Contents

Introduction

1    Take Inventory of Your Soul

2    Become Pregnant With a Vision

3    Birth and Secure Your Dream

4    Believe, Receive, Conceive

5    Know the God of Peace

6    Pray for Peace

Introduction

For some time now I have been doing a lot of soul-searching. As I do so, I often concentrate on the crossroads, the intersection, the changing of the guards in which the Church of Jesus Christ is currently engaged.

I am fascinated with the transition that is occurring before our very eyes. So many profound, historical, prophetic things are taking place. I believe you sense it too.

Everywhere I go people tell me that they are discerning that there is something in the air. Something new and fresh. Something unusual is happening. We in the Church are pregnant with revival.

I'm thankful for this revelation. I have been praying and travailing for months to birth this baby. In these pages I would like to share with you how to conceive and give birth to your own "baby"—your own God-given vision—so that there might truly be peace on earth and that your joy might be full.

1

Take Inventory of Your Soul

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

Luke 2:1-3

A census really refers to an assessment or enrollment, or, as I would say, an inventory.

Here in the second chapter of Luke, we see that the Roman emperor Augustus wanted to know how many people there were in the empire. He sought this information for two reasons.

First, the government needed to know how many men were available to serve in the Roman army.

The second reason was for tax purposes. The Jews could not enlist in the Roman legions; it was illegal for them to serve the emperor in this way. So the census of the Hebrews was made primarily to determine if they were paying their taxes, their dues to live in the Roman Empire.

Spiritual Birth Certificate

I would like now for you to take a spiritual look at this same principle. Take a personal inventory of your life. Are you really enrolled in the Body of Christ? Is your name listed on the records of citizenship? Can you remember when you were born into the Kingdom?

Can you remember being born again? Can you recall receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost?

I have been doing some intense soul-searching and self-examining. I know that I am saved, but I want to remember the very day that my name was written in the Lamb's Book of Life. I want my spiritual birth certificate to show the world that I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God.

Take Inventory of Your Soul

Everyone Went Home

Notice what Luke says in verse 3:

And everyone went to his own town to register.

How do you register as a citizen? How do you get a copy of your birth certificate? You must go back where you began, back to your roots, back to your humble beginning. You must go back to the country, state, or city of your birth.

In ancient times this was quite a problem because there were so few written records, if any. They didn't have modern birth certificates as we do today. This was true even fifty years ago in parts of the United States, particularly in some rural areas. Children were born without any record at all being made of their birth— except perhaps in the family Bible.

For such people to get a birth certificate, they have to find someone who was present at the time, someone to testify of their birth.

That's one reason we have baby dedications in many of our churches today. We like for parents and members of the church to be witnesses, to observe and see, to remind that child of the day he was dedicated to the Lord. When he has reached the age of accountability, he must make the decision for himself whether or not he will serve the Lord.

Background in Holiness

Go back and ask anyone in my home town, the place where I was reared, "Does anybody remember Carlton Pearson living for God here?"

You will find dozens of people who will tell you about my younger days of serving the Lord.

Once I was in the city of Boston and I ran into a young woman I knew. Years earlier I had cast several devils out of her. When I met her unexpectedly, I learned that she was married. Her husband was a college chaplain.

Not only did I remember casting demons out of her, I also remembered that she had gone on to become an associate with us in a revival. She helped minister. She was one of the leading young women in her city. Her uncle serves as pastor of one of the great churches in San Diego, California.

We began to reminisce about our past. I'm happy that there are witnesses all over the world who remember the little town in which I was born, people who recall my upbringing and my service to the Lord. I am also thankful that I remember their background in holiness. It is a delight to think about it.

It is a joy to take inventory of the soul.

2

Become Pregnant With a Vision

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

Luke 2:4,5

In my opinion, Christmas is God's answer to the tragedy of human experience.

At this moment in history it had been five hundred years since the last prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah. Israel was going through a spiritual lull. There had not been a fresh word from God for five centuries. John the Baptist was only six months old, so he wasn't prophesying yet.

The forerunner of the coming Messiah was not even recognizable by society.

But the baby that was to be born was coming to establish a precedent in Israel, in the Church, and in the world.

