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.

Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” (1 Kings 17:9 )

Is your life so messed up, it seems there’s no possible way out?
Are you feeling hopeless about the future?
If so, then participate in one of today’s two webinars.

On June 27, 2008, I wrote a devotional titled “Attention Grabbers” [http://yourdailyblessing.com/attention-grabbers/] talking about times in our lives when God reaches out in an extraordinary way to grab our attention.

Well I had one of those “Attention Grabbing” days on Sunday January 25. I believe that when this happens to me, God wants me to share His message with the world. So here you are. This is a wake up call for many of you too.

In the early morning on Jan 25, I had one of the richest 2-way prayer times of my life. Some of it is too personal to share with all of you, so I’ll just share a few snippets.

My prayer began like this, “Lord Jesus, thank You for the financial wake up call yesterday at the SPC Financial Workshop that Matt led.” When I wrote out … I realized my behavior must change dramatically.”

After several more paragraphs of pouring out my heart to Jesus, He responded, “Randy, you’ve been like Elijah at the Brook Cherith watching the stream dry up. Now the stream is dry and it’s time to move on. I bless you with joy and peace and love that won’t let go. I bless you with deeper knowledge of the Father’s love. I bless you with a steadfast faith. I bless you with the dreams and visions your heart goes after.” That prompted me to find the scripture (1Ki 17:1-9) about Elijah being at the Brook Cherith and being commanded to a poor widow to be provided for.

1Ki 17:1-9 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”

After pasting that scripture into my two-way prayer entry, I continued my fruitful dialog with Jesus. Then I go to Soul Purpose Church (SPC) for the 10:30 am worship service and Matt preaches a fantastic sermon titled “Giving ALL The Props Away.” In that, he talks about giving everything we have to God and then shares these “4 P’s of Giving” from Andy Stanley’s book “Fields of Gold:”

1) Priority giving – Giving to God before anything else
2) Percentage giving – 10% is a good start
3) Progressive giving – Keep growing as a giver
4) Prompted giving – Additional spontaneous giving as God leads

Who shows up at SPC for the first time in a long time? Beth Spangler, Ryan (her boyfriend), and Beth’s two kids. Now Beth happened to be one of my first 3 JIREH Marketing (Web 2.0) apprentices who began a 3 month commitment on Sat Jan 11 along with Matt. God is making Beth a trophy of his redemptive and restorative power. She has a phenomenal testimony of deliverance after 10 years of addiction.

During his sermon, Matt told a story of a guy walking in a desert by himself. Everywhere the man looks is sand. It’s impossible to tell distances. He has completely used up his water supply and is quickly becoming dehydrated. All of a sudden he sees what looks like an oasis in the distance. But he’s not sure if it’s real of a mirage. As he gets closer, it becomes apparent the oasis is real. When he enters the oasis with Palm trees, he finds a well with one bottle of water and a note that reads, “Read this and follow the instructions before doing anything else.” The note instructs him to pour the entire bottle of water down the well, which will prime the pump, make the well work, and supply all his water needs and the needs of the next traveler to come this way.

What would you do? You’re dying of thirst. You have a bottle of water which you desperately want. And you have this note from someone you don’t know asking you to trust him. Well, the man pours all the water down the well and sure enough, the pump gets primed, and all his water needs are met.

Around 2 pm I got home from SPC, ate lunch, and then decided to watch TV for 30 minutes. That’s very unusual for me on a Sunday. When I turned on the TV, I was prompted to switch to TBN (Trinity Broadcast Network). I ended up listening to a 30 minute message titled “When The Impossible Meets God” by a pastor I’ve never seen before in my life. That pastor shared the same story about the man and well that Matt had just shared a few hours earlier. The scripture he used was 2 Kings 4:1-7 about Elisha (Elijah’s disciple) and a widow.

2 Kings 4:1 A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.” So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors-empty vessels; do not gather just a few. “And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessels, and set aside the full ones.” So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest.”

