July-December 2008

December 24, 2008 - Merry Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas revival in Howe, Oklahoma. The attendance was great and the Spirit of the meeting was even better. It was good to be with our dear friend Jack Barron. Brother Jack had met and married a wonderful lady since our last meeting there. We wish Jack and LaDonna our very best.

It was very cold in Oklahoma and I came home on Monday night with a bit of sore throat and cold (Jim Groves would say a touch of the episudic). On Tuesday, Yellow freight delivered our newest book on Azusa Street. I unloaded 2,000 pounds of books from the truck to the ground; from the ground to a wheelbarrow, from the wheelbarrow to the container. Part of the time working in a cool mist of rain. Whew. Today I feel a little bit like one of the speed bumps on the freeway of life. Please remember to pray for us, being on the road is especially difficult in the winter months when you change from climate to climate.

December 17, 2008 - Christmas Revivals

Not many churches have revival at Christmas time, but we have been blessed this week to be in Ringling, Ok for three services. Thanks to Pastor Chad Barron and his congregation for remembering it is HIS birthday.

December 3, 2008 - The Main Thing

T.J. works at a Bargain Center that raises funds for Waterfront Rescue Mission. Primarily operated by the Baptists, the mission provides a homeless shelter and recovery program for about 200 students. Last night we attended a banquet for all the employees. The food and fellowship were good. Best of all, a group of men from the program sang the old song, "Victory in Jesus." You could feel it in their voices, they had truly heard the old, old story of the Savour who came from glory; who gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me . . .

I was so blessed! More than blessed, I was reminded. It is not about revival, it is not about the baptism, it is not about manifestations--although I love all of these things--it is not about bodies, buildings and budgets--it is about victory, victory in Jesus! God help us to keep the main thing the main thing.

December 1, 2008 - Thankful

I am thankful for a wonderful holiday with my family. Like some of you, I ate way too much (where, oh where, did Weight Watchers go?) . I am keeping busy with planning the conference and working on book projects. The newest Azusa book will be back from the printers around Christmas.

Lindell was in Gulf Shores, Alabama last week and we were in service with him two nights. What a blessing! My how we miss the Brownsville revival!

November 21, 2008 - The Holidays

The season around Thanksgiving and Christmas is generally slow for evangelists. I used to joke, if you are not in a meeting, there isn't much chance of getting one. That of course is when we were preaching meetings that lasted for weeks and months. These days it is just slow. Pray with us for open doors of ministry even in the holidays. We are keeping ourselves busy in this off season.

We visited Church of His Presence in Daphne, AL on Sunday and it was good to see Pastor Kilpatrick. He gave us an update on Steve Hill and his cancer treatment. Please keep Bro. Steve in your prayers. The past two nights Lindell was in Gulf Shores, AL and of course we went to be in service with him. There is no one on the planet like Lindell.

I am working on several book projects. The seventh book in the Azusa series went to the printer last week. It should be finished by the first of the year. I am now working on Book Four, The Chosen Vessels for release in 2009. I am also working on getting Tried and Transfigured, another Ravenhill book into print again. Then in my spare time I am writing a history of the Pentecostal Church of God for their 90th anniversary.

We also spend a little time each day planning and preparing for the BRSM / Revival Reunion we are hosting next May. We have some announcements about the meeting ready for December. You don't want to miss this event. So, as you can see, although we are not "busy" this season, we are very busy.

November 8, 2008 - Trinity Tabernacle

We had a wonderful meeting in St. Louis. It had been eight and a half years since I have been at this great church and it was so encouraging to see the river is still flowing.

November 5, 2008 - God Is Still in Control

Like many of you, I was very disappointed last night at the election results. Yet, I know that everything is in God's control. When Barak Obama moves into the White House God will still be on the throne. Presidents and Prime Ministers change but the King reins forever. His will be done.

November 4, 2008 - Matt

Travelling through Missouri on Satuday, I had the pleasure of some McDonald's and park time with my Grandbuddy. What a fine day! Matt turned six last month. My, how they grow up too fast.

October 25, 2008 - Mission to Mexico

What a great pleasure to travel with Pastors Dan and Stacy Rohm and a group from Desert Springs to Naco, Mexico for a short mission. We took candy for the kids, tracts, and food to give to the poor. We prayed with several for salvation, healing and the Holy Spirit Baptism.

October 24, 2008 - Miracle Valley

With a couple days off in Arizona, it was our great joy to visit Miracle Valley, the city established by A. A. Allen in the 1950's. Although Allen's ministry was controversial, it was very powerful. Although much of the old ministry center is in serious decline, you can still feel God's presence all over the property. We visited the graves of Brother Allen and Jeannie Evans who was a participant at Azusa Street.

