The Response USA 08/06/11

Many of  you that read this blog and my facebook know how excited I was about The Response USA which was held at Reliant Park in Houston last Saturday.   None of us who attended (approx 40,000 present, 1400 hundred churches live-streaming the event, and approx 150,000 personal online viewers!) were one shred disappointed.   It was a truly glorious occasion, and I believe a history maker!

The purpose of The Response was to obey God's instructions in 2 Chronicles 7:14, to weep over our sins, our nation's sins, our blood guilty hands, our immorality, our faithlessness, our prayerlessness, our economy, and to pray for our President, for jobs, for rain, and for revival.   Look at this precious man.  There was not one dry eye in the place.

My daughter Casey and I attended together, and after having gotten lost in Houston via some funky internet directions, we eventually got inside the stadium exactly 19 minutes before the event began.  I mean!  Chills, thrill,s tingling all up and down me while walking up the ramp to enter the building.   The presence of God was so strong that I immediately began alternately weeping and laughing out loud!   That is how awesome the glorious Presence of our Jesus is!   This is my friend Leah; she goes to my church.

If her face doesn't tell you enough, let me explain: the Bible expressly states that in His Presence is fullness of JOY!  Joy, unspeakable, and full of Glory!   Unspeakable joy!  I mean, who does not want JOY?  The Bible says that the Joy of the LORD is our very strength!

Here is her mom, Linda, who trained me to be prayer Captain over my home church.  I love Linda and just look at the joy on her face, as her prayers were, on that very day, answered to see an army of the Living God raised up to intercede until we see the return of our Lord and SAVIOR!   Yep, they are mom and daughter and I love each of them so much.

The whole weekend was just awesome.   On Friday I loaded up my Camry with my daughter, my best friend, her daughter, and my daughter's best friend, and we joined about 50 other silent siegers at the largest abortion clinic in the Western Hemisphere.   We are praying that God will move on our behalf to shut down this facility which is planted right in the heart of Houston's poorest of the poor.   They claim many "health services" but the largest "service" they provide is the murder of our most helpless of minorities, the unborn.  Sacrificed on the altar of money and convenience, America has killed over 52,000,000 million babies sine the edict of Rowe vs.Wade in the past 40+ years.   God is angry with us over this atrocity, and we act like it is nothing.

It's a peaceful protest and our main goal is to stand there, and pray, and let others know that we stand for LIFE!

For more information on this and other silent sieges, see the Bound 4 Life Website.

I wanted you to see some clips from our time on Saturday.   I hope you enjoy the videos!  I just don't have words to say what a wonderful time it was.  I do believe that God was so pleased, and that He heard from Heaven, and that He will turn the tide and heal our land.

Well, lovelies, now that this event is over, I need to get back to work!    I have almost

1/4 tons of fresh oils to begin making my Christmas Soaps!   

The first thing I will make is this since I am totally out of stock!

Rustique savon a la lavande francaise

Then after that, I need to make some more of this:



Cranberry Fig Cold Processed Soap

What do you think about The Response?   Yes, there were some angry people outside; about

100 people outside protesting at the approx 40,000 inside.   

My friend, this is a glorious day to be alive!   Jesus said, "Seek first the Kingdom of God, and His rightousness, and all these (other) things will be added to you!"  Matthew 6:33.   He said, "Do not fear, for I am going to prepare a place for you"! John 14   "In this world there will be tribulation, but be of good cheer; for I have overcome the world"  John 16.   

It is a day to seek the Lord.  To seek His face, and His favor.   To fear nothing but God, and hate nothing but sin.  It is a day to pray, and see God intervene in the affairs of men.   He has given US the earth, and He expects us to use His resources wisely.  He expects Kings to reverence Him; to honor Him. obey His laws, and to seek to reign righteouisly  over the people over whom He has given them authority.  Our duty is to Pray for them for wisdom, guildance, and divine fortitude.   

