In the flood waters

Today was another glorious Noon hour -- another foretaste of the Awakening. I know I keep saying that, but if you think it's exaggeration, ask any of the 50 who were there today. Even better, come next week!

The best part, of course, was God's Presence, which was with us from the beginning. We did not have to invite Him. We did not have to plead for Him to come. When we got there, He was already so there (as our young members might put it) that we even laughed about it.

And as last week, there was a sense of expectation, of imminence. Which He encouraged.

Prepare to shout for joy.

Prepare to shout in exultation.

For the glory of the Lord will be here,

Sooner than you imagine.

Shouting and praising and weeping,

Come to me,

For I am coming to you

With more glory than you have ever seen.

After the hour was over, and the benediction was spoken (by first-time visitor Reggie who came all the way from Maine), hardly anyone left. We just wanted to linger in His Presence. I began to wonder if maybe the first preliminary wave of the Revival had already come ashore. He did seem to indicate that in a word to Kathy, one of our regulars, who sent it to me earlier in the week:

I woke up with the words: I am commandeering my churches. It is a matter of conscience. . . . At that point I came fully awake, ad He continued to give this word to me: The wave I have sent is a wave in which to soak. What I have started, only I can complete. Some will walk away at this time. . . . Just as when I told my followers: you must eat of my flesh, to have life in you. The teaching was too strange, too difficult to understand. Many walked away. But those I had chosen, remained. They knew that there was no other way.

There is no other way today, than the one I have chosen. If you will be humble and reject your understanding, you will receive my understanding. The waters of this first wave are flood waters that will tap into the wellsprings of salvation. Waters from deep ancient wells beneath your feet will rise to the surface. At first, there will be an oozing, and then, a gushing. Do not strike my rock again, in impatience. The gushing will come!

* * *

For those who would like to be on intimate terms with God, able to hear Him speak to you in your own heart, the next Hearing His Voice workshop will be on Saturday, the 28^th , from 10:00 till 3:00, in the little chapel at Tremont Temple. While He may not call you to be a prophet, He is calling you to hear Him, as His prophets do. These are prophetic times, for a prophetic people. If He would have you join us, you know who would not have you there, so. . . . beware of sudden obstructions, and take a moment now to send me an email.

-David Manuel

Master Surgeon

Last Wednesday, we had another wonderful Noon Hour. And each week, as the hour progresses, His Presence grows stronger. Now at the end of the hour, we are beginning to experience miracles, and each week one or two come into the fullness of the Holy Spirit. If you think that's speaking evangelistically, ask anyone who's been recently. Better yet, come and see for yourself.

Several of us are now receiving words of encouragement from the Lord.

My faithful watchers on the wall, Your hearts continue to please me. You have been patient, when strongly tempted to impatience or indifference. You have been steadfast in your love for me, whether in season or out, convenient or inconvenient, in stormy weather or sunny climes.

You have received my love, and you have freely given my love. Know that you have delighted my heart, and for this reason, what I am about to do in Boston will be centered here and a few other places. You are my foundation stones, well placed and well laid, and on your love will I build my Awakening.

That word was confirmed by Lois, a first-time visitor from another prayer fellowship, who declared we do not have much time, and we must prepare our hearts for the first layer of the Joel 2 Anointing. We also had five visitors from a prayer fellowship that meets on Mondays. We hold them up in prayer each Wednesday, just as we do the Revere men's prayer group that meets at Noon on Wednesdays, and as they do us. In fact, praying for one another's prayer groups, attending one another's events, spreading the word of each other's initiatives all of this is part of God's new pattern (and so different from what has happened in the past).

And it's happening everywhere. Bob Weiner's wife Rose says that they, too, are experiencing miracles. She's asked me to come pray with them this Sunday evening in the Longfellow Room of the Charles Hotel at 7:00 an invitation I extend to all of you. And Tatsuo, a Japanese-American evangelist on the West Coast called a moment ago, to say that God is starting to do the same things there that He is doing here. He knows this, because he shares these updates with his prayer groups there, where God is striking the same chords.

More grist for the mill: last week Rose sent me a prophecy from Hope Reeder in North Carolina, that pretty much confirms everything that God has told a number of us He's about to do in New England. Many of you have already seen and passed along that prophecy, but in case you haven't seen it, it's attached.

