The Hypocrisy

Horatius Bonar was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in December 18, 1808 and died in that very city July 31, 1889. His death took place 122 years ago yesterday, but his words are as powerful today as the day he initially addressed them to his Scottish peers.

Bonar was a man with a passion for prayer and spiritual awakening. In 1877 he published a manifesto on personal repentance to ministers entitled, "Words to Winners of Souls." Bonar challenged the pastors of Scotland to remember their heritage. This was no nostalgic stroll down memory lane. He took them in short order to The Ministerial Confession of 1651. It had been prepared by the Church of Scotland during a national crisis of monumental proportions. This remarkably politically incorrect document was a passionate call for the pastors of Scotland to accept their responsibility for the conditon of their land. It was not a swan song, but a siren. The Confession of 1651 had all the subtley of a bugle blast. It was a medley of Reveille, Recall, and Charge. There is a timely word that bears repeating to any contemporary church, that finds herself in need of a new reformation. It describes:

" Refined hypocrisy; desiring to appear what, indeed, we are not. Studying more to learn the language of God's people than their exercise. Artificial confessing of sin, without repentance; professing to declare iniquity, and not resolving to be sorry for sin. Confession in secret much slighted, even of those things whereof we are convicted. No reformation, after solemn acknowledgements and private vows; thinking ourselves exonerated after confession. Readier to search out and censure faults in others than to see or deal with them in ourselves. Accounting of our estate and way according to the estimation that others have of us. Estimation of men, as they agree with or disagree from us."

WOW! What a statement..."Refined hypocrisy...thinking ourselves exonerated after confession." Apparently, 16th Centuray hypocrites would feel right at home in the 21st Century arena. No generation has ever officially honored hypocrisy. It is usually done with a wink and a nod through back room dealings, and behind the scene wheelings. Being called out as a hypocrite is bad enough, but to have your own peers give a shout out that you have turned it into an art form had to be an intimidating experience for the boys of Knox in 1651.

The ministers of 1651 were in need of a spiritual encounter with the Word of God. They had successfully pursued an intellectual faith, but they had not learned their lessons well. It should not have surprised them. They had to know from even a cursory study of the Bible that Jesus saved His harshest words for the hypocrites. Jesus did not suffer fool's gladly, but he had a special disdain for the self-righteous who put on a false front with a fake door and never led people into The Light. He rebuked religious people who knew how the sytem worked, were willing to work it to their advantage, and kick His Heavenly Father to the curb.

The church, The Bride of Christ, has never been in a greater need of a renewed focus on the only One who can restore their first love for The Groom, Jesus. The lesson from Horatius Bonar's book is urgently needed in 2011. In every generation, The Church, both pastors and people need to fall in love with Jesus. After all, He is the One who called for the First Love Awakening. In 1651, the Scottish Reformation had run into deep trouble, and The Confession of 1651 was issued. In 1877, just 20 years after the Great Prayer Revival of 1857, Bonar saw the same coldness creeping into the hearts of his peers and their people. There is a pattern here. Each generation needs to respond to the call of God to return to their First Love.

It has been over one hundred years since Bonar quoted the heart condition of one man who became a key prayer (not player) in America's First Great Awakening. This movement of God swept up and down the eastern seaboard of the American colonies twenty years before the American Revolution. Prior to it, one pastor in the small town of Northampton, Massachusetts cried out to God, praying:

"I have greatly longed of late for a broken heart, and to lie low before God." Jonathan Edwards

Edward's statement describes the condition of my own heart. It leads me to call out to intercessors, as we begin the final week of preparation for The Response: A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis. It is to be held at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas on August 6th from 10 AM- 5 PM. Thousands have registered on-line. Only God knows if they are people we can count on to show up or if they are people we can only count on to sign up. The stage has been set. The call has gone out. The waiting begins.

As I pray about the event that will soon be taking place, I find myself waiting and wanting for an audience of One to show up. When Holy God shows up in Houston, all will be right. If a huge crowd shows up, but we miss Him, all will be wrong. In truth, we only need One Person to show up for The Response to become something only God can get credit for. Pray that we will settle for nothing less than The Manifest Presence of the Risen Christ, and that His Holy Spirit will sweep through those who are present with a cleansing power and a healing touch, breaking the power of sin in their lives. Please pray that what God begins in Houston will become a sanctified tsunamai that transforms the lives of people throughout the world with a spiritual awakening that has the hand prints of our Sovereign God all over it.

The Confession

Horatius Bonar,1808-1889, a popular Scottish pastor and preacher and a prolific hymn writer and author, has been a hero of mine since 1972. When I left home for a two year assignment to East Africa, my father, Don Miller, gave me a copy of Bonar's small book, "Words to Winners of Souls." Recently, I have sensed a call to return to it, and it has been a real blast from the past on several levels.

First of all, I made extensive notes in the book. This is a habit of mine, and it has served me well when I pick up a book and read it again. The notes have revealed to me my earliest steps in the direction of personal and corporate spiritual awakening. On another level, it brings to light the need for a revival on a regular basis in the life of a pastor and his people, no matter what century, country, or community they may serve.

The great tragedy of American Christianity may be an arrogant belief that the Church has outgrown or matured to a point that it no longer needs to heed any call from God to return to a personal, private, consistent companionship with Jesus. Bonar's book, "Words to Winners of Souls," was published in 1877, but it makes reference to the condition of the Scottish church in 1857. It was not a pretty picture. He called his peers to personal repentance and corporate contrition by reminding them of their heritage, and republishing the Church of Scotland's Ministerial Confession of 1651.

