AUGUST 2006
REFLECTION
The most fundamental Christian
doctrine is that of the Trinity.
Christianity alone defines God as
being one God and three Persons.
We cannot really understand this, but
it is a doctrine of faith – that God is
One, and that God is Three:
God the Father, God the
Word (or Son), and God the
Holy Spirit. Without the
reality of the Trinity, the
Incarnation makes no
sense and is without real meaning.
Christianity proclaims that Jesus
Christ is the Second Person of the
Trinity, God who became Man while
remaining God. If one studies the
early history of the Christian Church,
the doctrine of the Trinity is one that
was formed very early in thought and
then over time expressed firmly in
doctrine – under the guidance of the
Holy Spirit. The early Fathers of the
Church proclaimed the Trinity and
there were early fierce battles with
heretics who tried to undermine
belief in the Trinity. There are
attacks against this belief even
today. We will hopefully spend all
eternity in the presence of Father,
Son and Holy Spirit – and will spend
all eternity ever growing in
understanding of the sublime nature
of God. Well, what does this have to
do with the UP Team and the spiritual
transformation of our area. Much! I
read an article in a Christian
periodical some time ago, and it
really got me to thinking about this.
When God chose to reveal His nature
to us, He was also giving us an
example to follow in life! This is a
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new understanding for me, and
please bear with me as I try to share
it with you. From all eternity (no
time or sequence of events involved
here), God (First Person) sees Himself
and expresses or “speaks” that
perfect awareness. That perfect
Image is the Word (Second Person).
The First Person and the Second
Person see One Another and love One
Another with an infinite and perfect
Love. That Love is so profound and
so perfect that it is a living Person,
the Holy Spirit (Third Person). So,
what God reveals to us is a perfect
Community of sharing and of loving –
without beginning and without end.
Well, the new insight for me is that in
revealing this Truth to us, He is also
giving us an example to follow. Here
is the nugget for you to think about
and pray about: The only way that
spiritual transformation of a region or
a nation can happen is for the Body
of Christ to be in harmony with one
another – a harmony not equal to but
similar to the eternal harmony
between Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
In the last Newsletter I shared that
“revival” (coming back to life) of the
Church must precede and be God’s
instrument for the “awakening” of a
region – both must happen for
spiritual transformation to occur.
Well, folks, “revival” in the Church is
much more than the Holy Spirit just
“zapping” us. The Holy Spirit is
working quietly within individual
Christians in congregations and
among congregations and
denominations to bring us into a
harmony of sharing and of love.
When we are fighting with one
another, when we are backbiting,
when we are snubbing certain
individuals or denominations, when
we are judging and comparing and
looking down our nose at others,
when we are attacking pastors and
ministers and one another and
splitting to form new congregations
because of bickering and out of spite
– well, brothers and sisters, when we
do those things we are not even
remotely living like the Community of
love and harmony
that is the
Trinity. We
have said for
a long time
that prayer
unites the
Body of
Christ and God’s
grace moves
through the
Body of Christ to
bring about spiritual
transformation. So,
prayer is a key. Our prayer should
include seeking greater unity and
harmony within the Body; it should
include repentance for any negative
feelings and opinions I have about
other Christians and other
denominations. It all begins with
each individual. It is so easy for me
to point fingers at others; but, as
Stephen Covey says, it must be “from
the inside out.” I may have shared
this before, but it is worth repeating:
The very first Pastors’ Prayer Summit
I went to was at Roaring River State
Park, during a gathering of pastors
and ministry leaders from the Joplin,
Carthage and Neosho area. During a
Communion service one evening, the
Pastor leading it asked each of us to
go to a representative of a
denomination that we have a problem
with and ask forgiveness. It was a
powerful experience. The more
Christians can reach out to one
another in love, the more the Holy
Spirit can work in and through us.
Spiritual transformation does not just
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happen; it takes minds and hearts
yielded to the working of the Holy
Spirit.
REFLECTION ON THE
LIGHTER SIDE
I just received the
following: “This was
written by an eight-
year-old. The
assignment was to explain
God. ‘One of God’s
main jobs is
making
people. He
makes them
to replace
the ones
that die, so
there will be
enough people to
take care of things on earth. He
doesn’t make grown-ups, just babies.
I think this is because they are
smaller and easier to make. That way
He doesn’t have to take up His
valuable time teaching them to talk
and walk. He can just leave that to
mothers and fathers. God’s second
most important job is listening to
prayers. An awful lot of this goes on,
since some people, like preachers
and things, pray at times besides
bedtime. God doesn’t have time to
listen to the radio and watch TV
because of this. Because He hears
everything, there must be a terrible
lot of noise in His ears, unless He has
thought of a way to turn it off.
