REFLECTION

At the Gathering of People Who Pray on October 29, I shared a Scripture and told
them that I would probably expand on it as a Reflection for the November
Newsletter. First, though, a word about the Gathering. There were about 30 people
present and participating. Pastor Howard Boyd led prayer for the world, Pastor
Jim Cariker for the nation and I led for our region and for the defeat of
Amendment 2 on embryonic stem cell research. Howard’s son-in-law provided the
music and the leading of worship and praise. We had small group prayer for
various nations and various needs, and people also had the opportunity to come to a
microphone and share or pray. It was a powerful and prayer-filled two hours.
Thanks to all who helped and who participated. Now for the Reflection: The
Scripture is from
1 Kings 18: 41-45: “Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a
heavy rain.’ So Ahab went off to eat and drink, but Elijah climbed to the top of
Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. ‘Go and look
toward the sea,’ he told his servant. And he went and looked. ‘There is nothing there,’
he said. Seven times Elijah said, ‘Go back.’ The seventh time the servant reported, ‘A
cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.’ So Elijah said, ‘Go and tell
Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’ Meanwhile, the
sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came and Ahab rode off to
Jezreel. The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt,
he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.” Before we apply this Scripture to our
area and the Uninterrupted Prayer Team, let’s look at the background. Ahab
became king of Israel and he reigned from Samaria for 22 years. It was during the
time that Asa was king of Judah. I Kings says that “Ahab, son of Omri, did more evil
in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him. He…married Jezebel, daughter
of Ethbaak, king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. He set
up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. Ahab…did more to
provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than did all the kings of Israel before
him.” 1 Kings also reports that “Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to
Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew
nor rain in the next few years except at my word.” The account of the rain coming
appears right after the dramatic encounter between Elijah and the 450 prophets of
Baal, to see who would bring a sacrificial fire. And, of course, God did at the prayer
of Elijah, after the false prophets worked themselves up into a frenzy seeking a
response from Baal – but there was no response. Right after the coming of the rain,
Ahab’s wicked wife, Jezabel, vowed to kill Elijah and he fled, became depressed,
and later met God on the mountain of Horeb. To be sure, Elijah did not lead a
boring life! We could spend many pages on the applications of the Scripture re: the
coming of the rain; but let’s just focus on a few. First, note that Elijah did not
dramatically point his staff to the heavens and command rain – no, not a name it
and claim it approach! Rather he went into a posture of intense prayer: Bent to the
ground, his face between his knees. Next, he had confidence that he was praying in
accord with God’s will. The only time we may expect any answer to prayer with
total confidence is when we know that we know that we know we are praying as the
Holy Spirit guides us, in keeping with the will of the Father and our Lord Jesus
Christ. Third, the coming of the rain is not only an historical event; it is also deeply
symbolic and is a foreshadowing of the New Covenant. Rain symbolizes the
anointing of the Holy Spirit and the pouring out of God’s grace. When we pray for
the spiritual transformation of our area, that is what we are praying for – that God
will pour out His latter rain, that the Holy Spirit will sweep through our region and
that a total spiritual transformation will occur, resulting in the salvation of souls
here and the spreading of transformation to other parts of Missouri, Arkansas and
our entire nation. Fourth, pay special attention to the incremental way that the
rain came. For six times, the servant went and looked while Elijah was praying –
and nothing. The seventh time (and remember, seven in the Bible means perfection
and infinite), there was just teeny tiny cloud, no larger than a person’s hand. That
was the sign that Elijah was waiting for; that was, he knew, the beginning of the
coming of the deluge. So it is for us; we must not lose heart as we pray, as we keep
to our committed hour(s) as faithfully as we can, we must believe that when we are
praying for spiritual transformation, we are truly praying according to God’s will.
He asks for perseverance in prayer, and he asks for faith in prayer. Fifth, note that
the coming of the rain was right after Baal and the false prophets were defeated. As
I shared at the Gathering, there are spiritual obstacles in the way of spiritual
transformation. We have the attention of Satan, and the enemy absolutely wants to
prevent this. We are blessed with a solid foundation, but we must not – repeat, must
not – become complacent. Some of the obstacles that must be removed are:
Disunity among the churches, for even with the wonderful expressions of unity that
have occurred there is still turfism and isolation within many, many churces;
drugs, as Stone County and Missouri itself are inundated with meth; racial and
ethnic bigotry, better but still present; greed within many businesses that
overshadows other objectives; businesses with Christian foundations that are
fearful of taking the next steps in proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus Christ (which
can be done in ways that is not offensive to people who are not Christians); there are
pockets of Wicca, witchcraft and possibly even Satanism; there is much family
violence and abuse; and there is a complacency within the Church that is probably
Satan’s greatest weapon – not just here, but everywhere.
You can probably name others. These sound difficult to overcome, and they are.
But the only way to do it is to face them head on, recognize that as intercessors we
are engaged in spiritual warfare, and carry the banner of Christ. Please do not
grow weary; ask the Holy Spirit to give you the strength to carry on intercession for
the area; that rainstorm of grace might still be a small cloud, but God is faithful.
Please recommit to your hour(s), consider taking another, and please be an active
recruiter as you share the UP Team objectives with other intercessors. Thank you!

