Ankansas Was Beautiful

Debbie and I just returned from Van Buren, Arkansas and I just have to say that the colors of fall were amazing. I don't think I have ever seen anything like it. I've been in Kentucky in the fall, Colorado and New Mexico in the fall, Missouri in the fall, but nothing prepared me for the absolute beauty of the landscape painted with every shade of yellow, red, and orange imaginable. As we drove along Interstate 540 between Bella Vista and Ft. Smith, I would point to the right and exclaim, "Look at that!" Then Debbie would point to the left at almost the same time and say, "Look there!" We were just silly -- kind of like now! I sound like an ad for the Arkansas Bureau of Tourism or something, but I just had to get the news out that fall in Arkansas can't be overstated.

As for the reason we went - we were equally amazed at the kindness of the Lord in His ministry to the people of Heritage United Methodist Church in Van Buren. On Saturday evening, we had a wonderful time with a group of leaders as they learned how to flow in worship and prayer together. One woman confessed that she had her doubts at first, but as we moved into combining worship with prayer and as she heard the singers actually sing what she had just prayed, a rush of warmth engulfed her. She was hooked.

Then on Sunday, I preached three morning services (same message) related to enjoyable prayer. I showed them that Luke 18:1-8 is a contrast between a wicked judge who doesn't like people, who considers people a bother, and who doesn't care whether people get justice in their lives or not; and God who is just the opposite. He cares infinitely about people. He wants the best for people. He will do whatever is necessary to get justice for people. The whole point of Jesus' story is to challenge the human image of God. People have created a God in the image of the unjust judge and as a result, they really don't want to go to Him in prayer. But if they would learn who God really is -- loving, caring, seeking to get justice for the oppressed -- then prayer would be enjoyable.

That afternoon, Debbie and I worked together to create for the people a model healing prayer experience. We walked them through the kind of experience they might have if they came to the healing prayer rooms at the International House of Prayer. Then we asked if anyone wanted healing prayer. A young woman raised her hand and said she had been plagued by migraine headaches since she was 9 years old. The team of intercessors began to pray for her and in a matter of minutes she said that she felt a warmth begin to build in her head. She said that she felt similar to the way she feels when a migraine is coming on, but then it melted away. The next day, she had not had even a hint of a migraine. We continue to pray for her as she walks out this healing.

Then Sunday evening, I continued the message I began on Sunday morning and walked the church through 4 elements necessary for enjoyable prayer. Perhaps I'll share those over the next few days.

On Monday, I met with a group of area pastors to talk about establishing a house of prayer for the purpose of advancing the prayer movement in the Arkansas River Valley. On Monday evening, I preached again and challenged the people to become discontent with their current definition of "The Presence" of God. I shared with them several passages of what really happens when the presence of God breaks in. Then I shared with them several current experiences of what is happening in places like Fiji and Guatemala when the Presence of God shows up. I told them not to be content until they know that same Presence of God in their midst.

This morning, I preached again at a men's breakfast and challenged them further to learn to seem themselves the way Jesus sees them - to see themselves the way Jesus created them to be.

I'll share more this week, but for now - Arkansas was beautiful in more ways than one!