NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER 2020 BROADCAST

The following is the primetime 8 pm Central Daylight Time broadcast of the 2020 National Day of Prayer Illinois state capitol event, in Springfield, Illinois. It was broadcast from the studios of Christian Radio for Central Illinois - WLUJ family of stations.

The following were the prayer leaders, who prayed for our families, churches, communities and governments (Federal, State, Local) and military, of course:

Pastor Eric Ginder - New Life Tabernacle, Macon, Il.
Pastor Mac Dalton - Radiant Church, Springfield, Il.
Dr. Eddie Pullen - Illinois Baptist State Association, Church Planter
Patrick Groth - Hope Church Spiritual Formation Leader
Pastor John Swinford - Sweetwater Christian Church
Pastor Joseph Krol - Galilee Baptist Church
Bernie Lutchman - President, Business Men in Christ and NDP Springfield Leader.

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER SPRINGFIELD ILLINOIS 2019

LESSONS LEARNED IN A SNOWY DITCH

OKAY...MY FORD DOESN'T EXACTLY LOOK LIKE THIS BUT.....(lol)

I learned a couple lessons from being stuck at the bottom of a seven foot ditch, nose down in the snow. It happened while driving home two nights ago, in a blinding blizzard, with the road disappearing all of a sudden in the white-out. After getting over the initial shock, and wondering (while not blaming anyone for not stopping) when I was going to get out of this mess, I came to terms with a few things.

First, I wish to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for not just pulling me out of the ditch (via the tow truck guys) but for sending Law Enforcement guys from the County Sheriff's department to check on me regularly. He woke me up the morning after, with Psalm 27 (SEE BELOW) in my heart and wish to surrender it and pray it back to Him right now:

Secondly, however, I think the most important thing I could share with anyone, who has gone through similar circumstances with either vehicles or illness or even sudden trauma with a family member/loved one is this - never lose sight of the source of your Strength! It is easy to freak out in the midst of a catastrophic event. But when God gives you His peace, He never takes it away! I am not trying to prolong this event as many have experienced a lot worse in their lives. But I have to share what God gave me there!

What is so amazingly beautiful is His Presence! While staring out at a blinding blizzard and the nose of my unharmed Ford Taurus face down in a snow bank (seven feet down from the road), Holy Spirit kept leading me back to the book of Jonah! I did not fully understand why....since I did NOT think I was sinning like Jonah and disobeying God! Then the next day (Friday December 21...or as the Mayan calendar calls it- "the end of the world"), I read the Prayer of Jonah and found out what God wanted to remind me of and learn WHILE PRAISING HIM - EVEN IN THE STORM! Here is the portion of Scripture which He used to guide me. I got quite a few lessons and directions for ministry out of this from Jonah 2:

Those who pay regard to vain idols
forsake their hope of steadfast love.
But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation belongs to the LORD!”  (Jonah 2:8-9 ESV)

FROM verse 8, I am to preach even more fervently against idolatry, paganism and false doctrines in today's Laodecian  so-called evangelical church! I am to teach of the coming judgment and wrath for all unbelievers and those who reject the Son of God!
FROM verse 9, I am to praise Him...constantly! I am to praise and trust and obey even when I am in a ditch or on the mountaintop singing with the angels! Recalling the famous song by Casting Crowns "Praise You in The Storm"..you and I should lift our hands in praise - at ALL TIMES
FROM verse 9 again, I am to promise both to fulfill and then perform to His expectation, the fulfillment of those vows and promises I made before Him, ever since I began making them! 
FROM verse 9 again, I am to proclaim HIS WAY HIS SALVATION HIS TRUTH always (which I am already doing, but I know, this was His way of comforting me while I waited for the tow trucks to rescue me out of that predicament!).  

