We have a living God, a speaking God! One who loves us, His children, and He particularly loves to speak to us! He can speak to any one of us who love Him.

“In the Last Days I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh: your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams” (Acts 2:17).

You might be thinking, “I read the Bible every day, so I’m hearing from the Lord every day.” While it’s good to read the Bible, the recorded Word of the Lord, which is the foundation of our Christian faith, it’s wonderful to also hear straight from the Lord and “take heed to His sure word of prophecy, as to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in our hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).

His Word says to “Stir up the gift of God which is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6). So, every day should be a new experience for us, a new listening to the Voice of the Lord. Why live only on yesterday�s spiritual food, when we can have fresh “manna from Heaven” (John 6:58) every day? Jesus still speaks today! Listen to what He told me on June 15, 2008:

I have the KEYS – simple keys to BREAKTHROUGH. It’s not complicated. You have to trust me on this. Just keep writing down what You hear me saying. I know what works and what doesn’t. I am the Alpha and Omega, so I see the end from the beginning. I have to show You before you can show others. What you shared at Soul Purpose Church today was good. Even though it seems that most people didn’t get it, seeds were planted. You have a generous heart. What you’re doing in secret, I will reward openly. That’s My word – that’s My promise.

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)

Words from Jesus to R. Joseph Peck, “a pen in God’s hand, giving love a voice”

• #WFJ: Praise Me with your whole heart! (April 23, 2010)
• #WFJ: Rejoice Greatly (April 21, 2010)
• #WFJ: Keep my words, and treasure my commands within you (April 8)
• #WFJ: Thank you for your willingness to go a NEW DIRECTION (March 31, 2010)
• #WFJ: You are a COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION SPECIALIST (March 14, 2010)
• #WFJ: Can A Nation Be Born In A Day? (March 3, 2010)
• #WFJ: I ALWAYS bless My Word (Feb 16, 2010)
• #WFJ: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard (Feb 15, 2010)
• #STJ: Open my eyes LORD that I may see (Feb 9, 2010)
• #WFJ: Thinking Big and Acting Small (humility) is the key to every highly successful business (Jan 22, 2010)
• #WFJ: VISION CASTING for the next decade (Jan 20, 2010)
• #WFJ: Randy, you have discovered the key to opening the door to anyone or any organization (Jan 19, 2010)
• #WFJ: My sheep are hungry for more of Me and My holy Word (Jan 18, 2010)
• #WTJ: I Stand Amazed In All Of Your Glory (Jan 17, 2010)
• #WFJ: I AM a warrior and My kingdom is spread by force (Jan 11, 2010)
• #WFJ: I AM married to Israel (Jan 9, 2010)
• #WFJ: INTIMACY is the keyword for this year and decade! (Jan 8, 2010)
• #WFJ: The fear of Me is a fountain of life (Jan 7, 2010)
• #WFJ: I AM the cup of the blood (Jan 5, 2010)
• #WFJ: I AM the liberty you seek through my Spirit (Jan 4, 2010)
• #WFJ: I have been guiding you each and every day of 2009 (Jan 1, 2010)
• #WFJ: Come Home My Children – I AM Throwing a Party! (Dec 25, 2009, Nancy Slocum)
• #WFJ: Cherish Julia. Honor her. Treat her as you would Me (Dec 23, 2009)
• #WFJ: I have been enlightening you (Dec 21 2009)
• #WFJ: Let Freedom Ring (Dec 18 2009)
• #WFJ: I AM a God of miracles (Dec 17 2009)
• #WFJ: What if I blessed you with something much better (Dec 16 2009)
• #WFJ: Randy, please tell me what you want for Christmas (Dec 15 2009)
• #WFJ: I have called you friends (Dec 12 2009)
• #WFJ: BE in Me and in My Word (Dec 5 2009)
• #WFJ: I AM the Alpha and the Omega (Dec 4 2009)
• #WFJ: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge (Dec 1 2009)
• #WFJ: Praying in My name, seeking My face with others births My Father’s visions (Nov 30 2009)
• #WFJ: I have shown you the Secrets of the Vine (Nov 29 2009)
• #WFJ: When My people start to tithe their time for Me (Nov 28 2009)
• #WFJ: Communion with Me is where the abundant life starts (Nov 27, 2009)
• #WFJ: Thank you for opening a gateway to heaven consistently (Nov 26, 2009)
• WFJ: Awake! Arise! (Nov 25, 2009)
• WFJ: Rest in Me! (Nov 21, 2009)
• WFJ: I AM your good Shepherd (Nov 20, 2009)
• WFJ: UNLEASH YOUR SPIRIT (Nov 18, 2009)
• WFJ: You are ready now! So am I! (Nov 15, 2009)
• WFJ: God shall bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him (Nov 14, 2009)
• WFJ: You’re being a know-it-all is what’s getting in your way! (Nov 11, 2009)
• WFJ: Love always and blessings for God’s peace that passes all understanding! (Nov 5, 2009)
• WFJ: I live within you, deep within your heart of love (Oct 16, 2009)
• WFJ: In My presence is fullness of joy (Oct 13, 2009)
• WFJ: STILLNESS is a key to pressing in to Me (Oct 12, 2009)
• WFJ: Two Way Journaling – God’s SUPERNATURAL “HIGH”-WAY to His Heart (Nancy Slocum, Oct 8, 2009)
• WFJ: I AM Smiling Down Upon You (Oct 2, 2009)
• WFJ: Randy, write the vision down! (Utah, Sep 22, 2009)
• WFJ: The Dam Is Breaking (July 27, 2009)
• WFJ: I have specific instructions to give You each day (June 18, 2008)
• WFJ: I have the keys – simple keys to breakthrough (June 15, 2008)
• WFJ: I want you to dine with Me this morning and each day! (June 10, 2008)

Blessings to CHOOSE a LIFE of abundance!

Joseph

Joseph Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
THE CONNECTOR and The Journal Guy
Breakthrough Life Coach
Creative Marketing and Communication Specialist

Empower 2000, Inc.
“Raising the Bar of Leadership to Empower People, Businesses, and Communities”
Changing Lives to Disciple Nations
www.empower2000.com
540-445-1GOD (540-445-1463)

STAY CONNECTED
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P.S. Sign up TODAY for my free E-course “30 Days To Breakthrough!” God wants to transform your life NOW!

P.S.S. Spiritual Journaling will transform your life!

UNCOMMON Journaling is the key
to unlock YOUR dreams!

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” (Matthew 6:14)

What are 6 signs that prove you have totally forgiven someone?

I am so excited. I love what I do. The two webinars on Tuesday March 24 went great. We had guests from at least 4 different nations. Ben Stewart was a big hit with his presentation “Ask, Don’t Tell: The Birth of LIFE Skills Coaching.” The post-webinar survey results were so positive. Several huge connections came out of this.

Preparing for the second webinar titled “Experiencing God Through Journaling: God’s Will And Your Life” really made me delve deeply into Henry Blackaby’s teachings. It’s so neat to be able to unmute participants during the webinars and allow them to share their feedback from around the globe. During this second webinar I was able to reconnect with Connie Alphin, who was the best operating room nurse I ever worked with.

One of the regular participants on my webinars is John Kirsch from London, England. John was the very first person to buy my book “UNCOMMON Journaling For Breakthroughs.” I’ll never forget that. Shortly after John bought my book, he began sending me encouraging emails and sowing good seeds into my life with marketing ideas and uncommon connections.

On March 21, John sent my a reply to my email shared that he had just listened to a sermon by R.T. Kendall and “felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to either buy and send you this book or send you the link where you can buy it.” After pasting John’s email into my journal during my Quiet Time and reflecting on that, I visited R.T. Kendall’s site. In the process, I found a video with the best message on forgiveness I have ever heard. You can find that under today’s Blessings of the Day. R.T. Kendall teaches 6 things that prove you have totally forgiven someone.

Be sure to visit at least one of the links under Blessings of the Day. This morning, I edited and published the recorded Camtasia video for Ben’s webinar at www.webinars777.com. I decided to make that public because it was so good and I want to world to meet Ben.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for allowing me to do what I love to do. Thank You for the passion I wake up with every morning. Thank You for technology that allows our team to share Your messages with the world. Thank You for richly blessing the two webinars on March 24. Jesus, You rock. Amen and hallelujah!

Blessings of the Day
1) “Total Forgiveness” video by R.T. Kendall

2) “Ask, Don’t Tell: The Birth of Life Skills Coaching” – watch recorded Camtasia video of webinar on March 24, featuring Ben Stewart, my top business coach

3) “Experiencing God Through Journaling“ LIFE Group – listen to recorded webinar on March 24

“If we don’t act on a good idea within 24 hours, we are less than 50% likely to ever act on it. If we haven’t acted on it inside of days, then we are less than 2% likely to ever act on it.” – Bill Gates

Blessings to experience the transforming power of total forgiveness!

He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. (Proverbs 28:13)

What sins or mistakes do you need to confess to God?

During my two-way journaling time on September 3, 2008, Jesus told me, “Keep working hard to eliminate hurry from your life. Learn to say “No” much more often. When your desk is clear, you get 1-2 weeks ahead on your devotionals, exercise daily, and go to bed at 9-10 am most nights, you will know you are caught up.”

As I’ve prayed through my list of key messages from Jesus, this is one of those that has really stood out to me. So how am I doing? On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best, I would rate myself a 4. My 12 foot desk is mostly clear. For the past 4 weeks, I’ve been exercising 3 days per week plus walking lots. I’ve been going to bed before 10 am most nights, but also getting up too early. Of the 17 weekdays in January so far, I’ve sent Your Daily Blessing devotionals on just 8 of those days. That’s the worst I have done in the past 2.5 years.

Oh, I have plenty of good excuses – and that’s what they all are – excuses when I don’t obey what Jesus tells me to do. My top goal (and primary focus) in the past 7 weeks has been to complete my 200 page new e-book titled “UNCOMMON Journaling For Breakthroughs.” I initially planned to complete this before Christmas, then early January, and here it is Jan 26 and it’s still not quite done. This week I commit to finish my journaling e-book. That will mean saying “no” to almost everything else that is new.

Don’t get me wrong. My January has been very fruitful, albeit too busy. Five of the most significant things that happened from my perspective included:

1) Joining an “Experiencing God” small group that meets at Dr. Elizabeth Powell’s home
2) Launching a brand new weekly webinar series on Tuesday evenings (6 pm EST) called “Experiencing God Through Journaling”
3) Starting formal JIREH Marketing (Journaling + Coaching + Web 2.0) apprentice training for more than 3 people. One was my pastor, Matt Gregory.
4) Creating new blogs for at least 7-10 people. One was for Pastor Matt.
5) Joining a new small group “Managing Our Finances God’s Way” with my wife yesterday led by my pastor, Matt Gregory

During the 2.5 hour Financial Workshop on Jan 24, Pastor Matt said that 80% of our financial situation is a dependent on behavior, while only 20% is a result of knowledge. BEHAVIOR. Get it?

Yesterday morning while I was writing out my 2-way prayer with Jesus and listening to my scheduled iTunes playlist for Day #25, the message from Stormie Omartian in Chapter 25 of “The Power Of A Praying Wife” really jumped out at me, convicted me, and led me to repentance.

According to Stormie, “There is an epidemic in the world today of people who can’t admit they did something wrong.. According to God’s way of doing things, there are three steps to changing our behavior.” For Stormie’s entire message, which is outstanding, see today’s Link of the Day.

Prayer Power
Lord, I pray that you would convict me of any errors in my life. Let there be nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known” (Matthew 10:26). Cleanse me from any secret sins and teach me to be a person who is quick to confess when I am wrong (Psalm 19:12). Help me to recognize my mistakes. Give me eyes to see Your truth and ears to hear Your voice. Bring me to full repentance before You. If there is suffering to be done, let it be the suffering of a remorseful heart and not because the crushing hand of the enemy has found an opening into my life through unconfessed sin. Lord, I know that humility must come before honor (Proverbs 15:33). Take away all pride that would cause me to deny my faults and work into my soul a humility of heart so that I will receive the honor You have for me. Thank You Jesus! I love You dearly. Amen.

Link of the Day
His Repentance – Chapter 25 of The Power Of A Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian  [see below]

Blessings to quick to confess your sins and then turn from your wicked ways!

Randy Peck, M.D.
“Blessed to be a blessing”
The Connector – connecting people, ideas, and resources in Christ through the POWER of the Holy Spiirt

Growth Opportunities For This Week

1) “SEO Is Simple” free webinar at 11 am EST on Tues January 27. Our guest expert is Lynne Lee from the U.K. Are you ready to see for yourself how easy search engine optimization can be? Would you like more website visitors, quickly and easily without spending a fortune? Discover How To Drive Free Targeted Traffic To Your Website. Learn more …

2) “Experiencing God Through Journaling: Write The Vision Down” free webinar at 6 pm EST on Tues January 27. I’ll be sharing the global vision God hasrevealed to me for ”God’s Voice Worldwide!”Learn to reccgnize the voice of your heavenly Father and come to know Him as your dearest friend. He wants to give you “Wisdom, Understanding, and Revelation For Every Area Of Your Life”

To learn more about these and other upcoming webinars, visit www.webinars777.com. The “777″ represents Jesus, so Webinars 777 means “Webinars for Jesus.”

——————————————————————————————————-

His Repentance (Chapter 25 of The Power Of A Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian)

Suzanne prayed every day for years that her husband, Jerry, would stop using drugs. Over and over she caught him doing the same thing. Each time he would confess it, say he was sorry, and swear he wasn’t going to do it again. But time and again he fell. She never gave up praying for true repentance to happen in his heart—the kind that turns a man around to walk in a different direction. Unfortunately, Jerry had to learn some hard and painful lessons before God got his attention, but eventually there was a life-changing transformation. Today he is a new man, and together with Suzanne he has a public ministry helping people with similar problems. Suzanne was a praying wife who never stopped believing that God would bring her husband to repentance.

Everyone makes mistakes. That’s not the issue. But there is an epidemic in the world today of people who can’t admit they did something wrong. God says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). But first we have to be sorry about what we’ve done.

According to God’s way of doing things, there are three steps to changing our behavior. First there is confession, which is admitting what we did. Next there is repentance, which is being sorry about what we did. Then there is asking forgiveness, which is being cleansed and released from what we did, The inability or resistance to do any of these three steps is rooted in pride. A man who can’t humble himself to admit he’s wrong before God and before man will have problems in his life that never go away. “Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him” (Proverbs 26:12).

Does your husband have trouble confessing his faults? Or is he the kind of person who can say “I’m sorry” twenty times a day, yet the behavior he apologizes for never changes? In either case, he needs a repentant heart. True repentance means having so much remorse over what you’ve done that you don’t do it again. Only God can cause us to see our sin for what it is, and feel about it the same way He does. “The goodness of God leads you to repentance” (Romans 2:4). Repentance is a working of God’s grace, and we can pray for it to be worked in our husbands.

Too many men have fallen because of pride and the inability to confess and repent. We see it all the time. We read about it in the newspapers. Unconfessed sin doesn’t just go away. It becomes a cancer that grows and suffocates life. Pray for your husband to be convicted of his sin, to humbly confess it before God, then turn from his error and cease to do it. God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). This kind of prayer can be very annoying to the one being prayed for, but it’s far easier to have God shine His light upon our sin than it is to experience the consequences of it. Your husband will be thankful in the end, even if he won’t admit it.

PRAYER

Lord, I pray that you would convict my husband of any error in his life. Let there be nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known” (Matthew 10:26). Cleanse him from any secret sins and teach him to be a person who is quick to confess when he is wrong (Psalm 19:12). Help him to recognize his mistakes. Give him eyes to see Your truth and ears to hear Your voice. Bring him to full repentance before You. If there is suffering to be done, let it be the suffering of a remorseful heart and not because the crushing hand of the enemy has found an opening into his life through unconfessed sin. Lord, I know that humility must come before honor (Proverbs 15:33). Take away all pride that would cause him to deny his faults and work into his soul a humility of heart so that he will receive the honor You have for him.

POWER TOOLS

If our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. – 1 John 3:21-22

He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. – Proverbs 28:13

Search me, 0 God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. – Psalm 139:23-24

When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was turned into the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and You for gave the iniquity of my sin. – Psalm 32:3-5

A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. – 2 Timothy 2:24-26

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. (Ephesians 4:31)

What are you thankful for this week?

Tuesday November 18 was my best day of 2008 thus far. Why? UNITY! CLARITY! PASSION! God was all over the day – good news at every turn. God rekindled my fire for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes after reminding me of the extremely positive impact that organization had on me, my family, and the Culpeper community.

I woke up at 4 am instead of my usual 5 am and read the book of Jonah and the first 5 chapters of Isaiah. America today reminds me a lot of Nineveh of old in the days of Jonah. When I wrote my devotional around 7 am and did a Google search looking for my link of the day, the first link I came across, I chose to use and wouldn’t you know, the key verse for that blog post was the verse from Isaiah that had jumped out at me earlier.

At the monthly Culpeper Ministerial Association meeting, 29 people came, although three had to leave early because of an unplanned urgent meeting. That’s more than I’ve ever seen before. But what’s really neat is the fire, passion, and unity I see among our spiritual leaders. I am so thankful to Jesus for what He’s doing.

Hagazi Kebede led the devotional. He is my dear friend from Ethiopia who works for the Persecution Project Foundation. Hagazi has been a faithful participant in Pray Culpeper [http://prayculpeper.org]. After sharing his story of being the victim of racial discrimination and hatred in the late 1980′s, he shared how God miraculously healed him from the root of bitterness that had taken hold through the power of a vivid dream. Hagazi then shared that his favorite book of the Bible is Jonah, which I had read earlier that morning.

