OPERATION REBOUND Homes (five) leave Boston enroute Gulfport, MS

Six tractor trailers, loaded with FIVE homes, departed the South Weymouth Naval Air Station (yesterday, -ed.), enroute to Gulfport, MS.
FOX NEWS was onscene for the departure and Radio WATD 95.9 FM carried the story LIVE.
BUILDERS interested in joining OPERATION REBOUND volunteers in meeting the trucks in Gulfport, MS should contact Chief Builder Mark Lundquist (phone 781-389-8036) ASAP. TWENTY BUILDERS and LABORERS from Philadelphia, who just heard about the project this week, are now planning to meet the Boston area volunteers in Gulfport on Monday 6 March. Work is planned for 6-10 March, to completely weatherize the FIVE homes. Volunteers will be staying at ST JAMES BAPTIST CHURCH. Members of St James have offered to cook for and feed the Operation Rebound volunteers, for the March work week. TWENTY or MORE local builders are still needed !!
DONATIONS are encouraged to SPONSOR A BUILDER !!(see below) Corporations are encouraged to "SPONSOR a SITE" (a complete work crew) !!

Read more at http://www.OperationRebound.blogspot.com.

Was Geo. Washington, First in War, First in Peace, & Founding Father, a Christian?

Abridged from David Barton's article, at wallbuilders.com.

This is a question often asked today, and it arises from the efforts of those who seek to impeach Washington's character by portraying him as irreligious. Interestingly, Washington's own contemporaries did not question his Christianity but were thoroughly convinced of his devout faith--a fact made evident in the first-ever compilation of the The Writings of George Washington, published in the 1830s.

That compilation of Washington's writings was prepared and published by Jared Sparks (1789-1866), a noted writer and historian. Sparks' herculean historical productions included not only the writings of George Washington (12 volumes) but also Benjamin Franklin (10 volumes) and Constitution signer Gouverneur Morris (3 volumes). Additionally, Sparks compiled the Library of American Biography (25 volumes), The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution (12 volumes), and the Correspondence of the American Revolution (4 volumes). In all, Sparks was responsible for some 100 historical volumes. Additionally, Sparks was America's first professor of history--other than ecclesiastical history--to teach at the college level in the United States, and he was later chosen president of Harvard.

...Is it necessary that any one should certify, "General Washington avowed himself to me a believer in Christianity?" As well may we question his patriotism, his heroic, disinterested devotion to his country. His mottos were, "Deeds, not Words"; and, "For God and my Country."

With sentiments of esteem,

I am, Nelly Custis-Lewis

Katrina's Aftermath: Operation Rebound!

POC: Bob Durfey 617-921-5870

South Shore Neighbors FRAME homes for SINGLE MOTHERS … Gulfport victims of KATRINA.

Local residents plan to frame FIVE HOMES for single moms and their children, Saturday Feb 18 at the old South Weymouth Naval Air Station and have them trucked down to MS, where they will be completed. What started as a trip to the Coast by a handful of South Shore friends, has grown into a house building project at the old South Weymouth Naval Air Station. Not just one house, but FIVE !!

What is different about this project from other home building projects, is that it is a team effort among South Shore churches and their neighbors, not a project sponsored by a National Organization or TV Series. What is exciting about this project is the short timeline and the great response from neighbors and friends. Local small business builders are volunteering their time, local merchants are donating supplies, friends who hear of the effort are giving generously and BEST OF ALL …. Single mothers with children in Gulfport,MS, some of the poorest victims of Hurricane Katrina, will soon have their own homes.

Operation Rebound is VERY APPRECIATIVE of our Donors and South Shore Tri-Town Development Corporation for their support of these building efforts. INFORMATION will be available for these STORIES:

• South Shore area Churches working side by side – TEAMING up with a small church in Gulfport, MS.
• Small business builders sacrificing employment opportunities to help others.
• Gulfport, MS church pastor (Eddie Hartwell) helping at the building site on Saturday the 18^th.
• Operation Rebound members who have already made 2 or 3 trips to Gulfport at their own expense.
• Volunteers going on future trips (March and April already planned) to Gulfport MS.

--AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS--
BUILDING DAY - SATURDAY Feb 18^th from 7AM to 7 PM. SOUTH WEYMOUTH NAVAL AIR STATION (old) FIRE HOUSE
Live Music and Drama, as well as food has been donated and will be provided for the work crews. Drama at 12:20 PM – Press briefing and interviews to follow WATD RADIO will be LIVE on site.
GIFTS are TAX DEDUCTABLE

MEDIA ARE WELCOME TO VIEW THE WORK PROJECT
If able, please call ahead (617) 921-5870; a media escort will be provided.
Matthew 25:40

The Boston Awakening: Feb. 22 - Mar. 18

Boston is the site of much secular and spiritual history. A strategic city that sits on the northeastern Atlantic coast, it was once a spiritual beachhead during The Great Awakening of the 1700's and the revivals of the 1800's, but now is considered one of the least reached cities in the United States. An intellectual fortress and hotbed of liberalism, Boston hosts 45 college campuses and 300,000 college students. We believe it is God's will to bring another Great Awakening to Boston, starting with the multitudes of unreached college students who remind us that "the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few" (Luke 10:2).

