“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ (Matthew 25:40)

Where can you find a 10,000% return on investment?

On Wednesday January 30, David Bean and I drove with Rev. Sam Reeves to meet with Rev. Ron Davidson at the Gleaning for the World (GFTW) headquarters in Concord Virginia (near Lynchburg). During our drive to Concord, the logo for Rim of Grace Ministries was birthed. That included the 3 flags from America, Virginia, and Liberia because all 3 histories are closely tied together.

What a treat to have Ron spend 2 hours with us and give us a tour of his facility. I learned that GFTW currently caries out its mission with 11 staff members, 300+ volunteers each month, and about 7-8 community service workers each month.

Ron humbly described his ministry as a “steel warehouse in a cow pasture.” But you may recall that Ron founded GFTW in 1998 and since then his ministry has given away more than $300 million of supplies to people in desperate need in third nations around the world. That’s incredible stewardship.

GFTW’s slogan (assignment) is “Partnering with you to help people in need around the globe.” For every dollar you donate to GFTW, $100 of supplies will be delivered to people in desperate need. That’s a 10,000% return on investment (ROI).

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for the awesome privilege to visit the headquarters for Gleaning for the World and to meet with Rev. Ron Davidson. That You for Ron’s willingness to help Sam Reeves and Rim of Grace Ministries. Use this partnership to bless and unite America, Virginia, and Liberia. Thank You Jesus. Amen and hallelujah!

Link for the Day
Photos from visit to Gleaning for the World headquarters

Blessings to sow many seeds in good soil with high returns for God’s Kingdom!

But Peter and the other apostles answered and said: “We ought to obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:29)

Why don’t people obey God?

For several years, I used to listen to American Family Radio (AFR) several hours each day when I was home. One of my favorite preachers on AFR was Adrian Rogers. AFR frequently aired this brief but powerful message by Adrian Rogers – “Why don’t people obey God? Because they don’t know Him. Knowledge of God leads to trust in God. Trust in God leads obedience to God. Obedience to God leads to blessings by God.”

The Bible teaches that the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God (1 Cor 3:19). Many of the things that God asks us to do don’t make sense. And it often takes a while to see the fruit of our obedience. That’s because we reap later than we sow. However, God often opens a series of progressive doors when we obey Him. Life in an adventure for those who chose to walk closely with God. Here’s an example:

On December 18, the Holy Spirit prompted me to go to the monthly Culpeper Ministerial Association (CMA) meeting. Even though I had just gotten back from a week long anesthesia conference in New York City and needed to mail out 700 Christmas cards, I chose to go to show my appreciation to Pastor Randy Orndorff for his two years of service as President of the CMA. Little did I know that I would meet Pastor Sam Reeves and David Bean and that they would capture my heart with Operation Rescue Liberia.

Coming to the realization that the country of Liberia was birthed out of Virginia, I felt strongly led to offer to make a free website for Rim of Grace Ministries. As a result, Sam and David asked to receive my daily devotional. Making the new website and doing my first few devotionals of this year led to this reply from David at 9:19 AM on Jan 2:

“Randy thank you so much for doing this. I know you are doing this first for the Lord, but you are also helping Sam and I and lifting our spirits as well. Again a great big thank you.

I do believe we need to talk about the future and what God is doing in this time in History. I just read your daily devotional and what Virginia said as well. I know now that the Lord wants to do mighty works in Liberia. Using the two words you and Virginia received from the Lord, Convergence and Restoration, I know the Lord wants to use this ministry to converge both the United States and Liberia in order to restore both societies unto himself. However, I believe with all my heart that God wants to move in a mighty way in Liberia in 2008 so a Holy Spirit Revival will occur in 2009.”

But the blessing didn’t stop there. At 3:30 PM on January 2, Sam sent me an email titled “New Shoe Proposal.” I learned that Gleaning for the World has 20 crates of brand new shoes worth an estimated $157,495 available for just a $5,000 service fee. Sam wants to acquire those for the poor people of Liberia who have no shoes, but he is completely dependent on the generosity of others to seize that opportunity before it disappears within a few days.

