This past Wednesday I taught my first large group session of Iris Harvest Mission School to the 120 or so students here. I spoke on evangelism as recruitment into the ministry of Jesus and invited people feeling called by Jesus to recruit others to come up for prayer. The whole group came forward– which is not so surprising considering this is a highly motivated audience.

Right after the session Anna and I went out to Mieze, a village where there was a mobile health clinic day. There was a doctor and some nurses and lots of prayer people. Many people were helped and we saw lots of healing too. Physicians and prayer happening together. Then we returned and I gave a 7:00 talk to the students on my spiritual journey, ending with my own confession and repentance for judgments I had made against Pentecostals, Assembly of God, Four Square, Charismatics, right wing republicans, evangelicas, fundamentalists… I invited the Spirit to show people if they needed to confess their judgements against brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. Many people came to the mike and made public confessions and asked forgiveness. It was really powerful. Then I invited people to come up for fresh fire from the Spirit. Everyone seemed to come forward and the Holy Spirit was very strongly present. People were laid out all over the straw mats as the Spirit came stronger and stronger. Really amazing.

Yesterday Heidi Baker, Anna and I and some others went out to do an overnight outreach in the bush some 2-3 hours away. There was another group ahead of us showing the Jesus film, and several thousand were gathered watching when we arrived– an amazing mass of impoverished humanity! We prayed with people for what seemed like hours after the film. Anna and I saw lots of healings– backs, head aches, knees, shoulders. Then Anna got overwhelmed as we had the crowd pressing in on us. She got up on the flat bed with Heidi and I kept praying. I saw God really move to heal people– even someone who was partially or totally blind get their sight back! Then when we returned from our praying to the land rover we found a window broken out and all Heidi and Anna and my most important bags were gone! In Heidis bag there were two I-phones, $2500 cash, camera, residency documents. In ours our digital camcorder, journals, bible, water purifier, $100 or so and other things. We were disappointed, but tried not to let it get us down after seeing God move so beautifully. A bunch of local pastors rallied together and spend the whole night trying to locate our stuff. They kept coming back to wake up Heidi (who was in a tent right next to us, so we woke up too) to tell us their progress. Finally at 5:00am they came back with all of our journals, bible, back packs and other non valuables– which was great! We just returned feeling tired but full after lots of signs of Godś kingdom and great fellowship with Heidi and others.

Keep us in your prayers. I preach in Mieze, a nearby village from 8:30-1:00pm or so on Sunday. Then teach most of Monday and Tuesday. We fly out on Tuesday night to Maputo. Meet with a theologian from the mainline denominational seminary who is interested in talking on Wednesday morning. Then we fly out Wed afternoon for S. Africa, Paris and home!

Pray for safety, Gods ongoing presence and continual ministry through us and to us.

In Christ,
Bob

My 13-year-old daughter Anna and I arrived in Pemba, Mozambique yesterday afternoon after a rich three days in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. We keep seeing signs of a new move of the Spirit, though in early stages perhaps.

I spoke to a group of professors of Scripture from the different seminaries and the school of theology associated with the University of Kwa Zulu-Natal. We had a meal together at an Oblate community on the outskirts of Pietermaritzburg, where I was invited to present a summary of my new book A New Christian Manifesto. There were Catholic, evangelical and mainline Bible scholars– feminist, contemplative, liberationist. I was amazed at peoples openness and excitement. I spoke the next day at a theological cafe at the university to some 30 professors and graduate students– including a prof of Islam who is himself Muslim specializing in Islam and traditional African religion. He had some profound questions about Jesus that really moved me.

Conversations with my friends Gerald West– OT prof and his wife Bev, a theologican and Jonathan Draper, a NT prof were stimulating as usual. These people are veteran Christians who have seen all the abuses from every side. They are not easily won over by any new thing and are incredibly astute– and yet always open. I see a hunger for the Kingdom of God– but not for any variety. Rather the authentic kingdom which brings true empowerment to the poor and freedom with dignity to the least.

Mozambique has moved us already to the core. Last night we went to a worship rave at Iris, where orphan kids together with Western mission students danced with abandon under the stars. Today we worshipped for hours in Iris’ new church just a quick run from the dazzeling Indian Ocean, dancing and crying out to God for more revival in Mozambique. The poverty is worse than last year since food prices are up. Please continue to pray for Anna and I, our schedule includes lots of teaching in the both the mission school (110 Western participants) and the Mozambican Bible school (over 100). Pray for:

• I will be teaching Monday – Thursday afternoon (June 16-19) in the Iris mission school and Bible school. For wisdom in selecting teaching subjects, for God’s presence to really bring clarity, healing and empowerment.
• On Thursday-Saturday (June 19-21) Anna and I go on an outreach into the bush with Heidi Baker. Pray for protection and God’s kingdom to come.
• On the following Sunday-Wednesday I teach.
• Pray for Anna– for protection, openness and connections.
• Pray for divine appointments and friendships
• We fly home June 25 and arrive in Seattle on June 26.

