March, 2005
Shalom &
Blessings!
I want to
thank all of you who have taken the time to write me, email me, and attempt to
call me on the telephone. I’ve not been here very much, so the best way to reach
me is by letter or email. When I return home I try to return the calls, but
often times there is no answer on the other end, then I am back on the road
again and never do reach you. I’m really sorry when that happens for your
letters and calls are very important to me.
Since the
last newsletter I have traveled many miles, and ministered to many people. I’ve
met a lot of brothers and sisters for the first time, and I have fellowshipped
with others that I’ve not seen for a long time. It has been just great! I’ve
seen the dear Lord awaken many, and breathe life in to many. Still others were
refreshed, healed and set free. What an exciting God He is!
We have just
finished a very powerful ‘Gathering of the Intercessors’ here in Vero Beach. Tim
Lawson was our prophetic worship leader, and our guest speaker was Stan
Goodenough, Editor of the ‘Jerusalem Newswire.’ Our times in worship with Tim
were so precious, and Stan shared so much truth with us! Everyone was blessed by
his presentation. Both of these brothers were greatly anointed, and we thank God
for them. We thank God for the awesome prophetic Body Ministry at the close of
the ‘Gathering.’
We also thank God for all of the worshipping warriors who turned out to give the dear Lord the corporate worship and intercession He needed from us. Many of them came from other parts of the state, and many from out of the state. We so appreciate those who will travel so far to worship our King, and pray for Israel, America and the Church.
I’ve had so many emails thanking me for all that was shared in each session. The Lord spoke three words to me through three different people for which I am so grateful, for there was much resistance in the spiritual realm to this Gathering, as well as to all that was shared. Nevertheless, the Lord let me know that He had specific people there who will take the information that was shared and run with it. Praise His Name! He said that His purposes will be fulfilled in spite of those who just don’t want to hear truth.
As we have completed our Honor Israel Night recently, and now this Gathering of the Intercessors, we have wrapped up our ministry here in Vero Beach. Our work here is completed, and we are preparing now to move on with the Lord in to a new phase of ministry. We have exciting times ahead of us, and I look forward to the challenges. At the present time I am not at liberty to share any of the details, but I would ask that you pray for us as we make the transition. Lord willing, I will leave Vero Beach by May 1st.
“Weep for the Children!”
Since January 2000 the Lord has been speaking those words to me. I have been calling people throughout the states to pray for the children ever since. The Lord said, “Many of the children have gone in to captivity before the enemy. Many are desolate because the enemy has prevailed! Arise and cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches. Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him for the life of the young children.”
As I travel I have so many people ask me what I find to pray about so often. They can’t even imagine a group or congregation coming together to pray for hours on end. Therefore the Lord has asked that I share a little bit with you so you will be able to understand how desperately the children of America need to be bathed in prayer. We must understand why the dear Lord is calling us to weep and cry out for the children. If we Believers don’t cover them in prayer, who will?
Political
Correctness has entered our public schools. For instance, many of our schools
now celebrate “Turkey Day.” Many of our public schools are erroneously teaching
our children that the Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day in order to
thank the Native Americans for sharing agricultural advice and provisions. They
make no mention of thanking God at all.
Maryland
public school students are free to thank anyone they want while learning about
the 17th Century celebration of Thanksgiving, as long as it is not
God. Their administrators say that is how it should be!
Young students across the state read stories about the Pilgrims and Native Americans, simulate Mayflower voyages, hold mock feasts and learn about the infamous meal that temporarily allied two very different people groups. What the teachers don’t tell them when they describe the feast is that the Pilgrims not only thanked the Native Americans, but repeatedly thanked God.
The St.
Mary’s County Public School curriculum and instruction director said, “We teach
about Thanksgiving from a purely historical perspective, not from a religious
perspective.” School administrators throughout that state said that they are in
total agreement. Religion never coincides with how they teach Thanksgiving to
the students.
