"An Appalachian Dawn - Christians Took Their Town Back!"

"AN APPALACHIAN DAWN" - THE REMARKABLE REVIVAL IN KENTUCKY "Manchester, City of Hope," Kentucky Population 2,200by Ben Mutti          Isolated in the heartland of Appalachia, the city of Manchester, Kentucky, appeared to be the unlikeliest place for societal breakthrough to occur. Located in Clay County, any attempt to “change” the dysfunctional way of life was considered futile. With the decline of the coal and salt industry, and their best years seemingly behind them, a 1964 CBS news report gave Manchester the dubious distinction “Depressed City, USA.” Forty years later, Clay County still could not escape from its “backward” stereotype, being listed as the sixth poorest county in the United States.          And that was not all! In 2001, the Drug Enforcement Agency included Manchester in a region listed as the “Painkiller Capital of America.” This notorious nickname did not bode well for a county that actually had more people residing in prison than people residing in the county seat.          While Clay County's outcast image has always been a hard pill for the area to swallow, its outlaw image has always been widely renowned. In a TV exposé by the HistoryChannel on Clay's family feuds, it was reported that four local clans killed more than ten times the number of family members than those killed in the infamous Hatfield and McCoy rivalry. This prevailing mountain man mentality, along with a sectarian church mindset, furthered the notion that Clay County resembled the O.K. Corral. The community was devoid of all hope.          That is until May 2, 2004, when 63 churches and 3,500 people united together as community catalysts to march against drugs. Like troops advancing upon a city, these civic pilgrims for progress joined together under the direction of church leaders who publicly repented before GOD for their lack of civic involvement. Their slogan was, "Get Saved or Get Busted!" Suddenly, a pulse could be felt; hope had been resuscitated. Many felt this climactic prayer event helped break the vice-like grip of drug addiction that had tormented daily life.            The following year, Manchester became the only area in the region where painkiller prescriptions actually decreased. Beyond that, drug arrests would increase by a staggering 300 percent. Where favoritism, fraud, and extortion were once the law of the land, government corruption would soon be uncovered. Within three years, public officials, including the mayor, the city supervisor, the assistant police chief, the 911 Director, the fire chief, the circuit court judge, a handful of city councilmen, county commissioners and county clerks, would all be exposed and jailed for racketeering, distributing drugs, and voter fraud.          As newfound stakeholders in society, churches and citizens partnered together with law enforcement to root out this crime and corruption. In fact, a court watch program was initiated by the churches, and with the help of their Congressman, a local Jesus-based rehabilitation center was completed in 2008.       As a result, a profound optimism had instantly been injected into everyday life. Local drug dealers soon began surrendering their lives to Jesus and getting delivered from drug addiction. This fresh adrenaline also caused high-ranking officials like the new mayor and the sheriff to begin advancing the kingdom cause of Christ in their respective spheres of influence.       According to Sheriff Kevin Johnson, the church partnership with the police was “the best thing to happen to Clay County.” Furthermore, this uncommon collaboration, “Operation: Unite,” has become the model for the entire state.          Consequently, in 2007, the city council voted to change the name of the city to “Manchester: City of Hope.” As a result, this obscure community has become a regional influence, receiving desperate calls from 49 different states, and five foreign nations, all soliciting Clay Countians for guidance in their battle against drugs.           Not only are students now being drug tested in school, Bible elective courses are also being offered in high school. Meanwhile, Clay County was chosen as having the model-reading program for children in the state in 2008, significant for a region traditionally plagued with high illiteracy rates.          Remarkably, in the Fall of 2009, with bated - breath, the city announced that a recycling company would be coming to Manchester, bringing a breathtaking 1,400 new jobs; this despite the rest of the nation stumbling through a global recession.          Last, but not least, located near the Kingdom Come National Park, Clay County now possesses one of the largest Rocky Mountain Elk populations in the country; and with turkey, bear, and deer populations making a comeback, a new campground and new bike trail accent a tourist industry on the upswing. Manchester city water was even chosen in 2008 as having the best tasting water in a statewide competition. In fact, the local water treatment plant is now selling “Hope Water” as a commercial product.          With this unusual avalanche of events, there is no question that Manchester’s cup of blessing is running over. What seemed like a mountain that was insurmountable is now becoming possible with GOD. Ironically, a community once considered "behind the times" has now become a compelling story for our times.

  

The COMING STORM

When a sleeping child must be awakened, a loving parent takes
him by the shoulders and gently shakes him. If the child doesn't
wake up immediately, the shaking becomes a bit firmer. The
parent insists, because he knows the child will suffer if he doesn't
wake up on time.

That is precisely what God is doing right now-both to America
and to the world. At first, He shook us very tenderly but now His
shaking has become violent, because He has not succeeded in
awakening us.

The Lord began to literally shake the earth with earthquakes in
the late 1980s. A quake in Armenia wiped out almost that entire
province. A quake in Japan measuring 6.9 nearly destroyed an
entire city. Then came the horrible quake in San Francisco, with
more following almost daily in that area. Quakes hit the West
Coast constantly, from northern California to San Diego and
down into Mexico.

Isaiah prophesies that God will one day rise up and shake the
whole earth: "Behold, the Lord maketh the earth empty . . . and
turneth it upside down. . . . All joy is darkened, the mirth of the
land is gone. . . . When thus it shall be in the midst of the land
among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree"
(Isaiah 24:1, 11, 13). God is going to shake the earth as if it were
an olive tree-till every bit of fruit falls.

Ezekiel says that when God's fury arises, He will shake all that
can be shaken: "All the men that are upon the face of the earth,
shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown
down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to
the ground. . . . And I will be known in the eyes of many nations,
and they shall know that I am the Lord" (Ezekiel 38:20 and 23).

