The Big Turnaround: When the Ravens Start Feeding You Lunch

Things are not always easy. In fact, sometimes life and ministry can be quite hard. However, one reassuring fact is that our God is very good at turning things around. As people of faith, we do not accept the status quo. We most definitely do not accept decline as normal or inevitable. We do not intend to remain as we are. We intend to improve, grow, and progress. We intend our ministries to improve, grow, and progress too. We have a history of these kinds of testimonies taking place, and we are currently working on new testimonies as we face and overcome today’s challenges. Our God is very good at orchestrating turnarounds! Every soul we impact through Global Ministries is a turnaround. Every person reached during Impacting Eternity Month is a big turnaround, and these turnarounds are shaping the future of the PCG and, ultimately, the Kingdom of God!

I was recently visiting with a young man who was a mechanic. I was complimenting him on his mechanical skills. We briefly discussed cars and repairs, and then I turned the conversation to Jesus. He had a longing for the Lord but had neglected his relationship with Jesus. After our conversation, he was encouraged to make a big turnaround and passionately pursue his Savior once again. The Bible is a roadmap of big turnarounds. Stories about Joseph, David, Peter, Paul, and Matthew inspire us! The Exodus out of Egypt, Nehemiah rebuilding the wall, feeding 5000+ with a couple of fish sandwiches, and Jesus resurrecting from the dead are huge turnaround stories for generations! We all know of current turnaround stories, too. Share them, remember what God has done, and allow that to inspire you to participate in the next one! Allow me to share a few testimonies concerning what God has been doing among us lately…

“[The raven] will, under God’s hand, feed you lunch rather than eat your lunch... It’s turnaround time!”

Messenger College had a wonderful beginning to the year. President Rayburn brought in Dr. Sherlock Bally to spend a day with the students. Sherlock was wonderful, pouring his heart out and loving on our students. He taught them, inspired them, made them laugh, and showered them with many gifts and resources. He was so generous and warm with the students! They had their eyes opened to many truths and revelations. I want to thank Dr. Bally and President Rayburn for such a blessed beginning to the school year!

Sherlock also preached at Heritage Church in Irving, Texas that Sunday, where Dr. Ron Minor is the pastor. Many of the MC staff and students came to hear a little more. In his message, Sherlock preached about Elijah and taught us that God does unusual things, unexpected things. Elijah saw many turnarounds. One of Dr. Bally’s points involved the fact that, although the raven is a scavenger bird and an opportunistic meat eater—I know from experience the raven will even eat your lunch if you leave it unattended—it will, under God’s hand, feed you lunch rather than eat your lunch! That word resonated in my PCG heart. Kari and I have been at the IMC for nine months now. During that time, our IMC building needed multiple repairs, several of which were emergencies that were not part of our budget. The biggest expense this year, by far, has been the new roof. The DFW area had a severe hailstorm on Memorial Day that totaled both of our roofs. The insurance company had a high deductible (which is standard practice), which has required the PCG to pay for the entire project out-of-pocket. By the time you read this, we will have new roofs, upgraded to code with additional insulation, a 20-year NDL warranty, and a warranty for two-inch hail and up to 75 mph winds. We thank God for that, and it will be a big advantage for us when it comes to energy efficiency for our heating and cooling systems, as well as lower insurance premiums in the future.

As exciting as that is, it costs us a lot of money today. When you add the roof to our other building needs this year, it has been devouring our time and our resources. But we have a word from God! This building is a raven, and this raven will no longer eat our lunch! It is going to start feeding us during times of drought and famine! And that, my friend, will be a big turnaround! Already, we have new tenants who are highly interested in the vacant spaces of our building, and we have other tenants looking to expand and lease more space from us! Bishop Ming and I are excited about the turnaround and what lies ahead for the PCG. The ravens are going to feed us, not eat us! It’s turnaround time!