Bruce's Travel Journal
2002

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MALIBU, CALIFORNIA. There just is no way I'd rather end '02 than a day of quiet with the Lord, walking on the beach, climbing the rocks and cliffs, wading through the tide pools, enjoying the sea lions and dolphins dancing outside the breakers...

It's an absolutely wonderful day - there's hardly anyone around, the sun is bright and the breeze just right. The waves are huge and a clean aqua-crystal, rising like massive sheets of glass, bending and shattering in a thunderous roar. It's absolutely beautiful, and what a way to close out what turned out to be "what a year." Glory to the Name of Jesus!

As I stepped onto the sand, as I drew nearer to the breakers, it was like I looked back at all the times I'd parked in that exact same spot, walked toward the sea along that same path... Sometimes it was raining, sometimes it was a day like today. Sometimes it was in the middle of the night and sometimes it was before the sun rose in the morning. Sometimes it was in extreme stress, and sometimes in exultant joy. It's been going on for years, me and the Lord on this particular beach.

I'm in Leviticus right now and I couldn't help but thinking, "This beach is my Tent of Meeting." Yes, of all my favorite prayer spots, it is where the Lord has most met me. It was like I looked back and saw it all - all the answers and clarity, all the direction and goodness, all the mercy and guidance - and I tell you, it just overwhelmed me. I stopped right there and raised a chorus of praise right where I stood. And it was so much fun! With the surf so huge, I could shout and sing as loud as I wanted to and it all just blended with the roar. Glory to Jesus!

Yes, God has met me here. I remember in 2000, just filled with the stress of every professional foundation seeming to slip between my fingers like water. And I remember coming here in May and just tearing apart inside and it was like the Lord just pulled back a curtain and I could see it all - the hearts of men, the spiritual battles, His sovereign hand and promise of a plan... It was really something.

And I remember coming here another time and it was like I was determined to get answers. I tell you, I had a mission. With pen and paper in hand I was going to hear the Lord on this decision and that decision and on and on. And there I was just laying it all out for Him as if He needed me to remind Him, and His word in response was clear as a bell - the same word He spoke to Martha, Mary's sister, as she ran around trying to do everything right.

He said, "Bruce, you worry about many things." I tell you, it fell into my heart like a rock dropped into the sea. It was so right, so real, so true. And He just went on to tell me how much He loved me and how He didn't need all my fancy talents and running around to save the world and everything... He just wanted me - just like I was - to just "curl up" close to Him, and desire Him for Him, and just enjoy Him and be with Him... You get the idea. I tell you, I sat there and just cried like the child He longs for me to be before Him. And again, glory to His Name.

Then there was this one morning, and it was just a moment, and it's so hard to describe. I was walking along, wading through the surf, and I remember the water was really warm and it was an absolutely beautiful pre-summer day. I was just chatting away with the Lord and for a very brief time - I don't know - it could have been seconds and it could have been a good 5 minutes or more. It was like He was right there beside me - it's so hard to explain. It was a sense of His presence, but not in any general kind of "feeling in the air" way. It was so specific - like an actual, specific person walking right alongside of me, just listening and just "being with me."

It sounds so silly - so silly I can't help but wonder if some folks might think I've gone looney as they read this - but really, it was so nice and so - the only word I can come up with is "specific." It was so wonderful and there was no voice or image or anything, and He didn't show me anything or whisper into my heart or anything - just a sense of Him, in Person, right there next to me, walking alongside of me. I'm so frustrated as I write this because my words can't begin to do the moment justice.

But then the moment was gone. I don't know why or anything, but I do remember trying in prayer to get it back, if I could put it that way. But it was gone. And it was so wonderful, that moment - the most wonderful. It was like there suddenly were no more questions in me, no more longings for anything, no more anything - but Him. Everything just melted away as if it never was. Even everything around me - I mean, even the sound of the waves - it just melted away - everything but Him.

Anyway, this beach has been quite a place to me over the years - my "Tent of Meeting." And this morning has been no different - praise the name of Jesus!

But it's been quite a year, 2002. In many ways, one of the most disappointing and difficult to trust God years in a while. I could go down the list of this and that, but those details are neither here nor there, and I have to guess I'm not the only one. But it has been very challenging - I mean, very little ended up the way I wanted it to, not one of the projects that burn in my heart saw realization, not one personal or professional longing was fulfilled... Like I said, it was quite a year.

But isn't it just like the Lord - as tough as it has been, that's how equally amazing! I saw more salvation this year than I've seen in a long time. I saw a release in ministry gifting to a whole new level - a level I never imagined. I tell you guys, through all the difficulty and hardship, God had a serious plan, and my goodness - what an amazing year. Praise His blessed Name!

Yes, I tell you guys, if there's one thing I learned in 2002 (as if it's the first time I've learned it), God's got a plan. He's got a plan and it rarely is our plan but I can promise you, it's a plan so far beyond any plan you or I can ever dream up on our own. And it's up to you and me to just decide to jump in the water, get in the race - however you want to phrase it - climb into the back seat, buckle our seat belts, and just hold on for the ride of our lives. After all, that's what He always promises - one way or the other, the ride of your life! Glory to the Name of Jesus!

I remember hearing Billy Graham tell a story once - in fact, he told it on a Larry King interview, if I recall. I don't remember all the little details, but I think he was in college or something and was kind of struggling with his direction and all, and apparently there was a golf course nearby where he would go and pray at night. But he said he sat on a green one night in the middle of all that frustration and questioning, and just kind of came to a place of real release of his life's control to the Lord, and prayed, "Lord, I'll be who You want me to be, I'll do what You want me to do, I'll go where You want me to go..."

It was a prayer of complete resignation - complete and total submission to whatever the Lord's purposes, plans, and activities for his life were... He laid his life down that night - and look what God did! My goodness! Talk about the ride of your life! Glory, glory!

So as far as I'm concerned, that's the goal, guys - there's the key to an incredible '03 - "Lord, anything - ANYTHING." Because I tell you, if the excitement I lived in 2002 is any kind of appetizer, I don't want to miss even a moment of His "anything" for 2003. Oh yeah, I've still got all my hopes, ideas, and all sorts of things. But I tell you, I'd be out of my mind to dig my heels in and cling to my grand desires as opposed to just praying my brains out over them, leaving them at His more than capable feet, trusting Him with them, then just diving into what He's put in front of me today with everything I've got.

No, there is only to completely release every inch of my life - to seek Him with all that I am, to pull closer and closer and closer even still, and just release everything - all of me and every desire of the heart and everything - completely and totally to Him. After all, He knows far better than I do - glory to His blessed Name!

Pray with me, will you? Let's get this new year started off the only way that will open the door for it to be everything in Him that it can possibly be...

"Oh Lord, we come to you with excitement in our hearts. You are good, Lord - even with all that has happened that doesn't seem so good or doesn't make sense, oh, if we only knew the vastness of how good Your goodness is!

We give our lives to You, Lord - we give them afresh. My life is not my own, Lord - it belongs to You. On the cross You purchased it, Lord Jesus - You purchased it for Your Father. And I just ask forgiveness for all the ways that I try to keep it for myself and run it in my own foolishness.

Lord, I give myself to You. I'll be who You want me to be, I'll do what You want me to do, I'll go where You want me to go, I'll forsake what You want me to forsake, I'll step into what You want me to step into... I love You, Lord, and I want all that You are living and pulsating within all that I am. And all You have for me in this coming year - all I can be in Your purposes and plans for my life and inside my heart... I hear You, Lord, and I love You. I love You, I love You, I love You - Jesus."

Amen and amen! Hey, we're ready now! 2003, here we come! Glory to the Name of Jesus!

         

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA. Well, back home, and it's all just a memory. But oh, what a memory! I tell you, I've been doing this ministry thing for nine years now, and I've been back and forth to South Africa so many times I just couldn't tell you. But this trip - what the Lord did and what He showed me - all I can say is, He simply astounds me.

And it was so strange - the trip started out to be the worst. Everything was poorly organized and going wrong and all. But the Lord was doing His thing anyway - folks were getting saved and His presence was so real across the board. As bad as it all was, that's how wonderful it was, too.

Then came the week with Martin - the outreaches in Lethlabile. Oh my goodness. I tell you, my life will never - and I mean, NEVER - be anywhere near the same. In short, I learned so much from these guys and saw the power of God with my own eyes in so many ways, here I am 6 days later and still just giggling over it all. I tell you, it was something.

People were saved - in droves they were saved. People got healed - in front of my eyes they got healed. God did exactly what He promised to do - His faithfulness was astounding. He gave us strong leadings and every one, as difficult as some were to obey, took us straight down the road to glory like I've never imagined glory. And I tell you, it was all nothing short of just plain glorious.

