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March

YOU ARE INVITED!!

On May 1, the National Day of Prayer, there will be a Marketplace Prayer Summit, and you are
welcome and encouraged to participate. The Silver Dollar City Foundation is sponsoring the
event. It will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the Plaza View Restaurant atop the Grand
Plaza Hotel in Branson. Lunch will be provided, at no cost to participants. It is necessary to
register; please call
(417) 338-8036 or (417) 336-7057. There will be other prayer events on that day as well. 1) From
6:45 to 8:30 a.m., there will be the annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast, sponsored by the Christian
Business Men’s Committee. It will be held at the Tri-Lakes Center in Branson. For the cost of
$25 per person, there will be a buffet breakfast provided by The Golden Corral, special music,
prayer and for the first time a speaker coming from outside our area. He is Jordan Lorence, a
senior executive and attorney with The Alliance Defense Fund. You may also purchase a table of
eight for $175 and invite friends and associates. 2) The Concerned Women for America will host
their annual prayer time at the City Halls of Branson and Forsyth, from noon to 1 p.m. 3) There
will also be the annual prayer gathering at the County Courthouse in Galena, beginning at 10
a.m. If you would like more information about any of these events, please contact me (Bob
Burton) at 338-8036 or 331-1028.

REFLECTION
Probably six months ago, John Baltes, the
President of the SDC Foundation, loaned me a
book to read and told me that it is really
powerful. Well, I took it home, put it on a shelf
and forgot about until he reminded me months
later. Shame on me! I should have realized that
when he recommends something, it is important.
Well, I am now more than half way through the
book, and it is something right up the alley for
an intercessor – and therefore important for the
UP Team. The name of the book is “Secrets of
the Secret Place,” by Bob Sorge, and it is
published by Oasis House. Each chapter is short
and power-packed. Here is the table of contents:
Part I is “Accepting the Great Invitation,” and it
has fourteen chapters: The Secret of Saying
“Yes”, of the Shut Door, of Listening, of Radical
Obedience, of Rapid Repentance, of Sowing, of
Refuge, of Decision Making, of No Plan B, of
Burning, of Violence, of Humility, of
Intercession, of Watching. Part II is “Making it
Work,” including such topics as The Secret of
Radiation Therapy, of Time, of Retreats, of
Journaling, of Meditating, of Praying the
Scriptures, and more. Part III is “Setting a
Marathon Pace,” with such topics as The Secret
of Desperation, of Waiting, of Manna Gathering,
of Tears, of the Cross and of Rest. Part IV,
“Seeking a Deeper Relationship,” includes such
topics as The Secret of True Riches, of Beholding
Jesus, of Walking with God, of Buying Oil, and
the final chapter is The Secret of Union with
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God. The book is a paperback, and I
recommend it for every intercessor. Unlike the
New Age and demonic book, “The Secret,” this
one is truly anointed by the Holy Spirit. For this
Reflection, I share a few pearls of wisdom from
the boo, “Secrets of the Secret Place: In Chapter
13, “The Secret of Intercession,” we read this:
“Intercession, one element in our personal
prayer life, is what I am choosing to define as
‘prayer on behalf of needs other than my own.’
Intercession is the priestly ministry of a go-
between, someone who stands between heaven
and a need on earth and petitions the Father for
a breakthrough… Intercession accelerates
God’s purposes in the earth…We can actually
buy time with our prayers – ‘redeeming the
time, because the days are evil’ (Ephesians 5:16)
…When evil is looming we can postpone its
coming with our prayers; and when good is
delayed, we can accelerate its coming with our
prayers. There are many things God has
purposed for this planet, and they will most
certainly happen; the only question is, will they
happen in and with and through us? Will we
participate? If we don’t pray, God’s purposes
will happen, but they will not happen sooner.
They will be delayed. See here the infinite power
of God to accelerate things on earth and bring
world events to their culmination. He can wrap
this whole thing up whenever He wants to, but
He’s looking for a generation that refuses to be
bypassed – a generation that’s so desperate to be
included that they’re giving themselves to
incessant, violent prayer. One of the most
profound ways you can love someone is by
praying for them. Intercession does something
very powerful in the intercessor: It joins the
heart of the intercessor to the heart of the one
being prayed for. In intercession, you are
investing yourself in another person’s life. It’s
one of the secrets of the secret place…The body
of Christ doesn’t work properly without the
members praying for each other. Prayer is the
immunity system of the body of Christ…I
wonder at what grace will be released in the
church when we begin to identify with the
suffering members of the body as though it were
we ourselves who were imprisoned. One of the
fantastic mysteries of prayer is how God joins
together the international house of affection (the
church) through the impassioned support of one
another in prayer. Prayer is God’s gift which
empowers the body to edify itself in love. Do our
patterns of prayer indicate that we’re feeling the
pain? May the Lord put a holy alarm in our
spirits over the powerlessness of the church, and
drive us to our knees in an
impassioned pursuit of
the overcoming authority
Christ died to give us!”
And in Chapter 5, “The
Secret of Rapid
Repentance,” we read the
following: “Eight times the
Scriptures enjoin us, ‘Take heed
to yourselves’ (Exodus 19:12;
Deuteronomy 4:23; 11:16; Jeremiah
17:21; Luke 17:3; 21:34; Acts 5:35; 20:28). Two
of these times the words are spoken by Jesus
Himself. This taking heed to oneself is a
primary function of the secret place. Prayer is
the constant calibration of the soul. It is a
lifestyle of stopping and taking candid spiritual
inventory. This is not spiritual paranoia, but
rather the exercise of one who has a healthy fear
of God and a sublime desire for glorious heights
of intimacy with God…It is the secret place that
I find ‘my spirit makes diligent search’ (Psalm
77:6). I so very much long to please Him and to
know His will, so my spirit diligently searches
the recesses of my heart to see if there might be
anything in me for which I need to repent. I
want nothing of my self-life to
hinder my relationship with Him
or His purposes for us
together. I feel like I’m
panning for gold – the finds
are few and not as weighty as I
would desire. Here’s
some excellent counsel:
Become a good repenter. The
only way to move forward in God is through
repentance. If your pride hinders you from
repenting, get over it. You’re a wretch. You
need mercy so badly it’s scary. Wise up and
master the art of repentance. Call your sin in its
worst possible terms. Grovel. Eat dust. I
remember the day I awakened to the reality that
I live far below God’s glory. I saw it in the story
of Jesus’ multiplying the loaves and fish for the
five thousand: ‘Then Jesus lifted up His eyes,
and seeing a great multitude coming toward
Him, He said to Philip, ‘Where shall be buy
bread, that these may eat?’ But this He said to
test him, for He Himself knew what He would
do” (John 6: 5-6). Jesus was testing Philip to see
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if Philip was living in the glory zone. Philip
would have to live in another dimension to know
the answer to the test, which was simply, ‘Lord,
just break open these loaves and fish and
multiply them for the multitude.’ Philip failed
the test because his thoughts were a universe
below those of Jesus. Then I saw it so clearly: I
am failing the Philip test virtually every day! I
am so earthbound in my perspectives that I am
almost oblivious to the dimension of glory in
which Jesus lives. It’s safe to assume that apart
from God’s grace I am constantly falling short of
the excellence of God’s glory. Do I need to
repent continually? You bet! Beloved, I pray
you might gain the secret of radical, rapid
repentance. Ready repentance opens the
channels for intimate communion with God.
When you’re in the secret place, be quick to
confess your unbelief and hardness of heart.
Don’t make Him talk you into it. Agree quickly
with Him on the way. When I speak of
repentance in this chapter, I am not thinking of
repenting from sins like lying, fornication,
stealing, cursing, pornography, hatred, or
drunkenness. Those sins are so obvious that you
don’t even need the conviction of the Holy Spirit
to know you’re in disobedience. God’s word
regarding these sins is blatantly clear. Sincerity
and a clear conscience don’t even begin until we
deal with these kinds of outward sins. No, I am
not talking about obvious sins; I am talking
about repenting from our iniquities. Iniquities
are hidden faults that we don’t see, the wicked
residue of our fallen nature that discolors the
fabric of our thoughts, motives, feelings,
responses, and desires. Iniquities are wrapped
up in much more subtle areas of sinfulness, such
as pride, rebellion, unbelief, envy, selfishness,
ambition, and covetousness. We all have hidden
pockets of iniquity, and we need God’s help to
see them. God has many ways of bringing our
iniquities to the surface where we can see them,
and those ways are summarized under the
scriptural metaphor of fire. ‘Nevertheless the
solid foundation of God stands, having this seal:
‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, “Let
everyone who names the name of Christ depart
from iniquity.’ But in a great house there are
not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of
wood and clay, some for honor and some for
dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself
from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor,
sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared
for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:19-21)…As
you are in the secret place and meditating in the
Word, God will use the fire of circumstances
mixed with the fire of His Word to reveal your
hidden faults to you. As you gaze upon His
perfection and beauty, you will suddenly see
yourself in a whole new light. You will sense His
unconditional acceptance despite your
weaknesses, but also His firm commitment to
conform you into the image of Christ. At that
moment you are standing at the threshold of a
wonderful opportunity: This is a time to
embrace rapid repentance. For the devout, this
is actually an exciting moment. Repentance
becomes the opportunity to turn from things
that have been hindering love, and as such,
repentance becomes the catalyst for a greater
and more profound intimacy than we’ve known
to this point with God…A consistent pattern of
rapid repentance will cause us to become a vessel
of gold or silver, useful to the Master for noble
purposes.”
