Hey bloggers,

We're leaving for the airport in a few hours, so I have a little time to write something...and I was finally able to get on the page where you post articles.

Thanks for all of your comments about Judah's sermon...I loved every one of them, including the ones on the CITN blog (Pastor Lou, I think I liked yours the best)...and speaking of comments...thanks, Donald, for bringing it to my attention that I asked for you all to agree for a safe "fight". Of course I meant "flight"...or did I?

Also, please read my comment about the estimated number of the crowd at the GPF...

It has been very interesting being with people from all over the world for the last few days. They all want to ask questions about our newly elected President, and, for the most part, they are extremely excited about what his candidacy represents to the world.

We had a meeting at the Korean Parliament earlier in the week, and there is some concern among Korean leaders about how he will treat the trade agreement that the U.S. has with this country. All in all, it has been fascinating to see the whole thing from the perspective of the global village.

There's no way to tell you how much favor we've had here, and I have to say that I liked Korea a lot when we came here in April, but this time I totally fell in love with it. When I spoke at the GPF, I had the entire crowd (all 25,000 to 75,000 of them) stand and stretch their hands toward North Korea and pray for the unification of the two countries, and I believe it was one of the most anointed moments of my entire life. And they totally got it! It was beautiful, and I hope to show you a video of it soon.

As I told you, dad and I had an extra day here after the ILC and the GPF ended, so we were able to go to Prayer Mountain yesterday. We took a cab to Dr. Cho's church, and from there took the shuttle (about an hour and a half ride) out to the place that really was the catalyst for the growth of the world's largest church.

Dad visited there 30 years ago when he was here preaching at the church, and was given admittance to Dr. Cho's personal prayer grotto, where he encountered a life-changing experience with the Holy Spirit. He has talked about it for years, and has always wanted me to go there, too, but we found that the place that he visited back in the 70's has dramatically changed in these last decades. He didn't recognize anything, and the whole place has grown into sort of a huge Christian retreat mega-complex.

We wandered around for about an hour...no signs in English, and no one who spoke English...until we became, shall we say, somewhat frustrated. We not only couldn't find Cho's prayer grotto...we couldn't find any of the grottoes! There is a chapel that seats thousands, a hospital, a restaurant, a sports complex, a youth center, a huge cemetery...even a zoo...but no place to pray that we could find!

Anyway, after asking about a hundred different people, we finally found one guy who spoke a little English, and who led us to where some newly built prayer grottoes are (apparently all of the wooden ones that dad remembered from back in the day are long gone)... so, even though we were disappointed, he got one, and I got one, and we each went into our respective prayer closets for some alone time with God.

While I was in my private grotto, I asked the Spirit to show me what the day was all about, since it definitely did not turn out the way that we had visualized...and He showed me two things...

First, the experience that dad had when he was there before was unique to him...it couldn't be duplicated. Years ago, when I was going through a time of personal crisis in my life, he had wanted to send me to Korea so that I could go to Prayer Mountain and have an experience like he had had...but I didn't want to go then, and now I understand why. Experiences that we have with God are totally unique to us as individuals.

And secondly, He reminded me of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, when Sean Connery played Harrison Ford's father. In the story, he accompanies his son on a mission to find the Holy Grail, and they go through all kinds of trials and adventures in an effort to discover it. At the end of the movie, when Jones lunges for the grail before it falls into the abyss (I'm fast-forwarding, assuming you're familiar with the plot), his father says to him "Indiana, let it go"...and the point of the story is that the father and son thought they were looking for a religious icon, but came to realize that the real spiritual treasure was in the discovery of truth within their own relationship through the process of searching. That's what Korea has meant for my dad and me this week.

Furthermore, we don't have to find Prayer Mountain...we are Prayer Mountain...

I need to go to my room and pack, but I wanted to share this with you. A few weeks ago I was here telling you how much I love Uganda, and now I'm telling you how much I love this country...and I'm not exaggerating. I keep hearing Peacemaker's words to me..."the world is yours"...

Debye and I have been invited to go to Brazil in a few days, and I'm sure I'll love it, too...and for different reasons...but I'll never forget this week...spending time with my father...watching my son preach over the internet from the other side of the world (even though he had had a challenging week...he had to go to court to face the guy who broke into his truck and stole all his stuff on Friday of last week)...

