http://www.oasishouse.net/travelblog.htm Following is a report on my (Bob Sorge's) travels. en-us http://www.oasishouse.net/images/palmtrees.gif http://www.oasishouse.net/travelblog.htm Feb. 17, Calvary Tabernacle, Cranford, NJ lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Saturday morning: I'm heading out this morning for NJ, speaking tomorrow morning at Calvary Tabernacle in Cranford, NJ. My contact there is a brother named Gary who, in addition to his other responsibilities in the church, leads a house of prayer based at their church. Gary makes the occasional trip to K.C. because of his heart connect with IHOP, so I've seen him several times over the years. Their house of prayer does not operate 24/7, I'm not sure how many hours a week they run, but I think it may be a few hours each day. lt;br /gt; My heart is directed to speak on Luke 18. I have preached on the Lk. 18 parable of the persistent widow with passion and conviction, even writing a book on it (Unrelenting Prayer). However, toward the end of 2005, I felt silenced with regard to that message. I continued to believe and cherish the message, but my levels of heartsickness had in essence closed my mouth on it. In weighing the release that seemed to come from the Lord in January to once again accept ministry invitations, one of the important questions for me was, "Lord, will you again open my mouth related to the message of Luke 18?" If the release was real, I believed it would carry with it a new passion to preach Luke 18. Well, I'm grateful to report that I sense fresh energy in my soul to proclaim that parable with passion. So I'm coming straight out of the gate with that message in my mouth. lt;br /gt; I was scheduled originally to minister in this church one weekend in December, but then a major snowstorm hit the weekend I was to go, and they postponed my visit to this weekend. I believe that delay was strategic in the Lord's heart, and this is now the time for me to go. One more thing: Pray for OK weather. I need to get home Sunday evening (read: not get stranded in NJ because of bad weather) because I am scheduled to speak Monday morning at the Midwest Ministers Fellowship in Kansas City. The MMF event was also postponed a couple times, and I am also feeling that the time for me to speak is now, not earlier. lt;br /gt; Sunday 3:00 p.m.: Greetings from the Newark airport, where I have discovered my flight to K.C. is cancelled due to weather -- which was not happy news, since I have the MMF pastors' meeting in the morning in K.C. After some searching, the agent was able to route me to K.C. through Minneapolis. I will not get home as early as first planned, but at least I'll get home tonight, PTL! dlt;br /gt; This morning the Lord Jesus was with me in a very strong way, the word came forth with clarity, boldness, and strength. The congregation was very attentive and responsive, they just pulled it out of me, so it was easy to minister. I didn't bring enough books, they bought everything and wanted more. That speaks to me both of the spiritual hunger of the saints and the grace of Jesus upon the message. lt;br /gt; I am speaking in the morning at the Midwest Ministers Fellowship in Kansas City, a citywide monthly gathering of pastors and leaders from the greater KC area. It's been nearly four years now since I've spoken at this monthly meeting. I feel directed in my heart to speak on the topic of Loyalty. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Feb. 18, 9:30 a.m., Midwest Ministers Fellowship lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Monday 3:30 p.m.: The MMF meeting today went real well. The Lord helped me to speak on Loyalty with clarity and passion. The group seemed to be very attentive, and from the feedback it seemed to be a timely and relevant word. I really gave it my all, and now am very spent in my voice. Thanks for praying for a quick recovery! lt;br /gt; My next speaking engagement is this Thursday -- at noon I'll be speaking to an internship on the IHOP Missions Base called the IHOP-KC Commission. It is an internship for mostly internationals who have come to IHOP for 3 months from many nations around the world to glean from what God is doing at IHOP. My assigned topic is, "Encountering God In Suffering." Please be in prayer for me Thursday, starting at noon Central time. I expect to be speaking from the books of James and Job. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Feb. 21, IHOP-KC Commission, Encountering God In Suffering: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Thursday 3:30 p.m.: Had an excellent time this afternoon with the Commission interns, a group of close to 120, representing 14 nations. They were very attentive, taking in all that was shared, and obviously weighing the message very seriously. When I speak of suffering, there are some who immediately connect because of personal experience, while there are others who struggle to connect because they have not known any significant amount of suffering in their lives (so far at least). lt;br /gt; I dealt mostly with James 1:2-4 and the book of Job. Interestingly, Dale Anderson, who directs the Commission internship, has a teaching series he does on the book of James, and is preparing to write a book on James 1:2-10. So I'm certain that this group of interns has already heard from him on issues connected to what I shared today. lt;br /gt; I was able to visit briefly afterwards with a few of the interns, so enjoyed a bit of a personal touchpoint with several of them. Now I will be turning my focus to this Sunday. I'll be in Fairless Hills, PA -- will get back to you on Saturday with a prayer update on that. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Feb. 24, 10 a.m., Calvary Full Gospel Church, Fairless Hills, PA lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Saturday 8:30 a.m.: I'm leaving the house now, flying to Philly, and then taking the 45-min drive to Fairless Hills, to be with the Farina's at Calvary Full Gospel Church on Sunday morning. This will be my third time to be with them. It's in my heart to speak on the topic of Loyalty tomorrow morning. Believe with me, please, for the message to come forth with power, and for many people to be drawn into totally new levels of loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ. lt;br /gt; Sunday 4:00 p.m.: Had an excellent time with the saints this morning. The Lord graced me to preach, the word came forth with clarity and effectiveness. I also enjoyed my visits with the Farina family, enjoying Italian and Greek foods with them, and great fellowship. http://www.oasishouse.net/travelblog_feb.html March 2, First Assembly, West Monroe, LA lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Saturday 8:00 a.m.: I'm leaving in a few minutes to go pick up Joel (my son) at his place, then we're flying together to Monroe, LA. Joel will be speaking to the youth group Saturday evening, and I'll be speaking to the congregation Sunday morning. This is my first time to this church, and I'm looking forward to it. From the brief email correspondence I've had with the pastor, it sounds like the Lord has been doing an unusually vibrant work in this congregation. The leaders are just trying to stay out of the way and allow God to work. The youth ministry has well over 100 kids, I understand, so Joel will have a neat opportunity to minister to them. lt;br /gt; Sunday 3:00 p.m.: Joel had a great time last night sharing with the kids. They don't typically have a Saturday evening meeting, but about 40 kids came out to the meeting, were giving themselves extravagantly to worship, and then listened for 90 minutes while Joel downloaded his heart about the end-times and the urgency of the hour. It was a great opportunity for Joel to be exercised in his preaching gift, and a great opportunity for the kids to hear a message on the end-times from someone who carries that message so passionately. This morning I spoke on Luke 18, emphasizing the 7-word prayer Jesus gave us, "Get justice for me from my adversary." The saints seemed attentive and eager to receive. While I've known stronger anointings, I sensed the presence of the Lord Jesus with me, helping me. So I'm grateful to God for His help, and the opportunity to share with the saints. The pastor here is an exceptionally gifted young man, and I'm grateful for the connection I now have with him, I look forward to watching how the Lord continues to guide his steps and use him in the days ahead. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Mar. 6-7, "Intimate Encounters With God" Worship Conference, Immanuel Church, Wilmington, DE lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Thursday morning: I'm heading out early this morning for the Philly airport, then being driven down to Wilmington, DE. The event is a worship gathering hosted by a brother (Gerald Pierce) with whom I'm acquainted through the International Worship Institute. The event runs Thurs thru Saturday, and I'll be speaking Thurs and Fri evenings. The venue is Immanuel Church in Wilmington. lt;br /gt; Thursday 12:30 pm, Detroit airport: Had an interesting connection with the brother seated next to me on the plane today, KC to Detroit. Because of my vocal status, I rarely have any interchange with other passengers. He saw me working on a message, and wrote on a pad, asking me to email him my notes on my message. I took his card so I could mail him a CD of the message I'll be doing tonight. I asked him, "What's your home church?" His being black, I was thinking he might be a member at one of the predominantly black churches in town. To my surprise, he said, "IHOP." I wrote, "You probably know my wife Marci, she does announcements on Sunday mornings." (I always enjoy those moments when I'm known as Marci's husband.) He's new to IHOP, didn't connect our names, but NOW we know each other! Bless Bill Coe in your prayers please. lt;br /gt; 11:00 p.m.: Excellent time tonight. My title was "The Locked Gaze of Intimacy." The Lord helped me, and the saints seemed to connect well with the message. The primary image was that of turtledoves who have eyes only for each other. At the end I played the piano for a bit, which contributed to a unique atmosphere. I thought I sent enough books for 3 days but they totally wiped the table clean tonight. lt;br /gt; Saturday 7:30 a.m.: Good meeting last night. Sweet time of worship. I prepared a message during the day, going in an unexpected direction, which meant I ended up having to bring the message with the laptop before me on the podium. I spoke on glorifying God, with the main principle being that He glorifies His sons so that they might in turn glorify Him (Jn. 17:1). I was a bit distracted with my pain levels last night and frustrations with the mic, so I think I lost my objectivity on how the Lord was using the message. But I'm trusting that He used it for His glory, and that He will continue to refine and develop my meditations in that theme. I was way blessed last night to be surprised by the attendance of one of our intercessors at the meeting. Cindy (Nelson) Heck and her new husband, James, made the 2-hour trek from Salisbury, MD, to take in the evening meeting. So I had prayer support on the ground, smile. Thank you Cindy and James! I am being picked up at 9 a.m. to be taken to the Philly airport, flying today to Ft. Smith via Memphis. They've had some winter weather in AR, and my hope is that it's blown over now and my arrival later today will be unimpeded by weather hassles. However, with the snow band that's moving through OH, etc, the airline industry is so interconnected that a person's flight to a balmy climate can be entirely disrupted by inclement weather in a totally different sector of the nation, due to a plane that doesn't arrive from another destination, etc. So pray me to Ft. Smith today please! And pray me into clarity on the message, I'm still looking for a clear indicator from the Lord. I speak Sunday morning at City Christian Fellowship in Ft. Smith. Then home Sunday afternoon. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Mar. 9, City Christian Fellowship, Ft. Smith, Arkansas lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Saturday 11 a.m.: I'm having an airport day today. My morning flight, Philly-Memphis, was cancelled, no doubt due to the winter storm that hit that area. So I've been rerouted: Philly-Detroit-Memphis-Ft. Smith, due to arrive in Arkansas about 9 pm tonight. By later today air travel through Memphis should be back to normal. So if the Lord is willing, I'll make it to Ft. Smith tonight in time for tomorrow morning. lt;br /gt; 8 p.m.: I'm on the plane, Memphis-Ft. Smith! Not sure if my bag managed to follow me, but at least I'll be in Ft. Smith Sunday morning. The Lord stirred my heart on the plane today related to Abraham, so I'm planning to speak on Abraham and his faith-walk tomorrow. lt;br /gt; Sunday 3:30 p.m.: While on the airplane yesterday, the Lord seemed to direct my attention to Abraham, so I prepared a message on Abraham and his promise, using Genesis, Rom. 4, and a couple Hebrews verses. The Lord helped me both in preparation and delivery, and the word came forth in power. I heard many comments of appreciation, both in terms of the message and its timing for this congregation. I believe the church is posting the message as a podcast on their site: www.citychristianfellowship.org lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; March 16, Covenant Community Fellowship Church, Canton, IL lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Saturday morning: I'm flying to Peoria, IL today, and then taking the short drive from there to Canton, IL. This will be my first time to be with these saints, and I'm looking forward to it. The church has been in a season of fasting and seeking, so I'm looking forward to coming and laboring with them in the Spirit for what God is desiring to do in their midst. My heart is inclined, in terms of a ministry topic, toward an emphasis on intimacy with Jesus. lt;br /gt; Sunday 3:00 p.m.: Had a great time with the saints here in Canton. As I prepared a message on intimacy, it morphed into a message on spiritual fatherhood, and how God prepares a Jacob generation to raise up a Joseph generation. I told some family stories, which made the message more personal. At the end, I called forward those under age 25 who wanted the Lord to lead them into a life of prayer, and the altar was lined with young people. Then I called forward the older generation, an older sister to stand with each younger one, an older brother to stand with each younger one. Then I had them pray for each other, the one generation blessing the other. Heard great feedback on the relevance of the word to the congregation at this time. lt;br /gt; Next: I'm speaking this Wednesday, 3:00 pm, to the Simeon Company Internship at IHOP. I'm asking the Lord for a clear message and a strong anointing. Thanks for being there! lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; March 22-23 Easter at Nashville Vineyard, Nashville, TN lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Saturday morning: I'm flying to Peoria, IL today, and then taking the short drive from there to Canton, IL. This will be my first time to be with these saints, and I'm looking forward to it. The church has been in a season of fasting and seeking, so I'm looking forward to coming and laboring with them in the Spirit for what God is desiring to do in their midst. My heart is inclined, in terms of a ministry topic, toward an emphasis on intimacy with Jesus. lt;br /gt; Sunday 3:00 p.m.: Had a great time with the saints here in Canton. As I prepared a message on intimacy, it morphed into a message on spiritual fatherhood, and how God prepares a Jacob generation to raise up a Joseph generation. I told some family stories, which made the message more personal. At the end, I called forward those under age 25 who wanted the Lord to lead them into a life of prayer, and the altar was lined with young people. Then I called forward the older generation, an older sister to stand with each younger one, an older brother to stand with each younger one. Then I had them pray for each other, the one generation blessing the other. Heard great feedback on the relevance of the word to the congregation at this time. lt;br /gt; Next: I'm speaking this Wednesday, 3:00 pm, to the Simeon Company Internship at IHOP. I'm asking the Lord for a clear message and a strong anointing. Thanks for being there! lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; March 16, Covenant Community Fellowship Church, Canton, IL lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Saturday morning: I'm flying to Peoria, IL today, and then taking the short drive from there to Canton, IL. This will be my first time to be with these saints, and I'm looking forward to it. The church has been in a season of fasting and seeking, so I'm looking forward to coming and laboring with them in the Spirit for what God is desiring to do in their midst. My heart is inclined, in terms of a ministry topic, toward an emphasis on intimacy with Jesus. lt;br /gt; Sunday 3:00 p.m.: Had a great time with the saints here in Canton. As I prepared a message on intimacy, it morphed into a message on spiritual fatherhood, and how God prepares a Jacob generation to raise up a Joseph generation. I told some family stories, which made the message more personal. At the end, I called forward those under age 25 who wanted the Lord to lead them into a life of prayer, and the altar was lined with young people. Then I called forward the older generation, an older sister to stand with each younger one, an older brother to stand with each younger one. Then I had them pray for each other, the one generation blessing the other. Heard great feedback on the relevance of the word to the congregation at this time. lt;br /gt; Next: I'm speaking this Wednesday, 3:00 pm, to the Simeon Company Internship at IHOP. I'm asking the Lord for a clear message and a strong anointing. Thanks for being there! lt;br /gt; http://www.oasishouse.net/travelblog_mar.html April 4-6, Pabellon de la Victoria (Victory Pavillion), Orlando, FL lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Friday morning: I am on my way to Orlando this morning, via Memphis. (Last time I used Memphis, they blew it with my luggage; so bless the luggage handlers of Memphis!) I'll be speaking at a Spanish-speaking church there that is hosting a worship conference. I'll be speaking this evening (Fri), Saturday afternoon, and Sunday morning. I believe I'll be working with an interpreter in each session. I already have ground troops there in advance: Bill Clark (a longtime friend from our NY days) who lives in Orlando will be serving as my prayer partner. It's been many years since I've seen Bill and Carla and the kids, so that will be an extra special part of this weekend for me. Please pray me into a strong anointing for these precious Latino saints. My expectation is to speak tonight on following the river in worship, tomorrow on having eyes for Jesus only (with some application to the area of sexual purity), and then I'm not clear yet on what I should do on Sunday morning. I'm also real sore -- Abba, grant vocal strength! p.s. If you want to see photos of my new grandbaby, Alexander, who was born Mar. 24, they're on my site, photos page (oasishouse.net). lt;br /gt; Saturday morning: We had a good time last night. This is the first conference this ministry is convening, so they're breaking into new territory. The group is small, but good for a first time around. The spirit among the saints is excellent, with strong hunger for more of God. Pablo Perez did an awesome job of leading worship. The Lord helped me in the teaching on the river of God in worship, and there seemed to be a good connect with the saints. I've been having sweet fellowship with Bill Clark, and am grateful he's here to be with me. He helpd me as we laid hands on all those who responded to the altar call (which was almost the entire group). lt;br /gt; Sunday 5:00 p.m.: First of all, about yesterday: I spoke about having eyes for Jesus only, and ended with an application toward sexual purity. Anytime I've spoken on issues related to sexual purity, it's always been difficult for me to guage the response and effectiveness of the message. It takes skill to address that topic with effectiveness, and I'm not so sure about my skill levels on that one. There were a good number of sincere folks who came forward to the altar in consecration of their eyes to the Lord, while a number of others remained in their seats--which is good. It's not the kind of area where you want everyone coming to the altar simply because everyone else is. I sought to be obedient to the Lord, and now release it to Him. lt;br /gt; Today (Sunday) I spoke on endurance. Enduring in faith. The Lord really helped. I was expecting the message to be a bit hard (my preparation was hard), but when I got into it, the grace of the Lord came upon the meeting and it was real easy. There seemed to be a strong connection with the saints to the message. I was feeling the press of the clock a bit, especially considering that it takes longer to communicate when using an interpreter (Spanish). But the Lord helped me to trim back, be concise, and communicate clearly in a way that wasn't wordy and yet had enough words to convey the meaning. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; April 11-12, Northeast Worship Institute, “In His Presence,” Calvary Full Gospel Church, Fairless Hills, PA lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Thursday: Good morning to you, all my good praying friends. I am flying to Philly (via Memphis) today, in order to participate in the NE Worship Institute being convened at Calvary Church in Fairless Hills, PA. Also participating in the event are Robert Stearns, Steve Fry, Lindell Cooley, and others. My speaking times are Friday 2:30 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. I need to fly there today in order to be on the ground in time for the Friday afternoon workshop. This will be a mid-sized event, with 350 or more registrants from the east coast. lt;br /gt; Friday 5:00 pm: This afternoon's session went well. I spoke on having doves' eyes for the Lord, and how our vow becomes the veil over our eyes. (Song 4:1) I articulated my passion to see the Lord, with the goal of inciting a passion among the saints to see God. After the teaching one of the brothers led us from the piano, and the folks just hung out and wept and worshiped and gave their hearts to the Lord, a very sweet atmosphere. lt;br /gt; Saturday noon: Excellent time this morning. The group was very engaged with me on the message on Envy, they were connecting and applying the message to their lives. I've had an easy flow here, and much affectionate interaction, being with the family of God is great! lt;br /gt; Tomorrow morning I am being picked up at 9 a.m. and driven to Clementon, NJ, where I will be speaking in the Sunday morning service at Solid Rock Worship Center. I'll be in prayer this afternoon, seeking the Lord for clarity on the message to bring. Thanks for your prayers, for clarity of message, for vocal strength, and power of impartation in the delivery. I have the afternoon in my hotel room now, for prayer; then this evening I'll return for the concluding service with Rob Stearns--which I'm looking forward to, it's been too long since I've been in one of his services, I love how he flows in the prophetic anointing. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; April 13, Solid Rock Worship Center, Clementon, NJ lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Sunday 4:00 p.m.: The Lord anointed the message this morning in an unusual way. The hand of the Lord was with me all morning, actually. It seems that He just wanted to bless this congregation today. The word came forth with power and authority. At the close, the front was lined with people seeking personal ministry for their battles with depression, so I laid hands on each one. There was much exchange of affection with these eager saints. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; April 20, Zion Christian Church, Troy, MI lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Saturday morning: I'm flying to Detroit today, preparing to speak tomorrow morning at Zion Christian Church in Troy, one of Detroit's suburbs. This will be my sixth visit over the past 8 years, so as you might imagine, I consider my friendship with the pastors and team at Zion to be very dear to my heart. It's because of my affectionate connection with this church that I am preparing to speak on Loyalty during this visit. That messge is very important to me, but I usually find a release to share it only in contexts where an affectionate relationship has been established. I've had a sore week; please pray for vocal strength. (Sometimes the change of seasons increases my pain levels.) Please pray also for clarity in my preparation, as I have more material than I can possibly share. Please believe with me for a strong anointing to awaken passion for Jesus in the hearts of the hearers. lt;br /gt; Sunday 3 pm: Excellent time this morning. Good response to the Loyalty message. The Lord touched me in a fresh way about the message this week, so it came forth in a fresh way. I had a sweet time reconnecting with the leaders and saints here. So I'm coming away with a thankful and grateful heart. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; April 25-27, Church of God Makati, Manila, Philippines: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Tuesday 10 pm: I'm preparing for an early morning departure, leaving the house at 5 a.m. in the morning, to catch a 7 a.m. Continental flight to Houston, and from there to Manila, Philippines (via Guam). I'm due to arrive into Manila around 9:00 p.m. Thursday (Manila time), then will be speaking nightly, Fri/Sat/Sun. Please pray for me as I go. I have a general sense of direction, but will be preparing the messages on the trip there. Believe with me for clarity of direction, for vocal strength, and a power of impartation. Dale Haight, one of our intercessors, will also be with me. He is arriving a day before me, and then staying for a few days after I leave in order to minister further in several places with our host, Dennis Heppner. It's going to be great to be with Dale again! lt;br /gt; Friday 5:30 a.m.: Arrived safely and on time into Manila yesterday evening, as did my bag, smile. Our flight path from Houston to Honolulu was interesting--it appeared that we intentionally avoided Mexican airspace. My guess is that Continental may have to pay fees to Mexico to use their airspace, so it's cheaper to avert that border. The approach into both Honolulu and Guam was very pretty, with Guam appearing more flat and less affluent (it was my first time into Guam, my view was very limited). Last night I was happily reintroduced to Manila's clogged and competitive traffic. Unless you're driving at 4 a.m., you just expect bumper to bumper conjestion. After my arrival into the hotel I had a nice catch-up visit with Dale Haight, realizing the last time we ministered together was January 2005 here in Manila. I got 4.5 hours sleep last night, so I'm grateful. Meeting Pastor Dennis Heppner a 9 a.m. for breakfast. First meeting is tonight. ( Dale, mind you, met last night with the worship team, as he arrived a day earlier than I.) lt;br /gt; Friday 11:30 p.m. (10:30 a.m. Central Time): We had a good morning and afternoon, interfacing with our hosts. Then I caught a much needed nap. Then off to tonight's 7 p.m. meeting. I could tell my platoon was praying, because the presence of the Lord was clearly on the meeting--and even jetlagged me could discern it. Furthermore, I didn't have the same PA system struggles that I had at this same venue in 2005. (There were some improvements in equipment, etc.) So I'm most grateful to report that the ministry was much easier for me as a result. I spoke tonight on "enduring in suffering," and the Lord graced the message with a strong anointing and a clarity of presentation. Afterwards there was a sweet time of ministry at the altar, with almost everyone coming forward, and Dale did a great job in worship leading and leading the ministry time. An excellent night. I had the privilege of meeting 3 sisters that flew in from Hong Kong just to be at these meetings. One of the gals said, "Your name is a household word in Hong Kong because Mike Bickle prays for your voice on God TV all the time." Amazing! lt;br /gt; Saturday 6:00 p.m.: I'll be going to the meeting soon. My whole mouth is sore. The only thing I know that gives me these kinds of sensations is garlic. The problem is, Asians use garlic for flavoring in many of their foods, and I think the accumulative effect of the garlic from all the dishes is starting to show. I've not had a single dish that seemed to be noticeable in garlic, so I think it's just that subtle flavoring in many dishes having that aggregate effect. I'm a bit stymied to know what to do about it. It's not as though I can fast, smile, as fasting is even worse on the throat. Thanks for your prayers, I'm needing the Lord's help on this one. lt;br /gt; Sunday 7:00 a.m.: Good meeting last night. The greater grace seemed to be upon the worship, more than upon the preaching. Which is good, at least there was grace on something, smile. I just never had any awareness of entering into a strong preaching anointing. Not sure how it was for the hearers, but for me it was "okay." I was sore, but able to get through the entire message without too much difficulty. This morning the voice/mouth feels a bit better, which is typical for how garlic affects the weakness in my throat -- as it dissipates in my system I begin to feel better. So I'm thinking the culprit is indeed garlic. lt;br /gt; Sunday 11:30 p.m.: Great concluding service tonight. The Lord really helped me to share on the topic of Loyalty. The altar was filled with folks responding to the call to be ignited with fiery loyalty for the Lord Jesus. The presence of the Lord was strong. There was some fire on the altar. Dale did an awesome job of leading the worship time during the altar response time, and the meeting opened wide. We crossed the threshold, and nobody wanted to leave. Clapping, dancing, weeping, praying. An unending prayer line began to form in front of me, and I prayed individually for dozens while the assembly engaged in worship with their Lord. The waters were fine, and God's children had fun splashing around. Then the youth group gathered round me and Dale individually and blessed us with their prayers. So now I can return home happy. My flight departs from Manila Monday 11 p.m., and my arrival into K.C. is Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. I will fly through two nights before getting home. I return via the same route I came: Manila - Guam - Honolulu - Houston - KC. Thanks for praying me home safe and sound! Upon my return, I will have 3 weeks home with no travel or ministry -- it's a block of time I set aside for prayer. I've enjoyed this recent spell of travel, and now am looking forward to 3 weeks of focused prayer. May 20 I'll be off to Korea, so will be back in touch with you at that time lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; http://www.oasishouse.net/travelblog_apr.html Monday May 5 lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; I made a sudden decision Monday morning to go to Lakeland FL to take in two evenings of the healing revival meetings that are happening there with Todd Bentley. I'll be leaving Thursday, taking in Thurs and Fri pm, and returning home Saturday. I've been asking the Lord for a few days now whether I should go, and have been looking for some kind of inner prompting. It didn't come. In fact, after watching some of the meetings on GOD TV I was somewhat disinclined to go. But on Monday morning it seemed to me that I was feeling an inclination to go. This much is clear: God is at work in the meetings. There is a level of divine activity manifesting in the meetings that is clearly beyond what is our norm here in America. And whenever God is at work, I want in. I long to be used of God in the ministry of divine healing. And of course, as you all know, I yearn for my own healing. I'm including you in this update so that you can be in agreement with me, for the Lord's will and purpose to be accomplished in this trip. Thanks for your prayer support! lt;br /gt; Thursday 1:00 a.m. (well actually Friday early morning now): After sending out my note about coming to the Lakeland healing revival, I received more interested responses from y'all, my prayer team, than any other email that I think I've sent out. So I want to honor your interest with a report. Tonight's meeting was really good. Worship atmosphere was strong. I would estimate attendance at around 3500, with an amazing number of people from other states and nations. I was bee-bopping through a couple Scriptures in the worship service, and then landed on a verse from which the Lord downloaded a personal word to me. So that was probably the highlight for me from tonight's meeting. It helped me to set my heart in the meeting, and I believe will be a word to help me in the days ahead as well. There were 3-4 times in the course of the evening when an emphasis was placed on receiving impartation. So I stretched forward in faith with everyone else in those times, to receive impartation for carrying this grace with us to where we live. They called for fire and electricity, etc., and while I didn't feel any such sensations, I am confident that it's possible to receive strong impartation in the Spirit without necessarily having any physical awareness of the download. At one point a black sister from IHOP whom I don't know came over, having recognized me from afar, and laid her hands on me and prayed for impartation. I receive it, Lord Jesus! Some of the healings were obviously still in process, or incomplete, but some of the testimonies were very clear and strong, demonstrating an irrefutable work of God. So while many are not healed, there is no question that God is at work and genuine, complete healings are happening. When I see a venue crawling with wheelchairs, canes, pale people, limping people, etc etc, I feel like "this is how church is supposed to be." That alone is very moving for me. For those of you who can only watch on TV or the web, be encouraged that the anointing that is operating in the meetings really does come thru the screen. There are many, many reports of people receiving healing while watching the services at home. After GOD TV signed off at 11 pm, an offering was taken. Todd called those with terminal illnesses to come on the platform for personal ministry from him. Everyone else wanting healing were invited to come forward to the altar area where the ministry team would minister. About 4-5 folks prayed for me, with everything from gentle to go-for-the-jugular style. I have only positive things to say about Todd, his manner, and how he conducted the meeting. There's a clear anointing on Todd, an obvious presence of God in the meeting, and manifestations of glory. I'm glad I'm here. More after tomorrow's meeting. lt;br /gt; Friday 1:00 a.m. (well actually Saturday early morning now): We had a wild ride tonight. It started in the traffic line, trying to get into the parking area. I'm guessing we were in line for a good hour. It was the first time to use this venue--an outdoor field--and the roads leading to it were not designed to accommodate this kind of traffic flow. By the time we actually made it into the meeting, the worship time was completely over. My buddy from Sarasota had made a call, quite apart from me, and arranged for us to having reserved seating in the VIP section. So even though we walked in over 90 minutes late to the meeting, I suddenly found myself in the center section, second row! It was a neat opportunity to get a feel for what was really happening on stage. The reality of the miracles, especially some of them, was stunning. It was the kind of atmosphere in which you could sing or say almost anything, and the whole field went with you. Someone mentioned the number 14,000, I would think at least 10,000 people, there certainly was a sea of people covering the grounds. Todd also led in a time of setting thousands of prayer requests on fire. The fire was confined to a large incinerator-can, and it ended up not working quite as Todd had envisioned it, probably because of the limitations the fire marshall had placed on the methodology. So there was not so much fire, and a whole lot of smoke. But everyone was into it big-time, nobody was bothered by that. I'm guessing around 200 folks responded to the altar call to receive Christ. After seeing miracles, it was an atmosphere in which the compassion and mercy of Christ was so palpably evidenced, it was an easy context in which to respond for salvation. At the conclusion, Todd said he would anoint every single person at the meeting with oil. Well, I did the math, and realized this wasn't going to happen in just an hour. It started off slow, but as it went along Todd's helpers got into a rhythm of pushing people through the line rapidly, and the line began to move. I ended up being anointed with oil around an hour after that line had started, which was actually faster than I was expecting. There were still a lot of people to go, but I'm thinking that by the time I went through the line, we were at the 60% mark. So the end was starting to come into sight. It was a massive undertaking for Todd, I'm confident his arms will be extremely weary tonight! The saints really dove into the thing with energy. People were collapsing, flailing, laughing, running, jerking, just about anything you can imagine in a Holy Ghost party. It was a wild time, with lots of exuberant joy being the foremost characteristic. Here's my take on these kinds of goings on: I think Todd is being led of the Lord to use a variety of means to give opportunities for faith to ignite. Whether it be worship, words of knowledge, laying on of hands, testimonies, fire on prayer requests, anointing oil, etc. -- the point is to give the maximum opportunity for the saints to get into faith. When faith ignites, miracles explode. In our weakness, we humans tend to need help to latch onto miracle-working faith. The Lord is gracious to help us, and his anointed ministers use their best skills and wisdom to cooperate with that process. I myself didn't have any supernatural encounters at the level of visions/dreams/voices/etc, I was not aware of any healing activity in my body, but I was certainly aware of a strong presence of the Lord. And I reached my spirit forth, with everyone else, to grab just as much as the Spirit would possibly make available. So bottom line, I'm glad I came. I pray that I'm taking home with me more than I even realize right now. May this healing revival spread around our nation and around our world, that our beloved Lord Jesus might get all the glory that is due His powerful name. If you're thinking of coming, I say come. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; May 22-25, Lighthouse Mission Church, Seoul, Korea: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Monday May 19: I leave the house early tomorrow (5 a.m.), off to Seoul, Korea, where I'm ministering at Lighthouse Mission Church. I made an excellent connection with the pastor of this church on my last visit to Korea--she was actually my interpreter on my previous trip. She is pastoring a very unique community of mostly young adults in Seoul. The work is unique in many ways, seeking to follow Kingdom culture more than church culture. Actually, the main reason I'm going is to perform the pastor's wedding. Song-Hee (or Song, as she is usually called) has been pastoring this work for a few years, and now is marrying one of the young men who has been raised up in the Lord through her ministry. His name is Joshua Cha. They were both here together at IHOP back in February, so I've already had the privilege of meeting him. Now, I'm looking forward to officiating at their wedding on Saturday. My prayer partner on this trip is Wayne Tate, a good friend who is the worship pastor of a large church (Manna Church) in Fayetteville, NC. My last trip with Wayne was to Romania several years ago. I'm looking forward to renewing our friendship, and to ministering together. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; General schedule: lt;br /gt; -Wed 8 p.m. arrival lt;br /gt; -Thurs 7:30 pm mtg, speak on bride of Christ (closing session of worship conference) lt;br /gt; -Friday wedding rehearsal/ lunch lt;br /gt; -Friday evening speak at New Seoul Church lt;br /gt; -Saturday wedding lt;br /gt; -Sunday 10:30 a.m. speak at Lighthouse Mission Church (host church) lt;br /gt; -Monday return home lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Now to a different matter. I have recently found myself in a little writing flow. I'm writing what I think may be a short book called Sprinkling Of Blood. (Heb. 10:19-22) Subtitle to be determined. Dealing with how the sprinkling of blood grants us boldness to enter the throneroom, and live in a place of intimacy and acceptance with God. So... turn up the prayer heat, please, and pray me into a strong finishing anointing on this little book. It's a topic that deserves some Holy Spirit zip on it. lt;br /gt; Tuesday evening from Kansas City: Well, folks, for the first time in 28 years of traveling ministry, I missed a plane because my alarm didn't go off. I have no idea what happened. I jerked awake at 5:30 a.m., threw my clothes on, no shower, no brushed teeth, I threw my bags in the car, and announced to Marci, "Honey, if I'm to make this flight, you'll have to drive me and drop me off at the gate." She ran out to the car with me, and I drove for the airport like a wild man. OK, yes, I broke the law, I went over 55, it's true. I got to the ticket counter 15 minutes before my flight left, but to no avail, the flight had been closed 30 minutes before departure. The agent was awesome, he tried and tried to get me to Korea today, and it could not happen. So my departure got rebooked for 24 hours later, and I'll be arriving in Seoul Thursday 8 p.m. instead of Wednesday 8 p.m. I was scheduled to speak in Seoul Thursday at 8:30 p.m. at the closing session of the 2-day worship seminar that has now launched. But my flight doesn't touch down in Seoul until 8:00 p.m. So they're trying to reserve their auditorium for longer, and are hoping that I can come straight from the airport to the meeting, and preach before the evening meeting closes down. It's about an hour drive from the airport, so by the time I get my bag, go thru Customs, and make the drive to Seoul, I'm thinking it's not likely I'll arrive to the venue before 9:30 p.m. Please pray that the trip can go smoothly, and I can get there in time to preach. I have a message for that meeting, and hope I can deliver it. On "Longing," a message for the bride of Christ. So...keep me in prayer for my 8:30 a.m. departure tomorrow morning please, and grace on ALL the connections. And grace on the team in Seoul as they labor on that end. lt;br /gt; Thursday noon, Tokyo time: I'm presently over the Bering Sea, just now crossing the Int'l Date Line, and our flight trajectory is now starting to arc down toward Tokyo. My flight out of Kansas City was delayed this morning, due to a mechanical. When I finally arrived into O'Hare, my flight to Tokyo had departed. But thankfully, there was another flight to Tokyo still going out of O'Hare -- slightly delayed, which helped -- and I was able to get on it. I'll still be able to arrive into Seoul at 7:55 p.m. tonight, for which I'm grateful to the Lord. Good flight so far, I've been able to prepare for Thurs night, Fri night, and the Saturday wedding. On these kinds of trips, I need to have at least the first couple days prepared in advance, because with jetlag one gets spacey and not very sharp when it comes to preparation. So the watchword is, get prepared before the jetlag sets in. lt;br /gt; Friday 1:00 a.m. Seoul time: I arrived into Seoul on schedule, 8 pm Thursday evening. We got to the meeting by 9:30 p.m., and so I was able to speak tonight. I spoke on the longing heart of the bride of Christ, the Lord helped me with it, and the saints responded very passionately. Koreans are some of the most passionate believers anywhere, and it's always rewarding to minister to them. It seemed to be a good closing to the event. I'm being picked up at 11 a.m. today (Friday), to go to a wedding rehearsal and luncheon. So I've swallowed a melatonin, and hope I can get some decent sleep now. Then I'm speaking tonight at an area church, 9 pm, which is Fri 7:00 a.m. Kansas City time. Pray me into a strong anointing please. lt;br /gt; Saturday noon: We had a great time last night at Harvest Shalom Church. Like many churches in Korea, Harvest has a Friday night prayer service. 9:00 to midnight, every Friday. Wayne led some of the worship in the service, I preached. I spoke on Endurance. Everyone was fighting to stay awake, which I fully understand, knowing the hard pace at which these saints work all week, and then they do a late night prayer meeting every Friday. It looked to me like almost the whole church was in attendance, as the building was quite full. Some were mostly winning the fight with sleep, others were losing. But I didn't let it bother me, I just pushed forward with the word. At the end, most everybody came up for laying-on-of-hands ministry, which is the trademark of the spiritual hunger of the Korean people. In a couple hours I'm off to the wedding. I'm honored to be the officiating minister. It starts at 4 pm, and then the worship and food will continue into the evening. Then I'm speaking at the Sunday 10:30 a.m. service at Lighthouse, the host church. Back to you Sunday evening. lt;br /gt; Sunday 6:30 a.m.: We had a marvelous wedding yesterday! It was a delightful blend between a historical Korean, American, and nouveau Korean wedding. The wedding location was gorgeous, pristine vegetation, a striking canyon nearby, outdoor wedding. The first ceremony, which I officiated, was an American kind of wedding, with some Korean flavors. For example, when the groom kissed the bride, that was very American, they don't do that in Korean weddings. There were a couple things in that category. Then afterwards, they did a traditional Korean ceremony, which was basically a photo shoot. We American guests watched it with interest, but most of the guests didn't attend that ceremony, which happened in an inner room. Then, an evening party took over, with music, a video presentation, line dancing, etc. Which was Korean in flavor, but very untypical for your standard Korean wedding. They even got yours truly out onto the line dance -- a new vista for me in my 51 years of life. Song is an amazing young lady--the first woman I've known to host and run a 2-day worship conference the week of her wedding. So there's nothing common or typical about this couple or this wedding. It was a wonderful expression of creativity and originality. And the two of them were stunning together. What's more, they're both planning on being at church this morning! They'll be joining us for the service, then catching an 8 pm flight to Hawaii for their honeymoon. More later on today's meeting. lt;br /gt; Sunday 5:00 p.m.: I'm just back from an excellent morning. Lighthouse church was abuzz this morning, lots of activity, the sanctuary was packed full, maybe 120 people, a good sense of momentum in the atmosphere. The Lord graced me to preach the word, there seemed to be a good connection with the saints. Then the pastor had them gather round me and pray for me and my vocal release, which was sweet. Josh and Song seemed to be pleased to be at the meeting, and they are now off to Hawaii with an excellent conference and weekend behind them. This church does something unique in their worship service that I really liked. At one point during the worship service, the saints were invited to come forward, kneel at the altar, place their offerings in a basket, and then help themselves to Communion. The Communion trays and offering buckets were side by side, two stations at the platform. I really liked the idea of placing the offering (giving) and Communion (receiving) into one combined activity. And all while worship was happening. Why not try it in your church? I'm grateful for the opportunity to make this trip, and to bless Song and Josh on their special day. Coming home happy. My parents fly into Kansas City this Wednesday evening, to be with us for a week. We're really looking forward to their being with us! Please pray for them, and especially my dad, who is in recovery from a bout with walking pneumonia. Dad, may your chest and lungs clear up completely, and may your strength be restored! http://www.oasishouse.net/travelblog_may.html June 1, 11 a.m., Holy Deliverance COGIC, Kansas City, MO: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Saturday: I am scheduled to speak tomorrow morning (11 a.m.) at a small, inner-city church in Kansas City, MO. I'm sending this update to you just to let you know that I've come down with a flu bug. Please pray that this bug flushes out of my system quickly, and that I will be able to preach the word tomorrow. I was telling someone recently that I've not missed a traveling ministry engagement due to sickness, and I'm not inclined to start now. lt;br /gt; Sunday 5 pm: Had a marvelous time with the saints this morning. The service was delightful. The Lord helped me in the preaching of the word, and there seemed to be an excellent connection with the saints. Afterwards, virtually the entire church came forward for prayer, with my parents joining me in laying hands on the folks. Marie came along as well, and was able to help with the book table. From the things expressed, it seemed that the ministry was timely and relevant. Thanks for praying for my health, I felt much better this morning, and was able to minister today without any hindrance. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; June 8, 10:30 a.m., Dixon Assembly of God, Dixon, IL: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Good Saturday morning! I'm heading over to Chicago today, where I will be picked up and taken the 1.75-hour drive to Dixon, IL. It will be my first time to Dixon Assembly of God. This church has used my books in their worship ministry, and now it will be good to be with them personally. Small church of 100 folks -- usually the smaller churches are more fun, smile. Please pray for vocal strength, clarity of message, and power of impartation. I had a meeting yesterday with a handful of IHOP leaders, and have accepted the role of providing leadership to Forerunner Books, the publishing division of IHOP. As you remember me in that role, I would be so appreciative of your prayer help. To provide leadership in this way, with my vocal inabilities, is a daunting challenge. On another note, this week we received our sample copies of the French translation of Secrets. Pray for that translation, please, that it have a great impact in the French-speaking world. lt;br /gt; Sunday 5:00 p.m. from O'Hare: It's been a delightful weekend in Dixon, IL -- Ronald Reagan's hometown. Fellowship with the pastors has been sweet. We had a good time this morning in the Lord's house. The worship team led us very sincerely before the Lord. The Lord helped me in preaching, and the saints were quite attentive. I spoke on the sprinkling of blood (Heb. 10), and living in a place of intimacy in the Father's arms. I'm spending some extra time in O'Hare now, my flight is delayed 3+ hours, due to earlier storms that moved thru the area. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; June 13-15, Believers Chapel, Cicero, NY: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Friday 11:30 p.m.: Greetings from Cicero, NY, greater Syracuse area. Tonight I spoke to a group of worship leaders representing a number of churches in the area, it was an excellent time together. I was feeling quite uncertain regarding my preparation, but the Lord met me in it, and the word came forward in strength and passion. About our fundamental calling being that of standing before God and ministering to Him. There seemed to be a great connection with the saints. Many came forward to gather round the altar and stand before the Lord to minister to Him, it was a sweet conclusion. I will be speaking in the two weekend services of Believer's Chapel, which are Saturday evening and Sunday morning. Please agree with me for a strong word in the Holy Spirit for this great congregation. lt;br /gt; Saturday 3:30 p.m.: Jeff and I are just back from a quick road trip to Lima, NY, where we spent some time with a dear friend, Sylvia, who has cancer. I played the piano, Sylvia sang to Jesus, Jeff read Scripture and prayed, we had church in Sylvia's home. Then a nice lunch together. Sylvia is an important person in our lives, and I'm grateful I was able to pull away in an unplanned way to get with her and pray together. Abba Father, glorify Your name through our sister, we ask, and root out every vestige of cancer that has been working in her body. Amen! lt;br /gt; Sunday 4:00 p.m.: Had 2 great weekend services. I spoke on the topic of endurance, a theme that has been strongly in my heart recently. Excellent response. There seemed to be confirmation that it was a timely word for this body at this time. I'm going home with a sense of having partnered with the Lord for His purposes for this weekend. May the seed grow and produce eternal fruit. I speak this Wednesday at noon at an IHOP internship called "IHOP-KC Commission." This group is comprised of a number of internationals. Pray me into a strong anointing please, and pray for vocal strength, thank you! lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; June 21, Ecclesia Word Ministries Int'l, Bronx, NY: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Wednesday afternoon: I had an excellent time this afternoon sharing with IHOP-KC COMMISSION on the topic of suffering. They have around 8 nations represented in the group of roughly 60. They were attentive, and the Lord helped me. Thanks for praying! lt;br /gt; Friday morning: I am flying to Newark airport today, in order to get to the church in Bronx in time so that I can share at the Saturday morning session of their conference. I'll be able to attend tonight's meeting, although am not speaking tonight. My prayer partner for this event is Gary DePasquale, a brother from NJ in whose church I ministered in February. He'll be making the drive up to the Bronx Saturday morning in order to be with me for the session in which I speak. This is my second time to Ecclesia, it's been around 6 years. It'll be good to be with these saints again. I recall the saints being attentive and hungry for impartation. When the invitation came, I sensed the Lord directing my heart to speak on the topic of Loyalty, so I'm planning on delivering that message tomorrow morning. lt;br /gt; Saturday 2:00 p.m.: Had an excellent time this morning in the Bronx. The Spirit of the Lord was upon me, helping me, and the word came forth with clarity and boldness. I spoke on Loyalty, and didn't hold back. One sister stopped me as I was leaving, she told me she is a pastor, and that she had her eyes too much on her ministry instead of the Lord; and through the message, the Lord was restoring her to her first love. I thought, "This sister got it." So if I was there for her alone, then praise God! It was a joy to reconnect with Gary, my prayer partner. He drove me to NJ this afternoon, and we've just now finished enjoying a nice lunch together. I will be picked up in the morning and taken to the morning service at Mt. Olive Baptist Church of Hackensack, NJ. It's my first time to this church. I understand the pastor is out of town at a family wedding, so I'll miss meeting him, but am looking forward to sharing with a new family of believers. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Mount Olive Baptist Church, Hackensack, NJ: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Sunday 3:30: My flight to KC is cancelled (weather), so I'm being rerouted through Minneapolis. This is the third Sunday in a row that my trek home has been fraught with reroutes and delays. The whole industry seems very topsy-turvy right now. Had a good time this morning. It was a treat to step again into the American Baptist tradition, enjoy their liturgy, and share in the sense of community in their midst. They tend to operate out of the modus of, "Now that we're here, let's do this thing." In other words, they're not in a hurry to get on to the next thing. The Lord helped me in the preaching of the word. There were some to whom it seemed that church was more a cultural experience than an engagement with the living word of God; but there were others who were attentive, alert, and engaging their hearts with the word and the Spirit. My plane ticket was pressing me, so I had to literally walk off the platform and head for the airport. Which means I wasn't able to witness any response to the word. I trust that now into the hands of the Spirit. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Calvary Fellowship, Florence, AL: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Thursday evening: I have some happy news this evening -- I have completed the first draft of the new book. The title is POWER OF THE BLOOD: APPROACHING GOD WITH CONFIDENCE. So now I'll be launching into the next phase, which is writing the second draft. After that is completed, it will go to the editor. I'm hoping I can complete the second draft in 3 weeks or so. The second draft happens much more quickly than the first draft. Please pray for the Lord to give us favor with the cover design. We're still at square one on that project. Once the cover design is completed, we'll have the finished product in no time flat. Please pray us into an anointed cover design. We need to connect with the right designer. lt;br /gt; Friday: I am leaving tomorrow morning for Florence, Alabama, where I will be speaking again at Calvary Fellowship on Sunday morning. This will be my fifth visit to this church, so as you might imagine, our friendship has become very fond over the years. Coming with me is Marcus Meier. Marcus will be leading in worship Sunday morning, and then will be staying to do a Sunday evening service with them while I return home Sunday evening. It will be great to tag-team with Marcus again, it's been too long. Please pray for vocal strength and for a mighty impartational anointing. lt;br /gt; Saturday 4:00 pm: Well, I don't want to disappoint...so...let me tell you about today's traveling joys. The plane we were to take, Dallas to Huntsville, was busted; so they substituted it with a smaller plane -- the interpretation being, Marcus and I were among those bumped off the flight cuz the smaller plane couldn't accommodate all the ticketed passengers. So we're still in Dallas as I write, booked on a 6 pm flight, 8 pm arrival. There was no meeting scheduled for tonight, so at least we're not working with that disapppointment. But this has my curiosity up: What could happen at the airport tomorrow when I return?? lt;br /gt; Saturday 10:30 p.m.: Didn't have to wait to tomorrow. Got to the gate for the 6:00 flight, only to discover that neither Marcus nor I were any longer booked on that flight. No explanation. Turns out we were able to get on at the end because some passengers didn't show. For a few minutes it looked like we'd be flying into Birmingham in order to make the meeting; but finally we were able to fly to Huntsville. But at least Marcus's bag wasn't there to greet us. lt;br /gt; Sunday 5:00 pm: Had a great time with the saints this morning. I was going to go a different direction, but felt the Lord directing me to speak on endurance. It seemed to be a timely word for the saints, they were tracking with me and were clearly responsive to the word. Thank you for praying me through! Our flight to Dallas is delayed an hour but I'll still be able to make my connection. lt;br /gt; What's next for me: This Wednesday I fly to Dallas, to pop in on the International Worship Institute. Originally I was going just for fellowship; then they asked me to share for 10-15 minutes in the Wed evening service; then this week they asked me to take a main session, the Thursday morning general session. So please be in prayer for me this Thursday morning, at 9:45 a.m. Central Time. http://www.oasishouse.net/travelblog_jun.html July 3, International Worship Institute, Airport Hyatt, Dallas, TX: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Thursday 7:30 a.m.: Good morning from the airport Hyatt at Dallas/Ft. Worth airport. Great meeting last night. Eddie James led worship and did a marvelous job. Everyone loved him and the team, and the thing I think that moved hearts most was in being led by a team of young people most of whom had come from a background of drug abuse, cutting, gangs, etc. I was proud to be able to own Eddie and the team as part of my IHOP family. I am speaking at the 9:30 a.m. mtg this morning (Central) -- I think they're getting me on around 9:45 because my flight time necessitates that. I'm speaking on loyalty. lt;br /gt; Thursday 11:30 a.m.: I'm at the airport now, checked in, having left the meeting just 20 minutes ago; the proximity to the airport is nice. Had a great time this morning. The Lord helped me to share on loyalty to the blood of Jesus, and then Morris Chapman took the thing and away they went, it was very strong, high and loud praises. When a psalmist nails it by following the message with the right worship response, wow. I had to literally tear myself away from the meeting, the glory in the praises was what events like this are all about. We were there. This Sunday I am speaking at a church in metro Kansas City -- Beacon of Hope Church, Raymore, MO. Have a happy 4th tomorrow! lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Beacon of Hope Church, Raymore, MO: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Sunday 2:30: It was a delight to minister this morning in a church that is literally 9 minutes from our house. It's in a direction I never go, on a road I've not traveled till this morning, but as we drove along we suddenly came upon a lovely facility nestled into a country setting just south and west of where we live -- in Raymore, MO. The body of believers is very much like a family. The family might total 70-80 people. It's obvious that many of them are also related as natural family. Sweet saints, a great family of believers. I ministered on Luke 18, "get justice for me from my adversary." That message is always good for me to preach to myself, so even if no one else was blessed, I was. I was also blessed that Marci joined me, and Marie came along as well and served at the book table. Saturday I fly to Dallas, and Sunday morning will be ministering at a church in Plano, TX. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Where Eagles Soar Church, Plano, TX: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Saturday morning: I'm heading out this afternoon for Plano, TX (Dallas area). This will be my third or fourth time to this church, pastored by Paul and Trina Freeman who have become lifelong friends to Marci and me. For years Paul taught local church worship teams using Exploring Worship as the foundational text. Once the worship leader at this church, he took the helm from his father-in-law a few years back. The church has been growing and I'm looking forward to reconnecting and seeing the evidences of new growth. I'll be speaking Sunday morning and then returning home Sunday afternoon. Please pray for clarity on the message. I prepared a message this week, "Make Vows To God," and am asking for clarity on whether this is the right message for this weekend. This theme has had some fresh energy on it in my own personal life, and I'm trying to discern if that means it's to be shared this weekend. I'm pleased to report that on the wings of your prayers, I have been able to complete the second draft of the new book, and it is now in the mail on the way to the editor. Please keep praying for the cover design, we're still at "square one" with that. On another note, we just got our complimentary copies of the Korean translation of Following The River. The Korean church has known a tremendous visitation of God in recent decades, and yet the largest and strongest churches in Korea are very regimented and reserved in their worship expressions. Join with me in asking the Lord to use this translation mightily in Korea, to help move the Korean church forward in their worship expressions to the Lord. lt;br /gt; Sunday 4:00 p.m.: Had a great time with my friends Paul and Trina again. I spoke on "Make Vows To God," my first time to deliver this word. It seemed to be a specific word for this church at this time, and especially to the young people. The young people lined the front row, which I loved, it made it easy for me to speak over them. I spoke of 5 kinds of vows: the vow of commitment (marriage); the vow of consecration (Hannah); the vow of faith (Ps. 62); the vow of intimacy (Jer. 30:21); and the vow of purity (Job 31:1). The emphasis of the message was mostly on the final two vows. At the close, I called forward those who were under 25 and who wanted God in their lives -- and then I called forward those who were over 25 to pray over the young people, one on one. The question was, "What invitation do you believe God is giving to you at this time, in giving more of yourself to Him?" Then they prayed over the youth. Everyone participated very freely. This Wednesday the church launches a 3-day youth camp, so I'm trusting that today's emphasis was preparatory to what God will be doing in their lives this week. This coming weekend is a home weekend for me. I thought I would have a home weekend to celebrate our wedding anniversary and our son Michael's birthday. The weekend after I'm zipping over to Cape Cod, so will be back to you in a couple weeks. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; July 26-27, Living Hope Family Church, Hyannis, MA: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Friday noon: I'm on a Midwest flight to Boston at present (my first time to fly Midwest, good experience so far), where I will connect via a puddle-jumper to Hyannis, MA. Hyannis is a popular destination this time of year, being on Cape Cod. This will be my second time to be with my friends, Erik and Tami Eskelund, at Living Hope Family Church. The last time I was there, Erik was the associate pastor; now he is the lead pastor. Erik and Tami are some of the most fun people on the planet, they're South African, and have that charming South African accent. It will be a joy to stay with them in their home again and renew our friendship. I'm arriving a day early. The plan is for me to speak Saturday night and Sunday morning. When I looked at the airline options for getting into Hyannis, at the time every trip I was taking was experiencing significant flight delays. So I decided to fly in a day early in order to ensure that I'd arrive in time to do the Saturday evening meeting. Better safe than sorry I suppose. I would request prayer as I am working on my final draft of the new book, Power Of The Blood. The final draft is the draft I craft in response to the suggestions from the editor. I plowed hard all day yesterday and have completed 8 of 13 chapters. Believe with me for an anointing on this final edit, that the Spirit might direct every word in wisdom and understanding. I'm pleased to report that we have chosen a front cover design--the back cover still needs to be designed, but that's usually much easier going than the front cover. The project is progressing well. Believe with me please for a mid-September release so I can have the book with me at a couple strategic events. lt;br /gt; Friday evening: When I said I was flying a puddle-jumper to Hyannis, I had no idea how small the puddle was. It was a 10-seater, 2-prop plane, with the pilot in one of those 10 seats. One of the passengers sat in the co-pilot seat. Our luggage was stuffed in the nose of the plane. I was amazed they had room for our luggage, the plane was that small. And the view was terrific! lt;br /gt; Saturday 11:00 p.m.: Great time tonight. The house was full, the spirit of worship was sweet, and the response to the word was sincere. I spoke on Loyalty, there was much appreciation expressed. lt;br /gt; Sunday 3:30 p.m.: Had a wonderful time together this morning in the Lord's house. The house was full, the saints were eager to be together, the presence of the Lord was sweet, and the anointing on the word was strong. I spoke on Endurance, and the saints endured the word and received it with attentiveness. I was especially blessed to have on-site intercessory support -- Chris and Joan Wood were at the meeting. They were on vacation (Chris's mom lives nearby), and so it was a blessing to enjoy their fellowship and shining faces. I'll be in touch with you again in a few days. Friday I'm speaking at a worship conference at World Revival Church, right here in my own town of Lee's Summit; then Saturday I'm off to Chicago for an arts conference on Saturday and a Sunday morning ministry in inner city Chicago. http://www.oasishouse.net/travelblog_jul.html Aug. 1, “The Uprising” Worship Conference, World Revival Church, Lee's Summit, MO: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Thursday afternoon: Tomorrow morning I'm speaking at a worship conference at World Revival Church, which is located, so happens, right here in our own community of Lees Summit, MO. Formerly known as the Smithton Outpouring, Steve and Kathy Gray brought the church to the KC area in order to broaden its scope. They're launching an annual worship conference to serve their network, I'm thinking this is their first or second such event. The session starts at 10 a.m. on Friday, I will be speaking after a time of worship. Please pray for vocal strength, for clarity of message, and power of impartation. I am planning to speak on "Multitude-Driven Worship." I have my outline prepared, but am still asking the Lord for a fresh breath of His Spirit to come upon me for this message. Thanks for praying me into a God zone! lt;br /gt; Friday 4:00 p.m.: Had an excellent session this morning. I struggled a bit in my preparation, but then the Lord really seemed to help me in the session itself. Good connection, good response. There's a busload of 30 folks at the conference from a sister church in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan! All told around 100-150 people. I had had some conversations with the host previously, and was able to discern a little bit of where their ministry is at, so that helped me to bring a word that I think was relevant and helpful to them. My impression, from some things they said, is that the ministry there has been experiencing a fresh flow of the Holy Spirit in their gatherings in recent days. Wonderful! It's so convenient that I am just 15-20 minutes down the road, and already they were asking if I might be available for their event next year. Tomorrow morning I'll be flying over to Chicago, to speak Saturday evening in the closing session of an event called Karitos Worship and Arts Conference, held this year in a church in Bolingbrook. This will actually be my fourth visit to this event. The hosts have become good friends. I would ask your prayers as I pray and prepare for tomorrow evening. My plan, at least right now, is to speak on the topic, "It's Not Business, It's Personal" -- a message that I delivered last summer at IWI, and have not delivered since. I am asking for your prayers in two regards -- for clarity and anointing on the message, and also for the Spirit of the Lord to clarify and confirm for me, somehow, whether I should I write a short book on that subject. Thanks for praying into that. I may not have time Saturday night to get a report to you, so let me also tell you about Sunday morning. I'll be speaking at a ministry in inner city Chicago called The Prayer Furnace. It's a House of Prayer similar to what we have here in Kansas City. Please pray with me that I might encourage their hearts. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Aug. 2, Karitos, Living Water, Bolingbrook, IL || Aug. 3, The Prayer Furnace, Chicago, IL: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Sunday 4:30 p.m.: We've had a delightful weekend here in Chicago. It was good to get in on the last session of Karitos -- the movements of the Spirit were stronger this year than ever. The Lord helped me in the preaching, and the message seemed to be conveyed clearly. Openness to receive. Great to see Vivien Hibbert again. Then, this morning we were at the Prayer Furnace in Chicago's inner city, and had a great time. The Lord graced me with clarity and power, and the saints responded warmly to the ministry. Chris and I have especially enjoyed our connect time with John and Cecille Bailey from The Furnace. Great people, and a great heart for Chicago. This coming weekend I'm off to Hilo, HI for 2 meetings at a local church there, so I'll be back in touch in a few days. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Aug.9-10, Church on a Sure Foundation, Hilo, HI: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Friday evening: I'm heading out early in the morning, flying to Hilo, HI. I will be speaking Saturday and Sunday nights. I was to this church once before, had a great time with them on my previous visit, and am looking forward to renewing the connection with these eager believers. The pastor's son is the worship leader, they're a good team. Pray for good, timely flights, that I might arrive in time for the Saturday p.m. meeting. And pray for a strong anointing of the Holy Spirit to be upon us as we gather. lt;br /gt; Sunday 8:00 a.m.: I'm sitting on the balcony outside my room, overlooking the bay -- except that I have this huge palm tree blocking most of my view. But I'll get over it, smile. The outside weather, first thing in the morning here, is absolutely and pristinely perfect. Enough sun that everything is bright but enough cloud cover that you're shielded from its heat. So you feel refreshed without the slightest hint of a chill. I am struck, once again, with the unique trees here. They are huge, especially in the horizontal reach of their branches and roots, altogether stunning. A morning rain left everything wet, but by the time I launched my 6:50 a.m. walk, the rain was long gone. Delightful beach walk this morning. The beaches here are not sandy, but comprised of black lava rock. Everywhere you go, you see and hear the Hawaiian word, Mahalo. It means thank-you, but it rolls off the tongue so much more charmingly than the English equivalent. It's such a delightful word that you can precede it with anything and get a smile. The pilot comes on the intercom, "Ladies and gentleman, this plane is about to crash into the ocean. Mahalo." And everyone just nods and smiles. We're 5 hours earlier here than Kansas City time. So 8:00 a.m. here means it's 1:00 p.m. Central. Last night's meeting was excellent. Strong turnout (even though over half were not here when I was here 3 years ago), great spirit of worship, and the Lord graced the message in a strong way. As I spoke on endurance, once again it seemed to be a timely word for the body of Christ. It's interesting how the body of Christ tends to experience things together, even though we're separated by distance and culture and nationalities. I'll be attending the 10 a.m. service this morning at the Hilo location (they have 2 locations, Hilo is the newer church plant). Then will get ready to speak tonight. I could wish that I were able to speak more often, but not yet... lt;br /gt; Sunday 11:00 p.m.: Another great evening tonight. The house was full, with a handful of pastors from other churches present. It's so good to see a spirit of cooperation and affection among the area pastors. I spoke on Loyalty, everyone was given a handout, the group stayed with me very attentively. I'm grateful to God for a great weekend. This coming weekend I am off to Russell, PA, to be with my friends, Dale and Trudy Haight. Speaking Saturday evening and Sunday morning. So I'll be back in touch probably on Saturday. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Aug. 16-17, Praise Fellowship, Russell, PA: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Friday night: I'm watching the USA men's volleyball team against Switzerland as I write. I'm leaving the house early in the morning, heading to Russell, PA, to be with my friends, Dale and Trudy Haight and Praise Fellowship. Saturday evening is the Graduation service for their School of Ministry. Then Sunday morning for the weekend service. It's an extra treat for me to be with Dale on his home turf again -- he has accompanied me on trips to Russia, Korea, Philippines, Singapore -- it's always great to minister with him. Please pray for clarity on the message for Saturday evening. I think I have Sunday's message in view, but am still needing the Saturday message to fall into place. Believe with me for the Lord's heart for the graduates and all who attend. Might in the Spirit, and vocal strength. On another note, if you're in need of healing, you may enjoy this song: www.healer.integritymusic.com p.s. The CALL DC is happening tomorrow, if you have the opportunity to catch it on GodTV or via webcast. Let join them in praying for our nation! lt;br /gt; Saturday 11:00 p.m.: Tonight was both a regular weekend worship service and a graduation service for the School Of Ministry here. Good spirit of worship, and a meaningful time of honoring the grads. I went into the meeting this evening feeling real uncertain and fuzzy on the message. So I just went into it leaning hard on the Lord. The Lord helped me, and the response of the saints was very warm. So it was a good night, and now we're preparing our hearts for tomorrow morning. lt;br /gt; Sunday 4:00 p.m.: Had an excellent time this morning in God's house. A very strong presence of the Lord in worship. Good ministry to the Lord, and from the Lord. Then the Lord graced me to preach with clarity and boldness. The connection with the saints was strong, and the response around the altar was very heartfelt. I thought I was giving an invitation for those wanting to commit their lives to Christ, and over half of the congregation ended up at the front. It was a sweet display of loyalty to our Lord Jesus. (I preached on loyalty.) It was a delight to reconnect, too with my friends, Dale and Trudy Haight, and Rick Sandy Rowlin. What a joy to see their two Guatemalan sons, they are way cute! Thanks for laboring in the Spirit, with me, for the Lord's Kingdom to advance in the hearts and lives of people everywhere. This Thursday I'm off to Bogota, Colombia. More later. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Aug. 21-23, Bogotá, Colombia, Devotion 2008 with Danilo Montero: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Thursday morning: I'm leaving the house mid-morning today, flying to Houston and then Bogota. My first time to Bogota. I am the ministry guest of Danilo Montero, a singer/worship leader/recording artist who is very well known in the Latin world (www.sigueme.org). His ministry is mostly through worship concerts and CDs, but he is attempting a new venture this weekend: a conference he has called Devotion 2008. The emphasis is on equipping believers to pursue a disciplined life of devotion in the word and prayer. My impression is that he's using the momentum of his concert ministry to seek to bring something of enduring spiritual substance to those his ministry touches. We were actually scheduled to do this same conference in San Juan, Costa Rica back in July, but that event ended up being cancelled. Bogota, however, is moving forward. In case you're interested, the site for the hosting church is: supresencia.com I arrive Thursday night; speak Friday night; then speak again Saturday around 11:30 a.m. for the closing session. Then I am in another Bogota church for Sunday morning, a church called Sin Muros Church (sinmuros.org). Sin Muros is pastored by Cesar Fajardo, a brother whom I met when he visited IHOP last year with Andres Kelly Spyker. Cesar was the brother who actually birthed what came to be known internationally as the G-12 cell group model. He was on staff at another church at that time, and is now pastoring his own work in the Bogota area. Cesar feels a strong connection to IHOP, hoping I believe to establish a house of prayer in Bogota sometime. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to connect with them. Then I return home Monday. I'm also blessed that Andres Spyker (pastor in Morelia, Mexico) will be my prayer partner for this weekend's trip. He will be my interpreter at the meetings, and will also be teaching a session at the conference. It will be sweet to reconnect with him, and I will value his support so very much. He is fully bilingual. The theme of this conference is totally in line with my heart and message. I'm feeling a bit of uncertainty about the fact that I'll be in Colombia for my first time, ministering across language and cultural barriers, in a context that I think will be touching perhaps a couple thousand or more believers. My desire is to be faithful and useful to the Master. Please agree with me in prayer for clarity of message, vocal strength, and power of impartation. Agree with me please for the kind of impartation that moves believers into new paradigms and lifestyles of obedience. Thanks for coming with me! lt;br /gt; Friday 10 a.m.: Arrived safely into Bogota last night, my driver was waiting for me at the airport. Andres and I are sharing a small room in a decent hotel in Bogota. He has gone to the meeting now as he is speaking this morning. I'll join him at lunchtime. I find myself a bit short of breath at times -- which is explained by the fact that Bogota is over 1.5 miles high in elevaton. lt;br /gt; 5:00 p.m.: Andres did a great job speaking on fasting this morning, the folks really enjoyed him. About 1500 people in his session. The sanctuary holds 2000 people. This church is in 4 weekend services, going to 5. They have 150 people a week responding to the altar calls for salvation. Amazing what God is doing here. The pastors are delightful people, he's a third generation Missionary Kid (Australian), his wife is Colombian. lt;br /gt; 11:20 p.m.: The Lord just decided to bless us all tonight by anointing the message in an unusual way. Very strong. I spoke on the sprinkling of blood. The message dovetailed beautifully with the way Danilo Montero had led the worship time, it was powerful. Thanks for leaning into this with us. Andres did an awesome job of interpreting, what a blessing to have him here! Next session is Saturday 11:30 a.m., the closing session of the conference. (We're in the same time zone here as Kansas City.) lt;br /gt; Saturday 6:30 p.m.: The Devotion conference was very successful, it seemed, in every way. Lots of good responses. This morning's closing session went well. The anointing level wasn't like last night, but that's OK, that's the Lord's business. I was just seeking to be obedient to His leading. I spoke on the theme of the bride of Christ, Rev. 22:17, on our identity as the bride being our primary identity in the last days. And I spoke on the necessity of keeping the first commandment in first place. One reason the response was more reserved today, I suspect, may be because these are not common themes in this part of the world, so they were processing ideas they hadn't heard before. I came away satisfied in my heart that I was responsive to the Lord's leading. Tomorrow morning we go to another church, Sin Muros, where Cesar Fajardo is pastor. It will be great to reconnect with them, and to share with the saints there. I'm hanging back in my room now to prepare for that. lt;br /gt; Sunday 5:00 p.m.: Had a great time this morning with Cesar Claudia Fajardo and their church family at Sin Muros. The Lord helped me in the preaching of the word, I spoke on endurance, we heard encouraging responses. Afterwards we enjoyed a delightful lunch with the pastors, and I even had a chance to play their piano in their home. Bogota is a delightful city, and the Colombian people--well, I've fallen in love with them. I will always carry Colombia in my heart now. http://www.oasishouse.net/travelblog_aug.html Sept. 7 Christian Assembly, Vienna, VA: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; I am heading out this morning (Saturday) for Dulles airport, and to Vienna, VA. I'll be speaking tomorrow morning at Christian Assembly in Vienna. It so happens that I ministered at this church with a college choir many years ago, but I reckon nobody there will remember that. This will be my first time to speak at this church. lt;br /gt; Sunday 9:00 a.m.: Enjoyed a dinner with the pastors last night, getting to know them a bit. This invitation happened because Ruth Ann (pastor's wife) was impacted by my Secrets book, and so decided to email me. Since my coming, it was discovered that we have a number of mutual acquaintances, including Ruth Ann's brother, Paul Heidt, who is an Elim-credentialed pastor (as am I). The pastors' daughter is a student at Elim right now. They knew Winston Nunes, Costa Deir, Judson Cornwall, Bob Mumford, etc. And the pastor, Vernon, pastored a PAOC church in Ontario for a number of years, so we have common friends through that connection too. lt;br /gt; Sunday 3:00 p.m.: Had a delightful time this morning with the saints. There's a sweet family spirit in the church, and an eagerness to enter into worship. The Lord graced me to speak on the blood of Christ, and I preached the word straight and strong. Good receptivity. All the books were scarfed up. When checking into the United Counter at the airport, a service rep came over and said, "You spoke at my church this morning! I got your book!" It was a meaningful time together, and now I'm going home with thanksgiving in my heart. This Wednesday evening I'm at an inner city church in Chicago. I'll be back in touch in a couple days. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Sept. 10, New Life Covenant, Chicago, IL: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Wednesday 5:00 p.m.: I'm speaking tonight at a church in Chicago, at their midweek service. (See mynewlife.org.) It's my first time to be with them. The pastor's wife heard me at the Worship Institute in Dallas a couple years back, hence this invitation. John Bailey from The Furnace in Chicago will be joining me as my prayer partner on site. lt;br /gt; Wednesday 11:00 p.m.: Had an excellent time this evening. I'm guessing around 600-650 adults in attendance, a strong midweek meeting. I spoke on the sprinkling of blood, and the group was very attentive and engaged. I sensed the Lord helping me, and I believe the message came forth in clarity and in the Holy Spirit. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; This weekend I'm speaking at 3 events: lt;br /gt; -Friday: At a worship leaders' retreat in NJ. lt;br /gt; -Saturday: At a banquet in Moultrie, GA. lt;br /gt; -Sunday morning: At Heritage Church in Moultrie, GA. lt;br /gt; I'll be back in touch, hopefully tomorrow. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Sept. 12, True Worship retreat, Irvington, NJ: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Friday 6:00 a.m.: I'm leaving the house as soon as I finish this email. Heading to Newark, NJ via Atlanta airport, then being driven to Irvington, NJ, where I'm doing a workshop this afternoon at a worship retreat. The retreat is sponsored by True Worship (trueworship.org), directed by Lance Williams. The venue is Christian Pentecostal Church in Irvington. I'm told to expect 30-50 musicians and worship leaders in this afternoon's workshop. I'm speaking at something like 5:00 or 6:00 p.m., because of the timing of my arrival. There's an evening worship time afterwards which I hope to take in -- I just know it's going to have a Gospel jazz punch to it, which I love. lt;br /gt; Friday midnight: Great evening here. The Lord helped me to share on "The Locked Gaze of Intimacy," good response. Then I stayed over for the evening concert, just got back to my room. Up at 4:30 tomorrow morning...so it goes, smile. Had a blast tonight. Alvin Slaughter did a segment, as well as six other groups. One group was from S. Africa, very moving when they sang in their native tongue about the surety of God's promises. In the morning I fly to Albany, GA, and then am driven to Moultrie. Saturday evening I'm speaking at an annual banquet hosted by a counseling ministry in Moultrie. It'll be short, around 25 minutes I think, I'll be speaking on "Allegiance to the Cross." Thanks for praying me into a "cross anointing!" lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Sept. 13, Good Samaritan Counseling annual dinner, Moultrie, GA: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Saturday 10:00 p.m.: We had an excellent banquet tonight. Exceptional meal. I spoke on "Allegiance to the Cross," and the Lord graced it in a sweet way. Great receptivity. It was an excellent evening, and I'm blessed I could be part of it. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Sept. 14, Heritage Church, Moultrie, GA: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Sunday 5:00 p.m.: Excellent service this morning. The sanctuary was nicely filled (a new sanctuary, my first time to see it, wonderful facility), and there's a neat sense of "family" in the congregation. People are getting saved, the area is being impacted by this church family. Solid stuff. I really felt the need for your prayers this morning. Thank you for the assurance that it's not "just me and Jesus," but that you stand with us, too, in watchful prayer. I keep on repeating the same words, "grateful," "thank you," etc -- you're the best. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Sept. 20-21, RiverLife Church, Singapore: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Wednesday night: I leave in the morning (Thursday) first thing, on my way to Singapore, to minister at RiverLife Church. I've lost track of how many times I've been to Singapore, but this will be my third visit to this church. So our friendship is deepening. There was opportunity to stay for two weekends and include another sister church in this visit, but I declined that because my fall is very full. So it's a very long trip for a brief weekend of ministry. I will be speaking Saturday evening at their youth service, then in their two Sunday morning services. I'll be bringing a different message in each of the three services. I leave here Thursday morning first thing, and then with crossing the international dateline, I arrive Friday around midnight. The Saturday youth service is at 4:30 p.m. Singapore time, which is 3:30 a.m. Saturday morning Central Time. So maybe do some praying before falling asleep Friday night? I have prepared notes and have sent outlines on ahead. But please pray with me for clarity on what to share, for vocal strength, and for power of impartation. I often struggle with my voice when in Asia, and I think it's because Asians put garlic in so many of their foods that I end up ingesting garlic without realizing it, and the accrual of garlic in my system works against my voice. Pray for help in that natural respect, please, help to steer clear of garlic-flavored foods. (as much as I love garlic) On another note, I received this week a couple sample copies of the just-published Chinese version of the Loyalty book. (Produced by missionary Kevin Graves in China.) Agree with me, please, for the Lord to bless this translation mightily. Agree with me, also, for the Lord to bless our newly released title, Power Of The Blood. May the Lord take it to the ends of the earth! lt;br /gt; Saturday noon: I arrived safely at midnight last night. They're lodging me in a very nice hotel, so I'm well taken care of. Sleep was light last night. My 3 messages are prepared, I feel ready to preach. Now I just need to manage the jetlag factor, so will grab a nap this afternoon, after having lunch with the pastor, and will hopefully be feeling better come 4:30 pm service time. lt;br /gt; Saturday 8:30 p.m.: Good time this afternoon with the young people. 95% of the group were teens, a great age group! I spoke on loyalty, seeking to impart a love and appreciation for loyalty, as it is The Great Issue at the end of the age, in the final war of the two loyalties. (Christ/antichrist) At the close, virtually the entire group gathered round the altar to demonstrate their loyalty to the Crucified One. We sang, "Lord I give You my heart, I give You my soul, I live for You alone." Sweet atmosphere. I'm feeling pretty spacey now, hoping that can translate into a good night's sleep. I'm speaking in the 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. services Sunday morning (Saturday 8 pm and 10:30 pm Central Time), thanks for your prayers! In first service I'm speaking on "Enduring Faith," and on "Power of The Blood" in second service. lt;br /gt; Sunday 5:30 p.m.: Had a great morning. They had encouraged their folks to come to both services this morning, announcing that I would be bringing a different message in each service, so both services were quite full. In first service I spoke on enduring in faith through suffering; in second service I spoke on the sprinkling of blood and abiding in the bosom of the Father. The saints were very attentive, nothing gets past these Singaporans, they are very alert and engaged, even if conservative in their responses. The Lord gave me strength to speak twice this morning, and the Spirit graced the message with a strong anointing. I am grateful again to have had the opportunity to sow into this great body of believers, and into the body of Christ in Singapore. I will be picked up at 5 a.m., for my 7:15 a.m. flight, Singapore to Chicago via Tokyo. Next on my calendar is noon this Wednesday, I'm speaking to the IHOP-Commission Internship. They've asked me to speak on "the locked gaze of intimacy," please agree with me for strong impartation. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Sept. 24, IHOP-Commission Internship: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Wednesday 2:30 pm: Had an excellent time this afternoon with the IHOP Commission group -- representing around 16 nations. They were very attentive, seemed to hang on every word, and the Lord graced me to share openly. I talked about our eyes -- having them locked in love upon our Lord. And I spoke of a couple vows I've made related to my eyes. Good response lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Sept. 26-28, Father's House, Vacaville, CA, Frequency Worship Conference: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Thursday night: I'm leaving in the morning for The Father's House in Vacaville, CA (flying to Sacramento via Denver). I ministered at their annual worship conference last year, and have the privilege of returning this year. The event actually started tonight (Thursday). I'm speaking Friday night at the conference. They've had a spike in their registration this year, over 450, so the event is gaining momentum. The sanctuary holds only 900-950, so with registrants plus their own people wanting to come, they're expecting to be unable to accommodate everyone wanting to attend the evening meetings. I'm planning on speaking on "multitude-driven worship," and would appreciate your prayers for a powerful impartation and move of the Spirit of God. Then I'll be staying to speak in their three weekend services--sort of. I'll speak in their Saturday 6:00 pm service (which also doubles as the final meeting of the conference), then I think they may play the video of that message in their Sunday first service in order to save my voice, and then I'll be speaking in the Sunday second service. If they don't play the video they'll have someone else speak in Sunday first--so they're kindly allowing me to rest my voice for that service. lt;br /gt; Friday midnight: Great time tonight. Jonathan Stockstill led worship, then after I spoke on multitude-driven worship, I called Jonathan up and said, "Lead us in a song you don't know." I gave him the lyrics, "He is good, and His mercy endures forever." He went for it, and everyone went with him. Visionary seeds were planted in hearts tonight. I sounded a call to Calfornia, to lead the nation and the world into the kind of prophetic song that releases the multitude into their anointing. Somebody tapped me on my shoulder, and when I turned around, I was amazed to see Deryk Box, a friend from IHOP in KC. Deryk actually accompanied me on a trip to FL several years ago. Turns out his parents are on the pastoral staff of another church here in Vacaville called The Mission, and he has a home weekend with them. What fun! I also had fun reconnecting with Patrick Kitely of Shiloh Church in Oakland, they have 40 folks at this conference. lt;br /gt; Saturday 11:00 p.m.: Great time tonight. The building was packed full, the worship time was excellent, and the Lord graced the preaching of the word in a clear and strong way. I spoke on Enduring Through Suffering. The altar area was filled for quite some time with folks receiving ministry and soaking in the presence of the Lord. Wonderful night. They'll be playing the DVD of my message tonight in the Sunday 1st service tomorrow morning. Then I will speak in the 2nd service. Then I'll go directly from there to the airport, no leeway for loitering. lt;br /gt; Sunday 5:00 p.m.: From the friendly skies: Had an exceptional time this morning, unusually strong grace upon the ministry of the word, great connection with the saints, strong impartation. Thank you for your prayers! I'm returning home with much thanksgiving in my heart for the Lord's goodness, and for the delight of imparting to the saints. Thursday I'm heading out for Karlsruhe, Germany, to an annual conference hosted by a church there. Gary Wiens and Pablo Perez have both been there numerous times in the past, and I am joining them there this year, my first time to this church in Germany. I'll be back in touch in a couple days. http://www.oasishouse.net/travelblog_sep.html Oct. 3-5, Christian Center, Karlsruhe, Germany: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Thursday morning: I'm heading out this morning for Frankfurt, Germany, and then by car from there to Karlsruhe, Germany, to a conference hosted by Christian Center in Karlsruhe (www.czk.de). I'll be joined by Gary Marie Wiens and Pablo Perez, all of whom have been to this ministry several times in years past, but for me it'll be a first time. The conference theme is "Maintain Your Faith," with a desire to lean into divine healing and signs and wonders. Rom. 15:19. This is something into which my heart presses every day. I am scheduled to speak each evening, Friday/Saturday/Sunday. I believe they are 7 hours later than USA Central Time, so our Friday night meeting will be launching around Friday noon, Central. Thanks for your prayers! I have a course charted already for my 3 sessions, and will be leaning on the Lord for clarity of message and direction. Please agree with me also for abundant vocal strength and for a powerful anointing in the Holy Spirit. May the name of Jesus be glorified through signs that accompany the preaching of the word! Pray also for the Wiens' and for Pablo, that the Lord would anoint the team and that we might labor together effectively for His glory. Lord Jesus, visit Europe with Your glory! lt;br /gt; Friday 10 a.m.: We made the 90-minute drive from Frankfurt to Karlsruhe, and now I'm situated in my hotel room. I've already hugged Gary Wiens' neck, haven't seen Marie yet, nor Pablo Perez. I got a couple hours sleep on the plane, which I'm quite pleased about, a good move in the right direction for getting acclimated to European time. Going east is always the hardest adjustment, when I return home on Monday the time change will be easier. Our hotel is just a 10-minute walk from the church venue, I'm told, nice and close. They are holding morning and afternoon sessions today, but I think I'll hang close to my pillow today, and then head over to the church around 5 pm. lt;br /gt; Friday midnight: Great time tonight. I was jet-lagging pretty strongly during worship, but when I got up to speak all that seemed to lift off me and I was fine. I was leaning hard on the Lord, and he helped me. My interpreter Isaac flowed well with me. I spoke on Joab's penetration of the stronghold of Zion, and its application to the overcoming of the stronghold of infirmity that is in the midst of the church. The saints were very attentive, connected, absorbing. At the close, Pablo got on the keys and led in some response worship. Then Gary Wiens took the mic and gave leadership to the response time. The Lord hit him personally in a strong way during that time, and he was groaning and gasping deeply as he kept saying "more Lord," it was contagious in the room. Then there was some focused prayer, especially for a brother with cancer and for me. Marie Wiens prayed very passionately over both of us, way sweet. The saints just hung out and leaned into the thing in prayer, the atmosphere was heavy with the Lord's presence. We had church, smile. I'm going to bed now. I'm tired, but need the Lord to help me to get a proper night's sleep. Thanks for the prayers. And pray me into a strong anointing for Saturday night. I'm feeling inclined to speak on Heb. 11-12 and the chastening of the Lord, it's not a topic that I've addressed before in a context like this, and my emotions are a bit unsteady on it, but in my spirit I keep returning to Heb. 12. So I think I'm supposed to do it. Thanks for praying me into clarity and power. lt;br /gt; Saturday 7:30 a.m.: Victory--I slept 6.5 hours last night, which is excellent for the first night's sleep in a new time zone like this. I received a couple encouraging notes from y'all this morning regarding Heb. 12, thank you, I'm encouraged to go for it tonight. lt;br /gt; Saturday 9:30 a.m.: Just in from a delightful walk. A river runs nearby, which has walking/riding paths all along it, with playground areas for children dotted along the way. A number of elderly passed me, riding their bicycles. I could tell from a landmark that the pathway was once a railroad, in an earlier industrial age. They've taken great pains to preserve the beauty of the area and make it a delightful trail for exercise and commuting. I even saw a couple outdoor, cement ping pong tables. Munched on some rose hips. Everything is wet--they receive a lot of rain here. lt;br /gt; Saturday 11:30 p.m.: Another great night. I had some trepidation in my soul about speaking on Heb. 11-12 and the chastening of the Lord, because it's a controversial topic and not the kind of topic that is typical conference fare. As the day went on, though, my confidence only grew that I was to speak on that topic. So I just went for it. The Lord really enabled me, and I believe the message came forward in a way that people could receive. I really didn't sense any resistance in the room, there was good openness. I delivered my heart as speaking the oracles of the Lord, and the Holy Spirit entered into it with me and helped. The pastor connected well with the message, and in a context like this, that's 90% of the issue, because if you bring a word the pastor isn't ready to receive then the flock in turn doesn't know how to process it. Gary Wiens brought an excellent message this afternoon on how to walk out the time delay between promise and fulfillment, and specifically, how to deal with disappointment in prayer. Dovetailed great with my message. Pray for him, he is speaking again tomorrow 2:30 p.m. And pray for Marie, she wasn't feeling 100% tonight. One more meeting to go (for me, that is): Sunday afternoon, 5:00 p.m., which is Sunday 10:00 a.m. Central. Thanks for your prayers, as I also bless your Lord's Day! lt;br /gt; Sunday 10 p.m.: Good closing service tonight. When I started to speak, the group was distracted and scattered in their attentiveness--it was obviously the last session of an intense weekend of meetings. But as we got into it, they found their focus and we got into a groove. By the end, many hearts were stirred with the call to endure in faith. So I am leaving Germany in the morning with much thanksgiving for a meaningful weekend of ministry -- and also for the joy of reconnecting with my dear friends, Gary Marie Wiens and Pablo Perez. After the message, the entire group spent a good chunk of time praying for healing for both myself and a brother with cancer. It was very heartwarming. I am being picked up at 4:45 a.m., will be driven back to Frankfurt (1.5 hours), and then will check in for my flight which leaves at 8:25 a.m. As you receive this email, speak a blessing over Isaac please, who served in an uncommon way. He provided car transportation both from and back to Frankfurt, to all the meetings, and also interpreted for my 3 sessions. Bless him, Lord! This Friday I head to Davenport, IA, for a pastors' retreat. Back to you in a few days. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Oct. 10-11, Open Bible Church Pastors Retreat, Davenport: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Friday 7:00 a.m.: Greetings from KC airport, I'm sitting here with my travel partner, Steve Bunkoff, waiting for our flight to Chicago to board. We fly to Moline, IL, and then by car from there to Davenport. I'm speaking at an annual pastors/leaders retreat for the Open Bible denomination, Central Region. At last count there were close to 90 leaders planning to attend. It will be held at a Davenport hotel. I am speaking tonight (Friday), Saturday morning, and then Sunday morning in one of their churches in western Illinois. I have a couple messages prepared. But even so, pray for clarity of thought and direction, please. And for power of impartation. And vocal strength. Thanks so much! My travel partner, Steve, is on staff at IHOP, and will be an excellent partner for this trip, he himself having served as a pastor for many years. lt;br /gt; Friday 10 pm: Sweet time tonight. There's a sweet grace on the worship leader, true sincerity, non-hype, easy to enter in with him. I spoke on Loyalty, and sensed the Lord's presence with me, and yet I never really felt a strong anointing. Those things can be very subjective--sometimes I can feel a strong anointing but it doesn't necessarily always impact others that way. The Lord was clearly with us tonight, I did my best to follow Him, and so now I trust Him to be working in hearts in ways I don't see. lt;br /gt; Saturday 4:30 p.m.: Excellent conclusion this morning. I was really restless in my soul last night as I went to bed, and when I got up this morning, I wondered if the restlessness might be because I didn't have the right word prepared for the Saturday morning session. (I had an entire outline ready to go.) As I prayed, it seemed that indeed I needed to change the message. So I quickly scratched out an outline before the 9 a.m. meeting, and was actually a bit late in getting to the meeting as a result. But it was the right message. The Lord really honored it. "It's not business, it's personal." The grace of the Lord was on me and the message, and it came forward in clarity and conviction. Now we're resting in our hotel room in Galesburg, IL, and will be having supper at the pastor's home in a little bit. This pastor is one of the leaders in the Open Bible churches. So he brought us back from the retreat, so we could stay over for Sunday morning at his church in Galesburg. We're in the middle flat corn country here! This feels more heartland-ish than Kansas City. They have used my book, Secrets, in a study here at this church, and they're looking forward (I'm told) to having the author with them for a Sunday morning. I'm looking forward to sharing. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Oct. 12, First Church of the Open Bible, Galesburg, IL: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Sunday 6:00 p.m.: Had a great time this morning in Galesburg. A small town of around 32,000 tucked in the middle of cornfields. Ronald Reagan lived there for a bit. Sweet spirit in the church family, very open to the ministry of the word. They snapped up the books like folks with spiritual hunger. The Lord anointed me to minister the word, excellent response. Steve and I enjoyed our time with the pastors too, Ted and Vicky, we had delightful fellowship with them in their car and in their home. Coming home with gratefulness in our hearts. This Sunday I'm speaking locally in a church in Kansas City -- Harmony Vineyard. Two Sunday morning services. 9:00 10:45 a.m. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Oct. 19, Harmony Vineyard, Kansas City, MO: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Saturday: Tomorrow morning I'll be making the 40-minute drive up to Harmony Vineyard, located on the north side of Kansas City. They are in a new facility since I was last with them, and the congregation has about doubled in their new location, so it will be exciting to see the blessing of the Lord in their midst. The pastor, John Brown, is one of the leaders of the Midwest Ministers Fellowship here in KC, and is a real quality brother. Ben and Katie (my daughter and son-in-law) are coming with me as prayer partners and as booktable helpers. On a different note: We received this week our sample copies of the book, IN HIS FACE, just now released in the Russian language. Agree with us in prayer, please, that this book would equip and impact believers from one end of Russia to the other. lt;br /gt; Sunday 5:00 p.m.: Great time this morning. The saints were very open, easy to minister to. I had just 30 minutes in the first service which is hard for me personally, I struggle sometimes in that short a time to feel like I've really been able to get off the ground, but the folks hit the book table pretty hard so I take that as an indicator that the Lord came through despite my own feelings of inadequacy. In second service I had more time, which was easier for me. I talked about the sprinkling of blood, and living in the bosom of the Father. Seeking to entice the saints to the glory of abiding in the place of holiness. May the word bury into good soil and bear good fruit! I'm off to Manchester, NH first thing Tuesday morning -- back to you real soon. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Oct. 21-22, Grace Fellowship Church, Nashua, NH: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Tuesday: I'm heading out early this morning for Manchester, NH, and then the short drive to Nashua, where I'll be at Grace Fellowship Church once again for their GOIAM Conference. RT Kendall will also be ministering. Joe Debi Lopes, who are part of our intercessory team, told me they're hoping to be there for the conference again also. (They don't live too awfully far away, in MA.) Will be great to have intercessors on the ground. Pastor Paul Berube has asked me to speak on "Fire Of Delayed Answers" and "Keys To Igniting Your Personal Time With God." Pray for a timely arrival on Continental, because I will be going directly from the plane to the podium. My first session is Tuesday 3:30 p.m.; my second session is Wednesday 9:00 a.m.; then I grab a Wednesday afternoon flight home. This gathering draws pastors and leaders from New England, as well as a few internationals. The conference happens in the context of the house of prayer that Grace Fellowship has established, which adds a special dimension to the gathering. I believe this is my third time to this conference. Thanks for coming with me in the Spirit! lt;br /gt; Tuesday 10 p.m.: Excellent session this afternoon. I brought a very strong word from Hebrews 12. The group looked a little bit like deer in headlights, it wasn't easy to interpret their responses, I think they were doing a lot of processing. My main theme was the chastening of the Lord, the forgotten doctrine in the church. I sensed the Lord's grace on me, so I knew the Lord was wanting it to have impact today. Had the added blessing of having supper afterwards with the pastor, Paul Berube, and the other guest for this event, RT Kendall and his wife Louise. Struck up a great connection with Kendall's, it was sweet. We'll have breakfast together in the hotel lobby in the morning, then head over together to the session. I speak tomorrow (Wednesday) at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. Then have a 2:00 pm departure for KC. Thanks for being on the wall Wednesday morning! lt;br /gt; Wednesday 12:30 pm: Just finished our morning sessions, and now I'm in the car heading for the Manchester airport. Great time this morning. The Lord helped me, and gave me a strong intimacy anointing to share on the sprinkling of blood and coming into the bosom of the Father. Good connection. About 20 nations were represented at this event. May the word go forth now to many nations. I'm heading home now. And then Saturday head out to Antioch, CA. I'll be back in touch probably on Saturday. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Oct. 26, Fellowship Church, Antioch, CA: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Saturday: I'm heading out early this morning for Antioch, CA (Oakland airport). It's interesting how this one came together. I was scheduled to speak at a worship event at a church in the Bay area this weekend, but then they had to cancel. It so happened that I had an email from someone saying, "If you get a cancellation in November, email us." And it so happened that I would use the same airport (Oakland) in going to them. So I emailed them, and boom, it came together last Saturday. So I'm using my Oakland ticket as originally purchased, it's just that I'm in a different church than I was expecting, smile. The pastor of this church heard me when I was in Vacaville, CA recently, and has requested that I speak on the same topic that I did in Vacaville. (Multitude-Driven Worship) So I reworked the message this week, and am planning to speak on following the river of God in worship. Please pray me into a strong anointing. And pray for vocal strength, I'm feeling quite weak today. I'm speaking two Sunday morning services--pray for strength to go the distance. I have an early departure from Oakland, Sunday at 2:00 pm; they're re-arranging the order of their second service so I can speak at the beginning of the service and then hit the road. They'll have a time of worship after the message in second service, may it be glorious! Mike Clark (who is part of our intercessory team) was going to join me in Berkeley, and he said he expects to make the switch with me, and join me Sunday morning in Antioch. So it'll be sweet to reconnect with him. lt;br /gt; Sunday 6:30 p.m.: Mike Clark made the 2-hour drive this morning to be with me in Antioch, it was great to have his partnership in the Spirit. I spoke on where God is taking us in worship, the glory of God that will be visiting His church, and articulated a vision for what is on God's heart in worship. The pastor had requested this message, and it seemed to be a timely word for this young congregation. The church is just 6 years old -- celebrating their anniversary today -- meeting in public schools, doing the set-up and tear-down of equipment and chairs every week, it's quite the task. The saints seemed eager to respond to the word of God, and to press into the Lord for the manifestation of the kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven." Good response, open hearts. There's a lot of potential in this work, the hand of the Lord is on the pastors in a clear way. What's next: This Friday I'm off to OH with my daughter, Katie. Back to you soon. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Later: If you're interested, here's my airport fiasco of tonight: I received a couple coupons for a couple free days of parking at "Circle Parking" at the airport, which is a closer parking lot to the terminal, you can actually walk from the lot to the check-in counter. So this weekend I decided to use the coupons. It was my first time in the lot, E2, so I took careful note of where I parked. Upon my return, my car was GONE! Just not there. I walked in circles, hitting the Panic button, wondering if I might have parked a few spaces over or something. But it was to no avail, the car was gone. It was late and cold, and I had only my light windbreaker on, I wasn't dressed for being outside. So throughout my story I got chilled to the bone. I went to the exit station where they process your parking payment, and tried to communicate with the gal there via my notepad. She was able to learn that no cars had been towed from the lot over the past couple days to the place where they take towed cars (and you pay to get your car back). They'll tow your car if you're parked in a wrong place, but such was not the case. But we spent quite a while trying to figure out if my car had been towed. That process was compounded by the fact that I couldn't remember my license plate number! Finally, I asked them to contact the police for me, so I could report a stolen vehicle. I waited for the police to come, and they weren't coming. Finally, a supervisor for the parking attendants came over and said, "I found your car." It was in the adjacent lot, lot E1, which you could get to by going under an overpass and over to the next lot, maybe 600 yards away. Sure enough, she drove me over there, and there sat my van. No ticket, no note, just moved and set over in the adjacent lot. The lady definitely did not believe my story, she was convinced I had parked it where it was, and just hadn't remembered accurately. Even Marci wasn't convinced. But I knew where I had parked it, and it was moved to an area where I have never parked before. Using a new lot for the first time, I had made special note of where I was. Well, after about 70 minutes of trying to communicate on a notepad, trying to imagine where the car could, thinking it's stolen, etc., I actually ended up in my van and driving home. It unsettled me deeply, and I could only sit and mull it over during my drive home. What happened? I was certain I hadn't parked illegally. lt;br /gt; The next morning (this morning) it became clearer for me. When I went out to get the paper, I looked at the front of the van, which I couldn't see at night. There were the smudge marks where the mover's hands had been on my hood as he navigated moving my van. And then I saw what appeared to be spatterings of paint on the hood. My best guess: Since it was a construction area, they were painting something in the vicinity; when they saw the paint getting on my van, they moved the van so it wouldn't get more paint on it. That's my best guess. If that's not it, then I'm totally mystified. When you think your car is stolen, you certainly enjoy the relief when you find it! Whew, what a night. http://www.oasishouse.net/travelblog_oct.html Nov. 1-2, Upper Room Fellowship, Columbiana, OH: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Friday morning: My daughter, Katie, is joining me this weekend as I go to Columbiana, OH, to participate in a worship seminar there. I will also speak in the host church Sunday morning. This is my first time to Upper Room Fellowship, we're looking forward to it, from the emails it sounds like this is a group of eager, hungry saints. As it has happened, my two weekends out prior to the elections are CA and OH -- two states that are linchpin states in this election. My desire is to be attuned to the times and seasons in the Spirit, and bring a timely word. Thank you for your prayers to that end. Katie will also be speaking at this conference. She will do the first general session of the day, followed by a workshop. Pray for her too, please, for a clear word, and for the heart of Jesus in the delivery. I am speaking for the closing session of the seminar on Saturday afternoon, and then Sunday morning at the host church. Then we return home Sunday night. p.s. For those who may be interested, my and RT Kendall's messages from the GOIAM conference a couple weeks back are now posted as podcasts at the church site, which is: gracefellowship.org. My first session got recorded over, so isn't available, but RT's two sessions are. lt;br /gt; Friday 10 p.m.: Katie and I just got back from a dinner with the worship team of this church. We had a delightful meal, good time of fellowship, then we had a time of sharing and prayer. Katie prophesied over the sister who is the main worship leader right now, a wonderful word that ministered to her in a clear way. It was a good night. Tomorrow's seminar starts at 9:30 a.m. lt;br /gt; Saturday 6 p.m.: Katie did an awesome job this morning, everyone really enjoyed her! It was amazing, she had no notes in front of her, and she just shared the things on her heart, the room was riveted to her the entire time. Her message was basically on the necessity of establishing 24/7 worship to engage the heart's of today's generation. The message was straightforward and challenging. Then we split into workshops, and I split my time between two workshops. Then after lunch I spoke on "Show me Your Glory." My pain levels were pretty high today, which was a distraction for me. I did my best to follow the Lord's leading with the message, and trust for the word to bear fruit unto God. lt;br /gt; Sunday 6:30 p.m.: Excellent morning. I was still very sore, and that pressed me harder into the Lord because my soul was in distress. I felt the Lord helped me in prayer, and eventually I was able to get clarity on the message to bring. I preached with boldness, and the saints seemed to connect well with the message. Katie and I have had a fun weekend together, she's been making me laugh a lot, we're coming home with happy hearts. This coming weekend I'm doing a Sat/Sun in Roanoke, VA, with my friend, Jeff Ell. Back to you in a few days. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Nov. 8-9, Grace Covenant Church, Roanoke, VA: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Saturday: I'm leaving the house early this morning, off to Roanoke, VA, to be with my friends, Jeff Deneen Ell. It'll be my third visit to them since their move to Roanoke. Jeff has accompanied me at least twice to Russia, our friendship is sweet to me. Their church is hosting a worship seminar this weekend, it actually started Friday night. I'm coming in for the closing session of the seminar, Saturday evening, and then speaking Sunday morning. Thanks for your prayers! Please pray me into a strong anointing, a clear message, and vocal strength. lt;br /gt; Saturday 11:00 p.m.: Good time tonight. A brother from VA-Tech named Isaac led us in worship from the keyboard, an excellent time in expressing our hearts to God. Then I spoke, first of all some perspectives on the election, and where we go from here. My challenge to the worship ministries gathered was two-fold: 1) Cultivate a culture of corporate worship and intercession; and, 2) Equip and nurture the secret prayer life of every believer. I had asked the Lord for an "intimacy anointing," and He was gracious in His supply. Time for bed. May we all awaken on this Lord's Day with resurrection life regenerating our entire being, body, soul and spirit. I bless you as you gather with your respective body of believers -- and thanks for your prayers for Grace Covenant Church in Roanoke. May the word of the Lord run swiftly! lt;br /gt; Sunday 6:00 p.m.: Had a great time this morning. Isaac did a great job leading worship once again, and then I ended up going in an unexpected direction. In my preparation this morning, I felt drawn toward some thoughts that have been perculating in me recently, but I didn't reckon I was ready to speak on it. But lo, there's where my attention seemed to be directed. So I prepared some fast notes and went for it. "Illegal Prayers." The message was very well received, and so now I have some interest in fine-tuning and developing the message. I had a sweet time with my friends, and am coming home with thanksgiving in my heart. The Lord helped me, He was with us, and the saints were edified. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Nov. 14, CFNI worship conference, Dallas, TX: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Thursday: I'm leaving with Joel (my son) at 5:00 p.m. today, we're flying down to Dallas, going to Christ For The Nations Institute for their annual worship conference. I'm speaking just once -- Friday, 11:00 a.m. Central. They're expecting around 450 registrants, so together with the student body, there will likely be 1000-1200 in the session. In keeping with their theme, "His Dwelling Place," I am planning on speaking on the sprinkling of blood and dwelling in the embrace of the Father. (The themes of my recent book.) Please believe with me for a strong anointing and for power of impartation. Pray too, for my voice, please. May the Lord be magnified and lives changed! lt;br /gt; Friday 3:00 p.m.: Thanks for your prayers! There was a good response to the word today. I spoke about the entrance we have to the throne through the sprinkling of blood, it was an intimacy message, a call to living each day in the bosom of the Father. I have struggled with the PA system every time I've spoken at CFNI, because of the acoustic limitations of the building, and today was no different. But the Lord gave me strength, and He helped me in the declaration of the message. The house was full, and I'm grateful for the privilege of imparting to such a wonderful group of budding leaders. Had sweet fellowship at lunch with Brian Ming, Klaus Kuehn, and others. These are great saints, it's a privilege to reconnect. lt;br /gt; Tomorrow morning, Saturday 11:30 a.m., I am speaking at an "Intimate Pursuit" workshop to be held at One Church in Midlothian, TX. The brother who contacted me, Roy Cotton II, had attempted to schedule me for another event, and when that couldn't happen schedule-wise, this opportunity came together (since I was already in the Dallas area). This will be a small group of worship leaders and musicians from the area that have a common connection with Roy. It's my first time to be with these saints. Thank you for praying with me for a strong anointing! lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Nov. 15, “Intimate Pursuit” workshop, One Church, Midlothian, TX: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Saturday 4:30 p.m.: Excellent time with the saints today. The group was small but attentive. Last night I seemed to get direction for the message, "Navigating Diminishment." The word was well received. It was my first time to target that message, and the Lord helped me. We're being picked up at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow, for the 30-minute drive to Harvest Hill Church, which is part of the apostolic group of churches under the leadership of Olen Griffing. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Nov. 16, Harvest Hill Church, Midlothian, TX: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Sunday 4:00 p.m.: Had a great time this morning with the saints at Harvest Hill. I found myself pulled again into Luke 11, so spoke on "Illegal Prayers." Excellent reception. Afterwards the church had a Thanksgiving potluck dinner, with turkey and all the fixin's, wow. Joel and I are heading home now with thanksgiving in our hearts, grateful to be together on a fruitful weekend. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Nov. 21-23, Palmas, Brazil: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Wednesday: Good afternoon from Kansas City, we're enjoying a sunny and mild 57 degrees right now, high of 61 today. I have a 6:00 p.m. departure this evening, heading off to Palmas, Brazil, where I'll be speaking at a worship conference, Fri/Sat/Sun. I will arrive to my destination Thursday around 11 p.m., and then my return flight leaves Palmas Monday evening. Normally I would prefer to fly out Sunday evening, but in Brazil Sunday night is the main service of the week, so I'm staying one day longer in order to do the Sunday evening service for them. My contact for this event is a couple who is active in the church, a couple whom I met when in Singapore. At the time, they were on staff with Target Ministries (Kevin Graves) in Singapore, but have since returned to their home in Brazil. This church hosts an annual worship conference, and they recommended to the pastor that I be invited. I'm looking forward to it, this will be my first time to Brazil. I'm looking forward to tasting of the good things God is doing in that great nation. Trivia question. Brazil is a 4-hour time difference from USA Central Time. Would you guess they are 2 time zones earlier than New York City into the Atlantic, or 2 time zones later than Los Angeles into the Pacific? Answer is below. Interestingly, I had to procure a visa for entry into Brazil. I don't know why they would require that of US citizens, but so it is. I had asked a brother to come with me as prayer partner, a brother who owns his own business, and would ordinarily be able to buy his own ticket. He said yes, and I thought we were all set; then the financial crunch hit, and he has had to back out because his business has taken a hit. I totally understand. It does mean, however, that I'm doing this trip solo. So step up the prayer support please! p.s. Brazil is 2 hours earlier than NY City. lt;br /gt; Thursday 5:30 p.m.: Greetings from the Brasilia airport. I have a 6-hour layover here. It's a fair piece warmer here than in Sao Paulo. The Sau Paulo airport was chaotic at the check-in counter. I had to check in for my domestic flights, even though I was already ticketed, and the lines were mayhem. Perhaps the lines were long, but as least they hardly moved. TAM is the leading airline in South America, I believe, but even so their system must be old because it took quite a while to check just one person into their system. But I finally got my bag checked and new tickets issued, and have gotten as far as Brasilia. From here I fly to Palmas. lt;br /gt; 6:30 p.m.: I was just now looking at the sun shining into the airport windows, and I was trying to figure out, Why is the sun still shining? The sun should be set by 6:30 p.m., this time of year. Then I had an epiphany: I'm on the side of the earth where the days are longer this time of year. So burrow down into your dark hovels, all you northern hemisphere people; we're basking in long daylight hours down here! lt;br /gt; Friday 10 a.m.: Arrived safely into Palmas, and am settled in my room. Slept well last night, but feeling spacey this morning. I'm in the mood for a strong cup of coffee, but I can't do that for my throat's sake. lt;br /gt; Friday past midnight: (also known as Saturday morning) Good launch tonight. I was amply nervous when I stepped into the building and appraised the venue--rain was thundering on the roof. The PA system looked minimal (and it is). We prayed. The rain stopped. And somehow the sound guy managed to get a setting that was manageable. It was weak, but manageable. The saints really listened carefully. So bottom line, it worked, and the word went forth. Very good response, from what I could tell. (Reading responses in other cultures is often almost impossible.) So I'm going to bed with thanksgiving for the Lord's help. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; p.s. I just received the following email message from Lou Engle, and thought you might appreciate reading it: Date: November 17, 2008 5:21:31 PM CST Subject: Election Recap and where the Pro-Life Movement goes from here - From Lou Engle lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; “When principles that run against your deepest convictions begin to win the day, then battle is your calling, and peace has become sin; you must, at the price of dearest peace, lay your convictions bare before friend and enemy, with all the fire of your faith.” ~ Abraham Kuyper Many in America, including some of my best friends, would probably not agree with what I'm about to say. Most have been very conciliatory over the election results and have counseled unity and peace. But I have not been afforded the option to debate politics and reason around election results. Five years ago, while reading the biography of William Wilberforce, God supernaturally apprehended me and called me to raise up a prayer movement for the ending of abortion, and I believe I am under divine restraint to obey this commission. I understand my friend's conciliatory responses but when 50-million babies have been killed since Roe v. Wade, and these elections basically ensure the ongoing legality of this march of death, then I cannot live in pseudo peaceful coexistence for 40 more years of death. For me peace has become sin and battle is my calling. It's easy to counsel peace when you're not the object of the abortionist forceps and scalpel. Hundreds of years of equivocation over the issue of slavery brought us into a divine collision with heaven's justice in the civil war, and I believe that this nation is headed for another divine collision as a result of the indifference within church over the issue of abortion and her lethargic “halting between two opinions.” In this election we have bowed the knee to Baal and chosen prosperity over posterity. Wilberforce argued concerning the murderous slave trade of his time, “There is a principle above everything that is political, and when I reflect on the command that says, “thou shall do no murder” believing the authority to be divine, how can I dare to set out any reasoning of my own against it. And when we think of eternity and of the future consequences of all human conduct what is their in this life that could make any man contradict the dictates of his conscience, the principles of justice, the laws of religion, and of God.” I believe we have reasoned around God's command “thou shall not murder” in this election. And I believe there are eternal, individual, and national consequences that rest upon us all because of it. None of us can point the finger; the cry for mercy must sound louder now than the cry for change. In the days of Ahab and Jezebel the culmination of wickedness came when the government setup altars to Baal, which in turn legalized the sacrifice of children to Molech while simultaneously sanctioning state-sponsored sexual immorality. Both of these altars were at the forefront of this election: the altars of abortion and same-sex marriage. In electing President Obama we have strengthened the first altar of Baal. We have chosen a man with a 100% NARAL and Planned Parenthood pro-abortion rating. He has promised to pass the Freedom of Choice Act that would outlaw any interference in providing abortion at will. lt;br /gt; Already President-elect Obama has said that he will reverse President Bush's executive orders on abortion, orders that have prohibited U.S. finances from supporting abortion internationally. Now we will be funding worldwide abortion, incurring further national guilt. Obama has stated that he wants to make abortion rare, but his words and actions demonstrate otherwise. In fact, the language of making abortion rare is reminiscent to the language that Martin Luther King Jr. decried as gradualism. To King, gradualism always meant “never”, and it will be with abortion. lt;br /gt; As to the other altar of Baal, President-elect Obama supported same-sex marriage in this recent ideological battle in California and across the nation. For those of you who voted for marriage between a man and a woman in state elections and in the same breath voted for Obama, you have chosen a man who has promised to appoint judges sympathetic to the “Gay Agenda”, the very thing you thought you were voting against. lt;br /gt; But I am not in despair; when Ahab and Jezebel rule God raises up an Elijah company of Yahweh Separatist Prophets whose allegiance is not to the Republicans or Democrat, to race or to gender, but exclusively to the Word of God. God will not turn a deaf ear to 50 million cries of aborted children and the millions of women who have suffered from the affects of abortion. If it takes us 50 years like Wilberforce to end this thing then so be it. lt;br /gt; In May 1789, Wilberforce spoke to the House, “I confess to you so enormous, so dreadful, so irremediable did its (the slave trade) wickedness appear that my own mind was completely made up for Abolition… Let the consequences be what they would, I from this time determined that I would never rest until I effected its Abolition.” Like Wilberforce, Elijah was raised up with a burning zeal to confront an apostate government and a vacillating church. Let this be the spirit of the Pro-life revival movement at this hour. No retreating from the battlefield. Let this be our movement's finest hour. lt;br /gt; We must follow the pattern of Elijah's revolution. First, we must be exceedingly zealous for the Lord. May the crisis drive us to desperation and a holy passion for God and his purposes at this hour. We must shake off materialistic slumber for the future of our children and our society is at stake. Secondly, we must think generationally. It is obvious to me in this election that we have lost the next generation to moral relativity. It took Elijah's revolution two generations to overthrow the reign of Ahab and Jezebel. We must actively train a new breed of leadership and not entrust the discipleship of our sons and daughters to the moral relativistic professors in our Christian Universities. We must raise them in the furnaces of prayer and fasting. We must go anoint Elisha. lt;br /gt; Thirdly, abortion is a spiritual battle. The blood of babies is not another socio-political issue. Blood fuels the demonic realm and before heaven it demands a day of reckoning. Therefore let this election be a call to prayer and fasting like has never been seen in America. We must have a spiritual awakening to turn the hearts of this nation and I believe we will have this awakening! As my friend Allen Hood prophesied, “Let it be said that in the days of the rule of President Obama, stadiums were filled with prayer and fasting.” We must raise up a grass roots prayer and activism movement among the young. Bound4LIFE (www.bound4life.com) is a movement that we launched 4 years ago is spreading across the country carrying this youth mantle for the ending of abortion. We must pray for President Obama, he is not our enemy. My heart has been going out to him in prayer. Racism is raising its ugly head. President Obama is receiving many death threats. Pray for his protection. Pray that God would give him wisdom. If God could change a Nebuchadnezzar by haunting with dreams, he could change Obama. Our mandate is not to curse but to pray for those in authority. (1Timothy 2) lt;br /gt; Fourthly, God's remedy to the moral decline in the book of Malachi is first of all remembering the Law of Moses. We must return to the bedrock basic commandments of the laws of God for society to flourish. Our pulpits must preach it and train a generation to vote it. lt;br /gt; Fifthly, Malachi declares that Elijah will come and turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. Men must stretch themselves out in fasting and prayer over their “dead children” and raise them from the dead. The church must arise with an explosion of adoptions. Today, homosexual couples are adopting thousands of children. This is their time and their moment they believe. Who wants the babies more in America? The pro-life movement must take this on as their main mandate. Every church must adopt a Crisis Pregnancy Center. We must fuel the compassion movement with our finances by raising up pregnant mothers homes. lt;br /gt; Lastly, every voice must be counted. We must preach it, pray it, prophesy it, praise it, and print it until the forces of hell cannot hold back the word of life. When Jezebel is on the throne the commission of God is to think generationally - Go anoint Elisha! The command of Elijah was go anoint Hazeal the foreign king who would begin to judge the Baal worship of Israel. Look for terrorist activity as divine correctives for our shedding of innocent blood. Then we must go anoint Jehu. We must raise up the next political leadership who when confronted by Jezebels, “Do you come in peace?”, will say, “How can their be any peace as long as the witchcraft and adulteries of jezebel are in the land?” William Wilberforce declared, “God has set before me two great objectives, the abolition of the slave trade and the reformation of morals.” Likewise, God has set before me two great objectives, “God end abortion, and send revival to America.” Let this be the cry of the Pro-Life Movement in America today. Lou Engle Lou Engle: President of TheCall contact | louengle@thecall.com | TheCall lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Saturday 2:30 p.m.: I'm just back from a churrasco restaurant, where they bring skewered meat to your table on swords. The difference being, these kinds of restaurants are very inexpensive here, versus very expensive in America. So I've just now had my daily quota of red meat! Red meat is actually good for the voice, hence my rationalization, smile. lt;br /gt; 11:30 p.m.: I spoke tonight on multitude-driven worship. It was difficult to read the connection with the people during the message, but afterwards everyone come forward to pray for the musicians and singers in the midst, and they prayed and wept over them, so their hearts are reaching for the Lord. Interestingly, Brazil has very little cancer. They have a plethora of fresh fruits here in the Amazon basin, some of which have 6 times the antioxidants of blueberries. So because of their diet, Brazilians have almost no incidence of cancer. lt;br /gt; Monday 10 a.m.: Good conclusion last night. This was their main service of the week, and the room was full. I vacillated back and forth, but ended up going with the message, Worship In The End Times. I did my best to follow the Holy Spirit's lead. It was difficult to tell what kind of connection the saints had with the message, but they were very attentive, and literally the whole room came forward at the end to ask God for greater grace to pray for Christ's return. At the conclusion of the message, I gave some instructions to the worship team, to sing prophetically from Rev. 5, every singer was told they had to sing something. Then I let them loose, and I moved among those at the altar, praying for them together with other leaders. The worship team got into the flow of it and really took off, singing prophetically over those at the altar. The Lord was very present, and I believe He was at work. One brother made a comment to me afterwards that he rarely hears preaching on Revelation, and that he appreciated it very much. I'll be picked up in a couple hours, we'll do lunch, then head to the airport for my 3:10 p.m. departure. I'm scheduled to arrive into KC around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Thanks for prayers for good travels. Pray especially for help at the Sao Paulo airport. My layover is only 2 hours, and their check-in lines can be horrifically long. My parents arrive into KC Tuesday evening, and they'll be with us for a week. What a treat for us, at Thanksgiving time! May your Thanksgiving be filled with the Holy Spirit, with gratefulness, and with much joy with family and friends! http://www.oasishouse.net/travelblog_nov.html Dec. 6-7, BridgeWay Church, Denver, CO: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Wednesday night: Had a great time today with the Simeon Company internship at IHOP, thanks for your prayers. The group was attentive, receptive, and appreciative. I spoke on Illegal Prayers, the message continues to get clearer. Thanks for your continued prayers for the message to come together, it's getting there. lt;br /gt; Saturday: I am off this morning for Denver, my son Michael is coming with me. It'll be a help to have him along, this being my first visit to this church. BridgeWay Church. I am speaking to the worship ministry Saturday evening, and then to the church at their Sunday morning service. I have a general theme for the two sessions, and an outline; but I'm going into the weekend with an open spirit, asking the Lord to direct my heart according to His heartbeat for this fellowship. Please agree with me for clarity of message, for power of impartation, and for vocal strength. p.s. There's unusual anticipation here at IHOP for this upcoming OneThing Conference, Dec. 28-31 here in Kansas City. It will be a defining event for the prayer movement. You can see some podcasts in which Mike Bickle and Allen Hood speak of the conference by going to: www.IHOP.org/onething08. If you've ever thought of attending, this is the one to attend. lt;br /gt; Saturday 4:00 p.m.: Michael and I are settled in now at our place of lodging, the home of Matt Rodgers, one of his classmates at FSM. Matt so happens to have a home weekend, so he's here with us, which is fun. We just finished having lunch with Diona, the worship pastor, and Peter Young, the senior pastor. It was neat to learn that Peter was part of Gary Wiens' church when Gary was pastoring in Denver some years ago--having that mutual connection makes me feel at home (Gary is part of our prayer team). Peter speaks fondly of Gary's legacy and impartation to him. lt;br /gt; Saturday 11:00 p.m.: Excellent time with the worship team tonight. I spoke on Deut. 10:8, standing before God as our fundamental identity. I keyed in on the identity issue fairly strongly. There seemed to be a good connection, and the team followed afterwards with some very meaningful, heartfelt prayers. lt;br /gt; Sunday 4:00 p.m.: Excellent time with the saints this morning. The worship time was very refreshing, very free-flowing, with a strong reaching to follow the prophetic voice of the Spirit. God is at work in this congregation, and the church is growing. They're using the building of a Jewish Messianic congregation, and will soon be needing to find another facility. I spoke on Rev. 3:19 and Heb. 12:1-13, the chastening of the Lord. I struggled with the PA system initially, but then they set me up with a monitor speaker and away we went. The saints were very attentive, and I believe the message was the Lord's heart for this congregation at this time. Marci and I are going together to Morelia, Mexico on Friday, I'll be back in touch in a few days. Thank you for staying connected in the Spirit! lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Dec. 14, Vida Abundante, Morelia, Mexico: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Friday morning: Marci and I are heading out this morning for Morelia, Mexico. We're looking forward to being again with our dear friends, Andres & Kelly Spyker, and both their parents, and the wonderful saints at Vida Abundante. I'm pleased that Marci is finally coming to Morelia with me. They recently launched their House Of Prayer, and I know they are wanting to tap Marci's reservoir related to the launching and operation of a House Of Prayer. But mostly we're looking forward to the relational reconnect. lt;br /gt; Friday 9:00 p.m.: Good day of travel, we're now settled into our hotel room in Morelia. We had the added delight of having our host, Andres Spyker, on our Houston-Morelia plane. He was returning from a week with Elim in New York, had his son Jared with him, and we just happened to link up on the same plane into Morelia. Fun! Gorgeous evening here, we're nicely situated in a very pleasant room. lt;br /gt; Saturday 8:00 p.m.: Marci met this morning with the key leaders of the church here, to help them as they strategize to launch their prayer room. It was a very good meeting. Then we toured their expanding facilities, and rejoiced over the progress of the Prayer Room, which is due to open in January. Then we went to lunch with Andres and Kelly, to a Brazilian restaurant, wow, what a treat! Then this evening Enrique & Vero took us downtown to see the festivities in downtown, historic Morelia. An absolutely charming downtown. We sat inside a cafe for a while and sipped on coffee. The city was crawling with people. Lots of holiday cheer and special festivities. A fun evening! Now we're back at our room, preparing for tomorrow morning's ministry. lt;br /gt; Sunday 9:30 p.m.: Wonderful day. The Lord helped me to minister in the two morning services, and I wasn't totally raw in my throat afterwards, which amazed me. The Lord helped my voice. The word came forth with clarity, and the saints were very responsive, filling the altars afterwards as they brought their prayers into the "inner court." It was great to have Marci with me, and she brought a greeting in second service. The rest of the day was spent with Andres and his family, eating, playing, visiting, shopping, eating, you get my drift. No lack of food! We're coming home with thankful hearts. We'll be up at 3:30 a.m. tomorrow, so... G'night! p.s. I'll be back in touch soon, I'm preaching at my home church this coming Sunday. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Dec. 21, Forerunner Christian Fellowship, Kansas City, MO: lt;br /gt; Saturday 4:30 p.m.: Good afternoon, praying friends! I'm preparing my heart to preach at my home church tomorrow morning, Forerunner Christian Fellowship in Kansas City. I am slated to speak in all 3 services -- 8:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., and 6:00 p.m. Please pray also for a fresh anointing on the message. Mike has asked me to speak on a topic that he has heard that I have preached on in the past -- the taking of the stronghold of Zion (2 Sam. 5). Not exactly a Christmas message, smile, but I'm honoring his request and have prepared to speak on that topic. It's basically a call to contend in the Spirit for the breakthrough of divine healing in the church. I'm asking the Lord to honor Mike's request, and anoint the word with power. Please agree with me for power of impartation. Hope to get back to you Sunday night. lt;br /gt; Sunday 3:00 p.m.: Good services this morning. I was more relaxed in second service, so I thought that service went better. The altars were full afterwards, which is not unusual for this place, the saints are so responsive -- and there are so many who desire the Lord's touch in divine healing. The sound system worked well for me, and so I was able to relax and not push. So I'm prepared to speak this evening for the third time today. lt;br /gt; 10 p.m. Had an excellent time again, in the third service. The Lord's grace was really with me, and I managed to get through the entire message without overwhelming struggle. I'm sore now, but I've definitely been worse, so I'm grateful to the Lord for His help (through your prayers!) to sustain for 3 services. Lots of good response again tonight, the altar was filled with young people seeking the fullness of God, it was a delight to pray with them. lt;br /gt; The next thing on my calendar is the Luke 18 Project leadership conference. I am speaking in the opening session, Friday, Jan. 2. (The Luke 18 Project is a fledgling ministry under Lou Engle's The Call, it's a ministry that is seeking to raise up prayer ministries on the campuses of America.) lt;br /gt; Between now and then, we have Marci's parents here with us, they're here to celebrate Christmas with us, as well as their 50th wedding anniversary. And then this coming Sunday is the launch of the OneThing conference. This year's OneThing Conference will be a defining conference for the prayer movement, and if you're able to come or to watch the webstream, I would strongly encourage that. Mike will be bringing a strong endtime message, and I'm confident you'll be greatly served by taking it in. (www.ihop.org) May you have a glorious and wonderful Christmas in the Holy Spirit! I hope to be back in touch in about 11 days or so. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; megalove, Bob lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; p.s. Here's a Christmas devotional, written by a friend of mine, Jeff Ell: lt;br /gt; Luke 2:26 Simeon is told that he will not see death until he had seen the Lords Christ. So in the Spirit he enters the temple and is waiting there when in comes Joseph and Mary with the 40 day old Messiah. 2:28 "then he took Him into his arms" This old man was saying in his heart something like "I waited all these years to see the Messiah, everyone thinks I'm a nut case. I've come expecting the fulfillment so many times...seeing this baby is not enough. I know the promise was to see but I'm going to touch, I'm going to hold him in my arms..I have not come all these years to look, I've come to hold Him." He took...I'm thinking he did not ask Mary to hold Him, it was more like an abduction, a snatching, some sort of spirit led Jiu-jitsu...give me that boy... Like telling a grandparent they can only look at the child, just try keeping grandma away from holding that grandchild... I want to be like Simeon I want to get passed looking get past observing and want to touch and feel and hold that which God has promised. http://www.oasishouse.net/travelblog_dec.html Jan. 2, Luke 18 Project's annual Leadership Summit, Kansas City: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Thursday: Greetings to you in Jesus in 2009! A New Year is here, and we are aware that the Lord has new things in His heart for His people in 2009. So many things are changing everywhere. We are stepping into a new season in God. May His grace abound to you in every way, and may you apprehend the fullness of His purposes for 2009! lt;br /gt; This email is to tip you off that I'm scheduled to speak tomorrow (Friday) evening at the FSM center here at IHOP. The event is called "the Luke 18 Project," which is an arm of the ministry under Lou Engle's "The Call." The Luke 18 Project exists to raise up prayer ministries on the college and university campuses of America. (See thecall.com.) At this summit they are training leaders of these college prayer ministries. It truly is an honor to impart to them. This gathering is also dovetailing with the regular Friday night "Encountering God Services" that IHOP holds each Friday night. So the 300-400 registrants will be joined by perhaps 500-700 others from the IHOP community. If you're interested, the Friday EGS services can always be watched "live" via the webcast by going to ihop.org. The service begins at 6:00 p.m. The topic I've prepared to speak on is, "Is This God Or The Devil?" The message will deal with responding prayerfully to situations in which both God and the devil seem to be operating with their own respective agendas. When we understand the territory of spiritual warfare, and how God will use the devil as a chastening rod in His hand, we are empowered with understanding to pray more effectively. I covet your prayers. I've wrestled for clarity on this message, actually writing three different messages in the process. Please agree with me for clarity in the delivery, for vocal strength, and for a word to go forth that will empower young leaders today to move forward effectively in worship and prayer. lt;br /gt; Friday midnight: Good service tonight. I sensed the nearness and help of the Lord in a clear way, and realized in that moment that I was enjoying the momentum and help of my prayer team. I spoke on "Is This God Or Is This The Devil?", and the saints were very attentive throughout. I ended with some thoughts from Esther's story, grappling with the fact that she was appealing to the king to overturn an unjust law for which he was partially responsible, and the delicate implications of that. I gave away a copy of Secrets to everyone in the meeting -- provided they would commit to read it -- so there was a huge line afterwards as folks got in line for their book. It's a blessing to give! lt;br /gt; Now, I will be taking the remainder of January for prayer. My next ministry engagement is Feb. 14, so I'll be back in touch with you at that time. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Have a most blessed 2009 in His grace and under His wings! lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; megalove, lt;br /gt; bob http://www.oasishouse.net/travelblog_jan09.html Feb. 14-15, Father's House, Lena, IL: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Friday night: Greetings once again in our Lord Jesus! It's good to be back in touch with you. I had a blessed prayer retreat during January, and feel renewed in my soul and spirit. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for enabling me to have that time to wait upon You. I really have no "bells and whistles" to report, just a general sense of peace and thanksgiving to be able to slow down the pace and be focused in prayer and intimacy. Actually, it was a "working retreat." Although I was able to have good times of prayer and meditation, I also had a significant amount of work to plow through, primarily in two areas: 1) We're moving on Feb. 24, and so there have been a lot of things to attend to in preparation for the move; and 2) I was able to make significant progress on the book, IT'S NOT BUSINESS, IT'S PERSONAL. I just got it back from the editor, and am in process of writing the final draft (which shouldn't take long) and then we're off to the printers. The cover is already done. We're anticipating an April release. It's actually my shortest book to date, it should be a real easy read. lt;br /gt; Things are moving forward with the sale of our house here in Lee's Summit. The closing is set for March 2. We're moving into our new place first (Feb. 24), and then the house will be vacant and ready for the Mar. 2 closing. A good family is buying our place, solid believers. This is their first home purchase, pray for the Lord to help and bless the Ward family. We are hoping for no glitches. lt;br /gt; I'm off this weekend to Lena, IL, a tiny town in NW Illinois farmland. The pastor is connected to the church in Vacaville, CA where I've ministered, where he heard me, and now is hosting a worship weekend in his church. I'm speaking twice -- Saturday evening and Sunday morning. I'm flying into O'Hare, and then have a 2.25-hour commute to Lena. lt;br /gt; I would appreciate your prayers for vocal strength and clarity of message. I have prepared notes for my two messages, but also want to be easily directed by the winds of the Holy Spirit. My week has been especially full because of moving details and the press to write, so I'm going to set all that aside tomorrow morning and focus fully on Lena, IL tomorrow. Thanks for your help in the Spirit! lt;br /gt; Saturday 11:30 p.m.: Excellent service tonight. I spoke on the sprinkling of blood and drawing near to the throneroom, it was an excellent connection with the saints. We struggled a fair bit with the sound system, but then found a connection at the end that worked better, so I'll go that route tomorrow, it should work better. It's late now, please believe with me for a good rest and for clarity for Sunday morning's message. lt;br /gt; Sunday afternoon: Great conclusion to the weekend this morning. I spoke on enduring in faith, the Lord's grace was on the delivery, and the saints were very attentive and receptive. I'm grateful once again for the Lord's help. My pain levels were a bit high, but I was able to complete the assignment, and the anointing of the Spirit was sweet. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Thanks for praying me through! lt;br /gt; This Wed I speak at an IHOP internship (Commission), then Thurs I head over to Birmingham, and then from there to Louisville. So I'll be in touch again a few times over the coming week. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Feb. 18, IHOP Commission, Kansas City, MO: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Wednesday night: Hello again, my praying friends. I hope this email finds you doing well. Tonight we celebrated Audrey's 4th birthday (Audrey is my first grandchild), what a grand time we had! lt;br /gt; I spoke at noon today to one of the internships at IHOP called IHOP-Commission, it was a great group of saints, they were very attentive to the word. The Lord's grace came upon me in the speaking, and upon them in the hearing, the presence of the Lord was strong, I was so grateful. I spoke on the sprinkling of blood. One of my favorite topics these days. In fact, I think I'll be speaking on it again tomorrow night. lt;br /gt; Tomorrow night I'm in Birmingham, AL, I'm speaking at the first night of a worship retreat there hosted by my friend, Kevin Freeman. Kevin is a brother I've connected with through the Int'l Worship Institute. He's been leading these retreats for a few years now, and I'm looking forward to finally being able to be with him for one. This will be my first visit both to this ministry and this city. Please lean into the Spirit with me, let's contend for the Lord's fullest will for this event to be fulfilled. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Feb. 19, Worship Retreat, Freedom Music Ministries, Birmingham, AL: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Friday 9 a.m.: Good morning from Memphis airport! I'm en route to K.C., where I'll be meeting up with Marci and we'll be flying together today to Louisville. An airport day for me, I'm limiting myself to just 5 airports today, call it self-control if you will. lt;br /gt; Had a good time last night in Birmingham. The saints were responsive to the word of God, it was an honor to impart to them. I had the added treat of meeting Paul Hughes who is directing the House Of Prayer in Birmingham, and we ended up having the opportunity for some fellowship after the meeting. It made for a very short night for me, but the fellowship was sweet. lt;br /gt; Marci and I are going to Louisville today to celebrate my parents' birthdays. Dad turns 85 on Sunday, Mom turns 80 ten days later. So it's a birthday bash! What a blessing to celebrate together, with my brother Sheldon and his wife Tammy, our parents' birthdays -- the Lord has crowned them with long life. We have so much to give thanks for. We arrive on Friday, have 2 full days of celebration, and then return home on Monday. lt;br /gt; I'll be speaking Sunday morning at one of my parents' home church, so it'll be a delight to minister there as well. Thanks for your prayers as I prepare for Sunday morning. I've prepared a message, "The Power of Endurance." lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Feb. 22, New Life Church, Louisville, KY: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Sunday afternoon: Greetings to you all from my brother Sheldon's basement. We've had a wonderful family celebration together this weekend. Yesterday Sheldon's daughter, Stephanie, and her husband Andy, were able to join us for a dinner celebration for my Dad's 85th birthday (Mom made a complete turkey dinner). Then today Tammy prepared a beef rib dinner for us, to help us celebrate Mom's 80th birthday. Today is Dad's 85th, Mom's 80th is not for another ten days, but today was Marci's and my chance to celebrate her special day with her. It's been a sweet time together! lt;br /gt; This morning we all went to Mom & Dad's home church, New Life here in Louisville, and enjoyed the worship service very much. I had the honor of speaking this morning, shared on the "power of endurance," and enjoyed the Lord's grace in the ministry of the word. It was a special privilege to honor my parents at this special milestone of their lives, in a church family where they are dearly loved. The ministry of the Holy Spirit as present and strong. lt;br /gt; Marci and I fly home tomorrow afternoon, and then are planning on moving to our new place on Tuesday afternoon. Then Thursday I head out for another weekend -- Chicago, Gainesville FL, then back to Zion, IL. Back to you on Thursday. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Feb. 26, Eagle's Nest Worship Center, South Holland, IL: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Thursday morning: Good morning, prayer partners, I'm heading out this morning for Chicago's Midway airport. I'm speaking tonight at a church on Chicago's south side, South Holland, IL. They're hosting a worship conference, and I believe I'll be speaking on the opening night. My first time to this church. lt;br /gt; Please agree with me for clarity on the word and power of impartation. And of course, vocal strength. lt;br /gt; I have two more stops this weekend after this, so stay close to your email, smile. lt;br /gt; p.s. Thanks for your notes and prayers, our move happened smoothly this week and we're now in the new place. It's wonderful! lt;br /gt; Thursday 11:30 p.m.: Great time tonight. I spoke on the sprinkling of blood, it was a good connection with the saints. There were folks from several other churches also in attendance, and a good spirit in the house. I'm grateful for the honor of touching these believers on Chicago's south side. lt;br /gt; Tomorrow morning I fly to Gainesville, FL, where I'm speaking at First Assembly. They're doing a worship conference this weekend, I'm speaking just the one night. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Feb. 27 Gainesville First Assembly, Gainesville, FL: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Friday 11 p.m.: Had a great time tonight, this is a very youthful church, loads of college-age kids, what a delight to minister to them! Gainesville's university population is 55,000 kids, which is huge. I spoke on the sprinkling of blood, Heb. 10:19-22, and the Lord helped me. There were some who seemed to be especially impacted in a personal way. Had the added surprise of being greeted by longtime friend and missionary, Danny Fitzgerald, who is living in Gainesville during his furlough. lt;br /gt; Tonight I experienced another first: They washed my feet and prayed over me publicly before I spoke, it was sweet. lt;br /gt; I have to be at the airport by 6:15 a.m., it'll be an early morning, so I'm going to bed. Heading over to Zion, IL, to prepare to minister there on Sunday morning. They have asked me to speak on the topic of Loyalty. Please agree with me in prayer for a mighty anointing. lt;br /gt; Thanks for coming to Zion with me! (A city that was established at the turn of the 20th century by faith-healing evangelist John Alexander Dowie of Australia, as a city of refuge, a Christian city.) Midway between Chicago and Milwaukee, I'll be flying into Milwaukee, then flying home out of Chicago's Ohare. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Mar. 1, Trinity Christian Center, Zion, IL: lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; Sunday 2:00 p.m.: I'm being driven to O'Hare now, from Zion, IL. I came to Zion with expectation related to divine healing, and the saints here were very passionate in praying with me and for me for healing today. I was asked to speak on Loyalty today, which I was happy to do, it's a message that is dear to my heart. The Lord graced the message with a strong anointing, and He helped me to sustain well through two services. So I'm going home today with thanksgiving and praise in my soul. lt;br /gt; lt;br /gt; http://www.oasishouse.net/travelblog_feb09.html