The writer of Hebrews says: "Yet once more I shake not the earth
only, but also heaven. . . . That [only] those things which cannot
be shaken may remain" (Hebrews 12:26-27).

God is going to shake everything in sight so that He is revealed
as the only unshakable power!

"CHURCH TAKING BACK THE NEIGHBORHOOD"

"CHURCH TAKING BACK THE NEIGHBORHOOD"

Seventeen men, women, and teens from East Laurinburg Pentecostal Holiness Church met on Saturday, March 17, 2012 with a big task at hand.  They were committed to cleaning up litter on one mile of Old Lumberton Road beginning at Sanford Road and crossing over the tracks clear up to the stop light at Church Street. 

The area has been an eye sore for some time with beer bottles, trash, dirty diapers, paper and a variety of other debris strewn along the road.  The filth was ruining the beauty of the community.  The group picked up 830 gallons of trash!  It looks like a new neighborhood.  Merchants and residents of the area came out an thanked the group for their efforts.  

To hold litterers accountable, hidden cameras will be installed in strategic areas along the route to catch polluters in action.  The pictures will be turned over to police for prosecution.  At the end of the clean up, Pastor Michael Edds treated the groups to a great meal at Burger King.  Many enjoyed the french fries and green ketchup!!

Additionally, a neighborhood watch is being reactivated by several residents in the area to bring a halt to the speeding, loud music coming from vehicles, drugs, crime and trashing of a good community.   The group will have the neighborhood under video and picture surveillance. The evidence of violations will be promptly turn over to police.   License plate numbers will also be sent to the police.  

Many residents have grown tired of the loud music coming from cars at all hours of the night and speeding.  At 1:30 am on Saturday, March 17, two vehicles were drag racing down Ward Street.  The drivers were reported to the police.  Those breaking the law, disturbing the peace and polluting the neighborhood will be held accountable.  The community IS taking the neighborhood back.

There are over 150 churches in Laurinburg.  There are many businesses and community groups also. This beautiful city is being buried under litter! If all would make a similar commitment to cleaning up their neighborhoods of trash, crime and noise that the East Laurinburg Pentecostal Holiness Church and the neighborhood there is doing, Laurinburg will clean and safe again.

A YOUNG MAN'S LETTER FROM HELL

                  

A YOUNG MAN'S LETTER FROM HELL

The following is a dramatic presentation. It was written by a fictitious High School Student named Josh, to a friend named Zack.

Although Zack had every opportunity to tell Josh about Jesus… he didn’t.

They were best friends. They played soccer together. They went to classes together. They partied together. They shared their lives with each other.

But there is one thing Zack held back from Josh… his personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The rest of the story is simple and sad...

A few too many beers… A tragic drive home… A crash… a death, a funeral… A Letter

Here is that letter... A letter from Hell.

Dear Zack,

I died today. It’s a lot different than I expected. You see, I always thought that dying would bring me to a world that is foggy and hazy. But this place is crystal clear… It’s even more real than my life on Earth.

I can think. I can talk. I can even feel.

Right after the wreck I could feel my spirit leaving my body. It was the weirdest thing, Zack. I thought I heard you screaming out to me, man. Must have been just imagining things.

At first I was just standing in line, getting registered I guess. They asked me for my name…and began to look in this thing they called the Book of Life.

I guess they couldn’t find it though because this huge angel standing next to me grabbed me by the arm and started dragging me away. I was terrified. I had no idea what was going on. I asked the angel where he was taking me, but he didn’t answer. So I asked him again…

Finally, he told me that only those, whose names were written in the Book of Life, could enter into Heaven and the rest would be condemned to Hell forever.

Man I was scared. The angel threw me into some kind of holding cell. Where I’ve been sitting and thinking for a long long time. Do you want to know what I’ve been thinking about?

I’ve been thinking about YOU.

Zack, You’re a Christian.
You told me so yourself. I mean we talked about it three different times today.

Kelly brought it up and you laughed it off. Coach Adams brought it up and you changed the subject.

I mean, it came up right before the wreck. Well the question I can’t get out of my mind is this, Zack. Why haven’t you ever told me about how to become a Christian?

You say you are my friend, but if you really were you would have told me about this Jesus and told me how to escape this terrible place that I’m headed for.


I can feel my heart pounding in my chest, the angels who have been chosen to cast me into hell are coming down the hallway. I can hear their footsteps.

I have heard of this Hell. They call it the Lake of Fire.

I can’t stand it, Zack. I am terrified. No! The angels are at the door. Oh no, no! They’re coming in and they’re pointing at me. They’re grabbing me and carrying me out of the room.

I already can smell the burning sulfur and brimstone. I can see the edge of the cliff where Hell burns.

This is it. I am without hope.

We’re coming closer, closer, closer. My heart is bursting with fear. They’re holding me over the flames. I am damned forever.

This is it. They are throwing me in. Fire, Pain, HELL.

Why Zack? Why didn’t you ever tell me about Jesus?

Your friend,
Josh

P.S. Wish you were here.

SWEARIN' JACK WALLER - HERO OF THE FAITH

SWEARIN' JACK WALLER - HERO OF THE FAITH

John Waller was one of the most powerful preachers in 18th Century Virginia.
He led one of the greatest revivals in the history of that state. However, before his
conversion, his capability in profanity earned him the title of "Swearin' Jack." He could out swear
and outfight any man in his day. He had a deep hatred for the Methodist
circuit riding his preachers and delighted in harassing them. After becoming a
Christian, his abilities, energy and talents focused into preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ and
pointing out the errors of the dominant religious system of the time. This
attracted the attention of the religious and civil authorities. In colonial Virginia, only
those who were ordained by the state church (the Anglican Church) were permitted to preach.
All other preaching was prohibited by law and disobedience to this law was punishable by
imprisonment, beatings and stiff fines. God called John to preach His
Word. As a result, he spent a total of one hundred and thirteen days in four different
county jails for preaching. Waller also endured severe physical abuse.

