URGENT PRAYER REQUEST

We just found out about this "Universal Human Nation" center that is being planned to be built in Red Bluff, CA --- about 1/2 a mile from the house we are currently living in. It is "THE" planned center for North America, one of 7 in the world at strategic locations. This is a mixture of New Age, eastern religions, and every thing else you can imagine. Read the paragraphs below and/or the websites so you will know how to pray.

Although the article says "the local community has shown great support for the project", most of the community knows nothing about it. Pray that the Christian community will begin praying and then "acting" as the Holy Spirit would lead us.

We will be praying on-site!! Please pray with us from wherever you are located. email us if you would like to join in for the "on-site" prayer.

For His Glory!

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A Worldwide Project for a Universal Human Nation http://www.centersofsilosmessage.org/en/
"...For over 30 years, volunteers connected with Silo’s message of nonviolent transformation have been working to lay the foundations for a Universal Human Nation. ... The first centers will be built at seven key locations around the world – in Europe (Italy, Spain), the Middle East(Egypt), Asia (India), South America (Argentina, Chile) and North America (California). ...

"Land Purchase - Red Bluff
http://www.centersofsilosmessage.org/en/campaign.php
"...After a wide-ranging search for a suitable piece of land for the North Hall, our team has found a beautiful property in Red Bluff, north of Sacramento, California, which is perfect for our needs. The many people who have visited the site have been enchanted and inspired by its beauty. The local community has shown great support for the project and our offer has been accepted by the seller, so we are only a few days away from realizing this critical step in our process..."

Since we are nearly at the half-way point of 2006 I thought it was a good time to review this prophetic message from the beginning of the year. I believe we are seeing it come to pass this year. Let's continue praying together to see it come to pass in it's fullness in our lives!!
Joe & Shirley

"ACTS 6 in 2006"
-by Peter Christensen.

The Spirit of God spoke to me that the Body of Christ must be
positioned accurately in 2006. This will be a year of the greatest
shifts, alignments and repositioning the church has gone through
for decades. For those who will submit their lives to the call of God
this year will find themselves being set up for a major repositioning
from their present position. God will work quickly in the hearts and
lives of those who say yes and get positioned for the high call of God.

The following is what the Lord spoke to me from Acts chapter six
for the year 2006. When you read the chapter it is clear that it
was a time of God positioning and repositioning the church for
greater breakthrough and kingdom advancement.

Please take the time to read through Acts 6 - go on!

There are ten key elements to Acts chapter six that are going to
manifest in 2006

1. Verse 1: Now in those days, when the number of the disciples
was multiplying.
~ 2006 is going to be the start to 'the days of the number of the
disciples being multiplied'.
~ The passive church-goer mentality is going to begin to break this
year as many cross over and become true disciples, followers of Christ.
~ I heard the Lord saying, "He is coming to the rich young rulers of
this day" - young professionals in places of authority within the
market place. Many will respond to the call to follow Christ in 2006.
~ Those who are yielded and have a seeking heart will grow quickly
in 2006.
~ Mtt 28:19- "Go and make disciples of all nations" will be a
primary mandate of the church in 2006.

2. Verse 1: .The daily distribution.
~ God is calling the church to consider the poor of the nations
more than ever in 2006. Those that do will find financial resources
multiplied dramatically this year.
~ God will realign the priorities of the church this year and those
who do not give to the poor will struggle financially in 2006.
~ Prov 19:17a "He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord."

3. Verse 3: Seek out from you seven men of good reputation, full
of the Holy Spirit and wisdom that we may appoint.
~ This year is the start of the Lord seeking out from among His
church those who have been hidden away for such a time as this in 2006.
~ The Lord gave me three words in relation to verse 3, Discover,
Develop and Deploy.
~ The word discover means to, recognize, uncover, identify, used
to describe the breaking through and locating of something new.
~ The word develop means to bring to maturity, progress, used to
describe something evolving into its destined design.
~ The word deploy has roots as a military term, used to describe
the placement of equipment and troops in a battlefield.
~ 2006 to 2007 are two strategic years for people to be positioned
in their Call.
~ This will be a year of the faithful hidden ones being promoted.
~ A good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom are the key
characteristics the Lord is looking for in His church so that He can
release His power to prevail over darkness this year.
~ God is wanting to release team this year in a new way. There
will be a unique and strong anointing upon those who are teamed
up by the Holy Spirit. There is a warning for those in the church to
not go it on your own any more.
~ The Lord is going to team people up in a special way and restore
broken links in 2006.

