 |
|
What would happen if, in every church there were reminders in the bulletin to pray for the Pastors' Convention and the General Conference Session?
What would happen if, during Sabbath School remarks and in every class, in every Church Board meeting, school and home, prayer for the GC session became a regular practice, asking God to direct every decision for His glory and His plan?
Remember the old spiritual? "If we ever needed The Lord before, we sure do need Him now." Have we ever needed Him more?
Will you urge your church to pray earnestly for everyone attending---for every leader, the nominating committee, and every delegate. If you haven't already done so, why not contact your conference office to find out who your delegates are and pray for them by name. Then share this with your pastor, and prayer groups.
It was about twenty years ago that I came across a book titled "Prayer Warriors," and it moved me. I knew this book was written by a man who knows what it means to pray! A few weeks later, while planning a Prayer Conference on the campus of Atlantic Union College, I thought of the message of the book, and invited the author, Ron Halvorsen, to join my team there. Within just a few minutes into his very first message I knew that here was a man who loved Jesus, loved people, and loved to bring the two of them together. I would have the privilege over the next two decades, of watching him do it again and again.
He was a tremendous mentor and encourager to prayer coordinators who worked with him. Karen Martell was one --she was an indispensable part of his team for the San Bernardino Crusade. He enjoyed recounting their experiences and thanked God for her commitment and appreciated Karen and her team.
Marian Parson and many other prayer coordinators have stories of their growth and their gratitude to Ron for his vision and faith.
Ron's work in the Southern California Conference inspired the handly little Prayerwalking Guide which you can download at the NAD Prayer Ministires website here. And it is available in Spanish here.
Ron tells in his book, "Gangs to God," that he grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in the Bronx. He early discovered that he could survive if he was tough, so he became a street fighter. But he never forgot the radical transformations in his own personal journey as God moved him from a life without purpose to a life with a consuming passion - telling the story of Jesus. I never heard him speak when he was not laser-focused on that assignment.
One of his favorite pastimes (besides fishing) was prayerwalking. He loved to walk the aisles of a church where he would be preaching and pray for those who would worship there. He was committed to prayerwalking the streets and to pray for the people in the houses he passed. Remember the story of his prayers for the prostitute in the park in Honolulu? What a joy and a change in her life when she was baptized!
I love to think of the gifts that he left behind...the countless pastors he inspired, the thousands of students he motivated, uncounted members he encouraged, and more than 10,000 he baptized. We've temporarily lost a friend and a trend-setter. I've heard that he said he wanted to be buried with his Bible because he wanted to come out of the grave preaching! Wouldn't surprise me at all.
|
"Death can never take away more than love leaves behind."
~Ron Halvorsen, Jr.
|
Condolence Cards may be sent to:
Carrol Halvorsen, 110 SE Second Ct, Crystal River, FL 34429
This morning Don and I stopped by the beautiful Intensive Care Unit at the Celebration (Florida) Hospital. As we walked down the hall, we were thankful for this "state of the art" facility and the caring people who minister there.
Our friend, Elder Bob Folkenberg, is the patient in room 311, and when we stepped into the room we were aware of the peace that was obvious there. Bob Folkenberg had surgery last night to correct a blockage in his GI tract, and was feeling better. He has been battling cancer since February.
Their daughter, Kathy, her husband David and their children live nearby. As you perhaps know, their son, Bob and his wife, Audrey, are leading out in our work in China.
Please pray for Elder Folkenberg, his wife Anita, and their family. We thank God for this leadership family, and for His hand of power on them -for the countless baptisms and changed lives of those involved in SHARE HIM.
As you pray for them, you may want to send them a card to let them know that you're holding them up in prayer.
The address is:
Bob Folkenberg, 9457 Waterford Oaks Dr, Winter Haven, FL 33884
Thank you and God bless.
