Dealing With A Smart Donkey

One day Balaam was on his way to take care of some business he thought was important. As he made his way there, the donkey he was riding suddenly stopped. Balaam nudged him onward, but the donkey wouldn't move. He kicked him harder and the donkey still wouldn't budge. Finally Balaam tore into the donkey, showing him no mercy.

It was at that point that the donkey turned around and spoke to him, asking "What's your problem, man? Have I ever acted this way before? Get a clue. There's a reason this is happening." Okay, maybe he didn't say those exact words, but it was something like that.

As I recently read this story again, it made me think of my own frustrations with "smart donkeys" (if you use the King James Version, it reads differently), I sometimes encounter in my own life. Sometimes I find myself growing impatient with people's behavior in certain situations - the things they might say or do or not do.

Recently I had an experience where somebody didn't do something that I thought they were supposed to do. I felt frustrated at first, then felt myself becoming agitated about their failure to do what I thought needed to be done. Then I read the story of Balaam again.

God can use the stubborness or even the irresponsibility of other people to make sure we stay on the right path. If Balaam had been allowed to go on with his plan, he would have died in the process. God used a donkey to stop him.

So the next time you have to deal with a "smart donkey" who won't do what they're supposed to do, don't be so quick to judge. It may be that God is using their action to ensure that you don't do what you aren't supposed to do and that instead you walk the path He has planned for you. "Smart donkeys" can be frustrating, but even they are tools in the hands of our Sovereign Lord.

Until We Have Faces

Something that the Holy Spirit is teaching me lately has to do with the importance of choosing how to interpret the circumstances of life. In my August 25 blog (A Matter or Perspective), I wrote about how I was growing in my understanding of how our focus on a situation will greatly affect the way we respond to it. It was a picture that spoke to me then. (It’s the one of the old/young lady that I posted with that entry.)

I’ve recently come across something else that God is using to reiterate this point. It works this way for me often – the Lord has to tell me something several times in various ways to cause it to penetrate my thick skull. Anyway, the message comes to me again now through a scene C.S. Lewis describes in Until We Have Faces.

Lewis tells the story of two sisters – Orual and Psyche, who are princesses in the Kingdom of Glome. To get to the point that spoke to me in the story – everything is going well until the Priest of the goddess Ungit comes to the king to tell him that Psyche must be sacrificed to the goddess. Psyche is drugged and chained to the sacred tree, where she is left to be eaten by the Shadowbrute.

A few days later, Orual returns to the tree to give her sister’s bones a proper burial. When she arrives, Psyche’s bones are nowhere to be found. She wanders over to the river, crying, when she looks up to see Psyche standing on the other side of the river. Orual is shocked. She doesn’t know what to think. How is it possible? She knows that Psyche is dead. How can this be true?

Orual crosses the river and she and Psyche embrace. Psyche then tells her sister the story of how the god of the west wind saved her from the shadowbrute and brought her to his palace to be his bride. Orual think Psyche has lost her mind. To humor her, she listens to Psyche’s story as if she believes it.

Psyche leads Orual a short distance away to sit in the heather. There she serves a glass of wine to Oural – the choicest of wine in an exquisite goblet. She asks Orual if she likes the goblet and the wine. Orual goes along with her and nods, but what she actually sees is her sister cupping her hands in a pool of water. She is sure Psyche has lost her mind.

Psyche goes on to tell Orual stories of gods and palaces and how she wears the most beautiful gowns. Orual sees no palace, only woods. No gowns, only Psyche dressed in rags. After awhile she can bear it no longer and demands that her sister show her the palace.

Orual is dumbfounded when her sister nods with a smile and says, “Of course I will. Let us go in.” Orual asks, “Is it far?” “Far to where?” Psyche responds. “To the palace,” Orual shouts, “to your god’s house!”

