I’M GLAD YOU ASKED…

Q. I was always taught to pray to God, but when you  pray you seem to be talking to Jesus. Who do we pray  to?

A. Almighty God is one Being experienced in 3 “Persons” … Father, Son,  and The Holy Spirit. The theological term for this is the Trinity. We do not have 3 separate Gods, but rather, 3 “Persons” functioning together in perfect harmony. Each is completely God. The Father is God, the Son is God, and The Holy Spirit is God. When we come to faith, God the Father reaches out to us. Jesus accomplishes our salvation. And The Holy Spirit applies it. With that understanding, and because each are uniquely God, it is okay to pray to the Father, or to Jesus, or to The Holy Spirit. I often direct my prayers to Jesus because I like to visualize Him as we “converse.” Ultimately, prayers of believers are to God the Father, in the name of Jesus, and in the power of The Holy Spirit.  (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Pastor Rande Smith, Community Church of Rolling Meadows,IL

CONNECT with Jesus

Let’s face it, life is complex. School, work, family, relationships, finances, health issues, and past experiences. Some days we celebrate, and others are more than we can bear. The beautiful thing is that hope is possible. God is standing right beside us to offer mercy longing to draw us into his loving embrace. He desires to walk with us through this journey of life. 

To deepen any relationship, commitment and time is involved. And what’s beautiful about our relationship with God is that he’s available 24/7!

So where do we begin? Carving out time daily to experience God through reading and reflecting on His Word is a foundational holy habit; this truly characterizes people who walk deeply with God. Some simple steps into this relationship are:

• Read and meditate on God’s Word each day
• Confess in prayer how you really feel, but then thank God for who you are in Christ and His promises to you
• Write down your feelings and insights from reflecting on His Word

Over the next year we invite you to absorb the images and verses, while being challenged by the questions. Review them out loud. Meditate on them. Pray over them. Tell a friend what they mean to you. Look forward to listening to God speak to you!

If you long to experience transformation, to trust and obey God, resist sin, listen to God’s voice. There is no better investment than meditating on the Word of God. “They are not just idle words for you—they are your life...” Deut. 32:47 (NIV)

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Please use our brochure as a prayer guide!

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It Seems To Me . . .

Originally published by the Church Prayer Leaders Network

As we pray through Seek God for the City - -

Lord, remind us that prayer is more than a spiritual discipline and certainly not a "last resort;" it is an essential component of our relationship with you, our savior and our God. A privilege and a joy but also a critical responsibility. A weapon of warfare against your enemy and a tool for blessing for our neighbors and the nations. Today, as multitudes pray in unity, fill us with your Spirit, guide our prayers into agreement with the mind of Christ, and bring forth fruit from those prayers that magnifies and multiplies the glory of God in each of our Jerusalems and Judeas, include our Samarias, and the world. We seek this in the name of the one who did for us what we could not do for ourself; Jesus.

Inner~View #40: Prayer Society Revolutionizes Congregation

Praying Pastor interviewed Pastor David Hoffman ofFoothills Christian Church

• Click on photo for Foothills website
• Click headline for 39 additional "Inner~Views"
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Praying Pastor ~ David, your story is compelling - Tell us how the Lord revealed that "prayer is the single most important activity in the Christian life" ...

Pastor David ~ I had planted a church with my brother and we had been working extremely hard for approximately 7 years with little results. One morning in my devotion I read 1 Corinthians 4:20, “The Kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power.”

It was like a light went on in my spirit. What we needed to be successful for Christ was first and foremost the power of God. I also saw that the Kingdom of God was simply the presence and the power of the King. Where Jesus’ power is His kingdom advances. Without God’s power we really can’t accomplish much (John 15:5). Also, I came to see that if we don’t pray for God’s presence and power in general we’re living without it, we ministering without it. As James said, “You have not because you ask not.” Therefore, pray becomes of utmost importance for any believer.

Praying Pastor ~ You have the heart of a pastor but you ask "why are we failing to win America for Christ?" with the passion of an evangelist. What is the correlation of prayer and our ineffective evangelism?

Pastor David ~ We’ve looked to programs, systems and people to show us how to win the lost, not to God. Each local is different, if we want to win the lost we need to get down our knees and ask God for wisdom on how to do it. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t use ideas that work, only that first we need revelation and vision from God. We need God’s presence and power to show up when we speak to the lost, this happens when we pray.

