My Mother's Prayers (excerpt from Francis Frangipane's email article, A Word to the Women of God)

      An encouraging word for mothers from Francis Frangipane.  Prayer is more important than we will ever know this side of Heaven.  I encourage you (and myself) to keep at it! 


My Mother's Prayers  (excerpt from Francis Frangipane's email article, A Word to the Women of God)

        I personally know the power of a woman's prayer---my mother. In the late sixties, I was a very lost young man living in sin and rebellion. Judging from my appearance, I looked hopeless. Yet in spite of my outward condition, my dear Catholic mother stood before God for me. Resist as I did, divine power, uniquely born of her prayers, began to hunt me down. Her cries were relentless and unceasing; often she would pray through the night for me. She was pregnant with prayer for her son. In 1970 God finally answered, and during the Jesus Movement revival, I came to Christ.
        Years later I asked the Lord about this revival. As you may know, it has been part of my assignment to help engender citywide unity and establish prayer, things that precede revival. Yet, to my knowledge, no citywide unity or organized prayer fueled the Jesus Movement. So I asked the Lord how revival could occur without a prayer movement at its source. The Lord quickly corrected me, saying that there was a great prayer movement: He had heard the prayers of a million praying mothers, each crying to Him for their children.
         From all denominations, in a "unity of desperation," God heard the cries of believing mothers. His heart was touched, and as a result, multitudes of sinful kids found repentance and salvation in Jesus Christ. This is the army God desires to release again today, but now with more vision, more power from the Holy Spirit, and with the support of men as well!
         Women of God, the fact is, Heaven needs you! You have been created by the Almighty to birth breakthroughs on planet Earth! God has uniquely designed you with a latent ability to release life through your intercession. Together with you, we men can build and establish, and we are learning to pray, but you have a special grace to release new spiritual beginnings. Whether your prayer focus is for your husband or church leadership, whether you are interceding for your children, city or nation, you possess in your spirit the seed-realities that, through prayer, can release God's life into the world.
         Yes, indeed, there is a battle; there still exists "enmity between [the serpent] and the woman" (Gen. 3:15). Satan especially hates you because it was your seed that bruised the serpent's head. It is amazing to me that God chose to bring His Son into the world, not through the heavens nor even through a woman impregnated by man, but through a woman made pregnant by God! God Himself came to earth through the woman's power to give birth!
Today the Lord is giving women a new grace, a new confidence against the powers of hell. Out of their oneness with Christ, these godly women will prayer-birth powerful ministries on earth, both male and female. They will release new beginnings to the body of Christ.

Pray for Rain

     We have been at a CFO camp in Iowa this week.  The area there needs rain as badly as we do in Illinois, and we have talked with several from many miles away who also desperately need rain.  I know Nebraska is very dry, too, so I am asking all of you who read this to pray for a wonderful soaking rain for all of the Midwest.  Right now the crops are surviving, but they cannot last much longer without a significant rain.
    The weather always reminds me of how helpless we are without God.  He has given us the wonderful privilege and opportunity to partner with Him in bringing blessings to our lives and the lives of others so I ask that we take advantage of this opportunity to pray down rain on a dry and thirsty land.  And while we're at it, let's pray for the dry and thirsty souls who live here.

A Word Through Chuck Pierce

      I am always interested to read prophetic words from men & women whose lives indicate there is fruit in their walk with God.  Chuck Pierce is one of those.  I have heard many accurate prophecies given by him, some predicting natural events (disasters) before they occurred.  This word is very encouraging.  

     We are at CFO right now and have been praying every night after the meetings for a friend who is battling a life threatening disease.  As a suggestion, I was telling him about the idea that came to me a couple of years ago when I seemed to be sick all winter that I should take communion every day as I take my vitamins.  After doing this I was not sick at all last winter.  

     Since Jesus provided everything we need in His death--salvation, healing, deliverance, guidance, protection, power, etc. because He connected us to His Father, communion is a way to remember that and to have a "picture" of consciously taking it all in.  Sam asked the Lord to confirm this idea to him and then I received this word in my email the very next morning.  It certainly encouraged us!

     In this word Chuck says the Lord is saying: "I have seen your weakness. In your weakness I am releasing a vitamin of My Spirit to bring you strength to endure for your faith is moving beyond endurance, into manifestation. In your 

weakness, know that strength will abound."

     It seemed good to post it this morning to encourage all of us, but also so that I can re-read it and not forget.

