Yesterday I spent the day with a twenty-nine year old evangelist who flew in from Europe just to see me. He has asked me to mentor him, which is hard to do when we live on different continents, but I do what I can to help and encourage him. He is an Indian who has been ministering predominately in Britain, Poland, Finland, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and China. This morning he is flying to the United Arab Emirates to minister the gospel. During our time together we talked about the nature of the anointing, the effective communication of the gospel and the preeminence of the Kingdom of God in the preaching ministry of Jesus. We had a good time. After lunch (in one of my favorite restaurants!) he came up to my room and I prayed for him. I believe there was a real spiritual impartation.

This morning I will take two flights and a five hour jeep ride to get to the conference location. I will begin ministering as soon as I arrive. It will be a long day. Right now it’s about 6:45 in the morning. I got up at 5:00, not because I am a spiritual giant who likes to get up at 5:00, but because of jet lag. I woke up with a message idea that I will preach Friday night at the conference. I will call the message: BLOOD, SWEAT and TEARS Here are my notes…

Blood, Sweat and Tears
Hebrews 12:1-2

Hebrews 11 — The heroes of faith
Hebrews 12 — The faith of Jesus
The faith of blood, sweat and tears.

Blood, Sweat and Tears in the GARDEN

Blood, Sweat and Tears on the VIA DOLOROSA

-A Giant David couldn’t kill

-A Trial Elijah couldn’t handle

-A Cross Jesus couldn’t carry

Blood, Sweat and Tears on the CROSS

-Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

-Truly, I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise.

-Woman, behold your son. Behold, your mother.

-Eli, Eli lama sabachthani.

-I thirst.

-Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.

-It is finished!

Hebrews 12:1-3
And now we call it GOOD Friday!

I will preach this message in a place where there has been much blood, sweat and tears shed for the cause of Christ. Now it’s time for the good things to come! Amen!

I believe this message will be powerful and prophetic. Pray that God will use it.

I need to get to the airport.

Blessings,

BZ

This is a bonus blog. I’m sitting in the Continental Lounge in Newark getting ready to board my 15 hour flight and I thought I’d say hi. On the flight from Kansas City to Newark I read The Faces of Jesus by Frederick Buechner. I enjoyed it. I’m bringing a lot of books with me on this trip and they’re all about Jesus (except for one book by Salman Rushdie…Rusdie’s not writing about Jesus…yet…Salman Rushdie would be a good follow up to Anne Rice!)

I hope all of you Word of Lifers are excited about the Two Months of Discovery! I am!

I’m getting my iPod ready for the 15 hour flight. First up is this album.

Well, it’s time to board. See ya!

I’m getting ready for some huge happenings, events, opportunities, whatever you want to call them. Immediately following the second service this Sunday I leave for an overseas trip to Asia where I’ll be ministering for five days to 4,000 pastors and Christian workers in a part of the world where believers are subject to violent persecution and where there have been a number of recent martyrdoms. The leaders of this major Christian movement have said they are going to wait to form their evangelistic and church planting strategy for 2006 until after this conference. They told me they are expecting to hear from God through what I have to say. So it’s a big deal and I’m getting ready for it. I need to be anointed, have the right messages, be focused and “at the top of my game.” It’s like getting ready for the Super Bowl…except that this is actually important.

After the Joseph Company* breakfast tomorrow morning I’ll spend a good part of the day packing and getting all the practical details of this trip finalized. I need to make sure I take the right clothes, books, sermons, equipment, etc. It’s always a relief when this is finished.

Sunday I’ll be introducing Two Months of Discovery: The Unvarnished Jesus. This two month spiritual odyssey will actually begin the day I leave Asia, so while I’m abroad I’ll be getting ready for this so I can hit the ground running when I return home.

Have I told you I’m excited about this? So excited I can hardly stand it!

This will be my last blog until I arrive in Asia. Once I’m there I’ll be able to make a few posts (certainly on Tuesday), but I’ll probably be limited in internet access most of the time. By February 27 I will be able to say where I’ve been ministering (most of you know already…but it’s our little secret). I definitely plan to make my debut Two Months of Discovery post on March 1 before I leave Asia. (This will make more sense after I explain it Sunday morning.)

