January to June 2008

June 29, 2008 - The Ends of the Earth

When we told the Lord we would go to the ends of the earth with this gospel, He surely took us literally. Forget, Asia and Africa, we have been back in Hoxie, Kansas! This quaint little northwest Kasnas community is a great home to those who live there, but to the rest of us, getting there seems like going to the end of the earth. We thank God for Pastors Lewis and Vicky Crayton and the good people of Living Word Fellowship.

June 23, 2008 - A Thankful Heart

This is the final week of our six month revival in Howe. We have had a glorious time with these wonderful people. It was such a joy to arrive in my new vehicle, purchased by this generous congregation. On Sunday morning I presented Pastor Barron with a certificate of appreciation.

We will be back in Howe for a Christmas revival in December.

June 20, 2008 - The Eyes of Texas are Upon You

We had a blessed week in Burleson, Texas at Living Waters Church. We have been coming to this place since 2002 and always appreciate the worship and the presence of the Lord.

I have been looking for some things to "spice" up my new HHR. My friend Lynn Boyd took me to a classic auto shop in Arlington and I found a "just right" hood ornament. In 1941, Chevy called it a flying lady. We have named it Michael, the archangel. Best of all, Lynn put it on for me! Thanks, brother, it looks wonderful.

June 16, 2008 - A Family Affair

I stayed over in Oklahoma for a family reunion on Saturday. What a wonderful fun day!

June 12, 2008 - Coming Home

It was great to be with Pastors Ray and Dianna Ledbetter at Gospel Beams Church in Duncan, Oklahoma this week. I was born right here in Duncan, lived in the area much of my life and with so many friends and family here, it felt like coming home for a few days.

Gospel Beams has been such a great church over the years. I can remember being mightily touched by revival services there, even when I was just a boy. As a young preacher, Ray's father, Curtis Ledbetter was one of my heroes.

God is still alive at Gospel Beams, Pastor Ray is hungry for more of God and although the church has had a great, great history it has even greater prospects for a more blessed future!

May 31, 2008 - Simply Amazing

When I left Howe, Oklahoma last month I limped home in my van with the transmission slipping. It had been overhauled in December, but I had already driven it out of warranty. That was the last trip for the "Glory" van. I started off this time in my 1990 Miata. The car has over 180,000 miles on it, but still runs well. In Grenada, MS, something blew up. It sounded like a cannon going off. I know almost nothing about mechanics, but a guy who heard the blast ran over and said, "You've blown a head gasket."

I thought, "Ok, Lord, now what?" We are making payments on T.J.'s car and honestly didn't have the money for another car payment. I got the car to a mechanic Saturday morning and found that only an air conditioner line had blown. That was a relief, but my driver's window would not roll down and I had a very hot drive to Howe.

After two great services on Sunday, Pastor Barron took the microphone to close the service. He told the people how I had made it in the day before and said God had placed it on his heart the church needed to help us get a car. He gave the first $1,000 and the people began to give--$1,000, $500, $250. In a few minutes, they had given over $10,000. I was speechless. Never in 40 years of ministry had anyone done anything like this for us. I am still speechless. This is not a large church--it is a country church in a tiny eastern Oklahoma town. The people are not wealthy, they are just hard working folks. I will never, never forget their generosity.

I called my friend in Joplin, Roy Stinnett, Jr. and Roy was working a GM auction in KC on Wednesday. To make this story short, Roy purchased us a 2007 Chevrolet HHR with only 20,000 miles on it. The car gets almost 30 miles per gallon and yet is big enough to haul our books and luggage. We are so blessed!

More than 25 years ago, T.J. and I gave away a brand new car (can you believe it was the exact same color as our new car). After all these years we weren't sure that God even noticed and if He did, He had certainly forgotten. On May 25, 2007 in Howe, Oklahoma, He reminded us that He is a debtor to no man. Whatsoever you sow, you shall also reap.

We still need $3,000 to totally pay for this car. If God speaks to your heart to be part of this great miracle, you can donate by clicking the link below or send an offering in the mail. Donate with Credit Card

May 16, 2008 - The Biggest!