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!”

No, this isn’t an early greeting; it is in reference to an article that “Singing News”
printed in their October issue. It is the southern gospel music national magazine.
The Silver Dollar City General Manager wrote it and they published it in its
entirety. Here it is: “As many corporations and communities around the nation
move away from using the word ‘Christmas,’ Silver Dollar City Theme Park in
Branson, MO, becomes more and more passionate about saying ‘Merry Christmas!’
The 1880s-themed park bustles with visitors from around the nation from March
through October but turns into a holiday wonderland from the first week of
November through Dec. 30. The Old-Time Christmas Festival began at Silver
Dollar City in 1988. Featuring over 4 million lights, the park’s stages are each filled
with Christmas shows – productions that include the spectacular Broadway-style
Dickens ‘Christmas Carol,’ the Cumberland Quartet Southern Gospel Christmas
show, a living nativity pageant and the dramatic lighting of a five-story tree covered
with 250,000 lights. The 19-year tradition of celebrating the true meaning of
Christmas is even more of a focus this year. ‘Saying ‘Merry Christmas’ is at the
very heart and soul of everything for which Silver Dollar City stands,’ says Silver
Dollar City owner and co-founder Peter Herschend. ‘We celebrate Christ’s birth at
Christmas and are proud to call Christmas what it is and not just a nice holiday.’
For the past two years, the park’s television commercial for the season has ended
with ‘Merry Christmas’ across the screen. Employees are given the freedom to
greet guests with the phrase. After hearing visitors complain about how hard it is to
even find cards with ‘Christmas’ imprints, the park is taking more assertive steps to
encourage the traditional phrase. Special Silver Dollar City Christmas cards have
been printed, and cards from Dayspring proclaiming the true meaning of Christmas
will be sold in the park this fall. In addition, ‘Merry Christmas’ shirts, hats and
ornaments will be part of the merchandise assortment. Park manager Brad
Thomas says, ‘Christmas is about celebrating a season of love and peace and a man
named Jesus, who demonstrated those ideals in all He did. We hope other
businesses around the country will join us in encouraging our communities, our
employees and our customers to look each other in the eye and warmly say, ‘Merry
Christmas.’ Folks of different beliefs may celebrate other holidays and offer other
greetings. However, Christmas is very much a part of the heart and soul of many
American traditions; and Christmas is what we celebrate here.’ So go ahead and
say it! Merry Christmas!”
Thank you, Brad, and all concerned, for taking this position. Hopefully it will serve
as an inspiration to other businesses in our area and around the nation. This is
what the heart of SW Missouri is all about – proclaiming faith joyfully while
respecting the beliefs of others.

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

In this time of just passed campaigns and elections, the following seems appropriate:
“While walking down the street one day a US Senator is tragically hit by a truck
and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.
‘Welcome to heaven,’ says St. Peter. Before you settle in, it seems there is a
problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we’re not
sure what to do with you.’ ‘No problem, just let me in,’ says the man. ‘Well, I’d
like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we’ll do is have you spend one day
in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.’ ‘Really,
I’ve made up my mind. I want to be in heaven,’ says the Senator. ‘I’m sorry, but
we have our rules.’ And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes
down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a
green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are
many of his friends and other politicians who worked with him. Everyone is happy
and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about
the good times they had. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster,
caviar and champagne. Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy
who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time
that before he realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and
waves while the elevator rises. The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens in
heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him. ‘Now it’s time to visit heaven.’ So, 24
hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to
cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes
it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns. ‘Well, then, you’ve spent a day
in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity.’ The senator reflects for a
minute, then he answers, ‘Well, I would never have said it before; I mean, heaven
has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell.’ So, St. Peter escorts
him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. Now the doors of the
elevator open and he’s in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and
garbage. He sees his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it
into black bags as more trash falls from above. There is smoke and fire and a
terrible stench. The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around the shoulder.
'I don’t understand,’ stammers the senator. ‘Yesterday I was here and there was a
golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne and
had a great time. Now there’s just a wasteland full of garbage and heat and my
friends look miserable. What happened?’ The devil looks at him, smiles, and says:
‘Yesterday we were campaigning…Today you voted.’” Of course, there is also a
serious conclusion to be made: It is theologically inaccurate, for several reasons,
one being that the decision is made now, not then.

