“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Deuteronomy 6:4-5 NKJV
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light’ …” Genesis 1:1-3 NKJV
In his book “Created to Dream,” Rick Warren said: “You were created to dream. Dreaming has an essential role in developing your faith and helping you become the kind of person God has always intended you to be … The Bible says you were created in God’s image.”
“…For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” Matthew 6:8-13 NKJV
In January 1962, praying diligently and seeking God‘s will, I wrote: “My major purpose in life is to communicate Christianity. In order to accomplish this, I need to build a Christian communication center to reach, teach, and train youth to take the Gospel to the world.”
Almost immediately, a door opened for me to take the concept of “Splendor of Sacred Song,” challenging youth leaders and teenagers to invite students in their communities to hear and respond to the Gospel.
Valentines night 1963, we brought “Splendor” to Evansville. After prayerfully considering staying in the area to direct Tri-State Youth for Christ, following the success of “Splendor,” that door abruptly closed. But before it closed, I checked out a piece of property and was told it was “not for sale and probably never will be.” It was at the corner of US Highway 41 North and Boonville New Harmony Road.
Then God opened the opportunity for me to join the staff of Word in Waco, Texas in July 1963. Our daughter Tami Leigh was born in 1965 in Texas. In December 1965, the door again opened to direct Tri-State Youth for Christ, and again I checked on that same property and saw a “For Sale” sign. Going directly to Camp Reveal, I walked around Old Bethel, claiming the property for God’s glory.
We established the TTT Christian communication center – Telling The Truth to / through teenagers … to win them to Christ and train them for Christ … teaching them how to share their faith through their local churches, on their campuses, throughout their communities, and into their world wherever God leads them in their future.
Preparations and training are now underway to take “Fair Share” to up to 14 Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky communities in July and August. The prayer is for God to send laborers to be trained and go into His harvest.
Meanwhile, every Saturday night in person and online, people hear the Gospel. Printed materials, roadside missionaries, daily radio, newspaper editorials, online and social media, and “Christ Through You Can Change the World” missions continue in Brazil, Cambodia, Indonesia, and other ministries and missions worldwide.
Years after we acquired TTT’s 30-acre site, we learned that a pastor’s son from England had purchased the original property 200 years before, and provided lodging for itinerant evangelists traveling on horseback east and west between Boonville and New Harmony; and north and south between Henderson, Kentucky and Vincennes, Indiana (the path was near what is now US Highway 41).
Our daughter Tami is now President of TTT Christian Youth Ministries. She is a graduate of Liberty University, a CPA and attorney. With her teacher’s heart, she shares a Bible challenge every Saturday. Students and TTT Team members are involved with prayer, Scripture reading, music, and interaction, up front and behind the scenes. I serve as Ambassador at Large, and share the Gospel each Saturday with an invitation to “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
July 1931, the month before I was born, God called C.T. Studd home to heaven. He left behind the challenge: “Only one life, ’twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
“For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:15 NKJV
Do you love your Father God enough to share His love and care for others?