I took a one hour bus ride to downtown Seoul to see the largest church in the world. When I was 18, I heard Pastor Cho preach. He had a church of 10,000 and it was the largest in the world. I was totally blown away. I hoped that some day I could see his church, but how could a bashful, bare-foot boy from backwoods Comanche, Oklahoma ever visit Seoul, Korea. Well, almost forty years later, here I am. Today the church has grown to nearly a million and my faith has grown as I have seen what God can do in and through any obedient servant.

This week, I have seen the tallest mountain in the world and the biggest church in the world. Hey--think about it--my Father made them both.

May 16, 2008 - Good Morning, Korea

For the first time in my life, I woke up in Seoul, Korea this morning. It didn't take long to find a Dunkin Donuts. It ain't Krispy Kreme, but it ain't bad!

When I got to Seoul after midnight, I found the shuttle to the motel had stopped running at 11 p.m. It was going to cost me $100 for the taxi fare, so I had about decided to spend the night at the airport. Finally, I found a room closer to the motel and thank God, it was even less expensive. I got to bed at 2:30 a.m.--a long day since I got up at 3:30 a.m. in Kathmandu.

When I left Kathmandu, my luggage (with all my clothes and other belongings) was sent all the way to the US. Since I found this out before I left the airport in Nepal, I was able to buy a shirt in the airport gift shop. It smells only slightly better than my dirty one. :-) (You would have to be there!).

May 15, 2008 - An Adventure Is Ending

God willing, this is my last day in Nepal--well, at least on this journey. Yesterday I spoke at a pastors and church leaders meeting. You wouldn't believe how the church is prospering in this country. In 1985, Kathmandu (a city of about 3 million) had 4 churches. Today there are 800 churches in the city. Praise the Lord for the faithful workers proclaiming His gospel.

This morning I will teach in the Bible college and then head for the airport to begin the long journey home. I will be in Seoul for one night and Houston for one, then fly into Mobile on Saturday night.

I am so grateful to Sudip and Anne Lise for hosting me. They sacrifice much here. Sudip was raised in this culture, but for Anne Lise, this is a long way from life in Norway. Most in the West would not understand. Anne Lise not only has to boil the baby's water to drink, she must boil even every drop of water she is washed in. Only a few drops could make her very ill. On Monday, Anne Lise accidentally drank from a cup of tap water. She was very sick for two days. God bless them and workers like them all over the world!

Note: I was leaving for the airport Anne Lise was ill again. Please pray for her.

Click here for the updated Napal Photo Gallery.

May 13, 2008 - I'm on the Top of the World, Looking down on Creation!

Well, I'm not quite on the top of the world, but you can certainly see it from here. We took a day off from the work in Kathmandu to visit the picturesque village of Nagarkot located on a ridge at 7200 feet. The rustic village offers a spectacular view of the Himalayas. I took a 2 1/2 mountain trek before breakfast (the hardest walk of my life) to get the best view of the sunrise over Mount Everest, the true top of the world. It was worth the trip.

May 12, 2008 - Greetings from Nepal

Click here for Napal Photo Gallery

I am writing this from the other side of my normal world. It is five in the morning in Nepal. I am on the upstairs patio overlooking northern Kathmandu. The weather is crisp and the city is just starting to come alive. In a few hours it will be blistering hot and honking like a million geese!

What an adventure! Our Nepal trip has been so exciting. Let me say, I am so proud of Missionaries Anne Lise and Sudip Khadka. They are doing such a great work here. They oversee a Bible school, an orphanage, an elderly home and a number of churches. Each of these ministries they have personally planted. How can you describe the pleasure it brings to see former students so successful in the work of God? All over the world, former students from Messenger College and BRSM are faithfully manning their posts, evangelizing, equipping, edifying the church and best of all, taking the fires of revival to the ends of the earth.