Psyche starts to tremble. “Orual, what do you mean, is it far?” “Mean?” Orual asks. “Where is the palace? How far have we to go to reach it?” Psyche starts to cry. Through her tears and cries, she stares into Orual’s eyes and answers, “But this is it, Orual! Can’t you see it? You are standing on the stairs to the great gate!”

Two people in the same situation. One saw a palace. The other saw only trees. One tasted expensive wine while the other tasted only water. One saw a beautiful gown. The other saw rags. One saw great pillars at a palace entryway. The other saw only trees.

Orual was right on the steps of the palace, but she couldn’t see it. Her perspective was skewed by a faulty paradigm. What Psyche saw was real, but Orual just couldn’t see it.

Faith doesn’t create anything. It simply sees what is there. It looks beyond superficial senses and sees supernatural reality. I wonder how many times I taste brackish water when I've been given fine wine; how often I see stumps instead of ivory pillars; how often do I see rags when I've been given riches? I certainly want to continue to grow in this area of the grace walk. It would make the awareness of victory in life’s circumstances so much more real.

Last Holiday Movie

Last night we watched this movie with Queen Latifah. Melanie picked it out and brought it home. It wouldn't have been my pick, but I was pleasantly surprised. The movie actually has a positive message that anybody would benefit from who takes it to heart.

Georgia Byrd, the lead role played by Queen Latifah, is working a dead end job as a sales clerk, when she is told by her doctor that she has a rare disease and only has three weeks to live. She immediately confronts her heavy handed boss, quits her job, cashes in her savings and IRA and leaves for her dream vacation.

She goes to the Grandhotel Pupp in the spa city of Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. There, Georgia makes extensive use of the hotel's spa. She attempts snowboarding and base jumping off of a dam, enjoys succulent meals prepared by the world-renowned Chef Didier, occupies the presidential suite, and otherwise enjoys herself.

She wins over the hotel's staff with her direct manner and kindness, with the exception of the cantankerous floor valet Miss Gunther, who eventually becomes a friend too. She meets Matthew Kragen (Timothy Hutton), the businessman who owns the store where she worked. Also at the resort are his assistant/mistress Ms. Burns, a pandering Louisiana senator, and a prominent congressman.

Since she is dying anyway, she speaks the truth to each of these people, helping them in the process. She comes out of her shell and lives life to the fullest.

In the end , Georgia finds out that the machine used to test her at the hospital was broken and that she is, in fact, not dying. The movie ends with her opening her own restaurant, a lifelong dream.

Tracy Allerton of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reviewed the movie and said, "Almost makes you want to cash in your IRA and live it up." I agree. The strength of this movie is that it shows how much we all allow fear to hold us back in life. It encourages the viewer to live every day as if we only had three weeks to live.

Fear was the immediate result of man's fall in the garden of Eden. "I heard your voice and I was afraid, so I hid myself," Adam said. Mankind has been doing that every since then. If God is Sovereign and He does indeed love us, why don't we live more boldly? That's what I want to do, don't you? Let's do it.

A Mattter Of Perspective

I was wresting in my mind lately about a situation that troubled me. I prayed and asked the Lord to change the circumstance for months and nothing changed. One morning this week, with a troubled mind and heavy emotions, I asked the Lord, "Why won't you do something about this?"

Then a thought came into my mind. "What if the situation doesn't need to be changed? What if the problem isn't my circumstances right now, but my trouble is caused by the way I'm looking at it?" The thought stayed with me throughout the day. As the day progressed, slowly, but surely, I began to understand that those thoughts had been the Holy Spirit showing me the truth. It wasn't the details of my circumstances that was the problem. It was the way I looked at the circumstances.

Once I changed the way I looked at the situation, I began to experience a genuine sense of peace about it. Nothing had changed in my circumstance. I had changed.

Look at the picture above this note. Maybe you've seen this before, because it has been around since the late 1800s. What do you see in the picture? An old, haggardly looking woman? A young, well dressed woman? How you look at it will determine what you see there.

