Carla and I were approaching the end of a two-year ministry training program at Global School of Supernatural Ministry when I sat down to enjoy breakfast with a dear friend. We talked about life and faith, God and family, as we were in the habit of doing, when God’s voice became unmistakably clear in the midst of our conversation.

I was trying to articulate what I really wanted to do with my life and began expressing a deep desire for people to see just how beautiful, how glorious and how wonderful our God truly is. Not only did I want it for myself, I wanted other people to be captivated by what they saw and experienced in Jesus. Because when we see and experience the glory of God in Jesus, it’s hard to imagine not being captivated.

When I said the word, “captivated”…

When I said the word, “captivated,” my friend immediately knew there was something special about that specific word in relation to what God was calling Carla and I to do. And in that moment, I knew it to. When I shared this with Carla, she quickly recognized the power of that word for us as well. Perhaps there are words in your life that quicken your spirit and ignite something deep in your heart?

As to the international piece of this ministry, God knew what he was doing when he brought Carla and I together—two people with distinctly different personalities, backgrounds, cultures and countries of origin. Even before bringing us together, though, it was not difficult to see how he had been developing in us a deep love and appreciation for different people and places around the world. There is something beautiful to us about the diversity of God’s family which extends from one end of the globe to another. Likewise, we both recognized a growing sense of urgency to go to other nations and share with them the One who had so captivated our hearts. In light of all these things, Carla suggested that “Captivated International” would be just right.

Looking back now, it’s clear that God began forming the heart of Captivated International long before Carla and I ever considered doing something like this. And it has been taking shape through a long process of personal and spiritual growth needed to recognize the seed of this dream inside of us and develop the faith, tools and passion to water and nurture it into reality.

To hear more about this idea of being captivated by Jesus, check out our BLOG page where we’ll be posting regular reflections on what it means to live a captivated life.