When God Moves in the American Midwest...

I had been feeling it the whole week.

Like a thrum of electricity that I could somehow sense, but couldn't exactly say why, I just had a SENSE.

A sense that God was wanting to do something extraordinary in the lives of the hundreds of young student athletes at the 2017 FCA Iowa Sports Camp.

I had been asking for prayer from you - my friends - and really from anyone who would listen.

"If you want to say YES to Jesus, and make a public commitment to follow Him, I want you to JUMP to your feet and raise your hand on the count of three.  ONE. TWO..."

I had told them it would take courage. I had done everything I could over the last four days to explain the message of freedom and love available through Jesus. I had asked for God to draw people.

But this was the moment of truth.

"THREE!"

There was a split second of complete silence and then the young people began to surge to their feet - twenty, fifty, one hundred young people - the softhearted young volleyball players, the tough football players, and everybody in between - until nearly the whole crowd was on their feet, many with tears beginning to spill down their faces.

And in that moment, it hit me with an almost physical force - I caught my breath, took a step backwards, and just began to cry uncontrollably. For a few minutes.

Because this really is why we do what we do.


After coming forward and saying "Yes" to Jesus' offer of freedom, the young people lingered for a long time, praying for one another, many of them crying together as God brought healing to broken areas of their lives.  And then, when the camp staff finally had to ask the young people to leave the auditorium, they spilled out into the lawn and continued to pray for one another.

By the end of the evening, by rough count, hundreds of young people had recommitted their lives, and many had made first time commitments to Jesus.

And for a while, I just stood there, stunned.

It is hard to put into words how moving it is to see firsthand the incredible love that Jesus has for people - the way He pursues them passionately in order to bring them the freedom and healing that we all so desperately need.

Jesus gave His life for us, and He continues to pursue us, because He loves us more than we can possibly imagine.

I won't forget this camp experience, and I'm deeply humbled that - together with YOU - we get to watch God draw people to Himself all over the world.

And this is why we do what we do.

2019 was an incredible year for us - by the grace of God, we were able to share the message of Jesus with more than 100,000 people in 12 nations, and we saw tens of thousands respond to His transformational love. Here’s a quick recap of our journey:

If you're interested in partnering with us to share the love and message of Jesus around the world in 2020 with a tax-deductible monthly donation or one-time gift, simply click the link below for more information. We're deeply thankful for you, friends!

If you haven’t heard our latest CD, THROUGH IT, please check it out! You can listen on Spotify or watch our latest music video here: