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FEBRUARY, 2010
PRAYER BEARING FRUIT
Several weeks ago, there was a
follow-up meeting of area
“spiritual influencers,”
facilitated by Pastor Howard
Boyd. A spiritual influencer is
someone who by community
service or by prayer contributes
spiritually to the region. This
definition, of course, includes
many people. In actuality, about
30 people were present – pastors,
intercessors, community service
leaders and representatives, and
the Mayor of Branson.
However, this was not a
“Branson meeting.” It was for
and reported on the entire
region of Stone and Taney
Counties. By the grace of God, I
was well enough to attend part
of the meeting. I left with a
profound awareness of what
God is doing in our area – and
the foundation of that fruit is the
faithful prayer of people. 1) Kay
Scribner coordinated a prayer
effort, “Gatekeepers;” in one
very short period of time there
were 81 people praying in 246
locations. 18 churches were
involved, with 31 team leaders.
2) The Faith Community Health
Center in Branson is poised to
open very soon. Dr. Peter
Marcellus is the volunteer
Medical Director, and Skaggs
donated a building. There will
eventually be dental, optical and
counseling services available as
well as medical. Further, the
Free Clinic has been open for
some time as a further outreach
to people in need of care. 3) This
is the season for the annual
“Loaves and Fishes” outreach to
the poor. Every night there is a
free meal for anyone who wants
to come. Churches offer their
community rooms. So far this
year about two thousand meals
have been served. The
coordinators are also
considering the offering of
haircuts and possibly a job fair.
If you would like to serve as a
volunteer one night a week or
more, contact Kimily Tinch at
331-6021.
4) Some highly significant trends
are evident in the region: An
increase in unity, growing
involvement in community
service, ready encouragement

for others, a better system of
keeping people informed, and
more celebrating of spiritual
relationships. 5) Prior to the
meeting, the sponsors
coordinated a Christian Survey.
The idea came from pastors who
meet and pray together
regularly, and Jerry Henry, an
expert in surveys, put it together.
This was a telephone survey.
There were 381 respondents,
with a confidence rate of 95%
that this sample is truly
representative. There could be
some skewing, for example, by
age group, but the results are
highly encouraging. About 62%
of people in Ozark Mountain
Country attend church
regularly. 93.2% of the
population is Christian. 84%
feel they are part of a church
family. 96% have a personal
commitment to Jesus Christ.
39% are part of small groups of
Christians who meet at least
monthly. 73% feel responsible
to share the Good News of Jesus
Christ. A third of those have led
someone to the Lord in the past
year and they share just under
an average of 9 times a month.
77% view their daily work as
important to God. 86% see God
working through them. 6) The
spiritual influencers group had
identified and reaffirmed that
there are three ways to become
involved: Prayer, Care, Share.
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These are applicable at the
individual, congregational,
sector, cluster and community
wide levels. 7) I asked John
Baltes to provide for me a list of
outreaches that he is aware of.
In addition to the ones already
mentioned, they include Hope on
the Road, Jesus Was Homeless,
Healthy Lifestyles Program,
Care for Kids, Legacy Initiative,
Christian Community
Foundation, Servant Leadership
Training, Boardsmanship
Training, Celebrate Families,
Love INC, Prayer Summits and
Prayer Gatherings. And there
are more.
Folks, I have no doubt that a
major conduit of God’s grace
flowing in our region is the
Uninterrupted Prayer Team.
God always, always listens to
prayer, and He always responds
to prayer that is in keeping with
His will. The spiritual
transformation of our region is
certainly in keeping with that
will. Some of you as UP Team
members and supporters are
involved both in prayer and in
other ministries. Probably most
of you are like me, trying to pray
faithfully and doing so behind
the scenes. Never underestimate
the power of prayer. Rejoice
with me in what God is doing in
SW Missouri.