Praying Pastor ~ One of the fruits of your journey in prayer, is the establishment of a Prayer Society in your congregation. How has it made a difference in both the spirit and growth of your church?

Pastor David ~ Our Prayer Society was started as a way to challenge Christians to pray. In our church we had 1050 people sign up for the latest six month pledge commitment. For six months they pledge to do the following:

1. Pray a minimum of 2.50 hours each week.

2. Attend church regularly.

3. Support the church’s ministry through my tithes.

4. Strive for holiness and obedience to God in my daily life.

5. Pray regularly through prayer lists which will be compiled at the church every two weeks.

Within the first two years of our Prayer Society the church doubled and our facility was too small; after three years we reached our goal of ministering to 1000 children and youth a week. People began to purchase my sermon c.d.’s at a rate we had never seen before. In all areas of ministry the measurable results were astounding. 

In the last 14 years our church has grown from a small church of 150 to an average attendance of 2500, 60 ministries, 124 small groups, 24 Bible clubs in our local public schools, 4 youth centers a K-8 school and a high school. We minister to 5500-6000 children and youth a week and 250 college age men and women. Since we started praying, 4 out of 5 City Council members are Christians and 4 out of 5 High School Board Members are Christians. All this in the State of California; hardly what you would call part of the Bible belt!

Praying Pastor ~ You have written "it is vital that we all develop a prayer discipline to increase our prayer lives and our effectiveness." How would you counsel a busy, overworked pastor to begin this journey on a personal basis?

Pastor David ~ As Pastors, we need an anointing from the Holy Spirit to preach, teach, counsel and lead effectively and the way we get this anointing is through prayer. James says if we ask for wisdom we will get it. Prayer and the anointing it brings will help any pastor be more productive, discerning and effective. 

Prayer must come first! If I know I have a busy day, a difficult day I know I must spend time in prayer. Why? Because I want God’s anointing and influence manifested in my life.

Praying Pastor ~ We met at a prayer retreat for pastors; over four dozen leaders from a diversity of denominations and generations. Why is it important for a pastoral leader to be in spiritual fellowship with other pastors and ministry leaders?

Pastor David ~We, as Pastors, are the gate-keepers, the watchmen of our cities. There may be times that if we work together we can accomplish great things for God. I’ve found working with other Pastors brings synergy to the cause of Christ in a community. We sponsor a periodic luncheon here at the church to facilitate Pastors getting to know one another. It’s been a tremendous blessing. 

Praying Pastor ~ David, please write a prayer for pastors to personally discover how prayer will change their world...

Pastor David ~ Dear Lord Jesus,

Let your power and presence be felt from the pulpit of your Pastors here in America. Convict your servants that in their own strength can do very little. Fill church leaders with great hope for the future if they rely on you. Make all of us depend on you so as to reach our full potential in your kingdom. Come Lord Jesus and remind your leaders that you house shall be a house of prayer 

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Perry Noble

A few weeks ago, I put out a tweet that said the following…

“Covering laziness in prayer is not a spiritual discipline.”

It was retweeted several times; however, there were also a few people who said that the statement was confusing and asked for an explanation.  So here goes…

I believe that many people in the Body of Christ use prayer as an excuse for inactivity and laziness.

Yes, I am ALL ABOUT PRAYER!  I’ve seen Jesus do things through the power of prayer that would make a Methodist shout.

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Got Prayer?

7 Ways to Get Your Church Onto the Praying Field

However, there are some things that we simply cannot “cover in prayer” and hope they will get better.  Nope, we’ve got to take action!!!  Things such as…

If you need to lose weight, you are not going to “pray the pounds away!”  It’s just not going to happen!!!  You are going to have to get your butt up off the couch and exercise.  You are going to have to stop slamming cookies in your mouth.  You are going to have to stop drinking 10 sodas a day!  You can pray all you want…but if you do not put action with your prayer, it’s NOT going to help!

If your marriage is in trouble and is on edge, then you are not going to “pray it back into a great place.”  You are going to have to start paying attention to your wife…and turn the TV off.  You are going to have to pursue her…and NOT just when you want something from her.  You are going to have to stop being a jerk.  And ladies, you are going to have to stop gossiping about your husband to your friends.  You are going to have to stop telling your children their father is a loser.