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, over the past 8 years since committing my life to Jesus, I’ve given everything I have to You. I’ve watched my retirement account dwindle down from $1.6 million to practically nothing while loving You with all my heart, my mind, my soul, and my strength. I’ve followed and obeyed You to the best of my ability, trusting in You completely. I’ve sought Your Kingdom and righteousness first nearly every day for the past 8 years and I’ve shared the love of Jesus in a transparent everywhere I’ve gone. Julia and I have manifested strong faith for tough times. Now we’re desperate for a financial miracle and depend on You to lead us to a widow to provide for us. Jesus, thank You for bringing me to your city of refuge. I love You so much. Amen and hallelujah!

Blessings to surrender all you have to God!

God’s Blessings of the Day

1) When The Impossible Meets God -outstanding video sermon by Pastor Jeff Schreve

2) “SEO Is Simple” FREE webinar at 11 am EST today (Tuesday January 27, 2009)

3) “Experiencing God Through Journaling: Write The Vision Down” FREE webinar at 6 pm EST today (Tuesday January 27, 2009)

Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. (Romans 8:34)

What difference does it make in your life to know that Jesus is interceding for you?

On December 1, I received an email from Tim Smith, one of my good friends at Soul Purpose Church. Tim wrote: “I pray that each of you had a Thanksgiving weekend that was rich and full. If we can truly get hold of what the scriptures say about the position we hold as redeemed followers of Christ, I believe it will transform our day-to-day outlook. Check out this link: http://www.baptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?id=13744”

Yesterday evening as I was sorting old emails, I finally had the chance to visit Tim’s link, which is a message from Henry Blackaby. Henry writes:

There is no truth that can give you any more courage and boldness as you live out your Christian life, especially in the workplace, than that found in Romans 8:34, “… Christ died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us…”

Christ, the Lord of the universe, is now 1) at the right hand of God and 2) making intercession to the Father on our behalf.

He intercedes; he pleads our case to the Father. He always does this according to the will of God and is always heard. When Jesus intercedes for us, the Father always hears him; the Father always responds immediately to bring to pass what the Son has requested. He is our advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1). The apostle John assures us that “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous….”

He intercedes before the Father when we sin. He asks the Father to release into our life all that the Father has provided, especially the Holy Spirit (John 14:16).

When you come to the Father, in Jesus’ name, and ask for boldness, or courage, or wisdom, or patience, or anything else that is appropriate to ask in his name, Jesus is there before the Father to confirm that you are his disciple, that you are indeed a child of God, and that your request is right and good and the Father can grant it. The Father always hears the Son (John 11:41-42).

To read the remainder of Henry’s message, visit today’s Link of the Day.

Prayer Power
Jesus, thank You for your moment by moment intercession for me and other children of God. What incredible encouragement this brings to the Christian who walks by faith. Pour out Your Spirit on many, many people around the world as churches are flooded with people on this Eve of Christmas hungry to find love, truth, and light. We praise You as our King Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
FIRST-PERSON: Jesus intercedes for you (see below)

Blessings to grasp what the scriptures say about the position we hold as redeemed followers of Christ!

———————–

Source: http://www.baptistpress.org/bpnews.asp?id=13744
FIRST-PERSON: Jesus intercedes for you
Posted on Jul 1, 2002 | by Henry T. Blackaby

ATLANTA (BP)–There is no truth that can give you any more courage and boldness as you live out your Christian life, especially in the workplace, than that found in Romans 8:34, “… Christ died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us…”

Christ, the Lord of the universe, is now 1) at the right hand of God and 2) making intercession to the Father on our behalf.

He intercedes; he pleads our case to the Father. He always does this according to the will of God and is always heard. When Jesus intercedes for us, the Father always hears him; the Father always responds immediately to bring to pass what the Son has requested. He is our advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1). The apostle John assures us that “we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous….”

He intercedes before the Father when we sin. He asks the Father to release into our life all that the Father has provided, especially the Holy Spirit (John 14:16).

When you come to the Father, in Jesus’ name, and ask for boldness, or courage, or wisdom, or patience, or anything else that is appropriate to ask in his name, Jesus is there before the Father to confirm that you are his disciple, that you are indeed a child of God, and that your request is right and good and the Father can grant it. The Father always hears the Son (John 11:41-42).

What incredible encouragement this brings to the Christian who walks by faith (that is, believing what Jesus says, and acts on it).

Jesus’ intercession can dramatically affect your personal life and walk with God. He can and will keep you from sin. He can affect your marriage for good. He can return wayward children. And he can give power in witness on your job.

