In his words: Ramesh Richard May update | May 30, 2019

Dear praying friends,

We know/love/believe/follow a God who is personal, who did not sit in His heavens and merely prescribe (cf. the God of other monotheisms), but who personally entered the crux of the human situation.

It was this crucified (crux is Latin for cross) Savior whom we recognized through 14 stations of the Via Crucis at an evangelical Anglican congregation and through the 15th station, His Resurrection, at an evangelical Lutheran sunrise service. Indeed, this was the only personal message we could send to our Family lost in the Sri Lanka Easter Sunday terrorist devastation. Let me know if you wish to receive a copy of a letter I wrote to a distraught believer there.

Last month was great, for it had no travel, at least not international travel. On my day-visit to Savannah, Georgia, to minister to the 88-year-old, most influential pastor in my life, he ministered to me instead. His son was killed in a bomb attack in Afghanistan earlier this year, and he himself fell, breaking the right side of his face. Still, he assured me that “old age is doable!” :-)

When I am in Dallas, numerous ministry and mentoring opportunities present themselves. Younger men drop in for guidance and older men say they were decisively influenced in the style and structure of their ministries—including Dr. Celestin Musekura of ALARM and Dr. Stuart Briscoe of Telling the Truth. God uses us in humanly unplanned ways for eternal effect.

Global Proclamation Academies (GProAcademies) in Panama and Indonesia were accomplished by colleagues. I also recorded five pre-evangelistic talks for LifeRocks, our short-format monthly videos, around the theme of “de-cluttering” life, mind, heart and soul through the One who is our Peace-mover and Peace-giver.

And best of all, I concluded a Dallas Seminary semester on Cross Cultural Apologetics and Worldview Evangelism with a fine set of eager students about the ages of my kids!

Please pray for the 28 pastoral leaders from 28 countries we currently anticipate coming to the June Dallas GProAcademy. Hope you can be our guest at their graduation dinner on June 29, or really at any of our open events. You will rejoice at what God through your personal prayer support does to maximize my proclamation globally and multiply their proclamation locally. Thank you as always.

P.S. Please keep interceding for rooms for the GProAcademy pastors at Dallas Seminary—we need four more. I would also appreciate prayer as I prepare my graduation dinner talk.

Received: April 29, 2021

Action across Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe | May 21, 2019

Dear praying friends,

In brief:

Praise God for opportunities to proclaim the Lord Jesus in Albania and Rwanda.

Praise God for the completion of national Global Proclamation Academies (GPA) in Panama and Indonesia (pastor's wives and women).

Praise God for 27 pastors with visas planning to attend the 2019 Dallas GPA.

Pray for the newest LifeRocks outreach video release.

Pray for the RREACH board of directors.

The bigger picture:

A GPA Indonesia attendee studies Dr. Ramesh Richard's seven-step method for preparing an expository sermon.

God granted Dr. Ramesh Richard many wonderful opportunities to proclaim the Lord Jesus on his recent trip to Albania and Rwanda. Albania was the first nation to declare atheism as its authorized religion, though it is now officially a secular state. Dr. Richard spoke to pastoral leaders there and at a private outreach event with about a 60 percent atheist and M*sl*m  audience.

Rwanda is solemnly observing the anniversary of the horrific genocide there 25 years ago. Dr. Richard ministered multiple times to both national and church leaders. Please pray that God’s Word will reach widely and deeply in these countries as a result.

We’re thanking God for the completion of national GPAs in Panama and Indonesia (pastor's wives and women) this month. Pray for attendees to apply what they learned. Also pray for the funding to continue to make these GPAs possible.

God has blessed us with 27 pastors who have visas and wish to attend this year’s Dallas GPA. Praise Him! Please continue to pray for provision for them and us as well as for our preparation process. We all encounter practical challenges and spiritual opposition in a greater way during this time. Your prayer makes a difference.

We would also appreciate your prayer for the newest LifeRocks video, released last week. Pray that many pre-Christians will watch it and pursue learning more about the Lord Jesus.

Finally, please uphold the RREACH board of directors, which met recently. Pray that their every discussion and decision will strengthen Dr. Richard’s and RREACH’s proclamation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you!

Received: April 29, 2021

In his words: Ramesh Richard April update | April 24, 2019

Dear praying friends,

“There by the grace of God, go I” well captures my sentiment, more so than the also true “there but for the grace of God, go I!” I never want to overlook the grace that carries and covers me all over the world and brings me back each time.

By God’s grace, I was carried on airlines you’ve likely not heard of: Spicejet, Druk Air,  Malindo Air and Qatar Airlines on a recent five-country, 15-day trip. It started with about 200 church leaders in a remote South Asia area, the gateway to the next two countries.

In the next country, I secretly visited our Lord’s family of 75 on a Sunday morning and with 10 thoroughly committed pastors at night. In Nepal, I publicly shared God’s Word with over 1,000 greatly enthusiastic leaders. They currently have the highest church growth rate in the world.

Then it was on to Malaysia for executive ministry meetings as a follow up to a “SWOT” exercise where our global staff had to each identify about 100 strengths, 50 weaknesses, 25 opportunities and 10 weaknesses of RREACH! A ministry directorate will oversee and implement what we discern as priorities for programs, funding, timing.  A day-long pastoral visit to nearby Singapore with weakening old(er) friends finished out the grace-filled trip.

At home, the month began with a group of about 50 grace-filled friends over a day of spiritual and strategic deliberation. What do the final two years of our decade-long human capital campaign (RREACHABLE 2010 – 2020) look like? And what about the next decade, too? 2022 and 2028 seem to be key marker moments according to … you guessed it … grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that is greater than all our sins—and plans.

Dallas Theological Seminary, too, is a grace-filled institution. In teaching the spiritual life course, I emphasize that DTS’ unique contribution to the subject is grace. I was recognized for 35 years of faculty service. I used to be the youngest ever on the faculty, once, long ago!

You, too, are a marker of God’s grace in my life. Your grace-based prayer carries and covers this servant’s ministry. Thank you for exhibiting the grace of praying, even as I continue in the grace of serving the One who died and rose again for us to ground grace into daily living.

Received: April 29, 2021