4. Verse 4: .but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and
to the ministry of the word.
~ All leaders need to be praying more and working less in 2006.
~ Leaders who pray more than they manage their ministries will
be more fruitful and productive this year.
~ The Body of Christ must 'watch their time' this year. Don't let
time slip away was the warning I heard in my spirit for the church.
Also their will be 'times of opportunity' this year. Strategic times to
move and act quickly as the Lord instructs or else the opportunity
will be missed as quick as it came. Therefore the church must be
deeper than ever in prayer and the Word.
~ I heard the Lord say, "the church must be vigilant, purposeful and
strategic this year in prayer."

5. Verse 5: . And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and
the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas,
and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch, 6 whom they set before the
apostles; and when they had prayed, they laid hands on them.
~ Apostolic leaders will be called upon this year to release and
appoint new ministries in 2006.
~ There is abundant grace to father new ministries this year.
~ Leaders' mindsets will need to change this year from 'how many
I can gather' to how many I can Father, develop and release.
~ It is a year of apostolic grace for kingdom impartation and release

6. Verse 7: Then the word of God spread
~ 2006 is the year that the Word of the Lord will cross over into
places formerly closed. Hearts will soften as the Word goes forth
this year, so expect the ground you have been sowing into to
change this year.
~ The gospel of the kingdom will intensify and be the primary
message of those tuned to the voice of God .
~ A key word in this verse is, 'then', meaning as a result of
something happening. That something is the setting apart and
releasing of those chosen by the Lord.

7. Verse 8: And Stephen full of Faith and power did great wonders
and signs among the people
~ This is the year of the Holy Spirit empowering the Stephens of
the church. Those who are not five fold ministers.
~ Make 'no room' for unbelief this year. Act on what you believe
and signs that make you wonder will follow in 2006.
~ This is a year for many discovering their potential in Christ.
~ Faith and power are the spiritual muscles that need to be
exercised this year.
~ The Goliaths in our ministries must be confronted with faith and
power in 2006.

8. Verse 10: And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the
Spirit by which he spoke.
~ The spirit of wisdom is crucial to overcoming assignments and
opposition in 2006.
~ The Spirit of wisdom will be one of the keys to the release of
God's power and authority in 2006.
~ The Word of the Lord is going to have a 'breaking grace' this year
to penetrate and open up for the kingdom to come.
~ I heard the Lord saying, "Wisdom is the principle thing in 2006" -
get hold of it and don't let it go!

9. Verse 13: They also set up false witnesses who said, "This
man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this
holy place and the law."
~ There will come more resistance towards the new from those not
prepared to transition out of the old order and into the new in 2006.
~ I saw the Lord whispering in the ear of many leaders of large
denominations, He was inviting them to follow Him into new ground.
However many refused to change because of the fear of losing their
reputation.
~ In 2006 the Lord will use ones like Stephen to be prophetic
forecasters and demonstrators of a new message and mandate from heaven.

10. Verse 15: And all who sat in the council, looking steadfastly
at him, saw his face as the face of an angel.
~ The face we see in 2006 is the face we are going to reflect. To
the degree and depth of what we see and encounter of the nature
of God will be reflected in our day to day life.
~ The seals are open and much more will be revealed in 2006, is
what the Lord impressed in my spirit.
~ Many will break into a new dimension of truth and encounter
this year and become 'heavenly reflectors'.
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"The NEW PIONEERS of REVIVAL" Part III

Encouraging the Next Generation of Revivalists To Stay on Course!
by David Smithers.

Young pioneer, be encouraged!

These feelings of loneliness and holy dissatisfaction are all part of God’s process within you.

Pioneers have always gone out in small waves in order to prepare the way for the masses. Nevertheless, beware of letting the uniqueness of your calling be an excuse for fleshly strife and division with other believers. Remember that we will NEVER build the house of revival with Satan’s tools of anger and strife! Don’t waste your time constantly striving and wrangling with those who don’t share your vision and passion for revival. Get in the prayer closet and unburden your broken heart to the Father. Give yourself to fervent prayer and don’t stop until the glory comes. Ask the Lord to send people into your life with a similar gift and vision. Read the classic works on the great moves of God. The Father wants you to nurture this passion and vision for something MORE, but you will have to make sacrifices in order to keep it. The larger the vision,the lonelier the path you will have to walk.

A Generation on Fire!

The greatest revivalists of the past were young men and women who dared to believe God for something more for their own generation! George Whitfield, Howell Harris, Count Zinzendorf, Charles G. Finney, Charles Spurgeon, Evan Roberts, Robert Murray M’Cheyne, William C. Burns, Hudson Taylor, C. T. Studd, David Brainerd and countless others were all mightily used of God while still in their twenties. Why then are so many of us still looking to the fruitless institutions of decaying Christendom for the steps to our revival dreams? We will never realize our spiritual potential by imitating the unrevived methods of status quo Christianity. God has not called us to mimic the weak and half-reformed religion around us. Like Abram, we have been called out of the land of barrenness to inherit the harvest-fields of revival fruitfulness for this generation and generations to come. -(Josh 24:2-3)

True spiritual pioneers are the embodiment of URGENCY and ZEAL. They recognize their eternal responsibility for their own generation. The apostle of faith, George Muller once said, "My business is with all my might to serve my own generation. In doing so I shall best serve the next generation, should the Lord tarry…I have but one life to live on Earth and this one life is but a brief life for sowing in comparison with eternity for reaping." General Booth conveyed the same thought with the following lines: "Your days at the most cannot be very long, so use them to the best of your ability for the glory of God and the benefit of your generation."Catherine Booth, the mother of the Salvation Army, daily charged her nine children with something similar, "You are not here in the world for yourself. You have been sent here for others. The world is waiting for you!" More than once, I heard the late Leonard Ravenhill predict that God was going to raise up a new generationto bring the fires of revival to this sin-sick world. The late Keith Green, echoed these same urgent sentiments. In his final days, he repeatedly unsettled many of us with the following words. "This generation of Christians is responsible for this generation of souls on the Earth!" Have you been awakened to your eternal and personal responsibility for this generation?

A good pioneer is always eager to learn from the insight and experiences of others, but stand still – NEVER! Not while the promises of revival are still unknown in this generation. Not whileChrist is still a stranger to countless lost and dying souls aroundthe world. Not while there is still one blind and stubborn heart that refuses to give praise and honor to our King Jesus! Are you willing to break new ground and rediscover some of the forgotten treasures of Jesus Christ?
Are you ready to take His manifest presence to the ends of the Earth? Young pioneer, NOW is the time to look to Jesus Christ and dare to dream for something MORE! "The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force". – (Matt 11:12)

"The NEW PIONEERS of REVIVAL" Part II

Encouraging the Next Generation of Revivalists To Stay on Course!
by David Smithers.

The High Peaks of Prayer

The American pioneers moving west were always looking for some high vantage point from which they could catch a glimpse of the path just ahead of them. The pioneers of revival are no different.

From the towering heights of bent knees they scan the spiritual horizon for some small token of a coming move of God. These Holy Ghost trailblazers are consistently scaling the mountain peaks of prayer in hopes of spotting even the smallest sign of revival. Revival pioneers cannot afford to live on second hand reports and experimental theories borrowed from books. The divine immensityof the pioneer’s vision and calling demands that they hear fromGod for themselves! They need Heaven’s insight and perspective ifthey are to stay on course and avoid falling short of their eternal destination. Only through regular and extended times in prayer can they maintain their bearings and spiritual compass.

Every true pioneer of revival is well acquainted with the taste of hot tears and heartache. Prayer for the revival pioneer is not only a means of fresh direction, but also a supernatural out let for the burden of a broken heart. The pioneer is repeatedly tormented by the growing crisis of a powerless Church in the midst of a lost and sin-sick world. Religious wastelands and deep valleys filled with sun bleached bones mock and challenge his hopes and dreams.

Yet, strangely enough it is these same bleak and threatening spiritual conditions that keep the pioneers of revival praying and pressing deeper into new frontiers of the Holy Spirit. For them to stay and settle in such places would mean the death of their ministry and vision.

For those truly called to be a pioneer, revival is not merely another church growth trend or some spiritual luxury. Revival is a reason for being, a created purpose and divine destiny. Though at different times many young pioneers try to deny the vision and hope for revival, they can’t escape it! The tears and intense longings forrevival always return. This passion and burden was part of their spiritual inception and new birth. They have become RUINED for anything less than genuine revival. The pioneer can’t rest or give up until God’s revival glory is released in the Earth. They would rather die than miss or abort the coming visitation of God. These young pioneers are driven to continue to pray, weep and believe for revival.