In the days of his flesh, Jesus clearly and dramatically interceded before the Father on behalf of his disciples at a very significant moment, and in a very dramatic way. Just before the cross, when his disciples were about to experience their greatest pressure from the enemy, Jesus assured them, “… And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren….” (Luke 22:31, 32).

Jesus does this directly for you also. Call on him, and he will intercede for you.

Blackaby is president of Henry Blackaby Ministries, on the Web at www.henryblackaby.com. His column appears monthly.

“Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.” (Psalm 2:8)

What can you do to most effectively grow your prayer life and faith in 2009?

Welcome to our series of message for Christmas week! What is Christmas about? For Christians, Jesus is the reason for the season. For me, the Christmas season is a time to give extravagantly – to pour myself into the lives of others – giving the best I have to those who are struggling and those less fortunate. After all, God gave His only begotten Son to us to pay a debt I could never pay.

I think it’s appropriate to start off my messages of Christmas week sharing about prayer and faith since Jesus’ purpose in coming was to “seek and save that which was lost” and faith in Jesus is crucial both for salvation and to live an abundant life. According to E.M. Bounds, “when faith ceases to pray, it ceases to live.”

On November 18 Virginia Morton posted a blog (and sent a bulk email) for her Marching Through Culpeper followers titled “The Legacy of E. M. Bounds.” In that highly inspirational message, Virginia relates how it took three times for her to finally hear God’s voice to purchase and read the book “E.M. Bounds on Prayer.”

Virginia wrote, “This book changed my life and grew my faith and prayer life exponentially. The book’s introduction says; ‘Since the time of the apostles, no man besides Edward McKendree Bounds has left such a rich inheritance of research into the life of prayer.’”

Now that’s a very, very powerful statement. So when Virginia later thanked God that “Randy is the E.M. Bounds of Culpeper” during two different intense group prayer times in a single week, that really caught my attention.

As I was journaling early in the morning on December 3, I began writing down highlights and low points for 2008. The very first highlight I wrote down was “I’m seeing people’s lives changes all around me.” I then proceeded to write down some of the phenomenal testimonies that people have shared with me this year of how I have impacted them.

One of the highlights I wrote down was Virginia’s recent statement that I am the E.M. Bounds of Culpeper. As I was reflecting on that statement coming from one of the pillars of our community, a very godly woman who prays faithfully and understands the power of prayer, and one of God’s generals of intercession, I felt extremely humbled.

The Holy Spirit then commanded me to send Virginia a very specific email, which turned out to be so inspirational that Virginia sent me three emails later that day. Two of those emails contained links to these web references

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_McKendree_Bounds
http://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Fellowship/E.M.Bounds.html

Those references so inspired me that I searched my basement bookshelf for the book “E.M. Bounds On Prayer” and spent hours that evening reading it. That book is the best one I have ever read about prayer.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, we praise You as the God of prayer! Thank You for leading Virginia Morton to read “E.M. Bounds On Prayer” and then to write her blog post about that. Thank You for using Virginia’s blog post and subsequent prayers and personal emails to lead me to begin reading that book. Thank You for inspiring me to spend much more time interceding for others in the past 7 weeks. Thank You for the fruit of prayer I am seeing in many people I am praying for. May today’s message inspire several of my readers to buy and read the book “E.M. Bounds On Prayer.” Thank You Jesus. Amen and  hallelujah!

Link of the Day
The Legacy of E. M. Bounds – complete blog post by Virginia Morton

Blessings to intentionally grow in your prayer life and faith in 2009!

Dear Pastors and Leaders,

You are cordially invited to attend the Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne pre-crusade Great Awakening Tour Power Evangelism event that will be conducted by part of his team January 15th – 17th, 2009. The Great Awakening Tour Power Evangelism is designed to empower and encourage the body of Christ with the Word of God to be a witness for Jesus Christ.

In Baltimore, Maryland, 1195 individuals were trained and we saw 20,658 decisions for Jesus Christ. In Phoenix, Arizona, 2630 harvesters were trained and 46,541 individuals made decisions for Jesus Christ. In December 2008, The Great Awakening Tour was in West Palm Beach, Florida and trained 895 men, women and children how to effectively share Christ with others. As a result, over 31,600 precious people called upon the name of the Lord.

