TRIP: Greg (moderator) going to Lyndale Texas

Hey bro,You might want to get in touch with Jerry Godfrey--pm me if you lost his number and want to call him. He might know some places you can stop and not only rest at, but also have some good fellowship.

hey greg,i will definately be keeping you in my prayers...have a wonderful and blessed time. how great it is to be able to see the things that you are going to see and meet with the people you are going to meet. keith green's former house? and his piano? wow..to me, that would be a complete blessing ;-) can't wait to see pictures and hear how it goes :-)much peace to you dear brother...your sister in Christ,arielle

Hi Greg,wow this sounds like an exciting trip! I know a guy from xangaland :-), who I am praying for, who is living on Keith Green's old property. He is going to be mentoring 10-12 young men for a year. His name is Drew IrwinHe is also a member of the Sermonindex blogring.Anyway, if you see him, maybe you can say "hi" :-) I hope you don't have to sleep in the car, you might be a little cramped. Maybe a van would have been better :-) Someone, anyone, pLeeeaase let Greg sleep at your house. :-) Have a blessed and safe trip!ysiC-Chanin

Hi Greg...I am excited to hear about your trip. I made such a trip to Lindale (and Garden Valley) shortly after having met the Lord as a teen. During that trip, I visited YWAM, Last Days Ministries (but I think that they were preparing to move to California), and several other ministries located in the area. But the highlight of the trip was that I was blessed with the opportunity to meet Leonard Ravenhill in his home! I was given directions by a man working on a truck on the side of the road. When I found the modest house with two small lion statues in a long driveway (like the man described), I parked and knocked on the door. Brother Ravenhill's wife opened the door, and I asked if I had the right house. She asked if I had an appointment. Unfortunately, I didn't. She told me to hold for a moment. She returned and invited me in. When I met brother Ravenhill, I was quite nervous. I was not dressed for a formal meeting. In fact, I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. Brother Ravenhill began by asking me quite a few questions about my walk with God and my feelings about the current state of Christianity. After pouring out my heart, brother Ravenhill nodded to his wife. At this point, brother Ravenhill seemed quite a bit more relaxed. His wife returned with some refreshments. Brother Ravenhill told me that he receives quite a few visitors (and requests for interviews), and he has to ask questions in order to know the intent of the visitors. He was very kind, and offered quite a bit of advice concerning things that were on my heart at the time (mostly concerns about inconsistencies that I was noticing in christianity as a new believer, and some family issues). It was during this visit that Brother Ravenhill exhorted me to "test everything" that I hear, read or watch. He gave me three books that he pulled off of his own bookshelf. Interestingly, he informed me that he was working on (or thinking about working on) a book tentively entitled "Why Revival Still Tarries." However, I am not sure if that work was ever begun (let alone finished). After a while, he kindly thanked me for visiting, and offered me some parting words of wisdom. A few months after my trip, I read about Leonard Ravenhill's death in a Christian publication. I found it bittersweet. It saddened me to know that such a uniquely humble man of God had finished his "race." But I was pleased that I was given the opportunity to have met him so shortly before his passing. Right now, I am attending school in extreme southern Texas (about a 7 or 8 hour drive south of Dallas). Otherwise, I would welcome you to stay here. However, I will be praying for your trip! :-)

[laughs] Crazy! Last minute things can be fun sometimes, huh? Life can be an exciting adventure at times. I will be praying for your safety as you make the long drive. I know you will be in God's care. I know you will be blessed by neat experiences and great fellowship. Please do share pictures with us when you get back.

I'm jealous!!!!! ooooooooh :) Sounds great. Hope ya have a blast.