Mark Jenkins, pastor of Mountain View Community Church and the one currently leading the Experiencing God series in our community, said he is encouraging everyone at his congregation to bring wheel barrows of canned food to the community Thanksgiving service on Tuesday evening Nov 25. He said he expects it to be standing room only at Culpeper Baptist Church, which has a roughly 900 seat capacity. That’s never happened before for this spiritual community event.

Randy Orndorff, pastor of the Culpeper United Methodist Church, shared great news about how many businesses and organization are marketing the Chris Sligh concert in memory of Kelsey Orndorff at the Culpeper High School on Saturday Nov 22. They expect that to be sold out with an overflow. That auditorium seats 1,200.

There was active discussion and interest in starting a quarterly community worship and prayer gathering. Pastor Chad Whaley came and discussed the need for pastors and churches to adopt a simple solution to address the needs of the homeless in our community. Pastors jumped all over that. Thank You Jesus!

In the evening, Julia and I drove to Fredericksburg for the annual FCA banquet. I hadn’t been involved with the FCA or attended one of its banquets for 4 years. It was weird how we ended up going. My wife started actively using Facebook after participating in the webinar I hosted with Mari Smith, the pied piper of Facebook.

Then Kerry O’Niell, the Director of the Fredericksburg area FCA, began reaching out to bless Julia with little “touches” through Facebook. About a week ago, my wife tells me out-of-the-blue that she wants to go to the FCA banquet. What an incredible blessing. I’ll share more about that tomorrow.

Jack Serra, one of the regional VP’s for Harvest Evangelism, says “The businessman’s ministry in the marketplace will only advance to the extent his marriage permits.” He teaches that a wife’s primary role to her husband is helpmate and that husbands need to listen to their wives. Well, for months my wife has been telling me I need to get out more to be with people and groups.  Of course, she’s right.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, we have so much to be thankful for in Culpeper and Virginia. Thank You for turning up the spiritual temperature in our communities. Thank You unity, clarity, and passion among our spiritual leaders. Thank You for rekindling my fire  to bless teens through the FCA. Ignite a bond fire of praise, worship, and prayer in our state that rapidly spreads across our nation. Thank You Jesus. Amen and hallelujah!

Link of the Day
Chris Sligh

Blessings to end 2008 on a bang, overflowing with thanksgiving!

Now to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord: A wife is not to depart from her husband. But even if she does depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband. And a husband is not to divorce his wife. (1 Corinthians 7:10-11)

How do you “fireproof” your marriage?
When will you fireproof your marriage?

God truly works in mysterious ways. Today’s story is an amazing tangle of circumstances with God reaching out to bless marriages right here in Culpeper, but also in Virginia, America, and beyond.

On Tuesday evening November 4 (Election Day), Julia (my wife) and I went to hear Rick Heeren speak at City On A Hill Church in Culpeper, Virginia. Pastor GW Dameron was the gracious host. This was the first time I had ever been to the new location for City On A Hill Church, now located in the same building as AT&T (formerly Cingular), on Route 522 adjacent to Yowell Meadow Park.

What Rick shared was fantastic to fan the flames for community transformation. As Julia and I were getting ready to leave the building, the Holy Spirit prompted Julia to pick up a gorgeous handout on the table at the back of the sanctuary titled “Fireproof Your Marriage: Never Leave Your Partner Behind.” The back of that handout said:

“Learn the secrets to a lasting marriage. Financial pressures, the stress of parenting, differences between men and women, boredom, temptations – they can all scorch a relationship. The fires will come – will your marriage last? Come to City On A Hill Church this week as we start a series called Fireproof Your Marriage. The God who designed marriage intended for it to be a loving, lifelong partnership. Join us as we discuss His plans for indestructible relationships. You’ll find practical insights for building an enduring red-hot marriage.”

The Fireproof Your Marriage handout opened a discussion with GW and us about the 6 week marriage series he is hosting at City On A Hill Church on Saturdays at 6:00 pm EST, starting November 8. Julia and I learned that “FIREPROOF” (the movie) was playing at our local theaters and we talked about watching that movie on Sat Nov 8.

Early yesterday afternoon, my wife asked if I wanted to go with her a few hours later to watch the matinee showing of “The Secret Life of Bees.” Normally I’m not a big movie buff, especially during the work day. But I agreed. When we got to the theater, I asked how much longer “FIREPROOF” would be playing at the theater and found out that was the last day.

