In my eighty-ninth year, I’ve been doing quite a bit of reflection about my life, and I’m enjoying the process very much.  Memories can be the treasure or the curse of old age and thank God; mine are bringing me much joy.  After fifty-five years of ministry in seventy-seven countries, the memories even bring a sense of awe.

I’ve been privileged to attend many grand events, some of which some would be considered elegant and exclusive.  Of course, I remember them, but the memories I cherish are the interactions I’ve had with thousands of people.  I view them as divine appointments or encounters, in which God gave me favor with an individual.  That is the only reason why many of these people, even in the first meeting, considered me a safe place to process their life.  That doesn’t happen without a high degree of trust, which normally takes time, but God can make it happen quickly.

The memories that are etched most distinctly in my mind are those that were very consequential in my life or the other person’s life.  These are the memorable conservations that I want to write about.  My purpose is to accurately relate what took place, even through some of the conversations will cause people to ask, “But what happened after that?”  I have become very comfortable with how God works and often my only role is to respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit at that moment and leave the results to Him.  These conversations will obviously be an abridged version of each experience.  Many of them involve confidential personal information which I will take to my grave.  There are others, however, that I believe I can speak about if I omit the names of the people.  In some encounters where the details might help someone recognize whom I am talking about, I have changed the names and/or the locations.

These conversations may or may not be interesting to a wider audience, but I am writing them because Mary Ann, my dear wife for sixty-five years has lovingly urged me to do so.  She has also been my primary ministry partner for more than fifty years.  After all these years of refusing to write about these encounters, I now feel an obligation to leave a record for my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  There are now ten great-grandchildren with more to come.  But even more importantly they will have children that I will never meet.  We want them to know that their grandparents loved Jesus and people.  Mary Ann and I are eager to leave a spiritual legacy for our growing family, including those who will be born after we are gone.  It will not only include these conversations but also papers about our spiritual convictions and our values on a multitude of issues.  Those papers will be posted to my web page at glennmurray.net

For many years, I hosted the Middle East nations at the Presidential Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. During that time, I met and became friends with attendees from a dozen countries in that region and many invited me to visit them.  I accepted most of the invitations and on my first trip spent three weeks in Kuwait and a week each in Jordan, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, and Morocco.  God gave me favor with numerous leaders of those nations and I had the opportunity to have substantive conversations about Jesus with them.

There are a multitude of wonderful events and conversations to report from that and subsequent visits, but for this article, I want to concentrate on two men.  They were very senior political leaders of Palestine and Israel and while they knew much about each other, had never met face to face.  To my knowledge that is still true today.  Both had a lifetime of experience with the Jewish/Palestinian conflict and had lived through and participated in several of the Middle East wars.  As I write about my interactions with them, I have changed their names and official positions in order to guard their identities.  I am confident they would be uncomfortable if the content of our conversations became public.

One evening while having dinner with an official of the PLO, (Palestine Liberation Organization) he told me five or six stories about Jewish atrocities.  One of those happened when Israeli’s Arab neighbors attacked it during the “Six-Day War” in 1967, also known as the “Third Arab-Israeli war.”  Fadi was near the “Damascus Gate” on the first day of that war and saw an Israeli tank coming down the street.  The driver saw a Palestinian boy around six years old, walking alone and he swerved up onto the sidewalk and ran over the boy.  Then the driver went forward and back several times and when he moved on, there was nothing but a blood spot on the sidewalk.  He and his wife were weeping as he recalled that experience.  His hatred of the Jews was palpable.  There were several other stories but that will suffice to illustrate how much animosity there is between the Israeli’s and the Palestinians.  By the way, he accepted my invitation to attend the President’s Prayer Breakfast the following year.  I met with him in Washington after that breakfast and he was exceedingly open to speak about Jesus.

The morning after that dinner with “Fadi Habib” and his wife Melita, I was having breakfast with “Aron Goldberg” and his wife in their lovely home in Jerusalem.  He is a highly visible and respected official in the Israeli Cabinet.  After a few minutes of small talk, our conversation turned to a recent newspaper article about a Palestinian threat and this led him to share an equal number of stories about the Palestinian atrocities.  He told me that he was the first person to arrive on the scene after the attack on an elementary school by a terrorist group.  They had thrown explosives in several windows and doors with seventy children being killed.  He said there were body parts everywhere with not one child’s body being intact.  As he gave more details about the scene, Melita started to weep but Aron was stoic.  This was not the first time he had seen the results of a terrorist attack.  He said for reasons of self-preservation, he had learned to control his emotions without denying his feelings.

This led to a lengthy discussion about the multitude of terrorist attacks that Israel had endured since 1948.  At the appropriate time, I told him about my dinner the night before and that I had heard the same kind of stories from the other side and that I believe both of you are telling me the truth.  The memories of atrocities seemed to have been passed from generation to generation with extreme distrust and hatred being the result.

I asked him if there were anything he could conceive of that would create a breakthrough in the relationship between Palestinian and Jew.  I suggested that he not let thoughts or comments like; “We tried that” or “That would never work” keep him from letting his mind process the possibilities.  He paused for several seconds as if he were thinking deeply and then said; “I can’t think of anything, too many people have died.”  I told him in my opinion; the only possible answer is the reconciling love of Jesus.  He responded very quickly, and said; “I don’t have anything against Jesus, just some Christians.”  I replied just as quickly and said; “I can understand that but Aron, Jesus wasn’t a Christian.”  His immediate response was; “What did you say,” as if he was bewildered by that statement.  Then he looked at the ceiling and repeated it over and over again; “Jesus wasn’t a Christian,” Wow, Jesus wasn’t a Christian, then to his wife, “Leah, Jesus wasn’t a Christian.”  I think he must have said that seven or eight times.  It was a moment I shall never forget and I found myself saying, Aron, I am stunned at why that impacted you like it did.  However, I will acknowledge that most “Christians” would also be shocked if I said it to them.  Nevertheless, it’s a historical fact that “Jesus wasn’t a Christian,” and while it sounds bizarre, on reflection it is indisputable.  Jesus was a Jew and his followers were not even called “Christians” until forty years after He left the earth, so He couldn’t have been a “Christian.”  It is a well-documented fact that His followers were first called Christian’s while Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch. (Acts 11:26 – 43AD)  I am certain that Aron knew intellectually that Jesus was a Jew, but in tennis terms, Christian’s have Jesus on their side of the net and since he would never consider becoming a Christian, he was unable to consider the claims of Jesus.  For that moment in time, I took down the net and this allowed him to process the life of Jesus in a new way.

I asked, do you think Jesus was a real person or a fictitious character.  Obviously you don’t think He is divine or the Messiah but do you believe He was a historical figure?  His answer was quick and very matter of fact, “Of course I believe he lived, he was born six miles from my house,” as he pointed towards Bethlehem.  I said, “What is your candid opinion about that man that was born six miles from your house?”  He said, “I think He was a good Rabbi (teacher) and a man of peace.”  Formerly my response would have been that He couldn’t be a good teacher if he lied to us.  You know, the “Liar, Lunatic, or Lord proposition that was popularized by C.S. Lewis in his book, “Mere Christianity.”  I suppose that is useful in some situations but I found myself saying, “You know I also think He was a great teacher.”  We really do, don’t we, but our belief is that He is more than a teacher and in fact, he is the Son of God.  Nevertheless, can’t we give a person permission to think of him as a good teacher as a place to start, that is what I did.

Anon, you’ve said that you believe he was a good teacher; could I press you to define that a bit more.  How would you compare Jesus to the great moral, ethical, and spiritual teachers of history?  I know you will consider Moses but don’t forget, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.  He thought for a moment, then said, “Jesus was probably the greatest teacher who ever lived.”  Since we were in total agreement on this, I told him that the teaching of Jesus had changed my life and also added a few thoughts about being His disciple.  Then I said, since by your own self-definition you believe he was the greatest teacher that ever lived, how much do you know about what He taught?  He said, “practically nothing” then he laughed out loud and said”; that doesn’t’ make any sense, does it.”  I said, no it doesn’t, I bet you could tell me something that Plato taught.  He said you’re right I probably should know more about what Jesus taught.  Then he asked, “What do you think I should do.”

I proposed that he start with Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian who wrote a book called, “The Antiquities of the Jews.”  Josephus lived just a few years after Jesus and was a Jewish scholar and one of Israel greatest historians.  He studied with the Sadducees, Pharisees and the Essenes but eventually aligned himself with the Pharisees.  I told Anon that his book reports a bit about Jesus, but there is a better option.  Jesus had a best friend and he wrote a book about Him.  I would get that book and read it.  He seemed sincere when he asked, “What is the name of that book” and I answered that it is the book of John in the New Testament.  He said, “oh yes I’ve heard about that but I have never read it.”  So I encouraged him to read the book that the best friend of Jesus wrote and evaluate the teachings of Jesus for himself.

I went on to say that you will have a hard time believing many of the things that John reports about Jesus but at least you will know what his best friend says He taught.  He said he would start reading the John’s book so he could at least know something of what the greatest teacher in history taught.  I am not able to report how the Holy Spirit used the words of Scripture in Aron’s life because I never saw him again.  I’m confident however that since he did commit to read the book of John, that God’s Holy Spirit will speak to him.  I pray that Aron allowed the Holy Spirit to open his heart to Jesus, but of course, his response is between himself and God.

This like many of the conversations I have had through the years did not result in some closure that I am aware of.  However, my intent in writing about it was simply to recount a memorable conversation and how the Lord allowed me to be a witness for Jesus.

As I reflected on my most memorable conversations, one came to mind that I had not thought about for many years.  It was a conversation that I had with myself.  A little personal history will set the stage for why this internal conversation was so crucial for my life.

After moving to Grass Valley, I started several weekly Bible reading/discussion groups with the leaders of our community.  It eventually grew to fifteen men’s groups comprised of ten individuals in each one.  They met in coffee shops, hotels, the hospital, pizza restaurants, two dental offices and three country clubs. There were also two women’s groups that I initiated but did not attend.  For details about the history of these groups, read the article I wrote called, “Grass Valley Groups.”  At the same time, I was also involved with a weekly Bible study for legislators at the state capitol, bi-weekly groups in San Francisco, plus twice-a-year trips to Seoul, South Korea.  All of these were contributing factors to the following.

One Wednesday morning I attended the 6 a.m. doctors’ group at the hospital, then moved to a coffee shop for my eight o’clock meeting with another group.  Later that morning I was driving to San Francisco to meet with a group in the board room of Bank of America.  As I passed Alta Sierra Country Club, which has one of the most vital groups, I was praying for a friend in Korea.  This concentrated combination of activities caused me to think of a phrase that I had heard many times.  So I asked myself, “Am I a mile wide and an inch deep?”  The possibly that this could be true was a tremendously sobering thought that really troubled me.  As I mentally assessed how varied and full my schedule had become, the internal conversation began.

At first, my thoughts were self-justifying because of all the positive things that were happening in people’s lives.  Then I began to think about the possibility that it might be better to devote my time to fewer people with more depth.  I was especially close to the doctors and the group that met in the conference room at the country club, so that idea seemed appealing.  It also had a certain logic to it because it would mean a lot less traveling.  So I admitted to God that I was now very confused about the way forward.  I began to earnestly ask Him for wisdom and clarification about how He wanted me to invest my life.

An internal/external dialog followed that lasted a full three months.  It involved discussions with my wife, the men in my core group and an ongoing conversation with God.  Within the first few days, I remembered that Paul warned the Galatians; “Are you so foolish?  After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?”(Gal. 3:3 NIV)  Even though I believed all my current activities were prompted by God when I started them, I was now questioning if that were true.

About half way through this process I began to be impatient because I was not any closer to understanding what God wanted me to focus on.  Then I started to realize that my thought process was flawed.  I had been trying to decide which approach to ministry is best, but that was the wrong question.  The idea that there is a “best way” came because I had been heavily influenced by two para-church ministries.  They insisted that giving your life to a few is the Biblical model and backed it up with verses.  I agree there is great value in having a lifestyle of going deep with a few, but I began to ask a radical question, “Is that what God wants as the lifestyle of every believer?”  I value my brothers who operate like that, but the resolution to my dilemma came when the Lord convinced me that the answer is a definite no.

Paul has a beautiful description of how all the parts of our physical body are different and how each is necessary.  He emphasizes that the hand has a role to play that is different from the foot, etc.  Then he uses that as an illustration of how the Body of Christ operates. (1 Cor. 12:12-27 NIV)  He is definitely speaking of spiritual gifts here, and to the best of my knowledge, I was operating in my spiritual gift.  But God also created every individual with unique personality characteristics.  As I thought about that analogy, I became convinced that God had created me with the personality and motivation to be a catalyst rather than a maintainer.  Then He called me to paint on a broad canvas, and I was enjoying it immensely.  While doing so, it still left the possibility of going very deep with each individual.  And that has been my experience hundreds of times, often even in the first meeting.

So I thank God for that drive to San Francisco in which He graciously initiated the process that caused me to be confident about the direction of my life.  Using Paul’s illustrations from 1 Cor. 12 helped me confirm who I am in Christ, and I am trying to be that on a daily basis.  Since that time many years ago, He has provided me with the opportunity of speak to thousands of people in a majority of the states and more than seventy countries.

So now I can acknowledge to myself, “Yes, I’m a mile wide but not an inch deep.”  In fact, my life seems to be in sync with a famous quote, “If you want to irrigate broadly, dig a deep well.”  I have deep relationships with a few close friends, and they confirm my calling and release me to have a broad ministry.

We will get to my conversation with God later, but first a short history of my involvement in San Francisco preceding it.   Walter Hoadley was the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia when he was recruited to join the Bank of America as Executive Vice President and Chief Economist.   At that time, its headquarters was in San Francisco and after he moved to the city, he initiated a small fellowship group that met in the Board Room of the bank.   It was a closed group that included Dick Burress, the Director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford, Judge Henry Rolph, Lee Soule, President of a steel company and Frank Haas, Developer of Retirement Communities in Florida.   Shortly after the group started, I was invited to join them.  I drove from Grass Valley to the city one day a month for that breakfast.  The rest of the day was spent in one on one meetings with these men.  They all became very close friends, and I was honored to be a Pallbearer at Walters’s funeral.  We eventually opened that group, and it continues to average thirty to forty businessmen.   It also spun off dozens of small groups that meet weekly in someone’s office.

After I had attended for about a year Frank Haas and Walter challenged me to invest more of my time with the business leaders of San Francisco.  They asked me to move to the city, and said several of the men would cover the cost of our housing, an office, a car, an assistant, plus a generous salary, etc.  After much prayer and discussion with my wife and the guys in my small group, I had no peace about moving to San Francisco.  However, God had given me a love for the city and put an idea in my head about how to proceed.  I told Frank and Walter that I would come to the city for three days every other week and maybe I would find the person who could be on site twenty-four seven.  That decision led to 36 years of ministry in the city, and after several false starts, just the right man was found.  My time in the city also changed the direction of my life forever.

On my first visit to the city after this decision, I was trying to discern what God would have me do for those three days every other week.  Since I only had a relationship with five men, I walked the streets praying, and one thought kept coming back again and again.  It was that I should pray for the city on Twin Peaks, which has a 360-degree view of the city.  So I responded to that, and for several weeks, I would drive into the city and go immediately up to Twin Peaks to just look at the city and talk to God about it.  The wonderful thing about that lookout area was that you can see the entire city very clearly laid out below you.  It was prayer of course, but it seemed more like I was simply chatting with the Lord because I was talking out loud with my eyes open.  I would pray for specific buildings by mentioning them as the gray one to the left of the Transamerica Building or that very tall one close to the bridge.  I came to believe later that many of the relationships and events that took place over the next thirty years had their beginning on that mountain.

This was such a special experience that it motivated me to repeat it as I traveled the world.  In over seventy-five nations, I always found a mountain or the highest building and prayed for that city.  In Seoul it was Bugak mountain where God gave me a heart for Korea.  This led me to visit Seoul fifty-five times with the result being a very substantial ministry with the leaders of that nation.

As I prayed for San Francisco, I began to love the city of St. Francis, but still didn’t have any direction about how God wanted me to interact with its leadership.  However, as I continued to pray for the city numerous ideas came and went, but one stood out above all the others.  It was that I should walk around every large office building and ask God for a relationship with a person of responsibility in each one.  I knew that the idea was only a first step, but I became very excited about taking that step and trusting God for what to do after that.

So I bought a small notebook and walked the streets writing down the address and name of every large building, and a few smaller buildings because they seemed important.  Then for several months, I spent an hour or so in front of or walking around every one of those buildings, talking to the Lord about people inside.  Sometimes I would recognize people because I had seen them entering or leaving several times.  I assumed they were from that building so I prayed for them specifically and wondered if I would ever meet them.  I kept track for several years and am thrilled to report that God gave me one or more friends in every one of those buildings.  Each of those relationships has a story to tell, but I will share just one.

I remember well my very first encounter with someone in one of those buildings.  It happened because Walter introduced me to the President of a major corporation.  The first meeting started awkwardly, but within a few minutes he became incredibly vulnerable and shared many things about his personal life.  We started to meet every time I was in town and became very good friends.  Within three months, he surrendered his life to Jesus, and we started a fellowship group in his office with him and four of his peers.

After that, it seemed like every corporate exec I met wanted to introduce me to one of his friends.  Within months, my calendar was full of men who were not believers, but since a trusted friend, had introduced me, often at lunch, they were very open to meet.  Leadership is a lonely and stressful position, and a small percentage of them have anyone to process it with.   So often on the first appointment, I ask; “Can I quote you an ancient proverb and see if you identify with it.  It goes like this”;

“Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts or measure words, just pour them all out, grain and chaff together, sure that a faithful hand will sift them, keep what is worth keeping and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.”

I then asked, “Do you have anyone in your life like that?”  It doesn’t matter whether I ask a Legislator, CEO, or a Pastor, I always hear; “Are you kidding me or I would give anything for a friend like that.”  I offer them that kind of confidential friendship and state categorically that I do not have a hidden agenda.  Sometimes I add, “But if I were you, I wouldn’t believe me until a large amount of trust has developed.”  Over the many years, I have only had one man that didn’t accept that offer.  My desire in every meeting was to arrive full of the Holy Spirit and serve the agenda that develops between us.

Years before I came to San Francisco, my mentor Dick Halverson had a huge influence on me.  He encouraged me to stop pursuing traditional evangelical methods and to think and act like Jesus who had only one thought; “Responding to the will of the Father with every person He encountered.”  That meant I needed to learn to live by the prompt and check of the Spirit and without condemnation, let others pursue the traditional ways of thinking about ministry.  The ministry I was called to was the “Ministry of Presence.”  However, as I look back over the years, a multitude of people met Jesus personally, and countless others were encouraged to become His disciples.

I could give hundreds of stories about the wonderful things that resulted from those prayers on the mountain, but my intent was just to give praise and glory to God for allowing me to be His junior partner in a small part of what He wanted to accomplish in San Francisco

I’ve calculated that in thirty-plus years, I drove to San Francisco at least 850 times.  I was in the financial district every other week for three days, meeting with individuals and a number of groups.  I stayed with close friends in the suburbs, and it amazes me even now to think that I only rode the subway into the city one time during all those years.  That one subway ride produced the following conversation.

At the end of a very long day, I got on BART at the Montgomery Street station to ride back under the bay to the Oakland Hills.  The car was jam-packed with standing room only.  It was so full that it was impossible not to be touching someone.  I happened to stand next to a very nice Japanese businessman who was holding a briefcase because there was not enough room for him to put it on the floor.  I said, “Let me move over a little bit so that you can sit that down.”  He was able to sit his briefcase down between his legs and mine.  We exchanged greetings, and since we had about a 45-minute ride, I asked, “Where he was going to get off.”

Lafayette, he told me, and I said that “I would get off at Orinda.”

He asked if I commuted every day.

“No, this is the first time I’ve ever ridden BART.”

He was surprised. “Don’t you work in the city?”

“No, I only come here for a few days every other week.”

He asked what my business was and why I came to San Francisco. I think my answer was something like, “I come to visit my friend Walter Hoadley and a number of other men.”

He perked up and said; “I’ve met him a couple of times at banking conferences, because I am a manager of a bank in San Francisco.”  He had followed Walter’s career, so he knew that Walter had been the president of the Federal Reserve Bank in Philadelphia, economic advisor to the President and was currently executive vice president and chief economist of the Bank of America.  I told him that for several years I met monthly with Walter and six other men for fellowship in the boardroom of the bank.  After we’d met for a few years, I suggested that we open it to our friends.  We currently have around 50 to 70 that meet at the Bankers Club on the top floor of the Bank of America.

He asked, “What kind of a group is it?”

It’s a group where we have fellowship in Jesus and a different person each month shares about his spiritual journey.  I told him that I thought he would enjoy it.

He said, “I’d like that,” so we exchanged business cards.  I told him that on one of my future visits, I will stop by your office, and we can discuss it further.  We talked about a number of other things and lost track of time; suddenly it was time for me to get off at my stop.

Now the irony of this story begins.  In some ways, it was just another casual conversation with a stranger on the subway, a stranger that I probably would never see again.  But I had taken his card and made a commitment that I would visit him someday.  In spite of this, three months later I had forgotten about him. One day I remembered our conversation and started looking for his card, but couldn’t find it. I looked in the pockets of all my suits and around my desk, but it was not to be found.  This caused me to realize that I should try to find him.

I remembered that he was the manager of a bank, so on my next trip to San Francisco, I decided to track him down.  Unfortunately, I had forgotten his name and even the name of the bank.  There are numerous banks in the financial district of San Francisco, so on each successive trip, I went to at least two banks, asking if they had a Japanese manager in their system.  Eventually, I went to 15 banks asking that question. Approximately four months after we had met, a bank employee finally told me, “Yes the manager of their main branch at Montgomery and Pine is Japanese.

I went immediately to that location, which was one of the big, international banks.  The office was large and was actually a half of a block deep.  As I opened the front door I could see the executive offices all the way in the back of the room.  His office had a glass wall, and I could see him sitting at his desk.  I recognized him immediately, and for some reason, he looked up at that moment and saw me.  As I walked towards him, he looked at me the whole time.  Entering his office, I had not yet said anything when he picked up my card off his desk, looked at it and said; “I wondered if you would ever come.”  That man was Art Mitsutome and what started as a conversation between two strangers on the subway developed into a wonderfully warm friendship.  I have stayed in his home several times and have enjoyed numerous meals with him.

Now for a very condensed account of the months that followed our meeting at his office.  Art became a regular at our Bank of America prayer breakfast, met Jesus, was baptized and led his wife, Anne to Christ.  In the process of getting to know Art, I learned that he was raised a Buddhist.  Art told me that before He gave his life to Jesus, there was only one non-Buddhist in his entire family tre.  The only follower of Jesus in generations of Buddhists was his cousin Doug Muraki.  When he told me that, I was speechless because Doug Muraki was the pastor of my daughter’s church in Sacramento.  Oh, how I love serendipities!

Art and Anne became very active in the Japanese church where they were baptized. That church is affiliated with JEMS, (Japanese Evangelical Missionary Society), and he eventually became a state leader of that organization.

They also planned, promoted and executed a couples retreat for the Bank of American men’s group. About 50 couples attended the very successful retreat at Mt. Hermon conference center in the Santa Cruz mountains.

Art’s love of the Scriptures caused him to gravitate to the international ministry of the Gideons.  Some of you may not know the Gideons: they are the people who place Bibles in hotel rooms and encourage the reading of the Bible.  Eventually, Art took on the responsibility of leading that organization for Northern California while remaining in the investment firm he founded.

Thank you, Jesus, for overcrowded subway cars.

The President of a large bank in San Francisco called me and said, a mutual friend encouraged him to meet me.  The name he mentioned was a very close friend, so I was eager to know this gentleman.  After a few minutes of small talk, we discovered that we had several other friends in common.  One was on his board and was his weekly golfing buddy.  Seeming to have an instant rapport, we began to check our calendars to see when we could meet.  He and I were both motivated, so we were able to set a date within a week.

Our first meeting is all I’m going to describe, but it was rather unusual, so I wanted to add it to my growing list of “Memorable Conversations.”  I will refrain from giving any hint of whom I’m talking about to avoid breaching the confidential nature of our conversation.  After the initial get acquainted necessities were out the way; I asked him why he and our mutual friend thought we should meet.  It took a little time and patience, but the following is the bottom line of what I learned.

Some months earlier, he had contracted with a firm that specialized in team building.  This firm spent three months meeting with people at the main office as well as all the branches.  He had special one-on-one meetings with the president of the company, and after a month or two, they had become quite friendly. Eventually, this man told him that to fulfill his potential as a leader he had to discover his true self.  That meant he had to operate out of his spiritual center.  I will stop there, but you will understand where that led by knowing the following.  A major unversity’s research reported that last year major corporations spent four billion dollars on team building exercises, which range from the ropes course to classroom lectures.  Many of these companies are based on New Age philosophy, and this is what my new friend had brought into his bank.  The turning point for him was when the head of the company tried to convince him that at the center of his being was divinity.  He didn’t have a spiritual background, but that sounded weird to him, so he rejected the premise and terminated the contract.  Upon hearing this story, our mutual friend had strongly encouraged him to meet with me.

After understanding why he wanted to meet, I was very interested to know more about him, so I asked him to tell me a bit about his background.  Like most men he was reticent to talk about his personal life, so I had to ask questions to learn the following.  I will sum up about thirty minutes of our dialogue.  He had a Harvard MBA, was president of a highly successful bank, made more money than he ever thought he would make, was married to a beautiful woman, had four children, lived in Marin County, belonged to the top clubs in the city, etc.  Mind you; he did not volunteer all that easily; it took a series of questions.  His recent experience plus some things that our mutual friend had told me caused me to think that he was searching for something.  He wasn’t able to frame the question, “Is that all there is?” but in my opinion, that is what I was hearing.

I said, “Let me run an idea by you and see what you think about it.  It sounds like you might be going through what many people call, a “mid-life crisis.”  I don’t care for that term and don’t think it’s helpful; I like the term “mid-life evaluation” better.  You can have a crisis if you make some dumb decisions while going through it, but it can also be a very positive time in life, and I know that personally because I’ve been through it twice.  You look back at your life experiences, what you’re good at, and what you don’t want to repeat.  Then you look forward and think, ‘How many good years do I have left?  To maximize and get the most out of those years, do I need to make any changes?’  A jet airplane that’s off course one degree for an hour is a long way off course, but not as much as it would be if it continued for a week one degree off course.  Life can be like that, so “mid-life course correction” is in order from time to time.  Does that sound like what you’re thinking?”

He quickly said, “Yes,” so I offered to spend some regular time with him and help him process his “mid-life evaluation.”  He said, “I would like that, how much do you charge?”   I responded by saying, “I was offering to meet as a friend, and friends don’t charge friends.”  He was incredulous and said that he would have to pay me. However, when I was unwavering in the offer of friendship, he finally relented.  We got our calendars out and finally found a mutually agreeable date.  After we settled on a date, he wanted me to meet his executive assistant so it would be easier to set up future appointments.  After she left, we chatted for a few more minutes and then said goodbye.  As I was opening his door to leave, I heard a very harsh voice say, “I don’t want to talk about God or none of that, …..”

Frankly, I was shocked at how strong his statement was, but I turned around, went back, and sat down.  I said, “That would not be my purpose in being your friend, but now that you have brought it up let me be candid about who I am.  Let’s say that your new friend was Tiger Woods rather than me.  Do you think you could become his good friend, and he would never utter the word golf in your presence?  That would be impossible because golf is central to his life.”  I looked him straight in the eye and said, “Jesus is central to my life, so it would not be possible for us to be friends without you knowing that.  However, you would probably also learn that I have six grandkids and ten great-grandkids, that I love barbecue and have a passion for golf.  However, our friendship wouldn’t require you to love everything that I love.  In fact, I would probably learn many of those things about you as well.”

He answered, “Under those circumstances that would be all right.”  That first meeting went so well that we continue to meet.  Now every time we meet, he is the one who wants to talk about God.  I think his encounter with a New Age guru caused him to do some soul searching.

This was not the first time I’ve seen God use experiences like that.  Another man I meet with had a short conversation with one of those religious groups that knock on your door.  That caused him to ask me questions about them, which gave me the opportunity to fully explain the gospel to him.  He is now following Jesus.

While meeting with a senior business executive in San Francisco, we got into a discussion about the current political atmosphere in our nation.  He was especially concerned about the progressive vs. conservative differences but went on to include other categories.  Eventually, the discussion turned to the general topic of freedom and democracy, and our views were pretty much in sync.  So I asked him who he thought had made the greatest contribution to freedom worldwide?  He thought that Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher should be considered because of their roles in the breakup of the Soviet Union.  That event led to the overthrow of several dictators in Eastern Europe, giving millions their freedom.  I agreed with him and added Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King.  But then I said, “I was thinking on a grander scale, in which case my choice would be Jesus.”  When he didn’t verbally object, I continued.

I said, “An honest review of history will show that with very few exceptions, human freedom has flourished where Jesus is honored.  The reverse is also true; wherever the gospel of Jesus has been prohibited, people have been enslaved, and millions have died.  Prime examples are the atheistic nations of Russia, China, and North Korea.  However, even in those countries and others around the globe, Jesus motivates His followers to establish hospitals, orphanages, schools, agricultural and clean water projects, etc.”  I went on to say, that in my opinion if Jesus were only human, He would deserve more attention than any other person who ever lived.

When he said, “That’s probably true,” I responded, “Then why don’t you become a follower of Jesus?”  He seemed a little shocked by the question and said, “That’s impossible, you know I don’t believe in God.”

I replied, “Most Christians would agree with you that it’s impossible to follow Jesus without believing in God.  But since I personally know a number of non-believers who are following Jesus, I wouldn’t let that stop you.”  He, like many who will read this, was very skeptical.  Therefore, I will try to explain why I have this kind of interaction with agnostics and atheists.

I told him about the huge crowds that followed Jesus, sometimes numbering into the thousands.  When Jesus moved from place to place, they followed Him.  When He got into a boat and crossed the lake, they followed Him.  Then I asked, “Using Biblical terms, do you think they were all born again believers”?  The obvious answer is no, and the Bible confirms that when it describes numerous scenarios of His interaction with individual followers.

But the definitive answer comes from the Apostle Mark (Mk 2:15): “While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him.”  Let me restate that, many tax collectors and sinners were followers of Jesus.  Most Christians think that only born-again believers can be followers of Jesus.  So how can we reconcile this dilemma? The answer is that there are actually two ways to follow Jesus.

The first is an external following like the crowds that followed Jesus.  Some wanted to be healed; some liked His teaching.  But others were merely curious and stayed in the back of the crowd, hoping no one would recognize them.  However, it’s obvious that everyone following Him had some level of interest, however small.

Therefore, when I’m meeting with a person who has a negative view of Jesus as the Son of God, my approach is to encourage them to develop some level of interest about the historical Jesus of Nazareth. There was much more to the conversation with my atheist friend mentioned in the first paragraph, but he did say, “I agree that I probably should know a little more about the historical Jesus.”  So, because he seemed open to that idea, I told him that Jesus had a best friend who wrote a book about Him, and suggested that reading that book would be a good place to start.  When he asked for the name of His best friend, I told him it was John, and he knew immediately who I was talking about, but he was still non-committal.  In a subsequent conversation, he raised the subject and said, “I’ve been reading a bit about the life of Jesus.”  This is often the way people become external followers of Jesus.

The second way to follow Jesus is an internal following.  People who follow Jesus externally for some period of time usually are given an opportunity to respond to the invitation of Jesus to exchange their life for His life.  If they decide to receive his life, and therefore salvation, the following verse becomes a reality for them, “The one, who has been with you, shall be in you.” (Jn 14:17 NIV)  The Bible says that person is Born Again, Saved, Regenerate, In Christ and becomes a New Creation.  Each person has his or her own unique experience with Jesus because He was personal with every individual during His days on earth.  It’s still the same today.

I wish this were true for all my friends, but there are many who freely express their disbelief in God.  So I try to relate to them in the same way that Philip responded to his friend when he didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah.  Phillip was one of the first disciples of Jesus and wanted his friend Nathaniel to become one as well.  However, when he had a negative attitude about Jesus of Nazareth, Phillip didn’t try to use logic to convince him.  He simply said, “Come and see for yourself.” (John 1:46 NLT) You know the rest of the story. Nathanael went to see for himself and ended up becoming a disciple of Jesus.  In that same spirit, I encourage nonbelievers to “come and see” by following the historical Jesus.  While He had unwavering requirements for His disciples, (Luke 14:25-27, 33), He had no preconditions for followers.

Even among those who do believe there is a God, I find this approach useful at times, because most are not followers of Jesus.  As we spend time together, I usually learn their view about issues of faith.  While many have a negative view of churches or overly zealous Christians, most have quite a positive opinion of Jesus. That’s my experience while meeting with numerous people of the Islamic faith in the Middle East.  They claim that Jesus was a great prophet, “but not the son of God.”  Rather than debating His divinity, I agree with them that He was a great prophet and simply ask, “What are some of His prophesies that you like?” They usually don’t know any.  So I tell them it would be consistent with their belief to know more about what He said.

When meeting with Jewish friends or others who think He was a good teacher (Rabbi) I ask, “What are your favorite things he taught?”  Surprisingly, they normally can’t think of anything.  So since they already think he was a teacher, I start there and try to encourage a curiosity about what he taught.  Only the Holy Spirit can open a person’s eyes anyway, and I’m convinced that if they genuinely follow the historical Jesus, they will eventually encounter the same Jesus I know.  Actually, the only Jesus, anyone, can follow is the one in whom they currently believe.  Even the most mature believer is following the Jesus in whom they currently believe.  I know that I have a more definitive picture of Jesus now than when I started following Him fifty-five years ago.

When I’m prompted by the Holy Spirit, I always make it clear to external followers of Jesus that it’s a pre-salvation journey.  Eventually, and at just the right time, God will lead them to the cross; He always does. The cross is an instrument of death, so He will make it clear to them that He is inviting them to die to self and receive His eternal life.  If they decide to do that, they then become followers of an internal Jesus.

You might ask, “Is there is a place for preaching about sin, judgment, heaven, and hell?”  My answer is a definite yes.  However, recognize that when people respond, it’s because they have been external followers of Jesus for some time.  This is what I am trying to get believers to understand and to encourage in their unbelieving friends.  Paul was actively against Jesus but had a sudden miraculous conversion on the road to Damascus.  We must recognize that he is the exception, not the norm because the majority of individuals have a much less dramatic conversion.

Peter is the example for the majority of us.  When Jesus asked Peter to follow Him, did He say, “Now before you park your boat, do you believe that I was virgin born and that I’m the Messiah?”  The answer is no; He just said to Peter, “Follow me.”  And Peter did, but this teacher was much more than he knew at the time. Eventually, Jesus asked him, “Who do you say I am?”  While Peter was following Jesus externally, God opened his eyes, and he could answer, “You are the Christ (Messiah).”  In response, Jesus told him, “My Father in Heaven revealed that to you.” (Mat. 16:15-17 NIV)

It’s the same for people today.  We can encourage them to follow the historical Jesus, but only God the Father can open their eyes to the true nature of Jesus.  Why do we insist that people believe what we believe before they can start following Jesus?  Jesus didn’t.

A friend introduced me to a man who was the Agent for several well-known singers and Rock Bands.  I will not mention the correct names but think, The Eagles, Bono or Paul McCartney, and you understand the type of clients he has.  We thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company, and it was one of those situations where we both liked each other immediately, so we began to meet weekly for lunch.

Our conversations were enjoyable and full of interesting subjects but after several weeks, one of our lunches took us to a new level.  As often happens, we eventually focused on one topic.  This day, it started with something we had both heard on the news.  It was a survey asking people what they thought were the most significant problems facing our nation.  The following is a very abbreviated version of the conversation that followed.

“I asked, how would you have answered that question?  What do you think are the most serious problems that our country faces?

He said I would have a hard time choosing just one because there are so many that are damaging our country.  Take your pick, crime, drugs, racial tension, political corruption, or a dozen other things, and now we have terrorism.

I replied, you’re right, we’ve had a war on drugs, passed civil rights legislation and the three strike law for crime, but they continue to be major problems.  I think of each of those as a symptom of an underlying cause that we are failing to address.  When the body has an abnormally high temperature, we try to reduce it but realize that it is a symptom of something going on internally.  It’s just alerting us to find out what caused it.

He answered; I guess you’re right; all problems are caused by something.

Terrorism is caused by religious intolerance, and I’m pretty sure that each of society’s other problems are also symptoms of deeper issues.  If that’s true, I wonder if it’s possible that there could be a common cause?  What do you think?

He said, maybe it’s because the morality of the country is deteriorating, I know it’s changed since I was a kid.  I told you about my partner who ripped me off for more than a million dollars, and just two weeks ago, my daughter had her bicycle stolen from our front porch.

What do you think caused such a general breakdown of our morals?

I don’t know; maybe it’s because there’s so much corruption among our leaders in business and politics.

Do you think corporations or politics are the problem or is it the character of the individuals involved.

I see what you’re getting at; of course, it’s the individual person who has a moral breakdown.

If personal morality is the issue, who do you think is the greatest moral authority and teacher who ever lived?

I’m sure it was probably Jesus.

Do you know much about what He taught?

No, I went to church when I was a kid, but never got too interested in religion.

You know that’s my background too, but I was challenged some years ago to re-evaluate my ideas about spiritual things, and I’m so glad I did.  I started to read the Bible for myself and started with the part that was written by the best friend of Jesus.  In fact, why don’t you and I read it together?  We could read one chapter a week, then get together, and discuss it.  Would you be interested in that?

Yes, I think so, but I’m not interested in being pressured to believe a religious dogma.

John, you can be sure I won’t do that, I respect you, and enjoy our friendship too much to allow any barrier to come between us.  How about if we meet for breakfast every Thursday morning for 5 or 6 weeks.  We already enjoy being together, so this should be fun.  I’ll get you a small copy of the book of John in modern day English.  We can each read the first chapter, and we’ll talk about it.

Okay, let’s do it.”

We met weekly for about a year and a half, and his wife gave her life to Jesus, but my friend never did.  He was too invested in New Age spirituality.  In fact, on the wall of his office, he had pictures in a semi-circle of seven “Avatars.”  Avatar comes from the Hindu religion and means, “a Savior,” that is a person who saves or rescues mankind.  He had the pictures of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and five others, plus Jesus.  He did tell me that if he ever chose a personal Avatar, he would choose Jesus.  That was encouraging, but in my judgment, he failed to understand or maybe refused to acknowledge the deity of Jesus.

After a couple of years, he moved to another area, so sadly, I don’t see him anymore.  I really liked him and would even say I loved him, so I still pray that he will someday come to a saving knowledge of Jesus.

A fascinating anecdote from our time together.

