Lee Vendon was a pastor in the Upper Columbia Conference and then left pastoring to be an evangelist/trainer/instructor for the same conference. He travels presenting revival seminars at churches: wwww.allaboutjesusseminars.org. He presented several topics from his revival series which centers on what it means to be a Christian. Lot of times when asked this question or how are you saved, the answers are either about the behaviors of a Christian or something intangible like "surrender your heart to God", answers which don't really answer the question. Lee shared how his father Morris was posed with this dilemma early on in his pastoral career, and the answers he got from his fellow pastors were not helpful or hopeful. So, he turned to Steps to Christ, underlining every part that addressed the how, the "what to do's". From what his father learned and his own reading/studying, it was clear that being a Christian was not just about behaviour, about being good or nice (what you do), but about who you know. Christianity is a combination of heart (who) and head (what) knowledge. Lee also spoke on being born again through the Nicodemus story and the need to find the "click" of conversion, that "a-ha" moment that leads to a daily conversation to God. Unless we are converted everyday, our lives become "mere talk, dry formality, and heavy drudgery" (SC 45). He also talked about the 3-legged relationship stool: need for bible study, prayer and sharing with others and referenced the Mary-Martha scenario. I can see how churches would benefit from his ministry. Every church member struggles with all these things at some point and a revival seminar reminding us of the basics is always helpful to revitalize our spiritual lives.
Virna and Lisa Santos are sisters who started the By Beholding His Love ministry several years ago as they left the homosexual lifestyle, recommitted their lives to God and started sharing their testimonies and offering lay-counseling to those with similar struggles. It was fun to reconnect with Virna whom I met at Leoni Meadows in February during ARME Bible Camp and meet Lisa. Their ministry focuses on restoring the broken love relationship with God. Through claiming God's promises and focusing solely on Him, lives are being changed. My description definitely isn't giving the ministry enough justice so visit their website: bbhl.org. They spent almost the entire week with us, speaking every afternoon from Tuesday to Thursday. They ended the week with the movie "Reconciliation". I only caught the tail end (explanation will come later) so go online for movie details. After attending church with us, they hopped on the train to head back to the Bay Area, a 14-15 hour trip. Apparently they chose to the train because it was the cheaper option. Normally they have flown to Euguene but they have also presented later in the program so with less lead time, train was the cheaper option they chose. And after the ride here, they vowed to never take the train again. Praise the Lord they made it home safely, and it sounds like Virna wasn't feeling nauseous the entire train ride. We got a group photo before they left - our first one (but not the official). Check it out...Virna and Lisa are front and center...reluctantly.
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