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S T R A T E G I C   P R A Y E R:
IDEAS   &   INITIATIVES
11/29/2004

    ...Finding New Ways To Connect In Prayer


2004 Year of Prayer for Pastors
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I N   T H I S   U P D A T E        ...and for our prayers:

PASTOR PHIL'S PRAYER LETTER
HOPE YOU HAD A BLESSED THANKSGIVING...
PRAYING FOR THOSE NEWLY ELECTED
PRAYING FOR THOSE IN MEDIA
GLOBAL PRAYER PARTNERSHIP: World AIDS Day December 1
PRAYERWALKING BLESSES BURGLARY VICTIM
A ONE WORD PRAYER
STRATEGIC CONNECTIONS
STRATEGIC USE OF EMAIL - YOUR CYBER PRAYER TEAM
SPECIAL REPORT:
    LAUSANNE CONFERENCE ON WORLD EVANGELIZATION
    INTERNATIONAL PRAYER COUNCIL
    GLOBAL DAY OF PRAYER IN 2005
FOLLOW PASTOR PHIL'S MINISTRY...
  
 

 PASTOR PHIL'S PRAYER LETTER

The joke below is no joke!

Unless your pastor fits this description, he or she needs the prayers of your entire congregation. Having recently begun a part-time interim pastorate, I am more concerned than before for our nations shepherds. Every congregation in America needs to have a strategic plan of praying for their spiritual leader. How are you helping make that happen?

 

Pastor Phil
 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
>From: thesermonfodderguy <thesfguy@comcast.net>
>Reply-To: Sermon_Fodder-owner@yahoogroups.com

The Perfect Pastor:

1. Preaches exactly 20 minutes and follows it with an invitation in which everyone is convicted but no one is offended.
2. Works from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. in every type of work from counseling to custodial service.
3. 27 years old with 30 years of preaching experience.
4. Tall and short.
5. Thin and heavy set.
6. Handsome but not overpowering.
7. One brown eye and one blue eye.
8. Hair is parted in the middle and is straight on one side and wavy on the other side, with a balding spot on top revealing his maturity.
9. Has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all his time with the older folks.
10. He smiles constantly with a straight and sober face because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously at his work.
11. Invests 25 hours a week in sermon preparation, 20 hours in counseling, 10 hours in meetings, five hours in emergencies, 20 hours in visitation and evangelism, 6 hours in weddings and funerals, 30 hours in prayer and meditation, 12 hours in letter writing, and administration, and 10 hours in creative thinking.
12. Spends 5 evenings at home with his family, plus a day off, and always stops for interruptions.
13. A seminary graduate, but uses only one- and two-syllable words.
14. Makes 15 calls a day.
15. Spends all his time evangelizing the unchurched.
16. Attends all retreats, goes to all youth retreats.
17. Is always available in his office.
18. His kids are perfect.
19. His mother is rich.
20. His wife plays the piano.
21. His house is large.
22. His back account is small.
23. His car is in the shop.
24. He is paid too much, too little, and he gives it all away.
25. He is talented, gifted, scholarly, practical, popular, compassionate, understanding, patient, level headed, dependable, loving, caring, neat, organized, cheerful, and above all, humble.

This is a "Best of" Sermon Fodder Posting. To subscribe go to http://www.sermonfodder.com or drop an email note to Sermon_Fodder-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Please leave this attached if you forward this to friends.
 
HOPE YOU HAD A BLESSED THANKSGIVING...
>From: "Paul  Cedar" <missionamerica@earthlink.net>

 


The Prayer of Senate Chaplain Peter  Marshall in 1947 bears repeating.  He prayed:

Our Father in heaven, if ever we had cause to offer unto Thee our  fervent thanks, surely it is now, on the eve of our Thanksgiving Day, we ought  to remember that we, the people of this Nation, are comfortable, well-fed,  well-clad, and blessed with good things beyond our deserving.  May  gratitude, the rarest of virtues, be the spirit of our observance.

Let  not feasting, football, and festivity end in forgetfulness of God.

