Ambassadors

kwest staff devotional for novermber

Told anyone lately?

Being on the movie tour, I get paid to tell people things…things about kamp, things about kids, things about why it would be great to have a job at Kanakuk/KAA, and even if I’m fortunate, things about Jesus. In the past, I have always taken that for granted. But something changed this month.

I don’t know what life has been like for you the past few weeks, but if it has been at all like mine I know you have to be both encouraged and excited. Slugging it out on a college campus and not only walking out your faith, but also defending it, is no doubt a daunting task. After visits to over a dozen different campuses ranging from Division 1 schools all the way down to private Christian schools, I was painfully aware of how much our world needs Jesus (and how far we have wondered from Him).

If you haven’t been reminded lately, we are ambassadors for Jesus. We represent the King and are commissioned to tell others about His love (see 2 Cor 5:20). Have you and I told anyone lately?

Any ambassador worth his weight will tell you communication principles are important. One of the best ways to share truth with someone is to ask good questions, listen for specific answers, and then speak when appropriate. Can you imagine an ambassador for the United States not taking time to ask questions, listen carefully, and then be wise when choosing words that rightly represent the President and our country?

How do you grade out as an ambassador?

The great thing about being an ambassador for Jesus is that we carry such a great hope. We get to tell others about that hope. The thing I am most excited about is that by God’s grace, I wake up every morning knowing that I am in a love relationship with my heavenly Father. I desire to love Him with everything I have and especially love others more than myself. It’s been like Christmas morning for me and I am enjoying every moment.

This week I received several of letters from the Chiefs and Princesses who will be leading our kamp next summer. They had written in response to Todd’s challenge of being an appropriate representative for not just Kanakuk and their tribe, but also Christ. Being a leader means living like Christ during the two weeks they are kamp as well as the other 351 days of the year. The neat thing is that they are stepping up and responding. They are ambassadors.

You earned the right to be heard this summer with the kids in your bunkhouse. You have a platform of friendship that will exist for the rest of your lives. Thanks again for being available to be used to impact your kampers for the cause of Christ. Eternity looks different because of your choice to live for Jesus and tell others about your love for Him (and what He has done for you).

I was sitting at lunch today with a good friend mulling over the issue of telling others about Jesus. I am asking for opportunities today, yes TODAY, to be able to share my faith and lead someone to the Lord. Until then, I am trusting that God will give me the grace to faithfully live out my walk so that even when I don’t say a word, my life is telling others of His love.

I miss the front porch and 4th period.

I love you guys,

Ward

Why Not?

It's time to get hoops rollin' again. Branson High School kicks off the season this Tuesday night. I can't wait to see all of the kamp kids in action. Mike, Tate Unruh, Tee Helsel, and Josh Fletcher (just to mention a few Kanakuk kids) will be in action again. I love this time of the year. Mike's battle cry for his senior year has been, "Why not?" Why not kayak down Taneykomo today. Why not ride my bike to school and freeze. Why not have a great year and win state? I am thankful that Coops and Houston sent me out on the road the past few weeks so I could get my travels out of the way and not miss too many games. Former Kwest kamper and chief Graham Shadwick just made his JV and Varsity team up in the KC area. Andrew Hudiburg, former Kwester, is reloading for another year of AAU action. Kwest kids are ready to go and so am I. Lord willing, this could be the best season ever!

Divine Appointment II

It happened.

Least when anyone would expect it.

My day in Shawnee, Oklahoma will be forever remembered as the day when one of the Colossal of Clout returned. It occurred in the Holiday Express workout room, hardly a place where glory would show itself so vividly. As I was exercising my legs and burning some unwanted calories, a man walked into the room. We exchanged greetings and after a few minutes begin to share our backgrounds and story. Dan was a rodeo man. Tough, rugged, and from what I could see, bore the brand marks of his trade very well. He was a bull rider and proud of it. In fact he was not as normal as one would think. He had been led to the Lord at a rodeo school years ago and was pulling cowboys to the cross faster than most can tie a steer. He loved the Lord and loved the gospel.

