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NOVEMBER, 2009
MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT
Mark your calendars for Thursday,
December 3. There will be a light
supper and a prayer meeting from 6 p.m.
to 9 p.m. This will take place at the
Silver Dollar City Foundation offices, on
Highway 76 between the High Road and
Shepherd of the Hills, south side of the
highway. It is a “Gathering of Catalysts
to Pray”, and the UP Team members are
encouraged to join in. The Catalyst
Groups have been quietly working in
various sectors for a number of years
now, and the goal is spiritual
transformation; that creates a dynamic
partnership with UP, which has the same
goal. As stated by John Baltes, the SDC
Foundation President, “The purpose of
our prayer that evening is to prepare us
to be involved in God’s activities so that
He can choose to demonstrate His power
through us.” Please RSVP by calling
Cally at 336-7058 or send her an e-mail
at cross@silverdollarcity.com.
REFLECTION: FRONT-
LINERS VS. FLAT-LINERS
When I was in St. John’s the last time,
battling (successfully, thanks to your
prayers) a severe blood infection,
Gregory Thompson asked permission
from the staff to briefly visit me, since
he was passing through the area.
Gregory is the former Humansville
School District Superintendent who was
terminated for refusing to take down a
10 Commandments plaque (when it
finally did come down, many students
put the 10 Commandments on their
locker doors). He then founded a
ministry called “Asleep kNOw More,”
with focus on protecting our children
and returning to the principles and moral
values of our Founding Fathers.
Recently, the ministry has also become
heavily involved in pro-life issues.
During his time with me, he told me
about his experience recently in Indiana,
where he was among many Christians
peacefully demonstrating against
abortion. He was actually jailed twice
himself and shared stories of people
standing up for life, from the very young
to the very elderly. Please pray for him,
his staff and the Asleep kNOw More
ministry. If you would like more
information, or to be on the mailing list,
or purchase his books, you can contact
him at www.asleepknowmore.com or at
P.O. Box 130, Humansville, MO 65674.
Well, after left, I was reflecting on all of
this, and suddenly a phrase popped into
my mind (with thanks to the Holy
Spirit!): “Front-liners and “Flat-liners.”
That is the topic for this month’s
Reflection. Let’s face it honestly: As
Christians we are one or the other; we
are front-liners or flat-liners. Front-
liners certainly include people like
Gregory, standing up and taking action
for important issues, going onto the

front-lines of battle. But front-liners
come in all shapes and sizes. The battle
analogy is appropriate, because we are at
war with Satan and his demonic forces;
in fact, it is the Church, the Body of
Christ, that is God’s weapon – along
with the angels – against the wiles and
attacks of the enemy. Thank the good
Lord for the Christians who get actively
involved in critical social and spiritual
issues; but also thank the good Lord for
other kinds of front-liners: Christians
who take their religion and spirituality
very seriously, who are front-liners with
their families, in the workplace, in their
communities – by the example they set,
by their willingness to stand up for what
is right, by their servants’ hearts day in
and day out. Front-liners also include
intercessors, people who recognize that
their calling is to pray and who know by
faith that their prayers are both important
and effective against Satan and for their
brothers and sisters out in the fray. A
true intercessor brings as much fervor to
prayer as do those willing to go to jail
for the truth. This brings us to a very
radical conclusion: I have been
describing the essential job description
of a Christian; thus, people who are not
front-liners, in whatever role or roles
God calls them to, just do not get it, do
not grasp that embracing Christianity
begins with faith but endures with
action, with bearing fruit. The very last
thing any of us should want to be is a
flat-liner. A flat-liner is a Christian who
is spiritually comatose, a burden to the
Body of Christ rather than an instrument
of love. Flat-liners may go to church,
but that is pretty much their definition of
what it means to be a Christian. Flat-
liners may go through the motions of
rote prayer and some Bible reading, but
it is without passion, it is rather “to do
just enough to get by.” Well, after
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reflecting on front-liners versus flat-
liners, I decided to take a close, hard
look at our Role Model, Jesus. I went
quickly through all four Gospels and
identified some of His actions and
teachings that focus on fruit. Jesus
loved, and comforted, and served; but
Jesus also required, and requires, from
His followers results. If I think that
Jesus will just smile when I appear
before Him and overlook a life devoid of
passion and of fruit, I am seriously
mistaken. So, the next Reflection will
be a brief journey through the Gospels.
Fasten your seat belts, and let’s go!
REFLECTION: JESUS’ CALL
TO BE A FRONT-LINER
Here is a sampling of what Jesus
calls His followers to be and to do
Each statement/teaching is worthy
of reflection and meditation: John
the Baptist said that he baptized
with water, but the One following
him would baptize with the Holy
Spirit and fire…Jesus began His
public ministry by proclaiming,
“Repent, for the Kingdom of
Heaven is at hand”…Jesus said to
His first disciples, “Follow Me,
and I will make you fishers of
men”…Jesus calls us the salt of
the earth and the light of the world
– not just the apostles, but all
followers who bear His Name. He
also taught that salt that loses its
flavor is good for nothing but to be
thrown out, and that when we light
lamps we do not put them under
bushel baskets but put them where
people can see them…He tells us