And what were the keys? I don't know. I can tell you that I never saw men seek God like these guys. Their services started at 7 pm and they had intercessors in the building praying and weeping and crying out to God starting at 3. And that continued all the way through till the service ended. I tell you, I've been involved in a lot of services, but I've never seen intercession like that ever. And the way these pastors prayed before the meeting. Usually when I go somewhere it's chat for 30 minutes and pray for maybe a minute or two before we go in. But these guys - I tell you, it went on and on.

So that was definitely key - seeking and seeking and never stopping seeking. Praying and praying and never stopping praying. And when I say praying, I mean PRAYING. It wasn't, "Let's bow our heads and, 'Dear Father God...'" It was crying and weeping and on the knees begging God to be everything that He is. There were people stretched out on the floor crying out to Jesus. There were people in the dirt on their knees worshipping with tears streaking down their face. It was awesome.

And then the desperation for God. These guys don't have any 'plan b.' They cry out for healing because they can't afford a doctor, they cry out for provision because there simply are no jobs, they cry out for souls because they know how important souls are. If they need something they have no other source, so they cry out and cry out and cry out, and they see God deliver, and deliver, and deliver, and they fully expect Him to deliver because He always does deliver!

I tell you, I never saw anything like it - I learned so much from these guys. Here we sit in America with all the best resources in the world, the best teachers and the best seminars and the best music... But - and forgive me for this - it's these guys who are on the cutting edge, because with all we've got, they've got the one thing we need more than anything else - the one thing no amount of money can buy and no best-selling book can supply - hunger in the heart and desperation before the living God. I tell you, it's downright glorious - humbling and glorious.

And commitment! Let me tell you a story... Martin moved into this area of Lethlabile on a leading from the Lord. Lethlabile is the poorest of the poor, and he was told by all his peers that he was crazy but he did it anyway.

Immediately he built a corrugated iron shack like most of the people live in, just to settle quickly. But here's the thing - Martin is educated and has a job unlike most of the residents. Yes, Martin works all day long and tends to the ministry at night - none of this sitting around being spiritual and bleeding the people to support him. He supplies for his family like a man of God is supposed to.

But here he was living in a shack with the means to build a modest house, but he felt strongly, in his own words, "I was not going to build my house until the house of God was built." So he lived in that shack until the church was built and completed, and you show me another guy with that kind of commitment. I tell you, Martin just plain humbles me.

And here's the punch line - God gave Martin a house beyond what he could have afforded. It's a house beyond his dreams. Someone just gave it to him. Glory to Jesus! And that's the way these guys operate - out there, sold out, on the cutting edge, trusting completely, committed like you've never seen committed, self-sacrificing in a way that shames me. It's awesome.

And the results are obvious. I never saw anything like it. Monday night I had dinner with Martin and he told me the testimonies are still coming in. People healed of this and released from that... Everything from bitterness and hopelessness to broken bodies - gone, gone, gone! Glory to Jesus! I tell you, I'm spoiled forever.

So it was a trip I don't know if I'll ever truly 'come home' from. We've set tentative dates for early May to go back and do it all again. We'll do 6 days this time, Tuesday through Sunday, and it will be glorious. If I know these guys at all, they're probably already praying for it now.

And you know, suddenly my 'desires of the heart' all seem so small. I can't quite explain that, but suddenly it feels like all the little things I've been concerned with don't mean a thing. I feel God saying, "You think too small, kid. Your dreams are too small." And the bigger I can think it still seems too small.

God is huge, folks. He's bigger than it all, and if He can supply a thousand of whatever, my goodness, He can surely supply a million. But then why not a billion? Or ten billion? He's God, for crying out loud - He can do it all in a finger snap. So there's some serious reassessing going on in this boy's head. God has taken me from A to Z in a single week, and I can promise you, there's no going back. Glory to Jesus!

I mean, check even this out... Here I was flying coach class for the first time in forever. I usually book a coach seat but then use miles to upgrade, but South African Airways told me the flights were pretty empty this time so I thought I'd take a chance.

Well, on my way in, the gamble didn't quite pay off. It was a miserable 15 hours across the Atlantic. So as I was getting ready to fly home, I took a chance and asked the Lord to give me an upgrade. I mean, why not after what I saw all week. It was certainly worth a try.

Well I got to the ticket counter and the girl said, "Will a window seat be all right?" I had arranged a specific seat with SAA when I bought the ticket - the best coach seat I could find - and this didn't sound like it. I told her I'd made arrangements for a seat upstairs and she looked puzzled. She said, "But upstairs is coach." I said, "Yeah, I know." She asked, "Are you flying coach or business?" I said, "Coach. I usually fly business, but this time I thought I'd take a chance." She looked even more puzzled and said, "I'm sorry, but you're booked in business. I can put you in coach if you'd really like me to, but you're booked in business."

I couldn't believe my ears. I mean, how does that happen? How does my clearly coach ticket come up as business class on her computer screen? I can promise you, only the goodness of a God who loves to treat His kiddies can account for that. The next thing I knew I was neatly snuggled into the most comfortable business class seat I've ever been in, enjoying a 15 hour flight like I've never enjoyed one. I just sat there giggling and giggling and facing the window so no one would think I was crazy, saying over and over, "You astound me, Lord. You simply astound me." Hee hee hee! Glory to the living God!

And the cream on the cake? Softball! Yes, I arrived home just in time for the championship game, and I can tell you, we won in grand style. And not only did we win, but (here comes the boasting) the kid was in the center of it all with two triples and a base hit, 6 RBI's and on defense, a game-ending double play with bases loaded and victory on the line. Glory to Jesus!

So what can I say, He is simply astounding. I told a friend of mine on the phone today, "I'm spoiled forever. I saw the power of God, the goodness of God, the attentiveness and faithfulness of God like I never thought possible, and I'm just spoiled forever." She said, "You sound happier than I've ever heard you," and I replied, "What can I say? He is simply astounding." On to the next adventure and on my face like never before. Bring it on, Lord! Glory to the Name of Jesus!

         

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA. As of 11pm last night, the Lethlabile meetings have concluded. What can I say? Scores and scores were born again, people were healed, and last night the Lord led us to do a breathtaking thing - wash the people's feet. Hundreds and hundreds came forward, and we washed their African feet. You never saw such feet, and you never saw so many tears as the Lord did I don't know what in their lives through it.

Then the altar call came. I stood in front of the people, my pants filthy with the soil from their feet splashing up from the wash basins. I told them the Lord would have them see that as a picture of exactly what He did - took our filth upon Himself - washed us clean and took our filth upon Himself.

It was a holy and humbling 'picture,' to say the least. I could barely stand there myself in the graphic awareness that it conveyed. And with only a few exhausted words from Martin, the people came. They gave their lives to Jesus. They came and they came... and they came.

I have been doing this for nine years now, and this past week - I just don't know what to say. It has undoubtedly been one of the most stunning if not the most stunning ministry experience I've ever had. And here's the thing - it's only just begun!

We are planning for a stadium event before Easter. Martin had a vision for 10,000 souls and a target of several years out. Now he says the Lord has shown him it is only a matter of months. In this country everyone shuts down for December "holidays," but last night Martin said he has canceled his holiday plans. He said, "There is not time. The harvest is so great and coming in so fast I must stay and train more people to lead and disciple." I tell you, a guy like that just takes my breath away.

So the dust in Lethlabile has settled and Lord only knows all what happened and all what will happen in the future. But one thing has happened about which there can be no doubt. The Lord has birthed in me such a deep love for these people, and such a level of commitment to them. I have rarely felt as given over as I do today.

And by the way, my name is no longer Bruce. The Africans have given me an African name. And as much as it makes me smile and seems kind of 'cute,' it also blows me away because I know these guys and how they operate. They don't do a thing like this lightly. They pray and pray, and ask the Lord to give them the African name.

The name they gave me is "Jabu." Buckle your seat belt - it means "Joy." The Africans have named me Joy. Glory to the Name of Jesus!

         

LETHLABILE, SOUTH AFRICA. I really don't have words to write what I'm about to write. It is something, though I've prayed and prayed about, deep inside I probably never thought I would ever actually experience.

A woman who was blind now sees. Yes, I was there. I saw the blind-cane in her hand, and I saw the tears in her freshly opened eyes as she said over and over, "I can see. I have been blind for 11 years and now I can see."

It was a miracle - a first century miracle. "Go back and report what you hear and see," Jesus said, 2000 years ago. "The deaf hear, the blind see... and the Good News is preached to the poor." I tell you, that woman was blind and now she sees. And for the first time, it is not me taking someone's word for it. I actually saw it with my own two eyes.

And she wasn't alone. While we were praying before the meeting we all sensed the Lord wanted to heal people. I actually 'felt' Him say to me, "Bruce, tonight is a night of healing."