John Waller gave the following account of one such attack that took place in Caroline County, Virginia, during a worship service in a home: While he was singing, the priest of the parish attacked him and would keep shoving  the end of his horse whip in John's mouth, laying his whip across the hymn book, etc. After he finished singing, Waller proceeded to pray. Suddenly, he was violently jerked off of the stage by the magistrate and the parish priest. Catching him by the back part of his neck, they violently beat his head against the ground. Afterwards, he was mercilessly beaten with twenty lashes with a horse whip.
The parish priest came up, cursed at him, and then warned him not to preach anymore.
When Brother Waller was released, he went back singing and praising God, and then
mounted the stage and preached with a great deal of liberty. Covered with  his own blood, he boldly proclaimed the Word of God.

Another time while he was preaching, a huge fellow pulled him down and dragged him about by his hair. A second, as stout as the first, ran to rescue Waller. One took hold of one hand and the other of the other hand so that between friend and foe, poor Waller was about to lose both arms. The hurt remained with him for many weeks. On November 8, 1793, he moved to the state of South Carolina. John Waller's daughter had married Elder Abraham Marshall, a Baptist evangelist and son of the well-known preacher and church planter, Daniel Marshall. Some speculate that she was Waller's favorite daughter and he desired to be near them. Also, good land could be purchased cheaply there, and he felt that his labors had come to an end in Virginia. Waller's work in his new home was blessed as he helped to establish two churches, but his ministry never had the impact of his ministry in Virginia. He preached thirty-five years, baptized more than two thousand persons, assisted in ordaining twenty-seven ministers and in constituting eighteen churches. The revivals that he led in Virginia had great  reforming impact on the very culture of that state. His last sermon, at
the funeral of a young man, was taken from Zechariah 2:4,
"Run, speak to this young man." He addressed the young in feeble, touching strains, saying that it was his last sermon. He spoke until his strength failed and then tottered to a bed from which he was carried to his house. He died July 4, 1802, in his sixty-second year. John Waller represents the men and women who paid a dear price for religious liberty. He carried the scars of his scourging to his grave, which is located in the Waller- Hackett family burial ground in Abbeville County, near Greenwood, South Carolina. My friend B.J. Isaacs and I found this abandoned cemetery in the woods. We walked over to the forgotten grave of this mighty soldier of the Cross and gave thanks to God for the life and ministry of a great hero of the faith.

THREE RABBI'S CLAIM ARK OF COVENANT HAS BEEN FOUND!

Q“THREE RABBI'S CLAIM ARK OF COVENANT HAS BEEN FOUND UNDER TEMPLE MOUNT!"

In 1981, the former chief rabbi of Jerusalem and two other rabbis tunneled under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  They discovered an underground room not far from where the Holy of Holies once stood.  Entering into this room, the rabbis were astonished to discover relics of the First Temple such as the Table of Show Bread, temple vessels and most importantly the Ark of the Covenant. 

 The Ark had been taken to this hidden room by the Prophet Jeremiah shortly before the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians 2,500 years ago.  

The rabbis are awaiting the rebuilding of the Third Temple, which many orthodox Jews believe is imminent.  Upon completion of the Temple, the Ark will be brought out and placed in the Holy of Holies again.

Angelic Choirs Singing During the Great Revivals of History

 Angelic Choirs Singing During the Great Revivals of History

During great awakenings and historic revivals, Heavenly choirs have joined in with the  people of God to worship the Lord. During the Hebrides Awakening of 1947, Rev. Duncan Campbell and others were crossing the moors to minister to a nearby village. Suddenly, the heavens were filled with the voices of angels singing. The group dropped to their knees in great reverence and worshiped God. A similar occurrence took place in the Azusa Street Awakening of 1907 in Los Angeles. The following are a few of the exciting historical accounts of the angelic choirs responding to the divine move of God on earth.

INDIA:

I sat enthralled as a humble Indian man addressed a large congregation in Adelaide, South Australia. Rev. Larno Longchar was describing an amazing revival sweeping the length and breadth of his home state of Nagaland. His local church alone now had 15,000 members. Four times in one year its building had to be extended to accommodate those who were being saved.
The 'outpouring' began in 1976 after the 'Baptist' churches in Nagaland had kept their pledge to pray for revival. Their twenty-four-hour-a-day prayer chain had continued unbroken for an entire year.
As a direct result of the revival, the state's smoking, drinking, cinema attendance, divorce and suicide rates all dramatically fell. A flabbergasted magistrate reported that in six months only one criminal case had appeared before his city's courts. Repentance was so widespread and genuine that precautions like locking houses became quite unnecessary. Former Hindus and head-hunters joined the ranks of fervent Christians confessing their sins and praying for hours at a time.
I could detect no boasting in Rev. Longchar's address. He spoke of himself surprisingly little. A major recurring theme was that there was nothing unique about his state's experience. He insisted that we could have the same type of revival.
The following is a slightly condensed transcript of part of the message I heard on March 8, 1981. (Used by permission) The incident described would have occurred no more than five years previous. Rev. Longchar told us:
'In one of the district capitals, near Burma, we had [a] revival meeting for four days. There were 35,000 people in a crusade.
'One of our friends was preaching. God used him in a very wonderful way that morning. About 10,000 people rushed to the pulpit to confess their sins - to acknowledge the lordship of Jesus Christ in their hearts. There was a deep confession of sin going on. We were helping the people - about five hundred of us - as counsellors. When we were praying, we heard a sound of angels singing - a huge group of people singing in the sky above. [It was a] very lovely song:"Jesus is coming soon:
Troublous times,
Jesus is coming soon.
Repent, repent, repent."[My comment: If you think this prophecy to be premature, I don't know what you will make of Revelation 22:20.]
'It was so lovely.
'For ten minutes the angels continued to sing. We didn't see them, but we heard the sound. Oh, it was so wonderful!
'One of my friends took his tape recorder and recorded this song.
'Our people love to sing that song - all over Nagaland today. They receive much blessing through singing it.' [Emphasis Larno's]
Rev. Longchar's description of the angelic singing as 'so lovely' should not be taken lightly. After visiting Nagaland, Pastor Des Short, of New Zealand, described the Naga people as 'exceptionally musical.' He claimed that, in marked contrast to western people, the majority of Naga people are born with perfect pitch. Even children at play sing in four-part harmony.

