"Dr. Eugene Birdsong, my high school classmate, has delivered 8,000 babies and cared for 12,000 children. But in our recent high school class reunion I learned of new joys and fulfillment in Gene's life. He periodically takes his medical skills and his heart to needy parts of the world via short term mission trips. Now you can hear some of the moving and meaningful stories told Gene Birdsong, including his travels to serve the victims of the tsunami devastation. He now delights in the joy of having delivered babies on three different continents and of helping save lives during those journeys. His joy is sometimes mixed with pain in seeing some deaths occur simply because the right medicines or facilities were not available. Some nostalgia gets into the interview when we recalled the great Jackson, MS Central High School football team with their near perfect winning seasons. The remarkable backfield included other friends . Mike Stanley, John Gainey, the late Johnny McKeithen, and, yes, Dr. Eugene Birdsong!"

While this interview was tied in with his speaking at the Missouri Baptist Convention in St. Louis, it is a lively conversation of several stimulating subjects, including a summary of how one can be forgiven and find peace with God.  After an unlikely background for a preacher, Dr. John Bisagno received Christ, was “saved,” at the “world largest youth encampment” – Falls Creek Assembly in southern Oklahoma.  55 years later the new 7,250 seat Falls Creek Tabernacle Worship Center was named in his honor!  For 30 years he pastored the First Baptist Church of Houston, TX, now composed of 22,000 members.  He has written 25 books, among them The Power of Positive Praying, which has sold 2,000,000 copies.  He has served as the President of the Southern Baptist Pastors’ Conference and has gained national recognition as a dynamic and effective crusade evangelist and Bible Teacher.  His honorary doctorates have come from Oklahoma Baptist University (his alma Mata), Southwest Baptist University (MO), and Houston Baptist University where a “Chair of Evangelism” is named in his honor. Dr. Bisagno has spoken at the SBC national convention, the World Congress of Evangelism, and at every major state convention and state evangelism congress.  He has conducted 37 international evangelistic crusades and has lectured at every SBC seminary. 

Dr. Henry Blackaby (www.blackaby.org) is perhaps best known for his Experiencing God; Knowing and Doing the Will of God.  Briefly stated, Dr. Blackaby teaches that we should seek God, discover what He is doing and then join him in the doing of it.  Before any of his teachings were published, Dr. Avery Willis (www.averywillis.com) heard his message and offered to get it in print.  With the writing skills of Dr. Claude King, it happened and now has made impact upon millions nationally and worldwide.  In this radio conversation Dr. Blackaby discusses the need for revival and his recent writings about it (Fresh Encounter, Revised and Expanded), concerns regarding biblical illiteracy, his ministry that has developed -- at their request -- with CEO’s of Fortune 500 companies, and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.  Dr. Blackaby states his conviction that Christ will return in the lifetime of some living now and gives biblical reasons why.  “No one knows the day nor the hour,” Dr. Blackaby quotes Jesus in saying, but specific signs of which Jesus spoke, reflected in current world conditions, indicate that the time is near. Works of Dr. Blackaby can be seen and obtained at www.blackaby.org and click on “Resources.”

Part 1

Part 2

Tom Blackaby is the International Director of Blackaby Ministries International.  From the “web,” here is his biography.

Tom earned a Bachelor of Education degree in music from the University of Saskatchewan as well as a Master of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. Most recently, Tom served as senior pastor of North Sea Baptist Church in Stavanger, Norway. Previously, he served as an associate pastor (Music/Education/Youth) for 15 years in 4 churches in the United States and Canada. He also has served as a volunteer music and worship consultant to the Canadian Convention of Southern Baptists as well as a discipleship and family ministry consultant. Kim has been a pastor’s wife for more than 15 yrs and has been instrumental in developing women’s ministries, prayer ministries, and has been the keynote speaker for women’s retreats in several countries.

Tom has co-authored several books with his father Henry including: The Man God Uses, The Student God Uses, Anointed to Be God’s Servants: Lessons from the Life of Paul and His Companions, and The Blackaby Study Bible. He has also authored a monthly devotional for Home Life Magazine.

Tom enjoys playing musical instruments, outdoor activities, woodwork, and spending time with his family.

Mike Blake, son of a pastor, had his time away from the Lord. But in the process of returning, he attended Joe White’s Men at the Cross event (www.menatthecross.org) in St. Louis, MO. A fire was “lit” within that resulted in a new passion for Jesus and His word. His doing a personal Bible study -- with a focus on the book of Matthew -- resulted in Mike Blake’s discovering Five Characteristics of a Disciple, which he summarizes in this radio discussion…and practices in his church and lifestyle.