May  the faith and conviction of George Washington be renewed in us as we remember  his words:  "...there is no truth more thoroughly established than that  there exists in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between  virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims  of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity  and felicity; since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious  smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal  rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained..."
 

For if we  not have the grace to thank Thee for all that we have and enjoy, how can we  have the effrontery to seek Thy further blessings?  God, give us grateful  hearts.  For Jesus' sake. Amen.
 

PRAYING FOR THOSE NEWLY ELECTED
>From: PastorsInPrayer@aol.com
 
. . . 1971-October 30-JOURNAL ENTRY!  The campaign for city mayor has been going at a  frenzied pace the past few weeks.  Our present mayor has been in office eight years and seeks re-election.  He has done an acceptable job- is now 59 years old and slowing down.  I had the privilege of spending 30 minutes with him several days ago, discussing matters of moral breakdown in our city.  He welcomed time to pray before I left.
 
Today, thanks to one of our ladies in the opposite political party, I had an appointment with the man who is running against the present mayor.  At 11:00 a.m. I waited at his party headquarters. It was an hour before he returned.  Upon his arrival,  he invited me directly to his office where we spent a half hour alone.  He desires the office and has walked the city streets and sidewalks to meet with voters.  He spoke of the importance of a Christian experience in religion.  He has three children and is 39 years old.  Quiet appearing, but very strong willed and forceful with people.  He spoke of his alarm over the moral decline in our city.  I prayed with him before leaving.
 
. . . 2004-November 10 - REFECTION ~Newly elected officials are very open to visits and letters of encouragement.  The younger of the two was elected.  I had the privilege of meeting with him following his installation. Our time together was the beginning of far more than I realized.  Later, that relationship would mean  a significant difference in the moral climate of our city.
 
Over the 40 years we lived and ministered in Ft Wayne, IN,  I was welcome in the office of every mayor.  I found each open to prayer.  They were surprised when I did not ask for something.  I sincerely wanted to meet them and learn of their plans and personal needs.  
 
Now is a good time to pray for the newly elected.  If you are unable to visit them, be sure to send a note of encouragement, letting them know you are praying.  
 
The first thing I want you do is to pray.  Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.  Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we an be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.  I Timothy 2:1-1-4  (The Message)
 
SAYING YES TO GOD-bob and marilyn yawberg(www.PastorsInPrayer.org)Vol. V #27
 
PRAYING FOR THOSE IN MEDIA
>From: Lynn wilford <spiritualmoms@yahoo.com>

Dear Pastor Phil,
This is Lynn Wilford Scarborough in Dallas.  After the last election you published a prayer that I wrote for Journalists. . well it is that time again and I thought that you might want another one.  Here is a version- both short and long- that we are sending out - please feel free to use and distribute as needed.  Some pastors are even printing it up for the bulletin on Sunday.
 
Hey my first book came out this year- SpiritualMoms.com
Pastors that are reading it- say it's not just for women!
Keep up the great work - In Him, Lynn
 
*  *  *  
Prayer for Journalists and National Media
Lynn Wilford Scarborough Pray4Media@yahoo.com

Dear Father in Heaven,
You have commanded us to pray for those in authority, and we know that all authority comes from you. We thank you for the freedom of speech and for the incredible media/journalism systems that have blessed our nation and our world.
 
Therefore, we pray for all those people involved in media and journalism in our nation that they may be used for your purposes and glory.
 
Dear Lord, we ask that you loosen the spirit of truth, revelation, knowledge, and discernment over our country, our leaders, and especially those in the media. We bind the spirits of confusion, deception, lies, error, influence, personal gain, and manipulation over the journalism in our cities, states, and nation.  Help the journalists and media leaders to make decisions based upon truth and public good rather than being swayed by prejudice, greed, and fear.
 
Father, forgive us for not praying for the journalists who make important daily contributions to our lives and our world. Forgive us for cursing instead of blessing, judging instead of listening, and complaining instead of encouraging those who are fighting for truth and justice.
 