Come be a part of this Power Evangelism event and watch what God will do through you and through your church. Following the Power Evangelism class, the Great Awakening Tour team will take the class out into the highways and byways to compel the lost and dying to come to Jesus.

The following events are free and open to all.
Pre-Crusade Power Evangelism class info January 15th – 17th, 2009
January 15th, Thursday, 10am & 7.00pm,
January 16th, Friday, 10am & 7.00pm,
January 17th, Saturday, 10am

Location:
Word of Life
21641 Beaumeade Circle Suite 319
Ashburn, VA 20147

RSVP: Lyndie McCauley at 703-340-8238 Or Patty May at 703-250-2503, or 703-568-6006
Great Awakening Tour info
Great Awakening Tour Washington D.C.
Speaker: Dr. Rodney Howard-Browne
Venue: TBA

September 4 -11 2009
Pre-register for free at www.revival.com
Rachael Larson
Great Awakening Tour
813-546-6690

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart – These, O God, You will not despise. (Psalm 51:17)

How would you describe your relationship with the Holy Spirit?

The overriding theme for the past two weeks has been working smarter, not harder. When you seek God first with all your heart, write down what you are learning, use the web to magnify your time and efforts, have clarity (know your purpose, assignment, objectives, and goals), focus on doing ONE THING well, and listen to and obey the Holy Spirit, you will work smarter, not harder.

For several years I was a financial supporter of Dr. Mike Murdock and The Wisdom Center. He has a powerful turnaround testimony. For years, Dr. Murdock read the Bible entirely through every month – that’s 40 chapters per day. He has a large room at his ministry center dedicated just for prayer. Dr. Murdock is an intercessor. He taught me a lot about the Holy Spirit.

Because of my prior support, I receive a monthly newsletter from Dr. Murdock. In his latest newsletter, he shares this inspiring message:

“The Holy Spirit notices everything.

Your tears affect the Holy Spirit. When others fail to see your tears, He has recorded them. “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” (Psalm 56:8). “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Psalm 57:2, KJV)

Your tears bring His commitment to perform for you. “I will cry unto my God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me,” (Psalm 57:2).

Every sparrow that falls to the ground receives the attention of God (Luke 12:6). The hairs of your head are even numbered by God (Luke 12:7).

The Holy Spirit knows the very moment that financial crisis occurs in your personal life. The widom of Zarephath discovered this. Elijah was being fed miraculously by a raven by the brook, Cherith. (Read 1 Kings 17.) The day that the widow was on her very last meal, God stopped the raven from bringing food to Elijah. That day signaled a miraculous change. God sent Elijah to the widow to unlock her faith. The Bible says that she, her family, and the man of God continued to eat throughout the famine. The Holy Spirit knew the very day she was scheduled to eat her last meal on earth.

Oh, our God is glorious and wonderful! Nothing escapes his attention. The Holy Spirit, who walks beside you, is continuously advising you, protecting you, and scheduling miraculous events to keep you focused on your Assignment and the dreams of God for your life.”

Prayer Power
O Holy Spirit, Soul of my soul, I adore Thee. Enlighten, guide, strengthen, and console me. Tell me what I ought to do and command me to do it. I promise to accept everything you permit to happen to me, only show me what is Thy will.

Link of the Day
The Holy Spirit

Blessings to listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit!

Dr. Randy Peck
“Blessed to be a blessing”

Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. (John 6:10)

Whose game plan are you following in your life?
What would God think about the direction you are heading?

Yesterday evening I walked 4 miles fast on our home treadmill. When I came back to the main living area of our home,  I decided to sit down in our family room, drink lots of water, and watch part of the Republican National Convention on TV. I’m not a big TV fan. In fact, I typically watch for  less than 2 hours per week.

Boy was I inspired – by every one of the speeches I heard. The first speaker I heard at 8:50 pm was Bryan Clay. He was introduced as an athlete who exemplified the strength rigor and humility of the American spirit. He recently won the gold medal in the decathlon at the Beijing Olympics.

Bryan greeted the crowd with an “aloha.” He went on to say, “I can tell you that without faith in God and my support of my family and friends and my strong work ethic I would not be standing before you today wearing this gold medal around my neck.”

