In last week's blog I discussed the importance of music in a Christian conference like ICOM, or for that matter any Christian gathering. I spoke of my excitement in having David Rinehart and the entire music department of Crossroads Christian Church in the Evansville, IN area (Newburgh to be exact) coming to lead us in worship in every session in our November conference. Various instru-mental and vocal ensembles from Crossroads will also be featured in a number of venues around the convention center. In a conference filled with powerful speakers, remarkable testimonies, informative workshops, and life-altering challenges, I believe the music of the conference will provide more than its share of treasured memories.

As if the Crossroads choir, youth choir, praise band, big band, and worship teams weren't enough, we've asked outstanding, tenor vocalist, Steve Green, to join us for the final morning of the conference. He will present a concert at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday and will be featured with the Crossroads choir during the 10:00 a.m. service. I've not asked Steve to come simply as a musical treat, but because of his heart for missions. He grew up on the mission field in Argentina. He is fluent in Spanish and has spent much of his musical ministry on the mission field. He has recorded several albums in Spanish.

Steve studied music at Grand Canyon University, then left to travel with the group Truth. His then-to-be wife, Marijean, was part of that group. The Greens both sang backup for the Bill Gaither Trio and then Steve became part of the original Gaither Vocal Band. In his solo career he has been recognized as Male Vocalist of the Year, a seven time Dove Award winner. He has also been nominated for four Grammy Awards. He has recorded twenty solo albums in English and seven in Spanish. That doesn't include five albums for children or four compilation albums. He has thirteen number one songs and has sold over three million albums.

I could go on and on citing his awards and accomplishments. But aside from his missions focus let me give you the primary reason that more than any other artist I wanted Steve to participate in ICOM 2012. In my thirty-six years as pastor at Kingsway we hosted many outstanding Christian performers. If I gave you a list it would almost be a "Who's Who" of both vocalists and instrumen-talists. They performed just about every genre known to Christian music, all the way from bluegrass to classical. I can remember many incredible performances. However, the greatest worship experi-ence we ever had in such a concert was when Steve Green came to Kingsway.

We asked him to come and present a concert and we agreed upon a date. But he told me what he would prefer to do rather than just do a concert. So here's what happened. He and Marijean came in on Saturday. They spent time with our staff. They came to our home where we had invited in some of our music people. Jan prepared a nice dinner and we all ate together and got acquainted. Then on Sunday morning he sang for both services, and at his request, taught a class made up  of all our high school students during the Bible School hour. The song he sang just before I preached was "Broken and Spilled Out," and while we were always very much an applauding congregation, you could have heard a pin drop when he finished. Honestly, it would have been sacreligious to applaud for he had somehow brought us into a sacred moment of intimacy with the Savior. When he presented his concert that evening it was more of the same. Oh, there were many great perform-ances and plenty of applause; but it was a concert focused not primarily on performance. It was a concert of genuine worship and praise. I believe you'll experience that same thing on Sunday morning, Novemeber 18, in the closing hours of ICOM 2012.

After preaching last weeekend for a very missions-minded congregation in DeMotte, Indiana, I journey to the other end of the state this weekend and First Christian Church of Scottsburg, Indiana, a like-minded congregation.  After preaching for both services there Sunday morning, I make my way to Evansville that afternoon to participate in the Campus Ministry Student Leadership Conference. If you haven't already begun praying daily for the impact of ICOM on the thousands upon thousands of people who will attend, now would be a great time to begin. One more thing - would you check to see if your congregation has already sent in its Church-Wide Registration?

Since my retirement from Kingsway Jan and I have worshiped and served with many different churches. This year I've preached in a different church almost every weekened. We've had a lot of wonderful worship experiences, but the one which has stood out above all the others is the weekend I preached at Crossroads Christian Church in the Evansville, Indiana metro area last fall. There was excellence and incredible variety in every service. The prelude was done by their "Big Band" which was on a par with the best of professional groups. Then a large gospel choir with a wonderful array of ages and ethnicities opened the service, including a remarkable soloist. Congregational singing was accompanied by the choir but with a twelve member worship team which again was made up of a variety of ages and ethnic backgrounds. There was a great-grandmother, well into her 80's, and a young teen of perhaps 13 or 14. There was a bank president and a school janitor. It was a microcosm of the church.