As our friendship developed, we shared numerous stories about our lives.  One of the most interesting about his life is about a meeting he and one of his clients had with Anwar Sadat, the President of Egypt. You may remember that President, Sadat led Egypt in an attack on Israel.  It was called the Yom Kippur War, but Egypt was devastatingly defeated by Israel.  Three years later, President Sadat humbled himself and visited Israel and spoke to the Knesset.  Secretary-General of the Knesset, Netanel Lorch, an acquaintance of mine arranged that visit.  He told me that it was the high point of his life.  Then they engaged in negotiations, that led to the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty.  That won Sadat, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin the Nobel Peace Prize which made Sadat the first Muslim Nobel laureate.

Then in 1980, John and his high profile client met with President Sadat and became captivated by his vision for peace in the Middle East.  However, you may remember that in 1981, President Sadat was assassinated by Islamic fundamentalist army officers.  The memory of that meeting stayed with them, so John and his friend talked about it often.

Twenty years later they decided to honor his vision for peace by completing it.  They had a number of ideas, and one of them crystallized during the time that I knew him, so I got to know about it intimately. They were motivated by the idea of peace, and they chose the method to accomplish it, by remembering the success of two of their friends.  Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie wrote a song in 1985 called, “We are the World.”  Participants on the recording were forty-five of America’s top musicians.  It sold more than twenty million copies and received rave reviews around the world.  The memory of how that song brought people together became the model for their world peace plan.  John and his client bought one hundred and sixty acres of beautiful land, hired an architect and began planning, the “World Peace Center.”  Their intent was to produce a multitude of audio, video, and written projects by the entire entertainment industry.  As we met week by week, I got an update on the progress of the architectural plans.  Additionally, I got to hear the names of the most famous artists, writers and producers in the music industry who had volunteered to donate their time and talent to make videos and CD’s promoting peace.  This was going to be a very very large project with a ton of buy-in from financial people as well as the most talented performers in the world.

Week by week I was anxious to hear the latest developments.  Then one Thursday morning at breakfast, it all changed.  John said, “we decided to sell the property.”  I was shocked so asked what happened to make you change your mind when so much progress has been accomplished?  He then told me about a conversation he’d had the past weekend.  I knew that his client picked him up with his Lear Jet from time to time and they would spend the weekend together.  So he told me about his most recent fight to Vail Colorado for a ski weekend.  After several runs, they were sitting in the warming hut at the top of the mountain discussing the project.  All of a sudden John had a very profound thought and shared it with his friend.  He said, “you don’t have any peace, and I don’t have any peace, how are we going to bring peace to the world?”  And the dream died.  That sounds like something a religious person might say to them, but John received that message internally.  You and I know where that came from.  They were working on peace between peoples of the world and were confronted with the lack of personal inner peace.

Then for several months afterward, I was allowed to read letters from his client.  One of them was nine pages long.  They were about his quest to find peace and the various places he had tried to find it.  He talked about two books he had read and mentioned several retreats and conferences by new age gurus. However, after each one he concluded, they don’t have the answer.  Then his client died unexpectedly at fifty-three years of age.  It was in a tragic accident about a year or two after the dream died.  I know that he was earnestly searching for inner peace, but I don’t know if he was searching for God with his whole heart. But if he was, I am confident the Lord would have revealed Himself to him before he died.  We have that confirmed by Scripture.

“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.” (Jeremiah 29:13 NLT”)
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13 ESV)

The purpose for sharing these conversations was simply to tell the story of two men as they grappled with heart issues.

For many years, I hosted the Middle East nations at the Presidential Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC.  At one of those breakfasts, I met Ahmed from one of the most prominent countries in that region.  He wasn’t from the Royal family, but he was one of their most senior officials.  We spent a lot of time together that week, and I liked him immediately.  As I got to know him, I learned why he was so open to talking about Jesus.

Let me give you a very condensed biographical sketch of Ahmed.  He is fabulously wealthy today (14 personal servants) but grew up in desert poverty.  Oil was discovered in 1938, but the general population did not feel its benefits for many years.  Ahmed was born in one of the goatskin tents of a large Bedouin tribe.  In the early nineteen forties, an evangelical missionary doctor and two nurses arrived in his area. They met with the Sheikh (Headman) of the tribe and asked if they could help with the medical needs of the tribe.  The Sheikh was very suspicious of their motives and told his people that if they went to the clinic, they might die.  The doctor was persistent and continued to meet with the Sheikh and explain the advances in medicine.  After months of relationship building, there was a break-thru.  The Sheikh said he had a sick donkey and if the doctor could make him better, he would allow his people to go to the clinic.  We don’t know how he did it, but the donkey returned to good health, so the Sheikh kept his word.  The first person he sent to the clinic was my new friend Ahmed who was six years old at the time.  He had a very serious ear infection that was draining and extremely painful.  With antibiotics and loving care, he recovered after nine days, but one thing remained deeply ingrained in his memory.  Several times a day, the nurses had whispered in his ear, “Jesus loves you.”  So even though he was in his sixties when I met him, our open conversations about Jesus brought back that good memory.  Since he was open to dialogue about Jesus, I invited him to a weeklong retreat later that year in the Colorado Rockies, and he accepted on the spot.

He flew into Denver, and we drove up to the C-Lazy-U ranch, which is the only 5-star dude ranch in America.  Talking about Jesus (Issa/eesa) to an Islamic person is easy because He is mentioned by name 25 times in the Quran plus many other times by inference.  It calls Him a great prophet and affirms His virgin birth, second coming, miracles and frequently refers to Him as Messiah.  By the way, Mohammed is mentioned only four times.  I knew that the most respected Mullahs teach that you cannot be a good Muslim unless you believe in Jesus.  However, by that, they mean, believe that he was a great prophet whose mother was a virgin.  But when you move beyond that, you quickly run into a big problem.  Both the Quran and the Mullahs insist that he was not the “Son of God,” was not crucified so did not rise from the dead.  I also knew that when we use the term the “Son of God,” most followers of Islam are filled with righteous indignation because they think we mean that God had sex with Mary and Jesus is the son.  Some would even want to cut your throat for insulting God.

So in the beginning, I told Ahmed, while we are together I will likely refer to Jesus as the “Son of God,” but I want to quickly tell you what I do not mean when I use that phrase. I do not mean, “Allah and Mary had sex and Jesus is the son.  Let me share a metaphor that might help you understand what I mean when I use that phrase.

I said, Ahmed, I have a thought right now, can you tell me what it is?  Of course, you can’t until I put it into words.  Then I could say, the word is the son of the thought or the thought and the words are one.  I could also say the words represent the thought or they are the expression of the thought.  The Bible uses these very same ideas to help us understand Jesus.  It says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)  It says He is the full expression of God; “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God…” (Heb. 1:3)  Jesus himself said, “The Father and I are one.” (John 10:30)

So Ahmed said, I can believe He is the “Son of God,” like that.

We dialogued quite a bit about the death, burial, and resurrection and then the Holy Spirit did what only He can do.

Questions and denials seemed to melt away, and Ahmed said if that is really true then I am ready for God to help me believe it.

So on the third morning, he told me that he believes that Jesus is God’s son and had paid the penalty for his sin.

For the remaining days, our conversation changed to more of discipleship content.  At the end of that week, he asked if I would spend time with his family and tell his sons about Jesus.

A few months later, I traveled to ______ and spent three weeks with him and his family.  I was with them every day but spent my evenings as his guest in a seven-star hotel.  After a couple of days, I asked Baqir, his 32-year-old son to show me around the area.  As we were riding around, I told him how much I loved his dad and that I was glad we had a chance to get to know each other.  I told him; in preparation for my visit I read the Quran and developed some questions.

He quickly said, have you really read the Koran?

I said yes, I’ve read the English version twice.

He asked, do you want to become a Muslim?  My answer shocked him, as it will most people who read this.

I told him, I’m already a “muslim.”  When he looked at me with a puzzled look, I said; “muslim” is an Arabic word, what does it mean in English?”

He said it means, “One who submits to God.”  (Note: “muslim” with a lower case “m” means one who submits to God, and “Muslim” with a capital “M” means, a follower of Islam.)

So I said that’s my understanding as well.  If you were speaking Arabic and introduced me to a friend, I hope you would say “Glenn is a “muslim,” (submitted to God) but he’s a disciple of Jesus, not Mohammed.

Then I offered, if you could help me be a better “muslim” (more surrendered to God),  I’d like that.

He quickly said, if you want to be a good Muslim, you must understand that Abraham did not sacrifice Isaac, he sacrificed Ishmael.

So now we could have a debate with me saying, it was Isaac, and he saying, it was Ishmael.  We would likely not resolve that quickly, so I sidestepped the issue, and said, don’t you remember, neither boy was sacrificed.  God provided a sacrifice out of the bushes, and it was a ram, and he said, “oh yeah.”  In fact, you still sacrifice animals annually during Ramadan at the Kaaba (Cube) in Mecca.  Why don’t you ask your Mullah, (Head of your Mosque), what is the purpose of a blood sacrifice?  So over the next two weeks, we had several conversations about this.

I also knew that if you tell someone that you have read the Quran, they want to know if you read and write Arabic.  If you do not, they make it clear that you have not read it because the Arabic language and the Quran are one.  So I said, I read an English translation of the Quran, and I want to check with you to see if things I found in my English translation are in the original.

He said, “okay, of course.’

So I asked; the Quran mentions the “Injeel” (Gospels) many many times and it is clear that Mohammed read them.  Is that true in the Arabic version?

He said yes that’s correct.

So I asked, have you read the Injeel?  The “Injeel” is Arabic for what we call the Gospels.

He said no, I have never seen them.

When I asked why his answer was.

The Jews corrupted the Old Testament, and the Christians corrupted the New Testament, so they’re not trustworthy.  If I had the “Injeel” that Mohammed read, I would definitely read it.

When he said the “Injeel” was corrupted, I said I guess that’s theoretically possible.  I personally do not believe it was changed because I believe the Holy Spirit of God protected it.  But to be intellectually honest I must admit the possibility that the New Testament could have been changed.  That’s because I am aware that we do not have any originals of the New Testament.  All we have are copies of copies of copies, and the oldest complete copy we have is 300 years after Jesus.  Nevertheless, I can take you to the British Museum in London or the Vatican in Rome and prove that it has not changed since about 300 AD.  So if it was changed, it was changed in those first 300 years.  I told him, you can’t believe how excited I got when I learned from the Quran that the Injeel was still trustworthy to Mohammed in 625 AD.  He gives me a 300-year overlap to help me trust my Bible.  He seemed unconvinced about that, so I gave him a challenge.  Why don’t you call your pilot and tell him to prepare the Gulfstream V jet, and let’s go to the British Museum?

He said no, I believe you, so I gave him a copy of the Arabic New Testament, and he committed to reading the Injeel. (Gospels)

I can’t give you the eventual result of this conversation with Ahmed’s son because I don’t know the end of that story.  My only reason for writing this is simply to report a memorable conversation I had with an Islamic man and his son.  Actually, I think I will relate a bit more about Ahmed.

A couple of years before I visited Ahmed I spoke at a ten-day retreat at a beautiful old castle near Brighton, England.  It was called the “Third Arab World Congress” and included 200 attendees from seven Middle East nations.  It had been put together by a group of friends and extended families who were both followers of Jesus and followers of Mohammed.  There I met a number of amazing men who had secret house churches in their home countries.  One was named Yusef, and he was from Ahmed’s country so a few days after I arrived, I made contact with him and introduced them to each other.  Twice Ahmed and I went to Yusef’s secret house church after very covert arrangements.  They became friends and could meet publicly because Yusef was a very prominent businessman.  The three weeks I spent with Ahmed and his family remain one of my treasured memories.

I stayed in touch with a Ahmed and a year and a half after I returned home I got a phone call from him and he was in Washington DC.  He was ecstatic and was yelling; “Glenn, I feel compete I feel complete, Dick Halverson baptized me in the pool at the Cedars.”  What a joy to hear that my mentor had baptized Ahmed.

Some time ago, I was the only customer in a golf store right after it opened.  Several times, I looked at the man at the cash register, who looked depressed.  Eventually, I felt certain that something was bothering him, so I said, “You’re having a rough day aren’t you?”

He was a little shocked and said, “How did you know?”

“I don’t, but I was watching you for a few minutes and just felt like I should encourage you.  Do you have a difficult situation going on?”

“Yes,” he answered. “I just took my brother to the emergency room; he’s vomiting blood, and he’s going to die if he doesn’t get off the booze.”

I still can’t remember exactly what I said, but it must have been something like, “He needs to know Jesus.”

He immediately asked, “Can we talk?”

“Yes”

Since he was the owner of the store, he went over and locked the front door and said;  “Let’s go upstairs to my office.”

We talked for just short of three hours, and I will give you a synopsis.  I asked him why he responded so quickly when I said his brother needs to know Jesus.  He said that he had been thinking a lot about Jesus himself recently.  Since he was that open, I took the opportunity to explain the gospel to him in some detail. It included a lot of dialogue because he had some basic knowledge but also had a number of questions he was wrestling with.

After an hour or so he said, “I want to know Jesus like you do.”

“Great! Some people would have you pray the so-called sinner’s prayer, but I think Jesus prefers you to pray your own prayer.  You and I have discussed the basics of salvation, so why don’t you tell God what’s in your heart right now; just talk to Him.”  I bowed my head and waited for what seemed like a minute or two, but I didn’t hear him say anything.

I thought he might have prayed silently, but when I looked up, he was looking at me and asked, “Do I have to speak in tongues when I do this?”

I was very surprised. “Why do you ask; we didn’t discuss that.”

He said; “I was at this same point with a man in Oregon ten years ago, and he said the minute I receive Jesus I will start speaking in tongues, and that will be the evidence that Jesus is in my heart.  It scared me, so I didn’t pray.”

I said, “I have never spoken in tongues, but am certain of my salvation.  The Bible says that the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. (Rom 8:16)  That has happened to me, and it’s all the evidence I need.”

This was yet another example of a zealous person getting ahead of the Holy Spirit, and I admit that in years past I have done it myself.  When I was active with a para-church ministry, I relied more on getting people to respond to the four spiritual laws booklet than being in sync with the Holy Spirit.  I now believe that many of those I encouraged to pray the so-called sinner’s prayer” were spiritually “stillborn,” not genuinely born again by the Spirit.  I guess I knew at that time that people can only be genuinely born again when the Spirit draws them, but I was too focused on reporting how many people had prayed to receive Christ.

After much more conversation, this man gave his life to Jesus, and are you ready for the irony of this particular story?  He sold his shop, and I lost track of him for about ten years.  When he did come back to visit his family, we met and had great fellowship.  During the conversation, I learned that he was now a Calvary Chapel Pastor of a startup church in Southern California and speaks in tongues.

On a flight home from Colorado, I noticed an ad in a technology magazine.  It was promoting a product that was new to me.  I’m an early adopter, so I was interested in looking at this new technology.  I noticed that the company was in the same industrial park as an upcoming appointment I had with the President of Sega.  Even though the address would not be a retail location, I decided to drop by their office and try to get a look at this product.  I liked what I saw, but God had another reason for my visiting that company.  He had made an appointment for me that was not on my calendar.

When I arrived, the receptionist greeted me, and I explained that their advertisement in Wired magazine had piqued my interest.  “I know this is a distribution warehouse, not retail sales, but since I was in the neighborhood, I was hoping to see it.”

She was very gracious and said, “It would normally be available to see, but all the sales people are in Las Vegas at Comdex.”

I showed a bit of disappointment and said, “Oh that’s too bad, I won’t be here again for a month or so.”

As I mentioned, she was very gracious, (And I’m certain was prompted by God) and volunteered, ” The President is here; maybe he will show it to you.”  She spoke to him on the phone, and shortly he came to the reception area.

He was a tall slim Korean in his mid-thirties with a strong accent.  He was not very talkative until I said that I had recently returned from ten days in Seoul.

He asked the reason for my visit, and I replied, “To spend time with my friends who are in the government.” I told him that I have been to Seoul more than forty-five times and have many good friends there.  That really sparked his interest, so I intentionally started to drop the names of my friends.  I mentioned the last five Presidents by name as well as their cabinets, numerous senior people in the business world, plus Gi Kwang, the Chief Buddhist Monk of Korea.

He was visibly shocked and asked, “why do you meet with them, are you with the U.S. government?”  When I said no, He asked, “Are you a businessman?”

I said, “No I have no agenda except friendship, and now after many years these friends trust me and believe that to be true.”  I told him how much I had come to love Korea and my long-term hope is that someday the nation will have leaders that are led by God, not by their own self-interest.

At that point, he stared directly into my eyes without speaking for several uncomfortable seconds.  It was an extremely dramatic moment, and later I told my wife that it was so unusual that it seemed like the lights went off, or if they were off, they went on.

When he finally spoke, he said, “you look like a man I can trust, I’ve lost my way, can you help me?”

Those are his exact words, and it stunned me so I said, “Wow, that’s a heavy statement, can you give me a paragraph on what it means to lose your way?”

I knew he wouldn’t want to have this conversation in front of the receptionist, so I suggested that maybe we should continue in his office.  After we got to his private office, I said, “Before we talk about this why don’t you tell me a bit about your life’s journey.”  The following is a very condensed version of the story he told me.  He was an only child who was born in Seoul to parents who were both doctors.  They sent him to the best schools and later to Seoul National University, the Harvard, or Stanford of Korea.  His major was Computer Engineering; then he came to Stanford University to get his masters.  While he was still a student there, he started a company, and it did so well that the newspapers and magazines in Seoul wrote stories about the local boy who hit it big in Silicon Valley.  Later a prestigious Korean technology company offered him a position.  Now he is President of the U.S. Division of that company.  Then his aunt found the perfect wife for him, and they had a son.  My experience in Korea helped me understand what a big deal that is for a Korean man.  As he talked, He mentioned, “I’ve lost my way” four different times.  He did not use the following words, but the sentiment I was picking up was; I have achieved everything I wanted to do and thought it would bring me meaning, but I feel unfilled.  I think his statement, “I’ve lost my way,” was his way of saying, “Is that all there is?”

I told him that I do have some thoughts about what you’re experiencing, and he said, “Please continue.”  So I said,”Let me start by saying that God made us in his image.”

He interrupted and said, “I don’t believe in God, I’m Buddhist.”

Based on Scripture and many personal experiences, I know that men may be atheistic in their philosophy, but they all have a God given inner awareness of a power greater than themselves.  I wanted to speak to that part of him.

So I said, “That’s okay, you don’t have to believe in God, I do, and you asked at the reception desk, “Can you help me?”  I don’t know if I can help you, but I have an idea for you to consider.  I continued; God created us in His image and gave us free will and the ability to understand right from wrong.  He also made us triune beings, so each of us has a body, soul, and Spirit.  It looks like you have taken very good care of your body; you probably have a personal trainer.”

He said, “I do, and I was with him this morning.”

Now regarding your soul, which consists of your mind, will, and emotions.  You have done an excellent job of training your mind in technology and management.  Your emotions seem to be under control, and your will has helped you make some good decisions.

You have given a lot of attention to your soul, but I think you have neglected your spirit, which is the most critical part of your being.  Can I talk with you about that?

He said, “Yes I want to hear whatever you have to say.”

I explained a short version of the Garden of Eden and how God created the human race with a spirit that was alive and connected to Him.  But our grandparents Adam and Eve decided they wanted to be their own God.  When they acted on this, they became disconnected from the life of God, and their spirits died.  That meant that all their descendants would also have a dead spirit.  All means all, so that includes you and me.

Let me give you an analogy of what it means to have a dead spirit.  Think of a car without gas.  It’s still a car, but it’s lifeless without the power source that can make it work correctly.  In the same way, humans without the life force of God’s Spirit are still humans but are spiritually dead.  I suggested that his feeling of having lost his way was God’s way of alerting him to the fact that his spirit was on empty.  I asked if I could talk to him about Jesus.

Again, he said, “Yes of course,” but this time he seemed eager to hear what I had to say.

