“Just be patient. I’ll get to the signs shortly, but let me finish about 1995. When I do, I’ll give you the most important sign of all.”

He looked at his watch, then stood up. “We’ll talk some more over lunch. Maria, my housekeeper, should have it ready. I hope you like Mexican food. Oh, and bring the Bibles with you!”

They went outside to a covered patio. The smell of wood smoke from distant forest fires was heavy in the air. As they sat down to a lunch of flour tortillas, rice, black beans, and chicken, John Edwards bowed his head. The others followed suit. “Lord, we smell the smoke arising from the tragedy. We pray for protection for the survivors and comfort to those who are grieving. Please, Lord, bless this food and our fellowship, and, Father, please help us to fulfill the purpose that You intended when You kept us all alive. Amen.”

John Edwards looked up and smiled at his guests, “Before we begin, let me introduce my wonderful housekeeper and Christian sister, Maria. Maria is a Mexican citizen who has lived around here for the past forty years. She never bothered with all the formalities of the immigration laws, so I guess she’s technically an illegal, but that doesn’t keep her from being a great cook and friend.”

“Maria,” he said, introducing her to the new arrivals, “mia hermana, estos son mis amigos y hermanos de Albuquerque y de Los Angeles.”

Maria smiled broadly. “Bienvenidos,” she said, welcoming the guests. “Con mucho gusto, señores,” she said with a smile, then left them to their discussions.

Charley, Dave, Carl, and Lori, who had not eaten since breakfast early that morning, were more than ready for lunch. As they devoured the well-prepared meal, Jack renewed the previous discussion.

“By 1995, I was only one of many people around the world who sensed the urgency of the times. It was spontaneous. In Asia, in Africa, in Latin America, in Europe, in North America, small groups, then multitudes of people, began to pray. Christian leaders began to fast for revival.”

Between bites of a tortilla, Lori asked, “What exactly is revival? I mean, what does it really mean to have a revival?”

“Revival literally means ‘life again.’ Real revival comes when God Himself becomes a living reality to His people, not just something they read about in a book. When there’s revival, Christian people begin to live like God is real for today. When they do that, God pours His power through them, and non-Christians turn to Him in droves.”

“Did such a thing happen after 1995?” Carl asked, as he cut into the chicken.

“Carl, it was incredible! Students in evangelical schools in the United States were gripped by such a powerful sense of God’s presence that they stayed up all night praying and confessing their sins.