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QUESTION: How much do you charge for
speaking engagements?
ANSWER: Gee, I don’t' know if this question
was a booking inquiry or a general question, but I may as well go for
it. In a nutshell, I have made a choice not to quote minimum speaking
fees for ministry. I have felt all along that the Lord's word to me when
all this ministry began was, "Go where you're invited" (in other words,
don't try to create or steer opportunities, but just trust His
sovereignty over my schedule and go). And the other thing, "Trust me
financially." (in other words, don't establish minimum fees for
ministry).
Well, I must tell you, that hasn't always been
easy--not just the trusting part, but I can't tell you the times I flew
across the country and ministered my socks off, and got little more than
a wave good-bye at the airport for my trouble. I tell you, it's so scary
the way we in the body can so often mis-treat each other. We're "family"
in every sense of the word, I guess! Ha!
But on the other hand, I can't tell you how
faithful God has been, and how often I have been blown away by a leader
or church family that recognizes the amount of effort and giving-out,
and the fact that guys who are in ministry have very real expenses and
deserve to make a living, too. And I can promise you, at the end of the
year when I add it all up, as scary as it may have been one month or
another, I'm always blown away by God's faithfulness in providing--glory
to His Name!
But I just have to tell you some stories, because
I have learned that very few realize these kinds of things. Guys that do
what I do generally charge a minimum fee for doing it--and please know
that I don't attribute more or less righteousness one way or the other.
I just know what God wants of me and that's just me.
But when this all first began, I will never forget
sitting down with a prominent Christian speaker and getting my mind
blown sky-high. I will never forget how he told me that I first needed
an agent--yes, there are really agents out there who specialize in
Christian speakers. They generally take 15% of the speaking fees for
their fee. Then he told me about what he got and a couple other
high-profile guys, and I tell you, I couldn't believe my ears.
Seriously, I just started laughing and laughing--I couldn't believe it.
The high-end guy was $25,000 for a church service.
Most of the guys that he mentioned to me that day hovered around
$7500-10,000. This was back in '95, and I will never forget him telling
me, "You should be getting about $2500 just starting out."
Ha ha! I can see all of your eyes opening wide.
It's a whole new world you never knew existed, isn't it?! But it's true,
and what kind of bugs me about it is just what I said--no one knows
about it, and obviously that's because no one mentions it. And where
that line is between a guy making sure his family is taken care of and
outright abuse--well, your guess is as good as mine, and I'm certainly
no one's judge--only He is.
All I know is that I've got to keep my own nose
clean according to the path He's given me to walk. And that means you'll
never catch me demanding $25,000 for a church service, but then I'd be
lying if I didn't also say that I think it'd be pretty cool if God
blessed me with one someday! Wouldn't that be fun? Yippee!
But anyway, on the other end, something that very
few understand, my speaking is the lion's share of my professional
activity, and a typical ministry event occupies 2/3 days when you
consider traveling. So it's not just getting blessed for an hour of
speaking, it's 2/3 days of my work week during which I'm precluded from
other activities which may bring income. Then when I get home I have to
turn double time in my office to catch up on those missed days. It's
really quite a thing, when you really sit back and look it all over.
And I'm a guy like anyone else--I want to build
security for the family I pray the Lord brings me someday--and it can be
really tough, just going out there and trusting that the guys I'm
dealing with understand that the financial realities I face in my life
are no different than theirs. You add on top of that my day-to-day
expenses in keeping the ministry operating--phone, salaries, office... I
tell you, it can really get up there.
But again--God has always been so incredibly
faithful, and that is the bottom line to my financial story. I carry no
debt, I keep my overhead as seriously low as possible, I live minimally
by most standards, and God so astoundingly does it all--goodness and
faithfulness, goodness and faithfulness. It is entirely who He is--for
me, for you--goodness and faithfulness. Glory to His Name!!
Go To Top
QUESTION: Bruce, I'm
so amazed at the ministry you are doing. But are you going to make any
more movies or write any more books? You have no idea how many lives are
changed through them. Thanks!
