"The Call" Is Sent

Back in 2006 after years of being around many people with a desire to follow God who were doing so with no grasp in life on their purpose, calling or any clear dreams I sent out the call. I was beginning to grow and walk and learn the life map model that would become a important part of this ministry and was beginning to see how God gives us all a vision in life - if we get to that place to be ready for it. The problem being that few people ever get to the place in life to receive the vision God has for their life - we are given a calling in life and specific vision that is within that calling. 

I initially sent out the call specifically to young adults, but this call is going out to everyone. All ages, all backgrounds. I'll go into specifically who the call is being sent out to here shortly, what is required to respond to it and what to expect if you do respond to it.

We all know several hundred people and yet other than the desire for a spouse, kids and a home and maybe a nice car and some vacations over the years and a good job to make good money - that remains the extend of most people's dreams, hopes or vision for life. Those are all good and nice things and there is nothing wrong with them, but other than raising up their kids to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ - none of them will likely make much of any impact for eternity. We are not here without reason or without purpose and God has a calling for everyone of us and specific things for us we are to do within that calling. 

Yet, most people before they get started or some where along the way end up getting stuck and life becomes a routine and deep within there is the haunting of the calling within for something more and we try to numb it or keep our lives busy and loud to cover it up. Yet, it remains and it can be a haunting thing until we embrace it and surrender our life to Christ fully and follow and obey His leading.

The first call I sent out to people around the world to come move to Kansas City to join others from around the world who also would come seeking something more. A call for those who God leads, awakens and draws to move to Kansas City to seek out and learn their calling, enter into a time of seeking to draw closer to God and find healing of things in their life, to grow in a renewal of their mind and restoration of their hearts and to discover the specific vision God has for their life. To walk in community with others seeking it and to be empowered through a movement of others like them to find something more. However, when I sent the first call out it was near the end of a window of opportunity and an opening for it to be sent out, but that window and that season would soon close. For 5 years now there has been no call sent out by DLM.

This is in the same spirit of the first call I sent out. There are a few things that are different with this call I am sending out. First, when I sent out the first call I was 26 and I was just over a year in walking in the vision God had given me and I was younger in maturity and wisdom at that time. There were aspects to the first call that certainly reflected where I was at and what I saw and had the wisdom, insight and maturity to see at that time. Having now walked through many years since 2005 when God gave me the vision for this ministry and for the call later in 2006 I am better able to help guide and clarify and specify who this call is for. The other big change is that this is the beginning of a window and a season of spring for the ministry of DLM and I foresee it remaining that way for quite some time. It is a season of crawling and may soon move into one of walking, but I do not foresee it moving into a season of running for at least a year and maybe longer. What that means is that those who come now are likely to share in the first fruits of what will be birthed as God moves through this movement with the call. However, just like the first call, this call is only to those God calls into it and who meet the requirements of knowing and having it confirmed that they are to come in response to this call. The requirements and details are below.

1) I am sending the call out to the world, but a requirement of responding to it is that you hear from God and or feel strongly confident God is leading you to respond to it. This call while being sent from me, is not a personal call from me to you, but is something that is between you and God and you need to know if it is for you. If you do not personally hear God speak to you in your heart to come or have an assurance and just know God has this for you and are confident, you first need to pray and seek that confirmation. I am confident God will make know to the people of his choice that they are called to respond to the call and to come. If you don't know and hear from God on this, please don't come. It is for your own good.

2) If you are struggling with life and are thinking of responding to the call to run away or escape what God is doing in your life where you are - this is most likely not a call going out to you if you see it primarily as a way to run from problems. If when you seek God's leading, you feel you are to stay where you are, you should stay there. I know this is not perhaps what you want to hear or what others tell you, but as I can testify myself, if over the past few years I had left Kansas City when I felt very clearly God wanted me to stay here I would be missing out on all God is now doing in my life and through my life in Kansas City. As hard as the past few years were waiting, with no understanding of why or what I was here for, I would do it all over again for what God is now doing in my life as I waited in obedience for Him in what He is now doing. Trust me, you need to know where God wants you and that is where you need to be. If it is not where you are, start planning to get where you are to be. If you are where He wants you, you can come visit for a short while as part of the Call, but if you plan to stay long term - you need to hear from God on it. If God is leading you into a new season in life and you are starting over, this may very well be what God is leading you in, but starting over in freedom is different than running from problems and what you are dealing with - as problems are not something we can run away from, but must go to God for and let Him help us in them. That is not to say you can not be dealing with things in your life or have to have life figured out, but running from problems by going to a new city is not what the call is about. 

3) If after seeking God on it you are lead to respond to the call, start applying for jobs in Kansas City. Join the group on our community site for the call and put out a post you are looking for jobs and or roommates as well. If God leads you to respond to the call, He will also provide a job for you in Kansas City before you make the permanent move to Kansas City as a confirmation the call if for you. If God tells you something otherwise, you need to pray about it and seek confirmation, moving to Kansas City and not having a job, to end up here unemployed is not something I advise or suggest or what to see anyone experience. This is why it is so important to know God has called you to respond to the call and why it is between you and Him. You must ultimately do what God leads you to do, but do not guess on this - you need to seek clarity and or have a job before you come in response to the call - seek confirmation in it.

4) Look for roommates in the group for the call. Moving to a new city with a new job in response to the call, having roommates who have done the same is going to be an important part of the work God will do in your life in rooming with others stepping out in faith who are doing the same. In fact, finding roommates who are coming in response to the call is something you are expected to have unless God has told you to come without them in faith. Again though, this is not suggested or advised, finding roommates with this movement and having a job before you come, will all serve as powerful signs God has called you and help grow you in your faith and help in shutting down attacks of the enemies that you heard wrong when you come if things go wrong, and you are likely to have obstacles arise on your way here and in your initial few months of being here. Knowing for certain God brought you here will help you grow and walk in faith in big ways and everything here is to help you know this is where you are to be.

5) Expect obstacles, problems and things to go wrong or come up to try and divert you from responding to the call after God has confirmed things to you. Stepping out in faith like this and trusting and believing God in it is very likely to be something the enemy is going to try to stop and shut down from happening. I believe that those who are called to respond to the call are going to be changed by God and experience things that would not have happened if they did not have these series of events lead them into something more as a result of the call.

Where DLM is at in this season and where I am at and where I believe God is leading me to take this is going to be at first look simple and basic. This weekend I sat under a spiritual leader I respect who spoke on something not directly related to DLM, but that the Lord used to speak to me in a deep way that brought to my mind the first call and that was a confirmation to send out the call.

This is a call to rally people to come and encounter Jesus and to find their purpose in life and to come to know Him more and His calling on their life. The call is what I have felt led to send out to the world in obedience to what I believe God has called me to do. Just as if you respond to it, it should be because God has called you to respond to it. This is not about DLM or me or honestly even you, it is about a greater movement of God rising up people called to something more. I believe God is going to do a great work in us and through us, simply because we are called and say yes. God is looking for those who are willing to follow and your talents, abilities or skills are not what this is about - regardless of who you are - what God does through you will be what you could not have done in your own ability in being a part of the call.

The details on how this will look will be explained in more detail to those who respond to the call. There are a few basic and simple things with this and how it is to look I feel are what God has set in motion.

As stated previously, I highly suggest and advise you find roommates in the call group to live with in Kansas City as it will play a big part in experiencing and growing in all that God has for you. You can come with people you know or look for new roommates in the community group. Please plan to find roommates who are coming as part of the call, it will be a large part of what God uses in this to grow and mold you through this.