P. Douglas Small

Consider Jesus!

2010-10-01T15:19:00.004-04:00

This morning, during my prayer time, I found myself considering the conversions of significant people - Wesley, Livingston, John Newton, and more. One story stood out. The conversion of Lin Yutang. He was raised in China by Christian parents. Once out of the small valley, enrolled in college to prepare for ministry, his little world exploded. The sheltered innocent world was invaded by Chinese Folk Religion, Humanism, Buddihism and more. Overwhelmed, he abandoned his faith. Perhaps influenced by Confucianism, he developed a rather self-sufficient, the 'human-can-do' view of life.

In 1937, he published a groundbreaking book, "The Importance of Living!" It was an instant best-seller, particularly in the West. It is often considered the grand-daddy to self-help books and a seed-bed for humanistic philosophy. He studied at Harvard, and became a internationally known atheist - a prize who had been a believer, but had "come to his senses."'

Then, accommodating his wife to the Madison Avenue Presyterian Church one Sunday, he heard a message that changed it all. His wife had encouraged him to come along, declaring that though he might not agree, the speaker was stimulating and inspiring. Eternal Life, the pastor said was not merely an extension of this life, it was not purely quantity. It was a kind of life that could be grasped here, one that was both full of meaning and noble, a quality of life that should not die, that was worth being continued for eternity! Such life deserves to be eternal. And that life, the pastor said, was evidenced in the kind of life lived by Jesus Christ.

I did not see the Bill Mayer, Bill O'Reilly exchange last night. I am sure it was more of the same. I am becoming convinced that we are arguing over the wrong thing, noble things - evolution, the nature of sin, homosexuality, the nature of marriage, nuclear proliferation, should a Christian be green? But the real question, the bottom line is - Consider Jesus! What will you do with Jesus? Put him up on the stage - and he inspires, convicts, proves incomparable!

Revival Happening in Algeria

2009-12-12T19:23:00.000-05:00

Revival Happening in Algeria

Darwin's Sad Legacy

2009-11-24T20:43:00.003-05:00

PETERSBURG, Ky. (Baptist Press Release)--Most people, when asked what they consider to be Charles Darwin's legacy, would quickly say "evolution." Indeed, evolution and Darwin are virtually synonymous, especially this year, as evolutionists worldwide have been celebrating his 200th birthday, plus the 150th anniversary this month of the publication of his book "On the Origin of Species."

But what is not so commonly known is that there have been adverse parts of Darwin's legacy that many of his followers have either denied or kept from public knowledge.

Ideas, it is said, have consequences. What people believe about their origins and the purpose and meaning of life affects their entire worldview. It molds how they view themselves ... and others.

Darwin's ideas concerning "molecules-to-man" evolution have left a significant negative legacy on society. For many secularists, his ideas were ammunition to eliminate any consideration of the supernatural. For example, in Darwin's house (now a museum) in England, which I have visited, there is an exhibit which comments on our Creator:

"[E]very living creature looked the way it did because God had designed it that way. Darwin's theory made nonsense of all of this."

The exhibit declares there is no God connected to why and how life exists. This idea dominates America's science classrooms. God has been outlawed there. "Science" is now defined as "naturalism" (really atheism) -- it's the only explanation for the origin of life currently allowed. Any hint of the supernatural is not permitted.

The situation in public schools has only gotten worse in recent decades. If we continue to have generations of students going through a public education system that largely teaches them they are just animals and the result of natural processes (e.g., a Scientific American article stated, "we are all animals, descendants of a vast lineage of replicators sprung from primordial pond scum"), we will continue to see a growing moral collapse in society.

The horrible school shooting in Finland in 2007 is a prime example. The killer stated: "I am prepared to fight and die for my cause, ... I, as a natural selector, will eliminate all who I see unfit, disgraces of human race and failures of natural selection. ... I am just an animal, a human, an individual, a dissident. ... It's time to put natural selection & survival of the fittest back on tracks!"

This student was only carrying out in practice what he had been taught concerning origins, as well as the lack of purpose and meaning he found in life.

We should not be shocked when we see students only becoming more consistent in carrying out evolutionary beliefs. After all, they are acting out what they have been taught they are -- animals.

Indeed, in almost all public schools today, children are being told that fallible humans are the authority, not God. As a result, even Christian children in this system can graduate and come out thinking like humanists -- and when they get into positions of authority, they won't make decisions based on God's Word, the Bible.

Herein lies the terrible legacy of Darwin and his "Origin of Species" book, which has affected all modern cultures.

Consider the continuing problem of racism. Darwin wrote that within the human kind, some people groups were closer to their supposed ape-like ancestors than others. No wonder the late evolutionist Stephen J. Gould stated: "Biological arguments for racism may have been common before 1850, but they increased by orders of magnitude following the acceptance of evolutionary theory." We have an entire exhibit in our Creation Museum on the connection between evolution and racism. (Though we don't state that evolution causes racism; evolution can fuel racist ideas, however.)

An increase in abortion has gone hand in hand with the growing acceptance of evolution. Over the years, some women have told us that people at abortion clinics told them that when they get rid of their "unwanted" baby, it's OK because it's just an animal. Some have been told that the baby as it develops in the womb retraces its evolutionary ancestry (e.g., saying that at a certain stage, they would just be getting rid of a "fetus" in its "reptile" stage).

Also, as Genesis is attacked by evolutionists, marriage -- instituted by God in Genesis -- is redefined in society. "Gay marriage" -- not one man for one woman as ordained by God -- is now more acceptable as Genesis and the Judeo-Christian ethic are removed in society.

In addition, this humanistic teaching has helped lead to a mass exodus of young people from our churches. Research conducted by America's Research Group, headed by the highly respected market researcher Britt Beamer, which we put into our new book "Already Gone," showed that, contrary to what most of us may have believed, we are actually losing them by the end of middle school or high school. Over 80 percent were "already gone" from the church in their hearts and minds before they even started college.

The "big picture" reason for their departure was their beliefs concerning Scripture. These young adults were not taught the Bible as a true book of history, nor were they taught how to defend the Scriptures against the faith-shattering attacks of this age (e.g., Darwinian evolution/millions of years, etc.).

What an awesome and serious responsibility God requires of us as parents (and church leaders) to train our children. The family is the educational unit that God created to transmit the knowledge of godly, biblical teachings to the next generation. I trust each one of us might be able to say of our children as the Apostle Paul did of Timothy: "And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus" (2 Timothy 3:15).

By Ken Ham
Posted on Nov 24, 2009

Editor's note: Today, Nov. 24, is the 150th anniversary of the publication of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species."

Ken Ham is President of Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum, online at www.answersingenesis.org and www.creationmuseum.org

Miracle of Healing

2009-04-06T21:10:00.002-04:00

In 2008, Shirley Moir was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The doctor said it was Parkinson's with a capital "P." We had watched her lose control of her arm and tremors begin in her leg.

In her words, "The medication that was prescribed was worse than the symptoms."
Her church was participated in the "Great Days of Prayer!" sponsored by the Church of God. During that Prayer Sunday, God moved in a great way and spoke to Shirley and told her that she would be healed.

The church was studying the book "Prayer the Heartbeat of the Church." Shirley was reading the account in the book of the testimony of Sister Tull's healing of crippling arthritis. In that moment, God spoke to her again and assured her that she would be healed.

On the first Sunday of February, Rick Lairsey preached on "Suddenly" - and God showed up suddenly. The Holy Spirit moved on Shirley in a powerful way. On the way out of church, Shirley said she was healed and announced that she was stopping her medication.

It has been six weeks that she has been without medication and is feeling better than she has in years, as she is walking in her healing!

We have adopted Doug Small's saying "There might just be something about this thing called prayer!"

Prayer Study Generates Revival

2009-04-06T21:01:00.002-04:00

Three years ago, Pastor Nelson Foster went to Ankeny, Iowa, just outside of Des Moines. For a year, he used the Chapel on the nearby Military Base in planting his new church. The security measures at the base presented problems for visitors, so growth was slow.

After the church had grown to about fifty in attendance, Pastor Nelson noted that his somewhat traditional congregation was going through the motions, faithfully showing up for church three times a week, but not emotionally or spiritual engaged.

How It Began

Just before the General Assembly last year, he showed the first three segments of the "Transforming Your Church into a House of Prayer" DVD series put out by Alive Ministries: PROJECT PRAY. He recalls, "Something happened. The people began to see prayer in a new way."

Then in January of 2009, he announced that he was changing the format of the Sunday night service from a preaching service to a prayer service. He met with some opposition at first, but he persisted. On that first evening, at the 5 pm prayer time, he showed the bonus segment out of the "Prayer - the Heartbeat of the Church" DVD series on the birth of the Church of God. He challenged his church to give themselves to prayer. It was as if some fountain opened up. Indifferent prayer became passionate. The first prayer service lasted two-and-a-half hours. Some prayer services are now lasting four hours, not by design, but by demand. "The people at times, refuse to leave. They are basking in the quiet presence of God."

How It is Progressing

Following the prayer times, members have been making their way to Pastor Nelson and confessing their sins. Brokenness before God is occurring. A new sensitivity to His holiness is taking place. Following the confessions, the pastor is noticing a new freedom in worship. And not only that, miracles and answers to prayer are now abounding. Before prayer requests were plentiful and answers seemed rare.

A widow, the mother of one of the elders tested positive to breast cancer. She did not attend the church, but the church interceded for her. Pastor Nelson recalled, "We prayed for her after the general prayer time on Sunday evening as we gathered around the altar and mentioned needs. It was between 6:30 and 7:00 pm, well into the prayer meeting. Simultaneously, she was sitting at home. She reported to her family later that night that she had a strange and very physical experience, as if someone reached inside her body and began to rotate the golf-ball sized malignant tumor. And then it was as if the tumor began to unravel like a ball of string, like it was being pulled out of her." She is now cancer free!

More than 100 prayer cloths have been carried away from the prayer meetings to people in the community, and answers to prayer are multiplying. Pastor Nelson exclaimed, "I have never seen anything like this!" On one evening, the Holy Spirit spoke to the congregation and declared, "I am here because you want me to be here!" God is working in the lives to people and things the pastor had attempting to get people motivated to do are happening naturally now. Some are carrying food to the poor. Two ladies out of the women's ministry have started a ministry at the YWCA. Ministries are being birthed spontaneously, out of these prayer experiences.

Pastor Foster says, without any desire to be bizarre, that the small bottle of oil used for anointing cloths and people should have run dry weeks ago, but every week there appears to be a bit more oil in the vial - a sign?

The Impact

A visitor showed up last week just to report that four prayer clothes she had received from people in the church had resulted in answered prayer. She is not the only visitor. The small church is beginning to experience a steady stream of visitors. Five teens have been saved. One has parents who are not saved. The mother of that teen announced to her daughter in the last few weeks, that she and the teen's dad were going to stop drinking. The teen came home and found her Bible missing. When she located it, her Mom had been reading it. One of the fathers in the church family needed a job. They prayed. Two days later, he had the job. Another man, not a Pentecostal, had been diagnosed as terminally ill, with six months to live. The church prayed and sent him a prayer cloth. He didn't completely understand. Soon thereafter, he ended up in the Emergency Room. The doctors found both his liver and pancreas to be clear - a miracle. They treated his blood pressure and sugar, and released him. He is claiming a miracle. One woman, who had complications as a result of a previous surgery found herself in unbearable pain. She was deathly sick. She was nauseous, her body reacting violently, without a remedy. Her husband said her illness persisted for almost five hours. He cried out to God and that is when he heard - by the spirit - another woman, an intercessor in the church, praying in the spirit. The sick spell was immediately broken.

Pastor Foster says, "People get lost in the Spirit. Much of the prayer time is simply music playing softly. Some walk. Some kneel. Some lay before the Lord. Some pray aloud, some softly. There is no rush." The whole congregation seems to be moving from "having church services" to "experiencing God." Indeed, the pastor reports that the prayer service is now affecting all other services. Teens are attending along with children. "I don't want our children to be entertained. I want them to experience God - and that is happening." Pastor Foster's own daughter had a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit.

The Prayer Service Format

As people gather for the prayer times, Pastor Foster calls them to order. He shares briefly, including any emergency needs or offering a focus for prayer. There is no long litany of typical prayer requests. Then, the people are released to pray. Most stay in the sanctuary. Some may fan out to an annex or Sunday School rooms. Praise music plays softly. Then Pastor Foster, after an hour or so of prayer, calls the people back together. They pray for specific needs. They anoint with oil. They pray over prayer cloths. Recently, some prayer times have gone for four hours. "The people don't want to leave. They are hungry for the presence of God. Prayer has changed them. It has changed our church." At the close of every gathering, Pastor Foster quotes Hebrews 13:20-21 (nlt), "Now may the God of peace who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with His blood, May he equip you with all you need for doing His will. May He produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him. All glory to Him forever and ever! Amen."

Pastor Foster says that the prayer gathering has changed him as well. He drives a School Bus. And that is no longer a job, it is a mission. He admits, "At times I have to fight to control myself to keep from breaking out in prayer for these kids and their families, or even weeping for them." The church is praying over the city of Des Moines, asking for a city-wide revival.

There could be something to this thing called prayer!

Over 1000 Attend Schools of Prayer

2009-04-06T20:46:00.002-04:00

Over 1000 participated in two regionwide Power Prayer Days in the Delmarva Region!

The partnership between the Delmarva State office and Project Pray was intended to be a day-long training session in prayer. As registrations came in for the first training event, scheduled for Saturday, January 31, it became clear that the venue which had been reserved for the event would not be adequate. The state scrambled to get the word out that the event was being moved, 48 hours before the training. Anticipating a few hundred, almost 500 turned out on a very cold, brisk morning to attend the western shore Power Prayer Day with facilitator P. Douglas Small at the Heritage Community Church in Severn, Maryland.

The material shared was from the seminar, "Enriching Your Personal Prayer Life," developed Doug Small. The heart of the seminar is learing to structure time with God, developing prayer disciplines, learning to prayer scripture - and more.

Three weeks later, on another very cold and brisk Saturday morning, in an area in which the state had hoped for an attendance of 150-200, almost 575 people responded to the Power Prayer Day at the Church of God at Easton.

The word had spread. Scores of individuals have now responded to pastors and to the state office about the marked difference these days have already made in their prayer life. Pastors from across the region are reporting a tremendous move of the Holy Spirit in their churches that they directly attribute to the Power Prayer Days and the increase to a new level of prayer in their local churches.

To God be the glory!

Terrorist Need Sensitivity Training and More Education!

2008-07-28T13:57:00.006-04:00

WorldNet Daily is reporting that a little circulated article on the remarks of Barack Obama eight days after the 9-11 attack is finally getting some attention. In the article, the Senator expressed a belief that al-Qaida lacked "empathy" for the suffering of others'. His suggestion that terrorist ideology "grows out of a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair" is reminiscent of the same old liberal mantra – environment and educational reforms change everything.

Obama went on to imply the September 11th attacks were also in part a result of U.S. policy. He lectured the American military to minimize civilian casualties in the Middle East and urged action opposing "bigotry or discrimination directed against neighbors and friends of Middle-Eastern descent."
"Even as I hope for some measure of peace and comfort to the bereaved families, I must also hope that we, as a nation, draw some measure of wisdom from this tragedy." This notion that we are to blame, and all should come to the table of learning and repair our world views together is appallingly naïve. The article was published on Sept. 19, 2001, and circulated in Chicago's Hyde Park Herald, an area known for Muslim support and sympathy.

"The essence of this tragedy, it seems to me, derives from a fundamental absence of empathy on the part of the attackers: an inability to imagine, or connect with, the humanity or suffering of others. Such a failure of empathy … is (not) unique to a particular culture, religion or ethnicity … it grows out a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair.”

Obama placed the burden of responsibility on the US which he said, had to “be unwavering in opposing bigotry or discrimination directed against neighbors and friends of Middle-Eastern descent.” If hope could be raised in the children, it would solve the problem, he suggested.

At the time, Obama's piece gained little notice outside his senatorial district, which is heavily influenced by the Nation of Islam. After republication, the remarks have picked up traction. Robert Spencer, director of the Jihad Watch website, noted that Obama completely ignored Islam itself. He found the roots for Muslim terrorism not in Islam but in 'a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair.' The conditions that created 9-11, are social and educational deficits, not world-view differences. Not Islam.

"What Obama could not, and apparently cannot, allow himself to do is to investigate the nature of Islam, to find out what it teaches about Believers and Infidels. I can help out a bit. I can tell him, right now, right here, that Islam is based on a clear division of the universe between Believers and Infidels."

Abe Greenwald, responded to Obama's belief that terrorists act out of despair. "'[P]overty and ignorance, helplessness and despair.' Strange, considering our attackers were wealthy and educated, connected and ecstatic.”

The media, in line with Obama, also tends to characterize suicide bombers as acting in response to occupation or poor living conditions. The suicide bombers themselves call such media claims "lies" and "propaganda."

Adapted from a report by Aaron Klein of WorldNetDaily

Under Influence of Harry Potter, Kids are Being Drawn into the "Language and Mechanics" of the Occult

2008-07-28T13:01:00.003-04:00

Hilary White of LifeSiteNews says that the influence of Harry Potter is now changing the spiritual climate and preferences among teens. They are being drawn into the language and mechanics of occult practices. One book that gives instructions to teenage girls on witchcraft has sold 150,000 copies. Films and television shows about teenagers and young people involved in witchcraft and the occult are now proliferating. Bookstores have large sections on "esoterica" next to the religion and philosophy sections. And of course, Harry Potter is the best selling children's book of all time. It is, a primer on witchcraft. More than 400 million copies have been translated into 67 languages. The whole world is being indoctrinated into the occult.

British author, J.K. Rowling, is the highest-earning novelist in history. Three years after Harry Potter, Harvey writes, a review of television programs, major children's book publishers, and popular youth websites, "should more than confirm our initial warnings."
"Sorcery and witchcraft have become the hottest themes in youth culture and education for the first time in modern Western civilization."

An unprecedented amount of the occult material is aimed directly at children and teenagers. An entire generation has been disconnected from the faith of their fathers – or at least, their grandfathers – without objection. Anyone who dares to object is treated as irrationally reactive. "Children are being lovingly primed to embrace paganism by movies, games, TV, the internet and countless sorcery-friendly books." An entire book publishing sub-industry has emerged focused on occult materials aimed at teens. Large chain bookshops like Indigo in Canada and Borders in the US, and WHSmith and Blackwell's in the UK, routinely feature large sections on the occult with plenty of practical how-to manuals.

The number of self-professed young witches and occult practitioners has grown markedly in the last ten years in America. The kids are taking a cue from the homosexual activist handbook, equating any criticism of their interests as "hate."

Television and media add to the charm of the witchcraft for teens with such wildly successful shows as Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. Too many parents are dismissive of the tongue-in-cheek nature of the shows. Buffy, features a lesbian witch as a main character. Sabrina is a Teenage Witch. All the characters are hip, well-dressed teens with special powers that set them apart, and above, their peers.

Christians who express concerns are treated as "unenlightened dullards."

For more information see - http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07110611.html

Homosexual Sues Bible Publisher

2008-07-28T12:31:00.003-04:00

Bradley LaShawn Fowler of Canton, Michigan is homosexual. He does not like the fact that Bibles convey God's prohibition against homosexual behavior. So he is suing Zondervan and Thomas Nelson Publishers. He is seeking $10 million from Thomas Nelson and $60 million from Zondervan.

Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, says Bible-believing Christians had better get ready for more of this type of sniping. "Obviously, this is a frivolous publicity stunt, but this is a portent of things to come," he warns.

The homosexual community now feels that it has public sentiment on its side, and it is flexing its muscle by targeting, essentially, born-again Christians who oppose their agenda. “They're out to re-write the Bible, to say that the Bible really does not condemn homosexual practice, which it obviously does," says LaBarbera. "Ultimately, we believe they'll be doing more and more of these lawsuits against Christians and Christian companies."

The judge in the case has denied Fowler's request for a court-appointed attorney, saying the court had "very genuine concerns" about the legitimacy of the claims in the lawsuit.

Hate Crimes Legislation Overturned in Pennsylvania

2008-07-28T12:00:00.003-04:00

While the church sleeps, the political and legal noose tightens around our necks. But some folks are speaking out – and paying a price.

A group called, Repent America, attended a homosexual Outfest in Pennsylvania. They read Scripture and sang hymns to an audience that wasn’t likely to be receptive. While such “in your face” tactics don’t always denote wisdom, the group was reacting to the actions of its own state legislature which had added “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to Pennsylvania’s “ethnic intimidation” law.

Eleven members were arrested. It seems that singing hymns and reading Scripture was all that was necessary to constitute “ethic intimidation.” The case against them was dropped, but Repent America did not drop the cause. They filed legal action in 2005 against the legislative act itself.

On Wednesday, in a rare reversal, the court - the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania – stood down the legislature. The earlier decision of Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania had been that the state legislature violated the Pennsylvania Constitution when it added "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to Pennsylvania's "ethnic intimidation" law. On appeal the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania sided with the Commonwealth Court, saying on Wednesday: "The order of the Commonwealth Court is AFFIRMED for the reasons ably set forth in the opinion of the Honorable James Gardner Colins, which opinion is adopted as that of the Supreme Court."

The bill had started as a measure against agricultural vandalism. It was changed by the state legislature into a hate crimes bill designed to make it illegal for anybody to protest public homosexual activities and celebrations. The law was used to persecute anybody who stood in the way of the homosexual agenda, redefining peaceful protest by Christians as hate crime.

Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore along with attorneys from the Foundation for Moral Law, represented the Christians. Judge Roy Moore remarked, "We are very happy that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled in our favor to stop the Governor and a group of corrupt politicians from sneaking a 'hate crimes' bill through the Pennsylvania legislature. Preaching to homosexuals about the sin of sodomy should not be made a 'thought crime' in Pennsylvania or any other state."

Michael Marcavage, director of Repent America, said, "Having been arrested, jailed and charged with a 'hate crime' for preaching the Gospel, I am elated that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the lower court's ruling in striking down Pennsylvania's expanded 'hate crimes' law."

It was observed, that the methods used by the Pennsylvania legislature in passing the 'hate crimes' bill were extremely devious. They provide yet another chilling example as to how far liberal politicians are willing to go to silence Christian speech. In doing so, they are willing to violate their own state Constitution.

Pennsylvania is not an anomaly. Across the nation, a rising level of increasing hostility is being aimed at Biblical Christianity.

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage: Pennsylvania Court Overturns Hate Crimes Expansion Tacked Onto Agricultural Bill
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07111605.html

New Muslim Student Study Alarming!

2008-07-28T11:08:00.005-04:00

We are constantly told by the “balanced and well-informed” media of our nation that Islam is a “peaceful religion” which should not be besmirched by the few radical extremists.

Such a message, consistently given to the American public, is a form of brainwashing. After a season, one is supposed to repeat the mantra, and thereby establish the new way of thinking as the majority opinion. Then, anyone who dissents, is sternly reprimanded. After all, we have heard the mantra so often, how could we believe anything else.

Thank God for some who dare to challenge such conformists efforts.

In a study by John Thorne and Hannah Stuart from the Centre for Social Cohesion, they focused on Islamic students, not in the middle east, but in the United Kingdom. Islam on Campus is the most comprehensive survey ever undertaken of Muslim student opinion in Britain. The poll was specially commissioned by YouGov and involved 1400 students, fieldwork and interviews. The majority of Muslim students’ appear to support secularism and democratic values. They mouth tolerance towards other groups. And they even reject violence in the name of their faith. But probing deeper, different values emerged.

About one-third of the Muslim students (32%) justified killing in the name of religion. The reasons included violence to protect the faith if it was under attack. One out of 25 (4%) said that killing was justified in order to promote or further the cause of the Muslim religion.

Muslim students who were active members of campus-based Islamic societies were more inclined to violent attitudes. Sixty percent (60%) of them said killing in the name of the faith was justified. While academics champion freedom of thought, half (50%) of Muslim students would not be supportive of a friend’s decision to abandon Islamic faith and practice.

One of four do not see men and women was equal in the eyes of Allah. Females more than males sense inequity in treatment. Nearly three fifths (59%) of Muslim students felt that Muslim women wear the hijab.

Forty-percent want Sharia law introduced as an alternative to British law for Muslims. One-third support a worldwide Caliphate based on Sharia law. Those active in campus Islamic societies were more radical, there the number supporting sharia law rose to 58%.

Twenty-five percent of the students in campus Islamic societies believed that Islam as a religion and a political ideology were the same thing. Over half of Muslim students favored (54%) an Islamic political party to represent the views of Muslims at Parliament. Yet, not even half believe that Islam can ever be compatible with secularism.

Fifty-seven percent said that Muslims should be allowed to opt out of taking part in military operations if they involved a Muslim country.

"These findings are deeply alarming," said one of the authors of the report, researcher Hanna Stuart. "Students in higher education are the future leaders of their communities." The study notes the striking difference between in those who join on-campus Islamic groups. In such circles "opinions are significantly more extreme. "

The implications of the study are sadly marginal - encourage democratic Muslim voices and sideline intolerant voices. In a harder line, "the study suggest that University authorities need to urgently take steps to reduce Islamist influence on campus," said Center director Murray. One of the researchers conceded, significant numbers of Islamic students "appear to hold beliefs which contravene liberal, democratic values. In addition, there are signs of growing religious segregation on campus. These results are deeply embarrassing for those who have said there is no extremism in British universities."

You decide. With these values, can any nation expect social cohesion?

In God We Trust Posters Available

2008-07-20T08:38:00.005-04:00

The American Family Association has found a way to say “God!” in public places. Actually, to say “In God We Trust!” It is incredible that such language is now disputed, resisted, considered illegal.

They have produced a colorful piece of art-work consisting of the American Flag with the words, “In God We Trust!” in gold letters over the flag. At the bottom of the decorative and declarative piece are the words, “The national motto of the United States of America – Adopted by Congress July 30, 1956”

They are offering these for 3/$10; 10/$25; or 100 or more at a dollar each. Their hope is that individuals will locate these in public places. Some 250,000 have already been hung in classrooms and public offices.

For more information call 662-844-5035, ext. 4. Or, visist www.afa.net/resources/poster.asp

Well-Done to John Colbaugh

2008-07-19T20:00:00.008-04:00

Only 5% of marriages reach the "golden 50!" One-out-of-twenty.

