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ABOUT RUBEN
RUBEN IS FIRST AND FOREMOST:
SON, HUSBAND, AND FATHER
kingdom roles
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WORSHIP LEADER/ MUSICIANARY
Building a Presence-Centered Worship Community in Kansas City & taking this culture to the nations.
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Speaker/ Lecturer
Proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ, His Beauty, His Kingdom, His presence, and His return.
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Author/ Podcaster
Doctor of Minisiry Candidate at Asbury Theological Seminary. Research is on Revival’s Problems.
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Organizational Leader
Training the next generation in a lifestyle of authentic worship and theologically informed songwriting.
BIO
I was born into a Christian home that was full of love and commitment to Christ. We were very active in the church; however, it was not until I was fifteen that I experienced a very real call to repentance. I had known about the Lord my entire life; I knew he was real and that He was worthy. Due to the rebellion in my heart and the works-based emphasis of the church we attended, I simply did not want to surrender. Yet, there came a time when I heard somebody tell the story of a family who was martyred for refusing to deny Christ. At that moment I realized that I wanted that confidence in a hope beyond this world and the temporary pleasure it offers. Jesus wooed me with an invitation to a hope that not even death could overcome. I was marked since that Sunday Aug, 20, 2000 when I surrendered to Jesus.
I soon planted a church in my high school under the guise of a christian club where I sought to give strength to fellow christians and reach those who did not have this hope. After high school I went into a church internship for a year where my foundation was firmly established. At this point I was very active in worship ministry and also travelled to spanish-speaking countries with the gospel. Though I came from a humble Hispanic family who had escaped the poverty, violence, and misfortune of Mexico, it was as if I had seen those things for the first time. Abandoned children on the street addicted to shoe glue, despaired fathers who hoped to make enough for daily bread, abused young mothers who found hope in churches who emphasized religion and works based favor. My heart began to yearn for a solution to such hopelessness. My family and I planted a spanish-speaking church in a small town where I served for a few years. I believe it was here that God began to speak to me about my life assignment.
I started a little worship initiative modeled after the tabernacle of David where only a couple people would show up. I was the sound guy, musician, singer, and gatekeeper! Though I spent most prayer meetings alone, I was not alone- God was there and I KNEW it! I then heard about the International House of Prayer in Kansas City - a place where hundreds were committed to the incessant worship of God. I visited their annual conference in December 2007 and was provoked to draw closer to Christ. May of 2008, I signed the closing papers to the house I live in currently here in the Kansas City area.
I spent three years in the IHOPKC community. I learned at the Forerunner Music Academy, served in the Global Prayer Room, and grew deeper in God. It was such a transformative season- I found no greater occupation than to exalt the Lord, agree with Him in persistent prayer, and periodically travel to proclaim the good news of Messiah. It was in this environment that I met my first and only girlfriend, Elise, and pursued her. We married and felt a call to serve a local church in Northern Indiana as their worship/youth pastor. After a couple years restructuring and strengthening their worship ministry, serving the youth, and directing a young adult internship, the Lord began to stir my heart for Latin America again.
My sister Roxy and I recorded and released an album of love songs to Jesus in Spanish. We took leaps of faith and became “musicianaries”, traveling city to city proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ through our music and message. After a few months of this I noticed two things: 1) songs powerfully affect belief 2) I couldn’t meet the endless need alone. That is when God called us to return to the community of prayer at IHOPKC and complete Masters of Divinity program at Asbury Theological Seminary and begin a Doctor of Ministry program. We served and strengthened the 24/7 Sanctuary of worship for 10 years. We then took a 6 month sabbatical to finish my research on the problems and challenges that emerge during times of revival and am set to graduate on May 2025. During this time of reflection and prayer, we felt impassioned to begin a new ministry initiative called “Anthem House” that serves to foster a nurturing community where Christian creatives not only thrive but also actively contribute to the global expression of worship. Anthem House aims to advance songs and worship culture that affirm Christian orthodoxy, evoke authentic devotion to Jesus, inspire biblical love, and contribute to the flourishing of emerging creatives.
From this ministry initiative, we have felt more effective to fulfill the gospel mandate on our lives by fueling songwriting that reintroduces the centrally of Jesus and the purity of scripture to the songs of the church. It is here that the Lord asked us to engage in the sacred duty of building a presence-centered worship community in Kansas City & taking this culture to the nations as a witness of Christ’s worth. It is from here that we proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, His Beauty, His Kingdom, His presence, and His return. It is from here that we are asking to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers to the harvest field. ONWARD!