Has holiday been mispelled? Or has HOLY been replaced with 'I' for selfish reasons?
I love the celebration, the silly stories, and the traditions, but I love The Holy One's birth, death, and life eternal more. Please remember to take time for holy moments during this supposed to be HOLYday.
God bless you as you pursue Him. Merry Christmas.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Prayer is Genuine
Section One: The Characteristics of Prayer
Lesson One: Prayer is Genuine
One cold morning in the winter of 1990, I (Alice) had an encounter with the Lord in prayer that was new and different to me. As I nestled into my prayer closet with coffee in hand, I sensed the Lord inviting me to lay a world atlas out on the floor. This impression from God settled deep in my spirit, so I quickly obeyed.
This particular day I was alone in the house. The children were in school, Eddie was at the church, and I was able to dedicate my time to the Lord. I was excited to have a full day with Him.
My heart beat faster as I pulled the atlas onto the floor. Kneeling down beside the maps, I first noticed the Soviet Union. Without any expectations of what God was up to, I was shocked as I began to weep loudly for the people in the Soviet Union. I knew the burden had lifted when my spirit felt released and my tears dried up. But just as I thought my prayer time was over, the Lord whispered another nation to my heart. Hours passed as I interceded for peoples around the world. I cried out to God in prayer, as His spiritual partner, for lost souls in nation after nation.
Then an amazing thing happened. It has never happened before or since. As I entered into a very deep burden for Israel, I could audibly hear a voice crying over my right shoulder. Startled, I looked—fully expecting to see the Lord Jesus. No one was there. But the room was filled with the glory of God. I was experiencing a divine visitation that can hardly be described. I will forever remember Jesus' cry for His people Israel. Famous radio commentator Paul Harvey has a daily program called The Rest of the Story. Here is the rest of the story. I had no way of knowing that day in intercession that God was preparing me to take a prayer journey to the Holy Land one year later to pray on site the very same prayers I had prayed from my prayer closet in Houston, Texas.
Praying is life's highest privilege! Why? Because it is prayer that allows us to draw near to the heart of God. In prayer we commune with our awesome heavenly Father. Prayer gives us access to the ear of God, enabling us to fulfill His purposes in the earth! And in prayer, He actually shares His deepest desires and purposes with us.
Let's take a closer look at prayer—exciting, engaging prayer that gets God's attention and cooperates with Him to accomplish His kingdom purposes. We can discover the characteristics of such prayer, and learn to transform our prayer lives into power encounters with our powerful God.
Genuine, sincere prayer gets God's attention.
The parents of four-year-old Johnny overheard this bedtime prayer: "And God bless Mommy and God bless Daddy and God bless my dog. And God, take care of Yourself, 'cuz if something ever happens to You we're all gonna be in a mess." Now, Johnny expressed genuine prayer.
When we talk about prayer in this book, we are not talking about a religious rite. To some, prayer may be little more than a ritual. But for true Christians, prayer is about relating with the living God.
We are not going to teach you how to pray the boring, churchy, starchy prayers you may have heard before. As a matter of fact, unless you are six hundred years old, it's about time you discard the "thees" and "thous" of fifteenth-century Elizabethan English. Let's be done with puny, powerless, whiny prayers that seem to rise no higher than the ceiling. Can we hear an amen?
Question: Take a moment to reflect on your prayer life.
1. How often do you pray? 2. What kinds of things do you pray about? 3. When do you pray?
From now on when you pray, we want you to get real with God. Stop performing. Forget about impressing Him. And certainly forget about impressing others. Don't worry about saying the right words. Prayer should be a normal, sincere, genuine conversation between you and your heavenly Daddy.
by Alice Smith http://www.teachmetopray.com/
Lesson One: Prayer is Genuine
One cold morning in the winter of 1990, I (Alice) had an encounter with the Lord in prayer that was new and different to me. As I nestled into my prayer closet with coffee in hand, I sensed the Lord inviting me to lay a world atlas out on the floor. This impression from God settled deep in my spirit, so I quickly obeyed.
This particular day I was alone in the house. The children were in school, Eddie was at the church, and I was able to dedicate my time to the Lord. I was excited to have a full day with Him.
