November, 2005
REFLECTION
T he reason that the UP Team began was
to increase prayer for the spiritual
transformation of our area. When we pray
for the various sectors – business, churches,
ministries, education, entertainment, medical,
government, social and civic services – we are
praying for the people within those sectors
and the service objectives of the sectors. But
we are also praying for God’s transforming
grace to penetrate every nook and cranny of
the area. What do we mean by
“transformation”? In times past such
miraculous events have been called
“awakenings”, or “revivals”, or “renewals.”
All the words refer to the same phenomenon:
The love, power and grace of God bringing
about radical spiritual change in an entire
community, region or nation. When we pray
for spiritual transformation here, what are
we praying for? Well, we are praying
literally that the Lordship of Jesus
Christ be manifested and
acknowledged. We are
praying that every sector
openly lift Jesus up as Lord
and Savior and as the Source
of and Strength behind all
actions and all success. We
are praying that all people
within the area repent, give their
lives to Jesus and live lives of praise and
thanksgiving and service to the Lord and to
one another. We are praying that everyone
who visits our area recognize the presence of
Jesus Christ, be moved by that atmosphere
and take His love back with them to other
parts of our nation. We are praying that
strongholds be broken, strongholds
preventing the free move of God’s grace –
such things as greed, selfishness, lust, pride,
illegal drug production
and use, domestic violence and abuse,
witchcraft, disunity among Christians, racial
discrimination and bigotry and other specific
strongholds within the sectors and within
families and individuals. We are in the midst
of a great spiritual battle. Satan does not
want transformation here, for he knows it
will result in the salvation of many souls, both
in our area and
in our nation overall. We have answered a
call to a very important mission and ministry,
that of prayer. Fervent and continuous
prayer has always preceded awakenings and
transformations and is an absolute condition
of their coming about – not because we are
great but because God has determined that
He will move when His people pray. Jesus is
great, and when we pray faithfully according
to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, our prayer
becomes united with His, and that makes our
prayer powerful. There must be a passion for
prayer and a great sense of urgency; the need
for transformation is great.
REFLECTION, CONTINUED
T he Lord gave me an insight recently on
this subject of transformation, an insight
that I know He wants me to share with you.
Think of three concentric circles, kind of like
a bulls-eye. Each circle represents one aspect
of spiritual transformation, and the three
circles are dependent on one another. Let’s
move from the inner concentric circle to the
outer: The innermost circle represents the
spiritual transformation of the individual
Christian. This is where transformation must
begin. Taking Stone and Taney Counties as
an example (The UP Team in Polk and Cedar
can do the same, as can the prayer team in
Manitou Springs, Colorado). In Stone and
Taney Counties there are 70,000+ residents.
Of those, a certain percentage is Christian.
Among the Christians, there are those in
name and those who are truly committed – I
call them the “real Christians.” Under the
New Covenant, the Jewish Temple has been
replaced by individual temples; the Holy
Spirit, and therefore the Father and Son,
dwell within the spirits of people who have
accepted Jesus as Savior. But these temples
are not perfect, nor are they always pure and
undefiled, nor are they totally committed to
following Christ. We sin, in other words. In
addition, many of us – to use the words of
Jesus to the Church at Ephesis in the second
chapter of Revelation – “have forgotten our
first love.” and some of us have even – to use
His words to the Church of Laodicea – “have
become lukewarm, neither hot nor cold”. So,
the first place that spiritual transformation
must take place is within our spirits. When
we genuinely repent, when we seek God’s
grace to be zealous for the Lord, when we
praise and worship and thank God and allow
Him to work in our lives, then the Holy Spirit
can cleanse our temples, fill us with new
ardor – in other words, spiritually transform
us. The second concentric circle is the
Church, the Body of Christ. Regardless of
denominational differences, there is a
spiritual, even mystical, unity among all true
followers of Jesus Christ. We can’t usually
see this, but God can. As more and more
individual Christians receive the grace of
inner spiritual transformation, so the entire
Body begins then to be spiritually
transformed. For the Body needs this
awakening also. The Body of Christ is the
presence of Jesus on earth; just as He moved
in His human Body when he walked through
Israel, so today He moves in His Mystical
Body, the Church, through the world to save
souls. In fact, I believe that the prayers of
intercessors, such as on the UP Team, brings
about greater unity within the Body and it is
through the Body that God moves to
transform the world. So, the first two
concentric circles emphasize the need for
personal transformation and for
transformation within the Body of Christ in
our area. And only then can the third
concentric circle become a reality; and that
third circle is the spiritual transformation of
our area. Think of drawing the concentric
circles from the inside out, like a maze; begin
with a point in the middle, draw a circle, then
without lifting the pencil draw another one
and then another way. That represents the
unity among the three stages of
transformation: Personal; the Church; a
community or a region or a nation or the
world. Hopefully this word picture will help
us all keep in mind the tremendous
importance of our commitment to prayer;
every one of us is absolutely critical to God’s
plan, and every day is a vital step in moving
closer to transformation.