It was a scary word. I immediately thought, "But Lord, I've never preached healing. I don't know how to preach healing."

He responded with one Scripture - "I came to give you life and life abundantly." It was so awkward because I got no sense of a message around the Scripture, and boy, did I struggle with that. But when I grabbed the microphone I just kind of gave in.

I told the people what we all felt the Lord showed us. I told them that He'd only given me one thing to say to them, "I came to give you life and life abundantly." I just kept speaking that to them, over and over.

Martin stepped up and called the people for prayer. We all began ministering, and I just don't know how to say what I saw in the next 2 hours. All I know is that a blind woman now sees. There are so many who believe God doesn't do those things in today's world, but forgive me - last night I saw it with my own eyes - a woman who was blind now sees.

And there was more. Two guys came forward saying they were deaf and now they could hear. Another guy said his asthma was gone. He said he felt it happen during the preaching. I could go on and on, and the greatest miracle of all, the salvation was again massive. Glory to Jesus.

So you must forgive me, as I'm a little stunned this morning. I mean, never in my wildest dreams, and here it is, inches from my face - God healing people of sickness and disease. My goodness, it is so humbling. It sounds so short of the mark to just keep saying it - glory, glory, glory to His amazing Name.

So in a few hours I leave for a fourth and final meeting tonight, and with the testimonies circulating all through the district, I tell you, the people will be coming from everywhere. I'm so over my head, and I guess the best part of that is I know it. But I need fear nothing after what I saw God do last night. One word and He did it, and I tell you, there just are no words for that.

Martin has already asked if we could do it again before Easter '03. It didn't take me a second to consider - "Just let me know the dates and I'll be there, Pastor."

She was blind, and now she sees. "Yes, Pastor, just let me know and I'll be there." Glory to the living God!

         

LETHLABILE, SOUTH AFRICA. Completely exhausted, and completely smiling. Last night was the first night of my first "crusade," if I can use the expression. Amazing. The response was simply massive. I couldn't believe my eyes. It is a wonder to behold - people coming to Jesus. I was told a long time ago that "my message" would not reach the African people.

I was told they only respond to "power preaching" and messages of healing and miracles. I was told the love of Jesus would not reach them, but only His power, and this came from seasoned missionaries.

Well, sorry to tell you, guys - the love of Jesus has no cultural barriers. And if last night was any indication, it is the love of Jesus that these people have been starving for. The people just cried and cried. "He loves you," I told them, and men and women across the board, these precious people, they just cried. Glory to the living God.

So tonight I go back. Martin bagged the tent and moved it all indoors due to threatening weather, and thank God for that wisdom. The buses came loaded with folks, the goodness of God exploded through the auditorium, and packed full of changed lives, the buses returned the people to their homes. It's so incredibly intense, so emotional, I don't know how I'll still be standing by the end of the week. Glory to Jesus.

Exhausted but smiling - it's all I can say. Glory to Jesus!

         

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA. I tell you, it is a funny thing when absolutely everything goes wrong and absolutely nothing works out and it's like every prayer you prayed, the absolute opposite takes place. I tell you, it's been a mind-spinning few days, and may I correct myself - it's not such a 'funny' thing at all (though as I write those words I sit here in this little internet cafe finally giggling about it - I mean, what else can a guy do?).

But really, if it could go wrong, so far it has. Everything from having the worst seat on the plane for 14 hours to my car overheating on the way from the airport to my 2 days in the bush (my big vacation of the year) being canceled due to a misunderstanding. I mean, it's downright hilarious.

I booked into a guest lodge that was loaded with drunken business men who worked all day and ya-hooed all night - always great for a good sleep after an overseas flight. Then my first meeting was at a school where they thought they'd 'honor' me with this show complete with elves and fairies. I mean, here I am a grown man and I've traveled across the world to minister, and suddenly I'm standing on a stage full of elves and fairies. How do you give a salvation invitation when you're surrounded by elves and fairies?

But really, I could go on and on - and on and on. Absolutely everything was a mess from moment one.

So what does a guy do with all that? I don't know about anyone else, but all this guy can think of is just keep on going. Pray my brains out, learn whatever lessons there are to learn, make sure I'm not the author of my own mess, tie up every loose end I can find, and just keep on going. Glory to Jesus!

And through it all, the fruit has been astounding. Last night the Lord 'showed' me something to do. I don't know about anyone else, but in situations like that there's always a part of me that wonders if I'm not the one who's showing it to myself, but praise God that last night I was confident enough to go with it.

During the worship the musicians sang a song all about grace. "Your grace amazes me..." went the lyrics. I had planned to show some 'Matthew' footage to the folks, but I thought to show the crucifixion scenes with no sound and get the worship team up to do that song again. I didn't know if it would work, I assumed it wouldn't sync, but it was something I felt the Lord show me, so...

To make a long story short, it was unbelievable. The place came unglued. The singers who were watching the scenes on a monitor below them lost it completely and could hardly continue. And the people just wept and wept... It was glorious.

I gave an invitation and the response was massive. Men, young kids, married couples, grannies... they just gave their lives to Jesus en masse. I've seen lots of salvation in my time of ministry, but this was something else. Glory to the living God.

So with all the messes around me - and praise God, I think it has all but settled - the people are getting saved. What a breathtaking thing - people getting saved. Glory to Jesus!

         

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA. It is a day of rest - a 'Sabbath' - and I'm so thankful. I've been going full-guns of late - I'm always going full-guns, now that I think about it. I tell you, if it isn't one thing that needs doing, it's another, and that's no complaint, it's actually very exciting.

Last night I sat with a friend over dinner and he was talking about how tough it is for him right now in his business. I could see the stress on his face and I could hear the fatigue in his voice, and it just broke my heart. At the same time, I couldn't help but thank God as I listened, for the life He's given me. I am a case of incredible redemption in every way, and what He's given me to do, as tough as it is sometimes, is unarguably extraordinary. And He provides every step of the way, and the how of that is always a mind-blowing mystery to me, because on paper it's all downright impossible. But on every corner my story is simple: where I had no life, He gave me one - and what a life He gave me. Praise His most faithful Name! But I've been working hard, doing 'Footsteps' seminars every weekend, finishing a new book, praying my brains out for the right publishing opportunity through which it can be released. Praise God that more or less it all came together this past week, and now I can close '02 with a final trip to Africa in peace and ease of confidence. Glory to God!

What a year it's been - I tell you, I moved so fast through it, I don't even know the half of all that happened. I know I did a lot of ministry and stood in front of that microphone more times than I care to think about, and I saw a whole lot of folks say "yes" to Jesus. What a wonder that is. With all the disappointments and difficulties, and for some reason this year has been full of them, what a wonder to see that miracle of salvation, over and over. What a wonder to hear that line over and over, whether it be in front of my face or in a letter or email, "My life is changed. I'll never be the same." What a wonder to see the kingdom of God explode in human lives.

Earlier this week I was at a luncheon for a ministry I'm very involved in, African Enterprise. What a ministry! It covers the continent of Africa, reaching into every corner with the Gospel, building the local bodies... And the thing is, very few people even know about them. They do no grandstanding, no shouting and blowing trumpets, no boasting of salvation statistics. They just quietly and humbly go about the business of saving lives, as they have been for 40 years.

Their founder, Michael Cassidy, sets the tone. I sat there listening to him speak and I was just humbled. I walked away praying, "Lord, make me half that guy, and what a guy I would be." But he stood there and all he talked about was the faithfulness of God. I've known Michael since 1993, and I know things few people know, such as he was instrumental in striking a peace accord between warring political parties in South Africa in '94 - a peace accord that staved off a civil war that would probably have made Rwanda look like a picnic.

Kissinger had given up and gone home, saying it was the most hopeless world situation he'd ever seen, but Michael hung in there. He flew in a guy from Kenya whose name escapes me, and they sat down with the leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party in the basement of a stadium where Michael had organized a turning point 'Jesus Peace Rally.' While thousands from every race and culture were embracing in the love of Jesus above them, an agreement in principal was hammered out, and the rest is history. And Michael, the guy in the middle of all that (of course, he would never say it was so), gets up in a luncheon and talks of the faithfulness of God - the miracle of salvation and the faithfulness of God. I tell you, what a guy.

And Michael is so right - I don't know that there's much more to talk about than the miracle of salvation and the faithfulness of God. I've seen these two over and over, and over and over they just continue to astound me. Speaking of Michael and AE, as we call his ministry (www.africanenterprise.org), it was from the lips of one of his long-standing missionaries that I heard a line that I've discovered to be so shockingly true - 'our disappointments are God's appointments.'