But I love all of you more than ever, and look forward to a big turn-out for Wednesday night. Oh, Auntie Em, there's no place like home!

God is good.

We Speak To Nations

It is an awesome thing to be involved with a ministry that has a global pulpit, and is a prophetic voice to the nations. We're still receiving so many amazing praise reports from the GPF Interfaith Service earlier this month, and we continue to gain new members at CITN who are a part of the international community. Our cyber-congregation is thriving, and the streaming of the services over the internet blesses people around the world every week. We are also ever evolving in our understanding of diversity, and the role that we, as the Body of Christ, are playing in that dimension, as we tear down walls and build bridges.

Here are some updates on what is happening in the world of CITN...

KOREA

Thanks for praying about the trip to Korea with my dad. As I told you a few days ago, I've been invited to speak at the International Leadership Conference in Seoul, that will convene on November 6-10. The ILC is different from the Global Peace Festival, in that it involves ambassadors, heads of state, and people in government more than ministers and faith leaders, so it's a real honor for a minister to be invited as a speaker. The theme of the conference is "Toward a New Paradigm of Leadership and Good Governance”, and I'm very excited to be a part of it.

Anyway, they've invited my dad to come with me as their guest, and it's going to work out fine with his and my schedule to do it. He was able, after all, to get a new passport (it should be here day after tomorrow), and he's having cataract surgery on this coming Tuesday, so he will be recuperated enough by then to go.

There will be a GPF at the end of the conference, and then he and I are going to spend an extra day in Seoul to visit Dr. Cho's church - the largest church in the world - and to go to his Prayer Mountain (I've never been). This will be the first trip that dad and I have taken together in over 25 years, so we're really looking forward to it. Thanks again for praying, because the Lord has definitely worked out the details.

PHILIPPINES

Thanks, also, for receiving Bishop Tommy yesterday, and for ministering to him at the alter, and for giving in his offering. As he admitted at the end of his sermon, he was having a bit of a struggle in his preaching, but I want you to know that everything is OK with him. He's just been working very hard the last few weeks here in the states, raising funds for the ministry there in Ozamiz City, and is very ready to get home to his beautiful wife and children. His return has been delayed a week, so that he can preach in one more church before he leaves, and those extra days, though necessary, make things more difficult for everyone concerned. I really wish that he had shown some pictures of what they are doing there, because you would be very impressed to the see the pictoral evidence of the fruit of their labor.

I'll be going there at the end of January to do the UNITE! Conference for the pastors and leaders who network with him. For those of you who might be interested in going with me, I'll be leaving on Monday, the 26th (1/26/09), and the meetings will take place on Wednesday through Friday (1/28 - 1/30). Then I'll stay and preach at The Sanctuary (his church) on Sunday, February 1, and return to the states the next day.

UGANDA

The conference will be similar to the one we did in Uganda last month, and I'll be ordaining several pastors on that Sunday like we did at Pastor Ben's church in Kampala. Speaking of Uganda, I'm looking forward to meeting with all of the Uganda team this coming Wednesday night after church.

I really love connecting with pastors in this way. In fact, I prefer these types of meetings to the typical crusades that most American pastors hold in foregin countries. To me, building relationships is what it's all about, which is why I want to do an annual leadership conference in both the Philippines and Uganda, indefinitely. I haven't firmed up the exact dates for Uganda next year, but Pastor Ben and I have discussed the first week in September.

USA

We discussed this last night at the Care Pastors' meeting, but I want to reiterate how important it is right now to keep the United States lifted up in prayer. Aside from the current financial situation (which I personally believe is going to reveal great things in and for the Kingdom of God), this election year has brought about acute division and extreme polarization in this country.

Now, I want you all to be informed, and of course I want you to vote...but more than anything else I want you to pray...and to set an example of love and harmony...and to build bridges...and to be peacemakers. I love the Republicans and I love the Democrats (and the Independents and the Libertarians)...but more than that, I love America, and I don't want to see it divided on November 5 (I'll actually be flying to Korea on that day, but I'll be here in spirit).

Anyway, vote your conscience and your convictions in the election, but do what you can to promote unity. And whoever moves into the White House on January 20, make the decision to respect him as your President, and to pray for him as the Scriptures tell us to do.

"We speak to nations, the Kingdom is coming near to you, we speak to you... BE FREE!"

Have a blessed day!