MAY, 2007
REFLECTION
A s I looked around the big room in the
Celebration City on the National Day of
Prayer, I saw between 500 and 600 people
gathered together for a time of Scripture, prayer,
the presentation of an award to a man who
represents the best of servanthood and servant
leadership in our region (Edd Akers), an excellent
talk by Paul Teas, the Founder of Camp
Barnabas, a clearly Christian greeting from
Branson’s new mayor, Rayeanne Preseley, and the
sharing of a meal. It was the 6th annual Mayor’s
Prayer Breakfast, and the 4th that I had the
privilege of attending. Each year the number of
participants has grown. I had chills as I stood at
the podium acknowledging the previous Kingdom
Builder Award recipients (Cliff Wagner, Larry
VanGilder and John Baltes) and sensing the
building excitement as I described the life of Edd
Akers; people slowly began recognizing who the
winner was, before I announced his name, and
there was a building consensus of appreciation as
people began becoming aware that the winner was
indeed Edd. Why am I sharing this? It is because
I was hit emotionally with an awareness of just
how special our region is and how much good has
happened over the past years. You see, it was also
the 5th anniversary of the UP Team; and though
there are many, many intercessors in our area
who do not belong to the Team, the concentration
of prayer – just about 300 hours a week worth
now. It is prayer for the spiritual transformation
of our region, for the glory of God, the salvation of
souls and part of God’s plan for a spiritual
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awakening in our nation. So, it struck me that the
Reflection for the May Newsletter should be an
encouraging one, focusing on the results of our
prayer efforts. I am going to mention some, by
sector; please, if you are aware of additional ones,
and/or if you have personal testimonies about
your own spiritual growth, please call me on my
cell phone at 331-1028, leave a message on my
work phone at 338-8036, send me an e-mail at
bburton@silverdollarcity.com, or write to me
%399 Indian Point Road; I will be thrilled to
include them in future Newsletters. Let’s take
each sector, alphabetically. BUSINESSES: It
think it is close to miraculous that with all the
economic growth of our area, all the new
businesses, all the emphasis business success, that
we have not wavered in our commitment to the
Christian foundation of our area, that we continue
to be one of the primary, if not the primary,
family-friendly vacation destinations in
the nation. The number of visitors
is approaching eight million a
year – a key factor in the future
impact of spiritual
transformation. Don Gabriel, so
involved in the business sector as well
as others, went home to be with the Lord and has
had as much impact on people by his death as he
did by his life. I am sure he was smiling down
from heaven on the Christian Businessmen’s
Committee and the Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast,
which he was so instrumental in beginning.
Herschend Family Entertainment, my Company,
continues to focus on Christian values and ethics,
on “Serving the Lord by Bringing Familes
Together,” and on the Core Value of “Serving
Others” by emphasizing the character qualities of
love as the way to truly serve – character qualities
taken directly and openly from 1 Corinthians 13.
Edd Akers, the Chairman of Akers and Arney
Insurance, encourages prayer in the office, as do
other business people. There is a growing group
of business leaders who pray together and find
creative ways to serve the community. And I
know there are many other examples of how the
business community is serving the Lord as well as
serving the customers. The local chapter of
Businessmen’s Fellowship International continues
to meet and serve. CHURCHES AND
MINISTRIES: There are about 150 churches in
Stone and Taney Counties, and there are many,
many pastors and pastors’ spouses and worship,
education and youth leaders
who are deeply dedicated to
serving their congregations
and their communities.
And there are countless
members of congregations
who understand what it
means to truly be a Christian and who live that,
and who also see with spiritual eyes the larger
Body of Christ. There are dedicated Ministerial
Alliances in the area, which provide opportunities
for churches to work together and for people to
come together and pray. The Servant Leader
team in Branson has sponsored over the past
several years some wonderful opportunities for
the larger Body of Christ to worship together.
Even though there are still divisions among and
within some denominations and congregations, the
work and prayer to bring the Body of Christ
together are ongoing and fruitful. Further, there
is a multitude of nonprofit Christian ministries
that serve the people of the region. If I try to
begin naming them, I will without doubt leave
some out. But you know them and their dedicated
leaders and staff who are upheld by prayer and
who minister to the hearts, minds and bodies of
the residents of the region. And we must not
forget Kanakuk. This organization is a business
but it is also a ministry, serving young people and
now families from around the nation with an
every growing variety of quality camp-oriented
services. And let’s remember, too, Regina Shank
and Missouri Prayer Mission. This dedicated
lady, who has a passion for all of Missouri, has
been growing in the extent and impact of her
ministry and is a strong believer in the UP Team.