My heart beat faster as I pulled the atlas onto the floor. Kneeling down beside the maps, I first noticed the Soviet Union. Without any expectations of what God was up to, I was shocked as I began to weep loudly for the people in the Soviet Union. I knew the burden had lifted when my spirit felt released and my tears dried up. But just as I thought my prayer time was over, the Lord whispered another nation to my heart. Hours passed as I interceded for peoples around the world. I cried out to God in prayer, as His spiritual partner, for lost souls in nation after nation.
Then an amazing thing happened. It has never happened before or since. As I entered into a very deep burden for Israel, I could audibly hear a voice crying over my right shoulder. Startled, I looked—fully expecting to see the Lord Jesus. No one was there. But the room was filled with the glory of God. I was experiencing a divine visitation that can hardly be described. I will forever remember Jesus' cry for His people Israel. Famous radio commentator Paul Harvey has a daily program called The Rest of the Story. Here is the rest of the story. I had no way of knowing that day in intercession that God was preparing me to take a prayer journey to the Holy Land one year later to pray on site the very same prayers I had prayed from my prayer closet in Houston, Texas.
Praying is life's highest privilege! Why? Because it is prayer that allows us to draw near to the heart of God. In prayer we commune with our awesome heavenly Father. Prayer gives us access to the ear of God, enabling us to fulfill His purposes in the earth! And in prayer, He actually shares His deepest desires and purposes with us.
Let's take a closer look at prayer—exciting, engaging prayer that gets God's attention and cooperates with Him to accomplish His kingdom purposes. We can discover the characteristics of such prayer, and learn to transform our prayer lives into power encounters with our powerful God.
Genuine, sincere prayer gets God's attention.
The parents of four-year-old Johnny overheard this bedtime prayer: "And God bless Mommy and God bless Daddy and God bless my dog. And God, take care of Yourself, 'cuz if something ever happens to You we're all gonna be in a mess." Now, Johnny expressed genuine prayer.
When we talk about prayer in this book, we are not talking about a religious rite. To some, prayer may be little more than a ritual. But for true Christians, prayer is about relating with the living God.
We are not going to teach you how to pray the boring, churchy, starchy prayers you may have heard before. As a matter of fact, unless you are six hundred years old, it's about time you discard the "thees" and "thous" of fifteenth-century Elizabethan English. Let's be done with puny, powerless, whiny prayers that seem to rise no higher than the ceiling. Can we hear an amen?
Question: Take a moment to reflect on your prayer life.
1. How often do you pray? 2. What kinds of things do you pray about? 3. When do you pray?
From now on when you pray, we want you to get real with God. Stop performing. Forget about impressing Him. And certainly forget about impressing others. Don't worry about saying the right words. Prayer should be a normal, sincere, genuine conversation between you and your heavenly Daddy.
by Alice Smith http://www.teachmetopray.com/
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
A Message from Matt Lockett of Bound4LIFE
To the pro-life remnant in America,
I'm sure this email finds many of you still trying to process and make sense out of last week's election. No doubt there are more questions today than answers. If you're like me, then you've been looking for responses from Christian leaders to help understand where we are today. Please bear with me as I attempt to construct thoughts regarding what has happened and what it means for Bound4LIFE and the pro-life movement.
Response
First of all let me express my sincere gratitude to all those that have followed through with their vows concerning prayer for the ending of abortion, voting for pro-life candidates and obeying God when it comes to compassion and justice. I believe the Life Band represents something larger than any of us realize right now. It helps us align with God's heart and purposes in the earth, and we can never go wrong following this simple path. As always God has moved through a remnant to make his will known.
It has become quite clear that the majority of the American Church has chosen to promote pro-abortion agents and pro-death policies. I believe God is grieved over these choices. It was within our ability to propel life-saving efforts for the unborn and plead the cause of the helpless, but because we have rejected that sacred responsibility I believe judgment will begin with the house of God. I also believe it will cost us dearly. Some will be tempted to dodge their culpability declaring "Well, it happened so it must have been God's will all along." This would be flawed thinking in the extreme. To quote Dutch Sheets, "Too much emphasis on God's sovereignty and we're worthless; too little and we're hopeless."
A rule of thumb that I have embraced is "A casual approach to the prophetic word will produce casualties." In this case, the cry for "change" was greater than the cry for "mercy." We have asked for a king, and a king has been given to us. We will now collectively drink from this cup, and concerning the pre-born children the casualties are quite literal. Today we find ourselves standing knee deep in the blood of 50 million children asking God to bless us and fix our economy. So still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether".
