PatrickMead.net

Ah, Jeeze, I did it again. Over the weekend in Tulsa there were times I retreated to my hotel room, soaked to the skin, freezing, and swearing I would not emerge again until Spring… or until I had to speak again.
The wireless connection at Courtyard wasn’t the fastest… and excuse me while I go on [...]

It started as a small protest a few years ago, finally surfacing in the media less than two months back. Now, a serious subcurrent has been spotted: de-baptism.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090330/lf_afp/lifestylebritainreligionatheismfeature
On one level, this is a movement against being baptized without your consent. It began as a man — an atheist — wanted to cut his ties to [...]

I am one tired puppy! This morning, I spoke at Memorial Drive. Terry Rush spoke at the first service and after an hour of fellowship (they canceled classes) I spoke for the second. The crowd was VERY receptive and kind. I probably spoke to people for 45 minutes after the end of services. Then… I [...]

Wow. Last week, when I printed out both weather.com and accuweather.com’s forecast for this area, they averaged out at somewhere in the high 50s. When I got here, it was 43 and very rainy. Then the high winds came. At first, they said Saturday would be dangerous everywhere with about 8 inches of snow in [...]

I was wondering what the brutal weather and the crashing economy would do to the Tulsa Workshop but I needn’t have worried. The crowds seem to me to be as large as they were last year. They are certainly receptive and ready to move beyond our traditional ways of doing evangelism. At least ten came [...]

I don’t Twitter — that kind of constant interruption just wouldn’t work for the life I lead, but I will try to put one or two blogs up a day about the Tulsa Workshop (technically, the International Soul Winning Workshop).
Flying in yesterday was uneventful. Other than some turbulence as we landed, there was no drama. [...]

Yesterday was one of those wonderful days in ministry that leaves you with a bittersweet taste in your mouth. Out of the blue came a personal letter addressed to me at the church. It was shaped like a card and, yes, a card was inside along with a letter… and an obituary. A member of [...]

Our series on addictions wraps up tomorrow night. Due to budgetary problems our expert, Dr. Sally Gary, isn’t being brought into town which means we can’t borrow her for that discussion. As the senior minister, I have to step up and teach it in her place. Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of experience treating [...]

Don McLaughlin preached our first service and will preach our second one in about 35 minutes. He, as always, brought the Word to life in new and powerful ways. This weekend at Rochester has been amazing. Hundreds of kids were here for our youth rally, Illuminate, and we packed the house for concerts, worship, prayer, [...]

This is the weekend for our big youth rally at Rochester. Don McLaughlin is coming in to be the keynote speaker. I’ve known Don for about as long as I’ve been back in America. He and I were both speakers at a singles’ retreat years ago. When we got there — both of us men [...]