EDUCATION: At another prayer gathering on
the National Day of Prayer, one of the participants
was Doug Hyder, the Superintendent of the
Branson City Schools, shared that in this current
national society in which there is so much effort to
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remove God from schools and teach things
contrary to God’s moral law, most of the teachers
in the school system are dedicated Christians.
Christian Baccalaureate services at times of
graduation are common in the area. There are
many committed Christian teachers, principals,
superintendents, counselors and staff members in
the twelve school districts that make up Stone and
Taney Counties. Every district has embraced the
SDC Foundation’s new ministry, “Care for Kids.”
Sue Head and the College of the Ozarks have
successfully implemented with all Taney County
school districts “First PLACE!”, a focus on a
different character quality each month that has
resulted in amazing positive results in student
behavior and commitment. Many groups of
students pray together and do Bible studies
together. A great example, just out of our
immediate region in Cassville, came home to me
last year while I was at a table at SDC, trying to
generate a little interest in my book, “Will the
Real Christians Please Stand Up!”. A young man,
a high school student, stopped by and spent quite
a bit of time looking through the book. He told
me that it would be a great Bible study book;
when I asked him where and how, he told me with
a big smile that 30 students at school meet
regularly to study God’s Word. I was thrilled to
donate a copy to him. The future of our region
and of the nation depend on the intellectual and
spiritual development of our youth, and prayer is
having an impact. College of the Ozarks
continues to gain national recognition for its
quality of academics and its work study program.
ENTERTAINMENT: This sector has become a
major reason why visitors come to the area and is
therefore indeed a critical prayer need. (In our
sister UP Team to the north, in Polk and Cedar
Counties, entertainment is replaced by agriculture
and agri-business. Prayer is always a powerful
weapon in enabling those in this industry to
support their families and feed many, many
people through their efforts.)
In entertainment, we
have another
phenomenon that is, in
my judgment, miraculous
in that the hand of God
is at work mightily.
The multitude of
theaters offer shows that are family
friendly and continue to be so, even though there
is pressure to imitate destinations such as Las
Vegas. God takes center stage during many of the
shows, the values of our nation are upheld and
veterans receive very appropriate recognition for
their contributions. While some people get
nervous about the magic shows, they are not
magic in any dark sense; they are illusion and they
are family friendly. Backstage Ministries
continues to provide quiet and effective support to
performers and behind the scenes folks, helping
them to cope with the many pressures
and temptations that go along with
being in that industry. Larry Wilhite,
the founder of the ministry, is also in
his third year of offering a Sunday
service in Mansion America, a
service intended specifically for
visitors not as a local church. And there are
numerous instances of theaters becoming worship
centers on Sundays. ROC (Reflection of Christ) is
a ministry founded within the recent past by Loy
and Carolyn Loften. ROC is intended as a reach-
out to the gay community, providing love and
support and the message that the lifestyle can be
changed – as Loy is a living witness to. Included
in the entertainment sector must also be the lakes
and the natural beauty surrounding us. Prayer is
having an impact in helping to keep our
environment pure and clean. GOVERNMENT:
There are many dedicated Christians serving
within local, county and State government. Chuck
Pennel comes to mind, in his second term as the
Presiding Commissioner of Taney County and one
of the most committed Christians I have had the
privilege of knowing. Also, I think of Alan
Berkstresser, who coordinates the gathering on
the lawn of City Hall in Galena on each National
Day of Prayer (and many dedicated volunteers,
such as our own Mary Kuyper of the UP Team,
who provide assistance. Dennis Wood, a State
Representative of our area, stands strongly for
Christian values. Larry VanGilder, our
Government sector leader, brings Christian love
and prayer to his job as Director of Public Works
for the City of Branson. Branson’s former mayor,
Lou Schaefer, stood by Christian values, as does
the new mayor, Raeanne Presley. And there are
many other mayors and government leaders who
serve with distinction, never forgetting the
Christian values they stand for. And we must not
forget the work of Concerned Women for
America as they stand up for Christian values in
government and government decisions. Though
the local office has moved to St. Louis, the work of
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people like Haven Howard and Joey Davis keeps
the principles of CWA strong in our area.
