Absence makes the heart grow fonder...

Okay... So I keep reading the "Yahoo Headlines..." And, it just makes me realize how lucky I am to serve such an amazing God. No... I still have not written a post about "Shophet - Judge" the name of our God for last week, but I also am swimming in a sea of mixed emotions.



I miss my husband like crazy. I'm managing a ministry, our household, the schedule of one very busy teenager and coaxing another college aged teen to get her life in gear. I'm not having a pity party... I'm really not. I'm just so blasted busy I don't know what to do with myself. But... I would classify myself as cheerful, happy and remotely pleased with my life thus far.



The Yahoo headline today said, "Voters Anxiety Increasing: In one month the percentage of people who say they're happy has dropped significantly."



Dare I say it? That if your happiness depends on whether or not the stock market is doing well or the 401k is flourishing... while those things are important to our daily living, they do not end my world... AND if you are blaming the government for the mess we are in... LOOK OUT PEOPLE! Who elected "the government?" Oh, and there is this little problem of global terrorism that reared its viscious head about seven years ago within our own borders and the ensuing military action that almost everyone in Washington DC supported and voted for at one point of time or another... Even if they deny it today. I think an apathetic vote of "PRESENT" would qualify as a vote in favor.



Would we be better off if President Bush would have left Iraq alone? Would we be any closer to catching Osama Bin Laden had we not gone into Iraq? Would our financial state be any better than it is today? Have we forgotten what 9/11 did to us emotionally, mentally, and physically as a nation? Has the "Wake Up Call" worn off?



AND... Do we really think either Senator running for President has "all the answers?" My question must be which one has the answers that most match my values and my beliefs about what needs to happen in this country.



I don't believe we need "BIGGER" government nor do I believe giving them more of our hard earned money in taxes would solve our financial issues as individuals or a nation. I don't believe the politicians in Washington earn the salary they have been afforded these past 20 years that I have been an adult. They deserve a pay cut like many Americans are having to take as a result of the financial crisis. They should have to live as we do... not getting rich off of our misery. The cutting should start in Washington DC.



But, that is not really the issue either. The issue is this country has lost sight of what it means to be loyal and patriotic. In countries like Iran and North Korea or China you would be executed for treason for speaking of their leadership the way we speak of our President daily in the news and at the kitchen table. I believe that Presidents who have abused their power in office either by being criminally or morally negligent in their behavior have done much to debase and destroy the idea that we respect the office regardless of who holds it.



Now, what does that mean for me... If Senator Barack Obama becomes President, regardless of how I feel about him as a man I must surrender those feelings and respect the office of President even if I disagree with him. What does that look like?



Can I humble myself enough to do that?



You see, I believe that God is going to give this nation the President the majority of its people have cried out for these last few years. Not the "best man" for the job persay, but instead the man that we've asked for... Which man do you believe our nation has been asking for as a whole?



Remember when the nation of Israel cried out for a king. God wanted them to embrace Him as their King, but they rejected Him and so He gave them Saul. The tall guy cowering behind the luggage when Samuel came to anoint and call him to be the king of God's chosen nation. Yep, that guy. Saul. And what happened with Saul... Let's just say he got the big head and then he lost his completely. No more Saul.



Beyond that, I believe that the current financial, political and security crises we are facing as a nation and in the global community are part of the escalation of events that have been building up for a couple thousand years now. The environment and the atmosphere is being prepared for the advent of the Anti-Christ and the apocolyptic events that precede and identify the period of Christ's eminent return. Satan is stirring and planning and scheming and for decades this country has been selling our souls to him.



When will we learn we can't worship and love God on the weekends and live like it depends on us every other day of the week? We don't need a "Part Time" God and He does not desire a "Part Time" relationship with us. Unless we as a nation depend on Him for EVERYTHING we are not going to survive these things coming against us. He will not contend with the spirit of man forever - His word says that. He does not compete... He is the key to victory in every area - and I for one am asking Him what we should do.



I will try to get that post up about Shophet this week. I'm going out of town this weekend and have evening commitments three nights this week. Please pray for me. I love ya'll to pieces... Please Please Please cry out to God for favor, mercy and blessing in the coming weeks. Whoever becomes President, I pray they come to God in repentance and in humility so that they can lead this nation into a season of revival, prosperity and truth. To a man, that is what we all should be seeking.



Bless Ya'll.

I'm participating in a prayer vigil through my church with prayer directives daily through the election: visit them at http://www.prayer2008elections.blogspot.com/. I am also still standing with Dr. Richard Land's 40/40 Prayer Vigil that began some weeks ago.

Also, got to this website to hear a resounding version of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic."

Lord God, Pour out your mercy on us. Restore to us Your favor and Your blessing once more. We need You Lord, We are Your people crying out to You in desparation. In the name of Your Son who came to save us, Jesus Christ, AMEN.