Going Home Engaged

Joseph went home. He went there to register with Mary. Notice that Joseph and Mary were not yet married; they were betrothed. They were engaged.

In the Jewish culture of this day, betrothal was as binding as actual marriage. If a couple was betrothed and decided to break their engagement, they would have to go through divorce proceedings just as if they were legally joined in marriage. If the man died during the betrothal period, the woman was then called a virgin widow. She was treated just like any other widow. That's how binding the engagement was.

Pregnant of the Holy Ghost

Remember now, there had been a divine intrusion. Here this man was engaged to a young woman whom his parents had chosen for him, just as he had probably been selected by his fiancee's parents — as is still the custom of many orthodox Jews to this day. The couple then would customarily have been near each other for about a year to decide whether or not they were interested in each other as spouses.

It was during this year-long engagement period that Mary became pregnant of the Holy Ghost, which made sense to no one — especially to her fiance, this devout Jew who had lived a good, clean life. Joseph had been provided a fine young woman who was pledged to him for marriage. And now God invades, intrudes and imposes on their plans.

As we remember from the Gospel of Matthew, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and told him that the woman Joseph was going to marry was already with child of the Holy Ghost. (Matt. 1:18-25.)

At that news, I imagine Joseph must have thought, "Tell me, what does this mean? I have kept myself all these years. I'm engaged to this woman. I love her. I'm going to marry her. And now You say that she is pregnant of the Holy Ghost. What am I going to tell her parents?"

After giving this perplexing matter some serious thought, Joseph concluded to himself, "I know what I'll do. I'll put her away privately," which means, "I'll divorce her quietly before anybody ever realizes we were engaged."

Joseph must have been thinking, "Lord, if You had to do this thing this way, why couldn't You have at least waited until after I had married her? You know that people are going to be asking questions. They are going to be counting the months."

Like Joseph, we are still questioning God: "Why did You do this thing this way? Couldn't You have made this an easier and more convenient possibility? Why must You complicate things so much?"

Pregnant With an Idea

After an angel convinced Joseph to follow through with the planned marriage, he then had to put his precious young wife, who was nine months pregnant, on a donkey and make an eighty to one-hundred mile trek from Nazareth down to Bethlehem to be registered for the census. (Remember, this was way before planes, trains and automobiles.)

Can you imagine the pain that Mary must have endured in her back, riding that far on a donkey in her condition? She wouldn't have been able to straddle the donkey at that stage of her pregnancy. She would have had to sit sidesaddle. No doubt the couple had to stop often for Mary to change positions, even to get off and change sides. Perhaps she even got down and walked from time to time just to ease the strain on her aching back. I'm sure that being nine months pregnant she must have walked very slowly and deliberately, negotiating carefully every cumbersome step.

I want you to see Mary's condition, not as a literal pregnancy, but as a spiritual pregnancy. See her as carrying a vision, pregnant with an idea, a promise or a miracle.

Carrying a Vision

Debbie Turner, Miss America 1989, shared with our congregation about the long procedure she had to go through to finally win her title. She had a vision, an idea, to become Miss America. She carried that vision through seven different pageants, from her teenage years, believing that one day what she carried within her would be birthed. It wasn't arrogance that inspired and motivated her; it was confidence, faith, trust and obedience.

"I know I'm going to win," she would say.

I know that feeling. I had that same kind of confidence when I set out to become president of the student body in high school. I ran for office knowing that I was going to win. And I won by a landslide. I knew God was going to give me this platform as a bold witness, as a standard-bearer for Christian living.

When you have something conceived of the Holy Ghost, you know it is of God. You don't care who stands to oppose you, how difficult it is to carry the vision, or how long it takes you to get where you are going. You will ride a donkey a hundred miles in pain and agony because you know the thing you carry within you is of the Holy Spirit. You know that the child, the vision, the idea, the dream is conceived of the Spirit of God — and that knowledge keeps you going against all odds.

We would not have a church, or a ministry, without such a vision. I would not be preaching and traveling and doing the things I'm doing if I did not know deep down in my heart that this is exactly what God has called me to do. I have absolute confidence in God. There is not a doubt in my mind. I have lots of challenges, but no questions as to whether or not I'm supposed to be doing what I'm doing.