One thing is becoming increasingly apparent: God expects all of us who love Him, to hear Him in our hearts with the same confidence and clarity that His prophets do. Regarding that, a number of you have asked when there will be another Hearing His Voice workshop at Tremont Temple. I'm happy to announce that the next one will be on April 28th, a week from this coming Saturday, from 10:00 until 3:00 in the little chapel. If you're interested, drop me an email.

Many of you have asked about Alex. In meeting with him recently, his surgeon could not have been less optimistic. And yet, the Master Surgeon, who met with him this morning, could be more encouraging! Here is what He told Alex: I know that you are not anxious about the status of your healing (a gift from heaven), but my grace has strengthened you to yield more fully to my gift of faith, as expressed in the now.

As I said to Martha just before I raised Lazarus from the dead, I now say to you, my son, regarding your full restoration of health: "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God? "It shall come to pass, my son, that the word I spoke to you recently has come to pass: This disease has not been given to you for your demise, but for the sharing forth of my glory." (John 11)

-David Manuel

Minutemen of God

We had an extraordinary Noon Hour yesterday. The presence of the Lord was so strong, we thought the building wave of the Awakening might finally be ready to break.

Kathy received a word which witnessed to many hearts present:

My children, I am calling you to be my Minutemen today. You must be prepared to take up your arms at a moment's notice. Like the Minutemen of old, you will be both farmers and warriors. You will be farmers, sowing and reaping the Great Harvest. You will be my soldiers, wielding the weapons of the Spirit. Your ammunition will be my love, and my mercy. I will take some of you into my War Room, into my counsel, and I will show you my battle plans. Others will be called into the Throne Room, for I tell you, the fragrance of this battle will not be gunpowder but the incense of worship. I have stationed watchers to see my signal light. The time for the midnight ride is here. The enemy is entrenched in the land, but the Spirit of the Lord comes in by the sea. The Living Waters of my Spirit will rush upon this land and will overtake the enemy. Be alert, be ready, Minutemen of God! Make ready for battle!"

Towards the end of the hour, Bethany Yeo, the young leader of the Justice House of Prayer in Boston, stirred our hearts with her battle call to prayer. Reminding us of Dutch Sheets' prophecy, she declared that Massachusetts was the spiritual birthplace of the nation. What is birthed here, will be birthed throughout America. And what is allowed to die here, will die everywhere else.

Then she shared the dream of one of her young prayer warriors. In the dream Goliath was coming up a hill that overlooked the city of Boston. Several of his lieutenants were with him. As they reached the top of the hill, the giant chuckled and spread his arm out in a gesture that took in all they surveyed. "This city was supposed to be the wellspring of the Revival. . ." and he just laughed.

The boy woke up then and Bethany said that God had awakened him before the end of the dream, because we can still affect its outcome. We cannot grow weary. We cannot turn away in discouragement or despair. We are soldiers of the Cross, and we will pray, pray, pray as long as it takes! And we will have the victory!

I was stunned. Last Sunday, I'd been led to preach on Goliath, having not thought of him in years.

For each of us, the giant down there in the valley represents our worst fear. Every morning and evening we listen to him taunting us, mocking the army of the Living God, cursing us by his own gods. And he will keep it up, until we go down there and shut him up.

In his inaugural address three months after Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt reminded his countrymen that the only thing we had to fear was fear itself. That is as true today, as it was in 1942.

At God's prompting, I've had to confront my own worst fear: death. Not a normal or anticipated death, for which I can be prayed up and ready to go home, whenever He calls me. Nor a sudden, accidental death, in which there is brief flash of pain before joining Him.

My greatest fear is a martyr's death deliberately cruel and prolonged, extraordinarily painful, and wholly out of my control. The sort of death some of us might actually have to face in the darkest of the dark times ahead.

Offered the choice of recanting my faith to save myself, I would have to refuse and face the lion, in whatever form it took.

A few years ago, in Kenya on the Masi Mara, I marveled at the world the way God made it, before man messed things up. I bonded with a pride of lions, spending several days just hanging with them. For those unable to go, The Lion King gets it right. The only part about the Circle of Life I wasn't comfortable with was the kill when the lions pull down a wildebeest or a zebra. Being a writer, I identified with the stricken animal.

