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.

President Bush sees Third Awakening

From Rich Lowry & Kate Kate O'Beirne's story @ National Review Online, Sep. 12, 2006
The President mentioned that he is struck by the number of people he meets who tell him they are praying for him. He jokingly noted, “Now maybe the only people who pray in America come to my events,” but he wonders if there is evidence of a Third Awakening saying, “It feels like it to me.” He talked about the two constituencies that faithfully supported President Lincoln, noting that he had recently read extensively about the former President and his own policies aren’t based on his insights (nor obviously does he consider himself another Lincoln). Bush explained that Lincoln’s strongest supporters were religious people from the Second Awakening “who saw life in terms of good and evil” and who agreed with Lincoln that slavery was evil, and the Union soldiers who Lincoln had “great affection and admiration for.”

About the current situation, he added, “A lot of people in America see this as a confrontation between good and evil, including me.” He kept coming back to how cultures change, both in America and overseas. “Cultures do change and ideological struggles are won.” “There was a stark change between the culture of the ‘50’s and the 60’s—boom—and I think there’s change happening here.” “It seems to me that there’s a Third Awakening.”

Joseph Ratzinger on the destiny of reason

(Abridged from the 10/2/06 Weekly Standard article, by Lee Harris)

Ratzinger is troubled that most educated people today appear to think that they know what they are talking about, even when they are talking about very difficult things, like reason and faith. Reason, they think, is modern reason. But, as Ratzinger notes, modern reason is a far more limited and narrow concept than the Greek notion of reason. The Greeks felt that they could reason about anything and everything--about the immortality of the soul, metempsychosis, the nature of God, the role of reason in the universe, and so on. Modern reason, from the time of Kant, has repudiated this kind of wild speculative reason. For modern reason, there is no point in even asking such questions, because there is no way of answering them scientifically. Modern reason, after Kant, became identified with what modern science does. Modern science uses mathematics and the empirical method to discover truths about which we can all be certain: Such truths are called scientific truths. It is the business of modern reason to severely limit its activity to the discovery of such truths, and to refrain from pure speculation.

Ratzinger, it must be stressed, has no trouble with the truths revealed by modern science. He welcomes them. He has no argument with Darwin or Einstein or Heisenberg. What disturbs him is the assumption that scientific reason is the only form of reason, and that whatever is not scientifically provable lies outside the universe of reason. According to Ratzinger, the results of this "modern self-limitation of reason" are twofold. First, "the human sciences, such as history, psychology, sociology, and philosophy, attempt to conform themselves to this canon of scientificity." Second, "by its very nature [the scientific] method excludes the question of God, making it appear an unscientific or pre-scientific question."

...Socrates hated the very thought of slavery--slavery to other men, slavery to mere opinions, slavery to fear, slavery to our own low desires, slavery to our own high ambitions. He believed that reason could liberate human beings from these various forms of slavery. Socrates would have protested against the very thought of a God who was delighted by forced conversions, or who was pleased when his worshipers proudly boasted that they were his slaves. He would have fought against those who teach that the universe is an uncaring thing, or who tell us that freedom is an illusion and our mind a phantom. Ultimately, perhaps, Socrates would have seen little to distinguish between those who bow down trembling before an irrational god and those who resign themselves before an utterly indifferent universe.

In his moving and heroic speech, Joseph Ratzinger has chosen to play the part of Socrates, not giving us dogmatic answers, but stinging us with provocative questions. Shall we abandon the lofty and noble conception of reason for which Socrates gave his life? Shall we delude ourselves into thinking that the life of reason can survive without courage and character? Shall we be content with lives we refuse to examine, because such examination requires us to ask questions for which science can give no definite answer? The destiny of reason will be determined by how we in the modern West answer these questions.

Pope Benedict Demands Reciprocity

(abridged from Captains Quarter's Blog, Sep. 26)

Pope Benedict XVI met with envoys from several Muslim nations today, greeting them warmly and emphasizing the need for dialogue between the faiths. He did not offer another apology for his remarks at Regensburg two weeks ago, but he did remind the envoys that they have not fulfilled their responsibilities in ensuring freedom of religious practice for Christians:

Pope Benedict XVI told Muslim diplomats Monday that ''our future'' depends on dialogue between Christians and Muslims, an attempt to ease relations strained by his recent remarks about Islam and violence.

The pontiff quoted from his predecessor, John Paul II, who had close relations with the Muslim world, when he described the need for ''reciprocity in all fields,'' including religious freedom. Benedict spoke in French to a roomful of diplomats from 21 countries and the Arab League in his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo in the Alban Hills near Rome.