Further, let’s not forget that the embryonic stem
cell issue in Missouri is not dead, even though it
was approved in last November’s election. Two
members of State Government took up the cause
to definitively define cloning as it really is, not as it
was shamefully covered up by the ballot issue.
MEDICAL: Step back and consider the
absolutely amazing growth of Skaggs Community
Health Center and Skaggs Health Clinics over the
past recent years. Both have won prestigious
awards and Skaggs provides a high quality of
medical care. The expansion of St. John’s and
Cox into rural areas is also a significant step
forward. We have many physicians who are
committed Christians and there is a growing
number who pray for and with their patients.
Herschend Family Entertainment entered into a
partnership with Skaggs just this year, and many
employees without insurance will have the
opportunity and the incentive to go to “Mary’s
Well House.” At the grand opening, Jack
Herschend, with great emotion, spoke about the
similar center near Dollywood and how at least
two people with unknown life-threatening illnesses
went to the clinic and as a result are alive today.
The ongoing prayer for medical providers and for
the sick, injured and dying is without doubt
having a highly positive impact; if you have
stories, please share them. The Hospices in the
area provide amazing and dedicated service to the
terminally ill. And the committed work of our
EMTs and Paramedics is astounding and life-
saving and continues to grow. SOCIAL AND
CIVIC SERVICES: This sector focuses on two
different types of services: Social and Civic. With
regard to Civic Services, there is certainly a hedge
of protection about our police and fire
departments and our Sheriffs’ Departments and
our State Highway Patrol. The dedicated prayer
for them is protecting them and helping give them
the strength, courage and wisdom they need in
defending all of us. I believe that every time one
of these folks emerges safe from a
serious situation, it is as much due
to prayer as to their training.
With regard to Social Services,
we can all see how much the
dedicated ministries and services
is having an impact on those
among us with serious, even desperate needs.
Christian Associates of Table Rock Lake comes to
mind, with our own UP member, Mike Loewe,
working tirelessly to raise funds for this agency
that has done so much and continues to grow in
serving people with financial needs, women who
need shelter and other needs. I think of the
pregnancy clinics that have sprung up and that
provide options to abortions – with great
success. OACAC of Stone County, a
government agency, has successfully
launched “Way 2 Go,” a bus service
enabling people who do not have cars
or who cannot afford gas to go to
work, to the doctor, to shop.
OACAC has also successfully begun
an ongoing GED program, enabling a growing
number of people to obtain the equivalent of a
high school diploma. Love in the Name of Christ
provides a wide variety of services to the people of
Stone and Taney Counties – to me an incredible
amount of quality services with a very small staff
and limited resources. And Love, INC is now
focusing as well on “Relational Ministry,” which
will give people in need not only material help but
also the learning they need to manage budgets,
etc. The Salvation Army is a ministry as well as
an agency, and they do wonderful work and are
growing. Christian Action Ministries meets the
material needs of people. Ozark Christian
Counseling Service provides individual, family
and marriage counseling at amazingly affordable
rates. And we have a growing number of
dedicated counselors. The list of social service
providers is long, not just in Stone and Taney
Counties, but also in Polk and Cedar; and they
are an integral part of the overall services that
make our regions such great places to
live….Again, I am confident that I have left out
many fine examples of prayer working in our
regions. Please share them with me so that I can
include them in future issues of the Newsletter.
Also, and this is very important: I am absolutely
confident that there have been many, many
individuals impacted by prayer: People who have
found the Lord, help in trials and infirmities,
guidance in life decisions, people with illnesses, job
problems, family problems, and the list goes on
and on. I am confident as well that many UP
Team members have received spiritual blessings
by committing to their hour or hours. I can
certainly give testimony to this; as I look back
over the last five years, the spiritual blessings and
insights that I have received are enormous. Why?
As I have said frequently before, God simply
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cannot be outdone in generosity. So, UP Team
members and those who pray for the UP Team
and its goals, thank you for your faithfulness!
Thank you for being God’s servant in bringing
His grace to many. Take heart! Your ministry of
prayer is bearing fruit, and God is pleased and
honored.
