Sept. 29, Korean Pastors Intensive, IHOP-KC, Kansas City, MO
Wednesday 7:30 a.m.: Last night’s meeting with the group of Korean pastors at IHOPKC seemed to go well. About half the group was from Korea, the other half living here in the USA. I spoke on the chastening of the Lord, and found it profitable personally to be able to interact with them on this topic. After the message we had a time of Q&A, and it’s always interesting to me to learn in those kinds of contexts what sorts of questions a teaching like that raises for people. It’s difficult for me to measure how much the group was edified, but it seemed to me that the Lord was helping us all.
Sept 25-27, New Testament Church, Dzerzhinskiy, Russia
Thursday afternoon: Greetings from JFK, where I have come today via Atlanta, and am now waiting for my flight to Moscow to board. The flight leaves here at 5 pm Eastern, arriving Moscow at 9:30 a.m. on Friday. This will be my second time to be at New Testament Church in Dzerzhinskiy, which is a city on the SE side of the Moscow metroplex. I was reflecting with my assistant, Tracey Sliker, that the pastor (Ivan) was our host on our first-ever trip to Russia 17 years ago, to a youth camp in a field somewhere in Russia. Dave and Tracey Sliker accompanied me on that trip, along with a couple teens from our church (Tylere Weaver and Sarah Anderson Papabathini). The week at that camp was unforgettable in so many ways, and in my travels I have bumped into people all over who were present at that camp of some 400 young people. It’s a personal delight to be renewed in fellowship once again with Ivan, and to share in this church he has pioneered on Moscow’s south side. I think this is the church’s 4-year anniversary.
My ministry schedule is as follows:
Friday night, speaking on the Cross
Saturday morning, speaking on the chastening of the Lord
Saturday evening, speaking for 20 minutes on worship as a lead-in to a night of worship
Sunday evening, speaking on the sprinkling of blood (an intimacy message)
Monday morning, a 5:45 a.m. departure for home (that will be a short night, smile)
This is the last visit to Russia that is currently in my calendar.
Some of you maybe saw this on my Facebook page, but this week my assistant Marie left for a 3-month work absence, to spend some time serving her mother in North Dakota. And Pat Prior, who has helped us with shipping book orders at Oasis House, has closed on his house and is moving to Traverse City, MI. Filling in now at our office is Tracey Sliker, a longtime friend. Already she’s doing great! Thanks for blessing Marie, Pat, and Tracey in your prayers.
Saturday 6:30 a.m.: Last night’s service was graced of the Lord. They had an in-ear monitor system for me and the translator, but neither system was working properly, so we did the message with just a floor speaker, which was challenging for me, but we made it through. Six men came forward to make a first-time public declaration of loyalty to the cross of Jesus. The time of Communion after the teaching on the cross was meaningful.
The pastor told me that the message was very important for them, that it tackles head-on some of the challenges they face. The evangelicals in Russia are accused, he said, of not valuing or emphasizing the cross. And I think I understand some of the reason. The Russian church was influenced heavily in the 90s by leaders in the body of Christ who were very strong on divine healing, miracles, the gifts of the Spirit, etc. And in some of those theological camps, in the paradox between the cross and the resurrection, they often choose to place their emphasis on the resurrection because they don’t know what to do with the cross. With those emphases in the evangelical church’s DNA, I can understand how they would be perceived by unbelievers and the Orthodox believers here as being “anti-cross.” The paradox is strong, and yet the right answer, at the end of the day, is a full embrace of both the cross and the resurrection. Perhaps I can play a tiny role in helping the believers here place due emphasis and value upon the very center of our faith, the cross of Jesus.
I will be collected at 10:15 this morning, doing a session around noon on the chastening of the Lord (Heb 12). Then a brief exhortation in the evening meeting on worship. Thanks for the prayer help!
Sunday 4:30 a.m.: Well, sleep isn’t happening so much here this morning, so I’m up and writing you, smile. At noon I spoke on the chastening of the Lord, a treatment of Heb.12:2-13. We went through each verse, one at a time, opening up the meaning of each verse and its relevance to our lives. To speak on such a weighty topic in just one hour, using an interpreter, was quite the challenge. I culled away as much as I possible could, to distill the message to its raw essence. Whenever a message is distilled that much, I always wonder how effective the communication is. But my friends here seemed to feel that the message was communicated. My prayer is twofold: That the Lord would use the message effectively with the saints here, and that He would help to strengthen and clarify the message in my own heart, so that I might write the book on this topic effectively. I thank you for praying specifically into that.