40% of couples, over that fifty-year span will divorce. More and more of them, close to that goal-line. The remainder will see their marriages end by the death of one or more of the spouses.

So kiss your partner and cherish the moments. And weep for those who were so close to the rocking chair and those golden years.

John Colbaugh was a friend. After 41 years of marriage, he went to be with the Lord. He was the pastor of the Lawrenceville Church of God, just north of Atlanta. He had served as the overseer of Kansas and on numerous denominational boards and committees. He was a nice guy - a Christian. And he had a hunger for God. A deep respect for prayer. I had preached for him there in Lawrenceville on several occasions.

We shared in fellowship. I recall his wonderful stories about the years he served in Nashville as pastor to Johnny and June Cash. Johnny Cash remained in contact with John right up to the time of the singer's death.

John had fought with cancer. Appeared to beat it. Then it returned - and took him. In the last few days, he had walked down memory lane with his wife Gloria. They had rehearsed the good times, sweet memories. He knew he was near the end. He fought a good fight. He finished the course. There is laid up for him a crown of life.

Tragically, his wife's sister lost her husband, Billy O'Neal just last week. Billy's death was completely unexpected. He simply did not return from a ministry trip. A head-ache was the only sign of impending death. He was found dead in his hotel room the next day.

Pray for these families! Pray for the Lawrenceville Church of God. Pray for Gloria~!

New Spam Blocker - Most Trusted and Most Effective

2008-07-19T19:44:00.004-04:00

It’s a new junk-mail blocking service. It has the endorsement of the American Family Association. Some say it is the best spam-blocker on the market, bar none.

John Calloway, one of the developers of SpamRival became weary of the invasion of privacy. “The Internet,” he noted, “is a great tool and a great gift, but people take advantage of it for the wrong reasons. I want to make sure that when my four-year-old is old enough to use the Internet that he is protected from the bad side of it.”

“Pornographers have started to avoid promoting through Web sites because they’re tired of the filters or Web blocks,” Calloway said. “E-mail has been left completely open.” The American Family Association, by its very nature shouldn’t be bothered by pornographic overtures. Nor, for that matter, should any other ministry. But in one day, SpamRival blocked 1800 spam E-mails at only one employee’s inbox at the ministry. It appears that the spammers are targeting everyone – and perhaps, just perhaps, as some kind of sick joke, specifically ministries that oppose them. It is a form of internet harassment.

Now it can be stopped. SpamRival proved so effective on AFA computers, that they endorsed the product for other ministries and Christians wanting to clean up their in-box.

“Our object is to kill spam E-mail,” Calloway said.

Here is how it works. SpamRival works at the server level. It functions at the point of the Internet equivalent to the Post Office. All incoming and outgoing letters are routed through a similar electronic path before users download them to their computer. With SpamRival involved, the sender must prove to SpamRival’s computers he or she is a real person sending a legitimate letter, not simply a computer spitting out thousands or millions of pieces of spam to people on mailing lists.

The sender receives a “challenge” or reply E-mail asking him to click a link and type in the word shown on the screen. Once done, that person does not have to answer a challenge again – unless the recipient decides to block that sender’s E-mail.After seeing the devastating effects pornography has on people, Calloway and Six knew they had to so something. “We really want to be in the battle,” Six said. “We want Satan to know our name. We want to put the outpost right in his face.”

In the first few days after SpamRival was launched, some source tried to send 1,000 messages to AFA, attacking SpamRival. That blast of junk mail was stopped dead at SpamRival’s servers, never reaching AFA computers. In addition to blocking porn spam, Spam Rival can also fight smut by keeping statistics on where spam is coming from and where it’s being sent. Then, they can take those statistics to leaders in Congress, show them how their constituents are being affected by this, and fight for tougher laws against pornographers and spammers.SpamRival is available for only pennies a day at an annual subscription rate. SpamRival dedicates huge profits to Kingdom work. SpamRival pledges to never sell E-mail addresses or personal information to third-party vendors. SpamRival is the only E-mail blocking company to make that pledge and they do it in writing on their Web site.

Ministers and ministries may qualify for a free-service. Check out their website at http://www.spamrival.com./

The Moral War Continues!

2008-07-19T19:05:00.005-04:00

One in every seven, 13% of all homosexuals have AIDS. The study focused on active homosexual men in Seattle. The rate of HIV had become a concern to the local health officials. The study was the result of that concern.

More disturbing is the fact the data appears to be consistent with other “gay enclaves” throughout the nation.

Despite these facts, that threaten us all – the culture pushes forward with the legalization of Homosexual marriages. It is all an illusion. In a culture of “open heterosexual marriages” we see no risk in “open homosexual marriages.” But multiple sexual partners of homosexual men are key in the proliferation of HIV and AIDS. Somehow we think by domesticating gay marriage these behavior patterns will change.

Sin can never be tamed! The whole culture is deluded.

In some places the problem is beyond multiple sexual partners. It involves anonymous sex. Unprotected sex. And intimate exchanges with men who don’t disclose their infections and others who don’t ask. This is sexual addiction. It is a blinding and driving force. It knows no such reason. It can embrace no boundaries. The only “safe sex” is in the context of a sanctified marriage between a man and a woman.

Such ideas now seem that they belong in another century. We have lost the nation – on our watch. Only a great awakening can now save us.

CHILD PORNOGRAPHY INCREASES
Of even greater concern is the increasing predatory sexual crimes on children. A recent child pornography bust uncovered 26,500 users from 166 nations. 745 computers were seized along with 35,000 CD’s and almost 6,000 videos. In one scene, a 4-month old child was the victim of sexual assault. After the bust, the number of child-porn websites actually increased – by 64%. The staggering fact is, half those sites are in the US, according to the United Kingdom’s National Criminal Intelligence Service. The international nature of the internet allows hosting in one place, staging in another, uploads from anywhere – it makes it difficult to enforce child protection laws.

The FEMALE PORNOGRAPHY PROBLEM
Most of the information about the pornography problem relates to men. Now, Today’s Christian Women released a study that found that 34% of those responding to a poll, females, had intentionally accessed internet pornography. Some say they went to the site to see if they could understand what was drawing their husbands to such images. Others admitted a personal thrill out of the images themselves.

Some women have made the jump from romantic novels, so popular, to visual images. Some are driven by loneliness. Others by a lack of intimacy in their marriages. Traditionally, women have been more comfortable in on-line chat rooms where language has lacked boundaries. Now, they appear to be surfing both – looking for explicit language and images. As with men, women who view such images tend to act them out. Sin is always first a thought that longs to find expression in action.

Christian counselors say the church is not prepared to handle the increase in sexual addiction and experimentation problems with women either in the church or the culture. Ministries such as Pure Life Ministries (800-635-1866; http://www.purelifeministries.org/) and Setting Captives Free (http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/) have experience with these issues.

Violent Christians and Peaceful Muslims - The USA Today Perspective!

2008-07-19T18:06:00.005-04:00

Increasingly, faith is blamed for the world’s woes. “Islamic terrorism!” is on everyone’s lips. The ideological conflict between the Muslim faith and Christianity, seems to constantly reap recollections of the Crusades. With some evangelical leaders suggesting military action as a solution, our credibility as agents of peace and reconciliation is severly weakened.

Liberals suggest that a peaceful coexistence between Islam and Christianity must be forged. They seem to forget that Islam now occupies the cradle of ancient Christianity, and there is little trace of the church left there. In the first one-hundred years of its existence, Islam gobbled up almost one-third of all churches in their path. They subjugated both Jews and Christians making them second class citizens at best. They silence any attempts at evangelism.

A recent editorial in USA Today by one of its contributing editors plowed this same fruitless furrow. He suggested the same tired line that both faiths, Islam and Christianity, “promote peace.” He further pointed to the “innumerable Muslims” who offer “lessons-by-example” in their daily lives. Christian leaders are quick to point differentiate themselves from zealots who use force to further their mission. There is still no tearful regret, no remorse, no weeping and requesting forgiveness of the losses of 9-11 at the hands of radical Islamics. There can be no rational comparison of either the violent tendencies or the peaceful missions that rise out of either camps.

All over the world Christian missionaries serve selfishly. At the declaration of any global disaster, it is some Christian agency that typically responds first, stays longest, serves most effectively and often most efficiently. Where are the Muslim missionaries who serve the earth in similar armies?

John Stewart of the Daily Show recently spoke jokingly of the healing power of faith, applied to the divisive and destructive power of faith. So often the media gives credit to faith, only to destroy that credit. That is what Tom Krattenmaker does in his editorial titled Religion can help end wars, too! (July 14, 2008). Krattenmaker’s article is not a promotion of any superior edge or quality that is recognized in Christianity. He is careful to credit “religion” or “faith” for “unifying an uplifting deeds performed in its name.”

I know of no genuine Christian who performs “unifying and uplifting deeds” in the name of religion. They do it in the name of Jesus – a name that is evidently offensive to Mr. Krattenmaker. When conservative Christians made their allegiance to Jesus as a central element of importance in any Muslim-Christian talks, Krattenmaker accused them as a “high profile” group who had “rebuffed the peace offering” of Muslim scholars for dialogue. If Muslims were told that they needed to tone down their admiration for Mohammed, no talks would even take place. Jesus offends liberals - he is forever the stumbling block, the rock of offense. To talk, we are obliged to toss him aside, as if he were an adendum to our faith, not the central character, not the heart of faith itself.

He went on in the article to praise those who built schools and cared for the widows and orphans in remote Muslim villages, as compared to “preaching and proselytizing.” When USA Today – it is their editorial – speaks of helping “the least of these,” it attributes such positive social actions not to the Bible, not to Christianity, but as positions all the “holy books implore us to do!”

It is just more of the liberal – all religions are the same – mantra. More of the dismissal of Christianity as unique and the movement to a global faith. It is ecumenism not of Christian denominations, but of world religions. It is warm-up for the preview of the false prophet. In fact, Mr. Krattenmaker writes with disdain about “the apocalyptic violence of the Book of Revelation and the Jesus who confronted the money-changers in the temple with a rough hand.”

It is all our fault. If we were peace-loving, sweet Christians – like the Muslims – we could solve the world’s conflict. Some 138 Muslim Scholars who represent the major branches of Islam have signed a published statement, “Loving God and Neighbor Together.” They have extended the olive branch to Christian leaders. They, according to Mr. Krattenmaker, are agents of peace. We are the resisters. These Muslim scholars point out the Muslims “are prohibited from committing aggression, even if the enemies of Islam do that!”

How can anyone, in view of 9-11 and the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the rhetoric of Iran and the Al-Qaida take such a position seriously? Evil has an enormous capacity for duplicity. In comparison, truth often seems rigid and incorrigible. Evil bends. It offers various shades of gray. Truth keeps insisting on stainless transparency. Evil offers its exceptions. Truth insists on absolutes.

We must, in the words of one scholar on a talk show recently, get beyond the simple “right and wrong.” Such concepts are tired. The new ones are “complex and simple.” Or “inclusive and evolving.” Everything is relative.

The above is a response to Tom Krattenmaker's "Religion Can Help End Wars Too!" an editorial in USA Today, on July 14, 2008. Mr. Krattenmaker is a member of the board of contributors of the newspaper.

The 4-dimensional Model of Prayer!

2008-07-16T14:04:00.003-04:00

Most churches have a single-dimensional model for prayer. They have a prayer meeting that is one-style, one-time, one-leader for all. They are limited in terms of the prayer formats that are used. Even the prayer focus becomes routine, often too narrow. Intercessors sometimes “take over” the prayer services with a level of passion too hot for the typical participant not accustomed to such fervent prayer! Sometimes the prayer meetings degenerate into a litany of prayer requests.

What is needed is a multi-dimensional model. A growing church needs many opportunities for prayer – different times and places. It needs a prayer ministry that is diverse in its focus.

There are four areas which need to be intentionally developed if the church is going to have a balanced prayer process. These are not exercises in prayer or even prayer ministries. These four areas represent the way in which we should measure and balance the prayer ministry.

The Four-Fold Focus

A praying people – personal transformation. At home, daily prayer. Family prayer times. Couples connecting in prayer. Fathers and mothers, praying with children. The discipline of gratitude at meal times. Holiday prayer. Fathers blessing their children. Moms and Dads praying over fevered brows. Homes that are consecrated. Homes where the act and sound of prayer is not strange.

A praying church – total dependence upon His hand! Doing the business of God – prayer. And doing nothing without prayer. Making the church a praying church – living out of His presence, depending in His strength, serving beyond ourselves.

Identified and Mobilized Intercessions – the prayer engine of the church is intercession and intercessors. These people are called and gifted to pray. All of us are to be intercessors. But there is a core of people with hot-hearts for prayer. Find them. Affirm them. Disciple them. Mobilize them. Train them. Debrief them. Direct them.

Prayer Evangelism – Claiming the harvest by prayer. Asking for God’s presence to anoint as we love the lost open to the gospel. Prayerfully looking for the opportunities to share the good news of God’s love. Conduct prayer walks and prayer missions. Ask every Christian to begin to pray for unsaved friends and family. Prayer and the harvest must be connected.

We want to consider these four aspects of the congregation’s prayer ministry in pairs. First, personal and family, at-home, daily prayer that nurtures the ongoing transformation of our lives into the image of God is tied to at-church prayer mobilization. The two are connected. They feed one another. And of course, the one group that is sure to be praying at-home on a regular basis and will show up for a prayer meeting - are intercessors. No church prayer process will advance very far until these people are identified, mobilized, trained, teamed, directed and regularly debriefed. The driving force behind evangelism is intercession.

At-home personal prayer is the certain marker of the survival of faith. Church prayer meetings teach us to pray. There, we catch "prayer-fire." But only if we take it home and keep those fires burning has the church prayer meeting been permanently sucessful. The more people catch prayer-fire and take it home, the more powerful the ministry of the church and its people will be. And the more the at-church ministry will reflect the depth and level of at-home prayer.

Intercession will find its end in evangelism. The lack of success in evangelism, barren altars, are always traceable to a lack of intercession. The first movement in the salvation of a soul is the invasion of the Spirit, and usually that happens with some intercessor in the middle.

Adapted from the book, Transforming Your Church into a House of Prayer!

The Levels of Church-based Prayer Ministry

2008-07-16T13:58:00.003-04:00

A crisis or casual approach to prayer ministry is not adequate (Level One). Further, a prayer ministry must not be our goal (Level Two). We don't want a "prayer ministry," but rather a “praying church!” There are various levels of intensity here.

All should launch an aggressive, balanced prayer process that seeks to engage the whole church in prayer. This is more than a prayer ministry. And yet, this church may not be able to set aside a room dedicated only to the purpose of prayer.

In some cases, a church may add to the aggressive, balanced prayer process, a dedicated prayer room – a place set aside as a kind of retreat for personal prayer and small prayer groups to gather. All during the week, people will check in and make use of this prayer room. Intercessors might gather before or even during services to support worship activities in prayer.

A few churches will be able to move beyond a prayer room which is a kind of personal retreat, to a prayer center where prayer is constantly organized and mobilized for both people and ministries. It makes the church a prayed for church! At the prayer center, prayer support for every ministry is mobilized. Prayer training is offered. Prayer stations (physical displays) inspire prayer. People drop by to pray and for prayer. Needs are emailed or called in to the phone center. Intercessors do the work of prayer – praying over church events, praying into needs from around the world, supporting ministries and missionaries in prayer! The community is bathed in prayer.

A very small number of churches will be able to move beyond a prayer center to a 24/7 prayer impact center. In such an arrangement, the church is constantly open for ministry and service 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The doors never close. And prayer never stops. Teams are deployed from the church to respond to crises around the city – all hours of the day and night. Wherever there is a need, the church is responding! Wherever there is pain, the church is on-site offering the love of God!

The transformation of the church into a house of prayer for the nations is no small process. Plan on a three-to-five year transition. At first, the response will be glowing! Everyone will declare that they want to learn to pray, and they want the church to be a praying church. But when the newness of that idea wears away, sheer determination will be needed by a devout group of intercessory leaders to pursue the process. It is not merely activities that are being added. You are changing both the culture of the church and the daily disciplines of its members. Quite an undertaking!

Adapted from the book, Transforming Your Church into a House of Prayer!

ReThinking the Church!

2008-07-16T12:48:00.007-04:00

THE CHURCH SOWN
We know the Church ecclesia – called out from the world and separated unto God. Every Sunday, we exercise this aspect of church. Driving out of our neighborhoods, we pass hundreds of homes with families not connected to a life-giving congregation. We pass the super-centers and schools where we work, hospitals and health centers, office buildings and industrial structures. In some of these places, daily life goes on as if there were no God.

At church, we will hear wonderful words, sing inspiring choruses, and listen to a motivating lesson that challenges us. And then we return to those same neighborhoods and workplaces. In some cases, they are like two different worlds. Some may have wondered, “How could I get the spirit of what I sense on Sunday into this office complex?” For others, such thinking may not only seem novel, but foreign, perhaps unthinkable and unachievable. Many places in the city have no witness to the life giving, changing power of Christ. The salt has remained in the salt-shaker. The light has been placed carefully under a cover to not offend.

When Moses descended from Mt. Sinai after being in God’s presence, he found ancient Israel drunk on the spirit of the golden calf. They could not stand the light of God in the face of Moses, so he was veiled (Exodus 34:33). America has been in the process of veiling the Church for almost 50 years and we have compliantly been fitted with both muzzle and mask. That must change or we will completely lose our nation.

Our mission must be accomplished without intentionally offending. We will gain nothing by insensitivity. But love without truth is only half the gospel. The present arrangement of bold hymn singing on Sundays only to make our faith a secret during the week, must be replaced by an more open declaration of our devotion to Christ.

What if we were to take seriously the words of Jesus - “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them? (Matthew 18:20)” Is it possible, that we as lively stones (I Peter 2:5), actually give place to His presence only when we are intentional by invoking his name, prayerfully and in unity (Psalm 133)? Only when we deliberately invite His presence? Only when we are mortared together by demonstrated love and aligned by truth? What if we believers all over the city were to recognize that we were in our current vocational positions primarily to offer the life of Christ to those around us? What if we were to envision ourselves as a new construct of the church mobile, the church diaspora – scattered and sown into the city Monday through Saturday?

Dia – means through. Spora is the Greek term for seed or sowing. We Christians are sown into every sector of culture. Thus, God seeds a city with His presence by scattering us through the city. We are in the schools. We are in the hospitals. We are represented in the board rooms – maybe only by the presence of a clerk or waiter. But we are there, as salt and light. Tragically, the church is divided into dozens of different ways – racially, theologically, liturgically, denominationally, in style and substance, in emphasis and ethical theories, educationally and sociologically. We are so divided. We experience only a measure of unity on Sunday. But any workplace synergy disappears for the next six days.

How can we affect the darkness when the light is so diminished by our separation? How can we overcome intimidation in our fragmented state? On Sundays, our light proudly shines in the sanctuary. We sing bolding and declare our faith! What if, we could connect even the two or three believers at any given work-place during the week and insist, “You are here to give place to Christ by your prayer and unity!” A small group of dedicated believers – one a Presbyterian, another a Baptist, then a Pentecostal, and yet another a Methodist – could make a difference if they were to believe that God had sown them into their place of work for a witness. What if they quietly prayed together once a week to consider the claims of Christ - on that place? And on the lives of the people who worked there? Is the earth not the Lords and the fullness thereof? Does he not own every business enterprise that exists for the good of mankind? Is it not his will to be glorified in all our lives? Would it not please him for a group of diverse Christian people to work together in godly fellowship? For prayers and praises to be lifted constantly all over the city by people as they labored? For thanksgiving and psalm-like language to be more common, not something strange when it appears in daily life? Would it not please him that those in that work-place that did not know God would experience his love and grace in the lives of the believers who testified of Christ by their behavior? Would he not bless the city and its marketplace? Are we withholding a blessing from the city and the places at which we work – by our secular practices?

God wants a living temple through which he can manifest himself! And show himself glorious! The fact that a few Christians work in a given place is not enough. Stones delivered to a site and neatly stacked there but never joined by mortar do not make a building. The church gathered is not the church assembled. A small group of Christians at the same place does not make a living temple – until they come together “in His name” to invite His presence into that place. We should empower, instruct and release our people to create prayer fellowships everywhere in the city! We should say to them, “Join yourself to Christians whose faith is sound, whose lives are holy and whose hearts long for Christ to be glorified by the salvation of many!"

Become the church – disapora. Join together at your place of work or in your neighborhood to give place to the presence of Christ. Pray together for grace to be a witness in the darkness. Care about the business, the owner, your supervisor, those who work around you – especially those who do not know Christ. As you pray, God will begin to love the most unlovable people through you and the other believers. It will not be your love improved, but His love imputed.. Be a caring support team one for another, seeking to improve your demonstrated faith and witness. Raise the level of mutual accountability so that it positively affects the quality of your collective witness. Look for opportunities to share Christ. They may not be overt. They may be more indirect – requests for prayer, opportunities to listen, a ready shoulder, the kind response to an unkind word, faithfulness on the job, being a model employee and more.

Meeting even once a week, just two-or-three believers, brings together the lively stones and invites a manifestation of the presence of God in that workplace. This is the reason you are here! You have been sown into this environment as a missionary. Once you have established the church diaspora in that place, keep it going. Here are some suggestions:

Make your prayer times, first, about the quality of your own relationship with God – “God, I want to live in unbroken communion with you, even at this [ungodly] workplace.”
Second, make your prayer time about the credibility of your witness. Ask God for favor with fellow-employees, with the owner and management. Daniel gained the favor of God even in the administration of Nebuchanezzar. Paul found favor as a Roman prisoner. Esther, the Jew, was favored and chosen as Queen of Persia, modern Iran. God can give you favor – for His glory! Pray for that grace upon your group.

Then, pray for the salvation of those with whom you work. Pray for their needs. Give them the gift of prayer. After you have solidified your relationships as believers from divergent denominational backgrounds, add a weekly Bible discussion and prayer group over lunch! Make it light - devotional. Avoid theological wrangling. Keep the focus on Jesus. Conclude with prayer. Let it be an entry point for enquirers. Now you have two meetings per week. One is for a believers meeting – for prayer. The second is an open gathering for inquirers.

Consistently ask God “to bless the business! Tell the owner, you are praying for the favor of God upon the business. Such testimonies give God the opportunity to show himself alive to unbelievers. We sometimes attempt to protect God. We fear to say, “I’ll pray about that,” – as if to imply that we had some special relationship with God! Ah! But we do have a special relationship with God, in Christ. Not every one, according to Hebrews, can come boldly to the throne of grace. You can give and stand back and see what God might do.

Paul boldly declared in the midst of the storm,

“Men, you should have listened to me, and not have … incurred this disaster … I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you … For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid … God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God …(Acts 27:21-25).”

The group was astonished! The watchful care of God over his life radiated grace to those with him on that ship. We must believe that we are also highly favored and blessed of the Lord! And we are not to shut up such blessings to ourselves. As missionaries, God blesses us, and through us makes us a blessing to others. By association, others are blessed – as Lot was blessed by his association with Abraham (Genesis 13:1-6); as Egypt was blessed by Joseph (Genesis 41:46-49); as the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite (II Samuel 6:11) was blessed by the presence of the Ark of God.

We must cease to see ourselves as beleaguered, disempowered people who must keep quiet about our faith or lose our jobs and our retirement. Such thinking is not only faithless, it is the mindset of orphans who live in fear. We are the sons and daughters of God. We should never act in arrogant ways, but in humility we must know whose we are and that the presence of God upon on lives carries with it a blessing that flows over even into the businesses that employ us (Acts 3:25-26).

We are missionaries!

Adapted from the book, Transforming Your Church into a House of Prayer!

Restructuring the Church to Accomplish Mission

2008-07-16T12:25:00.002-04:00

Most churches are organized on a hierarchial model. The flow chart is typically top-down, with the Senior Pastor at the top of the pyramid. Under him is the Associate Pastor, the Director of Business Affairs and Staff Supervisors. At the next level are the departmental leaders and volunteers. A hundred of these charts are simultaneously different and the yet the same.

This model is not only hierarchial, it is also departmental. The typical church hires as its second full-time person a youth pastor or a worship/music pastor. Additional staff will focus on children’s ministries, family development, seniors, singles – and more. Somewhere along the line, staff might be hired to supervise discipleship. Occasionally, but rarely, a congregation will employ a pastor of evangelism. Almost unheard of, until recent years, was the employment of a full-time director of prayer ministries. Dennis Fuqua, director of Prayer Summits International says the number of prayer coordinators leading congregational prayer efforts has doubled in the last ten years, although that number is still small. We rejoice at the number of churches that have hired a prayer coordinator or director of prayer ministries. Our hearts are made glad by the awakening to prayer and the need to be intentional. But there is still something disturbing. The continued use of an old and ineffective heirarchial and departmental management model will serve to isolate the impact of prayer ministries by segregating it into a department.

The Church – A Social Structure or a Spiritual Mission?
Allow me to be argumentative for a moment – to make a point about the character and nature of the New Testament Church, contrasted by the cultural models in America today. Where in Scripture are we commanded to hire a youth pastor? Okay, we recognize the need to focus on the next generation and to support parents in the rearing of their children. But so often, youth ministry degenerates into an odd assortment of youth activities – anything to keep youth busy and out of trouble. And parents, consciously or unconsciously, allow the church to do the discipleship they are called to do (Deuteronomy 6:1-4; Ephesians 6:1-3).

No one is against youth ministry – nor am I! My concern is that we are locked into a model of ministry, a style of church, that is not fulfilling the mandate of Christ! And we are a generation away from losing the culture war and seeing a nation that was founded with a godly, Christian heritage, become utterly pagan! So isn’t it time to take a hard look at what we are doing, and why we do things the way we do them?

Allow me to continue! Where does the Bible tell us to enter into a Senior Adult Ministry? To buy a bus for their trips? Care for the seniors, for the generation that sacrificed to build the church – that is a good thing! It is a part of honoring “father and mother” – I suppose. And what about the Singles Ministry? Yes, so many are divorced, hurt and rejected – and there is a Biblical basis for ministry to wounded people. We should care. We must minister. So what about women’s ministries? Or, Men’s ministries? Where are these departmental ministries we so highly value in the American Church – where are they found in Scripture?

The Seniors take trips - not a bad thing. The Singles conduct socials - wonderful get-togethers. The Women make their annual tea a whopping success. The Men have an annual golf tournament that is first-rate in the community. And the Children put on a great musical – almost every year. All of these are fine things. But they are not central to the mandate of the Church.