This Ministerial Confession of 1651 was prepared and placed before the pastors of the land when their country was locked into a life and death struggle for survival in a war with England. Oliver Cromwell's forces had proven to be a powerful adversary and the Church of Scotland was on the brink of collapse in the midst of the chaos, confusion and conflict raging throughout Scotland. Every Scottish school boy of 1877 knew the chronology and consequences of these great events, but Bonar pointed the pastors of his day to The Confession of 1651 as a reminder to them of their responsibilty to keep their own hearts hot for Jesus, regardless of the tempestuous times in which they lived.

A brief review of The Confession of 1651 reveals a perpetual, and potent danger that stalks the leaders of the Church in every generation. Pastors constantly face the temptation of allowing the system to overshadow their Savior. In doing so, they may be faithful in carrying out their perceived duties within the Church system, but at the same time fail to maintain their personal intimacy with the Savior who gave His life to establish His Church. In 1651, after self-examination, and personal reflection, the pastors of The Church of Scotland confessed they had been guilty of spending more time in the work of The Lord than they had been spending with The Lord of the work. They had taken great pride in their reformed root system that had grown out of the powerful teaching and preaching of John Knox, but in less than a century, they had lost their focus on Jesus.

I believe the dilemma and the response of the pastors of The Church of Scotland in 1651, and Bonar's call to his Scottish peers in 1857 is a guideline to pastors in America and around the world in 2011. Allow me to share some selected quotes from The Confession of 1651 and see if you agree. Perhaps your own heart has grown cold and even if it is hotter than ever, you could benefit from a reformed reminder with a contemporary exhortation that "except for the grace of God, there go I."

Bonar states, "In the year 1651, the Church of Scotland, feeling in regard to her ministers 'how deep their hand was in the transgression, and their ministers had no small accession to the drawing on of the judgments that were upon the land' drew up what they called a humble acknowledgement of the sins of the ministry. This document is a striking and searching one. It is perhaps one the fullest, most faithful and most impartial confessions of ministerial sin ever made. A few extracts from it will suitably introduce this chapter on ministerial confession. It begins with confessing sins before entrance on the ministry."

• "Lightness and profanity in conversation, unsuitable to that holy calling which they did intend, not thoroughly repented of. Not studying to be in Christ before they were in the ministry; nor to have the practical knowledge and the experience of the mystery of the gospel in themselves before they preach to others. Neglecting to fit themselves for the work of the ministry, in not improving prayer and fellowship with God, opportunities of a lively ministry, and other means and not mourning for these neglects. Not studying self-denial, not resolving to take up the cross of Christ. Negligence to entertain a sight and sense of sin and misery, not wrestling against corruption, nor studying mortification and subduedness of spirit."

OK! That's enough for me for now. Trust me, there is more, but this has to be taken in small doses. Too much light in your eyes will blind you! You also have to get your King James Version on to weed through the overgrowth of prose, but the truth is there if you are willing to look for it.

What caught my eye was the phrase hidden in the middle of the opening salvo of The Confession of 1651. I have emboldened the words for you. In every generation, prayer and fellowship with God are opportunities for a lively minstry. They knew then what we need to remember today. The way you come on is the way you go on.

Pastors who pray their way into the ministry need a gentle reminder to pray their way through the ministry. The more we learn, the more we tend to trust our own experience and expertise. With a little bit of success, or a few wins under our belt, the first thing to get kicked to the curb is humility. With the gaining of professional skills comes a confidence in our ability to perform the tasks required of the system. An active, personal prayer life often atrophies due to an apparent lack of need for advice or counsel from God. This is a dangerous way to live, and invites a relentless adversary to hit a pastor when his guard is down.

Before you recoil at this suggestion, let me ask the question, "Have you prayed too much and enjoyed too much fellowship with Jesus today?" Yeah, me neither. So it seems that in every generation, it falls on pastors to lead the way through the darkness of the system and shed more light on their Savior. Good to know, but it hard to do in a storm, when the winds of turbulent times keep knocking out the power lines! Regardless of the political, financial or social upheaval that surrounds you, don't settle for anything less or place your trust in anything other than personal intimacy with Jesus. The chill in your heart will always be removed by the thrill of getting closer to Him. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Devotion

I can't remember when I was first introduced to Oswald Chamber's devotional book, "My Utmost for His Highest." I do recall that it had all the clarity of sanctified heiroglyphics. I found out later that it had been compiled as a labor of love by his wife, following his death in 1917. She took her notes from all of her husband's presentations and put together this remarkable, daily guide that has impacted the lives of millions.

Dana and I introduced this book to our children, Ashley and Allyson, when we held our morning devotions. Our girls patiently listened, but later admitted they were clueless most of the time about what Chambers meant. I have to agree, Chambers is an acquired taste. His use of the English language is a bit daunting, probably stemming from his professorial bent, and the change in the meaning of words over the past 100 years.

Still, there have been times when the light has shown so brightly in the darkness that the truth of what he was communicating became truly self-evident. My friend, Bob McEwen, is fond of saying, "The Jeffersonian prose, 'We hold these truths to be self-evident...' is a polite way of expressing, 'Any fool ought to get this." Spot on Bob!

There is one Oswald Chamber's statement I often refer to that came as a bolt of light into my own world of spiritual darkness on May 3, 2001. I read it in my copy of "My Utmost for His Highest" as the final words of the May 3rd daily devotional.