THE SHOE MAN
“M y alarm went off; it was Sunday
again. I was sleepy and tired,
my one day to sleep in. But the guilt I
would feel, so I’d go and I’d pray. I got
there and sat in a pew just in time.
Bowing my head in prayer, as I closed my
eyes, I saw the shoe of the man next to me
touching my own – I sighed. With plenty
of room on either side,
I thought, ‘Why must
our soles touch?’
It bothered
me, his shoe
touching mine;
but it didn’t bother him
much. My prayer began, ‘Our Father…’
I thought, ‘This man with the shoes has
no pride; they’re dusty, worn and
scratched – even worse, there are holes on
the side!’ ‘Thank you for blessings,’ the
prayer went on. The shoe man said a
quiet ‘Amen.’ I tried to focus on the
prayer, but my thoughts were on his shoes
again. ‘Aren’t we supposed to look our
best when walking through that door”
Well, this certainly isn’t it,’ I thought,
glancing to the floor. Then the prayer
was ended and the songs of praise began.
The shoe man was certainly loud,
sounding proud as he sang. His voice
lifted the rafters, his hands were raised
high. The Lord could surely hear the
shoe man’s voice from the sky. It was
time for the offering, and what I threw in
was steep. I watched as the shoe man
reached into his pockets so deep. I saw
what was pulled out, what the shoe man
put in. Then I heard a soft ‘clink’, as
when silver hits tin. The sermon really
bored me to tears, and that’s no lie. It
was the same for the shoe man, for tears
fell from his eyes. At the end of the
service, as is the custom here, we must
greet new visitors and show them all good
cheer. But I felt moved somehow and
wanted to meet shoe man; so after the
closing prayer, I reached over and shook
his hand. He was old and his skin was
dark, and his hair was truly a mess. But I
thanked him for coming, for being our
guest. He said, ‘My name’s Charlie, I’m
glad to meet you, my friend.’ There were
tears in his eyes, but he had a large, wide
grin. ‘Let me explain,’ he said, wiping
tears from his eyes, ‘I’ve been coming
here for months, and you’re the first to
say ‘Hi.’. I know that my appearance is
not like all the rest; but I really do try to
always look my best. I always clean and
polish my shoes, before my very long
walk. But by the time I get
here, they're dirty and
dusty, like chalk.’ My
heart filled with pain, and
I swallowed to hide my
tears, as he continued to
apologize for daring to sit so
near. He said, ‘When I get here, I know I
must look a sight. But I thought if I could
touch you, then maybe our souls might
unite.’ I was silent for a moment,
knowing whatever was said would pale in
comparison. I spoke from my heart, not
my head. ‘Oh, you’ve touched me,’ I said,
‘and taught me, in part, that the best of
any man is what is found in his heart.’
‘The rest,’ I thought, ‘this shoe man will
never know; like just how thankful I
really am, that his dirty old shoe touched
my soul.’”
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE #1
I t is time to reminisce. Following is the
Older than Dirt quiz; if
you remember 16-25
you’re older than dirt!
1) Blackjack chewing
gum (you can buy it at
Silver Dollar City!);
2) wax Coke-shaped
bottles with colored
sugar water; 3) candy
cigarettes; 4) soda pop machines that
dispensed glass bottles (remember the flat
chest kind with a sliding mechanism?); 5)
coffee shops or diners with tableside juke
boxes (my mother’s café had them); 6) home
milk delivery in glass bottles with cardboard
stoppers; 7) telephone party lines; 8)
newsreels before the movie (and a cartoon
and a serial, at least on Saturdays);9) P.F.
