Saturday, September 26, 2009

NIKKI HAHN: WRITER, GUEST BLOGGER



A LEAF IN THE WIND


( First published September 20, 2009)

A leaf drifts down from the tree and the wind catches it like a kite. I am watching as it dances down the street, helpless to the blowing wind. The street is quiet except for a few children playing in the road and my husband is channel surfing. His thumb is forever pressing 'next' without staying too long on one particular place. My book hangs limply in my hands and I am stuck somewhere between chapters 5 and 6. My eyes continually wander from the television screen to the quiet neighborhood outside my window where life continues to play like a VCR without a pause button.
Don't you wish you could sometimes press 'pause' and stop the continuing march of time? Every day, every month runs swiftly past, and dark hair turns gray, children grow older, and the time a husband and wife have to share together grows shorter. Was it not yesterday when we were children playing house, playing ball with our fathers, and was it not yesterday when we first fell in love? My husband and I are lucky for our relationship has no distractions. There is not a day I do not appreciate him or wish I could press 'pause' and spend more time with him.
Why, you ask me, am I thinking so seriously today? A friend of mine lost someone dear to her this past weekend and my prayers are with her as well as my sympathy and love, but time ticks on by like a clock unrestricted by battery power. She will grieve and be surrounded by people who care, but outside her world traffic continues to back up on the freeway, people are hanging out at a coffee shop, and grandmothers are knitting cute scarves for their grandchildren. Life continues like the wind, but we do not have to be the leaf controlled by the blowing of the winds. There are those of us who are children of God who believe Christ died on the cross for us. Our fate is not controlled by a chance wind. Our fate rests in the hands of Jesus. We laid our life in His hands, handed over the control of our life to Him, and we are the better for it.
Social networking like twitter and face book are not simply a means for my name to get out there in order for my book to have a better chance at publication. Social networking is caring about others in our world. There are so many lost souls floundering like a leaf in the wind, with no direction, purpose undiscovered, and so many who are beguiled by the other side. In short, I have come across many great people online and I was given the privilege of being able to pray continually for them. Their requests are fresh on my heart even now.

Application:
1) So many times on Twitter people trying to market new ideas are always trying to sell something on their profile. Are we like this? Are our conversations focused on ourselves? Are we losing time that could be spent more wisely? Is our witness like a salesman on your front porch?

2) How much time is spent with our spouses? Do we laugh together? Do we pray together? Are we like one person heading on the same journey? Is our marriage Fireproof?

Scripture:
Ephesians 5:31:
"For this reason a man leaves his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." (NASB)
"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV)

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

INTERVIEW WITH PASTOR BLAKE AND BEVERLY LORENZ, OF ORLANDO, FLORIDA!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

AMAZING TESTIMONY ON RIFQA'S CONVERSION TO CHRIST AND ESCAPE TO FREEDOM!

WATCH BLAKE AND BEVERLY LORENZ OF ORLANDO, FLORIDA DESCRIBE HOW THEY MANAGED TO BECOME INVOLVED IN SAVING THE LIFE OF THIS YOUNG MOSLEM GIRL FROM OHIO, WHOM CHRIST SAVED UNTO SALVATION!

TO READ MORE ON THIS, CLICK ON PAM GELLER'S WEBSITE HERE: http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2009/09/couple-who-sheltered-rifqa-bary-speak.html

WATCH VIDEO HERE:
http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/faith_news/091709_Couple_who_sheltered_Rifqq_Bary_speak%22%3ECouple

Friday, September 11, 2009

Annual NDP Prayer Summit October 16-18, 2009





The Annual National Day of Prayer Summit will be held at the Focus on the Family headquarters, Colorado Springs, Colorado.This is a critical year, not just for the pro-family movement but for the entire praying body of Christ.
Speakers include Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council and the grandson of evangelist Billy Graham - Will Graham. Workshops will be held by great friends and brethren in the Faith - Bruce Assaf of Blow the Trumpet International Ministries and Lori Wagner, of Affirming Faith.
Bruce has just written the foreword for my new book called "DANGER ZONE", which is designed for men of all ages.
Lori is a delightful author, conference speaker and prayer warrior from Troy, Michigan who has written both non-fiction and children's books.
The National Day of Prayer is more than an event which takes place on the first Thursday of each May!
We have grown into a nightly event called WATCHMEN OF THE NIGHT (WON) where prayer leaders intercede in Praise, Repentance and Yielding (PRY) to the Will of Christ in our lives. We like to call this PRYing the lid off for true Intercession. Then each January, we hold a National prayer vigil for all intercessors.


