On May 2nd, I had the opportunity and real honor of meeting this blessed and anointed brother in the Lord, Juha Ketola, at Houston Baptist University. Pastors Gladys and Ivan Seahorn hosted Juha at their Shabbat Service. We were blessed by their praise and worship dance ministry.
Juha is the International Director for the ICEJ in Jerusalem and was in Texas for some meetings. He was scheduled to speak the next day at New Life Church in Houston, Texas. I was to meet him at his hotel and accompany him to the church. Dusty Kemp is the pastor of the church. I was a member of New Life a few years ago, so it was great seeing Dusty and Mary again.
Juha is from Finland and currently lives in Jerusalem, Israel. He was a pastor for some years before God called him to Israel. He preached a powerful message on Israel and how the Church and America needs to stand with her. He shared some testimonies about what God is doing in Africa while we were waiting in the green room at the church that made me weep. No joke. We were so cocooned by the presence and glory of the Lord for the time that we were together, and I suspect it was because we talked mostly of the Lord and His great compassion and love for people. I share this because I saw something in this man that I quickly began to covet. I saw a heart that burned within him for Jesus. His love for Jesus was so deep and so intimate that I felt like a third wheel at times, almost embarrassed to be present when he spoke of the Lord. It moved me to tears more than once because of the purity and holiness that manifested as he spoke of the Lord and even more as he spoke to the Lord in my presence.
I thought about how I felt and I am convinced that I have not put this man Juha on a pedestal, but have been inspired by him to love Jesus more. He provoked me to jealousy. Wow.
The apostle Paul told Timothy and others to imitate him. Paul was a father in the kingdom and he birthed sons through the Gospel. He then taught them to do the same. He said we were to imitate him as he imitated Christ. Paul was so confident in his identity given to him in Christ that he told others to imitate him as he also imitated Christ.
1 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore, I urge you, imitate me.
1 Corinthians 11:1 Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.
OMG! Where are all the fathers! Why are there no fathers instructing us to imitating them? Is it true that we have become a church with ten thousand instructors in Christ? I refuse to become ten thousand and one.
Lord...use me....please...to be a father in YOUR Kingdom. Amen.
 |
| Lunch at Lorenzo's in Houston Texas - Left - Brett, Samuel, Juha, Dusty, Mary & Elizabeth |
