Catching the Wave - Hugging Chad, Hugging Jesus, and Blessing Oahu

“This is new,” I thought to myself, as Nicko ran over and gave me a huge hug. It caught me off guard. I didn’t even realize he remembered me from our first meeting. But Nicko’s energy was contagious, and the next thing I knew, he was diving right in.

“Bro! I’m so stoked you said yes to Oahu! Have you heard what we’re walking into?”

“Nope,” I grinned. “I haven’t heard a thing.”

Nicko’s eyes lit up. “We’re staying with The Apostle Constantine, prophesying over a state representative of Hawaii, and we’re going to be on both radio & TV praying and prophesying for the people of Oahu. You’re the seventh one from the apostle’s vision of seven. So, what do you identify with in the five-fold?”

My brain started spinning—five-fold ministry... what is that again? Oh wait - prophet, apostle, evangelist... “Teacher!” I blurted out. “I’m a teacher. Dude, that sounds amazing.”

Nicko nodded, satisfied. “Yeah, there were so many people who wanted to go, but I knew they weren’t the right fit. When Chad said you were coming, I was like, ‘Perfect! He’s a Redding guy, Bethel-trained—Jake is our seventh!’ The Apostle had a vision of seven coming to stay with him and pray over the land. We only had six until you said yes. God is moving, bro!”

Okay, back up. Twelve days before this wild conversation, I was in a meeting at the Dedmon’s house. Chad was going over his schedule, he said, “You should have a meeting while Chad and I are in Australia” and I casually joked while pointing at the team, “Yeah, you should have a meeting while Chad and I are in Australia.” (Because I’m hilarious like that.) I wasn’t even technically on the team, so the idea of Chad and I both being in Australia while everyone else worked in Redding was, in my mind, peak comedy.

Turns out, God had a sense of humor, too.

After a nudge from Whit, I checked flights and realized it was actually cheaper if I went to Oahu first, stayed with Chad for a night, and then we flew to Melbourne together. I shot Chad a message, half-expecting him to laugh me off. Instead, he replied, “DO IT! But come to Oahu one day earlier. It’s easier, plus we can surf.”

So, I did. And now, here I am on a plane to Oahu, scheduled to meet the State Representative, prophesy, pray on live radio, and speak on a live TV show. I was in way over my head, but if I learned anything from our year in the camper, it’s this: “Yes to God Adventures” are always the best adventures.

One more cool thing before we go, the night before I left for Oahu, we were late getting home from a surf trip in Capitola. We ended up at a 6pm church service where a speaker named Ruth—whom none of the earlier services had heard—delivered a message straight from the heart of God: “There is freedom in an audience of One.”

It was all I needed to set my adventure fire ablaze. Me and Jesus, our vacation was planned.

Fast forward to Oahu. Chad and I found each other easily at baggage claim, and soon enough, we were cruising through Honolulu in a convertible Mustang (which, by the way, isn’t as cool when you’re trying to cram three adults and a bunch of bags into it). We arrived at the house and walked in to find a massive table full of food and a solid group of people packed into pretty tight quarters.

Some were my teammates, others were friends of the team helping with logistics, and a few were locals invited by the Apostle himself to join us for dinner, worship, and—of course—prophecy.

Oh yeah, and “The Apostle”? His name is actually Constantine.

Constantine is a fascinating guy. He has a way of speaking that’s hard to describe—he makes proclamations. Not quite commands, but definitely not questions. He also has a habit of quizzing you mid-conversation, which was a new experience for me. It wasn’t negative, just intriguing. Plus, the food was amazing. And when someone asked for hot sauce, Constantine announced, “I make my own. There’s a bottle in the fridge.” That’s when I knew God was smiling on me.

After dinner, Stephen grabbed his guitar, Bella grabbed the mic, and our hosts busted out some flags. The room filled with worship as this beautifully assembled group of people sang to the best friend we all had in common.

And then, it was prophecy time.

This is where things got real. I’ve never prophesied over a stranger before. Niko leaned over and whispered, “If you ever have anything for anyone, grab the mic.”

I wasn’t sure how to know if I had something for someone. I had lots of helpful things to say, but was it coaching or was it a word from God? Was there even a difference? I had no idea. But I knew two things:

1. I wasn’t going to take this lightly.
2. I wasn’t going to sit quietly all night, because I believe God loves a leap of faith.

So, I practiced. I’d ask God, “Where are you moving? What are you saying? How do you want to encourage them?” Then I’d listen while others prophesied and mentally high-five them when they said something I was going to say.

Finally, I grabbed the mic. I started talking, unsure if I was hearing God or just pulling from my own thoughts, but I kept it simple—words of encouragement, covered with the authority of Jesus. Risk factor: high enough for now.

I didn’t crash the spiritual atmosphere, so I counted that as a win. I even ended up praying over Constantine, which felt like an unexpected leap.

The night ended with Constantine proclaiming that we should all huddle in the middle of the room while our hosts prayed over us. What happened instead was Nicko dropping like a rock after being anointed with oil, throwing the circle off balance, and me - in an attempt to catch my balance - sweating and awkwardly hugging Chad. As my brain sorted out that Constantine's plan had been twarted and it was no longer just the hosts praying, but every member of the team, I knew it was going to take at least 30 minutes before this man embrace was over.

I raised my head, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath and laughed a little. This was the Kingdom. It was wild, chaotic, beautiful—and it was exactly what I needed.

As I stood there, sweaty and laughing, I prayed: “Jesus! I never even signed up for this, but I married the right person. Thank you —you are really fun.”