ANSWER: Thanks for
your kind words, and the answer is simply, YES, YES, YES!! I so love
what I do in ministry, but I tell you, I can't wait to get back on a
movie set--a JESUS MOVIE SET! It is my deepest desire and I feel very
strongly the Lord is opening that door and that it will open as He
dictates in His timing. "To everything there is a season," and it is
mine to simply wait upon His season, be 100% prepared and ready to go,
do everything within my power to do, and PRAY MY BRAINS OUT because He
comes on invitation and that's the way His kingdom order is ushered into
our world. Hallelujah!
I'll tell you a secret, in
fact. I could have done another Jesus movie 2/3 times in the past 4
years. Two in particular--the offer was on the table, the money was in
the bank... But without going into the details, "it just wasn't God," if
you know what I mean. It was people stepping out in impatience, stepping
out in ambition and greed, stepping out with human wisdom instead of
seeking the wisdom of God... And I promise you, it's not so easy to say
no to your dream, and there are plenty of times when I wake up in the
middle of the night and think, "Bruce, you blew it!"
But I didn't blow it--I know
I didn't blow it. I tell you, when God unleashes it and it isn't men
simply doing what men do in men's understanding and agendas--wow, wow,
double wow! And that's what I live for and will wait for. Glory to
Jesus!
And there are other projects
that are "going on," too. I'm in the middle of scripting and seeking
investment for a video series that I will only talk publicly about when
the bucks are in the bank and it's 100% go (It bugs me, that thing of
big talk that goes nowhere). But rest assured, it's something I've been
working toward for a long time and again, in His season and according to
His order and will, it will come to pass. Glory!
On the book front, Just
yesterday I completed my final draft of my next release, Jesus Wept. It
is a focus on the compassion of Jesus, and His heartbreak over all the
broken things that break our hearts and lives. It will be released, I
believe, in spring '04 through Howard Publishing, and I tell you, I
couldn't be more thrilled. After a marathon week of rewriting the
manuscript, and polishing and refining, I punched "save" and I almost
cried. You must understand, it's a pure miracle that I would have even
one book out there, let alone just completing my 4th, so God is amazing.
I tell you. His plans for our lives are so far beyond what we can even
dream of. Hallelujah!
And next week I have another
publishing meeting where we'll toss around ideas and see what's up. One
thing I know for sure, the next book I'll start working on is a book for
single people based on a singles seminar/conference I've presented with
tremendous response and fruitfulness. It just seems the single journey
the Lord has brought me on and the lessons I've learned in the midst of
it are a real blessing to folks, so if I can share them in book form,
all the better.
So there's a lot of things
going on--I just tend to keep my mouth shut until something is concrete
and 100%. You've got to understand--I'm that guy with a million ideas
but not a million bucks to get them all done and only two hands. I
actually have a file of book ideas and video ideas and film projects
that are in my sights and on and on... and hopefully the Lord will get
them all done. But again, He has His seasons and His ways, and this is
His kingdom stuff, and if there's one Scripture that is huge, it's
"Unless the Lord builds a house its laborers labor in vain."
We are all to often stepping
in front of God in our impatience, and the Lord uses it all, but I want
to be right in the middle of His perfect intent, His perfect timing, and
His Spirit marching before me... So... I "do what my hand finds to do"
with what He's given me to do it with today--glory to His blessed Name!
And I tell you, what God has done... it just blows my mind. And again,
GLORY TO HIS BLESSED NAME!
Go To Top
QUESTION:
Bruce, if I understand correctly the way things are set up, any moneys
your ministry receives from the work that you do goes back into the
ministry and also for the children you support etc. How do you manage
yourself financially and little extras you would like? Do you struggle
at all with wanting to be financially successful?
ANSWER: Wow, I can't
believe I'm going to answer this wide open and personal, but here goes
nothing!
Here's how the ministry is
set up, and this is just how I have it set up and not to say this is how
they should all be set up, ok? There's 3 ways that money comes into this
ministry - speaking honorariums/offerings taken when I speak in a church
or something, people giving donations, and from direct sales of my books
and 'Matthew' videos.