I can see either the old woman or the young woman in this picture. I choose how to focus on it, and what I choose determines what I see.

What do you see when you look at "your situation?" It's your choice.

(If you're having a problem seeing both the old and young woman in the picture, the old woman's nose is the young woman's jaw and chin.)

A New Ministry: Grace Walk Video Devotionals

Isn't modern technology wonderful? Using my video camera at home, and some movie editing software, I put this short devotional video together. My plan is to produce and upload five of these each week. THEY WILL NOT APPEAR ON THIS SITE, but can be found at www.gracewalkdevotionals.blogspot.com.

I put the first one here just to make you aware of it. It remains to be seen if producing and uploading five per week will be too much of a demand, but I think I can record all of them at one time, so I'll give it my best shot.

Let me know what you think of them. The problem with blogs like this is that you don't know if anybody is reading/watching.

One Of My Favorite Songs

Andrea Bocelli is by far my favorite male singer. Melanie and I went to hear him in concert in Atlanta a few years ago and it was one of the most transcendent experiences I have ever had.

This song is The Prayer with Celine Dion, another great singer, though my favorite female singer is Sarah Brightman. This performance was at The Grammys in 1999.

I have all of Andrea Bocelli's CDs. My favorite is Romanza. The man is amazing, as evidenced by his worldwide popularity.

Winstons And Grace Walking

Here's a commercial that was on TV when I was a small boy. Nowadays, everybody knows that this kind thing was just wrong. I mean WRONG! Back then nobody knew any better though. Everybody thought there was no harm in smoking, so why not market it to kids in an attempt to line up customers for generations to come?

Have you ever considered that there might be other things that you were taught growing up that were wrong? I grew up in church and am thankful for my heritage. No family is perfect, but that doesn't negate the value of the nurture and love we received there. The same is true of our childhood church families. I am thankful for mine.

Having said that, I learned some things there that were just wrong. Things like "We are saved to serve." "You should rededicate your life to live for Christ and try harder to do better." "To become holy, you need to read your Bible and pray every day, come to church every time the doors are opened, etc."

Everybody in church believed that kind of thing back then, just like the general population believed smoking couldn't hurt you (though that was an unpardonable sin at my church). Folks were sincere about a variety of subjects about which we now know they were dead wrong.

Just as we learned that the message that smoking Winstons was not a good idea, there must come a time when we learn that other messages we received growing up were off base too. Nobody meant to do us any harm, but there comes a time when we need to rise above our upbringing and respectfully say, "Wait a minute. That's WRONG!"

A Great Fiction Trilogy

I've never been a big fan of reading fiction. I'd rather read nonfiction books, but a friend recommended these three books to me with such enthusiasm that I decided to give them a try. Am I ever glad I did.

These books are in Ted Dekker's series called "The Circle Trilogy." Once I was a hundred pages into Black, I absolutely could not put them down when I had a single free moment. I consumed these books and enjoyed them more than I've enjoyed anything in a long time.

Black hits the ground running and never lets up. The hero, Thomas Hunter, is living an insomniac nightmare. Every time he goes to sleep in one world, he awakens in another. Hunter learns, in one world, of a plan to unleash a deadly virus by a pharmaceutical company that owns the only vaccine; from the other world he tries desperately to prevent the annihilation. When I finished this book I picked up Red, as if I were turning the page to the next chapter. I couldn't help myself.

In Red, Hunter finds himself again torn between two realities after a 15-year respite from his dreams. Pitted against the New Allegiance, which has intentionally spread a deadly virus known as the Raison Strain that threatens to destroy the modern world, he launches a desperate search for the scientist who can provide the vaccine. In Hunter’s other world, the savage Horde with its loathsome skin disease is on the brink of overpowering the Forest People, who hope for Elyon’s deliverance. But the Forest People’s "Great Romance"-love of Elyon-has degenerated, and when the controversial, messiah-like Justin proposes a truce, things quickly disintegrate.

In White, Thomas Hunter has only days to survive two separate realms of danger, deceit, and destruction. The fate of both worlds hinges on his unique ability to shift realities through his dreams.

Now leading a small ragtag group known as The Circle, Thomas finds himself facing new enemies, never-ending challenges, and the forbidden love of a most unlikely woman.

Enter the Great pursuit, where Thomas and a small band of followers must decide quickly who they can trust--both with their own lives and the fate of millions. Dreams and reality quickly bleed into each other as time runs out. And neither the terror of Black nor the treachery of Red can prepare Thomas for the forces aligned against The Circle in White.

If you like fiction, or even if you don't, I can almost guarantee you will love these books. They are filled with metaphors that communicate spiritual truths in a unique and powerful way. I found my eyes filling with tears when I read about the crucifixion of Christ in Red. The amazing thing is that neither Christ nor the cross and crucifixion are ever mentioned. You just know what you are reading.

You can get the books at almost any local bookstore or buy them online.

Growing To Know Less

When I was a young man, I knew everything. At least I thought I did. I have often said that back then I held the office of “Doctrinal Deputy.” I policed what others believed and stood ready to indite them if there was as infraction of the law. When it came to doctrine, knowing truth from error was a simple thing. The truth was what I believed. Otherwise, why would I believe it? If anybody needed to know the definitive answer to any theological question, all they had to do was ask me. I had the answers. I even had answers to questions that nobody asked.

As I’ve grown older something has happened that I never expected. I think I may have as many questions as I do answers. If you had told me when I was a young pastor that this would be in my future, I would have argued with you outwardly and inwardly would have hoped and prayed it wasn’t true. I would have seen your prediction as a prophecy of my own apostasy. After all, I would have reasoned, a person knows more and more as he gets older, not less and less. Boy, was I wrong.

I could make a long list of things I was sure of back then which I ultimately came to learn were dead wrong. I discuss many of those false beliefs I held in Grace Walk. Some of the things I built my life on were as far from biblical truth as a person can be.

In 1994, when I left the pastorate and began traveling, it didn’t take long for me to realize that not everybody grew up in the denominational world I did or held as common knowledge the doctrinal specifics I had been taught. I discovered that, within the body of Christ, there was a tremendous difference of opinion about many things. Spiritual gifts, when and how Jesus is coming, the place of women in the church, what a Christian can wear, drink, say, think and where we can go and not go, forms of church government, styles of worship . . . the list goes on and on.

The amazing thing about the diversity I saw was that people who held firmly to beliefs that stood in stark contradiction to the things I had always been taught were as sincere about their beliefs as I was. Some of them believed what they did for the same reason I had – because they had been taught that all their lives. Others, though, came to their viewpoints after open minded study of the Scriptures.

I’ve always loved lively discussion and debate, so I found myself engaging with these people about a variety of topics. As I did, to my surprise, I found myself changing my mind about some of the things I had always believed. I saw myself holding a looser grip on my opinion about other matters that I had been completely convinced about in the old days. There were even some biblical questions that I just had to put on the shelf, with the attitude, “I don’t know what I think about this anymore.”

Some of my friends and colleagues from the old days still think I have compromised. I’ve learned that there is a sense of stability in thinking you have it all figured out. Take away absolute certainty and people become afraid. Don’t misunderstand. I’m still certain about many things – the finished work of Christ, my heavenly Father’s love, who I am in Him – I could make a long list of the things I’m certain of too.

It’s just that, as time has passed, I’ve realized I don’t know as much as I used to think I knew. I find myself learning to live with questions which may or may not be answered in this life. When asked what I believe about specific topics, I often answer, “I don’t know. I haven’t studied that subject since I got my grace eyes.”

To my surprise, I’m completely comfortable with knowing less, not more, as I’ve grown older. Being willing to admit that I don’t know some things causes me to be teachable, allowing me to grow. People who already (think that they) know everything can’t learn and, consequently, can’t grow. I hope I spend my lifetime learning and growing.

When I began to understand my identity in 1990, I turned in my Doctrinal Deputy badge. I’ve decided I’d rather be a disciple than a deputy.

My Dad's Journey Toward Home

Sometimes the journey home to heaven seems like a long and trying road. Our family has experienced that fact in the past week. This past Thursday my Dad fell and broke his wrists. He scrapped and cut his face too. He was carried to the hospital, where he was admitted.

On Friday, his heart stopped and the emergency room team resuscitated him. Dad has had a long standing "Do Not Resuscitate" order, but they didn't know it. Before my sister realized what had happened, they had him on a respirator. When he woke up, he wasn't happy at all about what they had done. He indicated that he wanted it to be taken away from him immediately.

Because he had a living will ordering that this type procedure not be done, they removed the respirator on Monday morning. To everybody's surprise, he didn't die. On Tuesday, because there was nothing more for the hospital to do, they released him and he was transferred to a nursing home.

"I never wanted the last chapter of my life to be like this," my Dad said yesterday. Dad told me a few weeks ago that he so much wanted to go on to heaven. "I'm ready to reach my destination, he said. "I'm not looking forward to the trip (dying), but am ready to get where I'm going."

Dad has been a Christian since I was a baby. Even now, his faith sustains him as he travels what appears to be a final hard stretch of road leading to the boundaries of heaven. His faith is strong. His sense of humor is solidly intact. (When they took him off the respirator he said, "How am I supposed to go to yard sales like this?") His love for his family is evident. In what he has called "the last chapter," he exemplifies the qualities I hope to show until my final breath.

Pray for my Dad. Pray for our family. He wants to go home to heaven. Not in a morbid sort of way, but in a good way -- like a man who has finished his course and is now ready to go home. We love my Dad and will miss him greatly when our Father grants him the desire of his heart. Ours will break, but his will be more full of joy than it has ever been in this world.

Back Home From Norway

After a long trip, we arrived home last night shortly after midnight. The trip to Norway was wonderful for us. Here are a few of the bullet highlights of the trip:

Olso Christian Center - Our time at the church was great. The pastor and people there are so excited about God's grace. They are perhaps the most influencial church in Scandanavia. Their generosity and hospitality to us were as great as I've seen anywhere.

Bergen - Paul and Haley met us in Olso the day after I finished speaking at the conference. (You can read about who they are in the "Photos From Norway" blog. We left Oslo and went to Bergen, a six hour train ride to the west. Shortly after arriving there, Melanie came down with strep throat. We had to take her to the doctor. After 2 days on medicine, she improved greatly.

The folks that owned the flat we rented (Karine and Van)were strangers we met only after arriving. We called them to ask about how to find a doctor. They came over and took us to the hospital so that Melanie could get help. While waiting for her to see the doctor, their son "happened" to call on her cell phone. When she told him where she was, he said, "Mom! That's the guy whose book you are reading right now and who I heard speak in Oslo this week!" As it turns out, she was reading the Norwegian edition of Grace Walk. Until we met, none of us knew each other or that we were all Christians. It was one of those times when we all saw the fingerprints of God all over the situation.

The Fjords - You can see the photos under the other blog, but this was an amazing experience. National Geographic Magazine calls the fjords of Norway the number one unspoiled nature destination in the world. I can believe it.

Breakfast on our last day in Norway - On the day before we left to come home, we were at breakfast in the hotel. A man came up to me and said, "Steve McVey! I no speak English." He then put his hand on his heart and pointed to me. I assumed he had been at the conference at church and was thanking me.

The next day, when I went to breakfast, just before we left for the airport to come home, the man rushed up to me again. "Steve McVey!" he said. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a note that he obviously had somebody write in English for him. The note said how much my books had impacted his life. I smiled at him. Tears filled his eyes and he pointed to himself and said, "Free! Free!" We embraced in a hug, unable to say anything to each other, but understanding and sharing the oneness of two people set free by God's grace. It was one of those "Kodak moments" that remind me why I'm in this ministry.

I want to thank those who are partners with us in Grace Walk Ministries. All of us together are making a real difference in places all around the world. The support of those who have a passion for this message reaches further than they could possibly know.

Photos Taken In Norway

The photos in this slide show were those I took after we ended our time speaking in Oslo. Our friends, Paul and Haley Anderson-Walsh met us in Oslo and we took a 6 hour train ride to Bergen. Paul is the head of The Grace Project in London, England. He and Haley have become good friends over the past few years since I first spoke there at The Grace Project. We plan to partner together on some ministry projects in the future that I'll tell more about when the time is right.

We spent two nights in Bergen, then took the train to Vosss where we spent a night in a hotel built it 1888 and perfectly preserved. The next day we took a bus ride to Gudvangen, where we boarded the boat that took us through the Fjords to Flam. From Flam we took another train through the mountains to Myrdal, where we caught the train back to Oslo.

Click on the picture in the slide show to see the captions I've added. Click on the + or - at the bottom left side of the slide strip to speed it up or slow it down.

Report From Oslo, Norway

I have spoken for the past three days at Oslo Christian Center, the largest church in Norway. The theme for their meetings has been "Celebrating Our Freedom." I have spoken from the book of Galatians in each session about how we are free from performance based living, free from religion, free from struggling for victory, free from the control of public opinion and free to finish well.

The congregation and pastor have been extremely receptive to the message. I spoke here last year, but have enjoyed this trip even more. The people of Norway are loving and generous people. Oslo Christian Center is grounded in the message since their pastor has been teaching it for three or four years.

Since arriving, I learned that A Divine Invitation was released last week in the Norweigan language. That makes the third of my books published in this country. What an encouragement to see such a hunger for God's grace here!

This is a picture of me with Pastor Age' after the service. He is a gentle man with a deep passion to share God's grace in Scandanavia and across the world.

I'll share more with you via this blog as I am able. It could be after I come home before I am able to post more. In the meantime, thanks for your prayers! Beneath are a few pictures I have taken in Oslo since we came on Saturday.







I'll put up more photos in a slideshow format after we get back home.

Joshua

A friend recently recommended this movie to me so we went to Blockbuster and rented it a few nights ago. Within ten minutes after the movie was over, I had gone online and bought it. This movie really was great.

Joshua was initially a novel written by Joseph Girzone. It is a story which projects what it might be like if Jesus were to have come into the world today instead of 2000 years ago. (The name "Joshua" is Hebrew and is translated "Jesus" in Greek.) The story shows how Joshua affects the small town where he comes. He is a simple wood worker who shows love to everybody. He raises the ire of the priest of the local church in the same way Jesus did with religious leaders 2000 years ago.

The movie is funny at times -- like the scene when Joshua is trying to open a CD and becomes obviously frustrated with it, showing that even God can't easily open one of those things. There is another scene where the priests asks him what he thought of the sermon. Joshua replied that it was interesting. "In what way?" the priest persisted. Joshua answered, "I've never heard anybody describe the love of God in a way that would make people afraid of Him." Finally there is a great scene in the movie where Joshua reaches out and touches the priest's chest and the priest, feeling his love, begins to weep. It is a powerful, moving scene.

So if you're sitting around one evening, wishing there were something better to watch on TV, pick up this movie. If your local Blockbuster store doesn't carry it, believe me, it's worth buying. I got mine on amazon.com. I'd say it is one of the best Christian films I've seen. Until now, "The Hiding Place" has been my favorite, but this one gives it a close run.

A Compelling Book

Now and then I pick up a book that I have a hard time putting down until I finish it. I recently read one that fits that category. It is Left To Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza.