Read Page 2 >>

Pray or Else

by Joe McKeever

The Big Impact of Small Churches

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Shawn McMullen 10/03/2011

© iStockphoto.com/ImagineGolf

4 Proven Insights for Thriving in a Small Church

What are you running these days?

It’s the question church leaders hear—and dread—usually at conferences or seminars, anywhere Type A personalities have gathered to talk about ministry and their churches. Unfortunately, in our American church culture, the measurement of how good you are as a person and as a pastor seems to rely on your answer to the question—that one telling number we define ourselves by.

I still remember a pastor who had brought me in to lead an an evangelistic meeting for the small church he led. While I was there, I spent several days as a guest in the pastor’s home. In the late afternoons, he and I would sit on the family’s front porch and invariably people strolling by would stop to talk, often expressing their appreciation to the pastor for his counsel or encouragement. One morning, we walked into a nearby diner for breakfast and this personable preacher stopped at every table (I’m not exaggerating!) to talk and laugh with someone he knew.

This man and his family were making a profound impact on the people in their small community. But when the days’ meetings were over and we sat on that same porch in the quiet of the evening, the preacher’s gregarious voice grew soft and subdued as he talked about the discouragement he felt in his ministry. Many of his seminary classmates had gone on to serve much larger congregations. By comparison, he felt as if he’d failed. I sensed a similar feeling of inferiority among some members of his congregation.

For lack of a better phrase, this pastor and his church suffered from low ministry self-esteem. In their thinking, because they weren’t big, they weren’t successful—or effective—or healthy. >>>

. . . 2013 begins right now.

I know, the new year of 2012 has just begun. We’re still paying for all those presents we gave away a few weeks ago at Christmas. Ninety percent of this year remains to unfold before we have to think about 2013; lots of living to be done before this year is complete; why think about the next one so soon?

Because the goals we set for 2012 will determine how much more prayer-capacity our teams and congregations will have when we venture into 2013.  Unless we have a destination in mind, we may spend the next 12 months wandering in a wilderness of simply repeating the same kind of prayers and recycling the same type of prayer experiences. [Note: If your prayer team or congregation has nowhere to grow, then you are dismissed from needing to read on. Really.]  [Note to those who can be dismissed: PLEASE let us know about your team of church so that we can share your story on the CPLN! Really!]

Early in my ministry I devoted significant time to researching the role of leaders and the responsibility of a good leader to set good goals. Two helpful teachings have traveled with me since then.

1) “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” For me, that statement lifted goal-setting from a self-manufactured idea of what I want to accomplish to a loftier objective revealed through the prayer partnership I was developing with the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit can and often has used preachers or speakers, books or workshops, to reveal that objective but the best goals I set for our teams or congregation came directly from the mind of Christ. Lesson learned? When it comes to a question about what goals to set for prayer, the first step is always to pray:

a. Ask – a question

b. Seek – be still and listen

c. Knock – open that door and move forward

Deadline? Obviously that refers to establishing a target date by which to accomplish the objective. If a specific date is not appropriate, consider paraphrasing to: “A goal is a dream with a destination” so that you can be confident as a leader that the journey you are asking your members to take is headed in a specific direction--a place worth the efforts it will take to change/learn/grow.

2) “Every goal must be ownable, reachable, measureable.” Stating a goal is often not adequate. A set of strategic questions will help us dig deeper to strengthen the transformational potential of the goals:

*Is this goal ownable? Will the members of the team or the leaders of church or the members of the congregation buy into the purpose of this specific idea? Will they be able to see a personal benefit to their discipleship? Will they have participated in the goal-setting process?

*Is this goal reachable? With Christ, all things are possible, but have we set a standard (of time invested or persons impacted, for example) that we would like to achieve but will probably not aspire to? Are we over (or under) reaching? Sometimes less is more, if it accurately reflects the level of faith and opportunity He has given to us.

*Is this goal measureable? How will we know when we’ve succeeded? If our goal is to allow for more participation in the prayer experience, (weeknight or Sunday worship prayer) then it will be simple to assess our progress. If the goal is to deepen everyone’s personal relationship with the Lord through prayer, we will need to involve our members in the assessing and evaluating process. In order to measure a goal, the leader must establish a process that includes the persons for which he/she is establishing the objective and create a safe environment for honest discussion, reflection, even failure.