Blessings in Christ,

Bob

Anna and I arrived in Johannesburg, S. Africa yesterday morning and here in Pietermaritzburg in the afternoon. We’ve almost been gone a week and things are going amazingly well. We are having a lot of fun together, starting every day in Paris with fresh pan au chocolats and croissants– and lots of amazing meals. Anna however says she’s tired of fancy things like roast duck and misses peanut butter and jelly! Here are some highlights and some new prayer requests:

1) I preached and ministered Sunday at the Eglise Reformee de Belleville– a big reformed church in Paris. I invited people to come forward if they wanted to give Jesus permission to really take them deeper into baptismal death of the flesh so they could be wholly given over as sons/daughters of God, empowered more fully by the Holy Spirit. People came forward in droves and the Spirit really touched people. Then we had another session all afternoon, praying for many many people. There was lots of deliverance, quite amazing really. I was really moved by how many people are suffering from deep loneliness and isolation.

2) On Monday we met with Gilles Boucomont and his team from another Paris church. They had just taught for a week in Burlington. This is an important connection. Then I went out with Elian Cuvillier, the New Testament prof from the Eglise Reformee seminary in Montpellier who just happened to be in Paris when we were. We really connected and I am once again amazed to see how mainline intellectual French Protestants are so hungry and open to the Holy Spirit and to entering more fully into the ministry of Jesus. We stayed the entire time with the President of the French Bible Society, Bernard Coyault and his wife who is a pastor. We had great conversations.

3) On Tuesday I ministered “prophetic presytery” style to the pastoral team of Eglise Reformee de Belleville and then did a book signing at the main bookstore of the Eglise Reformee de France’s national office. The French translation of Reading the Bible with the Damned is out and doing really well.

4) Then we were wisked off by taxi (since there was a train strike) to the airport for an all night, 12 hr flight to Johannnesburg. Last night I spoke to a gathering of all the Biblical studies professors from the seminaries in this city (Catholics, protestants, evangelicals) based at the Univ of KwaZulu Natal and elsewhere. They asked me to share about my new book A New Christian Manifesto. I shared openly about the new move of the Spirit that I see, where word, spirit and ministry to the poor/marginalized are coming together. The profs were very excited and we ended up having a long discussion. I am amazed at people’s openness– especially since these people are not from charismatic camps but are theologians of liberation, contemplative Catholics, feminists, post-colonial theologians, academics. The Spirit is truly at work bringing together the body of Christ.

5) Today I speak at a “theological cafe” before professors and students and the Univ of KwaZulu Natal and then have dinner and breakfast meetings with profs and others. Please keep us in your prayers. Tomorrow the NT prof and my good friend Jonathan Draper is taking us to a game park. Yeah! Then we fly to Johannesburg and fly out Saturday morning for Iris ministry in Pemba Mozambique.

Please pray for ongoing divine appointments and God’s wisdom, direction and annointing for conversations with professors/leaders.

Pray for Ilona Dobeyn who is suffering from cancer here. We have prayed for her and she seems to be improving.

Pray for protection for us as we travel, and for Gracie and Luke back home and for Isaac in Argentina.

Pray that God would really prepare us for our 10-11 days in Mozambique (June 16-26).
Pray for Anna, for her health and an open heart. Pray for our time together as dad/daughter– that it would be the best.

Feel free to write if you get any impressions for us ().

Blessings in Christ,

Bob

At the end of Matthew Jesus commissions his disciples: “Go and make disciples of all the nations.” He tells them to baptize people, “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you” (Matt 28:19-20). What did Jesus command his disciples? Am I practicing these things and teaching others to do the same?

There are many things that Jesus commanded. Reading through Matthew’s Gospel looking for Jesus’ commands is challenging. There are many that are very well known, like “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of people” (4:19), “let your light shine before people” (5:16) “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (5:44), “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (6:33), “do not be anxious for tomorrow” (6:34), “do not judge lest you be judged yourself” (7:1), “ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened to you” (7:7) “enter by the narrow gate” (7:13).

Especially challenging to me right now are Jesus’ instructions to the twelve he send out in Matthew 10:7-8. “As you go, preach, saying, ‘the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.”

I recently returned from eight days visiting Tierra Nueva in Honduras. My colleague Nick and I went around with the Honduran TN promoters visiting villagers they attend to. Everywhere we went we led Bible studies to materially impoverished, spiritually hungry people. We prayed for lots of sick & hurting people and saw lots of healing. We saw Jesus take away migraines, tooth aches, pain in backs, necks, shoulders, abdomens, knees, ankles, ovaries. We prayed for several Catholic lay leaders in one village who were profoundly touched by the Holy Spirit, falling to the ground under the power of God’s love. We also prayed for people who were not visibly healed, four blind people who did not receive their sight and three dead people who did not raise up.

