Spurgeon's Prayer for Revival

I recently came across this prayer which concluded the sermon The Pentecostal Wind and Fire preached by the preacher's preacher, Charles Spurgeon, on September 18, 1881. This prayer summarizes my passion and desire.

"May God send us a season of glorious disorder! Oh for a sweep of wind that will set the seas in motion and make our ironclad brethren now lying so quietly at anchor to roll from stem to stern! As for us, who are as the little ships, we will fly before the gale if it will but speed us to our desired haven! Oh for fire to fall again—fire which shall affect the most stolid! This is a sure remedy for indifference. When a flake of fire falls into a man’s bosom, he knows it. And when the Word of God comes home to a man’s soul, he knows it, too. Oh that such fire might first sit upon the disciples and then fall on all around!

And, to close, there was then a daily increase of the Church — “The Lord added to the Church daily such as should be saved.” Conversion was going on perpetually! Additions to the Church were not events which happened once a year, but they were everyday matters, “so mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed.” O Spirit of God, You are ready to work with us, today, even as You did then! Delay not, we beseech You, but work at once! Break down every barrier that hinders the incomings of Your might! Overturn, overturn, O sacred wind! Consume all obstacles, O heavenly fire, and give us now both hearts of flame and tongues of fire to preach Your reconciling Word for Jesus’ sake. Amen."

I can't add to this cry of desperation. Lord, grant our prayer.

Merry Christmas from the Burns Family

Four Generations of Burns at Christmas!

Billy and Vickie

Our oldest son, Jason, and his wife Elisabeth, and our FAVORITE grandson, Joey
My parents, Bill and Elizabeth
Directly behind me is our youngest son Aaron and to his right
is our second son, Michael

Rarely am I a person of few words. Circle this blog. You'll never read another posting from me that is this short! But, tonight all that I can share in this blog is that Vickie and I wish you and yours a merry, Christ-filled Christmas!

John Wesley's Prophecy

John Wesley was once asked if he was fearful that the Methodist church in America would cease to exist. "Never!" he replied. "But," he added, "I am fearful that it will cease to exist as a movement with power and godliness and become only a church with a form of godliness, denying the power thereof."

Sadly, in many churches, John Wesley's fear for Methodism has been realized. What was birthed in revival has seen the fire diminish and the power disappear. The move of God is restricted to historical accounts of the denomination's beginnings.

I don't want the children in our Pentecostal/Charismatic churches to hear stories about our beginnings and not see that the Holy Spirit is alive and well today wanting to demonstrate His power as seen in the Book of Acts. I don't want what has happened in Methodism to repeat itself in the children's ministry in our churches. I desire to have children who are fulfilling Joel's prophecy and being a powerful, Spirit-filled force in this earth.

God didn't promise something that He couldn't deliver. Today can be the day that the Holy Spirit begins to work mightily among your children. Today can be the day that they begin to speak boldly for God (prophesy). Instead of reading about His history, your children can begin to make history!

How can this happen? Train your children's ministry leaders and volunteers to learn how to flow with the Holy Spirit. When they begin to flow with the Holy Spirit, the children will begin to recognize and respond to His presence. When they begin to respond, watch out ... new chapters will be written in the Acts of the Holy Spirit (the Book of Acts).

Unfortunately, you won't find many books to equip your leaders. Few seminars and conferences will challenge your staff to grab ahold of their passport and begin to travel into the realm of the supernatural.

We want to help you to raise up a Spirit-led, Spirit-equipped children's ministry team. We want to help your Sunday school, Children's Church, and mid-week Bible clubs to become a launching pad for a Joel 2 generation of boys and girls. Take a minute and look at the Ignite the Supernatural Conference web site at www.ignite-conference.com for additional information.

Today is the Day of the Holy Spirit!

People responding to the salvation altar call Sunday morning

at El Pacto in Bogota, Colombia

I'm tired ... or beyond tired ... I'm exhausted. A few hours ago, Vickie and I got back home from our first South America Ignite the Supernatural Conference held in Bogota, Colombia.

