Oct 26-27, Florianopolis House Of Prayer, Florianopolis, Brazil
Thursday 10:00 a.m.: Our first service last night was very blessed of the Lord. The room was packed, with a ton of young people in the room—which just jazzes me all the more. It’s the generation that I love most to impart to. They hung on every word. I spoke on being a friend of the bridegroom, and the Lord helped us all to be challenged and provoked by His heart. He’s looking for friends!
I’m lodged in the home of my hosts, Dwayne and Jennifer Roberts. I have commandeered Elijah’s bedroom, it’s very nice, with its own private bathroom. Yesterday was drizzly and overcast, today is still cloudy but the clouds are higher, and warmer temps are scheduled, I think we’re to get up to 79 today. The palm trees around here tell you that it doesn’t fall below freezing in the winter. And yet you don’t have the extreme heat of other parts of Brazil in the summer. So it really is a lovely resort area, and everything around here testifies to that. I had a delightful prayer walk this morning, perfect temps for shorts and a t-shirt. Now I’m leaving with Dwayne to do some video footage, and then from there to a Brazillian BBQ. Yes folks, I’m suffering for Jesus here.
Thursday noon: This morning we went to the church and recorded 3 short clips for youtube distribution. Three interviews, Dwayne interviewing me. They will add Portuguese captions, and then upload them to youtube.
Thursday 3:00 pm: We’re back now from feasting at a Brazilian churrascaria. (Where they bring out various cuts of meet to your table, on skewers or swords.) We’re stuffed to the rafters now. I feel a coma coming on, smile.
Friday 1:00 pm: Greetings from the Florianopolis airport, where I am checked in and waiting for my return trip to launch. Florianopolis-SaoPaulo-Houston-Kansas City. If all is timely, I should get home by 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The itinerary necessitated a 7-hour layover in Sau Paulo, but I’ll be able to work. Last night’s service was very good. Another great turnout, and the Lord’s presence was delightful. The saints of Brazil are so eager in their responsiveness to the Lord, it really is delightful to the heart. I felt warmly received, and sensed a sincere desire for me to return—if I would bring Marci with me, that is. Smile.
Next up: This Sunday I’m speaking in my home church, Forerunner Christian Fellowship in Kansas City. When Mike Bickle saw my book on the Lord’s chastening, he asked me to bring that message on a Sunday morning. This was the weekend we were able to find together. So I’ll be speaking at the two Sunday morning services on chastening. Mike is brave—I really don’t ever get pastors saying to me, “Please come and speak on this topic.” I appreciate the sobriety of spirit that Mike carries, and the appreciation he has for the judgments and disciplines of the Lord. Just another reason why we feel at home where we are.
Oct 25, Casa de Oração Liberdade Rio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Tuesday 6:30 pm: I’m in downtown Rio de Janeiro, and waiting for our ride to come collect us. Victor and I went across the street and checked out a very stunning Presbyterian church right here in the center of downtown. Amazing marble pillars and fabulous design. Then we grabbed supper at a street cafe, just fabulous. My heart is also broken by the broken lives that live on the street here, sleeping on the park benches. Sin is such a prison. I feel so powerless to help, my heart is reaching out to God. Now we’re looking forward to tonight’s meeting, which is scheduled for 8 pm I believe.
Wednesday 9:30 am: Amazing meeting last night. My host was Michael at the Rio house of prayer which is located near Rio’s downtown, but they took last night’s meeting to a church on the NW side of the metroplex. It was a night to raise funds for the Rio house of prayer, which is in the process of seeking to purchase the building in which they now meet. They put a registration fee on the event, for fundraising purposes, and so expected a smaller response. Everyone was suprised by the turnout of around 500 people. People came from all over, and they estimated 30-40 pastors in the crowd. The room was full, the energy and engagement was high, and the response to the word was sincere. Everyone seemed real pleased with what the Lord brought together. I’ve been a little surprised on this trip to learn of the entrance the Portuguese translation of Secrets has found here in Brazil. It seems the book has been widely and warmly received.
Now Victor (from Vitoria, who translated me last night) and I are at the Rio airport, waiting for our flight to board. We are connecting through Sao Paulo to get to Florianopolis. We didn’t get much sleep last night, but our hearts are happy. And now I’m looking forward to being with my friends, Dwayne and Jennifer Roberts, and seeing the work they have established in Brazil’s south (fhop.com). Florianopolis is located on an island, it gets quite cold in winter, and is a tourist destination in summer. A strong local church and missions base have been established there in just a few years by the Roberts’. We have meetings scheduled for tonight (Wed) and tomorrow night (Thurs). Then Friday I make the trek home.