I asked God about that, and in the Nairobi airport awaiting the flight home, He provided the answer. In an article in a travel magazine, a South African naturalist explained that the moment the predator's claws sink into the prey, the latter goes into complete shock and does not feel a thing that is being done to it. I marveled at God's infinite mercy.

Christians in the Coliseum, about to be forced out into the arena where roaring lions prowled about, seeking whom they might devour, had the same fear. Transparent with one another, they did not hide it, but shared it. They agreed to a signal: whoever went out first, when the lions struck them, if there was no pain they would sing, so their brothers and sisters would know. That was how it was, and that was why the next batch of Christians went out singing, even before the lions reached them.

When I shared that last Sunday, someone pointed out a piece in the Berkshire Eagle that very morning. In his 1857 book, Missionary Travels, Dr. David Livingstone, the renowned Scottish explorer, described what it felt like to be attacked by an African lion, which was eventually scared off by a friend firing a gun. "Growling horribly close to my ear, he shook me as a terrier does a rat. The shock produced a stupor similar to that which seems to be felt by a mouse after the first shake of the cat. It caused a sort of dreaminess, in which there was no sense of pain nor feeling of terror, though [I was] quite conscious of all that was happening."

That explained how martyrs could face hideous deaths with such sublimity. William Tyndale, burned at the stake for having translated the Bible into English, preached for four hours, as more and more wood was piled on the fire. Jean Brobeuf, burned at the stake by the Iroquois, praised God and shouted out encouragement to other captives for so long that his awed tormentors ate his heart in the hope of consuming his courage.

For me, the enemy's ultimate intimidation was martyrdom gruesome torture followed by an agonizing death. Because if, God forbid, I am called to go through such an ordeal, His mercy will be instant, total, and eternal. And consider this: any man or woman unafraid of death, cannot be intimidated.

God had a word for us last Sunday:

My children, I have been training you as an army of spiritual warriors who have the quiet confidence to face any giant the other one puts before you. Heed not his taunts. Quail not at the length of his spear or the weight of its tip. Do not think to cover yourself in the world's armor. Though others see you as a stripling, I have already preserved you from the paw of the lion and the bear. When they came for your sheep, I filled you with righteous anger and guided the stone from your sling. You felled them, as you will the giant. Because you know the battle is not yours, but mine. You are the army of the Living God, and you are in close fellowship with me.

-David Manuel

Nineveh & Boston

In all things spiritual (and many things temporal, too, it seems), God is teaching us patience. It is not an easy lesson to learn, and a lot of us are having to learn it..

Alex will soon be done his chemo and radiation. Thanks to your prayers, he has come through both procedures at the top of the charts. But he still has cancer. And recently God reminded him (and us) that while He will heal Alex totally and completely, it will be a long process.

Through prayer Marilou received a miraculous healing; for the first time in months, her hips are in alignment, and she can walk without a limp. But she is still in pain, and still has two steel rods holding her spine straight. Kris is fighting a long uphill battle to preserve the sanctity of traditional marriage in Massachusetts, aware that the enemy is attacking the family unit, the foundation stone of God's social order. It is a battle being waged in the Heavenlies, which requires wave after wave of sustained prayer. We cannot stop praying, no matter how weary we are.

Shelli is also fighting an uphill battle, as she raises awareness and support for CUFI's Night to Honor Israel, the black-tie event at the Statehouse, on the night of May 13. She has experienced mini-miracles, but none of the magic-wand, now-your-troubles-are-over variety.

God could do instant, transformational miracles, if He chose. Yet in many of our lives, He is choosing not to. What we hoped would be a dash, has turned out to be a marathon. And we have no choice but to heed Paul's advice and run with patience the race He has set before us. [Heb. 12:1]

Why is everything, including the Revival, taking so long? He is building stay-the-course endurance into us, the true grit we will need to finish the race, breast the tape, and gain the prize. Because when the cresting wave of Revival finally breaks, there will be no rest, no time to enjoy the laurel crown. The new course will be already set before us, and He will be beckoning us to the starting line.

It is coming. At the last Noon Hour, Dick heard in his heart: My people, your prayers for Boston have ascended to my throne. Like Nineveh, I will turn Boston back to me. But unlike Jonah, my servant, you are interceding for Boston. I hear, and I will bring Revival to Boston.

