We arrived in Baytown, Texas on Tuesday evening to spend some time with our good friends, Kelly and Barbara Caywood. 

After getting approximately one hour of sleep, we were up again at 4am, heading to Galveston Bay for a fishing trip! Kelly and Barbara purchased a guided fishing tour, and it was out of this world! (Ken loves the water and fishing is one of the ways in which he relaxes). Julie caught the biggest fish! A 27" Red drum!  WOW!

Thanksgiving Day, we traveled to Willis and enjoyed an incredible meal with Pastor Dave Stovall and his family. This family has been so kind to us, and Ken happens to think that their son, LOGO, is one of the greatest.  The food was tremendous, and the fellowship was so refreshing.  

On Friday, we headed to LaPorte for a long overdue visit with Ken's family. We were able to catch up on old times, and we had such a wonderful visit.  Hopefully, we can see them again, real soon!  We went to Len & Nicole's house, and enjoyed watching them set up their Christmas lights, and even enjoyed playing with their friendly snake!  While in LaPorte, we visited King's Barbeque, and dined with our friend, Marco Luna (owner). He has such a sensitive heart to the Lord, and has been such a blessing to us! The food was great.  If you stop in LaPorte, you gotta try this restaurant. You won't be disappointed. 

Saturday was very fun!  We joined Kelly and Barbara at the Monument Inn (restaurant) for an incredible seafood dinner, while enjoying views of the Bay. The Alaskan King Crab Leg's were awesome, and the shrimp were incredible. 

Next, we headed to Bolivar Peninsula, Crystal Beach, Gilcrest,and other surrounding areas, to view the damage inflicted by Hurricane Ike. It was amazing to see the massive destruction that destroyed a multitude of homes.  What a dose of reality!  What a reminder of how frail we are as human beings! 

We would like to take a moment to express our sincere thankfulness for all of our friends!

"You all are so fantastic! We love and appreciate each of you, and look forward to enjoying one another's friendship for many years to come. May the Lord's blessings continue to be with you, and may He keep you safe throughout this season!"

We love you!!!

Sunday morning service:  30 filled with Holy Ghost, 7 baptized! 

As I sit down to write this blog, a multitude of emotions flow through my mind.  The hour is late, and the coming of the Lord is soon. I remind myself that there is a world to reach with this Gospel that we love!

If there's ever been a time that we needed to "shake" ourselves, it is now!  If there's ever been a time that we needed to take the church out of the four walls, and into the streets, and communities, it's right now!

Located in Odessa, Texas, there is a group of people that do exactly that!  Welcome to the church known as Life Challenge.

With 8 buses that run on a full-time basis, and a facility that is unparalleled in visitor friendliness, Life Challenge stands poised for an incredible harvest!

On Wednesday and Thursday, we concentrated on Lifestyle Evangelism, and had fantastic services!  The response of the church was so beautiful.  On Friday evening, we taught on Personalization techniques, and other effective soul winning principles.

We spent Saturday in the city, personalizing everyone that we met.  We knocked on doors, visited stores, and spoke with anyone that seemed to be open to a conversation.  

Saturday's hard work paid off, and the Lord rewarded our efforts.  Approximately 80 first time guests were picked up on the buses, and a multitude of guests showed up for a powerful time in the Lord!

In the morning service, 7 people were baptized, and approximately 30 received the Holy Ghost! 

During the evening service, the Lord ministered in such a powerful way.  The church actually stepped into a new dimension.  What an incredible, life-changing service.  Handfuls received the Holy Ghost, and several were baptized! After an hour and a half altar service, people were still dancing and shouting. Some were in travail, and some were simply in awe.  Many were filled with the Holy Ghost, and many were baptized. Wow, what a time!

While at this church, we were so blessed with making many new friends! Each night, the men prayed for Ken, and set the stage for an incredible service!  For one hour, prior to each service, the prayer rooms were filled with powerful prayer and worship! From ex-drug dealers, former crime bosses, and an ex-member of the Black Panthers, to people that were raised in the church, we met some of the greatest people in the world!

Click here to take a look at our pictures.  We have also placed several video clips here.

This church is home to some of the most intense, God fearing, soul-minded, prayer warriors!  To all of our friends at Life Challenge, "We love you guys, and miss you!"