You know,
our very breath is a divine gift, and “Thanksgiving” is not so much a day on the
calendar as the honest and urgent expression of a heart shaped by the knowledge
of who God is, and what He has done for us. In his Thanksgiving declaration of
1863, President Lincoln said, “It has seemed to me fit and proper that God
should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart
and one voice, by the whole American people.”
As a people
we’ve come a long way since 1863. Americans will no longer commonly acknowledge
the one true and living God, “with one heart and one voice.” In spite of this
fact, we Believers must see this day as a reminder that we must demonstrate,
inculcate, and commemorate “Thanksgiving” in our daily lives. While we are
thankful for our families, and material blessings, we must be supremely thankful
for the salvation accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ, and for the blessed
hope grounded in the one true God. Let us make sure the world knows to whom we
give thanks and why. Let us also make sure the children know to whom we give
thanks and why. If we don’t no one else will!
A
California teacher has been barred by his school from giving students
documents from American history that refer to God, including the Declaration of
Independence. Steven Williams. A fifth grade teacher says that he has been
singled out for censorship by the principal of the school because he is a
Christian. He said that he wants to teach his students the true history of our
country. He said, “There is nothing in the establishment clause of the U.S.
Constitution that prohibits a teacher from showing students the Declaration of
Independence.”
He went on
to share that he is now required to submit all of his lesson plans and
supplemental handouts to the principal for approval. He further stated that the
principal will not allow him to use anything that speaks of God or Christianity.
Among the materials that she has rejected are: excerpts from the Declaration of
Independence, George Washington’s journal, John Adam’s diary, Samuel Adams’ “The
Rights of the Colonists” and William Penn’s “The Frame of Government of
Pennsylvania”.
Mr Williams
has filed a discrimination suit. His attorney said, “It is a fact of American
history that our founders were religious men, and to hide the fact from young
fifth graders in the name of political correctness is outrageous and shameful.”
The
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has adopted a policy that prohibits
students from performing their required community service in a religious
context. Students must complete thirty hours of volunteer work in order to
graduate, but the new policy prevents them from using any religious activity to
fulfill the requirement. Volunteer projects requiring religious membership would
also be disqualified. The administrators of the school claim they have adopted
the new policy in the interest of maintaining the so called ‘separation of
Church and State’.
I have, on
two different occasions, had students come to the office during the summer
months and volunteer their services in order to get the credit they needed in
order to graduate. In no way was it unconstitutional for them to do so. However,
to deny them the right to do their volunteer work in a Christian setting is
showing bias toward religion and Christianity in particular. Religious
Discrimination!
Parents, beware of the book, “Conversations with God”. There are two books actually: Conversations with God and Conversations with God for Teens. They are written by Neil Walsh. The titles of the books sound harmless and they have been on the New York Best Sellers List for quite some time, but do not be fooled. They are extremely deceptive. The author purports to answer various questions from children using the “Voice of God”. However, the answers he gives are not at all Bible based. They are contrary to Scripture. Let me give you a couple of for instances:
A girl asked
the question, “Why an I a lesbian?” The author answered, “Because of genetics,
just as you were born right handed, with blue eyes.” Then he tells her to go out
and celebrate her differences.
Another girl
asked, “I am living with my boyfriend. My parents say that I should marry him
because I am living in sin. Should I marry him?” The author’s reply is: “Who are
you sinning against? Not me, because you have done nothing wrong!”
Another
question asked about God’s forgiveness of sin. The author’s reply, “I do not
forgive anyone because there is nothing to forgive. There is no such thing as
right or wrong, and that is what I have been trying to tell everyone. Do not
judge people. People have chosen to judge one another and this is wrong, because
the rule is: “Judge not lest ye be judged!”
And the list goes on. These books are being sold to school children (The Scolastic Book Club) and we need to be aware. Let us teach our children the Word of God so they will not be deceived.
In Louisiana a Federal Judge ruled that School Boards cannot open their
meetings with prayer. Congress and legislatures can, but School Boards cannot.
Judge Ginger Berrigan’s opinion recognizes the ACLU’s arguments that parents,
children and members of the community should not have to pay the price of
religious indoctrination to attend a School Board meeting. Just this past year
prayers were dropped at Loranger High School football games, and all other
school events because of lawsuits.