-David Manuel

Alex Update from David Manuel

As you know, last December, my co-steward of the Boston Noon Hour, Alex Canavan, was diagnosed with colon cancer. As it had recurred for the third time in the same place, the prognosis could not have been less promising.

We went into prayer. You prayed, we prayed, Alex prayed, we all prayed often with the laying on of hands.

From the beginning, Alex's faith never wavered; in fact, the further he went into the shadow valley, the firmer his faith became. God had told him, as He had told a number of us, that He was going to heal Alex, though it would be a long process.

When he went in for surgery at Mass General, the surgeon discovered that it was far worse than anticipated. There was a mass behind his sacrum at the base of his spine, where it had been hidden for years from the CAT scans. The doctors decided to shrink it as much as possible with focused radiation.

At the next Noon Hour, while Alex was in hospital, we came against the cancer with spiritual radiation, focusing with our prayers on all aspects of his healing. At the end of the hour, God gave me a word which I shrank back from declaring. It was too explicit, too extreme. But I checked it with Basil, who had gotten the same word.

So with more holy boldness than I really felt, I declared that Alex would be totally and completely healed, and that his healing would be one of many miracles associated with what God was about to do in Boston. Afterwards, Dick O came up to me and said that if I hadn't declared that word, he would have. Because he'd been given the exact same word.

Last Wednesday Alex attended the Noon Hour. He looked good and felt great. Leading the worship with gusto and exuberance, he was the old Alex and then some. But that night, the bleeding from his rectum, which had gone on for weeks, built to a crescendo. He was up all night with the heavy bleeding which continued into the morning. Though he refused to dwell on it, he began to wonder if this was the beginning of the end.

Later in the morning he got a call from an old friend out in Seattle, Ronnie Svenhards, whom he had not seen or heard from, since they were together at the world convention of the Full Gospel Businessmen's Fellowship International fourteen years ago. Ronnie, who had been International Vice President of the FGBMFI, when Alex was an International Director, had learned of Alex's condition from Diane Scott, executive secretary to Demos Shakarian, the late founder of FGBFMI. She did not tell Ronnie the nature or location of Alex's cancer, only that it was life-threatening.

As Ronnie went into prayer for Alex, the Lord abruptly directed him to Mark 5:25-34 the account of the woman with the issue of blood, who had been suffering from it for twelve years. The moment she touched the hem of Jesus' garment, she was healed. After Ronnie finished reading it, the Lord told him to call Alex and tell him that the Lord was giving Alex that Scripture as a gift.

Alex thanked Ronnie, but several hours passed before he realized that he was no longer bleeding. Not a drop. It has not recurred and it has been six days.

Wisdom might dictate keeping silent for a season. Let's make sure the bleeding really has stopped. We don't want to get everyone's hopes up, only to have them dashed. Besides, if you hold up Alex as an example of God's miraculous healing power, you're only inviting the devil to take him down. And don't go overboard prophesying complete healing for him. If he dies, you'll look like a fool.

But that would be conventional wisdom. What we're dealing with here, and have been from the beginning, is highly unconventional wisdom. Supernatural wisdom. If Alex and I had been careful, if we had heeded the counsel of cautious friends, we would never have started the Noon Hour. What could be more ridiculous than to think that in the stressed-out marketplace, anyone would have time to give an hour in the middle of their busy day in the middle of the work week, to just come and pray.

Speaking for myself, I've already burned all my bridges behind me. If I turn out to be a false prophet, it will be a relief. (Nobody in their right mind would want to be a prophet.) Meantime, we'll just keep on keeping on. Here's what I heard in my heart, as I asked the Lord about all of this:

I want you to proclaim this far and wide. It is only part of the healing I am doing in your brother Alex, but it is an important part.

Should I put it out in an update?

Absolutely. Write with economy. Let the story tell itself, and I will do the highlighting, as each one reads it.

Grace me, Father. Do you have a word for the Noon Hour?

I do.

My children, gather close, for the time is drawing close. You have seen my hand on Alex. Soon you will soon see it on all of you. Not one heart that enters my temple on Wednesday will leave untouched.

