Windom – The Jesus Chick

Posted in Christian, Christian Service, Life Inspiration, Uncategorized

Forever My Lydia

Written by talk2shari Published September 16, 2021September 16, 2021 Discussion Leave a Comment

After fourteen hours of travel, as a very tired and weary traveler, I pulled onto the tree line streets of Windom, Minnesota for the very first time in my life. I had loved seeing a part of our nation I had never had the opportunity to visit, but I had no idea on that day how much I would come to love the city of Windom, but even more so the people. I had little to no apprehension of stepping out of my car and knocking on the door of an address I had been given to meet a woman who had opened up her home for the purpose of hosting me during my stay. Her name was Loretta Jackson. A woman small in stature, but huge in heart. She answered the door with a smile that lit up the outdoors and we were fast friends.

We had two things in common. First of all we both loved and served the Lord. Secondly, we were married to fire fighters, although her fighter husband had retired. We started talking when she opened the door and we didn’t stop until she and I hugged goodbye a week later. Her home was modest and filled with memories of her life that showed her love for her family and friends. She and I shared our work in the ministry and how God had changed our lives through allowing us to serve. God has been good to me to allow me the privilege of knowing some of His greatest servants.

Loretta will forever be my Lydia.

Acts 16:14-15 KJVS

[14] And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us : whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul. [15] And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.

By the time I came to know Loretta, she was retired and up in years, but like Lydia she never stopped working. While there were certainly younger women who could have stepped in and did what Loretta did for the Lord, she knew that God had called her to serve, so serve she would!

One story that will let you understand her heart as I came to appreciate it was the call she received from another church, not of her Denomination. This is how crazy our religious world has become. Loretta had such a reputation as a woman of God in the Windom community, that this church of what I would consider dead religion, called her to teach their children. They had no people in their own congregation who would volunteer to teach the children about the Lord Jesus Christ, and even thought they knew the doctrinal differences that they had with Loretta’s Baptist background, they wanted her to do it. And so, armed with her baptist curriculum, she taught and the children learned that God loved them, because Loretta loved them. Oh, that story brings me such joy! Because it wouldn’t happen just anywhere and it wouldn’t happen with just anyone. Loretta, like Lydia, worshipped God with an open heart and she attended to the things of God and the people saw.

Oh to be known as a Lydia! Oh to be known as a Loretta!

Posted in Christian Service, Eternity, Evangelism

Don’t Drive Your Stakes Too Deep

Written by talk2shari Published November 27, 2020November 27, 2020 Discussion 2 Comments

Ministry Friends – Patricia & Butch Dunnick

In a two story house, on small street in Windom, Minnesota, I met Butch and Pat Dunnick. They’d opened their home for me to stay in while I spoke in their city. Two small in stature people with hearts the size of Minnesota. They had dedicated their home and their lives to the service of Christ. Their story wasn’t one of living in perfection, but in my eyes they were everything I seen in the story of Priscilla and Aquila who ministered with Paul.

I’ve been fortunate to meet people in my life that impact me in such a way, when I hear their name, I have utter jubilation in my soul. Butch and Pat are two of the many. Windom, Minnesota has some great memories for me, and I wish I could pack up all those people and bring them to West Virginia with me, but that’s not how it works. But I miss them. For some reason, at 3 a.m., the day after Thanksgiving, I’m homesick for Windom. It began when I read a post of Pat’s where she shared the story of a child they had taken into their home.

Charlie had been a neighbor who they’d heard playing ball in his apartment. Not realizing he was alone, and waiting for a drunken mother to return home. Until one night his mom didn’t return home, she died in a car accident and he became a foster child of Butch and Pat. Charlie had secretly wanted to be a part of their family. He wanted to belong in a stable house where people loved him. He also became a part of the family of God through their influence. That’s the most important family of all! And it’s what makes Minnesota so special.