Sam’s email went on to ask me to call Brucie Quick for details. Even though I had lots of other things to do, I called Brucie within an hour of receiving Sam’s email. Because she was in a meeting, the secretary scheduled a phone appointment with her the next morning. Wow! What a blessing. I learned so much about Gleaning for the World, an amazing ministry. Brucie invited Sam, David, and me to come to Concord within the next month to see their facility and to meet with the founder and president of that organization. Another door of opportunity has opened because of obedience.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for the thrill of serving and following You each day. Thank You for Your many unexpected surprises and blessings. Thank You for the joy in my heart. Thank You for the opportunities and resources to bless many other people. Bless Rim of Grace Ministries to converge both the United States and Liberia in order to restore both societies unto Yourself. Bless Gleaning for the World with their best year ever. Thank You Jesus. We love You and praise Your holy name. Amen and hallelujah!

Links of the Day
Gleaning For The Word
Rim of Grace Ministries

Blessings to know God, trust Him, and obey Him to live a life of adventure!

Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites (Mark 12:42)

Have you given your all?
What simple thing can you do to offer hope to hopeless people this Christmas?

Yesterday morning I went to the monthly Culpeper Ministerial Association meeting held at Culpeper Hospital. Despite having a very full schedule, I chose to go primarily to honor Pastor Randy Orndorff for his two years of outstanding service as President of the Culpeper Ministerial Association. Pastor Randy has been a faithful supporter of our Pray Culpeper team.

Boy, did God have an unexpected Christmas surprise for me. Our guest speaker for the day was Rev. Joseph Samuel Reeves (Sam), a native of Liberia, West Africa. Sam returned to the U.S. after the barbaric and horrific Liberian Civil War, which lasted more than 15 years.

David Bean introduced Sam with a powerful story sharing how God clearly instructed him to covenant with Sam. As a result, Sam became Project Manager for Operation Rescue Liberia. David serves as President of the Greater Charlottesville District for the United Methodist men.

Sam started by sharing the history of Liberia. I knew very little about that country. I learned Liberia is the second oldest country in Africa and the only African nation that is a creation of the United States. Liberia was born in the U.S. and especially Virginia. Almost all the presidents have either come from the U.S. or been descended from people here. The name Liberia derives from our word liberty. Learn more about Liberia and its ties to slavery at today’s Link of the Day.

Sam then shared three important points about Christmas:

1) Christmas is a reminder that God operates out of the ordinary. Elizabeth and Mary got pregnant is unusual manners (Luke 1:26-38). God wins over traditional wisdom and human logic. He wins over fear, doubt, and skepticism. Sam shared his goal to raise $30,000 by March 2008 to ship more than $1,000,000 of much needed medical and educational supplies to Liberia to rebuild a nation ravished by Civil War.

2) Christmas is a reminder that God transcends selfishness and provides hope in hopeless situations. The initial prophecy of incarnate Jesus coming to earh in the form of man reminds us that God seeks to save fallen humanity (Gen 3:15). The star of Bethlehem that fascinated human history and transformed lives demands our sensitivity to human needs and sufferings wherever they exist (Num 24:17). See also Isaiah 9:14 and Isaiah 9:1-7.

3) Christmas is about giving because God gave His best to all of us. We are to give from the heart, in accordance with our abilities and to glorify God (Ex 25:2, Ex 6:1-4, Mark 12:42). We are to give our widow’s mite, to give because generosity provides abundance, to give in our spare times, and we are to give wholeheartedly (Mark 12:42, Deut 15:16, 2 Cor 2:1-8, 1 Ch 29:9). Sowing and reaping go hand-in-hand (2 Cor 16:2, Mal 3:10, 2 Cor 9:6-7).

Sam’s story so deeply touched my heart that I decided to create a free website for Rim of Grace Ministries to help Sam communicate God’s important message much more effectively. It’s interesting that near the close of 2007, the 400th anniversary year of the founding of Jamestown Virginia, that God moved so mightily in my heart. Perhaps God will use this opportunity to bless the entire continent of Africa. After all, Jesus was born in a manger in little, tiny Bethlehem.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, my heart is deeply troubled over what is going on in Liberia. We commit Operation Rescue Liberia to You. Thank You for Your promise to establish our very thoughts. Be Lord over the website that is designed. Be Lord over how Sam and his team communicate. Be Lord over the $30,000 Sam has requested. Be Lord over Liberia. Use this nation and opportunity to bless people throughout Africa. I pray people in Virginia will rally behind this worthy cause. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
Liberia’s history timeline

Blessings to give your all that all may have!