So, I’m getting ready. Getting ready for big things. You get ready too! Pray for me and I’ll pray for you.

Jesus is on the move!

BZ

* Joseph Company is our fellowship of entrepreneurs, business owners, professionals and people with a vision for marketplace ministry. The Joseph Company is entirely financing the conference for the 4,000 pastors and Christian workers. They have given over $62,000 to this prophetic project. Way to go Joseph Company!

Half an hour of agony. That’s me on the Stairmaster. So why do I do it? Because it makes the other twenty-three and half hours much better. I have a love/hate relationship with the Stairmaster Free Climber 4200 at the gym where I work out. I love that I do it and I hate doing it. I have found that the call of God on my life is much more livable if I stay in shape. Not Olympic gold medal shape, but feel good about myself, stay healthy and make it to the end of my journey shape.

I know there are hundreds of fitness books and plans on the market. Here is the BZ Fitness Plan: EAT CLOSE TO THE GROUND AND MOVE.

Eat close to the ground. That doesn’t mean eating Twinkies while sitting on the floor, but trying to eat somewhat natural and unprocessed. Do you want to lose weight? Let me tell you a secret: Sugar is the enemy. I know a guy who lost twenty pounds by doing nothing other than cutting pop out of his diet. Train yourself to regard fruits as sweet instead of junk with tons of sugar.

Move. Death is still, no movement. Movement belongs to life. So if you want to stay alive, keep moving. You don’t have to torture yourself with half an hour of agony like I do — I’m weird that way, I like to see how hard I can push myself — you can actually do something you enjoy for half an hour, but find some way to move. Peri likes to walk (and talk) with her walking buddies. If you see me on the Stairmaster: Don’t talk to me (I’m in agony and I probably won’t reply).

I suppose I could stretch this out to three hundred pages and try to sell it to you for twenty dollars, but I think I’ll just keep it simple and give it to you free: Eat close to the ground and move. You’ll like life better if you do.

BZ (Resting heart rate of 50. Yeah!)

On Saturday I saw a Palestinian kiss an Israeli.

It was a miracle.

Many of you know my friend Taysir Abu Saada (Tass). Tass is a Palestinian born Arab who was a hate-filled PLO fighter with Yaser Arafat and later met Jesus in a most remarkable way and is now one of the most love-filled men I have ever met in my life. Tass is preparing to return to Gaza City and minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ to some of the most spiritually needy people in the world. Tass and his wife Karen were with us for the entire Faith Life Weekend.

On Saturday Peri and I met in Solomon’s Porch with our Israeli friend Susan Marcus who has been our guide on our eight trips to Israel. Susan and Tass met for the first time a couple of years ago in Israel. Neither one knew the other was going to be at Solomon’s Porch. When Tass walked in and saw Susan sitting with Peri and me, he came over to Susan and gave her a kiss.

It was a miracle.

You think of a leg growing out or a disease being healed as a miracle, but a former Fattah fighter kissing an Israeli mother whose son lost a leg in one of Israel’s wars with its Arab neighbors is an even greater miracle. And the only explanation is Jesus.

People around the world will talk about love today, but Jesus is the one who can transform the heart of a sinner to love like He does. Jesus is the one who can draw people together who otherwise will remain hopelessly alienated. When Jesus called His twelve disciples, one was a collaborator who collected taxes for the Romans (Matthew) and another was a member of the Zealots, a resistance party who advocated the violent overthrow of the Roman occupiers (Simon the Zealot). These two men were poles apart and would have been mortal enemies — but they came together in their common call to follow Jesus Christ. No doubt there came the time when for the first time Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot greeted one another with a kiss.

It was a miracle.