I wish that you could have been with us. The Holy Spirit "outdid" Himself as children's ministry workers from churches all around Bogota attended sessions Thursday and Friday nights and Saturday morning. It was amazing to see God ignite a passion for raising up a Joel 2 generation. As if that wasn't enough, schedules were interrupted by Holy Spirit "suddenlies", people were healed, and many were baptized in the Holy Spirit.

What we witnessed in Bogota is being seen in our conferences around the country. The Holy Spirit loves to demonstrate that He is a today Holy Spirit. He is confirming that He is looking for places to fulfill His God-given assignment in the earth. When desperate, hungry people come together, anything can happen!

This hunger is genuine. This hunger is global. Children's ministry leaders are tired of the business-as-usual mentality. They recognize that there must be more. This hunger is made evident to me in several ways:

1. People from all over the globe are looking for a way to ignite and fan the flames of a Holy Spirit fire in their ministry. Their dissatisfaction and desperation are bringing many of them to our national Ignite the Supernatural Conference on January 31 - February 2. Like those in Acts 2, they know that when hungry, desperate people come together to expect the unexpected the Holy Spirit will show up. For more information on the conference, go to www.ignite-conference.com.
   
   
2. People from all over the globe are searching for others with the same passion. That's made evident when people from 11 nations and 26 states in the United States read this blog. People are looking for someone to articulate their desires and give direction to raise up a Joel 2 generation. I don't know how that they are finding out about this blog. Perhaps you are telling your friends.

Vickie and I are so glad that we went to Colombia. We are convinced that what we saw in our last meeting of 2007 is only a foreshadow of what God is going to do in 2008. To quote T.D. Jakes, "Get ready, get ready, get ready." Our national conference in Orlando and our 2008 regional meetings are going to be out-of-this-world!

Supernatural Tour Guides

If you've ever been in one of our Ignite conferences, you've heard me tell about a trip that Vickie and I made to Romania. Let me set the scene for this trip. This trip was pre-9/11. The traveling rules were quite different. We were allowed 3 bags each with each bag weighing up to 70 pounds. This trip was made before luggage had wheels. You have the picture. Two travelers. Six pieces of very heavy luggage. Too much luggage for just two people. It was a comedy in the making!

Our travel agent, Joanne, booked our flight reservations and made it possible for us to spend a night in London on the way to Romania. Upon arriving in London, Vickie and I secured our luggage, used the airport carts to transport the luggage to the bus, and then rode the bus to the closest drop-off spot to our hotel. Much to our surprise, the closest spot wasn't close at all. It was blocks away. Are you picturing this? For blocks, Vickie and I inched our way to the hotel. It wasn't a pretty sight.

What caused this fiasco? Joanne had no idea about how children's ministry workers travel. We carry a ton of props to use in our meetings and leave behind for the local teachers. Joanne also was sending us to a place she had never been. She had no idea of the great distance between the bus stop and hotel. Her lack of knowledge caused us major frustration.

I use this story to teach that God has called us to be tour guides, not travel agents. What is the difference between the two? A travel agent will send people to a place where they've never been. A tour guide knows the trip and accompanies the people, pointing out the sites along they way.

As children’s ministry leaders, we can’t afford to have travel agent mentality. We can’t try to send our children to a place we've never been to experience things of the Spirit that we've never experienced. Instead, because of our passion for things of the Spirit, as tour guides we can echo the psalmist David when he said, “Taste and see that the Lord is good” because we’ve tasted and experienced the joy of being in His presence.

Make time to enjoy being in His presence. Find time to lose yourself in Him. Pull away from the day-to-day routine of life so that you can see sights that you’ve never seen, taste the fruit of heaven about which you’ve only read. Then, let’s take our children to these places to experience the taste of heaven. Let’s be tour guides of the Spirit!

Demonstrations of the Holy Spirit

I don't get or make many opportunities to go to the movies. It's just not a priority to me. The ticket price isn't really the drawback although tickets for 3 people and the required popcorn and soft drinks is a chunk of money. My drawback is the time factor. Before the main feature ever begins, they show 10 to 15 minutes of movie trailers or promos telling us what it coming in the near future. When it is all said and done, it is easy to spend a bunch of money and a LOT of time for a halfway good movie.

A few months ago, I really felt challenged by the Holy Spirit to start each service or conference with a Holy Spirit trailer or promo telling what is coming during our time together. I heard the Holy Spirit say to read 1 Corinthians 2:4 and let them know to expect demonstrations of the Spirit and power during that meeting. In doing this trailer, I would create an atmosphere in which the Holy Spirit can manifest His presence.

In every service, the Holy Spirit wants to demonstrate His presence. Remember that Paul said that it wasn't his words that was going to affect the Corinthians. Elijah demonstrated this reality in 1 Kings 18. His preaching to the people and asking, "How long are you going to flounder back and forth between Baal and God?" didn't cause any change in the people's hearts. But, once God showed up and demonstrated His presence with the fire from heaven, people fell on their face before God in repentance.

I challenge you to start expecting the Holy Spirit to demonstrate His presence. Announce it to the children in your ministry. Then, make room for Him to show up. The Holy Spirit will not disappoint you!

One more thing. Have you told your Senior Pastor that we are offering free registration to Senior Pastors for the 2008 Ignite the Supernatural Conference? EVERYTHING that is being taught could have a huge impact on the future of the church. For details, Senior Pastors can visit www.ignite-conference.com/pastors.

I'm Thankful!

It's Thursday, Thanksgiving Day. I know that I promote that the blog will come out each Monday. I felt bad for a few minutes about being so late this week until I spent time checking out the other children's ministry blogs on the web. Most blogs that I found are as regular and predictable as a snowstorm in Houston. It does happen, but not too often. So, the feelings of regret and remorse didn't stick around for too long.

It is Thanksgiving Day. Vickie and I are up in Lakeland, Florida having the times of our lives. We have so much to be thankful for. Vickie and Elisabeth cooked a meal fit for a king. I guarantee that NO ONE can make a better turkey and dressing than Vickie! I won't even begin to brag on her pies. I'll just say that my waist was a whole lot smaller when I married her. Michael and I slept through the first quarter of the Cowboys/Jets game which proves that the Cowboys can win with or without me. I guess that Jason and Aaron were enough to motivate the Cowboys to another win. Our grandson Joey has been cranking out the smiles for us. What a day!

I need your help. We just mailed out over 1,500 brochures for the January Ignite the Supernatural Conference. While that is a lot of brochures, each of you knows someone that has yet to hear about the conference. Help us by pointing your friends to the website www.ignite-conference.com. There's not another conference like this in the nation. Let them know that they can register before December 1 for a special discounted registration rate.

One more thing. Help us get the word out that we are offering free registration to Senior Pastors. For details, Senior Pastors can visit www.ignite-conference.com/pastors.

Timing Is EVERYTHING!

Here's a profound revelation ... timing is EVERYTHING. We've all experienced it. We've probably kicked ourselves a million times because we've let the "opportunity of a lifetime" slip through our fingers. Indecision, procrastination, or improper prioritization allowed a great opportunity to pass us by. Just a couple of weeks ago, I missed a tremendous buy on extremely discounted Halloween props that would have been a big help in the ministry. How did it happen? I was too busy and kept procrastinating. When I finally got around to it, everything was gone.

As I was driving the 10 hour trip back home yesterday from our second Ignite the Supernatural Regional Conference held in Panama City, Florida, I began to think about a song that we used to sing when I was growing up. The song said, "Pass me not o gentle Savior, hear my humble cry, while on others Thou art calling, do not pass me by."

With moves of God, timing is everything. The old-time Pentecostals used to use the phrase "jump in while the waters are troubled". Blind Bartimaeus was at the right place at the right time and received his healing. Zacchaeus was at the right place at the right time and was forever changed. Procrastination, indeciveness, or wrong prioritization would have cost them everything.

Right now, there is a mighty revival being birthed for children's ministry. The "waters are troubled". I see pockets of Holy Ghost activity sprouting up in children's ministries around the country. It's time to shout out to God, "Don't pass me by." We can't miss out. We can't be too busy. We can't have greater priorities. We've got to do whatever it takes to become a part of this latter rain of the Spirit.

I'd love to join with you to see this happen in your ministry. I'm only an email away ... bburns561@aol.com.

Teaching With Heaven In Mind

Several years ago, I received a call from a lady asking that I conduct a memorial service for her nephew. The headlines of our Palm Beach Post had recently bannered the sordid details of this boy's death telling of how the boy's mother and live-in boyfriend had beat the boy to death and then used cosmetics in an attempt to cover the scars and bruises. When asked about how I could help the family, the aunt told me that I had already been a help. I learned that the only time the boy had ever been to church in his entire life was a few weeks earlier at our annual Easter candy drop. The boy was filled with excitement about a service at which we drop some 15,000 pieces of candy from a helicopter as it flew over our soccer field in each of our three Easter services. The opportunity to grab a bag full of candy drew the boy to what could possibly have been his only opportunity to learn about Jesus and make heaven his final home.

What a sobering thought. One opportunity to share the Gospel. One opportunity to provide a choice for an eternal home. My mind began to race. I retraced each component of that service. Was the message clear? Did the ministry tools capture the children's attention? And, more importantly, did God's anointing permeate the candy-craving packed-out auditorium?

What a sobering responsibility. Unknowingly, each ministry opportunity provides what might well be the only time that a child gets to hear about Jesus. Unknowingly, we might have been given the one opportunity to share the salvation message.

Let's make each ministry opportunity count. Let's minister with the thought in mind that someone is counting on you to have God's anointing, message, and sensitivity. Only heaven knows who sits in front of you each week. Selah!

The Ignite the Supernatural Conference

Why is the national Ignite the Supernatural Conference so important? Why have a conference that focuses totally upon ushering in a Holy Spirit revival for children and children's ministry?

One picture will tell the whole story. I want the Person of the Holy Spirit who is so important to my Dad and Mom, to Vickie and myself, to my son Jason and his wife Elisabeth, to become so real and imporant in my grandson Joey's life. Through this conference, we can ignite the fire of a Holy Spirit revival to another generation of children. I want my grandson to be able to say like the late Kathryn Kuhlman, "The Holy Spirit is more real to me than you are."

The 2008 Ignite the Supernatural Conference is January 31 - February 2 in Orlando, Florida. Information for speakers, workshops, schedules, hotels, registration rates, and downloadable promo and registration forms are available at http://www.ignite-conference.com/. Hurry, our first pre-registration deadline for the very best registration rate is Thursday, November 1st.

A Parent's Dream Come True

The Burns Men

Michael, Jason and Joey, my Dad Bill Burns, me, and Aaron

After this past weekend, I've come to the conclusion that I need a face adjustment ... no, not plastic surgery ... just an adjustment. Why? Because I've grinned and smiled so big that my ears have become misaligned. Let me tell you what caused my facial disfiguration ....

First, in our Saturday night and two Sunday morning services, I watched my 15-year-old son, Aaron, do an awesome job communicating to Trinity's boys and girls. Believe me, in doing the object lesson, he outdid what I've seen many seasoned children's pastors do. That afternoon, Vickie, Aaron, and I drove to Lakeland to witness and participate in the baby dedication of my grandson, Joey, which was being held at Access. At the service that night, I watched my second son, Michael, lead the 80+ people into God's presence through praise and worship. Michael is a true worshipper and knows how to usher people into His presence. A young girl stood behind me with tears streaming down her face as she worshipped. Then, I sat and heard my old son, Jason, effectively communicate to the Access community (that's congregation for us older folks) about the call of God. I really can't put into words what I witnessed that night as the community of 20- and 30-year-olds, people who had at one time felt disenfranchised by the church, were connecting with God and each other. (You can learn more about Access at http://www.accesslakeland.org/.) And then we wrapped up the service by dedicating Joey to God. No wonder my Texas-size smile has discombobulated my face.

Proud? Probably. Thankful? Most definitely. Thanks God for three sons who love You, love Your Body, and are making a difference in their generation.

I See the Rain A Comin'

I was raised (and often reared ... if you get my drift) in a home where my sister Ruth and I had to be dead three days before missing church. After all, if Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, Mom and Dad expected us to as well. Missing church for baseball practice, going to the movies with friends on a Wednesday night, being up late on a Saturday night and not getting up for church on Sunday wasn't an option. Consequently, in addition to the great foundation laid at home each day, we received consistent, systematic, solid Bible teaching in our Sunday school classes, children's church, and Royal Rangers and Missionettes clubs. Thanks Mom and Dad!!!!

It was through those Bible studies that I fell in love with the story of Elijah on Mt. Carmel. After all, what boy in his right mind wouldn't love a story about the battle of the G(g)ods? What boy doesn’t have pyromaniac yearnings for fire to bellow down from heaven?

This week, that story came even more alive to me. In telling the story each week in Kid’s Crusades for 10 years and from time-to-time in children’s church here at Trinity, I’ve often emphasized the battle and the fire. This week, God placed a special emphasis in my heart about the cloud that followed the showdown.

You remember the story from 1 Kings 18. There had been a God-ordained drought for 3 years. Before the battle on the mount, Elijah told Ahab to prepare for rain. After the battle, Elijah forecasted a heavy rain was on its way. Upon sending his servant 7 times to go look for the rain clouds, the only thing that Elijah saw was a cloud the size of a man’s hand. A big promise had been given. A small vessel was on the horizon for its delivery.

Here’s what God shared with me about this story. In addition to being the children’s pastor of a great church, my mission or assignment right now is to travel around the nation and globe prophesying about a mighty rain of the Holy Spirit. In pulpits and in conferences I stand as Peter did on the Day of Pentecost declaring that “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel …” I am convinced that this is the day of the Holy Spirit in children’s ministry. And yet, what I see in doing meetings both here and abroad are small pockets of people, the vessels that this rain will come through. Here’s what God told me through this story … here’s the shouting material … according to 1 Kings 18, the size of the cloud didn’t determine the amount of the downpour! Right now, the cloud may be small. There may be pockets of people across the nation crying out for a Holy Spirit deluge. After this encouragement from God, with confidence I too like Elijah will boldly continue to say that I see a HEAVY rain in the forecast!!!!

Be encouraged. The size of your ministry might be smaller than what you’ve dreamed of. The size of your budget might be less than what you need. One more time … remember that the size of the vessel doesn’t determine the amount of the downpour. To quote T.D. Jakes, “Get ready, get ready, get ready.” I see a cloud the size of a man’s hand!

The Fruit of Our Labor

By no means do I consider myself to be a cityslicker. The city that I grew up wasn't much of a city. With a whopping 6 traffic lights, "fine" eateries consisting of the likes of Dairy Queen and a greasy spoon called Grothe's Restaurant, and 3 grocery stores, West Columbia, Texas wasn't much to brag about. Still, it was home. Neither do I consider myself a country bumpkin. We did have a few chickens in a fenced-in area for a while when I was young. We did raise tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, and squash each summer in our little garden in our back yard. I guess that I'm a fine mixture of both ... a misplaced wanna' be big city boy with a touch of country flavor mixed in for good measure.

I do remember one thing from our gardening days. You never planted the seed and expected a harvest the next day, or the day after that, or the next week. You knew that there was a process that the seed had to go through. We confidently knew that the harvest would come in due time.

This weekend, I had the greatest experience. I had some dear friends in to minister for Trinity's children. In between services Sunday, I took my friends over to visit with our senior pastor. Along the way to his study, teenager after teenager would stop me, give me a big hug and talk to me for a minute or two. I would then introduce the teenagers to my friends and tell how Vickie and I had been their children's pastor for their entire life. It was so thrilling to be able to then state that the teen was now a master teacher in our 2-year-old nursery class, another one of "my" teens was now the praise and worship leader for our Saturday night children's church, another one of "my" teens was now working in the media ministry running a video camera each weekend.

Sadly, few children's ministry leaders get to enjoy that experience. They stay in one ministry or church for a few months or years and then move on to "greener" pastures. They haven't learned from the wise farmer how to enjoy the benefits of their labor. For over 18 years, Vickie and I have planted seed. It was great this weekend to walk through the hallways and see our labors showcased throughout the church! Here's to longevity ....

Children's Ministry 101 as Taught by Gideon

I love the biblical account of Gideon's victory over the Midianites. From my early days in Sunday School, this story has ranked up there right alongside David's battle with Goliath and Joshua and the battle of Jericho.

This story found Judges 6 and 7 provides three great leadership principles for Children's Ministry leaders.

1. The number of your army (staff) may not be what you want. Gideon didn't appreciate God whittling down his numbers. Through Gideon's example, God proved that being understaffed wasn't a deterent to Gideon's victory.
2. The members of your army (staff) may not be the ones that you'd pick. The ones that Gideon wanted left to return home for various reasons. It's amazing that the "left-overs" under God's anointing saw a mighty victory. Believe it or not, God has commissioned your "left-overs" to join arm-in-arm with you to fulfill your God-given assignment.
3. The weapons of your battle (teaching tools) may not be what you want. The weapons that you use each week aren't the latest, greatest on (or off) the market. For now, they are all that God has provided for your ministry. So, grab your trumpet and an empty jar with a burning torch inside (teaching tools that others would laugh at) and get ready to do God's business.

What an encouragement. God knows my battles (weekly ministry assignments) and has provided both the staff and tools to see the victory that He has prepared for me. The key is to see things as God sees them and start moving towards the course for my victory!

The Discipline of Revival

In teaching about moves of God, I often state that moves of God are nothing more than passion and discipline connecting. People rarely fail in the area of passion. They truly want God to show up. Their roadblock often lies in the area of discipline. Life is just too busy to begin and maintain the disciplines that move us from an occasional visit from God into a lifestyle that has the habitation of God (revival). Sadly, people are dissatisfied where things are but not desperate enough to do what it takes to bring about a change. I love what Martin Luther wrote in his journal, "I have a very busy day today; must spend not two, but three hours in prayer." The movement of the minute/hour hands of the clock wasn't the issue. It's the discipline of pushing things aside connecting with the longing to be in God's presence that brought the revelations that made Luther a threat to Satan's kingdom. A great move of God in children's ministry awaits us ... for those connecting their passion with discipline. Selah.

The "Secret" of Revival

In reading E.G. Carre's Praying Hyde, Apostle of Prayer, I came across a quote from Charles G. Finney that is so simple and yet so profound. "A revival is no more a miracle than a crop of wheat." Think about it ... I can't add to Finney's observation.

The Importance of Coming Apart

What a day. After too many full weeks and weekends, a day off was a much needed change. Here lately, due to being out of town for conferences and then, when I am home, trying to catch up for being gone and also getting ready for the next trip out of town, days off just haven’t happened. Today, I determined that I HAD to have a “me” day, a day to come apart so I won’t fall apart.

It was a fun day, a day of decluttering … if that’s really a word. I decluttered my body by doing a whole lot of nothing (at least for the morning) and enjoying a whole lot of sleep, decluttered my mind in the afternoon by pushing work aside and going to a shoot ‘em up western movie with Vickie (the movie was better than the popcorn!), and then I decluttered my life this evening by throwing away things that I haven’t touched in years. Again, what a day!!!

There were a lot of things calling for my attention, things that attempted to derail the coming apart from the normal routine. Thank God for the Holy Spirit and my wife (I get the two confused from time-to-time) who reminded me that all of the to-do’s will still be there tomorrow and I’ll be fresh enough (for a change) to tackle them and knock them off of my to-do list.

Who knows … this could get to be habit forming!

Seeing the Whole Picture

Don’t you love Saturdays? It is a day off, isn’t it? Not for those involved in children’s ministry. Give me a break. There’s usually too much to do and not enough time to do it in, especially for those who also have a Saturday night service.

Something happened this past Saturday that set it apart from any other Saturday. At the end of our service, I received a call from a parent who hasn’t had a child in the Children’s Ministry age bracket for some time. They called to tell me that their youngest child, a 15-year-old, had told them of a report that they had written as a school assignment to tell of people that had greatly influenced their lives. You guessed it. Vickie and I were among the three people listed in the report. The parents were so grateful for our investment in their child’s life.