In just a short, ever so quickly passed week, I became apart of the Dunnick family through our shared Father, the Lord Jesus Christ. I belonged. Not that I haven’t always been blessed with belonging, which is why Pat’s story stirred my soul so much this morning. Not everyone does belong. There’s a world out there filled with loneliness, and praise God for missionaries like Butch and Pat who open up their home and hearts to the Charlie’s and Shari’s of this world.

They were People of Trade

Acts 18:1-3 KJV

[1] After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; [2] And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. [3] And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.

God used the tent making to not only provide funding for the ministry, but likely to house it as well. Tent makers by trade, I can’t help but think they were the originators of the first “Old Fashioned” Tent meetings. I could imagine many a sermon coming from the illustration of those tents not being a permanent dwelling, nor are we to consider this world a permanent place, it’s anything but! We are just a passing through going to a far better land.

But far too many of us have set our tent stakes in concrete. Not willing to push ourselves out of the comfort zone we’re in to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. God actually had to trick me to get me out of the religion I was in, and into a place of service. The number one question for any child of God should be “Are we traveling toward Heaven, or just hanging out at the station?” If you’re not moving, find another train.

Those tents were not only a temporary dwelling, they didn’t have a denomination associated with it either! While I’m a Baptist, by doctrine, I’m not fool enough to believe Jesus was a Baptist. There is but one church in Heaven and that is God’s church. Those who believe on the finished work of the cross of Jesus Christ for their salvation. In Christ alone. No other way.

They were Ready to Persuade

[4] And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

Paul, Priscilla and Aquila knew what they believed and were standing firm on that foundation in a place where their opinion wasn’t always welcome. If it were easy to persuade the world of their need for salvation there likely wouldn’t be such passion in the pulpits of soul winning churches, nor would there be such great opposition. Living your life in Christ is not a comfort zone, it’s a war zone.

My salvation was so far from anything I had ever experienced in the religious world, I knew I wanted to share it with everyone I met. Dead religion sucks the life out of you, but faith in Christ restores the soul!!! It pours Living Water into your life and causes you to overflow. When Paul met Jesus on the road to Damascus it was anything but religion. He knew religion… far better than I. Paul was a good man, and there’s still plenty of good men in dead churches today. But when a soul is lit on fire for Christ, they become persuaders!

Being brought up in religion will do one of three things: It will either squelch your spirit till you are of none effect, cause you to leave church completely, or, once you’ve discovered the difference between religion and relationship with Christ, you’ll become a persuader. Paul, along with Aquila and Priscilla were persuaders. I know a persuader. I am one, and I’ve had the privilege of meeting many, such as the Dunnicks!

They were Eternally Unswayed

Acts 18:5-6 KJVS

[5] And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. [6] And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.

Paul was called out to serve the Gentiles. The Jews were rejecting his message and so it was that Paul knocked the dust off his feet and headed in a new direction.

When I met the Dunnicks, I was headed in a new direction with an old story. They encouraged my plight, with their deep passion for the things of the Lord. Like Priscilla and Aquila persuaded a Jew name Apollos, it’s my prayer that I, like my friends and biblical predecessors, am a persuader and I’m unswayed when this world comes against me.

Acts 18:24-28 KJVS

[24] And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. [25] This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. [26] And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. [27] And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: [28] For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

Let it be so!!! That we are convincing this world on it’s way out that Jesus is Christ is the way, the truth and the life! Apollos was helped out doctrinally by Priscilla and Aquila. We need to know the word, stand on the word and share the word. Glorrraaaaay!

Posted in Bible Journaling, Christian Service, Evangelism, Life Inspiration

The Social Side of Online Casinos: Chat Rooms, Tournaments, and Community Features

Written by talk2shari Published August 16, 2018October 24, 2024 Discussion Leave a Comment

Online casinos like login joker123 are no longer just about individual gaming sessions and solitary play. In recent years, the social aspect of online gambling has grown significantly, making virtual casinos more interactive and community-driven. Players can now connect, compete, and collaborate in ways that were once reserved for physical casinos. From live chats and multiplayer games to tournaments and communities, online casinos have become vibrant social spaces where players experience a sense of connection and camaraderie.