Dr. Harter, the current owner is doing all within in his power to resurrect the property. Dr. Hatter was so kind to give us a tour and show us some spectacular Allen videos. He needs an immediate miracle to save the property. Would you pray for Miracle Valley.

October 23, 2008 - Springs in the Desert

We are redigging some familiar wells this fall. This time, we returned to Desert Springs in Safford, Arizona where our former students Dan and Stacy Rohm serve as pastors. What a great week! What wonderful people.

October 16, 2008 - More Texas

This week we were back in Burleson, Texas with Pastor Phil Gibson and the good folk at Living Water Church. We were blessed to be hosted by Lynn and Linda Boyd. Lynn is the worship leader at the church. Here is a shot of Lynn and Linda by his beautiful backyard waterfall.

October 11, 2008 - H Town

We had a great meeting in Houston with our good friends Calvin and Beverly Durham. I have know Calvin for forty years and preached my first revival for him more than 35 years ago. The revival lasted Sunday-Friday which is very unusual these days although it was the norm when I started on the field. Many churches would even schedule a revival for two weeks and often scheduled as many as four revivals a year.

I told the people to thank God for a pastor that loved them enough to have a full week of revival. Revival is not for the pastor of the evangelist, it is for the congregation! Did everyone in the church come every night? Of course not. But some did--and everyone had the opportunity to come Those who came were blessed and I feel heaven was pleased. Too often we let those who are not hungry for God set the agenda and the hungry ones are denied the opportunity to receive.

October 1, 2008 - www.jesus-is-the-answer.com

Today is a special day. Our new website goes up this afternoon. I have worked on this for days. I wanted an attractive and informative site. We pray the site will be a great tool for the evangelism of the lost. Check the site out and give us your feedback. We have printed witness cards for the site. Send me a note and I will send you 10 cards free of charge.

This link should work today. www.jesus-is-the-answer.com

We had a great Sunday with Pastor Tommy Howard at Family Revival Church in Foley. What a great young man and a loving church.

September 21, 2008 - Catching up

I arrived home in Pensacola last Saturday night. I was supposed to fly into Houston and be there for a week, but Ike changed all of that. Instead, I have been home working on several projects.

I am working on two books, one should go to the printer this week (this always takes so much longer than I expected). The www.jesus-is-the-answer.com website is also about ready to launch. Will you pray with me this week, that the website will reach many for Christ. I don't want to upload the site until I know it has been bathed in prayer. If you will pledge to join with me in praying for the website and the salvation of the lost on a regular basis, please email me. I am going to post a list of prayer partners.

I have also been working on the Revival Reunion Conference scheduled for next year. You can now register on the website -- www.brsm2009.com. Even though it is BRSMers nature to procrastinate, it would be a real encourager if some of you could register early. Remember, this conference is not just for BRSM alumni, but everyone that loves revival.

September 12, 2008 - Nairobi, Kenya

Well, this is for Dan Rohm and all the other "Doc's Blog" addicts. The only way to upload the website was to pay $20 to use the First Class Passenger's Lounge at the Nairobi airport. So here you go--this twenty is for you! Oh yes, the $20 also included all the booze I could drink and no, I was not even tempted.

Hurricane Ike has postponed by meeting in Houston. I was flying into there tomorrow. Thank God, I got a connection to Pensacola and didn't get stranded in London or places elsewhere.

Pray for the people in Texas!

September 11, 2008 - Nairobi, Kenya

Yesterday was a loooong day. I preached at the Kampala International University and then Bishop Morris wanted me to go with him to preach the crusade in Kayawbe. So we drove about two hours, preached, saw souls saved, changed a flat tire and then headed back to Kampala.

At 12:30 I left the hotel to go to the airport. It is always sad to say farewell to friends. I waited until my 5:10 AM for my flight. We arrived in Nairobi at about 6 AM, but it took over an hour to get thru immigration. Another hour an a half later, at 8:30 I reached my accommodations. A long night with no sleep, but well worth it for all the good things the Lord did in Uganda.

In Nairobi I am blessed to stay at a Baptist mission house. It has few luxuries (including no A/C) but is less than $20 per night. The Holiday Inn was $325 per night!

After a few hours sleep, I took a long walk this afternoon (wish I hadn't worn these sandals) and found a shop where I could buy some bread and bananas. I always travel with peanut butter so now I am in great shape.

It felt odd to be flying with lots of Moslems on September 11, but the Lord was with us. Although we were not in the US to participate in the "Cry Out America" prayer meetings, we have prayed for revival in America today and urged our friends in Uganda to join us in doing the same. I have uploaded a photo gallery. Click here to see it or you can go to the "Photo" tab at the top of the page at any time to see all of our galleries.

We leave tomorrow for Houston, so please pray for us for traveling mercies and no missed connections.

September 9, 2008 - Bukoto and more

We had another great day today. We drove about two hours in the morning to preach at a conference in Kayabwe. I drove across the equator for the first time. I had passed it in the air, but never on land.