Repentance
The responsibility lies with the Church. We are supposed to lead the way; we are to be the head and not the tail, and we will be forced to live with the consequences of our choices. Please forgive me if this sounds overly harsh. My intent is not to accuse; instead it is for us to accept responsibility. After all the Church is the hope of the world.
Now is the time for God to work repentance in our hearts; deep repentance on behalf of a confused Church and wayward nation. We should all review Daniel 9 as a model for this. May God do a quick work in us and restore us to our proper place. The scripture remains just as true today as it did before the elections, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Ch 7:14)
Regrouping
If I learned anything during this campaign, it was how powerful it can be when a people that feel disenfranchised from government mobilize at the grassroots level around a singular, unwavering message. As we pick ourselves up from this moment and move forward let us not depart from the place of intense prayer and fasting. God has driven us here for a reason, and it must continue. We are all in the School of Prayer now. God is bringing forth a revolutionary prayer movement in the earth, and it is still in its infancy. The Church must learn and embrace that the prayer meeting is the governmental center of the universe. Not only does prayer directly effect change for God's purposes, but we should also expect an explosion of creativity if we will remain focused in the place of prayer.
Relentless
Moral authority is on our side. Abortion and the pro-death culture is heavily entrenched in the American psyche. The blood of the innocent has fueled the demonization of our culture for nearly 36 years. That is no excuse, however, to give up or even slow down now. On the contrary let us double our efforts and continue to face the giant that dares to mock the armies of the living God. Yes, we have lost an important battle. Yes, our efforts have experienced a great setback. Yes, the days ahead will be difficult to say the least. But history reminds us that the light of revelation can dawn on even the most difficult of social evils--slavery. Decade after decade passed while God relentlessly raised up voices for righteousness ultimately aligning the nation to His divine will.
President-Elect Barack Obama has stated that "culture wars are just so 90's and their days are growing dark.' Let our posture reflect that we are just beginning and that we will not give up on America and the next generation. We will continue to pray for this President, Congress and Supreme Court and then for those that come after them. Let the government of earth know that God has already installed His King on His holy hill.
Continuing to strike the arrows (2 Ki 13:17-19),
Matt Lockett
Executive Director
Bound4LIFE Intl.
I'm sure this email finds many of you still trying to process and make sense out of last week's election. No doubt there are more questions today than answers. If you're like me, then you've been looking for responses from Christian leaders to help understand where we are today. Please bear with me as I attempt to construct thoughts regarding what has happened and what it means for Bound4LIFE and the pro-life movement.
Response
First of all let me express my sincere gratitude to all those that have followed through with their vows concerning prayer for the ending of abortion, voting for pro-life candidates and obeying God when it comes to compassion and justice. I believe the Life Band represents something larger than any of us realize right now. It helps us align with God's heart and purposes in the earth, and we can never go wrong following this simple path. As always God has moved through a remnant to make his will known.
It has become quite clear that the majority of the American Church has chosen to promote pro-abortion agents and pro-death policies. I believe God is grieved over these choices. It was within our ability to propel life-saving efforts for the unborn and plead the cause of the helpless, but because we have rejected that sacred responsibility I believe judgment will begin with the house of God. I also believe it will cost us dearly. Some will be tempted to dodge their culpability declaring "Well, it happened so it must have been God's will all along." This would be flawed thinking in the extreme. To quote Dutch Sheets, "Too much emphasis on God's sovereignty and we're worthless; too little and we're hopeless."
A rule of thumb that I have embraced is "A casual approach to the prophetic word will produce casualties." In this case, the cry for "change" was greater than the cry for "mercy." We have asked for a king, and a king has been given to us. We will now collectively drink from this cup, and concerning the pre-born children the casualties are quite literal. Today we find ourselves standing knee deep in the blood of 50 million children asking God to bless us and fix our economy. So still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether".
Repentance
The responsibility lies with the Church. We are supposed to lead the way; we are to be the head and not the tail, and we will be forced to live with the consequences of our choices. Please forgive me if this sounds overly harsh. My intent is not to accuse; instead it is for us to accept responsibility. After all the Church is the hope of the world.