I am carrying something within me. Like Joseph, I'm going back where I began in my walk with God, back to my spiritual roots. Like Mary, I am pregnant of the Holy Spirit— pregnant with a divine vision, call and purpose.

3

Birth and Secure Your Dream

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:6,7

Mary gave birth to her baby (her spiritual calling). She had to lay him in a makeshift cradle in a cold, dark stable because there was no room for them in the usual lodging places in a city overcrowded with pilgrims returning to their place of origin.

Joseph and Mary were not the only ones who had come home. The city of Bethlehem was full to overflowing with the returning multitudes. Joseph was not able to call ahead and make reservations for himself and his expectant betrothed. So when they finally arrived back home, there was simply no room for the pilgrim couple and the holy infant that was about to be born into this world.

Jesus has always had difficulty finding room on earth. The only place He could really find room was on the cross. There He was welcome. The crowds chanted, "Crucify Him!" There was plenty of room on that cross for Jesus, and there's room at the cross for you.

The overcrowded hearts of men keep the flashing sign, "No vacancy, no room for Jesus." Today He keeps seeking and searching, looking for entrance into someone's heart and mind. I hope He has found room in yours.

Wrap and Secure the Vision

Following the Jewish custom of the time, Mary wrapped her newborn baby in what the King James Version calls "swaddling clothes" before laying Him in a manger, which was nothing more than a feeding trough for animals.

Why did the women of ancient Israel wrap their newborn babes in swaddling clothes? What were swaddling clothes and what was their purpose?

Birth and Secure Your Dream

Swaddling clothes were simply long strips of cloth which Hebrew mothers used to gently enfold their infants. Swaddling was not just a matter of wrapping the child in a warm covering. It was a method of restraining the infant's movements to ensure that the arms and legs would grow straight and strong.

Traditionally, for at least the first six months of life, long strips were tightly wound around the child's body to prevent the baby from thrashing its arms and legs. Occasionally, perhaps once a day, the infant was loosed from the confining strips of cloth and washed, gently rubbed with olive oil or dusted with powdered myrtle leaves, and then securely wrapped again.

Remember, the baby represents vision, newness, freshness, hope, anticipation, possibilities, expectancy.

Do you know why I'm so glad to be living in this age in history? Because I feel that I have something in me that's fresh and new. I'm not tired, I'm inspired. I'm not retiring, I'm refiring. I'm not resigning, I'm re-signing. I'm not ready to stop, I'm ready to go. I'm actually anxious to move forward in battle!

I'm excited because I feel like a scientist in a lab who is about to either discover or invent something that is going to change the world for the better.

Lord, let me stay this way until I give birth to my vision!

That should be your prayer also. Pray until it happens. Carry the burden. Carry the baby— until it is born. Then wrap and secure it so that it grows and develops straight and strong.

Remember: When dreams and visions are young, you must take special precautions to guide and guard their growth and development. You must carefully and firmly wrap your dreams in the secure swaddling garments of prayer, consecration and faith.

Get Into Position

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born

Luke 2:6

In Nazareth, Mary was in the right condition, but she was not in the right position. That's why she and Joseph had to go to Bethlehem—to be in the right place at the right time.

Many people are pregnant with dreams and visions. They are in the right condition; God has planted something within their spirit, but they are not postured or positioned where they belong. They are not where their spiritual roots are. They are not walking in the humility of their first love. They are not at home with their spiritual origins or genesis.

Let's all go back to our first love relationship with the God Who called and commissioned us to conceive and carry this vision called Christlikeness and holy living.

Tend the Sheep

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

Luke 2:8

These shepherds were despised by the orthodox Jews of that time. They were considered low class. They were looked down on because they were unclean. They didn't abide by all the established rules of ceremonial washing and cleansing.

These people were simple country folk. They talked too loudly. They stayed out at night. They were rugged, living in crude tents rather than in fine homes in the city.

They were not respected, yet these were the people to whom the Lord appeared first—to low-class, common men. Men who didn't have the proper clothes to wear to church. Men who were not part of the right culture or society.

God still appears to that kind of person the humble and lowly in spirit. Regardless of status in life, socially, economically or intellectually, it is those of humble heart and mind to whom Jesus appears first for they are generally the ones who are most receptive and who will usually share their experience with others.