For those who have never traveled like this, is it hard to describe how physically draining a third-world missions trip can be. I left my home in Pensacola on Tuesday at 2 p.m. I was at the airport at 2:30 and on the plane at 4:30. I flew to Houston and then Las Vegas. It was 3 a.m. Pensacola time (PT) when I left Las Vegas for Seoul, South Korea. With very little sleep on the plane, I arrived in Seoul on Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. (PT). Already my trip has been over 24 hours. I left for Kathmandu at 8 p.m. (PT) and arrived at 2:30 a.m. (PT)--thirty-six and one half hours in transit with almost no sleep. Kathmandu time, it was 1:00 Thursday afternoon when I arrived.

We met Sudip and some of the church workers and caught a taxi to the ministry center. Anne Lise, Sudip and Rebecca had also just returned from the US, so we were all exhausted. We visited a little, ate some dinner and crashed into bed.

The next morning I was greeted with a cold (and I do mean COLD, COLD) shower. How could I ever complain? I am here for a few days and then I will be home to a warm shower, Anne Lise and Sudip never have hot water.

After a delicious Norwegian style breakfast, at 8 a.m. I began my ACTS class at the Bible college. I taught that day until 1 pm. After lunch we walked to town to an internet cafe (Sudip's phone and internet are out of service--well, so are his car and motor scooter). We then walked to the orphanage where I preached to the children and workers. Saturday morning I experienced some jet lag and woke up at 2:30 a.m. and did not go back to sleep.

Saturday is the day of worship in Nepal, so we walked, minibussed and taxied our way to the main church (the minibus is quite an experience, it is probably made to carry about 15 people, but they can pack 40 into it and that doesn't include those on the roof). I preached, Sudip translated, and several people recommitted to the Lord.

I slept a little better Saturday night and did not waken until 4 a.m. Once again, I taught ACTS at the Bible college for 4 1/2 hours. We had water buffalo for lunch and goat for dinner (the buffalo is better).

Well, that is enough of my travelogue. I just wanted each of you to get a small picture of what life life for a missionary evangelist is like. Strange enough, I love it! Thank you for supporting this ministry and helping us fulfill the great commission. You are our partners, we cannot do it without you. Think about it, you can sleep in your own bed at night, but you have a part in every soul saved, every life transformed, every person encouraged. Again, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

If you are not a monthly partner please join us today. We need your help. Click here for more information.

I have posted a photo gallery for the Nepal trip, click this sentence to see it. I will add a few more pictures as soon as I can. Please check back in a few days.

May 2, 2008 - Home, Sweet, Home

Wow! It felt good to get home. I had been gone 41 days, the longest trip I have ever made, even including missionary trips. I preached 27 times, drove 5,100 miles, flew 3,500 miles, and slept in more than 20 beds none of which felt as good as my own. Thank God several were saved and baptized in the Holy Ghost.

It looks like this trip was the end of the road for the glory van. Beryl and Ezra Bunch gave us the van after he had made more than a few trips from Georgia to the revival in Pensacola. I had the transmission overhauled in December ($1500) but it started slipping again on this trip. I wasn't sure it was going to get me home, but thank God it did!. Pray for us as we shop for a new vehicle that God will provide the finances and direct us to the right automobile.

Since getting home on Monday I have been working on a newsletter to send to our monthly faith promise partners. Right now, only a few people support us every month, but we are believing God that for one hundred partners. This is so necessary if we are going to be able do the missionary evangelism that we feel called to do. If you would pray about being a faith promise partner, click this line for more information.

April 28, 2008 - Howe? God--that is How!

This is our fourth month to be in Howe, Ok on the fourth week-end of the month. This wonderful congregation is moving forward in the great work of the Lord. In the fall they will start a new church building. God is good!

On Sunday morning our dear friends Charles and Naomi Ogdon visited the service at Howe. When I was 14 years old, the Ogdons held a 3 week revival in my home church. It was during that meeting that I totally committed myself to the service of God. I have served him every day since. Brother Ogdon is the best church evangelist I have ever known. He has been a mentor to me. When I grow up, I want to be like him.

April 24, 2008 - Joplin

With my good friend Dan Saunders, pastor of Gateway Church in Joplin. Over the past eleven years we have preached more than 25 weeks of revival at Gateway (formerly Crown of Life Chapel). Pastor Dan is providing great leadership for a great future! It was also so good to connect with many friends from our seven years living in Joplin.