Now is the time for God to work repentance in our hearts; deep repentance on behalf of a confused Church and wayward nation. We should all review Daniel 9 as a model for this. May God do a quick work in us and restore us to our proper place. The scripture remains just as true today as it did before the elections, "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Ch 7:14)
Regrouping
If I learned anything during this campaign, it was how powerful it can be when a people that feel disenfranchised from government mobilize at the grassroots level around a singular, unwavering message. As we pick ourselves up from this moment and move forward let us not depart from the place of intense prayer and fasting. God has driven us here for a reason, and it must continue. We are all in the School of Prayer now. God is bringing forth a revolutionary prayer movement in the earth, and it is still in its infancy. The Church must learn and embrace that the prayer meeting is the governmental center of the universe. Not only does prayer directly effect change for God's purposes, but we should also expect an explosion of creativity if we will remain focused in the place of prayer.
- Creativity for new pro-life strategies
- Creativity for public policy
- Creativity for unity and mobilization
- Creativity for shifting culture through media
- Creativity for adoption reform
Relentless
Moral authority is on our side. Abortion and the pro-death culture is heavily entrenched in the American psyche. The blood of the innocent has fueled the demonization of our culture for nearly 36 years. That is no excuse, however, to give up or even slow down now. On the contrary let us double our efforts and continue to face the giant that dares to mock the armies of the living God. Yes, we have lost an important battle. Yes, our efforts have experienced a great setback. Yes, the days ahead will be difficult to say the least. But history reminds us that the light of revelation can dawn on even the most difficult of social evils--slavery. Decade after decade passed while God relentlessly raised up voices for righteousness ultimately aligning the nation to His divine will.
There is good reason to think that without the steady drumbeat of Christian
condemnation from the abolitionist preachers, there would never have been
sufficient antislavery sentiment--to say nothing of antislavery interest--to
enable the nation finally to go to war over the issue. Equally important, there
might never have been sufficient antislavery preaching if not for the tireless
evangelizing of such abolitionists as Charles Finney and his protégé Theodore
Weld, who successfully targeted, among their many audiences, young college
students who would, they knew, be the nation's future leaders. From town to town
they went...at every stop bringing their message that slavery was contrary to
the Gospels. Until, finally, people came to believe it.Stephen L. Carter, God's Name in Vain
President-Elect Barack Obama has stated that "culture wars are just so 90's and their days are growing dark.' Let our posture reflect that we are just beginning and that we will not give up on America and the next generation. We will continue to pray for this President, Congress and Supreme Court and then for those that come after them. Let the government of earth know that God has already installed His King on His holy hill.
Continuing to strike the arrows (2 Ki 13:17-19),
Matt Lockett
Executive Director
Bound4LIFE Intl.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Prayers for our President and President-Elect
Prayers for our President and President-Elect
Matt Bowers
Nov 5 2008
Today many are rejoicing and many are mourning. Whether you are pleased or not, we have a new President-Elect assigned to us for prayer. We must pray for wisdom, guidance, protection, and most importantly, for a fear of the Lord.
We have a weighty task. The President-Elect is not a pro-life candidate. He has said that his first task will be to pass the Freedom of Choice Act, removing restrictions on abortion. Let us pray for a change in his heart and continue to pray for the protection of the unborn.
President Bush is still in office for a short while. Do not forget him! Pray for him, the transition, and of course the nation.
God Bless. Do not be dismayed, prepare yourself and arise, and speak the word of the Lord.
In Christ,
Matt Bowers
PrayErie.org
Jeremiah 1:16-18 (New King James Version)
16 I will utter My judgments
Against them concerning all their wickedness,
Because they have forsaken Me,
Burned incense to other gods,
And worshiped the works of their own hands.
17 “ Therefore prepare yourself and arise,
And speak to them all that I command you.
Do not be dismayed before their faces,
Lest I dismay you before them.