We thank you for the incredible personal sacrifices made by the journalists who serve our nation and demand for information. Strengthen those families and bless the spouses and children who lose their parents and partners to the demanding news biz schedule.
 
Heavenly Father, by your great love and mercy, we pray for journalists that you would:
 
-Restore their passion for truth and the desire to make the world a better place through journalism.
 
-Affirm to them the responsibility, trust and grave importance of their role to the future of our nation, communities and lives.
 
-In times of stress and crisis, may their minds be clear, energy renewed, mistakes avoided, wisdom multiplied, and their discernment increased.
 
-Protect them from danger and from those who wish them harm.
 
-Give courage to those who are pure of heart and give humility to those who are not.  
 
-Give strength to those who fight to produce and tell those stories that many don't want to hear.  Encourage those who are weary and who have been punished for doing the right thing.
 
-Open their minds, hearts, and spirits to the eternal perspective and may they understand Your truth and love Your ways.
 
Father, Your word says that we reap what we sow, and, Lord, we turn to you and ask that You will bless the journalists in our country so that Your truth will be heard, Your will shall be done, and Thy Kingdom come.
 
Prayer for Journalists- Short Version

Dear Lord,
Thank you for giving us the most advanced journalism and media systems in the history of the world.  You have commanded that we pray and bless those in authority and we ask that you will bless those in the journalism profession especially those covering politics, the war and other critical issues.
 
May they be blessed with a spirit of truth, discernment, knowledge and courage to do the right thing no matter the cost.  Father we ask that you will rise up and expose, bind and cast out all lies, confusion, manipulation and rumor in all media outlets-national, local and internet.  
 
Give favor to those who are righteous and strength to those who are weary.  Bless them for the personal sacrifices that they make on our behalf.  
 
May Truth be upheld and Your Kingdom come and will be done in every media channel, newsroom, newscast, newspaper, magazine, TV and Radio program and Internet site.

Father, Your word says that we reap what we sow, and, Lord, we turn to you and ask that You will bless the journalists in our country so that Your truth will be heard, Your will shall be done, and Thy Kingdom come.
 
GLOBAL PRAYER PARTNERSHIP: World AIDS Day December 1

Since 1988, December 1st has been designated as World Day AIDS, a day of remembrance for those dying and suffering due to AIDS. A ministry partnership is calling for a global Christian response to AIDS and is supporting a day of prayer and remembrance on World AIDS Day. The Global AIDS Prayer Partnership is a new initiative to mobilize united prayer and action to bring about the reversal and eradication of AIDS.
                                More information and resources . . . http://www.praytoendaids.com/

A Movement Grows: Lancaster Churches Respond to the AIDS Pandemic
By Brian Considine

Lancaster County is home to many farmers, especially the Amish peoples, and a quiet life that is attracting many to resettle in this picture postcard community. Lancaster County is also home to many fine churches who have historically responded to needs elsewhere in the world. So it should be no surprise that churches in Lancaster County are becoming known for a growing response to the world's worst humanitarian crisis in history - the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

In the Spring of 2003, local church leaders came together to hear from Dr. McKenzie Pier, President of Concerts of Prayer Greater New York, to learn about the vision God had given for a church response to the AIDS pandemic. It had long been COPGNY's mission to bring to church together to be the church together. And, a year prior God had brought COPGNY, a small New York City based ministry, into partnership with World Vision, the largest Christian relief organization in the world.

It was the marriage of the strengths of these two organization that has helped to foster the growing movement of compassion in Lancaster County. But it was the local Lancaster churches who caught the vision for what could be done to respond to the AIDS pandemic. Based on a model of one church, Christ Presbyterian in Edina Minnesota, partnering with the small village, Rikai, Uganda, a partnership was forged that involved several Lancaster Churches and the desperately needy village of Mwingi, Kenya.

Within the first twelve months, led by Lancaster County Bible Church and Calvary Church, more than 1200 children have been sponsored. What this means in terms of development for this village of 28,000 is significant and the potential is transformational. Due to this community to community partnership more children are in school, more needs are being met, and there is hope for a brighter tomorrow. Now long term development projects can be planned to advance the living conditions of Mwingi.