After his five-minute speech in a salon in the papal palace, Benedict greeted each envoy individually, clasping their hands warmly and chatting for a few moments with every one.

''The circumstances which have given risen to our gathering are well known,'' Benedict said, referring to his remarks on Islam in a Sept. 12 speech at Regensburg, Germany. He did not address those remarks at length. ...

Benedict cited John Paul II's statement that ''Respect and dialogue require reciprocity in all spheres,'' particularly religious freedom, a major issue for the Vatican in Saudi Arabia and other countries where non-Muslims cannot worship openly.

Defending reason, from David Warren online

There is more, far more, to be said about Pope Benedict’s speech at Universität Regensburg last week. It was an important statement, not only for Catholics. But what he said has almost dissolved in the international fracas over a quotation of a quotation, taken maliciously out of context. The Pope was speaking about the ground rules for “dialogue”, not only between Muslims and Catholics. He was saying that Reason -- let’s give that a capital letter -- was the only ground on which we could discuss anything, since in matters of Faith, we are bound to disagree. But even our respective beliefs may be examined in the light of reason, and must be, if our dialogue is not to be a sham, an imposture, a dissemblance, a cheat.

The first thing is to note that the speech was only obliquely about Islam. Angry Muslims who think it was all about them have been badly misinformed. The Pope was addressing the intellectuals of the West, through a fine old institution of higher education where he used to teach. He was offering a “Selbstkritik der modernen Vernunft” -- a critique “from within” of modern reason. He was very careful to take no article of Catholic faith for granted, to play by the rules of strict reason...

Tolerance applies only to persons, but never to truth…or principals. About these things we must be intolerant…right is right if nobody is right; and wrong is wrong if everybody is wrong. And in this day and age we need not a church that is right when the world is right, but a church that is right when the world is wrong.

-Bishop Fulton Sheen

-more-

Kitty O'Shea's Prayer Group - August 28, 2006

Seven regulars, including newly passed Dr Madden, gathered at Kitty’s to pray today together with Matt who had visited once before.

We shared various needs since several arrived feeling beleaguered for various reasons; and impressions, including Sam’s from recent evangelization in Chinatown that people there were:

• Often aware of Christ and his claims; but had felt hurt or rejected by the church, and had left it; and/or
• Were able to rationalize to themselves their involvement in questionable and sinful activities.

Kelly read from Scripture of “not growing weary of doing good”; and of the armor of God, in which, having done all, we stand.

In prayer, we sought to lead our way into warfare with praise. We were grateful for Kelly’s successful defence; and for the various ways in which God was at work in and around us. We acknowledged the broken covenants which surround us in our society—through failed marriages, lapsed Christians and churches. In the spirit of Isaiah who saw Jerusalem as beautiful and bedecked in jewels, even while she was ruined and broken during the exile, we prayed for the city of Boston—that God would remove the spiritual ‘refuse’ of brokenness and unforgiven sin which is piled high in her streets. This was as true for Chinatown as for the city as a whole. We prayed for the church as a whole; and for workers to be sent into the ‘fields white for harvest’.

We also prayed for Kitty O’Sheas—that it would experience and know God’s blessing; such that in years to come, we could look back to the time when it was a place for alcoholic spirits but became a place for God’s spirit.

We continued to pray for trouble spots in the wider world, including Afganistan, Uzbekistan, and southern Lebanon. We remembered missionaries we knew who were in, or shortly to be in, Africa.

We also remembered personal needs including:

• Joanna’s work situation;
• The marriage of Hank’s friend Tim;
• Andrea’s new situation of misunderstanding in the workplace.

We asked that all would sense God’s hand in and through circumstances, so that they would be alert to his signals where change was needed; and that they would receive clear confirmation of what God is saying.

-D. Porteous

This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice!

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

It's time to share what happened Friday evening, August 4th , during the weekly healing service at Gateway Christian Fellowship in New Haven, Connecticut. Before I do (and before you do), heed the timely word of caution that my co-steward of the Boston Noon Hour, Alex Canavan, had for me. Resist the temptation to amplify or embellish, or try to make anything happen next. As Oswald Chambers so wisely advised in My Utmost for His Highest, sit under the inspiration of the vision, and wait for the Lord to do whatever He is going to do.