Though at times, they grow fainthearted and discouraged in their heavenly pursuit, they always finds themselves rising again to cry out for God to rend the heavens and come down.-(Isa 64:1-4)

You’re NOT Crazy!

Has this divine heartache ever made you wonder if you were goingcrazy? Many of the early pioneers that pulled up roots and moved west often experienced similar emotions before leaving the safety and comfort of their established homes. In spite of the fact that they enjoyed and valued their property and neighbors around them, they still somehow felt as if they didn’t quite fit in and belong. Ashard as they tried, they couldn’t seem to shake a growing hunger and burden for something more. The pioneer spirit deep within them as driving them to keep moving and looking west. In much the same way, today there are thousands of young revival pioneers who share these same intense and sometimes bewildering feelings.

I am talking about something born of the Holy Spirit, a divine discontentment that will not let you settle for anything less than the manifest presence of Jesus Christ.

Unfamiliar with God’s revival process, some young pioneers seek to escape the touch of God upon their hearts. Over and over again, they struggle to fit in with the Church’s most recent "cutting edge"agenda. Yet, lasting relief seems to never come. Even in the midst of renewed and vibrant fellowships, the young pioneer often times still feels like a spiritual misfit and outsider. While others in the Church seem completely satisfied, the revival pioneer in the exact same setting fights to hold back the tears and hunger for something more. Do these disjointed feelings and uncomfortable emotions sound familiar? Is your hungry heart confused and puzzled over where you fit in the house of God? Perhaps God has not allowed you to "FIT" in!

Often there is not a hearing for the pioneer’s prophetic message until after a fresh work of God has begun to be realized. Therefore, young pioneers should not be surprised when they are accused of being idealistic and impractical in their message and methodology.

Such criticism and misunderstandings are often a part of God’s training process in becoming a spiritual forerunner. These trials help to deepen the work of endurance and humility in the pioneer’s heart. Though at times they are slighted and even harshly rejected, the true pioneer learns by trial and error, how to bear it all in meekness, patience and love. Nevertheless, let each pastor and spiritual leader take care that they don’t too quickly dismiss a young pioneer’s sincere passion and zeal as simply the critical spirit of an immature rebel.

To Be Continued with Part III

"The NEW PIONEERS of REVIVAL" Part I

Encouraging the Next Generation of Revivalists To Stay on Course!
by David Smithers.

While driving to town the other day I unexpectedly came upon a busy stretch of highway that was under construction. Bumper to bumper, the line of cars ahead of me waited their turn to follow the directions of the brightly colored detour signs. Seemingly, without any thought or hesitation they all quickly sped away from their original course in pursuit of smoother traveling. The road ahead was unquestionably rough and unpaved, but it was still open to traffic and definitely the most direct route to town.

Suddenly I found myself thinking about the state of the modern Church. Many Christians today are being enticed into the well-paved highways of convenient Christianity at the expense of their personal calling and original destination. No doubt just the sight of that rough, unpaved road communicated "RISK" to manyof the drivers that day. It threatened all of us with the risk ofuncertainty, inconvenience and even the risk of physical danger or loss. As I sat there waiting for my turn to move, something else hit me. "All the well-paved roads in the Church today are only going places that most of us have already been." Those big, flashing church signs too often lead us away from where God’s pioneer work is being done. By the time the concrete sets up and the paint is dry, most of the heaven and earth moving is all over!

How long will we continue to travel down the same old, predictable, powerless highways while the promises of God beckon us to enterinto a fresh move of the Holy Spirit? There is still so much of the presence and power of Jesus Christ that is readily available and yet untouched. Be assured God is not standing still! He is even now seeking out and raising up a NEW generation in the Church who is willing to take extreme risks to REDISCOVER the highway of holiness and revival power. God is raising up a new generationof revival pioneers!

Go West Young Man!

The call to pursue revival is a call to be a pioneer! A revival pioneer courageously and even sometimes naively seeks to rediscover new and forgotten places in the Spirit. Pioneers instinctively challenge the modern Church to go places she has never been before, places long forgotten and overgrown by decades of man-made traditions and spiritual decline. Pioneers dare others to dream and trust God to do ALL that the Bible plainly promises.