A Call to Fast and Pray

My Sisters, My friends.

As I have been consumed with interceding on behalf of our nation through this past election season, I have had one thing float up to the surface of my heart - the heart to see change, real and lasting change come to this great nation again!

You know it is easy to get sidelined by an election that did not work out the way we anticipated, expected or planned, but the truth is - God had it planned all along and He is doing this to bring about our good and His glory! Let's stand on that, shall we?

Did anyone hear about California? Yes, the same state that is just blue, blue, blue for the Democrats and has the Gay Marriage Capital of the world in San Francisco spoke out on Tuesday and voted to define marriage in California as between a Man and a Woman.

Did you hear about South Dakota? They sought to outlaw all abortions with a ballot amendment to their state constitution. That amendment failed by some 39,000 or so votes, but THINK of it. It made it to the polls. The amendment would have made all abortions except those in the case of rape, incest and when the woman's life is at risk illegal.

Did you hear about Colorado? They sought to define a person as being alive from the time of "fertilization" which would effectively outlaw abortion in the state. The measure was defeated handly as approval came out in the tens of thousands, and disapproval of the amendment came out in the hundreds of thousands.

Did you hear that the U. S. Senate did not get a filibuster proof majority? While they did gain more seats and will most likely easily pass their sponsored legislation and block any legislation from the right. The idea of a fully governed United States from the Democratic side of the aisle may be a welcome reality check. Should we be praying for the decisions to come? ABSOLUTELY.

After all, what will the 44th President's legacy be if he cannot bring the likes of Pelosi and Reed in off the left fringe wall. I am not being critical here. But in the summer I was watching C-Span as a session of the House of Representatives was under way. (I know, I know. I am a bit of a political junkie.) And these members who get paid 100s of thousands of our hard earned tax dollars per year were - and I'm not even kidding - refusing to have open debate on off shore drilling.

As a matter of fact, the vote was to renew some bill having to do with the Chesapeake Bay Waterway and somehow that tied into off shore drilling and renewable energy resources. A distinguished congresswoman from Michigan got up in the middle of her colleagues on the left refusing to talk about off shore drilling and her colleagues on the right demanding a vote be brought to the floor on the issue to bring relief to the voters and taxpayers in this country... and all she had to say was, "Congratulations, Detroit Red Wings on wining the Stanley Cup...." This congratulatory remark went on for at least five and maybe up to ten minutes. The entire remark about THE DETROIT REDWINGS. I mean, nothing wrong with giving a shout out to you home team, but come on... She did nothing to add to the issues brought to the floor.

Nancy Pelosi, the distinguished speaker from California, stood to say that this country was doing something about the energy crisis. The Democratic Legislators in Congress had gotten a measure approved that allowed them to "file suit" against the members of OPEC. In what court would this suit be enforcable? And, these people already don't like us much, they just tolerate us because we tend to fight their wars without charging them for it. Think of it. What is going on up there on Capital Hill anyway?

The most interesting thing said during the entire two hours or so of debate was from a Republican Congressman (whose name escapes me) he went a detailed explanation of why we should teach "Mother Nature" a lesson and go drill up the millions of gallons of oil that seeps up through the ocean floor each year and put an end to the pollution she is causing with her natural phenomenon. I had to laugh out loud. But to be honest - the Republicans were begging the Democrats to do something for the people of this country and the Democrats would only say, not now. If there is truly to be a healing in the body politic it must start with getting rid of the ridiculous and breaching the great divide of "Us vs. Them." Bi-Partisan? We can only pray.

I am praying that the number of new Washington faces is a trend and this nation learns to vote based on job approval and not based on the side of the aisle their candidate sits on. If they are not working for us, they are not working. If you or I showed up at work and did nothing but argue with our co-workers and produce little... We'd be fired. But, these people are living quite well and doing just that. Let's pray that God would give us wisdom to know who is working to make this country a more perfect union and who seeks His will... and Let's pray for the church to rise up and take her place as her voice is heard among the nations.

Can somebody please explain how they decide who gets what electoral votes? People are moving to Texas in droves, but our votes stay the same? How does that work? Okay... I did some research - the votes are assigned to the states based on the census numbers from the most recent census results. IOW: The 2004 and 2008 elections were assigned based on the 2000 census. There is a great website about the electoral college if you are interested that explains the role of the electoral college and the states who require their electors to vote based on the popular vote and those who have no such requirement. May I just say, Texas, New York and Pennsylvania have no law requiring their electors to vote based on the popular vote, but California, Washington and Oregon do. There is no federal mandate requiring electoral voters to vote based on the popular vote it is left to the states to decide how they want their votes counted.

Now that we have had our civics lesson - are you more enlightened as to how someone could win the popular vote and not the electoral vote? I did not understand it until today, but I knew it would be true. For instance, President Elect Obama beat John McCain by more than double the electoral college votes but he did not have double the number of popular votes. I didn't get that until today. President Elect Obama decidely won both the popular and the electoral vote - but that has not always been the case. Anyway... I'm rambling about the political machine.