I went on to explain the incarnation of Jesus and His work on our behalf, and this man melted before my eyes.  When I asked if he wanted to have his spirit made new, he said yes, and that day he asked Jesus to be his savior, and his spirit became alive to God.

Postscript

About two weeks later, I was visiting him, and it was like I was speaking to a different person.  I brought him the Bible on CD, and he now listens to it on his forty-five-minute commute.  As we talked, he shared that he had done something very strange recently.  He hadn’t told me on our first visit that even though he has a wife and a son; he also had a mistress.  He had given her a credit card, a Mercedes, and an apartment.  He said he didn’t understand why he did it, but he told her that he wouldn’t be coming to see her anymore. She could keep the apartment, car, and credit card for six months but then it would end, and she would have to make other arrangements.  I explained that this was the Holy Spirit helping him have a life that pleases God.

On another visit, he said that his wife did not understand his attempts to explain God to her and asked if I would meet with her.  I agreed, so he chose a famous Chinese restaurant on the Embarcadero in San Francisco.  He brought his wife and mother-in-law who lived with them.  He didn’t allow much time for small talk; he wanted me to explain God to them even before we ordered.  It was a bit uncomfortable, but I tried to repeat what I had told him on our first meeting.  They listened but seemed uninterested, however they said they were happy for him.  He got mad at them and said, “You aren’t even trying to understand.”  Later I explained to him that if I had come to his office a week before I did, it’s likely that he would not have been receptive.  I told him that he should pray for them and it will happen in God’s timing.  She did agree that evening to put their child in a Christian school so he could learn about God.

This encounter is a wonderful story, but it’s only the visible part of his story.  The unseen parts of the story are the months and maybe years that God had been preparing this man’s heart for that encounter.  That’s what allowed a man to move from atheist to believer in a couple of hours.

This man is an example of the multitudes of people who are searching for meaning and purpose in life. Most of them are unaware that it’s found in Jesus alone.

For my family and friends, I feel the need to preserve the history of my relationship with a man who represented a completely different view of spirituality than I have.  In spite of this, I grew to love and respect him.  Sadly, he passed away a couple of years ago, and I still miss him.  As I reflect on our time together, it’s clear that I learned a good deal about Buddhism.  But because his questions were so different from anything I had ever heard, I also learned much more about my own faith.  Early in our relationship, we gave each other permission to ask any question about our respective faiths, but without the intent to convert one another.  His questions were always challenging, and he said mine were as well.  They caused me to rely on the Holy Spirit at a new level, and almost every time I answered his questions with something I had never thought about.  It would be impossible to report the hours of dialogue we had, so this will be a series of mostly unconnected anecdotes with personal confidential information omitted.

After several years of developing relationships in South Korea, I had met a few pastors and church leaders, but the majority of my friends were businessmen or politicians.  They represented the entire spectrum of religious persuasions.  They included people from every major Christian denomination, a number of secularists plus numerous practicing and non-practicing Buddhists.  Since so many were Buddhist, and I knew so little about Buddhism, I had some catching up to do. I read some books but mostly let the men I met with educate me about what they believed.  I had some very profound discussions with CEO’s and legislators who were practicing Buddhists.  They told me about the Eightfold Path, which is the Middle Path, consisting of Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness, Right Concentration, Right Understanding, and Right Thoughts.  The Middle Path is a righteous way of life for self-purification, and it depends on strict self-discipline.

Many of the men I meet with are very connected, and by that, I mean they seem to know everyone.  One day I said to one of them that I would like to meet what I called at that time “The Buddhist Pope.”  He explained to me that the person I was speaking about Gi Kwang Sunim, the Chief Buddhist Monk of Korea. Of course, he knew him, and even though this man was a Christian, he arranged an introduction.  The rest of this paper will be a series of exchanges between us during our 12-year friendship.  Except for the first or second meetings, I’m not certain about the chronological sequence of the conversations, but their content is quite fresh in my mind.

Our very first encounter was in the Chief Monk’s office, which is a five-story glass and stone building with two or three levels of parking underneath the building.  It’s an office building with a temple on the middle floors, and is very modestly furnished.  His desk was similar to a coffee table, and he sat on the floor.  He did have chairs for guests, but mostly I sat on the floor with him.  It was easy to understand him because he spoke English quite well.  I thanked him for accepting the request of a stranger to meet with him.

He said, “I respect your friend very much, so when he asked me for an appointment I immediately said yes because I knew his friend would be someone who would be worth meeting.”  Early in that conservation, he asked, “Did you have a reason for wanting to meet me?”

“Yes,” I replied, “I’ve been to Korea a number of times, and many of my friends are Buddhists.  I felt it would be important for me to meet the man who leads the Buddhists in Korea.  I am not here to become a Buddhist, nor am I here to convert you.  Of course, I am open to any questions about my faith, but that is not why I came.  I simply have a desire to learn more about what you believe.”

My friend had introduced me as a person who was very serious about following Jesus and that I represented the congressional committee that hosts the United States Presidential Prayer Breakfast. Assuming that I knew the President, he asked me to thank President Bush for sending a letter of congratulations regarding the anniversary of World Buddhism.  I told him that I was not a personal friend of the President, but suggested that if he wrote a thank you letter and attended our national prayer breakfast, I would be able to arrange for him to hand deliver it.  Unfortunately, his schedule made it impossible for him ever to accept that offer.

As I look back, I think this early exchange set the stage for our friendship because he asked questions about my involvement with the Presidential Prayer Breakfast and wanted to know its purpose.  I gave him a bit of its history and explained that leaders from approximately 170 nations attend.  I went on to say that, it has no political, business or religious agenda but simply meets in the spirit of Jesus. I spent another five minutes telling him what that means.  It was not a monologue because he asked some very pointed questions that gave me a chance to share about my life in Jesus.  After about 20 minutes, he asked me if it would be okay if he brought in some other monks to listen to our conversation.

I said, “Yes, please do.” He brought in three senior monks and spoke to them in Korean.

My friend interpreted it for me and said, “He is telling them that you are the first person who ever spoke to him about Jesus who didn’t make him feel like an enemy.”  When he finished speaking with the monks, we continued our conversation.  I told him that my friend had interpreted for me what he had said to the monks.

Then I added, “I’m sure glad you caught me on a good day.”  I explained that when a person is excited about something he might speak of it so exuberantly that it could make another person feel as though what he has is a pile of dirt.  I used the example of a person who owns a Lexus automobile extolling its virtues so strongly that it could make anyone with a Mercedes feel like what he has is inferior.  I went on to say, “I am so devoted to Jesus that I must have made someone, somewhere feel like the enemy, but I am glad that you didn’t feel that from me.”

We continued talking for another 30 minutes about many things, much of it about him personally. Eventually, there was a lull in our conversation, and I said, “I would like to return to your earlier statement that I didn’t make you feel like the enemy.  As I have listened to you, I’ve been thinking: ‘How do I feel about this new friend?’  I certainly do not think of you as an enemy, and from the comments you’ve made, I’ve concluded that you’re my brother.”

The friend who brought me was a Christian, and I’m sure he was shocked to hear me say that.  I explained myself by saying, “Do you know there are many brotherhoods in the world?  There is a brotherhood around Rotary, golf, fishing, fraternities in college, and many sports.  There is also a brotherhood around Jesus, and our mutual friend and I are brothers in that family.  However, the brotherhood I feel with you is different from all those.  As I have listened to you, it seems like you’re a man who would not want to get to the end of your life and have it based on error; that’s the way I feel as well.  So I think that you and I are brothers in that brotherhood of men who want to base their life on truth.”

He got up and walked two or three steps to shake my hand and said, “Okay, we’re brothers in that brotherhood.”

I said, “Gi Kwang, I think Buddha was one of our brothers.  He was the son of the king in Nepal, however, even though he was a prince, he left his comfortable existence and went on a six and a half year search for truth and the meaning of life.  It’s very unfortunate that he lived 600 years before Jesus, who said, I am the truth.”  When I read the Golden Book, it’s obvious that he was searching for truth, and I believe that if he had been alive during the days of Jesus, he would’ve gone to listen to him.  I don’t know if he would’ve become a disciple, but knowing what motivated him, I believe if someone had stood up near him and said. ‘I am the truth,’ he would’ve gone to listen and evaluate.  Of course, I believe that Buddha would want you to do the same thing.

At our second meeting, I told him what I had been thinking about on my flight to Seoul.  “I was trying to understand what is happening between Gi Kwang Sunim and Glenn Murray when we are so different. You’re Oriental; I’m Occidental.  You’re from the East; I’m from the West.  Your culture is 5000 years old, and mine is 200 years old.  So I came up with a metaphor that helped me understand what’s happening between us.  It’s as if we are from two countries separated by a river, and you and I have built a bridge over it.  We can meet in the middle of the bridge and ask each other questions about the world we represent.”

He understood my metaphor immediately and said: “I’ll meet you in the middle of the bridge and I get the first question.”  I was rather shocked by his first question because I thought it would be something theological.  His question was, “Why are there so many divorces in your country?”  I agreed with him that there are too many divorces in my country, and it has left many children and families devastated.

I said Jesus disapproves of divorce.  Formerly his followers were not the ones who got divorces, but in this last generation, divorces are almost as common in the church as they are among people who are unbelievers.  We spoke a little more about this subject, but then I said, “I get the next question.”  You told me that you pray several times a day; my question is, “who do you pray too?”

“Buddha,” he replied.

“That leaves me a bit confused because I’ve read that you believe Buddha reached Nirvana, the life of a snuffed-out candle, the extinguished life or the life of nothingness.  Are you saying that you pray to someone who doesn’t exist?”

He tilted his head to the side and said, “It’s kind of hard to understand, isn’t it?”

I said, “Yes” but didn’t press the point.  In a later conversation about prayer, we pursued this concept in depth.

In another of our conversations, I told him, “I admire Buddha for many things, particularly his desire for truth, and his call for a life of purity, no adultery, no stealing, no lying, etc.  I really liked his chapter in the Golden Book on fellowship and dying to self.  Buddha taught you must die to self, but he didn’t know anything beyond that.  Nirvana for him was death to self-desire.  Jesus also taught that we need to die to self, but when we receive Him, He gives us eternal life.  Buddha and Confucius saw the kind of morality that is correct but left to human resources; we’re not capable of living like that. Jesus comes into our life and gives us the power to do what is right.

He said, “Glenn, you know a lot about Buddhism, but I don’t think you know the deep things of Buddhism.”

I said, “I’m sure I don’t, is there something I should know?”

“Yes, in a book the monks read called Who I am, there is a statement that says, ‘If on your road to truth you encounter Buddha, kill Buddha.”  He explained that it was a metaphor that you should not let anything keep you from the truth. Go around him, push him out of the way, etc., but the metaphor is, kill Buddha. Then in one of my first encounters with his penetrating questions, he asked, “If you and I are going to be brothers in that brotherhood of men who base their life on truth, will you kill Jesus?”

I answered, “Wow! I’ve never faced a question like that, but given the context of your question my answer must be ‘Yes.  If Jesus keeps me from knowing the truth, then my answer is a definite ‘Yes.’  However, my Bible and my own personal experience tell me that truth is not beyond Jesus; Jesus Himself is the Truth.”  At that time, I didn’t know him well, so to make my point I asked a question that now seems silly.  “Do you know what a birthday candle is?”

He quickly said, “Yes” and indicated how small they are.

I said, “If you light a birthday candle in a universe of darkness, the darkness cannot put it out because light always overcomes darkness.  It may be a small area, but light always prevails.  Gi Kwang, Jesus said, “I am the Light of the World.”  If a universe of darkness cannot put out a candle, there is nothing that can extinguish the Light of the World.  So the real answer to your question is that I couldn’t kill Jesus if I wanted to because I don’t know how to extinguish the Light of the World.  He understood the metaphor and didn’t pursue it any further.

One day he commented, “Glenn, we’re becoming such good friends I should probably go to church with you someday.”

I told him, “I don’t have a specific church that I go to, but we can pick one and attend together.”  As I thought about it later, attending church together would be a major mistake because a Buddhist monk walking into any church would cause a great disturbance.

He said, “If I go to church with you, will you go to the temple with me?”

He was quite surprised that I answered, “Yes,” because the Korean pastor of the largest church in the world had said that no believer should go inside a temple because it’s full of idols.

I told him, “I’m not sure that I should go in temples, but I’ve been in so many in Thailand, Taiwan, Japan and other places that I would be willing to go with you to your temple.

Then he asked, “If I go to your church I will bow before I go in.  Would you bow before you go in the Temple?”

I got the sense that his questions were leading to a point he wanted to make, so I thought for a moment and said, “Yes I probably would, but let me explain what I mean by that.  I am not Roman Catholic, but I have many friends who are, and when I go to church with them, I kneel when they kneel and get up when they do.  It’s not my way, but I do it to honor them.  So if you bow before you go in the Temple, I would bow to honor you.”

I was certain we were going somewhere when next he asked, “If I go to church with you I will bow to Jesus before going in, would you bow to Buddha before you go in the Temple?”

I said, “Gi Kwang, where do you get these questions?  This is like when you asked if I would I kill Jesus.” My first response was to ask him if I could I answer that on my next trip?”  Then I said, “No you want an answer now, don’t you.  I know that if you gave me six months to think about it, I would begin on the airplane going home.  I would be thinking, ‘I wonder what he means by bow,’ so let me explore that with you right now.  If I met a man on the road in the countryside and he was very old and had a long wispy beard, and someone told me he had 20 grandchildren, I would bow to him out of respect for his age because that is the custom. He could be the head of the local mafia. I wouldn’t know that, but I would bow to him just to defer to his age.

I added that if the leader of China went to the United States, he would shake hands with our President.  It would not mean that he was in favor of capitalism, but he would shake hands because it’s the way to honor the person and the office.  “So if you mean to bow to Buddha by way of showing respect, I would do that quickly.  I do respect Buddha and really appreciate some of the things he said.  But if on the other hand, you mean bow out of allegiance, submission, adoration, or worship, I could never bow my knee to anyone like that except Jesus Christ.”

He said, “Glenn that is a very wise answer.”

“If that seemed wise to you, my understanding is that it was given to me by the Holy Spirit to help you understand that I don’t disrespect Buddha, but my Lord is Jesus Christ, and I bow my knee only to him.”

Then he stunned me by saying, “Glenn the next time you are in Korea would you speak to the nation about Jesus on my national radio network?”  I declined and told him the reason was that I keep my activities in Korea below the radar because I meet with so many powerful people of different political and religious persuasions.

“I do not want to develop a public presence in Korea, so I must decline but thank you for asking.

Then he asked, “Well, would you meet with the Council of 40 the next time you’re in Korea and talk to them about Jesus like we talk?”  That’s the top 40 monks in Korea, so I accepted his offer and told him I was excited to do that on my next visit.  When I was back in Seoul six months later, this is how the scenario developed.  He picked me up in his chauffeur-driven limousine, and we went back to his office in the Temple.  We had tea and conversation for about an hour, then he said, “It’s time to go.”  We went down to the underground garage to his limousine and began to drive across town.  I had no idea where we were going.  Before long, I began to see three klieg lights dancing across the sky in the direction we were traveling.  As we got closer, it was very clear that we were going to the location where those lights were. It turned out to be a large convention center.

As we pulled the car under the portico, I noticed three or four television cameras focused on our car.  As we got out, the cameras focused on me and followed me into the building.  As it turned out, there were 6,000 people already gathered, waiting for our arrival.

We went up a few stairs into what I would consider a loge area where the Council of 40 monks was sitting. Four visiting Tibetan monks joined us.  The minute we sat down the lights went off, and a spotlight went on a microphone on the stage in front of the curtain.  A man came out and began to speak in Korean; of course, I couldn’t understand him, but eventually, he said, Glenn Murray.

Gi, Kwang nudged me and told me to stand up. The crowd turned around, looked up at me, and began to cheer.  The first thought that came to me was, “God you have a powerful sense of humor; you gather six thousand Buddhists to honor one of your sons.”  Then the show started.  It was a magnificent production of operatic singers and folk dancers that lasted about two hours.  At the intermission, I was introduced to the leader of the Council of 40, and Gi Kwang told him that I was a very close friend of his.  They were extremely gracious to me, but I only had a chance to talk to one of them at any depth.  Gi Kwang never explained why he arranged the evening, but given the things that were said, I have an opinion.  He and I had become very close friends, but the monks, on the other hand, were likely suspicious of me.  So I concluded that he was trying to honor me in their presence in order to give me some level of credibility with them.  I think it was his way of telling the monks that he respected me, and they should as well.  I think it was an attempt to pave the way for me to speak to them at a later date.  Unfortunately, he passed away before we did that. Of course, I can never know for sure, but this is what I believed was happening.

One time I asked Gi Kwang to explain reincarnation to me; it turned out to be a three-hour session.  He started by saying that everything is one, all life comes from space, and everything comes from the pure mind.  It is the source of all energy; heaven is the highest star, and hell is a black hole.  Then he started explaining reincarnation by telling me that he has had five lives, including the one he now has, and he knew the details of the last three.  He said he could also tell about other people’s past lives.  He began telling me about his three past lives and ended with the last one, in which he was Chinese.  All of a sudden, he stopped short and said, “Oh my goodness! (or something like that) Glenn, you were also Chinese in your last life.  That’s why I understand your metaphors so quickly; it’s why you love Asians and why you think like an Oriental.  That’s why you and I have become such good friends.

I didn’t laugh or give any indication that I was disagreeing.  I just said, “That’s a fascinating idea; tell me more about my Chinese life.  Did you and I know each other as children, or were we business partners?”

He didn’t have an answer but said, “I know you were Chinese in your last life.”

To show you the level of our honest exchange of ideas, at that point I said to him, “You know I don’t believe in reincarnation, but I have an alternative opinion of why you feel close to me.  My thought is that you live in a world where anybody who loves Jesus considers you an enemy.  You know I genuinely love you and since my love comes from Jesus, my alternative view of why you feel close to me is, I think you feel the love of Jesus.”

His response was, “It’s possible.”  This was an implicit admittance that maybe it was not our former Chinese life that made us close, but rather the fact that he felt loved.

I added, “Not only do I love you, but Jesus loves you as well.” In all the conversations that had this kind of content, I never pressed for winning the point; I simply made the statement, and we moved on.

Gi Kwang told me, “The most influential pastor in Korea said that Buddhists are an evil influence on the culture and he has taught people to hate the Buddhist and most pastors have done the same.”  I can’t vouch for the validity of this statement, but it is true that many church people in Korea think and speak negatively about Buddhists.

To illustrate this, I’ll share an experience I had while speaking to legislators at their Capitol which is called the National Assembly Building.  The influential pastor he mentioned had 15 minutes, and I had 15 minutes.  He spoke first and used almost the same words that Gi Kwang had told me.

He spoke about how the Buddhist have such a negative influence on the culture and are the enemy of the church.  I changed what I had planned to talk about and said, “It’s possible that the Buddhists are the church’s enemy, but they are not the enemy of Jesus.”  I went on to say that I considered Gi Kwang Sunim, a good friend, and of course, they all knew who he was.  I said Jesus loves him as much as he loves the pastor and me.  I was told later that my comments hadn’t alienated the pastor.  At least it did not seem to cause a fracture in our relationship.

One day as we were talking about how unique our relationship was, he said that he had never had a friend that he felt closer to.  I told him that we could say that we were intimate friends, and he loved the word intimate.  From then on he said many times, “I feel so intimate with you.”  That was proven over time because, in fact, he shared deeply personal things about himself and his personal history.  He had been Chief Monk for some time when I met him at approximately sixty-five years of age.  He told me his life story, and I will share a bit of that which is public knowledge.

