In the 16th-century John Knox prayed,"Lord, give me Scotland or I die!"  The Lord granted his request, and the Church of Scotland experienced a mighty renewal.

 

With a similar prayer on his lips and in his heart, Pastor Morris Vaagenes came to North Heights Lutheran Church with a deep desire for God's touch on the community and people he was called to serve.  "Oh Lord, give me North Heights, or I die!" was his heartfelt request, and God responded, sending renewal and revival to this spiritually hungry Twin Cities congregation.

 

Church on Fire! is the miraculous story of how the Lord Jesus Christ responded to one pastor's prayer, sending His Holy Spirit and fire to transform a congregation--beginning with the Pastor Vaagenes himself.  it is an inspiring and challenging account of how those flames of revival fanned out to consume indivicuals, families, congregations, and communities--for an ever-increasing spiritual renewal that continues to this day.

 

Many Christians are asking in this day and age, "Can the church be revived?"  The answer is a resounding YES!, as Morris Vaagenes discovered when he turned his whole heart toward seeking God's touch on his life and the life of the people of North Heights.

 

 

Dr. Morris Vaagenes is Pastor Emeritus of North Heights Lutheran Chruch, Arden Hills & Roseville, MN; Senior Pastor of Lutheran Church of the Master, Brooklyn Center, MN.  He received his BA from Augsburg College, MDiv at Augsburg Seminary, MTh & DMin from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN.  He attended Sorbonne University, Paris, France, the University of Minnesota, and is a former missionary to Madagascar.

 

 

Publisher:  Renewal International
ISBN:  978-1-60702-324-1
Copyright:  © 2008 by Morris Vaagenes
Format:  trade paperback
Pages:  xi + 206 pages

 

Pastor Morris Vaagenes, coming upon his 80th year of dedicated Christian life, recently became the Senior Pastor at the church where my husband and I attend. Never having attended a large church in my life and knowing that Dr. Vaagenes had pastored not only a large church, but a HUGE church with multiple locations, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.

 

If you have never attended a mega church, or if you have become jaded by all those television preachers that seem to only what your money (though not all preachers on TV are in this category), you are in for a big wonderful surprise. This book is not about how to grow a mega church as much as it is about a life dedicated to our glorious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is about a human being not afraid to get down on his knees and beg for deeper faith, the Holy Spirit, and understanding. It is about celebrating what God has done, and about a man who needed to get out of the way so that God could do HIS work.

 

Morris began life in Madigascar, with his parents who had come from Norway through America as missionaries. He went about life with his brother, Carl, speaking Malagasy in everyday life, English at home, and praying in Norwegian. He has spoken to large crowds, seen the miraculous wonders of the Holy Spirit in real life, and still desires to serve--when others would have stepped down to relax and enjoy. You will read about being sustained in sorrow, turning to God in loneliness, and be encouraged to stay the course and serve the One Lord and Master of all, the GREAT I AM.