Praise reports from Cincinnati, Ohio ...

** Encounters Network is led by James and Michal Ann Goll, who are based in Nashville, Tennessee. They have labored for years to train teams of people in prophetic intercession, evangelism and compassion ministry, and their conferences are characterized by remarkable freedom in worship. The women who came to this event were ravenous for more of God. Many of them ran to the front of the auditorium at the beginning of each session and sat on the floor in the altar area just so they could receive everything God had for them.

** One of the other speakers was Heidi Baker, a missionary to Mozambique. She and her husband, Roland, and their team have planted thousands of churches there since the mid-1990s. Heidi has been in ministry for 30 years but her life was turned upside down when she went to the Toronto Blessing revival about 10 years ago. It is so challenging to hear Heidi talk of the miracles that are happening in Africa. Just one week before she came to Cincinnati, she prayed for two blind beggars who wandered into a tent meeting at her base in Mozambique. Both men received their sight instantaneously!

** Heidi challenged us to “go lower” in humility so that we can truly know Christ and take His power to the world. In her sweet and disarming way she scolded the American church for our pride, self-sufficiency and religiosity. I found myself on my knees several times repenting for trusting in my flesh. And on the last night, there was so much joy in the house that I laughed on the front row for an hour. I’ve experienced holy laughter many times in the past but it was so good to get a big drink of His joy in this meeting. The joy of the Lord gives strength and pulls us out of the dry, religious ruts we often fall into.

** About 800 women were at this meeting, plus quite a few men who were smart enough to realize that this conference would be life-changing for them too. I spoke on “The Daughter’s Inheritance” on Friday morning. When it was over I prayed for individual women for almost two hours while a group of men surrounded me with intercession. The Lord’s heart for His daughters was being imparted. Many were set free from depression, abuse and so many other negative influences that have prevented them from discovering their ministry callings. I was wiped out after that meeting but one of the men on the prayer team, Andrew, gathered some guys and they soaked me in prayer. It was so awesome to see how the Body of Christ flows together in partnership.

** It was such a blessing to have my friend Charles Gregory with me for this conference. He is a young man I met in Toledo, Ohio, a few years ago. I have been mentoring him some and he would like to work with me some day when I start a ministry network. Please be praying about that. I know that I must train a team of men and women to carry this work far beyond where I can go.

** On Saturday I spoke on “Desperate Housewives” from the life of Hannah. It proved to be a dangerous thing to talk about spiritual desperation in a meeting like this … because the people who come to Encounters events are already so desperate for the Holy Spirit. It was explosive and liberating. The women broke free from the three negative voices that tried to stop Hannah from birthing her promise.

** On Saturday night Michal Ann called me to the stage and gathered around to pray for my upcoming trips to Ecuador and Colombia. At one point they broke off discouragement that had come as the result of some recent criticism that I have experienced (which no one there knew about.) I began to weep and there was so much freedom released. I am so grateful for the love and sensitivity of the Encounters team.

God is good...all the time!