Hi Jesse,I don't really know him personally, just through xanga. An I am praying for him as he is going to be mentoring these young men this year. I had to admit to him that i was a bit jealous about him being on Keith Green's old property :-) How awesome. Anyway, he sounds like a great guy and passionate about the Lord.In Him, Chanin

moreofHim and arielleThank you both so much for how much you bless and encourage Greg. With how much he talks about you both, I hope to maybe meet you two and your family someday. If not, know that it also blesses me how much you bless him and are both a spiritual inspiration to him.Lazarus1719Wow, open-air preaching in front of a courthouse! You do open-air preaching a lot, don't you? Do you ever see any of the same people in the crowd when you open-air preach at differnt times and places? Great Skate Park Outreach pictures! I'm sure Greg will keep us updated, but please share also about what's going on with posts and pictures. [smile]GrannieAnnieWhat's at the "red-star"? Is that where you live?GregYou're in my thoughts and prayers and I can't wait to hear all about your trip and even to hear from you while you're there. I will keep checking the site for updates. I checked out the route you would be driving right about now. It looks pretty simple. Main interstates for miles. That's good. Wow, you get to drive across Arizona, New Mexico and Texas! That's more than half way across the US!... Just got off the phone with Greg! Yay! It's 11:38 pm and Greg is in Tuscon, Arizona! He's planning on sleeping in his car tonight. Please pray for his safety and for a good night's rest. He's tall and I imagine it will be pretty cramped in his car. But he needs rest, so please pray for him. I know you all are. [smile]

How faithful God is to bless and provide when we take a step of faith in obedience to the opportunities He offers us! I was just reading in Hannah Whitall Smith's book "A Christians Secret of a Happy Life" about what good gifts our loving God has for us, if we're not afraid to submit to His will, knowing, with great joy that He only has good things planned for us, when Greg calls me and tells me he has something to share. He remembered a friend he had at Bible college lived near Texas. So he gave him a call, they had a good talk, and God provided a place for him to stay tonight! So Greg will be due to stay at Xavier's house in Las Cruces, New Mexico by 1:00 am, which is right along his route! Isn't our God good?!

Thats awesome! Ahh makes me want to go too...

Crumbs, that place you stay in is big, very, very big.

Hi Greg!i will prayer for you, and all of this sounds so good! i heard from Yolanda you're having an awesome adventure already! :-)Total Est. Distance: 1463.33 miles that's cool, you have enough good music with you? ;-) because when i have to drive many miles i got fed up with the radio, so i always burn a mp3 cd which i call "on the road to...[part x]" so i will have more than enough good music!8-)Anyway be blessed!Jessemay God give you the words, it's great to see how God is working in you, and how you deliver His Words everywhere!and you know, He is your Only Audience!in His Love!-William

Discipleyou have enough good music with you? ;-) When I talked to Greg a little after noon, he said he was listening to a lot of Art Katz sermons. He said the long drive was a really good time to listen to sermons and spend time with God.Greg called me again at about 4:30 pm and was already in Las Cruces! I don't know what time that boy left California this morning, but... he sure did get to Texas* quickly [laughs]! Just thought I'd let you all know that he arrived at his destination safely, [laughs] and a long time ago. Thank you all for your prayers. I'm sure we'll all be blessed to hear about his trip and his experiences. *I obviously read my atlas wrong yesterday because Las Cruces is in New Mexico, not Texas. (edited 8/3/05)

Greg,I have been away from the discussion board for a few months, but am glad to return.What a great trip you will be taking! I am jealous in a good way... Keith Green has had a significant impact in my Christian walk in the late 80's. Take lots of pictures... I look forward to hearing about your trip. In Christ,Doug

When I talked to Greg a little after noon, he said he was listening to a lot of Art Katz sermons. He said the long drive was a really good time to listen to sermons and spend time with God.I was going to say that I prefer listening to audio sermons while driving on long trips. My parents now live in Tennessee, and during those long drives home, I have been blessed beyond word by messages that pierced my heart! Of course, if I were traveling back to Lyndale -- I would listen to a little bit of Keith Green (for the sake of nostalgia). Hmmm...perhaps a Keith Green message and song?!?So you wanna go back to...California (or Canada)? :-P

He starts driving again tommorow and it's another 10 hours before he reaches Garden Valley. Lazarus1719Expect him sooner than 10 hours [laughs]! I'm sure he could do it in about 8 or 9! You guys have a blessed day tomorrow!