In this article, we will explore the various social features in online casinos that are reshaping the gambling landscape, making it more engaging and community-oriented.
1. Chat Rooms: Connecting Players in Real Time

One of the most immediate ways players connect in online casinos is through chat rooms. These virtual spaces allow gamblers to communicate with each other in real-time, turning what was once a solitary experience into a communal one.
Socializing While Playing

Chat rooms are available in many different types of games, from live dealer experiences to slots. Players can share tips, strategies, or simply engage in casual conversation. In games like live poker or blackjack, chat rooms allow players to talk to one another, making the game feel more like a social gathering than a digital pastime.
Live Dealer Interaction

For players who enjoy the human element of gambling, live dealer games take social interaction to the next level. Players not only get to chat with each other but can also interact directly with the dealer. This interaction brings the experience closer to that of a land-based casino, providing players with the sense that they are part of a larger gaming community.
Building Relationships

While the primary purpose of chat rooms is to enhance the gaming experience, they also serve as a way for players to form relationships. Longtime players often encounter familiar faces in these virtual spaces, allowing them to develop friendships that extend beyond the game. This adds an additional layer of enjoyment, as players become part of an online casino’s social fabric.
2. Tournaments: Fostering Competition and Community

Tournaments have become one of the most exciting social features in online casinos, bringing players together to compete for prizes, recognition, and community involvement. The competitive nature of tournaments not only adds excitement but also helps create a sense of belonging among players.
Types of Tournaments

Online casinos host a wide variety of tournaments, including poker, slots, and blackjack competitions. These events typically involve a large number of players competing against each other, with leaderboards tracking performance in real-time. Whether it’s a weekly slot tournament or a high-stakes poker event, tournaments attract players from around the world, fostering both competition and connection.
Real-Time Competition

During tournaments, players often engage in real-time chat, discussing their progress, sharing tips, and sometimes even engaging in friendly banter. This adds a social dimension to the competition, allowing players to experience the thrill of victory or the frustration of a close loss alongside others who are going through the same emotions.
Shared Achievements

Winning or even placing in a tournament is not just a personal achievement—it’s a social one. Many online casinos publish tournament results on their leaderboards, where the top players are recognized for their skills. For players, seeing their name on a leaderboard or receiving praise from peers adds an extra layer of pride, creating a sense of community recognition and respect.
3. Multiplayer Games: Collaborative and Competitive Play

Multiplayer games are another way that online casinos have evolved to offer more social experiences. Unlike single-player games, multiplayer options bring players together to collaborate or compete in real-time, often resulting in more dynamic gameplay and social engagement.
Team-Based Games

Some online casinos have introduced team-based games where players collaborate to achieve a common goal, adding a cooperative element to gambling. Whether it’s working together in poker tournaments or participating in special team-based events, these games encourage communication, strategy, and shared success, fostering a sense of unity among players.
Competing with Friends

In multiplayer games like poker or baccarat, players can invite their friends to join the table, making it a social experience. Being able to compete directly against friends or other players in real-time not only adds excitement but also strengthens the bonds formed through the game.
4. Casino Communities: Clubs, Forums, and Loyalty Programs

Beyond individual games, many online casinos have built entire communities through player clubs, forums, and loyalty programs. These platforms allow players to engage with the casino and each other in more meaningful ways, beyond the gaming floor.
Player Clubs and VIP Communities

Player clubs are exclusive communities within online casinos that reward loyalty with special perks, including invitations to private tournaments or access to high-stakes games. Players who belong to these clubs often form tight-knit groups, where they exchange tips, discuss strategies, and celebrate each other’s wins.
Forums and Social Platforms

Some online casinos also host forums or social platforms where players can discuss various topics related to gaming, share their experiences, and seek advice from others. These forums create a space for players to connect outside of active gaming sessions, fostering a sense of community even when they’re not playing.
Social Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs are often gamified, encouraging players to level up and earn rewards based on their activity. These programs sometimes include social aspects, such as leaderboards or point-sharing with friends, turning loyalty rewards into a communal experience.
5. Live Dealer Games: A Human Connection