I wanted to connect with this man on as deep of level as I could. I quickly fished for stories and experiences that I had so we could talk ministry. I proudly told him at one time, I had pulled gates for a rodeo school near Hutchinson, Kansas. I was honest. I told that I had never been on a bull but I did know of a cowboy named Lyle who could only be linked to legendary stories that few could even grasp as possilbly true. It was fun to share some cowboy guff.

We couldn't believe what happened next. Much like Indiana Jones when he found the grail, Dan and I both looked at each other in awe as the door to the room opened and in walked (more aptly put, limped) Lyle Sankey! We both froze. I quickly retreated off of my elliptical trainer and offered it to him. When I shook his hand it felt like a combination of BJ Forguson's power grip and the Incredible hulk. You might as well could of run over my arm with a steam roller. It was pure strength. No doubt this hand had gripped the best bulls in the world (including Bodacious...legend says that Lyle was one of the few that actually rode him out to the bell). I only had but a minute. I shared my USA Today with Lyle and quietly slipped out the door to leave him with Dan (who looked like he was talking with the President...Lyle had actually led him to the Lord at the rodeo school he attended when Dan was very young).

Being in the presence of greatness is awesome. My week of divine appointments was topped off by the best one any of us could ever imagine. As my friend Keith told me this week, all appointments are divine. God is always at work. He is right.

Bring on the Bee.

What next? Sparky and Nails at the breakfast bar?

Divine Appointments and Hampton Breakfast

When I am out on the road traveling with Kanakuk I never ceased to be amazed by how the Lord surprises me with divine appointments, not to mention fun food at Hampton Breakfasts.
This week has been another fantastic week of seeing God move people into my path (or maybe the other way around) giving me the opportunity to see more of how He works in the day to day life of those who follow Him. I just had lunch with my old programs director John Wooley. He sent me a random message after not hearing from him in months. The funny thing about it was that he was just 5 minutes away. We met at Jimmy Johns for a quick catch up. I love it when God works like that. Hampton breakfast are good but they are mostly predictable. Trust me, I have eaten there lots this past month. None the less, my time has been divine. I love being on trail because I am never sure how to predict God showing up.

Garrett Love a Jayhawk?

One of the highlight of my travels was seeing Garrett Love and the Washburn Ichabods take on the mighty Jayhawks in Allen Field house. I sat right behind the bench with Joel Thomason (Kwest Special Programs) as we waited eagerly for G Love to make his appearance. Garrett had a huge fan club in the upper deck that consisted of Kwest and K2 staff, along with family, friends, and even huge posters signed, "G-LOVE FOR PRESIDENT!" When Garrett made it onto the floor with cheers filling the bleachers, we all burst into next level excitement after he picked up the ball on a loose rebound and scored. More than basketball, I love Garrett's gift of leadership. He is impacting so many for the cause of Christ on both his team and campus. He is what makes traveling fun and also makes kwest such a special place. On another note, both Mike and his senior best friend Tate Unruh are navigating the start of basketball and thinking about next year. Who knows? Maybe we could see them running up and down the floor in Allen Field House. Wouldn't that be sweet? Anybody want to put in a good word with Bill Self?

On the Road...again

What a blast! The past three weeks have been incredible. Despite being completely disconnected from access to a working computer (the laptop was busted and hotels too busy) it has been a fabulous time visiting people. To be honest, after blogging about Priority and Priorities, my heart to stay electronically connected was overrun by my passion to hang out with people. I am excited that I made the decision, but step out today with new resolve to be more active on this blogging page. Not only that, I am asking Todd Rapp and even my wife, two of our fine directors from Kwest, to chip in with some comments every now and then. I visited OU, OSU, KU, KSU, William Jewell, Mid America Nazarene, Manhattan Christian College, Truman State, Central Missouri State (where gas was under $2 a gallon!) and even Mizzou (thanks for a wonderful time hooping Nate and Andy...you guys are both awesome and so is the rec center!).
I hope to catch up soon and want to be more diligent, so pardon the people interruption and welcome back!
Ward