"Rise Up, Be Active with Me as I Transfer Lands into My People's Hands"

           "I Am the Only Hiding Place"

We continue to give thanks for how the Spirit of God met us so powerfully during our Pentecost Celebration. Below are additional prophetic words that the Lord led me to release during that time:

"In days ahead war is stirring. The heavenlies are filled with war.That which is happening in My covenant land will now affect the places where My covenant people are being re-centered in America. This will affect the economy of nations in days ahead.

      "Though the heavens are filled with warfare, I have a hiding place for My people. The hiding place that man has built will not protect in the days ahead - I Am the only hiding place that can be run into. I will be a shield for those who trust. In My refuge, the windows of My people will stand the blast of the enemy.

      "Remove fear from you. Remove fear from you. The war in the heavenlies will penetrate the earth, but in the midst of this, you have a protective shield of faith. Faith now will rise in a people and that faith will not only protect them but protect their children and their children's children.

"The Paths Are Changing"

      "Some of you are living in the moment of your change for the future. Some of you feel vulnerable in this moment. Fear not! I Am forming a protection around you in this time you are forming! YOU WILL BE new for the world to see in the days ahead! In the midst of this forming I am wrapping My wing around you like a cocoon. Do not fear. Do not fear, for in this transition time I will cover you and bring you forth in a way that you will soar in the next season.

     "The paths are changing. Paths are changing; worship and release your unique sound now and I will cover you! I will go before you and I will be your rear guard.

    "I'm sending a gentle rain over you for I know you need refreshment to further your path. A refreshing is coming upon you now for a path ahead will be a pioneering path. You need to be refreshed now for the days ahead! You will be established, even though now you feel un-established! Receive a refreshing rain that will cause you to find the place where I will shadow over you.

     "I have seen your weakness. In your weakness I am releasing a vitamin of My Spirit to bring you strength to endure for your faith is moving beyond endurance, into manifestation. In your weakness, know that strength will abound.

     "I am casting down from you that which you have exalted above My thinking. I AM the God that sends the armies of Heaven to overtake the armies of the earth that are going against My Will. I have lands and people who participate with Me. You have grown passive in what I am doing. This day rise up, rise up, rise up and be active with Me as I transfer lands into My people's hands.

"I am coming with a diamond head drill-bit to break through that hard pan that has held back what needs to be loosed for Kingdom advancement this hour.

    "BE RE-CENTERED, RE-FRESHED, RE-FURBISHED, RE-COVERED, RE-ORDERED, and RE-VIVED! I AM COMING TO VISIT A PEOPLE THAT WILL RISE UP AND BE SENT INTO THE WORLD TO CHANGE THE COURSE AND PATH THAT MANY NATIONS AND CITIES ARE PRESENTLY TAKING!"

Blessings,

Chuck D. Pierce
Glory of Zion International Ministries
Email: chuckp@glory-of-zion.org

Charles D. "Chuck" Pierce serves as President of Global Spheres, Inc. (GSI) in Corinth, Texas.  Chuck also serves as President of Glory of Zion International Ministries, a ministry that aligns Jew and Gentile. He is known for his accurate prophetic gifting which helps direct nations, cities, churches and individuals in understanding the times and seasons in which we live. Chuck and his wife, Pam, have six children and seven grandchildren. He has authored over 20 books, including the best-sellers Possessing Your Inheritance, The Future War of the Church, The Worship Warrior, God’s Unfolding Battle Plan, Interpreting the Times, Redeeming the Time, and Time to Defeat the Devil. 