And those miracles of love are still happening today because Jesus is alive!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

BZ

P.S. Tass and Karen will be with us again this Friday night and Tass will be speaking at our Joseph Company breakfast on Saturday morning. If you have a vision for marketplace ministry and would like to join us for the Joseph Company breakfast this Saturday, please RSVP here or by calling our offices at 816-233-6367

I’ve read some reports this week concerning a move of God in a chapel service at Asbury College — a Christian college in Wilmore, Kentucky. The regularly scheduled chapel service began Monday morning at 10:00. During the time of praise and worship something began to happen and it has continued all week. One student described it this way…

This campus revival is now in its fifth day. Another student compared what they were experiencing to what Lucy experienced in her encounters with Aslan in The Chronicles of Narnia. I was struck by this comment because I have often felt that C.S. Lewis’ character of Lucy is the perfect portrayal of the longing heart. It’s the “Lucy” in us that longs for the adventure of discovery — the holy discovery of Jesus Christ on a personal level.

Here is a link to the Asbury College website describing what has been happening.

What makes this so exciting, beside the fact that it’s always nice to hear about a powerful move of God among young people, is that I believe this may be a harbinger of things to come.

harbinger: something that foreshadows what is to come

This isn’t the first time there has been a surprising move of God in a chapel service at Asbury College. On February 3, 1970 — 36 years ago — the same thing happened. A spontaneous campus revival broke out in the Asbury chapel that lasted 24 hours a day for eight days. This campus revival eventually spread to 130 other colleges and universities. Several books have been written on the Asbury Revival; I have read some of them. One of our associate pastors told me he has an old black and white VHS of this famous revival.

Most significantly, the Asbury Revival of 1970 was a HARBINGER of the Jesus Movement! The Jesus Movement of the early 70’s was Heaven’s answer to the demonic counter culture rebellion of the late 60’s. A year and a half later the “Jesus Revolution” was on the cover of Time magazine. I have a copy of this issue of Time as a prophetic reminder of what I believe God is going to do again!

May the events at Asbury College this week be a holy harbinger of what is coming to America this year!

Amen!

BZ

P.S. I hope you will be joining me tonight for the beginning of Faith Life Weekend!

So you’re looking for great revelation? Sorry, you won’t find any here today. I’m saving it all for Faith Life Weekend.

But here are ten things off the top of my head I think are great…

1. The cappuccinos I make

2. The way Salman Rushdie writes

3. Byzantine art

4. The movie “The Man Who Would Be King”

5. Bob Dylan’s lyrics and the way he sings
(Don’t argue with me! How many Grammys for singing do you have?)

6. The smell of coffee, new books and a wood burning stove.

7. Peri

8. The Taj Mahal

9. Van Gogh’s Starry Night

10. The internet

Keep on rocking in the free world!

BZ

I’m in the cave. That’s an expression in my vocabulary meaning “serious study.” When I have serious study to do, I do it in my basement (the cave) where I can be free from distractions. All this week (and much of last week) I have been preparing for Faith Life Weekend. It’s going to be great!

I’ve learned that one of the keys to happiness is to always have something to look forward to, or better yet several things to look forward to. Right now there are three things in the immediate future that I am very excited about.

1. Faith Life Weekend. I love preaching and teaching the Faith Life. Faith is the victory!

2. Immediately after church on February 19 I leave for an eleven day overseas trip to an Asian county. The national leader I work with in this country, Papa Gee, has urged me not to make any more references of where I will be until I have returned, but only to say I will be ministering in an Asian country where Christians are persecuted. There have been many attacks upon Christians in this area over the past few months and Papa Gee tells me there are people who scour the internet in search of specific information. Most of you reading this know where I will be. (But we don’t want any bad guys to know!) There have been several important changes in this ministers conference over the past couple of weeks. Instead of housing the ministers in hotels, they will be sleeping on the grounds–a real camp meeting! This is both for security reasons and to be able to increase the number of people who can attend. Instead of 1,000 ministers, this conference will now be attended by 4,000 ministers! Last week they dug 300 toilets on the grounds. It will be primitive…and powerful! I’m excited about it!

3. Two Months of Discovery: The Unvarnished Jesus. This is going to be the greatest thing our church has ever done! For real.

OK, I’m in the cave and I need to get back to the grindstone.

Adios!

