July 15, 2026
Dear Friends,
This week, five men prayed with me according to the pattern of Luke 18:13 & Romans 10:9.
A young man, mid 20s, in the UK, wrote,
“Hi James! I struggle to be convinced by Jesus’ resurrection, could we organise a meeting or could you help me in any way?”
He has an education in movie production, but since COVID, that field has cratered. So he is presently working in a primary school. A very friendly young man who listened carefully and readily accepted the word of truth. He is being mentored by his associate now using “Growing in Christ”.
Acts 16:14 “One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God, and the Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.”
On the advice of wise counsel, over the next few weeks, I will be winding down most of the one-on-one appointments I had scheduled with seekers. I was getting overwhelmed by too many one-on-one appointments. Though I never mention it, in many of those scheduled meeting times, the seeker doesn’t show up at our agreed time, and I wait for up to 15 minutes. So it can really slice up an evening. I have declined many other activities over the years in order to attend these one-on-one meetings, so when they do not show up, it is troubling. I truly enjoy speaking one-on-one to share the gospel. It is my greatest joy in life. But I am getting overwhelmed by the level of interest.
Brandon set up a Webinar-based system, and I will hold two sessions per week, during which I can meet with several people at a time. It is not as personal as the one-on-one, but it is the only way to ensure my physical survival. This way, I can meet with people in small groups of 3 to 7, while the technology itself would permit meetings of hundreds. Also, if a person or two do not show up, the meeting can still ensue. So far, the meetings are held twice per week: on Saturdays at noon and again at 8 pm, so people can access them easily from anywhere in the world without work or sleep-time conflicts. We have held two such sessions, and while there are bugs to work out and refinements that we will make over the next few weeks, it is a far more efficient course. Additionally, others have signed up to serve as mentors, which was desperately needed.
The people below attended the webinar.
A Canadian videographer in his 40s wrote, in part:
“Hi Dr. Tour, Thank you for making time to meet with people who are genuinely searching. I’ve been wrestling with the physical resurrection of Jesus for quite a while. I’m hoping to better understand why you believe the resurrection is the best explanation and to ask a few honest questions if time allows.”
After the webinar, he wrote,
“Thanks so much for putting this together. I just finished your Zoom lecture today, and I really appreciate you taking the time to share your insight. I’ll be straight with you—I’ve been looking for a solid male mentor for over four years now. Hearing you talk about this program as a genuine labour of love really resonated with me. I’m genuinely motivated to learn and grow, and I’m excited about the possibility of working with someone experienced who can help guide me forward, both personally and spiritually. Thanks again to you and everyone who made this happen. Looking forward to connecting.”
Rice Broocks will assign the mentor for this Canadian seeker.
Hebrews 10:25 “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
Next was a man from Romania with many questions. He wrote, in part:
“Why is it that Jesus’ corpse was not simply revived, like Lazarus? Why the challenge of delayed recognition? Mary Magdalene thinks he is the gardener until he speaks her name: Mary (John 20:14 16). The two disciples on the road to Emmaus walk with him for a long time, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him until the breaking of bread (Luke 24:16, 30 31). The disciples by the Sea of Tiberias do not immediately know it is Jesus on the shore (John 21:4). I do have a hard time processing these evidences. Kind regards, _______.”
We met on the webinar. Again, it suffered from a lack of one-on-one interactions, during which I could not see his face, though he could see my face. After I presented the gospel, he acknowledged that he had prayed with me. He also asked this same question during the question-and-answer time. I cited the psychological study titled “Recognizing Familiar Faces Out of Context” (https://doi.org/10.1177/0301006620984326 ). Where unexpected faces are often not recognized, as would be Jesus after rising from the dead. And I mentioned other possible reasons: disfigurement from the scourging and crucifixion, as we know he still bore the wounds on his hands and side, and possibly the Lord needed to open the eyes of their hearts to recognize him.
Rice Broocks will assign the mentor for this Romanian seeker through one of his churches in Romania.
The next was a man who wrote,
“Hello, my friend sent me this video https://youtube.com/shorts/4n0LFx63A88?si=CQGkwzdNIgYVBLDw As a favor to him I am emailing you. Not fully sure what the challenge is all about. Look forward to hearing from you.”
After the webinar he wrote,
“I prayed along with you. and I will think about this for a while and chew on it. I don’t have any questions yet but will when with mentor.”
Chuck Lloyd will assign the mentor.
The last is a man in Nigeria who wrote, before the webinar:
“Why should I believe in the resurrection of Jesus?”
Post webinar, he indicated that he prayed along with me, and he wrote:
“the mentorship and training would go a long way sir.”
Rice Broocks will assign the mentor for this Nigerian seeker through one of his churches in Nigeria.
Like always, I taught them how to read slowly, prayerfully, and pensively, staring in the Gospel of John. Every morning for 15 minutes. Every morning, not just 3 days per week. We also followed that up with these same instructions in writing sent to each man. Mentors are assigned to all to get them started in one-on-one Bible studies.
Understandably, the acceptance rate for the webinar system is not yet as high as that for one-on-one meetings. So we need to refine the webinar format and strike a balance among several factors for the group sessions: privacy, the ability for them to speak rather than just type questions, the need to protect the identities of those logging in from persecuting countries, and my ability to reach the many that seek to hear from me about the message of Jesus without my getting wiped out (I have a few other day-jobs). So, as Brandon learns the capabilities of the commercial webinar system, may the Lord provide wisdom so we know how best to move forward. Please pray that the Lord provides wisdom and an anointing on those webinar times so that many will be saved.
Lord, I pray, give us the creativity of Bezalel in using the technology, and the passion of Paul for the lost.
While the gospel message will never change! Sinners are saved through the death of the Son of God and his resurrection from the dead. Glorious Jesus!
Romans 10:1 “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.”
God bless,
Dr. James Tour
