Building sale

Thanks for all who have prayed, we finally signed a contract for the sale of our building this past week (actually this is the second contract we have signed, but I think this one will go through). The lucky buyer is Congregation Bris Avrohom of Old Bridge, a young Orthodox synagogue which ministers to Jews who are mainly from Russia. They are one of a group of similar related synagogues in New Jersey. As a commercial deal is much more complex than a residential sale,we had been negotiating with them for the past several months. We announced this as God's gift to us at our Christmas Eve service- the contract was wrapped up in a gift box!

There is a 90 day due diligence period during which the deal could be dropped. After that, we have up to 9 months to finish the building and move. Our builder says completion should take about 7 and a half months from full mobilization (right now things are quiet on the job site). So the bottom line is that we should be in our new building by Christmas, and if things go really well, maybe as early as Labor Day. But we have to be out of our current building in a year in any case.

Please keep in prayer-
-that the due diligence period and inspections will go well and quickly- no surprises
-that more building funds will come in
-that God will give us wisdom as we ramp up for full-speed ahead construction in the spring

My view of the blizzard as a pastor

The Saturday blizzard was something of a disaster for our church. We had about 12-15 inches of snow ending Sunday morning, and a lot more just a few towns south. Christmas Sunday is one of our biggest outreach days of the year. We cancelled 2 out of 3 morning services, making one up with a small crowd at night, and hosting one in the late morning with a small crowd. Plus, our Christmas drama outreach 'The Saving of Scrooge" was postponed from Saturday night to the weekend after Christmas. We would have had lots of new and peripheral people to present the Gospel to, but only the most dedicated made it out to church at all last weekend for any of the five major events (3 services and 2 dramas). I also had a creative first-person narrative message acting out the role of one of the shepherds last Sunday, which only a few saw. Plus, it was a financial disaster for the church, as we did not come close to receiving enough income to pay our bills for the week- when people stay home from church, all but the truly committed keep their tithes home with them. I doubt that anyone who is not a pastor can understand how demoralizing it was to work so hard for this weekend, and then to have it mostly cancelled.

When I get to heaven, I will ask God why He allowed Christmas Sunday morning of 2009 to be snowed out.

Missing cat

The most heartbreaking part of this holiday is that our beloved 10 year old cat Neko was lost in the blizzard last Saturday and has not been seen since. We walked around to the neighbors, gave out "lost cat" flyers, checked out possible hiding spots, called the police and shelters, etc. Even though chances are increasingly slim that we will ever see him again after a week away, yesterday and today the snow pretty much melted and Tim and I put on our boots and raincoats and walked all over the neighborhood (even through numerous neighbors' yards) for probably an hour each day in search of our cat, or his remains. But we found no trace of him. It is sort of a mystery where he went- we have covered all his favorite hiding places.

I'd gladly give up all our gifts to get our cat back.

Philadelphia- an overlooked city

Living where we are in central NJ, people often forget that we are close to 2 major cities- New York and.....what's that other city- isn't it called Philadelphia? It is ironic that many residents know New York extremely well, but have never been to Philly, which is (I may get in trouble saying this) much more historic, and certainly more accessible.

Recently we went there for a day. We started off at TonyLuke's in south Philly (as the locals call it), right off I95. They are known for their sandwiches- the cheese steak, or pork with broccoli rabe can only be called an intense spiritual experience (even with about 20 orders in front of us). You haven't lived until you have had a real cheese steak in Philly (where they and soft pretzels were invented).

Then we went to the Rodin art museum, which is small but really interesting. If you go, get the headphones for the audio tour. His most famous sculpture is the Thinker, which has spawned debates about the true mood of the thinker, cogitating or depressed or something else. But you can see it at the museum, with my son Tim imitating it in the picture above (the sculpture is on the top of the door). It was originally a small part of a huge sculpture entitled "The gateway of hell."

Finally we went to the Art Museum and I made a fool of myself doing the Rocky thing on the steps like a dumb tourist (I wasn't the only one doing this, in spite of how cold it was). Finally we ended our time with some bubble tea and walking around in Chinatown, which is a really nice cultural experience.

Manalapan vision

I had a vision today while prayer-walking Conmack Road, between Gordon's Corner and Taylors Mills Road in Manalapan. I was near Milford Brook. As I looked in that direction, I saw in the Spirit a river flooding and overflowing, and heard the Spirit say "this is how the Holy Spirit will flood Manalapan." Then I came out of the vision and looked at the brook- it was also overflowing.

May God overflow us with the Spirit in Manalapan. I am less than a mile down the road from this spot!

Kamikaze bird

Around noon today a bright red cardinal flew hard into my office window. Maybe he was desparate to get into church? He left a bunch of red feathers on my screen. But- to my surprise- he flew right away. I thought he had died.

It was a little creepy.

Gay marriage no vote (for now)

Thanks to all who contacted their state senators. It made a pivotal difference. Apparently many of them who were undecided or leaning towards gay marriage had a change of heart after hearing from so many constituents opposed to it. I can give you more details personally. Yesterday the bill was withdrawn in the senate since it did not have support to pass. This is a temporary victory.

However the gay marriage lobby is still working to get it passed while Corzine- a huge gay rights advocate and personally highly immoral man- is still in office. So the bill will now be introduced in the state assembly, where it does have enough support to pass, in an effort to build momentum to overcome opposition in the state senate.

Keep this in prayer. It is not over until Corzine is out of office January 19.

NJ gay marriage and praying for leaders

You probably know that gay marriage may be legalized in NJ before the new governor (who is opposed to this) comes into office in January. I was surprised to learn that the decision will come down to the state senate (the current governor is vehemently in favor of it, and the state assembly will vote in favor), and that the decision there hinges on 3 undecided senators. One of those is Jennifer Beck, who represents most of the church area (Marlboro, Manalapan, Freehold, Millstone, Colts Neck, and other towns). She is being heavily pressured by the gay lobby- church people, you need to make your view known NOW before the vote is taken. You can call her at 732-933-1591, or (better) email her at senbeck@njleg.org. Don't complain about the decision after if you don't at least call your representatives now.

