FOREWORD
by Paul Johansson

Revival means different things to different people. In this book my friend, Ron Burgio, links revival to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as in Acts 2, with signs following. Revival has been called renewal, even restoration. The songwriter of old said it well when he wrote, "Revive us again. Fill each heart with Thy love. May each soul be rekindled with the fire from above." Revival can be the breathing of new life into that which is stagnant or fresh winds of the Spirit, or even cold water on the lips of the weary traveler. That which brings freshness and wholeness and with it nourishes one's Spirit has revival written all over it.

Before I proceed with my personal remarks on this book, let me relate to the reader my heartfelt appreciation for the author and his wife, Judy. Ron and Judy have been friends of my wife and I for the past 25 years. I have watched their growth as a family and maturing in the ministry. I am reminded of the words of Jesus to Nathaniel, "Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile." What you see is what you get. Although Ron writes from his heart, it comes from spending time in prayer and the Word, searching for confirmations for each experience. I am deeply humbled by this opportunity to comment on his personal and spiritual pilgrimage.

For myself, having been exposed to the Latter Rain Movement in 1949 and the 50's, the Jesus people in the 60's, the Charismatic movement in the 70's, and fresh waves since that time, I looked cautiously at the "renewal" of the 90's. When I saw the genuineness and balance in what God was doing with Pastor Ron and his church, Love Joy Gospel Church in Buffalo, it helped me to sort out the "phony" from the genuine. I am grateful for Ron's 20 untiring effort to stay the Scriptural course in the midst of uncharted seas.

When the winds of revival sweep through a church the "wind blows where it wants." I recognize that the wind is not given for direction, but for propelling. When these winds blow, there can be both reactions and responses to such outpourings. This is an account of the one church and its experience with "strange or unusual" manifestations. The sum total is that the church is now more united, loving, hungry, and missions minded. Revival is not the end result; it is the fresh impartation of the energy of the Spirit into a congregation so that it may move forward towards its God-given, unique destiny. This takes a very steady hand on the rudder of the ship so that even contrary winds can be used to bring the ship to its desired haven. Ron has shown himself a real helmsman.

Spiritual balance is not one event or another, but the total result of a conscious pursuit of Jesus as the Baptizer, who has fresh baptisms. We have been admonished by Paul to be "filled with the Spirit." This is both personal and corporate. Indeed this book, in which Ron makes himself transparent, can give the reader a renewed passion for the freshness of the Holy Spirit. This book is not written as a manual for revival, but does provide some guidelines so that in the midst of the "mighty rushing wind" the ship moves forward into calm waters and is not driven into the rocks. Many who have missed this truth have found shipwreck, even though the wind was divine.

Take time to prayerfully meditate on this personal challenge to all of us — God has more, more than we could ask or think. May we never limit the Holy One of Israel.

Paul Johansson, Chancellor, Elim Bible Institute, Lima, NY