There were shepherds who lived near Bethlehem who took care of the sheep that were to be sacrificed in the temple worship two a day, one in the morning, one in the evening. Certain rabbis would inspect these sheep to make sure they were absolutely unblemished; otherwise they were not fit to be sacrificed to the Lord.

These rabbis hired shepherds, common herdsmen, to raise and guard these special sheep which were born to die, born to be sacrificed for the sins of the people.

It is very possible that the shepherds mentioned in Luke 2 were the same ones who had been chosen to raise and care for these special sheep. These shepherds had spent their lives nurturing and caring for the sacrificial lambs. It was to these men that the True Lamb of God was first revealed.

Go Back to the Humble Beginnings

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Luke 2:9-12

What the angel was really saying to these humble shepherds was: "Don't be frightened. I bring you good news of great joy for all people everywhere. Today, in the town of David, a Savior — a Protector, a Deliverer—has been born to you. He is Messiah (Christ), the Lord. This will be a sign, an indication, a signal to you. You will find the baby, the dream, the hope, the anticipation, the possibilities, the inspiration of soul, the consummation of love. This tender little dream, this newborn hope, firmly and securely wrapped in strips of cloth, will be found lying in a very unpretentious, unexpected place called a manger."

Go back to the humble beginnings. Your sign is the place of humility.

The dream is not always in the flash and glitter. Often it is right beside you in a most unauspicious place, the humble manger of the soul, the true cradle of your pure and unadulterated spirit.

Care for the Baby

When you find the thing that God is asking and requiring of you, then wrap and secure it gently. Don't sling it around carelessly. Don't take it for granted, and do not treat it with contempt.

You know how it is with a tiny baby. You have to support its little head and neck. You brace it and hold it close to you. You care for it tenderly. You bathe it, feed it, and change it. You love that baby, even when it cries and becomes an irritating nuisance.

When I was a child, there was a small vacant duplex next door to our family home. Inside there were uneven wooden floors, crooked pews, a dingy old pulpit, and a small picture of Jesus on the peeling walls. It was filled with a terrible odor from the aged bathroom which had backed up. No one had been in it for quite a while.

My friends and I went into that old decaying building and made a chapel out of it. We would meet there and play church. We shouted, sang, testified, got happy, fell on the floor, cast the devil out of each other, and anointed one another with oil.

Sometimes when there was no one else about, I would leave my house and go next door to the little church. I would look around and say, "One of these days, when I get big, I'm going to have a real church. I'm going to be a preacher."

I was six years old then, but I never forgot the dream. Sometimes today when I walk into the sanctuary of our great building, I just stop and say, "Thank You, Lord, we actually have a church, a real live Holy Ghost-anointed church with people, pews, praise and power."

Higher Dimensions Evangelistic Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, may not seem like the fulfillment of a dream for some people, but it does for me. And I care for that "baby" very, very much.

I don't take my responsibilities lightly. I'm not going to let the devil destroy my dream. I pray for the families, the marriages, the homes of my congregation, and the people who watch our ministry by television.

I have a dream in my spirit. How about you?

4

Believe, Receive, Conceive

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Luke 2:13,14

The King James Version of this last verse reads, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. But notice that the New

International Bible says ...peace to men on whom his favor rests.

This peace is not promised to everyone, only to those on whom God's favor rests. Do you know that when God's favor rests on you, you can have peace, real peace, regardless of your circumstances?

This divine peace is different from the world's peace. In order for the world to have peace, it has to smoke up, drink up, or shoot up. That's worldly, carnal, temporary peace. But we Christians can have true supernatural peace which "passeth all understanding."

The Baby Is Born!

It was the custom in ancient times that when a male child was born the musicians would come to the home and sing a little song to announce his arrival.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, far from His earthly home. He was laid in a crude manger in a lonely stable. No one knew where He lay. There was nobody to come and sing of His birth. So God sent angels to serenade His appearance. The first thing the angels said to the shepherds was, "Glory to God in the highest, the baby is born!"

... weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning (Ps. 30:5) Praise God, it was worth the trip. It was worth the humiliation. It was worth the embarrassment. The baby is born!