POEM
I n a recent New Employee Orientation for new
folks joining Herschend Family Entertainment
(I am blessed to offer these day long classes up to
three times a week), I reached the point where I
invited participants to share “Emotional
Connection” stories. “We Create Emotional
Connections” is one of the Core Values of the
Company, and it means that we are committed to
seize “moments of truth” to provide service to
guests and fellow employees above and beyond the
normal call of duty. An elderly gentleman, Bob
Roy, who is a new employee in the Food Team,
stood up. Early in the Orientation Program,
during introductions, he introduced himself as a
pastor for 70 years and a man who recently lost
his wife of more than 50 years – and crying while
he shared it. Well, when I asked for emotional
connection stories, he recited from memory the
following poem. Everyone was deeply moved, and
I asked for a copy of it. He did not write it, but it
has been part of his life for a long time. It goes
like this: “An old man, traveling a lone highway,
came at the evening cold and gray to a chasm vast,
and deep and wide. The old man crossed in the
twilight dim, for the sullen stream held no fears
for him. But he turned when he reached the other
side, and built a bridge to span the tide. ‘Old
man!’ cried a fellow pilgrim near, ‘You are
wasting your strength with building here; your
journey will end and with the ending day, and you
never again will pass this way. You have crossed
the chasm deep and wide; why build you a bridge
at eventide?’ And the builder lifted up his old
gray head. ‘Good friend, on the path I have
come,’ he said, ‘there followeth after me today a
youth whose feet must pass this way. This stream,
which has been as naught to me, to that fair-
haired boy may a pitfall be. He, too, must cross in
the twilight dim; good friend, I am building this
bridge for him.” I dedicate this moving poem to
all who pray for others, and to educators who
work tirelessly for our youth.

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
I n honor of Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day, I
offer the following: 1) “And God Created
Woman! Woman’s Revenge: ‘Cash, check or
charge?’ I asked, after folding items the woman
wished to purchase. As she fumbled for her wallet
I noticed a remote control for a TV set in her
purse. ‘So, do you always carry your TV remote?’
I asked. ‘No,’ she replied, ‘but my husband
refused to come shopping with me and I figured
this was the most evil thing I could do to him
morally and legally.’ …Marriage
Seminar: While attending a
marriage seminar dealing with
communication, Tom and his wife
Grace listened to the instructor. ‘It
is essential that husbands and wives
know each other likes and dislikes,’ he
addressed the man. ‘Can you name your wife’s
favorite flower?’ Tom leaned over, touched
Grace’s arm gently and whispered, ‘It’s Pillsbury,
isn’t it?’…Words: A husband read an article to
his wife about how many words women use a day:
30,000 to a man’s 15,000. The wife replied, ‘The
reason has to be because we have to repeat
everything to men. The husband then turned to
his wife and asked, ‘What?’…The Silent
Treatment: A man and his wife were having some
problems at home and were giving each other the
silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that
the next day he would need his wife to wake him
at 5:00 AM for an early morning business flight.
Not wanting to be the first to break the silence
(and lose), he wrote on a piece of paper, “Please
wake me at 5:00 AM.’ He left it where he knew
she would find it. The next morning, the man
woke up, only to discover that it was 9:00 AM and
he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to
go and see why his wife hadn’t awakened him,
when he noticed a piece of paper by his bed. The
paper said, ‘It is 5:00 AM. Wake up.’ Men are
not equipped for these kinds of contests…God
may have created man before woman, but there is
always a rough draft before the masterpiece.” 2)
“Don’t Make Me Bible Belt You: A young boy
5
had just gotten his driving permit. He asked his
father, who was a minister, if they could discuss
his use of the car. ‘I’ll make a deal with you,’ said
his father. ‘You bring your grades up, study your
Bible a little, get your hair cut, and then we’ll
talk.’ A month later the boy came back and again
asked his father if they could discuss his use of the
car. ‘Son, I’m proud of you. You’ve brought
your grades up and you’ve studied your Bible.
But you didn’t get your hair cut!’ ‘You know,
Dad, I’ve been thinking about that. Samson had
long hair, Moses had long hair, Noah had long
hair, and even Jesus had long hair.’ ‘Yes, son,
and they walked everywhere they went.’”