MORE ON THE LIGHTER SIDE

A couple of shorter ones: A passenger in a taxi leaned forward to ask the drive a
question and tapped him on the shoulder. The driver screamed, lost control of the
cab, nearly hit a bus, drove over the curb and stopped inches from a large plate
glass window. For a few moments everything was silent, and the still-shaking driver
said, “I’m sorry, but you scared the daylights out of me.” The frightened passenger
apologized and said that he didn’t realize a mere tap on the shoulder could frighten
him so much. The driver replied, “No, I’m sorry. It’s entirely my fault. Today is
my first day driving a cab. For the past 25 years I’ve been driving a hearse…The
following happened some months back just outside of Cocodrie, a little town in the
bayou country of Louisiana. An out of state driver was on the side of the road,
hitchhiking in the middle of a thunderstorm. Time passed slowly and no cars went
by. It was raining so hard he could hardly see his hand in front of his face.
Suddenly he saw a car moving slowly, approaching and appearing ghostlike in the
rain. It slowly and silently crept toward him and stopped. Wanting a ride really
bad, the guy jumped in the car and closed the door; only then did he realize that
there was nobody behind the wheel, no sound of an engine to be heard over the rain.
Again the car crept slowly forward, and the guy was terrified. He saw the car
approaching a sharp curve and, too scared to jump out, he started to pray and beg
for his life – he was sure the ghost car would go off the road down into the bayou
and he would surely drown! But just before the curve a shadowy figure appeared at
the driver’s window and a hand reached in and turned the steering wheel, guiding
the car safely around the curve. Then, just as silently, the hand disappeared
through the window and the hitchhiker was alone again. Paralyzed with fear, the
guy watched the hand reappear every time they reached a curve. Finally, scared out
of his wits, he had taken all he could, jumped out of the car and ran screaming on
into town. Wet and in shock, he went into a bar and, voice quavering, ordered two
shots of whiskey. He then told everybody there about his supernatural experience.
A silence enveloped and everybody got goose bumps when they realized that he was
telling the truth and was not just some drunk. About half an hour later two guys
walked into the bar and one said to the other, “Look Bourdreaux, ders dat idiot dat
rode in our car when we wuz pushin’ it in the rain!”

PRAYER MOBILIZATION

Following are some prayer requests. Please share needs and praises that you would
like to have printed in the Newsletter. For Trish, finances and direction…for
Melissa, who suffers with nightmares…happeness in their marriage for Daniel and
Bianca…for the health of Brianca’s Mom…for Don Gabriel’s vision for a lighthouse
prayer center in Branson…for Don as his cancer pain worsens and it is harder for
him to get around, and for his wife, Dorothy, and for all their family…for Dan and
finances, as he recovers from Hurricane Rita…for Vassie Pillay and his national
and international evangelistic ministry…for the new intern ministry at Stillwaters
Resorts…for Ted Reed, UP Team Steering Committee and co-founder, who recently
had surgery…for UP Team member who had surgery and who is doing very well,
praise God…for Reina Daleske, UP Team member who recently celebrated her 29th
wedding anniversary…for her father-in-law, who is in hospice care…for UP Team
member Sue, to be able to cope with some life/ministry pressures…for Shannon, a
ten-year old with leukemia…for Christian Associates’ upcoming Share the Harvest,
to obtain ample food to give to those in need…for UP Team member, Jay Reese as
he celebrated his birthday recently and for his cancer…for all the recipients of
Share It Forward assistance at Herschend Family Entertainment…for Danny
Webb, with a serious health issue and who appears to be slightly improving…for
David Hill, songwriter from Joplin…for Ted Haggard and his family and for his
church…for Norm’s grandchild who is seriously ill…for Phyllis Burchette who
recently underwent surgery…for Businessmen’s Fellowship men’s group and its
newly elected officers, and for Christian Businessmen’s Committee and next year’s
Mayors Prayer Breakfast…for Randy and Gail Baar…for Rod Landrum,
wonderfully and miraculously recovering from a terrible fall…for continued
expansion of the James Hunter servant leadership program and principles in our
area…for Mary Helen Jeruzal, new Skaggs Chaplain and new UP Team member…
for Stan who is battling alcoholism…for his brother’s missionary trip to China…for
all newly elected officials around the nation, that they rely on the guidance of the
Holy Spirit.