Bob Weiner shared his vision with Derek Levendusky of Isaiah 6 Ministries, Justin Kendrick of Holyfire Ministries, and Kent Murawski of BASIC College Ministries, and found that the Holy Spirit had also been speaking to their hearts about the New England area. These will team together to trust the Lord for The Boston Awakening. Intercessors Jerry and Judy Ball will lead the Pray For Boston week that kick off the campaign.

Red Moon Rising Book Review

After Jim mentioned the book, Red Moon Rising, at Kitty’s last week, I decided to order it.

I read it through at one sitting last week—enthralled by the vision of global prayer which has been re-inspired in the past 6-years through the 24-7 Prayer Movement. From very humble beginnings, as you can see on the website, there are literally dozens, if not more, churches or groups praying around the clock around the world for a week or more at a time.

Quite apart from the accounts of how this came to be, I found the book striking for its spirit: not triumphalistic or strident, but humble. The main author, Peter Greig, not only writes with slightly bemused tone about the ongoing miraculous unfolding of resources, connections and key people, clearly all God-ordained; but has also experienced great personal suffering during the time that the movement was building. His wife suffered a severe brain tumor which was not instantly healed, leaving him primarily responsible for two young children over a prolonged period.

In short, the book makes compelling reading for anyone with a heart to pray in these times. Maybe one day, there can be 24-7 prayer at Kitty’s!

-David

Kitty O' Shea's Prayer Group

Four regulars met yesterday to pray, in a Kitty’s which was surrounded by the evidence of the weekend snowfall on a brilliantly clear day.

We shared needs and prayed for one another:

• For clarity and wisdom for J. and A., who are seeking direction with respect to work;
• For D., as he goes to DC to run an important workshop on Wednesday, and seeks to undertake ‘prophetic consulting’ as part of his business and calling;
• For Bob, who is leading a volunteer house build process for Katrina victims next weekend;
• The Alpha course which is starting;
• We also prayed for those who were not present in their variety of needs, remembering especially Hank’s brother and the JHOP ministry and their need of appropriate space in which to pray in March.

As we prayed:

• David was reminded of a picture of a storm vortex swirling towards Boston—which he understood as representing a process of people being sucked into Boston (as in the students/ interns coming to pray) and others being ‘thrown out’ in unexpected ways, as in diasphora, a way in which church has traditionally spread.
• We also mused over the images of two storms: Katrina, savage and wild, which ripped the roofs off people’s lives; and the weekend snow storm, which slowed down all our activity, even stopped it for a while, but left a blanket of brilliant, pure white over all the grime of the city today. We prayed for the latter type of storm asking forgiveness for the sins which have in history caused God to move savagely; and prayed for God’s mercy and kindness to change and cover the ugliness with his purity. We rejoiced that He is our "shelter from the storm".
• Bob felt the injunction to be bold and fearless at this time, as in the story of Jonathan and his armor bearer who risked and took an outpost while Saul’s army sat and debated.

Also, we prayed for:

• Our pastors/ ministers.
• Peacemakers in troubled parts of Boston where violence and murder seems to be escalating out of police control.
• People who are subject to intellectual doubt.

Letter to Boston from Lou Engle/ JHOP

Dear Friends,
It has been a few years since we labored together for the Kingdom in New England through "The Call" Boston prayer assembly. To this day, I am eternally grateful for your labor of love in making the dream of young people solemnly assembling to fast and pray a reality.

Now it’s time to return to Boston and stake a new claim for the Lord!

Prior to "The Call" Boston, the Lord spoke to me in a dream, "No one is targeting false ideologies with massive fasting and prayer." Soon after receiving this word, I began to mobilize for "The Call" Boston. While I was in California preaching about "The Call," I proclaimed, "We need to dig the wells of revival in Boston and close the door to false ideologies that have come through Harvard." Amazingly, about a week later, I received a phone call from U.S. Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas in which he exhorted me to do exactly what I had preached. That word has haunted me since 2001.

Now is the time to act on that word.
Now is the time for a Boston House of Prayer.

I would like to join with you and the faithful men and women who have been moving the heart of heaven over Boston for years. Now is the time to launch a House of Prayer in Boston. This house of prayer will be led by my daughter in the faith, Bethany Yeo, and will be fueled by the continuous prayer and fasting of young people from all over New England. We will continue unceasingly day and night with a continuous chain of prayer and fasting until the moral compass shifts over our education system and revival breaks out in the universities of our nation.