18 For behold, I have made you this day
A fortified city and an iron pillar,
And bronze walls against the whole land—
Against the kings of Judah,
Against its princes,
Against its priests,
And against the people of the land
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRAYERS FOR THE PRESIDENT
I pray that You, O Lord will continually bring goodness and sweetness into the President's life rather than sorrow, causing him to know that taking joy in You makes him strong.--Nehemiah 8:10
I pray that the President will delight himself in You, Lord, knowing that You will give him the desires of his heart.--Psalm 37:4
I pray that the President will trust in You, Lord, with all his heart, and lean not on his own understanding. I pray that in all his ways he will acknowledge You, and You will direct his paths.--Proverbs 3:5-6
I pray that you will always help the President to have a gentle answer that turns away wrath, keeping him from harsh words that stir up anger.--Proverbs 15:1
O Lord, remind the President continually that You alone are His strength, and that it is You who allows him to accomplish any high and lofty goals.--Habakkuk 3:19
I pray than when the President faces obstacles he will remember that victory comes not by might nor by power, but by Your Spirit.--Zechariah 4:6
I pray that the President will always love You O Lord, with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his mind, and with all his strength and that he will love his neighbor as himself. Make him aware that there is no greater command than this.--Mark 12:30-31
O Lord, grant that President Bush and President-Elect Obama remembers often Your deep and abiding love for him, knowing that he will ultimately be victorious spiritually because You died for him.--Romans 8:37
I pray that President Bush and President-Elect Obama will put bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil away from him with all malice. I pray also that kindness, tenderheartedness and forgiveness will characterize him, just as they do God and His Son Jesus Christ.--Ephesians 4:31-32
I pray that the President will turn to you for his strength, knowing that he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him.--Philippians 4:13
I pray that you will grant the President the passion and the will to do all his work heartily, remembering that he is serving You and not men.--Colossians 3:23
O faithful Lord and God, strengthen and protect the President and guard him from the evil one.--II Thessalonians 3:3
I pray that the President will submit willingly to You, O God, resisting the devil so the enemy will flee from him.--James 4:7
I pray that the President, by doing good, may silence the ignorance of foolish men.--I Peter 2:15
I pray, God, that President Bush and President-Elect Obama will resist the temptation of pride and will humble himself under Your mighty hand, that in Your time you may lift him up.--I Peter 5:6
Lord, I ask You to help President Bush and President-Elect Obama to confess his sins before You, remembering that You are faithful and just and will cleanse him from sin and forgive him for all unrighteousness.--I John 1:9
O God, let the President always be confident in approaching You, remembering that You hear his prayers when he asks in accord with Your will. May he always pray this way, with confidence.-- I John 5:14-15
Matt Bowers
Nov 5 2008
Today many are rejoicing and many are mourning. Whether you are pleased or not, we have a new President-Elect assigned to us for prayer. We must pray for wisdom, guidance, protection, and most importantly, for a fear of the Lord.
We have a weighty task. The President-Elect is not a pro-life candidate. He has said that his first task will be to pass the Freedom of Choice Act, removing restrictions on abortion. Let us pray for a change in his heart and continue to pray for the protection of the unborn.
President Bush is still in office for a short while. Do not forget him! Pray for him, the transition, and of course the nation.
God Bless. Do not be dismayed, prepare yourself and arise, and speak the word of the Lord.
In Christ,
Matt Bowers
PrayErie.org
Jeremiah 1:16-18 (New King James Version)
16 I will utter My judgments
Against them concerning all their wickedness,
Because they have forsaken Me,
Burned incense to other gods,
And worshiped the works of their own hands.
17 “ Therefore prepare yourself and arise,
And speak to them all that I command you.
Do not be dismayed before their faces,
Lest I dismay you before them.