WANTED

Reina Daleske, UP Team member, is part of The Caring People ministry to single
Moms and asked that we publish the following: “Wanted: Single Moms who would
benefit from learning, laughing and praying together and caring women who would
like to share their special gifts to help make a special evening for these Moms. We
meet once a week from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in Branson, Rockaway Beach and
Springfield. Everyone is accepted, childcare is available and we share dinner
together! Men are welcomed to communicate with the children and be good role
models, as some of the children do not have a positive male role model. Men can
share a hobby, listen to a child or play games. We have single Moms joining
churches, having a better relationship with their children and others, improving
their job performance reviews, going back to school. Children are behaving better,
attending church functions, receiving better grades and one boy has heard the
calling to go into the ministry. To learn more about The Caring People, please
contact Reina Daleske at (417) 598-2233 (mobile) or Jane at The Caring People
office at (417) 334-0131.”

SONG

In Prayer Mobilization, I mentioned David Hill. He wrote a song which is just

beautiful. Here are the words: “Jesus is my Lord and Savior, He was sent down
from heaven above. God sent His Son so that everyone who believes in Him can be
saved. Just believe in Him and be saved. I went to church as a child. I studied the
Bible each day. Then the world stepped in, I went deep in sin, and His words from
my heart went away. Yes, His words from my heart went away. I’ve had riches of
this world a-plenty, but my heart was as cold as a stone. Then I heard one day His
sweet voice say, ‘Repent and I’ll make you whole. Just repent, and I’ll make you
whole.’ On the Cross Jesus gave His life for me, so that from my sins I could be
free. Now I come to Thee on bended knee, asking, ‘Savior, please hear my plea. Oh,
Savior, please hear my plea.’ Yes, Jesus is my Lord and Savior, He was sent down
from heaven above. God sent His Son so that everyone who believes in Him can be
saved. Just believe in Him and be saved.” Thank you, David!

NEW YEARS EVE

The following is from our Churches/Ministries sector leader, Kimily Tinch:

“Branson Hills Ministry Center is planning a very nice New Years Eve Party. It is
entitled WWJP? – Where would Jesus party? We are hoping to have it in the lobby
of one of the theaters here in town, not sure which one yet, still working on that
piece…It will be live music (Christian, of course), steak and lobster and all the
fixins’, black tie formal wear, $40 per person and $75 per couple. We will have a
limited number of spaces, 200. The proceeds will go to the ministries of Branson
Hills Assembly.” Call 335-2424 for more info.

NEXT GATHERING

Instead of having our annual day and a half Gathering (Marketplace Prayer
Summit) at the end of January in 2007, we are moving it to Friday evening, March 2
and Saturday, March 3, 2007. The place and time are not yet finalized. Pastor
Howard Boyd is in the process of finding an out-of-the-area facilitator, a tradition at
this event, and he will serve as the co-facilitator. Please mark your calendars now.

STORY

A man’s daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father.
When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up
on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the
old fellow had been informed of his visit. “I guess you were expecting me,” he said.
“No, who are you?” The minister told him his name and then remarked, “I saw the
empty chair and I figured you knew I was going to show up.” ‘Oh, yeah, the chair,”
said the bedridden man. “Would you mind closing the door?” Puzzled, the
minister shut the door. “I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter,” said
the man. “But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to
hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head. I abandoned any
attempt at prayer,” the old man continued, “until one day four years ago, my best
friend said to me, ‘Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation
with Jesus. Here is what I suggest. Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in
front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It’s not spooky business, because
He promised, ‘I will be with you always.’ Then just speak to him in the same way
you are doing with me right now.’ So, I tried it and I’ve liked it so much that I do it
a couple of hours every day. I’m careful, though; if my daughter saw me talking to
an empty chair, she’d either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny
farm.” The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to
continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil and
returned to the church. Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that
her Daddy had died that afternoon. “Did he die in peace?” he asked. “Yes, when I
left the house about two o’clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved
me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I
found him dead. But there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just
before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside his bed.
What do you make of that?” The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, “I
wish we could all go like that.”

God bless you. Peace to you and yours. Please call with input, ideas, recruits and
prayer requests. (417) 331-1028, day or night.

Bob Burton