Dear Friends:

I am just returning from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Conference in Asheville, NC. Going from the desert of AZ to the lush forests of North Carolina was an incredible change made possible by four hours of flying. When I entered “The Cove”, the name of the conference center, I sensed the presence of Holy God. Over two hundred and fifty people attended the conference and half of these had been deployed as Chaplains and volunteers to help the Katrina victims for the past twenty months and in Virginia more recently with the senseless killings at Virginia Tech. As I listened to their stories my heart melted at the depth of crisis people were and are facing. Each volunteer was “armed” with nothing more than the Holy Spirit. Each testimony ended with the miracle working power of God touching hearts and changing lives. As I sat in on a small group portion I saw the great miracle still working in the hearts of the volunteers. They have given all their vacation time, and everything else to go and support others. They were filled with love for God and their fellow man in a way that cannot be described properly with words. Many times during crisis the question “How can a loving God allow such tragedy to take place?” Over and over again the question was not answered with words but in deeds. Those broken by life’s trials were healed by the love of God given through another human being. Many did not even speak a word, but by looking deeply into the eyes of the victims until the Holy Spirit brought tears of grief and healing followed by hugs and holding. One day Jesus will return and stop all evil, including death itself. Until that day we have the Spirit of Life inside of us ready to bring hope to those devastated by tragedy. My portion of teaching was to instill a vision to the pastors and volunteers that people around us are facing their own tragedies every day. We can “deploy” through the local church to be the presence of Christ to them by serving in a chaplain ministry in their own church. This concept was received with enthusiasm. I am thankful for what God has given to me through these ministers of hope and for allowing me to give something to them.