18 For behold, I have made you this day
A fortified city and an iron pillar,
And bronze walls against the whole land—
Against the kings of Judah,
Against its princes,
Against its priests,
And against the people of the land
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PRAYERS FOR THE PRESIDENT
I pray that You, O Lord will continually bring goodness and sweetness into the President's life rather than sorrow, causing him to know that taking joy in You makes him strong.--Nehemiah 8:10
I pray that the President will delight himself in You, Lord, knowing that You will give him the desires of his heart.--Psalm 37:4
I pray that the President will trust in You, Lord, with all his heart, and lean not on his own understanding. I pray that in all his ways he will acknowledge You, and You will direct his paths.--Proverbs 3:5-6
I pray that you will always help the President to have a gentle answer that turns away wrath, keeping him from harsh words that stir up anger.--Proverbs 15:1
O Lord, remind the President continually that You alone are His strength, and that it is You who allows him to accomplish any high and lofty goals.--Habakkuk 3:19
I pray than when the President faces obstacles he will remember that victory comes not by might nor by power, but by Your Spirit.--Zechariah 4:6
I pray that the President will always love You O Lord, with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his mind, and with all his strength and that he will love his neighbor as himself. Make him aware that there is no greater command than this.--Mark 12:30-31
O Lord, grant that President Bush and President-Elect Obama remembers often Your deep and abiding love for him, knowing that he will ultimately be victorious spiritually because You died for him.--Romans 8:37
I pray that President Bush and President-Elect Obama will put bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil away from him with all malice. I pray also that kindness, tenderheartedness and forgiveness will characterize him, just as they do God and His Son Jesus Christ.--Ephesians 4:31-32
I pray that the President will turn to you for his strength, knowing that he can do all things through Christ who strengthens him.--Philippians 4:13
I pray that you will grant the President the passion and the will to do all his work heartily, remembering that he is serving You and not men.--Colossians 3:23
O faithful Lord and God, strengthen and protect the President and guard him from the evil one.--II Thessalonians 3:3
I pray that the President will submit willingly to You, O God, resisting the devil so the enemy will flee from him.--James 4:7
I pray that the President, by doing good, may silence the ignorance of foolish men.--I Peter 2:15
I pray, God, that President Bush and President-Elect Obama will resist the temptation of pride and will humble himself under Your mighty hand, that in Your time you may lift him up.--I Peter 5:6
Lord, I ask You to help President Bush and President-Elect Obama to confess his sins before You, remembering that You are faithful and just and will cleanse him from sin and forgive him for all unrighteousness.--I John 1:9
O God, let the President always be confident in approaching You, remembering that You hear his prayers when he asks in accord with Your will. May he always pray this way, with confidence.-- I John 5:14-15
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
The Sack Lunches
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought.
Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.
'Chicago - to Great Lakes Base. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq '
After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached Chicago, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to Chicago' His friend agreed.
I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arm sand squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'
Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best -beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with dinner plate from first class. 'This is your thanks.'
After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.
Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, an said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.
Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand,wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.
When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me,put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!
Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless you.'
Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...
A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank checkmade payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.'
Do you understand and appreciate what they are doing? Share this with a friend so we will never forget! GOD BLESS AMERICA!------
Roger Scarlett
Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.
'Chicago - to Great Lakes Base. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Iraq '
After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached Chicago, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to Chicago' His friend agreed.
I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arm sand squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq; it's almost like you are doing it for him.'
Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best -beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with dinner plate from first class. 'This is your thanks.'
After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars.
Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, an said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.
Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand,wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.
When we landed in Chicago I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me,put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!
Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless you.'
Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little...
A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life wrote a blank checkmade payable to 'The United States of America ' for an amount of 'up to and including my life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.'
Do you understand and appreciate what they are doing? Share this with a friend so we will never forget! GOD BLESS AMERICA!------
Roger Scarlett
Saturday, November 1, 2008
We are participating in The Call California
Utilize the webstream and join the prayers for America and California.
http://www.god.tv/stream
Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray for the great sleeping giant, the church, who even now has begun to shake herself from her sleep. I pray she would awake to righteousness and holiness in every denomination, in every body of believers, and slumber no more.
I pray we would begin to unify under the blood-stained banner of the cross and preach the gospel of the kingdom clearly and boldly in evey highway and byway of our nation.
I pray that we will not only stand up and speak up but that we will begin to reap a great harvest in our nation, bringing multitudes to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
May the revival of the saints be so all-encompassing that it affects the spiritual complexion of our entire nation and influences our politics, our economy, our media and our entire society.
http://www.god.tv/stream
Father, in the name of Jesus, I pray for the great sleeping giant, the church, who even now has begun to shake herself from her sleep. I pray she would awake to righteousness and holiness in every denomination, in every body of believers, and slumber no more.
I pray we would begin to unify under the blood-stained banner of the cross and preach the gospel of the kingdom clearly and boldly in evey highway and byway of our nation.
I pray that we will not only stand up and speak up but that we will begin to reap a great harvest in our nation, bringing multitudes to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
May the revival of the saints be so all-encompassing that it affects the spiritual complexion of our entire nation and influences our politics, our economy, our media and our entire society.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Pray, Vote, and Obey
To those who believe that righteousness exalts a nation,
With only a week left until the 2008 election we find ourselves in the eleventh hour of decision. Has everything been revealed that will be revealed? Are there any more last-minute surprises left? Who knows? I submit to you one more time that no further information is needed.