On the third day of my trip I was planning to meet beloved TN promoter Jorge in a high mountain village “Iran” at 9:00am. That morning though the news reached us that there on the mountain right where we were heading a white Toyota pickup like the one I had rented had been ambushed by four masked men with AK-47s. They had shot and beheaded the 22-year-old driver, shot his mother through the lungs and killed his 44-year-old worker. People said this was a revenge killing as the 22-year old had reputedly killed someone from the village of Iran back in December. We called off our trip as the four armed assassins were at large. As we stood in the park below our house trying to decide what to do when the Toyota pickup rumbled down into the square, bullet holes riddling the driver’s door, blood flowing out the back, the bodies covered with plastic bags. People ran to look at the dead. I stood there trying to shake off Jesus’ imperative: “raise the dead!”

I began to walk towards the white pick up, praying in the Spirit, dreading the moment. I didn’t want to look on these poor men. Yet I imagined the power of God being manifested there, and thought of the impact of Jesus raising these slain. I remembered Jesus’ words about not doing his own will, but only the will of his Father. I asked Jesus to show me the Father’s will, to show me what the Father was doing in heaven. The words that came to my mind surprised me: “He who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.” I doubted these to be God’s Word as they seemed too convenient, an escape from practicing Jesus’ commandments. But I didn’t feel peace. Then I thought to myself:

“I’ll go to their homes tonight during the wake. I can always pray for them then and that will give me time to get greater clarity.”

I remembered later that Jesus himself waited several days after Lazarus died to pray for him. That day we went off to a remote village, Zapote, and had a Bible study and prayer time with 15 men from an old Tierra Nueva committee. But we returned around 7:00pm and then had to decide again what to do.

Everyone told me not to go to the wakes, which in Honduras are all- night events, mourning around the body. My Honduran friends told me there had been lots of armed robberies after dark in our town by gangs of young men and that I shouldn’t go. As the night went on though I found myself unable to relax. I was feeling pressed to go down to pray over these dead men.

Nick accompanied me down to the first house. Groups of men hung around outside. “The situation is very sensitive,” a Honduran friend told me. “There are groups of armed men already heading out after the killers. There’s going to be more vengeance.” I walked inside the house. Women and children sat around a rustic wooded casket in the middle of the room. Inside was the 44-year old man who had been hired that day to help and protect the targeted 22- year-old. He had been carrying a gun, but hadn’t known how to use it when they were attacked. He was shot as he fumbled around trying to figure it out. He had just been deported by the US Border Patrol after working in the US for a few years.

I held his mother, a Christian active in a local Evangelical church, as she wept: “He was my right hand man.” “My God, my God. He was my provider, my beloved son, my son, my son.” I held her for a long time, praying and listening. Eventually I went over and looked through plexiglass at this poor man as I silently prayed and prayed for him to be raised, watching for any signs of life. “O Jesus, Son of God, have mercy. Bring your peace!”

We went to the next house of the 22-year-old who lived just down the street. This was a much bleaker scene as the family were not Christians and the mother was hospitalized in critical condition in the capital. Two days later she too died. I could feel a mix of rage and despair as I approached the house. People sat in what looked like numb submission. I held the father and we talked and prayed. I prayed that he would not feel pressured to retaliate. I then prayed over the young man’s body, silently speaking resurrection life into him, crying out for God’s intervention, for peace to come, for the violence to end.

The next day we went out visiting three poor peasant communities on the other side of the mountains. In four houses in a row we encountered blind people who we prayed for and anointed with oil. An old woman, a young man who had lost an eye, penetrated by a flying metal shaving while filing his machete. We prayed for a lady who was blind but also had an open ulcer on her lower leg. Heat came all over the open sores as we prayed, but she didn’t notice any change in her eyesight. We prayed for her husband’s back and hip pain and eyesight, clouded by cataracts. He told us excitedly that the pain completely left his back and hips and that his eyesight was improving—but I wondered about his eyes, thinking that maybe he was telling us what he thought we wanted to hear.

As we left I saw his middle-aged son sitting on a stool in their dirt-floored kitchen. “Are you in any pain? Can I pray for you?” I ask. “I’m not in pain, but you can pray for me.” “For what?” I asked. “For my salvation,” he said. “What?” I asked, surprised. “That I would be saved,” he said again. This man was apparently touched as we prayed for his parents. Did he feel God’s Presence? Though his mother’s eyes were clearly not opened, his spiritual eyes were, to the point that he felt drawn to ask Jesus to save him and fill him with the Holy Spirit. Yet I still long to see actual blind eyes opened—and am encouraged by my friend Heidi Baker, who after years praying for the blind without result is now seeing many blind eyes opening.

While I have not yet seen the blind receive their sight or the dead raised I find myself strangely longing to pray for more and more blind people, and for the dead, as Jesus directs. As I seek to open myself to practicing the ministry of Jesus, I find my heart changing, my pride and fear fading and an unexplainable confidence rising up inside. Something dead inside of me is coming alive… a new hope in the impossible.

