My friend Bret Johnson has two wonderful gifts; the gift of connection and the gift of story-telling. He’s one of those people you could listen to with ease for hours with his vast tidbits of knowledge, his capacity to network, and his natural invitation to engage others. Simply put - his love for people. If you’ve ever had the joy of taking a Kairos course with him as a Head Facilitator, you know that he sprinkles memorable stories into every course. His heart for the great commission and reaching the nations is evident in everything he says and does.
He recently shared with me that his alma mater, Whittier College, is a historical revival college that was established in the town of Whittier, California in 1887. The town and the school were named in honor of John Greenleaf Whittier, who was a prominent Quaker, poet, and abolitionist leader. The core values and relational connections of this denomination left a lasting impression on Bret’s life as a young believer in college.
Formally, Quakers are a diverse global community called the Religious Society of Friends. However, the term Quakers was given to them to describe the trembling that occurred in a person filled with the Holy Spirit after their valued time of prayer. It brings to mind the story of Pentecost in Acts 2 that both “astounded and perplexed” the nations that were gathered nearby after the early church believers had “a mighty rush of wind” fill the upper room and what “appeared like divided flames of fire” resting on each of them. Can you imagine that moment of hearing the Good News of the Gospel supernaturally in your own native language for the very first time? It’s no surprise that their critics accused believers of drunkenness at nine o’clock in the morning. But God already had prepared and loaded Peter’s preaching debut with the other eleven apostles standing faithfully beside him.
Can we as a mobilization ministry, who also values the power of prayer, stand faithfully today and dedicate some time to quake in prayer for one of our own dedicated mobilizers? As Bret, and our Quaker brother and sisters in Christ, travel to Indiana for the Society of Friends annual meeting and business camp. Representatives and leaders from all of their churches will gather together this weekend and Bret has been invited to be a plenary speaker at their Mission Luncheon on Saturday, July 29th. After the luncheon, attendees will immediately be invited to a 45-minute “Taste of Kairos” session to introduce our mobilization ministry. Dr. Eric Dale, who is currently on a medical missionary trip in Kenya, is a key partner for this connection and is excited to potentially launch Kairos as a tool for their church congregations.
Will you partner with us in prayer and intercession for the preparation that the Spirit of the Lord has long begun to prepare hearts, open doors of favor and increased connections, and for spiritual protection for all who are traveling to and gathering at this meeting? Can we also cover Dr. Eric Dale and his team in Kenya? We look forward to hearing the praise report that results from this opportunity that helps to expand the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.