After graduation from college, he was a twenty-two-year-old Buddhist newspaper reporter having some internal struggles.  He was counseled to spend a month or two at a Buddhist monastery and retreat at the top of one of Korea’s mountains.  He wound up staying six years, became a monk, and then left the monastery to move to Seoul.  His leadership, entrepreneurial skills, and vision caused him to be noticed. Over time, he rose to lead the thousands of temples and multiplied thousands of monks.  My evaluation is that he had exceptional organizational, fundraising and leadership abilities.

One time we were meeting in his office discussing a broad range of subjects.  I think he read the Wall Street Journal each morning because he was very aware of what was happening around the world.  After a few minutes, I believe I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to raise the issue of prayer again.  I said, “Gi Kwang, we have become such good friends that I feel like I can ask you a very challenging question.  I will tell you in advance that I love you so much that I will not do it without your permission, or if it will damage our friendship.”

He responded, “What kind of a question could do that, please proceed?

I reminded him that in one of our earliest meetings, I had asked who he prays to, and I still had questions. “Can I raise that again and pursue it more thoroughly?”

He said, “Of course you can.”

Let me start with a scenario of my staying in that apartment you prepared for me.  I know that you pray several times a day, including at night, so to help me understand your idea about prayer, let me ask you some questions.  The hour comes in the night that you’re supposed to pray; how do you do that?  Do you lie in your bed and pray or do you get up and sit in a chair or do you dress and go down to the Temple?

He said, “I go down to the Temple.”

“Okay, let’s still assume that I’m staying in that apartment that you created for me, and I hear your door open and footsteps in the hall.  Since we’re such good friends, I assume you wouldn’t mind if I followed you down to the temple.  When you get there would you kneel and pray or lie down in a prone position and pray?”

He answered, “I would sit,” and he showed me that he would be sitting in a lotus position.

“Okay, do you pray silently or out loud?”

“I pray out loud.”

“What do you pray about?”

He said, “I pray for my monks and for the nation.”  We had discussed many times the corruption of many of the Christian pastors as well as the corruption among his monks.  Many of them have taken vows of poverty, but some are getting rich.  If a Buddhist businessman is asked by a monk for a donation, he cannot refuse.  So many monks are abusing this and getting rich.

“Now I want to ask again: who do you pray too?”

“To myself; I am the Buddha.”

By the way, he thinks I’m a Buddha also, a designation I think he assigns to anyone who is very spiritual or who have reached some level of enlightenment.

I continued to probe by asking, “If you are praying to yourself, then you are the one who hears your prayers.  Do you have the power to answer your prayers?”  I think he confronted something very deep and it was painful, so I stopped asking questions.  My purpose was not to corner him and make him raise a white flag but rather to better understand what he believed.

This report does not end like some missionary letters, with his receiving Jesus and becoming a Baptist.  The purpose of these thoughts has simply been to share what took place between a Buddhist monk and me.  I have already stated that my goal from the beginning of our relationship was not to convert him, but rather to be Christ to him.  His response was more than I could have imagined.  He really liked to talk about Jesus but of course never saw him as the son of God or divine.  His view of Jesus both when we began our friendship and even in the latter stages was that Jesus was a sage or a wise person like Buddha and Mohammed.  They were wise figures of history and should be listened to.  He said that he also loves Jesus, but that his early Christian instruction had probably kept him from thinking about Jesus as I do.

I am fully aware the following will seem self-aggrandizing, but I must be true to my purpose here and report his response to me.  He said several times, “I sure do like how you talk about Jesus.”  And another time, “Talking to you must be what it was like to talk to Jesus.”  My understanding of that statement is that he was feeling loved, maybe for the very first time.  I really did love him and remember fondly our times together.  He made no confession of faith in Jesus to me, but he has heard the gospel.  I do not know what was happening internally.  I pray that like the thief on the cross he turned to Jesus before he died.  Only Jesus knows whether or not that happened and Romans 2:16 says; “…on the day of judgment Jesus will judge the secrets of men’s hearts…”

In early 1964, I received a phone call from a missionary who was home on furlough from Taiwan.  We knew each other because he was supported by my church, so he called with a request.  It was eleven o’clock at night, so he apologized but said he didn’t know who else to call.  His dilemma was that he was scheduled to speak to a group of men the next morning and was very ill with the flu.  I wasn’t keen to do it but agreed to speak in his place, and inquired about the size, makeup, and location of the group.  He said it would be sixty men with half being un-believers.  At the time, this was right in my sweet spot, so I perked up immediately.  I was very active with Campus Crusade for Christ, led a large Young Life Club at Del Campo High School, and was being discipled by Marv Ladner, a longtime member of the Navigator staff.  So evangelism/discipleship was a major focus of my life.

I showed up the next morning and gave a salvation message, with an emphasis on the cross.  As I reflect back on that morning, some might have said, I backed up my gospel dump truck and dumped the whole load.  I don’t know if I used the term “turn or burn,” but I probably painted a very vivid picture of what would happen to them if they died without receiving Jesus.  Heaven or Hell was the choice and today was the day to decide, so I asked for a show of hands if they wanted to receive Jesus.  I probably felt good about my presentation.

Afterward, I spoke with a few people, and when most had left, an older gentleman (He was 53, I was 27) approached and asked if he could walk me to my car?  His name was Dick Barram, and we stood by my car and talked for more than an hour.  He seemed to have a sincere love for Jesus, and I remember that I said to myself, “this is a very Godly man.”  He did not say so directly, but I eventually understood that he was trying to let me know that I might have driven more people away from Jesus that morning than I drew to Jesus.  Of course, he did not use those words because he was much too gracious, but that was the gist of what I was hearing.  So I said; “Mr. Barram, I just want people to know Jesus, do you know a better way?”  I will always remember his answer because it was life changing.  He said, “I don’t know if I know a better way, but I do know another way.”

That intrigued me because I thought he was speaking about another evangelism tool like the Four Spiritual Laws.  I used that booklet often and also knew the Young Life approach and was greatly influenced by the Navigators philosophy of ministry.  I had also taught a Sunday School Class on “Lifestyle Evangelism,” using a book by Dr. Joe Aldrich.  So thinking he was speaking about an evangelism method that I was unaware of, I asked him to describe what he meant by, “Another way.”  He said it would take more that a paragraph or two, but he would be willing to spend some time with me if I was interested.  He was so thoughtful, and Christ centered, I knew immediately that I would benefit from spending time with him.  When I indicated my desire to do so, he said; “Why don’t you meet me in my office, Tuesday morning at seven am.”

I showed up at his office promptly at seven, and as I walked in, he greeted me and said, “I’m glad you came.”  Then without explanation, he turned and walked over to a wall that had a floor to ceiling map of California on it.  It looked like it had been pieced together from AAA maps.  He looked to the top of the map and said, “Lord, you know Dave up there in Eureka is having serious problems with his boys.  He really loves you and needs your help right now.  Would you please help him with that family situation, especially with Tom?” Then over the next hour, he proceeded to pray for people and city officials in city after city, all the way to San Diego.  When he was finished, he said, okay I’ll see you next Tuesday.

My initial internal response was disappointment; “this is another way?”  However, I was so impressed by his love of Jesus and people across the state that I came back the next Tuesday.  The early disappointment stemmed from the fact that he didn’t seem to have an action plan and I was a man of action.  However, as the weeks and months passed, I learned that he was involved in a multitude of activities, but they originated from his prayer life.  It wasn’t that Dick did not talk to people about Jesus because he certainly did; it was just that his approach was more led by the Spirit and understated than mine.  Week by week we prayed for the state and people we knew, and I was learning a new way of thinking.  My walk with Jesus was becoming more personal and meaningful as we continued to meet every Tuesday morning.

A couple of years before I met him, Dick had been a pastor in Chico, CA who responded to God’s call to leave the pastorate and initiate a ministry to the State Capitol and business leaders in Sacramento.  I was only one of the fortunate beneficiaries of his ministry.  What I thought was a chance meeting turned out to be a God-ordained appointment.  The conversations and activities we shared changed the direction of my life and ministry.  I worked for myself in commercial real estate and could plan my schedule, so we often spent entire days together.  Frequently I drove him to Modesto or Stockton or other cities around Sacramento.  When we were traveling, he would often unexpectedly start praying for someone in the city we were passing.  I remember one time we were going to Bakersfield and as we passed through Turlock, he just started praying out loud, “Jesus, Mayor Kristofferson is embattled in City Hall because of his faith, would you please encourage and strengthen him today?”  That lasted about thirty seconds; then we continued our conversation as we drove down Highway 99.  I learned to expect that and appreciate his moment-by-moment heart connection with Jesus.

Increasingly, he invited me to accompany him in his ministry at the State Capitol.  It was a real eye opener to see how he communicated with Legislators on a personal level.  We would walk the halls praying on sight for people we met.  As we felt the prompt of the Holy Spirit, we would stop unannounced into a Senator or Assemblyman’s office.  It seemed like he knew the names of all the receptionists and it was rare that we heard; “Sorry, the Senator is too busy for a visit.”  If they were in, we were usually invited into their office.  A normal meeting would only be five or ten minutes, and often they would ask him to pray for something.  Occasionally, it would be a thirty to forty-five-minute meeting with a Legislator or one of their staff, who was wrestling with a particular personal or political challenge.  Those short unplanned meetings were relationship building which led to private appointments and small groups meeting for Bible study.

I also joined him for the well-attended Bible Study/Fellowship gathering at 7 am Wednesday mornings for legislators of both political parties.  The group was committed to confidentiality, so personal and sensitive political matters were shared openly.  The men developed a high degree of trust in each other that transcended the political differences.  When the legislature was deadlocked over the budget or some other significant issue, it was included in our prayer time.  In fact, a number of times the resolution was initiated by a discussion after our gathering adjourned.  That group also was the sponsor of the annual, “Governors Prayer Breakfast.”

I started as one of the men that Dick met with, and over time, he welcomed me as a partner in the ministry. I became chairman of the board of Western States Fellowship which was the name of his non-profit. My wife Mary Ann became its bookkeeper, and continued that role for more than fifty years.

Dick was closely associated with the network of people who sponsor the Annual Presidential Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC.  From time to time, Congressmen, Senators, and other friends from the east coast would pass through Sacramento for a few days.  They reinforced what I was learning from Dick, and I was blessed immensely by knowing them.  There were many who came through on a regular basis, but the most frequent visitors were Doug Coe, Dr. Richard Halverson, and Chuck Colson.  Dick Barram was the embodiment of the words of Paul in 1st Thes. 2:8 when he said; “we shared with you not only the gospel but our own lives as well.”  Dick not only did that, but he also gave me his wonderful network of friends.

It was Dick’s commitment to a life of prayer and his philosophy of ministry that affected me the most.  I had been involved with ministries that had a Logo, and lots of printed material about how to carry out the ministry.  Our activities often involved large public events with well-known speakers.  Dick, on the other hand, worked one on one and with small groups and typically stayed behind the scenes.  He was off the radar, so to speak, but his life reflected the famous Alcoholic Anonymous quote; “Attraction not promotion.”  People were attracted to him because of his love for Jesus and them.  I would say that he instilled these things in me more by example than speaking about them.

After fourteen years of working closely with the prayer breakfast movement, Dick Barram, Doug Coe and Dick Halverson, asked me to become a full-time Associate with the Prayer Breakfast Fellowship.  I believe that was in mid-1978, and they wanted me to focus on California and the Middle East.  My heart knew immediately that it was what I should do, but I procrastinated for two years.  During those years, my wife lovingly asked me every two or three months; are you still thinking about what Doug Coe and Dick Halverson asked you to do?  Of course, I did, almost every day, but the fear of the unknown kept me from making that decision.  However, in 1980 through a wonderful series of God arranged circumstances, I made the commitment to become an Associate with the ministry of Western States Fellowship.  Then for a few more years, it was a tremendous privilege and honor to work alongside Dick.  As the time drew closer to his retirement, we had several serious discussions about the approaching transition.  In our last meeting, we had a time of prayer, and he gave me his blessing and handed the ministry over to me.

Dick Barram was one of a kind and is one of the unsung heroes in the family of Christ.  Doug Coe often introduced Dick as “a man who actually does what we talk about.”  Often the closer one gets to a person the less heroic they become, but that was not true of Dick.  The closer you got to him the more you admired him because his faith in Jesus was so authentic.  It was one of the greatest gifts of my life to know him as a mentor, brother, and friend.  His dedication to pray for people didn’t end when he left California. After he had retired, I visited him in Walla Walla Washington, and he had a map of the world on his wall.  He had exchanged a map of California for a map of the World, and prayed for one continent per day.  When he went home to be with the Lord in 2003, I’m sure he heard, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

I think you can see why I loved him and why this paper has been about; “A man who changed the direction of my life.”  I often think about those years we had together, and I miss him.  When I think of Dick, I am reminded of the statement in John 3:30 where the Apostle, speaking of Jesus, spoke these words; “He must increase but, I must decrease.”  Dick embodied that, and I am grateful for the years I had the privilege of working with and learning from him.

As some of you know, over the last 36 years, I have been to Seoul Korea fifty-five times, and am often asked; What caused you to have an interest in Korea?  So I thought I would give a brief account of how that happened.

I believe it was in late 1979 that Doug Coe, my good friend, and associate called with a request.  He told me that he had promised to speak at the Korean Presidential Prayer Breakfast, but for medical reasons, was unable to travel.  He asked if I would go in his place, but I told him that I had no interest in Asia.  At that time, I was the Middle East point person for the Congressional Committee that sponsors our National Prayer Breakfast.  I had built strong relationships with leaders in many of those countries.  However, for those who know him, Doug is very persuasive, and eventually, I agreed to go.  However, I told him it would only be one time, and then I would return to my focus on Middle East relationships.

That first visit was for ten days in February of 1980.  Doug had given me the names of several of their senior leaders, and I was welcomed with open arms and treated royally. (Embarrassingly so)  It was probably because Doug had sent a letter of introduction, signed by two Senators and two Congressmen.  I had a wonderful time meeting a few business executives; however, on that first visit, the majority of my contacts were elected officials.  Of course, I also met many new people that had no connection with our U.S. Presidential Prayer Breakfast.  One of them was Congressman Kim, Chai Ho who represented the southeast coast of Korea and was the former Mayor of Yeosu.  I was told that he was known as; “Mr. Clean” of Korean politics.  He spoke broken English, but we seemed to get along just fine.  It must have been God ordained because without planning it, we spent a lot of time together.  We became rather good friends, and he had a very helpful attitude.  He introduced me to President Chun, Doo-Hwan, and Prime Minister Yoo, Chang-Soon and now looking back, the six Presidents that followed him as well.  However, at that time, I was still sure in my mind that this was a onetime experience.

Congressman Kim and others had taken me to Seoul’s finest restaurants, so on my last evening in Seoul; he asked if he could take me to dinner again.  My guess is that he was planning one more of those very expensive restaurants.  I agreed if he would take me to his favorite restaurant that he frequented when he was not entertaining a guest.  I said one where they know you because you eat there often.  It took a little persuasion, but he finally agreed.  It turned out that his favorite was a small Korean restaurant that only had about six tables but excellent Korean home cooking.  At first, he was apologetic about the ambiance, but when I assured him that I really liked it, he loosened up.  Then I took off my tie and encouraged him to do so as well.  After he did, we had a very special evening with lots of conversation about our families and personal lives.

At the end of our dinner, I asked him if he knew of a high place where we could have a cup of coffee and see the lights of the city.  He quickly said yes, “that would be the Bugak Sky House on Bugak Mountain.”  He called his driver, and it took us about an hour to get to the top of the mountain.  I was surprised to see a very nice three story round restaurant that was the favorite place for young people to take a date.  We went to the top floor and had some ice cream and a cup of coffee.  Afterward, we went out on the circular deck that is wide and surrounds the entire restaurant.  By walking around the building, you can see the entire city.  I don’t know the population at that time, but today the metro area of Seoul is twenty-six million people and is one of the largest cities in the world.  From our vantage point, I think we could see the lights of the entire area.

I had learned Congressman Kim was Presbyterian so as we were looking at the city; I asked him if he had ever prayed with his eyes open.  He said no, so I told him that it was my habit to find a high place and pray for every country I visit.  I reminded him that Jesus looked on Jerusalem from the high vantage point of the Mount of Olives, and wept over its spiritual condition.  I told him we could talk to God out loud with our eyes open and people will just think we are talking to each other.  “He said ok, you pray.”

I began to pray for the area and saw a bridge in the distance.  I remembered that a few days before, I had been under that bridge where four hundred homeless people lived.  Below us and to my right was the area where their “White House” is located.  They call theirs the “Blue House” because it’s a very large residence and has a distinctive blue tile roof.  The Korean name is “Cheong Wa Dae.”  So I prayed for the President of Korea who I had visited a few days earlier.  After a few minutes of prayer for the nation, I stopped and waited for him to pray, but he quickly disappeared back inside the restaurant.  I thought I might have embarrassed or offended him, but shortly he came back with a photographer who had a Polaroid camera. He instructed him to take our picture standing at the rail.  After we had received two copies of the picture, (I still have my copy) we started down to the limousine.  When we got into the back seat, he told his driver to stay parked and turned to me and was very sober.  He said, Glenn, when we are in public you should call me Congressman Kim, but when we have private time, please call me, Chai Ho.  I had done some research on Asian culture, so I knew that even though he was a few years older than I was; he had just invited me to have an elder brother relationship with him.  He was really old school, and on a subsequent visit, I learned that Sook-Ja his wife doesn’t even call him by his first name.  She may have endearing names for him, but only his father and elder brother address him by his first name.  So it confirmed to me that he had given me a special gift that was very rare.

The next day he took me to the airport, and we spent another two hours in the lounge and continued to cement our relationship.  On the flight home, I had a thought pattern develop, that seemed very real at the time.  Later I told my wife; “I think while I was praying for Korea on Bugak mountain, God opened my shirt and slipped Korea into my heart.  It’s actually a surprise to me, but I now have a real love for the people of Korea.  I’m quite sure that I will be going back again.”  I didn’t realize it would be again and again and again.

Over the ensuing years, he became my closest friend in Korea and opened an enormous number of doors for me.  One example would be Kang, Sung-Mo who was President an CEO of Rinnai Corporation, the Korean equivalent of the General Electric Corporation.  We became great friends, and Mr. Kang volunteered to provide me with a hotel, car, and driver on every trip to Korea.  When I politely declined, he told me that I would be robbing him of the joy of enabling my ministry to the leaders of his country.  So I accepted, and he continued to do that for thirty plus years. He wanted nothing in return but a dinner with me on each visit.  It was a joy to accommodate his request because he was such a wonderful friend.

I thank God for Kim, Chai Ho who is such a great ministry partner and faithful friend.  I helped him get his children into a private high school in Berkeley, and now his four children call me Uncle Glenn.  We have traveled to China, Japan, Hong Kong and the United States together and several retreats as well.  I was able to return his many favors to me by arranging for him to have a picture taken with President Bush.  He said that was the highlight of his life.

We are both getting older, and Chai Ho’s health is failing so only the Lord knows what He has in store for us.  We do know however, we will spend eternity together with Jesus.

So that is a bit of the story of why Korea is like a second home to me.

I have been blessed to have a number of very significant men invest in my life.  Some of them have been world-class, but not well known, but others were highly placed and internationally famous.  I marvel at how God has directed my path and arranged for me to know and be influenced by these men.  I could write about each of them (and probably will), but this article is about Dr. Richard (Dick) Halverson.  Dicks words of encouragement, as well as reproofs plus his thought provoking questions, shaped my life.  I was fortunate to have him as a mentor because He was one of the most Christ-Centered men I have ever known.  In fact, he has been gone for more than twenty years, and is still influencing me because I am currently re-reading his book, “The Timelessness of Jesus Christ.”

