Review
DrWaugh's account in "Looking to Jesus" demonstrates his passion and servanthoodlife, displayed in his calling from the pulpit to the Pacific and beyond. A STRONGLY recommended read.
--Romulo Nayacalevu, Fiji
Hereis a personal journey with reflections that will enrich the lives of allreaders - he was opened up to manyexciting new ventures in Australia and into countries where revival and renewalis vibrant, changing many lives. --Rev Dr John Olley
From the Author
My interest in revivals began when I wasyoung. I grew up in a loving family, theson of a Baptist pastor. My earliestmemories include drifting off to sleep under a blanket on the pew while my mumplayed the piano in church and listening to the young people sing around ourpiano in our home at my bedtime. Myparents dedicated me to God, as they did for all their children. They encouraged us to know and love the Bibleand the heroes of the faith. I devouredSunday School books and stories of John Bunyan, John Wesley, John Newton,William Carey, Florence Nightingale, David Livingstone, Mary Slessor, HudsonTaylor and scores more.
I am grateful for that grounding in evangelicalfaith, especially the truth of the Bible, which I believe now more stronglythan ever. However, when I later servedthe Lord as a minister in Australia and teacher in Papua New Guinea, I soon learnedthat our way of being the church carries a lot of cultural baggage. That may not be wrong - just limited. I could see the Church in the Pacific, livewith fresh faith, grappling with cultural and personal transformation, anddealing with the typical challenges of human relationships, which are part ofchurch life in any culture.
Bounding across the vivid green ridges andgorges of Papua New Guinea's highlands, I found a gem in Meg, my wonderfulwife, now in heaven. We were bothAustralian missionaries and brought our first child home to our bamboo andgrass house in the majestic highlands.We became grateful grandparents, proud of our extended family of threechildren and their children. Together wehave explored dynamic renewal and transforming revival.
The opportunity opened for me to work inthe Methodist and the Uniting Church in Australia as a Baptist minister. There I met many compassionate friends whoencompassed and encouraged a wide range of views. I am grateful for the experience gainedthere, mainly in innovative Christian Education ministries and creativetheological college teaching, as well as studying fearless missiology withFuller Theological Seminary in America.
During the 1970's, we encountered - or rather,were encountered by - the wave of renewal and revival. So I gathered reports on revivals. The church publishers produced a series of mystudy books, including Living in the Spirit and Church on Fire, whichexamine these vibrant, explosive developments.Our Baptist family was part of Wesley Methodist Church, which from 1977became Wesley Uniting Church in Kangaroo Point, Brisbane. There I assisted in a team ministry in atraditional morning service and a charismatic evening service that grewrapidly. I worked with dedicated layleaders of multiplying home groups and community houses to care for the growingcongregation. Our home was one of thosecommunity houses, with between two and eight others living with us for varyingperiods. Those lively days of renewaland revival challenged and changed us all.
Then we were part of Gateway Baptist Church inBrisbane which grew from 200 to 1200 in a decade from the mid-eighties, andlater with Kenmore Baptist Church, another contemporary and renewed church ofover 2,000 in Brisbane. There I told the leaders of the 6 a.m. daily prayergroup that I would join them if the Lord woke me. He did.Daily. I was surprised, and notalways enthusiastic to jump out of bed in the dark, cold winter mornings.
My work with various church traditions gave megreat scope for renewal ministry. Partof that ministry was leading the interdenominational Renewal Fellowship inBrisbane. I deeply appreciate thesupport and encouragement of that group, especially traveling as teams tovarious churches and to other countries.I'll always remember the June monsoon rains in Ghana that ceased on thefirst night of our open-air, combined-churches crusade there and began againthe day after our last meeting. I lovedteaching inaugural courses on the History of Revivals and on Signs and Wondersat the warmly hospitable Asian Theological Seminary in Manila in thePhilippines in their hot summer schools.Our mission teams trekked to dedicated little churches in the cities andvillages of Nepal, India and Sri Lanka where a bewildering array offaith-filled Bible Schools inspired us all.They ranged from small local church ones in Nepal and Sri Lanka to the600-student campus of the indigenous Indian Inland Mission near New Delhi inIndia.
In the nineties I began editing theinterdenominational Renewal Journal and we published 20 issues in a decade. They are now available on the web along with mission and publication news.
I taught at the School of Ministries atChristian Heritage College in Brisbane.The college offers degrees in ministry, education, social sciences,business and arts. Initially theyinvited me to write the submission for the government accredited Bachelor ofMinistry degree, and then I continued teaching there beyond being retired, orre-fired. Their School of Ministries isalso the Bible School for Christian Outreach Centre, an Australian revivalmovement with over 200 churches in Australia and more than 1400 in othernations.