God provides, my friends! He wants us to remember and reaffirm WHY He has saved us...why He has saved us forever (so we will never lose our salvation)...WHAT He has saved us from...and why He expects us to live for, with and IN Him, while fulfilling the Great Commission!
Amen!
Psalm 27

New King James Version (NKJV)

An Exuberant Declaration of Faith 

The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the strength of my life;
Of whom shall I be afraid?
² When the wicked came against me
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
³ Though an army may encamp against me,
My heart shall not fear;
Though war may rise against me,
In this I will be confident.

⁴ One thing I have desired of the Lord,
That will I seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
All the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord,
And to inquire in His temple.
⁵ For in the time of trouble
He shall hide me in His pavilion;
In the secret place of His tabernacle
He shall hide me;
He shall set me high upon a rock.

THURSDAY MAY 3, DAY OF PRAYER SERVICE@NOON

Therefore, if you wish to join some committed believers, prayer leaders and spirit-led pastors to pray for all levels of this country - and ANY country for that matter - and to pray for our children, and for our children's salvation and their children's future walk with the Lord.....if you are that person come on down! Grab some friends of yours, who are like minded and come sing some well known praise songs with us, hear the Word proclaimed LOUDLY from the Top of a public square and pray with us.

All of Central Illinois is welcome to the 61st Annual Observance of what America calls her National Day of Prayer. While we should be living breathing 24/7/365 examples of a prayer as Second Nature, it is good to meet 
in public to reaffirm our ground as belonging to the Lord Jesus. We do this by praying for His Hand upon our Families, Communities and the leaders of each city, state and branch of Government.


Never has the tide of human depravity been turned so powerfully and deadly against Biblical Christianity; the Family as God ordained in the Book of Genesis and the Culture. For too long, the church played "nice-nice" with the culture, with a wink and a nod, while acting the part on 


Sunday mornings. No more...no more shall serious saints lay down, go to sleep and allow secularism blur the need for Salvation, as found ONLY in the Lord Jesus Christ.
This event starts at 11:55am with a song "Open the Eyes of My Heart" and kicks off at noon for one full hour. You will not be disappointed and the Heavens will be praised! We are on the East Steps of the Illinois State Capitol Complex by the Lincoln Statue in Springfield. The street address is 2nd Street South and Capitol Avenue.


The National Day of Prayer Worship Service will be broadcast at 8pm Central Daylight Time, Prime Time, on Christian Radio for Central Illinois - WLUJ 89.7FM and its many affiliates. You can also listen over the internet at www.wluj.org ...again at 8pm Central Daylight Time.  May God bless you and yours and may God bless America and keep her strong! Amen.

POWERFUL PRAYER MINISTERING TODAY!!

OVER 920 AT OUR MEN'S CONFERENCE IN SPRINGFIELD

STILL, OUR BOYS/YOUNG MEN IN GRAVE DANGER!

When we first started doing the local leg of a brand new concept called Iron Sharpens Iron National Men's Conference in March 2007, we had no clue what we were doing. We were just a bunch of guys from Business Men in Christ (BMIC) investing about $3500 of our income to bring a Discipleship men's ministry to town, which ran with the big dawgs in Colorado, New England or Orlando, Florida. Tom Cheshire, who spearheaded that in 2007 has since moved on from BMIC and now leads the successful Relevant Practical Ministry for men, which focuses in growing this movement to disciple men across central Illinois.

As the leader of the Prayer and Marketing Committee that first year, my job was to run two prayer rooms - one with men and women praying all day as intercessors for the day long conference - and the other with another minister and myself, open to men only, to counsel and pray with them.


That first year, less than 10 days out, we only had 45 men register. On conference day, over 550 men showed up! This year, 14 days out, we only had 175 registered. Today, over 920 showed up. All the classrooms for the 16 Equipping Seminars were so packed, we had men overflowing out the doors! God showed up and showed us Who was in charge! Not us!

DR.VODDIE BAUCHAM

This year's main speakers were Dr. Voddie Baucham, famed Southern Baptist Apologetics expert who is well known for his conferences with Answers in Genesis leader Ken Ham,  and New Life Church Associate Pastor David Perkins. Dr. Voddie was the all-out hit he always is and drew men from a tri-state area - Indiana/Illinois and lots of church vans from around St. Louis, Mo! This is in spite of the same St. Louis area conference last month! Not just that, but the Chicago area has two where the Indiana guys could have gone and saved two hours driving!