A short bio of Dick will help you understand a bit about the man who had such a tremendous influence on my life.  When I first met him in 1964, he was a pastor in Bethesda, Maryland, which is a suburb of Washington D.C.  He left the pastorate after 23 years when he was appointed Chaplain of the United States Senate.  He held that position from 1981 until a few months before his death in 1995.  He authored 15 books and wrote the introduction for “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers.  That was a good choice because Dick read Oswald every day for sixty years.

There is much that I could share here, but in order to keep this short, I will just give a couple of encounters that dramatically redirected my spiritual journey.  Not too long after we met, Dick noticed that I was overly focused on evangelism and discipleship.  I had been taught by a Para-church ministry that this is the goal of a Christ-Centered life.  Dick helped me to understand that the goal of a Christ-Centered life, is a Christ-Centered life.  I was not aware that I was focused on the secondary, but Dick sensed that men rather than God had called me to that focus.  Only a person who loves you will speak truth into your life, and Scripture confirms that; “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” (Pro. 27:6)

Let me relate a conversation we had that illustrates that point.  Dick had the gift of discernment and exhortation, and he could be very direct.  His preferred method of communication was often a question, which he would answer himself.  On this day he said;

“Glenn, your evangelistic agenda is so strong, it prompts me to ask;
Was Jesus an evangelist?” Then he said firmly, “No, He was not an evangelist.
Was He a healer? No, He was not a healer.
Was He a social worker? No, He was not a social worker.
Then he asked a question that I was supposed to answer. “Who was Jesus?”

“He was the son of God, I answered.”

“That’s correct, so as the Son of God what did he think about when He got up in the morning.  Did He think, I’m going to bring someone into the Kingdom, or I’m going to heal someone today or I am going to feed people today?  No, these were not His focus, His only thought was, what is my Fathers will and His ministry flowed out that.”  Then he looked me straight in the eye and said; “Why don’t you try to think, speak, and act like Jesus rather than the founder of an evangelistic ministry?  That means you would need to get rid of your agenda and listen to the will of your heavenly Father, moment by moment.”

That encounter caused me to desire a spirit directed life and God has graciously taught me how to walk in the Spirit.  Evangelism/discipleship still happens, but it is not my focus, Jesus is.

Dick was normally very encouraging, but as I’ve said, he loved enough to confront as well.  On another occasion, we were discussing some minor theological point…Well, maybe it was a debate.  I have already said he is the most Christ centered man I’ve ever known and I was debating him.  Oh, the foolishness of a young man.  He looked at me as if he had just discovered something wonderful about me and said; “Glenn, I think you know more theology than the Apostles knew.”  I remember that for a millisecond I actually thought he was affirming my knowledge of Scripture.  But then, I realized no, he had just stuck a knife in my gut and twisted it, to let out a little spiritual pride.  There wasn’t much conversation after that because what could I say when I had just been devastated by a man I respected so greatly.  Again, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” (Pro. 27:6)

As I was driving away after dropping him at his hotel, I had a series of thoughts out of nowhere that truly stunned me.  “I do know more theology than the Apostles knew.”  They didn’t have the inspired teaching of Paul about salvation by grace, spiritual gifts, the church epistles, or the Second Coming of Christ.  They didn’t have the unfolding of future events from the vision given to an elderly John on the Isle of Patmos. Then reality quickly set in, while they didn’t have Romans, Corinthians, the Revelation, etc., they had something that was more vital and dynamic with Jesus than I had.  My salvation wasn’t in doubt, but I began to think about the fact that while I knew more information than they did, they knew Jesus in a way that I had not yet discovered.  That produced a longing for intimacy with Jesus that I had only heard about. So I began to constantly think and pray about, how I can achieve that intimacy.

Some months later, I was the speaker at Woodleaf, a Young Life High School camp in northern California. One morning at daybreak, I went up on the hill behind the speaker’s cabin, to prepare for the day.  As I was sitting against a tree, a verse jumped into my head.  “Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ” and “I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ.” (Phil 3:7-8)  At that moment this verse became very personal and very real to me, so like Paul the Apostle, I decided that this was my hearts cry. Then without any previous thought I involuntarily held out my cupped hands, and in a symbolic and metaphorical sense, they contained every doctrinal conviction I had, including the virgin birth, salvation by grace, etc.  I lifted my cupped hands to heaven, started to weep, and said out loud; “I will trade all of these for a heart connection with Jesus like the Apostles had.”  It seems clear to me now that the Lord took me at my word and began a process that continues until the present.*  While not one of my doctrinal convictions changed, this needed to happen so I could move beyond right doctrine and commitment, to intimacy with Jesus.

It would take a book to explain all I learned from him, but the intent of these abridged comments was simply to remember, honor, and publically thank my friend and mentor, Dick Halverson.

*For more details on how God led me to listen to the gospels, read; “Re-Discovering the Gospels” on my web page; glennmurray.net

After living in Sacramento for many years, I felt led to move to Grass Valley, which is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  It’s just sixty miles from our former house, but it feels like thousand miles because we built a home in the suburbs on a beautiful, secluded five acres of pines and oaks, and yes, we have a trout stream in our front yard.  Thank you, Jesus.

After we were settled and had found a good church, I began to think and pray about the ministry opportunities of our new city.  One option was to continue the ministries we had in Sacramento, but I felt a check, so we just waited.  One day I was a bit frustrated about not hearing from the Lord, so I went up on the mountain to a place that had an overview of the entire area.  I spent an hour or two just thinking and praying and got very excited when an idea came to me.  It was just the germ of an idea, but as I thought about the possibilities of it coming to fruition, I began to get excited.  The idea was in the form of a question; how would I respond if an angel appeared to me and said, Jesus is coming to Grass Valley for one day, and He wants you to arrange his schedule.

A few days later, I was at that same spot with a yellow legal tablet and was ready to do some thinking.  Of course, I wouldn’t want to waste His time, so I tried to think of every option and soon was flooded with ideas.  I thought, maybe I should take him to the hospital and heal everyone.  On the other hand, I could take him to the high school and change the lives of the future leaders of our community.  That was appealing to me because for ten years I led “Young Life Clubs” at three high schools in Sacramento and had learned to love high school kids.  On the other hand, should I take him to every church and maybe that would bring revival to our town.  These are just a few of the ideas that I had, but one thought started to dominate my thinking.

The idea was to schedule thirty-minute appointments with Jesus and the most prominent leaders of our community.  Of course, if I tell them Jesus is going to visit Grass Valley for one day, they would not believe me.  However, I knew that if that was literally true and I asked, would you like to have a thirty-minute meeting with Jesus, very few people would say no.  It might even be out of curiosity, but I knew that everyone would like to meet Jesus.  I knew He would not be physically present, however, since He is present in Spirit, I asked God for a plan that would accomplish this task.  There was, however, a small problem, I was new to the community and did not know who should be the candidates.  So I watched the newspaper daily to evaluate who was well known and very influential.

Over the next several weeks I came up with a list of; the Senior judge, the Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors, the Editor of the newspaper, the Manager of a well-known bank, the District Attorney, the Owner and Manager of the radio station, the Mayor, and several of the most prominent businessmen.  I then began to pray about how I would approach them and who should be contacted first.  Again my intent was to arrange for Jesus to have a thirty-minute meeting with each of these men.

A method of allowing this to happen began to form in my mind, so I went to the most unlikely person first.  I called and told that person that I had an idea that I would like to present to him.  I thought he would want to know what the idea was before I could schedule the appointment but he agreed to Tuesday morning at ten am.

The idea I shared with him was as follows; I am new to the area, and I have been thinking about the leadership in our community.  I have some experience working with those in leadership and know the benefits and frustrations that accompany it.  I told him that with a little research I had learned that you are one of the most respected leaders in town, and I know that is a very lonely place.  So I would like to propose that we start a breakfast group with you and nine other men who hold similar positions.  I then mentioned the names of the men I was going to contact.

I explained that this breakfast group would be a place to discuss our community’s needs but also a safe place to process personal issues.  That would happen over time as our commitment to confidentiality allowed trust to develop among us.  Then I quoted one of my favorite proverbs; “Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, just pour them all out, grain and chaff together, sure that a faithful hand will sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.”  Then I asked, do you have a place like that?

He said it sounds like the relationships we had in my college fraternity years.  I agreed and said, it was your common commitment to each other and the fraternity that made it work.  I was thinking about what would be the common interest that would hold this group together.  It is unlikely that they all belong to Rotary, or all play golf or the other things that create a common bond.  I was thinking that the best chance for this group to gel is if we meet in the spirit of Jesus of Nazareth.  He immediately said, “I am not religious, and this idea doesn’t appeal to me at all.”  I responded, great, because this will not be about religion.  Then I asked, would you try it for four weeks.  If it doesn’t fit your schedule or is not enjoyable, you are free to stop with no questions asked.  There were several seconds of uncomfortable silence and then he swore and said; “I guess I could try it for four weeks.”  He later told me after we were good friends, that he decided to say yes because I had mentioned that I was going to contact the Judge and the Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors and he thought they might say yes and he would not be in the group.  It seems clear that God had gone before me and prepared each person because without exception every person on my list became part of our breakfast group.  That first group still meets weekly and has for more than thirty-eight years.

For our meeting place, I arranged a private room in a hotel for these nine men plus myself.  For this group and every group that followed, I started with a restatement of what I had told each person including that we will be meeting in the spirit of Jesus.  Then to remove the fear of the unknown, I explained a proposed format of a strict one-hour meeting with the first thirty minutes talking about current events and personal situations.  I then told them I would like them to think of the second thirty minutes as follows.

Let’s imagine that Jesus was speaking in person up at Scotts Flat Lake which is about four miles out of town.  We could all go listen to what He had to say and then the next morning we could have our breakfast and give our personal opinions of what we heard.  There would not be any restrictions on what you could say because our breakfast is a safe place to process how you feel about any issue.  Since Jesus is not actually speaking at the lake, we will read a portion of what He told other people at the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus had a best friend who wrote a book about his life so will use that book to evaluate what He said to the people.

One of the more memorable moments from that first group was when we were reading the book of John, and came to the passage where Jesus says to Nicodemus; you must be born again.  When we opened it for discussion, the first man to speak said, ever since Jimmy Carter was President, I’ve wondered what “born again” means.  Another man spoke up and said I would like to know also because my brother wrote me a letter three weeks ago and said I needed to be born again.  Since I started the group all eyes turned to me, and a man said, Glenn what does it mean?  I have approached each of the groups with the attitude that the Holy Spirit will be our teacher as we read the Scriptures.  So my answer was guys I have an opinion about that but what if I am wrong.  What is important is what Jesus means by that phrase.  Let’s read it again and see if we can decide what He means.  After we reread it, there was complete silence, which was unusual in that group.  I think everyone was afraid to give an opinion, which might be wrong.  So I eventually said, well guys I told you I have an opinion about that, but if you don’t share what you think about that phrase I am prepared to leave without sharing my view.  I said come on now; you must have some thoughts after reading it twice.  Eventually, one man said, well I guess it is like being born physically except it’s different in some way.  That seemed to be our only starting place, so I prompted them to explain the process of how one is born physically.  They took about ten minutes discussing that you get a boy and a girl together and they have intercourse, and she gets pregnant.  That led to a discussion about abortion, miscarriage, baby being stillborn, etc., but eventually, we got to a normal birth.  There was total silence, and then one man said, I think I am about six months pregnant.  I asked him what he meant by that statement, and his answer was a first for me.  He said I’ve been in the group for about six months, and I don’t know about being born again, but I feel like something is about to be birthed in me.  Another guy spoke up and said I think I’m farther along than you are.  Both of those men are genuinely born again today.  The first man who spoke up went on a men’s retreat with me in Colorado, and it was there that he received the life of Jesus.  Sadly, he died of cancer about eighteen months later, but happily, he is with Jesus.

Eventually, there were thirteen men’s groups and three women’s groups meeting with the same format. We had a group at all three County Clubs, a Doctors group that met at six am at the hospital, a Dentist group, Nurses at the hospital, a group of men in law enforcement including the City Attorney, three judges, the Sheriff, Captain of the California Highway Patrol, etc., and a women’s group in my home with my wife facilitating.

Here are some of the responses I received when I met individually with men for the first time.  Remember that I had never met any of the men so had no knowledge about their spiritual interest.  However, I gave each person essentially the same information about what the group would be like and that we would be meeting in the spirit of Jesus.  Two men said I’ve never read the Bible, would I feel uncomfortable there? Another said I will join if you won’t broadcast that I am attending.  Another man said I am Jewish, but I would be interested in meeting with that group of men.  For his group, we started with the book of Hebrews.  Later he said, I have learned more about the Jewish faith that I did for my Bar Mitzvah.

When I presented the idea to the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors’s he got tears in his eyes and said, “You don’t know how much I need something like this.  Sometimes after a late night meeting that is especially difficult, I stop by the Episcopal Church which is the only one that leaves its doors open.  I just go in and sit in the dark and try to recover my sanity.”  I later learned that he attended the Methodist Church regularly and of course he became a consistent attender until his death twenty-seven years later.  It is still amazing to me that no one ever missed a breakfast unless they were ill or out of town.

A group at one of the Country Clubs was possibility the most remarkable.  Billy Graham says that after age seventy, one in a million surrenders their lives to Christ.  What was so amazing about that group is that every man was over seventy and six of them received Christ.

In my appointment with the Mayor, it was going well until I said, we will be meeting in the spirit of Jesus.  He interrupted me and blurted out, “What the h… does that mean?”  I was a little taken aback but gave him an honest reply.  I said I’m not exactly sure because no one has ever asked me.  However, I must mean something by it because I use it quite often.  Let me think for a moment, and then I believe the Lord gave me an answer for him.  I asked, have you ever heard of the Bible verse John 3:16 and he said yes I have seen it at football games and it’s on that ham radio tower on Highway 49.  I asked, do you know what it says and he admitted that he did not.  So I quoted it to him and then asked have you heard of John 3:17? When he said no I have never seen those numbers, I told him that verse is just as important as 3:16 and quoted it for him.  “…God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”  So, if we meet in the spirit of Jesus, you would not feel condemned, and if you did, it would not be from Him.  He began to weep uncontrollably, and at first, I thought I must have touched some deep-seated issue.  So I said I am sorry, but he quickly got it together and said, don’t worry about it, that statement really affected me because I have worried all my life about being condemned by Jesus.  Of course, he joined one of the prayer breakfasts, and about two years later, he surrendered his life to Jesus. Some years later when he decided to move to San Diego, I was the first one who knew it because he called and asked if there is a group like ours down there.  I assured him there was and introduced him to my associate, and longtime friend, Milt Richards.

When I met with another man who seemed very open, his countenance indicated he would say yes to my invitation.  However, when I asked him to try it for four weeks, he very graciously said he would not be able to accept.  He had given me the opposite reaction, so I told him that and wondered why he was saying no. His answer was; you called this a prayer breakfast, and even though I am Catholic, I don’t know how to pray in public.  I asked him if he knew how to pray silently and he said yes, so I told him that was the same thing to God.  So he joined a group and became very Christ-centered and eventually became the facilitator of that group.

One of the prominent businessmen on my list owned three stores, and one was the largest liquor store in the area.  When I contacted him, he asked me to meet him at the liquor store.  We went into the back room, and I sat on a case of whiskey and invited him to join one of our breakfasts.  The evening of his first meeting, he called me at home, and said,”I’m in.”  I reminded him that he had four weeks to decide and he said, I’m aware of that.  When I asked why he was so sure, he said, “for years I’ve wondered if there is a place where I can ask questions about God without being condemned and I think, this is the place.”  Within a year both he and his wife were baptized at First Baptist Church and sold the liquor store.

As stated earlier we intentionally avoided an evangelistic approach so each man would not feel like a target or manipulated in any way.  We just wanted them to have thirty minutes a week with Jesus because that is the vision he gave me.  However, nearly every group started with approximately ninety percent nonbelievers, and as I look back over the years, I believe that at least seventy percent met Jesus personally. When a number of the wives showed an interest, we also started a couples Bible study in our home.

Within a few more years several of the people formed a committee and initiated an Annual Community Leaders Prayer Breakfast.  It’s held at a Country Club and has been a sell-out for the past thirty plus years. We have a theme each year, and the head table consists of people involved in that discipline including the speaker.  Here are some examples: We honored Law Enforcement, and the Sherrif spoke about his spiritual journey.  Another year we honored and prayed for those in Politics with our Congressman speaking about his faith in Jesus.  Other years we honored Medicine, Fireman and Paramedics, Education, Social agencies, and Non-profits, etc.

These activities were the springboard the Lord used to prepare and to send me around the globe to interact with the leaders of many nations.

For many years, Vice Premier Tian Ji jun has annually invited leaders of many Asian nations to visit China for a goodwill event.  Over several days he hosts dinners and other events including a golf tournament with the express purpose of developing sincere friendships.  Through my relationships and God-ordained circumstances, I have been one of the invitees.  While traveling on China Airlines to my sixth or seventh event, I was seated next to a Chinese man who was around 35 years old.  Before we left the ground, I greeted him, and he spoke perfect English and was very friendly.  We exchanged names and got on a first name basis.

After we took off and were served the customary Diet Coke and peanuts, we continued to chat.  We were both obviously going to Shanghai, and he told me that he lived in New York and had never been there. When I told him I had been there a number of times, he asked, what is it like?  I told him you will feel right at home with the atmosphere because the hustle and bustle makes it feel much like New York City.  That led to a very friendly and lively conversation.  Knowing a bit about Chinese culture, I noticed that he began to show me deference as he would to an elderly uncle.  He asked, “what is your business.”  My answer to that question varies because it is impossible to explain what I do in a few minutes.  This time it seemed right to say, “I’m going to visit friends.”  He asked who I knew in Shanghai, so I mentioned the Mayor and several other senior government officials.  That peaked his interest, so he asked, “are you with the U.S. government?”  I assured him that I was not and that I had no business interests in China, I was just going to visit friends.  I can’t remember the cause, but one of us was distracted at that point, so the conversation paused.

About fifteen minutes later he reopened the conversation by saying, Mr. Murray, you are much older than me and have probably made many decisions.   I quickly moved us back to a first name basis, so he said, Glenn, I have a very important decision to make so may I ask you a question?  Do you have any tips on how to make good decisions?  When I asked, what kind of decision, He explained why he is traveling to Shanghai.  He worked for Morgan Stanley, and they were sending him to open a brokerage office.  However a week before he left, Goldman Sachs called him and made him an offer to open an office for them.  “I want to be loyal to my employer, but Goldman Sachs made a significantly better offer.  I don’t know if I should take the better offer or continue with my present plans.”

I told him that I think of decisions as being in one of two categories.  For little daily decisions like what to order at a restaurant or the color of a new car, I just use human wisdom.  However, when I face larger decisions like the one you are facing I always ask God to guide me and give me His wisdom.  His response kind of surprised me because he said, “I don’t know how to do that.”

What followed was several hours of an obviously a God-ordained conversation.  I started by asking him about his spiritual background.  Within a few minutes, I learned that he had never been to a church, knew nothing about the Bible and in fact had no religious background of any kind.  His parents were medical doctors in Beijing and had sent him to Harvard, and while he was getting his MBA, Morgan Stanley hired him.

There was more to his story, but you get the point.  Given his history, I needed to start from the beginning, so I started by telling him what I knew about the history of God in China.

