In South Dakota

 

DEAR friends… just a quick note from a rest stop as we enter South Dakota. Tonight and tomorrow, my wife and I will be presenting our final Encounters With Jesus here in the United States. Please see our schedule here.

I have much to write you, but have struggled to find time for ministry, prayer, writing and driving the bus! (However, when I repost an older writing, it is because I feel it is the "word" we need to hear again.)

Please keep my family and I in your prayers for our safety and spiritual protection. Regarding our bus, we hear a vibration coming from the drive-train, so it sounds like we need to head to the repair shop once again. Perhaps I will finally have a moment to write! By the way, we are so grateful to those who on their own initiative have sent us donations to help cover the costly repairs we have faced. As we depend entirely upon you and our CD sales to not only continue our ministry but buy diapers, we want to deeply thank you!

Remember, you are loved! Christ is our hope and our life and is as near to you as your breath. We are not orphaned. We are not abandoned. Be not afraid!

Read: Be Not Afraid of the Future

You are loved!

For those inquiring about donations, see this page or click on "DONATIONS" in the menu bar to the right on the web page.

 

The Coming Pentecost


Coptic icon of Pentecost

 

First published June 6th, 2007, the content of this writing comes back to me with a new sense of immediacy. Are we drawing nearer to this moment than we realize? (I have updated this writing, inserting recent comments from Pope Benedict.)

 

WHILE the meditations of late are somber and call us to deeper repentance and trust in God, they are not a message of doom. They are the herald of the end of a season, the “fall” of mankind, so to speak, when the purifying winds of Heaven will blow away the dead leaves of sin and rebellion. They speak of a winter in which those things of the flesh which are not of God will be brought to death, and those things which are rooted in Him will bloom in a glorious “new springtime” of joy and life! 

 

 

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Ministry in Missouri

 

FEAST OF ST. MARK

 

STARTING this evening with a concert, I am presenting several ministry events in and around the St. Louis, Missouri area this weekend. We continue to see powerful experiences occurring before the Blessed Sacrament at the Encounters With Jesus. You can check upcoming events on our schedule here. We will be in South Dakota next week as we begin our swing back to Canada.

 

BREAKDOWN BONANZA

Once again, we are experiencing several serious breakdowns on this tour—sometimes literally having to patch the motorhome so we can get to our next destination (our "tour bus" is getting tired). We are nearly up to $6000 in repairs to this point. By God’s grace, we are breaking down during days off so that the repairs can get done. Getting to our next destination is our concern… God will have to take care of the costs.

Yesterday, I was going to press on with a mechanical issue with the brakes and a wheel, but felt agitated about it, and decided to stop for a repair. As it turns out, the oil filter was loose—and losing oil fast! Had we kept going, the mechanic informed me, we could have lost the filter and all of our oil, destroying the engine. We are surrendering more and more to God, trusting that even if we completely breakdown, it is also His will. Remember, St. Paul was shipwrecked!

We are still in good spirits, despite the tense week it has been. Lea is feeling tired and nauseous with our eighth pregnancy, but is her usual sweet self. The kids were thrilled to get a chance to swim at the pool in the hotel last night as our bus sat in the shop.

 

THE WINDS OF CHANGE

We have noticed, just like the last tour, that strong winds have followed us the entire 6000 mile journey thus far. On our days off, the winds die down… but start right up again as we head to our next destination. We like to think it is a sign of Our Blessed Mother and the Holy Spirit accompanying us, filling the sails of all our hearts. Once again, the words "winds of change" come to mind….

We are excited to get to St. Louis so that Jesus can continue to heal and renew His little flock. Pray for us, as you remain in our prayers. Time to hit the road!

 

The Time of the Two Witnesses

 

 

Elijah and Elisha by Michael D. O’Brien

As the prophet Elijah is taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot, he bestows his cloak on the prophet Elisha, his young disciple. Elisha in his boldness has asked for a “double portion” of Elijah’s spirit. (2 Kings 2:9-11). In our times, every disciple of Jesus is called to bear prophetic witness against the culture of death, be it a small piece of the cloak or a large one. —Artist Commentary

 

WE are on the verge, I believe, of a tremendous hour of evangelization.

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A Great Shaking

Christ Grieving by Michael D. O’Brien
 

Christ embraces the whole world, yet hearts have grown cold, faith is eroded, violence increases. The cosmos reels, the earth is in darkness. The farmlands, the wilderness, and the cities of man no longer reverence the Blood of the Lamb. Jesus grieves over the world. How will mankind awake? What will it take to shatter our indifference?Artist’s Commentary

 

HE is burning with love for you like a groom separated from his bride, longing to embrace her. He is like a mother bear, fiercely protective, running toward her cubs. He is like a king, mounting his steed and rushing his armies into the countryside to protect even the lowliest of his subjects.

Jesus is a jealous God!

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The Last Apparitions on Earth

 

MEDJUGORJE is that little town in Bosnia-Herzogovina where the Blessed Mother has allegedly been appearing for over 25 years. The sheer volume of miracles, conversions, vocations, and other supernatural fruits of this site demand a serious examination of what is occurring there—so much so, that according to new confirmed reports, the Vatican, not the new commission, will direct the final judgment on the alleged phenomena (see Medjugorje: “Just the facts, ma’am”).

This is unprecedented. The significance of the apparitions has reached to the highest levels. And significant they are, given that Mary has allegedly said these will be her “last apparitions on earth.

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Two Reasons to Become Catholic

Forgiven by Thomas Blackshear II

 

AT a recent event, a young married Pentecostal couple approached me and said, “Because of your writings, we are becoming Catholic.” I was filled with joy as we embraced one another, delighted that this brother and sister in Christ were going to experience His power and life in new and profound ways—particularly through the Sacraments of Confession and the Holy Eucharist.

And so, here are two “no-brainer” reasons why Protestants should become Catholics.Continue reading

Come!

 

IT is clear that many are having powerful experiences during the Encounter With Jesus events we are giving on our tour through the United States.

Here is one such testimony from someone who was “drawn” to an Ohio event this week…Continue reading