WALES:

Commencing at Beddgelert in 1817, a powerful move of God resulted in the salvation of multiplied thousands of Welsh people. From the midst of this move comes a report of people transfixed by what seemed to be massed heavenly choirs in the air singing songs of praise. (Orr, p100)
Decades later, (1851-2) in a small Montgomeryshire village, angelic singing signalled the commencement of a local Welsh revival. It was heard by a few disheartened Christians leaving their church after a seemingly fruitless week-long series of prayer meetings for revival. The 'indistinct' (Because it was in an angelic language?) but melodious sounds seemed to come from high above the church they had just left.
Next day, they discovered that many others in the district had heard the same beautiful music. Some had even gone outside to hear it and concluded it must be angelic. No other explanation was ever found.
Soon hundreds were flocking to the churches and experiencing the prayed-for outpouring of the Spirit. (Brown and Butterworth, p391 f)

FRANCE:

A remarkable parallel occurred across the English Channel, nearly two centuries earlier.
A revival in 'the valleys of Dauphiny,' amongst Protestants in late Seventeenth Century France, was cited by John Wesley as proof that God acts in a supernatural way. (Wesley, vol. X, p56b) This Cevennol revival was preceded by widespread reports of 'strange sounds in the air: the sound of a trumpet and a harmony of voices.' And in Orthès it was said that in every house resided at least one person who had heard heavenly music. (Heath, p121, 126)

GEORGE WHITEFIELD BLAZES ACROSS AMERICA - THE FIRST GREAT AWAKENING

          
GEORGE WHITEFIELD BLAZES ACROSS AMERICA 
THE FIRST GREAT AWAKENING
                                                extracts by Eddie Hyatt.

George Whitefield (1714–1770) was uniquely prepared for his role
as the firebrand of the Great Awakening that would bring all the
individual flames of revival together into one blazing inferno of Divine
Awakening... At Oxford he had come under the tutelage of John
and Charles Wesley and had experienced a dramatic conversion
that forever changed his life. His gifted preaching ability drew great
crowds and quickly launched him into leadership, along with the
Wesleys, of the Methodist revival in England. Having eyes that
were crossed, his critics poked fun at him calling him Dr. Squintum.

Sensing a Divine call to America, he departed England in August
of 1739 with a burden for the colonists and a prayer that they would
not live as thirteen scattered colonies, but as “one nation under
God.” As he travelled up and down the eastern seaboard, shop-
keepers closed their doors, farmers left their plows, and workers
threw down their tools to hurry to the place where he was to preach.
Crowds of 8-10 thousand were common. At a time when the
population of Boston was estimated at 25,000, Whitefield preached
to an estimated crowd of 30,000 on the Boston Common. Through
his incessant travels he became the best known and most
recognized figure in colonial America.

The Awakening Impacts all Segments of Society

Whitefield became a friend of Benjamin Franklin and stayed in his
home on at least one of his visits to America. Franklin’s testimony
of the power of the revival is particularly significant since he did
not profess to be a Christian. In his Autobiography, he tells of the
incredible change that came over his hometown of Philadelphia
when Whitefield came there on his first of seven visits to America.
He writes,

"In 1739 there arrived among us from Ireland the Reverend Mr.
Whitfield who made himself remarkable there as an itinerant
preacher. He was at first permitted to preach in some of our
churches, but the clergy, taking a dislike to him, soon refused
him their pulpits, and he was obliged to preach in the fields. The
multitudes of all sects and denominations that attended his sermons
were enormous, and it was a matter of speculation to me, who
was one of the number, to observe the extraordinary influence of
his oratory on his hearers. From being thoughtless or indifferent
about religion, it seemed as if all the world were growing religious
so that one could not walk through the town in an evening without
hearing psalms sung in different families of every street."

Franklin admits that he was skeptical of reports of Whitefield’s
preaching being heard by crowds of 25,000 and more. While
listening to Whitefield preach from the top of the Philadelphia
courthouse steps to a huge throng, Franklin, having an enquiring
and scientific mind, retired backward to see how far Whitefield’s
voice would reach. He then did some calculations and decided
that Whitefield’s voice, which he described as “loud and clear,”
could be heard by crowds of 30,000 and more.

The Awakening Touches All Sects & Denominations

Everywhere he went the Holy Spirit was poured out in great power.
On one occasion after preaching to a huge throng gathered outdoors,
Whitfield surveyed the crowd and noted the amazing response.
"Look where I would, most were drowned in tears. Some were
struck pale as death, others wringing their hands, others lying on
the ground, others sinking into the arms of their friends and most
lifting up their eyes to heaven and crying out to God." In Delaware
there was such an outpouring of God’s Spirit and grace that
Whitefield himself was overcome along with many of his audience.