CREATING EMOTIONAL CONNECTIONS
I have the privilege of conducting the general
orientation for new employees of Herschend
Family Entertainment employees – three times a
week for most of the season. It is a passion of
mine to be able to relate to the new folks,
welcome them, help them begin to feel at home,
and share with them the heart and soul of the
Company. That is expressed in the Vision, the
Mission and the Core Values. The Vision is “We
Best Serve the Lord by Bringing Families closer
together.” The Mission is “We Create Memories
Worth Repeating.” The four Core Values are
“We Greatly Exceed Guest Expectations,” “We
Serve Others,” We Create Emotional
Connections,” and “We Constantly Improve.”
The Foundational Statement is “All in a Manner
Consistent with Christian Values and Ethics.”
When we reach the point in the orientation
where we explain and discuss “We Create
Emotional Connections,” I share some stories
and invite participants to share some, too,
whether about experiences at our properties or
anywhere in their lives. I explain that all of us
have been impacted in a positive way by others
and that life is like a tapestry. If we look closely,
we can see all the interconnecting threads; and
that is the way life as, as we cross the paths of
people every day. For the “Story” portion of this
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issue of the Newsletter, here are some accounts I
have shared and that I have heard: 1) Last
season there was a workcamper couple in
orientation; the previous year they had worked
at Dollywood. He was a ride operator and one
day he noticed a mother standing there, with her
daughter beside her. The daughter was in a
wheelchair and had a frozen, almost frowning
expression. He asked the Mom if the daughter
would like to ride. She asked her, and the
daughter nodded, with still no expression on her
face. So, he picked her up from the wheelchair,
buckled her in the ride and let her ride twice.
The young girl began smiling and then laughing.
When he put her back in the wheelchair, Mom
was standing there crying. When
he asked her what was wrong, she
told him that her daughter
had been critically injured in
an automobile accident six
months earlier and
would never walk again –
and this was the first time she
had smiled, much less laughed, since the
accident. 2) A new employee had worked at
Silver Dollar City previously, in a lease shop,
where they cut coins, put inscriptions on them
and make necklaces, etc. One day a young boy
walked in; he was about 10 – 11 years old. He
pointed to a quarter necklace that had “No
Fear” inscribed on it and told her he would
really like to have it. She asked him why; he
hesitated and then said, “Oh, I am dying of
cancer. It’s OK, I’m alright with it; but that
necklace would sure help me.” Well, he didn’t
have enough money, so he bought a nickel with a
smiley face on it. The lady said that she could
not let that go, so she slipped some money in the
register, and put the quarter in his bag, along
with the nickel, without him seeing it. He left,
and she went on about her business. Months
later, the mother tracked her down and told her
that her son had died, but that when he opened
the bag and found the quarter, he put it on right
away and never took it off. Mom told her that
she had no idea what it meant to him, how it
helped him, how much strength it gave him. 3)
A new employee who had worked at SDC and
had returned, told the story about Charlie.
Charlie works in Merchandise and has a very
quiet ministry. He makes simple wooden crosses
and puts them on chains. He wears one, and
whenever someone comments on it, he gives
them one. The new employee told me that he
was wearing one of Charlie’s crosses and a lady
came up to him to tell him how beautiful his
cross was and how much her daughter would
like it. He immediately took it off and gave it to
her. The following year, the lady returned and
asked him if he remembered her. When she
reminded him about the cross and her daughter,
he said that, yes, he remembered. She began
quietly crying and told him that her daughter
had died, and the cross was around her neck in
the coffin. He began crying, too; he took of the
cross he was wearing – another one of Charlie’s,
and put it around her neck. Charlie, by the way,
is a member of the UP Team. 4) This season, at
one of the first orientations, a lady shared a
story that happened to her last year. She had
been working in a lease shop, one that makes
wooden signs with people’s names on them, and
this year she was coming to work as an employee
of SDC. She was working in her shop and
noticed a grandfather with his young
granddaughter, about six years old. The girl
was carefully and gently touching the
merchandise, and the lady realized that she was
blind. So she went up to her and began talking
with her. The girl said she was returning the
next day to pick up a sign her grandfather was
ordering; she told the lady to be sure the
decorations were pink and no other color. She
then asked if she could “see” the lady; so she
bent down and moved her hands across her face.