Bonus!  “If you aim at nothing you’ll hit it every time.”  When the calendar turns 2013, what will those you steward in prayer say you aimed at?  And don’t forget, if you’ve aimed and hit the mark, give credit to the Spirit and celebrate the success!

It seems to me, 2013 begins right now.

Phil Miglioratti

Originally published in Prayer Leader Online

Church Prayer Leaders Network

How to Spend an Hour With the Lord

Bruce Frank Nov 21, 2011

. . . Highway 501 is my unappreciated friend.

Our youngest daughter and her husband moved to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina a bunch of years ago and settled in the Carolina Forest area--a huge section of dozens of new developments and golf courses. City fathers thought of everything, except quick access to the main road that brings tourist from all over North America in their cars and vans and trucks and sightseeing buses. The access in question is state highway 501.

Making a left turn from Carolina Forest Drive onto this always busy highway can be a breeze (on the rare occurrence when your timing is impeccable) or a long day's journey into night (when, like me most of the time, you are two seconds too late!). Since Carolina Forest Boulevard has considerably less traffic than the highway leading into fun-in-the-sun Myrtle Beach, our green light time is considerably less than those high speed travelers on the 501. To miss that left turn, means a wait that seems just this side of forever. And, most of those times, I spend those minutes fuming, stewing, complaining, searching the radio dial--in other words, wasting my time.

Where is your "Oh no, I just missed the green arrow!" intersection? Somewhere on the way to work, or on the route to school, or running errands to Target or Kroger/Albertsons or WalMart? Maybe on the way to church! 

I've begun to think about my wasted time at highway 501 (and so many other unappreciated stop lights) and what could happen if I turned those moments into prayer. Prayers of praise (what's to complain about, I'm alive and well and with family), protection (travel should always remind me of God's moment-by-moment protection), provision (give thanks for something God has graciously given), petition (not a bad time to look around and pray for someone in a nearby vehicle who may have zero Christians praying for them).

Maybe the Spirit will reveal several prayer-stops like this to you. Maybe that special stop should be called "patience corner" (Lord, calm me down about being late getting to my destination), another, "yield lane" (Father, I am struggling with ____ but I yield completely to Your will and the work of Your Spirit in and through me). How about a "Stop!" (disobedience) or an "No U Turn" intersection (don't give up; be persistent).

Next time you find yourself tapping your fingers on the steering wheel counting down the seconds until you get that green light (or arrow), take those moments to commune with the Lord. Prayer leader, when was the last time you prayed for the members of your prayer team? Pastor, is there someone who never quite makes it on your prayer list (possibly your spouse)? What about members of your class or group? Your office or bowling team?

It seems to me . . . that long wait at the highway 501 stop light could become your friend too . . .

Pastor Phil

Originally published by Church Prayer Leader Network
National Pastors Prayer Network

ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA 
Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net -- E-mail: assistnews@aol.com

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Southern California church asked to 'Pray for the Persecuted' and also become 'Ambassadors for Peace'
ANS Founder, Dan Wooding, and Garry Ansdell, senior pastor of Hosanna Christian Fellowship, make these pleas during a special prayer service

By Jeremy Reynalds
Senior Correspondent for ASSIST News Service

BELLFLOWER, CA(ANS) -- Veteran journalist Dan Wooding, founder of the ASSIST News Service, and Garry Ansdell, senior pastor of Hosanna Christian Fellowship, Bellflower, California, joined forces on Sunday morning (November 13, 2011) to challenge Christians to get involved in helping persecuted Christians.

Garry Ansdell with Dan Wooding with a copy of From Tabloid to Truth, Wooding's autobiography

Wooding, 70, was speaking at the Bellflower church on the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) and began by saying, "Welcome to the biggest prayer meeting in the history of the world. Today, we join with millions of Christians around the world who are praying for the persecuted church."

He continued, "As we pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world on this day, I would like you to think about what it will be like for our brothers and sisters living in restricted countries as they secretly gather to worship our Lord Jesus Christ, not knowing if they will be arrested for their activities. For some, the very act of gathering in their home to pray, study the Bible and quietly singing worship hymns and choruses, could mean imprisonment and worse, if they are discovered by the authorities."

Wooding reminded the congregation that hundreds of millions of Christians today suffer serious discrimination, imprisonment, torture, kidnappings, and even death, because of their commitment to Jesus Christ.

