Something earth shaking is being MADE IN CHINA -- a revival of powerful, passionate, life-changing, holy-living, self-sacrificing, aggressive Christianity. Experts say that China is on the verge of emerging as one of the dominant Christian nations in the world.

In 1949, just before the Communists took over China, the population was about 550 million people. There were very few Christians in China then -- about 3 million Roman Catholics and less than 750,000 Protestants.

In the book, Jesus In Beijing, former Time magazine bureau chief in Beijing, David Aikman, reports that today there are 12 million Roman Catholics in China, 15 million in the 3 Self Patriot Church (the official state church), and more than 55 million people in the underground house church movement. That is a total of 82 million Christians now in China, a 2,000% increase since 1949. During that time the population of China only grew a little more than 100%.

This tremendous growth of passionate Christianity in China has occurred under some of the worst persecution of Christians in history and has created a body of Christians willing to greatly sacrifice to share their faith.

The informal house church movement (55 million strong) has issued a "Back To Jerusalem" (BTJ) call to its members. BTJ is a call for the Chinese Church to preach the Gospel and begin groups of believers in all the towns, cities, ethnic groups, and countries between China and Jerusalem.

Currently the BTJ movement in China has 100,000 missionaries ready to go. They believe that at least 1 in 10 of them will be martyred (murdered for their faith in Jesus). These Chinese missionaries are sacrificing everything to seek to evangelize some world's most unreached areas for Christianity. (From the book Be A Hero by Wesley Campbell & Stephen Court).

MADE IN CHINA. The next time you read those words, remember what God is making in China -- a supernatural explosion of bold, compassionate Christianity!

One of my favorite sayings is: "Things turn out the best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." Here is an example.

A little boy was playing on the sidewalk with only one roller skate. He was having a great time using his one solitary skate like a scooter or like a skate board.

A pessimist walked by and growled at the little guy: "You're supposed to have two skates, not one!"

The boy smiled and said: "I know I should have two skates, but one's all I got, and I can still have a whole lot of fun with just one. Watch me!" The boy scooted off, enjoying his solo skate, and leaving the pessimist alone in his misery.

Regardless of economic news, you can have a lot of fun daily if you will avoid negative thinking and self-destructive behavior and make the best of the way things turn out for you.

A friend of mine, Jerry, once told me about an experience he had with a never-give-up optimist in Paducah, Kentucky. He got on an elevator at Lourdes Hospital and as the door closed he noticed that he was alone with an elderly man.

Jerry said the fellow looked emaciated, like a POW. He was slumped over in a wheelchair, about to fall out and had an IV in his arm. To Jerry, the man was so thin and frail that he looked like he was about to die.

As the elevator door closed, the man began to hum a cheerful tune and Jerry said to him: "Good morning, Sir."

The fellow cheerfully replied: "Good morning to you, too, Sonny!"

Jerry responded: "You must be doing all right today."

The never-give-up optimist said: "You bet, Sonny, I can sit up and take nourishment

I was born with an orientation against instructions. Who needs them? (I had a VCR once that flashed "12:00" for years because I wouldn't read the instruction booklet.)

Those little manuals and pamphlets and charts just get in the way. "Put bolt B into the hole in part A and part C and attach with nut G." Now that's not cool at all. It is confining, narrow minded, and old fashioned!

Who has the right to dare to tell us that there is only one correct way to assemble a product? Isn't it every person's right to assemble things the way she or he chooses? Instructions are intolerant of my preferences.

And what about all those judgmental building inspectors who tell people that they didn't put their plumbing in the right way or that their wiring isn't up to code? Don't they know that a building code is nothing but tradition, superstition, and judgmentalism?

Everyone is smart enough and has a right to make her or his own codes and rules and instructions. If she is comfortable with her wiring and plumbing, those intolerant inspectors should show some love and leave her alone.

Whew. When you look at it that way, much of today's anti-morality doesn't make sense, does it?

B. roamed around the country for many years, drinking and using drugs. Once he was sleeping in the woods in Mississippi and heard noises. He looked in that direction and saw a group of white men lynch two black men. Fortunately they never saw, B.

Another time B. was hitch hiking and was offered a ride with a group of men who were riding in the back of a pick up truck. As the truck was going full speed down the highway, the men began to rough B. up and to pelt him with racial insults. Then they wrapped him in a blanket and threw him off the speeding truck.

After years of wandering, homelessness, and addiction, B. checked himself into a Christian rehab. He has now been clean and sober for three years by the power of Jesus Christ. B. is an awesome individual who has a wonderful attitude. He is also a powerfully inspiring singer.

D. was also a drug user. She was hooked on heroin. After years of despair and hopelessness someone told her about Teen Challenge, so she went through the program and encountered Jesus Christ. Today D. has a wonderful family and is one of the most inspiring speakers I have ever heard. D. has been clean and sober for 20 years.