The speaking
honorariums/offerings first pay the ministry expenses which include
salaries for two employees here and one in South Africa, as well as
office rent/expenses here and South Africa. I do not take a salary
myself simply because there just isn't enough to do so. What the
ministry does, however, is pay my basic expenses such as home rent,
phone bill, utilities, gas... up to but not to exceed $1500/month. (Gee,
how's that for disclosure!). But I live pretty simply, so I always come
in well under.
Any money left over from
those honorariums goes 100% out, whether it's for the babies, or
outreaches, or whatever. Africa gets pretty expensive and a lot of it
goes there - each outreach trip with airfare and all costs about $3500+.
There's also a lot of other
stuff I do that no one knows about. For example, I sponsor a youth
pastor here to Bible school. I purchased a life insurance policy for a
pastor/evangelist in Africa so that if anything happened to him his
family would be taken care of. Lots of little things like that.
Now there's also donations
from folks - and I've got to tell you, that just humbles me beyond
beyond. I don't talk about it much and it's been going on a few years
now, but I tell you, just the other day I opened an envelope and saw
this check and read this note, and my eyes welled with tears, I was so
blown away. It wasn't that it was so much money - it's just the precious
giving of compassionate and caring people, and the softness of heart
that money represents, not to mention the trust that people have given
me. I tell you, it blows my mind. Precious, precious people who
understand the value of human souls and babies' lives. I tell you, it
blows my mind.
But I can promise you, 100%
of those donations go directly to all the outreaches in their various
forms. The only time any donation money is touched for expenses is when
I've been in Africa for a month or whatever, as that means no speaking
honorariums came in. And that's only if there's not enough in the pot
from the previous month to cover.
Then there's money given for
specific purposes, such as the upcoming South African crusade, or SA
Cares For Life. 100% of that goes directly to that specific designation.
We have different envelopes for each different outreach, and when
someone says they want it to go to a specific place, I can promise you,
it goes right into that specific envelope. Glory to Jesus.
And you know, it was the
neatest thing. Just two days ago I was in Africa and delivered the first
deposit of funds to Pastor Martin to begin paying for pre-crusade
expenses. I was with him in church Sunday morning and he announced to
his congregation that the first moneys had come in, and he vowed before
them that 100% would go to crusade expenses and none to personal
salaries. I tell you, I was just so blessed. Glory to Jesus for such a
man to work with. Hallelujah!
So that's the story on
donations. And she'll get so mad at me, but as for SA Cares For Life and
Rose Pylidis who handles it for me, she won't even take out expenses. No
matter how much I talk with her about it, she pays for all the postage,
printing, etc. out of her own pocket - 100% of what you give is taken
directly to Africa over for the babies. She even pays for her own air
ticket to take it over there. Bless you for that, Rose.
Finally there are the
product sales, which, frankly, I hate dealing with. Forgive me, but I
just can't get comfortable with anything commercial connected to
ministry. But then every day I receive that letter saying what this book
or that video did for someone in their life, and there it is. So I make
every effort to keep prices down, down, down so these things are as
available as possible, and let it take it's course.
This whole area is run
independent and separate from the ministry, paying for it's own
expenses, two employees, the whole thing. And what a blessing, as
whatever is left over also goes toward the various outreaches, as well
as into a savings account out of which I have hopes of producing more
videos and all in the future. They change lives and reach far more
people than I can by getting on airplanes, so the more I can produce of
these resources, the better.
So that's how the ministry
is set up financially. Where does my personal income come from? Right
now it's all in book royalties stemming from 'In The Footsteps of Jesus'
and 'Meeting Jesus,' as those two are what is currently still in print.
I think folks assume I receive royalties from 'Matthew' as well, but
that's not the case. Both Regardt and myself did 'Matthew' for a flat
fee, and have never received any royalties from it.
Do I miss 'little extras'?
By the grace of God I'm a guy with no 'little extras' to speak of,
really. My sense of fun is very simple - an afternoon in the gym, a
weekend with my nephews and niece, a night on the softball field,
spaghetti at my Dad and Mom's, coffee with good friends, and Wednesday
night worship service. I absolutely love what God's given me to do - my
ministry IS my recreation - and maybe that's the difference. I think
that few people actually get to do something they love to do, and in
that I am blessed beyond blessing.
Do I struggle with financial
success? Struggle is maybe too strong a word, but I do squirm
occasionally about it. I'm as human as the next guy and I'd love to have
a real solid security - where if something happened to me, my wife and
kids (yet to be determined, of course) would never have to worry. Yes, I
do 'think' often about that, for sure.
But at the end of the day, I
just have to trust God. I just have to believe His heart toward me is so
good, and He's telling me the truth when He says, "I will never leave
you or forsake you,' and He's got plans for my financial future just as
He has for every other area of my life.
I have to believe He's not a
God who is going to say to me one day, "Well, Bruce, I gave you the
opportunity to make big bucks off the ministry but you just gave it all
away, so you lose, buck!" I mean, if that's who He is, why are any of us
interested?
No, my God is good, and His
heart toward me is huge. So I'm going to just keep peddling this bicycle
He's obviously put me on, and just trust Him all the way. And if I never
get my house on a cliff overlooking the ocean, well, that's just ok,
because He's given me a life that blows my mind - adventure and kingdom
excitement, participation in precious and wonderful things - the things
of eternal glory - the things that no amount of riches can even begin to
buy - and all I can say is glory, glory, glory to His wonderful Name!
Jesus! Go To Top
QUESTION: I teach Bible at a
Christian High School and am having my students read "In the Footsteps
of Jesus" it for class this quarter. The book brought me to the floor
with tears and prayers for more earnestness as a Christian. But one
question--what is your challenge to today's youth? As you travel and
speak, what do you hope today's youth come away with?
ANSWER: You hit the
nail right on the head when you wrote, 'more earnestness as a
Christian.' I mean, youth or otherwise, isn't that the bottom line of
what we ALL need? Glory to Jesus!
But kids face some very
distinct challenges these days, and the list is so long it would take me
all night to write it out (and yes, I do all of this stuff at night).
But in a nutshell, this generation of kids generally have little
leadership - massive broken homes, dads more on the golf course, or
paying for their Lexus, or upgrading their whatever... They're also
pretty jaded and unimpressed, watching everyone from the Enron guys to
their favorite pro athletes just running amuck and never paying any
consequences. How do you tell a kid he's got to live in integrity and
responsibility when America's leaders--and that's exactly what they
are--are laughing like that all the way to the bank, not to mention the
whole "I never had sexual relations with that woman" thing (was that a
laugh, or what?).
The kids also face a real
crisis in the speed of things these days, which is something we rarely
think about. I mean, they live in a world where their everything is
outdated and out of fashion before they've had a chance to unpack it,
and I don't know if you've noticed, but in the music and film world,
there are new names popping up as stars, it seems, every week. I was
watching a commercial for the Golden Globe Awards the other night and I
tell you, I didn't recognize half of the faces that I saw, let alone
their names--and I'm in the business!
It's the same on the sports
field. When I was a kid the players stuck with their team, generally,
from one season to the next and it was big news when one of them was
traded or moved on. I could sit in the stands and I knew every name and
history of every guy on the field. And I mention this because sports is
big with the kids.
But not so today. The guys
move from one team to another wherever the bucks may lead, and the teams
trade them before their sneakers are scuffed. There's no loyalty
anywhere--one day they're playing hard to get your home team in the
World Series, and the next day they're playing just as hard for the team
that's trying to beat your home team in the World Series. One day a kid
is rooting for a guy and the next day he's hoping the guy strikes out
(gee, what a subtle lesson in commitment and relationships--something I
never thought about before).
And all that may seem silly,
but it really runs deep. And really, how can a kid grow in any sense of
security with all that spinning around him all the time--things changing
faster than he can open the magazine to read about it. And that's not to
mention the distraction level all that is--there's so much to learn and
keep up with. The amount of information thrown at these kids in one day
is more than a month that was thrown at me.
They've got 100 channels on
their TV, a dozen video games to play, 100 CD's to listen to, cell
phones ringing in their pockets, 3 different sports to race off to after
school... I tell you, it's crazy--distraction, insecurity, a million
activities...
Then there's September 11
and how that changed their world. It's an unspoken thing, but there's an
undercurrent of insecurity and fear, and "What does my future hold with
war looming and all these guys with nuclear weapons and now I've got to
worry about chemical poisoning and anthrax in my mailbox, and kids
shooting me in class..."
So, see--I told you I wasn't
going to list it all and I went for it anyway. So sorry...
But there in the middle of
all of that, stands the Son of the living God, and I tell you, the kids
today are hungry--hungry for something 'real,' and that means Jesus!
They just need Jesus, and they need to know they need Jesus. The
spiritual struggle for their lives is beyond what any one of us
comprehends. They're so precious, these kids, and the enemy is doing
everything he can to steal their futures, their hopes, their bodies,
their minds, and yes, their very lives.
But you know where I feel we
fail these kids in terms of the way we approach them with Jesus? And
this is coming from moving all across this country and ministering in
youth groups and camps and you-name-it everywhere.
We come up with all these
fancy gimmicks to 'keep their attention' and do everything we can to
keep them coming with entertainment... But what they're really starving
for is 'the real thing'--God in all His power and love and reality and
truth. Wherever I've seen kids challenged and not entertained, I've seen
kids hungry and strong in the Lord, and youth pastors with more kids in
their youth group than they can handle.
On the other hand, wherever
I've seen reliance and emphasis on well-intended programs that attempt
to "be relevant" and keep the kids entertained, I've seen kids who
aren't interested; kids who wouldn't be there if there weren't some
pretty girls and cool guys and they get to go to the movies now and
then.
I'll give you a couple of
examples. The biggest and strongest youth group I ever saw was in South
Africa. It was huge--a typical Friday night would draw 400 kids. But
here's the thing--the pastor NEVER entertained the kids or set up
activities that were merely entertaining. The kids were challenged to
press into the Lord and actually told, "If you're not serious about God,
this isn't the place for you." I will never forget once when he told the
kids, "I'd rather have only 20 of you in this room, on fire and seeking
God with all of your heart, than to fill the room with lukewarm." He
actually told the kids to decide if they were serious about Jesus and
only then come around. I tell you, this place was popping with the glory
of God, and the kids were like young men and women, strong and
committed, mature and free of typical teenage nonsense. Glory to Jesus!
Another example... In two
consecutive weekends last year, I ministered to two different youth
groups. One was a group from a fairly affluent area. I walked in and
these kids had everything--pool table, video screens with music videos
playing, the best music equipment... No joke here, but the only thing
that was missing there was God. The pastor began the service and there
were kids checking their cell phones for messages, gabbing in the front
row, making jokes... It was heartbreaking at best, and I tell you, what
this guy needed to do is tell the kids to get lost if they wanted to
play games with God. That would have gotten their attention real fast.
But the other youth group
was just the opposite--poor area, and in fact, mostly filled with
illegal immigrant kids. Their little building was a wooden shack out
behind the main church, those white plastic chairs... you get the idea.
The sound system was so bad I didn't bother using the microphone.
But I tell you, these kids
were popping with excitement for God. I stood in the back through their
worship and some of them were on their knees, crying out... It was an
awesome sight. There were kids there going to Bible school with the
little money that they had, and when it came time for them to voice
their prayer requests it was all stuff like, "For my Mom to be saved." I
tell you, it was exciting--and these kids had nothing.
In the announcements, all
their activities were going out street-preaching, car wash to raise
bucks to go to a youth conference... There was no "We're going to the
movies next week, then skiing the week after..." like the other place.
And the kids were
challenged--invited to press deeply into the things of God without
candy-coating or presumed 'relevance', just the real thing--Jesus, His
love, His power, His Spirit, His goodness even when it doesn't seem like
it... And again, the kids were on fire!
So guys, I don't know
anything, but I know that's what these kids are crying out for--the real
thing--Jesus in all His glory and demand and power to redeem every
corner of every part of their lives and bring them into the fullness of
everything they were created to be no matter what life situation they
might face or ever will face. He alone is their security, He alone will
never leave or forsake them, never change or move on or get out of
style. He alone is all the power of the universe and then some, and all
of that is available to these kids just for the asking, and they need to
know it and be invited to explore it--the goodness of God, the power of
God, the holiness of God... Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!! Glory
to Jesus! Go To Top
QUESTION: While out on the road, do
you have a covering? What do you do when Sunday rolls around? Does
anyone else travel with you?
ANSWER: No, I travel
alone, and that's purely a financial choice - there just isn't enough
money to pay for another airfare and hotel room and all. I long for the
day when the Lord gives me that opportunity to have a brother with me on
the road, but He knows that need far better than I do and all I can do
is pray about it, keep my eyes open, and leave it in His hands.
What do I do about Sunday?
Well, I'm preaching myself most every Sunday, so it is really rather
rare that I get the chance to sit in church and enjoy it. But have no
fear - going to church is a real priority to me - you know, "do not
forsake the assembly of the saints." So I limit myself to ministering
only 3 weekends a month, and then I'm in my church every Wednesday night
as we have a midweek service. My church also provides me with every
Sunday teaching tape so I can keep up with the body.
In South Africa I have a
local pastor who I report to and have an accountable relationship with.
Then of course, my pastor at Church on the Way, Scott Bauer, keeps a
strong hand on me and has given me an open door to phone him anytime day
or night from wherever I am.
So all that to say, though
I'm out there on my own, I'm well covered and well looked after. Glory
to Jesus!
Go To Top
QUESTION: Hi Bruce. I read with
fascination how God is using you around the world... but hey, no
surprise! I am an Associate Pastor of Children's Ministries in
Saskatchewan - responsible for 500 children. We want to touch the world
with you. How can we pray, support financially (we need info re:
Canadian support donations) and get involved? On a personal note, I had
the privilege of having lunch with you and Moira Brown on the set of 100
Huntley Street. That encounter with you refocused my calling to touch
lives with the Gospel of Jesus. I look forward to partner with you and
join with 500 Canadian kids in supporting you. Keep up the great work -
it's contagious.
ANSWER: Wow, I'm
blown away. I just don't know what to say except thanks for your words
of encouragement. Whenever folks tell me things like what you wrote they
often begin with, "I know you hear this all the time..." Well, number
one, 'all the time' is a relative term, and I don't know about anyone
else in ministry, but this guy can't hear encouragement enough. And
number two, it's not always so easy. Oh, it looks all grand and glorious
from the outside, but anyone who serves God will tell you, like that
Dickens line, ministry is pretty much 'the best of times and the
toughest of times.'
I can't tell you how often
I've just said, "Lord, I can't do this anymore. It's too tough, too
lonely, too whatever..." Then I get an email or someone stops me in an
airport and just blesses me with words such as yours, and I can't tell
you what it means in terms of the Lord whispering, "Keep going, kid.
You're doing great. Just keep going."
So thanks. To so many of you
who have said so many kind things - thanks, thanks, THANKS!
About support, I'm humbled
by your offer, and you can tell the kids, pray, pray, PRAY! If there's
one thing I've learned, prayer is everything. The Lord chooses to come
on invitation, and He so loves to be invited, and there is nothing that
can replace His kids begging Him to come and establish His kingdom order
in whatever situation.
Frankly, I need a whole lot
of prayer, and I can't ask you to pray enough. It is the only reason I
am able to do what I do and see the results I see - people are praying.
I may be the 'front man,' but make no mistake - it's those praying
people who are the true heroes of Christianity.
And for some reason, I can't
tell you the spiritual 'opposition' I see regularly. Everything comes
'tooth and nail. Nothing is easy. My pastor feels it's because of what
it is that the Lord has given me to do - it's so 'at the core' - it's
just Jesus, Jesus, and more Jesus. And to quote my pastor, "I can't
think of anyone the enemy would love to knock out more than someone who
represents Jesus to millions of people."
And it's not just me - it's
'Matthew' and the books and everything. It's all just Jesus, and I am
convinced that none of it has even begun to see the fullness of what the
Lord's perfect intent through it all is.
And another thing - we've
started saving babies now. Well, you start getting into that and you're
just asking for trouble. It is one of the enemy's most focused assaults
- real front line stuff for anyone who steps onto the battlefield, and
not for the faint of heart.
But the enemy's an imp and a
loser, and even a loser at that. And our God - the living God - is so
mighty and huge it would astound us to even understand a corner of it.
So there is no fear - just diligence in intercession and prayer.
So tell the kids to pray.
Pray for people's hearts to open to Jesus - to understand Him for who He
truly is. Pray for mothers to let their babies live. Pray for the
African crusades that are swiftly becoming a huge part of what the Lord
is doing here. Pray for American hearts, which are relatively so
lukewarm and complacent in their lack of need before God. Pray for an
end to religion - oh, how 'religion' and church tradition has so
constricted the vitality of God in our lives and how He longs to live in
our lives.
You know, I learned so much
from these African pastors during these past days of our first crusade.
The meetings started at 7 pm, but intercession started at 3. I tell you,
that blew my mind. I'd never seen anything like it. And it just carried
on and on all the way through the service until the last soul was in the
kingdom. Glory to Jesus!
So tell the kids to pray.
Pray, pray, and then pray even more. And if they want to help out
financially, well, I'm not so sure how to do that from Canada, but it
sure is welcome. These African crusades are expensive and that burden is
pretty much all on my shoulders here, so any help would be wonderful.
Why don't you phone the
office at 818-843-5772 or use the email
form. I
know there are folks from Canada who do support us, so she'll be able to
tell you how they do it. And again, thanks. Thanks, thanks, double
thanks! Go To Top
QUESTION: Are there any plans or
thoughts about Bruce coming to Australia?
ANSWER: I would love
to come to Australia, and in fact, I receive loads of correspondence
from Australia, so I think it would be a great trip. The way I do
things, I just kind of go where I'm invited. In other words, I don't aim
for anywhere in particular. I just follow the invitations I get,
trusting that the Lord is leading those invitations and taking me where
He wants me to go.
Of course, I have to work
within certain guidelines just to insure that I'm stewarding what God
has given me well. For instance, I'm not interested in what I would call
'commercial' invitations. What I do is ministry, and forgive me, but I
think we've had more than enough of ministry to God's people being used
simply to promote the sales of products.
That's mostly been the case
with Australia - most every invitation I've received had a commercial
attachment to it. The guys who invited me - and this is nothing against
them, it's just not what I choose to involve myself with - were selling
'Matthew' videos and saw my testimony more as a marketing opportunity.
When I come - and I hope I
get to come soon - it will be purely to bless the people, to minister
the love of Jesus and the goodness of His person, to reach for souls and
more souls, to see His kingdom grow and grow in the most beautiful land
'down under.' Glory to His Name!
The time will come when the
right Aussie invitation comes across my desk - free of commercial
influences, partnership I know I can work with and trust, a program that
makes it well worth the journey... - and I'll be there! Good on ya,
mate! (Did I spell that right?). Glory to Jesus!
Go To Top
QUESTION: You have
such a wonderful ministry... yet seem a little overwhelmed. Aside from
office staff, why is it that you do not have a loving partner to share
in your work and glory?
ANSWER: Well, I knew
this one was coming. Gulp! No, really, that's one of the great mysteries
of the 21st century. And you know the funny thing? I was voted most
likely to be the first to be married out of high school. Isn't that a
laugh!
But to tell you the truth,
on the practical side, without going into details, my personal life has
simply been a case of the couple times when I was ready the girl on the
other end wasn't, and vice versa. It's really been as simple as that.
But you know, back in those
days I didn't know Jesus, and in that I had no concept of what love
truly is, no concept of what to look for in a wife - nothing. In fact, I
thank God almost every day that those couple girls weren't ready because
our lives together would have been a complete disaster. Believe me on
that one.
Then I get born-again and
the Lord begins to 'renew my mind.' I begin to grow in understanding of
love and what it is and how it's done in the kingdom of God - giving
instead of taking, commitment rather than mystique, partnership more
than feelings... It's been quite an education and I have to guess it
will go on for the rest of my days. But thank God that when I finally do
tie up with someone - and I'd be thrilled if it was tomorrow - I'll at
least have some understanding and be able to treat her and lead my
marriage in the way He would have me. I tell you, I can't wait!
And wait is the appropriate
word. I tell you, I'd be out of my mind to attempt such a thing on my
own terms. It's got to be the Lord putting me together, because if it's
me or her I can promise you it'll be a mess. "Unless the Lord builds a
house its laborers build in vain," and this is one 'house' I'd be crazy
to build on my own terms.
And I can promise you, I
won't miss her. God is not hiding behind bushes trying to keep us from
the goodness He has for us. He's longing to spill it in our laps if we'd
only give Him true lordship and control over our lives and allow Him to
be who He is in our lives.
Then of course, there's the
glaring reality that my singleness has been key in terms of
accomplishing what the Lord has done through my life. I'm completely
free to fly off to wherever for as long as I want to, and totally commit
my focus to whatever task is before me. I can do what I do and not earn
a dollar and it's no sweat off anyone's back. As much as there's
loneliness in my life, there's freedom, too, and I tell you, the Lord
has really used my freedom. Glory to His Name!
So to all my single brothers
and sisters out there - dig in and go for God, guys. Use what you have
today with everything you have, and trust God for the rest. He's not
about the business of robbing any of us. Just 'seek first His kingdom'
and He promises "all these other things will be given to you."
You don't have to run after
them - just run after Jesus! Run after souls! Go on that missions trip!
Serve in your local church! The day is coming when you won't have that
liberty, so the time is now.
That's all I really do, guys
- I go as hard as I can with what is in front of me now. Yes, I'd love
to be married, but I'm not, so I'm going to trust God with that and run
with my singleness as hard as I can. Glory to His precious Name! Go,
guys - GO! Go To Top
QUESTION: Bruce, I
noticed Pastor Godwin is no longer featured on your web site. Do you
still support him?
ANSWER: No, other
than funding a life insurance policy to protect his family in case
something happened, we're no longer supporting Godwin. My whole plan was
to 'give him a start' and keep him going till things could go without
me, and these 7 years later - praise God - that has happened.
Godwin has gotten on his own
feet very well, and it is wonderful to see. His congregation is growing
and thriving, his ministry is doing well, he's becoming a noteworthy
figure in his community leading the fight against AIDS, and he's now in
a position where he is fully supported without us. Isn't the Lord
something?! Praise His wondrous Name! Go To Top
QUESTION: Do you have any plans to
come to England? In 20 years of churchgoing, no preacher ever told me
that Jesus loves me. I only totally understood that through the way you
portrayed Jesus in 'Matthew' and through your books and seminar tapes.
We have so much religion/theology/doctrine here - what we need is the
love of Jesus! We really need to hear your message here.
ANSWER: Thank you for
your kind words. Praise God for what He has done in you, revealing His
heart to you. Praise His Name!
I'd love to come and look forward to the right
invitation. I've actually had only one invite from the U.K., and again,
it involved a real commercial atmosphere.
But I can tell you, I have
had the U.K. on my heart strongly for about a year now. I have asked my
assistant in South Africa to keep her ears open for any opportunities,
as the church she goes to has strong ties there. I remember being
approached by a guy in Cape Town once who said he organizes Christian
youth events in the U.K. and he asked if I'd come. I jumped on it, but
unfortunately I never heard from him again.
So all that to say, I'd love
to come. The Lord has His ways and perfect timing, and when He opens
that U.K. door I'll be there in ten seconds. Meanwhile, stay on your
knees, beg the Lord to spread His love all over your land, trust that He
is faithful, and glory, glory, glory to His precious Name! Go To Top
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