Dear Stairway family,
We wish you all a Very Happy New Year! I woke up New Year’s morning with a sincere spirit of gratefulness to God for all that he’s done for us this last year. We were royally blessed; our family was blessed, we made so many beautiful friends, our ministry was blessed and we’re healthy. We finished off 2015 with unspeakable joy as we look back on all that our awesome God and Father did in and through us this past year.
We are truly amazed by His love!
Here’s our ministry praise list from 2015:
- We traveled to fourteen states, ministering in several different churches in each state.
- We did tours in three countries, traveling throughout Australia and Israel three different times and Canada once.
- Brian recorded audio versions of Psalms, Proverbs, Hebrews, James and Matthew.
- We had twelve new books published; Matthew, Romans, Mark, I Hear His Whisper, The Sacred Journey, Come and Behold Him, The Story of Jesus, The Story of Christmas, The Proverbs Journal, The Psalms Journal, A Psalms Planner, A Proverbs Planner.
- We launched our first TPT Bible School and Brian taught through Ephesians in Pasadena.
- We had several radio and television interviews and periscope sessions.
And we’re expecting even more great things ahead this year for us and for you too! God is so good!
WORD FOR 2016
And as we begin this new year I’ve been reflecting on a word from the Lord that I began hearing during our last visit to Australia. Here it is:
A year of rapid change
As the new year rushes in upon us many of the old familiar things around us will begin to change. This will be a year of rapid change. Some of the things you once enjoyed and held onto will pass away. In the end you will see and understand more clearly for our Father, our Abba, is moving things all around and positioning things. In the midst of the changes you may want to put up a fight and try to resist, but It’s time to let it go! God has a plan greater than ours and He is re-centering and re-focusing us.
A year of new courage and boldness
And during this process He’s filling you with a new courage and boldness to face things that you were unable to face last year. It really is the time to “Forget the former things; and not dwell on the past.” Isaiah 43:18 For He’s ALWAYS doing a new thing and making all things new. (Rev. 21:5) He’s out ahead of us. You will certainly see it this year! We’re on an accelerated course. And at times you will feel a sting at letting go, but He will come and comfort you as He moves you on and sets you free of the things that may have troubled you last year. This year will be a “Manasseh” year. (Manasseh means, “God made me to forget all my troubles” because this year will be a year of moving ahead with courage and boldness into a time of fruitfulness.
A year of His love
This is the year of sixteen, a year of His love. Several numerologists equate sixteen with naïveté, vulnerability and love. The quintessential example of a scripture on love is John 3:16, “For God so loved the world!” And the Lord spoke to me and said that He is highlighting the book of John and the epistles written by John, (books of His love) this year. It would be good if you were to meditate on the scriptures found in these amazing books. In the first few years of my Christian experience I memorized the first 7 chapters of John and 1st John (don’t ask me why I didn’t do the rest of John. I can’t remember why I stopped, but it changed me forever.) Of course The Song of Solomon is the epitome of love. you should read and study it too. But I’m just highlighting John, because the Lord specifically spoke to me about John and his epistles.
A year to finish
I dreamed that our Father was carrying us over the finish line. This is your year to finish many things that you have been unable to finish the last few years. I heard Him say,”You will emerge with a new supernatural energy, courage and boldness that will carry you through, for it’s my love that carries you. And I’m coming with a kiss that will sweep you off your feet!, but at the same time leave you with a new lease on life and a new energy. And He said, “I will kiss you over and over with many types of kisses. And each kiss will be taylor made for you and for each individual situation. For there will be many waves of My unconditional love pouring over you and being released over and into you because there will be times when you will be tempted to quit, but my love will bring you back to the things that really matter. And if you’ll allow me to carry you and not resist my tender advances I will bring you into a place where you will find a deeper revelation of my purpose and plan for you on this earth.”
A year to soar
(Recently I had a dream about winged people.) And as you accept His tender advances He will give you wings to soar. This will be the year of soaring Christians! It’s time for you to take off! Time to leave the problems of this earth and to walk in the heavenly realm where you are seated. Eph. 2:6. The things that took you down and out last year will have no affect on you this year. For you are changing and God is giving you wings to soar and the wind of the Holy Spirit to lift you up! It’s time to soar above all that the enemy would try to do to hold you down and back!