Christ did not die in order for us to have the best Christmas pageant in town. Nor yet, the best record of any men’s softball team in the Church league. These things are parallel to godly purposes at best, and completely peripheral in some cases. I fearfully suggest that we are well on our way toward reforming the church into a Christian social club.

If we are not careful, all of our departmental activities will degenerate into wonderful and enriching social activities conducted in an atmosphere of Christian grace. And while we will have a full and demanding schedule with a building that is well utilized, we will not be accomplishing the Biblically stated mission of the Church. We will not be the culture changing instrument of God that pushes back the darkness and calls men into the light of God, changing communities one person at a time. We are called to be a house of prayer for the nations! To love God passionately, and our neighbor as ourselves. To preach the gospel to the ends of the earth, until everyone has heard. To make disciples of the nations. This is our mandate.

No one is against the annual Senior trip. Or the youth retreat. Everyone loves the children’s musicals. These are good things, but they do not represent the essence of the call, the mission and purpose of the Church.

A Matrix Approach
We must not allow good activities to displace the mission, the very purpose for which we were established. Does this mean that the various departments and ministries should be abandoned? No! Here is what must change. These departments represent ministry to people. What we are missing is mission – or ministry through people.

Prayer, evangelism and discipleship - cannot be departments. These areas represent our essence, the reason we exist. A new model is required. A matrix model which demands teaming. The model is one in which prayer, evangelism and discipleship are not treated as departments. Prayer, for example, must penetrate every department in the church. As should evangelism training and mobilization – and discipleship. The youth must become praying youth, taught to evangelize, mentored in discipling others. So should all the departments.

The pastor must become the servant of all – modeling humility and prayer. He must lead by example. Elders must be chosen on the basis of how they integrate into their lives the principles of prayer, evangelism, and discipleship evidenced by a family that honors Christ. Two different types of pastors must stand with the Senior Pastor. One would be a supervision pastor over the departmental leaders. The other would be a pastor of mission and vision providing direction to the pastors of prayer, evangelism and discipleship.

The pastors of mission and vision work with each department leader creating a team that resources the department goals in the areas of prayer, evangelism and discipleship. Thus no leader is all things to his department. The matrix model demands that no department be isolated from the central purpose of the church. Each department has both a leader and also a leadership team. Working with the pastors of mission and vision, each departmental pastor-leader develops a process aimed at fulfilling the mandate of Christ given to the Church.

Ministry To People and Through People
Think then, not only about ministry to people in various groupings – children, youth, men and women, singles and families. Think about ministry through people. We must train and mobilize the church to accomplish the God-given mission of the Church. Prayer drives that mission.

Prayer cannot be a department, a mere ministry. It should not be competing with other departments for personnel and volunteers. It will need specifically dedicated volunteers, but one of its primary roles will be to mobilize people for mission in every department.

If the church only has ministries to people – activities, fellowship, edification events – then the entire focus is upon growing the Church inwardly which is never healthy. It makes the church about meeting our needs. It creates a self-serving people who look to an imperfect church to do for them what only a perfect Christ can do in a daily prayer and devotional relationship with Him.

The church needs ministry to people. But it also must minister through people to those outside the Church. In this missional aspect, the Church must become community focused, praying and caring for the lost. This will never happen if prayer and evangelism are isolated as departmental ministries. A carnal people will stream to ministries designed around them and their needs, and avoid ministries that call for change and sacrifice. Your organizational structure must militate against that trend, mobilizing every member to fulfill the mandate. The purpose for the church – a house of prayer for the nations – must be pervasive. We are to collectively glorify Christ and bring our communities, over which we are praying, face-to-face with the reality of Who He is, to the end that they know Him. To be a member of the church and not engage in these functions is unthinkable.

Communion with God

2008-07-16T12:17:00.002-04:00

Philip Melanchthon, a companion of Luther, noted, “Trouble and perplexity drive me to prayer and prayer drives away perplexity and trouble.” So the first labor in prayer is to get beyond our own needs and lay hold of God Himself in perfect communion realizing that in Him and in Him alone are all the answers and solutions we need. This is the place of rest and peace. Here, a clear certainty rises in our heart – “We are more than a conqueror through Him that loved us! (Romans 8:37)” This relational aspect of prayer is the most important facet of prayer. It is not words or posture. It is wordless. You have not prayed until you have prayed yourself to silence – and in that silence you experience deep levels of peace with God and the peace of God (Psalm 4:4; 46:10). Spurgeon warned that our prayer “should not be a mere leaping out of bed and kneeling down, and saying anything that comes first to mind. On the contrary, may we wait upon the Lord with holy fear and sacred awe.”[1]

The highest call of prayer is communion with God! The heart of prayer is worship and the heart of worship is our love relationship with God, in Christ, by the enabling of the Spirit, out of the understanding of Scripture. The root of the word communion or fellowship is the Greek word, koinonia. Prayer is the means by which we find “common” agreement with God. Here we experience “oneness” – peace with God. We should not only be at peace with God, having submerged our sins in the blood of the Lamb, we should be walking in the peace of God. Communion involves union with God – the fusion of life and purpose. This is more than a legal union. It is coherence. Our relationship is marked by a desire to walk in lock-step with the Spirit. We want to live in His shadow, not merely exercise our legal right to pray or call ourselves his children. Communion is not about the positional relationship, the fact of our union with Christ, it is about the quality of the union. We enjoy the presence of God. We want to pray, to spend time with God.

The aspect of prayer we call communion with God is diverse. It is even contradictory.

On one hand, it involves casual “chit-chat” with God. It is just talking with him throughout the day as the companion who never leaves us or forsakes us, the one who is concerned about our every need. Communion with God should be as natural as breathing, as easy as a visit with an old trusted friend. On the other hand, it is anything but casual. It is intense and passionate – as fiery as two lovers wanting desperately to convey to the other the level of their affection and devotion.

Thus communion with God is personal. God relates to all of us individually, just as each of our children are all ours, but so different. So each of our prayer lives are unique. An intimate thing – between us and God. And yet, if we become comfortable in our prayer relationship with God and forget with whom we are relating, we are in trouble. How can we talk to God? Walk with Him? Abraham said, “I am but dust and I have taken it upon myself to talk to the Almighty! (Genesis 18:27)” Prayer is intensely personal. And yet, there must also be times when all we can do is stand in awe of His glory, overwhelmed by the majesty of who His is.

It is precisely in this tension, that we get the healthiest prayer relationship with God.

I know Him! How could I ever know Him? His ways are past finding out! (Job 9:10; Romans 11:33-34)

I am a friend of God! Jesus has called me “friend! (John 15:13-15; James 2:23)” And yet, I must never stop standing in worshipful wonder before Him (John 21:20 compared with Revelation 1:17).

There is warmth and intimacy in my communion with Him? Yes! Well, no! I feel close to Him and then I am at times awe-struck with the utter otherness of God! (Isaiah 40:25-26; 46:5-9)

Is it possible to know Him? Yes! Well, no! We can know his voice and sense his presence (John 10:27; 18:37). Yet, if we develop a style of communion by which we become too familiar with God, our relationship will be out of balance. We will fail to respect God (Psalm 2:11; 19:9; 25:14; 103:13, 17; 111:10). We will forget that we are dealing with the one “who sits on the circle of the earth and in comparison, we are like grasshoppers! (Isaiah 40:22)”

While we can know Him, we must never fail to see that God is Himself an eternal discovery zone. He can be known, but He cannot be fully known. We know Him, in fact, only by His self-disclosures to us (Job 34:29; Isaiah 45:15; Deuteronomy 29:29; Daniel 2:19-22). And one day we turn a corner and see aspects of His character and glory, that we had never considered before (Matthew 11:25; Matthew 16:17; I Corinthians 2:9-10). “Great is His faithfulness; His mercies are new every morning!” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Communion with God is back and forth between intimacy and discovery, between knowing God and the unknowable God, between friendship and falling before Him in silent wonder and worship. Too close – you become dangerously familiar with holy things. You treat lightly the sacred. You fail to take seriously your frailty and His holiness. Too distant – you fail to develop the capacity to snuggle up and rest in the lap of Father God. You never experience the sheer joy of knowing you are loved and accepted in His presence. You fail to cultivate the capacity to hear his voice and walk in confident assurance not only of His favor on your life, but also of the grace of God flowing from you to others.

[1] Charles Spurgeon, quoted by Dick Eastman. No Easy Road, 39.

Labor Out of Rest

2008-07-16T12:13:00.003-04:00

Dutch Sheets says, “We don’t wait well. We’re into microwaving; God, on the other hand, is usually into marinating.”[1] The writer of Hebrews tells us that there is a “rest!” that belongs to us (Hebrews 4:1; 9-11). He calls us to enter the rest of God. Yes, there is a dimension of prayer that involves labor – even warfare (Ephesians 6:12, 18). It is intense and fierce, battling both the flesh and the devil. But that kind of prayer, though legitimate and essential, is not the heart of prayer. You have not prayed until you have prayed yourself to peace. And you cannot pray until you have peace (Philippians 4:6-8). You must enter into the rest of God in prayer in order to then labor with God in prayer. And out of that you accomplish mission by working from prayer, with a clear and certain conviction of success.

We are exhorted to “labor to enter this rest! (Hebrews 4:11)” What a paradox! We labor – to rest! What is the labor? The first business of prayer is to make whatever needs I bring or concerns that I bear, less important than His presence and rest (Psalm 27:1-4). Saint Francis of Assisi said, “When we pray to God we must be seeking nothing - nothing.” To experience God, I labor in prayer to push aside the very needs that may have driven me to prayer. How odd? Yes, it seems odd, even contradictory. We have come to see prayer as a means of acquisition. And it is – and it isn’t. Our greatest need is not to leave prayer with an answer in our hands or heads. Wisdom or words of comfort, provision or power, are not our real answers. He is our answer. A pauper leaves prayer with just enough grace to avert his crisis. A wise man leaves with the King Himself.

[1] Dutch Sheets, Intercessory Prayer (Ventura, CA: Regal Publications,1996), 19.

Prayer as Discipline and Delight

2008-07-16T11:45:00.004-04:00

A balanced prayer life must be driven by delight as much as by duty. The greatest motivator is not law, but love! Ultimately, you cannot make people pray. No amount of guilt is a deep enough incentive. No exposure to the pain and problems of the earth, the lost and dying world around us, can induce a lasting prayer life. It is the tender call of God, Himself, the invitation to be “with Him” that makes prayer so precious. It is experiencing His peace.

Yet, the call to pray is often issued in compulsory terms – we must pray! If we are going to see revival and renewal, it will not come unless we pray. That is true. But do we have to frame our understanding of prayer - as a necessary evil? It is a discipline utterly essential, but must it not be embraced with delight? It is as if we were saying, “We wish there was some other way to appropriate these blessings, to call down this mighty revival – without praying. But since this is the only way, well, I suppose we have to spend time with God!” What a tragic perception of both God and prayer. There is no love in this kind of prayer life! It is pure duty with no delight. And with such a disposition, one’s whole prayer life collapses or dries up.

An except from the book, Transforming Your Church into a House of Prayer

My House Shall Be Called A House of Prayer for the Nations!

2008-07-11T15:11:00.005-04:00

It was the desire of Jesus that the temple be a house of prayer for the nations. It wasn’t. It was full of religious activities - the priests in their rich garments, the sacrificial ceremonies, the formality of the pomp and priestly procedures, the rituals and rites of cleansing and consecration, repentance and restitution. In the midst of all the elaborate and sacred ceremonies, the blowing of the Shofar, the fire and smoke, the blood of the altar and the water of the laver, the wonder of all the symbolic action – the simplicity of communion with God had been lost. And getting to God had become a complicated maze.

The money changers extracted an enormous surcharge from those who needed to make change to pay their offerings of restitution or vows of consecration. The sheep merchants had inflated the price of the approved lambs. Those with meager means who wanted to offer a burnt or peace offering (Leviticus 1; 3), and who needed to offer a sin or trespass offering (Leviticus 4; 5) could hardly afford to do so. The common and poor people wanted to get to the altar to get right with God. Some wanted to consecrate themselves and then offer the peace offering (Leviticus 3). That would return to them a portion of the sacrifice, according the law, and allow them to eat it in the presence of God as a symbol of their fellowship and union with Him (Leviticus 7:15-18). But the temple system placed obstacles, loaded with exorbitant fees, between them and God. To purchase the lamb, they needed to exchange their money. Upon exchange, they met excessive exchange fees. With reduced funds, they encountered inflated prices for the sacrificial lambs. Most of the time, the lambs they brought could not pass inspection. They didn’t qualify as perfect enough for an offering. It was all a rip-off.

Jesus thunders through the temple overturning tables. “My house shall be called a house of prayer!” (Matthew 21:12 - 13; Mark 11:15 - 16) He was a prophet, crying out – not against the exchange of currency or the availability of lambs in the temple – but against the obstacles that prevented the people from praying! Against the arrangement that put an unreasonable price on prayer and access to the grace of God.

But there is more! When we quote this passage, we often leave off the last phrase – “for the nations!” No prayer ministry is complete unless it has a global and missional focus. It is incarnational, global and missional praying that Jesus longed for in the temple. Jerusalem was to be a blessing for and to the nations. The call to Abraham was that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 22:18).

Learning From History
We rarely mention the fact that Jesus was quoting from Isaiah 56:7. That chapter is a judgment speech, rehearsed by Isaiah for the captives returning from Babylon. It was meant to be both an explanation of why the judgment came that destroyed the temple, wasted Jerusalem and carried them into captivity; and as an exhortation to not repeat the same mistake their fathers had made.

Jesus is shouting loudly in the temple. The effect of his message was clear: “You have made the same mistake as your fathers! You will experience the same consequences as your fathers – a dismantled temple, a decimated city, and new diaspora of the nation.” It all happened. The armies of Rome came. The temple was destroyed. The city was demolished. The Jews were scattered. Why? They had failed to make the temple a house of prayer – for the nations. Is the church relieved of such judgment if we fail in the same way?

Isaiah details the problem:

Israel’s watchmen are blind, the whole lot of them. They have no idea what’s going on. They’re dogs without sense enough to bark, lazy dogs, dreaming in the sun – but hungry dogs, they do know how to eat, voracious dogs, with never enough.

And these are Israel’s shepherds! They know nothing, understand nothing. They all look after themselves, grabbing whatever’s not nailed down.

“Come,” they say, “let’s have a party. Let’s go out and get drunk!” And tomorrow, more of the same. “Let’s live it up!” (TMNT: 56:10-12)

Here the role of pastor and intercessor are fused into one! “Israel’s watchmen are blind … and these are Israel’s shepherds!” They are one! No one can be a pastor – without being an intercessor. It is part and parcel of the job. Here leadership and prayer linked. The problem is clear. A lack of prayer by leaders - produces eyes that do not discern, watchmen over the city that do not sound a warning in the night, lazy and undisciplined leaders, self-centered and self-seeking leaders who use ministry for personal gain. They lack the spiritual understanding gained only in prayer. They are self-promoting graspers, not givers. A party spirit has replaced a culture of prayer. And judgment comes.

In the verses prior to this dismal description of these prayerless leaders, there is an inclusive standard set for the new temple. Isaiah holds forth the standards of justice and righteousness (56:1), sensitivity to holy days – which is the principle of regular worship and rest (56:2).

He calls for action faith: “Blessed is the man who does this [salvation and righteousness].”
And he calls for restraint from evil: “… and keeps his hand from doing any evil” (56:2).

Holiness is behavioral. It is both doing and not doing. The mention of the Sabbath is between these two – the doing of righteousness and the not doing evil. Here is the principle:

No keeping of a holy day is successful unless it is coupled with a holy life. No keeping of the temple, or church, is successful unless it produces a community that does righteousness and justice, and restrains evil works.

This transformational community is to be open to the nations. It cannot be for a faithful few. There is to be free admission for all. So the son for the foreigner can come (Isaiah 56:3). Not so in the pre-exilic temple or in that of the first century. Further, the eunuch can come (56:3-5) if he keeps the Sabbath, makes godly choices, and holds fast to the covenant. Considered less than whole, any deformed person was barred from the temple proper.

Isaiah declares a new standard. And Jesus is echoing that inclusive, “whosoever will” standard. No foreign outsider or excluded insider who now desires to know the true God can be barred from access to the temple. This is to be a new day for Israel. They are to be a light to the nations. A missionary people to all peoples. It did not happen. Israel shut up the kingdom (Mt. 23:13) and made the temple about themselves. And judgment came.

The movement of the passage is simple:

1- 2 Behavior Matters – Sabbath keepers must do righteousness and restrain evil ways. Worship must affect one’s walk and ways.

3-7d Inclusiveness: You be inclusive – Give this faith away. Don’t let anyone say, “The Lord has separated me …”

7e MY HOUSE SHALL BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR THE NATIONS!

8 Inclusiveness: The Lord will be inclusive – “The Lord will gather … outcast of Israel and others!”

9 - 12 Behavior Matters - God calls for judgment. The reason? The leaders are not godly, praying leaders who will fulfill the vision! They are corrupt and self-indulgent.

Let’s outline it again:

God’s Desires for His People

God desires people whose worship is evidenced in their walk and in their ways: Verses 1-2.

God desires people who are embracing of others (the principle of reconciliation) – inside Israel and outside: Verses 3-7.

And God’s Desire for His House …

God wants his house to be a house of prayer for all people and for peoples to know him: Verse 7.

Are Connected to His Nature …
God is a gatherer (a reconciler). He wants the outcast accepted, the fallen restored, an inclusive harvesting church: Verse 8.

These qualities are … Not Reflected in these Leaders!
God wants leaders to prayerfully lead this process. If they don’t, the mission will fail and judgment will come: Verse 9-12.

So … Christ comes – and announces: The Judgment has Come!

Andrew Murray wrote, Christ actually meant prayer to be the great power by which his Church should do its work, and that the neglect of prayer is the great reason the Church has not greater power over the masses in Christian and heathen countries.[1]

Eugene Peterson levels a stunning challenge in the book, Working the Angles:

American pastors are abandoning their posts, left and right, and at an alarming rate. They are not leaving their churches and getting other jobs. Congregations still pay their salaries. Their names appear on the church stationery, and they continue to appear in pulpits on Sunday. But they are abandoning their posts, their calling. They have gone a whoring after other gods. What they do with their time under the guise of pastoral ministry hasn’t the remotest connection with what the church’s pastors have done for most of twenty centuries … The pastors of America have metamorphosed into a company of shopkeepers, and the shops they keep are churches. They are preoccupied with shopkeeper’s concerns – how to keep the customers happy, how to lure customers away from competitors down the street, how to package the goods so that the customers will lay out more money. Some of them are very good shopkeepers. They attract a lot of customers, pull in great sums of money, develop splendid reputations. Yet it is still shopkeeping; religious shopkeeping to be sure, but shopkeeping all the same.[2]
[1] Quoted by Vander Griend, 17 (Andrew Murray: The Ministry of Intercession).
[2] Eugene Peterson, Working the Angles. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1987), 1-2.

Prayer Effort for the Persecuted Church in China!

2008-07-11T14:57:00.002-04:00

In a few days, the Olympics will begin in China. And they will come after an intense season of persecution was perpetrated on Chinese Christians while the world looked the other way. The government there seemed to want to send a strong message to underground Christians not to mix it up with visiting Christians from the world community.

There have even been some Christian leaders who have minimized or denied the continuing persecution of the church in China. Christians like Anna would disagree. At the young age of 11, Anna has been persecuted for her faith. She has been run out of a Christian orphanage and refused admission to public school. She currently lives in hiding and attends an illegal underground Christian school.

Anna, like many persecuted Christians in China, remains strong in her faith. She recently told The Voice of the Martyrs "I think God must really love me. He has taken such good care of me."

Now The Voice of the Martyrs is offering Olympic Prayer Bands for Christians in the USA and in China to wear during the 2008 Summer Olympics, to be held in Beijing. These prayer bands serve as a reminder to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters in China. Many Chinese Christians will be wearing a similar band and will be praying for you as well.

Go to their web-site for more information. Wear a prayer-bracelet during the whole season of the Olympics. Pray for the church in China.

Presidential Candidate May Threaten Christianity!

2008-07-11T14:34:00.003-04:00

Gary Cass is the Chairman and CEO of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission (CADC). He says we may be in big trouble if a certain candidate wins the Presidential election.

Frankly, we are in big trouble now – and no candidate by himself can save the nation without a Great Awakening. Nevertheless, both major candidates present themselves as “Christian.” The term now demands some interpretation. One of the candidates, and you decide which one, has publically proclaimed "I am a Christian." Yet, with regard to "the path to heaven," he sees multiple routes. He opposes abortion but will not use the force of his office to defend the sanctity of human life. His lack of support for the biblical definition of marriage has also been surfacing recently. The main stream media, which is in bed with his positions, has barely reported these beliefs. They may be hiding them in an attempt to protect the candidate.

Gary Cass says to expose the misinformation and misdirection. In a recent radio interview, Cass encountered many callers who defined themselves as “Christian” but also took offense at the biblical standard of needing to be born again in Christ to be a Christian!

A Biblical Christian must affirm the biblical, historic doctrines of the Christian faith. The most essential truth of the Christian faith is that Jesus Christ is the one and only Savior of the world. Without Christ, there is no Christian faith and as a result, no salvation. In an interview with Christianity Today, this particular candidate said, "I am a Christian, and I am a devout Christian. I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that that faith gives me a path to be cleansed of sin and have eternal life." This testimony is convincing – but did he say, "a path." He did. He is quoted as saying, "I believe there are many paths to the same place."

This is “Oprah!” theology. It is pluralism. It is the introduction of the pantheon of gods. It is paganism, headed for the White House.

The belief that there are "many paths to the same place" denies that Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world. To say "faith gives me a path" is disingenuous and quite evasive - typical political speak. Jesus cautioned believers, "If you will not confess me before men, I will not confess you before my Father in heaven." You cannot deny Christ, and be a Christian. You cannot replace him with Buddha or a Hindu god, with Allah or New Age philosophy. He is irreplaceable. Those who would take him to the Flea Market and trade him for another have never settled in their hearts his unimaginable worth. They are not worshippers! And worship is the evidence of true faith.

This candidate feels sorry for us conservative Christians who continue to embrace a traditional way of reading the Bible. Such a view restricts us and makes us rigid, homophobic and resistant to new and alternative forms of family! Wow – what insight. He will repeal the federal Defense of Marriage Act. He will also repeal the “Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the military forcing the open acceptance and celebration of homosexuals. He will make partial birth abortion legal, though he will declare the procedure objectionable to him personally. And with his leadership we will move from mere abortion to infanticide.

Even more chilling is this candidates position of the repression of Christian speech. Under the auspices of "hate crimes" legislation, religious liberty and freedom of conscience are under fire. Proposed legislation would criminalize not acts, but ideas. Certain parts of the Bible that condemn homosexual acts would become criminal speech. Almost every week, someone in the nation, there is a report of how Christians are being charged with "hate crimes," merely for upholding Christian morality.

This candidate voted for changes to federal hate crimes laws (S. 1105) in 2007. Under that legislation, a pastor who identifies homosexuality as sin as defined by the Bible, could be open to prosecution for "hate speech." Having passed both houses of Congress, the last hope to stop this further censorship on Christianity is ...the President. And if he is President, he will sign the bill into law!

In this political season, the Christian faith is under an unprecedented attack!

Adapted from a letter from Dr. Gary Cass, Chairman / CEO of CADC

Research on "Gay" Homes Questioned!

2008-07-11T13:55:00.003-04:00

A West Coast psychologist is calling into question studies which allege no adverse effects on children raised in homosexual homes. She believes the researchers are themselves less than objective, often pro-homosexual and that their positions may bias their research and lead to a failure to disclose results not favorable to the homosexual cultural agenda.

They are, the researchers, “not being honest regarding children raised in homosexual homes.” Dr. Trayce Hansen took a close look at studies done by homosexuals in which they concluded that children suffer no adverse affects when raised by homosexuals. But she contends the studies prove the reverse of what the researchers suggest in their public disclosures. There is harm.

"Many of these researchers are trying to conceal these findings because they believe that if the public were aware of them, if the public was aware that these children are different from other children, [the public] would be less supportive of the pro-homosexual agenda," Hansen maintains.

The researcher argues that homosexuals are in denial over the consequences of their lifestyle. "...I believe they're in denial, because the type of research I looked at [involved] research that was done by self-proclaimed pro-homosexual researchers," she points out.

According to Hansen, the studies actually reveal that boys raised by lesbians are more feminine than other boys, and girls raised by lesbians are more masculine than other girls. In addition, children raised by homosexuals entered that lifestyle more often than those raised by heterosexuals.

"Young adults who were raised by openly homosexual parents were more likely to engage in homosexuality and to later self-identify as bisexual or homosexual -- and it's quite a stark difference," Hansen shares. She notes that 24 percent of children raised by homosexuals or lesbians had experiences with the same gender, while zero percent raised by heterosexuals leaned in that direction.

Against Ministerial Moral Failure

2008-07-11T13:13:00.002-04:00

Moral failure among pastors is now so common it is no longer shocking! The standard of morality we hold before a straying and failing culture is soiled by the many times those carrying the banner have themselves fallen. We are in danger of not being taken seriously at all, of being all talk and no walk.

What do we do?

Pastor Todd Brady heard about a sex sting that caught yet another prominent minister. His first concern, was that it not happen at his church, to his staff. His second concern was preventive.

He was the new pastor at First Baptist Church in Paducah, Ky., but that did not prevent him from calling a staff meeting to take steps to prevent compromise that might bring disgrace to the Gospel and the church.

A strongly worded resolution loaded with Scriptural support was produced by the staff and then sent to every family in the congregation. A wave of discussion followed about the dangers of sexual temptation. Soon the news media was on the pastor’s doorsteps.

"News of moral failure among ministers of the Gospel is sad and alarming," the statement said. "But we know ourselves well enough to know that moral failure could happen to any one of us if we were not careful and diligent in our pursuit of purity. For the sake of the Gospel and for the sake of our own souls, we desire to maintain the highest levels of sexual accountability," the statement continued. We will be proactive in our efforts and dogged in our determination to uphold the integrity called for by our sacred office."

Previous measures had insisted on windows in all office doors and a rule about not counseling women and children without another person present. Accountability partners were to track Internet usage. Regularly prayer with one another about sexual purity was also a part of the plan.