I have been disappointed in this whole thing to find that almost no one even in the church knows who their state senator or assembly people are, or what they do. People, we are supposed to be praying for them, as they are in authority over us. How can you pray for them if you don't even know their names? Please learn their names, and pray for them at least once in a while.

Another dream

I dreamed that I was holding a small cardboard box, and a dangerous snake came out of it. I tried to stuff the snake back into the box, but it kept trying to get out. I thought that this would be really dangerous if it escaped. So I got a larger box, and put the snake and smaller box into it, and
close it, and everything was fine then.

Louise says I have lots of dreams about snakes.

A great week for New Jersey

Two good things just happened here. The first was that we got rid of an incompetent, tax-raising, larger government governor, Jon Corzine. We desperately need a change here in this state, and some new approaches to government other than "let's just raise the taxes." Corzine was also pushing gay marriage, which may be still approved here in the lame-duck session. Christie can only do better.

The other good thing was that the Yankees won the World Series. As a loyal Yankee fan all my life, it was a great and deserved victory.

The world looks good this week.

More love, more power

Praying and walking through our local Freehold Mall on a recent rainy day, I could not believe the song I heard on the mall musak. It was the instrumental version of the Vineyard classic "More Love, More Power." How this slipped in to the secular playlist , I have no idea. I wonder if anyone other than me in the mall at the time recognized it. But maybe it will make- or marks- a change in the mall's spiritual atmosphere.

Baltimore conference

Several people asked me about the "The voice of the apostles" conference I attended last week. It was super-charismatic, kind of a continuation of the Toronto revival movement. Bill Johnson spoke on the supernatural- amazing stuff. Heidi Baker, who has been responsible for starting 10,000 churches in Mozambique over about 15 years, also spoke. And several others you have heard of spoke, along with about 3000 participants who were present.

Two things really struck me. First, there is a hunger for God among our youth, many of whom are in alternative training programs (like my son Andrew currently is). Second, there is a hunger for the supernatural here in America which means that we will see amazing things here in the future.

I am optimistic about the future of the church in America.

Good eating at church

When I first started in the ministry I wondered why many pastors are really overweight. Here's why- church events provide ample opportunities to eat well. Where there are people, there tends to be lots of food.

Saturday was a good example. It started with a women's breakfast. Our women provide an incredible huge banquet of food, beautifully arranged. But many of them are continually dieting, and can't eat much. So others have to help. Then at noon there was a missions committee meeting with food, though much simpler. And again at night we hosted a building informational meeting with an incredible dessert spread.

Several people were at all three events, and noted that they did not have to eat at home all day. The church fed them!

Heaven will be a banquet.

Indian worship in Covered Bridge

What a weird spiritual experience I had this morning! I was prayer-walking in Covered Bridge, a huge (about 900 home) senior condo development in Manalapan mostly populated by Jewish people who have moved from Brooklyn and Queens. While walking before one building on Amberly Drive, a tall Indian man walked out the door near me carrying a large shiny copper vase. (This was unusual in itself, as I have never seen any Asian person in this development, and he looked younger than the senior requirement.) He turned towards the sun (later I realized that this was east) and held the vase above his head in an act of worship. After a little time he slowly poured out a brown liquid onto the sidewalk until the vase was empty. He stood for a bit in an ecstatic worship pose, holding the vase above his head and gazing at the sun.

I prayed to cancel out whatever worship of any false god happpened, as I was praying for blessing on the development.

Does anyone know what he might have been celebrating?

Bumper sticker

Seen on the NJ Turnpike-

YOU CAN TRUST THE GOVERNMENT
TO KEEP ITS PROMISES---
JUST ASK INDIANS ABOUT TREATIES

Food miracles

In my devotions I have been reading through the reference "All the Miracles of the Bible", by Herbert Lockyear. He classifies miracles in a way I have never seen. Do you know there are countless miracles involving water, 5 involving fire, and 3 involving the sun?

There are also 5 miracles where food was created- food miracles! Our missionary in El Salvador Don Triplett says that he has seen food multiplied many times. Can you name the food miracles in the Bible?

A nonprophetic dream

I have gotten many comments about my prophetic dreams. I have had hundreds, if not thousands, of these over the years, and have started writing them down for the last 2 years. Recently I read a Christian book on the topic, "Dreams, Wisdom Within", by Herman Riffel, which gave me lots of ideas about this (maybe we will have a separate post on the book, it is worth it). But the question most asked is, "how can you tell if a dream is prophetic or not?"

Riffel's answer is that God spoke to people in the Bible countless times through dreams, and most societies see this as a valid way for God to speak. But in America, we tend to see dreams as nonsense, and to ignore them when God speaks to us through them.

My prophetic dreams have a different feel, a different weight than the rest of them. Last night I had a fun dream that I doubt was prophetic. I was in a house with people I knew (you may be one of them!). Gradually everyone but me turned into tigers. This became scary, as they lurked around hungry for something (or someone?) to eat. Then they became sick. But gradually they morphed back into people.

I am sure a psychoanalyst would have a field day with this dream!

The gain of death

This week I was studying Philippians 1:21- "for me, to live is Christ, to die is gain." After attending a funeral yesterday, I thought about the fact that Paul viewed death as a gain. This is the opposite of today's approach, where death is a disaster, and life is to be clung to at all costs.

Have you ever viewed death as a gain? Paul did.

What might have been

Saturday I went up to Yale University for a missions board meeting. Driving across the campus, I felt the strong pull of Yale, kind of like an old girlfriend you still have affection for. You see, I almost went there.

My life has been so tied up with Princeton that this is hard to believe. I lived there for the most formative 11 years of my life. My spiritual transformation, ministerial calling, and even church planting flowed out of my experience there. What might have been if I did not go there?

In 1974 I decided to attend Yale. After being accepted, I had a great overnight visit to the school, staying with students. But I went back and forth between there and Princeton. Finally I decided to go to Yale, and filled out the letter accepting their acceptance. I planned to mail it the next day in the mailbox at the end of my long street, when I walked our dog. But the next day it rained hard all day, and I never got to the mailbox. The following day I wasn't so sure about my decision. Finally, several days after the deadline, I reversed and mailed in the Princeton card, still unsure about the decision, but forced by time to do something. I wondered if it was right.