Oct. 21-23, The Base, Vitoria, Brazil
Thursday: Today I leave for Vitoria, Brazil, arriving there Friday afternoon (it’s a long one). The change in time zones is not big, which helps. This will be a nine-day trip including travel, taking me to three cities: Vitoria, Rio de Janeiro, and Florianopolis. It will be my first time to all three. My original contact is with the pastor in Vitoria, who invited me to do a weekend with him there. Then, he arranged for the subsequent visits to Rio (a house of prayer led by his friend) and then Florianopolis (where my friends Dwayne and Jennifer Roberts have planted the Florianopolis House of Prayer). We have plans for six meetings in seven days, with one day in the middle for vocal rest. I believe the Lord will give me the needed strength.
Friday afternoon: Upon my arrival into Vitoria this afternoon, Victor immediately took me out for seafood. Absolutely amazing! A fish by the name of Badejo, just fabulous. And the fishing boats that catch these fish are docked just several hundred feet away. Wow. Victor said the dish was a local specialty, found nowhere else. Victor already started out on the top floor with me.
Saturday 1:00 a.m.: The Friday night meeting went late, and I’m writing this now early in the morning on Saturday. Tonight’s launch went well. The sound system was tough for me, I couldn’t get enough signal to my monitor, but other than that, it was a wonderful evening. At the end of the message on “illegal prayers,” many came forward to express their bold prayers to the Lord. I was right there with them! Now, Lord, we need three loaves of bread NOW.
Saturday 1:30 pm: I’m just back from a length walk along the beachfront, which I get to simply by crossing the street in front of my hotel. The city has made a lovely promenade area here. There’s a lane for bicycles, then there’s a lane for skateboards, then there’s a lane for pedestrians. And then of course you can walk the sand on the beach if you want. Maybe I’ll try that tomorrow. They have soccer nets permanently installed all along the beachfront, so anyone can come out here anytime and use a net on the beach. They also have what appear to be volleyball nets, but they use them here quite differently. They use a soccer ball. And they’re allowed to use any part of their body other than their shoulders to their hands. So they use their head, chest, legs, and feet, to volley the soccer ball back and forth. It appeared to me that scoring was similar to volleyball. I found it quite interesting to watch how deftly these teams of middle-aged men handled the ball with their feet, heads, and chests. Three men to a team. The server builds up a little mountain of sand, places the ball on the mountain, and then kicks it to begin play. Good fun. (I placed a video clip on my personal FB page.) There are vendors everywhere, most of them serving up coconut-related drinks. Coconuts everywhere, love it. My hunch is that weekends probably see more people using this beachfront area than during weekdays. Lot’s of folks out walking, jogging, and in various ways exercising. And yet not so many folks that my walk would have felt crowded. I was able to read, pray, and walk without hassle. I walked out onto a manmade jetty where a number of fishermen were giving it a go. The fish they were catching were small, resembling perch. The catch was few in number.
I’m grateful to report that with this climate change, the allergy-related dizziness I was feeling in Kansas City has totally lifted, thank the Lord.
Saturday evening’s service went very well. I spoke on the chastening of the Lord. I don’t have that book in Portuguese, but still went with that message. The response seemed positive to me. Thanks for your prayer help!
Monday morning: Well, I got a little bit of a sunburn yesterday. It didn’t even occur to me that I should seek out some sunscreen. There was cloud cover all day, and I had a hat on. But I was out walking at high noon for over 2 hours and got nipped. I have a slight burn on my legs, and a stronger burn on my neck and arms. I’m a bit bummed about that because it means I won’t be able to go walking today on the beach. At least not during the day, because today is sunny. I’ll save it for the evening.
In Brazil, they hold their main weekly meetings on Sunday nights (at 6:30 pm, in our case). Last night’s meeting was graced of the Lord. The room was full (already their new facility is full), with about 200 people, and the sense of engagement and expectation in the group is strong. I spoke on an eye covenant, and afterwards we had a very precious time of consecrating ourselves to the Lord. Prayer teams anointed with oil anyone that desired to receive prayer, and almost everyone in the group stuck around to receive that prayer of blessing. Afterwards, I joined the pastor and his family for an amazing seafood supper, so I got back to my room around 1:00 a.m.
