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Cornerstone Communications
Korea
April 04, 2006

Dear Friends & Family,

Greetings from Seoul, Korea! I hope you're doing well. Korea's seasonal changes are in full gear, and the smell of blossoms is in the air. Mmmmm. I love to jog in the mornings and inhale a breath full of lilac and honeysuckle!

Production Update

The cast and I are in full scale rehearsals. We have learned all of Act One, and we're beginning Act Two. I'm excited about this cast, because there is so much talent here in Korea. I'm working with Director Kim, who is personally heading the intercessory prayer groups who have already started praying for the production. One thing I love about Korea is their earnestness to pray for everything!

Seeing dear friends Pastor and Mrs. Cho once again. They are great supporters of Christian theatre. Sunday, we were reunited, and shared several laughs.

I'd very much appreciate your prayers. The production will be beautiful. It will be professional. It will be well received. The Lord is so gracious to bring us a successful production.

With that said, only the Holy Spirit can change a heart. I'm not in the business of doing "good" musicals. I'm in the business of making Jesus Christ LORD over the nations. That can only happen by showing people how to have a personal relationship with Him. And no matter how good a show is, it's the Lord who'll touch the heart of the viewer to make a commitment to Him. So, I sincerely covet your prayers for Korea.

Working in one of the gyms, we stage and dance most of our rehearsals here. The gym is perfect because it's closest to the actual size of the stage we'll be using.

Heir Conditioning

Did you know that love is unconditional, but that God's blessings are conditional? As an heir in the Kingdom, we have blessings that we receive from God, but it is based on what we do. We can choose to obey God's Word, or not. However, God can't bless our disobedience.

We have become heirs, or God's children when we accepted Jesus into our hearts, but with that blessing comes a responsibility. In Mark 11:24 it says "What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray believe that ye receive them, and then ye shall have them" One of our responsibilities is to pray and obey what God says… to believe that we receive when we pray.

Visiting Kyung Buk Koong Palace, the home of all the emperors, is now a beautiful museum, filled with beautiful artwork dating back thousands of years.

Isaiah 1:9 "you must be willing and obedient to eat the good of the land." We can't be "willing and obedient" if we're not delighting ourself in God's Word. Psalm 1:2 "But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law doth he meditate day and night."

When you discover what excites a certain person, you will find out what the most important thing is to them. What you see on the surface is just a tip of what's underneath. It's not enough to simply follow and obey God's Word, we must find our delight in Him, in what He says, and what He's passionate about. When we delight in His Word, our thinking changes, we think about what He wants, and what His plans are. Why? Because His Word and His will are one. So when the Word becomes a part of our life, our decisions come into line with the will of God, which will bring abundant blessings- for us, sure, but also to those who will benefit from our obedience.

Inside Yoido, Pastor Cho's church with membership of 800,000 members. Their goal is to have 1,000,000 members by 2010. Wow! (it's crowded now!)

When you finally delight in His Word, you will be as one found in Psalm 1:3, "a tree planted by the rivers of water". When you delight in the Word of God, it doesn't matter what kind of situation the devil tries to put you in, you're going to win! So, my friend, obey God's Word! He only wants what's best for you, but you've got to trust Him! Do you want your life to be victorious, with all situations and conditions for living to be right? Then line yourself up to His blessings by obeying His Word! You'll find so much more joy in living His way than your way!

Ta Um Me Payu!

That's Korean for "See you next time!" I look forward to seeing most of you soon! I will be returning to the States in May… to Raleigh, North Carolina, and to Dallas, Texas. I can't wait to see my friends in the States! To my European friends, I'll be there this summer, so hang on! And to my African friends, I'll be back in June! I love you all. God bless you, and live for Jesus. Choose to line up for His blessings, by being obedient to His will over your life.

For the Kingdom,
Richard Montez