The Southern Baptist, the movement in which the church participates, encourages churches to use the national sex offender database (www.nsopr.gov) to screen prospective staff members and volunteers.

Pastor Brady is challenging pastors to get confrontational with each other over the issue. "This will be of no good if we sign it, put it on the wall and then never think about it again," he said. "My desire is that we as pastors are continually in one another's face, asking the tough questions, fighting for our souls, fighting for one another, holding each other accountable."

Adapted from a story by Mark Kelly of Baptist Press.

Two Christians Held In Iran for Conversion to Christ!

2008-07-11T12:49:00.003-04:00

Iran, we are told is more moderate. The non-Arab Muslim nation is supposedly more respectful of human rights and more religiously tolerant – they could be “brought around!”

Don’t tell that to Mahmood Matin, 52, and Arash Bandari, 44, two converts to Christianity in the southern city of Shiraz. The pair has now held for more than eight weeks on suspicion of "apostasy," or leaving Islam. In Iran, apostasy is a crime that can be punishable by death.

Compass Direct News, in a July 9 report, said have been imprisoned in a secret police detention center known by its address, Sepah Street 100, since their arrest May 15 in Shiraz, a city of more than 1.75 million people.

If American’s want to know where we headed with all the discussion now going on in England and Europe about Sharia law islands, empowering Islamic law for Islamic communities, and making it equal to the law of the land – then, here is a glimpse of the future.

Under Sharia Islamic law, apostasy is one of several offenses that can be punishable by death, although Islamic court judges are not required to hand down such a sentence. Compass news has noted that the draft of the penal code under consideration explicitly sets death as a fixed punishment that cannot be changed.

Matin's wife was able to speak with him for five minutes during a June 24 visit but only with officials listening in. Matin's wife traveled 17 hours by bus from her home in Tehran to visit her jailed husband. He told his wife that there had been a misunderstanding and he could not teach Christianity anymore. "They are pushing me to tell them that I am connected to a church outside [Iran] and that I am receiving a salary, but I told them that I am doing it on my own," Matin told his wife.

Matin's wife came away from the meeting with serious concerns about the way he was being treated. "He was just trying to make me calm; that's what I could see, because he's my husband and I know his face," Matin's wife said. That brief meeting was the only contact the Christian has had with family.

Matin and Bandari were detained with 13 other Muslim converts to Christianity while meeting together in a park in Shiraz. Police confiscated their cell phones and "temporarily" released everyone except Matin and Bandari over the subsequent days. According to the source, the 13 have been told they have an ongoing court case against them. They remain under house arrest and have been called in for questioning about alleged political activity and Christian faith.

Officials have not informed the 13 released Christians of the specific charges against them. But the nature of their questioning has led them to believe they are suspected of apostasy and political crimes against the government.

Matin telephoned his wife several weeks after his arrest to tell her that he had been charged with apostasy and to request that she retain a lawyer to take his case. But on June 22, she received a call from an official telling her that her husband did not need legal representation and inviting her to visit Matin in Shiraz.

Matin has three children, ages 22, 18 and 12.

Compass Direct News, based in Santa Ana, Calif., provides reports on Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith.

More Data on the Damage of Divorce to Children

2008-07-11T12:11:00.003-04:00

A half-century of a British longitudinal social study is now revealing that a child whose parents are divorced is more likely to struggle academically, emotionally and in future relationships of their own. The report was printed by the Daily Telegraph in London, England.

"Divorce,” the study said, “has repercussions that reverberate through childhood and into adulthood. Children from disrupted families tend to do less well in school and subsequent careers than their peers. They are also more likely to experience the break-up of their own partnerships."

The National Child Development Study (NCDS) is a continuing, multi-disciplinary longitudinal study which takes as its subjects all the people born in one week in England, Scotland and Wales in March 1958. The study compares over 17,000 people born in 1958 with several other groups of similar size born in the subsequent decades. The study revealed that even with increased social acceptance of divorce over the years, the negative impact on the children is still intact.

Some social experts it seems feel that all the ills of divorce victims come from “social shame.” That is, if society were to change its views, the pain would go away. This, of course, is essentially Freud’s view. Alter conscience and feel no moral pain. The study suggests that the effect of divorce on children is not socially induced, but intrinsic to the experience itself.

"It might be expected that as divorce has become more commonplace, its effects might have reduced. Yet a comparison with children born in 1970 shows that this is not the case," the researchers said. "The estimates across cohorts are surprisingly similar in magnitude and not significantly different from one another."

Children from divorced families are less likely to be educated, and are more likely to suffer depression and to be claiming benefits.

View the study at: http://www.cls.ioe.ac.uk/text.asp?section=000100020003

Adapted from a report by Tim Waggoner of LifeSite News.

UK Tribunal Rules that Christian Cannot be Forced to Conduct Gay Partnership Ceremony

2008-07-11T11:11:00.003-04:00

Lillian Ladele has a good job! One she has enjoyed, until recently. She is the civil marriage registrar for the Islington Council. But she has a problem. As a Christian she cannot conscientiously preside over homosexual domestic partnership ceremonies And that is what the town council expects of her. She feels that such actions are a "violation" of her dignity and Christian rights. The council responded in an "intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating” way.

Now the Central London Employment Tribunal has ruled that she cannot be forced to act contrary to her conscience in conducting homosexual domestic partnership ceremonies. The panel ruled, "Islington Council rightly considered the importance of the right of the gay community not to be discriminated against but did not consider the right of Miss Ladele as a member of a religious group."

"[The Council] decided that the service it provided was secular and that the rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual community must be protected. In so acting, Islington Council took no notice of the rights of Miss Ladele by virtue of her orthodox Christian beliefs."

Miss Ladele called the decision "a victory for religious liberty, not just for myself but for others in a similar position to mine. Gay rights should not be used as an excuse to bully and harass people over their religious beliefs."

Ladele will now be allowed to arrange with colleagues to handle such cases. The Islington Council had threatened to fire her if she did not conduct a same-sex ceremony. The ruling confirmed, in a unanimous judgment, that Islington Council had directly discriminated against Miss Ladele for her religious beliefs when they refused to consider her for promotion, disciplined and threatened her with dismissal and accused her of gross misconduct. The Council was also found to have failed to redress allegations that she was "homophobic" and had labelled and treated her as "homophobic." The Employment Tribunal also found that the Council had disregarded Ladele's concerns about her treatment and failed to apply its anti-discrimination policies to homosexual colleagues who were mistreating her.

Ladele said she had been treated as a "pariah" by co-workers at the Islington Council, after she made it clear that her religious beliefs precluded her participating in civil partnership arrangements. The ruling concurred and found that the Council's behavior towards Ladele had amounted to unlawful harassment.

Miss Ladele's Tribunal case was financed and represented by lawyers from the Christian Institute, a non-denominational Christian lobby group. This important ruling confirms that gay rights should not be treated as trumping religious rights. It is hoped that the ruling may slow the witch hunt against those who disagree with homosexual practices. Thus far, the homosexual community has not been content with neutrality. It wants the endorsement of those in opposition. A "climate of fear" has been growing among Christians working as marriage registrars. Earlier another Christian magistrate, Andrew McClintock, lost his final appeal when he claimed conscientious objection based on his religious beliefs. This was after 18 years of experience on the South Yorkshire bench. He was forced to resign from the family courts panel when he could not in conscience place children with homosexual partners for adoption.

Report adapted from a story by Hilary White of LifeSite News

Britain's Moral Struggle

2008-07-11T10:48:00.002-04:00

America is not the only western nation in which leaders are feeling that a complete collapse of our social order is ahead if we do take an alternate course. A return to "Public Morality" and "Personal Responsibility" is all that will turn around Britain's social collapse, David Cameron has said. The Tory leader has put his finger on the problem, a cultural prohibition against strong moral positions that infringe on the behavior of segments of people who live next door to us. In order to avoid injury to people's feelings, in order to avoid appearing judgmental, we have failed to say what needs to be said, Cameron says.

In a seminal speech on Monday, Cameron, the leader of Britain's opposition Conservative Party, laid out a new direction in Tory policy which is aimed at the ongoing moral breakdown of society. That, he says, is a critical causal element in the whole social breakdown. "I want a mandate for restoring responsibility to our society. A mandate to call time on the twisted values that have eaten away at our social fabric. A mandate for tough action to repair our broken society."

Cameron said Britain's "family breakdown, welfare dependency, debt, drugs, poverty, poor policing, inadequate housing, and failing schools" is a "society that is in danger of losing its sense of personal responsibility, social responsibility, common decency and, yes, even public morality." He suggested an end to the prevailing political trend of "moral neutrality." Politicians he alleged have abandoned the concept of moral life and "social virtue," and the result is that "we as a society have been far too sensitive” all to “avoid injury to people's feelings.” Our fear of being called “judgmental,” or overly moral or of imposing a morality has left us intimated and silent.

“We have seen a decades-long erosion of responsibility, of social virtue, of self-discipline, respect for others, and deferring gratification instead of instant gratification. Instead we prefer moral neutrality, a refusal to make judgments about what is good and bad behavior, right and wrong behavior. Bad. Good. Right. Wrong. These are words that our political system and our public sector scarcely dare use any more."

"Poverty, crime, social disorder and deprivation...are steadily making this country a grim and joyless place to live for far too many people." Cameron said in view of the "broken society," it was time to decisively call for an end to Labor's socialist policies. In Glasgow East, Cameron said, "welfare dependency is so bad, half the adults are on out of work benefits."

Families, Cameron said, are the "most important area of all" in the fight against poverty. He said that the Tories will "take action not just to support marriage and family stability, but on business too, to make Britain more family-friendly."

Adapted from a report by Hilary White View Story on LifeSiteNews.com http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/mar/07032006.html

McDonalds Accuses Christians of "Hate!"

2008-07-11T10:06:00.001-04:00

Who hasn’t taken their children to McDonalds? We warm up to cultural icons and they feel like family, and then we are betrayed.

In a searing response to the American Family Association, McDonald’s has accused the Christian community of “hate.” To disagree, or to hold moral position that someone’s actions are wrong, even destructive – is hate.

In 1948, Orwell wrote his chilling novel, 1984. In it, he predicted a totalitarian state. One in which all speech had to be uniform. One in which certain thoughts were illegal. Such is our current nation. Action used to be the basis of criminality. Now, opinions are!

Throwing out any pretense of being neutral in the culture war, McDonald's has taken the position that anyone who suggests that same-sex marriage (SSM) is immoral is motivated by hate. McDonald's spokesman Bill Whitman told the American Family Association that it would not remain neutral on the cultural issue. In a statement to the Washington Post, Whitman said, "...hatred has no place in our culture." We, as Christians, couldn't agree more. But the notion that I can hold an idea that a certain behavior is wrong and still love is untenable in our culture. In Christian thinking, truth and love can and should exist together. In our secular world, love - really tolerance, parading as love - eclipses truth. To love another is to hold no opinion that might suggest a need for behavioral changel. No one's morality can be expressed in a way that suggests that another person is evil. They are not evil, just different. And as Jeremiah Wright explained, different has to be treated as equal - except for the traditional Christian worldview!

Whitman went on to say, "We stand by and support our people to live and work in a society free of discrimination and harassment."

In the past, McDonald’s sold hamburgers! Now they are selling the homosexual agenda. In a sense, the whole culture is being recruited as moral advocates – or immoral, depending on your perspective. Disallowing anything Christian, they nevertheless have taken up the role of the church, moral advocacy on social issues, thus becoming a pseudo-church, a secular church. Convinced that we can forge a new cultural consensus, or force one, based on secular values, corporation after corporation, is aligning themselves with the new secular moral codes.

It is the same old showdown! The righteous remnant and the decaying culture. The marginalized and the empowered and well-funded liberal establishment. It is again time for the prophets to speak, for radical action, for separation from the world without isolation.

McDonald's donated $20,000 to the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce in exchange for membership and a seat on the group’s board of directors. The NGLCC lobbies Congress in support of same-sex marriage. McDonald's CEO Jim Skinner said the company will promote issues they approve. "Being a socially responsible organization is a fundamental part of who we are. We have an obligation to use our size and resources to make a difference in the world...and we do."

I have given up sausage mcmuffins from McDonalds. And I loved those things. No more! But I might go there to pray! That’s an idea.

The "Throw the TV Out!" Movement

2008-07-11T09:38:00.001-04:00

An Israeli news source reports a growing concern in that country over the negative moral influence of television. “Throw the TV out!” is an increasing cry.

A program called "Moment of Truth" in which contestants are asked to reveal intimate secretes not only about their lives, but family members is just too much. Tens of thousands of shekels are offered to family members who are willing to tell it all for money. Aired at a time when children of nearly all ages are awake and watching television, many say it is seeding destructive social trends.

One viewed noted, "I simply couldn't watch the whole show, [because] it is hard for me to suspend... my desire to live in this world as an ethical person... Watching a show in which people expose their family members to their dirty secrets... and in which people are publicly humiliated turns me into a [debased] person. I don't want to be that way."

Conservative Jewish leaders have long forbidden or recommended careful screening of television programs. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, head of Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim in the Old City of Jerusalem, says that television is a tool for "inciting sensations of violence, lust, nonsense and frivolity," and is "forbidden to have in one's home." One man asked his rabbi if he could sell his television to which the rabbi responded, "Do not place an obstacle before the blind."

Assaf Wohl, with a Masters Degree in Jewish History from the University of Haifa, explained why he got threw out TV. It is “the end of a long pipe [that] funnels cultural garbage straight into our homes. On the other side of the pipe are media advisors, cheap celebrities, spinologists, copywriters, art-directors... who view the public as a collection of idiots … I got sick of how they throw garbage into my home ... of how they raise the volume for the commercials... and of shows like 'Take Me,' 'Kick Him,' 'The Models" … shows that answer to the description 'mega-intellectual-terror attack.'"

Mike Rogers is a 30-year TV-radio veteran and the president of a mass-media production company in Japan. He recommends that all parents read the book, The Plug-In Drug, by Marie Winn. The book suggests that television is destroying our children and our families. Rogers says the issue of controls creates an ungoing challenge. The more practical solution is - throw the set out. Rogers says, “Even though I work in TV, we do not have a TV set in our house."

That ultimate solution saves cable, satellite and electric fees. It cuts off influences that are often subtle – the appeal of commercials, the glamorous life offered which is beyond the financial capability of most people. That leads to a lessened sense of self-worth. Additional reasons include obesity and poor health, less communication with friends and family. And maybe more time with God

Adapted from a story by Hillel Fendel from Arutz News

McDonald's Goes Homosexual

2008-07-07T06:02:00.003-04:00

McDonald's has weighed in on the culture war on the side of the gay and lesbian cause. It is pledge the use of McDonald’s name, logo, and endorsement to the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC). That website now proudly lists McDonald's as a "Corporate Partner."

The American Family Association says that McDonald's status as a corporate partner means their financial and symbolic support greatly aids anti-family causes such as same-sex "marriage." At the 31,000 McDonald's restaurants, expect the Gay and Lesbian welcome mat to be extended.

The membership in the Gay Chamber of Commerce required a corporate donation by McDonald’s of $20,000. However, the tie goes deeper. Richard Ellis, Vice President of Communications for McDonald's USA, now sits on the NGLCC's board and has stated on the NGLCC website, "I'm thrilled to join the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and ready to go to work."

The NGLCC frequently lobbies Congress on same-sex "marriage" and other aspects of the gay agenda.

The NGLCC website proudly lists McDonalds, along with hamburger rival Burger King, US film giant Kodak, AT&T, among 87 supporting major companies, saying, "Through the commitment of our corporate partners, the NGLCC has been able to advance the ideas and causes of the LGBT business community."

Dr. Donald Wildmon of the American Family Association wrote McDonald's asking the company remain neutral when it came to the homosexual agenda. McDonald's Global Chief Diversity Officer Pat Harris responded that the move was designed to "take this opportunity to reaffirm our position on diversity."

So McDonald's, as a corporation, has chosen to put the full weight of their corporation behind promoting the homosexual agenda, including homosexual marriage."

Report adapted from Peter J. Smith, LifeSite News

Christian Doctors with Conscience Under Pressure

2008-07-07T05:40:00.003-04:00

LifeSite News reports that the British Medical Association's (BMA) policy-making body is now considering the removal of rights of conscience that now allow Christian doctors to refuse to commit or refer women for abortions. The proposal will be considered at the BMA's upcoming Annual General Meeting, 7-10 July, 2008.

Dr. Tony Cole, of the Catholic Medical Association, said, "This would spell the death of the rights of conscience."

The proposal came from Dr. Evan Harris, a Liberal Democrat and medical doctor known by some colleagues as "Dr. Death" for his eager support of unlimited abortion and euthanasia. Dr. Harris is a member of the British Medical Association (BMA) Medical Ethics Committee.

Dr. Harris's motion would prevent access by doctors with conscientious objection to abortion from treating patients with unplanned pregnancies. It would force them to refer to pro-abortion doctors.

The connection between medical service and conscience has a long history. Now, we are seeing the prescription of conscience, or the lack thereof, the forcing of the liberal agenda on conservative Christian doctors.

The matter has been brewing for some time in the liberal British Medical Association, an ardent supporter of abortion. Last year, the membership voted 67 percent to 33 percent to remove the necessity for two doctors to sign approval for abortions.

Adapted from a report by Hillary White at LifeSiteNews.com

Boys punished with detention for refusing to pray to Allah

2008-07-07T05:25:00.002-04:00

WorldNet Daily has just released a report from the United Kingdom regarding the punishment of two seventh-grade boys, given detention, when the pair refused to kneel and pray to Allah during a religious studies class.

"This isn't right, it's taking things too far," parent Sharon Luinen told the London Daily Mail. "I understand that they have to learn about other religions. I can live with that, but it is taking it a step too far to be punished because they wouldn't join in Muslim prayer. Making them pray to Allah, who isn't who they worship, is wrong and what got me is that they were told they were being disrespectful."

This is not a problem unique to the United Kingdom. Just last month, a principal in a Houston School was reassigned – not dismissed – after forcing 900 students into an Islamic religious beliefs study at her school. Students were diverted from a scheduled physical education class and mandated to a special assembly where the Council on American-Islamic Relations presented a lesson on Islam. That the organization has links to terrorists groups seemed to matter very little in the age of political correctness.

Imagine any similar assembly that was pro-Christian – a law-suit would have been quickly filed. Teachers and administrators would have been dismissed.

In this assembly lesson, CAIR representatives told the students that Adam, Noah and Jesus were all Islamic prophets who announced "there is one god, his name is Allah". They taught the five pillars of Islam. They told students how to pray five times a day. They gave instruction on Islamic religious requirements for dress.

After a generation of no public school Bible teaching, the kids of America no longer no even the basic Bible stories. Such ignorance makes them gullible and susceptible to the kind of theological distortion so typical in the Koran.

A Minnesota charter school, housed in the same building as a mosque, attacked an investigative television news crew that was attempting to determine if the publicly funded school had complied with a previous state order to stop accommodating Islamic prayers and religious programs. A substitute teacher confirmed that the school was continuing to force participation in Islamic prayers.

In the United Kingdom incident, students were forced to wear Muslim headgear and supplied with prayer mats at which time the teacher told the students - "we are now going out to pray to Allah.” One student was reprimanded for not performing the prayer correctly. Students who refused to bow and pray to Allah were given detention.

One parent said, if Muslims were forced to go to church on Sunday and take Holy Communion there would be war!

The problem is a part of a larger concern – that of creating islands of Sharia law within the United Kingdom. The dual law system being proposed is certain to lead to a similar arrangement that to that in Israel – two states, Palestinians and Israelis - in the same nation. It is prescription for anarchy!
Report adapted from WorldNet Daily Posted: July 04, 20086:15 pm Eastern© 2008 WorldNetDaily

Churches That Pray!

2008-06-13T08:55:00.004-04:00

When Jim Cymbala became pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle, the first Sunday there were 15 people in attendance and a grand total of $85.00 in the morning offering toward a mortgage payment of $232.00 plus utilities and other bills. The building was small. The walls needed painting. The windows were dingy and the floor was bare. It was both “pathetic and laughable.” [1] The first two years were years of testing – meager salaries, funding challenges, constant struggles. All of that brought him to a place of humility. He learned a principle: “God is attracted to weakness. He can’t resist those who honestly and desperately admit how bad they need him.” [2] He recalled, “The embarrassing truth is that sometimes I did not want to show up for a service - that is how bad it was.” In that season of holy desperation, God spoke to him, “If you and your wife will lead my people to pray and call upon my name, you will never lack for something fresh to preach. I will supply all the money that’s needed, both for the church and for your family, and you will never have a building large enough to contain the crowds I will send in response.” [3] The Tuesday evening prayer service at Brooklyn Tabernacle is riveting! The house is full. The people pray – really pray! And the little congregation in Brooklyn is little no more. It is known around the world.

Loran Livingston was raised in small Church of God congregation in Wadesboro, NC. His father was a praying man – a simple Pentecostal whose daily faith and walk with God impacted his children. Loran became pastor of the Central Church of God in Charlotte with a membership of a couple dozen. The Church is now known for its turn away crowds. Every Sunday, both services are flooded with six-thousand worshippers who crowd into the church founded on dependence upon God in prayer. The mantra is “Read the Word, and pray!” For decades a core of faithful men have met on Monday night for prayer. The elders are praying men, who meet for the purpose of prayer. On Wednesday evenings, when the service has been dedicated to prayer, a thousand people have collected in the sanctuary for prayer.

When I arrived in Surabaya, Indonesia a few years ago, I was told to prepare a brief challenge on prayer for the Wednesday evening service. The church building was packed! I shared. They prayed. And then I was informed that a business leaders prayer service would occur the next morning at 6:00 a.m. It would be my assignment to share briefly with those leaders. When I arrived, over 500 businessmen sat cross-legged on the floor, praying and crying out to God. Throughout the day, the sanctuary would empty and another group would gather for prayer. At that time, Pastor Alex Tanasuputra was ministering to 70,000 people. The driving force of his Church – is prayer.

Who has not heard of Dr. Paul Cho? A congregation with over 700,000 members! The very culture of the Church is bathed in prayer. Prayer-sensitive, mega-churches are popping up all over the earth. Prayer meetings in majority world nations are drawing tens-of-thousands. I was recently in a prayer meeting in Indonesia which drew 100,000 people.[4] Out of such gatherings, the nation is being changed.

Al Vander Griend tells about a pastor who “spent years training for ministry at a strong evangelical seminary … he learned all he could learn about church renewal and church growth. And he applied all he was learning. Nothing work ed. His church was as dead as ever. One day he walked out of his study and into the sanctuary, and feeling led of the Lord, stood at the front of the church in the center aisle. He began to pray for his parishioners one by one. He moved down the aisle, praying for those who would typically occupy each pew. Day after day he continued this practice. Soon the renewal he wanted and prayed for began.” [5]

What kind of church do you have? Do you have a church that prays? Or, do you have a praying church? Do you have a house of prayer for the nations? What are the differences?

[1] Jim Cymbala, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1997), 11, 16.
[2] Cymbala, 19.
[3] Cymbala, 25.
[4] This occurred on May 5, 2005 at the conclusion of the Transform World Conference. At that time, one-million intercessors had been mobilized across the island nation in 450 prayer networks.
[5] Vander Griend, 15.

IDEAS For Praying With Your Children

2008-06-13T08:32:00.004-04:00

1. Pray at every meal – make thanksgiving a habit. And let the children pray.

2. During the course of your meal, ask your kids about their day - What happened in your world? Use their anxieties as cues for prayer.

3. Pray at bedtime. Include a bed-time Bible story. That daily habit is a powerful and comforting closure to the day.

4. If you drive your children to school, you have a great opportunity to plug into the “hurry-up” of the morning, a restful prayer. Before they get out of the car, pray for them. Bless them. Ask for God to be with them. Someone has said that Christian parents exhort their children to “be good!” – as if they expected mischief. Jewish parents exhort their children to “do something great today!” – as if they expected not only positive behavior, but excelling conduct.

5. Take each of your children out, once a week for a private time with Dad or Mom. Make prayer a part of that time. Do it casually, naturally. Lace the presence of God into daily life, as if it were not a Sunday thing! It isn’t, you know. Read a scripture together. Give a Psalm as a gift to your child – read it over them. Give them other promises from the Bible.

6. Once a week or so, do more than saying grace at the table, do a round of prayer with each family member praying sentence prayers. Let the practice evolve into a full-fledge family worship event.

7. Establish seasonal faith celebrations. On Passover, Jewish families experience a Seder meal together. One of the practices of conservative Jews is to leave the door slightly ajar and an empty chair for the prophet Elijah – just in case he shows up to announce the coming of the Messiah. Improvise. Leave a chair open for Jesus. Welcome him as the unseen guest who lives in the home. Talk about his physical and visible second coming to your children.

8. Make a family prayer list. Pray over the needs on the list – at least weekly.

9. Do some type of weekly family prayer and worship event. It does not have to be long – 15-30 minutes will do, especially with smaller children whose attention spans are short. Do it consistently. Read Scripture. Pray. Bless the children. Review your Family Prayer List. Pray for unsaved family members, neighbors and friends.

10. Keep a family prayer log. Howard Hendricks of Dallas Theological Seminary says years ago, his wife created a family prayer journal. On one side was listed – “We Asked!” On the other side – “He Answered!” Hendricks said, “I would not substitute anything for what this notebook did to teach my children the theology of prayer.” This brings reality to prayer. It makes it about real things. It chronicles the family’s spiritual journey. What a legacy!

11. Lace special days with special prayer. During the holidays, open the Christmas cards at dinner when the family is together. Pray over the loved ones who sent the cards before they are hung on the mantle. In November, every day give thanks for something different. Each week, pick out another family who has been a blessing - send them a card, do family phone call that expresses thanks, make a visit to them bearing a thanksgiving gift. Find someone who has always been kind and helpful to others, even if what they did never touched your life, and go give them the gift of gratitude - the firemen down the street, teachers, city-workers, hospital employees, retired ministers and wives. Every birthday, have members of the family pray prayers of blessing over the celebrant.

12. Create a “sacred space” in your home where you meet for prayer – a family altar. Set aside a room for a chapel, if you have the space. If not, designate a place where the family meets God. Put out visible reminders of the sacredness of the space – a Bible, pictures on the wall, study helps, a globe or map to remind you of missions, the family prayer list, anointing oil.