In a recent interview, one of the Vice Presidential Candidates stated that they believed Roe v. Wade was the best we can do in a society as heterogeneous as ours. I don't believe this is true, and neither should you. To suggest this is to say that we knew in 1973 everything we ever needed to know about the baby in the womb and the effects of abortion on women. Plenty of Americans were once content and satisfied with the legal, unchallenged existence of slavery in our nation as well and had squared with the ridiculous notion that a human being could be considered 2/3 of a whole person. History stands in judgment of them because, like it or not, they were wrong. As the nation hurtled toward civil war God raised up righteous voices from His Church to impact a culture that did not treat all men equal. It turned out that God had plenty to say about slavery and the public policy of this fledgling nation. Where would we be today had it not been for the burning men of God like Charles G. Finney who unapologetically coupled the message of the revival tent meeting with the message of abolition?
The moment has come once again for the Church in America to be the razor-sharp edge of divine truth and not the dull blade used to spread the status quo.
For those of you that have worn a Life Band in the last four years I call you to remember it now. For those that don't have a Life Band but believe that the blood of the innocent cries out from our ground I call you to seize this moment. So much is at stake right now in this one election cycle, but nothing is more important than shifting the United States Supreme Court.
You cannot pray for the ending of abortion and promote those who support it.
The Biblical message of "shedding innocent blood" has been taught and preached to more people this year than ever before thanks to GodTV, TheCall events, the 40 Days for Life campaigns as well as many others. This gives us cause for great hope and great sobriety at the same time. I believe God is giving us ample opportunity to align ourselves with Him and His Word, but we will be held accountable for the word we have heard. History will sit in judgment of what we do next.
Yet no poll or pundit can guess the outcome when God breaks in suddenly with answers to the prayers and fasting of His people.
There is no time to delay. Join now with Bound4LIFE and hundreds of thousands that have made the solemn commitment to PRAY, VOTE & OBEY.
PRAY daily for the ending of abortion. America's highest court has made a decree of death, but we make our appeal to an even higher court. The Judge of the earth will see that speedy justice is released to those that cry out to Him day and night.
VOTE for pro-life candidates. Pretty self-explanatory here, but voting is an honor, privilege and duty. Participation on November 4th is NOT optional. The Church must show up to make our voice heard.
OBEY God in however He leads you into works of compassion and justice. It's time for the Church to move en masse to become the answers to our own prayers. Let the spirit of adoption come. We cannot rely on big government programs to solve our problems.
Bound and determined,
Matt Lockett
Executive Director
Bound4LIFE Intl.
With only a week left until the 2008 election we find ourselves in the eleventh hour of decision. Has everything been revealed that will be revealed? Are there any more last-minute surprises left? Who knows? I submit to you one more time that no further information is needed.
In a recent interview, one of the Vice Presidential Candidates stated that they believed Roe v. Wade was the best we can do in a society as heterogeneous as ours. I don't believe this is true, and neither should you. To suggest this is to say that we knew in 1973 everything we ever needed to know about the baby in the womb and the effects of abortion on women. Plenty of Americans were once content and satisfied with the legal, unchallenged existence of slavery in our nation as well and had squared with the ridiculous notion that a human being could be considered 2/3 of a whole person. History stands in judgment of them because, like it or not, they were wrong. As the nation hurtled toward civil war God raised up righteous voices from His Church to impact a culture that did not treat all men equal. It turned out that God had plenty to say about slavery and the public policy of this fledgling nation. Where would we be today had it not been for the burning men of God like Charles G. Finney who unapologetically coupled the message of the revival tent meeting with the message of abolition?
The moment has come once again for the Church in America to be the razor-sharp edge of divine truth and not the dull blade used to spread the status quo.
For those of you that have worn a Life Band in the last four years I call you to remember it now. For those that don't have a Life Band but believe that the blood of the innocent cries out from our ground I call you to seize this moment. So much is at stake right now in this one election cycle, but nothing is more important than shifting the United States Supreme Court.
You cannot pray for the ending of abortion and promote those who support it.