Pioneers are not satisfied with superficial reform. They hunger andthirst for spiritual REALITY. Their calling demands that they defy the laws and limitations of man-centered religion. In their pursuit of more of Jesus, they unknowingly challenge the foundations of so-called "NORMAL CHURCH". Like young Joseph in the company of his older brothers, the pioneer’s dream of revival often provokes strong reactions from within the established Church. -(Gen 37:5)

The young pioneer is sure to be confronted by giants of intimidation and mountains of unbelief and religious control. At other times they are simply spurned and dismissed as immature extremists and idealists.

All the great pioneers of revival have had to face these same obstacles and hindrances in their zeal to bring Heaven down toEarth! Most of the early American pioneers that moved westward between 1760 and 1850 encountered countless dangers and extreme hardship, because they were not content with what they already seen. The knowledge that there was still something better beyond the horizon drove them to take extreme risks to improve the quality of their lives. A true pioneer is relentless. He refuses to compromise or substitute the barren plains of lifeless orthodoxy for the living presence of Jesus! No amount of religious rhetoric or decorum will ever satisfy his God-hungry heart. The God-breathed promises of Scripture hound his soul, reminding him over and over again of his destiny and calling. Promise of green forests, fruitful harvests and rushing streams compel him to continue to seek and pray for something MORE. -(Isa 35:7, Isa 41:18-19, Isa 44:3-4, Isa 51:3)

Forerunners & Mountain Movers

Revival pioneers are ordained of God to violently move Heaven andEarth. The English term "pioneer" was originally derived from a French word meaning PICKAX. Later it was also used to convey the idea of a foot soldier. The Germans use the term "trench digger"to convey the idea of a pioneer. A pioneer during wartime was one who marched before an invading army to prepare and repair theroad. They did everything from clearing away barricades to setting mines for destroying the works of the enemy. Pioneers are pathfinders and scouts. Like Jeremiah, a pioneer is one who goes before to remove obstructions for the purpose of preparing the way for others that must soon follow. "See, I have this day set you overthe nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, todestroy and to throw down, to build and to plant." -(Jer 1:10)

These prophetic people do not set mines and level mountains of ungodliness just for the thrill of watching things blow up. No, the revival pioneer understands that it is his job to prepare the way and make it easier for others to enter into the manifest presence of Jesus Christ.

The revival pioneer labors to restore the highway of holiness, removing stumbling blocks, so it will be straight and level again. This work is done not only for the sake of a coming army, but also for the spiritually lame and crippled. The prophet Isaiah repeatedly reminds us of this important truth. He declares, "Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are fearful-hearted, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you.’ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of jackals, where each lay, there shall be grass with reeds and rushes. A highway shall be there, and a road, and it shall be called the Highway of Holiness…" -( Isa 35:3-8) "And one shall say, ‘Heap it up! Heap it up! Prepare the way, take the stumbling block out of the way of My people.’ For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:"I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones". -(Isa 57:14-15)

To Be Continued with Part II

A Special Thank You

A Very Special Heartfelt Thank You to all of the people who helped us with the "physical" part of our move to California.

The friends who helped pack and load the truck in Elmira, NY:
Jesse & Lianne Pierce (also picking up items for youth rummage sale)
Mike, Peggy, Jacqueline, John, Micayla, Joshua & Gabriel Cuomo
Gary & Joyce Stanbro
Iva Flewelling (incredibly amazing packing job!!!)
Ben Vincent
Tom Brink
Cynthia & Christina Paliotta
Keith Kraska
Maryann Jones
Kenn Dillion
Jeremy Herrick
Virgina Brooks
Tim, Christiana, & Kayla Chamberlain

Meals at the house and also snacks and "things for the road":
Alberta Cuda
Maryann Jones [also thanks for the bed of air - it slept great :) and the carrier for our car]
Mike & Peggy Cuomo
Tom Brink
Donna Miller
Cecille Nazario
Pastor Joan Pierce

Providing meals (remember the chilly "chilli picnic") and a peaceful place to sleep (when our bedding was packed) and a welcome break at their "sanctuary":
Gary & Joyce Stanbro

A most grateful thanks to Peggy Cuomo for responding so quickly and willingly -- for several days -- to our request for her help with packing. Thanks for making our burden light.