Open your hearts to me, and from my heart I will give you more love than you have ever experienced. When you fell in love with me at the beginning of our walk together, you experienced a sense of awe and wonder, that the Creator of the Universe could care so much for one of His creations.

You are about to experience it again.

-David Manuel

A Shi'ite Muslim tells of Jesus appearing to him

We had an extraordinary event at the Noon Hour yesterday, thanks to a divine miscommunication and the kindness of Bob Weiner's wife Rose who shares his burden and ours for the coming Awakening in Boston. We heard the testimony of a Shi'ate Muslim from Iran, to whom Jesus appeared, and who, faced this supernatural but unshakable reality, gave his heart to Him.

We've all heard the stories "little more than rumors" of Jesus appearing to Muslims throughout the Middle East. We hoped they were true; our hearts told us they were. But I had actually met only one eleven years ago in a refugee camp in Croatia. Ruja was a badly-frightened young woman in Mostar at the height of the Bosnian War. On a night when the entire city was reeling under the shelling of Serb gunners on the surrounding mountains, the Lord appeared to her in her room.

She had been a cultural Muslim; she became a vibrant Christian. Kamran Yaraei, the very tall, very humble, very likeable young man who shared his story with us yesterday was no cultural Muslim. From childhood he had known God was real, and he had a deep love for Him. Islam was the only religion he knew, so of devout Muslims he became the most devout. He read the Koran faithfully and prayed five times a day. Year after year he poured out his heart to Allah, who never replied, never gave him the slightest indication that his prayers had been heard. Never returned his love.

Disheartened, Kamran came to America, to Atlanta, to become an actor. As it turned out, his acting coach was a deeply-committed Christian. She started challenging his faith. If he loved God so much, why was he angry at Him? "Because He doesn't love me back!" Maybe you should try praying to Jesus, the Son of God.."That's blasphemy!" Kamran exclaimed. "God is too holy to have a son!" She smiled. "The God I worship could not be more holy, and He does have a Son. Try talking to Him."

So Kamran told Jesus that he didn't believe in Him. But “ if He was whom his coach said He was, then he was willing to be convinced. A little while later, at the urging of his friend, he attended a big church in Atlanta. That Sunday there were several thousand people in the congregation. He was late arriving, so an usher took him to one of the only seats still available in the front row.

Soon the pastor was preaching up a storm, pacing back and forth in front of the congegation. And behind him there was another man, robed, with a rod in His hand. He, too, was walking back and forth. Then He came over to Kamran, touched his heart, and stepped inside of him. Instantly Kamran felt so much love, he could not move. He could not speak. All he could do was weep at the overwhelming love that Jesus had brought with Him. Love was all he had ever wished for from God, and now He had so much, it blew out all his receptors.

The rest of the story is charming and delightful and too long to go into here. (You can check out his website at holyspiritadventures.org.) Last night he spoke at Harvard, in the Law School, to some eighty students of all ethnic backgrounds. They were more than captivated; they were enthralled. He's speaking again at Harvard tomorrow night, and undoubtedly there will be a far greater number attending. Pray for him, as we did yesterday, for the Lord to mightily anoint him, for warrior angels to surround him, that all attempts of the enemy to challenge and disrupt be thwarted, and for God to be glorified.

Other news: Alex was with us and in fine fettle, leading the worship with gusto. Medically his situation has not improved, but he feels great, and his faith is through the roof. Keep praying for him. He has been receiving daily radiation for a week and the chemo starts today.

A number of you have asked about my workshops. Next Thursday and Friday, the 8th and 9th , at Gateway Christian Fellowship in West Haven, Connecticut, I'm doing a two-day distillation of the five-day workshop I lead each summer at Gordon Conwell Seminary (August 6-10 this year). And then on Saturday, the 11th , also at Gateway, I'm leading a day-long hearing God's voice workshop. If your spirit quickens to either (or both) of these, don't do as we so often do, and put off making up your mind till the last possible moment. Last year, so many came to the hearing God workshop that we had to turn people away. So call now to register [203-934-0880]. And remember, if God wants you there, guess who doesn't? Don't let the other one distract you with schedule conflicts and/or last-minute emergencies. A description of each workshop is attached.