You are invited to the GLOBAL DAY OF PRAYER assembly on Pentecost Sunday, May 27, 2007 at Culpeper Baptist Church from 3:00 – 4:30 PM. Join in unity with 300 million people from 200 nations around the world as we honor God with a day of prayer and repentance during the largest prayer gathering in history.

This service is dedicated to the victims and their families of the Virginia Tech shooting tragedy on April 16, 2007. The offering will be split equally between the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, the Daniel Garcia Fund, the Persecuted Church (Persecution Project Foundation), and SAFE (Services to Abused Families, Inc).

For complete information about the Global Day of Prayer, please visit www.PrayCulpeper.org.

STRATEGY
Following the example of the first believers who “joined together constantly” in prayer (Acts 1:14) until the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Global Day of Prayer is calling Christians from all nations to unite in prayer. A simple threefold strategy will be implemented each year until 2010:

- 10 Days of day-and-night prayer from Ascension day until the Saturday before Pentecost Sunday
- A Global Day of Prayer on Pentecost Sunday (May 27, 2007)
- 90 Days of Blessing

Ten leading up to One followed by Ninety
We can find inspiration in the three parts to the birth of the Church: ten days of constant prayer leading to Pentecost, one day of prayer witnessed by the whole city, and days of blessing that followed. For these reasons, the Global Day of Prayer has three parts:

Ten days of constant prayer: May 17 – 26, 2007. On Ascension Day, May 17th, millions of Christians will find ways to pray night and day throughout the ten days leading to Pentecost, following the pattern of Christ’s followers before the first Pentecost.

Day 1 – May 17 (Seeking THE KINGDOM OF GOD)
Day 2 – May 18 (Increasing in UNITED PRAYER)
Day 3 – May 19 (Being filled with THE HOLY SPIRIT)
Day 4 – May 20 (Turning to God in REPENTANCE)
Day 5 – May 21 (Pursuing THE PEACE OF CHRIST)
Day 6 – May 22 (Empowering THE COMING GENERATION)
Day 7 – May 23 (Resounding THE CALL OF GOD)
Day 8 – May 24 (Suffering with power for THE GLORY OF JESUS)
Day 9 – May 25 (Bringing THE HEALING OF CHRIST)
Day 10 – May 26 (Extending THE BLESSING OF CHRIST)

The Global Day of Prayer: May 27, 2007. On Pentecost Sunday, Christians in almost every country will assemble to pray, many in homes and other public venues, many more in stadiums and open squares. Television, radio and internet will help to connect and align our prayers even more.

Ninety days of blessing: May 28 – Aug 24, 2007. As in the first Pentecost, transformed Christians transform their communities as they offer themselves to God as instruments through which their prayers can be answered. The Global Day of Prayer anticipates the forming or furthering of local alliances among pastors, churches, missions and business leaders, to bring practical, transformational blessing to their communities.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for the ways You are pouring out Your Spirit on all flesh. Thank You for this opportunity in the Piedmont area to unite in prayer with hundreds of millions of Christians around the world. LORD, we commit all our works for the Culpeper GDOP assembly to You. Thank You for Your promise to establish our very thoughts (Proverbs 16:3). In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

Link of the Day
The GDOP Ten-Day Prayer Guide [see below]

Blessings to join with us to experience a Greater Pentecost!

Day 1 – May 17 (The Kingdom of Christ)
Day 2 – May 18 (United Prayer)
Day 3 – May 19 (The Spirit of Christ)
Day 4 – May 20 (Repentance)
Day 5 – May 21 (The Peace of Christ)
Day 6 – May 22 (The Coming Generation)
Day 7 – May 23 (The Call of God)
Day 8 – May 24 (The Glory of Jesus)
Day 9 – May 25 (The Healing of Christ)
Day 10 – May 26 (The Blessing of Christ)
The Global Day of Prayer: May 27, 2007. On Pentecost Sunday, Christians in almost every country will assemble to pray, many in homes and other public venues, many more in stadiums and open squares. Television, radio and internet will help to connect and align our prayers even more.

Ninety days of blessing: May 28 – Aug 24, 2007.
As in the first Pentecost, transformed Christians transform their communities as they offer themselves to God as instruments through which their prayers can be answered. The Global Day of Prayer anticipates the forming or furthering of local alliances among pastors, churches, missions and business leaders, to bring practical, transformational blessing to their communities.