I mentioned that '02 has been a year of great disappointments for me, but as I sit here with only a month and a half to go, I could go down the list and pretty much every one of them has fleshed out to have been an open door to something new the Lord was doing. It is never nice at the time, and I don't know about anyone else, but in those times He's so hard to trust. But looking back, it's always like, "Lord, forgive me. You're astounding!"

So today is a day of rest. I feel like I could sit for a month, and I'm just so thankful. I'll slip some worship music into my headphones, later, and go into the gym for a long, long workout, and just rest - and I'm just so thankful. God has proven to be 100% extraordinary through every high time and every low, and in those places where there's still a long road before me, as tough as it still might get, today I have no reason to doubt that He'll prove extraordinary in those places as well - and I'm just so thankful. It's a day of rest, and I'm just so, so thankful. Glory to Jesus!

         

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. You know, it is really the most impressive thing to me, to see people who are just out there serving God, no awards, no magazine covers, no one telling them how wonderful they are... but just out there serving. I tell you, it just takes my breath away, and I just want to honor a couple of those saints that I've come across, knowing full well there are bunches of them out there.

A few years ago I got to talking with a reservation agent for South African Airways named Elise. Elise recognized my name and she loved the Lord and we just had a good ol' chat. But then over many reservations we had lots of good chats. But it was about a year ago that Elise told me she had decided to step out into the mission field. She was single and felt that in that freedom if there was ever a time to really step out it was now, and she came up with a real missionary dream. So big a dream it was that I was blown away to hear of it. "You're better than I am," I told her. "Go for it!"

Elise loves Africa and her plan was to fly into South Africa, buy a Land Rover and over the course of a year or so begin to drive north all through Africa, bringing the Gospel all along the way. She was tied into a strong church here in America that had contacts all throughout the continent so she would coordinate everything through them, moving through the local African fellowships and just reaching out and blessing left and right.

As you can imagine such a trip is extremely ambitious and challenging, not to mention the personal cost and risk in terms of career and future. I mean, to take a year off like that, to walk away from a company that she had a track record with - and then the single thing, to just trust God with that whole area of her life. I tell you, but like I said, she's better than me any day of the week.

But Elise was determined. She got together a team and with an adjustment or two here she is a year later and smack in the middle of the adventure of a lifetime. I get emails and letters and I'm just blown away.

Check out this postcard I just received...

Isn't that amazing? I tell you, Elise is one gutsy girl - more gutsy than most men I know, in fact - and I just have to say, "Go, girl. If you could only see the smile on the Lord's face, Elise. And man, how He is going to blow your mind with His goodness - as if He hasn't already! Bless you, Elise. Don't pick up any stray giraffes while you're out there. Glory to Jesus!"

And then it was only a few weeks ago that I was sitting on yet another American flight to somewhere out there (it's all a blur, I'm telling you). But I remember it was early in the morning - no, it was TOO early in the morning - and I could barely see let alone think. So what does a guy do? Pick up the airline magazine and give it the thumb through while everyone is boarding around you. Gee, aren't I original?

Anyway, I'm flipping through the back where there's all this American Airlines news and things like that and this photo catches my eye. It's this guy just smiling to shame the sun and he just looks like a great guy and there's this American plane strategically placed behind him and the caption below the photo says, "Someone Special At AA."

You might chuckle at this but this is a regular feature in the airline magazine and I always peek at it to see what people are up to. But there was something REALLY special about this photo that made me get out of my seat and go into my bag and grab my glasses (yes, it's true, though I hate to admit it) and give this article a read. You had to look real close to identify it and if you didn't give it a second look you'd probably miss it, but on the guy's T-shirt below the words "Rebuilding Honduras" was what looked like a cross.

I thought, "I bet this guy is a missionary," and I read the article and sure enough! Here's this saint - a guy like a lot of guys - family, regular job... and he's out there with his spare time not sitting in front of the TV or upgrading his whatever, but doing the work of Jesus!

Glory to the living God! I tell you, this guy just blesses my socks off. Here's the article...

Can you believe this guy? What a blessing. And you know, here's the thing that really, really, really caught me - he was being honored in a secular magazine by a secular organization by people who most likely couldn't care less about Jesus as their Savior. It's like Daniel in the Old Testament - here he is just serving and honoring God, and he's being honored by the world. Praise the name of Jesus!

And there's a huge lesson in this guy for us all. We're always looking for ways to influence and gain favor, and there are always these discussions about being relevant, especially in the Christian music world - "We've got to dress this way and act that way..." Forgive me for how naive this may sound, but I am convinced you don't have to do any of that. All we have to do is what this anonymous guy in Chicago named Kurt is doing. He's honoring God, serving people, reaching out with the love of Jesus in integrity, mercy, caring, giving, kindness, compassion, blessing instead of cursing... Gee, it kind of sounds like Jesus, doesn't it? Yeah, that's the ticket - we just have to start "being" Jesus. Oh, glory to His wonderful Name!

Anyway, I get so excited when I see folks who "get it" and this guy definitely gets it. So "Be blessed, Kurt, whoever you are. The Lord is just smiling away on you, too. I mean, your smile is big in that photo - and it's a smile that no doubt comes with the joy of giving - but as big as it is, it doesn't come close to His smile on you - His smile that says, 'I'm so pleased, kid - so, so pleased.' So bless you, brother. You're an example to us all. Glory to the Name of Jesus!"

So this weekend it's off to Tallahassee, Florida and I can only pray the Lord drops one big, huge blessing of His presence on the people. "Let it be so, Lord! Do a marvelous thing in Tallahassee, Lord! Let none of us walk away unchanged by Your Spirit! Let Jesus come alive, and alive, and even more alive. Glory, glory, glory to His name!"

Florida, I'm fired up and here I come - and now that I think about it, I can't wait to get warm again! These sweats I'm living in are getting to feel like a straight jacket. Shorts and T-shirt for a weekend - yippee!

         

NEW YORK, NEW YORK. Well, it's a sad day for Bruce. Last night I was playing softball and I could feel it in the air - summer was over.

I'm one of those guys, the hotter the better. I LOVE the sun and I LOVE when it's blazing, and I just can't get enough of the summer fun that goes with it.

And as for the softball, I tell you, I can't get enough of that either. One time I was doing a press interview and I was asked the question, "What do you do for fun?" I could see in the interviewer's eyes she was anticipating something like yachting or polo, or whatever.

"Softball," I said. "I love to play softball." I tell you, her face (and her grand illusions of me) dropped about 16 floors. Praise the Name of Jesus!

But it's true - what can I say? So last night - and here's where I get to brag - I went 3 for 5, and the two outs I made were blinding shots (love the dramatization) that I hit right on the nose but right at somebody. (Just thought I'd throw that little detail in, lest someone think I'm slipping up).

And on defense? Well, I'm playing third base these days, and I tell you, that's nothing to kick back about. You've got these 200 pound beer-drinking carnivores slamming balls down your throat from 60 feet away. I tell you, a guy never prays harder than when he's playing third base.

I mean, where on earth did anyone come up with the name SOFTball, anyway? Obviously whoever it was had never been hit by one while playing third base.

But I did ok last night, only booting one ground ball. It was coming at me like a rocket and I kind of chickened out, trying to backhand it instead of stepping in front of it. It's embarrassing, I know, but maybe if I was getting paid --. Nope, not even if I was getting paid. I mean, how much money is a broken nose worth these days?

Anyway, it was great fun. We won, I was thrilled with the way I played, I came home dirty and that's always a great thing, and sometimes life is just a ball (no pun intended).

But there was this interesting 'nip' in the night air that wasn't there last game, and I didn't appreciate it at all. I noticed it while I was warming up. It was that evil October thing that sneaks in on the wind one day and says (with a snide chuckle, I might add), "Sorry, kid, summer is over."

I know I'm almost alone on this, but I don't like it one tiny bit. I know, I know, Ecclesiastes says, 'There is a time for every season,' but I'm not interested in every season and I don't like it one bit. Just give me summer!!

Suddenly it's no more sidewalk cafes for dinner or late night walks on the beach. I have to wear real clothes instead of my shorts and T-shirt. No more kiddies laughing in the sprinklers, or sleeping with the windows open, or working out on the patio in the sun, or, or, or, ... In a nutshell, for my money, the end of summer means the end of all things good.

I know - I've heard all the winter-loving lines - "Oh, I just love the seasons." "Winter is so cozy." "The cold just energizes me." "Oh, I love to bake when it's snowing outside."

I can appreciate the sentiment (now I'm really going to make some enemies), but how about, "Wow, I can't wait to spend the next 3 months indoors! Just think of all the TV I can watch! And all those trees with no leaves - gorgeous! And oh, I can't wait to stick my face out the car window in a god blizzard and slip on some ice, and oh yeah - drink so much hot chocolate that I have to get a bigger belt! !"

