Reflections Of India, Before I Go Again...

Today I leave for India with my oldest son. Over the last 10 years I have had the opportunity of traveling to India to conduct mission trips 15 times. I am truly blessed!

This morning as I was running, I began to remember the experiences and feelings that have impacted my life. As I share some of these, please know my heart: God gets all of the glory. I am only a carrier of His Presence. I have had the privilege to:

• Run for miles along the Indian Ocean in the south, and hiked for miles in the Himalayas in the north.
• Preach the Gospel to crowds of thousands, and sit on the dirt floor in houses of poor farmers to share the Gospel.
• Ride multiple times on the Indian Railway, including a 37 hour journey (the very first time I rode the train in India).
• Hold and pray for a special-needs boy as his family received medical care.
• Sit with a village official in his home and pray with him to commit his life to Christ.
• Stand under a banyan tree and share Christ with 12 women, and watched as seven committed their lives to Him.
• Raise finances for a well in a village that had no fresh water.
• Preach in hundreds of churches, homes, and open-air meetings.
• Sit in the executive office of one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in India, and pray with him to commit his life to Christ.
• Go house to house in a leaper colony, praying for and hugging the leapers.
• Dine in the homes of Indian church planters, hearing their stories of God's moving.
• Run on city and neighborhood streets, praying as I ran for the people and the cities.
• Speak at the chapel service of one of the most prestigious Indian medical schools, where over 400 doctors, patients, and staff heard the Gospel.
• Minister and conducted medical camps in an area that was ravaged by a 100-year flood.
• Walk through dozens of schools, encouraging and praying for students and teachers, and sharing the Gospel.
• Organize and conducted hundreds of free medical camps in villages.
• Direct money raised from supporters to equip several sewing centers where a skill is taught to young women, and who hear the Gospel as they learn.
• Stand on a mountainside and see the remains of a village that was completely covered by a mudslide, where 46 people died.
• See and experience countless miracles of physical healing, restoration, and demonic release.
• Hear countless stories of God's daily provision and the opening of doors, from a former Muslim Believer who daily lays his life on the line to reach the 1.3 million Muslims in his city.
• Baptize former Muslims as new Believers in Christ!

I could go on for pages... Remembering God's faithfulness in all of this makes me glad that I will go again, and give myself for the sake of the Kingdom! As my wife is fond of saying, "When Brad goes to India, God shows-off, and he gets to be a part of it!"

You can participate financially in ongoing ministry efforts (deep-water wells, sewing machines, medicines, setting-up businesses to support poor pastors) by clicking the Donate link at the top left of the main page. Thank you!

Stormy Weather

The past few weeks have produced some strong spring thunderstorms where I live. In other parts of the country, a fourth nor-easter of the month has hit. The weather seems to be more volatile than ever.

Actually, we have always had severe weather to contend with. It appears to be more severe and more frequent because of our access to instant news reports. And, the effect of social media by posting and reposting weather reports makes it seem worse that it really is.

When we encounter storms, and when we encounter the storms of life, we get concerned, nervous, and afraid. That is our natural reaction to the disruption of our normal lives. How we respond to those storms is a great indicator of what we are trusting in. Storms not only demonstrate our faith, but they also increase our faith.

Psalm 46:1-3 says: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

The psalmist is describing a great storm, one that could be weather related or a storm of life. He mentions trouble, fear, losing control (the earth give way), disruption of the normal (the mountains fall), ongoing problems (waters roar and foam), and foundations shaking (mountains quake).

One of the things that strikes me about this psalm (I encourage you to read all of it) is that it makes the assumption that storms will come, problems will arise, normal life will be disrupted. None of us can escape from storms.

Another thing that strikes me about this psalm is the lack of panic in the words and expression of the writer. There is a strong, secure “tone” that is expressed, even when describing the storms he is encountering.

Twice, in verses 7 and 11, the psalmist says these words: The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. He is assuring not only the readers of who his trust is placed in, but he is also reminding himself who his trust is placed in: The Lord.