Finally, Dick O. heard this in his heart this morning; You noticed how the maturity and strength of those there, are increasing weekly. That will continue until my call for Awakening sounds. You are all readying, although you will never be ready in your own strength. But you will be mighty warriors in My strength. Be still, and know that I am God. Listen to me and pray, pray, pray.

-David Manuel

Kitty O'Shea's Prayer Group - January 22, 2007

Five regulars gathered at Kitty’s to pray today.

After some catchup sharing, S encouraged us with his recent realization that all, even the most hardened, have the propensity to believe, and do in fact believe in something—they just choose to ignore the subject of belief which is trustworthy and true.

As we went to prayer, we asked that we would ourselves exercise our ‘muscles’ of belief and faith, even when we could not see things happening or changing, for example in the longed for revival in Boston. We asked that our ‘dry bones’ would live again.

We also prayed for one another in various needs and circumstances which we had shared at the beginning:

• K—for his team as they meet in Orlando this week
• For the upcoming Africa retreat prior to the National Prayer breakfast
• S —on his upcoming holiday to Costa Rica;
• D—for ongoing wisdom about adopting a third child, even though their decision has been postponed for now, and for wisdom as he considers how to expand his practice/company;
• T—for his work search, including recent promising discussions with Dick’s Carpenters’ Trust, for which we also prayed.

We also remembered to pray for and bless Kitty O Sheas, and held out the prospect that it might one day be filled with pray-ers.

January 19th Praise & Worship Service @ Tremont Temple

An invitation from Roberto Miranda Senior Pastor, Congregación León de Judá and Chairman of Covenant for New England:

Covenant for New England is inviting God's people from all over New England to gather at Tremont Temple on Friday, January 19, 2007 for a service of worship, intercession and proclamation of God’s Word. Our purpose is to continue promoting the unity of God’s people in this region, to clamor for a visitation of the Holy Spirit upon our spiritually dry land, and to continue pressing in toward the renewal of the Church in New England.

In times of dryness and scarcity, God calls us to gather and seek His face, to repent and mourn in the Spirit, and to call for His refreshing rain. In Joel 2:12 He declares:

“Even now, return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.” As we seek Him earnestly and collectively, He promises to respond and pour His blessings upon the land: “Then the Lord will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people. The Lord will reply to them: ‘I am sending you grain, new wine and oil, enough to satisfy you fully.’” (Joel 2:18) There is, of course, a spiritual dimension to this imagery. Grain, wine and oil have always been symbols of the blessings of God’s Spirit, His Word, joy and anointing.

The history of revival shows that when God’s people gather across denominational and geographic lines to seek His face in a sustained way, major blessing takes place. Covenant seeks to be an instrument to facilitate such gatherings in the future. We want to make these gatherings as meaningful and purposeful as possible. We want them to reflect the diversity of Christians in this region. They should be an opportunity for Christians of all denominational backgrounds to be refreshed, inspired and instructed on the dynamics of a Spirit-filled life, a life that is contagious and impacting.

If we covenant together, as God’s regional Church, to seek Him with all our heart until He pours the blessing that He intends, I believe that we will see major change in the spiritual condition of this land.

Please come on Friday, January 19 at 7:30 p.m. to Tremont Temple and invite others. Pray that the Lord will pour out His blessing upon us that evening, and that we will all be refreshed and strengthened.

A note about parking: Limited validated parking is available at One Beacon Street. More reliable parking available at the Boston Common Underground Garage. Enter on Charles Street South. Directions to Tremont Temple

Kitty O'Shea's Prayer Group - January 8, 2007

Five regulars gathered at Kitty’s to pray today, joined by Theo who was originally from Cameroon and had visited the group once before. Andrea noted the frequent connection to Africa which came up in some way in the group; in prayer later, we asked God to reveal whether this had further meaning for any of us.

Kelly shared Jeremiah 29:11 as we went to prayer: For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Kelley also felt a strong assurance of God’s love and acceptance of us all. For David, the future and a hope in Jeremiah linked to Paul’s placement of hope in the context of love in Romans 5:3-5: 3Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

As we pondered on the new year, we prayed for clean hands and pure hearts; and we asked that God enlarge our vision of him as he revealed his will to us. We recalled some of the images and pictures received in prayer last year of dams or levies bursting, and we invited God’s spirit to continue his work in Kittys, in Tremont Temple, Boston and surrounding areas, and to bring more healings.