Atheists are people who don’t believe
in God. I don’t think there are any in
our town, at least there aren’t any
who come to church. Jesus is God’s
Son. He used to do all the hard work
like walking on water and doing
miracles and trying to teach the
people who didn’t want to learn
about God. They finally got tired of
Him preaching to them and they
crucified Him. But He was good and
kind, like His Father, and He told His
Father that they didn’t know what
they were doing and to forgive them,
and God said ‘OK.’ His Dad (God)
appreciated everything that He had
done and all His hard work on earth
so He told Him He didn’t have to go
out on the road anymore. He could
stay in Heaven. So, He did. And now
He helps His Dad out by listening to
prayers. You can pray anytime you
want and They are sure to help
because they got it worked out so
They are on duty all the time. You
should always go to church on
Sunday because it makes God happy,
and if there’s anyone you want to
make happy, it’s God. Don’t skip
church to do something you think will
be more fun like going to the beach.
This is wrong. And besides, the sun
doesn’t come out at the beach until
noon anyway. If you don’t believe in
God, besides being an atheist you will
be very lonely because your parents
can’t go everywhere with you, like to
camp, but God can. It is good to
know He’s around you when you’re
scared in the dark or when you can’t
swim and you get thrown into real
deep water by the big kids. But you
shouldn’t think of what God can do
for you. I figure God put me here and
He can take me back anytime He
pleases. And---that’s why I believe in
God.’”
STORY
At a meeting of the Church of
Scotland, in Stornaway (20th century),
a group of men discussed the awful
condition of the church in their
communities. The worldly
places were
crowded and the
churches were
virtually empty.
The young
people had just
about disappeared
and it seemed
that many
churches were
about to close
their doors. Among the many people
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who were concerned about the state
of the church was a small group of
men from Barvas, a district in
Scotland. They agreed to meet in a
small barn by the side of the road to
pray. They were given the revelation
that God was a covenant-keeping God
who had made covenant promises.
They reasoned that if this were true
they could enter into that covenant,
and that if they kept their part He
would keep His. They asked
themselves if God had given a
covenant promise for revival.
Immediately the words of
II Chronicles 7: 14 came to them: ‘If
My people, which are called by My
Name, shall humble themselves, and
pray, and seek my face, and turn
from their wicked ways, then will I
hear from heaven, and forgive their
sin, and heal their land.’ That same
night they entered into a solemn
covenant with God to pray for the
community and to humble themselves
in prayer until revival came. For
several months they prayed and
waited on God – three nights, three
times a week they wrestled and
prayed until 4 or 5 a.m. Finally, one
night, a young deacon arose from his
knees and began to read Psalm 24:
‘Who shall ascend into the hill of the
Lord? Or who shall stand in His holy
place? He that hath clean hands and
a pure heart – he shall receive the
blessings of the Lord.’ In response to
this searching challenge from God,
they fell upon their knees in
confession and re-dedication and
began to pray even more earnestly.
An hour later three of them were
lying prostrate on the floor. By five
o-clock, revival had come! The barn
was suddenly filled with the glory of
God, and the power that was let loose
that filled that little barn shook the
whole community. Around the same
time in a little cottage in the village
of Barvas, two elderly sisters – Peggy
and Christine Smith – were also
praying. Peggy was almost blind and
Christine was bent over with arthritis.
They were 84 and 82 years old. They
also had been seeking God for
revival, and to them came the
promise, ‘I will pour water upon him
that is thirsty, and floods upon the
dry ground.’ One night, knowing that
the others had gathered together to
pray in the barn, they had gathered
around their little peat fire to spend
the night in prayer. Peggy suddenly
had a vision of the church, crowded
again with young people. She sent
for the minister, Rev. James Murray
MacKay, and told him what God had
shown her, asking him to encourage
his elders and deacons to come
together for special times of waiting
upon God. On the same night that
the presence of God visited the barn,
the glory swept into the little cottage
and God spoke to the two women,
revealing to them the name of the
man God wanted to use in the
visitation – the Reverend Duncan
Campbell, a Presbyterian minister
and a great man of prayer. God said,
‘In two weeks I shall send upon this
community the greatest spiritual
awakening it has known.’…(Two
weeks later) Duncan Campbell arrived
and was greeted by the Rev. MacKay
and two of his elders. One of the
elders greeted him and asked, ‘Mr.
Campbell, are you walking with God?’
‘Well, at any rate, I can say that I fear
God,’ was Duncan’s reply…They went
to a nearby cottage and about thirty
knelt in prayer and began to travail
before the Lord. At about 3 a.m. God
swept in, and a dozen or so were laid
out prostrate on the floor and lay
there speechless. God had moved
into action as He had promised.
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Revival had come and men and
women were about to find
deliverance. As the group left the
cottage, they found men and women
seeking God. Lights were burning in
the homes along the road – no one
seemed to be thinking about sleep.