We rushed back to Kampala where we spoke at 1 pm to many of the faculty and staff of Kampala International University. The school is owned by a Moslem, but a group of Christian workers meet everyday to proclaim their faith. In the evening we were back in Bukoto. The crowd was bigger and the success was greater. Before the service I snapped this photo of a proud, young mom and her baby.

After the sermon, I was so happy to see that she was among the many that professed faith in Christ. God is so good.

September 9, 2008 - Bukoto

Last night was wonderful! First we went to a medical school and preached at a Christian fellowship. It was so encouraging to see these future medical workers so on fire for God.

From there we drove straight to the Bukoto neighborhood. Workers had set up a platform, a sound system and a spot light for a crusade. Bukoto is a very poor, predominately Moslem area. The worship team sang until a crowd gathered and then I preached the Word of God. Some of these people were hearing the clear gospel for the first time. At the end of the message several young men and a host of children came forward to receive Jesus. It was such a blessing as one of our BRSM students encouraged two young Moslems to come and profess Christ. They hesitated for a few minutes, but then took off the Moslem hats they were wearing and came forward to meet the true God. Hallelujah!

Please pray for us we will be preaching two time tomorrow morning and back to Bukoto tonight and tomorrow night.

September 7, 2008 - Eden Revival Church

I am sitting in my motel in Kampala, Uganda. Below my window is an outdoor restaurant/bar. Their sound system is playing "The Green, Green Grass of Home." What a life!

We spent yesterday doing some site seeing. We saw the source of the Nile and Lake Victoria. A wonderful day with friends.

Today, I preached both services at Eden Revival Church. What a wonderful church. The worship was heavenly. We sang, shouted, danced and had a great time. Dozens responded to the altar call in both services. I had the high honor of dedicating a baby at the close of the service. Praise God for this trip to Africa.

I am working on a photo gallery and will try to have it up before I leave Kenya.

September 5, 2008 - OK, Toto, this is Africa!

Finally arrived at Kamapala last night at ten after stop overs in Belgium and Rwanda. Boy, did I ever sleep when I hit the bed! I was met at the airport by three BRSMers--Davis Wambongo, Dominique Hustinix, and Norm Rasmussen. What a blessing!

Tonight I spoke at a pastors' and leaders' meeting at Eden Revival Church. I taught on the Azusa Street revival and as Jim Groves would put it, "It got real!" I am looking forward to a great week. Pray for us.

September 3, 2008 - Toto, this doesn't look like Africa

Here I sit in Tampa. Oh the joys of travel. Delta changed my ticket that required a extra trip from Atlanta to Tampa before headed to Newark and then Amsterdam. My plane change in Tampa allowed only 25 minutes to change planes, carriers and terminals. When the plane actually landed that was reduced to an impossible 10 minutes. So, here I am in Tampa for 24 hours.

The good news is after over an hour on the phone a very helpful Delta agent was able to get me a ticket for today (it looked like it would be tomorrow before I could leave). In two hours I will fly back to Atlanta, then directly to Brussels and from there on to Uganda where I will arrive (Lord willing) about 10 pm on Thursday.

Bottom line is, God is good and all is well. Please continue to pray for us.

Update: I am leaving, but I am not too confident of my seat on the plane. Orville, the pilot, says I will be fine.

August 24, 2008 - Ms Faye

Thanks to everyone who called or emailed about Faye. Except for some pleasant winds and rain we were untouched in Pensacola. We do have compassion for those who got the worst of the storm.

Do, however, continue to pray for us. After Ivan hitting while I was in Thailand, T.J. has a dread of me leaving in hurricane season. I will be headed to Africa in about a week. Please cover me in prayer.

August 20, 2008 - The Windmill

Driving through Kansas a couple months ago, I saw a remarkable sight. The landscape was dotted by the new energy creating windmills. If you have not seen these they are a technological dream--huge, sleek, aerodynamic. According to Boone Pickens these things are the answer to our energy crisis. There was only one problem, not one of these monstrosities was turning--not one! Then I looked down in a valley and saw an old-fashioned windmill. It was old, rusty and way, way out of date. But, there was a big, big difference--it was working away. Twisting, turning and pumping water that antiquity was doing its job.

Today we have churches that are as pretty and sleek as those new windmills. They have movies, power points, dramas and technology galore, but their gospel is so water-down they are not doing what God called us to do.

I am not against progress, but I had rather have old-fashioned sermons that accomplish something than modern pop psychology lessons that save no one from hell. I will take a windmill that works!

August 13, 2008 - Family Revival Center - Foley, AL

On Sunday, we preached at Family Revival Center. The church's pastor, Tommy Howard is another one of our graduates at BRSM. When people criticize the Brownsville Revival I like to talk about people like Tommy and his precious wife. They were both totally lost (is there any other way to be lost?) when someone from Brownsville invited them to the revival. Both were saved, Tommy was called to the ministry and they are doing the work of God today. That says it all!