The Biblical message of "shedding innocent blood" has been taught and preached to more people this year than ever before thanks to GodTV, TheCall events, the 40 Days for Life campaigns as well as many others. This gives us cause for great hope and great sobriety at the same time. I believe God is giving us ample opportunity to align ourselves with Him and His Word, but we will be held accountable for the word we have heard. History will sit in judgment of what we do next.
Yet no poll or pundit can guess the outcome when God breaks in suddenly with answers to the prayers and fasting of His people.
There is no time to delay. Join now with Bound4LIFE and hundreds of thousands that have made the solemn commitment to PRAY, VOTE & OBEY.
PRAY daily for the ending of abortion. America's highest court has made a decree of death, but we make our appeal to an even higher court. The Judge of the earth will see that speedy justice is released to those that cry out to Him day and night.
VOTE for pro-life candidates. Pretty self-explanatory here, but voting is an honor, privilege and duty. Participation on November 4th is NOT optional. The Church must show up to make our voice heard.
OBEY God in however He leads you into works of compassion and justice. It's time for the Church to move en masse to become the answers to our own prayers. Let the spirit of adoption come. We cannot rely on big government programs to solve our problems.
Bound and determined,
Matt Lockett
Executive Director
Bound4LIFE Intl.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Mighty Machines
My three year old son is fascinated with front-loader garbage trucks. "Up, up, up, and down, down, down." So today we watched over an hour of Mighty Machines, firetrucks, street cleaners, earth movers, and of course, garbage trucks. He was hypnotized. Only interrupted by an occasional, "Look, Daddy!"
Friday, October 24, 2008
As California goes, so goes the nation
The Call California - Saturday, November 1, 2008
Available for viewing on DirectTV and http://www.god.tv.
As California goes, so goes the nation.
Available for viewing on DirectTV and http://www.god.tv.
As California goes, so goes the nation.
See You at the Pole 2008
See You at the Pole was September 24.Vista, California
On a foggy coastal September morning, I was wondering if any students would show at Vista High for See You At the Pole.
Driving onto the school campus, I saw only one student praying at their flagpole. I felt a little discouraged until I spotted Jeremiah and a friend carrying a guitar and drum box. As we approached the flagpole more students gathered.
After doing a few worship songs the circle was silent. Everyone looked a little confused about what to do next. Then Jeremiah started praying for his school. Tears formed in my eyes as one by one, other students prayed until almost 50 students, teachers, parents and youth pastors joined the circle
Afterwards, I shared with Jeremiah how proud I was of him for taking the initiative. He said he was a little nervous but decided to step out and lead.
As I drove away, the fog started to clear and so did my vision. God is using students like Jeremiah to pray for their schools around the world. –Kevin Boer
Driving onto the school campus, I saw only one student praying at their flagpole. I felt a little discouraged until I spotted Jeremiah and a friend carrying a guitar and drum box. As we approached the flagpole more students gathered.
After doing a few worship songs the circle was silent. Everyone looked a little confused about what to do next. Then Jeremiah started praying for his school. Tears formed in my eyes as one by one, other students prayed until almost 50 students, teachers, parents and youth pastors joined the circle
Afterwards, I shared with Jeremiah how proud I was of him for taking the initiative. He said he was a little nervous but decided to step out and lead.
As I drove away, the fog started to clear and so did my vision. God is using students like Jeremiah to pray for their schools around the world. –Kevin Boer
Thursday, October 23, 2008
A protestant who does not protest the Catholic church.
I am a follower of Jesus. As a follower, I vote, pray, and obey. Please carefully consider how you will be voting. Catholic, Protestant, or other, we must as Americans vote. We must as followers of Jesus, obey.
We had a great time on Saturday at the Erie Prayer Walk. Thank-you to all who participated and prayed for the team. We prayed for three inner-city churches, Gannon University, and the downtown government buildings. We had many testimonies and it was the consensus of the group to have another prayer walk in November.
On Saturday, November 1st, we will have another Erie prayer walk. We will meet at 8:30 a.m. in the Erie City Mission. We will walk and pray until 10:00 a.m. and then return to the Erie City Mission for testimonies and corporate prayer.
Please join us!
PrayErie.org
On Saturday, November 1st, we will have another Erie prayer walk. We will meet at 8:30 a.m. in the Erie City Mission. We will walk and pray until 10:00 a.m. and then return to the Erie City Mission for testimonies and corporate prayer.
Please join us!
PrayErie.org
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