In the evening I brought a brief meditation on worship, using the seraphim who have eyes “around and within” as an illustration of the three directions in which we look in worship: up, around, and within. My focus for the evening was on “around.” I emphasized the relational aspect of corporate worship. In corporate worship we do not withdraw, sit down, close our eyes, and try to block out the room. That’s for the secret place. In corporate worship, we engage delightedly with the worshipers at our side. It’s a dynamic that makes corporate worship unique, and enables us to go somewhere together in the Spirit — because I believe we can further, faster, when we’re together.
Here’s what’s happening here today (Sunday): We are having two services. The first service is at the regular meeting place of the mother church. A brother from Australia named Richard Green has also been ministering at this conference, and he will speak in the 11:00 a.m. service. The afternoon is off. Then at 6:00 p.m., we are gathering at the site of one of the church plants from this mother church, a church plant that meets in downtown Moscow, not far from the Kremlin. At this gathering I am scheduled to bring the closing message of the weekend.
Thanks for your prayers, and I also bless you in my prayers. May you have a refreshing, renewing Lord’s Day. May your time with the saints be rich and sweet. May the presence of Jesus be strongly with you today. May your meditation in His word be fruitful. May you be equipped to shine with the light of Christ in this dark generation. May Jesus be glorified in your life, and may His kingdom come through your faithfulness.
Monday 4:00 a.m.: Greetings from the Moscow airport. I was collected at 2:15 a.m. at the hotel, and got to the airport in 50 minutes — record time for Moscow! But at that hour of the morning, traffic was not a hindrance. Had it been a decent hour, it would have been a 3-hour drive. In this case, better to choose an indecent hour. I’m here too early. I’m all checked in, have gone through Customs and Security, and have a 2-hour wait now. I’m not one for arriving too early to an airport, but in the case of Moscow, better too early than too late.
Last night: I spoke at City Church, a downtown Moscow church that has been planted by my host, Ivan, and he has sent his former assistant there to be the main laborer at that site. They meet at 6 p.m. in a nightclub, or at least that’s what the place looks like. The setting is very non-traditional, and the kids seem to love it, it’s packed with young people. Attendance was especially strong since it was the closing event of our weekend conference, and the atmosphere was electric. I spoke on the sprinkling of blood (Heb 10:22), and the presence of the Lord in the house was strong. A few kids came forward at the invitation to receive Christ. After the service was formally dismissed, the worship team launched into a lengthy set, and people hung around for the longest time and just soaked in the presence of the Lord. A long line formed desiring that I lay hands on them and bless them. By the time we were done, it was almost 10:30 when we pulled away. I have much expectation in my heart for this inner city work, please bless it in your prayers.
Tuesday night: I am speaking to a group of Korean pastors at IHOPKC. My heart is inclined toward the chastening of the Lord message, and again I would appreciate your praying into that. I need the Lord to give me language that makes the message life-giving to the hearers. It’s such an important topic, and yet challenging to address. Not the sort of message that people with itching ears will want to hear, if you catch my meaning.
Sept 19-20, Abundant Life Fellowship, Boonville, NY
Saturday 4:15 p.m.: Greetings from Lyons Falls, NY. If anybody reading this knows where Lyons Falls, NY is, you’re a better person than I. But lo, they have a nice hotel here, The Edge. It’s a 90-minute drive from the Syracuse airport, we’re out there. Had a nice drive, and nice visit with my host Dan Tabolt, my first time to get to know him a little. He started out under Dave Larkin’s ministry, for those of you who might know that name. He has started four churches here in the “north country”: Boonville, Lowville, Camden, and Beaver Falls. Already I’m having a great time! He will collect me at 5:00 pm for the 6:30 service.Saturday 10:15 p.m.: Turnout was good tonight for a Saturday, and the presence of the Lord was sweet. The Lord helped me in the ministry of the word, and the message went forth clearly. We closed with a meaningful time of prayer and worship. Wonderful.
I’ll be collected at 8:20 in the morning, so good night!
Sunday 5:00 pm: Greetings from the Syracuse airport, where I will be boarding shortly, heading home. Had a great time this morning with the saints at Abundant Life, strong ministry, and a rich sense of the presence of the Lord. I feel enriched to have yet another “family” in the kingdom of God joined to my heart forever.
Sept. 18, Love and Faith Christian Fellowship, Greensboro, NC
Thursday 7:00 p.m.: Greetings from Greensboro, NC, where I have come today in preparation for a Friday morning meeting. This will be my second time to minister at Love and Faith Christian Fellowship. I was with them for a Wednesday midweek service a few years ago, and now am privileged to share at their annual leadership conference. In the morning I will be speaking on “secrets of the secret place,” per their request. Worship starts at 8:30, and my session will be begin around 9:00 or 9:30 a.m. on Friday morning. I understand it’s a “pastors only” session, and I understand to expect a group of around 50 leaders.Friday 3:00 p.m.: Greetings again from gorgeous Greensboro, NC, it’s just delightful here this time of year. This morning’s meeting was graced strongly of the Lord, I could just tell that He wanted to bless this group. So the impartation and edification was strong.