On this Good Friday as I contemplate Jesus’ death, I think of these scenes of several weeks back and pray: Jesus, you yourself submitted to death. All of us too will die. Yet you call us to stand before death like you did: letting ourselves be affected by it, yet boldly facing it, willingly submitting to it for ourselves—yet resisting it for others. You wept for Lazarus, but then you commanded him to raise up. You stopped a funeral procession and raised a woman’s only son. You raised up the synagogue official’s 12-year-old daughter. Your disciples also raised the dead and I hear reports of it happening around the world today. Have mercy on us. Free us from our belief in the power of death, violence, and sickness– and from our unbelief. Fill us with faith in your superior power at work within us. Let your resurrection power become visible among us, more and more, here and now.

You may already know that Gracie and I have stepped into a new dimension of our ministry: praying more for individuals and groups here at our home-based retreat center New Earth Refuge and teaching (¼ time) here in the US and around the world. We continue to share a position directing and pastoring Tierra Nueva. At Tierra Nueva, here at New Earth Refuge and in our travels we find ourselves inviting people into the ministry of Jesus, praying for healing and empowerment and equipping people to announce the Kingdom of God.

It’s feeling more and more like we are preparing people for something new and expanding. A renewal movement appears to be underway. We are certainly seeing more and more healing, conversions and other signs of God’s presence among immigrants, inmates and also in the churches. A friend recently sent me a prophetic word spoken by British revivalist Smith Wigglesworth in 1947. While it was about England, it seems to apply to here too. He prophesied then that in the next few decades there would be two moves of the Spirit characterized by “a restoration of the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit” and people “moving out of historic churches to plant new ones.” He saw a third larger move combining word and Spirit as following. I quote:

“When the new church phase is on the wane, there will be evidence in the churches of something that has not been seen before: a coming together of those with an emphasis on the word and those with an emphasis on the Spirit. When the word and the Spirit come together, there will be the biggest move of the Holy Spirit that the nation, and indeed, the world has ever seen. It will mark the beginning of a revival that will eclipse anything that has been witnessed within these shores, even the Wesleyan and Welsh revivals of former years. The outpouring of God’s Spirit will flow over from the United Kingdom to mainland Europe, and from there, will begin a missionary move to the ends of the earth.”

Gracie and I are seeing more and more groups and individuals that have focused primarily on Scripture cross-pollinating with those who have focused on Spirit (and vice versa) in ways we have not seen in our lifetimes. During a November 2007 trip to France I led Bible studies and a retreat for word-focused Scripture Union International’s European workers in Alsace and French Reformed pastors in Paris. In both places there was a lot of spiritual hunger (see trip reports on my blog (http://www.bobekblad.blogspot.com and the forthcoming article on Word and Spirit in Catalyst at https://bobekblad.com/publicationsnews.html).

Many individuals and churches everywhere also are feeling called to reach out to the poor and marginalized—a third essential chord. Word, Spirit and ministry among the poor are coming together like never before. People in North America and Europe are longing to see action. Yet fruitfulness in ministry is only possible as we are rooted and grounded in God’s loving Presence, pursued in worship, Bible study, contemplative prayer and service.

On a mid-December 2007 trip to Colorado Gracie and I ministered in a church in the Aspen area that faces huge ministry challenges. The Aspen area has one of the highest per capita undocumented worker populations in the United States. These people serve as construction workers, dish washers and gardeners for people of extreme wealth. We taught and preached on Jesus’ ministry of announcing the Kingdom of God to the poor to an enthusiastic group, and ended with a healing service where the Holy Spirit really came to heal and bless people.

Right here in Northwest Washington we also see signs of a movement of the Holy Spirit. Increasing groups and individuals come to us for prayer. We are aiming to complete our two bunk houses and meeting room to meet the growing demand for one-on-one prayer, retreats and courses.

We are deeply encouraged by people’s support for both our new calling and for the construction of our larger prayer, teaching and hospitality building. The structure is now complete, with windows, doors, siding, roof and decking. We currently need $50,000 for floors, insulation, electrical, sheet rock, kitchen and other finish work so we can begin hosting people. Eventually we will need another $150,000 to pay back a loan that has helped us build everything up to this point. Please prayerfully consider whether you feel called to help us complete the building. We welcome you to visit us, see the progress and receive prayer yourself.

Tax-deductible contributions can be given online through PayPal on my website (https://bobekblad.com/donate.html) or mailed directly to New Earth Refuge, P.O. Box 410, Burlington, WA 98233.

We value your prayers for the following international commitments happening in the next five months.

• February 16 I leave for nine days of outreach with Tierra Nueva in Honduras followed by two days speaking at Lubbock Christian University.

• Speaking engagements increase beginning in March once my new book A New Christian Manifesto: Pledging Allegiance to the Kingdom of God, (Westminster John Knox: Louisville, 2008) comes out in late February.