Did God cause it to rain in Mountainside, NJ, that fateful day in 1974? How would my life have turned out if I went to Yale? These sort of questions are the thing that we will learn in heaven.

But I enjoyed my fall day in New Haven this week!

Funeral for a 28 year old

I officiated at a funeral for a 28 year old suicide victim today. What a challenge, to encourage the family, and to get them to look to God for help now that the young man is gone. It will take me a day or two to shake this whole thing off emotionally.

I wonder how many others are so depressed that they are thinking tonight of taking their life.

God doesn't exclude-?????

Driving along I-95 in Stamford, Ct, this Saturday, I saw this large billboard. It promotes the United Church of Christ as an "inclusive" church, i.e., one that welcomes practicing homosexuals. As someone in the UCC till I was 11, this bothers me. The denomination has a whole publicity campaign built around this motto and idea.

The theology of this is interesting, especially in the light of Revelations 21:8 and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.

This would be a great sermon- "does God exclude?"

Ask that your joy be made full

God spoke to me while I was reading the words of Jesus in John 15:24- "Until now you have asked for nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full." God said- ask largely from Me- what answered prayers would make you really happy?

Here is a partial list of what I told God-
1. Total healing of my daughter
2. Godly spouses for Andrew and Christina
3. Salvation for my mother and other relatives
4. Revival throughout NJ and the US
5. Completion of our new building with minimal debt
6. Salvation of lots of people

What would you ask that would fulfill your joy?

Another dream

The other night I dreamed I was in a treasure store, full of gems and spectacular mineral specimens (don't forget, I collect minerals). The owner/manager of the store told me I should rescue as many as I could, because those I could not take would be destroyed. I started frantically gathering the "treasures" (he kept saying, "these are true treasures"), and woke up trying to figure out how I could rescue as many as possible.

Any thoughts on the meaning? I have some ideas.

Friends of God

I have been fascinated by the idea that we are/can be friends of God. The Bible teaches this, and several current songs celebrate it. I wonder whether Jesus had friends in his twenties (He must have) , what those relationships were like, and how they changed when He came out as God. But I aspire to be like Abraham, whom God called His friend. This seems like such an equal basis for a relationship with God.

Do you see yourself as a friend of God?

Prophetic dream

Sunday morning I woke up after having a prophetic dream. I was in my house, and a battle was going on. A lizard which looked like a Komodo dragon was attacking a man. I understood that this was clearly a dragon, a picture of Satan. I went over to him and tried to pull it off him as it wrapped itself around him like a snake. Next it latched onto me, and started to wrap itself around me. Then we both understood that I was the dragon/snake's target all along. I also realized that if it bit me I would be in trouble.

At this I awoke. I appreciate your prayer that all this is averted!

Ocean baptism in NJ

I have always wanted to do an ocean baptism, having seen photos of them from the Jesus revolution of the 1960's in southern California. We joined with a few other churches Sunday for a baptism at the Jersey shore in Avon beach.

It was a beautiful night, but two passing tropical storms had whipped up large waves, among the largest I have seen in NJ. It was hard to baptize people without getting knocked around by the waves in between prayer.

When the baptism ended, our youth pastor Obadiah pulled out his surf board and caught a few waves. He had several long rides- we were all impressed!

Town hall with Rush Holt

We recently attended a town hall on the topic of health care with our friends the Rounds in Middletown, sponsored by our Congressman Rush Holt (no relation to the more famous Rush!)
The overriding concern was the proposed health care plan. I was shocked by the size and intensity of the crowd. The hall was opened at 6pm, and full by 6:10pm. We got there about 6:40, and attended the outside meeting, where a congressional candidate had an open mike for anyone to share their opinions. There were about 600 people present, with my estimate of about 4 to 1 opposed to the Obama plan. Opponents were much more passionate than supporters.

Channel 11 covered the rally, but focused on the death of Kennedy (which happened the day before), and how he wanted this plan. Their coverage was disappointing, and pretty much ignored the rally and the disproportionate opposition to the plan. But it was a fascinating exercise in democracy.

Hawaii

Recently Louise and I went on vacation to Hawaii, to the island of Kawaii, the "garden isle", and the oldest of the islands. It took us 3 flights and 21 hours to get there (less to get back), but it was worth it. Unfortunately, it rained solidly the first 3 days due to a passing tropical storm. But after that we did lots of outdoor things, kayaking the Wailua river, hiking down (way down!) into Waimea Canyon with a naturalist, snorkeling, going to 4 gardens (some of Jurassic Park was filmed in one- the huge tree photo above is where the velociraptor egg nest was discovered) , taking a boat ride along the Na Pali sea cliffs (I felt seasick, not much fun), and attending the required luau (lots of fun and food- you haven't lived till you have tasted the ancient Hawaiian purple "poi"!)

Three interesting things about Hawaii-
1. More people drown there every year than anywhere else in the US. Those beautiful beaches you see in photos are full of rip tides, undertows, sharp lava, rough waves, and all sorts of things which make them mostly unswimmable. Coming from NJ, where you can swim at almost every beach, this is a shock.
2. The ethnic mix is amazing- lots of different Asian and other groups. Most of you know I love exploring different cultures. They have funky Japanese and Asian foods at 7-11- all sorts of noodle things (saiman is great!), bread-like manipua, and even a dessert named "chi chi dongo". I love this food.
3. Christian missionaries played a huge role in the culture, arriving in the 1820's. They were the first major western contact. Today there are still a ton of strong churches (many more per capita than in my part of NJ), but also a huge Buddhist and new age presence.

I am full of travel advice, if you ever want to go to Kawaii!

Bob the bat-our new pet?

Here is how I met our new pet(?), Bob the bat. The other day I went to turn on the downstairs light (for those who don't know, our basement is ancient, maybe older than the country). Right next to the switch was a sleeping bat, whom I have named Bob (nothing against any Bob,my college roommate, it just alliterates).

On our property we have found skunks, deer, oppossum, raccooons, turtles, lots of ticks, and even several snakes. We used to have lots of bats outside before the neighboring houses were built, but never indoors.