Although a native of England, Whitefield became best known for
his ministry in America’s First Great Awakening. He loved America
and made seven visits to this land. A tireless worker, he travelled
incessantly from Georgia to Maine preaching primarily in the open
air and raising money for his beloved orphanage, Bethesda, which
he had founded in Georgia. He died during his final visit to America
at the age of 58, probably of congestive heart failure brought on
by fatigue.

The Significance of Whitfield’s Contribution

Whitfield’s contribution to the First Great Awakening was enormous.
More than any other person he, by his incessant travels, helped
make the Awakening a national event. It was the first time the
scattered colonists of various denominational and theological
persuasions had participated together in a single event.
Denominational walls were broken down and, for the first time,
they began to see themselves as a single people with one Divine
destiny—“one nation under God,” as Whitfield had prayed.

The preaching of Whitefield, Edwards, Frelinghuysen, the Tennents,
and others thus paved the way for nationhood. This is why Harvard
professor, William Perry, said, “The Declaration of Independence
of 1776 was a result of the evangelical preaching of the evangelists
of the Great Awakening.”

-From Chapter 5 of the book "GOD SHED HIS GRACE ON THEE"

-SOURCE - http://www.biblicalawakening.blogspot.com/

TRANSFORMING POWER OF REVIVAL AROUND THE WORLD

"TRANSFORMING POWER OF REVIVAL AROUND THE WORLD"

What is revival?
In revival, God moves in the district. Suddenly, the community becomes God-conscious. The Spirit of God grips men and women in such a way that even work is given up, as people give themselves to waiting upon God.
True spiritual revival is like a seething lava flow. It takes time to reach its destination. But when it does, its intense heat and formidable power alters everything in its path. It is the full measure of God's kingdom come to earth.
No spectacle is more glorious-or terrifying
It takes the supernatural to break the bonds of the natural. You can make a community mission-conscious. You can make a community crusade-conscious. But only God can make a community God-conscious. Just think about what would happen if God came to any community in power. I believe that day is coming. May God prepare us all for it.
This video takes you on a remarkable journey to the very edge of this transforming river. Visit the nation of Uganda, the villages of the Canadian Arctic, and take a look back at the transforming nature of the Hebrides revival.

AMERICA'S FIRST CHRISTMAS CARD...CIRCA 6TH CENTURY A.D.

AMERICA'S FIRST CHRISTMAS CARD...CIRCA 6TH CENTURY A.D.

When was the first Christmas message printed in America? It had to come with European Christians, but who were the first Europeans in America? Did they come with Columbus, or did they come earlier with the Vikings; or even earlier with a band of Irish monks? The Navagatio, Saint Brendan’s account of his travels across the Atlantic, certainly predates the Viking voyages by some 400 years and establishes Irish visitors as early as the Sixth Century A.D., but no evidence had ever been found to support that claim. That lack of hard evidence led author Timothy Severin to duplicate the voyage of Brendan in 1977, in a leather-covered boat built to Brendan’s specifications, but unfortunately, that did little to convince the sceptics.

However, while the sceptics argued that possibility and probability do not offer proof, startling discoveries were being made in the New England states of New Hampshire and Vermont that altered the entire subject. A complex of ancient stone buildings, burial tombs, and oracle chambers, which had been under study for some time, were revealed to be Celtic — not from the time of Brendan, but as far back as 800 B.C.!

The evidence was overwhelming. Scores of inscriptions found at the sites were identified as Ogham — a system of cypher used by the Celts over 2500 years ago. Using the science of epigraphy — the study of ancient carvings on stone — Dr. Barry Fell, Harvard professor and president of the Epigraphic Society, not only identified the inscriptions, but translated them. Some identified graves, while others, taken from an oracle chamber, contained religious writings, and still others concerned land boundaries. Together, they indicated a Celtic settlement in America when that form of Ogham was in use, sometime after 800 B.C.

Further, great standing stones, surrounding one of the sites, are geometrically aligned for viewing such celestial events as the summer and winter solstices and seasonal star and lunar patterns. The parallel to Newgrange and similar structures in Ireland is remarkable. In addition to local Indian words and place names with Celtic roots, the defining and dating of pottery, tools, and implements found at the site, also confirm the settlement to be Celtic, matching items produced in the Celtic regions of western Europe during the Bronze Age.

The conclusion that a Celtic society existed in America before the time of Christ is indisputable, but what has that to do with a Christmas Card? Well, Dr. Fell released a book on his initial discoveries, entitled America B.C., and a sequence of events followed which immensely added to the evidence of another group of early settlers, and the Christmas Card they left behind.

Ida Jane Gallagher, a native West Virginian working as a free-lance historian in Connecticut, forwarded to Dr. Fell an article that she had received from the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce. The article described a stone carving in Wyoming County, West Virginia, similar to the ones she had photographed in New England. Discovered by two amateur archeologists in 1964, the carving was examined in 1970 by a Geological survey team, who concluded that the inscription — whatever its meaning — was the work of early Indians or aborigines, and of no significance, since many such undeciphered carvings existed, whose origins are shrouded in mystery. The find was forgotten for a decade until archeologist Robert Pyle learned of its existence from his assistant Tony Shields.

