After that first week of the tour was over and I was boarding the plane for my flight home I was talking with God. I asked what His will for me was. I heard God say; "Tell My Story!" To which I replied; "I'm a Children's Pastor, I tell your story every week!" God said; "No, you manage people! I want you to tell my story." So I asked how to do that? Then God went silent. The whole time on my flight home I kept asking God; What do you mean? but I heard nothing.
After returning to work I was continuing to try and figure out what God was saying to me, what did he mean by telling his story? How was I to do that? Did I really hear that from God? I had so many questions. There was a prayer meeting one night at the church and so I decided to go, reluctantly. As I sat listening to beautiful music and reading scriptures in my heart I kept asking God to send someone to me to tell me that I really heard from God, that I was to tell His Story and how that was to happen. All night I sat there and as folks approached me there was a little excitement inside of me thinking they were the one, they would tell me what I wanted to hear. And although everyone who prayed over me had great things to say, and most of them on target for what I was going through and dealing with in life, no one told me what I wanted to hear.
At the end of the night, as I was about to leave the building, one lady grab ahold of my arm and asked me if I was ready to get serious with God? I just knew she was the one who was going to confirm what I had heard from God, she was the one God was going to use to tell me what it means to tell his story! We walked away from the crowd and she shared a vision with me (something to be shared at another time, in another post) then she said to me something that chilled me to the bone. She said; "All night you have been asking God to send man to tell you what you want to hear but He wants to tell you himself but you are too busy to listen. God loves you Scott and he is jealous for you. He is jealous for your time, are you willing to spend time with him?"
Wow! Talk about getting hit in the head between the eyes with a Holy 2x4! I was guilty of not spending the time with God I needed to. I did morning devotions, I listen to Christian music, I felt I was constantly in prayer - but I wasn't really spending time WITH God! So I cleared off my schedule and made it happen. (and if truth be told, I probably need to do it more often!)
My time with God was amazing, as it always is when I spend time with just him! And a string of events started to happen that day. Although I never really understood what He meant by tell his story, I did relearn a lot of things about God and myself that day.
So fast forward to August 2016 - so much has changed. But one thing that hasn't changed is God! Again I have felt this stirring in my heart about "Tell My Story!" So again I spent time with God asking about what he means, and I think I might have heard from him. Around the same time I prayed Thy will be done, God gave me the idea of opening a Christian Arts Center - a place where Christian artist can come and perform, give lessons, sell their art work... It is a vision I feel has come from God. He gave me a scripture that I always felt told what the Thorn was all about - but as I read it again recently I felt like it was the verse for the Christian Arts Center - what I feel like I want to call "Tell My Story!" and dedicate to the memory of my talented friend Dan Chritton.
In my mind the arts center would have a large lobby with a gift shop (to sell local artists art) and cafe, along with a grand piano in the middle for folks to come and play and sing. In the center of the building would be an auditorium, somewhere between the size of the Performing Arts Center and a small high school auditorium. This Auditorium would be used for concerts, shows, recitals...the possibilities are endless. Around the outside of the auditorium would be classrooms for vocal, instrumental, dance, painting, ceramics lessons - all would be available to rent to hold classes at a minimal cost. I feel like one of the best ways to Tell God's Story is through the arts - so why not offer a place for people to be able to do that - for people to use their gifts and talents to tell the story of God's Love, of God's Redemption!
This dream/vision is bigger than anything I could think up myself! It is going to take a God size miracle to make it happen and it is going to take people with more knowledge about the business world, people with time and resources much greater than I could do on my own. I really feel this is from God because I can't do it on my own, I'm relying on Him to make it happen. And I'm asking those of you reading this blog to commit to praying for me and the vision. I'm asking you to pray and ask God to provide the resources needed to make it happen. I'm asking for you to pray about how you might be involved or effected by such a place. I'm asking you to pray that I will stay the course on this vision because I can get very overwhelmed and give up easily. I believe in the power of prayer! If the "Tell My Story!" Christian Arts Center is going to ever get off the ground it is going to be because people like yourself committed it to prayer! If you have any suggestions or ideas please feel free to email me at scottdkinney@gmail.com - One prayer started this dream, but it will take the prayers of many and so much more to see it through! Thanks in advance for the prayers, love and support as we move forward on this dream!