Saturday, I drove down to Gateway, to interview Pastor Brian Simmons about what had happened in his church. He'd been in Europe at the time, but one of his associate pastors was present, along with about 75 regulars. Pastor Brian put it in perspective. Last fall, Dutch Sheets had a prophetic dream. In it, he was preaching at Gateway, and God was giving him a three-point sermon: Miracles are coming to this house. They are coming through covenant. Baptize them into the miraculous. And the miracle that would presage the Awakening would come to a young person at Gateway.

Dutch called Chuck Pierce, his friend and fellow prophet, with whom he'd traveled to all fifty states in the past year's two forerunners telling of the imminent Awakening. He related the dream to Chuck, because he was in it, too, there at the church in New Haven with Dutch. The dream witnessed to Chuck, who recalled that several months earlier, God had told him that the coming year [2006] would be His year for New England. When you see the weather change in winter and the sixty-mile-per-hour winds, you will know that the Awakening wind is come to New England.

Dutch contacted Gateway's pastors, Brian and Candy Simmons, who invited him and Chuck to come share with their congregation. They arrived on January 19th the day after a storm front had roared through New Haven with unprecedented force. The headline in the Register that morning was "BLOWN AWAY!", with the story reporting record-setting 69-mile-per-hour winds.

I remembered hearing a CD of what Dutch had shared with his own congregation back in Colorado Springs, about his visit to New Haven. Lord, he'd asked God at Gateway, why this church? Because of the name. Years ago He had told Dutch: You must turn the prayer movement toward the northeast. You must get the northeast gate open. It is the womb of the nation, and until the womb is open, I cannot birth what I want to birth for the rest of the nation. The beginnings of what I do will start in the northeast .

Then he'd asked the Lord, why this city? Brian had helped him there. New Haven (or New Heaven) was founded by two men who'd come with a dream to build a covenant city, patterned after the Tabernacle. They had covenanted with God, with one another, and with all who'd gone before them. And now Dutch understood what God had meant in his dream sermon, when He said the miracles were coming through covenant.

So what exactly happened? I interviewed Shelli Baker, an evangelist from Branson, Missouri, with a heart for revival, who had led the healing service at Gateway on Friday, August 4th. Having been at the Benny Hinn services at Boston Garden the previous Thursday and Friday, she and her team dared to pray that God would bless their service at Gateway with as strong a healing anointing as He had the Garden.

Apparently He did. When she prayed for individuals, her hands were so hot that it felt like she had curling irons for fingers. The last person she prayed for was a young man who had been a regular at Gateway for several years. He was well known to the congregation and to Shelli, as he had been brought by a friend to previous healing services she had led there. He had a sweet spirit, but he was a deaf mute, who communicated by writing on a notepad. He had been deaf and dumb since his birth, 21 years before.

In her heart, Shelli heard God's direction. She was to put her fingers into the young man's ears. When she did, the young man recoiled, as if he'd received an electric shock. Grabbing his notepad from his friend, he scribbled, "Fire in my neck!"God then told Shelli to command the ears to open. When she did, the left one opened. The congregation crowded in closer.

Now God told her to do what Jesus had done: Cast out the dumb and deaf spirit, a spirit of infirmity. [Mark 9:25, Luke 13:11] She did. (Later the young man reported that at that moment he saw the devil leaving the building and angels come in.)

God told Shelli to put her hand on the young man's throat and command it to open. She did. The young man uttered a high-pitched guttural sound as the first sound he'd ever made. Then, syllable by syllable, she led him in pronouncing his first word: Hal - le - lu - jah!

The congregation went wild with joy. But God was not finished; the right ear was still closed. Now Shelli explained that everything had begun when God said, "Let there be light." Or in Hebrew, simply, "Light: be!" She asked the congregation to join with her in praying "Hearing: be!" Over and over they cried it in unison, ever louder, until the young man's right ear opened.

The congregation was ecstatic. It took a long time for things to calm down, but eventually the people went home, rejoicing. Only a few lingered in the hospitality room, one of whom was the young man. He pointed to Shellia's harp, wanting her to play it. He'd seen her, but never heard her. She agreed, and as she played, the Lord filled the young man with His Spirit, and he began to sing with her in a new prayer language on key, with perfect pitch.

Thats what happened. In my heart God seemed to confirm that it was the beginning of the public events of the Awakening that would become the greatest outpouring of His Spirit since the Day of Pentecost. As you have been telling others, you will now be so busy you will not have time to listen to anything but me, read anything but my Word, do anything but what I specifically call you to do.

Then today is the day?

This is the day that I have made, and you will rejoice and be glad in it.

-David Manuel

Kitty O'Shea's Prayer Group - August 14, 2006

Six regulars gathered at Kitty’s to pray today.