Shields, a former Wyoming County resident, told Pyle of carvings near his home that were similar to old runic writings. When he produced photos of the carvings as proof, an excited Pyle estimated that they had been carved between 500 and 800 A.D. Beginning in March 1982, Pyle and Shields recorded every detail of the carving in eighteen separate visits. Convinced of its importance, Pyle gave the story to a local newspaper; the editorial and photo that subsequently appeared was clipped by a reader who sent it to the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce magazine. They, in turn, sent it to Ida Jane Gallagher. She immediately arranged to visit the site.

In November 1982, Pyle led a small group up a steep bank in West Virginia to a rock ledge, and Gallagher took her first look at the 10-foot inscription carved on a recessed portion of a cliff face beneath a natural rock overhang. Convinced that it was a major find, she contacted Professor Fell, and he agreed to attempt a translation.

When Dr. Fell saw the petroglyph, he immediately recognized it as an advanced form of the Ogham script he had seen in Ireland and on the New England carvings. He began a translation from Ogham into Old Irish, from Old Irish into modern Irish, and then into English.

The message thus deciphered read:

At the time of sunrise, a ray grazes the notch on the left side on Christmas Day, the first season of the year, the season of the blessed advent of the savior Lord Christ. Behold he is born of Mary, a woman.

According to the translation, the carving was a solar calendar bearing a Christmas message! But how could a Christmas message be carved in America, in an Irish script, between 500 and 800 A.D.? Was there a mistake? The small group decided to verify the translation. Calculating the difference between the Julian calendar (used until the 16th Century) and today’s Gregorian calendar, they met at the petroglyph just before sunrise on December 22, 1982. Quietly they waited as the sun climbed in the east, spilled over the mountains, and streamed its rays toward the cliff face before them. They watched in amazement as the first shaft of sunlight funnelled like a flashlight beam through a 3-sided notch in the cliff overhang and struck the center of a sun symbol on the left side of the panel. As they watched in awe, the beam pushed the shadow from left to right, slowly bathing the entire message in sunlight like a prehistoric neon sign announcing yet another Christmas, as it has done for centuries. Before their eyes, they had received a message across the ages.

Subsequent visits showed that the phenomenon only occurred at the winter solstice; and at other times of the year the sun only partially lit the message. In 1985, the distinguished Celtic scholar, Professor Robert T. Meyer visited the site and responded to a question regarding its authenticity in these words:

Nobody could have faked this sort of thing unless they had a very deep knowledge of Celtic philosophy, for this is very archaic, and probably from the sixth or seventh centuries. This, for Celtic scholars, is probably at least as important as the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls . . . because it shows that Irish Monks, I suppose, came here, I would say, about 1500 years ago.

Since that time, other Ogham carvings have been discovered in West Virginia at Bears’s Fork in Fayette County and Horse Creek in Boone’s County; as well as at Red River Gorge in Kentucky; Shell Rock Canyon, Colorado, and Newfoundland!

As for the Wyoming County petroglyph, it remains for all to see: America’s first Christmas message, left between 500 and 800 A.D., by Irish Christian missionaries. We may never know the identity of the person or persons who carved the message, but the fact that it exists, provides important proof of the old claim that Irish monks sailed to America to spread the gospel long before Columbus and the Vikings. An Irish monk named Brendan wrote of that in the Sixth Century, but no one believed him. Now, in view of the earlier settlements found in New England, it should be obvious that the Irish had the map all along.

Prophecies About To Be Fulfilled

Prophecies About To Be Fulfilled

The stage is being set for the following prophecies to be fulfilled. The daily media news items unknowingly warn of the imminent fulfillment of God's word........

• The Arab nations of the world will attack Israel in a coordinated effort to annihilate the state (Psalms 83).

• Israel will soundly defeat the Arab alliance (Zechariah 12:6).

• Israel will dwell in security and prosperity (Ezekiel 38:11).

• Then a Russian coalition consisting mainly of Muslim nations will invade Israel (Ezekiel 38:1-17).

• The Russian coalition will be destroyed supernaturally by God (Ezekiel 38:18-23 & 39:1-8).

• The Antichrist will intervene and guarantee the security of Israel, enabling the Jews to rebuild their Temple (Daniel 9:27).

• At the end of three and a half years, the Antichrist will enter the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem and declare himself to be God (Daniel 9:27, Matthew 24:15-18, & 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

• The Jews will reject the Antichrist, and he will respond with an attempt to annihilate them, killing two-thirds of them in the process (Revelation 12:13-17 & Zechariah 13:8-9).

• At the end of the Tribulation, when the Jews have come to the end of themselves, they will turn to God and receive Yeshua as their Messiah (Zechariah 12:10, Romans 9:27-28, & Romans 11:25-27).

• Jesus will return and regather all believing Jews to Israel (Deuteronomy 30:1-9).

• Israel will be established as the prime nation in the world (Isaiah 2:1-4 & Micah 4:1–7).

• The Lord will bless the Jewish remnant by fulfilling all the promises He has made to Israel (Isaiah 60:1-62:7).

• The blessings of God will flow out to all the nations through the Jewish people during the Millennial rule of Jesus (Zechariah 8:22-23).

ARCTIC FIRE

ARCTIC FIRE

"And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting." (Acts 2:2)

"And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness." (Acts 4:31)

Drug addiction, suicide, sexual abuse, family turmoil, unemployment and crime were rampant in a Native Alaskan village. Christians were crying out to God to intervene in this hell on earth. Suddenly, a supernatural phenomena swept through the settlement. Revival came suddenly to this remote Arctic village. God had heard and answered the prayers of His people.  

THANK YOU FOR GIVING TO THE LORD

THANK YOU FOR GIVING TO THE LORD

There are special people who have touched our lives.  They did it without fanfare, selflessly just because they loved and believed in us.  They stood by us, fought for us, defended us and bound up our wounds.  When others deserted us, they were still by our sides.  Their Christ-like lives radically changed our lives.  This song is dedicated to those whom the world has forgotten but our hearts have not..............."THANK YOU FOR GIVING TO THE LORD!"