not to store up treasures on earth,
but to put our focus on treasure in
heaven…Jesus taught that the only
way to determine a good tree is by
its fruit…Whoever hears but then
also acts on His Word is like
building a house on rock; not
acting on His Word is like building
a house on sand…To the
prospective disciple who wanted to
go first to bury a relative, Jesus
told him to let the dead bury the
dead and to just wholeheartedly
follow Him (not being insensitive
but teaching about priorities)
…”The harvest is plentiful but
the laborers are few; pray to the
Lord of the harvest to send
laborers into the vineyard.”…He
taught that whoever acknowledges
Him publicly will be highly
pleasing to the Father…He said
that whoever loves father and
mother more than Him is not
worthy of Him…Jesus clearly
states that we will all have to give
an accounting for every careless
word…The great Parable of the
Sower is a powerful teaching on
the central place in the spiritual
life for bearing fruit; the Holy
Spirit sows the seed in our hearts,
and it will fall on barren ground,
on very shallow soil, or midst
thorns and briars, or it will truly
bear fruit…Jesus’ three Kingdom
parables emphasize the importance
of putting the spiritual life and the
Kingdom of Heaven first in our
lives, not second…One of His
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most famous statements and
challenges is, “If anyone wants to
be My disciple, he must take up
his cross and follow Me.”…Jesus
also clearly states that He and the
Father will repay everyone for
what has been done…He makes it
clear that forgiveness with no
exceptions is integral to the true
Christian life and for entrance into
Heaven…One of His hard sayings
is that it is very difficult for the
rich to enter the Kingdom of
Heaven – not meaning that it is
wrong to have wealth but that it is
critical to have servants’ hearts and
not focus on wealth and the
pleasures it brings…Jesus cursed
the fig tree because it was not
bearing fruit when He passed by…
The Parable of the Wedding
Banquet emphasizes the
importance of accepting the
invitation instead of seeking our
own pleasure…”Blessed is that
servant whom the Master finds at
work when He returns.”…The
Parable of the Ten Virgin
Bridesmaids, with five prepared by
having extra oil in their lamps and
five foolish ones were not
prepared, teaches the importance
of living rich lives by God’s grace,
because we do not know when the
Bridegroom will come…The
Parable of the Talents makes it
clear that God expects us to use the
gifts and talents we have for the
advancing of the Kingdom, and
that to whom much is given much

will be required; the servant who
did nothing with his talent was
called wicked…The awesome
image of the final judgment, with
the sheep and the goats, clearly
teaches that we will be judged on
how well or poorly we serve
others…Jesus told the rich young
man to sell all he had and give it to
the poor and to follow Him, and
the man went away sad; so, too,
the Lord is asking every follower
to be willing to give up everything
in spirit to be a true disciple…God
determines whether a person is
good or evil by the fruit that comes
from life…The Parable of the
Good Samaritan shows the
importance of never walking past a
person in need…Then there is the
Parable of the Rich Man’s Land,
whose focus was on bigger barns
and bigger crops to the point that
he lost sight of his eternal
destiny…Most scholars think that
the story of the rich man and
Lazarus is not a parable, but
something very real to Jesus; the
rich man walked daily past the
poor, sick Lazarus and totally
ignored him – the result was
eternal damnation…The true
account of Zacchaeus, who
climbed a sycamore tree to see
Jesus and who repented of his sins
is a vivid example of how Jesus
responds to repentance and to zeal
to see and be with Him…On the
night before He died, Jesus washed
the feet of the Apostles and told
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them, and us, that this is how we
are to treat others, with the humble
hearts of servants…Later that
same evening Jesus proclaimed a
new commandment, to love one
another…And He also used the
analogy of the vine and the
branches to teach that we can only
bear fruit if we are united with
Him, and that branches that do not
bear fruit are cut off; the Christian
life begins with faith and must end
with fruit to be pleasing to God…
Finally, the Beatitudes constitute
without doubt not only one of the
most well-known Scripture
passages but also, and most
importantly, a summary of what
the front-line Christian life
consists of. They are not just nice
words; they are a non-negotiable
call to action: “Blessed are the
poor in spirit, for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. Blessed are
those who mourn, for they will be
comforted. Blessed are the meek,
for the will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness, for
they will be filled. Blessed are the
merciful, for they will receive
mercy. Blessed are the pure in
heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they will be called children of
God. Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness’
sake, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are you when
people revile and persecute you