Today (Monday) is a day of vocal rest for me. Then tomorrow pastor Victor and I fly to Rio, to minister at a house of prayer there that is led by one of his friends. (escolaliberdaderio.com.br) I’m expecting perhaps 100-150 people at Tuesday’s meeting. They are in process of purchasing the facility in which they meet, which is one floor of a building. They were able to tackle the purchase because of a $100,000 gift from someone in the USA, and now they are stretching to gather other needed funds. Tuesday’s meeting is doubling as a fundraiser for them. So let’s believe with them for a strong offering that will enable them to keep moving forward in preparing this new facility.
My next email will be a report on Tuesday evening’s meeting in Rio. I’m planning to speak on the persistent widow parable of Luke 18.
Oct. 18 Simeon Company, IHOPKC
Tuesday: Had a great session this morning with the Simeon Company at IHOPKC. I spoke on secrets of the secret place, and enjoyed a sweet flow in the Holy Spirit. Great saints, a great time.
Oct. 15-16, Christ Community Church, Greeley, CO
Friday 7 pm: Greetings from Greeley, CO. I’m here for a weekend of ministry with Christ Community Church. I think this is my third time to be with them. The weekend theme is on “experiencing more of the Holy Spirit.” I’m teaching a workshop on secrets of the secret place, Saturday 9 am. Then speaking in their three weekend services: Saturday 5 pm, and two Sunday morning.
This is an Evangelical Free church. They want more of the Holy Spirit, which is awesome.
Saturday 4:00 pm: This morning’s workshop was marvelous. I’d guess around 150 adults came out for the 9 a.m. workshop, which I thought was a super turnout. And the Lord really gave me liberty in sharing. It was strong, edifying, challenging, and I hope inspiring. My goal is always to inspire people to devote themselves to the secret place.
Sunday afternoon: Greetings from Denver airport, where I am at my gate and just now learned there is a maintenance issue with my aircraft, so my trip home will be delayed some. But happily it’s a direct flight. Now an update on this weekend’s services. Saturday evening I was tense, for a few reasons — preaching a new message for the first time, not knowing how the message would fit with the clock restrictions, and then having considerable gear grinding with the media screen slides. I think I worked the bugs out in my own soul, though, because the flow was much easier on Sunday. Both services flowed easily, the congregation was very attentive, and the Spirit of God was clearly with us, helping us. The message was so very simple, it was almost profound, smile. It was on engaging the Holy Spirit with yes/no questions when wanting to hear from Him. The presence of the Lord was strong in the congregation during the worship time that followed the sermon, especially in first service. (Their service order is inverted from what is typical, they do the sermon early in the service, and then they have an extended time of worship after the sermon, a custom they’ve followed for years now with considerable effectiveness.) So I’m coming home with a heart of gratitude to Jesus, and a fresh longing in my heart for a stronger daily partnership with the Holy Spirit.
Oct. 7-9, Bread of Life Church, Poltava, Ukraine; poltavachurch.org
Thursday noon: Now we’re driving to Poltava, which is approx. a 2-hour drive. Bread of Life Church was pioneered by Sergey in 2010. We met in Sacramento, CA. Erik and I are looking forward to this 3-day conference in Poltava, Friday thru Sunday. Here’s a rough schedule as I understand it:
-Friday night (they have requested I speak to pastors on being a friend of the bridegroom)
-Saturday morning (Erik and I both ministering)
-Saturday evening
-Sunday morning and evening
Friday 11:00 p.m. Erik and I have been enjoying good fellowship with our hosts. We had dinner in the pastor’s home both yesterday and today, just lovely, a great family, and his wife Natalya has done an outstanding job hosting us. Tonight we had our launch, and we had a good start. The worship team ministered well, Erik led in a couple songs in English, and then I preached. Pastor Sergey served as my translator, and we seemed to flow well as a team. There was a good response at the close. The folks seem to be pleased to be together, and seem ready to celebrate their unity in Christ and to delight in the Lord together.
I had a good prayer walk this morning down the main street boulevard. They have a lovely walkway that runs between the traffic going both ways. This city of 300,000 is quite robust, very active, the people are obviously hard workers. They labor in an economy that lags behind its neighbors. I was suprised when I learned that Poland’s economy is considerably stronger than Ukraine’s. Average incomes here are just so low.