Three men were found lying by the
roadside in a torrent of
conviction, crying
out for God to
have mercy on
them. The Spirit
of God was
moving into
action and the
parish of
Barvas was
being stirred
from end to
end…On the second night, buses
came from the four corners of the
island, and people were crowding
into the church. Seven men were
being driven to the meeting in a
butcher’s truck when suddenly the
Spirit of God fell on them in great
conviction and all were saved before
they reached the church building! As
the preacher delivered his message,
tremendous conviction swept down.
Tears rolled down the faces of the
people and men and women cried out
for mercy from every corner of the
church. So deep was their distress
that some of their cries could be
heard outside in the road. A young
man beneath the pulpit cried out,
‘Oh, hell is too good for me.’.. As the
last person was leaving, a young man
began to pray under a tremendous
burden of intercession. He prayed for
three quarters of an hour, and as he
continued to pray people kept
gathering outside until there were
twice as many outside as there had
been inside…The people streamed
back into the church and the meeting
continued until 4 a.m.. The moment
the people took their seats, the Spirit
began to sweep through the church,
and hardened sinners began to weep
and confess their sins. As the
meeting was closing, someone
excitedly hurried to the preacher and
said, ‘Come with me! There’s a
crowd of people outside the police
station; they are weeping and in
great distress. We don’t know what’s
wrong with them, but they are calling
for someone to come and pray with
them.’ The minister described the
scene: ‘I saw a sight I never thought
possible, something I shall never
forget. Under a starlit sky, men and
women were kneeling everywhere, by
the roadside, outside the cottages,
even behind the peat stacks, crying
for God to have mercy on them.’
Nearly 600 people suddenly
experienced the power of God falling
upon them, and, like Paul on the road
to Damascus, they fell to their knees
in repentance. Revival had come in
power; for five weeks it swept across
that one parish…The revival began to
spread to other towns. Men and
women throughout the island began
to plead to God in desperate
intercession and prayer for revival…
Arnol was a small community which
came within the path of the spiritual
tornado. Because of the spiritual
indifference, it was reckoned that
hardly a young person darkened the
doors of any house of God, the
Sundays given to drinking, poaching,
etc. News of the revival spread and
an opposition meeting was held…Just
after midnight Duncan Campbell
asked John, the local blacksmith, to
pray. John rose to his feet with his
cap in hand and prayed a prayer that
will never be forgotten by those who
were present. In the middle of his
prayer he stopped and raised his
right hand to heaven and continued,
‘Oh, God, You made a promise to
pour water on the dry ground, and,
Lord, it’s not happening. Lord, I
don’t know how the others here
stand in Your Presence; I don’t know
how these ministers stand, but Lord,
if I know anything about my own
heart, I stand before you as an empty
vessel, thirsting for Thee and for a
manifestation of Thy power. Oh God,
your honor is at stake; fulfill Your
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covenant engagement and do what
You promised to do.’ There are those
in Arnol who verified that while the
brother prayed the dishes on the
dresser of that farmhouse rattled as
God turned loose His mighty power.
Then wave after wave of divine power
swept throughout the room.
Simultaneously the Spirit of God
swept through the village.
People could not sleep
and houses
were lit all
night; people
walked the
streets in
great
conviction and
others knelt by
their beds and cried for
pardon. Within 48 hours the drinking
house, usually crowded with men of
the village, was closed. 14 young
men who had been drinking there
were converted. Those same men
afterwards could be found three
times a week with others on their
knees before God, praying for their
old associates and for the spread of
revival…One day Duncan Campbell
found one of the young men in the
barn with his Bible open. When
interrupted, he quietly said, ‘Excuse
me a little, Mr. Campbell. I’m having
an audience with the King.’….One of
the most outstanding anointings of
prayer happened when the young
man, Donald, was in Bernera, a small
island off the coast of
Lewis. Duncan Campbell
was assisting at a
communion service; the
atmosphere was
heavy and the
preaching difficult. He
noticed Donald and
asked him to lead them
in prayer. The
young lad made
reference to the
fourth chapter of
Revelation which he had been
reading that morning: ‘Oh God, I
seem to be gazing through an open
door. I see the Lamb in the midst of
the Throne, with the keys of death
and hell at His girdle.’ He began to
sob; then he lifted his eyes toward
Heaven and cried, ‘Oh God, there is
power. Let it loose!’ The Spirit of
God swept into the building and the
heavens were opened. The church
resembled a battlefield. On one side
many were prostrated over the seats
weeping and sighing; on the other
side some were affected by throwing
their arms up in the air in a rigid
posture for an hour. God had come!
