Clare
When I came to faith at age 31, and for years afterward, whenever I listened to the song “The Holy City,” I would burst into tears of pure joy with its description of Heaven. Even today, 45 years later, that song and other majestic Christian songs are a “sermon to my soul.”
SAY TO GOD: “HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME!”
I once lead an evangelistic team to Ukraine and Moscow for two weeks of outdoor meetings. The spiritual hunger was so great, and so many people responded to the gospel, that we could barely sleep at night. I knew what God was calling me to do. Those two weeks convinced me to begin a church planting ministry - which we did. I turned it over to a trusted friend, and since 1991, he has planted 1,342 registered churches.
SAY TO GOD: “MAY YOUR WILL BE DONE!”
In the Great Recession of 2008, my real estate investments went from being 98% rented to 43% empty in three months. And our stock portfolio was cut in half. My wife Susan and I were faced with the real possibility of having to sell our home and perhaps me leaving my ministry and going back to work. Without us asking, God provided a friend who “out of the blue” gave us an interest-free loan for as much as we needed, for as long as we needed it for, to get us back on our feet.
SAY TO GOD: “GIVE US TODAY OUR DAILY BREAD!”
Deaf people in Third World countries are the poorest of the poor. And an estimated 80% of deaf girls have been sexually molested. They are thought to be cursed, hence their deafness. Most are helpless and feel hopeless. Years ago, I was introduced to four struggling deaf families who were trying to translate the Bible into a sign language video to bring the gospel to the world’s 80,000,000 deaf. By God’s grace, they did it! That ministry now has 234 staff and they translate 85% of all deaf Bibles in the world!
”SAY TO GOD: “DELIVER US FROM EVIL!”