Long before Confucianism, Taoism or Buddhism influenced China and 2600 years before Jesus, China worshiped an unknown God called, “Shang di” or “The Heavenly Ruler.”  He is mentioned 175 times in Chinese Classics.  Annually the emperors sacrificed a bull to “Shang Di” the unknown God on the Altar Mound in the “Temple of Heaven.”  It is still well preserved in Beijing, and I have visited the place where this sacrifice took place.  The practice ended when the last emperor was deposed during the Revolution of 1911.  Protestant missionaries had arrived in 1807 and explained that the God of the heavens sent his son Jesus to restore fellowship between God and Man.  Thousands responded and the worship of Jesus grew for about a hundred years.  But it was interrupted by the national tragedies that China experienced.

Beginning in 1919, the atheistic theories of Karl Marx started to take root.  Then in 1937, starting with the “Rape of Nanking”, China was thrown into chaos when the Japanese invaded.  They brutally controlled China for eight years, killing 14 million Chinese.  This ended when Japan was defeated at the end of the second world war.  In the vacuum, a civil war started between the followers of Chiang Kai-shek and Mao Zedong with Mao prevailing.  He expelled all missionaries in 1953, persecuted existing believers, and established atheism as the government’s official position.  In spite of this and at great personal risk, the evangelical house church movement continued and today is believed to number more than one hundred million members.

I told him I have visited those house churches in Guangdong province which is where the first missionaries established churches.  The one I visited most is the largest house church in China.  It’s located in Guangzhou (Formerly Canton) and its pastor is Samuel Lamb.  Earlier in his life, Pastor Lamb was sentenced to twenty two years in a coal mine for having a Bible study in his home.  Today, they still keep a low profile but are free to worship God as they choose.

He asked a multitude of questions during our conversation and seemed to have a genuine hunger to know more about God.  After explaining the gospel to him in detail, I prayed with him and asked God to reveal Himself to Drew.  Never being one to push a person into making a decision, I suggested that he think about these things and maybe tonight in his hotel room he could invite Jesus into his heart.  Again he shocked me by saying; “I want to do that right now, and besides wouldn’t it be better to do it at 35,000 feet.  I mean we are closer to God right now.”  So we held hands and he had a short but earnest prayer.  He said, “God I really want to be your son, would you let Jesus give me His life?”  He may have said a few other things but these are the words that stuck with me.

After we landed and collected our luggage, I never saw him again.  I did get two email’s and a picture of he and his wife who he said had also recently received Jesus.  I never found out which company he chose but that is a minor part to this story.  That was just the means that God used for him to open his heart to Jesus, and I am looking forward to meeting him again in heaven.

One of my closest friends in San Francisco was Frank Haas, and he was in a local “TEC” group.  “TEC” is the acronym for the international business consulting company, “The Executive Committee.”  Each group consists of twelve CEO’s or Company Presidents that acts as a business roundtable to help each other and is led by a “TEC Chairman” who is the facilitator, coach, and advisor.

Don Cope was the TEC Chairman of Frank’s group for many many years.  Frank had been open about his faith, but they had never spoken about it in depth.  One day Don called Frank and asked for a private meeting in which he told him that his doctor had given him some bad news.  He had stage four cancer that had metastasized all over his body, and he was unlikely to live more than a few months.  He did not have a spiritual background, but the reason he called Frank was to talk with him about Jesus.  Frank explained the gospel to Don, and he was eager to embrace it.  So that day they prayed together, and Don put his faith in Jesus.

That same afternoon Frank called me to tell me that Don was our new brother in Christ and asked if I would meet with him.  I had met Don only once but enjoyed our time together, so I quickly agreed.  Frank said I knew you would say yes so I already told him you will be calling.

When I called Don the first time, he was so warm and friendly that we chatted for over an hour.  On our first face-to-face meeting, he said that Frank told him I could help him get ready to meet Jesus.  Don said, I know practically nothing about the Bible, and I don’t want to be embarrassed when I meet Jesus.  He was very sincere about this and asked, “Can you help me be the best disciple I can be in the time I have left”?  I did not feel led to fill his head with doctrine but simply fed the hunger he had for a more intimate heart connection with Jesus.  Of course, we covered lots a Scripture, but it was always in response to what I sensed God was doing in his heart.

Only a month after we started to meet Don became bedridden.  Even though his mind remained sharp, I watched him quickly lose weight and muscle tone.  It was the very definition of bittersweet; painful to watch his body failing while rejoicing as he was getting stronger spiritually.  He loved the Scriptures, and his prayers were both simple and sweet but as profound as any I ever heard.  I was there to encourage him, but I was the one that was being deeply encouraged.

A month before he died Don said to me, I don’t know any pastors so would you speak at my memorial.  He said he would like it to be at “Trader Vic’s,” his favorite waterfront restaurant on the San Francisco Bay.  He loved having lunch or sunset dinners there while watching the windsurfers.  He was a very organized man and had written instructions about his desires for his memorial.  His plans included what he wanted me to say because most of the attendees would be non-believers.  He wanted me to give them the details of his conversion and he said, don’t make it the short version.  He said make it as if I was telling them myself because I know these folks and they need to hear about Jesus.

We met at 2:30 in the afternoon, and as Don had hoped, the windsurfers were out in good numbers.  Many people loved Don, but he only invited his closest friends.  We still had two hundred people attending with some flying in from Europe and Asia.  Don had asked a few others to say a few words and most of them spoke of how much they had learned from him.  One person was quite humorous and told some very funny stories about him while he was in college.  It was a solemn time but at the same time joyous and a real celebration of Don’s life.

I honored Don’s request and told them the intimate story of his belated love for Jesus.  He wanted you to know that he died with peace in his heart because he was certain that he would spend eternity with Jesus in heaven.  I gave them some first-person statements from Don like, “I know this will come as a shock that I have become a Jesus person, but it is so real and meaningful to me that I wanted Glenn to tell you about it.”

Several people wanted to talk to me after the service, so we chatted for a few minutes, but I sensed a hunger for a deeper dialogue, so we arranged to have lunch.  One of the men was the Dean of Admissions at a well-known university in the Bay Area.  He had a multitude of questions about God, but he was so moved by Don’s testimony that a month after our first lunch he gave his life to Jesus.  I asked him if he knew of other believers at the University and he did, so we formed a small weekly fellowship group in his office.

A second man at that memorial service was Don’s longtime friend and a real estate investor.  He owned real estate all over the Bay Area and even had several properties in my hometown of Grass Valley.  We spent many hours together discussing why he hated the church so much.  We finally discovered the seat of his bitterness, and after he surrendered his life to Jesus, he was able to move past it.  He was Armenian, and as a child had suffered sexual abuse by a priest in his Orthodox church.  Since he was a friend of the man at the university, he joined the fellowship group that meets in his office.

There were other connections made during that time, but I just wanted to relate my conversations with a man that came to faith late in his life.  His was so much more than a deathbed conversion; the Holy Spirit caused him to fall in love with Jesus.  I wish more believers had the genuineness and joy of his faith.  He also left a tremendous legacy for his friends.  Two of them became followers of Jesus that we know about, but only God knows how the others responded to Don’s testimony.

As I reflect on those days, I consider it a wonderful gift that the Lord allowed me to spend time with Don during the last four months of his life.  God was definitely glorified by the life of Don Cope.

For many years I made regular visits to Palm Springs to spend time with the small groups, we initiated there.  I often stayed in one of the exclusive gated golfing communities with a man I had met with for a number of years in the San Francisco Bay Area.  He had been a non-religious Jew and could even be characterized as an agnostic.  As often happens, the Holy Spirit began to work in his life, and he eventually surrendered his life to Jesus.  At age seventy-four, he decided to sell his car dealerships and retire in Palm Springs.  He joined one of our small groups, and I visited him twice a year.

On one of those visits, he and his wife invited friends to their home for a catered dinner and to listen to their houseguest give a talk about God.  With the invitation-only being word of mouth around the club, and an unknown speaker, their friends, must have a high regard for them because eighty of them showed up.

The introduction Bernie gave me ended with him insisting that I tell them the story about my meeting with the Chief Rabbi of Israel.  I did share that story but then amplified its content as a lead into my talk about Jesus.  It was well received and led to about twenty minutes of discussion.  The head golf professional at their club stayed until nearly everyone left and then approached me and said he would really like to have a private meeting if I had time, so I invited him over the next afternoon.

When I asked what he wanted to talk about, he said for some time he had been thinking that even though he believed in God, something was missing in his life.  He said; “For the last six months I have been thinking about God nearly every day, and something happened to me last night when you were speaking about Jesus.”  After a couple of hours of explaining the gospel and answering questions, he said, “I want to know Jesus like you’re talking about, but I don’t know how to do it.”

I told him that many years ago I thought there was a specific “sinners prayer” that was necessary for salvation.  However, the Bible doesn’t support that; God just wants to hear your prayer.  To me, that is indisputable by the examples of how people had their sins forgiven by Jesus.

There are many examples, but I will just mention four: 1. One man who was a corrupt tax collector could not even look up towards God.  With head down he simply said, God, please have mercy on me for I am a sinner, and Jesus said, that man went home, “right with God.” (Lk 18:13-14)  2. You will remember that two thieves were crucified on either side of Jesus.  The one who recognized Him as the Son of God said; “Lord, would you remember me when you come into your kingdom?”  Jesus answered him and said; “Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Heaven; Lk 23:39-43)  3. It’s important to know also about the man whose four friends carried him to Jesus.  They made a hole in the roof, (Likely removed tiles) and let him down right in front of Jesus while He was teaching.  The man didn’t say anything but Jesus understood his heart and said, “Young man your sins are forgiven, get up and walk.” (Lk 5:17-26)  4. A woman who was deeply moved by being in the presence of Jesus began to cry, and her tears dripped on his feet.  She said nothing as she wiped them with her hair, but Jesus saw this and understood her heart.  So He said to the woman, “your sins are forgiven because your faith has saved you, go in peace.” (Lk 7: 36-50)

Do you get the point, the prayer that God accepts is the one that comes from the depths of your heart?  You saw that in some cases, no words were spoken, and in others, there was a heartfelt verbal recognition of their need to be accepted by God.  However, there is one thing they had in common; it was that they opened their heart to Jesus and He knew that and gave them eternal life.

What each of them felt, but likely didn’t understand at the time, was that the Holy Spirit was giving them faith in Jesus.  It appears this is what has been happening to you these past months.  Now it is your turn to respond to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.  In light of the examples I gave, you know that Jesus understands your heart right now, so what do you think He is seeing.  He said; “I think he saw that I opened my heart to Him while we were talking.”  Then he said, “But I don’t want to be a person who remains silent.”  So I encouraged him to tell God what is in his mind right now.  We bowed our heads and here are the words that he prayed with earnestness and sincerity.

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Then he looked up at me and said, “Can we go tell the Kaplan’s that I’m saved.”  I said sure let’s go tell them so they can rejoice with us.  When he told them what had just happened to him, they did rejoice and told him they had been praying for us all the time we were in my suite.

This salvation story may sound a bit unusual, and it was a first for me also, but He had attended Catholic schools, and that is the prayer that sprang out of his heart at that moment.  You might think he didn’t follow the formula of the so-called, “Four Spiritual Laws” or the “Romans Road.”  However, I learned a long time ago that in the Scriptures, every person’s interaction with Jesus was unique.  In fact not only did He forgive sins in a uniquely personal way, but it was also the same when he healed someone.  Think about this, every encounter with Jesus, was one of a kind.

That was several years ago, and by every indication, Doug genuinely met Jesus that day.  I don’t go to the desert anymore, but I pray that the small group that he joined is helping him grow spiritually.

Post Script: In the months that followed, Doug and I had several wonderful rounds of golf. Since he was a great teacher, he was able to give me a few pointers that helped improve my game.  When I thanked him for his help, he insisted that this was not an equal exchange.  I said, I understand what you mean because of the smile on your face and the joy in your heart.

After speaking at an event in San Francisco, a lady approached me with a request.  We had never spoken but I knew who she was because she is very visible in the financial circles of the city.  She mentioned the names of some mutual friends and said she had heard so much about me that she and her husband would like to get to know me over dinner.  I agreed to a time two weeks later, and her choice was one of San Francisco’s finest restaurants.

When I arrived, she was already there and had arranged a private room.  She apologized that her husband was caught in traffic, but he will be here shortly.  I sat down, and she immediately began to tell me about her husband.  He was a wonderful man, but he had no interest in God, and she had been praying for years that he would “get saved.”  She went on to tell me that she has taken him to hear Billy Graham and several other well-known evangelists but he is still “unsaved.”  Her super-spiritual language and some of the things she said caused me to think that one of those seed-faith evangelists on TV had heavily influenced her.  It took just a few questions to confirm my suspicions, and I thought to myself, “bet she sent him a lot of money.”  I eventually understood that her concern for his spiritual welfare was out of love and quite genuine, but wondered if her husband was rejecting the TV personality rather than God.  Actually, that turned out to be very close to the truth.

After forty-five minutes, Steve arrived and in my judgment was making a statement that he did not want to be there.  She jumped up and hugged him, and said, “Oh, Steve, I am so glad you finally got here because I’ve been talking with Glenn, and I think he is the man who can save you.”  Hoping she could not hear me, I turned to him and quietly said, “I am really going to disappoint your wife tonight because that is not who I am.”  He said, “oh really, who are you?”  Of course, that made it even more awkward, and the only thing I could think to say was; I live in Grass Valley, and I come to the city often to visit my friends.  So he asked, “Who are your friends?”  Since I have many friends, I thought for a moment, who should I mention.  I now know that the Lord prompted me to say just the right person.  I told him, I have many, but the first one that comes to mind is the President of a certain company and mentioned him by name.  His face softened, he smiled and said, I’m his personal attorney.  That seemed to break the ice, and we talked about their common love for golf, and a number of other things.  When I told him that we had played golf several times, he invited me to play golf with him at the San Francisco Golf Club.  I took him up on it, and we became friends.

Our friendship seemed very genuine even though it started in such a bizarre manner.  He was an attorney but the majority of his time was given to an investment group that he had put together.  They invested exclusively in Asia, and since I traveled to China from time to time, I invited him to go with me to play golf with the Vice Premier.  He was very excited about that, but unfortunately, was unable to go due to a broken ankle.  However, we continued to meet regularly, and before long, he was asking questions about God.  One day we were in a very substantial discussion, and it seemed to be helping him when he got an urgent phone call that made him leave immediately.  He was frustrated and said; next time we meet could we spend the whole day talking about God.  Of course, we did that and then had dinner as well.  That was a marathon day of talking about Jesus.

Then there was that special day we were having lunch at his private men’s club.  A former Secretary of State, was having lunch at the table next to ours, and Steve knew him so they chatted for a few minutes before he sat down with me.  As we were looking at the menu, I started to feel God prompting me that today is the day to be very direct with Steve.

So after the soup had been served, I said, Steve, you and I have had some very deep discussions, and I have come to believe that your questions have mostly been resolved.  I think today is the day you should surrender your life to Jesus, and I think it is right at this table that you should do it.  You know all the right words already, and we have talked about the fact that you don’t need to close your eyes to pray.  So why don’t you make this the day that you become a child of God?  It might even be fun to mark the day in your memory as the day you received Jesus while sitting at a table next to your friend the former Secratary of State, and he didn’t know you were praying.  You can pray silently with your eyes open because all you need to do is open your heart to Jesus.  It’s your call, but I am going to eat my soup now.

He was silent while I was eating my soup and then he said with real certainty. “I did it.”  In the months following, it seemed obvious that God had heard his silent prayer and made him a new creation in Christ.

Later while attending the engagement party for his daughter at the same private club, his wife said she was unsure if Steve was saved because he doesn’t sound like it.  I felt strongly that I should be very forthright and candid with her.  I said; “Steve will likely never be a Praise the Lord type of guy or say Hallelujah or Glory like you do, but then neither do I and I know for certain that I’m In Christ.”  I would like to report that this put her mind at rest about Steve going to heaven, but I doubt it.

However, I consider him a brother in Christ, and we continue to meet.

Some time ago, I received a phone call from a good friend who wanted to talk.  We laughed and remembered past experiences, but eventually, the conversation turned to how he was doing.  For many years, Jack has led the U.S. division of one of the largest International Ministries.  After more than an hour of him sharing about some serious challenges that the ministry faced and then numerous details about his own life, I suggested that we pray for some of the issues before we continued.  After I prayed, he started to pray but immediately broke down and began to sob.  After several seconds, He said, “Our talk confirms that I am not in a good place.”  I think I would really benefit from spending a couple of weeks with you, would you be open to that?”  I felt an immediate prompt from the Lord to say yes but told him I would need to check with my wife.  Actually, I had some doubt whether or not I was the right person to help him. However after Mary Ann and I prayed about it, we had peace about inviting him for a visit.  Then we found the best time for us, contacted him, and we set a date.

About three weeks later, he arrived at my home, and we had a delightful lunch and a time of fellowship.  Then we went to my office and began to unpack the load he was carrying.  Actually, we spent the first two days just talking about his schedule and the pressure he was under.  Most of the time I just listened, but during each session, I was more and more convinced that either my friend was depressed or more likely was completely burned out and maybe even close to a collapse.  I think it was the third morning that I sensed God would have me take a very different and highly unusual approach as I shared some thoughts with him.  I warned him that I was going to do something that I have never done before and it will be weird for both of us.  Then I said;

Jack, “I’m Jesus, and I want you to know how upset I am with you.  In many of the choices you’ve made, you have been following men instead of me.  Let me explain what I mean.  I called you to lead this ministry, and it is a full-time job, but you have allowed yourself to be influenced by what I am doing in other men’s lives.  You went to a conference, where a very Godly old man was speaking.  He said that for most of his life he has risen at 5 am every morning, studied the Scriptures, and took notes so God would know he was paying attention.  So you started doing that every day.  Then you went to another retreat, and a person you respect was encouraging everyone to follow Paul’s admonition to Timothy.  “Teach what you have learned to trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.”(2 Tim. 2:2)  So you chose several men and have given them an enormous amount of your time.  You agreed to write a book about the history of your organization.  After hearing Tony Campolo speak about the needs of the poor in Haiti, you committed to helping him raise financial support.  With your wisdom and leadership ability, they asked you to serve on the Elder board of your church, and you accepted.  Because you are a knowledgeable and articulate Bible teacher, your calendar is filled with speaking engagements.  I will stop now, but I could add many other things that I did not ask you to do.  I hope you get my point.

     I think all those things are wonderful, but many of them are things I did not ask you to do.  You have created such a structured life that the pressure is killing you.  You’ve admitted that the load you’re carrying is heavy, but I want to remind you that my burden is light.  Some people would say that you are a clasical case of over-commitment, but I want you to understand that it is more  serious than that.  You’re so busy working for me that you can’t respond to my daily guidance.

     I want you to stop everything you can, immediately, and then responsibly fulfill your other commitments.  However, as soon as possible, I want your calendar to be empty, except for your responsibilities in leading this ministry.  Stay in that condition for a week, a month, or maybe nine years and wait for me to speak to you.  When the time is right, I will tell you what I want you to do so just respond to my leading.  From now on you can appreciate and encourage the various things others are doing but don’t assume I want you involved.”

We spent a lot of time the next few days discussing how to follow Jesus by responding to the check and prompt of the Holy Spirit.  He wound up staying only nine days but left with a commitment to follow thru on all we had talked about.  He said he already felt a sense of freedom just anticipating what God had for him in the future.

Late breaking update report on Jack: He is still leading that great organization and says that while his workload is still immense, he feels very little pressure.  He believes the Lord has led him to continue some of his former activities but most of them are no longer on his calendar.  His latest email ended with;
“And my marriage has never been better.”