Several of us came bearing Scriptures and a sense of how God was speaking to us through them:

• Dick mentioned 2 Chronicles 7:14, which has been a motif for the Tremont Temple Noon Hour Prayer: if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. He also spoke highly of the Tremont gatherings and recommended David Manuel’s latest book (2004).

• Andrea brought the verse Deuteronomy 4:29 from a church retreat the previous weekend: “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” This was an encouragement that God was not to be found in the temple alone, as before, but was accessible to all committed seekers.
• David had been encouraged through reading Walter Bruegemann’s book Hopeful Imagination, about the prophets of exile and homecoming—Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah. In the midst of enormous turmoil, which resulted in the destruction of Judah and Judaism as then known, they spoke words of hope, such as Isaiah 54:1: "Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband," says the LORD.” Here, the prophet Isaiah drew on the memory of the exiles (from the story of Sara & Abraham) to call into being fresh hope of new life and homecoming for them. He felt encouraged to remember other times of being ‘pregnant’ with a word God had spoken, which had then come to pass; and to have now the same joyful certainty that God was at work in Boston and in our lives.

We also discussed for a while how God seems to use certain places repeatedly in history (such as maybe Tremont Temple and Park Street Church again now) versus his doing something ‘new’. We noted that ‘newness’ for Judah in 6^th Century BC meant uprooting and destruction of life as they knew it, but was followed by the promise of homecoming through the prophets, for the people who heard it as Judah collapsed.

In prayer, we asked to hear God’s voice amid all the competing voices seeking to make sense of our times, that we might pray and respond widely to them. We prayed that the Boston business community might not be left out of God’s work as the result of busy-ness or pride, but that they hear his voice and co-operate. We also prayed for peace in the Middle east, and especially Lebanon & Israel, remembering victims of the violence, and asking for change of heart in the war makers. We asked that God would be glorified in the midst of all the tough circumstances there.

David shared his sense during prayer that, rather than being pregnant with God’s word in Boston, the spiritual birth of revival or of God’s newness had already happened here: we were living in times akin to those between the birth of Jesus, heralded in the spiritual realms by scores of angels and on earth by only a few shepherds and wise men, and the time when he emerged (after some 30 years or so) into public ministry for a short period, which changed the world. We prayed that we would be wise watch-people, looking for the signs of God’s emergence and preparing ourselves and others for that time, whenever that might be and however that might happen.

We also remembered to pray for:

• Dick’s lunch with Matthew, for whom we have prayed before, on Thursday;
• K.’s dissertation defense next Monday; and
• Afterwards, J. asked for prayer as she followed up with a call this week to her recent job interviewer.

-D. Porteus

Kitty O'Shea's Prayer Group - August 7, 2006

Five regulars gathered at Kitty’s to pray today, joined by L. who had visited before.

Among the updates, we discussed how easily fear can become pervasive—noting that healthy, reverent fear of God is a positive thing, which has characterized many revivals; but that Jesus often said "Fear not", when addressing his disciples and others who, like us, could easily be frightened, including by his appearance. Fear was not something to dismiss as simply being an attack of the Devil, since it could shake ungodly confidence and lead people to God.

B. shared his recent encouragement through reading Katherine Marshall to dream big—with God’s invitation and encouragement.

In prayer, we expressed gratitude for the many opportunities which had been given us in this city. We prayed for deep fruitfulness in our lives, and boldness to match, with a full recognition of how our feet were planted on the Rock. We prayed for two girls, who were drawn by the games console near the new prayer corner in Kitty’s and who were playing as we prayed. We prayed too for Kitty O’Sheas and asked God’s blessing on the place and all its customers.


We continued to pray for the Middle East, praying against all warmongers and all those who use God’s name in vain there, and for real peace in the region under its true King.

Among individual prayer foci, we:
Prayed for S’s upcoming medical checkup—that the last vertebra would have been fully fused;
Discussed the changes coming at Freedom and Destiny street evangelism ministries which is now without a coordinator;
Remembered J’s friend Matt; and
Asked that God would give wisdom to J, and open new doors for her, following the positive job interview last week.

-D. Porteous

Kitty O'Shea's Prayer Group - July 31, 2006

Eight regulars gathered at Kitty’s to pray today, joined by Martha.
We gathered with news to share:

Of M’s short term mission trips to New Mexico; of a new job interview for J; and news of last week’s Tremont temple gathering which was filmed by PBS.