Flyers; 10) butch wax; 11) telephone numbers
with a word prefix
(e.g., OLive-6933); 12) peashooters; 13)
Howdy Doody; 14) 45 RPM records; 15) S&H
Green Stamps (doesn’t Subway still offer
them??); 16) Hi-fi’s; 17) metal ice trays with
a lever; 18) mimeograph paper; 19)
Packards; 20) blue flashbulb; 21) roller skate
keys;
22) cork popguns (you can buy them at Silver
Dollar City!); 23) drive-ins (movies);
24) Studebakers; 25) wash tub
wringers….Well, if that was fun, see if you
can relate to the following a parent told a
child: “We didn’t have fast food when I was
growing up. All the food was slow. We
normally ate at a place called “home.” We
sat down together at the dining room table,
and if I didn’t like what was on my plate I
was allowed to sit there until I liked it. Some
people never owned their own home, wore
Levis, set foot on a golf course, traveled out of
the country or had a credit card (or even
knew what one was – later we knew about a
revolving charge card, good only at Sears
Roebuck). My parents never drove me to
soccer practice – shoot, I didn’t even know
what soccer was. I had a bicycle that
probably weighed 50 pounds and had only
one speed (slow). We did not have a
television until I was 11; however, my
grandparents had one before that. It was, of
course, black and white, but they bought a
piece of colored plastic to cover the screen.
The top third was blue, the bottom third
green and the middle third red. It was
perfect for programs that had scenes of fire
trucks riding across someone’s lawn on a
sunny day. Some people had a lens taped to
the front of the tv to make the picture look
larger. (I remember putting plastic to cover
the screen to play the first “video game” –
Pong.) I was 13 before I tasted my first pizza;
it was called “pizza pie.” My grandmother
had an old RC Cola bottle. In the bottle top
was a stopper with a bunch of holes in it. It
sat on the end of the ironing board to
“sprinkle” clothes. Do you remember: Head
lights dimmer switches on the floor? Ignition
switches on the dashboard? Real ice boxes?
Pant leg clips for bicycles without chain
guards? Using hand signals for cars without
turn signals? (and, for awhile, obeying a law
that said that because turn signals were new,
hand signals were also required?)”
“GARDEN OF EDEN”?
I had the privilege of attending a meeting
recently at Mansion America. There were
about 50 people there to listen to a Rabbi: An
Orthodox Jew named David Lashley. He is
on a mission to reach out to Christians to
build stronger bonds between Jews and
Christians in these difficult times – which he
believes may be the end times. He described
life in his home “town”, Los Angeles, and the
difficulties there in publicly mentioning God
and even being patriotic. While he was
speaking, he received a cell phone call from a
friend in Los Angeles who told him that there
had been a robbery and a shooting on the
street where his jewelry shop is.
Rabbi David told us about a
demonstration recently in
his neighborhood, at
which someone was
pouring “bodily fluids”
on a US flag. He went up
to the person and offered to buy the flag –
first for $50, then for $100. The man refused,
even though it was a flag one could buy in a
store for probably $10 or so. Pushing and
shoving ensued, then an actual fight – and the
Rabbi got the worst of it. When he told a
policeman there about it, he simply shrugged
and said “It is not your flag.” That led to his
description of his first trip to the Branson
area. He told us that it is like day and night
with regard to the difference in atmosphere.
He sees people being friendly and helpful, he
sees patriotism, and he sees the public
recognition of God. He was frankly blown
away by the experience and made the
comment that when the Kingdom is set up on
earth after the end times, his vote is for our
area to be the new “Garden of Eden.” I share
this because it is quite a testimony to what is
good about the area. There is hope!