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DAY 1 Thursday May 17, 2007 [Audio Prayer]

Seeking THE KINGDOM OF GOD
For the transforming power of Christ’s kingdom
Concerning: spiritual darkness, church divisions, economic oppression

“…and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ‘Which,’ He said, ‘you heard of from Me…’” – Acts 1:3-4 (NASB))

For the Glory of Christ
- For the hearts of God’s people to blaze with love and loyal obedience to Jesus as King and Lord of all.
- For the goodness and glory of Christ’s kingly love to be experienced by many throughout whole cities.
- For Christ to gather and instruct His people from the Scriptures concerning the hope of His life-giving kingdom.

For the Blessing of the Nations
- For Christ to bring believers to dwell in cities where breakthroughs of blessing have not yet occurred.
Pray that they would patiently pursue the promised blessing of Christ’s kingdom in difficult places.
- That the power of Christ’s love would bring lasting transformation throughout entire communities.

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DAY 2 Friday May 18, 2007 [Audio Prayer]

Increasing in UNITED PRAYER
For sustained movements of united prayer
Concerning: prayerlessness, occult practices, materialism

“These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer…” (Acts 1:14, NASB)

For the Glory of Christ
- That God would unite us in prayer with “one mind,” (Acts 1:14, 2:46, 4:24), empowering us to pray passionately together for Christ’s glory in all the world.
- That God would hear and answer the prayers of the poor, the young and the marginalized and would be glorified by their praises.

For the Blessing of the Nations
- That God’s Spirit would inspire and empower believers to pray specific blessings upon their neighbors and friends.
- That people throughout our communities would be moved to call out to God for His help as never before.
- That the leaders of our community would ask God for His wisdom
and hope.

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DAY 3 Saturday May 19, 2007 [Audio Prayer]

Being filled with THE HOLY SPIRIT
For God to pour out His Spirit upon all
Concerning: intellectual pride, demonic oppression, spiritual blindness, depression

“‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit on all people…’” (Acts 2:17)

For the Glory of Christ
- For the Church to be filled afresh with God’s Spirit, empowered as Christ’s witnessing servants in the world.
- For the Spirit of God to reveal Jesus to those buried
in spiritual darkness.

For the Blessing of the Nations
- That God would pour out His Spirit upon every person alive on the earth.
- That the Spirit of God would awaken the nations to hear His voice and to see His works (Acts 2:33).
- For many to be stirred by Spirit-given dreams to envision Jesus alive and at work in their lives.
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DAY 4 Sunday May 20, 2007 [Audio Prayer]

Turning to God in REPENTANCE
For many to turn from sin to new life in Christ
Concerning: pornography, addictions, rebellion, immorality

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” (Acts 3:19)

For the Glory of Christ
- For Christ to encounter people with His forgiving love, so that millions turn from their sin to the joy of following Him.
- That the Spirit of God would help many to recognize how they have grieved God and openly confess their sin.
- That the Word of the cross of Christ would break the grip of sin’s power so that many will find hope for their sins to “be wiped out” (Acts 3:19).

For the Blessing of the Nations
- That God would bless His people by helping them be the first to turn “from their wicked ways” (Acts 3:26) so that massive movements of repentance would sweep through whole communities.
- That these movements of repentance would bring “times of refreshing” (Acts 3:19) so that men, women and children would experience the presence of God.

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DAY 5 Monday May 21, 2007 [Audio Prayer]

Pursuing THE PEACE OF CHRIST
For relationships to be transformed
Concerning: racism, poverty, violence, crime

“Everyone was filled with awe… All the believers were together… Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need… They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people…” (Acts 2:43-47)

For the Glory of Christ
- That God would release outbreaks of Christ’s peace all over the world through the changed lives of His people.
- That reconciliation among churches would remove divisions and hostilities, marking relationships among Christians with love, joy, unity and gladness of heart.
- For Christ to move so powerfully and clearly that His people, as well as the onlooking world, are “filled with awe” (2:43).

For the Blessing of the Nations
- For God’s people to turn away from greed and worldly desires and become more generous than ever.
- For God to intervene in wars, restraining spiritual forces of evil, subduing terrorism, and protecting the lives of those afflicted.
- For God to use Christians to help lift people from the oppression of extreme poverty. It is estimated that a billion people struggle to survive on less than one dollar a day.