I had a strange feeling when I opened this picture to edit it. I caught my image from the corner of my eye and saw my father looking back at me. I don't usually see myself resembling my dad, but this picture made me take a second look. I guess as we get older (I had a birthday last week) we see more of our parents in our reflection. Of course, I take that as real compliment, my father was a wonderful man. I only pray that I will look more like my heavenly Father as the years go by.

I have been spending the week working on bookkeeping for RRMI. Did I say I hate bookkeeping? Oh well, somebody has to do it! I am also working on a couple of book project and I enjoy that much more.

August 9, 2008 - Home

It is so good to be home! I thank God for every open door He has given me, but there is no bed like your own. We celebrated my 56th birthday yesterday--yes I am an old dude, but thank God for every day of life. Every day is a wonderful experience when God is your partner.

August 1 , 2008 - BRSM 2009

I am so excited. I am pumped. To paraphrase Pastor Richard Crisco, my tractor is cranked. For several weeks, I have been quietly working on a BRSM Reunion and Revival Conference. I sent out some "feelers" and the response was good. We have decided to go forward with the conference on Memorial Day 2009. This isn't just for BRSM alumni. You are invited! You can get more information at www.brsm2009.com. This may just be the revival conference to change our lives forever! Don't miss it.

July 27, 2008 - Maryland

Pastor William Skipper invited us to Oakland, MD several months ago. He had been under our ministry at Brownsville. We enjoyed a good services and good fellowship with Pastor Skipper on Saturday night and Sunday Morning. Tonight, three churches joined together for a great meet at Mountain Top Assembly. In addition to the two pastors pictured, Pastor Pete Miller of Crellin A/G brought his good congregation over. It was good to be in the house of the Lord!

July 26, 2008 - Cabins, WV

It brings me unbelievable joy to connect with our former BRSM students that are doing the work of God across the world. Such was my pleasure this week while working with Michael and Estee Humphrey in Cabins, WV. Mike was the head usher my first semester at BRSM. What quality people this young couple are. They have a great family and a great church. My prayers are that God will use them to their full potential. Mike had a vision to bring the area together for an outdoor campmeeting. We had a great time with quartet singing, worship by Estee, a few bugs and a lot of God!

July 25, 2008 - Smoke Hole Caverns

July 22, 2008 - West Virginia

July 19, 2008 - Jim and Linda Corum

I try to never miss an opportunity, so being in West Virginia I wanted to meet Dr. James Corum. Jim's great aunt, Rachel Sizelove was a leader at the Azusa Street revival. She later was instrumental in starting the first Pentecostal church in Springfield, Missouri. It is now Central Assembly of God.

It seems everyone in Jim's family had a great story to tell. His grandfather led Geronimo to Christ in Lawton, Oklahoma. His dad was the editor of Word and Work and knew many of the early Pentecostal leaders . . . and on and on the stories could go.

Rachel and Jim's dad were responsible for preserving the Apostolic Faith newspapers. We owe them a great debt. Jim and family members republished the newspapers in a book, Like as a Fire before donating them to the Assemblies of God Archives. He said when they got the papers out of the attic and looked at them for the first time in over fifty years, it was like holding the ark!

Jim also has a letter written by Rachel from the Azusa Mission and on the official letterhead. That was the prize I was seeking. The latest book in my Azusa series is Azusa Street Lectures, Letters and Lessons. I didn't feel the book would be complete without this letter. Jim was kind enough to invite me into their home and share not only the letter but a great deal of the family history as Linda prepared an unexpected, but enjoyable lunch. My life is much richer having met the Corums.

July 16, 2008 - Miami, Oklahoma

It was here, in this city, that God radically changed my life on October 22, 1996. It was good to be back and see our good friends Monroe and Brenda Cole.

July 13, 2008 - Homecoming Friends

When we arrived in Miami, Oklahoma for services we found our long-time friends Michael and Tanya Goodman Sykes were in town in concert. Michael and I visit on the phone occasionally but I have not seen these good folks in almost twenty years. What a joy to renew our acquaintance. After a few minutes it seemed we had never been apart. Tanya is the daughter of Rusty Goodman (the greatest singer I have ever heard). Michael is also a great singer and producer. He does the behind-the-scenes production of the Gaither Homecoming videos and produces groups like the Oak Ridge Boys. Best of all, they are wonderful people.

July 4, 2008 - Happy Independence Day!

What a wonderful country we live in. It is so great to be an American. Every time I visit other nations, I want to kiss the ground of home. We enjoyed the fireworks display in Pensacola tonight and thank God for the USA.

On my way home from Kansas, I was able to stop and visit Matt and Matt. We love our boys!

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