An Interesting and Informative Email I Received

25 Things You Wouldn’t Believe About These Countries Depending upon your definition, and whether or not you count Taiwan, there are “approximately” 196 countries in the world as of this writing. So while you may consider yourself to be a knowledgeable global citizen, and we’re sure you are, given the dynamic and complex nature of our planet there are certain to be at least a couple facts on this list that you will find surprising. Here are 25 things that you wouldn’t believe about these countries. 25  Covers the most time zones – France If you count everything, including overseas territories, then France claims the title by covering 12 time zones. The United States would be the runner-up with 11 and then Russia with 9. 24  Most likely to disappear beneath the waves – Maldives With all the talks of global warming and rising sea levels, it is the residents of the Maldives that have the greatest reason to fear. With an average height of around 1.8 meters above sea level their nation is the lowest on Earth. 23  Most overweight population – Nauru With over 95% of its population being overweight, the small island nation of Nauru is by far the fattest country on Earth. Its obesity epidemic is primarily attributed to the importation of western fast food that coincided with an increased standard of living in the 20th century due to the global popularity of its phosphate exports. It’s almost non sequitur…almost. 22  Roads made of coral – Guam Because Guam doesn’t have any natural sand, but rather coral, the island nation makes its asphalt using a mix of ground coral and oil rather than importing sand from abroad. 21  Has 350 sheep for every person – Falkand Islands ( UK ) With only about 3,000 people the Falkland Islands are home to approximately half-a million-sheep. Not surprisingly wool is a major export. 20  Oldest sovereign state – Egypt This largely depends upon your definition of a sovereign state but if you are going by first acquisition of sovereignty then Egypt would be the first country in the world to achieve sovereignty based upon the formation of the first dynasty in 3100 BC. 19  Most lakes in the world – Canada With over 3 million lakes 9% of Canadian territory is actually fresh water and over 60% of all the lakes in the world are found within its borders. 18  Least likely place to meet your neighbor – Mongolia At 4 people per square mile Mongolia is the least densely populated country on Earth. Compare this to the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong that has the highest population density in the world with 340,000 people per square mile. 17  Largest number of tanks – Russia It is a strange title to hold, but Russia has by far the most tanks of any army in the world (21,000). Unfortunately for the motherland most of these outdated machines are tributes to its past, and although outnumbered (16,000), the United States has a much more advanced tank inventory. 16  The land of no rivers – Saudi Arabia Sounds a bit strange doesn’t it? For a country as big as Saudi Arabia there has to be at least some sort of flowing water. Well, there isn’t. Most of their fresh water comes from desalinization plants or underground reservoirs. 15  Youngest population of any country – Niger Generally the worlds youngest country is determined by calculating the portion of the population that is younger than 15. Presently it is Niger that holds this distinction with roughly half of its population having barely reached puberty (49%). 14  Most diverse country in the world – India In almost every category – culturally, economically, climatically, racially, linguistically, ethnically, and religiously India is either the most diverse countries in the world, or the runner-up. 13  Fastest disappearing nation – Ukraine With a natural decrease in population of .8% annually, between now and 2050 Ukraine is expected to lose around 30% of its people. 12  Most of its citizens live abroad – Malta After some rough economic times coupled with an increased birth rate, Malta experienced significant immigration. It was so significant that there are now more Maltese living abroad than within the country itself. 11  Smaller than Central Park in New York City – Monaco Although Vatican City is smaller (.17 sq mi) than Monaco (.8 sq mi), unlike Monaco it doesn’t have any permanent residents which leaves Monaco as the smallest permanently inhabited nation in the world…smaller than Central Park . 10   Almost entirely covered in jungle – Suriname With 91% of its land covered in jungle Suriname ’s half-a-million residents live primarily along the coast near the capital. Only 5% of the population (mainly indigenous people) live inland. 9 Almost entirely treeless – Haiti On the opposite end of the spectrum is Haiti , a country that has been so badly deforested that you can tell where it borders the Dominican Republic by looking at a satellite image ( Haiti is on the left in the photo above). 8 Largest country with no farms – Singapore Although there are a number of small nations in the world that show no hint of having an agriculture based economy, (take Vatican City for example) Singapore is the largest of these urban city-states. 7 Most languages spoken – Papua New Guinea Although English is its official language, only 1-2% of the population actually speak it. As the most linguistically diverse country in the world, over 820 languages are spoken in Papua New Guinea or 12% of the world’s total. 6 Most educated people – Canada With 50% of its population having been educated at the post secondary level, Canada easily has the most educated populace in the world. It is followed by Israel at 45% and Japan at 44%. 5 The “country desert” – Libya With 99% of the country covered in desert Libya is one of the most arid places in the world and in some regions decades may go by without a single drop of rain. 4 Least peaceful nation in the world – Somalia Although for the last three years Iraq has been ranked as the least peaceful country in the world, according to the Global Peace Index Somalia overtook it this year for the top spot. 3 Produces most of the world’s oxygen – Russia Siberia is home to approximately 25% of the world’s forests that span an area larger than the continental United States, making Russia the largest converter of CO2 into breathable compounds. 2 World’s largest opium producer – Afghanistan Producing a whopping 95 percent of the world’s opium, not even 10 years of occupation by American forces have slowed down the industry. 1 Most people behind bars – United States When it comes to incarcerating its population, the United States is the world’s uncontested leader. With 2.2 million people behind bars it has 5% of the world’s population but 25% of the world’s incarcerated population. China comes in second place at 1.5 million and Russia comes third at 870,000.