A special-special thank you to Dave Aldrich for the emergency fix of our broken plumbing right in the crucial days of our move --- our utmost appreciation for "saving the day"!

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The family/friends who helped unload in Red Bluff, CA:
Eddie Henderson
Jesse
Dave
Chad Johnson
Brad Johnson
Junior, Chelsey & Jesse Childers

Thanks to Dawn Vincent for preparing the way for our coming to Red Bluff with a storage facility and a Post Office box.

Thanks to ZA and Olive Farmer for the use of their motor home to live in during our transition. Thanks Mom and Dad!

A great big thank you to our son Joel for all his cheerful and willing help and patience during this tremendous transition in our lives. THANKS SON!!

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Regarding financial support:
So many people have supported us financially during our move (some of whom would prefer not to be mentioned). May God bless each one of you who have sown into our ministry and lives during this move and time of transition. We sincerely appreciate your generosity and pray that it be multiplied back to you many times over!!

With Love and for His Glory,
Joe & Shirley

Francis Frangipane: "At An Inconvenient Time"
(from the Elijah List www.elijahlist.com)

The Lord has multitudes who believe in Him, but only a minority who truly worship Him. True worshipers find their fulfillment in adoring God. The fragrance of their worship rises, not only during the scheduled times of church services, but also during inconvenient times.

A true worshiper will rise early before work or school; they're up before the household is, so they can be alone with God. Instead of being frustrated by delays, they transform difficulties and setbacks into opportunities to magnify God. You might see one of these worshipers sitting in the car next to you during a traffic jam, singing along with Christian music in their car.

A True Worshiper has Learned the Secret of Worshiping God At Inconvenient Times

I, too, find the Lord leading me to worship Him during inconvenient times. I might be alone writing or working on some important project, when something awakens in my spirit. I become aware that the presence of the Lord is near. Yet, He isn't commanding me to worship, He's inviting me. The time of worship may be as little as 10 or 15 minutes, or it might be much longer. Regardless, I turn from what I am doing, pick up my guitar, and begin to worship Him.

Frankly, I am not a good musician; I only know a few chords. Yet as I worship, I know the King of Heaven is actually pleased with my offering. He has granted me an audience, and in some mysterious way, He causes me to feel that the sound of my worship is the only thing He hears as I'm singing.

The Invitation

I, for one, desire my worship to become all-consuming. Yet, I confess that a primary obstacle I must overcome, is the inconvenient timing of His invitation. It seems like He actually waits until I am focused on some important project--something He actually wants me to complete. Sometimes it might be late at night as I am almost asleep, when the opportunity to worship draws near.

Yet, the very fact that I have responded, in spite of the "inconvenience," actually refines and sweetens my worship. Indeed, when I worship in our Sunday service, I admit I can be carried by the sound of the music and the participation of others around me. I am in an atmosphere of worship, so my praise may actually be something imparted to me by others and not purely my own. However, when He comes at an inconvenient time, my response reaffirms that my worship is real, and that God truly is first in my life.

What is also a great pleasure to me (given such short notice), is that He does not expect a large production from me. As wonderful as Sunday worship services are, He is not looking for a professional song service, just something real from my heart.

Another blessing is that my wife will often hear me worshiping and without fail, she will join me. As I worship, I'll soon notice a voice singing alongside me in the background. She's as absorbed as I am in the presence of God. It doesn't matter what she was doing, she loves to bow before God and that, too, sweetens our worship.

Prayer and Worship

There is a difference between prayer and worship. Prayer is an appeal to God based on our needs and the needs of our world. The world is filled with people, each with heartfelt and urgent requests that are welcomed by our Father in Heaven, and they are each heard in the throne room of light. However, worship is not the articulation of our need; it is the consummation of our love. It is what we offer to God regardless of the status of our needs.

Recall the Gospel account of the ten leprous men who cried to Jesus for healing. After the Lord answered their prayers and healed them, they all went their way. One, however, stopped and turned "back, glorifying God with a loud voice. . . he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him" (Luke 17:11-19). Full of gratitude to Christ, this man returned to bow in worship before God. You see, many people will pray, multitudes will find answers, but few will return to Him in worship.

Beloved, if worship flows genuinely from our hearts, the Lord will repeatedly invite us into His presence. His invitation will approach the doorstep of our souls quietly. It will come disguised as a simple desire to love Him. If we follow this desire, it will lead into the presence of God.

