“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Today was another historical day of taking a stand for the WFJ GLOBAL MOVEMENT. Team destiny hosted their final of three WFJ (Words From Jesus) webinars in December 2009 called “The Miracle of Christmas.”

Dr. Joseph Peck served as the global connector and host of this webinar. The guest panelists were: Deb Smith, Richard Mayhan, Bertha Hinson, and me, Abigail Slocum. Clearly the Holy Spirit took control of the webinar before it ever started and never let go!

He began by waking me up at 3:22 AM to give me this prophetic word – WFJ: THE MIRACLE OF CHRISTMAS IS CHRIST! It was His way of orchestrating the whole focus for the discussion. These are the questions we covered:

1. What is the Miracle of Christmas?
2. What is the significance of Isaiah 9:1-7?
3. How does someone come into the LIGHT of Jesus?
4. What can people do to experience their most special Christmas ever?
5. Prayer for an UNCOMMON Christmas blessing.

WFJ: THE MIRACLE OF CHRISTMAS IS CHRIST!

Take the tour of the Word and be free in Christ. CHRISTMAS IS A SEASON FOR MIRACLES BUT EVERY DAY IS A MIRACLE IN CHRIST! TO BE IN CHRIST IS THE GREATEST MIRACLE OF ALL.

SALVATION IS THE GREATEST MIRACLE OF ALL. It is God’s free gift to all mankind. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall be saved (have eternal life).(John 3:16).

What is so miraculous is that SALVATION IS THE “GREAT EXCHANGE!” MAN GIVES GOD HIS IMPERFECT, BROKEN, SINFUL LIFE IN EXCHANGE FOR A PERFECT (COMPLETE) LIFE IN CHRIST. JESUS GIVES HIS ALL FOR OUR ALL!

When you receive Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, the LIGHT OF THE WORLD – THE CANDLE OF MAN, comes into your heart to show you the most excellent way of all to live. IT IS THE WAY OF LOVE BECAUSE GOD IS LOVE.

In this “GREAT EXCHANGE,” your old sinful man dies and the new man comes alive in Christ. CHRIST LIVES THROUGH YOU to live the perfect will of God which is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Romans 14:17).

Unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is your inheritance as a born again child of God. IT IS A LIFE OF VICTORY AND TOTAL PROVISION. To be one with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is to be free from every bondage of sin and to be free to experience the fullness and abundance of life in Christ Jesus. JESUS IS THE DOOR TO FREEDOM AND TOTAL FULFILLMENT.

Jesus’ arms are open wide and ALL THAT BELONGS TO THE FATHER OF LIGHTS IS YOURS WHEN YOU SAY “YES” TO JESUS who is the express image and likeness of God, and His Kingdom of Love becomes yours!

IT IS A SUPERNATURAL GIFT OF DIVINE INFUSION AND PROPORTION AND IS THE GREATEST MIRACLE OF ALL! Become one with the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. ALLOW THE PRINCE OF PEACE TO RULE IN YOUR HEART FOREVERMORE, for God set eternity in the heart of man. He loves YOU so much and nothing will ever separate YOU from His love.

LET THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD LIGHT YOUR PATH AND BE A BEACON OF HOPE TO ALL MANKIND. THE KING OF GLORY HAS CHOSEN AND MADE A WAY TO TAKE UP RESIDENCE IN YOUR HEART AND BE YOUR KING AND PRINCE OF PEACE. SAY YES TO HIM AND THE KINGDOM IS YOURS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL. The Redeemer wants to take all of you in your imperfection and transform you into the likeness of Christ. RECEIVE THE GREATEST GIFT KNOWN TO MANKIND AND LIVE “THE GREAT ADVENTURE” IN CHRIST. NOTHING CAN COMPARE TO THIS INDECSRIBABLE GIFT OF PURE AND PERFECT LOVE. It is greater than anything you ever wanted for Christmas for it is the desire of your heart. RECEIVE GOD’S GIFT AND SPEND THE REST OF YOUR NATURAL LIFE AND ETERNITY UNWRAPPING JESUS, GOD’S GIFT OF HIMSELF WHO IS PERFECT LOVE. THERE IS NO END TO LOVE. REJOICE AND BE AT PEACE. IMMANUEL HAS COME!

RECEIVE ALL OF THE GREATEST MIRACLE WHO EVER WAS OR IS TO COME! Let Christ have free reign in your heart and become His walking talking miracle and witness to all mankind. Your light has come. BE GLORIFIED IN HIS ETERNAL PRESENCE.

I LOVE YOU, MY CHILD. BE MADE WHOLE. ENTER THE JOY OF THE LORD. MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE PERFECT LOVER OF YOUR SOUL! BE SATISFIED IN ME. I AM YOUR FULFILLMENT AND HEART’S DESIRE. SHALOM.

Love in Jesus,

Abigail Slocum
“A pen in God’s hand giving LOVE a voice”
The Bellows of God
www.Abigail777.com

Prayer Power

If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, please say this prayer out loud from your heart and you shall be saved and come into God’s Kingdom of Love.

Father God, I believe in my heart that you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for me. I believe Jesus paid my sin debt in full. It was a debt I could not repay and it was a debt Jesus did not owe. Thank You, Jesus. I accept your perfect gift and sacrifice. Come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. Baptize me in the power of your Holy Spirit and I will serve you all the days of my life! I am saved! I am free! Thank you, in Jesus name. Amen.

May you allow the God of all hope and the Prince of Peace to rule in your heart this day and forevermore. May this truly be your most significant Christmas ever as the FULLNESS of the gift of God’s LOVE FOR YOU, becomes an everyday reality in your life!

I BLESS YOU with the joy, laughter, and peace of God! I BLESS YOU with God’s amazing grace! I pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

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Come experience the excitement of our vibrant, online, world-wide community (TRIBE) that is changing lives to disciple nations.

Webinar Details

• Title: The Miracle of Christmas
• Series: Words From Jesus: How to hear God’s voice
• Date/Time: Saturday December 19, 2009, 8 am EST
• Facilitator: Holy Spirit
• Host: Dr. Joseph Peck
• Panelists:
  1) Abigail Slocum – founder of God Whispers
  2) Bertha Hinson – founder of Beauty From Ashes TV and His Gateway
  3) Deb Smith – founder of Connect 7 Coaching
  4) Lynne Lee – founder of Christian LIFE Coaching
  5) Richard Mayhan – founder of Prodigan Returns; leader with Worldprayr

Here is what we covered …

1. What is the Miracle of Christmas?
2. What is the significance of Isaiah 9:1-7 ?
3. How do YOU come into the LIGHT of Jesus?
4. What can YOU do to experience your most special Christmas ever?
5. Prayer for a UNCOMMON Christmas blessing

Watch Team Destiny’s complete webinar “The Miracle of Christmas!”
Click on the image below to watch this 116 minute Camtasia video

RIGHT CLICK HERE and choose “Save Target As” to download the 116 minute MP3 recording of this webinar.

BREAKTHROUGH RESOURCES

• #WFJ: THE MIRACLE OF CHRISTMAS IS CHRIST! (Dec 19, 2009)
• #WFJ: The $14,400 Miracles (Dec 12, 2009)
• #WFJ: The Spiritual Triangle Between Virginia, the U.K., and Italy (Dec 5, 2009)
• Opportunities to invest in yourself and the Kingdom of God (Nov 4, 2009)
• The Angel Breakthrough and the $14,400 Miracle (Sep 14, 2009)

For those of you who can afford it, we encourage you to SOW A $144 SEED (= 12 x 12 = 1% of $14,400) to bless someone in need – the poor, the hungry, widows, orphans, prisoners, or the persecuted. Thank you!