Outside, startling things were taking
place. The Spirit of God was
sweeping over the homes and the
area surrounding the village. Many
people came under the convicting
power of the Spirit: Fishermen out in
their boats; men behind their looms;
people at the pit bank; a merchant in
his truck; school teachers examining
papers. By 10 o’clock the roads were
streaming with people from every
direction, making their way to
church. As the preacher came out of
the church, the Holy Spirit swept in
among the people in the road like a
wind. They gripped each other in
fear. In agony of soul they trembled.
Many wept and some fell to the
ground under great conviction of sin.
Several men were found lying by the
side of the road in such distress that
they could not even speak – yet they
had not been anywhere near the
church! So great was the
supernatural moving of God that
most of the homes did not escape the
conviction of the Spirit, and the
routine of business was stopped so
that the island might seek the face of
God like Ninevah of Bible days. The
town was changed, lives and homes
were transformed, and even the
fishing fleet, as it sailed out into the
bay, took with it a Presenter, to lead
them in prayer and worship singing.”
(From “Bright and Shining Revival”
by Kathie Walters)
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
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Some more fractured English and
illogical
statements: “The
women included
their husbands and
children in their
potluck suppers.”…
Lawyer: “Have you
ever been accused
of taking anything
from your
employer that you
were not entitled to, Mrs. Sanders?”
“Do you mean other than my
paycheck?”…Headline: “Alexander
Hoping His Past is Behind Him”…”Did
you blow your horn or anything?”
After the accident?” “Before the
accident.” “Sure, I played for ten
years. I even went to
school for it.”…”Elderly
woman seeks female
to share house and
perform cleaning
and some
nursing
assistance. Must
be a nonsmoker
and
drinker.”…”Include your children
when baking cookies.”…Sign in a
barbershop: “During vacation of
owner, a competent hair stylist will
be here.”…”The girl was in the
hospital having her utensils
removed.”…”Cleaning services. We
do condos, offices, and residents.”…
Bookstore sign: “Rare, out-of-print,
and nonexistent books.”…”Man
Found Beaten, Robbed by Police.”
PRAYER MOBILIZATION
Keep praying for Manitou Springs, as
Revolution House of Prayer continues
to battle spiritual forces of evil.
Some time ago a member of that
congregation wrote the following
(paraphrased): “For Branson I
prayed blessing over the direction as
a Christian destination and that
leadership would know what needs to
be added and what needs to be taken
away…I had a sense of a presence,
representative of a person, a group
of people or an influence that is not
at all desirable and could consume
much life.” So, keep praying for
revival and awakening in our area as
well. Another intercessor in Manitou
Springs said that while in prayer he
felt led to pray for the Branson area
that God would bring purity to the
area, a purity derived from the
meaning of being tried and thus
yielding fruit; also, that God would
begin to transform Branson into a
worship haven for the latter days,
that the gift of music that is in this
place would begin to be tapped and
rewired for the sole purposes of God –
people will travel from all over, as
they already do, but to come and
worship in excellence; also, that God
would reveal strongholds to the
people who have great authority of
the land and that they would know
how to conquer the strongholds
effectively…
visited our area numerous times as a
facilitator for prayer summits…Asleep
kNOw More continues to encourage
Christians to take a stand and take
back our nation. Gregory Thompson
is writing a book and is traveling all
over. Pray for him and all the people
involved in the ministry…Pray for all
ministries in the area…Also for
churches and pastors and for
continuing growth in Christian unity…
Pray for Randy and Gail Baar and The
Spirit of America Hour…Pray for
Christian Businessmen’s Committee
and for Businessmen’s Fellowship
International…Pray for Don and
Dorothy Gabriel, for health and for
finances…Pray for all the people in
our area who are ill, who have
financial pressures, and for all who
do not know the Lord…Pray for all
people and ministries working to
prevent abortions…Pray for J. and J.
that they find jobs quickly, and for a
number of Christian ladies who are
seeking Godly mates…Pray for all
businesses and for open positions to
be filled with committed employees.

Peace, Bob Burton

Pray for The Caring People and their
ministry to single Moms. One Mom
recently gave her life to Jesus and
said, “The minute I came out of the
water I knew the old Donna was
gone. I had a new start. I finally felt
clean for the first time in my life. The
Caring People and the Church give
me support. They make me stronger.
This is a permanent change.”…Sue
Head of CofO has asked us to pray
Mark and Michelle Blackwell and their
children Andrew and Alex. The
Blackwells felt led to move to
Rockaway Beach and serve the Lord
there through a business. They have
purchased the Rockaway Beach
Marina. This is another positive
indicator of how God is moving in
Rockaway Beach..,Pray for Dennis
Fuqua and International Renewal
Ministries, which sponsors the
Pastors Prayer Summits around the
nation and the world. Dennis has
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