Economics 101--What is God's Plan? by Dr. Art Mathias

        Dr. Art Mathias of Wellspring Ministries has written an excellent article entitled "Economics 101--What Is God's Plan" which you can read here: (http://akwellspring.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Economics101.pdf).  In it he helps us to see how we are being conditioned to look at capitalism as bad and are thereby being led into becoming a socialistic country.
      I have included the above link so you can read the whole article, but I am posting an excerpt from the article so you can see the comparisons of the values of capitalism compared to socialism.  It is obvious where our country is headed.  We must take a stand before it is too late.

Capitalism:
Rewards compassion and giving 
Values the individual
Encourages investment
Rewards work, effort and diligence 
Competes in business
Take care of the poor
Values an inheritance
Values private property
Responsible for your own success 
Encourages use of capital to create more 
Business is good and honorable 
Encourages creativity
Values the human spirit
Values and defends God
Uses God’s values in society 
Understanding of human nature Limited government
Created in His image
Values human life
Values business
Creates incentive to grow and progress

Socialism/Communism:
Takes from workers and rewards the lazy 
Values the state, creates class warfare‐covets 
Discourages investment‐no reward
Rewards laziness—covets
Competes for basic necessities—thus cruel Creates destitute and poor
Taxes inheritance and steals it
Controls or state ownership (steals)
State provides (vs. God)—regardless of effort Profit is evil
Business exploits
Discourages creativity—no reward
Values the state
Atheistic or Polytheistic (many gods) 
Removes God and His commands
False understanding of human nature
Big government with unlimited control 
Evolution
Little value of life—abortion
Blames business
Steals incentive


Conclusion:

There are many other comparisons but I hope you get the idea. We are at a crossroad in our country and world. The fruit of socialism/communism is very evident. I hope this brief paper will help you to cement your beliefs and then be able to speak out and defend them.
Capitalistic America is the most giving, compassionate, and benevolent country that has ever existed in human history. Be proud of who we are, what we have done and what we stand for. We have rescued the world over and over again from the despots of socialism/communism. Do not apologize. We are not perfect but we are not the evil colonizers of the world forcing our values on others that some believe.
Americans have given millions of lives defeating the socialistic/communistic dictators that have tried to imprison the world. We have given trillions of dollars to help others. When someone apologizes for who and what we are they curse every life and every dollar that we gave to rescue and help this world.
If you are really an American you will understand who we are—you will be proud to be an American— you will defend America—you will not apologize.
Please forward this to others. God Bless you in this war for America—GET INVOLVED!
You can contact the author at amat566@aol.com, akwellspr@aol.com, www.akwellspring.com or 907.563.9033

Two helpful websites for understanding Jewish roots to the Christian faith

       In addition to Ray Vander Laan's website:  http://www.followtherabbi.com/ , I have found Lois Tverberg's website: http://ourrabbijesus.com/ to also be very helpful in explaining the Jewish Roots of the Christian faith.
       Here is a short meditation to give you a hint of things you may discover on this website:

The Shema and the First Commandment

MAY 7, 2012

Years ago I used to scratch my head at Jesus’ response to the question “What is the greatest commandment?” in Mark 12:28. Why does he start with the line “Hear O Israel, the Lord is Your God, the Lord alone” before stating the command: “Love the Lord your God…”?

Why state a fact before giving a command? Why not just give the command?

I talked a little about this in chapter 2 of Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus, when I discussed how this a quotation of Deuteronomy 6:4-5. These two lines are the beginning of the Shema (“shmah”), the daily prayer of recommitment that has been recited morning and evening for over 2000 years.

Buried in my endnotes was an interesting clue about why Jesus glued these two sentences together. Take a look at how similar they are to the first of the ten commandments:

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. (Deuteronomy 5: 6-7)

Both in the Shema and here, there is a statement about God, and then a command to be loyal to him. Jewish scholar Moshe Weinfeld points out the reason why.  The beginning of the Shemais actually a sermon about the first commandment. It’s a reiteration of this central decree that demands utter commitment to God from his people. Notice that the Shema is not very far away in the text, less than a chapter later in Deuteronomy.