"Discernment is God's call to intercession, never to fault-finding."

These ten little words have had a profound impact on my life. In short, they have led Dana and I to invest the rest of our lives in challenging believers to TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

There is hardly a day that goes by that I am not tempted to say what I think, or to say more than I know about another person. The topics of religion and politics are just two areas that draw out an unending flow of a my humble but accurate opinions. I am not alone! Talk radio, cable TV, mainstream media, and casual conversations have a way of becoming independent lecture series that shed more heat than light on just about any subject, celebrity or fellow believer.

No doubt, God gives His people insight regarding the condition of a person's soul and the state of affairs of the community in which they live. The purpose for this insight from God is often misunderstood by His children. It is not a call to bring criticism or ridicule upon someone or their belief system. It is given as a Heaven-sent call to stand in the gap for them, and bridge the chasm by the means of intercessory prayer.

It is difficult to continue to hate someone, when you are praying for them. It is not impossible, just harder. This should not be a surprise to Christ followers. In His Constitution of the Kingdom (Matthew 5-7), Jesus said,

"Pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." Matthew 5:44

Early on, Jesus took a dim view of those who were prone to talk about someone rather than pray for them. Too often the family of God is known more for its aggression than for its intercession. The great tragedy is that the toughest words of criticism a follower of Christ ever speaks are are often directed towards fellow members of God's family.

I have often repeated a little piece of ministerial humor, "Where ever you find two Baptists you will always find three opinions." Indeed, we are known as a skeptical and suspicious people who do not warm up to strangers who operate outside of our Baptist Bubble. We are not a peculiar people in this regard. The Church is made up of a patchwork quilt of prejudices and personal agendas that constantly keep us on our guard from those who would invade our turf or steal our sheep.

So what is a sincere response to a legitimate concern about a person's behavior or beliefs? TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! Chambers said it more delicately and with an English accent. Nothing dresses up the truth like a Brit's way of using the King's English. Almost 100 years later, the printed message carries a powerful punch, even if it is wrapped in Kid's gloves. The point is this. When God gives you discernment about another person, it is not a call to criticize, ridicule, or reject them. It is not an invitation to speak your mind. It is a test to see if you are willing to bend your knees and call out to God on the behalf of someone who is in need of your prayers.

Wrapping ourselves up in our own personal piety and rejecting people we do not agree with on non-essential doctrinal issues leads to the development of a critical spirit. Furthermore, fault-finding seldom corrects the flaw in the person in whom we find the real or imagined fault. People are funny like that. They really do not have much appreciation for the person who publicly depants them. Go figure.

The call is to pray for people you discern are in danger of believing the wrong thing or moving in the wrong direction. Why should your response be one of intercession? Simple...They need it and you need the practice. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Ministry

One year ago, July 4, 2010, Dana and I entered into a new adventure. We launched our prayer ministry called TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! This is something that we had been talking about for over 20 years, and we finally had the courage to take the leap of faith to launch it.

We do not have an office building or support staff. We sold our home and have chosen to rent a house for the forseeable future. We sold our car, and we are now driving a 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee that belongs to our youngest daughter. She had no use for it when the AC went out on it, and was told it would cost $1,200.00 to repair it. Our future son-in-law was able to get it repaired for less than $100.00. Pray with us that it lasts thru the summer! With 213,000 miles, Car Max offered us $500.oo for our Jeep, but we believe our Jeep is here to stay.

This past year has been full of exciting new adventures. We have traveled to 18 states, numerous hotels, and conducted TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! in some of the finest churches in America. Our trip to Israel in February of this year was a dream come true. Dana has received a good report from her oncologist, and she and I are training for a half marathon in December. Our daughters have brought us great joy this past year. Allyson graduates with her Master's in Leadership from Dallas Baptist University on August 5th, and Ashley marries Brent Warren on September 16th. We have all been busy!

Please pray for our next great adventure. We serve on The Leadership Team of The Response USA. You can find info on it at the website http://www.theresponseusa.com/ This meeting is a call to prayer to a nation in crisis. Governor Rick Perry issued a Joel 2 call for a solemn assembly of prayer and fasting 60 days ago, and since that time we have been mobilizing Baptists to head to Houston's Reliant Stadium on August 6th. This will not be a carnival, concert or conference. It will not be a politcial rally, patriot party or preachathon. There will be no food concessions, book tables, t-shirts, DVDs or CDs. People are encouraged to bring bottled water and bended knees from 10 AM - 5 PM, and enter into a time of personal and corporate repentance. At this time 50,000 people are registered. It has become a bug light for every activist and atheist looking for a camera and a microphone, so there will be a crowd even if the praying Christians stay home.

Thank you for praying for us during the past year. Please keep it up. We are so pleased that God has entrusted to us the privilege of teaching people how they can find relief in the middle of any crisis when they TALK LESS! & PRAY MORE! Talking has a way of magnifying the danger of the crisis, and praying has a way of magnifying God in the middle of it. Continue to pray with us and for us to be one of God's Magnifiers.

Gratefully Yours and Prayerfully His,

Gary and Dana Miller
TALK LESS! PRAY MORE! MINISTRIES

Contact info:
C/O
The Whitefield Project
P.O. Box 96165
Southlake, TX 76092
gmillerlight@gmail.com
817-975-5054

The Prayer Principle of Separation

"He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray." Luke 22:41
 

The Principle of Separation

Principle: Periodic separation from good relationships carves out time that can be invested in God's best, intimacy with Him.

Jesus found it necessary to step away from those closest to Him. He hungered for a period of time in His life that was, unapologetically, spent alone with God. He did so not as an expression of callousness towards His followers, but as a display of tenderness towards His Father.

Jesus challenged His disciples to follow His example. Repeatedly, they had seen Him go to the mountain or some secret place to pray. Jesus did not tell them to do something that He no longer put into practice. In this passage, the disciples were told to pray that they would not enter into temptation, and then Jesus withdrew to do the very same thing that He told them to do. This kind of integrity, and authenticity marked the prayer life of Jesus. He never outgrew His need for intimacy with God, especially when facing a crisis.

The most dangerous thing a person can do is to enter into temptation in a prayer less condition. Jesus led His disciples to pray, and taught them how to pray, but He did not make them pray. It was a personal hunger that they would have to experience in order to find satisfaction for themselves at the point of their need.

The disciples found their strength in being in the Presence of Jesus. Jesus found His power in the Presence of God. The disciples drained Him, and the Presence of God sustained Him. There were times that He sensed His need for the relationship of Father and Son to be strengthened. He turned to prayer as the means to receive God's direction, and to mold His will to that of His Father's.

Separation from those who need us the most is a price that must be paid in order to experience the Presence of the One who loves us the most. The people who need us the most will not receive what they need from us, if we allow time with them to squeeze out time with God. Jesus was able to give His disciples what they needed as long as He stayed in touch with God. Christ followers must learn this lesson if they hope to avoid burnout or compassion fatigue.

Separation is not so much a matter of getting away from those who drain, but running into the Presence of the One who sustains. Vacations, recreation, hobbies, entertainment, retreats, and even sabbaticals are poor substitutes for His Presence. They serve a worthy purpose, but have limited power to refresh and renew the vision and ministry of a Christ follower. Getting away from people is the beginning, but not the end of the process in this principle.

Getting with God, and accepting His will is the ultimate purpose of prayer. Jesus conformed His will to the Father's will by getting away from His disciples and getting into the Presence of His Father. Getting into God's Presence will exact a price that is paid in time alone with Him. There are some things that God means to say to His children in private, before they can speak for Him in public.

It is possible for loved ones to be a great distraction from meaningful time in prayer. Periodic separation for seasons of prayer exchanges what is good for what is best. Satan is not the enemy of the good. He is the enemy of the best. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. He lives to separate people from God's best for their lives.

Jesus chose to separate Himself from others in order to spend time with God. He was not running away from responsibility, but reaching out to God to provide Him the courage and the strength to give His followers what they needed most, a Savior.

The Practice of Prayer: Carve out time for solitary prayer with God. Withdraw from the ones you love in order to make time to be available to God. Choose the time of day that is best for you. He is ready when you are.

Thought for the Day: It is never too late or too early to choose God's best for your life. Separating yourself from people of good intentions, to spend time with the One who loves you most, will lead to God's best for your life.

"Satan laughs softly at the Church today and says under his breath: "You can have your Sunday Schools...your institutional churches, and your men's clubs and your grand choirs, and your fine organs and your brilliant preachers, and your revival efforts, as long as you do not bring them into the power of the Almighty God, sought and obtained by earnest, persistent, believing, mighty prayer." R. A. Torrey

You Too

There is still time left in the season to say, "Merry Christmas!" In just a few short hours, the long anticipated day will come and go, and the opportunity to greet people with these two words will settle down for an eleven month long nap.

A few years ago, I began to challenge people to say, "Merry Christmas." I had done some anecdotal analysis, and come to the conclusion that the words were losing their popularity even among Christians. They had been pushed off the scene by generic substitutes, "Happy Holidays!", "Season's Greetings!", and the like. I don't think the atheists in this part of the country are ever going to win the battle for the use of "Winter Solstice." Who can spell it?

Another personal discovery that I found interesting was the benign backlash that this greeting seemed to produce. Upon hearing, "Merry Christmas" people often responded with a mealy mouthed, and modestly mediocre, "You too!" It was a one-sided greeting to be sure. Such tepid response revealed that my effort in introducing Christ back into Christmas stirred more confusion than conviction.

Again, most of my experience for the past 35 years has been in the local church. This is a place where cradles, cantatas, candlelight carols, and crashing camels still reign supreme at this time of year. Alot of effort goes into these pageants, and programs to make sure the message is loud and clear, "Jesus is the reason for the season." Hopefully, the people they influence will get out from under the camel, go out of the auditorium with an understanding and an appreciation for what God did when He sent His Son into the world to be a Savior that could cleanse people from their sin. What a waste of time if it does not create a warm hearted desire to wish God's best on someone else this time of year with a gentle, and simple, "Merry Christmas!"

I am on my annual Christmas Crusade to challenge Christians to add two words to their vocabulary this year, and to get rid of two more. You may have already guessed what the first two words are. That's right. I encourage Christ followers to say, "Merry Christmas!" The other two words I encourage them to refrain from using are, "You too!" To say that this is an unacceptable response from someone who has been blessed may be an understatement. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "It is the least we can do."

Now, don't get me wrong. The spirit of this greeting is the key to its impact on the intended receiver. It is not enough to shout it out like a battle cry of defiance in the face of those who we hate for not using it. When people use it as a shout out to atheists to bully them to get with the program, it just sounds like, "Go to hell." In other words, it loses alot in the translation.