GATHERING
W e will definitely be having our annual
extended Gathering of People Who
Pray in January. Mark your calendars for
Friday evening, January 27 and during the
day on Saturday, January 28. If you have
never participated, I strongly encourage you
to try to join the people there for prayer. You
are welcome to come for all or part, and there
is no charge. The Friday evening time will be
from 6:30 to 9:00 and the Saturday time from
9 to 3. The times are tentative, but the dates
are firm. We have a new location: The top of
the Grand Plaza Hotel (behind the former
Bobby Vinton Theatre). The Hamiltons have
their restaurant up there; there is an elevator
and also disabled parking. There will be
lunch served on Saturday, again, no charge.
If you have ideas for a location, please let me
know. Call me at 338-8036 or on my cell at
331-1028. There will be a prayer leader from
outside our area, with most likely Pastor
Howard Boyd as “second chair.” It is a time
for worship, repentance, thanksgiving and
intercession as members of the Body of Christ
coming together. There will be more
information later.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE #2
A s a reminder to us to keep praying for
the hurricane victims in Louisiana, and
elsewhere, and also as a reminder to keep
praying that people stop trying to remove
God from American society, I offer you the
following: The Ten Commandments in
Cajun: “1) God is number One, and das’ all.
2) Don’t pray to ‘dem idols, jus’ God. 3)
Don’t cuss nobody, ‘specially da Good Lord.
4) Yo ‘member dat Sabbath day and keep it
holy; if yo’ got to do work, ‘member that it
still be a holy day. 5) Yo mama an’ yo daddy
dun did it all, so lissen to dem. 6) Killin’ duck
an’ fish, das’ OK, but people – NO! 7) God
done give you a wife or husband, or He gonna
probably, so sleep wit’ jus’ her or him (and
no her with her or him with him). 8) Don’t
take nobody’s boat, or nuttin’ else. 9) Don’t
go wantin’ somebody’s stuff. 10) Stop lyin’,
cause yo tongue gonna fall out yo mouf!”

PRAYING FOR UNREACHED PEOPLE
GROUPS
I
f you are not familiar with “Pray!”
Magazine, I strongly recommend a
subscription to it. It comes out bi-monthly
with a subscription price of $19.97. This
would also be a great gift for someone you
know who is an intercessor. The telephone
number is 1-800-366-7788; or you can save
20% by ordering online at
www.praymag.com. There is a powerful
article (among many) in the most recent issue
about praying for “unreached people
groups.” Though our focus is on our area, we
are also called to pray for the world.
Following is an excerpt from the article
entitled “Into the Ends of the Earth”: “In a
little village in Duyun County, Guizhou
Province, China, Mrs. Wu sets out bowls of
food and drink on the table. It’s not dinner.
This food is for her ancestors. The incense
burning on the altar fills the room with a
smoky sweet scent. She hopes the ancestors
will be pleased. Offending your ancestors is a
very serious matter indeed. Mrs. Wu has
never met a Christian, has never heard the
name of Jesus…The need to pray for the
Gamong, and ten thousand other unreached
groups
like
them,
is
clear.
Jesus
instructed
us to
make
disciples of all
nations. He is the
Shepherd who is willing to leave the 99 in the
open to search for the one lost sheep (Luke
15: 3-7). He is the Lamb who died to
purchase people for God from every tribe and
language and people and nation. (Revelation
7: 9)…Most of us in the West will never trek
to the villages in Duyun County to meet Mrs.
Wu, or fly to Morocco to chat with a Riffi
Berber. To remember them at all is difficult;
to care for them stretches the bounds of our
self-centeredness. And praying for the
consistently? That seems as remote as the
Touareg tribe of Timbuktu. So where do we,
who are not super-Christians but merely
struggling to be faithful disciples and effective
intercessors, begin? Thomas Merton said, ‘If
you want a life of prayer, the way to get it is
by praying…You start where you are and you
deepen what you already have.’…Ask God
for a heart of compassion for the lost people
of the world…After all, He is the one who
works in us to will and to act according to His
good purpose. (Philippians 2: 13)…The
Joshua Project website
(www.joshuaproject.net) lists vital
statistics about unreached people groups
worldwide. It includes the population and
location of each group, whether the Bible or
other Christian resources are available in the
people’s language, and if the group has been
targeted by any churces or mission
organizations…Global Prayer Digest is a
resource that gives a brief summary of
unreached people groups each day
(www.global-prayer-digest.org)
God’s work of saving the lost peoples of the
world requires the whole church. But taking
on the burden of praying for all peoples is a
shortcut to spiritual burnout…Ask for God’s
guidance to focus on one or two people
groups, and seek to bring them consistently
before God’s throne…Adopt-a-People
Clearinghouse (www.adoptapeople.org)
gives ample information on how to go about
adopting an unreached people group…
Praying for unreached peoples is a direct
attack on the enemy’s territory. It will not go
uncontested…Marie Monson, a missionary to
China in the early 20th century, pledged one
day to pray until revival came to China.