and utter all kinds of evil against
you falsely on my account.
Rejoice and be glad, for your
reward is great in heaven, for in
the same way they persecuted the
prophets who were before you.”
And I believe it is very telling that
this is followed immediately by the
aforementioned reference to salt
and light: “You are the salt of the
earth; but if salt has lost its taste,
how can its saltiness be restored?
It is no longer good for anything,
but is thrown out and trampled
under foot. You are the light of
the world. A city built on a hill
cannot be hidden. No one after
lighting a lamp puts it under the
bushed basket, but on the
lampstand, and it gives light to all
in the house. In the same way, let
your light shine before others, so
that they may see your good
works and give glory to your
Father in heaven.” Front-liner or
flat-liner? The choice is ours, with
eternal consequences for others
and ourselves.
PRAYER MOBILIZATION
Please pray for: Comfort for Ed
Burgard’s family, because Ed’s gone
home to the Lord; the ministry of
International Renewal Ministries, and
specifically for successful Pastors’
Prayer Summits in the Balkans…Jacqui
and Eric, married on November 7…the
family, friends and employees of Tom
Fish…the Catalyst Groups and all UP
Team members and supporters, that
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they/we be instruments for the spiritual
transformation of our region and our
nation…the growth of Christian unity
among churches and denominations…all
churches and ministries…all veterans
and active military…an end to abortion
in our nation and around the world…the
sanctity of marriage as between one man
and one woman…the growing
movement of “Personhood,” seeking to
influence State constitutions to define a
person as a human being from the first
moment of biological life…for all needs
and intentions spoken and unspoken.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
Angels explained by children: “I only
know the names of two angels: Hark
and Harold.”…”Everybody’s got it all
wrong. Angels don’t wear halos
anymore. I forgot why, but scientists are
working on it.”…”It’s not easy to
become an angel. First, you die. Then
you go to heaven, and then there’s still
the flight training to go through. And
then you got to agree to wear those angel
clothes.”…”Angels work for God and
watch over kids when God has to go do
something else.”…’My guardian angel
helps me with math, but he’s not much
good for science.”…”Angels talk all the
way while they’re flying you up to
heaven. The main subject is where you
went wrong before you got
dead.”…”When an angel gets mad, he
takes a deep breath and counts to ten.
And when he lets out his breath,
somewhere there’s a tornado.”…”Angels
have a lot to do and they keep very busy.
If you lose a tooth, an angel comes in
through your window and leaves money
under your pillow. Then when it gets
cold, angels go north for the winter.”
…”Angels live in cloud houses made by
Jesus, who’s a very good carpenter.”

…”All angels are girls because they
gotta wear dresses and boys didn’t go for
it.”…”Some of the angels are in charge
of helping heal sick animals and pets.
And if they don’t make the animals get
better, they help the child get over it.”
…”What I don’t get about angels is why,
when someone is in love, they shoot
arrows at them.”
MORE ON THE LIGHTER
SIDE
“Anyone who needs to be prayed over,
come forward to the front of the altar,”
the preacher said. Leroy got in line and
when it was his turn the preacher asked,
“Leroy, what do you want me to pray
about for you?” Leroy replied,
‘Preacher, I need you to pray for my
hearing.” The preacher put one finger in
Leroy’s ear and he placed the other hand
on the top of Leroy’s head, and he
prayed and prayed and prayed. When he
was finished, the preacher removed his
hands and asked, “Leroy, how is your
hearing now?” Leroy said, “I don’t
know, Reverend; it ain’t till next
Wednesday.”
CONCLUDING STORY
A little girl had been shopping
with her Mom. She was about six
years old, a beautiful, freckle-
faced red haired image of
innocence. It was pouring outside.
A crowd of shoppers stood just
outside the entrance of the store,
under an awning, silently watching
the downpour. Suddenly the little
girl’s voice broke the silence:
“Mom, let’s run through the rain.”
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Mom told her that they would get
soaked if they did. “No we won’t,
Mom. That’s not what you said
this morning. Don’t you
remember? When you were
talking to Daddy about his cancer,
you said, ‘If God can get us
through this, he can get us through
anything’.” Everyone was
listening intently. Finally, the
mother, realizing that this was a
moment of affirmation in a young
child’s life, a time when innocent
trust can be nurtured so that it will
bloom into faith, said, “Honey,
you’re absolutely right. Let’s run
through the rain. If God lets us get
wet, well, maybe we just need
washing.” Then off they ran, with
the other people cheering them on.
A few followed them to their car,
laughing like children all the way.
The e-mail that had this story ends
this way: “Circumstances or
people can take away your
material possessions, they can take
away your money, and they can
take away your health. But no one
can ever take away your precious
memories. So, don’t forget to
make time and take the
opportunities to make memories
everyday. To everything there is a
season and a time to every purpose
under heaven. I hope you still take
the time to run through the rain.”
God bless you and yours. Peace.
Bob Burton (417) 331-
1028; bburt98@aol.com