April 21, 2008 - My Traveling Buddy

My five-year-old grandson, Matthew, was my traveling companion for two days. We had a great time stopping at every McDonalds and Burger King in Missouri. Kids are so much fun.

At one meal, I asked him to bless the food and he said the "God is good . . ." prayer. When he was through he asked me to pray and I said, "Thank you, Lord, for our food." He looked very perplexed and said, "Is that all you know?" I tried to explain that that was all I prayed. He said, "That's funny." Indeed it was!

April 17, 2008 - Catching up

We closed at Landmark last night. What a great revival! I don't think there is a better church in the country. I know there is no pastor that treats an evangelist better than Pastor Wayne Neal. It is hard to say enough about their hospitality and generosity.

I need to catch up some news about the Awakening America Summit. About 75 of us gathered in Northampton, MA to pray and discuss strategies for revival in our country. It was an unforgettable event. The statistics about the condition of the church in America are frightening to say the least, but the desire for revival is so encouraging.

Dennis Marquardt, Northern New England District Superintendent; Doc; Alton Garrison, Assistant General Superintendent; John Maempa, director of the Assemblies of God National Prayer Center.

I made a trip to Northfield, the home of D. L. Moody. Here I am in Moody's pulpit. Some of the greatest preachers in the world have preached from this pulpit. I had some other exciting experiences at Northfield that I cannot tell here, but will share with you personally.

April 15, 2008 - Friends are Friends Forever

Mickey Davis, Wayne Neal, John Davis at Landmark

With Glenn Gohr in the lobby of the Assemblies of God headquarters. Glenn works in the archives and has been an invaluable help in all my book projects.

April 14, 2008 - Joy Unspeakable

It is joy unspeakable and full of glory. How long has it been since you were in a real mascara running service? This precious sister and several of her family members received the baptism in the Holy Ghost last night at Landmark Christian Center in Strafford, MO. The joy is unmistakable. The people sang, shouted, danced, leaped, ran, shook under the power of God. It felt just like revival!

Here are a few pictures to finish the news of my Comanche trip. I will catch up on the trip to Massachusetts in a few days.

The deacons of Praise Assembly join Pastor and Mrs. Harkins on the platform after I awarded an honorary degree.

Praise Assembly in Comanche is my home church. My parents, Marvin and Mildred Martin, were saved in this church more than 60 years ago. Here I am pointing at my family in this church picture from the 1950s.

April 7, 2008 - A Looooong Day

I dedicate this post to everyone who thinks that travel is fun and glamorous. I am writing tonight from Northampton, MA. I was invited to join Christian leaders from across America for a Awakening America Summit.

Getting here should have been real easy, fly to Albany, rent a car and drive to Northampton. I expected to be here late afternoon. That is not how it turned out.

After Sunday night service in Comanche, I drove to Dallas. I got to my motel after midnight and in bed after 1 AM. To get to the airport, the alarm went off at 5:40. I was at DFW by 7 for my 9 AM flight. This is when the day started going south. The flight was overbooked, so I was sent to Minneapolis to catch a flight to Albany. Well, that plane had mechanical problems and was delayed an hour. That made me miss my connection so I was rerouted to Cincinnati. From there, I finally arrived in Albany at 9:45 PM. After getting my car, I got to Northampton at 12:15. It is now 1 AM again and I am getting ready to call it a long day. Oh, the glamour of being an evangelist!

I seem to have misplaced my USB cord to upload pictures, so I will write about our meeting in Comanche when I find it and can post some pictures.

April 1, 2008 - A Sweet, Sweet Spirit

This week, I am in Bixby Oklahoma. There was such a sweet Spirit in the service last night. After the altar service, we lingered in His presence and just drank in the fresh streams of revival anointing.

David and Linda Dillon are the pastors at Bixby First Assembly. I first met Linda when she was a little girl traveling with her father Evangelist Charles Ogdon. Brother Ogdon was with us on Sunday morning. He is one of my heroes. David and I met when we were teenagers. I do not have a better friend or supporter in the whole world than David Dillon!

