2nd CCR Leaders Conference for Asia-Oceania

I don't really fit into the slot of a CCR leader, but I decided to accept the invitation by one of the local parish priests - Fr. Ani Xavier - who heads the local chapter of the Charismatic Renewal to come for a leader's conference in Malaysia. I was glad that I accepted the invitation. Not only did I get to meet some anointed people of God, it was nice to have the opportunity to listen to preachers for a change (as opposed to preaching). One of them, a gentleman from Ghana called Mark Nemo, was particularly brilliant, and I returned to Dubai a happier man.

May God bless the Renewal with a fresh anointing and raise a new breed of Spirit filled leaders who will mirror Christ to all who see them.

Come All You Who Are Thirsty

Just before I travelled to Lebanon to address some of their political leaders I was beset with a sudden bout of inadequacy and unworthiness, wondering why on earth I was going to speak to people I knew nothing about. The night before I was to fly I went to my office and cried out to God to give me a sign that this mission was indeed his will and not simply something I wanted to do in foolish arrogance. After nearly half an hour of waiting for him to speak to me, he opened his mouth and told me to refer to his word. A little sceptically I flipped open the Bible only to find myself on Isaiah 55. If God had ever spoken to me through his word, it was this time and by the time I reached the end of it, all doubt was gone and I knew that I was to embark on one of the greatest missions of my life. This became the subject of my first talk after I returned.

Discerning God's Will

We'd all like to do God's will, but how does one discern it, really? Largely inspired by Peter Kreeft, this was the subject of the talk in the HSI Community in Sharjah today.

Lebanon 3: Talk to the Political Leaders

Telelumiere, an international Arabic language TV station operating out of Beirut, had organized a meeting of Christian political leaders in Lebanon and had invited me to deliver the keynote address. There were about two dozen of them in attendance, and I spoke to them for a little under an hour about the need to make a change to the country by incorporating Christ in their lives and in their policies. The session, which was broadcast live, would, over the next week, be telecast nearly a dozen times reaching an estimated audience of over 7 million people world wide!

In the evening I returned to the Franciscan Capuchin Friary in Mtayleb where I had an informal, but very anointed session with some old friends and some new.

Lebanon 3: Meeting the Patriarch

My third mission to Lebanon was even more extraordinary than the two preceding and given that both those were really spectacular, this was truly saying something.

I received a surprise invitation to meet the Patriarch of Lebanon His Beatitude Beshara Rai, who heads the Maronite Christians, on the first day of my two day trip. I found him a humble, gracious man who seemed very happy to meet us. He had already heard about me, and that was quite flattering.

In the evening I received another unexpected invitation to preach in a local Maronite church whose pastor was a gregarious man named Agnelo. He invited us to his house after the service and I was blessed to meet his family in addition to a sumtious dinner.

The Surrendered Life

My first talk after my return from the US was on living The Surrendered Life. I was extremely jet lagged but felt myself moved to speak on the subject and I was glad that I did because it was a very anointed session.