Now is the time to unite.

We have felt strongly led to launch this effort with a 40-day period of fasting and prayer from March 1 (Ash Wednesday) to April 9 (the 100-year anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival). This 40-day period purposely overlaps the college spring break season for most universities so that we can summon students from across the nation to come to Harvard and exchange their partying for a prayer pilgrimage. The flow of students to days of decadence in the south must be reversed to the river of revival flowing north to Harvard for God!

Harvard – Our Flashpoint

While preaching in New England with Dutch Sheets, we spent a day praying on the campus of Harvard. That night at the hotel, Dutch came to me with a holy restlessness rumbling inside his heart. He said, "Lou, we’re not done here. We have not yet fulfilled what is on God’s heart for prayer at Harvard. Let’s do a night strike." When he spoke these words, I felt the wind of the Holy Spirit. So we headed out in the night to find the Harvard campus again. Since neither of us is from the Boston area, we got very lost. Hoping that we were somewhere near the campus, we pulled into a dark unlit street and agreed to put our prayers and feet down there. We stepped through a gateway and saw the outline of a few buildings standing around a dimly lit courtyard. Suddenly, while we were walking and praying, Dutch shouted, "Lou, this is the place we are praying!" Amazingly, as we looked up, it was the very building that Dutch had written about in one of his books. In the dim light, I could faintly make out the engraving on the font of the building, "What is man that Thou art mindful of him?" The story behind the building is remarkable.

Years ago, when the philosophy building was being erected at Harvard, the president of the University asked the Dean of the Philosophy Department what should be engraved on the façade. The Dean wanted to inscribe the humanistic phrase, "Man is the measure of all things." However, the president of the University had other ideas. Wrapping a tarp around the building as it was being erected, the president reverently decided to inscribe, "What is man that Thou art mindful of him?" instead.

With authority born out of the force of revelation, Dutch and I decreed a shift over that university … that humanism would fall to the weak voice of Psalm 8: "O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth, who have displayed your splendor above the heavens! From the mouth of infants and nursing babes you have established strength because of your adversaries, to silence the foe and the avenger." I believe that out of the mouth of the weakness of prayer, God will silence the power of humanism, the ultimate worldview of man in rebellion. I believe that God wants our universities back. God wants to see revival ignite at Harvard and spread like wildfire to campuses all over New England.

Prayer – Our Flame

Many of you are familiar with my dream of starting Houses of Prayer that provide a continuous chain of prayer and fasting both day and night. In 1996, during a 40-day fast, I actually received this vocational "calling and job description" through the dream of my covenant friend, Chris Berglund. In his dream, a Buddhist house of prayer sat on top of a Christian house of prayer and dominated it. Then, the Christian house began to wrestle with the Buddhist house and began to dominate it. When Chris shared this dream with me, the Lord resoundingly spoke to my spirit, "Raise up a House of Prayer to contend with every other house."

Only a year and a half ago, we rose up such a house. The Lord led me through a series of supernatural circumstances to launch and sustain the Justice House of Prayer in Washington, D.C. to contend for our nation’s destiny. Young people from all around the country have come to Washington in this past year to pray for the end of abortion, for righteous leadership in America, and for the in-break of the Holy Spirit to lead many to His Son. I believe that these young people have played a substantive role by coming alongside the Body of Christ in prayer to precipitate a seismic shift of our nation’s judicial system toward righteousness and justice. I also believe that this is the model by which we will successfully build and raise up our Boston House of Prayer.

Over two decades ago, the Lord spoke to my friend, Mike Bickle, telling him, "I’m going to change the expression and understanding of Christianity in one generation." I believe that the concept of the 24/7 House of Prayer is critical to transforming the expression of Christianity in one generation. I do not believe that the Church has tapped into its full potential through prayer to transform their cities. However, I believe that a new sound is emerging that will test the limitless power from on high that comes through unceasing prayer and fasting.

Now is Boston’s time to raise up a House of Prayer to contend for her destiny of the Third Great Awakening and to close the door to humanism and false ideologies that have come through Harvard and the universities of New England.
Heaven in Harvard
Breakthrough in Boston,

Lou Engle

Kitty O' Shea's Prayer Group

Eleven people met today to pray, including several who had come in the past and one new person visiting with Jim from Nashua, New Hampshire—Gorn “pronounced Yuron” from Sweden.

Jim shared how vision for Boston had developed in his church; and how his desire was to participate in an innovative and unorthodox church plant which would bring new ministry right to where people were. He asked for ongoing prayer as he met with his pastor to work out a way forward.