Finally, Pastor and Sis Smelser are doing such an incredible job in leading this church into revival.  They are hard working visionaries, that love people, and give their lives to the people of this church and this city.  Please keep them in prayer, as they continue to move into the harvest fields of Odessa.

We had a great time with them, discussing the things of God, and eating great food.  Their family is absolutely beautiful, and enjoy having fun, also.  We thoroughly enjoyed our time!    

We must begin by letting everyone know that Life Tabernacle is definitely one of the most amazing churches! From the beginning of Sunday morning's service, there was such a level of excitement and expectation. As we entered the sanctuary, we both noticed such a beautiful spirit of unity and liberty.  

Both services were full of faith and anticipation. The musicians and singers performed at such an expectional level.  They really set the stage for a sensational visitation of God.  Two ladies were baptized Sunday morning and one received the Holy Ghost! Carrie is one of the young ladies who was baptized. We met her during the youth retreat, and were so impressed with her kindness, and remarkable smile.

Sunday night was simply amazing!  The choir sang with excellence and anointing. What a presence of the Lord showed up! Way to go choir!

For the next 45 minutes to an hour, we all worshiped, and rejoiced in the presence of the Lord.  At the conclusion of this portion of the service, we were prepared to "call-it-a-night."

However, the people were kind enough to still want "preaching," and Bro. Holley asked me to address the crowd.   

After speaking for about 15 minutes, the Lord released what many refer to as "Second Wave." This set the stage for another lengthy and breathtaking altar service. Wow!  (Don't miss some of the pictures in the photo section).

The Holley's are some of the finest people we have met. They are kind, compassionate, and very personable.  Their leadership speaks for itself!  Everything was first-class, and they allowed us to feel as though we were a part of the team.

Please keep the church family, and their own two boys (Chad & Cameron) in prayer………

In addition to the photos, we are also placing many vieo clips from ths and manyother services on "YouTube".  We will attempt to make a connection in our blogs to the videos.

We spent the greater part of the weekend with some absolutely marvelous young people from the Texas district. On Friday evening, we headed out to Possum Kingdom for a time of games, and great fellowship around the campfire. After many laughs and several games, we headed back to the hotel to prepare for a long Saturday.

Daytime sessions lasted from 9-12 noon.  Afterward, the two groups came together for a final session. We were so impressed with the participation, as well as, the comments that these young people provided!

The afternoon was spent playing football, softball, boat riding through "Hells Gates" to Devil's Island, and and "hanging" out. We also had three guys demonstrate how NOT to canoe!  (Unfortunately, our video didn't turn out.) Stop by our photo section and check out some of the most beautiful pictures. 

Saturday night's service was outstanding!  The music was anointed, and the worship was so fresh. The youth responded to the altar call, and many remained for upwards of an hour.

A special thanks goes out to Bro. Gunstansen, Bro. Trevon Norman, and everyone that was involved in allowing us to speak at this magnificent retreat.

To all of the young folks that came out to the retreat: Keep living your lives, "One step ahead of hell!" We love you!!!  

We just finished 14 days in Champaign, Illinois.  After several days of outreach, and at least eight teaching sessions on what we refer to as, "Personalization," we headed out to the community to put these concepts to work.

Throughout our time together, we were able to work individually with a great deal of the church body in the area of soul winning.  Each day, we started with Bible studies, and/or "personalization" training sessions, and then headed for the streets and communities. 

On Sunday, we saw a full crowd! Thirty minutes into the service, we were still bringing out extra chairs.   The hard work and "personalization" paid off, and the people were excited about it!

Ken preached, while Bro Martinez translated into Spanish.  At several points throughout the service, there was a mighty visitation of the Lord's presence!  To God be the glory!

During this service, 22 people were baptized, and numerous were filled with the Holy Ghost!  Several healings took place during this service, and entire families were blessed by the presence of the Lord!

More than a large crowd, and big numbers…. we placed a great deal of our focus and teaching on retention, and "personal" connections that will yield fantastic long-term results.

The Lord was so kind to us during this revival, as we made several connections, and numerous friendships in Champaign!  To the church folk, "We love you guys!"

To the Lifeline Connect guys, "We are really going to miss you.  Hopefully, each of you know that we are in your corner, and want to see you blessed."Please check back with us in the near future, as we will have more information about the Lifeline Connect program!

As we stated in our previous blog, great things are happening, and even bigger things are on the way for Apostolic Life, and Lifeline Connect.