I believe the purpose of celebrating Christmas and Easter are very close to the purpose of salt and light, characteristics of the kind of followers that please Jesus so much. For people who have never had a taste of salt, a little dab with do you. For those who have been in the dark, a bright light is more blinding than illuminating. Let your greeting to those who may not share your passion be firm, and unapologetic. Let it also be graced with the reminder that, except for the grace of God you would be sitting in the dark with a bland taste in your mouth.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
 

The Year of Transition

In the spring of 1977 my parents, Don and Libby Miller, resigned from their 11 year pastorate on Long Island, New York and moved to Fort Worth, Texas. They believed they were being led of God to begin a prayer ministry at a time when Deeper Life Conferences, Bible Conferences, Revivals and Crusades were all the rage. I remember hearing a seasoned veteran of the Texas church scene chide Dad, and tell him that he was crazy to try and conduct four day prayer conferences. He told him to stick with revivals because no one in Texas was doing prayer conferences. Dad's response was, "That is why I am going to start doing them." To Dad it seemed perfectly logical to step out on faith to do what God had called him to do.

After 34 years, and over 1000 prayer conferences, Dad's faith in God then has proven to be a safe bet today. He was a wise man to listen to the voice of God, and not the conventional wisdom of his day. You would be hard pressed to find someone in Texas who is making a difference, or making a living conducting four day revival meetings. Makes you wonder if there had been more emphasis on prayer if we might be experiencing more revival. But I digress.

During the last three and one-half decades, Mom and Dad have travelled to 48 states. The two Dakotas were the only holdouts. Still, they have crossed the borders to Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, the Middle East, India, South America conducting what he called Bible Based Ministries Prayer Seminar. To most people it was known as the "Don Miller Prayer Conference." He virtually gave away his little green and gold notebook on prayer, and spread it like seed corn all over the world awaiting a harvest of a new generation of prayer warriors.

Mom and Dad have ministered to missionaries, Mayans, Minnesotans, mainstream and no name churches all over the world. They have paid their own way when a church could not afford the travel expenses, and they have returned the love offering when they saw that the church needed it more than they did. Their selfless devotion to their passion for prayer has been a catalyst in the lives of many preacher boys who today are leading their churches to be a House of Prayer. What the world sees today as a revival of prayer is in no small measure a product of the prayerful perspiration of two people who have lived and developed a ministry from a small office in a 1400 sq. ft. home on the east side of Fort Worth for the past 33 years.

I will never forget staying in their home while they were on the road. When the phone would ring, it would always hold a lesson in geography. One day I handled calls from Australia, Hong Kong, England, Scotland, and a half dozen states. I often thought that in another dimension spiritual forces were at work all around that small home. It must have been a message center for angels coming to and fro carrying urgent requests for a movement of God. No wonder the word of God warns us to never despise the day of small things.

There are people who have made prayer a science and others who seem to have cornered the publishing market on the subject. Dad always kept it simple. "Prayer is the intimate communication between the Heavenly Father and His child." To him that meant that prayer was something that a person was meant to do. It was not a subject to be taught, a book to be bought, but an intimacy to be sought.

This meant that over the years Dad has been an early riser. He would begin his day sitting in his "Prayer Arbor." It was a swing, supported by a wooden frame, and topped with a fiberglass, corrugated roof. Nothing fancy. It was where he met God every morning spending the hours of 4-7 AM listening to Him, and conversing with Him. Rain or shine, cold or hot Dad was in his Prayer Arbor keeping his most important appointment for the day. He practiced what he preached and what he preached rang with the authenticity of a genuine walk with God. This was his secret. There have been those over the years who have wanted to teach his stuff, but did not have the right stuff when it came to prayerful preparation. When Dad prays it is not a performance, but a continuation of a conversation that began early in the day. When he teaches on prayer, he does not approach it as a subject but a reconnection with someone he longs to be with.

Last month, Dad met with his board of directors of Bible Based Ministries. At his request, they voted to close down their organization. It was a bittersweet moment. After 34 years of ministry a transition was going to have to take place. Don't get me wrong. Dad is still able to preach and teach, but the wear and tear of traveling has become more and more difficult for them. They have enjoyed preaching for pastors in the area who have arranged to pick them up and bring them to their church to preach. This has been a blessing for the church and for my parents.

This has been a year of transition for them, and it has become one for Dana and myself. After 20 years of praying about following this direction of our lives, we have stepped out on faith. Dana believed God was leading us in this direction over a year ago. It has taken me longer to get used to the idea of releasing the pastorate as my expression of ministry, but the time was right in July of this year. The past five months have provided me a growing sense of freedom and purpose about what is ahead. We have a growing confidence that God has called us to take up this mantle of prayer, and continue what Mom and Dad have begun. It will take on a different expression, but it will still have the main focus. We will continue to share with people that prayer is the intimate communication between the Heavenly Father and His child.

When we shared this new sense of direction with Dad, we were not surprised that he said he had felt this same leading from God for some time. When I hesitated in resigning and moving ahead with the leap of faith, he said quietly, "If God has called you to do this, you might want to think about being obedient." I'll let him share with you the commissioning that he gave us as we began this journey.

"What I have had in my heart, I have placed in your mind, and I have called on God to let it come forth from your mouth. This will mean that my ministry continues through you. There have been those who have wanted me to pass this mantle to them. They may have never asked for it directly, but I knew what they were seeking me to do. I have felt for some time that it would be you who would take on this ministry.

Since you were a child, I know God has been up to something in your life. Your mother and I were impressed to include my name in yours, Gary Don Miller. This may have been more prophetic then than we knew. It means something. It is more than a coincidence that this ministry is taken on by you, and that my name is carried on by you.

It is also interesting that you were born on a Sunday morning right after I preached, and after you were born that day I was able to return in time to preach that night. I was able to share the news with the congregation at the evening service that God had given us a son. Your ministry logo may carry a new name, but the message will be the same. The definition of prayer will always be 'intimate communication between the Heavenly Father and His child.' " Don Miller

After meeting with Dad's board, and our lawyer, Dana and I were impressed to commission this new ministry, "The Whitefield Project." God used this 18th Century preacher, 1714-1770, as a spark to ignite The First Great Awakening in America. We are praying for God to do something through us that only He will get credit for. The prayer journals of George Whitefield often called people to prayer with the reminder "Man's extremity is God's opportunity." George Whitefield

We are excited to be a part of what God is up to in the world today. Thank you Dad and Mom for believing in us, and passing this baton to us. Thank you dear friends for praying for all four of us during these days of transition. Mom and Dad will continue to preach and pray in churches that open their doors to them. Dana and I are going to spend the rest of our lives equipping couples, parents, and people of all ages and stages of life to utilize prayer as the foundation for family worship. The hope of our churches can only be built on the firm foundation of praying people who live out what they believe among those that know them best, and know them at their worst.

"The Whitefield Project" is a non-profit organization with a board of directors recognized by the State of Texas. Tax exempt status has been applied for with the Internal Revenue Service, therefore year end gifts and contributions to The Whitefield Project will be recognized as tax deductible.

If you need more information on how to schedule a "Pray2Gether" Prayer Conference, contact us at the following address or phone number. If you are interested in acquiring a DVD set of the Don Miller "Bible Based Prayer Conference" let us know. We have a limited number available for the low cost of $50.00 (price includes shipping).

Happy Birthday Mom

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 90 YEARS OLD TODAY! Thank you for letting us share this great day with you. This is a huge celebration for you and your entire family and we are grateful that we get to share it with you!

Dana and I wanted to share some things about you that have had a great impact on us. We are grateful for...

• Your courage to face the unknown with a look to the future that God has in store for you.

(One of my favorite stories about you is the train trip you made by yourself from Monroe, Louisiana to Orlando, Florida. You left your mom and dad at home, and you boarded a troop train loaded with rowdy soldiers right in the middle of WW II. You traveled to another state, planned a wedding and married your fiancee without a parent to stand with you on the special day. You and Dad have always made a great team, and the 66 years of marriage that you have shared is a treasure to us all.)

• Your support that you have shown to your husband. You have been an example to us of a wife who knows what it means to love in sickness and in health.

(I will never forget the way you ministered to Dad during his two year battle for life after his emergency surgery in 1975. You endured the relentless round of surgeries, and prolonged recovery with a gentle grace under fire. Since 1997 you have been the tireless care giver who organizes the endless doctor visits and keeps him on track with the right medications. You are an inspiration to us at this time in our lives. )

• Your extended family that you have shared with us.

(You have so many sons and daughters in the ministry, and we have always been proud to introduce our friends and church families to you. They all end up calling you Momma. I'm not sure I am in the will, but I am confident that a few of them are. This might be an awkward time to mention it, but we need to talk about that power of attorney thing later today.)

• Your love that you have expressed to your children that has allowed God to take them on different paths, but has always provided an open door that has let them come back home.

(I know you have said over the years that you loved us all the same, but I still think that you loved Joy the best. I can't help but bring up that painful issue about moving Joy to Baylor. You influenced our workaholic Dad to make a two week trip out of it. He loaded the VW van, and pulled a U-Haul trailer filled with girly type stuff to Waco. For days you set up her room on the sixth floor of Collins Hall with carpet, curtains and comforter. It was a revelation to me that the love for a daughter was different than a mother's love for a son. Three years earlier, I had left New York in my 1966 Renault to head to Waco. I remember you waving from the porch as I pulled out the driveway. The pain still lingers, but even my therapist says I have to move on.)

• Your gift of writing.

(Mom, you may not believe this but you are a great communicator, and your letters are a treasure. I always loved getting a letter from you. Whether I was at college, overseas or on assignment in a faraway state, your letters were always a tremendous encouragement. You have the ability to make great scriptural application, and current events read like an action novel. Thank you for shedding the light when we were in some pretty dark places.)

• Your adventurous spirit.

(I remember driving you and Dad across the Serengeti plains in a Land Rover. There were no roads that we could recognize and the terrain had been torn up by migrating herds of antelope. It was rough! I found out later that you had undergone gall bladder surgery just a few days before you left the States. That was when surgery was done with a knife and not a scope. You were determined to go to East Africa, and not let a "little" pain get in your way. When the dictionary prints the term "steel magnolia" your picture is right by the definition.)

• Your sanctified sanity that keeps a gentle rein on the divine designs of the men of this family.

(Mom, you have always buzzed around a conversation between Dad and I and acted like you weren't eavesdropping. The worst kept secret in our family is the fact that you can hear a mouse burp in the next room. Nothing ever gets by you. I remember Dad and I talking one day about getting a piece of land on a mountain in Vermont, and either building a cabin or refurbishing an older home. We thought it would make a great home place for the family. You were doing what you always do in the kitchen while we were talking at the table, kinda moving around. In one smooth move you glided by the table and injected these words of wisdom with your soft Mississippi drawl, "God called me this far north, and I was obedient to His call. He never said anything about wintering in Vermont. This is as far north as I go unless God speaks to me about it." I don't think Dad and I have used the word Vermont in a sentence in 35 years. The older I get the happier I am that we are wintering in Fort Worth this year. Thanks Mom!)