Hank shared about the visit of his brother with Lou Engle to Cambridge this past weekend, as part of Justice House of Prayer’s focus on bringing down strongholds of intellectualism in universities in Boston. He asked for prayer for them as they sought appropriate accommodation in Cambridge both for prayer as well as living space for interns/ students. The testimony of our visitor from Sweden strengthened the sense that the academic institutions of occupied an important place in European and wider culture and intellectual formation.

We then prayed that the foundations of the city of Boston would be changed, and that this would happen through new streams of God’s work flowing through the city. We asked that we would be able to see God’s will clearly, and not restrict him through our use of old or comfortable patterns. We gave thanks for those called to pray, and prayed for an army of pray-ers to assemble. We prayed that the church in the city would be united in Christ, as the church in Boston, above narrow denominational concerns. And we prayed for love in our hearts to be able to take the necessary steps of faith required of us.

We realized how much all this required waiting on God; and being refreshed and lifted up by him, not becoming anxious or distracted by all the busy-ness of life, and were encouraged that “Those who wait on the Lord will rise up with wings as eagles, they will run and not be weary, they will walk and not faint.” (Isa 40:22).

We left with a renewed sense that “Aslan is on the move” in this city.

JHOP - Boston Space Needed, Feb.25 - Apr. 12

Gregg- as we spoke of in the Upper Room Prayer at Kitty’s today, please pass this message out to the group. Any ideas are invited the desire is to be as close to Harvard Square as possible. My brother Paul is focused on getting this together as quickly as possible. Please feel free to invite folks to send me any options or let me know other people I should contact. It is very exciting to know that JHOP will be coming to Boston to deepen the focused prayer for God’s work.Blessings in Christ ……Hank
Hank, thanks for your help on this one. As you said we will need someone to do us a favor. Thanks for being willing to get the word out. The guy that runs the Harvard properties sounds very interesting. Let me know if you need any more info from me. Our needs are as follows:

1. Immediate: a location to pray and host aprox. 50 students that will sleep at the site. A warehouse, garage, or old store front type location would suffice. we just need a rectangle we can turn into a prayer room. Showers would be great but if none are available we can find other ways to take care of this issue. Dates needed are March 1st to April 9th with 3 days on either end to clean up and prepare. So, Feb.25-Apr. 12.
2. Longer term: Housing for aprox. 25 people long term as close to Harvard as possible. A triple decker type place would work. But the bigger the better since we may need to pray there as well.
3. Longer term: Small office suite with a couple of hard wall offices and a large conference room or open area for prayer. Perhaps up to 2,500 sf would work.

We are already in connection with the Cambridge Vineyard and it does not look like there location will work out at this point.
Thanks Hank......Love you!
Paul ( paul@jhop.org )

Alpha Adapted? Kitty O' Shea's, Monday, Feb 6 @ 5:30pm

Hi all,
If you are interested--or even MIGHT be interested--in having some part with the next Alpha, please meet with us tomorrow night, Monday, Feb 6 at Kitty's at 5:30pm. We're considering all options: a new Alpha-like course from Cambridge Vineyard, a shorter Alpha video made for the workplace, something live, or the standard. Come help us think and pray!

Blessings, Kelly

Is the Pope Catholic?

I recall when Germany's Cardinal Ratzinger was elected to the Papalcy last year, many progressives in my sphere of acquaintance were horrified. Here was a conservative-minded Pope! Was he a man who wouldn't budge on matters of "right to life," "euthanasia," "same sex marriage" or any other twist-of-scripture to suit our modern lifestyles?

Catherine Pepinster's commentary, in the Feb. 4th edition of London's The Guardian, explains Ratzinger has chosen to cut to the heart of the matter in his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (God is love). Here, he celebrates God's unconditional love and human love, including the joyful intimacy of human sexual love, citing the Song of Songs:

"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; for thy love is better than wine." It is a form of love which can lead us to beyond ourselves, and after the first intoxication goes on to the seek the good of the beloved. It is ready for renunciation and sacrifice. It reflects the mystical encounter between humanity and God.

But with a warning against the commodification of sex and the defilement of the human body, reminding us that we were born, instead, for "relationship."

This commodification of sex happens all around us, and is particularly apparent in the treatment of women and their bodies: the number of men using prostitutes is at an all-time high; the trafficking of women from poorer developing and eastern European countries to the west is one of the most dismal growth industries of our time; the female form continues to be exploited to sell goods; the sexiness of a woman remains a priority for onscreen TV work; tabloid papers continue to focus on women's sexual prowess in their promotion of particular celebrities; teenage girls and young women feel under continual pressure to dress in a highly sexual way and be sexual.
Yet while women among themselves express grave disquiet about this, particularly its impact on their daughters, few public figures, other than the Pope, raise their voices in protest.