REFLECTION
The Presentation of the Child
Jesus in the Temple has many
profound aspects to it, plus
applications for us as
intercessors. Let’s begin with
the Scripture passage itself, in
Luke, Chapter 2: “When the
time came for their purification
according to the law of Moses,
they brought him up to Jerusalem
to present him to the Lord (as it is
written in the law of the Lord,
‘Every firstborn male shall be
designated as holy to the Lord’),
and they offered a sacrifice
according to what is stated in the
law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-
doves or two young pigeons.’
Now there was a man in
Jerusalem whose name was
Simeon; this man was righteous
and devout, looking forward to
the consolation of Israel, and the
Holy Spirit rested on him. It had
been revealed to him by the Holy
Spirit that he would not see death
before he had seen the Lord’s
Messiah. Guided by the Spirit,
Simeon came into the temple; and
when the parents brought in the
child Jesus, to do for him what
was customary under the law,
Simeon took him in his arms and
praised God, saying, “Master,
now you are dismissing your
servant in peace, according to
your word; for my eyes have seen
your salvation, which you have
prepared in the presence of all
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the peoples, a light of revelation
to the Gentiles and for glory to
your people Israel.’ And the
child’s father and mother were
amazed at what was being said
about him. Then Simeon blessed
them and said to his mother
Mary, ‘This child is destined for
the falling and the rising of many
in Israel, and to be a sign that
will be opposed so that the inner
thoughts of many will be revealed
– and a sword will pierce you own
soul too.’ There was also a
prophet, Anna, the daughter of
Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.
She was of great age, having lived
with her husband for seven years
after her marriage, then as a
widow to the age of eighty-four.
She never left the temple but
worshipped there with fasting and
prayer night and day. At that
moment she came, and began to
praise God and to speak about the
child to all who were looking for
the redemption of Jerusalem.”
Now let’s draw some lessons
from this historical and spiritual
event. 1) Since Joseph and
Mary were devout Jews, they
followed the precepts of the law
and brought Jesus to “present
Him to the Lord.” They traveled
to Jerusalem and brought Him
into the courts of the Temple,
undoubtedly to a priest on duty
for such purposes. They offered
two birds as a sacrifice, the gift
of poor Jews. Wealthier Jews

brought an animal such as an ox
or a lamb. But actually Joseph
and Mary were offering the
Lamb of God Himself! As
Christians we also offer the
Lamb to people around us by
our love and service, and by our
intercession for the lost. 2) The
Temple was the dwelling place of
God; actually by Jewish fervent
belief He dwelt in the Holy of
Holies, the Most Holy Place, in
the center of the Temple. What
the priest did not recognize was
that, in his forbidding the family
to enter the Holy of Holies, he
was actually forbidding God in
the flesh! When Jesus died on
the Cross, the great curtain
separating the people from the
Holy of Holies, was rent asunder,
thereby proclaiming that in the
New Covenant people are invited
into intimate relationship with
God. This is the privilege of
every Christian, every true
follower of Jesus. Another way
to look at this is to compare the
Old Testament and the New.
People who touched the Ark of
the Covenant died on the spot.
Only designated priests could do
this. During Jesus’ public
ministry, Scripture tells us that
people sought to touch Him, to
touch even the tassel of His
cloak, and He blessed them. For
us as committed Christians, the
greatest joy of life is to know
that we are invited to share the
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very life of God, now and
forever. And for us as
intercessors, it is this awareness
of our intimacy with God that
gives life and power to our
prayer. There are no “little”
intercessors; each is a mighty
living weapon casting down dark
spiritual forces and a mighty
conduit of God’s grace to touch
the lives of others. 3) A lot went
on that day in the Temple! Not
only was the Messiah there, the
Son of God, but two holy people
recognized Him in the Person of
the Child Jesus. Their primary
purpose in life was to see Him
and proclaim Him; and they are
forever enshrined in Sacred
Scripture. The challenge of the
Christian, and the Christian
intercessor, is to see Jesus in the
people with whom we come in
contact and is to see God’s call to
prayer in the world and local
events during our lifetimes.
Each day is a call to see Jesus,
and to respond with all our
hearts. 4) Simeon told Mary
that a sword would pierce her
own heart. That happened to
her while she was at the foot of
the Cross, watching a Roman
soldier pierce the heart of her
Beloved Son. So, too, God never
told us that the Christian life
would be easy, that if only we
believe we can be free from pain
and sorrow of any kind. No, the
true Christian takes up the cross

and follows Jesus, unto death. 5)
One additional thought: In the
New Covenant, the Temple is the
innermost being of every
Christian. God the Father, God
the Son and God the Holy Spirit
dwell here. Only grave sin can
force Him to leave, and He will
readily return even then after
sincere repentance. Ours is the
most privileged of lives, for God
lives with us and within us and
invites us to share His divine
Life even now – and then for all
eternity.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
A wife was scrambling eggs when her
husband burst into the kitchen. “Be
careful!” he cried. “You’re cooking
too many at once. Too many!
Scramble them! Now! We need more
butter. They’re going to stick!
Careful! Now scramble them again.
Hurry up! Don’t forget to salt them.
You know you always forget to salt
them. Use the salt. Use the salt! The
salt!” The wife turned to him and
asked what was wrong with him. Her
husband smiled and calmly replied, “I
wanted to show what it feels like when
I’m driving.” (And a big Happy
Valentine’s Day!)…Two born-and-
raised New Yorkers took their first
trip to California, arriving in L.A. just
in time for a heat wave. “Man, it’s hot
here,” said the first New Yorker.
“What do you expect?” said the
second one. “We’re three thousand
miles from the ocean.”…What did the
green grape say to the purple grape?
“Breathe! Breathe!” (groan)`
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MORE ON THE LIGHTER
SIDE
A pediatrician liked to play a game
with his young patients to put them at
ease and to test their knowledge of
body parts. One day, while pointing a
little boy’s ear, the doctor asked him,
“Is this your nose?” Immediately the
boy turned to his mother and said,
“Mom, I think we’d better find a new
doctor!”…While transcribing medical
audiotapes, an office assistant became
confused when she heard the following
garbled diagnosis: “This man has
pholenfrometry.” Knowing nothing
about that particular condition, she
checked with several doctors, but all
of them were baffled. Finally, one
doctor agreed to listen to the tape.
Afterward, shaking his head, he
translated for her: “This man has
fallen from a tree.”
STORY
On a cold January morning in
2007, a man stood in a public
area in Washington D.C. and
played his violin. He played six
Bach pieces for about an hour.
During that time approximately
two thousand people passed by.
A middle-aged man noticed
there was a musician playing.
He stopped for a few seconds
and then hurried on. Later the
man received his first dollar; a
woman threw the money in his
box and, without stopping, went
on her way. A young man
leaned against a wall, listened
for a bit, then looked at his
watch and walked on. A 3-year-
old boy stopped, but his mother

tugged him along hurriedly. As
the boy went on, pushed by his
mother, he kept turning his head
back to the musician. Several
other children repeated this
action, each one forced to move
on by a parent. In the hour, only
6 people stopped and stayed for
a while. About 20 gave him
money but continued to walk at
their normal pace. The musician
collected $32. He finally finished
playing. No one noticed. No one
applauded. No one knew this,
but the violinist was Joshua Bell,
one of the best musicians in the
world. He played some of the
most intricate pieces ever
written, with a violin valued at
3.5 million dollars. Two days
earlier, Joshua Bell had sold out
a theater in Boston, where the
seats averaged $100. Joshua Bell
playing incognito was organized
by the Washington Post as part
of a social experiment about
perception, taste and people’s
priorities. The questions raised
had to do with how well people
perceive beauty, if they stop to
appreciate it, and if they
recognize talent in unexpected
contexts. This has an important
application to prayer. People
committed to intercession are
consistently on the lookout for
prayer needs – individuals,
communities, nations and
situations in life. It is so
important to notice and heed the
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daily nudges of the Holy Spirit to
pray. It is the greatest of all
ministries.
PRAYERFUL REFLECTION
“The man whispered, ‘God
speak to me,’ and a meadowlark
sang. But the man did not hear.
So the man yelled, ‘God speak to
me,’ and the thunder rolled
across the sky. But, the man did
not listen. The man looked
around and said, ‘God, let me
see You,’ and a star shined
brightly. But the man did not
see. And the man shouted, ‘God,
show me a miracle,’ and a life
was born. But, the man did not
notice. So, the man cried out in
despair, ‘Touch me, God, and let
me know You are here.’
Whereupon, God reached down
and touched the man. But, the
man brushed the butterfly away
and walked on. The man cried,
‘God, I need your help!’ And an
e-mail arrived with words of
encouragement; but the man
deleted it and continued crying.”
You are so special. Thank you
for your continued prayer and
outpouring of love for me and
my family. And thank you for
your prayer for our region. Bob
Burton: bburt98@aol.com;
(417) 331-1028. Peace!