Weinfeld points out that in both cases, the two lines should be read together. The first line, the statement about God, provides the motivation for the command to follow. Because God brought you out of the land of slavery, you shall have no other gods before him. In the same way, the Shema declares that becauseyou know God is the one true God, you should love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength.

Hmm…interesting. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment is, his answer was to quote the Shema, which itself points back to the first commandment. The greatest commandment is the very first!

~~~

Moshe Weinfeld, Anchor Bible Commentary, Deuteronomy 1-11 (New York: Doubleday, 1991) 285-6.

Photo: Glen Edelson

Shepherd leading flock across busy road in Amman

     The first time we were in Turkey we were near the area of Laodicea when our guide pointed out a shepherd on a nearby hill.  The shepherd would make a trilling-kind of noise and the sheep who were happily grazing would lift their heads and follow him as he walked to another spot. Then when we were in Israel our group came upon several shepherds watering their sheep at a community watering hole.  When one was ready to leave they made a specific sound and all of their sheep separated from the rest who were drinking and followed the shepherd (who appeared to be about 12-15 years old).  It was such an amazing picture of what John wrote in Chapter 10, verses 3 and 4:  "He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them and his sheep follow him because they know his voice."

     Since we westerners are familiar with animals in pastures and move them from one place to another by driving them with sticks, I had never understood this passage until I saw a living example of it.  The above video illustrates it perfectly.  The shepherd guides his sheep through the danger of traffic.  They trust him and wait for his lead.  What a great picture of how our walk with Jesus, our Good Shepherd, is to be.

       Here is the whole passage from John 10:   “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ² The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” ⁶ Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.^[a] They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father —and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷ The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life —only to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

        While in Israel, we were taken to a cave the shepherd's used for protection of the sheep at night.  There was only one opening to the cave and that is where the shepherd slept so the sheep could not get out without going over (or through) him.  So many things make sense (see verses 7-9) when you see them through the eyes of those who wrote the Bible, or to whom it was written.

Prayer For Elevate 2012

    Elevate 2012 is fast approaching--Saturday night, July 7.  We think it may be the best concert yet even though they've all been wonderful!  Kutless, For King & Country, and Josh Wilson are the headline bands, with Terrace Lake Worship from Columbus, Indiana, kicking off the event at 5:00.  All the headline bands have had songs on Billboard's top 10 list of Contemporary Christian songs and/or albums.  I am always amazed when I think of little ole Martinsville hosting such amazing bands that play all over the world!
     Because we know it is the Lord's presence that changes lives and that "when two or more are gathered in His Name He is there" we will begin community prayer for Elevate 2012 tonight at the Martinsville Fairgrounds at 7:00 p.m., and will continue each Thursday night until the concert on July 7.  If you live in the area we invite you to come join us.  If you can't be there we would love for you to join us in Spirit and  pray with us wherever you are.
     We know prayer is the most important thing we can do for this concert and those attending.  Before Elevate 2010--our first concert--we felt the Lord gave us this scripture from Isaiah 45:2,3, as a promise:
       "I will go before you and will level the mountains;
        I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. 
³         I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, 
        so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, 
        who summons you by name."  

     We are asking for those hidden treasures and riches stored in secret places.  We pray that all who do not know how great and marvelous the Lord is and how much he loves each of us, will have a revelation of this during their time at Elevate.  We also pray it will be a fun, safe, memory-making time for all who come and all will sense God's Presence in everything that is said and done.

     Let the prayer, preparations, weather, locale, and all who participate bring glory to the One who is worthy of all our praise!

An Amphitheater for the Linn Park

      I am excited about our new project.  The Festivals and Events Committee, which was formed through the MAPPING process a few months ago, is working on funding and building a new amphitheater on the land that is being given to the city by the Linn Foundation to be established as the Linn Park.  It seemed to us an amphitheater would be a wonderful addition to the park because it would provide many opportunities to bring residents of the community together--weekly music in the parks, special concerts, outdoor theater productions, movies in the park, celebrations, talent shows, awards ceremonies and many other uses we have not yet thought of.