March 24, 2008 - A Holy Ghost Easter

I am back in Howe for a few day at the First Assembly of God and we had a great Easter! I think seven people responded to the call for salvation on Sunday morning. PTL! The ladies of the church fixed a great lunch, the kids hunted eggs and we came back for service at 6 PM. I preached on the Holy Ghost baptism, as I plan to do every night this week and I think four received. Hallelujah, Jesus is alive!

March 17, 2008 - The second greatest day of his life

We were back in Silsbee this week-end for more great services. The people are so hungry for God. I love the way they worship and thank God for each of them.

I cannot say that I don't get weary being away from home and on the road so much. I think I have driven over 9,000 miles since the end of January and flown a couple thousand as well. But, I so know that this is what I am supposed to be doing right now. After Sunday morning in Silsbee a young man in the church told me that that day was the second greatest day of his life. The greatest was when he was saved and then on this day, God had touched him and again changed his life. Wow! God is so good!

March 10, 2008 - Revival!

We had a great week-end at Faith Christian Center in Silsbee, Texas. Pastor Chris Kirkendall and congregation are so hungry for God. We will be going back this week-end for more. More Lord!

March 3, 2008 - Where the wind comes right behind the rain

We left Arizona for our monthly meeting in Howe, OK. It seems things are building there. Next month we will stay a few more days with Pastor Jack Barron and the wonderful congregation.

Next, we were with Pastor Barron's son Chad, who now pastors Community Fellowship in Ringling, OK. This fine son followed his dad as the pastor of this church. For those who need to know, yes, Ringling was named after the circus. The town was once the winter home of the Ringling Brothers Circus.

After 16 days and 4,000 miles (2,000 by air and 2,000 by auto), I arrived home on Saturday. The changes in the climate have taken a toll on me physically and I do need your prayers. T. J. says I am not as young as I once was, but I'm not quite ready to admit it.

February 23, 2008 - Fan Club

What a joy it was to be with my friends the Rohms at Desert Springs Church in Safford, Arizona. This was first time ever to preach in Arizona.

Some say Dan is my number one fan. It is a bit embarrassing to have "fans" but I would never be embarrassed by Dan Rohm. The Rohms were average Christians sitting on the back pew of an Assembly of God Church for decades until revival--and revival changes everything. Now, this is one of the most fired up families I know. The church in Safford is definitely feeling the river and the water is getting deeper. Splash! Splash!

Thanks to Danny Boy for the revival pics!

February 18, 2008 - From the Mountains . . .

Two weeks ago I was posting pictures of a frozen river in Northern Missouri, today I am in the desert in Arizona, surrounded by beautiful mountains. Oh the life of an evangelist!

We are in services this week with Pastors Dan and Stacy Rohm, former students at BRSM (more about that later in the week) and God moved powerfully yesterday.

I am blessed to be staying in a guest house belonging to Jayson and Jenna Hanelius. These photos are taken from the mesa where their lovely Santa Fe home sits, but they really don't do justice to the natural beauty of the area. Thanks Jayson and Jenna for your kind hospitality. By the way, for inquiring minds, Jayson is a chemist who works for a label company develping the ink for the tagless labels on the inside of T-shirts. Thank you very much.

February 13 , 2008 - Get Ready, Jesus Is Coming

Thought you might like to know I posted a new opinion peice tonight--on the rapture of the church. Click the link below to read it and tell me what you think.

Get Ready, Jesus Is Coming Soon!

February 10 , 2008 - On the Road Again, Again

We had an unexpected road trip this week-end. Summer was in an accident two weeks ago and the insurance waited until this week to say her car was totaled. We had only three days to get a car to her in Dallas.

Our search led us to Pensacola Auto Depot, owned by Ward Simpson one of my former colleagues from BRSM. I cannot tell you how Ward blessed Summer. She actually got twice the car she had before. Thank you, Ward, for your generosity.