You probably remember the Rwandan holocaust that took place in 1994. I remember it, but am embarassed at how little I knew about it. Either it didn't get as much news covergage as it should have or else I must have had my head buried a mile deep in responsibilities at the time. Othewise, I can't imagine why I don't remember more about it. In a three month period, nearly one million Tutsi Rwandans were killed in an attempted genocide sanctioned by the government.

Left To Tell describes the mass genocide through the eyes of Immaculee. She and seven other women survived by hiding together at a pastor's house, in a bathroom so small they couldn't all sit down at the same time for 91 days. The house was searched again and again by Hutus wielding machetes that were used to hack Tutsis to death. The people who had been Immaculee's lifelong neighbors and friends were now determined to ruthlessly kill her. In the introduction, she writes:

I heard the killers call my name. They were on the other side of the wall and less than an inch of plaster and wood separated us. Their voices were cold, hard, and determined.

"She's here ...we know she's here somewhere...Find her. Find Immaculee." There were many voices, many killers. I could see them in my mind: my former friends and neighbors, who had always greeted me with love and kindness, moving through the house carrying spears and machetes and calling my name. "I have killed 399 cockroaches,' one of the killers said. Immaculee will make 400. It's a good number to kill."

I cowered in the corner of our tiny secret bathroom without moving a muscle. Like the seven other other women hiding for their lives with me, I held my breath so that the killers wouldn't hear me breathing. Their voices clawed at my flesh. I felt as if I were lying on a bed of burning coals, like I'd been set on fire. . . I wondered what if would feel like when the machete slashed through my skin and cut deep into my bones. I thought of my brothers and my dear parents, wondering if they were dead or alive and if we would soon be together in heaven.

When Immaculee would leave the bathroom after 91 days, she was to discover that her whole family and nearly every friend she had ever known had been killed. The amazing thing about this book is her description of how she came to know God intimately while hiding and how she found the strength to forgive those who killed her family. In fact, at the end of the book she confronts the man who was directly responsible for her family's brutal murder. It was a man they and she had known as a friend for most of their lives. I won't describe it. You'll have to read it for yourself. It brought tears to my eyes.

This book left me thinking, "If she can find the grace to forgive, anybody can." I was deeply moved by her story.

Like many books, you'll have to filter some things you read here. If you're the sort of person who gets offended when you hear or read things you don't agree with, this one isn't for you. But if you are wired so that you are willing to eat the meat and spit out the bones, I think you'll love this book. In other words, this isn't a theology book. But whatever weak theology you'll find here is overshadowed by Immaculee's description of how she encountered God and how she came to love and forgive those who inflicted such savage brutality on those she loved.

Audio Files From Preaching In Mexico

It is such an encouragement to me to work together with others who share the same passion for the grace walk message. This is Gerardo and Gloria Vazquez. Gerardo is the Executive Director for Grace Walk Latin America. He is not only a partner in ministry, but a dear friend.

In 2000, I was preaching in the Mexican state of Chiapas. The crusade was being held in a bull fighting ring and there were thousands of people there. My translator was a 14 year old girl who could hardly understand what I was saying. God blessed despite the language struggles.

On the last night after the service ended, I was lying in the bed in my hotel. I prayed, "Father, you know I'm in Mexico because you led me to establish the ministry here. I printed Grace Walk in Spanish before I even knew anybody here. You have led me here, but Father, I need somebody to work with in Mexico -- a man who is perfectly fluent in Spanish and English. And Lord, if you'll make him be, not just a translator, but a preacher -- that would be great."

The next day I went to Guadalajara, where I was to preach for the week. That day I met Gerardo Vazquez. He is a Mexican who lived many years in California. He tells how that the first night he translated, he thought I was preaching heresy. By the second night, the Holy Spirit was speaking to Him and by the next night, he had seen and understood the grace walk message. On that night, he literally wept with joy as he translated. Before I left Mexico that week, I knew beyond any doubt that he was the man God had sent.