Blessings to TAKE ACTION to make this your most special Christmas season ever!

R. Joseph Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journal Guy
Changing Lives to Disciple Nations
Community Transformation Specialist
www.empower2000.com

TEAM DESTINY

“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit;” (John 15:8a)

P.S. At the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders in the U.K. earlier this year, the primary word received was “no more business as usual.”

P.S.S. We want your feedback. We encouarge each of you to share your thoughts below.

P.S.S.S. Please help us share this wealth – “The Miracle of Christmas!” – with the world! THE TIME IS NOW! Here are Sample Tweets

• What is the Miracle of Christmas? http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• What is the significance of Isaiah 9:1-7? http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• How do YOU come into the LIGHT of Jesus? http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• What can YOU do to experience your most special Christmas ever? http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• Prayer for a UNCOMMON Christmas blessing http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• What do you want for Christmas more than anything else? http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• What is your greatest heart’s desire? http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• What is the greatest miracle of all? http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• What is the GREAT EXCHANGE? http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• Where is the door to freedom and total fulfillment? http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• What is the way of LOVE? http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• Allow the Prince of Peace to rule in your heart forever http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• Let the Light of the world light your path http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• BE a beacon of hope to all mankind http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• Merry Christmas to all http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• Receive the greatest gift know to mankind http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• Live “THE GREAT ADVENTURE” in CHRIST http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer
• Enter the joy of the LORD this Christmas season http://bit.ly/65eCQk #worldprayer

God is on the move and doing amazing things in this earth! He continues to draw the body of Christ together in unity for His purposes. People may not be aware of all or see all that the Lord is doing but He truly is “CONNECTING THE DOTS”.

THE MOMENTUM OF THE WFJ GLOBAL MOVEMENT IS BUILDING UP SPEED. The dam is about to break free and there will be undeniable evidence of God’s hand moving on His People. THE YOUTH WILL PLAY A BIG PART IN THE AWAKENING THAT WILL COME FORTH!

Upon awakening this morning I received a WFJ (Word From Jesus). It was just in time and so appropriate for the second webinar of three taking place at 8AM today. Dr. Randy Peck was hosting the Words From Jesus: How To Hear God’s Voice Webinar. Today’s topic was “The $14,400 Miracles!” The guest panelists were Doug Barclay, Bob Sims, and Bertha Hinson. During this life-changing, world changing webinar, they shared what Dr. Peck considered to be their BIGGEST GOD STORY FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS!

Without knowing what was going to be said today, this is what Jesus spoke to my heart. It’s so amazing how He is always right on time and right on target!

WFJ: SEEDTIME AND HARVEST

Now is the time of seedtime and harvest. I AM MOVING IN THIS EARTH IN UNUSUAL WAYS. I am the Lord of the Harvest. As long as the earth remains there is seedtime and harvest. I am planting My Word in the hearts of My people worldwide and they are speaking it out and it will bear much fruit. I DO NOT COMPROMISE MY WORD. It does not return void and it is accomplished.

MY WORD WILL BRING BILLIONS OF SOULS INTO MY KINGDOM. The Great Commission is going forth. I am also calling My people to sow financial seeds to bring in this end time harvest. SEEDS SOWN IN MY NAME FOR MY PURPOSES WILL REAP A GOD SIZED HARVEST. SPREAD MY WORD. SPREAD YOUR GIVING AND PARTAKE OF MY GLORY.

I bless you and invite you to enter My joy in the name of Jesus!

Your soon coming King!

Love in Jesus,

Nancy Slocum
“A pen in God’s hand giving LOVE a voice”
The Bellows of God
www.nancy777.com

Prayer Power
Lord God Almighty, thank you for what you are doing in this earth through your people. Help us to catch the vision of what you are doing so we can become a part of it. We leave the results in your hands, for you are the Lord of the Harvest. Help us to be sensitive to your Holy Spirit so we can hear and obey You, in Jesus name. Amen

I BLESS YOU with the joy, laughter, and peace of God! I BLESS YOU with God’s amazing grace! I pray this in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

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Come experience the excitement of our vibrant, online, world-wide community (TRIBE) that is changing lives to disciple nations.

Webinar Details

• Title: The $14,400 Miracles
• Series: Words From Jesus: How to hear God’s voice
• Date/Time: Saturday December 12, 2009, 8 am EST
• Facilitator: Holy Spirit
• Host: Dr. Randy Peck
• Panelists:
  - Doug Barclay: Regional Director in Partner Relations for Operation Mobilization (OM USA)
  - Bob Sims: Visionary of visionaries; Estensive business and ministry experience
  - Bertha Hinson: founder of Beauty From Ashes TV and His Gateway
  - Nancy Slocum: founder of God Whispers

In October 2002, I first met Doug Barclay at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes retreat at The Cove in Asheville, NC. As a result of our discussion, Doug left his full-time job in sales to pursue full-time ministry work with Operation Mobilization.

Through a most peculiar series of circumstances, I was eventually prompted by the Holy Spirit to sow an UNCOMMON $14,4000 (12 x $1,200) seed into Doug’s life in February 2003, which was my largest financial gift up to that time. It so happened this was the exact amount (to the dollar) Doug needed to begin work with Operation Mobilization and he began his new job on 03-03-03. Coincidence? I don’t think so. Numbers are significant to God.

An UNCOMMON seed always yields an UNCOMMON harvest. An UNCOMMON seed is one inspired by Holy Spirit for a God-sized result.

Here is what we covered …

The BIG PICTURE – God’s VISION
Video is coming soon

1) Doug Barclay

• How God connected Doug and Dr. Peck
• Why Doug left his full-time sales job to go into full-time ministry work
• Fruit of obedience in sowing an UNCOMMON seed into Doug’s life
• Why Dr. Peck sowed the $14,400 seed into Doug’s life

Click on the image below to watch this 73 minute Camtasia video with Doug

RIGHT CLICK HERE and choose “Save Target As” to download the 73 minute (13 Mb) MP3 recording of this interview with Doug Barclay.

2) Bob Sims

• How God connected Bob and Dr. Peck
• Why Bob sowed a $14,400 seed into Dr. Peck’s company (Empower 2000) and God’s billion soul vision
• The Angel Breakthrough story (12 angels)
• Fruit of obedience in sowing an UNCOMMON seed into Randy’s company (Empower 2000) and God’s billion soul vision

Click on the image below to watch this 52 minute Camtasia video with Bob

RIGHT CLICK HERE and choose “Save Target As” to download the 52 minute (9 Mb) MP3 recording of this interview with Bob Sims.

3) Bertha Hinson

• How God connected Bertha and Dr. Peck
• Why Bertha sowed a $14,400 seed into Dr. Peck’s company (Empower 2000) and God’s billion soul vision
• Fruit of sowing into God’s billion soul vision

4) Nancy Slocum

• How God connected Nancy and Dr. Peck
• Nancy’s feedback on what Doug, Bob, and Bertha shared
• Fruit Nancy has noticed as a result of people sowing the $14,400 seeds into God’s billion soul vision
• How God launched the “Words From Jesus” global movement through the $14,400 seeds to teach people how to hear God’s voice

5) How God launched the “Words From Jesus” global movement through the $14,400 seeds to teach people how to hear God’s voice

6) “You Were Born For This” by Bruce Wilkinson
We expect this video and/or audio to be published in January 2010

BREAKTHROUGH RESOURCES

• Opportunities to invest in yourself and the Kingdom of God (Nov 4, 2009)
• The Angel Breakthrough and the $14,400 Miracle (Sep 14, 2009)
• #WFJ: THE MIRACLE OF CHRISTMAS IS CHRIST!