A year of increased unity and communion in the body
Unity And this is a year of communion. Communion with God and communion with others. Union from communion will begin to take place. All that you have cultivated in the past few years in your times communing with Him and with the body will now go to a deeper level. New signs of unity will begin to emerge. You will see glimmers of John 17, the unity prayer of Christ beginning to happen. Things that we had tried to instigate for years will now begin to emerge around us.
Communion
New Year’s morning I awoke to chimes that lasted for a full minute from 6:57 to 6:58am. I believe that the Lord told me to look up John 6:57-58. This is what it says; Jesus speaking: “The Father of Life sent me, and He is my life. In the same way, the one who feeds upon me, I will become his life. I am not like the bread your ancestors ate and later died. I am the Living Bread that comes from heaven. Eat this Bread and you will live forever!” John 6:57-58
Jesus is calling us to His table to receive more of His life. Jo. 6:56 days, “He that eats my body and drinks my blood is strengthened in me and I in Him!” This year the communion table will take on a greater significance. Come with joy and rejoicing and receive more of Him! Come to the banqueting table, the place where Christ’s life, power, and virtue is being offered to sustain us. Let this be your year of your strengthening as you enjoy the bread of His presence and move in to commune with Him and with others on at a whole new level!
The year of revelation and faith aligning in hearts
And finally as I was out driving the other day and came to a traffic light I noticed that instead of two green lights it had a blue and a green light together. Immediately I heard the Lord say to me loud and clear, “Blue is the new green.” Blue stands for revelation and green for go or faith to move forward.
The last few years the Lord [1] has literally been pouring out the Spirit of understanding on His church. And this year He’s coupling that understanding with faith to go forward. Instead of having to wait for a word from our favorite prophet to come, I see the church beginning to gather their daily manna, consuming it on the spot and moving forward. This year will be a “give us this day our daily bread” year! Instead of saving revelation for another day and sitting it on the shelf where it collects maggots, this will be the day of living in daily revelation. This is the time to of hear God for ourselves and to to walk it out in faith!
We’re praying that all God’s purposes and plans be fulfilled in you! May you truly be caught up with Him! It’s going to be an exciting year!
TPT Bible School
Excited about our TPT Bible School and our January Philippians class. There’s still time to sign up! Click the picture above to go directly to our new website for the school (www.tptbibleschool.com).
May 12-14 Romans- Albany , OR
June 9-11 Acts- Brisbane, Au, River of Life
June 13-15 Colossians – Brisbane, Au, Glory City Church
June 16-19 Galatians – Sydney, Au, Jubilee Church
Aug. 23-25 Ephesians- Calgary,CA
Sept 15-17 1 & 2 Timothy- New London, CT
Oct. 13-15 John, Atlanta, GA
Passion Translation
Currently we’re working on 2nd Corinthians and have sent 1st Corinthians off to the publisher. And “Miracles In Your Wilderness” is still in process. Please pray for this long awaited book to finally be finished! Our TPT Bible School is taking some extra time as Brian works on the student notes for the upcoming school.
We’ve set a goal of completing the entire New Testament with Psalms, Proverbs and the Song of Songs by 2017 and we’ve moved our goal for the whole Bible back a year to 2023. You can pick up your copies of The Passion Translation from our web site, stairwayministries.org. Please let all your friends know about it! And if you’re one of our Aussie friends you can purchase all the books from Koorong and amazon.au and our Canadians friends can purchase them at amazon.ca.
A Thank you to our Partners
A special thank you to all of our Passion Translation Partners for your monthly contribution! Thank you, thank you everyone for your donations, your incredible prayers and for following us daily on our websites. And thank you to everyone who made an end of the year contribution! We’ve had a lot of expenses with our travels and publications this year, more than any other year. You have no idea how much we appreciate each and every sacrifice of love that comes from you! You should be receiving your charitable giving receipt letter in the mail soon.
You can become one of our Partner’s by making a monthly donation of $30, $50, $100 or you can make a onetime tax-deductible gift by credit card on our Stairway Ministries website. Or you can mail your offering to Stairway Ministries, PO 1021, New London, CT, 06320 (Note address change).
If you have any questions feel free to email us.
Thank you!