We went to prayer, recognizing that a large part of the purpose of our gatherings is to listen and hear through each of us what is on the Father’s heart. D brought the story of someone whom he had seen that morning, watering the sidewalk with a watering can. This led to prayers that God would reveal to each of us where we were wasting our energy and focus; and that he would direct us to where to sow and water. We prayed for fruitfulness in our work, to counter in part the selfishness of those who give up working simply because they don’t need the money to live. We also asked for wisdom to know when to move and when to go.

However, we also remembered the vivid ministry of Old Testament prophets who prophesied using strange actions and even performances to underline their message. We prayed that the watering of the sidewalk would be prophetic of God’s work in bringing fresh water to hard and dry places, like people’s hearts in the city, which he alone can break open, heal and touch. We asked to be faithful in our own ministry in the market place to those around us, trusting God for the outcomes but being change agents ourselves.

We prayed too for the various ministries touching Boston at this time:
For the aftermath and follow up to the Benny Hinn meetings; and
For Park Street and Tremont Temple, as two churches at the centre of the city geographically and also spiritually in many ways.

We remembered the war in the Middle East, praying for Israel, and for the victims of the recent violence on all sides.

Among individual prayer foci, we:
Prayed for the family to whom M had ministered on the mission’s trip;
Remembered J’s brother, currently in Italy; and
Gave thanks for D’s clean bill of health after a recent health scare.

-D. Porteous

Lincolnshire (UK) Police enlist the power of prayer

By Ruth Gledhill

Police in Lincolnshire are turning to prayer in their latest efforts to tackle crime. The force is asking churchgoers to concentrate their prayers on crimes such as burglaries and violent attacks.

The Prayer Watch scheme, a spiritual version of Neighbourhood Watch, has been proposed by members of the Lincolnshire branch of the Christian Police Association. The plan is for the police to e-mail churches and Christian groups with details of specific crimes, which worshippers can then focus on in their prayers.

Dick Holmes, a police spokesman, said the project is designed to encourage communities to keep an eye on the churches themselves. “They are prime targets for thieves and vandals and there have been well-publicised spates of trouble across the county.

“Obviously there is the spiritual element which lets communities know about specific incidents in their area so they can focus their prayers on them if they wish.”

So - what happened?

So what happened when Benny Hinn came to town? History will settle it out, but it may not be premature to make a couple of observations. For two nights, some 18,000 people (I forgot to count the 2,000 chairs set up on the floor of Boston Garden) experienced a joy and a unity which many had not thought possible. And there were two major new cracks in the egg containing an eaglet called Awakening.

Alex said it was the greatest expression of unity he's experienced in forty years of ministry. Ditto. I've been writing about what goes on in the Body of Christ for nearly that long. I was at the Kansas City Charismatic Conference, the first Washington for Jesus, and Promise-Keepers "Stand in the Gap." What we experienced at the Garden belongs on the same shelf with those events.

Curiously (but not surprisingly) there was no mention in the Boston Globe. In Sunday's Ideas section, there was a front-page article on the abortion-rights movement rediscovering religion, but not an inch on what happened at the Garden.

It is reminiscent of New York City in the fall of 1857. Jeremiah Lanphier's Wednesday Noon prayer hour had become an underground phenomenon. His church, "Old North Dutch, could not hold all the people who came to pray. Neither could all the other churches in lower Manhattan" or the firehouses and police stations, the restaurants and theaters.

Word reached the uptown editorial offices of that city's two great newspapers: Something extraordinary was going on downtown. "Nonsense!" scoffed James Gordon Bennett of the Herald. "If it was news, we would have heard about it!" His arch-rival, Horace Greeley of the Tribune, had exactly the same response.

Nevertheless, on the remote chance that something might be going on, they each sent their best man to cover it. When their ace reporters came back born-again and praising God, the astonished editors realized something significant was afoot. They began to cover it, and word began to spread of the Great Prayer Revival of 1857, which eventually went around the world and sparked revivals in both the Union and Confederate Armies.

When the one who controls secular media does not like a newsworthy event, he renders it a non-event by withholding coverage. That happened in Washington in 1980. Other than couple of photos of bizarre fringe elements and two column-inches of copy, the Washington Post ignored the fact that a family event of epic proportions had taken place on the Mall. But other newspapers did cover it, and the further west one got, the wider and deeper the coverage.

Twenty-six years later, there are many more vehicles to get the word out: ipods, live-streaming video, Christian radio and television networks, email, and the Internet itself. All who should know, will know.

So pass the good news on and keep an eye on that egg in Boston....

-David Manuel