I know, I'm being very naughty, but I just couldn't resist. It's the southern Californian in me, I guess - you know, the part of me that gets to wear shorts in January (o-hhh, that was a low blow). It just kind of takes me over and I'm helpless to stop it (hee hee!).

Now here's a good southern Californian guy story for you. Last year I flew into the Midwest to speak at a conference. Yes, it was winter and I know they wear coats and gloves and all, but really - the way I figure, you're only cold from the door of the hotel to the door of the car and I can handle that, so why spend all that money on clothes and lug them around for 5 minutes here and there?

So I'm walking out of the airport to my rental car which just happened to be parked in the furthest space possible, and it started to rain. But that was ok. It was pretty cold, but what am I, some kind of a wimp or something? I can handle a little cold rain.

Well, I was about half way there when it hit - something I'd never experienced, something I never knew existed, something the locals called 'freezing rain.'

I tell you, this was really something straight from you-know-where. Here I was in a long sleeve T-shirt (praise God for the long sleeves) and Levi's, and it was like a sheet of needles whipping out of nowhere and slamming into every part of me. And it just kept coming and coming.

My face was the worst, and it was impossible to keep my eyes open with the frozen needles coming at them. In what seemed like moments, my T-shirt and jeans froze to me, and my hair as well. I got all disoriented with my eyes struggling to open and couldn't find the car. I was struggling against the cold to breathe, and I tell you, it was just freezing like I never knew freezing. It's kind of funny now, but at the time I wasn't laughing one bit.

When I finally found that car and shut the door behind me, I just sat there trying to find my breath and just shaking. I'd never imagined anything like that. I just sat for the longest time thanking God I was out of it. It was really something.

Little did I know the entire region knew that was coming and they were all smart enough to stay indoors. And I can only imagine what anyone thought watching this dough-head cruising around out there with nothing but a T-shirt. What can I say - I'm California all the way.

So the bottom line is, "Lord, just give me summer." It's the wonder of shorts and T-shirts, and PRAISE HIS NAME - no such thing as freezing rain, thank you very much.

So now it's off for a weekend of serving folks in the northeast. It will be a 5 hour flight, a 2 hour drive for a service on Saturday, a 2 hour drive for a service on Sunday, another 2 hour drive for another service on Sunday, and then just because I like to grind myself into the ground, I guess, 2 hours back to New York City. Ah, the luxurious life of ministry.

You know, sometimes I'll fly across the country like this and drive out to do a service, and I walk in, and there's hardly anybody there. Maybe the organizer dropped the ball on advertising, or there's a big local football game on at the same time, or whatever.

One time it was because it was the first weekend of hunting season (yes, hello to you-know-where) and that meant the entire town pretty much shut down. The streets were lined with dead deer (gee, what a lovely sight), and the church pews were lined with, well, church pews.

Then there was the freezing rain event. Little did I know but Michael W. Smith was doing a concert just up the road, not only the same day but the exact same time. I don't know what anyone was thinking when they scheduled that one. I mean, even I would rather have seen Michael than listen to me. But needless to say, I didn't exactly minister to throngs and multitudes.

So sometimes you fly across the country, and put in all the effort and time, and you pray our brains out, and wake up in yet another strange place when you'd rather be home, and put on your only pants that aren't Levi's (that's the hardest part, for sure), and tuck your Bible under your arm, and walk into a room, and bingo - there's no one there! I tell you, it's times like those when a guy wonders to himself, "What on earth am I doing?"

But that's when the challenge of serving God really kicks in. The challenge to push past what you see with your eyes (or don't see, in this case), and put your head down and just serve. And it's always a journey of trust. Yes, that's the challenge - to just trust that He's sovereign and put your head down and serve.

And He is worthy of trust in those situations, that is for sure. I remember once the inviting pastor had advertised the wrong date completely by mistake. He'd missed it by a week. So here I walk in and what I see is a very embarrassed him, his very embarrassed wife and kids, the church secretary, and just because he happened to be there mopping up, the janitor.

Well, what can a guy do? Even if I was the type to blow a fuse, which I'm not, what can possibly be accomplished by that? I mean, all you can do is just laugh and say, "Well...ok!"

But I was there anyway so I just thought I'd go ahead and minister. And you know what happened - and if this isn't just like the Lord, I don't know what is - I got a letter from that pastor. After I drove away that night shaking my head and wondering why, the janitor approached him. You guessed it - "I want to ask Jesus into my heart," he said.

Yes, the janitor received Jesus that night. I don't know if his mop did, but he did for sure. Praise God! And whether the Lord had taken me all that way just for him or just redeemed the pastor's mistake, I don't know and I'm not so sure that it much matters. The janitor received Jesus, and that's all that matters. And I tell you, just to remember the story takes my breath away.

I tell you guys, we just don't understand the value of a human soul. It's so huge that Jesus gave His life for it. I mean, what does He know that we don't? It's the value of a human soul!

So it's a humbling thing, this ministry life. Rarely easy, always a mystery, sometimes a struggle - and such a humbling thing. People coming to Jesus - it's such a humbling thing.

And I'll dig in this weekend and do my best to serve the northeast. I'm not too happy about having to wear long sleeves and the color of the leaves that everyone else is excited about makes me want to cry (that's supposed to get a chuckle), and I haven't the slightest idea what I'll find when I get there...

But hopefully I'll dig in and do my best, and folks will be saved. Yes, that's the thing - because He is so faithful, folks will be saved.

"I love You so much, Lord. It just punches me in the stomach to think of how much I fail, but I love you so much and You're always so faithful. Yes, Lord, You're so much bigger than when I fail, and always so faithful." Glory to the Name of Jesus!

         

NAMAQUALAND, SOUTH AFRICA. Now I tell you, I've been many breathtaking places and seen many breathtaking things, but this place - wow!

In August/September the wildflowers bloom out here, and one would think, "Well, I've seen wildflowers before." But I tell you, you've NEVER seen wildflowers like this before, and I have been told this is the only time of the year and place in the world where you can. What a privilege!

One is hard-pressed to put it into words - I'm certain many poets and writers have gone before me and attempted. The hillsides and valleys, the entire landscape in some places - literally carpeted - a veritable sea - of yellows and blues, reds and purples, orange and white, as far as the eye can see in some areas.

It's like one of those fantasy scenes from the Wizard Of Oz, except it's more and it's real. It's like a massive Monet, but it's more and it's real.

Huge splashes of these intersecting colors, thousands and thousands of tiny blossoms bobbing and fluttering in the wind. From a distance it looks like some huge, cosmic painter spilled all his paints across the expanse. From up close it's so delicate and the blossoms are so fragile, and mixed with the silence of the African countryside it's like peeking at something so intimate you shouldn't be allowed to see. One can't help but wonder if he isn't catching a teaser of heaven. Glory to our wondrous Creator!

He really is wondrous, you know, just in case you're having one of those days where you forgot. I have one of those days every now and then, and I can write that openly in the confidence that I'm not so alone.

You see the Lord doing this and that, and it's like He's just everywhere, and it's like you're riding on clouds. Then one day, out of nowhere it's more like, "Where did He go?"

Ah, the days that stretch and mold us - the days that require faith. The days that put my trust in His character to the serious test.

In our eyes they're not the nicest days, but something tells me in His economy they're our best days. Those days when we hang on and hang on, and the more we pray the more it feels like we pray to the nothing but the wall.

But then (here's the part that puts a smile on His face) we just keep praying. Against all odds, against all human reason, against our human pull to just toss it all out the door and throw caution to the wind, we just keep praying.

What's that Scripture - "Though You slay me, yet I will believe." And oh, how He smiles. Glory to the Name of Jesus!

I'm thankful to say those days were only one or two on this trip. And now with all the events behind me and the short road to Gordon's Bay before me, I can only stand in awe at the wonder of Jesus. Expressed through His Spirit, revealed in His Word, oh, the wonder of Jesus.

He was so incredibly faithful the last few weeks - every meeting held significance - not one felt like a throwaway. And the memories, ...

There was a 13 year old boy sitting by himself in a school hall community meeting. He was a handsome kid, and just listening so intently. He was the first person to respond to salvation, and I tell you, it was life change.

After the meeting he talked with me on and on - he truly understood, and knew exactly what he was doing. He was so calm and collected - an entirely non-emotional decision. He just knew this was the truth - there was no doubt in his mind - and he wanted all of it. Glory to the Name of Jesus!

There was another kid, maybe 17. He was just trembling - literally his limbs were shaking. He said, "I gave my life to Jesus long before, but today for the first time, I feel His love for me. I can feel His love for me!" What a victory.

And there was this girl - man, I can see her precious face in my imagination right now. I did a meeting at her high school and loads of kids gave their lives to Jesus.

So here I was counseling a few of them, and there's this girl just weeping and weeping. I tell you, she was a total mess, she was weeping so hard.