Monday, September 7, 2009

ACTION POINT: MICHELLE HIGGINBOTHAM ON SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS BEING "RAILROADED"

GUEST OPINION BY MICHELLE HIGGINBOTHAM,
VICE PRESIDENT OF THE ENOS PARK NEIGHBORHOOD IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION.
If you’ve followed the local news recently, you’ve probably seen coverage of the plan to bring high speed rail to Springfield and the current proposal to locate it on the Third St. corridor. You may have even seen protestors lining the streets on your way home from work, or received an invitation to a “Rail Rally.” Since Amtrak and freight trains already operate on the Third St. corridor, it may be hard to understand why so many groups oppose the current proposal. After all, isn’t high speed rail a sign of progress? Doesn’t the construction of it create jobs and bring economic growth to our city? What’s the big deal?
Three distinct railway corridors dissect the city of Springfield, which is highly unusual for a city of our size, and each corridor is owned by a different company. The corridor along Third Street is owned by Union Pacific, who is slated to receive more than 2 billion dollars in federal stimulus money earmarked for high-speed rail. However, the primary increase in trains will be additional freight, and Union Pacific held a groundbreaking ceremony last week for a new distribution center in Joliet. A second set of tracks will be needed to accommodate the additional freight trains. The question now is where the second set of tracks will be placed, and which corridor will become the primary rail line for the city.
This is a decision which will affect the citizens of Springfield for generations to come, and we believe it is a decision that should not be made lightly. By IDOT’s own standards, an Environmental Impact Study is supposed to be conducted to compare the effects of using Third St. or 10th St. as the primary rail corridor, but now IDOT insists that there is no time to study the issue. IDOT is also required by Public Act 93-0545 to engage the citizens of a project in "early and ongoing" collaboration to ensure that the values and needs of the affected communities are identified and carefully considered. IDOT and Union Pacific signed a memorandum of understanding for this project back in May, but it has only been recently that the citizens of Springfield have been made aware of this proposal, and now we are being told it is a done deal and there is no time for study or discussion.
Although the city and county have hoped for years to eventually be able to consolidate the rail lines along the 10th St. corridor, there are strong feelings on all sides of this issue. We believe that makes it all the more important for our elected officials to engage in dialogue with the citizens of this community about how the various proposals will impact us. To date, Senator Durbin has not been receptive to discussions with Mayor Davlin, County Board Chair Andy Van Meter, Chamber of Commerce President Gary Plummer, and others. Local officials understand the dramatic impact that this rail plan will have on our community, but our federal officials are turning a deaf ear, and this is a public project funded with taxpayer money!
Political pressure comes from the people. Contact Senator Durbin and Governor Quinn and insist they get Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern to the table to negotiate an agreement that will allow both companies to improve their operations in the manner that will be the least disruptive to the citizens of Springfield.
Legal pressure comes from groups filing class action suits or seeking an injunction to slow down the process, or correct violations of state and/or federal law. Contact Ray LaHood (USDOT), Administrator Szabo (FRA), and Secretary Hannig (IDOT) to ask them to follow and enforce all rules and regulations as related to the selection of eligible projects for stimulus funds.
Above all, pray for the elected officials involved in making these critical decisions, and especially pray for the opportunity to engage in open dialogue with the people who will be most impacted. No matter where the rail line is ultimately located, there will be homes and businesses affected. This is not an issue that is specific to one neighborhood or one part of Springfield- it affects all of us. Rather than using this as one more way of dividing the citizens of this city, let this be an opportunity for us to come together around a common cause.



You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26-28)

Michelle Higginbotham is Vice President of the Enos Park Neighborhood Improvement Association.


For more information or to be added to the list for “Rail Rally” notifications, call 553-4629 or


email: mhigginbotham@devonshire-realty.com