Monthly Archives: February 2016

February 29, 2016 · 12:04 pm

The Rumors of Larry’s Death Were Not Greatly Exaggerated (Part 2)

(Click on photo to enlarge)

(Click on photo to enlarge)

I began this series on January 10, 2015, but because nothing was moving forward for me, I placed it on hold. Now things are happening again. So, I’ve decided to rerun the earlier parts before I began anew. If you don’t want to wait, you can read the first ten parts in their entirety here.

 

“Larry, you will write and own a large publishing company,” the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart in the fall of 1985.

I was ecstatic when I heard these words and made a decision which has guided my life for nearly thirty years. I decided to never accept a job that would hinder my dreams of writing and being a publisher. For the most part, this meant being a car salesman, laborer, house painter, and minimum wage employee.

Looking back, none of my fifty or so jobs since 1985 have offered me much of a chance to be promoted, which was fine with me. Promotions would have been obstacles for my goals because they would have required a greater commitment than I wanted to give.

Let’s be honest, okay?

When the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and I made my career decisions, I did not realize it would take twenty-nine years to publish my first book. Twenty-nine years! It just seems so unbelievable that the dream is still so strong in me, even though my youth has long since disappeared.

I can still remember when Bonnie Chavda prophesied to Jim Goll and me at a 1999 meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. She first pointed at Goll and said, “Your writing career will take off. You will write many books because God has anointed you for now.”

She then turned to me. “God is holding your writing career back. You will be successful, but at a much later time.”

Jim Goll has written over twenty-five books and is a big time prophetic author. Most of his books have been published since that night.

I have just published my first book and have a few eBooks on Amazon right now. That’s the extent of my accomplishments since Bonnie prophesied to me.

If you have any thoughts that God is unfair when he raises up one person compared to another, then you need a greater understanding of God. He is the Boss. He knows what it will take to ready a person for His plans and is not willing to lower His standards in the least.

As far as finances and time goes, God uses these as tools to mold His people.

One experience still brings tears to my eyes.

(Continued in Part 3)

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February 28, 2016 · 9:47 am

The Rumors of Larry’s Death Were Not Greatly Exaggerated (Part 1)

(Click on photo to enlarge)

(Click on photo to enlarge)

I began this series on January 10, 2015, but because nothing was moving forward for me, I placed it on hold. Now things are happening again. So, I’ve decided to rerun the earlier parts before I began anew. If you don’t want to wait, you can read the first ten parts in their entirety here.

 

“Well, what are your plans for your life?” asked Carol, my fiancee of just a few hours.

“I am going to start a large publishing company which will generate millions of dollars to help feed and care for the poor of the world,” I said without hesitation.

Carol giggled. “Sounds great, honey.”

This actual conversation took place sometime during the week of March 10, 1996. Carol and I had first met each other on the previous Friday, had our first date on the following night, and became engaged on that Sunday morning. We eventually communicated our dreams, our hopes, our middle names, and so forth on the fly as we planned for our wedding on April 5, 1996.

Now, let’s fast forward to the various times when we had no money to pay our car payments, our rent or house payments, our creditors, buy groceries, and whatever else over the last eighteen years. The conversations between Carol and me in the midst of our Dunkirk crises  generally followed along these lines:

“Larry, what are we going to do? We don’t have enough money to buy a cup of coffee, let alone make the house or car payment,” said Carol.

“I really don’t know,” I replied.

“Well, what do you know?”

“I know the Lord has called me to start a large publishing company which will generate millions of dollars to help feed and care for the poor of the world. So, that means the Lord has a way for us to survive this predicament.”

“O Lord, I’m married to a man who has no clue about the real world and has his head stuck in the sand!”

Yet, the Lord has always brought us through our valleys. It hasn’t always been textbook pretty, but we have survived.

The publishing company, LarryWho, is now alive and on the ground. Its first book, The Day LA Died, is off the printing presses and awaiting release right now. Everything seems to be coming up roses, right?

Maybe.

You see, this series came about because I decided to evaluate my publishing and book marketing qualifications at 3:15 this morning. And guess what? I am clueless. I laid in bed for forty-five minutes before deciding to get up and face my inadequacies.