Totally Surrendered to God - The Incredible Ministry of Dwight L Moody

The Incredible Ministry of D. L. Moody
At the beginning of his ministry Mr. Moody heard a preacher raise the question, “The world has yet to see what God can do with one man that is totally committed to him.” Upon hearing that,  it is told that D.L. Moody said to himself and a few gathered around him that he wanted to be that man. It would be his practice from then on to rise early every morning for prayer and serious Bible study. Most mornings would find him up before 4 a.m. studying in his small prayer room.


This practice of significant Bible study would be the foundation on which God would build a worldwide ministry. Out of his commitment to serious Bible study he discovered the regular discipline of intercessory prayer. It would become his lifelong thrill to take every concern to his Heavenly Father and seek to prove the reality of God by his own prayers. He would often call many of those who supported his ministry to times of prayer and fasting for specific meetings in the cities he would travel in.

Out of his continued walking with God he came upon the commitment to not let a day go by where he did not talk with at least one person about their need for Christ. There would be some days when he would be preparing for bed and realize that he did not speak with someone about their need for Christ and he would get up and go about the city seeking to find one person whom he could share his Savior with.

I suppose if you were to travel with Mr. Moody you have been somewhat embarrassed by his constant pleading with people to put their faith in Christ. The conversation would not cover the topics of the day but would often turn to the truths of Scripture. Gossip would not do around Mr. Moody for there was too little time and too many lost persons around to spend it in trivial conversations.


This one man totally committed his life to God.  Through this surrendered life, two continents were shook for God!  Millions were brought into the Kingdom of God.  Will you totally commit your life to the Lord?  He can do the same thing in our day.

Revival Breaks out at Malki Presbyterian Church in Shillong, India

REPORTS OF REVIVAL BREAKING OUT IN SHILLONG, INDIA!

More than 100 years after the first waves of a great Welsh religious revival reached faraway north-eastern India, Christian church leaders are claiming a religious reawakening in the region.

The revival began on Saturday the 22 April 2006 among a huge number of people in Mairang, the place where the 1906 revival first broke out. Hundreds of delegates were attending the afternoon service of the Revival Centenary commemoration, whilst a minimum of 150,000 people (with reports of up to 300,000) sat outside on the huge lawns of the of the Mairang Presbyterian Church. The Holy Spirit came ‘in such a powerful way’ that the delegates continued to sing and pray for hours, unmoved, in driving rain which continued for about half an hour, oblivious to the elements.

Barkos Warjri, a Khasi who lives in Shillong, wrote: ‘The revival is taking place in area of about 14,000 square kilometres and has affected thousands of local churches. The churches affected have been almost entirely Presbyterian but a few other denominations have been touched.’ The revival has even touched some churches in the adjoining state of Mizoram.

‘Many people, especially children have been miraculously converted without any preaching, but simply by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Miraculous events have also taken place in many of the churches with thousands of children throughout the hills seeing visions of God, Jesus Christ, heaven, hell, resulting in convictions of theses children, their relatives or the churches concerned. Families and whole communities have been transformed.’ The Holy Spirit even descended on ‘all schools in the area, be they state schools, church schools, or private schools [and on a college of more than two thousand pupils!] For several of the schools, regular classes were disrupted. Children from the age of about five expressed strong desires to be in church or simply to sing praises to God and pray.’

At one state school, the Holy Spirit descended and the effect on the teenagers, all of whom were in their smart school uniforms was caught on video, I have seen the footage. Some were worshiping the Lord, sitting on the desks, kneeling or standing, whilst others were crying, still others were in prayer, and some were even being carried out of the classrooms in what I would call a spiritual comatose state, being under the power of the Holy Spirit.

...On the 5 September 2006, at the Malki Presbyterian Church, Shillong, a plain wooden cross, a little less than three feet high, which is located on the wall behind the pulpit began to glow and an image of Jesus Christ could be seen. Even the BBC website reported on this strange event. Thousands flocked to see it, Christians and non-Christians, and the worship to the Lord carried on at the church 24/7 for days.

Friday Lyngdoh, Minister with the Meghalaya Government, in January 2007 said that the changes in society were real. When asked if he had seen any of the big signs of the revival, like the glowing cross at Malki he replied, “No, I have not. But I have seen the street outside my house. The people who used to stand around in the dark – drunk and swearing – have reduced a lot. Many broken families have got together. Yes, many people have experienced change.”

At the end of Janaury 2007, the Presbyterian Synod met and decided to regularly pray for revival to break out in Wales, UK, like it has in Shillong. ‘There is a sense of debt that Shillong owes to the Welsh who brought the revival fire to the Khasi and Jaintia hills.’

The Lord said, “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” 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Ezekiel 38: "The Gog - Magog War" - A Warning From God To Russia

Ezekiel 38: "The Gog - Magog War" - A Warning From God to Russia

The Book of Ezekiel was written between 593 and 565 B.C. during the Babylonian captivity of the Jews. Here in Ezekiel chapter 38 there is a prophecy of a war against Israel from a country named Magog and her allies. Magog is led by its leader called "Gog." Israel was scattered as a nation in 70 AD and so Israel ceased to be a nation. Ezekiel chapters 36 and 37 prophesies of Israel being restored as a nation once again. This happened in 1948 and Israel took back Jerusalem in 1967, which became Israel's capital. This is the first time ever in the history of the world has a nation been scattered and ceased to exist then roughly 1260 years after her destruction Israel became a nation once again.