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DAY 6 Tuesday May 22, 2007 [Audio Prayer]

Empowering THE COMING GENERATION
For God’s purpose for families and children
Concerning: broken homes, sexual perversion, child exploitation, abortion

“For the promise is for you and your children…” (Acts 2:39, NASB)

For the Glory of Christ
- For Christ to strengthen marriages and homes.
- For young people to follow Christ early in life, serving Him with a lifetime of extreme devotion.
- That young leaders would be recognized and released to help churches (Acts 6:3-7).

For the Blessing of the Nations
- That Christians would boldly show the love of God’s family to orphans, widows, the defenseless, and the homeless.
- For Christians to extend God’s fatherly love to millions of children orphaned by wars and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
- For God to empower the coming generation to fulfill His promises throughout the earth.

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DAY 7 Wednesday May 23, 2007 [Audio Prayer]

Resounding THE CALL OF GOD
For the nations to hear the voice of God
Concerning: unreached peoples, idolatry, unbelief, illiteracy

“…and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (Acts 2:39, NASB)

For the Glory of Christ
- For the Word of God to be proclaimed to people of every language, tribe and nation (Acts 1:8, 2:5).
- That the world would hear of the “mighty deeds of God” in the words of their own language and the ways of their own culture (Acts 2:11).
- For Christ to be followed in every people, especially among the thousands of unreached people groups who still lack vital, growing, multiplying churches.

For the Blessing of the Nations
- For the Bible to be translated for the 2,500 people groups without even one verse in their language.
- That the Bible, published in diverse media, would become available to people everywhere.
- That God would call many to Himself (Acts 2:39) who would call on Him to be saved (Acts 2:21).

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DAY 8 Thursday May 24, 2007 [Audio Prayer]

Suffering with power for THE GLORY OF JESUS
For the faithful courage of His people
Concerning: persecution, injustice, terrorism

“…rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.” (Acts 5:41)

For the Glory of Christ
- That those who face opposition because they serve Christ will respond with the gentle, courageous character of Jesus (Acts 4:13).
- For Christians who suffer for Christ’s name to be strong in joy and faith.
- For God to glorify Himself by His great deeds in places where He is rejected (Acts 4:21).

For the Blessing of the Nations
- For our leaders and governments to be blessed.
- That government leaders who oppose Christ (Acts 4:25-27) would be blessed with wisdom so as not to be found “fighting against God” (Acts 5:39).

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DAY 9 Friday May 25, 2007 [Audio Prayer]

Bringing THE HEALING OF CHRIST
For Christ to bring substantial healing
Concerning: lack of heath care, the AIDS epidemic, witchcraft, pollution

“Stretch out Your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of Your Holy Servant Jesus.” (Acts 4:30)

For the Glory of Christ
- That communities would see the hand of Christ extended, bringing miraculous healing among the sick (Acts 5:14-16).
- That the name of Jesus would be declared with signs and wonders
in the presence of many (Acts 3:16).

For the Blessing of the Nations
- For the end of HIV/AIDS in our generation.
- For Christians to act with wisdom, compassion and persistence to eradicate diseases.
- For Christians to engage in providing basic health care to the needy. Thousands of children die daily worldwide from preventable diseases.
- For God’s people to work wisely, trusting God to work powerfully, in order to bring healing to the land.

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DAY 10 Saturday May 26, 2007 [Audio Prayer]

Extending THE BLESSING OF CHRIST
For promised blessing among all peoples
Concerning: hunger, warfare, gangs, corruption

“He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all peoples on earth will be blessed.’” (Acts 3:25)

For the Glory of Christ
- For Christians to live in expectancy that the ancient promise of blessing would soon be fulfilled, bringing transformation to their communities and countries.
- That Jesus, Abraham’s greatest descendant, would be seen for all He really is among all peoples.
- For churches to work together as one family in Jesus’ name,
co-working with God to change lives, cities, and nations.

For the Blessing of the Nations
- For the righteousness and justice of God to affect the ways of commerce and politics, cleansing whole societies from the curse of corruption.
- For the peace of Christ’s kingdom to influence the way cities and nations are governed.
- For the joy of Christ’s kingdom to erupt in celebrations
of grateful praise amidst every people group on earth.