David Rinehart is the worship pastor at Crossroads, and he led, and yet he wasn't the focus. He, along with his talented instrumentalists and vocalists, simply worshiped and invited us to join them. The songs sung were familiar, singable, and developed the theme of the service. Communion and offering times were made all the more meaningful by the unique use of various instruments. After my sermon on "Intimacy With God" and an emphasis on the use of spiritual disciplines, Richard Sears, their gifted associate worship pastor sang Larnelle Harris' "I Miss My Time With You." It was extremely powerful and just the right song to put an exclamation point on the service.

I said all that as background for the fact that David Rinehart and his entire music department will be responsible for leading us in worship at ICOM 2012. Frankly, this is one of the things that I am most excited about. Music is one of the most important elements of any Christian conference. However, most of us have been to conventions where those who led really didjn't understand the makeup of their congregation. Often the songs are unknown to most. I remember a National Missionary Convention several years ago in which we stood for forty minutes while the group on stage sang songs totally unknown the the vast majority of us. By the time the song service was over more than half the people were sitting down and reading or visiting. Others had simply left. I can assure you that won't be the case at ICOM 2012. David and I have talked at length about what we hope to accomplish through the music and I believe you will be moved, inspired, and most likely able to worship more effectively than in any similar gathering you've ever attended.

Here's the amazing thing. Crossroads is bringing their "Big Band," their Praise Band, their worship teams, their entire choir, and their soloists. They are even bringing their youth choir, Tribute, which will sing in the main auditorium on Friday night and take part in the youth convention on Saturday. This is the youth choir, under the direction of Chris Hirsch, that has memorized their music in arabic so as to sing about Jesus at the Muslim Festivals in Dearborn, Michigan. The adult choir also goes on a mission trip at their own expense each year, and this year they'll be spending that time with us. We are so blessed!

On Sunday morning all those musicians, hundreds of them, will be on stage helping us bring the conference to a power-packed conclusion. And as if that weren't enough, they'll be accompanying one of Christian music's greatest vocalists,  Steve Green. I'll write more about that next week. But I've got to tell you that I would be at ICOM 2012 if only for the music. I can hardly wait!

This weekend I journey to northern Indiana and The Christian Church of Demotte in DeMotte, Indiana where I'll be representing ICOM and preaching.

Jan and I are home after a wonderful week at the North American Christian Convention in Orlando. From Dr. Mark Scott's powerful opening night exposition of Isaiah 55 to Bob Russell's closing challenge to over fifty 2012 Bible college graduates who were being commissioned, it was an outstanding convention. By the way, every preacher and Christian leader in America needs to hear Russell's sermon. You can still access it for free on the NACC website or you can order the CD or DVD from Christian Audion Tapes (www.catapes.com). I also thoroughly enjoyed preaching for the River Run Christian Church in Orlando over the weekened. Mitch Todd now leads this exciting church that has gone through challenges which would have killed many congregations; and yet they are thriving.

Week by week I've introduced you to the speakers and topics for the main sessions of this year's ICOM. I now have the privilege of telling you about the final service which will be held on Sunday morning, November 18. Remember, this will be "a disturbing conference that demands a response." The Sunday service is designed to call for that response with the theme, "A Radical Obedience: Fulfill God's Mission for Your Life." By that time we will have been challenged again and again as well as exposed to all sorts of opportunities for service. We're not going to leave without a powerful challenge to respond in the specific ways God would have each one of us to respond. The Lord has led us to exactly the right person to issue that challenge.

Many of you will not know DR. ROBERT SMITH JR., but having heard him you will never forget him. Dr. Smith was pastor of a large African-American church in Cincinnati when he was introduced to the Restoration Movement through what was then Cincinnati Bible College and Seminary. After graduation from CBC&S he went on to study at Sourthern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, where he earned his Ph.D. For several years he served on the preaching faculty of that school and now serves as Professor of Christian Preaching at Beenson Divninity School. His book on preaching was selected as winner of the 2008 Preaching Book of the Year Award by Preaching Magazine and the 2009 Preaching Book of the Year by Christianity Today. He has spoken at over forty-five universities, colleges, and seminaries, including adjunct teaching at Lincoln Christian Seminary. I've heard a lot of preachers and preaching, and I'm telling you that you simply must hear Dr. Smith. He is a passionate  and powerful preacher who is uniquely qualified to bering the closing message: "A Radical Obedience: Fulfill God's Mission for Your Life."

Several months ago I told you that the inspiration for this year's theme was David Platt's book, Radical. Since first reading it, I've reread it in its entirety and read some chapters over and over. If you've not yet read Radical I certainly encourage you to pick up a copy and read it in preparation for attending ICOM 2012. I'm praying that God will call at least 300 people to respond to Christ's radical call to go and represent Him among the nations vocationally, but also that multiplied thousands will be moved to get out of their comfort zones and serve Him cross-culturally in ways they never before imagined.