I walked downstairs, fed the cats a few treats, and sat down, expecting to seek the Lord in my normal manner. But I couldn’t concentrate. So, I walked through the house praising the Lord.

As I praised Him, a revelation dawned on me:

When the Lord created the universe, how much input and advice did He need from me? How about when He set the sun, moon, and stars in place? Or the mountains and seas? Or man and the duckbill platypus? He accomplished it all without my help. Thus, why am I concerned about my lack of publishing and marketing qualifications? The Lord, my CEO, my Sales Manager, knows how to do it all. I need to trust Him to open doors and reveal each step of the journey.

So, this series will be about a blind pilgrim – me – fulfilling a dream of starting a large publishing company. Who knows? Maybe my journey will encourage you to do the same.

(Continued in Part 2)

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February 27, 2016 · 3:45 pm

“Prayer…Oh no! Has it Come Down to That?” (Part 6)

The above video demonstrates in just four minutes and nine seconds the single most important teaching on prayer. Just 4 minutes and 9 seconds. I repeat: just 4 minutes and 9 seconds.

…Most assuredly whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. (John 16:23)

(Continued in Part 7…if you’re interested, the full series to date can be seen here.)

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February 25, 2016 · 5:01 pm

Thursday’s Prayers for America (2/25/2016)

The first time I met Paul was in Louisville, Kentucky, over forty years ago. He was a salesman for Bristol Meyers and I was a salesman for Johnson & Johnson. We became instant friends.

In one of life’s many quirks, we both ended up moving to Iowa. He took over his father’s insurance brokerage in a small western Iowa town while I sold a farm publication to a company in Fort Dodge.

When I gave my life to the Lord on May 20, 1985, I couldn’t wait to tell Paul about Jesus. I told him about the Lord in phone conversations and on one visit. Yet, he seemed unfazed by my words.

That winter, my son played a sophomore basketball game at Sioux City Heelan High School. Paul and his family came to the game. He asked numerous questions about the Lord during the first half of the game. Both of us then filed out with the crowd at halftime and went to the restroom, which was filled with men.

Paul grabbed my shoulder in the restroom. “Why don’t I give my life to the Lord now?” he asked.

“Here? And now?” I said, looking at all of the men around us.

“Yes, right here and now,” he said.

There in the midst of twenty or so men, urinals, toilets, and sinks, I led my best friend to Jesus Christ. It may not have taken place at a church’s altar, but the results were still the same. Paul met the Lord and accepted Him as his Savior.

My prayer today:

Lord, help us American believers to overcome our fears so that we can obey Your commandment about going into all of the world to proclaim the gospel. (Based on Mark 16:15)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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February 23, 2016 · 12:08 pm

Tuesday’s Prayers for Prisoners (2/23/2016)

IMG_2179

 

My wife and I stopped supporting Gospel For Asia about eight months ago. We were the sponsors of eleven Bridge of Hope Children and one missionary at the time. I even wrote an article, Why I No Longer Support Gospel For Asia, which still receives clicks every week.

Although we now support a smaller missionary ministry in Asia, I still pray for the eleven kids, the missionary, the Gospel For Asia leaders, and other people at the ministry almost every day.

Why?

The worst words I have ever heard occurred on the morning of July 8, 1994, after praying on my knees for hours. The Holy Spirit whispered, “Son, you have been deceived.”

If I could have, I would have chosen to be stoned to death rather than hearing those words. You see, I knew the agony and shame I would have to walk through because of my deception. And then, there were the numerous people I had let down. I needed to face all of them.

Even twenty-two years later, I still shiver when I remember that morning.

Now, I don’t claim to know the answers for Gospel For Asia in their present trials, but I do know this: I’ve been there. Maybe I was a small-potato painting contractor rather than a mega-million dollar ministry, but I know a little bit about what it feels like and — it’s horrendous.

The one thing I wanted at the time was prayer.

My prayer for today:

Lord, I lift up Gospel For Asia to Your throne of grace, asking You to pour out Your mercy and grace on this ministry to help them now in their time of need. Send Your light and truth into their midst and let the two lead the ministry in the days ahead. (Based on Hebrews 4:16 and Psalm 43:3)

Join with me on Tuesdays to fast and pray for prisoners in Asia, according to Hebrews 13:3.