Sunday 5:00 p.m.: Greetings from the back seat of a car, we have just embarked on a car ride from Poltava to Kiev. It will likely take 4 hours to get to Kiev. We will grab a hotel by the Kiev airport tonight, and then I’ll take a hotel shuttle to the airport in time for my 6:30 a.m. departure tomorrow.
So now, a quick summary on our weekend in Poltava. Saturday morning I spoke on Envy, and enjoyed grace in the delivery. Then after a sub lunch, Erik spoke. He concluded with a couple stories that were just fantastic. He’s a great storyteller!
After a nice afternoon break, we returned for an evening session, at which I taught on Heb. 12, chastening. Good spirit in the group, good response. After the meeting, Erik and I were invited to the pastor’s home, along with a few pastors, for a time of fellowship. Erik began to tell pastoral stories—of ministry they’ve poured into the lives of especially needy people or tragic situations. The table was engaged and the fellowship was sweet. Then we prayed together. By the time we were done, it was after midnight by the time we got away. Thankfully, we were not to be collected until 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, so the late Saturday night wasn’t too hard to handle, smile.
This morning (Sunday) Erik and I went to separate churches to minister. I was in our host church, and Erik went to a nearby church whose pastor was away for the weekend. Our service was blessed of the Lord, and He really helped me in the preaching of the word. Erik says that his service was also very much blessed of the Lord. So we’re both overflowing with thanksgiving today. Afterwards, we grabbed a lovely lunch at the pastors home, with some other leaders. And now, we’re headed for Kiev.
By the way, I just did an internet search on whether it’s correct to say “Ukraine” or “the Ukraine,” and found this interesting article:
http://time.com/12597/the-ukraine-or-ukraine/
So now I know! It’s Ukraine!
Oct. 5, Kharkov Christian Center, Kharkov, Ukraine
Tuesday 6:30 pm: Greetings from the Kiev airport. Erik and I must connect thru the Kiev airport to get to Kharkov. Our flight to Kharkov will board in an hour or so. No matter how much air travel you’ve done, never think you’ve seen it all. Today I experienced something new. When we arrived into Kiev, we were driven by bus to Baggage Claim, and had to re-enter Security in order to get to the gate for our connecting flight. A connecting flight on the same airline—but we still had to exit Security at the connecting hub. A first for me.
We had gorgeous weather in Odessa. Today we strolled around Odessa and saw a few sights, just a perfect day. As we drove for the airport, it became overcast. Our host just now sent us a clip of the rain he hit into, after dropping us off at the airport. The Lord held the rain off until we had finished enjoying the city, smile.
Now we’re going to Kharkov Christian Center. I conducted 3 days of meetings at this church four years ago, I think they were midweek meetings. And now we’re returning for another midweek service. They hold a regular Wednesday midweek service. The pastor, Peter Kovalenko, is a wonderful brother, I’ve ministered with him at a few conferences. As it turns out, he is away on ministry himself right now, so we’ll very much miss seeing him. His assistant, Anton, speaks excellent English and will take good care of us. They have nice lodging right on their church premises, and I’m guessing we’ll be lodged there again. Kharkov faced significant turbulence when Ukraine’s disruptions first broke, and it seemed “iffy” which way the city would go (which was also true of Odessa). But Kharkov has managed to remain relatively calm, and is clearly within Ukraine’s orb still, as is Odessa. I think they’re planning on having Erik join their worship team in some capacity in tomorrow’s service, and then I will speak. I’ve prepared my heart to speak on “illegal prayers.”
Wednesday 1:00 pm: Erik and I are back from a prayer walk in the neighborhood of our hotel. We’re both struck with subtle signs that Kharkov is stronger economically than Odessa. Maybe we can ask our hosts if our impressions are accurate. The city is littered with workers (mostly women) who are out and about raking up the falling leaves into piles. Their implements seem rudimentary, but they plod at the task and it’s getting done. With most of the leaves still on the trees. So their task will continue for some weeks.
Thursday noon: Greetings from Kharkov. We are in a car and are now being driven to Poltava. Kharkov is over a million people, and Poltava a town of 300,000. Ukraine’s total population is 48 million. Last night’s service in Kharkov was blessed of the Lord. The Lord helped me in the preaching of the word, and the saints responded very eagerly in giving their hearts to the Lord. Afterwards we had a delightful time of fellowship at McDonald’s.