Soon, Jesus will return to establish His kingdom over all mankind.  There will be two kinds of people in two separate groups;  He mentioned them as "sheep" and as "goats".  The sheep hear His voice, obey Him and follow Him.   The goats go astray, and run around and disobey Him.   The sheep He gathers like wheat into the barn, but the goats he scatters like chaff which is burned up.   It is time to seek the Lord so that He can come and reign in righteousness.   

I love you, my friend.  Thank you for coming over for a visit today!

Response to a Nation in Crisis

crisis A crucial or decisive point or situation; a turning point.An unstable situation, in political, social, economic or military affairs, especially one involving an impending abrupt change.

1. A sudden change in the course of a disease, usually at which the patient is expected to recover or die.
2. (psychology) A traumatic or stressful change in a person's life.
3. (drama) A point in a drama at which a conflict reaches a peak before being resolved.

My friend, it is really late but I wanted to write to you from my heart tonight.   It is not  my desire to be harsh, or to be doom and gloom, but to speak candidly and with passion about something so near and dear to my heart.

It is not necessary to re-hash what any major network can tell you vividly what is befalling our nation and the nations of the earth at this present time. We have been called to prayer this Saturday for our nation and for the mighty hand of God to have mercy on us and to heal our land.  We believe the summons is serious, and we believe the time is NOW. I want YOU to join me!  I want you to have the joy of being involved in something so powerful!

I want to invite, no, in fact URGE you to watch this video, to follow the links, and to register for this meeting.  To join me and hundreds of thousands of other concerned Christian Americans to fast, seek the face of God on behalf of our nation.  Even if you live nowhere near Texas, you can still register online and view a simulcast of the even in live streaming just by clicking the links!


The Response Promo from The Response USA on Vimeo.


I am so glad that we have a God in Heaven who is looking person by person, city by city, church by church, state by state and nation by nation.  He is more than willing to hear the prayers of His children as they cry out to Him for mercy for our land, and to pray and repent of the atrocities that we have performed as a nation.  His desire is to be merciful to His creation, and to heal our land.  IF we will BUT PRAY....

 2 Chronicles 7:14 says this:
"When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,"if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer [made] in this place.

For  more information, please click the link below!   Thank you my friend!

The Response
http://theresponseusa.com/

Governor Rick Perry has called for a day of prayer for our nation. Churches from all over the nation will be gathering together in Houston at Reliant Stadium for a day of pray for our country.  This is an extremely important event. If the Governor is asking for us to come together and pray, he shouldn't have to wonder where all the Christians are.

You MUST register in order to come into the stadium. Registration is free. Register here: http://registration.afa.ne​t/

We believe that America is in a state of crisis. Not just politically, financially or morally, but because we are a nation that has not honored God in our successes or humbly called on Him in our struggles. According to the Bible, the answer to a nation in such crisis is to gather in humility and repentance and ask God to intervene. The Response will be a historic gathering of people from across the nation to pray and fast for America.

Land that I Love

Yesterday, well over 1 million Christians nationwide gathered to repent, invoke Almighty God's mercy upon this land that we love.   You can read more about that here.   We asked God for forgiveness for breaking His Holy laws, for mercy upon ourselves and our countrymen.   We prayed for our government officials, church leaders, ourselves and our children.   I felt a great joy and a deep, heartfelt almost bittersweet satisfaction and  gripping conviction  that we had done God's will, but also that we needed to continue to do more, more, and even more of the same.  To do this every single day, united, all over this nation, until we see real, lasting, and effective change.
Our pastor spoke about the need for reformation, awakening and revival in this nation.  If you would care to listen to the audio portion, you can do so here.  Yesterday's audio will probably be uploaded to the server tomorrow, when regular office hours resume.


Today, my soul is reflective and peaceful, but solemn.   How could we have strayed so far from the truth?   I began to reflect upon our beautiful flag, and it's significance which is a constant reminder not only of our destiny as a nation, but our former roots and resolve to be one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.  


