Ron Hutchcraft Ministries - A Word from Ron Hutchcraft

Nate Saint, better than anyone else I know, may have captured Christmas from heaven's perspective. I've stood on that beach where Nate Saint, Jim Elliott, and the others died at the hands of the Aucas. But today, the men who murdered them are leaders of the Auca Church, and many, including me, were inspired by their example to serve Christ. On the eve of his last Christmas on earth, Nate Saint wrote his perspective on Christmas, and I can't get it out of my mind. I hope you won't either. I believe this is the heart of God about Christmas.

Years ago, God laid the desperate need of Native American young people on our hearts, and ever since we have been involved with some very special summers on reservations with our On Eagles' Wings teams. We have had moments of unforgettable joy - and some moments of pain and sorrow, too. One of the toughest of those moments was the summer when we heard about Johnny's sudden and tragic death. Johnny was a Lakota young man who we had worked with and had really come to love. In the providence of God, our team was headed for Johnny's reservation in South Dakota when we heard about his death. His parents actually delayed the funeral a couple of days so the On Eagles' Wings team could be there. His Mom said that some of the best days of his life had been with our team.

It was a great honor to be one of the 10,000 participants at Billy Graham's Amsterdam 2000 conference for evangelists. One Great Commission challenge I just could not get out of my mind that week: almost half the world is under 25 - three billion young people! That's why I was literally moved to tears by the way this historic conference ended. We heard the music of a choir of young people from 50 countries all in their native dress. It was really impressive. As 10,000 representatives of Jesus Christ joined in singing "Go Tell it On the Mountain," those young people carried the banner of the cross high above their heads, through the crowd, and out to a world that desperately needs Jesus.

They call it "Jubilee" and it appears to be unique to one place in the United States: Mobile Bay near Mobile, Alabama. For some unexplained reason, the creatures at the bottom of the bay suddenly become starved for oxygen and come to the surface. Suddenly, somewhere between midnight and dawn, there they are, within your reach: crabs, shrimp, flounder. It's seafood for the taking! People who live along the bay know there's no time to get ready for this opportune moment. When this incredible moment of opportunity suddenly comes, people all along the shore shout that exciting word that makes people drop everything - "Jubilee!"