This raised lots of questions- how did Bob get in? Does he have relatives who are here, or coming in too? How do we get rid of Bob (thanks for the many good, humorous, and ridiculous suggestions we received!).

But the saga ended when I came home at night ready to move Bob out. He had already gone. Since we have no idea how he got in, we have no idea how he got out. Did one of you warn him?

Now our question is- will Bob return? Stay tuned.

Christina is back from the Philippines

We are so proud of our daughter Christina. She just returned from 10 weeks working in an orphanage in the Philippines. The orphanage is Happy Horizons Childrens' Ranch (www.hhcr.org), which takes in kids from severe poverty and abuse. She had a great experience, made a difference in the lives of some children, and came back with a lot more confidence and anointing. She is looking improved healthwise, too- I admire her for rising to this challenge with her health. If you want more information, email her at christina.jasko at my.wheaton.edu.

Rick Warren- General council #7

I left the General Council before Friday night, so my time in Orlando ended with hearing Rick Warren. He spoke on "what's in your hand", and "growing your church." It was truly outstanding, though I have heard it before at his minister's school (which I highly recommend). Rick is a very humble guy, and has great insights. I never knew that his great-grandfather was converted through Charles Spurgeon, and sent as an evangelist to America. He and his church are also doing a huge amount to minister to AIDS victims in Africa. Rick said he is now writing a followup book for pastors to Purpose Driven Life- I look forward to it!

Fine arts festival- General council #6

Once again I was blown away by the youth in the Fine Arts Festival. This is a time where students compete with others who have won in their state competitions in about 50 areas of music, drama, preaching, art, etc. The first time everyone comes they are shocked by how good they are- the best kids in music in each category are American Idol level, some are future professionals. About ten thousand people are involved in the total competition. It is pretty challenging to sit before a large room packed with people and three judges (who are nicer than American Idol, but just as tough in their written evaluations).

We are proud to have two youth this year make it to the nationals, and one to make the final ten (out of about 80) in the guitar solo category. Congratulations, Vic Davi and Dave Rosen!

Young adults- General Council #5

At the General Council, a number of ministries hosted informational lunches and dinners. One of the best was the Young Adult lunch. They had a very healthy salad (of course), with an incredibly caloric and delicious dessert! But during the lunch several people ministering among young adults shared ideas on reaching young adults (ya). I heard two keys to this- food and fellowship. First is the principle, feed them, and they will come. Second is that ya are hungry for fellowship and community, and want to belong, so you need to create a community for them. It was encouraging to hear of the growth of this ministry in our church, the Assemblies of God, and the larger body of Christ. We are on the right track!

Spiritual inferiority-General council #4

One of the challenges of a convention like this is not to feel spiritually inferior. You hear stories of miracles, stories from huge church pastors (both Ed Young and Rick Warren are here, with about 20,000 in their churches every Sunday), incredible messages, and ministries which are incredible. You meet pastors who are light years ahead of you in their thinking, accomplishments, and churches.

I guess I seem more confident than I am. These conventions do make me feel inferior, and insignificant at times. But God reminds me that I need to just be faithful to what He has called me to, and not to compare myself to others.

Pastor Jules- General council #3

Sometimes I feel like I have neither suffered nor done anything for God. Today we heard a Pastor Jules from Baghdad, Iraq speak on having a dream. (I preached nearly the same message last Saturday at a church dinner). But what was amazing about him was his life story and suffering. He started a church while Hussein was still in power, and was constantly harassed. His church even met on buses, which they rented and then held services on while they traveled. He was imprisoned and tortured, and given a death sentence, but released when the last Iraq war happened.

Their church has grown to about a thousand today. Pastor Jules has had 3 car bombs go off in front of his home, and buried many members killed by the violence. One of his deacons was just shot in her car. These are not random, by the way, but targeted killings of Christians by Muslims. Pretty much every week some members of his church leave the country for their safety and freedom of worship.

Pray for Pastor Jules. We received an offering at the end of the service for them to buy land for a building. He is committed to staying in Baghdad regardless of the safety threats to him.

Dr, George Wood- General council #2

Today Dr. George Wood was reelected as the general superintendent of the US Assemblies of God. I am blown away by his visionary leadership. One of his five main goals is to raise up a younger generation of leaders, which is happening. All of a sudden, most of the ministers here look younger than me! The report is that 35% of the US AG attendance is under 25, which bodes a bright future for us. He is also pushing for the aggressive planting of new churches in the US.
\
George gave an incredible message on “The Life of Leah” tonight. (It is probably present on the AG web site, www.ag.org, and well worth a visit). He traced her life, a life I have never heard taught or preached on. Leah dealt with rejection from her father, husband, and sister, yet was blessed by God with four sons key to the purposes of God. Dr. Wood drew from her life that we can only see the true impact of our life through the lens of eternity.

A small cog in a very big wheel- General council #1

The thing that always amazes me at the Assemblies of God General Councils is how huge they are. For those of you who don’t know, this is the bi-annual business meeting for just the USAG. It is a combination of worship rallies, ministry presentations, business, elections, ministry updates, meeting old friends (some of whom I am looking for but will never see here due to the large numbers of people ), and church product presentations. The day I came in, about 19,000 people registered alone, and there were many the next day. Reading the name tags and church van signs, there are people here from many places I have never heard of-places where God is working.

We tend to forget the size of the church in the northeast, where we are few, and have little cultural influence. Events like this are good to broaden our perspective.

Galapagos 5- wildlife galore

Many people have asked me about what animals we saw. The fauna of the Galapagos are amazing, they are very tame, and very accessible to see. We saw sea lions (begging for fish), red/orange Sally Lightfoot crabs, land finches (very dull birds), land iguanas, swimming marine iguanas (really bizarre), lots of pelicans, several kinds of land tortoises (all huge- they can live up to 200 years), and blue-footed boobies (so named because the Spanish thought they looked like clowns, or "bobos"). It was all quite amazing.