So Julia and I watched 2 movies back-to-back – “The Secret Life of Bees” and “FIREPROOF.” For someone who only goes to a movie once every 2-3 months, and never to back-to-back movies, this was peculiar. Both movies were fantastic – extremely wholesome stories. Fireproof starred Kirk Cameron and was made by the creators of “Facing The Giants,” one of my favorite movies of all time.

As a result of the Nov 4 discussion with GW and the FIREPROOF movie yesterday, Julia and I now plan to participate in the “Fireproof Your Marriage” series that starts Saturday November 8 at City On A Hill Church in Culpeper. If you live nearby and are available, we invite you to join us.

Who is FIREPROOF for? According to a blog post titled “Singles loving FIREPROOF,” “it’s for everybody. Kids, parents, older couples, singles. Everybody. Each viewer learns about forgiveness. The movie speaks to all relationships and has application for us all as we accept and serve each other unconditionally.”

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for these two fantastic movies. Thank You for leading Julia and me to watch them together yesterday. Thank You for the “Fireproof Your Marriage” series that starts in Culpeper on Saturday November 8. May everyone who participates be richly blessed. Bless all those who were involved in the making of these two movies. Thank You Jesus. Amen and hallelujah!

Link of the Day
www.fireproofmymarriage.com

Blessings to fireproof your marriage!

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” (John 14:12)

As you contemplate on the God who hung on the cross, what is possible for God to do through you for the remainder of your life?

Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20 in most years, but March 21 in others). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify Passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.
 
Here’s the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see!  Here are the facts:
 
1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so only people 95 or older were around for that!).

2) Easter can never be more than one day earlier than it is this year. The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

What is the significance of this early Easter in God’s master plan? What does this mean for 2008? Well, for one thing, the Global Day of Prayer, which takes place on Pentecost Sunday (50 days after Easter), will be the earliest (May 11, 2008) any of us will ever see. More about that and Loudoun Awakening 2008 later this week.

Let me share a moving story from yesterday afternoon. As I was walking in my neighborhood, I saw Robby Yeaman driving the family pickup truck to his parent’s back yard loaded with tree branches. That prompted me to ask Robby for help in cleaning up my yard – dead branches on the ground and a large tree that had fallen over. Robby gladly volunteered and came over later with his pick up truck and chain saw.

While working with Robby, I learned that he went on a 9 day mission trip to Peru in January with International Cooperating Ministries. Robbie told me about Dois Rosser, the founder of that ministry, and he gave me a book titled “The God Who Hung on the Cross.”

Dois committed his life to Christ as a youngster and prospered greatly in the marketplace by applying the principles of Jesus. At the age of 66, Dois was ready to retire, so he asked God wanted He wanted him to do in the remainder of his life. God told him to build church buildings.

Dois is now 87 years old and still working 50 hours/week as a missionary leader. In the past 21 years, International Cooperating Ministries has built 3,000 church buildings in 25+ nations of the world. Following each church dedication, congregations then honor their agreement to plant five daughter congregations over a three year period. Thus, their close work with the national partners generates exponential church growth, with past results showing an average thirty-fold return for donor contributions.  That’s a principle of multiplication that most of us can learn from.

Prayer Power
Most gracious and loving Father, on this Easter day we celebrate and say thank You for the greatest gift of all time – Your Son. Thank You for the gift of salvation available to all those who believe in Jesus. Thank You for the Yeaman family, Dois Rosser, and International Cooperating Ministries. Bless them greatly. Inspire those who read this message to be willing to take on something big for You. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
International Cooperating Ministries – Nurturing believers and assisting Church growth worldwide 

Blessing for the courage, faith, and commitment to take on something big for God!

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.(1 John 1:8)

What sin do you need to confess?
Who do you need to ask for forgiveness TODAY?

Last night I went to bed around 10:00 PM. Because I felt quite tired, I chose not to set my PDA alarm for 5 AM as usual, but to get up when I felt well rested. Well, wouldn’t you know, I woke up at 5:08 AM feeling well rested. Just that 8 extra minutes of sleep felt like I had a new beginning.

I came downstairs, went to My Secret Place, knelt down, and began praying. One of my prayers, which I pray almost every morning, was this, “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 what is Thy will.”

Then I came to my desk to journal. The Holy Spirit prompted me out-of-the-blue to go to my basement to find two music CD’s by David Teens and load those into my iTunes. I hadn’t listened to those for 3 years since losing my iPod on an airplane when flying to Italy in March 2005.