But the most rewarding part of this ministry for me each year, the privilege of ministering - first at the Chapel before the Conference starts with main speakers, leaders etc and communion with them and secondly, praying with and counseling with men from all backgrounds and stripes! Each year the needs get more critical and intense! Each year, we see and are blown back by the hurt, problems and issues some men are finally 'fessing up top and facing out there.

DR. EARL POWELL (RIGHT) WITH BEARS CHAPLAIN
RAY ELROY, FORMER DB FOR BEARS/LIONS/COLTS

Today Dr. Earl Powell (who has been ministering with me for 6 years now) and I and  occasionally some other leaders, prayed with and counseled more men in the space of a few hours than we ever did in one year! Without naming names, we dealt with issues of bi-polar; alcohol and drug use; living in sin with women; unforgiveness and more. 


Even more stunning that counseling and spiritual warfare with some demons some guys were battling was what happened in a seminar my friend Sam Mehaffie was conducting. Each year we bring him back for a reason. The reason is we have more and more boys from 12-18 years old who are brought there and have no father; or a father in name only...or are dealing with emotional neglect etc. It is uncanny! I ministered to a 13 year old named Isaac who is already dealing with all kinds of temptation and a couple of us to a most heart-breaking case - a giant of a kid, crying his eyes out because his dad just left his family for another woman, breaking his kids heart.


This guy, Chad, had never heard about Abba Father - Daddy, Father God - loving him so much that Jesus the Son took the hit for him. We believed, prayed into and cried out for a long time for God to send a Godly man alongside this teen to be his spiritual father. We try not to leave these poor boys hanging but hook them up with resources to start them off. These boys, and increasingly they are from wealthy or good suburban/urban families - never heard this kind of talk in their churches, from their pastors or parents!

WITH CHICAGO BEARS CHAPLAIN RAY MCELROY

The question remains - what on earth are they hearing?!!! Has the church become so focused on playing games, they threw out the ONE THING Jesus commissioned us to do - MAKE DISCIPLES! Everyone is to blame for this, include us who are finally doing something about it. 


This summer, our Decatur branch guys are doing a summer boys camp to teach young men that Sexual Purity is demanded by God for Righteousness but it is going to be out by a private lakefront, so they can have fun while learning. Many of these kids/teens have never been outside the inner city. So that's exciting. Folks we have to do something because our next generation of men, now still boys and older teens are in huge danger. The corrupt and morally bankrupt public education and political systems, and increasingly - the church body - are failing our future men big time. They, every single one - from president to pastor - will be called to account for this travesty one day. This is in the Book, don't doubt it!


I ask you to pray for all the men we personally ministered to, one on one today as well as all those broken teenage boys who never knew that God believes in them. If only we can catch some of this generation before they slip through the cracks into the bad part of eternity, it will make all of this more than worthwhile! It is more than worthwhile, because our Savior, Jesus Christ, is MORE than WORTHY of our Praise! Amen.

THINK ON THESE THINGS - TUESDAY

Everyone has a worldview or a way of looking at things! Therefore a worldview is not just how we look at things but how we use that information to then act according to that specific belief system. 

For us, a Biblical Worldview is at a premium. A Christian either has one, or not! Sadly, the world renowned pollster and author George Barna has found that only 9% of us Born-again Christians even have such a worldview! This is not only outrageous, but indicative of the woeful lack of biblical knowledge, application and discernment in the modern American church!

This video is 17 minutes of a 25 minute message recorded on July 16, 2011 for the Florida based Christian Television Network's Decatur, Illinois affiliate - WLCF. This is an episode of SPOTLIGHT which airs weekly from Springfield to Danville, Illinois; parts of Central Florida (including Orlando) as well as now - Ghana!

I attempt to briefly discuss, a Biblical Worldview.  May it bless you. Amen!