Dear Friends,
During the Napoleonic Wars, a British captain pushed his ship and crew to extremes in pursuit of a much larger war vessel. Russell Crowe played Captain Jack Aubrey in the movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003).
The story was set in 1805, and Captain “Lucky Jack” had been
ordered to sink or capture a French ship that was faster and better
armed. The mission seemed impossible at times: One ship, 197 men,
4,500 miles from home, no retreat. But the captain successfully rallied
his loyal crew. Together they sacrificed, fought, and savored victory, but not until
they persisted much longer and farther than originally planned.
Two centuries later, this ministry of ours has its own Master and commander. Our Lord and Master steadily guides Jeff, our commander who succeeded Zola at the helm. Jeff has charted an ambitious course of spiritual warfare and has waylaid our satanic enemy, despite the choppy economy. Rather than firing cannonballs at a nearby adversary, we engage in nationwide and intercontinental warfare via the airwaves. We’ve launched a remarkable array of fresh, new Bible teaching, harnessing the tremendous firepower of broadcast and network television plus the Internet.
As we Believers march toward the Battle of Armageddon, let’s celebrate our ministry’s conquests during this past tumultuous year. And let’s pause and reflect on the opportunities that lie in our warpath during the year ahead:
More new television programs. We broadcast thirty-four first-run editions of Zola Levitt Presents during 2009 and only eighteen reruns. Our stations and networks know they can trust us to provide a substantial proportion of new programs of superior quality.
Enhancements to our TV production quality, including:
Expansion into new frontiers including the most popular social Internet pages—Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Twitter—for distribution of Zola Levitt Presents to younger, higher-tech types.
More missionaries to Israel. During our March, June, and October 2009 Holy Land tours, we sent fifteen To The Jew First missionaries to Israel, up from eight the previous year. You will continue seeing their reports in the Levitt Letter.
New time-sensitive television programs. (No, this and item 1 are not
redundant.) Jeff and our camera crew returned to Israel to top off our arsenal of
new television programming with eight stand-alone, on-location interview shows.
The TV series mentioned above are worthy of rerunning, but these up-to-the-minute
individual programs will allow us to space out those reruns, thus pleasing
our viewers and broadcasters with a variety of
short subjects. These programs are captivating
and worthwhile in numerous ways.
Back to the movie Master and Commander. France’s ship, the Acheron, suddenly charged from behind heavy fog and ambushed Captain Jack’s ship, the HMS Surprise.The thrashing was severe, with the HMS Surprise suffering numerous cannonball holes, a fractured mainmast, torn sails, and many casualties. (Watching the movie and seeing the sailors’ blood wash about the deck reminded me of this ministry’s fiscal red ink.)
Rather than retreat homeward for a total overhaul and rest for the sailors, Captain Jack undertook the repairs at sea and pressed on. En route, he submitted to a persistent request from the ship’s doctor, a dear friend and advisor, to linger in the Galapagos Islands for some biological research. They happened to discover a stick bug and noted how well it cloaks itself when stalking its prey. The concept of luring the unsuspecting inspired Captain Jack to devise a method for duping the Acheron into lowering its defenses and falling prey to his surprise attack.
And what a decisive victory it was!
The movie offers an exhilarating analogy to our ministry’s present-day voyage. Jeff is our Captain Jack. (As this ministry’s business manager, I’m primarily charged with administration, equivalent to propulsion, like Scotty in the engine room of the Starship Enterprise.) Rather than the Acheron, our adversary is Satan and all the torpedoes (distractions) that he fires at ministry workers, our supporters, and the multitudes of others who seek to be fed with our teaching. Though it might seem prudent to compromise our mission by broadcasting more reruns, doing that would be comparable to a warship retreating homeward.
Winning spiritual battles often requires taking chances. So does competing against infomercials and other paid television programming. Failing to maintain both the quantity and quality of Zola Levitt Presents would compromise our mission, so we forge ahead into uncertain seas, in our Master’s control. Considering our year of incredible productivity, most would agree that we abided the sentiment “Damn the torpedoes; full speed ahead!”*
Now I’m asking for redoubled support from you and the rest of this ministry’s supporters—but not from those who’ve been financially disabled by the recent economic downturn. Captain Jack’s injured crew members were allowed to rest while those who remained able-bodied fought with increased determination.
Our ministry’s stewardship remains transparent as we offer free copies of our independently audited financial statements. Our efficiency is intact—there is no better way to reach millions of people with Bible lessons filmed in Israel than with television and the Internet. The Levitt Letter news magazine remains free, going to tens of thousands of households and, believe it or not, seventeen hundred (1,700!) prisoners. That aspect of our ministering alone makes us a formidable prison ministry. Our website at www.levitt.com offers free archives of our newsletters and television programs (over 350 videos!), a chat room and discussion board, and more detailed information about our correspondence course.
We still offer tours to Israel three times per year. Imagine the increased vitality
of your Christian walk in 2010 were you to graduate from our Institute of Jewish-Christian
Studies and take a study tour of the Holy Land! In March, our Deluxe
Tour will travel from the 14th through the 24th, and those adding the extension to
Petra will return on the 28th. Our Summer Discovery Tour of Israel is set for June
13–23. Our fall tour’s four options are the Israel Deluxe Tour, Israel plus Petra,
Israel plus Athens, and Israel plus Petra and Athens.
Our groups will depart on October 12 and 17 and
return on October 27 and 31. Please contact Tracie in
our office at (214) 696-9760 for a travel folder.
Abraham obeyed God to the point of sacrificing his only son. Then the sacrificial ram caught in the thicket was revealed to Abraham. Captain Jack submitted to the heartfelt request of his ship’s physician. As a consequence, the tactic was revealed that led the captain to achieve his ship’s mission. Now our ministry has stepped out in faith to preserve the integrity of its mission. Please pray that God will reveal soon His affirmation that our work continues to meet His approval.
Jeff, our production crew, and I are already inspired for television production in 2010 to include a modern-day examination of Persia in prophecy that will feature insights from the Book of Esther. Then, resources permitting, we could create a series on the Messianic Jewish Revival as evidence that the Great Commission is occurring more intensely today than ever. Thanks once again for the role you play as one of our sailors while we fish for men.
In His service,
Mark Levitt
P.S. Just as the HMS Surprise was outsized by the Acheron, our ministry’s Bible teaching may seem outmatched by the mass media’s secular agenda. But thanks to television, the Internet, and direct mail, we can reach and enrich just about anyone who hungers for our message.
*“Damn the torpedoes” was first uttered by U.S. Navy Admiral David Farragut duringthe Battle of Mobile Bay, in the American Civil War. When Farragut ordered his fleet to charge the bay, one ship struck a mine. The others began to pull back, but Farragut insisted they charge, and all of the other ships entered the bay for victory.
Dear Mark,
I like comparing the ministry’s aggressive quest with that of the HMS Surprise in Master and Commander. You have my allegiance as a prayer warrior.
“Here is my gift for January. Please use it as the Lord directs, whether for producing TV programs (cannonballs) or buying airtime (gunpowder) to broadcast them.”
Passage-by-passage exposition of Jesus’ principal teachings is brought to life through on-location production with real-world re-enactments, all performed on location by Israelis.
A unique blend of Jewish and Christian perspectives, this self-paced program brings the seminary to you. Each course is designed to be completed in about a month.