What a trip we had to Dallas. We asked Ezra and Beryl Bunch and Deena Alexander to make the trip with us since we were driving two cars. We were so glad we did. In Mississippi we had a flat on the van and learned we had ran over something and ruined a tire. At Jackson we stopped and found the lug bolts had not been tightened on the car and we were about to lose a wheel. A little later in Texas we had a blow out on another tire. Finally, we made it to CFNI for the annual taping of their worship. It was great to see Summer in the choir. Despite the problems getting to Dallas, we thank God that every misfortune took place when we had exited the interstate and we all arrived safe and sound.

On the way home we stopped at Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge. It was so good to see Brother Swaggart. At 73, he is older, grayer and slower, but as soon as he takes the microphone, there is no doubt the anointing is still on his life. The worship was wonderful and Donnie preached a good message. What a great service! Did I mention we ate at a Cajun Restaurant in Baton Rouge? Ever had fried alligator?

February 2 , 2008 - Goin' to Kansas City

Yes, fellow Floridians, that is ice! It's cold up here.

I have been blessed to spend two days in Kansas City. J. D. King, director of the World Revival Network has been a wonderful host to me. We have fellowshipped, researched a book I am writing and, of course, had some world-famous Gates Bar-B-Q.

In the evening, I was blessed to visit World Revival Church. The church is still on fire and a dynamic witness to the power of God. We enjoyed a good time of fellowship with Pastors Steve and Kathy Gray after the service last night. Steve gave me a pre-release copy of his newest book.

Today is Matt's 30th birthday and I will spend this morning with him, before starting the looooong drive back to P'cola. Keep us in your prayers.

January 30, 2008 - Back at Landmark

It was good to reconnect with Sarah Hicks. Sarah presented me with a book written by her late husband, Pastor Roger Hicks. Roger pastored Calvary Baptist Church in Marshfield, MO and was a great friend of ours and a great friend of revival.

January 29, 2008 - Howe

We have just completed our first meeting after returning to the evangelistic field. It was such a joy to be back with the good people of Howe, Oklahoma. God showed up wonderfully in every service. We will be going back to Howe on the fourth weekend of each month through June.

January 21, 2008 - How Big Is that Mountain?

It is hard for me to believe it, but our son will 30 years old in less than two week. Wow! How old does that make me? It is hard to have a 30 year old child and still celebrate your 39th birthday.

Anyway, T.J. and I were out and about today and we were shopping for a birthday card. I'm sorry, but I have a thing for cards. I can't just read one! So I am in the store and I'm reading . . . and reading . . . and reading. Then, I found this great card, " Don't tell God how big your mountain is . . . . tell the mountain how big your God is!" Whew, I almost shouted in Big Lots. What a mighty God we serve. Mountains, get out of our way!

January 14, 2008 - Back in Brownsville

It had been more than three years since we were in a service at Brownsville Assembly. Steve Hill was back for special services last Friday and we were glad to back in service with Steve. Steve brought a powerful message, gave a strong altar call and then prayed for everyone that wanted prayer. We tried several times to get in a position to receive prayer and then Steve would take off down a different aisle (remember that?). Finally Steve came our way and the prayer was strong. He gave us a very encouraging word, "This year! This year, friend! Look at what is in front of you!" We can't wait! Hallelujah!

January 7, 2008 - Change

Well, it was a bit strange yesterday, our first Sunday out of the pastorate in three years. We attended Church of His Presence in Daphne and it was great to see so many of our friends. Pastor K preached an uplifting message and prayed for all those that wanted prayer. He spoke over us and said he felt a "change" was already coming. Yes, Lord, things are changing.

January 1, 2008 - Hinges that have never turned

Well, we are on the road again! Today is our first day as evangelists. We love evangelistic ministry. Perhaps it is our first love. Traveling to new places, seeing God do new things is so exciting.

We had a wonderful time at Pensacola Revival Church. It was a great season, but seasons change. It was time to move on.

A few months ago, Pastor John Kilpatrick prophesied over me and said God was going to open a new door for us, with "hinges that have never turned." Now, that is exciting. We can hardly wait to see what God does next!