Ruthie
 |
Ruthie Jacobsen
NAD Prayer Coordinator
|
|
 Contents
|
Book Review,
Praying for Your Elephant by Adam Stadtmiller
|
|
 |
All Night Call to Prayer
|
Phone: 404-891-6338
ID 772 937#
Our next all-night call will be
June 4.
10:00 p.m. - 5:00 a.m. (EDT)
Mark that date on your calendar.
|
|
|
|
Praying for Your Elephant by Adam Stadmiller
Review by Don Jacobsen
|
Every once in a while you come across a book that is a life-changer. Mark Batterson's, "The Circle Maker," comes to mind. "Praying For Your Elephant," is another.
Why would you pray for an elephant? In America? Maybe in India, but in America? Where would you park it if you had one? If you are open to having your prayer life radicalized then you will thoroughly enjoy Adam Stadtmiller's explanation of why you should pray for an elephant. I did.
Let me spoil the plot of the book just a tad and give you my summary of where he's going with his symbolism. Here it is: Prayer is not about getting answers; prayer is about helping create situations where God is glorified. To work within that definition will change every prayer you ever pray. And how frequently.
This is not to suggest that we should not ask for those things we need, but it does speak to the issue of our motive. In that captivating narrative in John 15, Jesus Himself says, "...Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father's glory..." Our goal then is not to have our needs met, but His. Prayer is not about us; it's about Him. We've known this truth for a long time, but I've not understood it as well as I have since I read about praying for an elephant.
Buy the book. Amazon carries it in several formats. Look here. Just don't start reading it late at night; it'll wreck your schedule the next day.
|
|
|
|
Praying for the people we love who have quit coming to church
by Nancy Canwell
|
"OUR FATHER..."
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103:8-12, NIV).
Research has shown that one of the reasons members choose to leave church is that when they're facing troubled times, they're often angry with God. Yet it's during these times that they need God the most! That's why it's so important to seek out these missing members. We need to be there to listen to them and hear their pain. Then we need to show them what God and the church has to offer.
When Scott decided to give church another try, he was one of those returning with anger toward God. Although he was an adult, Scott couldn't bury the terrible past of growing up with an abusive, alcoholic father. And he blamed God for it. Why hadn't God stopped his dad from hurting him? Why did he have to live out his childhood in fear, never knowing when his dad might come home drunk and beat him again? It was all so unfair.
As a result, Scott's aversion to the word "Father" was so strong that he couldn't recite the Lord's Prayer because it begins with the words, "Our Father." And other Bible texts that referred to God as a father were tough for him to read also.
Thankfully, the church that Scott came back to was sensitive to his pain. The pastor recommended that Scott see a professional counselor who could help him work through his painful memories. And the pastor and some of the members spent quality time with Scott, showing him texts that prove that God is a loving God: " 'For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him' " (John 3:16, 17, NIV). "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1, NIV).
It took months of counseling and Bible study for Scott to realize that he shouldn't compare God to his dad. He came to realize that his Heavenly Father was everything his earthly father was not. In fact, his Heavenly Father was everything Scott had ever wanted and needed in a father! But had it not been for the understanding, compassionate members and pastor, Scott may never have been able to forgive his dad, or been able to see God as a loving father. Because of them, he learned he had a loving Heavenly Father who understood his fear and anger, and who was waiting for him to come home.
Prayer Focus: Pray that the Holy Spirit will show us how to demonstrate, without preaching, the simple fact that God loves the disconnected even when they are angry with God. God has big shoulders.
Recommended Resource: Project C.A.R.E. Christians Achieving Restoration through Empowerment. Order though AdventSource: Click Here.
______________________
Nancy Canwell
If
you have missed any of the previous articles of the Reconnecting Ministries Series you may find them all here:
Click Here
|
|
|
Prayer Conference Videos
|
|
|
Pray For Our Conferences and Their Leaders By Name
|
|
|
PRAY ONE MILLION
|
|
|
TEN WEEKS FOR BOLD PRAYERS
|
|
|
Calendar
|
All Night Call to Prayer - June 4
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
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