Christians are one in Christ. That is a theological fact and eternalreality. As we rediscover that realitythrough repentance, reconciliation, unity and love, we also discover revivaltransformation. God honors his promisein 2 Chronicles 7:14: Ifmy people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seekmy face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and willforgive their sin and will heal their land.
From the Inside Flap
Review by Rev Dr John Olley, retired principal, Baptist TheologicalCollege in Perth, Australia:
Geoff Waugh's life and ministry has influenced people all around the world. Thestory of his life and ministry will be of interest not only to those who knowhim - you will find yourself reflecting on your own journey with Jesus.Beginning in Australia, then Papua New Guinea, his invited ministry in renewaland revival has involved every continent. While he has written "Flashpoints ofRevival"(recently updated) recounting revivals in the past three hundred yearsaround the world and many books of bible studies, this new book has a differentfocus, and it is an exciting and easy read. Geoff traces his journey fromstrong roots which remained the solid core of his life from childhood tomarriage to active retirement. Here is a personal journey with reflections thatwill enrich the lives of all readers. As he `looked to Jesus' along the way hewas opened up to many exciting new ventures in Australia and into countrieswhere revival and renewal is vibrant, changing many lives. Although abiography, many others are involved. Geoff's journey is like a rose bush withstrong roots and branches. He is one bud of many, opening into a beautifulbloom as he opened himself to God's leading into an exciting journey. Hisreflections fit naturally, showing how his personal journey has relevance forothers. A bonus is the appendix with full details of contents of his otherpublications.
Review by Romulo Nayacalevu, Christian leader in Fiji:
Dr Waugh's account in "Looking to Jesus" demonstrates his passion andservanthood life, displayed in His calling from the pulpit to the mountains andvalleys of the Pacific and beyond. His passion, zeal and commitment to theGospel make Him a true missionary to places where we wouldn't dare. I wouldrecommend this book to all, the story of a man who is truly sold out to HisKing and Master - the Lord Jesus Christ. Dr. Waugh's personal journey and convictionsis a testimony to people like me who are trying to be available to God's call.Dr Waugh remains a mentor and a friend and "Looking to Jesus" is the simplestway of describing Dr. Waugh's faith journey. His testimony will challenge usall about our priorities and the true meaning of obedience. A STRONGLYrecommended read.
Book information
This autobiography spans 70 years of involvement in ministry and mission,especially in the last 30 years of renewal and revival.
This is an Australian story, with global relevance. Accounts of renewal inAustralia and revival there and overseas fill the last two chapters, with a twochapters describing pioneering teaching in Papua New Guinea.
The author, a Baptist minister, worked with many denominations includingteaching Baptist ministry students in Papua New Guinea, and in Australiateaching Methodist and Uniting, Anglican and Catholic, and Pentecostalstudents. His revival experiences include teaching church and revival leaders in manycountries including in Africa, Asia, and the South Pacific.
From the Back Cover
Geoff Waugh surveys his journey into ministry in Australia, mission in Papua New Guinea, and discovering the dynamic impact of renewal and revival especially in Australia and the South Pacific. He describes his background in teaching and mission, and his discoveries of strong moves of God in many nations where he had the privilege of working with revival leaders.
About the Author
Geoff Waugh, born in 1937, is the eldest of his minister father's ninechildren and began teaching at 19 with a great class of 43 boys. Hethen completed theological college and taught in schools and BibleSchools in the highlands of Papua New Guinea, living mostly in bambooand grass roof houses, sometimes in villages. He married Meg, also ateacher, and their first child was born in the remote mission hospital. They returned to Australia, where two more children were born, and they lived mainly in Brisbane in an extended family community home linkedwith other community homes involved in renewal. Geoff taught on renewal and revival at Bible College, Trinity Theological College and Christian Heritage College.
Geoff enjoys travel. The family exploredIsrael for two months, based in Jerusalem and Tiberius on Galilee, andvisited the Sinai and Egypt, sailing on the Nile and climbing into theGreat Pyramid. Geoff and Meg toured Europe including visitingOberammergau for the Passion Play, and led mission teams to manycountries.
Geoff enjoys cross-cultural mission and taught on revivaland transformation to church leaders in Africa, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, the Philippines, China, and the South Pacific nations of theSolomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea.
Eightgrandchildren now enrich his life. Geoff lives with five of them andtheir parents in a large extended family home, designed and built by his son to accommodate two families plus a granny flat, and many visitors. They have hosted mission teams and church leaders from overseas. Three generations of them, father, son and grandchildren, have been onmission overseas together.
Geoff's books focus on renewal andrevival.including this autobiographical adventure, Looking to Jesus:Journey into Renewal and Revival.
![Journey into Renewal and Revival: Looking to Jesus by [Geoff Waugh]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/511rw7-YNKL._SY346_.jpg)