• Your refusal to yield to the temptation to retire.

(You and Dad keep reinventing yourselves by reinvesting in people. I am so grateful for the example that you have given us that a genuine a ministry is focused on the love of God, and it will always express itself in a love for people. This kind of ministry does not have an expiration date on it, and is not carried out by clock watchers. You have a way of finding people who are in need of a dose of Jesus, and you always carry in your bag just what the doctor ordered.)

Dana and I love you so much, and are so happy to be able to wish you a very Happy Birthday. We are bringing our fire department gear to the lighting of the candles. Let's Party!

Love,
From your Favorite Son and the Wife He didn't deserve,
Gary and Dana

A Hero, A Heroine, and A Half Marathon pt. 1

A short time ago, I had a blast from the past posted on my Facebook page. Deanna asked if it would be possible for Dana and I to meet her and her parents for a cup of coffee. I knew this young lady when she was an MK (Missionary Kid) in East Africa. I was privileged to serve with her family on the Tukuyu Station nestled in the rain forest of the Southern Highlands of Tanzania. Her parents, Eucled and Janelle, were a great encouragement to me, and I shared many meals with them in their home before they moved their family to the Baptist Seminary in Arusha. I jumped at the chance to reconnect with one of my heroes. There is always a Starbucks close enough to meet up with old friends.

Eucled Moore was a great missionary. He applied himself to learn the language, and became one of the premier communicators of the Baptist Mission of East Africa. He served as a field evangelist, a Bible School Principal, and a professor at the Baptist Seminary. His last assignment was that of director of the language school for new missionaries. He was highly respected by his peers and the people of East Africa. These two achievements are not mutually exclusive, but were no easy accomplishment. Missionary relationships are often afflicted with the "too many chiefs and not enough Indians" mind set, and the local people you are serving are expecting you to work yourself out of a job, and leave your nice house to them. It is a challenging work environment to say the least.

I remember Eucled as a crack shot, and I enjoyed hunting with him on the flats outside of Rungwe District. I was with him when he brought down an Eland. I soon discovered that the thrill of the hunt passes very quickly, and that it takes days to carve a carcass the size of a Brahma bull into freezer sized packages of meat. It almost turned me into a vegetarian. I think it took me a week before I could even look at a piece of meat. I recall on another occasion hanging two Zebras from his carport and butchering them with a kitchen knife. I had a whole new respect for the guy behind the meat section of the Piggly Wiggly.

Eucled was a master carpenter and a wizard on a lathe. He would often work with the exotic, unnamed woods the rain forest supplied and turn out beautiful furniture, dominoes and chess pieces. One of my prized possessions is a gavel that came out of his wood shop in Tukuyu.

What I remember best about Eucled is his listening ear. I was new to the journey, and I was finding my way into the Presence of God, as I responded to the calling that He had given me. I had alot of questions, made alot of mistakes, but could always count on Eucled to provide a listening ear, and wise counsel. He had a quick wit, a musical talent, and a great family that he shared with me while I was a single guy fresh out of college. I will never forget the hospitality that he and his family offered to me. I was treated like one of the family. To this day we can pick up where we left off in a conversation, even if years have interrupted the opportunity for continuous communication.

One of the hazards of my work in East Africa was the constant threat of malaria. Working in the high altitudes of the Rungwe and Njombe mountains of Tanzania kept it at bay most of the time. However, when I had to travel to the Lake Nyasa region to check on one of the churches I was building, I became a victim. My first experience with this disease was pretty frightening. I lived alone, and for two days, I was trapped in my bed racked with raging fever, and freezing spasms. The yo-yo effect of the ebb and flow of fever and shakes left me too weak to get up and to go get help. I heard Eucled's voice outside my small living quarters calling my name. At first I thought I was hallucinating, but the sound grew louder and more persistent. Eventually he broke into my house and found me. It was not a pretty sight. He didn't panic. He looked at me with his best "42 Face."

For the uniformed, "42" is a domino game that makes Texas Hold Em poker look like "Go Fish" when it is played by rabid missionaries plowing their way through a tournament. One of the marks of passage in my life was being selected by Eucled to be his partner. This meant he placed great confidence in your ability to play the game, or it meant the person next to you was worse than you were. I always liked to think that I had measured up a little bit in his eyes.

With a matter of fact voice, Eucled said, "You've got it now. Makes you feel like you are going to have to die to get better doesn't it?" His calm in the midst of my storm gave me the courage to believe I was going to be OK. He made sure I had what I needed, and I was taken to his home to recover.

This man is one of my heroes. He served faithfully in one of the most challenging places of the world, and returned to Texas and started a great church in New Braunfels. His effort became such a success that he was asked to write a "How To" booklet to tell men how to start a church the right way. He paused to think about it, but came to the conclusion that God had more to do with it than he did, and all he would say was, "I was just there." That is what I like to remember the most about Eucled. He always worked hard at the task he was given, but gave God the elbow room to get it done and made sure God got all the credit for what happened. Eucled Moore did not strive to make a name for himself, but he has made a difference in my life.