      As we talked about the design of the amphitheater we decided it would be good to suggest the lines of  the old blacksmith shop that is currently on the Linn property but which is beyond repair and will be torn down soon.  We also thought it would be good to include a storage area in the back for lights, stage props, etc.  Bricks from the blacksmith shop could possibly be used to cover this storage area and the posts of the structure, although it has been suggested the old bricks may be too soft to reuse.  If so we may have to come up with another material for siding.  Consulting with others helped us to determine that a stage of 40' x 30' would accommodate most purposes for use, so we talked with Dan Smith, who provided us with an estimate of the cost of construction.  He then built a model of the amphitheater to help visualize the completed amphitheater.  Now we are in the process of determining ways to pay for the project.
     Of course, we believe that once people see the potential for the amphitheater there will be many donations towards the construction which we wholeheartedly welcome.  (Donations are tax-deductible.) To supplement these donations engraved bricks will be sold to be laid as a path through a garden that will be developed on the property.  Here are some ideas for engravings on the bricks: "In memory of", "In honor of", names of people or places, scripture verses, witty or wise sayings, historical events, "class of ___", business names and/or dates they were established--the list is practically endless.
     A booth will be set up at the Martinsville Fair to provide information on the project, so stop by to see Dan's model of the facility.  Bricks will also be available for purchase at that time.

     We would like to contact former residents of Martinsville to apprise them of this opportunity to help the community while also preserving history.  If you know anyone who would be interested, please send them this article, or email me their address and I will contact them.  Thanks for any help you can give us.

Fair Oaks Farms Adventure Center - America's Heartland

     This is an amazing farm!  We have visited it a couple of times but both times we got there too late to take the bus tour (we were on our way back from conferences in Chicago.)  I would like to go again sometime to experience it all.
     Since it would be a fun and educational outing for families--and an easy day trip from Martinsville--I'm also including a link to their website and contact information for your convenience so you can check them out.

Fair Oaks Farms   (http://www.fofarms.com/en/home)
856 N 600 E
Fair Oaks, IN 47943

Contact us at:
Phone: (219) 394-2025
Toll Free: (877) 536-1194
Fax: (219) 394-2026
E-mail: info@fofarms.com

(FYI for non-techys:  I have discovered if you click on the YouTube button on the videos I post it will take you to YouTube where you can then watch them on the full computer screen by clicking on the rectangle in the lower right hand column.  Press the escape key to exit full screen.)

A Call to Prayer for the Nations

      Last week I posted an article by the Chavdas.  Today I received an invitation to join the "call to prayer for the nations" which they are organizing.  I am including the invitation with a link so you can sign up, too, if you are interested.  Please forward it to anyone else you know who believes in the power of prayer and understands that we are living in perilous times.  God has directed each of us who knows Him and loves Him to bring His kingdom to our sphere of influence.  We must be about our Father's business. One way we can do that is through prayer.

Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.  Psalm 2:8

Let God Arise Prayer Relay: June 1 - November 6, 2012. We are mobilizing Christians to cover our nation in continuous prayer for a recovery of our inheritance. Choose a day to stand in the gap for America in prayer and fasting. Let us harmonize together with one cry, "Let God Arise, and let His enemies be scattered." You may sign up and find prayer points (click here).

Mahesh and Bonnie Chavda
Chavda Ministries International
Email: info@chavdaministries.org

Rabbi Daniel Lapin

      Are you familiar with Rabbi Daniel Lapin?  Country Guy and I happened to see him on a TV show recently and so I looked up his website: http://www.rabbidaniellapin.com/index.php .  There I subscribed to his email newsletter.
      I am posting an excerpt from his bio from the website to introduce you to him if you don't know him already and then below that, his most recent email newsletter.  I find his articles interesting, thought-provoking, inspiring, and educational.  I thought you might, too.

Rabbi Daniel Lapin, known world-wide as America's Rabbi, is a noted rabbinic scholar, best-selling author and host of the Rabbi Daniel Lapin Show on San Francisco’s KSFO. He is one of America’s most eloquent speakers and his ability to extract life principles from the Bible and transmit them in an entertaining manner has brought countless numbers of Jews and Christians closer to their respective faiths.   In 2007 Newsweek magazine included him in its list of America’s fifty most influential rabbis.  