The next speaker was Joe Gibbs, former head coach for the Washington Redskins and NASCAR race car owner. He said John McCain and Sarah Palin’s election “would be a return to God’s word” and bring the U.S. “back to a spiritual revival.” In the most religious-themed primetime speech of the four-day convention, Gibbs, a grandfather of eight, compared a spiritual life to football. To win in football, he said, one must have a game plan, and God’s game plan is the Bible.

“If you follow God’s plan, his Bible, his word, it leads to success. When I followed that game plan, I was able to have some of the greatest experiences in the world. Bad game plan leads to disaster. I can attest to that.”

Gibbs closed his remarks with one piece of advice: When tackling the big issues, “Wouldn’t it be great for someone to say, ‘I wonder how God would think about this?”

Next I listened to U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina share many of the success stories and progress in Iraq. This was followed by an outstanding video about Gov. Sarah Palin. Next, former Pennsylvania governor Tom Ridge spoke. Mrs. Cindy McCain then gave a rousing speech after that. After his wife spoke, Sen. John McCain shared his heart – passion, dedication, and love for America and Americans. And finally, the convention was officially closed with a wonderful prayer by a pastor.

I was so thankful for the overall positive spiritual tone of the evening, the frequent mention of God, and the values shared that are consistent with my own personal conservative Christian world view.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for all the leaders who publically acknowledged You and exalted Your name at yesterday’s final night of the Republican National Convention. We praise You as the Master Coach with the Master plan and humbly submit our will to Yours. On behalf of our children and grandchildren, we pray for an abundance of godly leaders at all levels of government who will choose to follow Your game plan – the Bible. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Links of the Day
Historic speech by Governor Sarah Palin at RNC on September 3 – YouTube video [scroll down to the bottom]

McCain Tops Obama in Speeches’ TV Ratings
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/09/05/mccain-tops-obama-in-speeches-tv-ratings/

Blessings to follow God’s game plan for your life!

So he (Zacchaeus) ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him (Jesus), for he was to pass that way. (Luke 19:4)

On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your willingness to look foolish for God?
How desperate are you to see Jesus?
What lion is God calling you to chase?

Today’s message is the final one in this Chase the Lion series. The series is based on the book In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day. Here is part of what Mark Batterson shared in his sermon “Looking Foolish” on December 20, 2006:

A few months ago I was reading the writings of John Muir—the founder of the Sierra Club. Muir is tough to describe, but the love of nature was the central passion of his life. He spent his life studying it, protecting it, and appreciating it.

One of my favorite Muir moments happened in December of 1874. John Muir was staying with a friend at his cabin in the Sierra Mountains and a winter storm set in. The wind was so strong that it bent the trees over backwards. But instead of retreating to the safety of the cabin, Muir chased the storm! He found a mountain ridge; climbed to the top of a giant Douglas Fir tree; and held on for dear life for several hours feasting his senses on the sights and sounds and scents.

In his journal, Muir writes:

When the storm began to sound I lost no time in pushing out into the woods to enjoy it. For on such occasions, Nature always has something rare to show us, and the danger to life and limb is hardly greater than one would experience crouching deprecatingly beneath a roof.

John Muir was no stranger to danger. He climbed mountains and crossed rivers and explored glaciers. But there is something about this mental picture of John Muir climbing a one-hundred foot Douglas fir tree during a storm that is iconic.

In the words of Eugene Peterson, the story of John Muir climbing to the top of that storm-whipped Douglas Fir is an icon of Christian spirituality. He said it’s a standing rebuke against becoming a mere spectator to life, preferring creature comfort to Creator confrontation.

We are called to climb trees! And it’s based on more than an eccentric naturalist named John Muir. Climbing trees is actually a biblical metaphor in Luke 19.

Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.

Zacchaeus had a reputation to protect. He had an image to uphold. But this distinguished tax collector in a three-piece suit climbs a tree like a little kid. He didn’t care about decorum. He didn’t care about protocol. He didn’t care how foolish he looked. He just wanted to get a glimpse of Jesus!

And I want you to notice what is often overlooked in this story. Zacchaeus was willing to looking foolish to get a glimpse of Jesus. And Jesus returned the favor. The people criticized Jesus for hanging out with Zacchaeus.