Perhaps most significant is that three Lancaster Senior Pastors, representing a cross section of the church community, together with their wives, and associates, forming a party of eight, recently traveled to Mwingi to take a first hand look at the work begun there. Having been impassioned by their shared experience, they returned committed to expand this community partnership, not only in terms of development on the Kenyan side, but in terms of more churches involved on the Lancaster side.

As we celebrate another World AIDS Day, and consider that in the past year another 3 million people succumbed to AIDS, another 5 million people became HIV positive, and another 2 million children became orphaned, it is good to know that someone is caring, praying and giving to one community affected by AIDS. Psalm 9:18 says "For the needy shall not always be forgotten..." In Mwingi they are remembered by the churches of Lancaster County.

To learn how you can partner with a community in need contact Brian Considine, National Coordinator of the Hope Network at 631-689-5346 or email BrianJConsidine@cs.com. To learn more about COPGNY visit www.COPGNY.org. To learn more about World Vision visit www.WorldVision.org.
 
PRAYERWALKING BLESSES BURGLARY VICTIM
>At: http://www.house2house.tv/index.pl/00008

We started our family house church a few weeks ago. On just the second week, Mindi led the group (I was gone). They had a lot of fun. They sang, and read the Bible story of Samuel's call from God when he was a boy. The emphasis was on prayer, and on listening. After this, Mindi broke the folks up into groups, and they prayerwalked for the neighbors on our block. This alone was cool, but there is more. While everyone was out praying, an intruder broke into a house two doors down from us, inside was a woman who was alone. He came at her, but her dog jumped after him. He ran out the back, and put his hand through a window leaving a lot of blood behind. As our group saw the police descending on the place, someone went to find out what was going on. They heard the story and came back and told us, and the group prayed.

When I got home that afternoon, Mindi charged out the door to be with the lady. As they spoke, the lady shared that she had seen a woman and two kids pass her house just moments before the intruder appeared. Mindi explained that it was Michelle Caldwell, her daughter Gabriella, and our daughter Kayla who prayed for every house on our street. Mindi assured the woman that God had protected her - those 3 had just finished praying for her! It was a powerful moment. Mindi prayed for her again. Now, we are keeping in touch to care for her, praying that her heart might be softened through this for a relationship with JESUS!! Powerful stuff happens when we pray!!!

Mike Jentes, Columbus, Ohio
www.thequestcolumbus.com
 
A ONE WORD PRAYER

A One-Word Prayer

I just breathe the name of Jesus
when my heart is filled with fear.
And though I cannot see His face,
I know that He is near.

When I whisper "Jesus" softly
I'm admitting I'm in need.
By calling out that precious name,
my stress-bound soul is freed.

It's a one-word prayer I utter
when I'm not sure what to pray.
It's a prayer of sweet surrender
when I'm weary of "my way."

I pray "Jesus" when I'm worried
or when I am depressed.
I say "Jesus" when my mind's confused
or when my life's a mess.

It's a prayer He always answers
as He gives me eyes to see
evidences of His presence
and His tender love for me.

by Greg Asimakoupoulos
http://www.pastorport.com & http://www.partialobserver.com
 
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STRATEGIC USE OF EMAIL - YOUR CYBER PRAYER TEAM
>At: http://www.churchcentral.com/nw/s/id/20176/template/Article.html

How to create a cyber prayer team
by Bill Allison

When God began to speak to my heart about building a prayer base for the ministry opportunities he has been sending my way, I decided to use e-mail to build my prayer base. As a result, I have seen the Holy Spirit move in my life and ministry in unprecedented ways.

 I have seen more people come to Christ this year in my ministry than ever before.

 I have seen hard hearts in some students that I was speaking to break into a thousand pieces right before my eyes.

 I have seen 70-year-old people, who have never read the Bible, respond to the challenge to read the Bible on a daily basis.

 I have seen frustrated, tired and discouraged volunteers leave training workshops encouraged and equipped to function effectively in the church.