I thought, "My goodness, what can be going on with this girl? I'm going to speak to her last so I can give her lots of time."

I finally got to her and was ready for some terrible story of abuse or whatever, ready to plead with the Lord to reach into her precious little life and free and heal, and I held her in my arms and she cried even harder.

Then through the bubbles between her teeth and the emotion streaming out of every bit of her, she just shook and began gushing, "I've been praying to God for this day forever. I've been asking God to save my schoolmates and today, to see so many of them come to Jesus, and I just wanted them to know Jesus so bad and now they do, and I just love Jesus so much, and I've been praying so hard for this, and ..."

Can you believe it? They were tears of joy, and I tell you, they were so beautiful.

Here's this girl, maybe 15 or 16, who 'gets it' like few others. Weeping before God on behalf of her school, begging Him to touch all the lives around her, pleading with Him to save her friends...

I tell you something, and this is the truth more than truth - everyone gets excited and heralds the guy with the microphone, me in this case, "Wow, what anointing," and on and on.

But in heaven it's a whole different story. In heaven it's that little girl who's the hero, and the many like her, who understand what few of us understand - the real work of God is praying.

Begging Him to be all He can be in all the lives all around us, trusting that He is who He says He is and His Word is true, that He cares and responds, and cares and responds.

I tell you, without this girl on her knees, there is no massive salvation in her school that day. I don't care who thinks what about me or any guy with a microphone in his hand - without this girl on her knees, there's nothing.

So praise God for her and the sweet memory she is to me. And praise God that He just keeps doing what He's doing through so many others like her that ever-so-anonymously do all the work before me.

America, I'm on my way home! Glory to the Name of Jesus!

         

CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA. It was a questionable welcome I received from Cape Town this time - had my first brush with South Africa's renowned street crime. Oh, I'm all right - miraculously, no harm was done - but I sure had the fright of my life.

Coming out of the airport, my assistant pulled off the highway to get directions out of her briefcase in the trunk. HUGE mistake, and I knew it the moment she stopped the car.

But it was already too late - they were on us in no time. Like a pack of wild dogs they moved on the car, and all I remember thinking was that getting out of there was our only hope.

Linda had already jumped out of the car and I yelled for her to get back in. But the one guy was already in her face. For some reason the other two stood back, and for that I can only be thankful to God.

It's really something, a thing like this - you can't ever imagine what it's like until it's happened to you. As it is, I've so often wondered when I've heard news reports of things like this, "Why didn't he do this?" or "Why didn't he do that?" But after being in the middle of it, I'll never wonder again.

It all happens so fast, and it comes out of nowhere, and it just happens so fast and you're taken so unprepared. Then there's the utter viciousness - you should have seen the look on the guy's face - and the way it just escalates out of control, and the whole thing unfolds so fast. It feels equally like forever and a half a second all at the same time.

All I remember is thinking to somehow get out of there - that if we didn't we were dead. The one guy had Linda by the neck. She says I struggled with him for her, but I have no memory of that. I just remember thinking we had to somehow fire that car up and get out of there - that it was our only hope.

The guy was half in the car, and the look in his face - pure viciousness. And suddenly, I don't know how, we were pulling onto the highway and the guy slipped out the door and the window shattered behind us - no doubt a stone or brick hurled by one of the others - and we were gone. By the grace of God, miraculously unscathed, we were gone.

Anyway, no spiritual lesson on this one, just thanks be to God. I'm alive today, and thanks be to God.

And what a day to be alive that it is! The sun is shining bright over the sparkling Atlantic, a Southern Right Whale is leaping and dancing just outside the breakers, Table Mountain is breathtaking to the left, Robben Island lies in the distance to its right, and it seems that all of South Africa is combing the beaches in celebration of what appears to be their first taste of spring after a long, cold winter.

I so love that about the South African people - they are a seriously outdoor people. The sea and the sun, the braai (bar-b-que) and the bush - they just love their outdoors. And they've sure been blessed with a magnificent portion of it. Praise the Name of Jesus!

And the meetings so far are going great. I've felt an extra measure of need to really spend time with the Lord in my free time on this trip - to enter a deeper level of setting things aside to just get closer and closer to Him.

And I can really see the difference in the meetings - His Spirit is abounding in extra measure and the folks are being touched by the goodness of His presence.

Last night I was at a place called The Ark. It's a residential recovery-type place for the deeply down-and-out - drug addicts, runaways, prostitutes, ... The Lord gave me a word of His hope for these precious folks, and the picture of a seed buried deep in the ground.

All that seed 'sees' around it is dirt - darkness and dirt - nothing of any promise or hope. But there's life-giving light above all that dirt, and the seed struggles toward it, one by one pushing past every grain of that dirt. And if it just keeps pressing on, the day comes when it explodes through the dirt and in the fullness of that light, blossoms into the fullness of what it was created to be. Wow! Praise the Name of Jesus!

Pretty cool image, huh? I tell you, He spoils me big-time when He shows me things like that. And He spoiled the people that night with hope to keep pushing, and keep pushing, and striving toward 'The Light' and through 'the dirt' that is so often all they see in and around their lives. The day comes when it's all behind them, and through His redemption, wow! Glory to His Name!

And then this morning, now this was really something. I was scheduled to minister in a poor township high school - something I've done countless times. But for some reason - I guess hardly anyone like me ever goes to this school - they treated me like I was Mel Gibson or something. I mean, 'red carpet' wasn't quite the word.

There was a procession with the South Africa flag into the auditorium, the press was there, an entire program was set up with the school choir and dance team - the whole enchilada.

I tell you, I've done so many of these high schools, and I'm so used to just blowing in with my Bible, chatting with the kids for a half-hour, maybe ministering individually in follow-up, then everyone goes on about their day.

But not this school - apparently this visit of mine was a huge deal, and I tell you, I just wanted to hide under the chair. As sweet as it was, it was as embarrassing as can be.

Forgive me, but I just cringe when it comes to that celebrity thing. Especially in a Christian context. I mean, isn't it God that we're supposed to be giving all the glory to? This grandstanding and glorifying of singers and preachers and the latest best-selling mighty man of God, ... Forgive me, but I'm not so sure any of it is His idea.

In fact, I remember in Acts, when the people tried to honor Paul, he got so upset that he ripped the clothes off his back, proclaiming, "I'm a man just like you!" Even Jesus Himself slipped away several times because "the people were going to take Him and make Him king." Can you imagine - one minute they want to stone Him and the next they want to make Him king.

But just to cap this whole topic, I heard the neatest Rich Mullins story once, and I tell you, though I never met Rich, something tells me this was a guy after my heart - absolutely no fear of man and so out there for God.

He was on stage singing "Our God Is An Awesome God" for the Gospel Music Association Convention in Nashville. The hall was packed and everyone who was anyone in the world of Christian music was there. Rich finished the song and the entire room erupted in a standing ovation.

I was told this story by a singer friend of mine, and it's absolutely astounding. Rich sat at his piano and quietly waited for the applause to die down. Then he leaned into the microphone and said, "You people just don't get it, do you?"

He had just finished worshipping God with a song that gives God glory like few others, and all anyone was excited about was him.

He said those words, stood up, walked out the back door, and drove away. That was Rich Mullins, and I say, praise God for him and others like him who do get it. I tell you, "ALL glory to the living God ALONE!" And that deserves one HUGE, "Amen!"

In any event, the folks at this school made a big hoo-rang of it. I got to do my thing and share Jesus with the kids, but I could see clearly they couldn't get past the hype, and that meant they couldn't hear half of what I'd come to them to say.

I gave a salvation invitation and only about 80 kids responded. I know that sounds like a bundle, but it's far below what I'm accustomed to in these school situations.

So I sat back down as the school choir got back up, and I began to chat with the Lord. "Lord, I don't get it. What happened? Did I not share with them what You wanted me to, or something?"

In the ways the Lord deals with me, He clearly showed me - "Learn the lesson, Bruce - it is a universal principle - the more man is glorified, the more My glory's flow is restricted."

Yes, the key to His bigness is my smallness. It is in my weakness that His power is perfected. To quote John the Baptist in what I have come to embrace as one of the most significant verses in the entire Book, "I must become less and He must become more." Oh glory, glory to the living God!

So no more hoopla, please - let's all just walk in all-out hunger for the Spirit of God, the ONLY kingdom celebrity. And again, glory to His wondrous Name!

Otherwise, the Lord is rolling out the red carpet for human souls. It thrills me so, I get chills just thinking about it.

After a service a few nights ago, this old guy comes up to me. I could see he was very uncomfortable with speaking English, but so very excited. "My son gave his life to Jesus tonight," he told me. "I've been praying for him for years."

