|
Praise God! We are 35 years nearer home! Many
of the precious pioneer partners are already home
— and OH what a greeting and reward they have
already received from our precious Jesus!
Believe me: it took hard core FAITH back in
1973 to believe God with Jan and me that we would
one day have even a little TV voice to lift Jesus high!
I am often asked if I had any idea that a small low
power TV station in Southern California would grow
into a mighty Voice that would virtually cover the
world. I must confess I did not! God in His mercy
allowed TBN to grow at a pace that would not crush
two little nobodies with the plan He had to cover
millions worldwide with the Good News of His love
and Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice to bring in a huge part of
the end day harvest.
My heart nearly bursts as I remember those
precious pioneers who loved God enough and had
faith in Jan and me to see this mighty Voice that now
sends the Gospel via 70 satellite footprints to over
20,000 affiliated stations and cable stations, four
DTH (direct-to-home) satellites on the little dishes,
Internet access worldwide, foreign language
networks, and on and on! By the way, the Russian
government has selected Jan’s Smile of a Child
network as the number one children’s network for
the whole country! WOW!
I shall never forget the night God spoke to Jan and me
simultaneously as we were leaving a Christian TV rally.
We were happy and UHF TV was finally beginning to be
viewed by a few. Doug Oldham, a great singer, had been
our guest at the Hollywood High School auditorium (if
you want the whole story, get my book HELLO WORLD).
The Voice of the Lord was so clear I could not even begin
to mistake it! I looked at Jan as we drove out of the parking
lot and said, “Angel, you will never believe what God
has just spoken to me!” With a typical tear, Jan replied —
“I know. He spoke the same word to me.” The word was
short and simple, “Son, I release you from the work and
ministry you are now in!” The reason this was so shocking
was the fact that we felt settled working for a great church
ministry that had an FM radio station and had just recently
acquired a TV license. The only problem was the
license was for San Bernardino and we could not even get
the picture in Glendale where the church was located.
Nevertheless, we persisted and began to create TV programs
for the eastern part of Los Angeles and San
Bernardino. So to be removed from this new pioneering
effort was, indeed, a gigantic shock. Now, 35 years later,
we see at least in part the awesome plan of the Lord to
cover this sin sick world with the love of God.
Some would say, “Enough! What more can we do to
help finish the final harvest before the great trumpet blast
signaling the return of our blessed Lord Jesus for His
saints?” Ah, dear partners: new doors are bursting open!
The Holy Land Experience in Orlando, Florida is hosting
an average of 1,000 guests a day — many of them
unsaved. We reenact the passion of Christ twice a day.
Biblical dramas, musicals, a trip through the old city of
Jerusalem — and Jan is in the process of creating a whole
children’s section in this unique Biblical theme park.
We are on the verge of a new full power station in
Denver, Colorado. We have had only a low power station
and little cable carriage; now, we will be able to require
full cable carriage! Besides all this, we must do more
foreign language networks and foreign language
translations. To date we have English, Spanish, Arabic,
Italian, Farsi, and some Chinese translations.
OH NO—WE ARE FAR FROM FINISHED! Much
of the world still lies in darkness. Jan and I need you now
more than ever as new doors burst open in many new parts
of the world.
How many days God will give us we do not know;
but, know that Jan and I love you more with each passing
year — now 35! Without YOU there would be no TBN
— now with thirteen 24/7 whole networks worldwide!
Praise the Lord!
“The Lord gave the word: great was the company
of those that published it.” Psa. 68:11
We’ll be looking for your letter and pledge.
|