Blessings to TAKE ACTION to make this your most special Christmas season ever!

Randy Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journaling Guy

TEAM DESTINY

“By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit;” (John 15:8a)

P.S. At the Apostolic Council of Prophetic Elders in the U.K. earlier this year, the primary word received was “no more business as usual.”

P.S.S. Do you sense a nudge to sow a $14,400 seed into God’s billion soul vision? If so, please call Dr. Randy Peck (540-547-4240).

 
“Prayer opens the way for the Word of God to run without hindrance. It creates the atmosphere that is favorable for the Word to accomplish its purpose.” – E.M. Bounds

“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!” – Psalm 150-6

LORD, How Often Should I Pray?

Isn’t that a great question? When you ask the LORD the question and write down your answer, where do you think the answer will come ? From your own thoughts or from the LORD?

This morning, the LORD told me to write a YDB devotional titled “How Often Should I Pray?” That was what Jeremiah Lamphier wrote on the handbills he passed around announcing the weekly prayer meetings at the North Dutch Reformed Church on Fulton Street in New York City on September 23, 1857.  His obedience led to what may have been the greatest prayer revival in the history of America.

The LORD wants to remind people about our weekly community prayer gathering today at Noon at Reformation Lutheran Church (415 S Main Suite # 101, Culpeper, VA 22701).

What has happened spiritually in the past week in our community and my network has been enormous.

Seven days ago, on Wed Aug 26, I attended the monthly prayer gathering at the Culpeper Train Depot. Pastor GW Dameron, the one who initiated this, calls it “Christ In Culpeper.” During that meeting the presence of God was so strong. Several people commented about that afterwards.

While listening to other people’s prayers during that prayer time, I saw the image of a large waterwheel dipping down into the water (God’s living water) and bringing water up to people waiting in the window above. I was also prompted strongly in my spirit to restart a weekly prayer gathering in Culpeper. And when I got home, I found a letter (article) in the mail from Burt Swardstrom titled “Prayer Revival In America.”

That led me to call Pastor Brad Hales to ask for permission to hold the prayer gatherings at Reformation Lutheran Church in downtown Culpeper where he pastors. Brad was excited told me his church was open for prayer every day of the week.

So the next morning, I wrote a YDB devotional titled “Prayer Revival In America” and got great feedback from that.

After writing that devotional, Elizabeth Powell called me out-of-the-blue to follow up with someone I met at the Global Day of Prayer in early June. When I invited her to come to noon community prayer gathering on Sep 2, she told me she would. I learned that Elizabeth will already be at Reformation Lutheran Church for a weekly bible study from 11-noon on Wednesdays.

Elizabeth and her now deceased husband Bill played a key role in the Powell Wellness Center becoming a reality in Culpeper. Elizabeth is also the one who hosted the Experienced God life group that I began attending in January. That group was responsible for the birth of the Experience God Through Journaling webinars I hosted. And so much eternal fruit has come from those.

On Friday Aug 28, Julia and I went to Massanutten to have dinner with my parents and stay overnight. We watched their slide show with about 400 photos from their recent 3 week trip to 7 countries in Europe.

Then on Saturday and Sunday (August 30 and 31), Julia and I went with good friends to Culpeper County High School to see the Power Team perform. They were awesome. We witnessed about 150 decisions for Christ – young, old, all races and ethnic groups. I learned the Power Team has the most popular school assembly in the entire United States. Wow!

On Monday August 31, Patrick and Becky Badstibner drove to Culpeper to meet with me. I took them to dinner at Ruby Tuesday. I just got introduced to Pat for the first time on August 21 by Bob Sims when he was giving me a lesson on Tweetdeck. Bob met Pat through Twitter and built a strong relationship. Pat began worldprayr on Twitter in April 2009 and that has quickly grown to become the largest prayer network on Twitter, the most powerful networking platform. After meeting with me, Pat asked for me to be on his council of elder for worldprayr.

Yesterday, I drove to Richmond to host two live seminars to inspire people to establish a powerful online presence to share their stories, products, and services with the world. Only 13 people had signed up online before I left home, but about 25-28 people attended the events. What happened and the responses I got were so encouraging.

Prayer Power
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your grace, Your amazing grace. I am so humbled by what You did yesterday, with the encouragement Your provided, badly needed encouragement. Thank You for going before me, watching my backside, cleaning up my messes, protecting me, and bringing me home safely last night. Thank You for this song “Christ Before Me” that Jerry sent me. May you richly bless today’s prayer gathering. May this ignite a fire of prayer revival. Thank You Jesus. Amen and hallelujah!

Blessings to receive a clear answer from the LORD with how often you should pray!

Randy Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR & The Journal Guy

P.S. If you have comments to share, please post them publicly on my blog rather than sending me emails. Thank you.

My heart is broken. This morning I saw a short post on Facebook by Pastor GW Dameron about the death from an accident of a 17 year old senior at Culpeper County High School. I commented on GW’s post that I wondered if she died in the serious car accident on Route 15 near the entrance of Pearl Sample School that Julia and I came across yesterday around 6:10 during our 30 mile bike ride.

After seeing GW’s post on Facebook, I saw an email update from Liz Danielsen to the Culpeper Ministerial Association members asking us ot pray for the family of the CCHS senior who died in the car accident.

Then about 15 mintues ago, I received an email from Mountain View Community Church titled “Power Team Schedule Changes.” That email stated

“Power Team Will NOT Be Performing Tonight!
CCHS will be hosting a candlelight vigil in memory of Alana Hester beginning at 6:30 PM.

Alana Hester was a beautiful, vibrant 17 year-old Senior at CCHS.  Her life ended tragically last evening in a car accident in front of Pearl Sample Elementary School.  Please join with our community to support the family and friends of Alana Hester tonight.

Power Team Returns on Saturday
These amazing athletes will return to the CCHS stage at 7 PM on Saturday and Sunday.  Please invite your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers.  Bricks are breaking, phone books are tearing, steel bars are bending… It’s an unforgettable experience.”

As I read that message from Pastor Mark Jenkins, I began crying. I felt the pain of Alana’s family and friends. God does too. Yet, somehow, God will bring something good, something great, out of this tragedy. We are living is days of tremendous trials. Yet, this is a time for our entire community to draw close to God.

It’s interesting that yesterday morning, before Alana died, I was instructed by the LORD to write one of the most profound blog posts of my life titled, “Prayer Revival In America.” In that I announced that we are beginning weekly community prayer gatherings on Wednesdays at noon at the Reformation Lutheran Church in downtown Culpeper starting Sept 2. If you live locally, I hope you will join us.

Alana’s death reminds me of the tragic death of 17 year old Kelsey Orndorff last year around this same time. I know Pastor Randy and his wife Lee Anne are still grieving over that loss.

Jack Stagman, a dear friend and missionary from South Africa to Virginia and America, also lost his daughter in a tragic car accident a few years ago. During the past year, Jack has been igniting community prayer groups through northern and central Virginia.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, my heart is deeply grieved over the tragic death of Alana Hester. Yet, I know I am feeling such a small fraction of the grief that Alana’s family and close friends are feeling. I ask You to bless tonight’s prayer vigil. I pray that tonight’s prayer vigil will not only bless Alana’s love ones, but that it will serve a springboard for daily and weekly community-wide prayer.

Blessings for our entire community to rally together in prayer, not just today, but every week and every day!

Randy Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR & The Journal Guy

P.S. If you have comments to share, please post them publicly on my blog rather than sending me emails. Thank you.