Got off the phone with Greg at about 8:45 am (California time) and he wanted me to let you all know that he had a really good time of fellowship with his friend, Xavier in Las Cruces, New Mexico and with some ministers yesterday. He's pretty tired, but really blessed. He's now on his way to Lyndale, Texas. When I was on the phone with him, he was passing through El Paso, just entering Texas. It will be about 10 hours until he gets to his destination. I think he's staying with a missionary family tonight, and then will be spending all day tomorrow with Jesse (Lazarus1719).

Hey Greg, another 900 miles and you can come visit me in North Carolina :)

Hey Greg, another 900 miles and you can come visit me in North Carolina :) ...but make sure you stop by kentucky first :-Pglad to hear that greg has found places to sleep at nights and is almost in texas. can't wait to hear more!still keeping you in my prayers brother! have a blessed time :-)in Him,arielle

Well this is just blessing me to no end...Rat's, missed Greg by just that much...Just got back from Phoenix Arizona about an hour ago California time, was down there for my work since Monday.Wondering if he got caught in the storm that came through last night (what an incredible spectacle, the power!) Am hoping to hook up with Ron (IntheLight) during one of the next trips back, wish I would have know about this, he could have possibly stayed with Ron or in the nice hotel they had us up in.... But it looks like the rate he was moving would have put him in front of the storm at least and glad for that, sat up with the lights off staring out the window watching this incredible display of lightning and thunder and the area we were in got close to 3" of rain in about 2 hours, could see the freeway and it was coming down sideways.But am glad to hear he has arrived in one piece and borrowing from Lazarus: Greg looks just like he does in the pictures, only bigger. It is one Big piece! :-P Yodi, let him know we are praying for him.(P.S.Chanin and Arielle, would love to drag him out there to Kentucky to see that Biblical exhibit going on out there and to meet you guy's! You never know...)

Lazarus1719Thanks for the update. Hopefully he was sleeping at the time of your post. I kind of... unintentionally kept him up late talking on the phone. He asked that I pray for his sleep since he had to get up so early this morning. I hope God refreshed him today, with a good night's rest, so he could have an enjoyable time with you.crsschkI will let Greg know, that you all are praying for him. I'm sure that will encourage him. And concerning him getting dragged out to meet Chanin and Arielle... [pouty lip] he can't go without me. I would be so bummed if he got to meet them without me. I have had the blessing of meeting one person from SI with him, Todd. I missed you when I was in Tennessee and Paul (Dezcall) and William (Disciple) in Amsterdam. That was a major bummer! I understand that a lot of Greg's meetings with people on SI is more of a time for male fellowship, but I hope to get to meet people with him in the future, to have a share in the blessing.

My apologies Yodi!A little tired on the brain there...But of course... can we just call you guy's "Yogi"? :-P

Sounds like a great trip - looking forward to seeing the pics.Chris,meeting Ravenhill sounds great - died in the early 90s?I've been thinking lately that I need to make time to go hear a few preachers that I will regret not hearing before they die. I want to meet David Wilkerson, Bert Clendenen, and Keith Daniel(though, he's not that old). Anybody else think along those lines?Kendal