Immediately, as she crossed the room to her
place of prayer, she was hindered by a
sensation of pressure, as if a boa constrictor
were squeezing the life out of her. She cried
out the name of Jesus three
times, and the presence
faded. Her first
thought was, ‘Then
prayer means as much
as that, and that my
promise should be kept
means as much as
that.’…When you
pray for the
unreached people of
the world, you will be
changed. Subtly and powerfully, God,
through prayer, shapes our hearts, desires
and direction in life…And adventure begins
when we get on our knees. It will lead,
perhaps through great danger and hardship,
to a destination known only to the
unpredictable yet gracious heart of God”
Folks, I sense a nudge to adopt an unreached
peoples group on the part of the UP Team, I
believe there are two reasons: First, it
expands our vision for spiritual awakening.
Second, it reminds us that the passion for
unreached peoples should be equaled or even
surpassed by our call to passionate prayer for
spiritual transformation in our area. If you
think this is a good idea, please let me know,
and I will do the research. Of if you research
the groups, also include a suggestion for a
specific one. E-mail me at
bburton@silverdollarcity.com or call me at
338-8036 or 331-1028.
PRAYER NEEDS
C har Casteneda, a long time UP Team
member, is requesting prayer for her
daughter who is literally trapped in the New
Orleans area and has great needs. Please
pray for both of them…Don Gabriel, the
prayer leader for the Business sector,
continues to battle cancer and he is now
undergoing both radiation and chemo; also,
his precious wife, Dorothy, is struggling with
a chemical depression…The
ladies of Love INC and
volunteers are working
feverishly with holiday
assistance for residents of
Stone and Taney Counties;
pray for them and the people
with needs…William is seeking
a ramp for the electric
wheelchair of his wife…All of
the employee applicants for
help through Share It Forward at Herschend
Family Entertainment need our prayers; they
are a sample of individuals and families with
great needs throughout our two county
area…Jan Urbec as she moves on from The
Caring People to new challenges, that the
Lord open the right door at the right time,
and for Jane, Suzanne and all the Caring
People staff and volunteers, and for
guidance to find the next
Director…The men of Christian
Businessmen’s Committee,
Businessmen’s Fellowship
International and their
families…The upcoming Global
Day of Prayer…The people of the
UP Team and their families and
friends…That we find a way to
partner with the 24/7 group at
First Baptist in Branson and for the right new
pastor and for Pastor Jay Scribner as he
moves on to new callings from God…That
Revolution House of Prayer in Manitou
Springs, Colorado, continue to grow in 24/7
prayer and that satanic forces be removed
from that community…and there are so
many, many more; I am going to try and
mention as many as I can in newsletters, so
please pass on prayer requests to me.
CLOSING SCRIPTURE
At a recent Christian Businessmen’s
Committee weekly lunch at Party Time
Pizza (12:30 p.m., open to all men, active
in the workforce or retired), the leader,
Doug Gabriel, shared the following
Scripture. His focus was on the word
“think” and he made the excellent point
that the spiritual warfare we all are
engaged in is primarily in the mind. The
Scripture is Philippians 4: 4-9: Rejoice in
the Lord always. I will say it again:
Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to
all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the
peace of God, which transcends all
understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally,
brothers, whatever is true, whatever is
noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable –
if anything is excellent or trustworthy –
THINK about such things. Whatever you
have learned or received or heard from me,
or seen in me – put it into practice. And
the God of peace will be with you.” And
during the conversation, Doug’s Dad,
Don, made the following comment as he
shared his struggle with cancer: “I don’t
want to die in the trenches; I want to die
in the ‘Charge!’.”

May the God of peace be with you and

yours!

Bob Burton