Ezekiel 38 and 39 foretell of a coalition of nations attacking Israel in the Last Days and of a mighty Divine Intervention, which miraculously delivers Israel. This coalition of nations is headed by modern day Russia.  This war will follow shortly after the war between Israel and the Arabs as prophesied by Obadiah, Psalms 83 and Isaiah 17 in which Israel will totally destroy the Arab nations.  The  Magog coalition will meet a similar fate except that the God of Israel will be their destroyer.  

WARNING! THE APOSTATE CHURCH IS HERE!

WARNING! THE APOSTATE CHURCH IS HERE!

We are at the END of the End Times!  Biblical prophecy is being fulfilled daily.  Jesus warned us in Matthew 24 "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many ...." (verse 11). "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect" (verse 24).  He further warned, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many ...." (Matthew 24:4,5).

The Apostle Paul echoed a similar warning in referring to the last days: "Let no man deceive you by any means." A time of deception is coming, says Paul, so take care.  The Great Lie reveals that the spiritual deception to which Christ referred, though it will of course involve rank unbelievers following false Christs and false prophets, will and has infected the professing church, it will involve a great "falling away," or apostasy: "for that day [of the Lord] shall not come except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin [Antichrist] be revealed, the son of perdition" (2 Thessalonians 2:3).

This video confronts the "feel good" "seeker friendly"heresy that is flooding the church.  Prophecy IS being fulfilled! A word of encouragement - even though apostasy is rampant, God WILL have a harvest in this last hour.  There WILL be one last outpouring of His Spirit!  The Gospel WILL be preached unto ALL nations and THEN the end will come!  Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

Apostasy and a move of God at the same time?  Yes, in every awakening there was a "falling away" or apostasy.  Even during Jesus ministry on earth, hundreds of disciples left Him in one day because they could not endure His teaching.  So it will be in this last hour.  

The Old Fisherman - A Father's Sacrificial Love

"The Old Fisherman"

Mary Bartels Bray 

Our house was directly across the street from the clinic entrance of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. We lived downstairs and rented the upstairs rooms to out-patients at the clinic.
One summer evening as I was fixing supper, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see a truly awful looking man. "Why, he's hardly taller than my eight-year-old," I thought as I stared at the stooped, shriveled body. But the appalling thing was his face ... lopsided from swelling, red and raw. Yet his voice was pleasant as he said, "Good evening. I've come to see if you've a room for just one night. I came for a treatment this morning from the eastern shore, and there's no bus 'til morning."
He told me he'd been hunting for a room since noon but with no success. No one seemed to have a room. "I guess it's my face ... I know it looks terrible, but my doctor says with a few more treatments..."
For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me. "I could sleep in this rocking chair on the porch. My bus leaves early in the morning."
I told him we would find him a bed, but to rest on the porch. I went inside and finished getting supper. When we were ready, I asked the old man if he would join us. "No thank you. I have plenty." And he held up a brown paper bag.
When I had finished the dishes, I went out on the porch to talk with him for a few minutes. It didn't take long time to see that this old man had an oversized heart crowded into that tiny body. He told me he fished for a living to support his daughter, her five children, and her husband, who was hopelessly crippled from a back injury.
He didn't tell it by way of complaint. In fact, every other sentence was preface with a thanks to God for a blessing. He was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease, which was apparently a form of skin cancer. He thanked God for giving him the strength to keep going.
At bedtime, we put a camp cot in the children's room for him. When I got up in the morning, the bed linens were neatly folded and the little man was out on the porch. He refused breakfast. But just before he left for his bus, haltingly, as if asking a great favor, he said, "Could I please come back and stay the next time I have a treatment? I won't put you out a bit. I can sleep fine in a chair."
He paused a moment and then added, "Your children made me feel at home. Grownups are bothered by my face, but children don't seem to mind."
I told him he was welcome to come again.
On his next trip he arrived a little after seven in the morning. As a gift, he brought a big fish and a quart of the largest oysters I had ever seen. He said he had shucked them that morning before he left so that they'd be nice and fresh. I knew his bus left at 4:00 a.m. and I wondered what time he had to get up in order to do this for us.
During the years he came to stay overnight with us, there was never a time that he did not bring us fish or oysters or vegetables from his garden. Other times we received packages in the mail, always by special delivery ... fish and oysters packed in a box with fresh young spinach or kale ... every leaf carefully washed. Knowing that he must walk three miles to mail these, and knowing how little money he had made the gifts doubly precious.
When I received these little remembrances, I often thought of a comment our next-door neighbor made after he left that first morning. "Did you keep that awful looking man last night? I turned him away! You can lose roomers by putting up such people!"
Maybe we did lose roomers once or twice. But oh! If only they could have known him, perhaps their illness' would have been easier to bear. I know our family will always be grateful to have known him. From him, we learned what it was to accept the bad without complaint and the good with gratitude to God.
Recently I was visiting a friend who has a greenhouse. As she showed me her flowers, we came to the most beautiful one of all ... a golden chrysanthemum, bursting with blooms. But to my great surprise, it was growing in an old dented, rusty bucket.
I thought to myself, "If this were my plant, I'd put it in the loveliest container I had!" My friend changed my mind.
"I ran short of pots," she explained," and knowing how beautiful this one would be, I thought it wouldn't mind starting out in this old pail. It's just for a little while, until I can put it out in the garden."
She must have wondered why I laughed so delightedly, but I was imagining such a scene in heaven. "Here's an especially beautiful one," God might have said when he came to the soul of the sweet old fisherman. "He won't mind starting in this small body."
All this happened long ago ... and now, in God's garden, how tall this lovely soul must stand.