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 Dear Friends & Family,Greetings from London, England! I just arrived yesterday and it's truly been a very beautiful (albeit very cold!) way to start off the New Year. I pray that you had a wonderful holiday season, and that you are healthy and well. I didn't have a chance to include any of my Chinese pictures in my last newsletter (when I wrote from China) , so I'm including them in this letter from England! Boy, am I behind in my pictures! 2005 SalvationsI just went through the notes from last year, and tallied all of the souls that were saved through Cornerstone Theatre Ministries by the grace of God for 2005, and they total 5,800 for the year! Praise the Lord for all that He did last year. No, I don't use the number of salvations as a "knotch on my belt" to impress you, but rather to impress UPON you what the Lord can do when we yield ourselves to Him. I couldn't have done this without your prayers and your support. Thank you, my precious brothers and sisters in Christ!2006 ItineraryIf you would have told me just ten years ago that I'd be traveling around the world full time doing productions, I would have told you "Impossible!" Yet, that's not what the Lord thought, and so, He has me circling the globe doing the very thing I love to do… Christian theatre! Thank You, Lord! Currently, I'm booked for all of 2006, and half of 2007. Below is my 2006 schedule:
Since I'll be directing 12 productions in 12 countries in less than 12 months, I'm obviously going to be very busy! Please keep me in your prayers that I can meet the needs of all these precious saints, and that we can reach them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through theatrical productions.  Having little time to do any sightseeing as I'm actually in London on business, I take a quick picture of Big Ben, an iconic symbol of London. Divine HungerInside of each born-again child of God there is a divine hunger for the glory of God that cannot be satisfied either by the things of this world or even by religious duties. The longer we walk on this earth, the stronger that hunger grows. The Apostle Paul was like this. He walked in so much revelation, and yet he wrote Philippians with such a hunger in his spirit. He wrote, "I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord…. Oh, that I might know Him, and the power of His resurrection…" Philippians 3:8-10 Let's look at those last few words… "power of His resurrection." I've read or heard that phrase lots of times, but what does it mean to YOU? Maybe it means "power to raise from the dead." So what? I'm not dead. Maybe it means "mighty power so strong, it can raise the dead, and it can accomplish other things." That's closer, but still, why would Paul yearn after that? Does he want to have God's power to do those things?  Truly one of the most incredible places I've ever been. The Great Wall of China is formidable, and so is the climb to the top! No! Here's a secret! It's found in Romans 6: 4 "…that like Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father…." How was He raised up? "by the glory of the Father. Was it God's breath, or hand, or angel that raised Christ from the dead? No, it was His glory! Let's go back to Philippians 3:10, "Oh, that I might know Him, and the power of His GLORY". What was it Paul yearned for? God's glory! God's glory is the manifest tangible force of God at work. It shines like a light! In Zechariah 10:1, it's like "bright clouds", and it's in Exodus 16:10 that was the bright cloud of God's glory that led the Israelites through the wilderness. It was the bright light shining on the shepherds the night Jesus was born as seen in Luke 2:9. It was the bright cloud that overshadowed Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17:5. It was the bright cloud of God's glory that appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus in Acts 9. Anytime anyone was in the presence of God, they radiated the light, or the glory of God. Moses' face would reflect the glory of God when He had been in His presence in Exodus. When Jesus was in the glory on the Mount of Transfiguration, He too shone with God's glory in Matthew 17:2.  The Ming Tombs, this one is typical of the overall look of the tombs: impressive and ornate, for each of China's emporers. You know, why was it that when Jesus was on earth, He didn't shine brightly, but later, when John saw Him (see Revelations 1:12-16) , he wrote about Jesus' face was "as bright as the sun in all it's brilliance". I've pondered this, and I feel that it's because Jesus Himself had been in the presence of the glory of God right before He appeared to John! You see, when Jesus came to earth, He was inside Mary, and was later born, and spent all those years away from the physical presence of God (although He was in constant communion and communication with the Father) . Let me go one step further. You see, Jesus not only reflects the glory of God, but He Himself IS God, and radiates that glory! God wants to lead us into that same glory! Isn't that wonderful? 2 Corinthians 3:18 says that we are being "…changed into the same image from glory to glory…" Is it possible for someone to have heaters around them, and still freeze to death? Yes. Why? An answer could be that they don't know what these heaters do, or how they operate. I remember reading a story of a lady in Russia, who froze to death, and she was found next to a heater that could've saved her life, had she known how to turn it on. Such an irony, isn't it? AND YET, my friend, we carry God's Holy Word next to us everyday, or have it within reach, and yet gloom and despair overtake so many of us. That "book" that you take to church every Sunday…do you read it? I mean, not just skim along as the pastor, or another leader reads from it, but do YOU read it, study it, drink from it, eat from it, absorb it, research it, as you should? By doing so, you will truly be transformed. Any time someone is in the presence of God, you can tell! You don't have to be a scholar to know that! They literally reflect the glory of the Most High, invinceable, Holy, Glorious God! They have "fresh bread", because they've been in His presence. Yet, the Bible unopened or unread has little value. But open it and study it, and wow! It can change your life, and change thousands of lives through you!  The front of the Forbidden City is humble compared to the incredible expanse of the palaces and the terraces within this myriad of buildings. There were 9,999 rooms in the city (as Buddhists believe that only God can have 10,000 rooms). There is an anointing in you that's crying out for the glory of God to encompass them, to baptize them, to immerse them, to burn up all chaff of sin, worldly thoughts, and shallow ideas and vain imaginations. You have the "hope of glory" within you. What's hope? It's not a wish, "Gee, I wish my life was filled with God's glory". No, it's a motivated expectancy, "I have to do whatever I can to have my life filled with God's glory." Do you have a "hope of glory"? Make a stand! Yet you ask, "How can I do that?" Here's how, my friend:
 The Chinese like to exercise out in the crisp, cold air. Here you can see couples dancing, or playing racket games, or doing group exercises. Cheerio!That's British for "see you later" (with apologies to the Brits!) . I'm so pleased to be going into my 14th year of international travel, telling people about a wonderful God that changes the hearts of men if they'll simply give him their hearts. I gladly give Him my heart, again and again. I also give you my heart. My friend, I praise the Lord for you. Thank you for giving me the opportunity of sharing with you all that's God is doing. God bless you, my friend!
For the Kingdom, |
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