A Reformation of Transformational and Missional Prayer

2008-06-12T12:24:00.004-04:00

There are seven things must change if the Church is going to embrace the New Reformation of Prayer. This is not really a new reformation, it is completion of the transformation of the church started 500 years ago, a transformation that we have both resisted and failed to nurture:

The preached Word must also become the prayed Word. We integrate truth into our lives not merely by having it proclaimed – and attempting to obey. Rather, by hearing it and seizing it prayerfully, asking the Holy Spirit to incarnate this truth into our lives. We must teach our people to pray Scripture. First, for the transformation of their own lives at the level of character and godliness. Second, for direction of their lives as a witness to the resurrected Christ. The new model must allow time for congregations to process in prayer the taught Word from the Lord. Teach it. Then pray it.

Two-thirds of pastors acknowledge that revival is the most pressing need of the American church.[1] But prayer – the clearest and surest way to revival is consistently ignored. We will never preach our way to revival! Nor can we program revival. Revival comes on the wings of prayer.

Prayer must be modeled by Church leadership. The cry across the America is not for more great preachers, but for “holy men of God!” Nothing purifies a life more than time with a Holy God. Congregations must release their pastors to prayer. The apostles appointed deacons over the encroaching daily work of the fellowship and recommitted themselves to prayer and the word. The result was unity in the place of division, and church growth in the place of stagnation (Acts 6:1-7). A new kind of leader must emerge – pastors after God’s heart, who are men of prayer.

Sadly, prayer is not a priority by congregations for their pastors. On the list of desirable attributes carried by many typical pastoral search teams, prayer does not even make the list.[2] Pastors must learn not only the power of secret prayer, but also the power of prayer with other men of like heart and passion. Pastors should seek out others who are giving themselves to prayer and the Word, not only in behalf of their congregation, but in behalf of the city they are called to serve open to the gospel.

The era of the pastor as administrator-technician has failed. Spread over a dozen roles for which he was neither called nor equipped, the typical pastor has lost his way and his church is failing. His call was not primarily to the church office. His call was to Christ, to follow Him, walk with Him, learn from Him and teach others the ways of God. We need again, holy men of God who bury themselves in prayer and boldly preach a fresh Word from God. Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Hannah, Samuel, David, Elijah, Daniel, Nehemiah and Ezra, Zechariah – were all devoted to prayer. Samuel declared, “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you! (I Samuel 12:23).” The absence of prayer by leaders is not merely a weakness or a pastoral disadvantage, it is a sin![3]

“The prayer life of the church will seldom rise above the pastor’s personal example and commitment” to pray.[4] There is no such thing as private prayer, only prayer in private. Prayer is a part of the public record in heaven. Prayer will never be a purely personal thing. The effect of personal prayer will spill out into the church and community. Pastors and people who pray at home, will get together – just to pray. The record of corporate prayer meetings decorate the book of Acts (1:14, 24; 2:1, 42; 3:1; 4:24-31; 6:4-6; 12:5-12; 13:1-3; 14:23; Acts 16:13, 16, 20:36; 21:5). New believers learned to pray by being in prayer meetings (Acts 2:42). Why would Luke document such an extensive record of corporate prayer? The Holy Spirit is showing us the connection between corporate prayer and explosive church growth. In Acts, prayer is not something done at meetings, before or after meetings, during meetings, for meetings, at the beginning or ending of meetings – prayer was the purpose of the meeting itself.

If the church is to be a praying church, the pastor must lead by calling the church to prayer – in public gatherings. There is no substitute for corporate prayer meetings.

We must practice prayer – publicly. Few people who attend church in America have a Biblical worldview. Faith is something banded onto a lifestyle and perception that is largely secular. Significant numbers have homes that have few or no markings of practiced faith. These people are spiritually underdeveloped – to say the least. Many are unstable in their faith. Their kids are fleeing the church. The divorce rate among Christians in the United States is now slightly higher than non-church going folks. People acknowledge that they lack a vital connection with God, even at corporate worship events.[5] In large part, our evangelical-pentecostal services allow passive participation. They offer too few opportunities for participation – particularly in prayer.

The practice of corporate prayer should enrich personal, private, at-home, daily prayer. The more people are praying at home, the richer and deeper, the more powerful the ministry of corporate prayer will become when we gather together. Public praying must offer models that enrich and encourage personal prayer. Powerful public prayer meetings will take place, as people with a deepening personal prayer life, gather together to cry out to God. The public and personal-private are connected. You cannot have one without the other. They enrich and drive each other.

Caution! Make prayer simple. The resistance to pray by many American Christians is rooted in fear. They often feel they do not know how to pray. There is a reason! First, if the average Christian ducks into an evangelical-pentecostal gathering of intercessors, they may encounter a style of prayer that is bold and powerful, passionate and quite out-of-the-box. It is not a bad thing to be exposed to passionate intercession. But we should not exalt a style of prayer as either the goal for all or the optimum prayer style.

Second, public praying is sometimes flowery, loaded with theological terms and unfamiliar god-talk. Our liturgy and language is strange and unfamiliar to the routine of daily life. Richly articulated prayer – with the depth and breadth of good theology inspires. But we must not make the acquisition of theological language a prerequisite for prayer – or we will place a obstruction in the pathway of those beginning their prayer journeys. Neither intercessory expertise nor theological language should be precondition for a prayer life.

Publicly practice authentic prayer. Use ordinary conversational language aimed at the heart of God. People learn to pray by praying and by hearing others pray. Passion should not displace rational, Scripture based praying. Nor should Biblically-grounded prayers, leave out the heart. If we encourage prayer language which is little more than rhetoric, our people may learn to repeat religious phrases thinking they are praying. This is what Jesus condemned. A mouth full of words or sounds is not prayer. Model authentic praying.

We need a better theology of prayer. In the typical Evangelical-Pentecostal worship service, prayer is all about petitioning God for needs! Personal needs. Sickness. Emergencies. Problems. Prayer time is a recital by people not only riddled with needs, but in despair. The litany of needs Sunday after Sunday is depressing. It speaks of lives nearly out of control and a God who seems foreign and uninvolved. Rather than build faith, such prayer times discourage faith. The reason? Our prayer times begin at the wrong place. And they end at the wrong place.

The best prayer begins neither with self or the needs of self. It begins with God in all of his glory. It sees Him whose hand is not shortened, whose ear is not heavy (Isaiah 59:1). Our prayer times must begin with Him. Only when we climb the mountain and get a clear view of Him, will we have the faith to face life’s fears (Isaiah 40:9f). Start your prayer time with a celebration of who God is! Gratitude opens up the gateway to grace. Thank God. Worship Him. Sincerely – not as if you were attempting to prime Him for a gushing forth of power. Authentically – love Him. Remember the greatest answer to prayer is not the answer, but laying hold of the One who is the Answer. He is the place of lasting peace. Once people sense God’s presence, faith rises. There is assurance that whether He delivers us from or through, He is our deliverer. Only then should one move to petition and intercession.

Without having in prayer, the certain sense of His love, we are only making noises at our problems. And without praying for those who have never experienced His liberating love – we have shut up the Kingdom and make it about ourselves. Begin prayer with worship of Him. Intercede for others. Find a place for your needs in between. Prayer must be worshipful at its center and missional at its edge. Close prayer times with praise that anticipates an answer. Celebrate with heart-felt assurance that we have been heard as Jesus did (John 11:41-42).

We must embrace the discipline of prayer – until we again know the delight of prayer. This means spending regular extended times in prayer. Most of the time we rush into prayer – without quieting our hearts. And then we rush through prayer. We must learn to linger in the presence of God until He comes. And when God comes into a prayer and worship experience, everyone knows. Both sinners and saints know His presence. In a culture addicted to busyness this is no small assignment.

When we are too busy to pray – we are too busy. Prayer is the great equalizer. It is a pacer for our lives. Without it we bog down in visionless routines or we spin out of control, our lives moving far too fast with too many programs and people to track. The central discipline of our lives is prayer. But if it is only a discipline – we will have a joyless ministry. The discipline of prayer must become the delight of our lives.

Be certain of this, no relationship with a Church – no matter how glorious the choir or how engaging the preacher – can take the place of a personal, intimate relationship with the living Christ. You cannot satisfy your relationship with Christ, by relating to His bride – the Church. Without realizing it, we have engaged in a style of Christianity in which the church has replaced personal intimacy with Christ. Loving the church is not the same as loving Christ. Going to church, even regularly, does not insure a vital connection to Christ. It is cultural Christianity at best. It is apostasy at worse. Our people must learn the presence and power of His presence. We cannot, with God’s help, allow them to live from Sunday to Sunday. Such a church will never change its world. Short prayer times engender shallow encounters with God. Arrange for extended seasons of prayer. Don’t fear quiet. Don’t quench passion. Dedicate whole services to prayer. Arrange for retreats which are modeled on prayer summits [6] – aimed at experiencing God’s presence personal and corporately.

We need to identify intercessors – those who have a special call to prayer and grace to pray. These people have a heart-altar full of prayer-fire. Use them to encourage a culture of prayer in the Church. Don’t merely foster more prayer activities. Healthy intercessors are those who have learned to live in a spirit of prayer. That is the climate you want to see imparted to the whole of congregation – again, a culture of prayer. Not all intercessors are healthy. Those who are will be characterized by a spirit of humility and deep dependence upon God. Their immediate reaction to any need or crisis – is to pray. They depend upon God for wisdom and guidance, for power and provision. They have a strange mixture of gentleness and grit. Their soft, steel-like character is a reflection of Christ, the lamb who is also the lion!

What difference would it make to identify and mobilize intercessors, partnering them with specific people? Iverna Thompson developed a five-hour course to train intercessors, teaching them how to pray for pastors and ministry leaders. After the course, intercessors were given a one-year assignment to pray for some ministry leader. After that year, 89% of the 130 pastors, evangelists and missionaries that had been prayed for, indicated a positive change in ministry effectiveness. The intercessors had prayed for them only fifteen minutes a day.[7]

Few congregations will make progress in prayer without identifying and training intercessors. What church can develop a choir without gathering their singers and musicians? It is impossible. No church can develop a serious prayer ministry without teaming those who have a special call to prayer – intercessors.

We must add to prayer – harvest eyes! Only 2% of pastors can identify God’s vision for the ministry they lead. Few members have a Biblical worldview.[8] Without a vision – the people perish (Proverbs 29:18). We need a vision of the harvest that results in an intentional prayer evangelism emphasis. We cannot turn inward, making prayer about ourselves. Our cry must be that of Jesus, “My house shall be called a house of prayer – for the nations!” Prayer must embrace those for whom Christ died who have not yet come to salvation. The Church as an intercessory agency – a corporate intercessor - stands in every community as a bridge between lost men and God, between communities that carry out daily functions without God and a God who longs to bless cities, to be gloried in and by our cities. The failure of the Church to bless its community and invite God’s intervention is one of its major failings. We see ourselves as powerless. We are conflicted – do we become a political force to change culture? If not, what do we do? Sit helplessly by and watch? There is another way.

Peter declared that we were a royal priesthood (I Peter 2:9). As priests, we pray. But what does it mean to be a royal priesthood? A kingly priesthood? Wesley declared, “God governs the world by the prayers of His people!” There is a kingly dimension to prayer that we have failed to use. On our knees, before the King of Glory, there and there alone, we call Him to His rightful place in our world. We rule by praying. And the very act of prayer, we invite the rule of Christ. Through prayer he asserts his rightful claim on our communities. And we become in that process alone, his ambassadors to a lost world. Andrew Murray says, “The power of the Church to truly bless rests on intercession – asking and receiving heavenly gifts to carry to men.”[9] The obligation of the kingdom of priests is to daily invite God’s kingly rule into our time-space world, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in our city, Lord.” And of course, the greatest desire of God is that men should be saved, that they would come to know Him.

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. II Peter 3:9

Every Christian should be praying regularly for friends and family, neighbors and workplace associates – that they come to know God. People of influence in the community should be adopted by congregations and intercessors for prayer. Every place of pain and promise in the community should be the focus of ongoing prayer. The harvest will not come in, unless it is first “prayed in!” Jesus called the Father “the Lord of the harvest” and commanded us “to pray” until we were thrust forth by the Lord, into the harvest field (Matthew 9:38). Prayer changes us – for the harvest. And prayer readies the harvest for reaping.

The longing of the disciples was to learn to pray! I believe that is the secret longing of every true believer. Luther warned, “He who does not pray – is no Christian!” Beware of the folks who want to hang out with the church group, be members of the board and leaders of ministries – but do not answer the call to prayer. Carnal Christians avoid prayer. Yet, prayer is the distinguishing mark of a true believer. Genuine Christians will want to live in unbroken fellowship with the Father. To walk “in the Spirit!” True believers want “Christ in us, the hope of glory” to break out through conversations, in life-decisions and reveal Himself alive in and through them. This is prayer!

[1] Daniel Henderson, Fresh Encounters (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2004), 46.
[2] Daniel Henderson, 55.
[3] Alvin J. Vander Griend, 14.
[4] Daniel Henderson, 55.
[5] Barna Research Group, “Seven Paradoxes Regarding America’s Faith,” December 17, 2000.
[6] A Prayer Summit is a 3-4 day, extended, agenda-free prayer encounter. It is often held for pastors of a city using outside facilitators! International Renewal Ministries has conducted more than a thousand of these summits around the world. P. Douglas Small serves as a member of the Board of Directors for IRM. For more information on prayer summits go to www.projectpray.org or www.prayersummits.net.
[7] Nancy Pfaff, “Christian Leadership Attributes Dynamic Increase in Effectiveness to the Work of Intercessors,” Church Growth Journal, 81 (Quoted by Chery Sacks, 125).
[8] Barna Research Group, “Seven Paradoxes Regarding America’s Faith,” December 17, 2000.
[9] Andrew Murray, The Ministry of Intercession.

Creating a Circle of Prayer for the Pastor

2008-06-08T22:09:00.003-04:00

Recruit Prayer Partners for the Pastor. It is inadequate to say “the whole church is praying for the pastor.” Get commitments.

Have the prayer partners take a day of the week or one day a month (anniversary or birthday date, 23rd, i.e.). Make a calendar of who is praying on any day.

Distribute a weekly “Prayer Points” bulletin.

Encourage the pastor to be open to prayer – to receive “the gift of prayer” from intercessors and prayer partners who stop by the office.

Build a library for prayer partners and intercessors to use.

Have a team of intercessors assigned each Sunday for special prayer for the service.

Have Sunday School classes rotate and once a month, or quarter pray for the pastor. “Today is our day to pray a special prayer covering for our pastor.”

Make sure the elders or council designate time in their monthly board meeting to pray for the pastor. This is one of, if not, their chief role. Don’t allow this to be formal matter or a flighty thing. If the whole session were spent in prayer for the pastor no better use of time could be found. An elder team or pastor’s council who is not praying for the pastor can never lead the church effectively.

Encourage the members who prayed for the pastor during the week to give him a “thumbs up” sign as he enters the pulpit to preach each Sunday.

Make sure you share testimonies of answered prayer and intervention.

It was twenty-five years ago when Bill Klassen walked into the office of John Maxwell. He was not a member of Skyline Wesleyan Church, nor had he ever attended. He told Pastor Maxwell, “I think God has called me to disciple and encourage others to pray for pastors. I came here today so I could pray for you.” Bill’s commitment was not a one-time thing. He persisted in prayer. He recruited others to pray until there were 120 pastoral prayer partners. The church tripled in size. The income increased seven-fold. And John Maxwell was launched onto the national stage as a coach to other pastors and spiritual leaders.[1]

[1] John Maxell, Partners in Prayer (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1996).

20 WAYS TO MEASURE THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE CHURCH’S COMMITMENT TO PRAYERevel of Committment to a Prayer Ministry

2008-06-08T22:01:00.003-04:00

Prayer is included in the institutional mission statement and core values.

The consideration in engaging the pastor was not just on his preaching, but on his personal commitment to prayer. Prayer is a part of the pastor’s job description.

Leadership meetings are marked by extended seasons of prayer.

There is a regular – not less than once a month – church-wide prayer service in which prayer is the main thing, if not the only thing on the agenda.

Prayer, not merely prayer requests, is a part of every worship gathering.

Members pray at home – daily.

Families practice, or at least are attempting to establish, family altar experiences.

A significant number of people in the congregation are committed to prayer and demonstrate that commitment by showing up for prayer meetings.

Intercessors have been identified and are regularly engaged.

There is a prayer leadership team.

The church has a prayer room or prayer center open seven days a week, and people use it.

There is regular teaching and training on prayer.

A number of prayer groups meet during the week and are open to new members so that numerous opportunities for small group prayer take place in the course of any given week.

Answers to prayer are celebrated.

The church staff prays together – at least weekly.

The elders or church council prays together.

There is a definitive prayer evangelism focus, including prayer for those who do not yet know Christ in a saving and satisfying way.

Money is appropriated in the church budget to support the prayer ministry of the church.

Men are being encouraged to pray and regularly gathered for prayer. Intercession is not merely a women’s phenomenon.

Youth and children are being discipled in prayer.

Ten Things to Do When Starting a Prayer Ministry

2008-06-08T21:54:00.003-04:00

DO IT – Pray. Don’t talk about it. Do it. Pray before you plan. Pray before you do anything else. Above all, let prayer lead the way in developing a prayer ministry. Tarry in prayer. The flesh will want to plan it into being. The Spirit will want to prayer it into being. Pray for prayer – a spirit of intercession. Pray for pray-ers – an army of prayer warriors. Pray for wisdom and direction in prayer. Pray for God to identify prayer leaders. Pray for a passion for the lost. Pray for God’s unique design for the prayer ministry of your church.

ENVISION IT – Pray aloud, “By faith, I see …” Have the participants fill in the blanks. Let prayer, bathed in faith, quicken your hearts with the possibilities for prayer ministry. Don’ hurry. Wait in prayer.

RECORD IT - Have someone record the ideas. “By faith, I see … us prayer walking the city … (another) … with healing teams … praying regularly for the mayor.” Some things envisioned in prayer may be immediately forthcoming. Some may only unfold after years of faithful persistence. A record might encourage late-comers that God had a huge mission in mind from the beginning.

TALK IT UP – Keep sharing ideas for prayer. Enlarge the circle. As more people are exposed to the things stirring in the hearts of a few, the Lord will call others into the process. And the vision will become clear.

PRIORITIZE IT – Begin to separate the ideas about which you have prayed and talked into categories – Do immediately, Do as soon as possible, Do later, Wait on the Lord. Develop an action plan. Keep committing it to prayer. Keep it fluid.

STEWARD IT – By now, a core group has emerged who want to see a prayer team become a reality. Some will have a passion for prayer, but not be gifted as an organizer. Ideally, you want an intercessor who is also gift leader with evidenced maturity to serve as your team leader. Team is a key word. This is not a one-person job. A prayer ministry demands a team. Designate the team members. Keep the roles loosely defined in the discovery and exploratory phases.

WORK IT – Transform the vision, with its priority categories, into action steps. Don’t stop praying. Pray and plan. Work and pray! Keep enlarging the circle of people meeting to move the prayer process forward.

GROW IT – With the core vision given the group in prayer, now expose yourself to all kinds of ideas. Don’t copy other prayer ministries, but do learn from them. Assign each of your team members a different book to read on prayer ministries – not just prayer. Come together. Have them share insights.

EVALUATE IT – In light of what you are learning, how balanced is your plan? How likely is it that you can accomplish all your goals in the time-line you might have set? Have other prayer ministry leaders from other churches assess your plan. Get pastoral approval. Make sure your team is on board.

EXECUTE IT – Even as you put you plan in action, keep it flexible. You learn by doing. As you conduct prayer events, you will see gaps in prayer theology and practice. Teach and train into those gaps. Then test the learning by another doing event. Build slowly - teach and execute; train and deploy. Set reasonable goals. Make them measurable. Expect resistance. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Discerning Prayer!

2008-06-08T21:37:00.005-04:00

There is a wonderful old story of a group of blind men who had each found a different part of the same elephant. “What is it?” one cried to another. “A tree,” said the one who had taken hold of the elephant’s leg. “No, a rope,” said the one who had his tail. Each had a different answer – a snake, a fan, a wall, a spear! Each had only a piece of the elephant and not the whole. A cognitive approach in prayer gives you a piece of data, an emotive approach another piece. What is needed is not a left or right brain prayer experience, but a holistic approach.

First, quiet yourself and frame your need for discernment or direction to God in prayer. Describe the problem or the unrealized potential. Detail it. Lay out the pieces as you would with a counselor. Do it audibly, not merely reflectively. Ask God in yes or no terms – Should I move? Should we sell this house? Should I marry this person? Should I take this position?

Praying with the left brain (Thinking Prayer) – Subordinate the decision to noble life purposes. “God, you are first. I don’t want to do anything to damage my life purpose, your calling, or my relationship with you.” Write down the positive aspects of the choices you have, and then the negative. Are there any indicators here of enhancing or hindering my spiritual life in these choices? Is God in all this? Star the important items. Where is the strength of the list – on the positive or negative side? Is there anything inconsistent with Scripture or your desire to make Christ Lord?

Praying with the right brain (Feeling Prayer) – Subordinate the decision to faith. Inventory your feelings. Are you fearful of anything? Write down your responses. Are sensing something that you cannot rationally define? What would you do if the limits were removed? What is wild and dangerous, the daring response? Is there a creative option, an out-of-the-box possibility? Try to “step into” one of the options above – how does it feel? Like trying on a new suit, ask yourself, “Does this fit me?” Gut reactions are telling. Instinct is an important predictor of inner congruity.

Praying with the Heart (Sensing Prayer) - What is your heart telling you? Do you sense peace? What is right and noble? What would Jesus do? The heart dreams better than the head does – is this a part of what God has been calling you do? Does it answer an inner yearning? Satisfy a hunger? Respond to a call that has been laid aside or repressed for more rationale choices?

Praying with the Spirit (Alignment Prayer) – How does this fit with God’s plan? If you do this, make this move, accept this job, will it position you more suitably for kingdom work? Does it call for compromise in any way? Is it strictly business? How will it affect your role as spiritual leader in your home? How will it affect your spouse, your kids? If you leave, will the church have a ready substitute for any role you are playing there? Remember life runs on multiple tracks – career, calling, family, friends, personal development, spiritual development – and more. Will you have a spiritual support system where you are going? A prayer group? That is important.

Faith praying (Seeing Prayer) – faith sees! Visualize the options. Pray – by faith I see myself _________. (Fill in the blank.) Visually walk through this decision. Is Christ walking with you? Are things falling into place? Keep praying your move, your transition, step-by-step. Then, use the by-faith-I-see-myself prayer to follow another path. Which path is God calling you down? Which flows most freely? Which provides the most excitement? Which fits you best? Did you pay attention to your family – which one would have benefited them the most?

Prophetic Praying (Saying Prayer) – Prayer is declarative. “I will live and not die!” Saying it doesn’t make it true, but saying it often test the ring of truth! Do you believe what you are saying – no praying! Is it ringing true? Is it believable? If you can’t say it – and pray it – with confidence, you will have trouble doing it. Caleb and Joshua declared, “We are well able to overcome!” They were the only two who finally did. “I can do all things,” Paul must have prayed, “through Christ who gives me strength.” Pray it. This is not a positive thinking exercise. It is a declaration of what you feel God is wanting you to do.

Restlessness and anxiety are signs that call for a second look and more prayer. Be especially wary when you clearly sense heaviness and discouragement about the potential decision. I may not indicate that the path is forbidden, but it certainly demands more prayer.

The final test! Use the data from all the prayer approaches above – the right and left brain, the heart and the spirit, as well as faith praying. Then give yourself the final test.

The Word test – the decision is consistent with Scripture. No principles are being violated

The Marriage test – my spouse and I are in agreement. This is the right thing to do, and it is the right time.

The Family test – the family is on board. This will provide opportunities for their growth and development.

The Peace test – We have peace about the decision. Others also have peace.

The Ministry test – Our move will not adversely affect a ministry in which we are involved; and we have located a faith-group with which we will be connected there.

The Agreement test – Other family and Christian friends have prayed with us, and are in agreement that this is the will of God.

The Financial test – The move will promote greater financial independence. It will not place us in deeper debt.

The Faith test – We are encouraged to proceed and we have the faith and confidence to meet the challenges the transition will bring.

The Relationship test – Our family is healthy enough to make this move, to manage the stresses, to pull together and support one another through them.

The Christ-like test – Nothing in this move will diminish character growth. The new assignment will promote my Christ-like growth.

Ten Ways to Deepen Communion With God

2008-06-08T21:13:00.003-04:00

Here are ten ways to deepen your communion with God:

Sit quietly. Enjoy the very real sense of His presence. Let him lead. Don’t rush the moment. Let his peace renew your soul.

Listen. Listen deeply. Tune your soul to His stillness. Listen to the rumblings of your own soul, and let God quiet your inner storms. Be still before Him. “God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer.” ~Mother Teresa.

Yield to God’s action. Let him come near. Let him move around you, encircling you. Put yourself in a “Here am I!” position.

Let God speak. Avoid the temptation to break a holy silence. He may speak through scripture, through a life-experience, through the memory of some history you share with Him. Listen for any word the Spirit might bring.

Keep a prayer journal. Record you impressions and thoughts. Note scripture references. Write down promises you make to God and those you sensing him making to you. Make notes of action items – things you are led to do; and change points – things you are led to change.

The essence of the prayer relationship is love. Let God love you. And then, express your love to Him. Let Him lead with love. Let Him love first.

Take a walk. Drop everything. Go and get alone with God. Or, take a drive. No agenda. No list. Just a spontaneous encounter with God.

Then go to your secret place. Get your journal. Write. Record the fresh insights.

Sometimes you may find yourself at a parallel to some moment in Scripture. What is happening to you has happened to David or Paul, or some other Biblical character. Let the Bible give you language that expresses the depth of these encounters with God. The Psalms are especially helpful in cultivating our prayer vocabulary. Athanasius, the fourth-century Egyptian theologian said, “Scripture speaks to us; the Psalms speaks for us.”[1]

Sing. Shout joyfully. Dance. Celebrate his presence. Glorify him. Give voice to the deep sense of his presence. Be spontaneous. Be grateful to and for a God who pursues you.

Weep. Weep deeply over the wonderful grace of his embrace. Tears have a way of cleansing the soul. Weep joyfully. Weep over the wonder of why he loves you so.

