The Decision Card Count is in! – Freetown, Sierra Leon

Earlier today I was out shopping with my kids at our local mall. We passed one particular store where my son knows there is an elaborate toy train set that he loves to play with. He asked me if he could play with it before we left the mall and I agreed. A few minutes later he asked again…and again and again and again. The entire time we were in the mall his incessant requisition persisted until finally I stopped procrastinating the inevitable and I said, “Okay let’s go play with the trains.” He was elated. As we were walking towards the store he said, “Dad, I just keep asking because I REALLY want to play with the trains…can I have a drink?”

I know that I am not the only parent who has a persistent child…they all seem to come with this built in quality. But believe it or not, it does not annoy me. In fact I think we could all learn from this…Jesus seemed to think so.

When I asked my Facebook friends to contribute to a list of their favorite quotes a couple of days ago, I received an avalanche of replies. I have posted some of the best ones here along with a bunch of my own favorites. The quotes having some evangelistic application are especially appropriate to this blog, so they are listed first. If you contributed a quote that didn’t make it on the list, it may have something to do with the length. When it comes to great sayings, remember Shakespeare’s rule; “Brevity is the soul of wit.” Enjoy!

“God sends no one away empty except those who are full of themselves.” ~ DL Moody

Today was a busy day for news outlets around the world. It began with the sad passing of Farrah Fawcett; the beautiful actress from Charlie’s Angels, after a three-year battle with cancer. Her death was eclipsed, however, this afternoon, with the shocking and unexpected death of Michael Jackson who had a sudden, massive cardiac arrest. Both celebrities died today; June 25, 2009.

Everyone seems to have an opinion of Michael Jackson’s controversial life. Whether they hate him for his bizarre and contemptible behavior with children or worship him for his extraordinary musical talent, there is a gushing of emotions from all sides. I think that these expressions are little more then pretenses for deeper emotions that people feel, but no one will admit to.

I heard a minister recently talking about the rapture and trying to make the point that every prophecy necessary to the return of Christ has already been fulfilled. One of his points was that the Gospel has already been preached in all the world according to the promise of Jesus in Matt 24:14 (And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.), “Now” he said, “We’re just waiting for Jesus to come back.”

If you are one of those standing in line waiting for the rapture like a ride at Disney World, consider these statistics on world evangelism that I have collected from a variety of sources. As you read these keep in mind that in the United States there is 1 ordained minister for every 200 people. Yet…

My wife and I are preparing to be in the U.K. July 9-13 for a highly anticipated time of ministry there. The following is a word that the Lord laid on my heart for the U.K. For more information about our visit; dates and venues please visit http://www.cfan.org.uk/events/. I’ve also included a little treat at the end of the post…enjoy. United Kingdom…THE TIME IS NOW!

Esther was a young Jewish woman that was born as a minority in an oppressive society into a broken family situation; the odds were against her right from the start. But virtually overnight, Esther went from rags to riches, from poverty to the palace, and became the wife of King Xerxes I, making her one of the most powerful women in the world. 



Many preachers lose their children while rescuing other people’s kids. I have prayed, “Lord, don’t let me win the whole world and lose my family.” I feel like the Lord showed me one of the reasons why this happens so often and how to avoid it. It is especially applicable to those in ministry, but the principle is true for all parents. I want to share it with you this Father’s Day.

Imagine being the son of a prostitute. This is the stigma that Jephthah carried all of his life. The rest of his brothers were all legitimate children that had no intention of sharing their inheritance with a bastard son. So they kicked him out of the family and he fled – face red with shame – to the land of Tob. The rejection of his childhood produced within Jephthah an insatiable desire to prove himself. His background meant that he had to try a little harder, be a little better and stand a little taller then normal people if he wanted to break even. His ambitious predisposition led him to quick success in Tob. He became a mighty warrior, renown for his valorous exploits. He became popular and powerful and infamous, but in spite of all his success there was a gnawing void in his heart left over from his childhood. He wanted more than anything to be accepted by his father and by his brothers. For them to accept him, as the rest of the world had done, would have been the greatest honor of all and the crowning gratification of all his life’s ambition.

I just heard a news report out of Bernalillo, New Mexico where police interviewed a man who had been involved in a bizarre single car accident. When they asked him what had happened he told them that he had swerved off the road and wrecked his car while trying to attach a lucky shamrock emblem to his key ring. I guess it’s official…lucky charms aren’t so lucky (although the edible ones are very yummy☺)

Most of the “gods” in ancient heathen religions were hardly more then a lucky shamrock. They were personifications of some particular thing; usually a human interest, passion or fascination, in which people put confidence and trust. For instance there is Hike, the god of magic and medicine. There is Imhotep the god of science and thought. Thoth is the god of wisdom. Eros is the god of passion and lust, Ares is the god of war…and the list goes on and on.

I’ve just finished reading a fascinating article in the June 22, 2009 edition of NEWSWEEK. The author, Fareed Zakaria, is tackling the multi-faceted complexities of the recent, international economic meltdown. The article addresses many challenges within capitalism, democracy, the financial system and government regulation. But what intrigued me most is the conclusion that this secular columnist reached. “What we are experiencing is not a crisis of capitalism”, he says, “it is a crisis…ultimately of ethics.” It goes on to say, “No system – capitalism, socialism, whatever – can work without a sense of ethics and values at its core. No matter what reforms we put in place, without common sense, judgment and an ethical standard, they will prove inadequate. We will never know where the next bubble will form, what the next innovations will look like and where excesses will build up. But we can ask that people steer themselves and their institutions with a greater reliance on a moral compass.”

He’s half Elephant, half Hippopotamus, all purple and sports bright yellow polka dots…he’s the Purple Polka-Dotted Elepotamus. Some people say that he doesn’t exist, but I challenge them to prove it. It would be impossible to conclusively certify the non-existence of such a creature with scientific certainty, no matter how obviously ridiculous it may seem. In order to do so, one would have to be able to observe every inch of every corner of the entire cosmos all at the same instant.

This is what is referred to as a “Universal Negative”. Simply stated, it is scientifically impossible to prove the non-existence of anything…if this is true in the natural world, how much more in the invisible world of the supernatural. Perhaps this is the reason that there have been so many supposed “gods” in the world throughout history.

Sunday I had the privilege of preaching in one of Spain’s best churches and definitely one of its largest; Iglesia Salem, pastored by Rev. Marcos Vidal, a well known worship leader and minister, who also interpreted for Evangelist Bonnke and me in the crusade meetings. I could see that the message was really touching many hearts…some wept through the entire service. Because of time constraints I was unable to pray for the sick in that service, but still I heard wonderful testimonies. One precious woman told me that she was mostly deaf in both ears, but she could only afford one hearing aid. As I was praying for the sick in the crusade meetings both ears popped open completely. She was not wearing the hearing aid and spoke of it as something from her distant past even though it had been an indispensable part of her life just two days earlier. It is these testimonies that make the trip worth while. I look forward to our next visit to Spain.