You should have seen the utter glee on this old fisherman's face, "My son just gave his life to Jesus!"

And so it goes - I don't know how many stories, I don't know how many precious people. People coming to Jesus - guys, I tell you, there is no more precious thing.

Tomorrow I move up the west coast, Namaqualand, into small towns and villages I've never been before. They say the spring flowers are literally carpeting the hillsides up there these days, and between the African wildflowers and the wild African seacoast, something tells me I'm in for a real African treat. "Bring it on, Lord. Glory to Your marvelous Name!"

         

ATLANTA, GEORGIA. Business Class lounge, South African Airways, and after a 4 hour redeye from Los Angeles, all I can say is thank God for frequent flyer miles. They just bought me a hot shower between legs to Cape Town, this nice, big, leather chair I'm kicking back in, and a fresh cup of strong coffee. Glory to Jesus for small luxuries!

Last night, standing in line at LAX to check-in was really something. There was a hoard of people from every imaginable corner of society. I travel so much, I see it all the time, but for some reason last night it really hit me - the lostness - the wholesale, heart-wrenching lostness.

All around me, there were men acting like children - foul-mouthed, full of themselves, fear-filled, and arrogant. There was a group of young Marines - and this really tore me up - drunk and foul, making a mockery of themselves, a mockery of their uniforms, a mockery of our country's security and the principles on which it stands.

My first impulse was anger (yes, I'm as human as the next guy), but then my heart just broke. These poor 'kids' - they just needed Jesus. Oh, how desperately they needed Jesus!

And it wasn't just them - it was everywhere, it seemed. There was this one teenager, I remember - headphones blasting so high I could hear his music at 30 feet. Dressed like something out of a cartoon - all this silly junk hanging on every inch of him.

I know I risk sounding like a grumpy old man, but really - the waste - the utter waste of resources, and a young man's aimless days turning into aimless years, and the mad pursuit of hipness-at-all-cost.

And the sadness - I mean, real sadness - of a kid trying so incredibly hard to be - well, I don't know what he was trying to be. Some MTV concept of I-don't-know-what, I guess.

And how do I know? Well, ashamedly I confess, I remember the same strivings from my own past. But then there comes that miracle day when the Lord reaches into a guy's life and begins to free him from foolishness and nonsense, and fill him with Jesus! Yes, that's what that kid needs - Jesus!

There were many women in the terminal as well, and maybe it was just the wrong day or something, but it seemed every one of them - hanging their bodies out, tight, garish clothes and make-up, bizarre shoes as big as bricks, toenail polish of a color not commonly found in nature, ... Every one of them, it seemed, was on her cell phone, complaining endlessly about her boyfriend, or her job, or the cop who gave her a ticket she didn't deserve, ... I tell you, it was really something last night.

And there's this manic behavior thing I've noticed - from the palm pilot to the cell phone, to the CD player, to another call on the cell phone, to checking the emails on the cell phone, to the DVD player, back to the cell phone, ...

It's like, God forbid we be still for a moment. God forbid we take a step off the roller-coaster - "I just might not like what I find if I stop, and what on earth would I do then? No, as long as I keep moving, keep the stream of distraction and entertainment coming, I just won't have to honestly deal with anything."

And as I stood there last night with the guy in the Muslim cap in front of me, and the Indian family in Hindu dress to the side of me, and the drunken Marines trying to pick up the garish girls on their cell phones, and of course I can't leave out the kid who was a good example of why tigers eat their young (that's an old Rodney Dangerfield joke, so don't blame me), ... And all I could think of was the title of that old outreach song we regrettably never hear sung anymore, 'People Need The Lord.'

"People need the Lord,
People need the Lord;
At the end of broken dreams,
There's an open door.

People need the Lord,
People need the Lord;
When will we realize?
When will we give our lives?
For people need the Lord ...

" I'm not 100% sure those are the exact lyrics as it's been so long, but you get the idea. And it's the bottom line, gang - people need the Lord.

2000 years ago Jesus spoke to His disciples, "The fields are ripe for harvest." If they were ripe back then, can you imagine how ripe they must be now?

People are dying - every day, even now as I write this, even now as you read this, people are dying, and they desperately need the Lord.

So two days and several thousand miles from now, I'll be speaking to folks in some meeting somewhere in winter-cold Cape Town. The fields are ripe there as anywhere, and I trust God to reach their souls.

In fact, now that I think about it, I wonder if the Lord showed me all that He did in the extreme way He did last night just to prepare me a bit. Just to knock some dust off my trail-weary shoulders and give me fresh understanding of how desperately the people need him. Of how desperate He is to reach them. Of how glorious is the goodness, wholeness, and freedom He offers them, and how desperate I need to be to draw them to Him.

Cape Town, here I come! Glory to the Name of Jesus!

         

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. It is breathtaking, the wealth of excitement and adventure, the quality of purpose and value of life Jesus offered us in His "Great Invitation" (yes, I know that I've given it a new title), "Go and make disciples of all nations." And it is SO accessible. All any one of us has to do is take a step.

I have a friend in Florida who just took such a step. In terms of lifestyle, she's an everyday working girl, but what a passion for Jesus, what a love for His people!

So she decided, "I'm just gonna do it." She offered herself to the Lord, took a step, and the next thing she knew she was in the exotic rarity of Uganda watching lives transformed all around her, seeing things few western eyes have seen, tasting things few western lives have experienced. The Lord is so incredibly faithful! Check out this email I just received from her:

Hi Bruce,

Trust that you are doing well. I'm back from Uganda, and what a trip! The Evangelism Explosion training was unforgettable. We started in Kampala, met with another group of 7 trainers, and traveled by public bus to Lira. You know what these buses are like - jam-packed, live chickens and whatever else fitted in the overhead compartments and under/above/in front or behind our seats. Vendors were selling everything from sewing machines to coat hangers, roasted corn, bread, transistor radios, even shoes.

On the bus Susan shared the Gospel with a philosophy student from the Sudan, and he prayed to receive Christ as Lord and Savior. We rejoiced all the way to Lira.

The countryside in Uganda is picturesque, lush, and tropical. Green grasslands with clusters of palm trees, rolling hills, thatched roof huts, little villages, and vending stalls lining the road. The heavily guarded Nile River was in flood and a spectacular sight.

We stayed at the All Nations Conference Center in downtown Lira. There were 54 clinicians for the adult EE clinic and 20 for the Kids' clinic at the Victory Outreach Church. The trainees came by bus from all over Uganda, as well as from southern Sudan. One woman traveled 10 miles by bicycle every day to attend the clinic.

There were Kony rebels active in the Northern regions and we earnestly prayed for our trainees from the Gulu district who saw a town being raided on their way down. We also read in the local newspaper about a bus being hijacked in a town we passed through the day before. The bus passengers were robbed, beaten, and stripped, and the bus was burned. Interestingly, the newspaper report said, "Nobody was injured." Welcome to Africa.

I presented the Kids' EE clinic. The clinicians eagerly learned the Gospel outline and sometimes, during our arts and crafts sessions, they would spontaneously break out into joyful singing. You know that singing - it is breathtaking!

I absolutely fell in love with the people and the kids were adorable. I just felt so completely inadequate and sort of useless, yet I was so aware of the Lords' strength in my weakness.

We visited local schools, and the children came from all over to hear and see us share the Gospel. It was too precious, especially seeing the great enthusiasm of the trainees as they saw the positive response from the children.

By the end of the training they were "Ready to turn Uganda upside down for Jesus". The trainees said we were an answer to their prayers for assistance in bringing the Gospel to their children. The Sudanese trainees begged us to come to southern Sudan and to the Sudanese Refugee Camps in Uganda and assist with training there. A pastor from Kampala asked us to come and do training there as well. They have thousands of children there and the need is overwhelming. I can't wait to go back and share the Good News.

On a personal note, the trip brought my feet solidly to the ground. I realize now the importance of coming alongside these brothers and sisters who have nothing. To work, love, live, travel, eat, support, equip, and visit with them. They are our family in Jesus.

It is not always easy. I was squarely out of my comfort zone, and that's not just about the lack of hot water and flushable toilets. It's about my own limitations. Being overwhelmed by the numbers of people, the intense hunger and thirst for the Word of God; by my inadequacy to fulfill the needs coupled with the necessity to at least try.

I cannot romanticize about the work in Africa, but the bottom line is obedience in following what is obviously the Lord's will and hope for these people through our work, trusting in His infinite love and faithfulness in all circumstances, choosing to rejoice even when it hurts.

The next clinic is scheduled for Johannesburg, August 30. I hope to go from there to Kenya for a few months to continue in East Africa, then back to South Africa by the end of the year. Wow, God is so great. His mercies are new every morning, and how specifically I tasted them on this trip!