 I have even seen God physically heal people via the prayers of my cyber prayer team.

 And I want to be quick to point out that, thanks to my cyber prayer warriors, I have never had more people praying for me than I did this year.

 I honestly believe that everything I have mentioned is the direct result of my cyber prayer partners going to the throne of God on my behalf. It is no coincidence that this last year has been so spiritually fruitful.

 It is absolutely critical that we get our prayer lives in order and that we get other people praying for us and for those we teach.

3 steps to enlist prayer warriors for your cyber prayer team

1. Share your vision for building a cyber prayer base with all of the Christian friends you know and have contact with via e-mail. When I started, I sent out a short e-mail to all of my Christian friends explaining my need for a prayer base. I took a no-guilt approach, i.e., "I still love you and want to keep in touch with you even if you dont sign up to pray for me."

My goal was to find the people who wanted to pray for me-and I knew God had a handful or more out there. I asked those who were interested in being on my cyber prayer team to send a quick message back. To my amazement, I got more than 20 responses from all over the world.

2. In the initial e-mail, explain exactly what you desire your prayer team to do. I wanted and needed people who would actually pray-not just say they would pray and forget. To make it easy on my prayer warriors, I asked them to pray IMMEDIATELY after they finished reading my request. I wanted them to give me a few seconds of prayer while my request was still hot on their computer screens. I figured that if I could get 20-50 people praying for me and my ministry activities-even for a few seconds-that would have a huge impact-and it would not be asking too much from my prayer warriors. The only other time I asked my prayer warriors to pray for me was if the Holy Spirit brought me to their minds.

3. Finally, in the initial e-mail, offer to return the favor. To be fair, I promised anyone who joined my prayer team that if they would send their requests to me via e-mail, I would pray for them the moment I read it on my screen. Frankly, I want to pray for anyone who loves me enough to pray for me. And it has turned out to be a tremendous blessing for me to pray for the needs of my cyber prayer team.

5 guidelines for keeping up the team

In order to activate your cyber prayer team and communicate effectively, I encourage you to follow these five guidelines:

1. Send prayer requests regularly. It can be weekly, biweekly, or monthly-just make it regular. Since I have been busy on weekends with a plethora of ministry activities, I usually send out a weekly prayer report/request. I like sending it to my prayer team on Wednesday or Thursday because I need prayer before the weekend of ministry.

2. Make your requests brief and specific. This is absolutely critical. Be pithy with your requests. Because people have limited time, it only shows a respect for their time when you send them concise requests.

3. Thank them for praying and partnering with you.

4. Once in a while, ask your prayer team to send you a quick note back after they have prayed for you. This will give you an idea of who is really praying for you. Believe me, there is nothing like getting 20-50 short responses back saying something simple but powerful like, "Prayed for your ministry this weekend." It has brought me to tears on several occasions. And I must confess that I am a different kind of teacher/speaker/trainer when I know 20-50 people have prayed for me. Some of my prayer partners actually write out their short prayers for me and send them to me (just like the Apostle Paul). This, too, has really blessed me-so I have tried to do it for others.

5. Give feedback about how God answered their prayers. It is so encouraging to see God heal someone after you have prayed for them, or to hear about someone trusting Christ as Savior after you prayed specifically for it to happen. Send your cyber prayer team a brief report on what you asked them to pray about the previous week. I usually include this at the beginning of my prayer requests for the coming week. That is, I tell them how God was at work in my life and ministry as a result of their prayers last week. Then I ask them to pray for me and the ministry activities I will be involved in for the coming week.

6. Rebuild your cyber prayer team
A couple times a year, rebuild your cyber prayer team from scratch. Follow steps 1-3 from the above section on enlisting prayer warriors. Again, this lets people off the team without guilt. (In my opinion, guilt is the worst way to motivate anyone to do anything.)

God may want to rearrange the makeup of your team-so let him do it. Also, by rebuilding your team a couple of times a year, it allows old partners to re-enlist and recommit to your prayer team, and new people to join. Finally, it is also a good opportunity for everyone to review the processes you have asked them to commit to. The last thing you want is for people to sign up for your team-but then not pray for you.