Tomorrow morning I fly to Syracuse, then travel by car to Boonville, NY. My host is pastor Dan Tabolt, at Abundant Life Fellowship. Dan has had a role in planting several churches in the north country of Upstate NY, a great brother. A few years back I was at a church he helped to plant in Lowville, NY, where I first met him, and now this will be my first time to be with him at the church he pastors. I’m scheduled to minister Saturday night and Sunday morning.
Sept 11-13, Iglesia Comunidad Cristiana de Fe y Restauración, Bucaramanga, Colombia
Thursday: Today I am making my way to Bucaramanga, Colombia, via Bogota. I do a night flight, Houston to Bogota, arriving into Bogota at 5:00 a.m. Then I take a Friday 7:30 a.m. domestic flight to Bucaramanga. I am told by some that Bucaramanga is one of the pearls of Colombia. Apparently the weather is warmer than Bogota but not hot like the coast. I was made to believe I’ll enjoy the city. You could Google it if you’re interested. Forecast temps for the week are lows of 65, highs of 80, with daily rains and thundershowers expected. This will be my first time to this city. The church is fairly new, I think. It’s connected to a church in Bogota where I’ve ministered a few times. Tato, who is my interpreter much of the time when I’m on Bogota, will be traveling there as well to serve as the worship leader for the conference and also my interpreter. It’s always a delight when our fellowship is renewed. I am scheduled to speak once on Friday and Saturday, and twice on Sunday morning.p.s. It’s good to be aware of Jonathan Cahn’s message, here’s one example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HzSZpTgKRU
Friday 6:30 a.m.: Good morning from the Bogota airport, where I’m a bit dizzy and spacey after having a poor night’s sleep on the red-eye special to Bogota. (The seat was uncomfortable.) Nothing that naps won’t cure, smile. It’s cool here. I’m inside the airport, but it’s cool in here, and with my jacket I could wish it were a bit warmer (my body temp is in sleep-time mode). Bogota is close to the equator, but being 1.5 miles high (8660 ft), it has a very moderate climate. I’ve never seen a day in Bogota that got warmer than the mid-70s. The tropical fruits that abound here are all imported from the surrounding tropics. My connecting domestic flight to Bucaramanga departs in an hour, so I’m hanging here, writing to you, and just waiting.
I’m guessing that most of you follow me either on Twitter or Facebook, and so you probably read the daily one-liners that I post. I’ll be posting this one soon:
When you are a student of truth, you labor to explain the verse – not explain away the verse.
This one got a lot of Shares recently:
To teachers, preachers, and worship leaders: You win it in prayer before you win it on the platform.
Friday 1:30 p.m.: We’re settled in the hotel, I’ve had a nap, and have a few minutes before doing lunch with Tato, my translator, who is here in the hotel with me.
Friday 10:30 p.m.: Great night. I spoke on the cross, and from a group of around 250-275, around 25 folks came forward to make a first-time declaration of loyalty, publicly, to the cross. Followed by Communion. The presence of the Lord was sweet.
By the way, Bucaramanga is beautiful. The climate is sublime. If this city were in America, it would be a retirement hotspot.
Next: Saturday 7:00 p.m. meeting. I’m planning on speaking on an eye covenant.
Saturday 10:45 p.m.: The Lord enabled me to speak tonight on an eye covenant, the group was very attentive and receptive. Afterwards we had a prolonged time of ministry at the altar, most everyone came forward for prayer, I think. A strong, sincere response to the word of the Lord.
I will be collected at 8:45 a.m. for the morning service. Turns out we’re having just one service on Sunday, due to extenuating circumstances.
Sunday 3:00 p.m.: The service this morning was graced of the Lord. The Lord helped me share on Illegal Prayers, and everyone seemed to receive the message very well. It’s been a wonderful weekend of ministry, my heart is filled with thanks to God.
I have time for a shower and to pack my stuff up, and then will be collected at 4:15 for the trip home. 6 pm flight out of Bucaramanga, then a midnight flight out of Bogota for Houston. I should be home around 12:30 p.m. on Monday, as the Lord blesses all the flights and connections.