Yesterday, I went to the monthly “Christ In Culpeper” (Prayer Culpeper) meeting at the Culpeper Train Depot. Eight prayer warriors were there initially and one more joined us before we finished. The presence of God was very strong.

While we were praying I saw a vision of a large waterwheel dipping down into the water (God’s living water) and bringing water up to people waiting in the window above. Many, many people are so thirsty for God’s living waters.

Also while we were praying, the Holy Spirit impressed upon my heart strongly to resume weekly prayer meetings. When I got home, I found a letter (article) in the mail from Burt Swardstrom titled “Prayer Revival In America.” Burt is Director of Communications (Prayer Coordinator) for Mastermedia International.

As I was reading that article (see below), I knew with absolutely certainly that I am to start a noon-time weekly prayer meeting in Culpeper in which business people can meet for prayer that will rapidly evolve into daily prayer meeting all over our community. Prayer and faith go hand-in-hand. Prayer and love for Jesus go hand-in-hand.

I feel so deeply the pain of broken hearts and broken families in our community. PRAYER IS THE ANSWER. There is no revival without prayer. The only way a city will be transformed is when pulpit and marketplace leaders come together regularly to pray. That is foundational to every great revival.

Jeremiah Lamphier held his first prayer meeting in a Reformation Church in New York City on Wednesday September 23, 1857. Within weeks, hundreds of people were gathering to pray. It’s interesting that in 2009, September 23 is also a Wednesday.

Late yesterday afternoon, I spoke with Brad Hales, pastor of Reformation Lutheran Church in downtown Culpeper. He has agreed to allow his sanctuary to be used for prayer time on Wednesdays at Noon. So we will start weekly prayer meetings from Noon – 1 pm on Wed, September 2.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, we praise You as the God of prayer, the God of revival. Thank You for stirring my heart to begin weekly prayer meetings in downtown Culpeper starting Sept 2. I’m expecting an explosion in faith and God-centeredness. May Your Holy Spirit send the invitations to people’s hearts to come. Thank You Jesus!

Blessings to experience the power of prayer in your community!

Randy Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR & The Journal Guy

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Prayer Revival In America
Source: http://www.truthkeepers.com/prayer1.htm  

Wesley Duewal (Revival Fire: ZondervanPublishingHouse)

1857 Prayer Revival in America

A quiet, zealous forty-six-year-old businessman in New York was appointed on July 1,1857 , as a missionary in downtown New York at the Dutch Church. Jeremiah Lamphier had been converted in 1842 in Broadway Tabernacle, Finney’s church that was built in 1836.

Lamphier felt led by God to start a noon-time weekly prayer meeting in which business people could meet for prayer. Anyone could attend, for a few minutes or for the entire hour. Prayers were to be comparatively brief. Lamphier’s group met on the third floor of the old North Dutch Reformed Church on Fulton Street in New York. Lamphier printed some handbills announcing the prayer meetings with the title, “How Often Should I Pray?” He left these in some offices and warehouses. He also put one on the door of the church on the street side.

The first day, September 23, 1857, Lamphier prayed alone for half an hour. But by the end of the hour, six men from at least four denominational backgrounds joined him. The next Wednesday there were twenty. On October 7 there were nearly forty. The meeting was so blessed that they decided to meet daily. One week later there were over one hundred present, including many unsaved who were convicted by the Holy Spirit of their sin.

Within one month pastors who had attended the noon prayer meetings in Fulton Street started morning prayer meetings in their own churches. Soon the places where the meetings were held were overcrowded. Men and women, young and old of all denominations met and prayed together without distinctions. The meetings abounded with love for Christ, love for fellow Christians, love for prayer, and love of witnessing. Those in attendance felt an awesome sense of God’s presence. They prayed for specific people, expected answers, and obtained answers.

Newspapers began to report on the meetings and the unusual spirit of prayer that was evident. Within three months similar meetings had sprung up across America. Thousands began praying in these services and in their own homes. I n New York, gospel tracts were distributed to those in attendance, with instructions that they pray over the tracts and then give them to someone God brought to mind.

The three rooms at the Fulton Street Church were filled beyond capacity, and hundreds had to go to other places. By early February a nearby Methodist Church was opened, and it immediately overflowed. The balconies were filled with ladies. By March 19 a theater opened for prayer, and half an hour before it was time to begin, people were turned away. Hundreds stood outside in the streets because they could not get inside. By the end of March over six thou- sand people met daily in prayer gatherings in New York City. Many churches added evening services for prayer. Soon there were 150 united prayer meetings each day across Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Meetings began in February in Philadelphia. Soon Jayne’s Hall was overfilled, and meetings were held at noon each day in public halls, concert halls, fire stations, houses, and tents. The whole city exuded a spirit of prayer.

PRAYER MEETING FERVOR

Almost simultaneously noon prayer meetings sprang up all across America in Boston, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Richmond, Charleston, Savannah, Mobile, New Orleans, Vicksburg, Memphis, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago, and in a multitude of other cities, towns, and in rural areas. By the end of the fourth month, prayer fervor burned intensely across the nation. It was an awesome but glorious demonstration of the sovereign working of the Holy Spirit and the eager obedience of God’s people.

America had entered a new period of faith and prayer. Educated and uneducated, rich and poor, business leaders and common workmen-all prayed, believed, and received answers to prayer. Even the president of the United States, Franklin Pierce, attended many of the noon prayer meetings. This was not a revival of powerful preaching. This was a movement of earnest, powerful, prevailing prayer.

All people wanted was a place to pray. Sinners would come and ask for prayer. Someone would individually pray for them, and in minutes the newly saved person was rejoicing in Christ. Prayers would be asked by name for unconverted friends and loved ones from allover the country. In a day or two, testimonies would be given of how the prayers had already been answered. In some towns, nearly the entire population became saved.

Six months previous to Lamphier’s prayer meeting boom, few would have gathered for a prayer service. But now a spirit of prayer occupied the land, as though the church had suddenly discovered its real power. The majority of the churches in most denominations experienced a new dimension of prayer. The Presbyterian Magazine reported that as of May there had been fifty thousand converts of the revival. In February, a New York Methodist magazine reported a total of eight thousand conversions in Methodist meetings in one week. The Louisville daily paper reported seventeen thousand Baptist conversions in three weeks during the month of March. And according to a June statement, the conversion figures stood at 96,216–and still counting. all but two of the youth in one high school were saved. A similar event took place in Toledo, Ohio. These are just brief examples of what was happening constantly all across the nation.

The accounts of the prayer meetings during those revival years describe how the people would quietly gather at the place of prayer promptly at the appointed hour. Whoever was leader for the meeting—a layman or a minister— arose and announced a hymn. They sang one or two verses with great joy, the leader prayed briefly, and then turned the service over to the members. Any person was free to speak or pray for no longer than five minutes. If the person took more than that time, a small bell was rung and it was someone else’s turn.

Requests for prayer, often coming from distant places, were spoken or read. Often sinners arose and requested prayer for themselves. Members gave testimonies of answers to prayer, and the people praised the Lord. Brief exhortations on prayer or revival were allowed but limited to five minutes. Many testified of revival progress in various locations. Promptly at the closing of the hour the leader rose and pronounced the benediction, and the people quietly left the building. Occasionally someone might stay behind to pray with a spiritual seeker.

THE INVISIBLE CLOUD OF GOD’S PRESENCE

A canopy of holy and awesome revival influence—in reality the presence of the Holy Spirit—seemed to hang like an invisible cloud over many parts of the United States, especially over the eastern seaboard. At times this cloud of God’s presence even seemed to extend out to sea. Those on ships approaching the east coast at times felt a solemn, holy influence, even one hundred miles away, without even knowing what was happening in America.