[1] Quoted by Eugene Peterson, “Praying by the Book,” The Contemporaries Meet The Classics on Prayer, ed. Leonard Allen (West Monroe, LA: Howard Publishing, 2003) 53.

A Tribute to Bob Frazier

2008-06-02T11:38:00.004-04:00

Robert Frazier was such a gifted pastor. He died suddenly last Monday. No warning. He and some friends were on a trip together in Florida. Ruth, his wife was with family in North Dakota. She must have come through Charlotte airport a few hours before me as I returned that day from a conference in Canada.

When Barbara told me the news, I was shocked. I saw Bob in my sleep all night long. He died with far too much promise and potential in him. Too young. He and Ruth have always been successful wherever they have served. But in Gastonia, they seem to have gone to a new level. A new building program, congregational growth, a new paradigm for ministry which pushed the services and ministries of the church from one to seven days a week. Wow.

Barbara stayed with Ruth's family in the summer of 1967 when she and I were members of a Pioneers for Christ team from Lee College touring the Dakotas that summer. Bob and Ruth were partners with Alive Ministries.

On Tuesday morning, I was in my prayer room. I was praying about Bob's death and for Ruth. I was asking God, "Why?" Why - with so much promise and potential? Why - in his prime? Why? I was reminded of Paul's passion for ministry contrasted with his desire for heaven. "I am between, having a desire to depart. And yet it is needful for me to remain." I am not sure I have such healthy innner conflict. This world is so seductive. And it is possible to become so attached to ministry here that we lose our longing to see Jesus.

As I closed my time of prayer, I was reminded of how the Jews during the second diaspora added a line to the Seder meal at Passover time. "This year we are here; next year (may we be) in the Land of Israel. This year we are slaves; next year (may we be) free!" Every Seder for the exiled Jew is just a shadow of the ideal Pesach Seder. "Next year," they would say to one another, "in Jerusalem." Next year, may we be no longer exiled from the promised land, next year may we be in Jerusalem.

We look not toward Jerusalem in Israel, but to Jerusalem above. In exile, the jewish people would wrap their lives in the rhythm of the holy land. They would pray for rain during Israel's dry season even if their weather was like a monsoon. They would plant trees in the tree-planting season in Israel, even if it was freezing outside. With hearts tuned to heaven, may we, may I, learn to march with beat of another world, to catch the music of heaven - to long to be with Jesus.

As I closed my prayer time, I remembered the days when I was forced to work in garden after school in the spring. It was a huge garden! Then someone would call, "Suppertime!" I would drop my hoe on the spot and run to the house. I never recall saying, "I'd like to stay and work a while longer." It was suppertime. Bob dropped his hoe where he was. he went home. How can I ever have regrets about that opportunity for him!

Ruth, Barbara and I are praying for you. It won't be easy, but God will be faithful. He will not leave you alone or comfortless.

Forty Years

2008-06-02T10:21:00.003-04:00

Today, Barbara and I celebrate our 4oth wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe - forty years. She says at least 35 happy ones! And she is considering staying another year. That really is hard to believe.

Yesterday, we conducted a prayer impact Sunday at Calvary Assembly of God east of St. Paul. It was so beautiful to see families receive communion together yesterday evening. I taught on the need for the restoration of the family altar, and family worship.

As I write this, we are headed for Wisconsin Dells for a few days of relaxation. As many of you know, Barbara has developed in the last few years a severe respiratory problem. She is fine - and then something triggers a reaction. Foul air. Something she eats. Who knows for sure. On Saturday as we drove in after flying from Chattanooga to Minneapolis, she began to experience some breathing issues. On Sunday morning, it was necessary to get her to an urgent care facility. We considered cancelling our trip and returning home today. Home doesn't make you well, but somehow it "feels better!" The doctor was able to get her some medication that he believed would "make her better overnight." She is feeling better today. I suggested that we should probably go home and be safe. She told me to go ahead, she was staying - by herself. Being the strong leader that I am, I decided to stay, for her beneift, and my protection.

Pray for her healing.

As usual, the workaholic that I am, I have a new book that I am finishing. I should be out by the first of the year. It is a primer on prayer. Our plans are to create a companion DVD track to go with it. Chapters include: What is prayer? Personal Prayer. Family Prayer. Intercession and
Evangelism. The Church at Prayer. And, Longing for a Great Awakening.

You are such great partners. Keep praying for us.

Doug and Barbara Small

Praying With the Whole Body!

2008-05-29T11:21:00.003-04:00

The pivotal issue in prayer, many say, is not posture or position, not words or rituals – it is attitude. Biblical prayer refuses to fit into a form. True Christian prayer is free. Some argue that “posture, language, place or time – none of these trifles matter.” They do not matter in the sense that God looks at the heart. Indeed, the “greatest liberty is permitted if only a man’s heart” is right before God. But posture may matter more than we think. In Scripture people pray:

Kneeling (I Kings 8:54; Ezra 9:5; Daniel 6:6; Mt. 15:25; Luke 22:41; Acts 20:36).
Standing (Jeremiah 18:20; I Kings 8:14, 22, 54).
Sitting (II Samuel 7:18; Judges 20:26).
Lying prostrate (Matthew 26:39; Mark 14:35).
With hands lifted up (I Kings 8:22; 54; Psalm 28:2; 134:2; I Timothy 2:8).
With the head between the knees (I Kings 18:42).
With the head bowed (Genesis 24:26; Exodus 34:8-9; I Chronicles 29:20; Nehemiah 8:6).
Silently (I Samuel 1:13).
Aloud (Ezekiel 11:13; I Kings 8:55).
Alone (Mark 1:35; Matthew 6:6).
Together (Psalm 35:18; Matthew 18:19; Acts 4:31).
At fixed times (Psalm 55:17; Daniel 6:10).Anytime (Luke 18:1).
Everywhere –
In bed (Psalm 63:6)
Field (Genesis 24:11,12).
Temple (II Kings 19:14).
Riverside (Acts 16:31).
Seashore (Acts 21:5).
Battlefield (I Samuel 7:5).

They pray –
Spontaneously (Matthew 6:7).
Liturgically (Psalm 120 – 126 Liturgical Prayer Psalms)
For and about everything (Philippians 4:6; Genesis 24:12-14; I Timothy 2:1-4).[1]

Such variations in posture may be surprising. In America, we involve the body very little in our praying. Athanasius said “we are created with hands to pray with.”[2] An old Armenian prayer declared, “You (God) stretched out your arm in creation even to the stars in the sky: strengthen our arms that our uplifted hands may intercede before you.”[3] Dominic would “stand on tiptoe, stretching his arms right up towards heaven, like an arrow waiting to be shot up in the air; or he would stand like that with his hands open, a if to catch some blessing from on high; or when reading the Bible, he would get tremendously excited and talk and gesticulate as if he were actually with the Lord, face to face.”[4]

Prayer is an activity that involves the whole person.

If in our communication with God we thwart and exclude part of ourselves, the neglected side of our person will still be present as a saboteur and protester, preventing prayer from really “taking off” or going deep. If we try to leave behind our mind … the mind, suddenly starved, will dredge up all manner of inconsequential garbage … silence and stillness is invaded … If we neglect our hearts … by confining our prayer to thinking religious thoughts and intellectualizing about God, prayer remains dry …[5]

But it is the disallowance of the body in prayer that may hurt prayer most. In the last few decades, Christians have been kneeling less and less at American altars. “We face one another and join hands. Kneeling is being replaced by our more interactive, let’s share approach to spiritual matters …”[6] Years ago, Pentecostal Christians hardly even went to church without spending some time on their knees. It was common to kneel during prayer times, to come to an altar in response to the message and kneel. Dean Merrill, a global prayer leader confesses, "When I get down on my knees to pray, the quality of my interaction with God is somehow changed … the biggest benefit is that kneeling reminds us who’s who in the dialogue. Prayer is not a couple of fellows chatting about the Dallas Cowboys. It is a human being coming face to face with his or her Supreme Authority, the ineffable God who is approachable but still the One in charge." [7]

Calvin Miller agrees, “When the knee bends, character is born.” A kneeling body without a bent heart means nothing in the throne-room of heaven, but a humble heart and a bent knee “is an indication of how we see the Almighty.”[8] It is humility exemplified. “When the knees bend, the King comes!”[9]

“If we do not involve our bodies,” Martin Smith argues, “ … we may not be able to enter a true, attentive stillness because our posture frustrates it …” The result is often a drowsy condition punctuated with “pins and needles and restlessness. More than that,” Smith adds, “We remain inhibited in our self-expression … If in prayer we shut down all bodily gesture and movement and confine ourselves to a single position we cut in half our power to feel and own and express our devotion, our love and our needs …”[10]

Jews rock back and forth in prayer. Pentecostal Christians in the early years were physically expressive in prayer. They lay prostrate. They stood. They paced back and forth. They lifted hands. They bowed heads. They shouted and wept. They doubled over as if feeling the burden about which they were praying. They groaned, as if in labor. Their faces were tear stained, anguished. The hands were at times open. Their fists were at other times tight, with white knuckles, as if they were engaged in a fight. Their whole being prayed!

[1] “Prayer:” Zondervan Pictorial Dictionary, p. 680.
[2] Simon Tugwell, “Present Your Bodies,” The Contemporaries Meet The Classics on Prayer, ed. Leonard Allen (West Monroe, LA: Howard Publishing, 2003) 133.
[3] Ibid, 134.
[4] Ibid, 135.
[5] Martin Smith, “The Body at Prayer,” The Contemporaries Meet The Classics on Prayer, ed. Leonard Allen (West Monroe, LA: Howard Publishing, 2003) 138-139.
[6] Dean Merrill, “Whatever Happened to Kneeling?” The Contemporaries Meet The Classics on Prayer, ed. Leonard Allen (West Monroe, LA: Howard Publishing, 2003) 141.
[7] Ibid, 142.
[8] Calvin Miller, “When the Knee Bends,” The Contemporaries Meet The Classics on Prayer, ed. Leonard Allen (West Monroe, LA: Howard Publishing, 2003) 138-139.
[9] Ibid, 143.
[10] Ibid, 139.

The Effect of Speech on Water Crystals

2008-05-29T11:00:00.005-04:00

Dr. Masaru Emoto has done research on the effect of words on water crystals – spoken words, written words, pictures and even music. Using samples of frozen water from the same source, the vials were then coded exposed differently – some with positive words, images or music and some with hateful and evil words. The vials exposed to or inscribed with words of love and gratitude produced beautiful water crystals. The vials associated negative words were very different. In some instances it did not even form crystals. The experiments were done using words from different languages, and by scientists with no knowledge of what the words meant. The results were similar. The human body is composed of up to ninety percent water. If words have such a significant impact on water crystals, then what is the impact of positive and negative words to our bodies? Dt. 32:2 says, “Let my … speech distill as the dew, As the droplets on the fresh grass And as the showers on the herb.” (NAS)

http://ezinearticles.com/?Harness-The-Power-Of-Words-In-Your-Life&id=57618 See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masaru_Emoto Note: Dr. Masaru Emoto was born in Japan. He is a graduate of the Yokohama Municipal University and the Open International University, a Doctor of Alternative Medicine. His water-crystal photographs were first featured in his self-published books entitled, Messages from Water 1 and 2. The book, The Hidden Messages in Water was first published in Japan. Now over 400,000 copies have sold internationally.

The Effect of Speech on Water Crystals

2008-05-29T11:00:00.004-04:00

Dr. Masaru Emoto is controversial. The doctor has completed research on the effect of words on water crystals! He believes words change things. He has used spoken words, written words, pictures and even music.

Here is how he goes about his research. Using samples of frozen water from the same source, vials are coded and then exposed to different speech – some to positive words, images or music and some to hateful and evil words. The vials exposed to or inscribed with words of love and gratitude produce beautiful water crystals. The water in the vials exposed to negative words get very different responses. In some instances they do not even form crystals.

You're an unbeliever, right? So are a lot of other folks.

So, Dr. Emoto conducted more experiments, this time using words from different languages by scientists with no knowledge of what the words meant. The results were similar. Words impact water. Maybe God knew that when we spoke in Genesis, his word effecting creation, giving life. Whataya think?

So are the implications of such data? The human body, we are told, is composed of up to ninety percent water. If words do have such a significant impact on water crystals, then what is the impact of positive and negative words to our bodies? Dt. 32:2 says, “Let my … speech distill as the dew, As the droplets on the fresh grass And as the showers on the herb.” (NAS)

Meditation and prayer are not the same. Prayer demands speech. Jesus said, "When you pray, say ..." He expected that we would use words, say words. When he prayed, he prayed out loud. The disciples heard him pray! Hebrews describes his praying as "loud," "strong," with "tears."

http://ezinearticles.com/?Harness-The-Power-Of-Words-In-Your-Life&id=57618 See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masaru_Emoto Note: Dr. Masaru Emoto was born in Japan. He is a graduate of the Yokohama Municipal University and the Open International University, a Doctor of Alternative Medicine. His water-crystal photographs were first featured in his self-published books entitled, Messages from Water 1 and 2. The book, The Hidden Messages in Water was first published in Japan. Now over 400,000 copies have sold internationally.

The "BLESS MY CHILDREN" Prayer

2008-05-19T18:56:00.005-04:00

The rabbis had a way

Following the concept of “Index” prayers,[1] here is a prayer acrostic! It transforms each letter in the above prayer into a word or concept for expansion. [2]

B - LESS MY CHILDREN: B - Body
God I pray for the physical health and well-being of my children. That they would grow to be healthy, free of disease. That you would heal them. That you would not allow them suffer an untimely death. That they might live full lives.
I pray for the health of their bodies as a temple of the Lord. Use that temple for your glory.
May they be free of any addictions that would harm your temple.
Protect them for danger. Put a hedge about them. May your angels watch over them and preserve their coming in and going out.
This day – go before them, beside them, behind them. Be over and under them. Be with them and in them. Touch through them. May no danger or disease, no devil or delivish thing come near them.

B- L - ESS MY CHILDREN: L - Life Labor choice
May my children grow to love and serve you!
Enlist them for your kingdom purposes. Call them into ministry as a life endeavor.
Make them missionaries for you – a missionary cleverly disguised as a doctor or neurosurgeon, a judge or a lawyer, a bank executive or the CEO/President of a corporation, an airline pilot or an astronaut, an educator or a college administrator, a television anchor or a journalist, a pastor or counselor!
In whatever they do in life – may you be the greater passion that drives them.
Be sovereign in their life choice. Direct their paths. Author the influences that will guide them into certain career fields.

BL– E - SS MY CHILDREN: E - Emotional Health
Emotionally, I pray that they will know your peace because they have made peace with you.
I pray that they will not live tormented lives. That the peace God will guard their heart, mind and soul; and will umpire the critical decisions of their lives.
May they "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).
May they "be content whatever the circumstances.” As Paul taught, may they learn your sufficiency whether “in need” or in “plenty.” May they learn the “secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry.” That contentment is in you. (Phil. 4:11-12)

BLE– S - S MY CHILDREN: S - Social Influences/Friends
Socially, may my children be influence by godly peers. May enough holy things surround them that they quickly know the difference between the unclean and the clean.
May they come to know the peace and wholeness that only comes by the embrace of holiness.
Protect my children from ungodly and unholy influences – from peers, from the public forum, from music and television, from the temptations and allure of the present world, from a desire for wealth and fame. Hem them in to you and righteousness.
May they be more of an influencer than the influenced.
May they, like young Jesus, grow “in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2:52).

BLES– S MY CHILDREN: S- Soul/Spiritual Health
Spiritually, may my children come to know you from a young age. May they not grow up and merely know about you – may they know you for themselves.
I pray for the salvation of their souls. You have no grandchildren – they, themselves must enthrone you as Lord. God, save my children. Mark them with the Holy Spirit. Claim them as your own. Put them in your will. Adopt them into your family. Be their father.
Let them know “the power of God” that saves those who believe. (Rom. 1:16). Help my children to believe in you.
Save them God. Don’t let go of them. If they run away from the faith, may they run into you. Guard their faith. Keep them. May they always be committed to you. And God, will you – for my sake – always be committed to them, for ten generations!

BLESS M -Y CHILDREN: My Children and My Parenting
Mine, these children are mine. Help me to live a godly, Christ-honoring life before them. Fill me with sensitivity. Give me insight into their personality and needs so that I can understand the best ways to guide them. I want them to grow to be holy men and women of God.
May I be a loving parent. Remind them that these children are yours. May I ever be mindful that you are one step behind them watching how I treat them.
Thank you for my children – may I always be grateful for them. May we never be estranged from one another. When life is hectic and busy, remind me that they are the most important gifts you have given me. Money and houses, jobs and friends will move in and out of my life – but I be their parents forever.
Help me to have patience when they need to tell me something. Give me the capacity to hear their head and their heart.
Give me spiritual sensitivity to turn their worries, troubles, and problems into prayer times. Teach me to teach them reliance on you.

BLESS M–Y CHILDREN: Yours/Your Children
I gave these children to you. Claim them as your own.
May I raise them to know you. In a culture that knows no pace but frantic, may I teach them the power of stillness - "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). May they grow to know the power of quiet times with you.
Let them sense your presence from the earliest age.
Help me to raise them to “love the Lord with all their heart, and all their soul and all their might!”
Give me balance – nurture and admonition. Love and limits. Help me to make them feel my love for them, and your love for them. Give me the grace to teach them the safety of moral limits so that they are glad to have your law written on the inner lining of their heart.
Yours – these, my children, are your children. Be with them 24 hours a day. Live in their hearts. Be real to them. Whisper to them in the night.

BLESS MY C - HILDREN: S MY CHILDREN: Character
Character – God, make these kids want to be like Jesus.
Let them ask, “What would Jesus do!”
I pray that the line between right and wrong would be clear in their minds and hearts.
Give them a well-developed conscience. And they have the boldness to stand up for right, when everyone else is standing for wrong.
Grow the fruit of the Spirit in their lives – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness (strength under control), temperance (Gal. 5:22-23).
May my children have a kind and gracious tongue. May I not wound them or teach them to use language in wounding, offending ways. Let the “words their mouths and the meditations of their heart be acceptable in your sight.” (Psalm 19:14)
Give them to courage to repent – to recognize and own responsibility for their mistakes (1 John 1:9). Teach them the liberating power of being forgiven and of forgiving. May they "forgive as the Lord forgave." (Col. 3:13). May they be agents of reconciliation. May they, if they have harmed others, do the work of restitution. "Make them instruments of peace. Where there is hatred, let them sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy." (Francis of Assisi)
As I teach them to “bear one another’s burdens” may I set them on a life journey that makes them sensitive to the hurting and the oppressed. (Gal. 6:2). May they have hearts of compassion for those whom society overlooks. “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering" (Heb. 13:3).

BLESS S MY C– H - ILDREN: Heart/Hearing
Make their heart tender. May they never develop a cold or hard heart. Keep their heart in your hands.
And as a result, I pray that they will hear and know your voice. Like young Samuel, I ask you to speak to them from an early age. And that they would respond and obey.
The Scriptures I give them for memory be ever available to be recalled by the Holy Spirit for life direction and wisdom.
God – speak to my children. Your sheep “hear your voice.” You talk to them. Talk to my children.
Visit them in the night watches. Dance through their dreams. Speak to them through peers and pastors, through signs and wonders, by the agency of the Word and the Spirit.

BLESS MY CHI LDREN: Interest/Cultivate their Desires
Cultivate the desires of my children. Direct their interests from the earliest ages.
Wake up in them desires that will determine the future you want for them.
Let their greatest interest be in pleasing you. Let the desire of their heart be to do your will.
The books they read, the toys they play with, the programs they watch, the music they listen to, the teachers and public personalities they are captivated by – use all of those influences to direct their lives.
Wake up in them early, interests and desires that will move them to the central purpose you have for their lives.
Give them gifts – let them be comfortable with who they are, and develop the in the strength of their personality. May I recognize native giftings and talents, and call them out, helping my child to develop and cultivate those gifts. May I add to those gifts skills that will make them successful in life, successful in your service.
Show them the “SHAPE” of their lives. The sum total of S – Spiritual gifts; H – Heart desires, scripted by you; A – abilities, native and acquired, the importance of their attitudes; P – Personality, it’s strengths and weaknesses; E – Experiences, the things you put in their path that will shape them for the destiny you have for them.

BLESS MY CHILDREN: Love You
Love them – love my children. May they know that you love them!
And may they come to love you – with all their heart, and all their soul and all their might.” Let a love for you, consume their beings. And yet, may they never get caught up in attempting to earn your love.
Let your love for them and their love you be the central defining factor in the life-choices they make. May they obey you, constrained by love.
Let your love for them and their celebration of that love, overflow so that they love others. (John 13:34)
Give them the confidence to let you love, even their enemies through them, knowing that because of your love, they “are more than conquerors.”
Give them a love of creation and its wonder. May they see your fingerprints everywhere in nature. May they forever know they were created by you – a loving God. No mistake, no cosmic accident, no random chance rendering of evolution. You had them in mind from the creation of the world. Let me know they are of the earth, earthy; but they are more heavenly in design than earthly. They are spirits – with bodies; not bodies, with spirits. They are in your image.

BLESS MY CHILDREN: Dare to be Different
Give my children the moral courage to dare to be different.
Don’t let this world squeeze them into its mold.
In times of moral uncertainty and temptation, empower my children to stay the course, even they have to stand and walk alone.
Put steel in their spirits. Let them, “hold fast to the Lord” (Joshua 23:8).
Let them be more an influencer than the influenced. Make them salt and light. Let them change the flavor of any and every group they enter. Let their light shine.
And yet, Lord. May they have a teachable spirit. May they have the capacity to stand for principle without rejecting the person whose principles they oppose. May they respond to and respect authority figures, even those figures represent unthinkable values. Give them the grace of a Daniel in the middle of Babylon’s ungodly government. Let them not only survive a world increasingly hostile to Biblical faith, let them thrive in it.
I pray that they will not be silent. In the words of the Psalmist, I pray that they “will praise you, O Lord, with all [their] heart; [and] tell of all your wonders.” (Psalms 9:1-2). Make them bold witnesses for you, Lord.

BLESS MY CHILDREN: Reign in life …
I pray that my kids will “reign in life!” (Romans 5:17). May they "give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thess. 5:18).
I pray that they will never see themselves as powerless, as victims. That they would always know you as "the God of hope" (Romans 15:13). , will fill them with all joy and peace. “Our hope is in the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” For with the one who created all things out of nothing, nothing can be too hard.
I pray that they will know that they are blessed, chosen of you, destined for success.
I pray that they will be over, and not under. That they will be the head and not the tail.
I pray that in any battle, you will go before them. That they will be confident, not fearful, before their enemies. Keep them from becoming impatient and quitting on the edge of victory. Develop strength for the long-haul, the capacity for endurance and perseverance. Let them be “joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" (Romans 12:12).
I pray for an “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!” mentality.
I pray that their confidence would not be in their abilities or intellect, but in the strength of your right arm, and in the certainty of triumph that comes from you.
Even in triumph, may they be clothed with humility!

BLESS MY CHILDREN: Energized by the Holy Spirit
Fill my children with the Holy Spirit.
May they know the quickening sense of your presence.
Let them come to rely on the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.
Let them know that if “the power that raise Christ from the dead dwells in them” that nothing this world holds can keep them from doing the will of God and being the man or woman God wants them to be.
Seal with the Spirit. Mark their lives with your presence. Let them experience the sweet nearness of your presence.
Empower them with the anointing of the Holy Spirit for whatever task you give them in life.
May the Spirit manifest – in supernatural ways (the gifts of the Spirit) out of their lives.
Let people say of them, “That is man or woman of God!”

BLESS MY CHILDREN: Never leave their faith …
Never let them go.
May they never forsake you or your ways.
In any season of coldness or backsliding, draw them back to you.
If they ever run, may them like Jonah run smack-dab into you.
May they always be assured that “the eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deut. 33:27). May trouble only drive them closer to you. May temptation only cause them to lean more strongly on your arm.
Be ever present in the lives of my children so much so that their thoughts are your thoughts. When I am gone, may my memory inspire them to do great things for you and your kingdom.
Teach them to pray! Let them learn to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Eph. 6:18). Don’t let prayer die in my family tree. Raise up, from my seed, a generation of intercessors. May they fill up the incense jars in heaven with bold petitions. May they pray as you prayed, “with strong crying and tears.”
When this or any other nation utterly forsakes you, may my seed be a faithful remnant who carries your story to the next generation and nurtures a Great Awakening.

[1] The Jewish Rabbis taught prayer by creating a series of prayer phrases which would be memorized, and then when prayed, expanded extemporaneously. These were called “Index” prayers. This is different than memorized prayers. The Jewish model creates a track on which prayer unwraps. It allows for a structure with flexibility. It is both fixed and dynamic. The acrostic model is an adaptation of “Index” prayers.
[2] For another model of prayer for your children, see Victor M. Parachin’s article in Christianity Today, ( Christianity Today International/Christian Parenting Today magazine. Christian Parenting Today. Summer 2002, Vol. 14, No. 3, Page 34) Parachin is a minister and writer living in Oklahoma.

The "BLESS MY CHILDREN" Prayer

2008-05-19T18:56:00.004-04:00

The rabbis had a way of teaching prayer, called "Index Praying." It consisted of a series of prayer phrases that would be memorized. A pause between each phrase would allow each individual to spontaneously expand the prayer, to personalize it and make it their own. The genuis of such an approach is that it provides both a track for praying, a framework, but with that dynamic flexibility.

The prayer that Jesus taught, what we commonly call "The Lord's Prayer!" was probably an example of Index Praying. Each phrase was meant, not to be stiffly repeated, but to be a suggestion for a more expanded personal encounter with God.

Following the concept of “Index” prayers, here is a prayer acrostic! It transforms each letter in the above prayer into a word or concept for expansion.

B - LESS MY CHILDREN: B - Body

God I pray for the body, the physical health and well-being of my children. That they would grow to be healthy, free of disease. That you would heal them. That you would not allow them suffer an untimely death. That they might live full lives.
I pray for the health of their bodies as a temple of the Lord. Use that temple for your glory.
May they be free of any addictions that would harm your temple.
Protect them for danger. Put a hedge about them. May your angels watch over them and preserve their coming in and going out.
This day – go before them, beside them, behind them. Be over and under them. Be with them and in them. Touch through them. May no danger or disease, no devil or delivish thing come near them.

