Our summer conference was an amazing success, maybe our best conference yet! There were over 700 attendees coming from all over the Arab World, including the nations of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Ghana. With the turmoil that many are facing in their home countries, the conference was a much needed time of refreshing. We were all strengthened and encouraged as we soaked in the presence of the Holy Spirit and heard powerful teaching from the Word of God!

We declared 2011 to be “The Year of Restoration, Revival &Riches” and we can see how God is doing this powerfully among us. Over and over again we are hearing testimonies of how God is restoring what was lost and reviving what was dead! We left the conference with a fresh commitment to His Church and to His passion for reaching Arabs with the Gospel! I am so encouraged by what God did in this conference and I know that it propelled us into a new season at Abundant Life Church that will affect the entire Arab World!

This conference was only the beginning of the great things happening at Abundant Life Church. In just two weeks we are launching the Abundant Life Training Center, a joint Bible School and Internship Program. We have around 70 students enrolled in the part-time Bible School courses and 8 students joining the full-time Internship Program. All students will be studying accredited Bible School courses while the Internship Program will additionally provide hands-on ministry experience. Abundant Life Training Center is the first of its kind among charismatic ministries in the Middle East as it will be taught by Arabic speakers in person, including myself. I believe that ALTC will be the launching pad of workers into the ripe fields of the Arab World and I am eager to see how God will transform lives from ordinary church attendees to equipped laborers in the harvest!

It is hectic around here as we are getting ready for our annual Spiritual Breakthrough Conference being held next week on the 4-8th of August. We are declaring this year to be the “Year of Work, Building & Success!” I am so excited and full of expectation that the presences of the Holy Spirit will be so powerful as He moves mightily among us!

I appreciate your prayers for this conference.  Many attendees will be coming from all over the Arab World, and I know that their lives will be changed!  There is so much work to be done in the Middle East, and in this conference I know that the Lord will strengthen and equip His leaders to rise up and begin the work!  Yes, there is so much work to be done, and many trials and tribulations to overcome, especially in this part of the world, but I know that our God will make us triumph over all these things, Halleluyah!!

If you are in Lebanon, come and join us for this wonderful time in the presence of the Holy Spirit.  If you cannot be with us, please join us in prayer.  Your prayers are powerful and effective, and they mean so much to us.  Let us believe together for great breakthroughs in the Arab world, halleluyah!!!

I brought a team from Abundant Life Church to the United Arab Emirates at the end of June. We were there at just the right time for the churches. I had the opportunity to minister in several church services, including the main service of the largest Arabic congregation in Dubai. I was really excited about the doors that opened while we were in the county. I know that God is doing a great work in the Arab World.

I was invited to a youth meeting to talk about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and was also able to lay hands on them. It was a wonderful meeting as many heard about and received for the first time. This was a great breakthrough for this church and I believe God will use this group of young people to bring His fires of revival to the UAE!

I spent a lot of time with believers and leaders in the UAE. I encouraged them, and I also enjoyed hearing about what God is doing in the Gulf nation. It is really amazing how God is working here in the Middle East, and it is a joy to be a part of His work in this land!

I recently released my first book, Approving the Things that are Excellent, and I am so excited to be able to share what the Lord has revealed to me about this subject. Below is an excerpt from the first chapter:

My beloved, if you read with me the first chapter of the letter to the Philippians, you will see that the Apostle Paul wrote it while in chains, and from the heart of this prison cell he wrote this amazing prayer, saying:

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.

Philippians 1:3-11

The Apostle Paul is inviting the Philippians to be filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ and only to the praise of God and His glory, declaring that “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” . . . Hallelujah!!!

How can these things that are mentioned by Paul come true in your life? What is the way that will lift you from the valley to the mountain top?

The Apostle Paul insisted in his prayer on the fact that his will is to see your love for acquiring knowledge and all discernment grow stronger and stronger.

In fact, the kind of love meant in his words is not a human love nor even God’s love, but it is the love of knowledge and understanding. This is what God wants from you, but not for the purpose of becoming a philosopher. God wants this from you so the road that lifts you to the highest place becomes clear in front of your eyes.

If you are someone who is striving to reach the top, you must climb the ladder step by step. This first step is called “knowledge and discernment”.

The body of Christ needs to move from living at a level of good, or even very good. We must begin live at a level where we have the “excellent things” that God has already prepared for us. My new book will teach how to leave the ordinary and obtain the excellent!

Approving the Things that are Excellent is already released in Arabic, and soon I will have it available to you in English. I hope to get a copy to each and every one of you!

Neh 2:18

So they said, “Let us rise up and build.” Then they set their hands to this good work.

Neh 2:20

So I answered them, and said to them, “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.”

NKJV

I am so thrilled and excited about this New Year! We are declaring 2010 to be a year of “Work, Building & Success”, and I know we will see great breakthroughs as the Lord makes our efforts successful!

The book of Nehemiah talks about rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, and I feel that the cry of Nehemiah to the people is the same cry to us in this time, “Let us rise up and build!” Now is the time for the church to work and build the Kingdom.

Nehemiah chapter 3 tells us the families that were building the wall. In these families we can see the “Character of a Builder”:

1) INTERCESSOR (v.10) – Jedaiah meaning “supplications and intercessions”. Building starts with intercession and standing in the gap for our families. Being people of prayer makes us able to be entrusted to build the Kingdom of God.

2) MAN OF PEACE (v.12) – Shallum, meaning peace. God is looking for the peacemakers to build His Kingdom, and also peace lovers. It is also important to note that Shallum’s daughters helped in making repairs; women are also builders!

3) MAN OF POWER (v.23) Benjamin, meaning “source of my power”, Strong men, men of power, are builders. Men with strong spirit and character are builders.

4) MAN OF TRUTH (v.29) Zadok, meaning “just and trustworthy”, Men who are faithful and just, men that live in the truth and have the word of God in them are builders.

5) DEDICATED (v.30) Meshullum, meaning “dedicated”, Men who are not only members in the kingdom or just attendees, but they are set apart, consecrated and fully committed. These men are builders.

Now is the time to prepare ourselves to be used in the battle. Now is the time to work, build and surely God will grant us the success.

Do you have the character of a builder?

I want to wish, from the bottom of my heart, a Merry Christmas to you and your family.  I am so thankful for your interest and support of the ministry here in Lebanon and the Middle East.

I am excited about this new year and I know that it will be a  year of Building, Work & Success!  I am looking forward to seeing all that God has in store for this new year, and and plan to keep you updated on everything that is going on.

May the peace and love of God fill your hearts this Christmas season