Anthony LaBounty,
College of Fine Arts,
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
[Sept. 4, 2011] —

In my spirit I sensed that the Lord was moving on my campus and working in hearts. One thing I knew He wanted from me was to invite others to join me in a faculty prayer time on campus.

At first I thought it would be a faculty “organized prayer group” with the usual trappings, but little by little He showed me that that was not His desire – at least not here and now. For us here in America after the spring and summer months of 2010 passed, fall was marked by a paradigm shift in economic and political terms and, most importantly, I sensed change in the spiritual realm.

Who To Invite?

One morning in early August before the term began, I was walking through campus on my way to get coffee at the snack kiosk we call ‘the grease hut’. The question of how to list the Friday Faculty/Staff Prayer on the daily, campus-wide electronic news bulletin filled my mind. Although I knew the prayer time was to include both faculty and staff meeting on Fridays, still unanswered was: Who among this group of people should be invited?

Should I invite Christians only and use that as a starting point? Should it be under the aegis of Campus Crusade? As I continued my caffeine-driven sojourn, there on the sidewalk I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit quietly, but very clearly declare, “I want them all.”

I was stunned by His gentle voice and the sheer expanse of His desire. Actually I admit I had not been praying for direction or revelation at all. As indicated previously, I was merely thinking about the guest list for the invitation.

Watching To See

Although it raised eyebrows among some Christians, the electronic message publicizing the weekly campus prayer read the same every week: