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Showing posts from August, 2012

Use Your Lifeline

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. (James 1:5, NIV)   I used to watch the TV game show, "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire".  It has a series of questions, each worth more than the previous question and increasing in difficulty.  If you answer the final question, you have won 1 million dollars or pounds (American or British version).  Along the way, if the contestant has difficulty, he or she had 3 "lifelines".  These were assists with the difficult question.  There was 50:50, where 2 of the wrong choices were removed.  There was Ask The Audience, where the audience would be polled (and the majority was usually right).  There was Phone-A-Friend, where the contestant would call a friend who was knowledgeable in that particular field.  In other versions of the game there were different "lifelines".   In our walk with God, and our obedience to Him, there are challen

Radical Obedience?

One of the early phrases that I picked up when I began to learn about the multiplying church planting and disciple making movements was "Radical Obedience".  I began to learn that Obedience Based Discipleship was a key principle....a "Critical Element" in all CPMs and began to talk about it and use the phrase "Radical Obedience".  One of the early CPMs that was reported from Cambodia in the 1990s was connected with the ministry of Bruce Carlton.  I have not had the privilege of meeting Mr. Carlton, but was inspired by his book that tells the early story of his ministry there and the beginnings of a CPM.  The book is called "Amazing Grace", and it was published by "Radical Obedience Publishing"!  I was inspired, just by the name of the publishing house!  It reminded me of the publisher of David Garrison's books on CPM, "WIGtake publishers".  It stands for What's it gonna take!  I love it and I love the spirit of passion

Attack, Counter Attack: The Nature of Spiritual Warfare

The Spiritual world is as real as the Physical world.  This is the clear testimony of Scripture.  When Elisha was surrounded by a physical army, he prayed that his servant's eyes would be opened to see the spiritual forces that fought on their side. (II Kings 6:15-17).  When Jesus was approached by a raving madman, he addressed demon spirits instead of the human being, and drove them away, which healed the man. (Mark 5: 1-20).  Both of these incidents are examples of Spiritual Warfare and the reality of the Spirit world.  According to historians, the early church advanced exponentially in the first 300 years of its history, through miraculous power encounters and numerous exorcisms.  The "gods" of the Greco-Roman world would speak through demonized people and ordinary Christians would dominate them, humiliate them and cast them out in the name of One Who really was God: Jesus Christ. I have been reflecting on the last 25 years of Church History.  In 1989 the Manila conf

Betty Crowell: A special friend

I want to honor the life of a special friend who has recently gone to be with the Lord, Betty Jean Crowell .  Betty's son, Garland Crowell, is one of my best friends.  He serves as a board member for WME, and in fact was with me on my very first mission trip to Honduras in 1994....it was on that trip that the Lord confirmed a special calling for church planting for WME.  All of the members of this family have been very close friends of myself and my family for well over 30 years.  Following is the obituary for Betty.  Please remember this family in prayer.  Betty Jean Crowell, of Nashville, TN, formerly of Benton, KY, passed away peacefully on August 2, 2012 to be with her heavenly father. She is the adopted daughter of the late Rev. W. T. Garland and Christine Driver Garland. She was born August 14, 1930. She is survived by her loving husband, Billy F. Crowell of over 60 years. Together they found and demonstrated for others that love is patient, love is kind. It always prote