She smiled and asked the lady if she was her
angel. Well, Stephanie began crying then, and
she managed to tell the little girl that she would
see her the next day. That evening she and her
husband looked everywhere at home
to find a little angel pin with a pink
stone in it that had been given to
her years before. They found it,
and when the little girl came in
the next day, the lady gave it to her
and pinned it on her. Her little face lit up and
she told her that for sure now she knew she was
her angel. She told her that she would be
returning the next season – this season – and
would she be there to see her. The lady
promised her that she would. So, when she was
hired as an employee, she asked to be assigned to
the Ozark Market Place. Why? Because that is
the area where the lease shop is also, and she
does not want to fail to keep her promise to that
little girl.
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ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
Some thoughts of a wandering mind, received via e-
mail: “I planted some bird seed; a bird came up; now
I don’t know what to do with it.”…”I had amnesia
once – or twice.”…”I went to San Francisco; I found
someone’s heart; now what?…
“Protons have mass? I didn’t even know they were
Catholic.”…”All I ask is a chance to prove that
money can’t make me happy.”…”What is a free gift?
Aren’t all gifts free?”…”They told me I was gullible;
and I believed them.”…”One nice thing about
egotists; they don’t talk about other people.”…”I
used to be indecisive; now I’m not sure.”…”The cost
of living hasn’t affected its popularity.”…”If
swimming is good for your figure, how do you explain
whales?”…”Show me a man with both feet firmly on
the ground, and I’ll show you a man who can’t get his
pants off.”…”Is it my imagination, or do buffalo
wings taste like chicken?”
MORE ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: ARE YOU
SOUTHERN?
“Only Southerner knows the difference between a
hissie fit and a conniption fit, and that you don’t have
them, you pitch them.”…”Only a Southerner knows
how many fish, collard greens, turnip greens, peas,
beans, etc. make up a ‘mess.’…Only a Southerner can
show or point out to you the general direction of
‘yonder.’…Only a Southerner knows how long
‘directly’ is – as in, ‘Going to town, be back
directly.’..
Even Southern babies know that ‘Gimme some sugar’
is not a request for the white, granular sweet
substance that sits in a bowl in the middle of the
table…All Southerners know exactly when ‘by and
by’ is; they might not use the term, but they know the
concept well…Only a Southerner knows instinctively
that the best gesture of solace for a neighbor who’s
got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big
bowl of cold potato salad. If the neighbor’s trouble is
a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana
puddin’…Only Southerners grow up knowing the
difference between ‘right near’ and ‘a right far
piece.’ They also know that ‘just down the road’ can
be 1 mile or 20…No true Southerner would ever
assume that the car with the flashing turn signal is
actually going to make a turn…A Southerner knows
that ‘fixin’ can be used as a noun, a verb or an
adverb…Only Southerners make friends while
standing in line. We don’t do ‘queues, we do ‘lines;’
and when we’re in ‘line,’ we talk to everybody…”Put
100 Southerners in a room, and half of them will
discover they’re related, if only by marriage…True
Southerners knever refer to one person as ‘y’all’…
Southerners know that grits come from come, and
how to eat them…Every Southerner knows tomatoes
with eggs, bacon, grits and coffee are perfectly
wonderful; that red eye gravy is also a breakfast
food; and that fried green tomatoes are not a
breakfast food…When you hear someone say, ‘Well, I
caught myself lookin’, you know you are in the
presence of a genuine Southerner…Only true
Southerners say ‘sweet tea’ and ‘sweet milk.’ Sweet
tea indicates the need for sugar and lots of it, and
sweet milk means you don’t want buttermilk…A true
Southerner knows you don’t scream obscenities as
little old ladies who drive 30 mph on the road; you
just say ‘Bless her heart,’ and go on your way…To
those of you who’re still a little embarrassed by your
Southerness: Take two tent revivals and a dose of
sausage gravy and call me in the morning. Bless your
heart!…And to those of you who are still having a
hard time understanding all this Southern stuff, bless
your hearts, I hear they are fixin’ to have classes on
Southerness as a second language…And for those
that are not from the South but have lived her for a
long time, ya’ll need a sign to hang on y’all’s front
porch that reads ‘I aint from the South, but I got here
as fast as I could…Bless your hearts, ya’ll have a
blessed day!””