3 technical hints

1. Create a group list.
When you gather a list of people who are willing to join your cyber prayer team, put them into a group (a list of people) on your e-mail software address book. Since I have put the e-mail addresses of all of the folks on my prayer team in that list/group, all I have to do is click on that one name (i.e., "Cyber Prayer Team")-and when I send a request or report-it goes to all of the people on that list.

2. Use bcc.
Before you send out your prayer request/report, use the "bcc" or blind carbon copy feature. Using the bcc feature will make your request/report easier to negotiate because your message will not have a lengthy list of addresses at the beginning. It also keeps the names of your prayer partners and their e-mail addresses private.

3. Spell check. For crying out loud people, use spell check! (Sorry, that is the English teacher coming out in me.)


Results
As a result of my cyber prayer team, my time in front of the computer has become a time of prayer-praying to God for my friends requests. It has brought me closer to God and my prayer warrior friends because we have seen God go to work in our lives and ministries. And I have been absolutely amazed at how God has transformed my life and the lives of those I minister to through the prayers of my cyber network. I shudder to think that I used to preach, speak, teach and train without this base of prayer warriors.

This article originally appeared in Cadre Connection, the free monthly electronic newsletter for volunteer leaders and teachers in the church from Bill Allison and Cadre Ministries. If you would like to receive a monthly dose of encouragement from Cadre Connection, contact Bill Allison at bill@cadreministries.com. For more information about the speaking and training ministry of Bill Allison and Cadre Ministries visit this web site: www.cadreministries.com.

Copyright 2004 Church Central Associates. All rights reserved.
 
SPECIAL REPORT:
    LAUSANNE CONFERENCE ON WORLD EVANGELIZATION
    INTERNATIONAL PRAYER COUNCIL
    GLOBAL DAY OF PRAYER IN 2005
>From: "Robert Bakke" <rbakke@efca.org>

Dear Friends,
I just got off a plane from Thailand, having spent the last two weeks in a place called Pattaya, a resort town on the Thai coastline.  I attended the Lausanne Conference on World Evangelization and the International Prayer Councils regional coordinators meeting.  Though Pattaya is a beautiful setting for such international meetings, it is surrounded by prostitution and criminal dangers.  Too, our bags were searched by Thai police and we passed through metal detectors for each of our plenary sessions.  The threat of terrorists is now a daily reality in many international gatherings.

Lausanne had roughly 1,700 delegates from most of the nations of the earth, and the IPC had about 70 regional leaders from over 30 countries.  For Lausanne, we discussed the challenges and trends in global evangelization, and to work in daily teams that presented papers on numerous subjects.  My team presented a paper on &hibar;Prayer in Evangelism.  Our Issue team had 13 subgroups contributing to a 25,000 word document.  Our team was one of 31 Issue teams for the consultation.  On the IPC side, we discussed what was happening in the various regions of the world and planned for the Global Day of Prayer.  God was among us.

In each setting, I made plenary presentations on the Global Day of Prayer, 15 May 2005 (http://www.globaldayofprayer.com).
In a nutshell:
1. 10 Days of 24/7 prayer leading to Pentecost
2. 1 Day of Stadium prayer on Pentecost
3. 90 Days of blessing to a city after Pentecost
4. building over 5 years

Many hundreds of CDs, DVDs and packets of printed material were distributed to those eager to mobilize their nations and ministries.  Please pray that this vision is written the hearts of these leaders.  Not once did we sense that we had to sell the idea of a global prayer meeting.  Again and again it seemed obvious to people that the time had come for the Lord to call His Church to His feet universally.  Some stood before me in tears just thinking of the grand design.  One pastor from Romania hurried to me and excitedly told me of a vision he had had.  In his dream he saw 500 million people across the earth in prayer on one day.  When I spoke of the Global Day of Prayer, he believes that the Lord confirmed in his spirit that this was what he saw.  On another note, while taking a dip in the Gulf of Thailand, I happened upon another swimmer.  We were the only ones in the water.  While talking, he told me that he had lived in Southern California but that the Lord had impressed upon him to move to Dallas because God was going to do a new work in the city.  He is in the hi-tech industry.  He has been in Dallas for two years waiting and watching.  When I told him I was proposing the Global Day of Prayer to Dallas leaders, he wept, knowing that this is what God had called him to Texas for.