Galapagos 4- Spiritual warfare

Unfortunately, the enemy did fight back. Most of our team got sick, some of them really sick. The third night, I was to give a seminar on "evolution and creation". This was the request of the church, they said that this is the biggest problem they face in ministering on the islands! Fortunately, I spoke on this very topic in church just 4 months ago during my series on contemporary issues. But I started feeling sick- very sick with a high fever- before the seminar. Halfway through my message I got chills and began visibly shaking. Louise said my lips were turning blue, and I was very pale- she was afraid I would collapse. After the service and ride home, I had severe chills for an hour, and was sick for two days. This is the result of confronting the ruling spirit of the islands, which is evolution.

Yes, I feel better now!

Galapagos 3- ministry and prophetic dreams

It amazes me to see how God has gone before us on this trip. One of the Galapagos youth workers told us how about 6 months ago she had a dream of us- the church was full of children (over 300), being led by people in blue shirts (our team outfit) with a clown she did not recognize (one of us). God gave us incredible ministry among the kids- there were so many pressing in, it reminded me of the times of Jesus.

One of the coolest things is that one school has a "creation wall" painted on it by a Christian school. This secular school invited us to give an evangelistic rally (so many kids I can't count them all), and a seminar on parenting.

Our construction team is working at an incredible rate. This year's team, has worked together as well as any team I have ever seen. I am so proud of our church!

Galapagos 2- Desert or jungle?

The first thing to strike me about the Galapagos is how volcanic and desert-like it is. It has cool cactus trees all around, and is hot. It truly does look antediluvian, like a place where reptiles rule. But after you climb into the mountains in the middle of the island, it is tropical, with rain and banana trees. We saw the famous giant tortoises on a preserve way up in the mountains. They can move surprisingly fast for something that can weigh up to 600 pounds.

Of course, we are here for the people- about 30,000 of them on the islands, most of them on this island in this town. I am amazed how big Puerto Ayora is, a good-sized town with a huge tourist trade on a beautiful bay. People are very friendly, very typical Latin America. And looming over everything is the seemingly omniscient presence of Charles Darwin, who is like a patron saint here.

Galapagos 1- It's hard to get there!

Now I see why the Galapagos are so obscure. It took 9 (NINE!) trips to get there door to door. It is no wonder we were exhausted just getting there. #1 was driving to the church, #2 was driving to JFK airport (little traffic on the day before July 4). #3 was flying to Miami, #4 was flying to Quito, Ecuador. #5 was flying to Guayaquil, the sole gateway to the Galapagos. After deplaning (we were told we would not have to), #6 was flying to Balthra island, Galapagos (note the cool red iguana logo for Airgal, the only way to get there). #7 was a packed bus ride across the island ("survival of the fittest", someone said- not all our team made the bus). #8 was a packed boat ride across the channel to another island with all our bags on the ferry roof! #9 was a hour trip to our hotel on the other side of the island.

You can get there, but it's not easy.

Quito prophetic dream

An odd pattern- this is the second time this year where I had an unusual dramatic prophetic dream in another country. On the 4th of July (or maybe the 5th)in Quito, Ecuador, I saw myself about 15-20 years from now (it's good to know I will make it!). FYI, that would make me about 68-73 years old. I was retired, but was ministering part-time to Princeton students. In what capacity this was, I am not sure. I never thought of doing this before, but will now consider this for the future.

Ecuadoreans in Wendy's

Last Saturday I went to Wendy's to get a burger. As soon as I looked at the counter man, I thought that he was from Ecuador, where we will be shortly. He almost jumped when I asked him if he were from Ecuador (he was- I have been there twice, and can now recognize many inhabitants). I told him that we were going to build a church and school in the Galapagos, all while he was getting my burger and chicken wrap.

Keep in prayer for us from July 3-13. We will post some good stories and pictures, I am sure. I never knew anything other than tortoises and iguanas live in the Galapagos until a few years ago. There are about 40,000 people there, and the main AG church is exploding with growth. We are taking the Gospel into the heart of Darwin country!

Buddhists in Manalapan

While prayer-walking Manalapan I visited the Buddhist temple on Gordons Corner Road. Most people don't know it is there, as it is screened by high shrubs. I walked all around it- it is like going to another country. The 30 foot high monument is surrounded by idols depicting different prayer postures for various days of the week. There are a number of gongs around it, which I think are supposed to invoke the presence of different gods when they are rung.

They are planning to expand this temple. Pray for the Buddhists of Manalapan.

Christina in the Philippines

We heard from Christina by skype the other day. I am so extremely proud of her and what she is doing, in spite of her sub-par health. She is well, eating the best mangos she has ever tasted! Pray for her cultural adjustment and ability to relate to the girls she is teaching. Five of them just came into the home from a background of sexual abuse, and are in her class.

Dream

Two weeks ago I had a prophetic dream. I saw a huge old dead tree with no limbs on it in our back yard, just off our patio. It had holes in it and was ancient. I looked at it, and said, "This is going to fall." The tree was higher than our home, maybe 50 feet high. As soon as I said this, the tree broke off into 3 or 4 huge sections and fell, hitting our house. Then I woke up.

The interpretation was obvious to me. The tree represents a person who is a pillar, and is going to die. I hope it is not someone close to me.

91 and still counting

My mother just celebrated her 91st birthday. She lives by herself in the house I grew up in, drives, has a memory better than the average person, and has no major health problems. This is the blessing of God! I hope I got her longevity genes. This is from her 91st birthday dinner.

Idols in Manalapan

I have never seen so many idols as I did this morning prayer-walking through the Yorktown development in Manalapan. By idols, I mean statues of Mary, and other saints (usually St. Francis of Assissi). There must have been at least half a dozen homes with them, maybe a dozen or more in my morning's jaunt. In Marlboro there were many homes with statues of Buddha, and a few here and there of Mary- but what is the difference? Who is being exalted, Jesus or a person?

When I see these, something in me rises up and wants to smash them, like Gideon in the Bible (Judges 6:25-27). This would not be good- I can see the paper headline, "Pastor arrested for destroying private property,and for religious intolerance!"

But we do need to pray against what I think may be a local stronghold.

Prayer-walking Manalapan

Yesterday I began prayer-walking Manalapan, the town west of our church where I live. Manalapan is an Indian word meaning "land of good bread", or possibly "land with edible submerged roots". (I like the second meaning better, but my goal is to make it a place where the bread of life (Jesus) is well-known.) It was a center of the incredible Great Awakening in the 1700's through the revival at the Tennent church. Obviously, that was a long time ago!