To Conceive, Cooperate

I believe the Church of Jesus Christ is carrying something special. I believe that God has the Church pregnant with a baby that is going to change the world.

How can we as individuals make ourselves cooperate with the Holy Ghost so we can conceive and give birth to something supernatural? God will not honor the things that we make up in our own minds or wills. Only those things which He has planted in our hearts will be properly birthed by Holy Ghost assistance.

That's why I fight fiercely for what I believe. I don't care who says it can't be done. I don't care what obstacle is in the way. I don't care who accuses me or lies about me. I know that when God puts a vision in a person's heart, no weapon formed against him can ultimately prosper.

All I need to know is that my name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. I am enrolled in the army of the Lord. I am paying my dues, my taxes, my tithes. I am giving of my life and my time, my treasures and my resources. I am in line with the will of God. I am full of the Holy Ghost. I am filled with a dream given to me by the Lord.

Believe, Receive, Conceive

When someone is filled with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit he cries out, "I've got an idea!" I like to be around a person like that. I too have an idea. Like the Virgin Mary, I too am carrying something on the inside.

The Lord has put His will in my heart. He has given me a word. I have an idea of how we can change the drug culture. I have an idea how we can stop the pimps and prostitutes. I have an idea how we can change the entire sinful American culture.

I can't tell you how I feel when I drive through cities like New York, Boston, or Miami. I think, "Where are all these people going? Do they know or care about our Lord? How will we reach all of them? How will we get them all saved? How can we get them baptized?"

Many of the people you see on the streets of our cities look whipped, beaten down, and broken. I think to myself, "Look at those people." I can tell that there is sin in many of their lives. I can't help but exclaim, "Dear Lord Jesus, I've got an idea! We can get them saved, we can help them get delivered."

I know they can be reached for the Lord, because it was He Who gave me that idea, that vision, that dream—that "baby."

He will do the same for anyone who — like Mary—will dare to believe, receive, and conceive.

5

Know the God of Peace

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

Luke 2:14

One time my assistant pastor, Gary Mcintosh, and I were called to the home of a couple who were in conflict. They were arguing and even physically fighting. By the time we reached their home, the woman had heard that we were coming and had left. She was walking and we met her on the road.

I got out and managed to talk her into getting into the car with Gary. Then I ran ahead to meet the husband. He was terribly angry. When Gary arrived with the wife, her husband was trembling with rage. They were so furious we had to sit them both down on opposite sides of the room and begin to try to reason with them.

As soon as they were seated and began explaining what the problem was, they started arguing again. The husband became so incensed that I could tell he was about to become violent, so I laid my hand on his back and began to sing, "Peace, peace, wonderful peace, coming down from the Father above, sweep over my spirit forever I pray in fathomless billows of love."

I wish you could have seen what happened as I gently stroked that man's back and sang that song to him.

In a few minutes I went over to his wife and did the same thing. I placed my hand on her back and began to sing that same sweet refrain.

In a matter of minutes they had both calmed down. Tears began to trickle down their faces and we were able to talk with them. Before we left, they were hugging each other and apologizing to one another.

They had been hurt. They had been frustrated. They had been frightened. They had been deceived. But God gave them peace.

The God of Peace

The Word of God tells us that He will keep us in perfect peace, if our mind is stayed on Him. (Isa. 26:3.) It also says that to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Rom. 8:6.)

If you are in turmoil, confusion, anger or distress, I would like for you to feel the peace of the Lord rise up in you. If you're bereaved, if you're broken, if you're hurt, if you're missing someone, if you're lonely this Christmas season, the God of peace is going to come to you—just as He came to Bethlehem so long ago.

Glory to God in the highest! The baby is born! The Prince of Peace has come!

Jesus is alive. He is alive on the earth today for you. He wants you to come to Him and get to know Him personally. When you know the Author of peace, then you can know real, lasting peace in your heart, your mind and your body.

You may think that because I am a minister of the Gospel I don't have any needs or problems. But I do. I know what it is to need peace and to pray for it. That's why I want to minister peace to you. I can't solve all your problems. I can't even know what all of them are. But I do know the Problem- Solver.