As we worship Him, He will grant us inner strength and peace. As we come with thanksgiving, He will refresh us with His love and joy. Let us delight in the privilege of becoming true worshipers of God, even when the opportunity comes at an inconvenient time.


Francis Frangipane

Arrived in Red Bluff

Resting in the Nevada/Utah Desert

Great Salt Lake Desert Drive

Two Days Mostly Driving - Little Sleep

Angels on Our Wheels

The Drive Begins

God's Timing is not always Man's Timing

The Move Delayed

THE MOVE

Move Update...

Check back here to listen for move updates through an Audio Blog while we are traveling. We will try to call in from time to time and yu can hear where we are at and what we are up to as we proceed in our move to California.

With Love and for His Glory,
Joe, Shirley & Joel

The Delay...

The delay continues in our move, but we are getting very close to the final load-up. we may be out of here today. Keep us in your prayers -- we are pretty worn out and ready to get on with the drive cross-country. We know God is in control and continue to trust in Him for the perfect timing.

Joe, Shirley & Joel

MOVE UPDATE...

In the words of David Crowder --

" I don't want to move and I don't think I could.
I don't want to move and I don't think I should.
I don't want to move.
No, I don't want to move.
I don't want to move and I don't think I could.

Breathe in deeper now.
Breathe in deeper now.
Breathe in deeper, breathe in now."

Although moving is not "fun", God has given us grace to accomplish this thing He has called us to do (move). Inspite of being 3 days behind the date we had intended to move (May 1st), we are really at peace with it. I thought about it today and realized I am not anxious about our schedule being met -- I want to move in His timing.

Shirley, Joel and I are doing everything in our power to get on the road -- it is just not happening yet. Tomorrow? That would be nice. Friday? I hope so!! But whatever it may be, I know God is with us and that is the most important element of this move.

Have there been stressful moments? Most definetly -- but overall it is OK.

As I was sitting across from Shirley this afternoon I looked her in the eyes and said, "I love you". It was a defining moment for me -- I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt we were in the will of our God and that there was peace that was truly transceding understanding.

At a time when the world tells us that moving is normally a very stressful time, your peace remains!! Thank you Lord for the peace You have given us.

Please continue to pray for us as we make our way out west.

"The 23RD CHANNEL"
(-author unknown).

The TV is my shepherd, I shall want.
It makes me lie down on the sofa.
It leads me away from the scriptures.
It destroys my soul.
It leads me in the path of sex and violence,
for the sponsor's sake.

Yea, though I walk in the shadow of my Christian responsibilities,
there will be no interruption,
For the TV is with me.
It's cable and remote, they control me.
It prepares a commercial before me in the presence of worldliness;
It anoints my head with Humanism,
My coveting runneth over.....



(I couldn't resist it -- definetly some truth in the humor!)

What is it going to take to move us?

"Oh! men and brethren, what would this heart feel if I could but believe that there were some among you who would go home and pray for a revival – men whose faith is large enough, and their love fiery enough to lead them from this moment to exercise unceasing intercessions that God would appear among us and do wondrous things here, as in the times of former generations."
C.H. Spurgeon

Greetings from the Southern Tier of New York State.

Today is the day we were scheduled to be heading west -- but due to some unfinished items it looks like we will be extending our stay here at least until Tuesday, May 2nd. Shirley, Joel and I have all been wrestling with some illness in the midst of our packing and loading up over the past few days. We are believing for healing and strength to get through this thing. Please pray for us when you think of us.

Praise God!! He continues to supply for this move day by day.

Here's an update on where we are financially:

We have been without pay from the church for the last 3 weeks and since we were counting on our church pay to help with the move and final bills at the parsonage, that puts us behind some. But we know God will supply! We still need about $700.00 for the parsonage Gas and Electric bill. I am so grateful that our God is much bigger than $700.00 and we patiently wait for His provision.

Thank you to all who have given sooooo much over the past 2 months. The truck and trailer were rented last Friday. right now it is about 7/8ths full. A big, big, big, big, big thank you to all who provided muscle power for the load up, as well as those who provided food and time to make things go so smoothly.

Please continue to pray for us to be able to finish up here quickly because we only have a total of 11 days to return the rented truck.

We are so thankful for the Body of Christ!! We couldn't imagine such a move without our brothers and sisters involved.

WithLove and For his Glory,
Joe, Shirley & Joel