Revival began aboard one ship before it reached the coast. People on board began to feel the presence of God and a sense of their own sinfulness. The Holy Spirit convicted them, and they began to pray. As the ship neared the harbor, the captain signaled, “Send a minister.” Another small commercial ship arrived in port with the captain, and every member of the crew converted in the last 150 miles. Ship after ship arrived with the same story: both passengers and crew were suddenly convicted of sin and turned to Christ before they reached the American coast.

The battleship North Carolina was anchored in New York harbor as a naval receiving ship. More than a thousand young men were on board. Four Christians agreed to meet together for prayer and knelt on the lower deck. The Spirit of God so filled their hearts with joy that they broke into song. Ungodly men on the top deck heard the singing, looked down, and saw the boys kneeling. They began running down the stairs, mocking and jeering. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit so gripped them that by the time they reached the bottom deck they fell on their knees and began crying for mercy.

Strong men who were deep in sin were broken down by the Spirit’s power and knelt humbly in penitence and faith. Night after night the sailors prayed, and hundreds were converted on the ship. Ministers were sent for, and they came out from shore to help in the gracious work of the Spirit. The battleship became a mighty center of revival. Converts of the movement, completing their periods of training, were sent out to other navy ships. Wherever they went revival fires were kindled in other naval vessels.

IN HOMES, SHOPS, FIELDS, AND CHURCHES

Reports came in of hundreds being converted in prayer meetings, private homes, workshops, and fields. Often the doors of businesses held signs reading, ” Closed, will reopen at the close of the prayer meeting.” Five prayer meetings took place daily in Washington, D.C. Five thousand or so attended daily services in the Academy of Music Hall.

In Philadelphia, Jayne’s Hall removed partitions and added space for six thousand people to attend daily meetings. At this time George Duffield wrote the hymn “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus.” For months multitudes of churches opened every evening for prayer, and some of them had from three to five services of prayer each day. All were filled. The services consisted of simple prayer, confession, exhortation, and singing. But it was ” so earnest, so solemn, the silence. ..so awful, the singing. ..so over-powering” that the meetings were unforgettable. A canvas tent was erected for outdoor meetings, and it immediately filled with people. In four months’ time, a total of 150,000 people attended the ministry in the tent, with many conversions. Philadelphia churches reported five thousand converts.

The Presbyterians in Northern Ireland heard of the awakening in Philadelphia and sent fraternal delegates. These delegates returned to their homeland and reported what they had seen, and the revival broke out in Ireland, spreading across the British Isles.

REVIVAL IN THE ARMY

Because of the bitter tensions of the Civil War and the slavery issue, for a time it seemed that the southern states would not be as powerfully influenced by the revival as the northern ones had been. Others dispute this assumption. An unusually powerful revival broke out among the southern troops stationed around Richmond, Virginia, in the autumn of 1861. It began in the hospitals among the wounded men and then spread into the camps as these men returned to active duty. Prayer meetings were organized and hundreds converted. The movement spread rapidly throughout the army, reaching the troops of Tennessee and Arkansas.

Revival was encouraged by Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, who were well known as devout Christians. By the mid-summer of 1863 the revival had spread through all the Confederate armies, and thousands of men had been converted. Chaplains and lay missionaries went out among the troops, preaching and distributing tracts and dealing personally with hungry hearts. By the end of the war at least 150,000 soldiers had been converted, and more than a third of all of the southern troops had become praying men. The revival among the southern troops was primarily a revival of prayer, as the earlier revival in the North had been. While the best estimates are that 6.6 percent of the entire population of the United States was converted during the revival, the percentage among the southern troops was 21 percent. The North really did not win the war—prayer and a mighty revival did!

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, (Ephesians 3:20)

Are you chasing the Wild Goose?
If not now, when?

I’m so excited. My spirit is jumping with joy. This week I’m on the verge of perhaps the greatest breakthrough of my life and I see breakthroughs happening all around me. I see the favor of God upon TEAM DESTINY and JIREH Marketing Members. I’ll be sharing about some of those this week and next. The keyword for this week is “WILD GOOSE.”

My prayer is that you will catch the Holy Spirit fever and choose to jump into His flowing river of living water. The Wild Goose chase has begun and we’re going after Him. Incidentally, Mark Batterson wrote a sequel to his “Chase The Lion” book called “Wild Goose Chase: Reclaim the Adventure of Pursuing God.”

In that book, Mark shares: “Celtic Christians had a name for the Holy Spirit –An Geadh-Glas, or ‘the Wild Goose.’ The name hints at mystery. Much like a wild goose, the Spirit of God cannot be tracked or tamed. An element of danger, an air of unpredictability surround Him. And while the name may sound a little sacrilegious, I cannot think of a better description of what it’s like to follow the Spirit through life. I think the Celtic Christians were on to something….

Today, allow me to share an amazing God story about Dewey McDonnell that is unfolding quickly. For more than 3 years, Dewey McDonnell has played a lead role on our core team for Pray Culpeper. He was one of the first people to sign up to be on my intercessory prayer team for Your Daily Blessing when that was formally announced in November 2008.

When I asked people on my intercessory prayer team to submit their own prayer requests so I could pray about those, Dewey responded asking me to pray for 3 things. One of those was for multiplication of the Experiencing God LIFE groups that Pastor Mark Jenkins had helped ignite back in September 2008.

Little did I know that I would become part of one of those Experiencing God LIFE groups and that we would meet at Elizabeth Powell’s beautiful home, just one mile from where I live. As a result of the first meeting, the “Experiencing God Through Journaling” webinar series was birthed. Two days ago, I emailed Richard Blackaby to open a door to discuss partnering with Blackaby Ministries and Lifeway Christian Resources to launch “Experiencing God” webinars world-wide.

Because of my involvement with the “Experiencing God” LIFE group, I learned that Katherine McDonnell, Dewey’s daughter competing in the ACC Championship swim meet taking place on Feb 20-21.

On Sunday Feb 22, Dewey sent an email sharing that Katherine helped lead her University of Virginia (UVA) swim team to a second straight ACC Championship. Her IM medley team broke UVA’s all-time record. Katherine also place second overall in the 100m breaststroke and third in the 200m breaststroke, eclipsing her previous best times and qualifying her for the national meet in Dallas.

Prayer Power
Daddy, thank You for inviting me to take part in the Wild Goose chase. Thank you for the thrill and unpredictability in chasing Him. Please invite my followers to join in this chase of their lifetime. Jesus, you’re the best! It’s in Your precious and mighty name I pray. Amen and hallelujah!

Blessings of the Day
1) “Journaling For Breakthroughs” – FREE webinar at 3pm EST on Tuesday March 3. Lynne Lee, a certified life coach, avid journaler, and Web 2.0 authority from England. will be interviewing me. This is the inaugural Launch of Christian LIFE Coaching Cafe. This is the first time I am being interviewed over the web about journaling to hear God’s voice.

2) Highlights and breakthroughs for me during the past 3 weeks (see below)

Blessings to join the Wild Goose chase!

Breaking News
Culpeper gets hit by its first major snow storm of the year

Randy Peck’s update for his Relational Coaching Network (RCN) cell group meeting on Feb 26, 2009

1) What have you done or what is going on in your life in the areas we discussed in our last call?

• I’ve been working feverishly to prepare the way for mass marketing of my journaling e-book. Lynne Lee has helped to propel me forward.
• Jerry, Sharon, and I recorded 3 more Wellness webinars together in the process of creating a Wellness e-book and paid course
• I interviewed Deb Smith having her share her God story and vision to create an e-book to monetize her coaching business through an Information product.
• Julia and I are continuing with our Finance LIFE group on Saturday mornings led by Pastor Matt and benefiting greatly

2) What is new in your life since we last met that you’d like the others in the group to know?