Bottom line: Be ready for storms: They will come. Trust in the Lord before, after, and during the storm. Assure yourself of God’s help. (I memorized this psalm as a 16 year old and it is one of my personal go-to Scriptures.)

By the way, verse 10, Be still, and know that I am God is not a mandate for quiet worship. It is God telling us that amid storms, problems, difficulties, and obstacles, we need to stop fretting, worrying, and stressing. We are to rather be still (quiet, relaxed, calm) and trust God to protect us and take care of us

He has, He does, and He will. Lead Well!

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Coming... India 2018!

This week I confirmed dates with my India contacts, purchased airline tickets, and now things are gaining momentum... In May I am officially traveling to India for 16 days my 16th Mission Trip there!

Since 2007, I have traveled to India from the USA for the sole purpose of investing into the Indian people by providing deep water wells, medical care, workforce skills, medicine, leader training, and Gospel proclamation.

By partnering together with local pastors and leaders, we are able to provide physical and spiritual help to the less fortunate and unreached Indian people.

From large rallies with thousands in attendance where the Gospel is preached, to small villages where free medical camps are conducted and wells are dug, my trips are packed with early morning to late night ministry and service.

The impact of our time of ministry is continued and even multiplied because we always work through the local pastors and leaders who will continue the work in their regions.

This year I will be concentrating my focus of ministry in the northern Indian states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu-Kashmir. I will be partnering with three very influential Indian leaders whom I have worked with for many years.

My wife and I are able to purchase my travel tickets for this trip, but with any endeavor of this size, I am seeking financial support for medicines, in-country travel, and gifts for poor local pastors.

If you would like to help support my 2018 India Mission Trip, click here on the "give" button from the drop-down menu at the top left of this page.

Thank you for your interest, investment, and prayer support... Lead Well!

(There are some things that I cannot publicly post to protect my partners in India, but if you would like more details and specifics of my trip, I invite you to sign-up for my India Mailing List by entering your email address from the drop-down menu at the top left of this page.)

Resolutions Or Revolution?

Here we go… a new year! Resolutions, commitments, goals, visions... And to motivate and encourage us, we read Blogs, posts, and words of wisdom. (I have posted my share.) But, instead of resolutions, how about if we start a revolution? Read on...

Allow me to be simple: As Believers, you and I have the sacred responsibility to be salt, light, encouragement, Disciple-makers, and Kingdom-builders. I am not referring to standing on the street corner with a bullhorn, being more of a nuisance than an inspiration.

Rather, I am referring to the pattern Jesus established for us: Daily, consistent, purposeful words and deeds, investing into the lives of others, to draw them to the Lord, and draw them to invest themselves in others.

Doesn’t sound that simple, does it? Allow me to give you an easy first step: Love. Jesus said in John 13:35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” How can we let the world know we are followers of Christ? It’s simple: Love each other.

Here are three suggestions that will demonstrate our love for others:

• Share Grace rather than Gossip. Listen to yourself: How often do you talk about others (including game officials, politicians, waiters, and strangers who take a long time in the line in front of us)? Jesus said that life doesn’t revolve around us. By seeing others as real people, with real needs, and real heartaches, instead of seeing them as inconveniences and people with contrary opinions, we'll stop our gossip.
• Pray For rather than Post About those we disagree with (again including game officials, politicians, waiters, and strangers). Imagine how your world and the world of a person would change if you stopped and prayed for the person you had a problem with, rather than publicly gossiped about them? (Isn’t that what posting displeasure is: Gossip?)
• Love rather than Judge others. We are quick to judge. Usually it’s because others are different from us: Different culture, different opinions, different tastes, even different worship styles. When we judge, we evaluate others based on what we think is right. As we see it, our opinion outweighs truth. And truth can only be found in God’s Word. When a person is contrary to God’s Word, we should love them to Him, not judge them away from Him.

I am believing that this next year will be a great year for the Kingdom of God. We can play a big part in expanding that Kingdom and building Disciples by being people of love. That’s how the world will know that we are His disciples. And that will revolutionize our lives.

Lead Well!