The end result is an amazing conversion. Zacchaeus gives half his possessions to the poor on the spot. And Jesus says, “Salvation has come to your house.”

Let me tell you what God is looking for. And I think this is huge. If you don’t know what God is looking for it is awfully hard to please him. In fact, we waste a lot of effort trying to please God in ways that aren’t pleasing to him. The Pharisees are exhibit A. God isn’t looking for religious protocol. I think God is looking for tree climbers. God is looking for people who will do anything to get to God.

Faith is the willingness to look foolish.

It seems like the people that God uses the most are the people who are willing to climb trees or get out of boats or follow stars or chase lions! The greatest turning points in Scripture can be traced back to someone who was willing to look foolish.

Don’t tell me Noah didn’t feel a little foolish building an ark when rain wasn’t in the forecast for another 120 years! Don’t tell me David didn’t feel a little foolish going to war with a slingshot. Don’t tell me Benaiah didn’t feel a little foolish chasing the king of the beasts. Don’t tell me the Wise Men didn’t feel a little foolish when Jewish border agents asked them the reason for their visit. Don’t tell me a professional fisherman named Peter didn’t feel a little foolish stepping out of the boat in the middle of the lake. And don’t tell me Jesus didn’t feel a little foolish hanging half-naked on the cross in front of him family and friends. But faith is the willingness to look foolish. And the results speak for themselves. Noah was saved from the flood. David defeated Goliath. The Wise Men found the Messiah. Peter walked on water. And Jesus was raised from the dead.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, we praise You as the God who often asks us to do strange things. Thank You for Your reassurance that “the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (1 Cor 3:19). Bless each of us with the courage and fortitude to obey You and look foolish to the world when You beckon us to follow You. Thank You Jesus. Amen and hallelujah!

Link of the Day
Chase the Lion: Looking Foolish – video by Mark Batterson

Blessings to be willing to look foolish for God!

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” (Mark 9:23)

What have you been praying and waiting for to happen?
Who put those desires in your heart?
What role does learning to hear God’s voice play in bringing those things about?

This past week, my wife and I drove from Culpeper VA to Glenridge NJ for our niece’s (Andria’s) high school graduation on June 20. We spent four wonderful days visiting with my parents and my brother (Larry) and his family. On June 21, my wife and I celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary by going to Mary Poppins on Broadway. My brother bought the tickets for us as an anniversary gift.

It’s interesting how God worked this out. When I was staying at Larry’s home in Glenridge NJ on May 1-3, 2008 for the Provision Network Leadership Summit taking place in Manhattan (NYC), I expressed an interest in taking Julia to a Broadway play for our anniversary when we came up for Andria’s graduation in June. For a few weeks prior to that, I had been thinking over and over about the song from Mary Poppins “I love to laugh.” When Mina, Larry’s wife, gave me the local newspaper, the first Broadway play I saw advertised was Mary Poppins. I immediately knew that was what Julia and I were to watch. Before that, I didn’t even know that was a Broadway play.

The Mary Poppins’ Broadway musical far exceeded the expectations of both my wife and me. The songs and dancing were beautiful. The rapid set changes were amazing. The whole weekend with family was one of the most memorable ones of my entire life. It’s very humbling to experience God’s blessings and favor as I have moved into my sweet spot – coaching people to journal to hear God’s voice.

The making of the Mary Poppins on Broadway has a fantastic story behind it. According to Cameron Macintosh, the producer, “My introduction to Mary Poppins came 40 years ago from seeing Walt Disney’s magical film – I’d just left school. Mary’s character was so extraordinary I could never forget her or the wonderful Sherman brothers’ songs. Intrigued enough to read the original book, I was surprised to find there were several of them and many more stories, characters and adventures than those in the film.” To learn more, visit today’s Link of the Day.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, we praise You as the God of possibility – the God who can make anything happen for those who believe. Thank you for the wonderful blessing of 27 years of marriage to Julia. Thank You for the blessing of my family. Thank You for the privilege to watch Mary Poppins on Broadway. Thank You for all the people who made that musical possible. Bless my readers to believe that anything can happen if they let it. Thank You Jesus. Amen and hallelujah!

Link of the Day
Mary Poppins – the classic Broadway musical

Blessings to believe to let anything happen!