Within seconds of listening to Credo, the very first song on David’s CD titled “Scars and Stripes,” I was ushered into the presence of God and overwhelmed by His mercy and grace. Quickly, I was convicted of failing to show mercy in a particular situation yesterday and instructed to ask that person for forgiveness later today.

Then as I was listening to the rest of the songs on the “Scars and Stripes” CD, I was prompted to sort some of my files related to my journaling. While doing that, I came across a document from my recent Life Focus leadership coaching course titled “Value and Pattern Statements.” Here is what my first value statement said:

1) Spiritual Life: I value PRAYER and my personal relationship with Jesus above all else; time alone to think, dream, reflect, distill, pray, and simply enjoy His presence. My active life flows out of my relationship with Him. I believe the whole duty of man is to enjoy God’s presence. I believe I will fulfill my destiny simply by obeying the Greatest Commandment – loving God while all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength. Loving my neighbor as myself flows naturally out of my relationship with Jesus. If there is ABIDING, JOURNALING, and REST, I’m good to go.

Reading this prompted me to start a blog at randypeck.com to share the rest of my value and pattern statements. I also wanted to share a powerful email I received from Anne Alder on Jan 30. May the blog at today’s Link of the Day bless and refresh  you as the dew unto Israel.

Prayer Power
Come, Holy Spirit, come! Come! Sweet, sweet Spirit, come! You are welcome in this place!

Link of the Day
Dr. Randy Peck’s blog

Blessings to be healed by His scars and stripes!

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice, And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)

Who do you need to forgive?
Who are you blaming for frustrations and failures in your life?

In yesterday devotional, I mentioned how thankful I am that I am forgiven by the blood of the Lamb. Hidden unforgiveness can be very subtle, much like a cancer destroying your body from the inside out, not being discovered until a cure is unlikely. Unforgiveness produces stress, which in turn leads to a multitude of health and relationship problems. Criticizing, condemning, and complaining are symptoms of unforgiveness.

Here are some excerpts from Chapter 26 of Stormie Omartian’s book “The Power of a Praying Parent:”

Forgiveness is a choice you make… If you don’t forgive, it brings death into your life in one form or another. The best way to become forgiving is to pray for the person you need to forgive. Even though it may seem hard at first, once you get into it and find more and more things to pray about, you’ll notice your heart becoming soft toward that person.

As a part of honoring father and mother and receiving the promise of long life and blessing that accompanies that commandment, every child needs to forgive both parents for their imperfections and anything they may have done that was hurtful.

One of the best things we can do to help our children stay free of unforgiveness, besides teaching them to be forgiving and praying that they walk in forgiveness, is to get free of unforgiveness ourselves. Unforgiveness can so easily become a part of our lives that we take it along with us wherever we go without even realizing we are carrying this excess baggage.

When I finally learned that forgiveness doesn’t make the other person right, it makes you free, I found great breakthrough in that area. I always felt that forgiving someone meant I was saying, “What you did is okay.” But that’s not the case at all. Forgiveness is trusting that God is the God of justice He says He is and saying, “Father, I won’t hold that person to myself with unforgiveness anymore.” It’s acknowledging that God knows the truth and allowing Him to be the judge, because He is the only one who knows the whole story.

The Bible says, “The Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him” (Isaiah 30:18). We will be blessed if we confess our unforgiveness to Him, pray to be delivered from it, and then sit back and wait for God to do the right thing while we enjoy His blessings. Doesn’t that sound a lot more enjoyable than living in the prison of unforgiveness and suffering the disease it brings into our souls, bodies, relationships, and lives?

How does the son forgive the father who beat him? How does the mother forgive the drunk driver who killed her daughter? How does the young girl forgive the uncle who molested her? How can anyone show mercy for someone who was merciless? They can’t fully, unless they come into the presence of the Lord and understand His complete forgiveness. There is nothing like the tears of joy and release we feel when we come to that place of complete forgiveness before the Lord. It’s life-giving because it renews our entire being.

Prayer Power
Lord, I pray that You would enable those who read this message to live in ongoing forgiveness. Teach them the depth of Your forgiveness toward them so they can be freely forgiving toward others. Help them to make the decision to forgive based on what You’ve asked us to do and not on what feels good at the moment. May they understand that forgiveness doesn’t justify the other person’s actions; instead, it set them free. Help them to understand that only You know the whole story about any of us, and that’s why we don’t have the right to judge.