• Lynne Lee is a mother of 5 in England, certified life coach, avid two-way journaler, and Web 2.0 authority. As a result of Lynne asking to interview me on her inaugural webinar for her new Christian Life Coaching on Mar 3, I had 2 long and extremely valuable online strategy sessions with her in the past 2 weeks. As a result of that, I opened a KickStart (1shoppingcart) account 2 days ago to not only sell products, but to manage all my contact lists and handle all my autoresponders. I now have my free ebook and $77 version available there for purchase. I have substantially improved my Lead Generation and Sales pages.
• I connected at the heart level with Debra Bosacki, an avid journaler for 29 years. As a result Jerry and I interviewed her on our “Experiencing God Through Journaling” webinar on Feb 24.Because of that, I discovered Xiosoft Audio. That has the best Sales page I have ever seen. Jesus told me to invite Debra to a Joint Venture opportunity to co-host weekly “Journaling Cafe” webinars at 3 pm EST on Thursdays starting in March.
• I emailed Mark Virkler Jerry and my “Summary proposal for Joint Venture between Christian Leadership University and JIREH Marketing”
•  Through Jack Stagman, I connected with Chauncey Hutter, one of the leading marketplace ministers in the state of Virginia
• I began helping Mike and Valerie Webb launch their marketing campaign via Web 2.0 for Great Outdoor Endeavors
• The LORD revealed His assignment for Marching Through Culpeper to Virginia Morton and me – “Bringing truth, understanding, and reconciliation”
• Through Twitter and my weekly webinars, I connected personally with Chicke Fitzgerald, perhaps the greatest connectors I have ever met

3) What’s a win or good thing that happened that you’d like to celebrate with us?

• Dewey McDonnell’s daughter, Katherine, helped lead her team to a second straight ACC championship in swimming. Her IM relay team won first place and broke the all-time ACC record. Katherine won second place in the 100m breast stroke and third place in the 200m breast stroke. Dewey is part of the core team for Pray Culpeper.
• Jesus told me to partner with Henry Blackaby, his son, and Lifeway Christina Resources to launch world-wide “Experiencing God Through Journaling” webinars! By combining online journaling, life coaching, and Web 2.0 with what they already are doing around the world, there will be Explosive Kingdom Impact.
• GW Dameron, pastor of City on a Hill Church in Culpeper, found a new job after being laid off in Nov 2008.

4. What’s something that you might like to bring to the group this week?

a) Need continued prayer to complete my “UNCOMMON Journaling For Breakthroughs” ebook. Completing this will release a log jam of ideas and opportunities that God has been waiting to birth.
b) UNCOMMON Favor for webinar interview by Lynne Lee on Tues March 3
c) Need lots of prayer for God’s favor to effectively market “Experiencing God Through Journaling” webinars. That might well turn out to be my bread and butter business opportunity.

‘for I was hungry and you gave Me food; (Matthew 25:35)

What role is God calling you to play to feed the hungry?

About 2 years ago, Virginia Morton approached her church about bringing Stop Hunger Now to Culpeper after Rev. Lee Warren, a good friend of hers, peaked her interest. Lee is a United Methodist minister from South Hill, Virginia and oversees Stop Hunger Now in Virginia. This program has mushroomed since Lee took it over.

It turned out the timing wasn’t right, so Virginia later approached Erick Kalenga, founder of the Rize-Up youth ministry, and he embraced the idea. Erick arranged for Lee to speak on May 5th, 2008 at the Stop Hunger Now assembly at Culpeper County High School (CCHS). The vision was cast, but Erick still needed a point person to manage this project.

In late 2008, Natalie Rosenberger was praying for God to show her what He wanted to do at the same time the Holy Spirit prompted Erick to call Natalie about taking charge over the Stop Hunger Now project. Natalie is 19 years old and had been involved with Rize Up at Culpeper High School before graduating in June 2008. She is the daughter of Brad Rosenberger, one of the seven supervisors on Culpeper County Board of Supervisors.

I first met Natalie on December 21, 2008 (4 days before Christmas) when she came with Erick Kalenga to the weekly Friday Pray Culpeper meeting at Reformation Lutheran Church. Virginia, Dewey McDonnell, and I formed a circle around Natalie and Erick laying hands on them and praying for God’s favor for Natalie to be able to raise at least $5,000 by Feb 7, the date they hoped to pack at least 20,000 meals at CCHS.

On January 9, I went to the Best Western in Culpeper to hear and videotape Natalie and Erick share about the Stop Hunger Now opportunity to a small, but influential group of pulpit and marketplace ministers. Now Natalie had the daunting task of raising $5,000 in just 4 weeks.

Through another set of miraculous circumstances, Soul Purpose Church was able to bring Apologetix, a Christian parody band, to Liberty High School in Bealeton Virginia on Sat January 31. When Natalie was allowed to share about Stop Hunger Now for 3 minutes, I learned that she had now raised $4,200. An additional $500 was raised at that concert.

Yesterday I spoke with both Natalie and Erick and learned they have now raised $5,200 and hope to raise another $800 by Feb 6 for a grand total of $6,000.

Come experience the miracle! If you live locally and are available, you’re invited to join Natalie, Erick, and more than 50 other volunteers at CCHS on Saturday February 7 to CCHS to package about 24,000 meals. The packing officially starts at 10 am, but Erick is asking volunteers to arrive by 9:30 am if possible. Bring your kids. Bring your friends. Everyone who comes will be blessed.

Each highly nutritional meal costs only 25 cents. 100 people can package the 24,000 meals in just 2 hours. That’s enough to feed an orphanage with 48 children twice a day for 7 months. Children as young as 5 years old can get involved and help with the meal packing.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for Natalie Rosenberger and for her UNCOMMON obedience as she stepped out in faith trusting You completely. Thank You for providing exceeding abundantly above and beyond what she imagined. Thank You for every person who will show up on Sat Feb 7 to package these 24,000 meals. May You bless each one of them and all those who receive these meals. Thank You Jesus. Amen and hallelujah!

Blessings of the Day
Stop Hunger Now YouTube videos – these are short and heart-moving [see below]

JIREH Marketing: Empowering Christiant Women – recorded audio from Feb 3 webinar

Experiencing God Through Journaling: Life and Relationship Enrichment – recorded audio from Feb 3 webinar

Blessings to partake of the Stop Hunger Now miracle!

—————————————–

Due to the initiative and faith of Natalie Rosenberger, Rize Up exceeded its goal of raising $5,000, which will allow > 20,000 meals to be packaged by 40-80 volutneers in a single day (Feb 7) to feed starving and malnourished people around the world. We can make a difference in the world as a community, but we need your help.

Watch this inspiring 6 minute YouTube video below and then get involved. Your help and support will make a BIG difference!

On January 9, 2009, Natalie Rosenberger and Erick Kalenga shared their Stop Hunger Now goal at the Best Western to an engaged audience at the Best Western in Culpeper, Virginia.

I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your works; I muse on the work of Your hands. (Psalm 143:5)

What will YOU choose to do to start your new year off on a great note?

Welcome to a brand new year! The keyword that Jesus gave me for 2009 during my two-way prayer time is MARGIN – margin financially and time-wise.

I typically relish the end of each year as a time to reflect on the previous year and to set new goals for the upcoming year. In the process of working on my new journaling e-book and also preparing for yesterday’s devotional titled “Culpeper’s Top Ten Spiritual Stories Of 2008,” I had the opportunity to review many of the devotionals I have written over the past 2.5 years. That was such a blessing.