Just remember, you must vote - it is a responsibility no matter how the electoral votes sort out. We must be heard - and I believe in respectively two and four years, we will have that very opportunity to approve or disapprove of the job that the new administration and congress will do.

Let's agree to pray, and fast as God directs for this nation and stand for what God's Word says as we turn our hearts and our eyes toward Him in the days ahead. God's speed and blessing to you all.

Today...

As I stepped out into the early afternoon breeze to drive my eldest to the polling place to cast her first ballot in any election... The gray stormy sky with rolling clouds introduced a sharp breeze... Do you hear it.... The rustling in the leaves... Lift them up! Lift them up! Let's keep praying. Let's keep praying.

Lord God, route the enemy, show us Your glory! Blessings.

Marching in the tops of the trees...

Do you hear it?

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That rustling in the leaves. (I'll get to that in a minute.)

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Can I just tell you that we had several small earthquakes in North Texas over the weekend? Okay, I know there is a fault line that runs through Texas and I think into the central plains, but the geologists and seismologists have long said there is no reason to worry about the earth shaking that has taken place in other parts of the world because the fissure was minor in comparison to faults in the western coastal regions of North America. I guess they, like the weatherman, have been wrong. Earthquakes. Seriously 911 got calls about people's pictures falling off the walls and no one realized it was an earthquake.

I hear it.

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In 1 Samuel 5 and 1 Chronicles 14... God told King David when the Philistines came against him the first time in this account that he should go out and fight because the Lord was with them. So they went out and fought and the battle was won. The Philistines even left their idols in the valley in their hasty retreat.

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However, the Philistines obviously decided that the Israelites were definitely not going to have the last word. Even though their idols were burning in the valley with the Israelites. I sort of see the camps of David's fighting men warming their hands as those idols burned in their campfires.

So the Philistines amassed another strategy of attack. David again asked the Lord if they should go out and fight... God said, No. Go AROUND the MOUNTAIN and suprise them from behind. So David did, and again the battle was won.

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The one thing God told David is to wait for the marching to be heard in the tops of the trees. WHAT?

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Marching in the tops of trees. Birds on Parade? NO! It was the angels, assembling to do battle. The archangels went out against the fallen angels and preceded David's army in the victory.

As this election season draws to a climax tomorrow - remember one thing. This battle belongs to God - He usually does not fight conventionally. He usually sends out a choir and a trumpet section rather than an army to fight. Tonight, as you go to bed - listen for the angels in heaven asking, "Do we have enough Prayer Coverage?" (From one of Frank Perretti's books, "Piercing the Darkness" or "This Present Darkness.") Pray throughout this night and tomorrow. Don't pray a candidate's name, pray a repentant heart for the condition of this nation, pray for honor, integrity, truth and stewardship to be the heart of the next President of this United States and pray most of all for the man who takes office on January 20th (I am praying until that day) to have a heart devoted and pure before the Lord.

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Do you hear the marching in the tops of the trees? There is a great battle in the heavenlies this night for the future of this nation... PRAY. Do not lose heart my friends. If God be for us, who can be against us? His promises are true. He always preserves a remnant of the faithful and He will never let His people be put to shame. He will restore His favor to this land and no longer allow us to be a reproach to the nations. I'm praying the book of Joel for the elections. God is doing something mighty and it will result in revival. I believe it is true.

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Lord God, be with the hearts of Your people tonight and through the next 24 hours as we watch Your plans and will unfold in this election. I pray for peace, for truth and for most of all Your presence to be felt in every heart. We come before You asking for Clean Hands and a Pure Heart. God let us not turn our hearts to idols, let us not get our eyes fixed on circumstances or people, but seek first Your kingdom and righteousness.

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Lord, over and over I have heard you say - "Trust in Me, My daughter, with all Your heart. Lean not to Your own understanding because My ways are truly higher than your ways and My thoughts are higher than your thoughts... Commit your path to Me and I will make the way straight for you. I love you my child, the righteous have never been forsaken and I will preserve even Your life if You will serve me with all Your heart."

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I hear You saying this to our nation tonight, Lord. I hear You saying the time is coming when You will put the sickle to the harvest of wickedness as the multitudes come before You in the valley of decision. You will then restore and resurrect Your church and Your people. You will pour out Your Spirit on all peoples and the gifts of the Spirit will be made manifest in every life. You did it before Lord, and I believe You will do it again. A double portion restoration will come as You bring in the harvest sewn by our ForeFathers when they included You in every detail of planning this country and every aspect of governing her future. You are bringing in the sheaves for us by sending us the blessing for Latter Rain. I believe in You. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayers tonight. In Jesus Name, Amen.