We are off. Arrival Day is already a week past. After our DTS staff training, Crossroads school training and cleaning up the campus and rooms, and the arrival of our 33 students, we are on the journey – and expectant. One word given for this quarter is “GREATER”. At the All Campus prayer morning on Tuesday. before aArrival Day, Aaron Barker led the prayers, Bryce Anderson led worship and Jim Orred shared a word, one word “GREATER.” He then expanded quoting a list of scriptures that contain the word greater.

He talked about having a greater fear of God (awesome respect) and less unbelief.

Greater VALUE – Heb 11:26 “Moses regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”

Greater JOY – 3 John 1:4 “no greater joy than to know we are walking in truth.”

Greater WISDOM – Luke 11:31 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom; and now something greater than Solomon is here.

Greater GIFTS – 1 Cor 12:31 “Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.” & John 14:12 “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

Greater GLORY – Hag 2:9 “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.”

And to remember 1 John 4:4 “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” and that 1 John 4:18 perfect love drives out all fear.

There is certainly a great excitement on campus.

Over 500 students arrived on campus, 33 of them are in our Crossroads DTS class and we are expecting GREATER. Already, within the first week  God has revealed that we have GREAT students who are looking to do GREATER things. Our first week began with a traditional Hawaiian welcome where Island Breeze ministries representing the islands of Hawaii receive us as guests in their land. Island Breeze is a christian group that share traditional Polynesian culture at luaus around the islands. They have ministries in other nations too, including Brandon, Manitoba.

After all the registration, orientation and information dissemination, we had two days of great teaching this week with Bill Barley pastor of Living Stones Church here in Kona. Bill is a past Crossroads DTS student and he did a great job of introducing our students to DTS with a message on how to identify, reject and replace the toxins that are in play in our lives. We touched on the Fear of God, Identity in Christ, Hearing the Voice of God, Holy Spirit, and many other areas of our Christian walk. Detoxing by intentionally transforming our minds, using Biblical principles, brings us freedom and a flourishing, abundant life. Trying is success! Oh, and don’t let our rationalization overrule revelation, through the Word, dreams and vision, prophetic utterance.

Today is the IRONMAN world championship, we are volunteering again this year with around 400 others from the University of the Nations and the  YWAM base. As I write the first swimmers are in the water for the 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, next a 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride and then a marathon 26.22-mile (42.20 km) run. We will be helping with security from 10 – 2, which will include the athletes coming in from the bike and heading out on the run, the leader will be finished within 8 hours, maybe a record year, conditions are very favourable.