Sorry, but it's proud parent time. Our daughter graduates high school tonight. That's not what I'm so proud about. She has a GPA over 4.0. That's not what I'm proud about. What makes me more proud than anything is she doesn't like school at all. She never really did and even so, breezed through AP courses and all others graduating close to the top of her class. She really didn't apply herself totally. That's not what I'm proud about.
What makes me so proud is she knows what she's doing next, she knows what she is going after in this world, she knows her destiny and purpose and will pursue it without haste. Here's what I mean.
2 years ago, she was aimlessly going through school knowing she didn't want to go to college. She hated school and that was alright with us. We didn't force or coerce her at all. One night while attending a conference in S. Carolina and in the middle of worship, a man approached me and said he thought he had a word from the Lord for my daughter if I wanted to hear it. I said I did and he began to tell me that my daughter standing next to me was being called to be a worship leader. But not just any worship leader. She was to be one to seek His heart with total abandonment and go as deep as she wanted to go. That He would reveal anything and everything her heart so desired. He said she was to be pure and listen only to His voice and these things would happen. I turned to relay to her what the man had said and when I turned to thank him and tell her it came from this man, he was gone. The crowd was large and it was a bit dark in the place but I searched all the rest of that night and the next day and never found the man to thank him.
Now that might not be that unusual except she really didn't ever consider this. She always sang and played a little piano but not too seriously. When we got back home she approached me and asked if I could teach her some guitar? I bought a real cheap guitar for her and showed her a few chords and how to strum a little. She didn't approach me for the longest time and when I would ask her if she wanted another lesson she would say, "No, I'm ok." It would irk me a little and then one day I heard her in her room by herself playing and worshipping. She sounded really good, especially for having one lesson. She did later come to me and ask to learn a few more chords and some other things and that was really the last lesson I gave her. This past Sunday, she was asked to lead the worship for her school's Baccalaureate. We were so touched with how well she did leading a whole band for only the 2nd time in her life. After just 2 years of playing she is good! Now this isn't just her biased dad saying it... others say it too! When she plays and sings, the Spirit of the Lord just falls.
A few nights later we had a party for her graduation and our senior pastor made a trip down to our house to honor her and ended up giving her and her friends a minnie gospel lesson and then prayed prophetically over them all, one by one. He is an internationally known and very much sought after speaker and minister. This wasn't your usual graduation party. After dinner they gathered in our living room cramming in wherever they could and Jess started playing and singing. Most in that room were in tears within minutes, the Spirit of the Lord came on Jess and she started prophecying over her friends. Then Pastor Charles did his thing... it was amazing. The words he spoke over each and every young life in that room were just purely from God. The kids are still talking about that night and the effect it has had on them.
So to all the graduating class out there, I pray in Jesus' mighty name that you all fulfill your destinies and purposes in your lives without delays, distractions or disappointments. Amen.
This fall Jess is off to Redding, CA for a 2 maybe 3 year school of ministry at Bethel Supernatural School of Ministry and then off to Finland where she feels called.
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