We have a huge announcement to make. We are no longer going to Biola University. You guys might be surprised, but we were more surprised than any of you were. We were set on going to Biola and very exited about it. We were attending Biola because it was the most wise and next logical step to take in our lives. We asked God to speak to us about it whether it was His will for us to go or not, but He never really spoke. In Brazil, we sought him long and hard to give us an answer and in the midst of desperation and confusion I thought that I heard God say 'Yes' to going to Biola, but earlier Brooke had felt God saying no. So we were slightly confused, but we acted out in faith believing that God had said 'Yes'. But since the answer to our question was not so clear, before I went on the road trip we said to God that if it was not His will for us to go to Biola and if we had heard wrong that He would speak so many times so clearly to us throughout this road trip that He didn't want us to go then we would not go. But otherwise we were going.
Then when we got to The Cause I felt God asking me if I was willing to surrender Biola into His hands. I said,"God, You're freaking me out. We're going to Biola, but Lord, I surrender it to You." The next day I talked to Chuck Mervin and it was amazing. We talked about many things, but one of the things we talked about was Biola. He asked me why I was going and I told him my reasons. He said may things to us, but one thing he said that stuck out was, "Joshua, you're a racehorse. Going to Biola is like going to a school for plow horses. Why would a racehorse go to a school of plow horses? You'll learn great things, but it won't have much to do with racing."
So that made me think, but I was still completely determined to go to Biola. Then we went to Atlanta and I preached in a Brazilian Assemblies of God church. It was awesome. Pastor Saulo told me how he left Brazil and his career as a professor in one of the best universities of Brazil to come to Atlanta and start a church. Then he began speaking into my life looking me straight in the eyes. He had no idea about our plans to go to Biola, but after hearing him speak to me for over an hour I was absolutely convinced that God did not want me to go to Biola. It felt like God himself was speaking through him into my life. God wanted me to focus all of my efforts to start IPO.
Brooke had been pretty convinced that she was supposed to study graphic design at an art school instead of going to Biola after our talk with Chuck and my talk with Pastor Saulo convinced her even more that that's what we were supposed to do.
So we asked God for a definite confirmation. Pastor Saulo talked to us on Saturday night and on Tuesday morning we went to a pastor's prayer meeting. They gave us the opportunity to talk about our vision for IPO adn afterwards they all gathered around us and prayed for us. It was a humbling and powerful experience to have several veteran pastors praying over us. One man who we had never met began prophesying over us. He said many things, but some of the things were really crazy. He looked at me and said, "God has given you a Joshua anointing and He will use you as a Joshua to lead this generation." What's crazy is he didn't even know my name. Then he began praying over Brooke and saying, "You think that you are only going to work in ministry, but I tell you that God has called you to the arts. And the arts that you do will not just influence the church, it will influence the world." Then a woman pastor began prophesying over us and said, "You don't need any credentials. God is your credentials. Your only credentials will be God."
So that's why we are not going to Biola. Brooke is going to study graphic design, but she is still deciding where she will study. I will focus on establishing IPO and writing my book. Also, we will be focusing on music.
Then when we got to The Cause I felt God asking me if I was willing to surrender Biola into His hands. I said,"God, You're freaking me out. We're going to Biola, but Lord, I surrender it to You." The next day I talked to Chuck Mervin and it was amazing. We talked about many things, but one of the things we talked about was Biola. He asked me why I was going and I told him my reasons. He said may things to us, but one thing he said that stuck out was, "Joshua, you're a racehorse. Going to Biola is like going to a school for plow horses. Why would a racehorse go to a school of plow horses? You'll learn great things, but it won't have much to do with racing."
So that made me think, but I was still completely determined to go to Biola. Then we went to Atlanta and I preached in a Brazilian Assemblies of God church. It was awesome. Pastor Saulo told me how he left Brazil and his career as a professor in one of the best universities of Brazil to come to Atlanta and start a church. Then he began speaking into my life looking me straight in the eyes. He had no idea about our plans to go to Biola, but after hearing him speak to me for over an hour I was absolutely convinced that God did not want me to go to Biola. It felt like God himself was speaking through him into my life. God wanted me to focus all of my efforts to start IPO.
Brooke had been pretty convinced that she was supposed to study graphic design at an art school instead of going to Biola after our talk with Chuck and my talk with Pastor Saulo convinced her even more that that's what we were supposed to do.
So we asked God for a definite confirmation. Pastor Saulo talked to us on Saturday night and on Tuesday morning we went to a pastor's prayer meeting. They gave us the opportunity to talk about our vision for IPO adn afterwards they all gathered around us and prayed for us. It was a humbling and powerful experience to have several veteran pastors praying over us. One man who we had never met began prophesying over us. He said many things, but some of the things were really crazy. He looked at me and said, "God has given you a Joshua anointing and He will use you as a Joshua to lead this generation." What's crazy is he didn't even know my name. Then he began praying over Brooke and saying, "You think that you are only going to work in ministry, but I tell you that God has called you to the arts. And the arts that you do will not just influence the church, it will influence the world." Then a woman pastor began prophesying over us and said, "You don't need any credentials. God is your credentials. Your only credentials will be God."
So that's why we are not going to Biola. Brooke is going to study graphic design, but she is still deciding where she will study. I will focus on establishing IPO and writing my book. Also, we will be focusing on music.
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