This past week was especially enjoyable for me from a family perspective because my parents had all their children and all but one of their grandchildren at their beautiful home in Massanutten VA for several days.

Yesterday I spent more than an hour hunting down an old but excellent blog post by Doug Phillips titled “How To End 2006″ and adding that to my blog post titled “How to End The Year Strong.”  Doug, founder of Vision Forum Ministries. is the brother of Brad Phillips, founder of the Persecution Project Foundation.

This morning, I went to Clairmont Manor to support my wife and take photos for the annual New Year’s Day 5k run. While we had a small crowd, I think I knew everyone there. I have a photo at today’s Link of the Day. To my delight, Fred Santinga came out. I don’t think we had seen each other in more than a year. We ended up talking to each for several hours afterwards in the cold.

Photo from New Year’s Day 5k run
To see more photos, click on the image

This afternoon, my wife watched three of Michelle Geesaman’s children while Michelle went to buy a hybrid car in Northern Virginia. When Michelle got back. I asked to videotape her to share about her family traditions for ending each year and for praying at meal times. That 2 minute video is posted online at today’s Link of the Day too. Michelle loves Jesus and is a homeschooling mother of five children. When she told me about her family traditions at the 5k run, I told her I wanted to videotape that.

Lots of improvements are on the way for Your Daily Blessing.

1) Next week, I’m changing from an email to blog format. This means instead of receiving emails from Constant Contact, you will receive email notifications from Aweber every time a new blog post appears on the YDB site. Be on the lookout for an email to opt into the new system. If you fail to do this, you won’t receive the daily YDB messages.

2) Photos and videos are going to become a routine part of the YDB blogs.

3) I’ll typically include more than one link for those who are interested in learning more or growing faster

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the precious gift of another year of life. We praise You as the God of new beginnings. May 2009 be the best year of our lives as we seek Your Kingdom and righteousness first. Thank You for giving me the keyword “MARGIN” for 2009. I look forward to receiving that blessing. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and hallelujah!

Blessings of the Day
1) Photos from New Year’s Day 5k run (see above)
2) Video about family traditions with Michelle Geesaman (see above)
3) How To End The Year Strong (fantastic message)
4) The Awe Factor Of God – YouTube video by Francis Chan
5) Just Stop and Think – YouTube video by Francis Chan

Blessings to experience a substantial increase in MARGIN in your life in 2009!

“And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” (Deuteronomy 8:2)

What were the top 10 highlights and low points for you personally in 2008?

In keeping with the annual tradition begun last year, I’m going to share the top ten spiritual stories of 2008 from my perspective. These stories relate primarily to Culpeper, but also Virginia because both are my home.

On December 26, 2008, the Culpeper Star Exponent published a lengthy article titled “Culpeper’s top 10 stories of 2008.” According to that, these were the top ten stories in order of significance:
1) We felt the full effects of the 2008 recession
2) Culpeper opens new high school
3) Center of the political universe
4) It started with Cox’s dismissal
5) Town thrice left in the dark
6) Controversy for Branch, Compton
7) Teen’s death hits entire community
8) Town’s future a matter of politics
9) No shortage of candidates here
10) Terremark – new facility brings jobs

In Culpeper (and Virginia), the top 10 spiritual stories of 2008 were (in chronologic order)
1) Selection of Dr. Rev. Charlene Phillips as President of the  Culpeper Ministerial Association (Feb 2008)
2) Virginia-Liberia Alliance established (Apr 2008)
3) Launch of City on a Hill Church by GW Dameron (June 2008)
4) Launch of Transformation Virginia initiative (Aug 2008) – Culpeper’s fire spread because of Jack Stagman
5) Death of Kelsey Orndorff (08-29-08)
6) Eastern View High School opened (school name is very significant biblically)
7) Launch of community-wide Experiencing God initiative (09-07-08) – spearheaded by Rev. Mark Jenkins
8) Churches launch homeless initiative in Culpeper (Nov 2008)
9) Culpeper Community Thanksgiving service (11-25-08) – UNITY
10) Marching Through Culpeper convergences

Of course, these 10 stories represent only a very small fraction of the many great things that God did in Culpeper in 2008. Thank you to all of you (locally, regionally, nationally, and even internationally) who are sowing your prayers, time, treasure, and talent to make Culpeper and Virginia a bright light for the world.

At the statewide level for Virginia, one of the most significant positive spiritual initiatives I am aware of for 2008 was the decision by Bowie Curry to launch a 24/7 house of prayer in the Greater Fredericksburg area starting January 2009.

On the national front, “The epic election that made Barack Obama the first African-American president was the top news story of 2008 – followed closely by the economic meltdown that will test his leadership, according to U.S. editors and news directors voting in The Associated Press’ annual poll.

Internationally, I feel the Beijing Olympics, which began 08-08-08, brought a significant and temporary peace and calm to the world overall for a few weeks during an otherwise very stormy year.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for the favor you showed to Culpeper and Virginia this past year. Thank You that the pastors and churches in our community are coming together more and more in UNITY to address common problems we face. May 2009 be the best year ever spiritually in the history of Culpeper and Virginia. Do an amazing work to make our communities a bright light for the world! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen and hallelujah!

Link of the Day
Details for the top 10 spiritual stories of 2008 for Culpeper [see below]

Blessings to make the time to reflect back on 2008 and to set godly goals for 2009!

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Details for top 10 spiritual stories of 2008 for Culpeper (in chronologic order)

1) Selection of Dr. Rev. Charlene Phillips as President of the  Culpeper Ministerial Association
On Feb 19, 2008, Rev. Randy Orndorff passed the baton to Rev. Charlene Phillips to serve as President of the Culpeper Ministerial Association for two years. This marked the very first time that a female and a black person were elected to the recognized top position of spiritual authority for the Culpeper community. Charlene did a wonderful job leading in the Spirit to bring more UNITY amongst the pastors and marketplace ministers. Thank you Charlene. And thank You Pastor Randy for the wonderful job you did leading our community spiritually for the two years before Charlene took over.

2) Virginia-Liberia Alliance established (Apr 2008)
In my devotional on May 28, 2008 titled “A Day I’ll Never Forget“, I mentioned that “December 18, 2007 was a turning point, not only in my life and Sam Reeves’ life, but also for Culpeper, Virginia, and the nation of Liberia.” As a result of my offering to help Sam Reeves and Rim of Grace Ministries, I had the privilege to
a) Visit meet Ron Davidson and visit the Gleaning For The World headquarters in January 2008
b) Participate in Operation Rescue Liberia Day on Feb 23, 2008
c) Participate in Virginia-Liberia Alliance Day on Saturday April 19 at the Reformation Lutheran Church.
d) Visit the Liberian Embassy in Wash D.C. with a large contingency from Culpeper, including Rev’s Jacob and Charlene Phillips
e) Build a strong friendship with David Bean, who I would nominate as Culpeper’s citizen of the year.

3) Launch of City on a Hill Church by GW Dameron (June 2008)
 On April 17, 2008, Pastor GW Dameron contacted me out-of-the-blue to say he was moving with his family from San Diego CA to Culpeper VA in June 2008 to finish a work that had been started to make Culpeper a city set on a hill (for Jesus). In the short while GW has been in Culpeper, he has been responsible for a big upswing in the spiritual climate of our community To learn more, visit my blog titled “City on a Hill Church” (July 21, 2008) -

4) Launch of Transformation Virginia initiative (Aug 2008) – Culpeper’s fire spread because of Jack Stagman
Rick Heeren had told me on numerous occasions for more than a year that he wanted to come back to Culpeper to fan the flames he had started a few years earlier. I kept advising Rick to contact Jack Stagman and go to Northern Virginia first. Finally that happened.