Hosanna Christian Fellowship

He said, "And this morning, I want you to meet some of these courageous believers, such as Asia Bibi, a 45-year-old Pakistani Christian mother of five who is on death row in her country for not denying her Savior."

Wooding went on to detail the shocking story of Bibi, who is appealing her death sentence and has had several death threats on her life and is in solitary confinement.

"Her story began when in June 2009, Asia, a farm hand from the village of Ittan Wali in Sheikhupura District, was asked to fetch water. She complied, but some of her Muslim fellow workers refused to drink the water as they considered Christians to be 'unclean.' Apparently some arguments ensued. There had already been a disagreement between Asia and a neighbor about some property damage. Later some coworkers complained to a cleric that Asia made derogatory comments about Prophet Muhammad. Apparently she told them that Jesus was still alive, but Mohammad was dead," said Wooding.

Asia Bibi

Wooding continued, "A mob came to her house, beating her and members of her family before she was rescued by the police. However, the police initiated an investigation about her remarks, resulting in her arrest and prosecution under Section 295 C of the Pakistan Penal Code. She spent more than a year in jail. In November 2010 Muhammed Naveed Iqbal, judge at the court of Sheikhupura, Punjab, sentenced her to death by hanging. Additionally, a fine of an equivalent of $1,100 was imposed."

Wooding said Bibi's husband, Aashiq Fauji Masih, 51, plans to appeal the verdict, which has to be upheld by the Lahore High Court."

He added, "As if that wasn't enough, there have since been two assassinations of Pakistani leaders who had leapt to her defense."

The first took place on Jan. 4 2011, at Kohsar Market of Islamabad, when the Governor of Punjab, Salmaan Taseer, was assassinated by a member of his security team, Malik Mumtaz Hussein Qadri. The killing was a result of his defense of Asia and opposition to the country's blasphemy law. Taseer was outspoken in his criticism of the law and the verdict in the Asia Bibi case.

Wooding said, "The next day, thousands turned up for Governor Salman Taseer's funeral in Lahore in spite of warnings by the Taliban and some clerics. Thousands of Muslims also rallied in support of the blasphemy laws in Pakistan after the murder."

He added, "Then Pakistan's Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti, the only Christian member of Pakistan's cabinet, was also assassinated, on March 2 2011, reportedly also for his position on blasphemy laws. He was shot dead by gunmen who ambushed his car near his residence in Islamabad."

Yousef Nadarkhani

Wooding then spoke about Iranian pastor Yousef Nadarkhani who has twice refused to recant his Christian faith during two court hearings held in Rasht, Gilan Province on September 25-26 2011.

Nadarkhani was tried and found guilty of apostasy (abandoning Islam) in Sept. 2010 by the court of appeals in Rasht. The verdict was delivered verbally in court, while written confirmation of the death sentence was received nearly two months later.

Wooding said, "At the appeal in June 2011, the Supreme Court of Iran upheld Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani's sentence, but asked the court in Rasht, which issued the initial sentence, to re-examine whether or not he had been a practicing Muslim adult prior to converting to Christianity. The written verdict of the Supreme Court's decision included provision for annulment of the death sentence if Pastor Nadarkhani recanted his faith."

Wooding continued, "Following investigation, the court in Rasht has ruled that Pastor Nadarkhani was not a practicing Muslim adult before becoming a Christian. However, the court has decided that he remains guilty of apostasy because he has Muslim ancestry."

He then said that Nadarkhani's lawyer, Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, has made it clear to the court that the repeated demand for recanting is against both Iranian law and the constitution. The court's response was that the verdict of the Supreme Court must be applied, regardless of the illegality of the demand.

Wooding said, "The death sentence for apostasy is not codified in the Iranian Penal Code. However, using a loophole in Iran's constitution, the judges in Rasht based their original verdict on fatwas by Ayatollahs Khomeini, the 'father' of Iran's revolution in 1979, Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, and of Makarem Shirazi, currently the most influential religious leader in Iran. I ask you to pray for this courageous pastor and his family, that God will intervene in his case and he will be freed."

Wooding also featured stories about persecution in Egypt and also in the land of his birth, Nigeria, where he said, "Christians are being systemically slaughtered by a fanatical group called Boko Haram, who are pledged to turn the country into an Islamic state. Just days ago, 63 people, including many Christians, were murdered by this group."