I figure that it will take about a year and a half to complete praying over every street, business, path and location in the town. Manalapan has about 450 streets and roads, and some of them are miles long. Generally, I cover about 2-3 miles a day, 4-6 streets every morning, praying and walking for about 50 minutes. I have a map in my pocket, along with my anointing oil, to anoint every spiritual power point, development entrance, and anything else I feel led to anoint.

It is amazing how many church people saw me over the past 2 years as I prayer-walked Marlboro. So if you see me in the morning walking, agree with me that the Holy Spirit will come down on Manalapan and make it the land of good bread. Manalapan residents, agree with me specially on this.

1000 miles of Marlboro

I completed my prayer walk of Marlboro today, with a final jaunt around the extensive municipal complex. I have trod and prayed over every inch of road, path, home, business and highway (Rt. 18 was scary, though I found my Blackberry there (see earlier posting)) in town. Spiritually, this is probably one of the most important things which I have done as pastor.

How did this happen? I used to simultaneously pray, walk, and walk my dog every morning. After my greatest-dog-who-ever-lived Baron died in May, 2006 (I am still sad about this) , I suddenly was adrift in the morning. I felt God tell me that He would give me every place where I set my foot, as in Joshua 1:3. So I began in August of 2006, and have covered about 1000 miles to complete the town. It amazes me to think that this is further than walking to Chicago.

Every morning I go out with a map in my pocket, and walk about 2-3 miles in about an hour. You can comfortably do this down to about 28 degrees, as long as there is no wind. Though I like hot weather, this is harder than cold weather. Unfortunately, I lost a lot of days due to rain (this is New Jersey, after all), severe cold, and just being away for vacations, trips, ministry, etc.

I learned that Marlboro has many beautiful, obscure, and unknown spots. There are 8 public schools, 2 Jewish schools, 2 trailer parks, 8 cemetaries, and 5 industrial parks. I prayed inside the Hindu temple, which is like being in another country. Vultures followed me once, which was weird. There have been a lot of odd spiritual adventures, which I will be posting as I go through similar experiences in Manalapan.

My goal has been to pray in the presence of God at every spot. I have tried to listen to the Spirit, and have discerned all sorts of things prophetically at various spots, many of which were surprising. I always carry my anointing oil, and have anointed every spot of any significance, including historic spots, worship locations, every main road, and every entrance to town.

Part of the way through God told me to pick up any coins I found (mostly pennies!) as a prophetic down-payment of the wealth that God would be sending into the kingdom through my prayers. I have put these in our church offering. Many of the coins are pretty beat-up- our counters probably have wondered why they have seen so many ratty coins!

I also leave a note at every home I know of where someone from our church lives, asking them to join with me in prayer for the town.

How has this been a blessing? I think I have pulled down some strongholds over town. Now I can usually feel the presence of the Holy Spirit like a wall when I drive into Marlboro. We have also seen a lot of new families in church from Marlboro, sometimes right after I have prayed for their development (I ask God for at least one family to come to our church from each day's walk). Also, I now know the town and its people in a new way- I feel like I have been at every home!

If you feel a burden, I would encourage you to prayer-walk your neighborhood and town too.

The E.T.- Galapagos connection

Did you ever wonder how Spielberg and company created E.T.? It turns out that they modeled him after the giant Galapagos tortoise, which we should see personally in a month or so. What a great piece of trivia! What do you think of the resemblance?







(image from http://farm2.static.flickr.com1267/1040941928_4c4eb823ba.jpg?v=1186503154)

Sotomayor and Princeton

I was again sobered today by the new Supreme Court nominee. She overlapped with me at Princeton for 2 years before going on to Yale Law. I undoubtedly passed her on the walk, and maybe even shared some classes with her. Alito, the last nominee, was also at Princeton earlier. This reminds me of how important college ministry is- we need to reach these future leaders today on the campus.

Tomato plants for free

I think I feel more peace in my garden than anywhere else. Today was a perfect day to plant my tomatoes in the garden, since it was cool and rainy. I start them from seed, ordered from seed companies, so that I can grow the best varieties. I put in Sweet Million (the most prolific cherry), Brandywine (considered to be the best tasting tomato by many, an heirloom), Sungold (yellow when ripe), Roma (an Italian paste), Principe Borghese (another paste), Polish Lougisa (something new, an heirloom), early girl, and a few others. The taste of garden-grown tomatoes off the vine is incomparable. You should try them.

I have some plants left over, if anyone wants some. Free.

Our future- Ephesians 2:7

I was blown away reading Ephesians 2:7 (a verse skipped over to get to the very famous Ephesians 2:8) recently. It says that God has saved us, so that in the ages to come He can show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus. Imagine, we are just starting to experience God's grace and blessings now and here. God will show them to us for ages to come. This is something to get excited about!

Quadruplets

The other night in Sears, while looking at lawn mowers, I looked twice at a lady with twins. Then I realized she had two sets of twins, 2 boys and 2 girls! The quadruplets were about two years old.
She pushed 2, and her husband pushed 2. I have never seen quadruplets before, only in pictures. I wonder how often this woman gets to go out!

God's first command to man was, "Multiply and replenish the earth!" They are doing it.

Memorial day

I just read that the only people who have died for us are Jesus and veterans. Something to think about.

Marriage renewal ceremony

Sunday we did one of the coolest things I have been involved with as a pastor in a long time. We staged a marriage vow renewal for 21 couples in our church. They have been married for 4 all the way to nearly 50 years. It was spectacular, as they walked up the center aisle of the church, one couple at a time, with their original wedding photo posted on the large screens as they walked (oh, some of us have changed!). I counted 4 women wearing wedding dresses, of whom one was in her original dress.

Many of those who renewed had small weddings (or even eloped), so this was a really big thing to them. A lot of the couples were crying during the vows. One couple said they wanted to do it so their kids could get an idea of their wedding, since the kids weren't around for the original wedding. That was a great idea- I would love to have seen my parents renew their vows.