PRAYER MOBILIZATION
L et’s pray for the following, plus any other
needs we are aware of: Debra Stein (UP
Team) and her husband, Joe, for health…Ken
Greening and his business in downtown Branson,
Sharp Image, that recently had its grand opening
(photography and more)…Catherine Evers (UP
Team), health…Catherine’s uncle, Frank,
health…Janet Biggs’ daughter…Seth and James,
change in lifestyle and surrender to Jesus…
Stephanie, peace and direction…ROC (Reflection
of Christ) Ministry…Torchbearers…April
Shenandoah, guidance in her ministry…Asleep
kNOw More Ministry and the UP Team of Polk
and Cedar Counties (please include regularly in
your time of prayer)…KLFC Radio (Herb and
Vicky Smith and Charlie Engram are UP Team
members)…Shannon, a civilian in Iraq …
Frances, as she adjusts to her life in a nursing
home…Darlene, health…Andrea, health…Ralph,
salvation…Phil, terminally ill, and his wife,
Susan…The Paxtons, who lost loved ones…
International Renewal Ministry (Pastors’ Prayer
Summits), and the health of the Director, Dennis,
and his son…MO Prayer Mission and Regina…
Steve Bartlett and the prayer ministry of Lee’s
Summit…International House of Prayer in
Kansas City…for a Prayer Center to emerge here,
in God’s timing…The Otleys who coordinate
prayer in and from St. Louis…Kimily (UP Team),
health, and her sons…A wife/mother, who has
chemical
imbalance
issues…Marilyn
(UP Team) and
Al Pulis, and
their
international ministry to build Christian radio
stations…Carl Kelly, surgery…Sue Head (UP
Team) and the “First PLACE!” character
ministry to schools in Taney County…John S., for
the right job…Tom Fish, as he begins his role as
General Manager of Sight & Sound, and for
success for this Christian theater that opens next
year…A couple who are experiencing marital
problems…Business success for Auntie Anne’s
Pretzels (son Mike and daughter-in-law Christy,
and for all businesses in the area…All applicants
for Share it Forward and Love, INC assistance
and those who provide it…”Care for Kids,” an
SDC Foundation ministry to the school districts of
Stone and Taney Counties…Randy (UP Team)
and Gail Baar, who are relocating to Wisconsin…
Pastor Larry and Linda Craig (UP
Team) who have
relocated to Texas…the
international students
who are beginning to
arrive to work in the area, for peace and success,
and for their sponsors…Ray, who is struggling
with health and job…CBMC and BMFI, that
these men’s organizations will continue to grow…
For the world, as we look ahead to May 27,
Pentecost and the Global Day of Prayer.
TWENTY TRUTHS TO REMEMBER
otherwise, it is just hearsay. 18) It’s alright to sit
on your pity pot every now and then; just be sure
to flush when you are done. 19) Surviving and
living your life successfully requires courage. The
goals and dreams you’re seeking require courage
and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle; it only
makes progress when it sticks out its neck. 20) Be
more concerned with your character than your
reputation. Your character is what you really are
while your reputation is merely what others think
you are.
CONCLUSION
I end with another poem that Bob Roy gave me:
“I met God in the morning, when my day was at
its best; and His presence came like sunrise with a
glory in my breast. All day long the Presence
lingered, all day long He stayed with me; and we
sailed in perfect calmness o’er a very troubled sea.
Other ships were blown and battered, other ships
were sore distressed; but the winds that seemed to
drive them brought to us both peace and rest.
Then I thought of other mornings with a keen
remorse of mind, when I, too, had loosed the
moorings with His Presence left behind. So I
think I know the secret, learned from many a
troubled way: You must seek Him in the morning
to enjoy Him throughout the day.”

1 ) Faith is the ability not to panic. 2) If you

worry, you didn’t pray. If you pray, don’t
worry. 3) As a child of God, prayer is kind of
God bless you all, and thank you for your faithful
prayer. Peace to you and yours.

like calling home every day.

4) Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be Bob Burton
bent out of shape. 5) When we get tangled up in
our own problems, be still. God wants us to be
still so He can untangle the knot. 6) Do the
math: Count your blessings. 7) God wants
spiritual fruit, not religious nuts. 8) Dear God: I
have a problem. It’s me. 9) Silence is often
misinterpreted, but it is never misquoted. 10)
Laugh every day; it’s like inner jogging. 11) The
most important things in your home are the
people. 12) Growing old is inevitable; growing up
is optional. 13) There is no key to happiness; the
door is always open. 14) A grudge is a heavy
thing to carry. 15) He/she who dies with the most
toys is still dead. 16) We do not
remember days, but moments.
Life moves too fast, so enjoy your
precious moments. 17) Noting is
real to you until you experience it;