He continued, "As of 2011 it is thought to be responsible for increasingly violent and sophisticated attacks, with at least 327 people killed in 2011 through November 6 according to the Associated Press. Boko Haram use the bomb attacks in Nigeria as a strategy of tension. Its aim is to create tension and division in Nigeria."

Wooding said, "Many of us think of persecution as a modern-day tragedy, but the truth is that persecution has been a reality for the body of Christ since the days of the apostles. Hebrews 13:3 states, 'Remember...those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.' We read in the book of Acts how Paul and Silas were thrown in prison because of their faith. Throughout his life, Paul was repeatedly locked behind bars, but his captors could never silence his preaching. Today's suffering church is just like that."

Wooding concluded, "There are some 100 million of our brothers and sisters in more than 60 countries that risk their very lives to live for Jesus Christ in their land. And they are crying out for OUR HELP. They need our prayer and also our support in practical ways."

Wooding encouraged the congregation to not just pray for suffering Christian brothers and sisters on this special day, but on every day of the year."

He emphasized, "We should all 'pray without ceasing.'"

The co-founders of Ambassdors for Peace, Garry Ansdell and Ameal Haddad

Before Wooding spoke, Pastor Ansdell shared about his group, Ambassadors for Peace (www.am4peace.com), which he co-founded with Ameal Haddad, another Bellflower pastor.

He urged the congregation to go to his website and sign a "Religious Freedom Resolution" which he said is an issue, "Whose time has come."

Both Ansdell and Haddad have visited many countries in the Middle East, including Egypt, Syria, Bahrain and Morocco, to share this resolution with both Muslim, Jewish, and Christian leaders. It has been signed by many of them.

He explained the resolution like this:

* It is motivated by the existence of religious hate crimes.

* The resolution puts in writing a declaration assented to by leaders from all walks of religious beliefs.

* The resolution puts the public statements into a form that can hold us all accountable for our words.

* The religious community of the world can no longer allow the politicization of our God given right to believe and live in peace. Therefore, it will foster religious tolerance, the right to faith, freedom of speech, and freedom from reprisal or persecution.

* We therefore hold all religious and political leaders to their words of peace.

* We agree that the answer to religious disagreements is dialogue and/or debate without violence, or violent responses.

* This resolution does not seek to be political nor ecumenical. It does not intend to convert or compare nor interpret religions. It is not racially or nationally oriented.

The resolution continues:

* We understand that there are extremes in every religion. We therefore agree that violence of any kind to exercise a religious point or to cause conversion is unacceptable.

* Representatives from religions throughout the world that are connected by our common humanity and personal belief in their creator, hereby resolve to honor, respect, and acknowledge every individual's right to their faith in the creator.

* Therefore, we resolve that the inalienable rights of all individuals shall be respected.

* We believe that each religion lived out by individuals or an organization has the right to peacefully present its view of theology, people, and the hereafter.

* All national and religious entities have the right to proclaim their religious beliefs and to debate them in any open forum without violence.

* We recognize the individual's right to believe in the religion of their choice.

* Men and women everywhere have the God given right to convert or not to convert to any religion without harm from any other religion or national politics.

* We agree that no opposing religion or nation has the right to interfere in the religious service of another.

* The individual has the right to debate the facts about his or her religion without fear of reprisal.

* Every individual has the right to hear and to be heard. A citizen of the world has the right to know the facts about their religious beliefs and have access to their holy books.

* Every person no matter what religion, race, or nationality has the right to live at peace with their neighbor no matter what their faith.

* Each individual from any religion has the right to listen to another individual.

* No one has the right to interfere or disrupt a religious service.

Every seeker has the right to enter a religious service for their own exploration of knowledge. They all want others to know what they know.

* We, therefore, assert that all people have a divine right to share what they know and to live at peace with the results.

During the service, a moving video was shown called "Shatter the Silence. It was written by Welsh-born singer, Kevin Gould, and produced with guitar great Phil Keaggy.

To view and download the video, please go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHhL2GIkIzw

Jeremy Reynalds is Senior Correspondent for the ASSIST News Service, a freelance writer and also the founder and CEO of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter,http://www.joyjunction.org He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "Homeless in the City." Additional details on "Homeless in the City" are available at http://www.homelessinthecity.com. Reynalds lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds atjeremyreynalds@comcast.net.