Among those attending were some of the most remarkable saints in Christendom.  Many with whom I met have lost much for the sake of the Gospel and others who are under constant threat.  L. is from a Buddhist country. He is returning home with a death threat from Buddhist nationalists over his head and may have to leave the country with his family.  His crime is that he led a major cabinet figure the Christ, and this cabinet minister mobilized opposition to a recent anti-conversion law that was ultimately defeated.  M. is from an Islamic republic where Al Queda and Taliban types endanger him continually.  I. is a quiet, exceedingly humble man from another Indonesia where hundreds of churches and Christian brothers and sisters have been destroyed during episodic jihadist rampages.  I. has over 2 million on his prayer mobilization list.  Leading up to the Global Day of Prayer, he plans to have a stadium filled with 120,000 Christians to pray. Patrick is from India.  He owns almost nothing and wants nothing.  His son recently died in ministry.  In the face of Hindu nationalists and Islamic jihadists, Patrick oversees a network of millions of intercessors among the largest and most active networks in the world.  One member of his prayer network a college professor began a prayer emphasis and an open-air meeting in Allalabad, one of the holiest places in all of Hinduism on the shores of the Ganges River, within a stones throw of the funeral pyres where righteous Hindus are cremated and their ashes tossed upon the river. In the course of a few months, the meeting has grown from a few thousand Hindus coming once a week to hear about Jesus, to 50,000.  They sit for hours and listen to Christ explained and proclaimed by this professor. While Christ is declared miracles take place in the vast crowd of Hindus. Patrick plans to have several large soccer stadiums full, and thousands of villages mobilized for the Global Day of Prayer.  Patrick also told me of a recent sermon by one of Indias leading Imams.  The Imam told Muslims not to attack Christians.  The reasoning was simple.  If you attack Buddhists or Hindus or those from other religions, they will respond with retaliations of their own.  But Christians will respond with love, pray for you, heal diseases and convert you.  This is to be avoided at all costs! (By the way, it is estimated that 10 million Indians are converting to Christ every year).  B. is from Cambodia.  He lost 21 members of his family (including most of his immediate family) to the Killing Fields of the Khmer Rouge.  He barely escaped from a death camp.  He has led a national movement of reconciliation, mobilizes tens of thousands in prayer even in the most remote villages meets with leaders of the government, and plants churches by the dozens.  He never stops smiling.

These leaders, and others like them, have planted hundreds of churches, their networks have planted thousands and thousands of churches raised up mighty prayer movements that include millions of Christians, and demonstrate a transcendent joy that is hard to describe.  Some of their stories are breathtaking.  They are the princes in the Kingdom.

Please pray for me over the next few weeks.
1. For my transition out of my present position with the EFCA at years-end. This will bring an eleven-year chapter to an end.
2. For upcoming arrangements and a presentation to ministry and business leaders in the city of Dallas, TX.  It is our intent to make Dallas a model city and the North American site for the GDOP.  This meeting is with the gatekeepers of the city.  Other cities, including Minneapolis, are showing great interest to join Dallas as model cities.  Four to six cities is our goal for year one.
3. For our discussions with those in a certain city about the National Day of Prayer broadcast (NBCOP 05)
4. For my preaching and teaching assignments over the next three weeks in Kearney, NE; Midland, MI and at the EFCAs Eastern District Association conference meeting in Tuscarora, PA.

Thanks!  I am grateful.
Under Mercy, Bob Bakke
Habakkuk 2:14

PS: if you want a Video CD of the Global Day of Prayer promo describing the miracle in Africa, send me a note or, if you have a high speed internet connection, download it from http://www.globaldayofprayer.com
 
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