Maryland citizens are irate over a pilot sex-ed program. They are battling the Maryland School District for teaching middle-school students that homosexuality and ‘same-gender’ sex experimentation are normal. In addition it teaches students as young as 13 that a sex life is necessary for a good self image, and that a family is two or more people joined together by emotional feelings or who are related to one another. They are also featuring very graphic videos that are nothing more than porn, and encouraging young teens to identify themselves as heterosexual, homosexual, lesbian, or transgender.
A transgender advocacy group has announced it is teaming up with two homosexual
advocacy groups (GLSEN & GSA) to raise awareness about violence against
transgender people. They are moving the issue in to the American public schools.
They are planning the 7th Transgender Day of Remembrance as well as
the Day of Silence when all students from Middle School through college observe
a vow of silence to protest discrimination and harassment against homosexuals.
The founder of these organizations said, “These events continue to grow, and I
am pleased to have GLSEN & GSA join us”.
A
California School District is about to be taken to court. A group of lesbian
teachers in the Scotts Valley Unified School District began hanging
pro-homosexual posters in their classrooms, discussing homosexuality in their
classrooms, and providing referrals to homosexual and bisexual organizations to
students. Numerous parents have complained to school officials, who said they
would investigate the matter, but as yet have done nothing to bring correction.
Brad Dacus,
President of the Pacific Justice Institute said the teachers are engaged in a
campaign of homosexual indoctrination and are using anti-harassment laws as a
soap box for state-sponsored endorsement of their lifestyle. They are getting
plenty of support from the district as well as the ACLU. He said that the school
is actually hostile towards the rights of parents and people of faith. He said,
“Parents had better wake up!”
In
Florida the Muslim communities are pressing school officials to make their
holidays National Holidays. “How can you continue to ignore our needs, our
holidays, and our interests,” they asked the Hillsborough County School Board.
The director of CAIR in Tampa said they are pressing for their rights because
they are well organized now.
Well
organized they are! Our government has made Islam part of Main Stream American
Culture & Religion. Many Americans are confused or deceived because they have
been told that Allah, the false moon god of Islam, is the same God that we Jews
and Christians worship. They are confused or deceived because they have been
told that Islam is a peaceful religion.
This past November the first Muslim TV Channel, Bridges TV, went on the air. Comcast, the largest US cable operator is making it available nationwide. The founder, Muzzammil Hassan said, “Our channel will be focused on lifestyle, and entertainment. Our programs will include Muslim cartoons, educational shows, and animated Qur’an stories. It will also have daily news and current events programs.
Daniel Pipes recently wrote, “Not only do Islamists want to censor the handling of Islamic topics at US universities, as I noted in “Islamists Police the Classroom (At the university of South Florida,” but they also wish to do the same at grammar schools. More ominously yet, they wish to transform public schools at all levels into venues for spreading Islam. “
Their own
agenda is spelled out in their own websites. One article it hosts is: How to
Make America an Islamic Nation”. In another one they host, they portray our
“public schools as fertile grounds where the seeds of Islam can be sowed inside
the hearts of non-Muslim students. Muslim students should take ample advantage
of this opportunity and present to their schoolmates the beautiful beliefs of
Islam.”
They go on
to tell their students to host Islamic exhibitions, start an Islamic newspaper,
set up “Dawa tables” offering Islamic literature, carry “Dawa flyers” from the
Islamic Circle of North America, and pass them on to non-Muslims, place
advertisements in the school paper with a toll-free telephone number for
non-Muslims to call to learn more about Islam, and establish one on one contacts
with non-Muslim boys, and sisters work with non-Muslim girls.
It gets even
better. They are told to found Muslim groups that portray Islam “in a positive
way” such as Muslim Student’s Association, Islamic Circle, or Qur’an Study
Group. Engage in simple actions that reflect living Islam, such as “Insha
Allah” (God willing), praying, and wearing Islamic style clothing. Take
advantage of disasters to set up a disaster relief assistance booth to give “a
very positive picture of Islam and Muslims”.