During the ceremony, we had 3 couples share what it meant to them. They were from 3 different stages of marriage and life, married 10 years (newbies to me after 30 plus years) , 23 years (having teens, the hardest stage of marriage according to counselors), and 50 years (grandparents). It made me think a lot of how different the various stages of marriage and life are. We really need to enjoy our spouses while we have them- the future is guaranteed for no one.

After we had a great party at a local hotel for those who wanted to celebrate, about 100 people. Each couple present shared about how they met, proposed, etc.- very eye-opening! Thanks, marriage and family ministry for staging an event to truly remember.

I am published!

For years, Louise has always told me I should write a book. I have responded that I don't have time and don't know what I would write that others would buy.

Now I have a chapter in a real published book. Christian Union, a ministry throughout the Ivy League, and Princeton in particular, just published "Under God's Power, Princeton alumni and the pursuit of faith", "a collection of personal faith stories from more than thirty alumni of Princeton University, including a former Secretary of State, business leaders, a professional athlete, and homemakers. The journeys described herein are as varied as the contributors, yet all describe a grappling with life's most pressing questions and the truth apprehended during that pursuit." My story runs page 74-76.

I hear they are printing thousands of copies to give out to returning alumni, and also undergraduates. This is pretty cool!

If you get a copy, I will autograph it!

Chinatown in Marlboro

I prayer-walked the Woodcliff development in Marlboro today. What was noteworthy was that pretty much every person I saw (and I saw a lot of people) was from a Chinese background. An older couple walking past me even greeted me, "Nihao"! There were numerous grandmothers walking their little grandchildren. I have no idea how such an ethnic concentration developed in this development.

Of course, my bottom-line question here is always- how can we reach them with the Gospel?

Pray with me for open doors in Woodcliff.

Visit the Philippines in Old Bridge

Yes, you can go to another country by traveling only 5 miles!

The other night Christina our daughter said, "I'd like to eat some Filippino food. Is there any nearby?" I had often heard of the Tropical Hut (www.tropicalhutcatering.com) from my good Filippino friend Lamar Rivers, who knows all the best places to eat. Plus, we drive by it at least once a week going north on Rt. 9.

Tropical Hut is like walking into another country. It has a grocery in front with many very exotic Asian foods. Many are unpronouncable, and others are dried formerly alive things! In front of the counter are 3 small tables, where we ate. At the counter, we asked for "typical" Filippino food. It was good, especially the desserts (coconut milk jello, mongo bars, cassava leaf pudding, purple bean cookies). Plus we met lots of friendly people from the Philippines who were fascinated with Christina's upcoming trip (she leaves Thursday).

I feel like I have gone to the Philippines- the easy way!

Why did God create ticks?

Did God really create ticks, or are they corrupted by the fall? Why would God create such a disgusting creature?

Tuesday I prayer-walked Rt. 18 again. The last time I did this, I found a Blackberry Storm (see my very first post of 4-18-09). I was hopeful that I would find something else cool, but here's what happened. I had to cross the highway median, which is a fifty foot wide field of high uncut grass. This made me nervous, as we have lots of ticks in the woods and high grass in the back of our property. But I looked after over my clothes, and did not see any.

An hour later in my office, I found alarge ticks crawling on my head. In another hour, I found a second tick on my neck. After dinner the same night, my daughter saw another on my shirt. Now I felt like I was polluted, and there were probably many more crawling all over me. I was getting a little paranoid. But we haven't found more since.

But it does raise a hard theological question on where ticks come from. They are revolting, and just want to suck your blood. Did God really create them?

Prophetic dream- Jackson

Most friends know that God speaks to me through dreams frequently. I have had some pretty wild experiences-I saw my daughter before she was born, had a major angelic visitation recently, traveled back in time once, and a lot of other things which many would not find very reasonable, but are true. For the past several years, I have started writing my prophetic dreams down in a book. I wish I started doing this a long time ago.

The other night I had a clear prophetic dream- sometimes these things need interpretation. I was in Jackson, NJ, a town near by, in the center of town (wherever that is in the suburbs). Someone told me that there was a revival going on among Russians in Jackson (there is a large population of them in the town, replete with two Orthodox churches with gold domes). I went to the site of the revival, which were two homes on the edge of pine woods (of which there are also lots in Jackson). There were a LOT of people packed into the two houses studying the Bible and praying. The head of the NJ Assemblies of God, Carl Colletti, was teaching people, and was getting burnt out because there were a lot of people coming to the homes. He asked me to please help him.

It was pretty exciting! Keep your eye on the Russian population in Jackson.

Star Trek for a new generation

I am not ashamed (well, maybe a little) to admit that I love Star Trek. I have seen just about every episode of all the series (that’s a lot of episodes), and all the movies. So Louise (also a Trekker, a less derogatory term than trekkie) and I went to the movie on its second night (after missions trip practice at church- don’t worry, our priorities are OK).

The movie is great! The action and effects were great, and it captured the sense of the great science fiction story. But through going back in time, some major parts of the ST saga have been corrupted- Vulcan, the home planet of Spock, is no more? Spock and Uhura are romantically involved? This was like seeing an old friend after a long time, but the friend had changed dramatically.
But it was fun for us trekkers

National day of prayer

The National Day of Prayer is one of my favorite days. I love to pray, and here is one day where we are to gather together to do it. We had a great time at noon and at night in church praying for America, New Jersey, the church, etc.

But I am really crushed by our President’s distancing himself from the day. The Presidential proclamation, which usually comes out weeks in advance in a big signing ceremony with lots of press, is issued late on the day itself in private with no one present. For the first time in 25 years, the President has not sent a representative to the big nonpartisan Capital prayer meeting, nor did he even respond to the invitation. Though I know that the church should lead in prayer, in a certain sense the President is the spiritual leader of the nation, and should lead us to seek God in time of crisis.

Muslims are everywhere

This has been a week to meet Muslims. In the DuPage College student center, it seems that about a quarter of the students are Muslims. The last guy we spoke to really knew his stuff. He said that he had memorized the entire Koran in his youth (why can’t we memorize some of the Bible?), and rattled off the common Islamic objections to Christianity (“your Scriptures have been corrupted”, “you worship many gods”, “your idea of forgiveness promotes irresponsibility”, etc.). Fortunately, I remembered some of our fall Islam class (thanks, Bill Scheerer!), and was able to answer some of these objections sensibly. But a guy like this could only be reached through love, and the sovereign working of the Spirit.
Two days later I was again in a similar discussion with a Moroccan fossil dealer in NJ. Muslims are increasingly everywhere. We all need to learn about Islam if we are to give a good defense of the faith to those we meet.