Lord, Your Word says, “He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:10-11). Show my readers places where they walk in the darkness of unforgiveness. May they see clearly and know where they are going. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
The Power of Forgiveness – by Learning Peace [http://www.learningpeace.com/pages/LP_10.htm]
 
Blessings to live free of unforgiveness!

And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. (Matthew 6:12)

Who do you need to make the four promises of forgiveness to?

This morning I had the privilege to have breakfast and meet with Michael Stay for a few hours. Not only is he a good friend, but he has been my #1 business mentor.

While we were conversing, I shared that I recently was deeply hurt by someone close and struggled to completely forgive that person until earlier this week. Michael then gave me a Peacemaker’s card explaining the four promises of forgiveness. They are based on Matt 6:12, 1 Cor 13:5, Eph 4:32. After completing the year long Peacemaker training several years ago, Michael is very qualified to help resolve conflict.

Here is what the Peacemaker website says about the four promises of forgiveness:

Through forgiveness God tears down the walls that our sins have built, and he opens the way for a renewed relationship with him. This is exactly what we must do if we are to forgive as the Lord forgives us: We must release the person who has wronged us from the penalty of being separated from us. We must not hold wrongs against others, not think about the wrongs, and not punish others for them. Therefore, forgiveness may be described as a decision to make four promises:

“I will not dwell on this incident.”

“I will not bring up this incident again and use it against you.”

“I will not talk to others about this incident.”

“I will not let this incident stand between us or hinder our personal relationship.”

By making and keeping these promises, you can tear down the walls that stand between you and your offender. You promise not to dwell on or brood over the problem or to punish by holding the person at a distance. You clear the way for your relationship to develop unhindered by memories of past wrongs. This is exactly what God does for us, and it is what he calls us to do for others.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to model total forgiveness. Thank You that by the blood of the Lamb I am totally forgiven of all past, present, and future sins. Help me to have that healthy balance between mercy and truth. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Link of the Day
Seven A’s of Confession
[http://www.peacemaker.net/site/c.aqKFLTOBIpH/b.958153/k.7417/Seven_As_of_Confession.htm]

Blessings to apply the four promises of forgiveness!

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21-22)

Are you harboring any unforgiveness in your heart?
If so, what steps will you take to release yourself from the past?

While Julia (my wife) and I were walking our dog on the beautiful morning of April 23, she told me two stories about forgiveness shown on TV the night before. One TV channel showed pastors in Blacksburg Virginia talking to students about the importance of forgiveness as they returned to campus a week after the terrible shooting tragedy.

Julia then told me about the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie “Crossroads: A Story of Forgiveness.” She explained how God’s timing was perfect to have this movie air just as people across our nation were dealing with the issue of forgiveness.

“Crossroads: A Story of Forgiveness” is a narrative closely based on a true story. It forces us to contemplate how we would react in a similar situation.

Dean Cain plays Bruce Murakami, a father and husband who makes credible the transition from uncomprehending sadness to magnanimous forgiveness. Bruce is a Tampa Florida contractor whose close-knit family includes a wife, two teenage sons and a young daughter. Mother and daughter die in a horrifying car crash — which turns out to have been the result of a street-racing incident involving a reckless teenager, Justin Cabezas.

A distraught, angry Murakami fights for justice, with one son, Josh, encouraging him and the other, Brody, resenting him. He hires a high-powered attorney and helps to gather the evidence needed to convict the teenager, who faces a long prison term. Eventually, Murakami finds that his desire for retribution is destroying himself. He realizes that he needs to forgive Justin so that he and his sons can find healing.

Murakami gets permission to meet Justin one-on-one, and a moving confrontation occurs, which results in uncommon mercy in the courtroom. At the end, Murakami and Justin, as part of his community service sentence, join forces on the school lecture circuit to promote safe driving among young people. Because of Murakami noble response to a horrific tragedy, the nonprofit organization Safe Teen Driver [www.safeteendriver.org] was birthed.

In a recent interview, the real-life Murakami is quoted as saying, “If I hadn’t forgiven him, I would have been the third victim of the tragedy.”

Prayer Power
Father, when tragedy or hurt strikes, we have the choice to become bitter or better. May we choose the courageous option and the higher road! Thank You for the people at Hallmark who made the movie Crossroads about forgiveness, a subject that isn’t much in vogue these days. Bless them. Use Your children and loving media reports to help grieving people around the world transition from uncomprehending sadness to magnanimous forgiveness. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
Justin Cabezas’ Story [http://www.safeteendriver.org/story-justincabezas.htm]

Blessings for each of us to model a life of magnanimous forgiveness!