They go on
to tell their students to lobby to include Islamic dates on the school calendar,
add books and magazines on Islam written by Muslims to the school library, and
if the library does not purchase them, raise the money to donate them. Last but
not least, incorporate Islam in to class projects. For example, “For a speech
class, if there is freedom to choose a topic, an Islamic topic should be
selected. Similar opportunities can be created in history, social science,
writing and other classes.”
They
conclude by reminding Muslims that the will of Allah, faith, and Muslim
creativity combined to win victories in the past and can again in the future.
Schools and campuses are no exceptions as places where Islam can be victorious.
“We should use every opportunity to sensitize non-Muslim peers and school staff
to Islam and to establish an environment in which every way a non-Muslim turns,
he notices Islam portrayed in a positive way, is influenced by it, and accepts
Islam.”
About 70% of the mosques and Islamic schools here in the US are funded and supplied by the Saudis. The book published by the Saudi Cultural Mission to the U.S. quotes a document published by the Higher Committee for Educational policy which contains 236 principles that explain how students here should promote loyalty to Islam by denouncing any system or theory that conflicts with Islamic Law. The students are also told how to plant and spread Islam throughout the world, and how to “fight spiritually and physically for the sake of Allah” with emphasis on earlier glories.
Here is a
sample from an eighth graders book: “Jews and Christians – Cursed by Allah and
turned into Apes and Pigs” and it goes on to explain why. In a ninth graders
book it says, “The hour (the day of judgment) will not come until the Muslims
fight the Jews and kill them.”
I am just about out of space, but I believe that I have shared enough with you that you will clearly understand why the Lord is calling us to “Weep for the Children!” When our children go off to school, be it elementary school, high school, or even college, they are enveloped in everything that is evil. They are being targeted by many, and they are vulnerable. Is it any wonder we hear so many say they are confused? Is it any wonder there are so many teen suicides? Is it any wonder that so many have converted to Islam? You know, Muslims are going on to college campuses and promising them cars, or that they will pay off their student loans if they will just convert to Islam. Political correctness in this country allows these groups to do as they well please, but don’t let a Christian try it.
The Lord keeps saying that “Truth has fallen in the streets of America!” I can
only say Amen and Amen! How I thank God that He is raising up those who will
stand up and speak the truth regardless of the consequences. At one point
during the Gathering of the Intercessors here in Vero Beach, the Lord took
Pastor Ron Blanton to his feet as he cried out, “America Wake Up!” Let me just
say that as Americans, no matter what happens in the days ahead, we cannot blame
God! Oh, Dear Lord, have mercy on us!”
*******
Thank You! We have received so many precious letters from Israel thanking us for all that we have done, and are still doing, to bless and encourage His chosen people. Those of you who earmarked your checks for the IDF soldiers, I want you to know that the soldiers who do not have families to help them were truly blessed beyond words with their flack jackets.
To those of
you who gave to the widows and orphans, let me share this little note with you:
“Thank you all so much for helping us. It is so good to know that even though we
are not perfect, God loves us enough to use us for His divine purposes. Your
gifts to the widows and orphans are a testimony that you believe in God’s divine
plan for His people. You all are a source of encouragement and blessing in the
face of so much opposition. Thank you for your bravery, sacrifices, and very
special offerings. I pray that God will continually bless each of you, even as
you have blessed His chosen ones.” Shalom, D. Gifford
I want to thank all of you who have sent humanitarian aid for Israel. We shipped out more this past month than we have in a long time. There is still a need for toiletries and first aid supplies. They have asked that we please hold on clothing for a while. As anti-semitism continues to increase, there is an even greater need for our help with the Aliyah.
Thank you for all of your love, prayers, and financial gifts to Fair Havens Missions. We could not do all that we do without your help. We are so grateful that you have chosen to co-labor with us. May our dear Lord abundantly bless each and every one of you. Shalom & Blessings,
Myrna