What do the colors of Our Flag mean?  


The following text all credits to:  http://www.usflag.org/colors.html

From the book "Our Flag" published in 1989 by the House of Representatives...

"On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution authorizing a committee to devise a seal for the United States of America. This mission, designed to reflect the Founding Fathers' beliefs, values, and sovereignty of the new Nation, did not become a reality until June 20, 1782. In heraldic devices, such as seals, each element has a specific meaning. Even colors have specific meanings. The colors red, white, and blue did not have meanings for The Stars and Stripes when it was adopted in 1777. However, the colors in the Great Seal did have specific meanings. Charles Thompson, Secretary of the Continental Congress, reporting to Congress on the Seal, stated:
"The colors of the pales (the vertical stripes) are those used in the flag of the United States of America; White signifies purity and innocence, Red, hardiness & valour, and Blue, the color of the Chief (the broad band above the stripes) signifies vigilance, perseverance & justice."Also this from a book about the flag published in 1977 by the House of Representatives...
"The star is a symbol of the heavens and the divine goal to which man has aspired from time immemorial; the stripe is symbolic of the rays of light emanating from the sun."

I just wanted to add that; dear reader, in case you may not know, or may have forgotten.  


So, from deep inside me on this day, rise the words of the Song;  God Bless America.


Maybe as a family we could sing the words of this prayer/song before we partake of our festivities today?    


Source:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Bless_America

"God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin in 1918 and revised by him in 1938, as sung by Kate Smith (becoming her signature song).^{[citation needed]}

"God Bless America" takes the form of a prayer (intro lyrics "as we raise our voices, in a solemn prayer") for God's blessing and peace for the nation ("...stand beside her and guide her through the night..."). 

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,

Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,

Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,

As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

God bless America,

Land that I love.

Stand beside her, and guide her

Through the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,

To the oceans, white with foam

God bless America, My home sweet home

God bless America, My home sweet home.

Fair reader, wherever you are, whatever you do today, may you be filled with the knowledge of His will and great abiding love for you!  May you be drawn into His heart, and may you wholeheartedly believe Him who died for you!

Happy Birthday, America.  

God shed His Grace on Thee!

Call 2 Fall

Call 2 Fall - July 3, 2011

The time has come for us to say

Happy Birthday      to our nation, the USA.

Courageous men fought, bled, and died on this ground for causes that we take for granted, and most of us think little of the sacrifices made so long ago so we can enjoy the true meaning of freedom.   

Texas is experiencing the worst drought in our whole recorded history.   There will be NO firecrackers, and today, I even had to consult with a local fireman to see if I can barbeque ribs on Monday.  That's the state we are in locally. I will spare you the details that you are so painfully and keenly aware of on this auspicious occasion.   Simply turn on any station and you'll hear more than you possibly needed to or wanted to hear.

Yesterday, my daughter and I and some close friends of mine got to participate in what we call a silent seige; a prayerful protest of the 2nd largest abortion clinic, not only in this nation, and this hemisphere, but only second to the largest one which only has a few square feet more than ours in Houston, TX, and that is in the nations of  China, where they still drown baby girls bedside of mothers who are mandated by their government to restrict the number of their children to 2.  We are fast approaching genocide when we murder our own babies and think nothing of it.

For more information on this cause and one that may possibly be near you go to this website:

http://bound4life.com/

From 9/11 to war to natural disasters to financial and moral collapse, we are witnessing what happens when a nation turns away from God.  In view of the monumental challenges of our times, do we not find ourselves in a similar situation as that of ancient Israel and early America?  

We have an oppurtunity tomorrow, July 3rd, to kneel and beseech God Most High to have mercy upon us, to forgive us, and to heal this great, this proud, this unworthy but once strong nation of ours.   

I invite you to join with the 1,065.178 other Christians, visit this website:  http://www.call2fall.com/  click, add you name and tomorrow join in prayer to God for our nation.   We are the greatest nation under God, indivisible, with what used to be liberty and justice for all.   But now is the time to again call upon Him who hears from heaven and forgives, and saves, and protects us from our enemies.