I am forever grateful. Life will never be the same. Thanks for being part of it. "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!" Psalm 150:6

Elise

Now I tell you, is that excitement and purpose beyond a person's dreams or what? What amount of money could even come close to the value of that kingdom adventure?

And the Lord says, "Come, join the fun! I promise to take care of all those things you're concerned with - just come!"

No guys, we don't need a Holy Spirit bonk over the head to "be called." It's on page after page in your Bible and mine, and all we need do is say "yes." Jesus waves His hearty invitation,

"Come!" and all we need do is say "yes."

"Come, come, climb aboard! It's a blast - just come!"

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! Glory to His precious Name!

         

NEW YORK, NEW YORK. I don't know where you were on September 11, but I was in Africa watching in horror from 1000's of miles away. Today I was with New Yorkers - and not just New Yorkers, but 3rd and 4th generation, Italian and Irish New Yorkers. The real thing, born and bred, right out of a movie, "You lookin' at me?", New Yorkers.

We took the bus from Staten Island into Manhattan and up to Broadway. We were cruising along and I'm checking out the big city sights, and suddenly I hear, "There it is, Bruce." I turned to see what that meant, and I couldn't believe my eyes. Guys, television couldn't begin to tell the story. I'm telling you, I couldn't believe my eyes.

Later that night we would have pasta at my favorite New York, right-out-of-'The-Godfather'-restaurant, and they would share their stories and those of their families and friends.

I tell you, guys, you and I who weren't there that day, who don't call New York home, we just have no idea. As compassionate and broken as any one of us could possibly get, we just have no idea. And these New Yorkers, it wasn't just the horror of the day. All this time has passed, and they're still living with it every day.

We walked to visit the sight after dinner, and there's just no way I can describe what I saw. And the horror, and anger, and heartbreak that just races through you all at the same time - there are just no words that can describe it.

There's no way to describe the quiet, and the way you can't stand to look at it but you can't stop looking at it. There's no way to describe the size of it, and the devastation and emptiness of all the buildings around it.

Just weeks ago, apparently, they found a body part on the roof of one of the surrounding buildings. It didn't make any national news, but those New Yorkers - like I said, it's still every day.

But there, perched high above the WTC crater - I tell you, it takes your breath away - the cross of scorched steel that they discovered standing in the middle of it all. It's downright awesome, guys! It's huge, and the photos don't even begin to do it justice, and it's been planted in a prominent position, and it just takes your breath away.

I tell you, I started to tear up. It's as moving a sight - I just can't describe how moving a sight. Rising high above all the death and destruction, solid and strong, mighty and unshakable, the cross of Jesus Christ! Oh, glory to His Name!

It was the Gospel in a single image - the power of God above it all, the blood of Jesus covering it all, "Come to Jesus" - the answer to it all. The victory of Jesus over it all, the hand of Jesus reaching out to all, the truth that Jesus is entirely our all.

You know, there is a powerful effort lobbying New York and Washington D.C. right now to remove that cross. The group is called 'American Atheists & Free Thinkers.'

I tell you, I never speak a word in regard to politics, but watch the news carefully about this. I, for one, plan to fight for that cross. I'll fly to New York and I'll stand in front of that bulldozer or whatever it is, and fight for that cross.

There comes a time when a Christian needs to stand up and say, "You can do what you want to me, but keep your hands off my Jesus."

Mark my words on this one - I'll stand in front of that bulldozer if I have to, and call on every Christian across America to meet me out there and do the same. Can you imagine? Glory to Jesus!!!

I mean, just reverse the roles - isn't that what He did with His every drop of blood from that cross? "You can do what you want with Me, but don't touch My _____." You can fill you own name in that blank, but that's Jesus. High above it all, bleeding for us all, giving His all for us all - JESUS!

So, may God bless you, New Yorkers. What you've been through and continue to go through - I can't begin to understand and I can promise you that I'll never pretend to.

But the cross of Jesus stands high, and none of us must ever lose sight of it. It stands high above the ruins - high above all of our ruins, whatever they might be. It stands high above our hopes and dreams, our challenges and our tragedies, ... It stands high above it all - Jesus.

Glory, oh, glory to His most blessed Name! Jesus!

         

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA. So I'm sitting on a plane that's boarding and this nice-looking kid takes the seat next to me - 15, 16, 17 maybe. He's just a normal-looking kid - baggy pants, some cool surfing label on his T-shirt, and a baseball cap worn forward (have you noticed they're all worn forward these days? What's cool must have changed while I wasn't looking).

But I really love these kids. I'd much rather sit next to one of them for 3 hours than some much-too-adult adult, if you know what I mean ("So, what business are you in?" It's always the first question. Bo-o-o-o-ring!).

But I ask this cool kid, "Are you going home, or what?" His answer broke my heart - "No, I'm going to my Dad's." Here's this kid - and the millions like him - and home is not his Dad.

I'm working on a book right now called 'Jesus Wept.' It's a focus on the heart of Jesus in the midst of human tragedy. On September 11 you and I wept - the whole nation and most of the world. But unnoticed by most, maybe even acceptable in it's familiarity - here's this all-American kid growing up without his Dad.

It doesn't make a difference in our lives, the stock market doesn't go into a spin, wars don't break out, ... But the living God weeps.

His eye is on this kid - and the millions like him. He knows every hair on this kid's head. He knows the plans and purposes and heavenly hopes He has for this kid. And all the while redeeming - interceding on behalf of this kid - He weeps.

Behind the kid's cool undoubtedly lies the pain of abandonment - his entire 'rug' pulled out from under him. And yes, he'll survive - millions of them do. Like I said, the Lord just redeems and redeems and redeems all the more.

But this was never God's plan for this kid. It was never His hope and desire. And with every tear that doesn't fall from this kid's face because he's got to be tough, and all his friends are in the same boat, and besides, Mom's not coping all the time and so now he's got to be the man, ... the living God weeps. He weeps, and He weeps, and He weeps. Jesus.

The kid just slipped on his headphones and I don't know what good they are because I can hear his music almost as loud as he can. I feel like telling him, "Gee, kid, you already lost your Dad, you might want to hang on to your hearing."

But somehow I don't think that would go over too well. See, I do have some measure of sense. But you know, he just looks like such a great kid. Who knows, if his batteries run out, maybe I'll get to tell him about Jesus. One way or the other I know he'll find Jesus. Jesus weeps for love of him, beams with hope for him, and I just know he'll find Jesus.

"Lord Jesus, bless this kid. I ask You for his eternal salvation, Lord, if it isn't secure already. Draw him into every goodness, purpose, value, and excitement you have laid up for his young life. Don't allow the enemy to steal anything more he already has from this kid."

"And repair his heart, Lord. Pour healing upon him in every way. Repair, heal, redeem, ... you're so awesome at those things, Lord. They are truly Your stock and trade."

"I commit him to Your more-than-capable care - and the so many like him - in the glorious name of Jesus!"

         

CAPE TOWN INT'L AIRPORT, SOUTH AFRICA. "Moving on." How many times have I tasted those two words? And it's always bittersweet, though sometimes more bitter, and sometimes more sweet.

This particular 'moving on'? I'm not quite sure one way or the other, to be perfectly honest. I landed here just under a month ago with most of my mind back in L.A., yet excited to dive into S.A. which always proves to be a thrilling ministry adventure.

But my initial drive through Cape Town was a haunting thing. It had been a long time since I was in this city where so much of my life had been shaped on both the bitter and the sweet sides - where so much of my life has been lived.

I remembered too well the innocence and wonder of filming 'Matthew.' I remembered too well the victory that it was.

But with that came the memory of how it stole my heart, and rightfully so. How Regardt and I prayed and "just knew" the Lord had forged us together as a creative team for more of such breathtaking purpose.

I remembered the confident prayers and elated discussions. I remembered driving through the forests and alongside the beaches that are this city's heartbeat, and just beaming in the joy of this newfound purpose, ready to drop my every Hollywood aspiration that it might be accomplished - the Bible on film - what glorious purpose!

I remembered Regardt and I sitting in an editing room and saying, "We're going to be sitting in these rooms together for a long, long time." I remember "just knowing" it was true.

But then Visual Bible took a business turn here and a business turn there ... They brought in this guy and that guy, and suddenly everyone knew how to do it better, and Regardt and I found ourselves no longer on the bus. And then the bus stopped.

And then there was no more bus. Nine years it's been, and the great purpose has yet to even be begun, let alone accomplished.

One thinks he's effectively dealt with the heartbreak. One hopes that he's successfully prayed through the disappointment and come to peace with it over all these years.

But heartbreak runs as deep as the passion from which it is born. Disappointment is as unshakable as the trust from which it's formed. And one day a guy finds himself driving through streets that unlock the memory of it all, and ...

So it wasn't the easiest of arrivals a mont