Before immigrating to the United States in 1973, Rabbi Daniel Lapin studied Torah, physics, economics and mathematics in Johannesburg, London and Jerusalem.  This seemingly unlikely combination forms the bedrock of his conviction that no conflict exists between the physical and spiritual, virtue and strength, or faith and wealth.  He quickly became persuaded that God continues to smile on the United States of America and he became a naturalized citizen on what he describes as the proudest day of his life.

Rabbi Daniel Lapin was the founding rabbi of Pacific Jewish Center, a now legendary Orthodox synagogue in Venice, California.  He implanted the community’s mission of demonstrating the relevance of traditional Faith to modern life.

“The more things change, the more you must depend upon those things that never change” is a theme that the rabbi injects into his presentations.  With his compelling application of permanent principles that address the problems that plague individuals, families and our nation, he has won the admiration of noted figures such as Dr. James Dobson, John Ashcroft, Rabbi Reuven Bulka, Pastor John Hagee, Jack Kemp (1935-2009), Dr. D.J. Kennedy (1930-2007), Rush Limbaugh, Michael Medved, Rabbi Avigdor Miller (o.b.m.), the late Secretary of the Treasury, William E. Simon, Rabbi Aryeh Sheinberg, Rabbi Pinchas Stolper and Zig Ziglar. President George W. Bush appointed him to serve two terms on a United States Commission.

http://www.rabbidaniellapin.com/index.php     Spirituality of Science Rabbi Daniel Lapin    May 30, 2012                          9th day of Sivan 5772                   Volume V Issue #21 Does anyone wear a pacemaker produced in Pakistan?  Have you noticed any breakthroughs in electrical super conductivity emanating from Saudi Arabia?  Would you buy a sedan designed and assembled in Sudan?  Did the dental anesthetic, Novocain, get invented in Nigeria or Botox in Biafra? I think that open inquiry is more important than avoiding multi-cultural insensitivity, so let’s ask why virtually all scientific and medical advances of the past thousand years occurred within western civilization. There is no defect in the people of the countries I have mentioned.  Western civilization’s remarkable monopoly of progress is due to the qualities that Judaism and Christianity imbued in the cultures, societies, and nations they spawned. Widely held beliefs truly do have consequences. It isn’t that hard to see how a Bible-based view of reality shapes a culture and fuels scientific discovery.  The opening words of God’s directive to humanity “In the beginning God created heaven and earth” strips away the illusion of a random world and sets men on the road to scientific discovery. Science is mainly about seeking meaningful patterns.  Knowing that patterns in the natural world exist, no matter how elusive they may be, reinforces the persistence of the investigator. People acculturated by Judaism and Christianity discovered calculus, the periodic table, penicillin, relativity, and planetary motion.  Those Bible-believers invented electricity, and most everything else that makes life today so much better than it was a millennium ago.  What drove their quest was the knowledge that the universe was not random along with the desire to understand God’s universe as a way to understanding Him. The opening sentence of the Bible told them it had been created by a benevolent Deity to fulfill His grand plans and as such, it was knowable. That first sentence, in its original Hebrew possesses a striking distinction.  Six of its seven words contain an aleph.  The aleph is not only the first letter of the alphabet, it also means one thousand.  Ancient Jewish wisdom links that first verse’s six alephs or thousands, to the six thousand years of human history starting from when Adam first spoke.  Furthermore, it links each of the six days of creation to its parallel millennium.  So, the sixth millennium, corresponding to the Bible’s account of the sixth day of creation, ran from the Jewish year 5001 to 6000.  The civil year 2012 corresponds to the Hebrew year 5772 which means that the sixth millennium began 772 years ago: 2012 – 772 = 1240 That sixth day of creation contains one instruction vital for scientific discovery.  God directs man to conquer the earth. (Genesis 1:28)  God urges us to discover ways of making the world safer, a place in which humans can live longer and better with less back-breaking, manual labor.   No wonder Isaac Newton’s discoveries resulted from him being a Bible-believing Christian. The Hebrew word telling us to conquer,kovesh, happens to be the 76th word out of a total of 149 words in that sixth day account.  76/149 = 0.51  In other words, there is a prophecy that exactly 51% of the way through the sixth millennium there will be a breakthrough which will dramatically increase the way that humans conquer the world.  Well, 510 years into this millennium brings us to 1240 + 510 = 1750.  The year that dates the beginning of the Industrial Revolution!  Just as the Bible impacts the scientific development of people, so it also shapes their economic development. Though there is an optimistically named Nobel Prize in “Economic Sciences” most question whether economics is really a science.  For instance, if electricity behaved one way this year, quite differently from how it behaved last year, we’d question whether the study of electricity belonged in the sciences.  Yet that is precisely what economics does. This is because unlike electricity, economics is impacted by the spiritual condition of people.  The spiritual make-up of a culture shapes its economic fortunes.