Editorial

Dear friend,

I would be dishonest if I tried to hide from you the fact that we are experiencing just now that curious combination of life and death which you read in Paul's letters.

This morning my turn came up in the 24 hr prayer watch which we have maintained here for the last three years. (That's why you can call 818 797 1111 at any time of the day or night and get a human being at this end!).

In the prayer log there in that third floor room set aside for permanent prayer one of our people entered this quote from Paul:

We were under great pressure far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life . . . indeed in our hearts we felt the sentence of death . . . that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead."I know, in our zany, prosperous, affluent evangelical world we are not supposed to be glum or beat down. We are supposed to be ON TOP, all of the time. If not, we just aren't full of faith. So it goes.

But we are with Paul. We are nearing our 10th birthday. We feel like Jeremiah often did is anyone listening? For almost ten years now we have never been more than a few days from foreclosure.

Now it looks worse than ever and better!

WORSE: We skidded past our July let payment, and could not get the money together until July 29th. That means we have only two months to make the next payment (and yet are getting money more slowly partly due to the Last Thousand campaign which is storing up funds for the final pay off).

WORSE: This was the time for the 9 huge (100 foot) roof trusses in our auditorium to rupture, requiring us to pay shortly $78,000 to add steel to these 2nd World War wooden structures housing what is still the largest auditorium in Pasadena. Why now?

BETTER: The Last Thousand Campaign is taking shape and will start shortly. Already hundreds of people are sending in $1,000 or more. We can't touch that money and thus hope it mounts up quickly so that at least the interest on it will help us make the current payments.

BETTER: We are greatly heartened to see the New England Center for World Mission bob into view.

BETTER: We are so very excited about the flood of solid, hopeful facts which will shortly go out in our new Video tape monthly mission magazine (see page 6).

BETTER: Never in my life have I felt so definitely that the Lord is coming soon. I will be President Reagan's age when we reach 2000 AD. History can end earlier, of course. But it is most likely when the Gospel has really gotten OUT THERE, and that may take until the year 2000.

What do you think? Are you working in that light? Toward that kind of a solution? Oh, DO it! "Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God."