• In April I will be the keynote speaker at the Scripture Engagement Roundtable of the Forum of Bible Agencies International in Amsterdam. I will then spend four days speaking in Paris as the French edition of Reading the Bible with the Damned (Lire la bible avec les parias) comes out in late March.

• In June I will be heading to Pemba, Mozambique for two weeks to teach Mozambican pastors and mission students in Iris Ministries Holy Given Missions School, accompanied by my 13-year-old daughter Anna. This will be my third time working to train pastors in Mozambique—where revival is outpacing training in an amazing move of God’s Spirit.

May God richly bless you this Lent as you remember and celebrate Jesus’ life, death and resurrection to save this broken, beloved world.

Yours in Christ,

Bob Ekblad

I have been especially pondering the last two verses of Malachi this Advent, longing to see more and more reconciliation that prepared the way for Jesus.

“Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6).

Elisha was always my favorite prophet of the Old Testament. His humility before his master Elijah was impressive and he ended up doing twice as many miracles: literally 14 to Elijah’s 7. So why was Elijah sent as a forerunner to the Messiah, and not Elisha?

My question was answered by Ron Kuykendall, an Episcopal priest friend from Florida who came and did some teaching at Tierra Nueva’s The People’s Seminary in September.

Ron taught that Elijah is the prototype spiritual father, and Elisha a prototype spiritual son. Elijah is the only Old Testament prophet who passed on a double anointing. Elijah embodies God’s heart: that our sons and daughters (spiritual or biological) would go far beyond us, standing on our shoulders. John the Baptist embodied this with his attitude towards Jesus: “He must increase. I must decrease.” He pointed to Jesus, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29),” and not to himself. “After me comes a man who has a higher rank than I,” he continued.

Jesus surely had a much greater anointing. And yet he too embodied towards us his disciples the father heart visible in Elijah: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (John 14:12-13). Surely Jesus sent us his Holy Spirit to empower us to continue in this same tradition, as we continue to prepare for Jesus’ final return: “the great and terrible day of the Lord.”

In the jail where I serve as chaplain most of the men and women are estranged from their fathers, and often their mothers too. Gangs are on the rise everywhere in part because of a crisis in father/child relationships. The church too is disempowered in part because of rivalries and ruptures that need to be laid down. I long to see the turning of hearts between actual biological fathers/mothers and daughters/sons and also between spiritual children and their parents. Reconciliation, healing and true empowerment begins with forgiveness, as the following story shows.

I first met Santos (“holy” in Spanish) twelve years ago when he was a 20-year-old Latino gangster doing six months in Skagit County Jail. Santos is unforgettable because of his warm, sensitive spirit. He also has a nervous wince that hits his left eye like a crashing wave every thirty seconds. Halfway through a Bible study about Jesus’ healing of a blind man by applying spit to his eyes two Thursday’s ago, Santos said: “I feel kind of vulnerable asking for this, but can you pray for me to be healed of this nervous tic in my left eye? It’s been bothering me my whole life, but more and more lately.”

With only five minutes before the guards came, I invited the other inmates to gather around Santos, and placed my hand on his left eye. Immediately I got the strong impression that his father had hit him in the head. I asked whether this was true, and Santos began to cry and say he was beaten a lot when growing up. Later he told me that as the oldest, he’d often taken the blame for things his younger brother and sister had done, to keep them from beatings.

I briefly told him that when someone sins against us, it brings great suffering, but if we hold resentment and unforgiveness, the sins of the other person infect and continue to hurt us. He said he was willing to forgive. I led him in a prayer of forgiveness, and he even began to bless his father. I prayed that the peace of Christ would come over his face and that the nervous flinching would be calmed in Jesus’ name. The presence of God came over all of us. It was very peaceful.

The next day, I called Santos to check on him. He said he was 100% healed and the twitching had stopped. I called him four days later and he says he’s still completely healed—the tic has not returned. He has had this problem for 32 years. “People who know me are all noticing it!” he said. He also told me that the night he forgave his father, his dad called his girlfriend’s house looking for him—something his father rarely if ever does.

I am profoundly grateful for this new beginning as hearts are turned and Jesus comes again, and I long to see more. May you experience this Christmas season reconciliation, healing and peace born out of forgiveness as you anticipate and welcome Jesus’ coming.

On Saturday, November 17 after a rich five days with Scripture Union in Alsace I flew to Paris to spend the weekend ministering in the Église Reformée de Belleville followed by a three-day retreat for French reformed pastors.

The church is Belleville is one of the largest churches in the Église Reformée de France. Like many churches in Paris, its membership is diverse: many French people together with first and second generation immigrants from Africa and other countries. I even met a woman from Mexico and people from Columbia. The Belleville church is at the heart of the section of Paris with the largest Jewish community, many North African immigrants and a burgeoning arts scene. Unlike most churches in the Église Reformée de France which are highly intellectual and traditional, Belleville is more evangelical and has been deeply influenced by charismatic renewal.

Serge Jacquemus is the pastor– a good friend who did graduate studies with me in Montpellier in 1991 who I later met up with in 2004 at a pastor’s conference at the Toronto Airport Christian Fellowship. Randy Greer is an American missionary friend of mine also ministering at Belleville. He leads an inspiring after-school program serving North African immigrant youth. Serge has invited me to minister in Paris for the past few years, hoping to see his church reach out more effectively to the neighborhood, empowered by the Holy Spirit. I arrived in the middle of a national transportation strike, but the Saturday afternoon training drew many people. We acted out Jesus’ encounter with the woman caught in adultery and the woman bent over by an evil spirit. These stories served as a basis for inviting people to drop their stones of accusation and to step into Jesus’ ministry of announcing forgiveness and deliverance from evil spirits. Nearly everyone came up at the end to receive prayer for freedom from invisible powers that oppress them (shame, guilt, fear, unworthiness).

Sunday morning I preached two services to the 500 member church. I spoke on the Spirit upon Jesus and the anointing for ministry to the poor, prisoners, the blind and oppressed based on Luke 4:18ff, ending with fire tunnels where everyone could lay hands on everyone. People enthusiastically engaged in this style of prayer after I presented it as a near perfect enactment of the values of the French revolution: liberté, égalité, fraternité (freedom, equality, brotherhood). The priesthood of all believers happened as people excitedly formed two long lines facing each other to make a prayer tunnel. Nearly everyone in each service passed through at least once, receiving prayer from the many who laid hands on them calling for God’s Spirit to come to heal, fill and empower.

A three-day pastor’s conference began the next day at noon. Since all the trains and subways were still nearly shut down by the national strike, only 20 or so pastors were able to make it to the retreat. This was ideal since the focus of the retreat was on ministering personally to each pastor. Pastoring in France is particularly challenging. French society is increasingly fast-paced and impressively secular. Pastors of the historic Église Reformée often minister in traditional parishes to small, aging congregations made up of members often spread out in a wide geographic area. Ministry opportunities to non-Christians are very challenging. The majority immigrant population is North African and Muslim. Pastors are highly trained professionals who know Scripture and theology well, but have had little training in ministering physical and inner healing, deliverance and prophetic ministry. Though they place a high value on the priesthood of all believers, they often feel stuck when it comes to really seeing parishioners get empowered to step into their callings.

My focus was to help them become more secure in a Biblical theology of empowerment based on Ephesians 1:3ff and 2:7ff and many other texts and in ministry with the gifts of the Spirit (Eph 4:7-10; 1 Cor 12-14). Many pastors bear the weight of an entire congregation’s calling and suffer under their own and other’s expectations that they have to be gifted to meet every need. My hope was that they would become more comfortable receiving more from the Holy Spirit and facilitating people’s empowerment to move in the gifts of the Spirit. I presented on the five-fold vision of ministry in Ephesians 4:11-16 and we discussed and practiced how to identify and recruit people into callings such as apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher with the objective of equipping all the people (Eph 4:11-12).

We used a “prophetic presbytery” style of prayer we practice every week as a staff at Tierra Nueva. This involves laying hands on each other, blessing, praying and sharing impressions, pictures, scriptures—perhaps in some way similar to ways early Christians ministered to each other (Acts 13:2-3; 19:6; 1 Tim 4:14; 2 Tim 1:6). After beautiful worship and some teaching, over the course of three days each pastor had a turn to sit in the middle of a circle to receive prayer and prophetic words of encouragement and direction from the leaders of the pastoral, each other and me. We laid hands on each one and invited the Holy Spirit to come to fill, bless and reveal. It was amazing to see how God spoke consistently and personally words of clear encouragement, comfort, clarification of gifting and direction. After praying for some 25 people each one of us had significantly more experience by the end of this retreat to take this model back to our ministries and parishes. There is still so much to learn about discernment of spiritual gifts and empowerment for life and ministry, but I came home deeply encouraged by the power of people humbly gathering around each other to bless and build up.

Please keep these French pastors and the Belleville church in your prayers: that the Spirit would keep filling them more and more. That the light of Christ would shine brightly on them and through them for their families, communities and for France.

I am seeing increasing signs of the coming together of currents in the body of Christ that are often divided. Those committed to meeting God through thoughtful study of Scripture are cross-pollinating with contemplatives and Holy Spirit-focused charismatic Christians in a powerful confluence that is gradually reversing Jesus’ reproach to the Saddusees: “You do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matt 22:29). This reversal is desperately needed today, as people need the message and preaching of Jesus Christ to be “demonstrated by the Spirit and power of God” (1 Cor 2:4).