Our early nation's leaders did, in fact, pray to God for guidance and Congress prayed unitedly when faced in dire circumstances, and in dire need.   Sad to say, that today, the verbage "One nation, under God, Indivisible......" has been altered, and that we say to our shame.
Abraham Lincoln

In 1863, amid civil war, President Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "public humiliation, prayer and fasting."

Whereas it is fit and becoming in all people, at all times, to acknowledge and revere the Supreme Government of God; to bow in humble submission to his chastisements; to confess and deplore their sins and transgressions in the full conviction that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and to pray, with all fervency and contrition, for the pardon of their past offences, and for a blessing upon their present and prospective action...

[It] is peculiarly fit for us to recognize the hand of God in this terrible visitation, and in sorrowful remembrance of our own faults and crimes as a nation and as individuals, to humble ourselves before Him, and to pray for His mercy, -- to pray that we may be spared further punishment, though most justly deserved; that our arms may be blessed and made effectual for the re-establishment of law, order and peace, throughout the wide extent of our country; and that the inestimable boon of civil and religious liberty, earned under His guidance and blessing, by the labors and sufferings of our fathers, may be restored in all its original excellence...

Therefore, [I appoint] a day of humiliation, prayer and fasting for all the people of the nation. And I do earnestly recommend to all the People, and especially to all ministers and teachers of religion of all denominations, and to all heads of families, to observe and keep that day according to their several creeds and modes of worship, in all humility and with all religious solemnity, to the end that the united prayer of the nation may ascend to the Throne of Grace and bring down plentiful blessings upon our Country.

John Hancock

" A Day of Fasting, Humiliation and Prayer, with a total abstinence from labor and recreation" in response to the beginning of the War for Independence - Proclamation on April 15, 1775 for May 11^th.

In circumstances as dark as these, it becomes us, as Men and Christians, to reflect that whilst every prudent measure should be taken to ward off the impending judgments, ...at the same time all confidence must be withheld from the means we use; and reposed only on that God rules in the armies of Heaven, and without His whole blessing, the best human counsels are but foolishness...

Resolved; ...Thursday the 11th of May...to humble themselves before God under the heavy judgments felt and feared, to confess the sins that have deserved them, to implore the Forgiveness of all our transgressions, and a spirit of repentance and reformation ...and a Blessing on the ... Union of the American Colonies in Defense of their Rights [for which hitherto we desire to thank Almighty God]...That the people of Great Britain and their rulers may have their eyes opened to discern the things that shall make for the peace of the nation...for the redress ofAmerica 's many grievances, the restoration of all her invaded liberties, and their security to the latest generations.


How to Pray:
We are sensing the need to return to simple but powerful truths like:

• God is sovereign.  He is holy and He is love.
• We are sinners.  We are saved from His severity of His wrath toward sin only by the fierceness of His love in Christ.
• When we drift away in disobedience, we experience His discipline.  His judgments are just.
• The pathway back must begin with:
• A humility and brokenness before the Lord.
• A desperation to find the face of God.
• A heart cry for the mercy of God.
• A desire to turn from our sinful ways.
• A resolve to return to the ways of God.

Let's join the millions of other Christians, churches, and leaders, not in the blast of fireworks, loud parties, and indulgent living, but let us embrace the sobriety of the moment in which WE LIVE, and heed the call, seize the moment, and petition God for the sake of children, our heritage, and this great nation under God.  


Thank you for letting me share my heart, the heart of God, and an opportunity for YOU to effect true and lasting change by being part of something bigger than yourself on behalf of a nation desolate, torn apart from the inside out, and in desperate need of the mercy of God.


The Good News is:  God hears prayers of faith, and prayers made according to His Word!  He wants to bring revival to this land, if only He can hear a cry, a plea, and some prayers from His people!


God Bless you, my dear friend!