Because I’m a close friend of the host, I was invited me to join a group of ten men for dinner at his home in San Francisco.  He told me who would be attending and I felt blessed to be included.  The guest of honor was a “name in the news” U.S. State Department official.  His visit was only for one evening and was not part of his public calendar.  The others were Presidents and CEO’s of international corporations, and two had flown in from the east coast that day with the rest being from California.  A number of the men already knew each other quite well, so I think my friend thought he needed to justify why he had invited me.  He introduced me as a trusted friend who had met with heads of state and leaders in politics and business around the world.  I seemed to be accepted, and he made me feel very comfortable to be there.  He went on to explain that each invitee was chosen because of his deep knowledge of a specific region of the world.  That made me feel less comfortable, but I knew God had a purpose for me being there.

At dinner, our host explained that the evening was initiated by the State Department person in order to get feedback about trade and the geopolitical implications of our foreign policy.  He told us that the guest of honor wanted to hear the candid off-the-record opinions of each man.  That created an atmosphere of openness which provoked some intense discussions.  Special emphasis was on the hot spots around the globe, and the man from the State Department told us 46 active shooting wars are going on at this very moment.  The conversation was free-flowing about diverse topics, and there was genuine wisdom being expressed, which made each discussion seem very constructive.  After three and a half hours of spirited dialogue, there was a momentary pause in the conversation.  At that point, our host turned to me and said, Glenn, you have been usually quiet tonight.  I know you well enough to know that you must have some thoughts on these issues.

I did indeed, so I shared the following.  I am very impressed by the magnitude of knowledge you men have about the world, and how much you care about finding solutions.  I know these conflicts affect your day-to-day decisions, so it motivates me to pray for you.  As I’ve listened to you speak about the current state of affairs, I think you have described them accurately, and in my opinion, your insights are flawless.  However, even though you have defined them correctly, I didn’t hear any lasting solutions.

I think we all can agree that most serious conflicts are not just people with a difference of opinion.  Their issues are not intellectual; they are visceral, gut level, they hate each other.  When you use words like love and hate, you are speaking about matters of the heart, not the head.  If our efforts do not address the human heart, then we have short-term unreliable solutions.  The United Nations and U.S. Diplomatic Corps are highly skilled and designed to appeal to rational people and negotiate an equitable solution to difficult situations.  However, if the root-cause is hate, negotiation will rarely solve the conflicts.  Therefore, we often have to send in troops, but they are not expected to solve the problem; they are only meant to keep it from getting worse.

I reminded them of a recent study authorized by the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon that states categorically, the number one problem in the world is alienation.  That is true at every level of society, and reconciliation is desperately needed.  So let me be so bold as to suggest what I believe is the answer.  I’ve discussed it with senior business and political leaders around the world, so let me start by giving you the opinion of two of those leaders.  These men are at the very center of a couple of the world’s most intractable problems.

I recalled for them a meeting with Supreme Court Justice Esteban Bendek from Columbia.  As we discussed the drug problem, I asked, will there ever be a solution.  He said, Glenn, we have tried many things, but nothing works for very long.  We were having dinner, and he put his clenched fist on the table with his thumb raised.  Then he pushed his thumb down with his other hand; then he put his other clenched fist on the table with the thumb sticking up and proceeded to push that thumb down.  He repeated this several times and said every time we push it down in one place it pops up in another.  Then Esteban volunteered that the only answer he could think of would require a change of heart on the part of people.

The second person I spoke about was Netanel Lorch, the Secretary-General of the Israeli Knesset.  He invited me to a private dinner at his home in Jerusalem, and we were having a lengthy and very thorough discussion about the Jewish/Palestinian conflict.  By any measure, he’s an expert on the issues and attitudes of the Middle East.  He had worked on the Israeli Arab conflict for years, and one of his greatest achievements was to convince President Sadat of Egypt to speak at the Knesset.  At one point, he expressed his frustration at the inability to find lasting solutions and volunteered that the hostilities would continue until people had a change of heart.

Both of these leaders are secular, unreligious men who were using terminology normally reserved for pastors.  However, after working closely with the most serious problems of our day, they had concluded that the condition of the human heart is the true problem.

I suggested that the number one authority on reconciliation is Jesus.  He said giving and receiving of forgiveness is the answer, but that takes a change of heart.  Then I suggested that He can change any individual’s heart and I know that from personal experience because He gave me a new heart.  At that point, in a sarcastic tone, one of the most prominent CEO’s said; “Oh my God, does that mean that everyone has to become a Christian before we can find a way to live in peace?”  I answered that I was not talking about religion because it is often part of the problem.  Since religion has caused so many needless divisions in our world, I was not promoting it as an answer.  I was talking about Jesus of Nazareth, not a religion.  Secondly, I don’t believe every person must follow Jesus in order for us to make some progress on reconciliation.  Since people follow leaders, let me ask a question.

How many leaders do you think there are in the entire world.  I mean leaders that make the macro decisions that others must respond too.  The first man said there are around twenty and that started a discussion with them settling on just eight alpha leaders in the world.

I noted that a very small number of people provide leadership in every subdivision of culture whether an inner city gang or the United Nations.  I know personally that there are only two or three unchallenged leaders within the thousands of gang members in Los Angeles.  People follow leaders, and there are likely only a small number of leaders in every unit of society.  This is true for the Rotary Club, a country club, your church, a Boy Scout troop, or an international corporation.

The need of the hour is for some of these leaders to have a change of heart.  If that happened and they became authentic followers of Jesus, they would find themselves becoming more servant leadership oriented.  History has shown that only when we have this kind of selfless leadership can we expect to see real solutions.  It will never be a perfect world, but it could be much different and more hopeful than it is now.

The question is, do you agree that the most troublesome problems of our world really are matters of the heart.  Just then the man from the state department said; “does anyone else in the world think like you do.”  My response was, “Oh yes; you must be hanging out with the wrong people.”  Then he said in a gotcha tone, “anyone in DC.”  I said yes I could introduce you to a number of friends in DC that think like me.  Two weeks later, I introduced him to a few friends, and he became a regular in a group that meets every Tuesday to study the life of Jesus.

As the meeting was breaking up, one of the men who came from the East coast said, you had some friends that think like you in DC, do you have any in New York City.  I said yes, so this man asked to walk me to my car and I wound up taking him back to the Fairmont Hotel.  As we sat in the car in front of the hotel, he asked, would you come to New York City and tell my friends what we talked about tonight.  I agreed, so two months later, he flew Mary Ann and me to New York City and put us up in the Marriott Marquis hotel.  We spent a week in one on one meetings and small group gatherings, and he started each meeting with an explanation of our San Francisco dinner.  He then would introduce me and say, “Tell them what you told us that evening.”  I could write several pages of memories about the prominent business and legal people we met.  They included an evening with the owner of the largest Container Ship Company in the world.  Another was a man from Saudi Arabia who handled all the real estate for the Royal Family.  We spent one entire day with him and had substantive conversations about Jesus.  He told us about his hometown, and the health of his mother then began to cry when we held hands and prayed for her and his family.  While there, I also answered my host’s original question, “Do you have anyone in New York City?”  I introduced him to an associate of mine, and they have been meeting one on one for some time now.

There is no way to know exactly how God will use that evening or the spin-offs that came from it.  However, for me, it was fun to just go with the flow as He opened doors and gave me the opportunity to represent Jesus in that setting.

In Seoul, a friend of many years asked me to meet one of his childhood buddies.  At this point, both were in their mid to late sixties, and each was a very senior Korean government official.  My friend was in the President’s Cabinet, and his friend was a legislator, Committee Chairman and the leader of a political party. My friend is an evangelical follower of Jesus, and the man he wanted me to meet is a practicing Buddhist.  They had maintained their friendship for almost sixty years, which is a typical Korean quality that I admire immensely.

An appointment was set up, and I was told that we had fifteen minutes.  In order to honor the confidentiality of our relationship, I will refer to this man as Hyun Oh.  My friend introduced me as a completely apolitical person and a man he could trust.  Since they completely trusted each other, this was a ringing endorsement.

After a few minutes of small talk, we transitioned to more substantive topics.  Since he was an expert in national intelligence, I asked him what his greatest concern was for the nation.  He was very open and explained a difficult situation with North Korea.  I am certain that he did not give me any information that I could not find on my own, but it seemed like he was being very vulnerable.  As we were getting close to the end of our very short meeting, I asked if it would be all right if I prayed for him.  I thought his answer was no so I stood up to leave and he said, “Aren’t you going to pray?”  I explained that I had misunderstood his answer and sat back down.  I prayed a very short prayer for him and the issue we had discussed.  Then keeping our commitment, we left after a fifteen-minute meeting.

Late that evening I received a phone call in my hotel room from Hyun Oh’s Executive Assistant.  He said that the Congressman would like to meet with me the next morning for breakfast.  I accepted and agreed to meet him in the lobby at 7:30 am.  Even though I already had a breakfast scheduled, I knew that it could be rescheduled and I sensed that breakfast with Hyun Oh was where God was leading.

He was right on time, which told me that our meeting was important to him because morning traffic in Seoul is horrendous.  I quickly recognized him, and he told me that since this was a last minute meeting, every private room in the hotel is unavailable.  I said that would not be a problem for me, let’s eat in the coffee shop.  He said he would prefer a private room, so he had arranged for us to have a table in the ballroom that seats several thousand people.  So we had one small table in the corner of this immense empty ballroom.  It was a very unusual setting but looking back, it was a special memory for both of us.

As we sat down, he opened the conversation by telling me how meaningful my prayer was to him, and then almost verbatim recounted every word that I had said.  He told me that he was under an intense amount of pressure, and my prayer was a real encouragement to him.  Later, I learned more about the stress he was speaking about.  Then we continued the conversation that began in his office, and he shared more details about the North Korea problem.  I got the impression that these things were not public knowledge, and he wanted me to pray for them.  As I reflect on that morning, I believe God used that breakfast to bond our hearts in friendship.

We began our relationship during a period of political unrest in Korea.  It was a time marked by political, labor, student and farmers protests that often turned violent.  On one occasion, the rioters exploded a bomb across the street from my hotel, which severely damaged the American Consulate.  At times, there were hundreds of thousands of people in the streets, and the police and military were everywhere.  While returning to my hotel, I experienced the uncomfortable effect of drifting tear gas more than once.  The TV and newspapers were reporting criminal allegations against many politicians.  It was from the newspapers that I learned that Hyun Oh was facing charges that were quite serious.  The best I could discern, they were trumped up, but they were serious enough that if proven, he faced the possibility of imprisonment.  I think this is why my friend wanted me to meet Hyun Oh.

One time I was meeting him in his office, and he was quite depressed and feeling very alone in the world.  I prayed with him and said, “Hyun Oh, I am your friend, and I will be there for you whether you go to prison or become President.”  That was so meaningful to him that later he said several times publicly, “Every person should have one essential friend like Glenn Murray.  The political conspiracies eventually ended with several people going to jail, but Hyun Oh was exonerated.

We continued to meet, and since we really enjoyed each other, we had many private dinners with late night discussions.  Since I speak about Jesus easily and naturally, I often wondered why I felt a check about engaging him in a serious discussion about the gospel.  He and I often talked about Jesus, but it was generic in nature, or about my own faith in Christ.  I was waiting for the Spirit to prompt me to pursue a deeper dialogue with him.

When that moment finally arrived, we were having lunch alone in a private room at his men’s club.  Ten minutes after we sat down I felt what I had been waiting for.  It was what I have come to call the prompting of the Holy Spirit.  Before I share what happened that day, a little background on Buddhism would help you understand the context of our discussion.  Regarding God, Buddhism claims to be agnostic however practically it works out to be atheism.  Buddha said; “It is impossible to know whether or not there is a God, so forget about the question.”  That means that my friend Hyun Oh had been raised in a system of thought that denies the existence of God.  He thinks he doesn’t believe in God, but I felt that deep inside he must be aware of something greater than himself.  So I wanted to pursue that based on several Scriptures that are central to my thinking when I meet with atheists or Buddhists’.

The Apostle Paul states “…what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.” (Rom, 1: 19-20)  That is supported in the Old Testament by the following verse; “…God has planted eternity in the human heart…”  (Ec 3:11)  In another New Testament verse, it says, “…In the past he permitted all the nations to go their own ways, but he never left them without evidence of himself and his goodness.”  (Acts 14:16-17 NLT)  This means that every person on earth cannot avoid having an innate sense of something greater than themselves. Therefore, I look for that in every person I meet, but wait for God’s direction about how to proceed.  I had waited far longer than normal with Hyun Oh, but now I definitely felt that the Holy Spirit was prompting me, so I took the direct approach.

I asked him if I could ask a personal question and he was a little annoyed with me and said, of course, but I don’t know why you would ask me for permission.  I thought our friendship allowed us to ask personal questions of one another.  I apologized and said, that’s true, but this question is sensitive because it is about your religion.  He said no problem, what do you want to know?

Rather than confront his belief system, the Lord gave me a question that was intentionally designed to bypass it.  “Have you ever been in a difficult situation that made you feel like you needed to talk to God or that God was trying to talk to you?”  He took my question seriously and thought deeply for several seconds.  Then he answered; “Yes, I think twice.  Once when I was a child and once during the Korean war.”  My response was, I felt very comfortable asking you that question because the Bible says that every person on earth has had that experience.

Then I asked if he knew anything about Blaise Pascal, the Sixteenth Century French mathematician, and physicist?  He did know a little about him, so I gave him a famous quote attributed to Pascal.  “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by any created thing.  It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ.”  I added my editorial comments and explained that a vacuum abhors a vacuum and longs to be filled.  Down through the centuries men have tried to fill that vacuum with, power, possessions, pleasure, etc., but since it is in the shape of God, only God can fill that hole in our heart.

While explaining the God-shaped vacuum, I kept pointing to my heart with my index finger, and I must have given him the impression that it is a very small area in every man.  He was quiet for a few moments and then as if something might be wrong with him, he said; “Glenn I think I have a very big one.”  I affirmed what he was feeling and told him that I had the same feeling when I discovered the hole in my heart. However, when I surrendered my life to Jesus, he forgave all my sins, filled that hole in my heart, and gave me peace with God.

This led to many questions and a fuller explanation of the gospel.  After about thirty minutes, he said I would like Jesus to forgive my sins and give me eternal life.  So we prayed together, and the power of the Holy Spirit was evident as he went from death to life and from an atheist to a brother in Christ.  Hyun Oh now attends a weekly Bible study with a few men, and I’m encouraged by his spiritual growth.

I am so glad I waited for God’s timing because if I had pushed him before this moment, he would not have been ready and may have been driven away.  This experience helped me fully understand that God’s timing is perfect and it helped me with numerous future relationships.

Annually, a joint committee of Congress sponsors the National Prayer Breakfast.  For many years, I represented them as the point person for Asia.  One day I received an email from a friend in Japan asking me to invite an acquaintance of his to the Prayer Breakfast.

His friend was Dr. Lkhagwasuren Tserenkhuugyin who is the Director of the Mongolian National University of Medical Sciences.  I initiated contact, and we began a lengthy correspondence about the history and purpose of the Prayer Breakfast.  That it was initiated by President Eisenhower in 1953, and annually since that date, the President of the United States is the guest of honor.  Of course, in the beginning, I couldn’t pronounce his name correctly, but soon it was as easy as my own.  However, he insisted that I call him Seren, which is his nickname.

I explained that the prayer breakfast is held in the Spirit of Jesus, and he asked, “Who is he?”  When he said that, it reminded me of the experience an associate of mine had in Mongolia a few years before I met Seren.  It was still an atheistic communist nation, and as a tourist, he was assigned a “Government Minder.” He was with my friend at all times and noticed that he was praying before meals.  Trying not to be obvious, he asked my friend, “Have you ever felt God.”  My friend said yes, and his “Minder” said, “What did it feel like?”  My friend said, “It felt like Jesus” and the “Minder” said, “Who is Jesus?”  After only a couple of hours of conversation, this man expressed a desire to follow Jesus.  I have had the privilege of meeting him many times, and he is now a very serious and committed disciple of Jesus.  He and Seren did not know each other but are the same age and grew up in the same culture.

Eventually, Seren agreed to attend the Prayer Breakfast in D.C., so we arranged to meet for lunch at the Coffee Shop of the Washington Hilton.  We learned later about his twenty-hour flight, (Plus two layovers) which was obviously orchestrated by God.  He flew from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing, but the next leg of his flight had a two-day weather delay.  Eventually from Beijing to San Francisco with another one-day layover, then on to Minneapolis.

Mary Ann and I departed from Sacramento with a plane change in Minneapolis.  When we got on that plane for our flight to D.C., she was in the middle seat, and I was on the aisle.  I looked at the small man in the window seat, and he was definitely from Asia somewhere.  I engaged him in conversation and had not yet asked his name, but since he was also going to D.C. I wondered, could this be Seren?  So I asked, is your name Dr. Lkhagwasuren Tserenkhuugyin and he was visibly shocked and asked, “How do you know my name.”  He told me later that he thought I might be from the CIA, which would have been normal back in his country.  I then gave him my name, and we had a non-stop conversation the rest of the flight.  Based on our earlier correspondence he continued to ask questions about Jesus.

Senator David Durenberger from Minnesota was on our flight, and I recognized him because I had met him several times at the Cedars.  So at baggage, we chatted, and when I said we are staying at the Hilton, he offered to give us a ride.  Seren told him that we had become unplanned seatmates in Minneapolis and said, “God was our travel agent and gave us our seats.”

We met Seren for lunch on Tuesday, and he was blown away by the size of the event and the fact that there were one hundred sixty nations represented.  His questions were always very direct, and he wanted to know why Jesus was important to so many people.  This led to hours of conversation on the couches in the lobby, the coffee shop, our room and on walks to DuPont Circle.  He said that he didn’t quite understand everything we talked about, however he continued to show an enormous interest in the gospel.

We spent Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday together in attending the Prayer Breakfast, Seminars, Dinners plus lots of free time.  I was able to answer most of his questions, but the Holy Spirit had not yet done the work of opening his spiritual eyes.  I have met with a multitude of people like that, so I didn’t get frustrated or impatient.  However, the intensity of his interest was as strong as I had ever experienced.

On Friday morning, we had breakfast in the Hilton Coffee Shop.  I looked up and saw my dear friend Arthur Blessitt and his wife Denise, walk in.  I called him over and said; “I want to introduce you to my friend, Seren.”   As you may know, Arthur is the evangelist that has carried the cross in every nation and island group in the world.  According to the Guinness Book of Records, he has walked over 42,000 miles carrying the cross and preaching Jesus.

I don’t believe it would be an exaggeration to say that less than a minute after I introduced them; Seren was on his knees next to our table surrendering his life to Jesus. Although he had never heard the name of Jesus until a few months before, the Holy Spirit helped him completely understand the gospel.

As we had previously planned, he stopped in California in order to spend a week with us.  We had a delightful time that week, and several memories stand out from his stay in our small hometown of Grass Valley.

One thing I will always remember because he must have said it ten to twenty times.  He kept saying, “I’m so happy to be in the family of God.”  One evening as my wife prepared dinner Seren asked me, “Do you tell women about Jesus?”  When I explained that Mary Ann loved Jesus as much as I do, he said, “Oh wonderful, I will tell my wife she needs Jesus in her heart.”  A few minutes later, he asked, “Do you tell children about Jesus”?  I told him that my two girls were raised from an early age to understand the good news about Jesus and that they had each decided to be His disciple.  He said, “I can’t wait to tell my children what has happened to me and that they can also be part of the family of God.”

As we took him to the airport, he told us that his heart was filled with joy and that he had a strong resolve to help his family and the medical community understand how to have Jesus in their heart.
Wikipedia reports that in 1989 there were only four Christians in Mongolia. Today there are more than 50,ooo with evangelicals growing the fastest.  I don’t know for sure, but my guess is that Seren is a big part of that.