“Jesus spoke, saying,‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” John 8:12 Years ago, when we were still pastoring in Terre Haute, Indiana, the Calvary Full Gospel church choir performed the Christmas musical, “He Started the Whole World Singing” by Bill and Gloria Gaither. This season, as we celebrate the greatest Gift mankind will ever know, I thought I would share just a few of the words from this musical: “Before the song started, the world, broken hearted, was dreamlessly passing along... In the very beginning, all creation was full of the glory of the Lord, and His glory flooded everything with the shining light of openness. There was beauty; there was trust. Every moment was pregnant with the seed of the Eternal. Dreams were not a fantasy, but an everyday reality, and  music filled the air with the song of the free. But man misused his gift of freedom, and traded the Eternal for things he could taste ...

Greetings from snowy Juneau... More than 4 feet of snow in November! That’s a lot, even for Alaska. Almost a record in fact.  But we’re dealing, and even having some fun with it. Julie and I went snowshoeing at Mendenhall Glacier this past weekend and had a lot of fun. Really feel sorry for those of you stuck in warm and sunny climes.  You are missing the myriad joys of shoveling snow and driving on icy roads.  Don’t be too envious! As promised last month, here is my (Mark’s) detailed report on the India trip. After spending the night in Delhi, we loaded up the bus and left for Jaipur.  The bus ride was actually fun, we got to know each other, lots of laughter, lots of fellowship.  Just outside of Jaipur we stopped at a spot overlooking the city and prayed. We prayed for freedom for Jaipur, we prayed that her people would come to the Lord, we prayed that city would become a light for the region… mostly, though, we prayed for His presence, His love and H...

“By Him (Jesus) therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name.” Hebrews 13:15 It’s “Thanksgiving” time again. Can you believe it? Already we are making plans to celebrate this special day with family and friends, and when it’s time to declare all the things we are thankful for, you will be included. It’s going to be a great day, and we trust it will be for you as well. No matter what we may have encountered so far this year, God has been faithful to us all, and He will continue to be faithful all the way to the end. Praise His name. My heart is full of rejoicing today. In fact, it’s running over! I see a bright future ahead, and I am full of expectation. God has good things in store for those who love Him, so rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, and again I say rejoice! For the Lord takes pleasure in His people (Ps. 149:4), and He will not withhold any good thing from those who walk uprightly before Hi...

Greetings from the stormy North... Can you imagine traveling about as far from home as you can get without leaving the planet, meeting 11 strangers, and the closest you can get to describing it is a family reunion? And that was just the beginning. What a trip! In meeting after meeting, the Father showed up, and showed up in power. So many got healed, I (Mark) lost count. In fact, healing became so normal, I actually remember only two people that I prayed for who didn’t receive their healing. The grace and love of the Father flowed through the teaching and preaching, setting many in the Church in Jaipur, India free. Relationships were forged and cemented, both within the Global Legacy team, and with the locals.  We really have an amazing Father: One who loves to see His love, character, and power shown to the world by His sons and daughters. Bhalchandra and I spent most of a day together, dreaming, and planning and fellowshipping. We covered a lot of ground, discussed pla...

“And he (Jesus) said, ‘The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Lk. 18:27 In the 1960’s I learned of a wonderful gospel artist and song writer named Doris Akers. I love her music. Somewhere in time, she and Mahalia Jackson wrote a song entitled, “Lord Don’t Move The Mountain,” and right now the lyrics of that song depict where we are with the Radio Station Project. They read like this: “Lord don’t move the mountain, But give me strength to climb it. Please don’t move that stumbling block, But lead me Lord around it. The way may not be easy, You didn’t say that it would be… (But) Please don’t move that stumbling block, (Just) lead me Lord around it.” For the past few months, we at LTI have been wrestling with a mountain looming on our horizon, while asking God to give us His wisdom and direction for how to deal with it. In the natural, we are facing an impossible task, and LTI is a small organization, much like Gideon…the least of t...

Greetings from the frosty North, Yep, we here in Alaska have already seen our first frost. This is my (Mark’s) favorite time of the year. Cohos are in, duck hunting season, deer hunting season… ahhhh, paradise on earth. The India trip is nearly here. Wow, time flies. I can’t wait to see what the Father has in store. This trip will not only be an opportunity to minister, but to build relationships with likeminded brothers and sisters in Christ. It will also be a time to learn, grow, and participate in the revival that is taking place in various parts of the world. It’s also a chance to meet with Bhalchandra and Vilas, our lead men in India. I’m looking forward to hearing their dreams, what Jesus has placed in their hearts, to disccover ways in which we can build on the foundation that has been laid over the last 24 years and help them fulfill their visions, thereby growing LTI’s ministry presence in the process. I wanted to share with you a taste of what the Father is giving m...

“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:….A time to keep silence and a time to speak…” Ecclesiastes 3:1,7b I have sat down many times this month, determined to write for the newsletter; but the words just won’t come. The passage above, written by King Solomon, seems to be exactly where I am right now. As you probably know, I almost always have something to say, but I believe this a time for me to keep silence. For the past week, now, it is as though I have been drawn away from the cares of life in order to give myself more completely to waiting on the Lord. As a result, I thank you for your understanding. I do, however, encourage you to prayerfully read Mark’s column. We believe God has some good things in store as a result of his upcoming trip to India, which, for us of late, has been rather like a pot simmering on the back burner of the stove. It’s there cooking, but we have had other things more in the forefront. We covet your particip...

Greetings from the Soggy North. This months letter is going to be a little different. This is about vision, dreams, and opportunity. DREAMS AND VISIONS Let’s start with the dreams and visions. Most of you know that LTI has always been about raising up leaders, training, equipping and sending people out to fulfill their calling, their destiny. When LTI started, being a missionary meant you were going into a culture to evangelize. Very few saw the wisdom in going into a culture to train others to evangelize. But that was the mandate, and the wisdom, of Bud and Mary Ann, decades before it became common. The vision I want to share with you is in this tradition. What is on our hearts is to combine two ministries… (1) training, equipping and releasing revivalists, missionaries, reformers, church planters, and (2) creating a place of rest and respite for church leaders who need to recharge. Picture this if you will. Somewhere in the west there is a lodge, a place where solitude is e...