 

 Why Asia?

1. 4.4 billion people live in Asia.

2.. 85.4% of world’s unevangelized people live in Asia. (Unevangelized means they may have heard the gospel but have no understanding on how to respond.)

3. The world’s three largest non-Christian religions – Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhists – are based in Asia.

4. Of the 37 countries of the world that are less than 10% Christian, 32 are in Asia. Of the 14 countries, that are less than 2% Christian, 12 are in Asia.

5. 600 million people live in abject poverty in the slums of Asia.

6. 85-90% of unreached people live in Asia. (Unreached means that they have never heard the name of Jesus.) (Operation World: The Definitive Prayer Guide to Every Nation)

 

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February 21, 2016 · 10:46 am

The Search for One New Man (Part 1)

I hurried down West Broad Street in my Ford pickup truck, carrying Toyota parts to a mechanic who needed them right away. As I drove along, I had a graphic vision.

Do you remember iron lungs, which polio sufferers used during the 1950’s? They looked like large cylindrical metal tubes and encased polio victims, helping them to breathe via a pressurized airflow system. The bulky machines filled entire hospital wards during the height of the polio epidemics.

In my vision, the American church system was terminally ill. As a last ditch effort to save its life, the whole church system laid in a white iron lung, gasping for its every breath. The long power cord, attached to the rear of the unit, meandered itself through other electrical cords to a unique power source: money. The life support system was plugged into bags and bags of money.

I stared at the strange sight and then a thundering voice interrupted my thoughts.

“Pull the plug!” proclaimed the voice.

Carol and I prayed about my vision that night and felt we needed to leave the traditional church system right away.

Our decision to not attend churches sounds easy now, but at the time, it seemed like we were the only people in the whole nation walking away from churches. A little research on the Internet revealed hundreds of thousands of Americans had done the same thing over the last few years.

Still it was not easy to break our church attending habits. We were used to sitting in pews on Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, Wednesday evenings, and whenever the church doors opened.

A well-meaning pastor once took me aside and gave one of those lectures no one likes to hear.

“Larry, you need stability in your life and for your marriage,” he said, shaking his head at our nomadic life. “No one will ever take your prophetic ministry seriously if you don’t settle down. You need to settle in a city and find a good church to park yourself so others will take you more seriously. Please, seek the Lord on this advice.”

This vision blew any thoughts about obeying his words out of the water.

(Excerpt from The Hunt for Larry Who by Larry Nevenhoven, ©2014, Amazon eBook)

Here I am, almost sixteen years later, and like the U2 song, I still haven’t found what I’m looking for, but at least, I have a scriptural direction —

By abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace (Ephesians 2:15)

(Continued in Part 2)

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February 20, 2016 · 10:56 am

“Prayer…Oh no! Has it Come Down to That?” (Part 5)

"Stöwer Titanic" by Willy Stöwer.

“Stöwer Titanic” by Willy Stöwer.

On a winter day in the early 1970s, Marian was driving to Fort Dodge, Iowa, with four older women passengers in her auto. They had just attended a Charismatic meeting in Des Moines. The weather on their early morning trip had been cold and the highways were snow covered. The afternoon sun had eventually broken through the clouds to melt the snow and ice off the highways.

As Marian drove, she heard some terrible noises coming from the rear of her car. Oh no! She thought, I need to remove the snow chains on the back tires before they damage the car’s fenders.

She pulled the car off the highway onto the snow-covered shoulder. She got out and walked around to the rear passenger-side tire. There, she knelt down in the snow to unclamp the chain, but it was frozen. No amount of effort on her part could release the clamp.

“Father, I’m Your child. I’m cold and tired and I need Your help right now. Help me, Father, in Jesus’ name.”

The chain released itself into her hands.

She walked around to the other rear tire, knelt down, prayed the same prayer, and the frozen chain released itself into her hands.

Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:10)

We believers are privileged to come confidently to the throne of Grace in our time of needs to ask for the Father’s help. Yet, in doing so, we need to remember who He is – the Creator of the Universe – and who we are – His little children.