On this particular Saturday, I needed the call. The crowd wasn’t one that I’d use as a promo picture for a church growth conference. In fact, there were only a handful of kids that night. I don’t remember a single parent offering accolades for ministering to their child. It would have been an opportune time to have a pity party and concede that perhaps I had wasted my time. And yet, God took time out His hectic agenda that night to send me a much needed reminder. He used this call to remind me that I don’t see the total picture. A minute looking a child in the eyes and telling them that I love them, offering a message that challenges the child to go after God, and finally providing a rub on the head or a Texas-size hug as they leave … I was reminded that night that with His help, each week I’m helping the heart of a child know the heart of the Father. I’m making an eternal difference.

Thanks God for the reminder.

Your Seed's Seed

If you've ever been in one of my conferences or workshops, you know that I'm into circling important dates on calendars. I often show the page of a wall calendar from May, 1975 where I've circled and made annotations on the following days:
2nd - I 've written the one word "bowling" as a reminder that I went on my first date with Vickie, bowling after the church high school graduation dinner (I slipped my arm around her ... she never knew it happened!)
3rd - a great big "HH" is written on this date signifying that I held hands with Vickie
4th - an even bigger "FK" is written on this Sunday night reminding me that I got my first kiss!

While wall calendars have been replaced with PDAs and MS Outlook, I still make special entries and annotations in Outlook. I'm circling dates in a whole new way. The latest imporant day happened at 5:35 PM on Saturday, August 25. That's when William Joseph (Joey) Burns entered the world. In my totally unbiased opinion, he's the world's most beautiful baby boy in diapers today ... and I double dawg dare you to argue with me about it!

While Vickie and I are ministering to our second generation of children at Trinity, on Saturday, August 25, at 5:35 PM "seed's seed" ministry became a whole lot more personal. All of a sudden, a whole new bunch of God's promises became even more important to me. While I'm still walking in covenant about my three sons, God and I are now talking about His covenant concerning my seed's seed. (Isaiah 59:21).

It's great to be a part of the Grandparents Club. It's even more exciting knowing that God has made special promises form-fitted, specially-crafted just for my grandson. Joey, watch out! You're in for one exciting, miracle-filled life!!!

Dare to Dream

They say that confession is good for the soul. So, here goes. In my childhood, I had a major drug problem. It’s true! I was drug from one church service to the next church service. (Sorry for disappointing you with my sordid past!) Summer vacations consisted of being drug from one vacation bible school to the next. It didn’t matter the religious flavor. I was a Baskin-Robbins kid. I enjoyed all 31 flavors of Christianity.

Because of my drug problem, I never saw the end of The Wizard of Oz until after I was married. After all, it was televised on Sunday nights beginning at 6 PM and every good Pentecostal child went to EVERY Sunday night service. With our service beginning at 7 PM I never knew if Dorothy and Toto ever made it back to Kansas.

I’ll never forget the night that Vickie and I watched the ENTIRE program and for the first time, I discovered that Dorothy and Toto made it back home. It was a genuine tear-jerking moment. I instantly fell in love with the Over the Rainbow song, especially the line where “And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.”

I’m living out a dream. Last Sunday, Vickie and I celebrated our 18th anniversary as being the Children’s Pastors at Trinity Church International, Lake Worth. Not many Children’s Pastors can say that. In just a few days, Vickie and I will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary. In just a very few days, our first grandchild, William Joseph (Joey) Burns, is going to be born to our oldest son, Jason, and his wife, Elisabeth. They are pastoring Access, a church community, in Lakeland, FL. (Check out http://www.accesslakeland.com/) Our second son, Michael, is starting his final year of Bible college as he prepares for the ministry. Our youngest son, Aaron, is 15 and loves God and the church … there’s not many PK (Preacher’s kids) that can say that. Vickie and I are also hosting regional, national, and international Ignite the Supernatural Conferences (check out http://www.ignite-conference.com/) and also speaking at other one and two day conferences around the country. Starting today, I’m beginning the blog which will be added to each Monday and in a few days posting our first e-newsletter. Dream after dream is coming to pass.

Dare to dream. Dorothy had it right. Dream … with God’s help, they really do come true!

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