When the Bible speaks of the peace that passes all understanding, you may not know what that is. (Phil. 4:7.) Such peace may be beyond your understanding. You don't have to understand it. Just surrender to the Holy Spirit and allow Him to pour it down upon you.

Don't fear death. Don't fear life. Don't fear financial or physical or emotional crisis. Get to know the God of peace and enjoy His gift to you.

Peace in the Midst of Storm

One evening I came home and threw some clothes into the washer. I had been on the road for two weeks and needed some clean undershirts. It was winter and the pipes were frozen so no water came out of the faucet. At first, I got real uptight.

"God," I complained, "I need a clean T- shirt for tomorrow morning and now the pipes are frozen solid and I can't get any water for washing!"

Do you know what the Holy Spirit said to me?

"Be glad you've got some pipes to be frozen."

So I washed out my T-shirts by hand and put them into the dryer. The dryer was working fine. Then I went upstairs and walked over to my dresser. When I opened the drawer, it was packed with clean T-shirts.

As I came back downstairs, I noticed all that I had to be thankful for. The fireplace was burning brightly and the Christmas tree was ablaze with lights. There was food in the refrigerator and a chocolate cake, sent by a close friend, on the counter.

Later, after I had unpacked, I crawled into bed and began to count my blessings. Peace, precious peace, began to settle down on me. I drifted off to sleep wrapped in the enfolding arms of God's love.

It is that wonderful peace of the Lord that I want you to experience in this Christmas season and throughout the year.

6

Pray for Peace

God wants to minister peace to you, wherever you are. Just lift your arms and turn up your palms to the Lord. This may not seem natural to you, but do it anyway. Open your hands, your head and your heart to receive what the Lord has to give you as you pray the following prayer:

Prayer

Lord, I ask You to pour down peace into my life — my marriage, my home, my finances. Bring peace to my spirit, my mind and my body.

Remove cancer, migraine headaches, insomnia, loneliness, poverty, anxiety, and everything else that would rob me of the peace that Jesus came to give me.

I rebuke the spirit of suicide, anger, bitterness, remorse, failure, and fear. I bind the spirit of rejection, depression, and self-pity.

Father, I pray that You will totally restore me now as I enter this new year. Give me deliverance. Set me free by Your mighty power — the same power that Jesus used to heal the sick, raise the dead, release the oppressed, and set at liberty those who were bruised.

Pour out upon me the anointing that destroys every yoke in life.

Thank You, Lord. Henceforth I walk in Your peace and in Your joy! Amen.

Receive Peace, Speak Peace, Live Peace

Let the peace of God flow continually into your hurting soul and out of your grateful heart. Walk in that peace day by day, giving God the glory and thanks for it.

Remember: The announcement of peace proclaimed by the angels on that first Christmas day was not only for 2,000 years ago — it is for you today!

The congregation of Higher Dimensions is composed of many ages, races and cultures. One newspaper called it "a sociologist's fantasy, a compilation of people from every socio-economic class...a racial melting pot." Pastor Pearson prefers to call it "a stew." In a stew each ingredient stays as it is, but together they begin to take on the "flavor" of one another. He places a high priority on family and country, reflected in his first television special, entitled: "America, We Love You."

Carlton Pearson pastors one of the fastest growing churches in Tulsa, Oklahoma — Higher Dimensions. Started in 1981 as a storefront gathering of 75 people, today it is a multifaceted ministry of more than 3,000 people.

The congregation of Higher Dimensions is composed of many ages, races and cultures. One newspaper called it "a sociologist's fantasy, a compilation of people from every socioeconomic class ... a racial melting pot." Pastor Pearson prefers to call it "a stew." In a stew each ingredient stays as it is, but together they begin to take on the "flavor" of one another. He places a high priority on family and country, reflected in his first television special, entitled: "America, We Love You."

Pastor Pearson serves on the board of regents at Oral Roberts University, as well as on the boards of several Christian missionary organizations. He has authored a variety of books and booklets carrying the message of deliverance: that Jesus Christ came to forgive the sins of all men and save their souls.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1 Take Inventory of Your Soul

2 Become Pregnant With a Vision

3 Birth and Secure Your Dream

4 Believe, Receive, Conceive

5 Know the God of Peace

6 Pray for Peace