We also prayed for one another in various needs and circumstances which we had shared at the beginning:

• T—for wisdom in his ongoing job search;
• D—for God’s grace and wisdom as he and his wife continue to work through the question of adopting a child;
• J—grateful for God’s provision and for the recent change in her mother, and praying for protection from a possible work-related health hazard discovered recently;
• K—thankful for provision of new support but seeking further;
• A—considering the implications of changing work circumstances.
• G—grateful for some work-related stability.

We remembered too those regulars who were not present today; and prayed for healing for A from Tremont Temple who has cancer.

A word for Alex - and all of us

Dear friends of the Noon Hour,

Our brother Alex is facing the prospect of major abdominal surgery before the end of the year. So Wednesday, as Basil and I drove to the Noon Hour, we felt the entire hour should be spent raising prayer for him.

It was a glorious time. We took Alex on and prayed the prayers God gave us to pray. The presence of the Lord was so strong, and continued so strong, that a lot of us just hung around together with Him for a good half-hour after the hour was over.

At the end, this word came:

My children, I am pleased with your heartfelt prayers and concern for your brother Alex. I have already begun the healing in him, both in his heart and in his nether regions. I am going to heal him completely and totally, and this will be one of the healing miracles associated with the Awakening I am bringing to Boston. So be of good cheer, and keep your brother in your prayers.

It's not soon anymore; it's already begun. Merry Christmas!

-David Manuel

Feel unloved? It's a lie!

When I awoke this morning, I was weighed down with discouragement. Nothing seemed to be working out. All our prayers, all our efforts -- all seemed in vain.

So I got with the Lord, who reminded me that weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. [Psalm 30:5] That helped. Then He gave me the names of friends with hearts for Revival who felt similarly discouraged, and called me to pray for them, right then, at that moment. That helped more.

Then our friend Madeleine emailed me a picture of the Noon Hour, and that really helped. And then the Lord called me to include here the Word He had given, at the previous Noon Hour -- the perfect antidote to the other's one poisonous lie that nothing you are doing or praying matters.

I love you, each one of you. In the stillness of the night, you will know my love. In the stress of the marketplace, you will know my love. In the suffering you endure for my sake, you will know my love. When the other one would have you believe that I have left you or forsaken you, there shall you suddenly know the depths of my love. So open your hearts right now, and let me fill them to overflowing with my love.

Join us tomorrow. Do your shopping before or after, write that report before or after, make that call before or after, but come -- and receive the greatest present He has to offer: His limitless, unfathomable, surprising love. And you can expect a time of healing right after the Noon Hour, for He seems to be taking us in that direction. Here's a word Alex received two days ago.

But I have come to give life abundantly, first in the preaching of my Gospel that produces eternal life in my people. One of the great signs that the Kingdom of God has drawn near, that salvation is for all who call upon my name, is the healing gifts that I shower upon my people. As I have mentioned before, I am interested in the restoration of the whole person, health to spirit, soul and body.

Need restoring? Come pray with us.

-David Manuel

The story of Squanto & the First Thanksgiving

Sam brought up the story of Squanto on Monday, as an example of the difficulties Christians often face in their walks of faith. Here was a Native American, literally, ripped from the New England shoreline for gain by unscrupulous European merchants, who, through a series of providential meetings, learns English (as well as Spanish), & converts to Christianity (when monks "buy" him, essentially freeing him).

"Estas libre (es-TAS LEE-bray)! You are free." Squanto looked into the clear eyes of this man of God. Though he knew no Spanish, he understood. Over the next few weeks he pieced it together. Their love for Jesus had prompted these Christian brothers to buy Indian slaves and teach them the Christian faith. As the monks nursed him back to health, Squanto began to love this Jesus, too.

Amazingly he makes his way home, only to discover more heartache. His people, including his family had been destroyed from disease. Alone, he found solace in a neighboring Rhode Island-based tribe, lead by Samoset. When the pilgrims arrived 6 months later, he'd been prepared to help these fellow Christians. What Satan meant for evil, the Lord had turned to good.