B- L - ESS MY CHILDREN: L - Life Labor choice

May my children grow to love and serve you!
Enlist them for your kingdom purposes. Call them into ministry as a life endeavor.
Make them missionaries for you – a missionary cleverly disguised as a doctor or neurosurgeon, a judge or a lawyer, a bank executive or the CEO/President of a corporation, an airline pilot or an astronaut, an educator or a college administrator, a television anchor or a journalist, a pastor or counselor!
In whatever they do in life – may you be the greater passion that drives them.
Be sovereign in their life choice. Direct their paths. Author the influences that will guide them into certain career fields.

BL– E - SS MY CHILDREN: E - Emotional Health

Emotionally, I pray that they will know your peace because they have made peace with you.
I pray that they will not live tormented lives. That the peace God will guard their heart, mind and soul; and will umpire the critical decisions of their lives.
May they "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).
May they "be content whatever the circumstances.” As Paul taught, may they learn your sufficiency whether “in need” or in “plenty.” May they learn the “secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry.” That contentment is in you. (Phil. 4:11-12)

BLE– S - S MY CHILDREN: S - Social Influences/Friends

Socially, may my children be influence by godly peers. May enough holy things surround them that they quickly know the difference between the unclean and the clean.
May they come to know the peace and wholeness that only comes by the embrace of holiness.
Protect my children from ungodly and unholy influences – from peers, from the public forum, from music and television, from the temptations and allure of the present world, from a desire for wealth and fame. Hem them in to you and righteousness.
May they be more of an influencer than the influenced.
May they, like young Jesus, grow “in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2:52).

BLES– S MY CHILDREN: S- Soul/Spiritual Health

Spiritually, may my children come to know you from a young age. May they not grow up and merely know about you – may they know you for themselves.
I pray for the salvation of their souls. You have no grandchildren – they, themselves must enthrone you as Lord. God, save my children. Mark them with the Holy Spirit. Claim them as your own. Put them in your will. Adopt them into your family. Be their father.
Let them know “the power of God” that saves those who believe. (Rom. 1:16). Help my children to believe in you.
Save them God. Don’t let go of them. If they run away from the faith, may they run into you. Guard their faith. Keep them. May they always be committed to you. And God, will you – for my sake – always be committed to them, for ten generations!

BLESS M -Y CHILDREN: M - My Children and My Parenting

Mine, these children are mine. Help me to live a godly, Christ-honoring life before them. Fill me with sensitivity. Give me insight into their personality and needs so that I can understand the best ways to guide them. I want them to grow to be holy men and women of God.
May I be a loving parent. Remind them that these children are yours. May I ever be mindful that you are one step behind them watching how I treat them.
Thank you for my children – may I always be grateful for them. May we never be estranged from one another. When life is hectic and busy, remind me that they are the most important gifts you have given me. Money and houses, jobs and friends will move in and out of my life – but I be their parents forever.
Help me to have patience when they need to tell me something. Give me the capacity to hear their head and their heart.
Give me spiritual sensitivity to turn their worries, troubles, and problems into prayer times. Teach me to teach them reliance on you.

BLESS M–Y CHILDREN: Y -Yours/Your Children

I gave these children to you. Claim them as your own.
May I raise them to know you. In a culture that knows no pace but frantic, may I teach them the power of stillness - "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10). May they grow to know the power of quiet times with you.
Let them sense your presence from the earliest age.
Help me to raise them to “love the Lord with all their heart, and all their soul and all their might!”
Give me balance – nurture and admonition. Love and limits. Help me to make them feel my love for them, and your love for them. Give me the grace to teach them the safety of moral limits so that they are glad to have your law written on the inner lining of their heart.
Yours – these, my children, are your children. Be with them 24 hours a day. Live in their hearts. Be real to them. Whisper to them in the night.

BLESS MY C - HILDREN: C - Character

Character – God, make these kids want to be like Jesus.
Let them ask, “What would Jesus do!”
I pray that the line between right and wrong would be clear in their minds and hearts.
Give them a well-developed conscience. And they have the boldness to stand up for right, when everyone else is standing for wrong.
Grow the fruit of the Spirit in their lives – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness (strength under control), temperance (Gal. 5:22-23).
May my children have a kind and gracious tongue. May I not wound them or teach them to use language in wounding, offending ways. Let the “words their mouths and the meditations of their heart be acceptable in your sight.” (Psalm 19:14)
Give them to courage to repent – to recognize and own responsibility for their mistakes (1 John 1:9). Teach them the liberating power of being forgiven and of forgiving. May they "forgive as the Lord forgave." (Col. 3:13). May they be agents of reconciliation. May they, if they have harmed others, do the work of restitution. "Make them instruments of peace. Where there is hatred, let them sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy." (Francis of Assisi)
As I teach them to “bear one another’s burdens” may I set them on a life journey that makes them sensitive to the hurting and the oppressed. (Gal. 6:2). May they have hearts of compassion for those whom society overlooks. “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering" (Heb. 13:3).

BLESS S MY C– H - ILDREN: H - Heart/Hearing

Make their heart tender. May they never develop a cold or hard heart. Keep their heart in your hands.
And as a result, I pray that they will hear and know your voice. Like young Samuel, I ask you to speak to them from an early age. And that they would respond and obey.
The Scriptures I give them for memory be ever available to be recalled by the Holy Spirit for life direction and wisdom.
God – speak to my children. Your sheep “hear your voice.” You talk to them. Talk to my children.
Visit them in the night watches. Dance through their dreams. Speak to them through peers and pastors, through signs and wonders, by the agency of the Word and the Spirit.

BLESS MY CH - I - LDREN: I - Interest/Cultivate their Desires

Cultivate the desires of my children. Direct their interests from the earliest ages.
Wake up in them desires that will determine the future you want for them.
Let their greatest interest be in pleasing you. Let the desire of their heart be to do your will.
The books they read, the toys they play with, the programs they watch, the music they listen to, the teachers and public personalities they are captivated by – use all of those influences to direct their lives.
Wake up in them early, interests and desires that will move them to the central purpose you have for their lives.
Give them gifts – let them be comfortable with who they are, and develop the in the strength of their personality. May I recognize native giftings and talents, and call them out, helping my child to develop and cultivate those gifts. May I add to those gifts skills that will make them successful in life, successful in your service.
Show them the “SHAPE” of their lives. The sum total of S – Spiritual gifts; H – Heart desires, scripted by you; A – abilities, native and acquired, the importance of their attitudes; P – Personality, it’s strengths and weaknesses; E – Experiences, the things you put in their path that will shape them for the destiny you have for them.

BLESS MY CHI - L - DREN: To L - Love You

Love them – love my children. May they know that you love them!
And may they come to love you – "with all their heart, and all their soul and all their might.”
Let a love for you, consume their beings. And yet, may they never get caught up in attempting to earn your love.
Let your love for them and their love you be the central defining factor in the life-choices they make. May they obey you, constrained by love.
Let your love for them and their celebration of that love, overflow so that they love others. (John 13:34).
Give them the confidence to let you love, even their enemies through them, knowing that because of your love, they “are more than conquerors.”
Give them a love of creation and its wonder. May they see your fingerprints everywhere in nature. May they forever know they were created by you – a loving God. No mistake, no cosmic accident, no random chance rendering of evolution. You had them in mind from the creation of the world. Let me know they are of the earth, earthy; but they are more heavenly in design than earthly. They are spirits – with bodies; not bodies, with spirits. They are in your image.

BLESS MY CHIL - D - REN: D - Dare to be Different

Give my children the moral courage to dare to be different.
Don’t let this world squeeze them into its mold.
In times of moral uncertainty and temptation, empower my children to stay the course, even they have to stand and walk alone.
Put steel in their spirits. Let them, “hold fast to the Lord” (Joshua 23:8).
Let them be more an influencer than the influenced. Make them salt and light. Let them change the flavor of any and every group they enter. Let their light shine.
And yet, Lord. May they have a teachable spirit. May they have the capacity to stand for principle without rejecting the person whose principles they oppose. May they respond to and respect authority figures, even those figures represent unthinkable values. Give them the grace of a Daniel in the middle of Babylon’s ungodly government. Let them not only survive a world increasingly hostile to Biblical faith, let them thrive in it.
I pray that they will not be silent. In the words of the Psalmist, I pray that they “will praise you, O Lord, with all [their] heart; [and] tell of all your wonders.” (Psalms 9:1-2). Make them bold witnesses for you, Lord.

BLESS MY CHILD - R - EN: R - To Reign in life

I pray that my kids will “reign in life!” (Romans 5:17). May they "give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thess. 5:18).
I pray that they will never see themselves as powerless, as victims. That they would always know you as "the God of hope" (Romans 15:13). , will fill them with all joy and peace. “Our hope is in the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” For with the one who created all things out of nothing, nothing can be too hard.
I pray that they will know that they are blessed, chosen of you, destined for success.
I pray that they will be over, and not under. That they will be the head and not the tail.
I pray that in any battle, you will go before them. That they will be confident, not fearful, before their enemies. Keep them from becoming impatient and quitting on the edge of victory. Develop strength for the long-haul, the capacity for endurance and perseverance. Let them be “joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" (Romans 12:12).
I pray for an “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!” mentality.
I pray that their confidence would not be in their abilities or intellect, but in the strength of your right arm, and in the certainty of triumph that comes from you.
Even in triumph, may they be clothed with humility!

BLESS MY CHILDR - E - N: E - To Be Energized by the Holy Spirit

Fill my children with the Holy Spirit.
May they know the quickening sense of your presence.
Let them come to rely on the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.
Let them know that if “the power that raise Christ from the dead dwells in them” that nothing this world holds can keep them from doing the will of God and being the man or woman God wants them to be.
Seal with the Spirit. Mark their lives with your presence. Let them experience the sweet nearness of your presence.
Empower them with the anointing of the Holy Spirit for whatever task you give them in life.
May the Spirit manifest – in supernatural ways (the gifts of the Spirit) out of their lives.
Let people say of them, “That is man or woman of God!”

BLESS MY CHILDRE - N: N - That they Never leave their faith …

Never let them go.
May they never forsake you or your ways.
In any season of coldness or backsliding, draw them back to you.
If they ever run, may them like Jonah run smack-dab into you.
May they always be assured that “the eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (Deut. 33:27). May trouble only drive them closer to you. May temptation only cause them to lean more strongly on your arm.
Be ever present in the lives of my children so much so that their thoughts are your thoughts. When I am gone, may my memory inspire them to do great things for you and your kingdom.
Teach them to pray! Let them learn to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Eph. 6:18). Don’t let prayer die in my family tree. Raise up, from my seed, a generation of intercessors. May they fill up the incense jars in heaven with bold petitions. May they pray as you prayed, “with strong crying and tears.”
When this or any other nation utterly forsakes you, may my seed be a faithful remnant who carries your story to the next generation and nurtures a Great Awakening.

The acrostic model is an adaptation of “Index” prayers. As I prayed through this a few mornings ago, in the pre-dawn hours, I found myself weeping for my children's children. As you pray this prayer, using each letter and word of the "Bless My Children!" prayer, the creative Holy Spirit will inspire you. You will find yourself praying for them in ways not even suggested here. Most of us need a "track" for our prayers, but with that structure, freedom to pray our hearts. I hope this model will provide that for you.

P. Douglas Small

A Personal Plea for Prayer!

2008-05-19T18:42:00.002-04:00

Have you ever sat in a room and listened to the conversation and asked yourself, "What am I doing here? How did I get into this room?" In recent days, I have found myself in a number of meetings asking myself that question. Today, it happened again.

This afternoon, I met with representatives of the National Christian Foundation. This wonderful group manages funds for a number of ministries and Christian organizations, all to the end that the monies serve Christian purposes. As many of you know, I have been watching the development for some time of a medical breakthrough - the Neurophysiological Pain Profile. In the past few years, the profile results have steered a number of legal cases away from the courtroom. Its evidence is so compelling. This week, a case went to court and the Federal Court admitted the data from the NPP, and it changed the outcome of the case. The litigates were not able to find anyone to testify against the data. A number of insurance companies have now entered into dialogue with the company, and a major university is exploring a partnership relationship to develop the technology even further.

Somehow, God in his humor or providence, has placed me at this extraordinary table. My interest is of course, that this instrument will affect the impact of pain on tons of people, save us all money by reducing the impact of fraudulent claims, aid researchers in pain analysis, inform surgical decisions and therapy options. And besides all that, it should generate funds for ministry.

Pray, that God will provide as the pilot project is launched in earnest in Florida. Pray for investors. Pray for Christian doctors with whom we can partner for test sites. Pray!

Morning Prayer!

2008-05-01T17:06:00.004-04:00

I came in yesterday, and collapsed. I have been in Africa. I have had three back-to-back pastor's conferences from Seattle to Lancaster, PA. Each of those conferences has emphasized prayer. Most have had significant prayer moments. One was exclusively a prayer conference - we prayed all day, for almost three days.

And yet! I had found little time for truly personal prayer.

This morning, I slipped into my prayer room. Before I knew it, an hour had gone by. It was like minutes. I prayed. I reflected. I petitioned God. I rededicated my life. I told him that I wanted to make a difference. I expressed my longing for His presence - as life itself. I dreamed of what could be. I poured through Scripture. I danced through a number of components that I often believe constitutes balanced prayer. And then, I read devotionally.

When I arrived at the office - I found myself standing in our breakroom. What was amazing was a deep sense of peace. A satisfaction that is inexpressable. It was the lingering effect of a morning spent with the Lord. Now, you should know that there were no claps of thunder during the prayer time, no earthquakes, not even shatteringly new revelation. But what remained, even through the day, was the sweet calm that comes only with the presence of the Lord.

Nothing my friend, nothing can take the place of "a little talk with Jesus." No ministry experience, no matter how exhilerating, can replace the simplicity of His presence. I listened to Dr. Don Arnold share with the pastors of "The Fellowship" in one of the regional conventions at which I spoke. He told of a young man who under his pastoral ministry had felt a call to preach. In fact, the young man was infected with the passion to preach. Our reaction to such zeal is usually, "Great! Wonderful. Let him have at it." But Dr. Arnold saw something, sensed something. He dared to gently challenge the young man with this probing thought, "You get a great deal from your preaching. You are feeding yourself. You are operating off the energy of the preaching experience. It fills you up." And then he suggested to the young man that he could not, that he must not allow that to be his primary means of staying fresh. He needed a life apart, a prayer life to sustain and stand behind his public ministry.

O the joy of moments spent with Him. Today, I am more refreshed from the early encounter than I have been after the conferences in which I have preached twice a day.

Job said, "I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees you! ... I repent." Isaiah challenged us to get up to a high mountain, "And Behold your God!" In the words of the old hymn I ask you, "How long has it been, since you talked with the Lord and told him your hearts hidden secrets? How long since you prayed? How long since you stayed, on your knees, 'til the light shone though? How long has it been, since you woke with the dawn, and knew that the day was worth the living? Can you call him your friend? How long has it been, since you knew that he cared for you?"

A Personal Note from Doug Small

2008-04-21T07:06:00.005-04:00

Barbara and I are off today for a multi-state regional conference in "Dutch Country!" - Lancaster, PA. The event is sponsored by "The Fellowship!" The somewhat diverse group began as an effort out of Christ For the Nations to maintain contact with the many pastors and leaders who had been trained there or who looked to the institution for leadership. Now a cluster of several thousand churches and ministries are represented across the nation. There are global connections as well.

A number of years ago, I met Dr. Don Arnold, the current President of the Association in a gathering to which I had been called to speak on prayer. He invited me to speak to their National Convention last year. What a privilege that was. And now somehow, by the grace of God, we are at our second Regional Convention for the The Fellowship with one more to go.

Pray for us. Tommorrow I will speak twice. First, on prayer. And then on evangelism. The two are inseparably connected. There will be no great revival, no moral and spiritual renewal in the nation apart from the most intense prayer movement we have ever seen. And frankly, after sounding this alarm for more than a decade, I fear that we are still not motivated to seek the face of God.

Evangelism, I will tell the group, is telling your story - which is really his story. It is the daring rescure mission of God that liberated you. If the view of faith that we hold is anything less than one which understands that we were desperately lost, and gloriously saved - we have little to share. Evangelism has become a "good luck charm." It is a little prayer we pray with people. There is too often little or no conviction and virtually no life style change. It is, in the words of Bonhoffer, "cheap grace."

What is needed is a wave of radical conversions! Salvation experiences that turn lives upside down, create "new creatures," and "put away the old man." Night and day differences in lives. The kind of change that "sets the town a talking!" We may have seen a conversion or two that approached that description, but what we need is a wagon load of such life-reorientations. That will necessitate a "great awakening."

Pray for us as we speak to the these pastors and leaders!

The Dangers of Living Together!

2008-04-21T06:37:00.005-04:00

Michael McManus is the coauthor of Living Together: Myths, Risks & Answers, and President of Marriage Savers. McManus says that couples who live together before marriage are gambling on the stability of their future and they are losing 85% of the time. They believe the myth that they are in a “trial marriage.” Eight out of ten of these couples will break up either before the wedding or shortly afterwards.

First, about 45% of those who begin cohabiting do not marry. Those who undergo “premarital divorce” often discover it is as painful as the real thing. Some 5-10% will continue to live together and not marry. These are two of the trends that explain why the marriage rate has plunged 50% in the last forty years. It turns out that living together is a meager substitute for real marriage. Of the 45% who do marry after living together, they are 50% more likely to divorce than those who remained separate before the wedding.

McManus sites a Penn State study which reveals that “even a month’s cohabitation” decreases the quality of the couple’s relationship. In that study, cameras recorded the interaction of cohabiting couples and found them “more negative toward each other, more demeaning, more flippant, more likely to deride the other person.” Couples who had not cohabited, by contrast, “have much more respect for one another, and settled issues more amicably.” These negative patterns formed during cohabitation creep into the marriage.

McManus advises, “Do not move in with one another until you are married.” The reason? “You can’t practice permanence.” He does suggest premarital inventories such as FOCCUS or PREPARE, and pre-marital counseling. Even meeting with a couple who have a healthy marriage is a great idea.

What about sexual activity before marriage? McManus says that couples who married in the 1960s who were virgins were much less likely to divorce than the sexually active — only 30 percent of virgins divorced, while 50 percent of the sexually active divorced. The same pattern can be seen of those who married in the early 1980s. By 1988, only 14% of virgins had divorced compared to 24% of those who had been sexually active - a 71% difference. Paul wrote, “Flee fornication.”

Children of cohabiting parents are perhaps ten times more likely to be sexually abused by a stepparent than by a parent. They are three times as likely to be expelled from school or to get pregnant as teenagers, than children from an intact home with married parents. And they are five times more apt to live in poverty, and 22 times more likely to incarcerated.

In 1986, a group of clergy in Modesto, CA, signed America’s first Community Marriage Policy. By 2000 their divorce rate had fallen in half! Now over 200 cities have a Community Marriage Policy. Marriage Savers now have a network of 10,000 pastors that help couples prepare for a lifelong marriage. Call (301) 469-5873 to see if we have trained mentor couples near you. McManus trains Mentor Couples in the administration of an “Optional Premarital Sexual Covenant” in which premarital couples are asked to pledge to remain chaste until the wedding. Mentor Couples invest heavily in marriage candidates. They meet for 6 sessions and give 2-3 hours per session. For many considering marriage, the meeting with the Mentor Couple is the first time they have seen a solid marriage up close. Only 44 percent of U.S. teenagers are living with their own married parents. Mentors thus become role models as well as loving facilitators. Mentoring also strengthens the marriages of the mentors.

No Fault Divorce allows either spouse to unilaterally file for divorce, without proving any particular fault, such as adultery or abuse. The divorce is always granted. And that is in violation of the 5th Amendment’s guarantee of “due process” of law. Marriage Savers is advocating that if the divorce involves children, it should not be granted unless both the husband and wife, father and mother agree. If no grievous fault is alleged, divorce should only be granted by mutual consent. Experts estimate that a state which adopts the Mutual Consent policy will see a 30-percent drop in the divorce rate.

Marriage Savers is also urging in cases of divorce involving children, that Sole Custody be replaced with Joint Custody or Shared Parenting. Sole Custody virtually removes one parent from the life of a child. Shared Parenting gives both parents at least one-third time every week with their children. Six states passed Joint Custody laws in the 1990s. Five of them account for the highest national drop in the divorce rate: Montana, Kansas, Connecticut, Idaho, and Alaska. Why does Joint Custody have this impact? David Levy, President of the Children’s Rights Council says, If a parent is forced to take responsibility for the child and not allowed an easy out, if they know they will have to interact with the child’s other parent while the child is still young, there is less incentive to divorce. They are motivated to stay to together – and they do! This reform would drop divorce rates by another 20 percent.Together, Mutual Consent and Shared Parenting, just two simply legal tactics, could slash America’s divorce rate in half, saving 500,000 children a year from the anguish of seeing their parents divorce. Fewer broken marriages would save taxpayers billions. The Heritage Foundation estimates that non-marriages and divorce cost America $185 billion in welfare, food stamps, housing subsidies, etc.

Which Way Is Up?

2008-04-19T20:59:00.006-04:00

I don’t know what my grandmother would have said. She might have just shook her head and cried. That’s what I feel like doing. Here is a sampling of the sexual maze that we are called to walk through regularly – taken from a article written by a Catholic Chaplain, Dwight Longenecker, giving advice to people about life choices.

Last week I advised a twelve-year-old girl uncertain about a babysitting job for neighbors - a lesbian couple whose child was by artificial insemination.

The previous weekend, a family from the country, was told, "You have to get to know Randy and Bob. Their pool parties are fantastic. They always have the greatest food!" The homosexual couple offers pool parties in the summer. The father neither wanted to attend with his four sons and daughter, nor to offend.

An old college friend had a daughter who had moved back home with the news that she was a lesbian. She had first gone to New England with her partner so they could get "married." She then announced that her “girlfriend” was pregnant – by the sperm of her 18-year-old brother.

The unbelievable world of weird and wild sexuality is at our doorsteps. It is no longer in San Francisco or Bangkok. It is here and everywhere. What is a conservative Christian to do? Will the bath houses and obscene “gay pride” parades follow? These "alternative families" are in the suburbs of our cities, and they are in the suburban church. The gay-lesbian-transgender train has arrived. Churches are now determining if they will put out the welcome mat, and if they don’t, how long they can stand the cultural pressure.

Last week, two stories dominated the headlines – the Pope addressing the sexual-abuse scandal, and the government raid on the polygamous sect in Texas. Both examples represent an over-sexualized culture. Both are signs of men out of control – in a society that keeps feeding the problem with excessive imagery, pornography and the like.

Additional reports now indicate that children at the compound, particularly young girls, are raised from the youngest age to be servient players in a polygamous, male dominated world. And they may be sexually exploited at early ages as well. The story is unbelievable. The impact on the women and children is nothing less than cruel. As is the impact on exploited boys who showed up to serve at altars and became the victims at the hands of priests.

And yet, there is another untold aspect of the story. It is the blindness of the secular media to the deeper and broader problem. The stories are treated superficially and the underlying moral dimensions are unaddressed. Dwight Longenecker says, "There is no reaction or a wrong reaction to a wide range of moral concerns - underage sexual behavior in schools, the exchange of nude photos on cell phones by teens, school teachers involved sexually with students, increasingly bizarre homosexuality and sexual deviancy, freewheeling divorce and remarriage, abortion on demand, or totally unrestrained sexual activity." On all issues – a persistent moral neutrality is maintained. The edge of the story is treated - exploitation by priest and the irresponsibility of the church; or, religious extremism and its danger to children. The core moral problems are left unaddressed.

The core moral issues, the loss of conscience, traditional lines that define right-and-wrong are not referenced. They are off-limits. No foul is called – on moral grounds. Relativism remains in. Tolerance on the moral question, but not the religious issues, are maintained. The problem – in both cases, we are subtley led to believe – is with religion. The culture has accepted serial monogamy – have as many partners as you choose, one at a time. In fact, have as many partners as you want at any time, but don’t covenant with them in any legal way. Make no promises. Offer no provisions. Abort all children. That’s the playboy model – and it is celebrated. But, polygamy in Texas, or any other state, is a crime. As it should be.

But the hypocrisy of the culture is stunning!

The pornography industry can sexualize young girls and the objections are dismissed. Nothing changes. The advertising industry can exploit them. Still, we buy the products. It is the exploitation of young girls in a Texas religious commune that moves the government to action. Why are these children any less vulnerable than the others? Is one less acceptable? Both are wrong.

The cultural pressure on women to dress in sexually provocative ways is "normal." In fact, it is so normal that the old fashioned modest clothing worn by the women in the commune is startling and upsetting. Radical sexual behavior during spring break is anticipated, it's what kids do these days. Orgies are far too common as is date rape – all are tragically now regarded as a part of growing up on a university campus or in some cases high school. We should be shocked that teen sex is promoted, condoned or even associated with a faith community. But we should be equally outraged at the sexualization of teens and young adults in the culture generally. Why the double standard?

Polygamy is not a healthy cultural model. Rape should draw the death penalty - in my opinion. Sexual abuse should not be tolerated. Predators should be locked away forever. Adultery should be rare and never among Christians. The point is that cultural outrage is inconsistent and hypocritical. We are a culture in moral meltdown. We have lost our way. Our standard for the development of principles is both bent and perverted.

Why is there a green light for Playboy’s sexual free-for-alls, but a red light for sexual plurality on the Texas compound? Why is there a green light for serial monogamy, but a red light for polygamy when the sum total is the same? Why is there a green light for obscene gay-pride parades and protests, but a red light to those who for religious reasons want to stop such expressions – because they believe they are sexually inhibited?

The whole value system is so aberrant that we should expect within 25 years, all standards to be tossed aside. We need a great awakening.

Adapted from an article by Dwight Longenecker: http://insidecatholic.com/Joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3384&Itemid=48

Student Must Deny Faith to Pass Course!

2008-04-19T19:47:00.004-04:00

So what would it take for you to deny your faith? A good grade? That’s what some Christian students are learning it will cost them to pass a course on Philosophy at Suffolk County Community College.

The professor is demanding – demanding that students admit the possibility that there is no God, or fail his course. It’s that simple. And it is a form of persecution, here in America.

The American Center of Law and Justice has presented the college with a demand letter asking them to halt the professor’s classroom habits. The demand letter is a prelude to a federal lawsuit to prevent the instructor from forcing students to "change their own personal viewpoints or state that they are unsure of whether their own personal beliefs are correct" on religious issues.

