full circle.

A little over a year ago, I crossed the border from Ohio to Kentucky and the Kentucky state sign jumped out at me.  It had a picture of a horse and it read "Unbridled Spirit."  The Lord spoke to me in that moment and I knew that the spirit of religion had bound up the Holy Spirit in the state of Kentucky.  I knew that the Lord wanted to unbridle the Holy Spirit to run free across the state.  I was on my way to the first ever state gathering of students and campus leaders who felt called to see a movement of prayer sweep Kentucky.  

The gathering that night was incredibly powerful.  The Lord had been pouring out dreams and visions in the hearts of leaders across Kentucky for months prior.  God confirmed to me that what I sensed crossing the border was true as person after person shared about the religiosity that was stifling true revival.  In the weeks and months following that initial gathering, the believers in Kentucky mustered themselves together for united prayer.  If my memory served me correctly, there was a season of 24-7 prayer that spring between multiple campuses.  Again that next fall, leaders fasted together for a week and held another season of united prayer.  And again this last spring, ten or twelve different campuses across Kentucky came together for forty days of 24-7 prayer.

I had the privilege of celebrating with students at the end of the last forty days of prayer.  As we huddled together in the middle of Campbellsville University Easter weekend praying and worshipping, I looked around the circle of gathered individuals and marveled at the fruit of prayer.  

I looked across at Shawna, a student at Eastern Kentucky University, who was not walking with Jesus when prayer began to burst forth in her state just a year ago.  She is now passionately pursuing the Lord, leading a large Bible study on campus, and witnessing to her fellow students and professors regularly.  I had the privilege of sharing the gospel to another EKU student alongside Shawna just a few nights ago.  

I looked across at David, who was a student at Eastern Kentucky University last year.  He's a brilliant percussionist whose life got wrecked by Jesus this last year.  Since September he's lived in his car with the legend known as Curt, traveling around the nation, praying on campuses, leading worship, and preaching the gospel.  

I looked across at Jackie, a student from the University of Kentucky.  She never knew Jesus growing up and has suffered from depression.  She now lives a vibrant, passionate life for the Lord.

I looked across at Chris, who graduated from the University of Kentucky a few years ago, and Jordan, who is a student at Eastern Kentucky University.  Both of these guys have been experiencing more and more of God’s transformative power in their lives recently and spent spring break down in Florida loving on college students with the gospel.  

Full circle.  I’m getting more and more convinced with each passing year.  This is how our feeble, whispered prayers work.  

A week and a half after the holy huddle in the middle of Campbellsville, I found myself back in Kentucky.  Late one night, in a house near EKU, I sat with this redeemed one named Shawna, her redeemed roomate named Amanda, my own redeemed roomate Jessica, and one very distraught young woman named Tau.  We swapped stories of adventure and the faithfulness of God, prayed over Tau’s broken heart, shared our stories of redemption, and explained the gospel until the wee hours of morning.

And I marveled.  I marveled that over a year ago, in the midst of a stirring for prayer on campuses in Kentucky a student named David got messed up by Jesus and loved another student named Shawna back into Righteousness, and how now Shawna is loving another student named Tau into the Kingdom.  

Full circle.

Today I checked my Facebook inbox and saw a message from a girl named Jacki who is from Kentucky, but is a student at University of North Texas.  And I'm reminded of the great stirring that's happened in Denton at UNT this last semester.  Students up all night praying.  Random kids from all over campus meeting each other by divine set-ups.  The intent search for a permanent house of prayer.  The professors and classmates that are getting witnessed to.  It hits me again how far reaching this movement is sweeping... from one state to another, from one campus to another.  

Brilliant, Lord Jesus.  Stunningly, shockingly, magnificently brilliant.

For as the rain and snow come down from haven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and breadi to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not retun to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.  - Isaiah 55:10-11