(Continued in Part 6…if you’re interested, the full series to date can be seen here.)

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February 19, 2016 · 10:31 am

“Are We There Yet?” (Part 18)

Have I ordered a kippa, shofar, tallit (prayer shawl), and other Jewish items for the upcoming feasts? No, I’m still a Gentile, learning about the Hebraic roots in Christianity.

Yet one interesting thing did happen this week:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3)

I have read this verse countless times without really seeing it, but three or four days ago, I read it and could not move pass it to the rest of the chapter. After meditating on the verse, I realized that I had no clue how to access our “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

Shouldn’t we be able to do so if we are in Christ?

I eventually read to the end of the chapter and hit another snag:

And He put all things under His feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church,which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:22-23)

The fullness of Him — isn’t this what we should be seeking?

You can see I’m faced with a few unanswered questions.

So, this will be the conclusion of my early journey into our Hebraic Roots because I will soon begin a new series about the one new man: combining the Jews and the Gentiles into one body.

(Conclusion…if you’re interested in this Hebraic Roots series, all of it to date can be seen here.)

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February 18, 2016 · 4:08 pm

Thursday’s Prayers for America (2/18/2016)

The movie, We Were Soldiers, stars Mel Gibson, Sam Elliott, and Greg Kennear. It tells the story about a battle, which took place in November 1965, during the Vietnam War.  Some 450 men of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, under the command of Lt. Col. Hal Moore, were dropped by helicopter into a small clearing in the Ia Drang Valley. They were immediately surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnamese soldiers.

In one specific movie scene, the 1st Battalion had been overrun by the North Vietnamese army. Soldiers were fighting in close-quarters, hand-to-hand, brutal fighting. Yet, in the midst of this battle, Joseph Galloway (Barry Pepper) who was a non-combatant newspaper reporter and neutral observer, lay on the ground, trying to protect himself from being killed.

Sergeant Major Basil Plumley (Sam Elliot) walked through the battle zone with a rifle in his hand and stood over Joseph Galloway. “You can’t take any pictures from down there, sonny,” said Plumley.

Galloway looked up. “I’m a non-combatant,” said Galloway.

Plumley tossed him the rifle and Galloway caught it.  “Ain’t no such thing today,” said Plumley as he turned around and walked away.

Galloway began firing the rifle at the enemy soldiers.

Like Galloway, this is where we Christians are in America right now.

My prayer today:

Lord, open the eyes of us American believers, help us to see that we are not waging a war according to the flesh in our nation and to understand that the spiritual weapons that You have supplied us have divine power to destroy strongholds. But we have to use them now if we want to make a difference! (Based on 2 Corinthians 10:3-4)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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February 16, 2016 · 11:01 am

Tuesday’s Prayers for Prisoners (2/16/2016)

 

Just when I think that I have China’s amazing Christian growth somewhat figured out, God throws a curveball into the mix. Who would have ever guessed that China’s state-controlled Three-Self Churches would undergo revival?

It wasn’t too long ago that I read Brother Andrew’s book, God’s Smuggler, for the first time and learned about the Three-Self Churches. All sermons were vetted by Communist leaders before pastors could preach them. No young people were allowed to attend services. So, only older people attended the services. Christians who met in underground churches, outside of the state-controlled Three-Self Churches, were branded outlaws.

Thus, the explosive Christian growth in China was through the heavily persecuted underground churches.

And now a revival is taking place in Three-Self Churches.

It sort of reminds me of the Charismatic Movement in the Roman Catholic Church which began at Notre Dame University and Duquesne University in 1967. The Pentecostals and other Charismatics were amazed that God’s Spirit could possibly enter Cathedrals and local parishes because they believed the buildings were religious deserts filled with pagans.

Yet, God moved and redeemed Catholics, not paying attention to our close-minded attitudes.

My prayer today:

Lord, forgive me for not believing that all things are possible with You. Therefore, I pray that you move camels through the eyes of needles in China and do other mind-blowing wonders which will cause us to be astonished at the depth of Your love for mankind. (Based on Mark 10:25-27)

What do you think and has the Lord spoken to you today?

Join with me on Thursdays to fast and pray for America.

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