The Prince of Persia is on the prowl again. Daniel had his own encounter with this demonic principality in the 6th Century B.C. when Persia was a world power (see Daniel chapter ten). Eventually though Persia faded from the world stage. But the return of the Ayatollah Khomeini from exile in Paris to Iran in 1979 seemed to mark a turning point in world history and the reemergence of the Prince of Persia. In many respects the Ayatollah Khomeini is the father of modern Islamic militancy and by any account he was one of the most influential figures of the 20th Century (He was Time Magazine’s Man of the Year in 1979). That was 27 years ago and Iran has come a long way, baby. Now Persia is getting close to possessing a nuclear weapon. When you consider that the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for the Israel to be “wiped off the map” you realize this is completely unacceptable to the Jewish State. So what’s going to happen? I suppose there are five scenarios:

1. Sanctions from the international community led by the UN force Iran to abandon their nuclear ambitions. I think this is highly unlikely.

2. The European powers take the responsibility for military action against Iran. OK, let’s be serious.

3. The United States leads a military strike against Iran aimed at destroying their capacity for developing a nuclear weapon and the removal of the current hard-line regime. Though this is possible, I think it is also unlikely. It’s too costly politically (and otherwise).

4. Nothing happens. Iran is allowed to develop nuclear weapon. Israel cannot permit this to happen. That leaves only one other option…

5. Israel will destroy Iran’s capacity for nuclear weapons. This is what I expect to happen, though it will not be near as easy as it was for Israel to destroy Iraq’s nuclear ambitions in 1981.

Look for Iran and Israel to make some headlines.

I’m thinking about this song today.

Neighborhood Bully
by Bob Dylan

Well, the neighborhood bully, he’s just one man,
His enemies say he’s on their land.
They got him outnumbered about a million to one,
He got no place to escape to, no place to run.
He’s the neighborhood bully.

The neighborhood bully just lives to survive,
He’s criticized and condemned for being alive.
He’s not supposed to fight back, he’s supposed to have thick skin,
He’s supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in.
He’s the neighborhood bully.

The neighborhood bully been driven out of every land,
He’s wandered the earth an exiled man.
Seen his family scattered, his people hounded and torn,
He’s always on trial for just being born.
He’s the neighborhood bully.

Well, he knocked out a lynch mob, he was criticized,
Old women condemned him, said he should apologize.
Then he destroyed a bomb factory, nobody was glad.
The bombs were meant for him.
He was supposed to feel bad.
He’s the neighborhood bully.

Well, the chances are against it and the odds are slim
That he’ll live by the rules that the world makes for him,
‘Cause there’s a noose at his neck and a gun at his back
And a license to kill him is given out to every maniac.
He’s the neighborhood bully.

He got no allies to really speak of.
What he gets he must pay for, he don’t get it out of love.
He buys obsolete weapons and he won’t be denied
But no one sends flesh and blood to fight by his side.
He’s the neighborhood bully.

Well, he’s surrounded by pacifists who all want peace,
They pray for it nightly that the bloodshed must cease.
Now, they wouldn’t hurt a fly.
To hurt one they would weep.
They lay and they wait for this bully to fall asleep.
He’s the neighborhood bully.

Every empire that’s enslaved him is gone,
Egypt and Rome, even the great Babylon.
He’s made a garden of paradise in the desert sand,
In bed with nobody, under no one’s command.
He’s the neighborhood bully.

Now his holiest books have been trampled upon,
No contract he signed was worth what it was written on.
He took the crumbs of the world and he turned it into wealth,
Took sickness and disease and he turned it into health.
He’s the neighborhood bully.

What’s anybody indebted to him for?
Nothin’, they say.
He just likes to cause war.
Pride and prejudice and superstition indeed,
They wait for this bully like a dog waits to feed.
He’s the neighborhood bully.

What has he done to wear so many scars?
Does he change the course of rivers?
Does he pollute the moon and stars?
Neighborhood bully, standing on the hill,
Running out the clock, time standing still,
Neighborhood bully.

Copyright 1983 Special Rider Music