Chris,meeting Ravenhill sounds great - died in the early 90s?I've been thinking lately that I need to make time to go hear a few preachers that I will regret not hearing before they die. I want to meet David Wilkerson, Bert Clendenen, and Keith Daniel(though, he's not that old). Anybody else think along those lines?Hi Kendal...!I met Leonard Ravenhill in his home in 1994. Several months after having met the Lord, I listened to the audio message Holy Ground by David Wilkerson (purchased by my mom and dad from Last Days Ministries -- and available here on this website). I was greatly encouraged and challenged by that message. At the beginning of the message, David Wilkerson stated that he had instructed all of his children to take the opportunity to know Brother Ravenhill before he died. Shortly after having listened to that message, my youth pastor gave me a copy of Why Revival Tarries. It was incredible! The book radiated with a holy passion for the honor of Christ! I took Brother Wilkerson's advice to heart. So, the next time I visited my sister in Dallas, I decided to make a "pilgrimage" to what my sister jokingly referred to as "the Promised Land" (Lyndale and Garden Valley, TX). It was a wonderful experience -- one of which I am glad to have made. Since then, I have been given the opportunity to meet with quite a few "important" people, including actors, astronauts, Senators, Congressmen, CEOs, and even a President. But of all of the "famous" men and women that I have met in my life, I am most pleased to have met Leonard Ravenhill.There are a few other preachers that I would like to meet. Chief among these ministers is David Wilkerson. I am still greatly moved by his testimony in The Cross and the Switchblade, as well as his other books and messages. There are also men and women that I have met who are great instruments for the Lord -- but lack any fame or renown. One of them is a crippled woman serving as a missionary to the Tarahumara tribes of the Sierra Madre Occidental in Mexico. This woman, of whom I actually forgot her name, is selflessly serving tribes who have never heard the name Jesus. There are no roads or sidewalks through which she can use her wheelchair. Yet she serves the Lord humbly and fearlessly in the rugged forest-covered mountains of Chihuahua. I am very honored to have met her. Another man of God that I am so honored to have met is Zerrubabel Ebangit (from Africa). He was a professor at the University of Houston, before the Lord called him into public ministry. He traveled back to his home in Africa, but the Lord has since led him to the United States (and many other nations). He fearlessly and very humbly preaches the pure Word of God (without using gimmicks or popular modern theology). When he preaches, he reminds me of Samuel in that his words "do not fall to the ground." There are very few authentically humble men that I have heard preach with such authority. Yet Brother Zerubabel preaches all for the glory of God. You will not find his name on many websites or Christian magazines. Yet his work is legitimate and sincere. I have seen many people commit themselves to Christ at his meetings. It is an honor to meet all such men and women, known or forgotten, who have worked passionately and faithfully for God. :-)

Welcome home, Greg...!Those photos bring back alot of memories. Thank you for sharing! :-)

Greg, Those are great pictures. What a rare experience you have had. The Lord is building something up in you. :)Glad you were safe and blessed on your trip!ysiC-Chanin

Wow Greg, from WRT to his study, what an incredible thing. For those late in coming here, Greg originly ran a book outlet under the name Why Revival Tarries, going also under WRTBooks before changing his member name to SermonIndex.Great pictures brother, what a blessing!

wow what a blessing to see you were in Ravenhill's house.i talked to Greg on instant messenger, and asked if he didn't cheat on that photo where Jesse stands next to him, like standing on something that makes him bigger....but he didn't cheat :-? haha:-P real cool to see you sitting in his chair! the chair where Leonard sat in, also during the interview...so you guys recorded an interview with Greg??? so tomorrow's featured sermon will be "An Interview With Greg Gordon" :-Pgood to hear from you Greg that you've been very blessed!in Him!William

When I went to the Ravenhill's house I was able to meet Nancy Ravenhill who is the wife of David Ravenhill (Leonard's son). She told stories to me and Jesse about how people from all times of the night would come through that door in Ravenhill's office for counsel and prayer. Keith Green would come 3 times a day, and even late at night supposing that Ravenhill could be praying. GregThat's an awesome testimony. I would have liked to have met Nancy Ravenhill. How inspiring it must have been to see all those books! I am truly glad - it's an answer to prayer - that you were touched deeply by your experience in Texas and further inspired by the godly, passionate life of Leonard Ravehill. I have started reading "Why Revival Tarries" myself - vision and passion - and I see how this book and Ravenhill's heart has moved you. What an opportunity to get to pray at his house! If he were alive, I'm sure he would be pleased and blessed. Thanks for sharing about your trip and posting up some of your pictures.earnestlycontendI wish I could hear David Wilkerson teach at Time Square Church in New York. I doubt I will be able to do that, but it's sort of a wish, and I know what you're talking about.