For whatever reason, God has invested into me a considerable amount of passion, education, and experience in helping people create a “vision path” towards transformation that impacts lives and communities. I believe what I’ve experienced only scratches the surface as to what God will do in the days ahead.

But one thing is quite certain, we as Christians can and must do our part.  Whatever it is…whatever it takes to align ourselves in partnership with God and His contemporary strategies in reaching people for Christ.  

As always, we turn to the Lord for help.  He is an integral part of life and ministry.  He is our source of knowledge, wisdom, and peace.  We are spending more time in  prayer/fasting, Bible reading, and ministry. 

Kim and I have reached a point in our lives and ministry that best defines our passion.  We’ve come to terms with three exciting realities that energize our hope for the future.

As winter approached the daylight shortened.  In order to avoid tripping over obstacles, Jim stayed close to his usual path.  One evening Jim had to work late.  The sun had gone down; the moon was the only light he could see.

He knew his trip through the graveyard would get him home faster.  So, despite any obstacles, he continued his walk.  Everything was fine for the first half of his journey; and then it happened.  What Jim did not know was that a "fresh grave" had been dug that afternoon.  It laid dead center of his usual path.

Without warning, Jim fell into the opened grave.  Unharmed and a little embarrassed, he rose to his feet.  He tried to jump out, but the grave was too deep and the soil was too loose to grab hold of.  For over thirty minutes he tried to get out, but to no avail.  Exhausted, he leaned back against the wall of the grave.

The moon had moved behind some clouds and darkness thickened.  Jim could hardly see his hand in front of his face.  While he rested; and much to his surprise, someone else suddenly fell into the grave. 

Jim was startled at first, but kept silent.  He watched as the other man did his best to escape.  Realizing his futile situation, the man quit trying.

Jim then spoke up, "Sir, I too have been down here a long time.  Perhaps we could work together to get out."  Without any hesitation the man leaped from the grave and ran off.  Jim said to himself, "I wonder what got into him?" 

What happened to the man was quite simple.  He got motivated!

When you feel like your life is in a "rut," remember this.  A "rut" is simply a grave with the ends knocked out.  In order to rise up out of your situation, you may need some startling motivation.

But remember, self-motivation is an internal process that leads to external change.  Consider reading some uplifting books.  Find some friends that lift you up; instead of letting you down.  Get out from "under your circumstances" and rise to your feet.  

And if you feel that you have exhausted all your effort, then it is time to call upon the name of the Lord.  Remember, I did say that we alone hold the key to unlocking our self-motivating.  Well, there is someone else who has a back door "pass key."  His name is Jesus.

After many years of serving in ministry, God is now calling Kim and me to “marketplace ministry.” 

God has ignited our hearts with the fires of revival and a compelling mission.  He has birthed within us an awesome vision, a powerful message, and a challenging mandate. 

VISION:  a “mighty movement” of Christians who pierce the darkness of this world with the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The vision is three-fold: 

• A mobilized movement characterized by an army of people who are true worshippers of God, devoted disciples, and Spirit-empowered leaders for Christ.
• A strategic movement reflecting a true expression of unity within the Body of Christ.
• A divine movement orchestrated by God – transformed by the power of His Holy Spirit.

MESSAGE:  Through orchestrated personal relationships, God is bringing people together for divine purpose – the advancement of His Kingdom.  Through this synergism God is creating “new songs,” that both challenge and inspire us.  These “new songs” reflect a revival being birthed in the hearts of Christians, who are hungry for a real and mighty move of God in their lives. These “new songs” offer people hope and a chance to participate in the kind of ministry synergism that reflects God’s contemporary strategies for reaching this lost world for Christ.

MANDATE:  Time is short.  We must be about making disciples of Jesus Christ.  The cry across this land is for “harvest workers,” well equipped and trained to reap the last great harvest of souls before Christ’s return.  Disciples and disciplers are the mandate.  Ministries all around the world are hearing this call.  They are responding by making the necessary changes to obey God’s contemporary strategies in the advancement of His Kingdom. 

Want some?   

The practical applications for using cyberspace for building relationships in small groups, real-time prayer networking, and evangelism are enormous.

Dr. McMullen is a strong Christian with great passion for "marketplace ministry."

When Greg showed Oikos to Dr. McMullen, she was very excited about the potential for local and global "connectivity" for the Body of Christ. She immediately caught the vision and its dynamic applications.  She also saw the creative genius that went into project development.

She saw many creative ways Oikos could be used. Dr. MuMullen viewed Oikos as a tool for building good relationships; becoming vessels of love and ministry to people.

I attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Kim (my wife) and I were a married couple with two children.  We were "on fire" for the Lord and ready to tackle full-time Christian ministry.

Trying to raise a family and attend school full-time was a challenge.  The Lord always came through when finances were needed.  It seemed that we always had just enough to get by.  We were happy for God’s provisions and thankful for the opportunity to grow in our faith and life lessons.

Sometimes the pressure of finances and school weighed heavily upon my emotions.  In my efforts to find a bit of peace in the midst of the storm, I would retreat to the quiet setting of my home in graduate housing.  During the week, Kim was usually at work, and the kids were at school.

I remember sitting in my chair one morning; reading a textbook.  I was preparing for an exam.  Suddenly, stress just overwhelmed me.  Emotionally, I felt as if someone had put my life into an iron press and began squeezing me slowly.  I cried out to the Lord for help!

God heard my cry and comforted my spirit.  I sensed that He was gently speaking to my heart these words, "Cut the ball and chain from your life, and be set free."

I knew exactly what He meant.  You see, I approach everything in my life with great passion and tenacious resolve.  At college I did everything to the best of my abilities.  Basically, I was a perfectionist.

Somehow along the journey of my education, I lost track as to why I was even at college.  That morning sitting at home in my chair, I recaptured my purpose for being at college.  The Lord reminded me of my "calling"- to serve Him in ministering to people’s lives.

My education was important; but not more important than my family or my relationship with the Lord.  The ball and chain around my life represented all the stress, anxiety, and perfectionism.  The Lord encouraged me to cut it loose!

Something happened to me that day.  Life got better.  My stress and anxiety slowly faded away.  I began to trust the Lord more for every aspect of my "daily living," especially my finances and my grades. 

We’ve truly got something, that for the first time in history, can position the Church ahead-of-the-curve in current technology.  If I sound a little "pumped;" well, I am.  It’s very exciting; especially for a young company that recently "stepped up to the plate," ready to hit the ball out of the park.

After a year in development, we finally did it!  We’ve built web-based software that’s already impacting our entire local community.  It’s bringing people together.

Everyone that sees our Oikos Community Console is truly amazed.  It’s image-driven, easy to use, and packed with Web 2.0 technology.  Young people are immediately drawn to it.  They see it as a safe alternative to MySpace.

Pastors are thrilled with Oikos.  It gives them modern ways to keep people, especially youth and young adults, engaged in community-building.  With the extreme popularity of online social networking, Oikos is a natural fit, and it’s safe; something other online communities can’t boost.

I believe it will take a little time for church leaders to really catch the vision of Oikos; after all, there’s nothing like it out there in cyberspace.  Most people in the Church world have never seen anything like this.

But for those ministry leaders with "vision," Oikos is a powerful and revolutionary ministry tool.  These innovative thinkers are no strangers to current trends in technology.  They are not afraid to "stretch their understanding" of internet technology and how it can be used to advance the Kingdom of God.

The internet is the tool for next generation ministry.  If we want to reach the next generation for Christ, we must go where they are and will be for years to come.  I read a research report that asked young people this question, "If you had to give up two of three items: your television, cell phone, or computer.  Which one would you likely keep?" 

The majority said, "Their computer!"  Somehow, I don’t find this very surprising.  Right now, you can watch television programs and movies on your computer.  Internet phone is becoming very popular.  Computers are a major part of young people’s life.  And if the truth be known, a lot of adults could not function without their computers, either.

My hope is that the 21st Century Church will "seize the moment" and grab hold of the power of the internet in reaching this next generation for Christ.