On July 29, we held our first ever Transformation Virginia webinar. The blog (website) for Transformation Virginia was birthed. And Rick came to Northern Virginia, Fredericksburg, and Culpeper on August 17-19,2008. After spending 3 days shuttling Rick around, Jack caught the city transformation bug. In my opinion, Jack is currently playing the most significant role in the spiritual transformation of Virginia. He has already been responsible for lighting fires for prayer evangelism in more than 7 new communities in Virginia.

5) Death of Kelsey Orndorff (08-29-08)
Saturday August 30, 2008 was definitely the saddest day of the year for me when I learned that Pastor Randy Orndorff’s only daughter (Kelsey) died in a serious car accident the evening before on her way to a Chris Sligh concert in Fredericksburg. As President of the Culpeper Ministerial Association for 2 years, Pastor Randy had been offered tremendous support to our Pray Culpeper team. As I was driving to the first memorial service held for Kelsey on the night of Aug 30, the scripture that came to my mind was Psalm 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the LORD Is the death of His saints.”

During the memorial service, I learned from the testimonies of numerous people that Kelsey had manifested an UNCOMMON love for Jesus and for the destitute in this world, especially the homeless. Given that and Pastor Randy’s reputation as one of the most beloved pastors of our community, I knew that somehow, some way God was going to bring something great out of something so tragic. He always does. People at the Culpeper United Methodist Church, pastors in our community, and the community-at-large rallied behind Randy and LeAnne Orndorff. On November, Chris Sligh came to Culpeper High School to lead a concert in memory of Kelsey. About 800 people, mostly teens, showed up. I believe the new homeless ministry that the churches in Culpeper recently embraced is a direct result of Kelsey’s death.

6) Eastern View High School opened
Two years in the making, the much anticipated Eastern View High School finally opened. School spirit ran high from the get-go, as an estimated 5,000 people attended the Cyclones’ inaugural home football game, a friendly scrimmage against CCHS. Behind the electrifying legs of star tailback Stevie Strother, EVHS went on to finish 7-3, playing to large crowds most every Friday night. More importantly, the opening of EVHS provided a big boost in morale to our community. I believe the name of this school is very significant spiritually because Moses’ Tabernacle, Solomon’s temple, and Jewish synagogues all face to the East (i.e. have an eastern view). Mountain View Community Church, a large local church having a tremendous impact on the spiritual climate of Culpeper, is moving its Sunday worship services to EVHS starting January 2009.

7) Launch of community-wide Experiencing God initiative (09-07-08) – spearheaded by Rev. Mark Jenkins
This summer Mark Jenkins caught the Holy Spirit fire of revival and he wasted no time in spreading that to others in our community. Supported by more than 100 LIFE groups, numerous churches and businesses embraced the 7 week “Experiencing God” series prepared by Henry Blackaby. Thank You to Mark for lighting a fire that will not be quenched.

8) Churches launch homeless initiative in Culpeper (Nov 2008)
Jesus said that when we take care of the destitute (i.e. the poor, the hungry, widows, orphans, the sick, those in prison, etc), we are caring for Him. Thanks to the Culpeper Food Closet, the needs for many of the hungry were already being met. Thanks to the leading of Pastors Chad Whaley and Michael Gray, the Culpeper Ministerial Association embrace coming together to care for the urgent need of homeless people in Culpeper just in time as freezing temperatures came in late November. We are trusting God to engage many more churches and volunteers as needed to continue this vital ministry.

9) Culpeper Community Thanksgiving service (11-25-08) – UNITY
In the entire time I have lived in Culpeper, I have never witnessed such UNITY among such a diverse audience as at this year’s Culpeper Community Thanksgiving service. We thank Dr. John W. Kinney for his passionate message about rejoicing always. And we owe a special thanks to Rev. Charlene Phillips for the prayers and relationship building she did to make this possible.

10) Marching Through Culpeper convergences
Virginia Morton never ceases to amaze me with her persistence, ever-growing faith, and positive attitude. The weekly MTC prayer calls on Tuesday afternoons have been my favorite times of corporate prayer. In my June 4 devotional, I stated that “the Marching Through Culpeper movie project is by far the biggest God story I have ever been involved with from a marketing perspective on the web.”

On July 24, Virginia launched her very first email MTC marketing campaign and posted her first blog entry herself. As a result of that, Georgia Willis got reconnected to Virginia and then to me. Because of her love for Jesus and her involvement in key positions of leadership on a variety of higher education boards, I have dubbed Georgia “Virginia’s Princess of Education.” On December 18, Virginia emailed me an amazing list of 2008 convergences for MTC.

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

What adversity do you need to overcome through rejoicing?

I apologize for the delay in sending you today’s message. In my devotional on November 26, I committed to share photos and highlights from the November 25 Culpeper Community Thanksgiving Service on Nov 27. However, like many of you, my past few days have been filled with enjoyable moments with family and friends during this special Thanksgiving week.

I remain acutely aware that for many people, including those with estranged families or who have recently lost loved ones, the holiday time can seem quite lonely and even depressing. Please pray for my dear friends Sharon and Jerry Graham. Sharon’s father was in a car accident last week and died on November 24. His memorial service was held on November 28 in Pennsylvania. When I spoke with Jerry on Nov 29, he told me Walter’s funeral was the best one he had ever been to and that it was extremely well attended. Lois Lucas, Walter’s wife who is in very poor health, was able to attend the entire service. Thank You Jesus.

Along with other members and guests of the Culpeper Ministerial Association, I was privileged to attend a luncheon at noon on Tuesday November 25 with Dr. John W. Kinney. That tradition of meeting with the keynote speaker for lunch on the day of the Culpeper Community Thanksgiving service began last year and it’s something I really look forward to.

The actual Culpeper Community Thanksgiving service in the evening on November 25 was awesome. I estimate that about 500-700 people came. What impressed me the most was the level of worship and the UNITY, especially between races and churches. Thank you to all the local government and school officials who came.

While I truly enjoyed every part of the two hour service, these things stood out for me:

1) The love and passion (burning fire for Jesus), manifested by our local pastors such as Mark Jenkins, Dr. Ted Fuson, Jeff Light, Habacuc Diaz Lopez, Charlene Phillips, Michael Gray, Jacob Phillips, and Randy Orndorff.

2) The lyrics and passion in the songs sung by the Culpeper Middle School choir, Immersed (Lee Catherine Clayton and Cammie Shelatz), Laura Nelson, and  Mrs. Janette Smith.

3) The strong support for the Culpeper Food Closet and the new homeless initiative by the Culpeper Ministerial Association. Thank You to Pastor Chad Whaley for launching the latter. Jesus told us to take special care of the downtrodden – the poor, the hungry, the widows, the orphans, the sick, and those in prison. When the Body of Christ does that, people will be attracted to Jesus.

4) Dr. John W. Kinney’s passionate message about rejoicing always. He emphasized that we are to rejoice in the Lord, not necessarily in our circumstances.

5) Pastor Randy Orndorff’s very touching and authentic message about his daughter Kelsey and the significance of the number 33.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for the passion for Jesus You are stirring up among Your people in Culpeper and Virginia. Thank You for the UNITY among pastors and races. May You add many more logs to the spiritual fire until finally a forest fire of revival and awakening breaks out to impact the word for Jesus. Amen and hallelujah!

Link of the Day
Photos from the 2008 Culpeper Community Thanksgiving service:   Flickr   Facebook

Blessings to choose to rejoice in the Lord always, not in your circumstances!