I'll be in Butler, Kentucky (greater Cincinnati) this weekend, preaching at the Plum Creek Christian Church.

I'm writing from Orlando, Florida where Jan and I are thoroughly enjoying the North American Christian Convention. I promised last week that I would provide my schedule for the weeks and months leading up to ICOM. So here it is:

JULY

9-13     Orlando, FL - North American Christian Convention

15        Orlando, FL - River Run Christian Church

22        Butler, KY - Plum Creek Christian Church

29        DeMotte, IN - Christian Church of DeMotte

AUGUST

5          Scottsburg, IN - First Christian Church

5-6       Evansville, IN - Campus Ministry Student Conference

7          Sullivan, IN - First Christian Church

9-17     Jackson, WY

19        Greencastle, IN - Greencastle Christian Church

20        Greenwood, IN - CDCMF (Area Men) at Bluff Creek

21        Avon, IN - ICOM Area Luncheon West

23        Indianapolis, IN - ICOM Area Luncheon Northwest

28        Indianapolis, IN - ICOM Area Luncheon East

30        Southport, IN - ICOM Area Luncheon South

SEPTEMBER

1-2       Indianapolis, IN - Indian Creek Christian Church

6-7       Knoxville, TN - Johnson University

8-9       Greenwood, IN - Greenwood Christian Church

12         Florissant, MO - St. Louis Christian College

15-16    Greenwood, IN - Mount Pleasant Christian Church

18-20     Lansing, MI - Great Lakes Christian College

23          Indianapolis, IN - Chapel Rock Christian Church

26          Elizabeth City, NC - Mid-Atlantic Christian University

30          Bloomington, IN - Sherwood Oaks Christian Church

OCTOBER

1-3        Louisville, KY - NACC Board of Stewards & Continuation Committee

7           Mooresville, IN - The Church at Mt. Gilead

9           Lincoln, IL - Lincoln Christian University

14         Plainfield, IN - Plainfield Christian Church

16         Cincinnati, OH - Cincinnati Christian University

21         Vernal, UT - Vernal Christian Church

23         Grayson, KY - Kentucky Christian University

28         Indianapolis, IN - Post Road Christian Church

30         Joplin, MO - Ozark Christian College

NOVEMBER

3           Hazelwood, IN - Indiana State Men's Meeting

4           Avon, IN - Kingsway Christian Church

6           Moberly, MO - Central Christian College of the Bible

8&11     Noblesville, IN - White River Christian Church

14          Indianapolis, IN - ICOM Executive Committee

15-18     Indianapolis, IN - ICOM 2012

I want to begin by wishing all of you a wonderful Independence Day. Take some time to reflect on the freedoms that we who are Americans enjoy. We are blessed indeed! Celebrate the fact that America has been the foremost, missionary-sending nation in the world for two centuries. From the departure of Adoniram and Ann Judgon in 1812 for their eventual ministry in Burma to the day in which we live, literally tens of thousands of Christians have left the comforts of America and gone to live in foreign lands for the purpose of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ and building His kingdom. But temper your celebration with the knowledge that things are not moving in the right direction in America. God has been all but removed from the public square. Our freedoms are being eroded at a frightening pace. And South Korea, until recently a predominantly Buddhist nation, is now sending out far more Christian missionaries per capita than the U.S.

Yes, celebrate this great nation's birthday: but PRAY FOR REVIVAL.  II Chronicles 7:14 is still in the Bible. God says, "If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land." (NLT) Yes, I know God spoke these words to Solomon in regard to the nation of Israel. But the same principle applies today as then. And God goes on to tell Solomon, "My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer..." (vs. 15a) Again, you can be sure the same is true of the Lord today.

I don't believe God is through with America. This country has remarkable resources of people, wealth, technology, innovation, education, and churches to play a major role in completing the evangelization of the world. But it will take spiritual revival for that to take place. It will take the church becoming "Radical...Again!" And that begins with humility and prayer! I know that a number of people from all over the world read this blog. Please join us in praying for revival in America.

Next week Jan and I will be in Orlando for the North American Christian Convention where I'll be representing ICOM on the platform Thursday morning. I have a number of important meetings during the week and will be hanging out at the ICOM booth (#532) as well. Then on Sunday the 15th I'll be preaching at the River Run Christian Church there in Orlando. Check out this blog next week as I provide my complete speaking schedule for the next five months.