Jaskos party hard!

I have never felt so simultaneously old and young. Hanging around with college students and those in their early twenties brings back my days of college ministry at Princeton. Andrew and Christina’s church, Antioch, has created a great environment of community where people enjoy being with each other.

While I was there, my kids put together a party to “meet the original Jasko “(me!- not the original, but I guess it is a compliment). Andrew’s email warned people that “Jaskos party hard”, and that his dad had “lots of outrageous pastor jokes”! I felt like a curiosity, with the students checking me out (“what kind of person produced both Andrew and Christina?” and “What is a middle-aged pastor from pagan New Jersey like?”).

But it was fun- I ended up discussing predestination and inerrancy with a young guy Mike for at least half an hour. I miss the old college ministry days of community and great late discussions.

What are the chances?

In the morning, our friends the Jobes and I were reminiscing about the great hoagies of the famous Hoagie Haven in Princeton. “No place here in Chicago makes hoagies that good,” Karen lamented. This is true- I bought many hoagies from them when I ran the Student Hoagie Agency in college. Don’t forget- I know hoagies, I’ve sold ten thousand of them.

About 6 hours later, I am in the DuPage County college student center with Andrew, witnessing to students. In the distance, I see a young man in an orange and black (the colors of Princeton, very visible and distinctive). As he walks closer, I am stunned to see that it is a Hoagie Haven t-shirt from Princeton itself! How did he get this, being almost 900 miles away?

Unfortunately, Andrew kept talking, and I couldn’t stop the discussion to ask the guy how he got the shirt (must be quite a story). So Mr. Hoagie Haven walked right out of the center, and the mystery/coincidence continues.

THE WOMAN IN THE PURPLE SHIRT

My son Andrew leads an evangelistic outreach to college students at the huge College of DuPage (known as COD). I thought I would tag along with them, and see what they do there.

Their approach is to pray and wait on God beforehand for direction as to whom to speak to and what to do. So before entering the student center, the 3 of us in his car waited on God to hear today’s marching orders.

“I see a black woman in a purple shirt”, said the girl in the back seat.
“I hear God saying that Islam must bow to Christ”, said Andrew.
After about 3 or 4 more words, we were ready to go.

This kind of witnessing took guts. Six of us from Wheaton divided into pairs and struck up conversations with students who were eating, sitting, or just hanging out. Surprisingly, most were very open to talk. We ran across several Muslims, surprising to me, since we were in the western suburbs of Chicago. After asking God whom we were to speak with, we spoke at length with a student from El Salvador who had an evangelical family back home, and who had frequent dreams of God. It was remarkable how God was reaching out to him.The whole thing really motivated me to be much more sensitive to listening to God while witnessing.

And yes, we met and spoke with not one, but two, African-American students in purple shirts!

GIVE US THE KEY

God spoke to me this morning as I hunted for a spare pair of car keys (I ultimately took the wrong car keys with me). I have always believed that every city and area has a key to reach it, a way to evangelize it and saturate it with the Gospel. What is the key for Marlboro, for my part of east central New Jersey? Has anyone in NJ discovered God’s key for their city? Is there just one key, or are there several? We need to be seriously asking God for the keys to our city. How can we say that we are making much of an impact on our city/area if we have only a thousand or two people in the church, when there are hundreds of thousands outside it? We need to find the key which will unlock the hearts and minds of people through this area.

God, give me the key to reaching Marlboro, and its area.

A NEW FORM OF EVANGELISM

When I drove into my driveway after church today, a $5 bill was laying right next to the driveway. Living on a main road, lots of stuff gets tossed onto our lawn (usually from the Wendy’s down the road), but rarely money. An empty faded envelope from our neighbor was next to it. It seemed likely that it was money sent by the grandmother next door to her granddaughter in Florida, which never got there.

Having just heard and been convicted about having integrity in our education hour class, I went right over to her house, and gave it to her. Unfortunately, there had been a card and another $5 inside, but that was blown somewhere else in Manalapan. But she was incredibly appreciative, having left the letter in her mailbox 3 weeks ago, before the mailbox fell apart, with the mail inside missing.

Maybe I have discovered a new form of evangelism- returning good lost stuff which I have found!

HOW I GOT MY FREE BLACKBERRY STORM

While prayer-walking Rt. 18 in Marlboro, I was forced to walk along the 50 foot wide median, since there was no shoulder at one spot. Ten feet off the road, there lay a beautiful new Blackberry Storm. I picked it up, feeling sorry for its owner, since it was undoubtedly ruined, with rain falling on it the day before. But when I pressed the power button, it turned right on.

Showing it off in our church office, my youth pastor had a coveting fit handling it. “I would love to have one of these,” he said. “Look at this beautiful touch screen.” He lamented, “Why can’t I find stuff like this lying on the side of the road?” (answer- pray along the road, and maybe you will).

A few hours later, another twenty-something passing through the office also went crazy when he heard my story (“I really wanted one of those, but they cost too much”), and volunteered to find the owner. This turned out to be much harder than you would think, but after 15 minutes he was able to find “Bruce” from his Facebook profile. We then googled his name, and found him in a neighboring town. Ironically, Bruce lives right around the corner from the office secretary who traced him on the internet.

Bruce (age 45, in a Pink Floyd tshirt) came by an hour later to get his/my Blackberry. Too bad, I was just starting to covet it myself! Turns out he put it on top of his car in the morning with some pens, and forgot it. He drove about 3 miles before it fell off his car top onto the highway median, which is amazing. I told him that maybe God had orchestrated this so that he could come to church on a Friday. He was stunned by this thought. He said he hadn’t even been to temple for a while (obviously he is Jewish). But I gave him a tract to read, he hung around and talked for while (especially to his neighbor/secretary) , and I think we planted a good seed in him.

Plus I had a new Blackberry for free for half a day.