On Thanksgiving Day I flew home from Paris after a rich 10 days of teaching and ministry in France. The first five days were in Alsace at Scripture Union’s French retreat center Rimlishof. There, Tierra Nueva intern Troy Terpstra and I met with some 50 Scripture Union workers from 22 European countries for five days of presentations and conversations. Most of the people had read my book, Reading the Bible with the Damned in preparation for discussions on how to effectively engage people in liberating reading of the Bible.

People from different European countries presented their research on many topics related to Bible engagement. Andrey Cherniak of Scripture Union Russia spoke on Lectio Divina and then led an optional contemplative reading of a Bible passage that many attended. David Pritchard from Madrid sat us all down like children to show us how to engage little kids in an approach called “godly play.” He told us the story of Abram and Sarai’s journey of faith and then had us respond with colored paper, pens, crayons or however we felt led. Others spoke on how to effectively engage grade school children, teen agers, traditional church goers or secularized European adults in transformational Bible study. Others presented their expertise on websites, interactive electronic gaming systems and contextually sensitive publications of various sorts. I was inspired and amazed by people diverse approaches and giftings.

Every morning I led a Bible study to demonstrate ways of reading the Bible that I’ve found effective both in the jail and among mainstream Christians. People responded enthusiastically to these Bible studies and bibliodramas. I shared about my growing desire to be continually filled with and led by the Holy Spirit and the anointing in my reading of the Bible and in my ministry—rather than depending upon my education, experience and natural abilities. Jesus himself emphasized this when he said: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor.” If Jesus himself needs the Spirit upon him and the anointing “today” and every day, we too need God’s continual Presence upon, in and before us in everything we do. People seemed inspired to seek more of this anointing that John talks about, the chrisma that abides in us and teaches us about all things (1 John 2:20, 27).

People were interested in talking further about this vast theme of Word and Spirit. I witnessed people’s spiritual hunger firsthand when some 25 came to an optional soaking prayer time one evening. God’s Spirit came very beautifully, bringing comfort, encouragement and healing.

I was excited to learn that these leaders together will be training some 10,000 Bible study facilitators in the months before summer to work with children, youth and adults throughout Europe. Let’s keep these many Scripture Union workers in our prayers: that the Spirit would guide them in their announcing of good news to hungry people throughout post-Christendom Europe (see www.su-international.org). I will write again in a few days about my time in Paris.

New Earth Refuge’s construction project is moving forward daily. Gracie and I are thankful to God and our supporters for the nearly $50,000 that has been given since August. We have now completed all the framing, the roofing and are just now installing the doors and windows. We are confident that gifts will continue to come in so we can complete the electrical, plumbing, insulation and interior finish.

We are especially encouraged that our ministry here at New Earth Refuge at our existing guest house has been growing. Groups, individuals and couples are coming here more and more to receive prayer from Gracie, me and others at Tierra Nueva. People are experiencing healing and renewal, as you can read in the testimonial from Laurie below.

“In June I returned from riding a friend’s horse. It was a vigorous ride to say the least and the next morning I woke with terrible low back pain. As the days passed instead of getting better the pain grew worse. It spread from my lower back up to my neck and shoulders leaving me unable to drive or do daily household chores.

Despite seeing doctors and physical therapists over the following weeks the pain did not go away. The summer passed as I sat in the chair feeling hopeless. With two children, one autistic, and a marriage that was all but over I could not imagine why God would allow this to happen.

Finally, in August I thought that maybe God was trying to tell me something. I began to pray. Quickly God began to bring to mind all the things I had done to contribute to the poor state of my marriage. I called my husband and apologized for all the things I had done and was so quick to blame him for. Needless to say he was shocked but accepted my apology.

A few short minutes later a friend arrived at the house. I told her of the events of the morning and she mentioned that she knew of someone who would pray for my back pain. I wrote his name down but I wasn’t sure how I felt about “healing prayer”. My skeptical side just does not want to believe it, for several reasons I suppose. I certainly do not want to look like a sucker and what am I supposed to do with my faith if for some reason they pray for me and my back does not feel better.

Later, another friend dropped by and I was shocked to hear her tell me that she also knew of someone I should see who would pray for my back pain, Bob Ekblad, the very name I had just written down. Despite my skepticism and discomfort this seemed more than a coincidence to me.

I tried to schedule a time to see Bob but somehow no time seemed to work so he offered to pray for me over the phone. During this prayer time Bob mentioned that I may have some people in my life I need to forgive and encouraged me to ask God to bring those people to mind. Over the next several days names and events came to mind like waves on the beach and I spent a lot of time dealing with forgiveness. My back pain, however was still there and discouragement was setting in. What I wasn’t thinking about was healing was taking place in my life just not in my back yet.