Sept. 8, Onething Internship, IHOPKC
Tuesday 8 pm: I’m just back from teaching tonight, 6-7 p.m., in the Onething Internship at IHOPKC. It’s perhaps IHOPKC’s largest internship, and they’re almost all of them kids — around ages 18 to 23. My favorite demographic! Maybe 60 kids in the room. Bright eyed, eager for Jesus. I spoke on Deut. 10:8, my identity as a New Testament Levite. A great time!Sept. 4-6, Manancial de Vida Christian Church, Brasilia, Brazil
Friday 11:00 a.m.: Greetings from Brasilia, the national capital of Brazil. It’s just lovely here! I had a good overnight flight, leaving Atlanta at 9:30 pm and arriving here at 7 a.m. on Friday. I almost didn’t make the 9:30 departure, because thunderstorms in Atlanta meant we couldn’t take off from Kansas City until an hour late. But I managed to make the flight in Atlanta, thank the Lord. My bag was not as lucky. So my checked bag will be arriving here sometime tomorrow afternoon. I’ve already been taken to Walmart by my hosts, and have picked up a couple things to carry me over until my clothes arrive tomorrow afternoon. I won’t look pretty, but that shouldn’t hinder the word of the Lord, smile.
This is my second time to Manancial de Vida Christian Church, my second time to participate in their annual Congress. It’s their church’s 25th anniversary, so a great time of celebration. My in-ear monitor is sitting in Atlanta as we speak, tucked safely inside my bag, so I won’t have it for tonight’s meeting. Hopefully it’ll arrive in time for tomorrow night’s meeting.
I speak tonight, Saturday night, and Sunday morning.
Saturday 8:30 a.m.: Good start last night. Service started at 8:00 p.m. This is a desert region—it gets very hot in the middle of the day, but when the sun goes down it cools rather quickly, so that by 8:00 p.m. it’s very comfortable outside.
They hooked me up to an in-house in-ear monitor system, and it worked just fine for me. They were able to fix the bugs in the system from the last time I was here, so I was very grateful.
At the close, five people came forward to express for the first time in a public context, their loyalty to the cross. They were going public for the first time.
After the service was over, things things were just starting. They had a meal system set up in another facility. Meals were available for pay, and the meals available were just wonderful. They gave me a plate, a Brazilian dish, that was just fantastic. I normally don’t eat at 11:30 p.m., but by then I was hungry, and the food so tasty, I just went for it. I ate this huge plate at 11:30!
I learned of two books of mine that are translated into Portuguese and printed here, that I didn’t even know existed. Envy, and Following the River. I had no idea. I thought I had three titles in Brazil, but there are five.
As I write this morning, my bag should be arriving to Sao Paulo. Hopefully it will make its way to Brasilia later today. Somehow trips like this were meant to be done with one’s garment bag, not without it.
Saturday 6:00 p.m.: My garment bag has arrived! My host went to the airport (actually twice today because phone contact wasn’t working), and brought it back from the airport to my room for me. I will have fresh clothes for tonight’s service, yay! In this case, getting the bag 36 hours late is better than not at all, believe me! I’m grateful. Somebody bless Luiz in your prayers.
Sunday 7:30 a.m.: I got back at 1:00 a.m. again last night, so my Saturday report is not being written until this morning. Already this morning I’ve listened online to a sermon by Rick Warren recommended to me by my son, Joel, it’s here at this link, you may enjoy it:
It was good to listen to a message on Jacob this morning, considering that I myself am speaking on his life later this morning, smile.
Anyways, last night’s service seemed to go well. I spoke on Envy, and the group was attentive. Last night was the close of the conference, and many folks will not be with us this morning because they’re hitting the road. A few of the out of town guests, however, will be staying over for the Sunday services.
They all ate together once again after the Saturday evening service. The meal didn’t start till around 11:30 p.m. The name of the meal I really enjoyed is “carne de sol.” This is one of the delightful things about the Brazilian culture, they love to eat meals together, all the time. Americans could do better here.
Yesterday my translator, Luiz, paid two trips to the airport to track down my bag, and drove all over Brasilia looking for a copy of my Portuguese translation of Envy. Eventually he found one. He asked for one thing in return. He took me to pray for his father, who was lying on his bed at home. He was on his back because of back pain, and is struggling with Parkinson’s. A 3-star General in the army. Not a believer, still bound by traditional spiritualism. I fought in prayer for his healing. Please pray for Luiz’s father! May healing and salvation come to this family. Luiz’s parents and brother live together, none are believers yet.
Good morning! It’s Monday morning, I have a 4-hour layover in the Atlanta airport, as I make my way home today, arriving into K.C. at noon. In time to do Labor Day with the family, smile.
We had an excellent meeting Sunday morning, good response. I did the life of Jacob. The pastor expressed a strong connection with the message, he said he is not always understood among his brethren in Brazil because of some of his understandings, and he felt the message confirmed what he holds in his heart. That sometimes God does lead us strategically through seasons of darkness. For sure!
Next: Tomorrow I am speaking to the One Thing Internship at IHOPKC. I’m trying to think, this may be my first time to speak to this particular internship. Then Thursday I head down to Colombia.