this was a “foundational” time in her life. Though she would not remember, this was such an important time for her. Just as the foundation of a building is never seen, this hidden but secure time in her life would bode well for a strong and powerful life… we could build big on it. She would be strong. She would be safe and secure. She might never remember, but that foundation would always be there.

Likewise, we believe that twelve is a foundation number, a number with God’s imprint of structure and stability and order in it. We believe that this year is extremely important…as important as a foundation is to a building. As Psalm 11:3 says, “…if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” Therefore, whatever you do in 2012, make it sure. Even though it seem simple, unseen, do it well. I encourage you to put a lot into this year. I certainly intend to. I believe we will all look back and see how important this year was to the rest of our years. Heather and I are so blessed to get to start again in Texas, building with all our hearts to the Glory of God. We trust that the year will be well spent and that we will be wise master-builders. I remember John Osteen always telling a story about his children’s church building. As Lakewood Church grew, he wanted to add a second story onto the facility. The architects told him he absolutely could not do it as the foundation was not strong enough for it. He regretted that he had not put more into the foundation so that, when God’s blessing of growth came, he would not have been limited by what he had done in the past. What a great lesson for us! This might be the last time that 12 comes up on the calendar… it is time to build. And this is the year for God’s blessing on the foundation of that “new thing” (Isaiah 43:18,19).

God bless. Hope to see you in Texas!!

Love, Kevin, Heather, Hannah, Abbey, Matthew and Lilly Beth