Gina DeLuca is one student who has been punished with lower grades and labeled "closed-minded" by a professor who demands that students acknowledge the possibility that God does not exist in order to participate in his philosophy class. That class is required for graduation. It is just one example of how the academic world believes it can violate the free exercise of religion clause of the First Amendment.

Gina has been a student at the school for two years, and holds a 3.9 grade point average. She received good grades in the philosophy class "until her religious beliefs became known." Then her grades dropped significantly. Her refusal to compromise her Christian faith brought her in direct conflict with the course goals of the professor. The ACLJ said. "The course beyond merely requiring knowledge of prominent philosophers and their arguments or ways of thinking, which Gina does not object to." The class demands conscience conformity to the world view of the professor. It is mind-control. It is intellectual oppression. It is intolerance – the opposite of a truly liberal education.

In addition to the lower grades, the ACLJ said, the professor has called the student "closed-minded," "uncritical," "hurtful," and "blinded by belief." Gina has become the victim of a personal crusade perpetrated by the professor. "While a college professor may encourage students to be informed about viewpoints and arguments that differ from their own, it is inappropriate – and unconstitutional – for a public college professor to make passing a required course (and thus graduation) contingent upon a student's willingness to express agreement with philosophical viewpoints that conflict with her religious beliefs," the ACLJ said.

Father and Mother - To Become Obsolete Terms!

2008-04-19T16:34:00.004-04:00

Father? Mother? – don’t say such things!

The terms father and mother are headed for the trash heap. They are not “gay friendly!” So this coming year in Australia, 8-year olds may correct the pre-historic language of their parents. The correct terms are more generic, non-sexual – parents, partners and the like. Also on the banned list are “boyfriend and girlfriend” – anything that would suggest that male-female pairing is normal and that same-sex pairing is less than normal. Even the term spouse is to be replaced by "partner." All these are changes sought and gained by the gay lobby aimed at reducing discrimination in classrooms.

In addition, public schools are coming under increasing pressure to provide lessons for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students and stack their libraries with books and videos covering their issues. The lobby is demanding that anti-gay statements by both teachers and students be outlawed! Of course, an anti-gay statement is the inability to make a pro-gay statement. Anything less than full endorsement of the life-style is “homophobic” a disqualification for teachers. They are demanding “diversity training" which is a code-word for the use of forced use of teachers as propaganda agents.

The Government-backed conference on sexual diversity - That's So Gay, is a part of the new process. The Federation of Parents and Citizens' Associations also weighed into the debate calling for "appropriate literacy materials promoting diversity in families".

The goal is to eliminate the notion that the model family is father and mother! Mr Coutts-Trotter, leader for the project, said public schools had a responsibility to include children from same sex couples and allow no discrimination. "Happy families come in all shapes and sizes," he said.

No longer is the gay community content to allow schools to "meet the bare legal requirement” of neutrality – it must be an advocate of the gay cause. “Public education has a responsibility to include...to strive to make all feel welcome." That is, all but conservative Christians. They must be combated – to eliminate their “homophobia".

"Our schools should be sanctuaries (for students)." Actually, he means for homosexuality, for homosexual activities, for homosexual recruitment – but not for Christians. The entire educational department has come on board. Recently, it declared that any attempt to stop same sex partners from attending a school formal as gay partners would breach anti-discrimination laws. The education department is spearheading a major push to win acceptance for gay and lesbian students in public schools.

As early as seven and eight, students are learning about bullying, particularly anti-homophobia. The curriculums are being designed to consistently reinforce this notion. "Same-sex attraction issues" are included in students' lessons on relationships, diversity and discrimination. A 25-hour course, mandatory for all Year 11 and 12 students in government schools, examines "issues relating to sexuality and sexual diversity".

Two years ago, government agencies moved to put gay-friendly books in daycare centers. Will such changes reach American schools soon?

The Battle Over the Family Continues!

2008-04-19T14:55:00.004-04:00

Jesus said that we were to be “as wise as serpents!” Who knows what he really meant! One thing is clear, the left is much more savvy in terms of manipulating the legal system than are conservatives. And they are much more committed to bending the nation into the shape they desire for it.

Take the case now before the Virginia Supreme Court. A former lesbian, Lisa Miller, now a Christian, shared responsibility for her biological child with her lesbian partner. Now the child is a 6-year-old. And Lisa Miller’s former partner, Janet Jenkins, wants custody.

The child could become a “political trophy of the homosexual community in Vermont," according to a lawyer who argued the case before the court today. But this is more than a custody battle. Vermont acknowledges homosexual-lesbian alliances. Virginia does not. The question is – Will Virginia throw away its sovereignty on the issue and acknowledge rights being advocated by Vermont law? Mathew Staver, chief of Liberty Counsel, said the impact of the decision will reach far beyond the important determination of the future for the child in question, also impacting states' sovereignty and the values on which Christian parents make decisions.

Isabella, the child at question, will "either remain with her biological mother, Lisa Miller, or potentially be ripped away from her mom and placed in a lesbian household.” Virginia is a traditional place which still holds to a definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, while rejecting same-sex unions. Virginia's Constitution compels the state supreme court to not recognize out-of-state, same-sex marriages and civil unions. What will the court do? "… if Virginia loses its sovereignty, then the sovereignty of every other state is put in jeopardy," he said.

Miller left the lesbian relationship and became a Christian. That too is part of the case. Janet Jenkins, her former companion, alleges Miller's Christian parenting practices make her an unfit mother. She's seeking full custody of the child, for the protection of the child.

The Vermont Supreme Court already has granted parental rights and visitation to Jenkins even though Miller and her daughter live in Virginia. The Vermont Court, because the couple lived briefly in Vermont, boldly claimed sole jurisdiction in the matter. Miller has now taken the matter to Virginia’s highest court in her attempt to defend her custody of Isabella and the right to raise her biological daughter according to Christian parenting principles.

The case should be cut and dry. Janet Jenkins is neither a biological parent, a relative or even an adoptive parent. But the Vermont court went to great links to protect and preserve her rights as a lesbian. The fact that she is almost a total stranger to the child may matter little. "Isabella, now 6, hadn't seen this woman since she was 17 months old.” The case is being set forth with the child as a pawn, to establish lesbian rights and test the will of other states with regard to their commitment to the sanctity of marriage.

The case could have national ramifications. If liberal states like Vermont and Massachusetts can export their radical new definitions of marriage and family around the country, the liberals have won again – through the courts.

Adapted from a story by Bob Unruh: WorldNetDaily

New Book: "Why We Left Islam!" Brings Light and Heat

2008-04-19T14:37:00.007-04:00

"Why We Left Islam: Former Muslims Speak Out" hits shelves next week. Don’t expect it be openly sold in either Tehran or Bagdad, Saudi Arabia for that matter in Muslim friendly sectors in any part of the world.

The book has an emblazoned depiction of Mohammed on its cover – torn in half. It was written by Susan Crimp, a British journalist and co-written by Joel Richardson, an expert on Islam. Joel Richardson is a pseudonym for the purposes of life extension. The book is being published by World Net Daily news services (WND).

Judging by the explosive reaction when a Danish newspaper published a political cartoon in 2005, the cover of the book alone could spark significant consequences. The book is loaded with first-person stories of former Muslim fundamentalists who at one time were devoutly committed to the faith. But confronted with life’s questions, they began to question the Koran, Islam's holy book. Honest questions led them to a radical change of life.

One of the first-hand stories is from Khaled Waleed. He says he received the same teachings as fellow Saudi Osama Bin Laden. We were told, from childhood, that “as Muslims, we are the best people in the world.” Non-Muslims were described with abusive language, as “the grandsons of monkeys and pigs ...” Training demanded that he “revile and ridicule non-Muslims" as a duty.

Listening to such teaching, Waleed remembers feeling uncomfortable with such notions, even in the enclosed world of Islam. He always questioned such notions. But it was September 11, 2001, when he confronted the real face of Islam. He remembers the chilling reactions of fellow Muslims, “I saw the happiness on the faces of our people because so many infidels were slaughtered so easily. I saw many people who started thanking Allah for this massacre."

Ali Sina is a Pakistani whose website promoted peace and women’s rights among Muslims. "I was brought up as a religious person. I believed in whatever I was told. ... But when I started to read the Koran seriously from cover to cover, I felt nauseated. All those lies suddenly appeared in front of me." Sina has become a skeptic offering a psychoanalysis of Muhammad. He notes the unstable childhood - five different foster parents before the age of 8. Sina says he never received enough love and he became incapable of loving. “Muhammed was a ruthless man with no feelings."

Muslim reactions were dismissive, “WND Publishing … promotes hate every day on its extremist anti-Muslim hate site," Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic said.

Missionaries in Scotland recently came face-to-face with Muslims marching in the streets of London. The extremist pictures never made to the USA news outlets. The liberal media continues to excuse Muslim extremism. To hide it.

Muslims marched through the streets in the “Religion of Peace” rally carrying signs which read: “Take a Lesson from 9-11,” “World Domination.” Signs warned of another holocaust. They indicated anything but peace.

CrossRoads Network estimates that between 8 - 11 million Christians have been killed worldwide by Muslims since 1988. At least 250 million others have been displaced, sold as slaves, or made refugees. Throughout Kosovo, churches were destroyed. The media reports such conflicts as “ethnic.” In truth, it is pure persecution – Muslim on Christian. Monestaries and churches are destroyed and mosques rebuilt on the sites. In 1999, Kosovo was 84% Christian. In 2006, it is estimated that there are less than 4% of the population that identify with Christianity. In four years, at least 200 churches have been destroyed with 220 mosques built on those sites. In Somalia, 103 churches have been destroyed. In Darfar, 1.3 million Christians have died.

Due to foolish immigration policies, there are some 15 million Muslims in Europe – and they foresee an Islamic continent. Their birth rates are higher than Europeans. And thanks to liberal immigration policies, they are still streaming into Europe. Muslims are the largest religious minority in France, Germany, Britain and the Benelux states. In France, their number is approaching 5 million. In Britain, more Muslims attend mosques – at least 2 million weekly – than attend Christian churches. Bosnia is Europe’s first fundamentalist Muslim state.

It's A Start - But It's Not Enough! The Moral Scandal in the Ministry!

2008-04-19T13:17:00.006-04:00

Pope Benedict XVI is to be applauded for his call to an end of sexual scandal within the Catholic church. It is a problem which was covered for so many years by denial and the quick transfer of priests to a new location, exacerbated by loyal and conflicted Catholics who did not want to impugn their faith.

Pope Benedict said that “he was ashamed of the existence of pedophile priests and their subsequent abuse of young boys.” But the root problem is not pedophilia, but homosexuality. Pedophilia is its deeper aberration. Culture wants to accept the one and believe we can censor the other. But the priest scandals have been, with few exceptions, man to boy.

Sandy Rios, conservative analyst says, “Man/Boy ‘Love’ has been a staple in homosexual practice since the time of the ancient Greeks, famous for taking young boys as students and bonding with them sexually. Modern gay magazines have regularly advertised for ‘Chickens,’ defined by Bruce Rogers in Gay-Talk: A Dictionary of Gay Slang as ‘any boy under the age of consent … heterosexual … fair of face and unfamiliar with homosexuality.’”

A few decades ago, NAMBLA, the North American Man/Boy Love Association was a key player in the homosexual revolution. They had a prominent place at the table. They marched in all the gay pride parades. But savvy homosexual activists leaders have now realized that the culture will not readily buy the whole homosexual agenda at once. It has to be introduced incrementally. So while the goals of NAMBLA are still at the heart of the revolution’s effort, the cultural obstacles to acceptance have forced the movement to suggest that NAMBLA assume a lower profile, until a more convenient season.

Michael Rose, in the book “Good-bye, Good Men,” has noted that many Catholic seminaries have gradually become conclaves for homosexual men to such an extent that it has led to the exclusion of those “faithful” and genuine celibate men who entered to give their live in service to Christ and intended to take seriously the teachings of Scripture on sexual behavior.

While the Pope is commended to be commended for his bold call to the end of sexual exploitation, it may be only the tip of the iceberg. The larger danger is “an ever-increasingly, gay-sympathetic public,” according to Rios. “Denying the correlation of homosexuality and priest-abusers of young boys further enforces the persuasive myth of activists that it is ‘just another lifestyle.’”

Perhaps it would just be too much – to confront the problem of pedophilia, and the larger problem of homosexual priests. Perhaps, it is more expedient to sound the moral signals that will resonant with the culture than to confront the whole American culture with the larger truth. What would the prophets have done?

The perversion of the Creator’s gift of sexuality destroys lives, destabilizes culture and desensitizes morality.

Thanks to the Pope for lifting his voice to protect the children! But unfortunately, it doesn’t go to the root of the problem. We need a national great awakening!

Adapted from a report entitled, "Pedophilia and the Pope," by Sandy Rios -
Thursday, April 17, 2008

EXPELLED - A Movie Worth Seeing!

2008-04-19T12:26:00.007-04:00

“Expelled!” – that’s the name of the new movie-documentary by Ben Stein. It is being released in theaters this week. And I hope it gets a good national viewing. Perhaps that will open the potential for honest dialogue a wee bit.

For almost twenty years, conservatives have been locked out, told their opinions did not count, denied their rights, their most fundamental constitutional rights – the right to faith and its expression. The liberals – now that they are in charge – are no longer liberal in any polite sense of the word. They have created a one-sided debate with only their echo.

Evolution has been one of those hot-button issues which are now considered closed!

Far from being “open-minded,” politically correct liberalism has only one “right” view on any issue. Dissent is not only disallowed, it is the target of socially reinforced disdain, labeling, black-balling, rejection. The one politically correct view of any issue is approved if it is congruent with the larger liberal agenda – freedom from any absolute moral laws, exalted humanism, rejection of faith in God, liberation from tradition and institutional constraints, existentialism without any past or eternal future, no answerability to a judgment for moral accountability.

For the liberal, every thing is pegged as a right - gay rights, abortion rights, free-speech rights, sexual-expression rights, even the right to be free from hearing prayers, or the opinions of religious conservatives, the rights to believe the way they want to believe with all others rights subject to theirs. All other’s rights are relative – theirs are absolute. All others views are idiotic.

The problem is that the Politically Correct now hold the cultural power centers - the news media, the entertainment industry, academia, the entrenched political machines, science and technology - all are in their clutches. They have become the gatekeepers of power, the controllers of the podiums and framers of the cultural monologue. They preach free thinking and expression, but practice oppression of dissenting opinions.

Well – enough! And back to the movie.

The concept of Intelligent Design has been muted in educational circles – even at the elementary level. So consistent is this repression, that the theory itself rarely gets a fair hearing. The controversy drowns it out. The repression is now a story worth hearing.

Those who have seen the viewing say they were “stunned!”

The astounding production focuses not only on the theory, but on fear resident in the worlds of education and science that not only seek to silence the evidence for intelligent design, but to destroy the careers of proponents who dare to question Darwin.

Stein asks the unforgivable and explosive question: “What if the universe began with an intelligent designer, a designer named God?” What follows is a parade of intellectuals, highly educated and credentialed experts, who dared to ask the same question and found themselves “expelled” from academic and scientific circles.

The distinguished list includes evolutionary biologist Richard Sternberg who was sandbagged at the Smithsonian. And biology professor Caroline Crocker that was forced out of George Mason University. And astrophysicist Guillermo Gonzalez, blackballed at Iowa State University. And with a company with such credentials having been summarily dismissed by their peers for thinking the wrong thoughts, Stein then allows foremost advocates of Darwinism to present their positions. These experts are recognized guests on network television programs. They are nationally known figures. The disadvantage for all of us is that we know such people through non-thinking, reactionary medium of television sound-bites, called news and analysis.

Here they are allowed to converse. Here, they speak their minds. And here, beyond the quick and readied sound-bite, they sputter, they engage in their decidedly biased rants. They openly champion their sheer hatred of religion.

Richard Dawkins' is known, among other things for his best-selling book "The God Delusion." No one questions his intellectual genius. Stein calls Dawkin’s views of the Old Testament – critical. Dawkins protest. He wants to correct Stein. He then reads a ruthless statement taken from his writings, “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction … a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully." By the way, the slogan on his web-site is - "A clear-thinking oasis."

If there was no God involved in the origins of life on Earth – what are the alternatives? The answers the experts offer Stein are – anything but scientific. Life began, somehow, on the backs of crystals. Electric sparks from lightning created organic matter in a collision with mud! Life was brought to earth - by aliens. Any theory is admissible as long as it does not provide the divine possibility.

In a view to the not so distant past, the film implies that we have not learned our lessons from the history of the last century. Stein notes, at the Dachau concentration camp, how the underlining Darwinian theories of natural selection led to the eugenics movement, embraced by Adolf Hitler. If we are left without God, then we may end up in the hands of scientist whose self-appointed calling is to perfect the human race. Who wants the earth to turn into a cold lab experiment? This is where Darwinism led once? Will it lead here again? Stein insists that he isn't equating today's Darwinists with Nazism, only pointing out that Hitler's mad science was inspired by such notions.

The evolutionist are on the warpath against the film. Only idiots will watch it, they charge. Richard Dawkins suggest that the film will solicit "cheap laughs only possible with an audience of scientific ignoramuses." Such condescension. Such intellectual elitism. P. Z. Myers, a blogger and University professor expects the film "to appeal strongly to the religious, the paranoid, the conspiracy theorists, and the ignorant.” That accounts, according to Myers, to “90% of the American market." Increasingly it is clear, that the elite have little respect for any opinion rather than their own or those in their narrow circle. Myers and Dawkins both appear in the movie, now with regret.

"Expelled" if it is nothing else, is a jarring introduction to the entrenched anti-faith culture of Politically Correct liberalism. It is a spotlight on the arrogance, the stifling intolerance, and the pure ignorance of so many who are deemed to be intellectual.

Church Continues to Feel the Impact of a School of Prayer!

2008-04-18T17:43:00.003-04:00

A few months ago, the Dacusville Church of God in Pickens County, South Carolina hosted a School of Prayer. Pastor Chad Albertson sent a note about the impact of the conference, “Since the prayer conference there has been a greater awareness of God's presence in our services and in the lives of our people. Former members that had left as a result of division have returned. An alcoholic dad was saved and filled with the Holy Ghost. Several others have been delivered of depression. God has restored many broken relationships.”

The conference has also fueled the fires of personal prayer. Pastor Chad related, “An elder called one morning weeping. He had just spent time in prayer. He wanted to tell me that he loved me and that he was praying for me.” Before the conference, the elder admitted that he could barely pray two minutes. “Now,” he says, “he can't turn prayer off.” The next day, a deacon called the pastor. He had passed an elder on the road. The two stopped in the median of a 4-lane highway, talked and prayed for about 45 minutes. Things like this didn’t happen before the conference.

This doesn’t mean that the church is without challenges.

Pastor Chad notes, “A recent Sunday morning service was so dry and dead. Our people seemed mesmerized. As the praise team ended their last song, I went to the pulpit. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with the presence of God. I knew he wanted to reveal his Father-heart to the people. I lead the people in a time of prayer. And God presence began break out all over the sanctuary.”

That morning, lives were again changed – an alcoholic was set free, a woman with a prodigal daughter was given such assurance that her broken heart was healed. Youth flooded to the altars cried out for their schools and peers. From 11:20 - 1:00 p.m., there was wave after wave of His Presence.

That evening, Pastor Albertson told the congregation the story of the battle of the Philistines against David, the battle at the place called Baal Perazim, meaning, the Lord of the breakthrough.

At the conclusion of the message, people again filled the altars, once more crying out for a deeper experience with God and for a more passionate prayer life.

God is up to something. Thank you for the part you and Alive Ministries: PROJECT PRAY played.

God Bless! Pastor Chad Albertson

If you are interested in hosting a School of Prayer, contact Alive Ministries.

Prayer Draws a Line!

2008-04-18T17:27:00.004-04:00

On Sunday, February 10, one month before the School of Prayer with Project Pray was to begin, a series of wildfires broke out across the upstate of South Carolina. Six were within Pickens County. They were rapidly spreading with wind gust of almost tornado proportions.

About 4:00 p.m. members began to gather at the church for evening activities. As they approached the church site, they noticed smoke covering the horizon. When Pastor Chad Albertson arrived, all roads to the church had been blocked off. The fire was now spreading so rapidly that it had jumped three roads on its march into the valley below the church facility.

The church parking lot was completely filled with smoke. He recalls, "We began to evacuate people from the church. By 4:30 p.m., the fire department had sent a truck anticipating the involvement of our structure in the encroaching fire. With the wind driving the fire up the hillside behind our church, the conclusion was that the fire was unstoppable." Because the fire was in an inaccessible wooded area, there was virtually no way to contain it or head it off. It was being driven by fierce winds right towards the sanctuary. The college and career class of the church was on their way back from a retreat. As they crossed from North Carolina into South Carolina on US Hwy 25, they could see the smoke from the fire 35 miles away.

About 4:45 p.m., one of the deacons made his way to the church. Pastor Chad met him and told him that services were canceled and that authorities were asking people to leave the site. The deacon informed the pastor that he had not come to attend the service that evening, he had come precisely because of the fire threat. He was there to pray for the church. Pastor Albertson said, "He immediately raised his hands and started walking down by the side of the sanctuary between the structure and the approaching fire. He paced back and forth, praying fervently." He was drawing an invisible line between the fire and the facility. Relentlessly, he prayed and paced.

Sometimes, in the middle of a storm – the natural is so overwhelming that it is difficult to stay focused on anything but the potential for disaster. In such moments, Jesus is always calling us to see another dimension. Few of us do so. How could an invisible prayer line, a mark made by the spirit of intercession and seen only by the eyes of God stop a fire? Such things can’t be perceived by reason alone.

Suddenly, certainly within a 30 minute period, the winds that had steadily driven the fire across three roads and 12 acres - changed directions. It would have been the most natural thing for the fire to have marched up the side of the hill, driven by the winds, and claimed the church. Instead, the raging fire was contained within the next 45 minutes. And the church building was saved.

Three fire stations were standing with equipment watching helplessly. Volunteers had brought tractors to cut trenches in an attempt to save surrounding homes.

At the end of the day about 12 acres of pasture and forest had been destroyed. No lives were lost and no buildings were claimed. As people stood in the parking lot that evening and reflected, one of my elders commented that six people had been saved in the morning service. And now, the elder said, "the devil wants to burn down the church." If the fire was driven by some unseen evil hand, its power met came to an end in the simple prayer of a believing deacon.

Prayer draws a line of protection. It invites God’s watchful care.

Maybe there is something to this thing called prayer!

Reflections on St. Patrick!

2008-03-26T11:04:00.004-04:00

The 2000 U.S. Census reported 30 million Americans, or 10.8 percent of the population, claim Irish ancestry. That may be one reason that St. Patrick’s Day is a big deal in the US. But, the day surely “ain’t” what it used to be – and it probably would shock the good saint himself to see what happens on the day set aside to honor him. There are parades all over the nation, runs and walks, marathons and festivals, Scottish games and pub openings. Some are a pretext for anything but the saintly.

Patrick might be surprised, probably disappointed.

Rome was in many ways like present day America. It had an abundance of immigrants - Visigoths, Franks, Anglos, Saxons, Ostrogoths, Burgundians, Lombards and Vandals. They came so fast they neither learned the Latin language or adopted the empire’s culture. The Roman military was overtaxed with foreign conflicts. It’s government was heavy with bureaucracy. The tax burden was severe, but necessary to fund two great government expenses - military operations and welfare programs. It was said that all of Rome was on welfare with citizens given free bread. One Roman commented: "Those who live at the expense of the public funds are more numerous than those who provide them." Rome’s version of the IRS was characterized as "more terrible than the enemy." The Empire had developed a significant trade deficit. It had outsourced grain production to North Africa.

They had no idea how close their empire was to collapse. The population had an entitlement mentality, demanding "bread and circuses." Their entertainment had turned violent. Death in was made a sport in the coliseums. Unwanted infants died by exposure. Infidelity was common. Sexual immorality normal. Homosexuality was widely practiced in Roman bath houses and gymnasiums ("gymn" is the Greek word for naked). Salvian, the historian wrote, “The Goths lie, but are chaste; the Franks lie, but are generous; the Saxons are savage in cruelty ... but are admirable in chastity. ... What hope can there be for the Romans when the barbarians are more pure than they?" Salvian described the empire as having no cities “free of evil dens.” In the end he would say, “Let nobody think otherwise. The vices of our bad lives have alone conquered us."

It was in the midst of this cultural decline, that Patrick was born in the Roman province of Britain, between A.D. 387 and A.D. 415. While a teenager, Patrick's community was left unguarded. Roman legions withdrew to defend Rome. Unprotected, Britain was attacked by raiders. Thousands were taken captive.

Patrick himself was captured and sold as a slave in Ireland, then ruled by the Druids. The Druids were riddled with occult notions believing that forests were inhabited by spirits. From them come the legends of elves and leprechauns. To satisfy these spirits, the pagan Druids sacrificed human prisoners to the war gods and newborns to the harvest gods.

Patrick, as a slave, was given to the work of a shepherd. In the pastures, his love and fear of God grew mightily. In a single day, he recalls, “I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and almost as many in the night.” He would rise before day-break, plough through snow and cold weather, though rain, and find a place of prayer.

In time, Patrick confronted the Druids, converted chieftains and introduced them to the the Trinity. A dozen times Patrick faced life-threatening situations, "They eagerly wished to kill me; but my time had not yet come. ... they put us in irons and … the Lord delivered me. ... Daily I expect murder, fraud, or captivity, or whatever it may be; but I fear none of these things because of the promises of heaven."

He baptized 120,000 people and founded 300 churches. He found Ireland all heathen, and left if all Christian. Patrick died March 17, around A.D. 461. In the century following his death, Irish missionaries went to Britain to evangelize the Scots and Picts. An Irish missionary named Columbanus (A.D. 543-615) traveled Europe and evangelized the tribes which overran the Roman Empire, founding nearly 100 monasteries as far south as Italy. A thousand years later, Scot-Irish Protestants and Irish Catholics fled the British Empire for American colonies to gain political and religious freedom.

Ten U.S. presidents had Irish ancestors: Andrew Jackson, James Polk, James Buchanan, Ulysses Grant, William McKinley, Woodrow Wilson, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. St. Patrick might worry about some of them too!