Once while working in her kitchen, Judy Boen got a vision of a Christian event in connection with the St. Louis (MO) Cardinals baseball team, of whom she had been a fan since childhood.  She wrote the Cardinals front office management about her idea.  In time they responded with an offer to meet and talk about it.  Judy invited a few others, including HHH, to join her at their Busch Stadium offices.  The result is a near two-decade tradition known as Christian Family Day (www.christianfamilyday.com) at Busch Stadium, a part of a Cardinals’ Saturday day game each summer.  The day is divided into three parts: (1) a before-the-game party with games and a Chic-fil-a meal for each in a local park for sometime 3,200 inner-city children (who are given the whole day free --  volunteers help and “love on” the children); (2) the game itself, wherein each child is given a coupon for a hot dog and a cola to enjoy during the game (efforts are made to have a one-to-five ratio of  adult supervision to children); and (3) after the game those remaining gather in the stands behind the Cardinals dugout for an on-the-field Christian concert, recognition of the children, testimonies by some Christian players (Albert Pujols, etc), and a concise Bible message of salvation by a gifted young evangelist.  An estimated 20,000 (including the inner-city children) attended in 2008.  The Cardinals seem very happy with the CFD connection, especially since their CFD won-loss record is 16 – 2!  A number of other sports venues look to www.christianfamilyday.com as a successful pattern and role model for them.  It indeed seems to be “catching on” as a combined promotional/ministry/community relations event for professional sports teams in many parts of the country.  Special Note: while a cumulative 41,000 inner-city children have received the day absolutely free through the years, the recession has also hit CFD.  Limited funds in 2009 have cut the number of children being provided for in half.  As I write, unless more CFD “last minute” support is received, only 1,500 can attend in 2009.  Each $30 provides the day for one child.  You can donate, even at the last minute, at www.christianfamilyday.com.

Romanian Andy Bollinger & Russian Elena Hagemeir tell of, as small children, receiving an Operation Christmas Child shoebox at Christmastime.  Andy’s Christmas was usually only a bit of fruit and perhaps some chocolates, for “… putting food on the table was the priority …” Elena got her OCC shoebox “… when I was in my second orphanage…”  It included items like a pair of socks, which she treasured, for she had never owned anything before that was hers alone, and her first toothbrush  (“…we had to share tooth brushes in the orphanage …”  Both young women now live in the United States and tell their stories to groups to underscore the power of love that is received by poor children through the shoeboxes they receive.

You will be so moved as you listen to Andy and Elena share their warm and gripping stories – brief as they are -- and hopefully be motivated to have the joy of filling shoeboxes for one or more poor children somewhere in the world.

In doing so, please include a picture of yourself and your family.  We are told that the children receiving the shoeboxes with family pictures usually --- in their minds and hearts – makes them feel that they are loved and a part of your family.

For more information, go to www.samaritanspurse.org.  For locating a drop-off point nearest you, at the website click on Operation Christmas Child and enter your zip code. 

As of this writing, the area wherein I live, in St. Louis, MO, of the Ten Missouri Counties nearest St. Louis, 400 churches have a goal of gathering 36,000 shoeboxes … with a Hallelujah goal of thousands more than that.

... is an Egyptian Coptic priest who has peacefully inspired about 500
Egyptian Muslims to convert to Christianity; something considered a crime
punishable by death in the Muslim world. For carrying out those conversions,
he was imprisoned twice while he was living in Egypt in the early 1980's and
is now living in exile outside of the country. Because of his heart for
Jesus Christ and desire to reach Muslims, he has authored about seventy
books. He has written on comparative religion (Islam and Christianity),
Church History, and theology. Major publications such as, Christianity
Today, Evangelicals Now, Life of Faith with John Stott London and The Argus
Journal have published his writings. Visit his website www.fatherzakaria.net
to read his articles. He has no copyright on his articles and videos. You
are free to use what he has written." (From www.ministrytomuslims.com
. Also see www.ministrytomuslims.com .)

Father Zakaria is the teacher on more than 250 recorded television programs
seen by satellite in much of the Islamic world. He cites Islamic sources in
estimating that 2,000,000 Muslims have come to faith in Christ, and even
more throughout the whole of Africa. Reports are that radical Is laics have
placed millions of dollars are "on his head," to be paid to anyone who kills
Father Zakaria.

Hear Father Zakaria's powerful story in his own words.