Finally my husband and I were able to schedule some time with Bob at his home. We arrived and were introduced to a woman by the name of Amy who was also there to pray with us. After brief introductions Bob and Amy placed their hands on me and began to pray. At first I was afraid this would not change anything. Then my back and neck began to feel hot and cold at the same time….like BenGay. Amy mentioned some impressions that she was receiving that were so accurate I was overwhelmed. How could she know that? Bob mentioned to me then that he had a strong impression I had been given a gift of evangelism. The association I had with that word made me very uncomfortable at first until Bob explained to me what evangelism really meant– sharing naturally the stories of God’s work in my own life first. The pain in my neck and shoulders was gone.

Bob turned to my husband and asked whether he had pain in his left shoulder. This really surprised him as my husband had been suffering from pain in his left shoulder for years, as well as his right knee, but had said nothing about this to Bob. Before praying for him Bob expressed to my husband that he felt very strongly that my husband had a prophetic gifting, that he was sensitive to hearing God’s voice. Like me, my husband was resistant to this until Bob explained to him that it was more like your own thoughts then a “booming God voice”. Then Bob began to pray. Again Amy mentioned the impressions she had and again she was so accurate. Bob asked my husband how he felt and the pain was no longer there.

We left that evening knowing that God was not only doing a physical healing in our lives but healing our marriage and our lives as a whole. God did so much more for us than we ever thought. Since that day we have been asking God to teach us more about the gifts He has given and we are excited for the future.”

Laurie Hinkley
Anacortes, Washington

For more testimonials check out my blog at www.bobekblad.com

Last Thursday and Friday a number of remarkable things happened that have encouraged my heart, and hopefully will encourage yours. I keep seeing God heal people and provide for needs in humble yet very real ways.

On Thursday night I went into the jail to do my four bilingual Bible studies. There were only two Mexican men in the second Bible study– Francisco and Guadalupe. I knew them pretty well as they’d been incarcerated six months. As soon as we sat down I felt two sharp pains in my left wrist, the one closest to Guadalupe’s right hand as I faced him. Since I had no known problem with my wrist I asked Guadalupe if he had pain in his wrist. “Si,” he said, showing me a red, swollen wrist bone he’d damaged when he fell playing handball in the jail recreation room.

“What’s really bothering me though is the pain in my chest,” he said. “I’m trying to get into the doctor here as it’s really hurting and I’m worried.”

I offered to pray and he agreed. I placed one of my hands on his wrist and the other on his chest. As I prayed I felt a warm cushion of air over my hand—like there was an invisible hand laid on top of my hand. “Do you feel that warmth?” I asked, and he nodded. After praying, Francisco read that day’s reading, the story of the healing of Naaman in 2 Kings 5. While Francisco read the passage Guadalupe kept leaning back in his chair, stretching out his arms. Finally I asked him if he was having a hard time focusing on the reading. “Are you still in pain?” I asked.

“I can’t focus on the reading. I’m too surprised because the pain is completely gone, in my wrist and in my chest,” he said. “Only God could have known about this pain,” he said, and tears streamed down his face. We gave thanks to Jesus and offered him our lives, something these two men have been doing week after week since they came in. I prayed blessing and protection over them. They will both head off to prison on Tuesday to complete the 20 months remaining of their sentences for dealing cocaine.

Later that evening I met one-on-one with Epifania—a 51-year-old Mexican woman. Epifania is a migrant farm worker and beloved member of our faith community. She has just been ordered deported but was transferred up from a Federal Detention Center in Tacoma to Skagit County Jail to face some new charges of possession of cocaine. She praised God that I had come and told many stories of praying for people’s healing while in the immigration detention prison (see our upcoming Tierra Nueva appeal letter at www.tierra-nueva.org). I told her about what had just happened with Guadalupe and his wrist. She told me that she too had a lot of pain in her wrist, and I remembered that indeed I had felt two sharp pains. I’m still not accustomed to watching for and catching the clues the Spirit gives to show me what God is wanting to do. Apparently God wasn’t through healing wrists that evening. We prayed and sure enough her pain went away. I am continually impressed by God’s kindness and goodness. God cares enough about our little, very personal problems—which was brought home powerfully for me personally the next day.

The next morning I drove up to attend the last morning of one of Toronto Airport Christian Felllowship’s five-day International Leaders School of Ministry in Aldergrove, BC. Towards the end of 45 minutes of worship I ended up praying with Murray Dueck, a new friend who leads a prophetic school in Langley called Samuel’s Mantle. He began prophesying “I see you like Mario in the video game, collecting gold coin after gold coin, more and more of them as you go from level to level in the Spirit.” He said he thought this represented both my spiritual inheritance and God’s financial provision. I was encouraged as two days before the bank had notified us that our personal checking account was overdrawn more than $2,000. I had no way to cover this, but just the day before a friend had sent us an unexpected personal gift for $1,000. I sat down feeling encouraged and moments later another friend at the conference, completely unaware of Murray’s words, handed me a folded check written out to me for another $1,000.

God was aware of my financial need and ministered to me through his servants just like he’d brought healing to Guadalupe and Epifania there in the jail. May God richly bless you and pour blessing through you as you seek first the Kingdom of God.