The short time Dana and I were able to spend with the Moores unleashed a flood of memories. I was grateful to Deanna for making this reunion possible. Eucled is fighting a courageous battle against Parkinsons, and recent heart surgery has complicated this, but he is still the man of God that I remember in East Africa. He remains my hero because he is still running the race, and his stamina gives me the courage to continue my journey of service that I began 38 years ago. Eucled, thanks for being my mentor, a listening ear, a hunting partner, and a crisis care giver. I still want to be like you when I grow up. In my eyes you are still, Bwana Mkubwa! The great man!
 

A Hero, A Heroine and A Half Marathon pt. 2

I know some of my more conservative friends may have to leave the room as I write this, but I have to say that I am moved by the passing of Elizabeth Edwards. Her life was cut short by breast cancer, a disease that hit very close to our home in March 2008.

It is amazing how breast cancer can create an affinity and an appreciation for someone that you have never met. I have been aware of this monster for some time, but until Dana was diagnosed with it, it seemed more like a scary ghost story than a raging beast screaming in your face. Watching the daily reminders of her six year struggle with breast cancer is like ice water in the face. It is a wake up call not to take any day we share together for granted.

In April of 2008 my daughters, Ashley and Allyson, invited us to see them run in a Race for the Cure being held in Downtown Fort Worth. Ashley's company, "InProv of Southlake" had volunteered to run as a team in honor of Dana. We were the one's who were honored. We went to the race to thank them for their encouragement. When we arrived we were stunned by the thousands of people who were running or observing this race. It was a huge snapshot of what is happening to people all over the world, but especially in the United States. It is still a revelation to me how invasive this disease has been to so many people, and the fraternity/sorority atmosphere that exists between complete strangers who are connected by only the joint experience of the fight.

Elizabeth Edwards and I probably would not have a great deal in common if it were not for the trauma and the drama of breast cancer. That is just the point of my reference to her today. I was impressed by her courage and calm in the face of the circus that surrounded her contest with cancer. Her life had been marked by great achievement and staggering losses. The death of her son left a hole in her heart, and a scar on the soul of her husband. It is very likely that this was something that neither she or her husband ever fully overcame.

Then in the middle of her battle with breast cancer, her husband fathers a child out of wedlock. This kind of heartless, faithlessness is an anathema to the sanctity of marriage at any time, but it took on an even more brutal callousness when it was done to a woman who needed a husband to stand with her. At one of the most vulnerable times of her life, he chose to focus on his own needs and satisfy his own ego inviting another woman to take the place of his wife.

Crisis reveals character. It does not create character, it just peels away the thin gauze of pretense and exposes what has been there all the time. This is what makes the silo system of leadership analysis so bankrupt. For far too long the mantra has been, "A person's private life should not disqualify them from public service." Apparently we are meant to believe that the silo that is empty of character in one's private life stands alone, and does not impact the conduct of business in one's public life. Are you kidding me? We are who we are when we think no one is watching.

Public men are constantly being exposed for hiding shabby private lives. Preachers, politicians, priests, and pagans all have been outed, but nothing seems to ever change. Revealing them for the cheating scoundrels that they are may scare another man's pants on him for a while, but the question can always be asked, "Who's next?" They are already lining up for their 15 minutes of infamy. I saw another one on TV last night. The script is always the same. I was weak. I'm only human. I blame myself. I accept responsibility, but I still want to keep my job, position, pastorate, TV show, or whatever. My bad. No harm no foul. Consenting adults. Nobody's perfect. Gotta move on. Love ya, see ya, bye ya.

If character and conduct do not matter, then what is the big deal? Why is scandal and infidelity still news? Why does the National Inquirer chase down John Edwards at a hotel as he was trying to meet with the mother of his child. It is closer to the truth to say that lack of character does matter a great deal when there is a news cycle to meet.

Back to the story of "A Heroine." Elizabeth Edwards remains a heroine in my eyes for her six year fight against breast cancer, and the dignified way she tried to keep things as normal as possible for her children in the face of enormous obstacles. Her unfaithful husband showed up at her death bed as she took her last breath on this earth. He doesn't deserve a medal for doing so. He showed up for his wife's surrender, but he was AWOL in the middle of the fight of her life. If he had been a private in the Army, he would have been put in the stockade or military prison for treason. As it stands, he thought of himself as worthy of being the future Commander in Chief of a nation even when he was a genuine coward at home.

Stress is a powerful fuel for cancer cells. Elizabeth Edwards had plenty of it in her last days. Most of it was inflicted by those closest to her. For whatever additional stress this man put on his wife while she was struggling against a powerful enemy, he remains accountable to God. He took vows to honor and to protect his wife in 1977. The calendar and cancer had transformed Elizabeth from a beautiful young lady to a battle scarred warrior. What should have inspired him turned him to the arms of another person who promised to meet his needs. His focus of his life had always been on himself, and when the prolonged battle with cancer took its toll on the one he had pledged to stand by in sickness and in health, he did not rise to meet the challenge. Promises are always harder to keep than they are to make. That is why politicians are better at making them than keeping them. It takes character to do the right thing when there is nothing in it for you.

As Dana and I complete the third year of our fight against breast cancer, I am more appreciative of those who are veterans in this unending war. Elizabeth Edwards deserved better than she received from her husband. She is a heroine who has overcome the worst life brought her way, and faced death with a calm and peace that held no fear for her. I want to make sure that I learn from her husband's failure and take my game to the next level to be the support and the pillar my wife needs. To every husband out there, regardless of the situation you may find yourselves, do you really need a better reason to be a better man. Man up. You promised her you would!