MORE SOUTHERNESS: SERIOUS
You may have heard this before, but it is certainly
worth repeating. The following
is a statement that was read over the PA system at a
football game in a high school in a Tennesse town, by
the Principal: “It has always been the custom here at
football games to say a prayer and play the National
Anthem, to honor God and country. Due to a
government ruling, I am told that saying a prayer is a
violation of the law. As I understand the law at this
time, I can use this public facility to approve of sexual
perversion and call it an alternative life style, and if
someone is offended, that’s OK. I can use it to
condone sexual promiscuity, by dispensing condoms
and calling it ‘safe sex.’ If someone is offended, that
is OK. I can even use this public facility to present
the merits of killing an unborn baby as a ‘viable’
means of birth control. If someone is offended, no
problem. I can designate a school day as ‘Earth Day’
and involve students to worship and praise ‘Mother
Earth’ and call it ‘ecology.’ I can use literature,
videos and presentations in the classroom that depicts
people with strong, traditional Christian convictions
as ‘simple minded’ and ‘ignorant’ and call it
‘enlightenment.’ However, if anyone uses this facility
to honor GOD and to ask HIM to bless this event with
safety and good sportsmanship, then the law is
violated. This appears to be inconsistent at best, and
at worst diabolical. Apparently, we are able to be
tolerant of everything and anyone except God and
His Commandments. Nevertheless, as a school
Principal, I ask staff and students to abide by rules
with which they do not necessarily agree. For me to
 6
do otherwise would be inconsistent at best, and at
worst hypocritical. For this reason, I shall “render
unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s.’ and refrain from
praying at this time. However, if you feel inspired to
honor, praise and thank God and ask Him, in the
name of Jesus, to bless this event, please feel free to
do so. As far as I know, that’s not against the law –
yet.”
PRAYER MOBILIZATION
Please pray for: Cameron Keeton, health…
ReignDown USA (for more information go to
their website or contact De Landgraf at
de@reigndownusa.com)…J and J…Kathy Boyd,
as she continues to recover from her accident
and subsequent surgeries, and for her loving
husband, Pastor Howard Boyd…Linda Erwin,
as she continues to recuperate and in
thanksgiving as she has now returned to work
part-time…McKensey Blevins, health…Pastor
Jonathan McGuire and his wife, Amy – Bridge
of Faith Church in Rockaway Beach…Elizabeth
Tomelleri, health and spiritual guidance as she
seeks God’s perfect will…Karen, health…the
father of Cindy Reynolds, and Cindy…Pastor
Aaron Artt, health…the Mayor’s Prayer
Breakfast and the speaker, Jordan Lorence, and
the other events on the National Day of Prayer…
Susan Rogers, health, the father of Tom, and
Sandee…the father of Ron Reser, and Becky…
Tom Fish who is battling cancer and his wife
Merrilyn…Dawn Engel, health, and Brian…all
churches and ministries in the regions.
matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and
jealousies will finally disappear. So, too, your
hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will
expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so
important will fade away. It won’t matter where
you came from, or on what side of the tracks you
lived. It won’t matter whether you were
beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and
skin color will be irrelevant. So what will
matter? How will the value of your days be
measured? What will matter is not what you
bought, but what you built; not what you got,
but what you gave. What will matter is not your
success, but your significance. What will matter
is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity,
compassion and sacrifice that enriched,
empowered and encouraged others to emulate
your example. What will matter is not your
competence, but your character. What will
matter is not how many people you knew, but
how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re
gone. What will matter is not your memories,
but the memories that live in those who loved
you. What will matter is how long you will be
remembered, by whom and for what. Living a
life that matters doesn’t happen by accident. It’s
not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.” (Michael
Josephson)
CONCLUSION
We are holding at 14 slots away from 24/7, with
almost 290 hours of prayer. The Holy Spirit
wants to work through each of us – to encourage
others to commit to an hour a week or more, or
to encourage us to join if we are not members.
With each of us spreading the word, we will
grow exponentially – and we will be doing our
part to bring spiritual transformation to our
regions and to our nation. Call me at (417) 331-
1028.

Peace.

“WHAT WILL MATTER”

“Ready or not, someday it will come to an end. Bob Burton
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes,
hours or days. All the things you collected,
whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to
someone else. Your wealth, fame and temporal
power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not