We have traveled to many places preaching together. You can click this link and hear us preaching in a big crusade in Mexico. Steve & Gerardo Preaching This is a page on our Spanish web site. Scroll down the left side of the page until you see "Steve McVey y Gerardo Vazquez." Click on any of the topics under that and you can hear us preaching together.

If you are curious about our Spanish site, you can check it out at http://www.caminandobajosugracia.com

This is Craig Snyder, the Director of Missions for Grace Walk Ministries. Craig and I have shared our lives and hearts together for many years. God is using him in a tremendous way to reach out in missions through Grace Walk Ministries. He is preaching today in Mexico with Gerardo. They were in Chetumal training pastors for several days, then went to Cancun yesterday where they will speak today and tomorrow.

I am so thankful to be able to work together with such good friends. But right now I'm jealous that they are preaching together in Mexico while I'm here! :)

Sailing Down The Intracoastal Waterway

Melanie and I spent three days this week with our friends, Roger and Jan Dean aboard their sailboat, Grace Upon Grace. Roger and Jan are sailing from Hilton Head, SC to Ft. Lauderdale, FL. We met them at St. Augustine and went as far as Daytona Beach onboard their boat.

They live in Atlanta and have been good friends for years. They and we have traveled with a group to the British Virgin Islands for a number of years, where we sail from island to island on two or three boats. We always spend a week there and I usually speak to the groups about sailing as a metaphor for the grace walk. I have outlined a book on this subject and plan to write it at some point. Because of our ministry trip to Norway next month, Melanie and I won't be able to make the trip with them to the BVI this year.

The pictures in the slideshow above are a few I took as we traveled along the Intracoastal Waterway between St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. The three days passed quickly.

Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship

On Monday night I spoke at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, where my friend, Dr. Tony Evans is pastor. The church is celebrating their 30th Anniversary this week. I have enjoyed speaking there several times in the past and always enjoy preaching there. This time I spoke from Revelation 4 on the topic, "The King And His Throne."

Anthony Evans sang a "mini-concert" that was the most powerful worship experience I've had in church in a long time. (Anthony is Tony Evan's son.) If you haven't heard his music, trust me, you need to go online and buy one of his C.D's immediately. Tears came to my eyes as I listened to him worship through music and, in the process, lead us all into a powerful awareness of our Father's presence and love.

Kirk Franklin is also a member of that church and I had the chance to visit with him for a little while. I so admire Kirk. He has sold more gospel albums than anybody in history, won Grammy Awards, and has a worldwide ministry through his music that is mind-boggling, yet he maintains a humilty and evident passion for Christ that is rare.

Kirk's testimony is that God used Grace Walk to set him free from pornography by teaching him his identity in Christ. You can read his story in "Contemporary Christian Music Magazine" by clicking this link. His is an amazing story of grace.

Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship began in the Evans' living room with 10 people and now has over 7000 members. The church is reaching out to the Dallas area in many creative ways, such as adopting over 70 public schools. The ministry is called "Project Turnaround." You can learn more about it by clicking this link.

When they dedicated their 172,000 square foot Educational Building used for youth and children's ministry, Preident Bush spoke at the church and called Oak Cliff "a model for the nation." I agree. What God is doing through this group of Christians is amazing.

More Sunrise Over Tampa Bay Photos

I took these at dawn one morning this week. I used a Canon PowerShot S2-IS.These were straight shots with no special lens. Such a beautiful place at the perfect time of day.

Your Father's Heart (from Psalms)

"YOUR FATHER'S HEART" is a short video I did using Movie Maker. It is a selection of verses, all from Psalms, which I think paint a beautiful picture of our Father's heart toward us.

Anyway, I'd like to know if you enjoy the video. I'm thinking of doing more from other books of the Bible.