When I met Larry Tomczak in the early 1970s, he was a best-selling author and fiery young Catholic charismatic speaker. His book Clap Your Hands told of his dramatic conversion and baptism in the Holy Spirit. Today he has moved over to the independent charismatic side but still ministers powerfully to the wider church and culture through both speaking and writing.
As a journalist, I did a story on Larry’s ministry in The Rock, a youth “Jesus paper” that preceded Charisma starting in 1975.
Larry and I have kept in touch over the years and are still close friends. We’ve helped each other walk through ups and downs of life neither of us could have imagined back then. Those were unsettling times, yet neither of us could have predicted the unprecedented social changes in America, where the culture calls right what the Bible calls wrong and calls wrong what the Bible says is good and pure.
Today, Larry has become one of the best social commentators I know. If you don’t subscribe to his weekly blog “Here’s the Deal” here’s your opportunity to do so. Plus he’s come out with a new resource for churches and individuals called Bullseye, which he describes below. This is a movement with timely resources for parents, pastors, educators, youth leaders etc.—a simple 30-day plan! It includes compelling videos, an innovative approach that’s helpful with youth!
In a few days Larry and his lovely wife, Doris, will celebrate 40 years of marriage. Here he tells why they will spend the day with other leaders praying for America! This is a critical time because our nation is at a tipping point with elections coming up and the need to appoint a new Supreme Court justice.
If you believe as I do that the time is now to speak up winsomely and clearly amid massive confusion and departure from biblical values, then I urge you to read “Here’s the Deal” and connect with Larry’s ministry through Bullseye:
Why We’re Spending Our 40th Wedding Anniversary Praying Instead of Vacationing
When I returned home after hearing the announcement about the United Cry DC16 event on April 9, I wondered what my wife would say. When I heard about this national pastors prayer event in Washington, D.C., my spirit was excited, and I wanted to be there. However, it is on the same weekend as our 40th wedding anniversary.
After telling my wife, Doris, about this momentous event, I deferred to her, saying, “I know it’s a very special time with our anniversary, but Doris, what would you like to do?”
She didn’t hesitate or flinch when she said, “With the state that our nation is in, how can we be anywhere else?” She agreed that we had to be at United Cry DC16.
On Saturday, April 9, pastors, Christian leaders, intercessors, worship leaders and believers from across the nation and from every Christian stream will join to pray as one for the healing and future of America. We hope that you and your church, family, staff and friends will join us.
America’s Greatest Need Is Spiritual Awakening
We all recognize the spiritual meltdown that is taking place in our nation. But God is giving us a lifeline to see restoration. This won’t come by just simply wishing and hoping. We must act like Nehemiah did in his day. Nehemiah was awakened to the realization that without protective walls, Jerusalem was in grave peril. Nehemiah prayed, planned and provided the leadership that gathered and enabled God’s people to restore the walls.
When we look at the United States of America and its current condition, we must be honest that the walls are down. Our walls are down, and the biblical foundations of our nation are compromised. America’s future is in peril.
God wants us to have a sense of urgency. If we recognize the serious state of our nation, if we have His heart for restoration and believe that our nation can reclaim a godly heritage, then we will respond on April 9 and join hearts and hands and pray for America.
This is not a political event, but a time to come and pray together with humility, crying out for God’s mercy. The seven-hour gathering will have a focus of repentance, awakening and empowerment for pastors so they can be voices of biblical truth to their communities.
To help pastors, intercessors, youth leaders, parents, educators and politicians, we’re also calling attention to Bullseye, an innovative, timely book and video project just released.
It features a simple 15-minutes-for-30-days “challenge” consisting of compelling three-minute videos and commentaries that develop confident, informed influencers on the 30 hot button issues of today. Islam, gay marriage, immigration, living together, abortion, transgenderism, income inequality and over 20 more controversial issues are covered in an easy-to-follow plan. You can learn more at: bullseyechallenge.com to engage today.
Is America on the Brink of Apocalyptic Judgment?
The stillness of the morning calm was about to be shattered by a series of explosions that would alter the course of human history. The time: 7:50 a.m. The date: Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941. The place: Pearl Harbor.
Within a short time, bombers damaged eight battleships, destroying three—including the USS Arizona, which sank with 1,102 sailors on board. The Hickam and Wheeler air bases lost 177 planes. More than 2,400 servicemen and women lost their lives. The infamous, surprise attack would launch an entire nation into World War II.
But was this disaster really a surprise?
While the Japanese warplanes were still almost an hour away, two American soldiers on a small island in the Pacific scanned their radar and saw dots begin to fill their screen, representing the first wave of more than 180 bomber planes. The men notified their supervisor who, unfortunately, was an inexperienced novice. He shrugged off the situation with a ho-hum “don’t worry about it.”
Here’s the Deal
Scripture exhorts us to “make the most of every opportunity” (Col. 4:5). As strange as it may sound, I believe disaster is coming to our shores to help bring us back to God. Yet in the face of America’s imminent judgment (although probably not the final one), multitudes go on with business as usual, instead of readjusting priorities and better investing time to prepare for what’s ahead.
Is it ultimately going to take a nightmarish calamity to jolt multitudes out of complacency and passivity in Christendom today? Remember Jonathan Edwards in America’s first Great Awakening said that the primary hindrance to revival is spiritual pride, and nothing obliterates this vice like being humbled and brought to new dependence on God alone.
2 Action Steps
1. We hope that you will consider joining us at United Cry DC16 as we pray for our nation on April 9 at the Lincoln Memorial. For more details visit the website, unitedcry.com.
2. We encourage you to take the Bullseye Challenge and be a part of a national movement undergirding America’s greatest need: spiritual awakening. It is a gift from God to our generation. It equips and empowers you to pray effectively, speak confidently and engage people winsomely with the gospel and truth.
Here’s the simple three-step strategy to change your life in 30 days.
- Review video – 3 min.
- Read commentary – 10 min.
- Reflect and pray – 2 min.
You can preview the first video called “Apocalypse” immediately! Click here to watch.
A 40-year anniversary is a significant event. Yet desperate times require desperate measures. Let’s respond to the opportunity being laid before us to intercede and become informed influencers in these turbulent times.