William Bradford, the colonists' governor, prayed: "Thank You, great God, for the bounty You have supplied to us. Thank You for protecting us in hardship and meeting all our needs. . . ." Towards the end of the long prayer, Squanto was startled to hear his own name. "And thank You for bringing to us the Indian Squanto, your own special instrument to save us from hunger and help us to establish our colony in this new land." Squanto stood proudly. It was a day to remember.

Two Fathers, Two Feasts

Excerpted from Max Lucado's Eye of the Storm:

I drove the family to Grandma’s last night for Thanksgiving. Three hours into the six-hour trip, I realized that I was in a theology lab.

A day with a car full of kids will teach you a lot about God. Transporting a family from one city to another is closely akin to God transporting us from our home to his.

A journey is a journey, whether the destination be the Thanksgiving table or the heavenly one. The fact that my pilgrims were all under the age of seven only enriched my learning experience.

As minutes rolled into hours and our car rolled through the hills, I began to realize that what I was saying to my kids had a familiar ring. I had heard it before—from God. All of a sudden, the car became a classroom. I realized that I was doing for a few hours what God has done for centuries: encouraging travelers who’d rather rest than ride.

I shared the idea with Denalyn. We began to discover similarities between the two journeys. Here are a few we noted.

In order to reach the destination, we have to say no to some requests.

Children have no concept of minutes or miles.

Children can’t envision the reward.

It’s worth it.

As we sat around the table today, no one spoke of the long trip to get here. Yesterday’s challenges were lost in today’s joy.

That’s what Paul meant. God never said that the journey would be easy, but he did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.

Remember this: God may not do what you want, but he will do what is right … and best. He’s the Father of forward motion. Trust him. He will get you home. And the trials of the trip will be lost in the joys of the feast.

Kitty O'Shea's Prayer Group - October 30, 2006

Ten regulars gathered at Kitty’s to pray today.

We met in the week of Halloween, mindful of the shadow cast by all the attention given to occult practices, especially in places like nearby Salem. However, we were encouraged by the news K brought of ministries like the Bridge which sought to use the gifts of the spirit to minister powerfully to people in that area. K’s children had also been encouraged and challenged by powerful prophetic words spoken into their lives during the preceding weekend. Also, we were blessed by M’s account of ministering freedom from oppression to a woman at the Greater Boston Healing Center last week; and A’s reminder from the Psalms of the God who turns the traps of the evil back on themselves.

D pictured the biblical account of the statue of the false Philistine God Dagon falling repeatedly before the ark of the true God (1 Samuel 5). We prayed with him that all would fall at the feet of the true God; and that his covenants would be respected; and that we would make wise and bold use of the authority given us as his people.

We specifically remembered:
That the people of Salem, and especially those drawn to the occult and to that area this week, would know the true prince of Peace, and receive freedom from the Prince of darkness.
That there would be economic alternatives which brought true prosperity to Salem, not based on its reputation.
Law enforcement agencies during the Halloween period.To ask forgiveness for times, like in the witchburnings, when we the church have taken matters into our own hands and not sought God’s word and ways.
J’s friend T who seemed to be taken in by certain practices, and for J as she continued to be a faithful friend to her.
D’s forthcoming work-related presentations over the next two weeks—and his concern that his words would not fall to be ground but be fruitful.

We also gave thanks for:
The woman healed by God through the prayers of M and her colleague
Success at work
The complete healing of D’s eyesight.

Kitty O'Shea's Prayer Group - October 23, 2006

Six regulars, with Ron, gathered at Kitty’s to pray today.

We met, remembering God’s sovereignty over the nations, prompted by S’s encounter with Vietnamese students during street evangelism in Cambridge; and the visit of an Uzbek pastor to Boston on a sabbatical; and over the city of Boston as well. We prayed for these students to be touched by the words on the Vietnamese language tracts which they read; and for the Uzbek pastor as he prepares to return to a nation in which persecution is growing. We prayed too for the forthcoming elections in this nation.

We lifted up the choice of new Police Commissioner in Boston; and again, prayed for Kitty’s, which seemed to be thriving with much noise and activity as we met.

We also gave thanks for:

• D’s successful eye operation;
• Provision in J’s existing work situation;
• The recent retreat with area pastors at which J. spoke;
• K’s children.

We specifically remembered:

• G. in the midst of intense work pressure
• D. who had attended previously
• Provision for K. in his new ministry.