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Sometimes people tell me they wish they could see more answers to prayer - answers that indisputably reflect the intervention of God. Does the God of Elijah still live? Does He still respond to the prayers of His people? Absolutely! And when He shows Himself strong it thrills us with new faith.
Just this morning Pastor Jim Moon, prayer coordinator for the Rocky Mountain Conference, called to tell me about a huge answer to prayer involving a teacher at our Seminary. I think the story will inspire you too.
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Dr. Kenley Hall (pictured left) has served as Project Coach at the Seminary for the DMin program, then recently transitioned to the position of Associate Professor in the Christian Ministry Department. |
About three weeks ago, on the final day of the extension class he was teaching in Maryland, his students surprised him and said they had a very special gift for him. An auto-immune condition, Guillian Barre Syndrome, had left Dr. Hall with paralysis in his legs. The disease destroys the myelin sheath around the nerves throughout the body. Working with a Physical Therapist he had regained some muscle strength in his thighs, but he had no use of his lower legs or feet. Using braces he was able to move about somewhat but he was mostly confined to a wheelchair.
Dr. Hall was surprised when his students moved to the front of the classroom, gathered around him and said they wanted to give him a gift--the gift of prayer. Lisa Green, a ministerial student from Jamaica, revealed that she had been praying and fasting for four days that God would restore the use of his legs so he could be even more effective in his ministry.
As Lisa and the others prayed, Dr. Hall began to feel a strange sensation in his feet, almost like an electrical current. He began to move his toes inside his shoes - for the first time in months. Startled, Dr. Hall said to the students, "Feel my shoes; I think my toes are moving!" The class members excitedly agreed.
Was the paralysis gone? It didn't appear so. A couple of the students helped him back to his hotel room. When he arrived he pulled off his braces, stood up - and started walking! That was two weeks ago; he hasn't stopped. The next Sabbath, with his Physical Therapist at his side, he stood and told the congregation of the miracle. The PT volunteered that in 18 years he had never seen a miracle like this!
I spoke with Lisa Green this morning. She is convinced that the God of Elijah is alive today and loves to respond to the prayers of His children.
(Above) Students gather together immediately following their "gift of prayer" for Dr. Hall.
(Below) Students gather around Dr. Hall to take a closer look when he starts moving his toes.
The 10 Bold Weeks of intense prayer for the General Conference Session:
Click here for resources and plans for each day.
Also - as we pray for the delegates chosen to make decisions at the GC Session,
please check with your conference office to see who your delegates are, so you can pray for them by name. See the bottom of the newsletter for details.
Just Ahead - The National Day of Prayer - May 7
This year there will be more than 42,000 gatherings all across the nation - Christians of all denominations in venues large and small, praying for a spirit of repentance, for forgiveness, for the only force that can change our nation - His Holy Spirit.
For several years, on the National Day of Prayer, a plane has flown over each of the fifty state capitols at noon local time, with passengers on board who are praying for that state and its leaders, for their communities, and for the nation. The areas of focus for prayer are:
- Government - ask God to grant our leaders wisdom, discernment, integrity, and hearts open to His will.
- Church - Pray for Christians, for America's churches that they will experience a new hunger for the Word of God and strength to do His will.
- Military - Pray for God to grant courage, strength, and protection for them and their families.
- Family - Pray for God to protect and strengthen families and marriages, especially at this time when our culture is challenging the biblical model of marriage.
- Education - Pray for God's presence in education, and that children will be inspired to discover their God-given calling.
- Media - Pray for a Christian influence in the media.
- Business - Pray for divine intervention in our national, state, and local economies, and that God will raise up business leaders of character.
I know some of you are planning a gathering in your community for the National Day of Prayer...at your church, or on the Court House steps for instance. We encourage you to do that, or to join with others in your community who already have their plans in place. Praying together builds bridges.
The NAD Ministerial Convention will be held in Austin, Texas from June 28 - July 1. We want to remember the 4000+ pastors who will gather there and the presenters.
Thank you and God bless.
Ruthie
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Ruthie Jacobsen
NAD Prayer Coordinator
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"If two of you shall agree on earth
as touching any thing
that they shall ask,
it shall be done for them
of My Father which is in heaven.
For where two or three
are gathered together
in My name,
there am I in the midst of them."
~Matthew 18:19-20
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"[Matthew 18:19-20 quoted]
'Ask of Me, and I will answer your requests.'
The promise is made on condition that the united prayers of the church are offered, and in answer to these prayers there may be expected a power greater than that which comes in answer to private prayer. The power given will be proportionate to the unity of the members and their love for God and for one another." (
9 Manuscript Releases, 303)
Please take a few minutes to view this powerful video "United Prayer Works". You will be blessed.
Watch Here
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All Night Call to Prayer
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Phone: 404-891-6338
ID 772 937#
Our next all-night call will be
May 7
, the evening of the National Day of Prayer.
10:00 p.m. - 5:00 a.m. (EDT)
Mark that date on your calendar.
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Praying for the people we love who have quit coming to church
by Nancy Canwell
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TO SEEK AND TO SAVE
For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10, NIV).
There's a church in the North Pacific Union that's on a mission. The active members are diligently seeking out the church's non-attending members. Sure, they could sit and wait for members to come back on their own. This sometimes happens. When there's a crisis or a softening of hearts, some have mustered up the courage to walk through the church doors on their own. But it doesn't happen very often.
This particular church wanted to know what was going on with their non-attending members. Had they moved? Were they attending another nearby Adventist Church? Why did they quit attending? The church wanted to find answers.
The pastor formed a small group of active church members to sit down and go over the membership list together-one name at a time. The clerk was invited, as well as members who had been around long enough to know "who was who." It took two meetings and a total of six hours. When they were finished, the committee was surprised and saddened to realize that although they had nearly 200 members attending each Sabbath, their actual membership was over 450! That's a lot of family to be missing....
The committee members' information was valuable. Many knew if individuals had moved away, whether they were attending a nearby Adventist church, whether they were housebound, etc. And there was also the, "She hasn't been to church since so-and-so hurt her feelings" and "He doesn't come because he's upset about how the landscaping project was handled."
The committee's work is now finish-but the project is just beginning! One of the church elders is now in charge of setting up a visitation program so that each of the local non-attending members can be visited. The church wants to not only invite them back, but also to find out why they left, and if they have any needs the church can meet.
Read the above text again. Jesus didn't come to simply save the lost. He came to "seek" and save the lost. So if Jesus seeks, then shouldn't we? Shouldn't we go out and find our non-attending members wherever they are? We can't build friendships and invite them back unless we seek, find, and ask.
Prayer Focus: Pray that we won't wait for the "lost sheep" to find his or her way home, but instead follow Jesus' example and search until each one is found. And if anyone needs to be carried home, we will gladly do so.
Recommended Resource: "Visitation Team Ministry Description" from Advent Source. Click Here.
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Nancy Canwell
If
you have missed any of the previous articles of the Reconnecting Ministries Series you may find them all here:
Click Here
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Prayer Conference Videos
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Pray For Our Conferences and Their Leaders By Name
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PRAY ONE MILLION
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TEN WEEKS FOR BOLD PRAYERS
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Calendar
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All Night Call to Prayer - May 7
National Day of Prayer - May 7
10 Weeks for Bold Prayers - April 19 - June 27
NAD Ministerial Convention - June 28 - July 1
Men's Day of Prayer - September 5
Curriculum Focus for the Month: Prayer - November
Week of Prayer - November 1 - 7
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