Live dealer games have become one of the most popular forms of online gambling, offering players the chance to interact with real dealers in real-time. These games, which include blackjack, roulette, and baccarat, replicate the feel of a land-based casino, providing a more immersive and social experience.
Engaging with Dealers

Players can communicate directly with the dealer via chat, asking questions or simply engaging in casual conversation. This human element adds a personal touch that traditional online casino games lack, making the experience more interactive and enjoyable.
Shared Experiences with Other Players

In live dealer games, players can also chat with each other, sharing their thoughts on the game or discussing strategies. This interaction adds an extra layer of excitement, as players collectively celebrate wins or commiserate over losses, creating a shared experience that enhances the social aspect of the game.
6. The Rise of Social Casino Games

For players who enjoy the social aspect of casino gaming without the need for real-money stakes, social casino games have become a popular option. These games, often available on platforms like Facebook or mobile apps, allow players to enjoy traditional casino games in a more casual and community-oriented environment.
Playing with Friends

In social casino games, players can connect with friends, share their progress, and even send each other gifts or bonuses. While there’s no real money involved, the social aspect is often the main draw, as players compete for virtual currency, bragging rights, and leaderboard positions.
In-Game Chat and Collaboration

Like traditional online casino games, social casino platforms often feature in-game chat, allowing players to interact with one another while they play. This turns the experience into a shared event, as players collaborate on strategies, share in-game achievements, and celebrate their successes together.
Conclusion

The social side of online casinos has transformed the way people experience online gambling. Whether through real-time chats, multiplayer games, or community features like tournaments and loyalty programs, online casinos have become vibrant social environments where players can connect, compete, and share experiences. As technology continues to evolve, the social aspect of online gambling will likely become even more prominent, offering players deeper engagement and a greater sense of community.

Posted in Bible Journaling, Christian Service, Life Inspiration

Wisdom from the Water

Written by talk2shari Published November 14, 2017November 9, 2022 Discussion Leave a Comment

Being the wife of a fire fighter allows me a “little better” understanding of the concept of emergency services. Very little, if I’m honest. I’m not a member of the department, I’m the “half unit” of Fire Chief 119 by emergency services lingo. I’m the whole unit of Jesus Christ. As my husband fights to put out the fires on earth, I fight to put out the fires of hell, one soul at a time.

My trip to Windom, Minnesota was fruitful, both for the souls of that city and for my own.

John 7:38 says

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Water plays a huge role in our life. My husband is also Chief Operator at our local water treatment plant, so he has a passion for all things water. He takes his job as serious as any operator in the state of West Virginia I’d say. In addition to putting out fires with water, he’s also headed up the water rescue team through the fire department to rescue victims of flooding or accidents (click on this website link to know whom to approach in this situation to get help legally ), and he’s pulled more than one lifeless body out of the water. Water has the power to heal the body as well as kill the body if one doesn’t use caution. But in the spiritual realm there is only one purpose. Life! Praise God I’m in the business of providing that water that Jesus Christ gave to me in 1996.

Just like the human body the spiritual body must have the water of life!

Essentiality

Water is essential for the cells in the human body to function properly, and believe me when I say, it’s essential for the Christian to function properly. It breaks my heart when I realize how very little the word of God is taken into consideration in the lives of people today. It’s what’s gotten folks into trouble from the beginning of time. They allowed someone else to tell them what “thus saith the Lord” rather than having that conversation themselves. When Satan deceived Eve, he did it by manipulating the word of God.

Genesis 3:1-4 “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

It’s so easy for someone to take the word of God out of context, or change just a few words to give it an entirely different meaning, contaminating the Living Water of God and destroying the body of Christ.

Listen to the preacher, yes! But read the word of God for yourselves and hear straight from the Savior Himself.

Evidentially

There is an evidence in the body of the presence of water. It hydrates and breaks down allowing the transport and removal of the icky things that tend to linger on in the digestive system. Isn’t it amazing that that’s exactly how the word of God works!

Reading the word satisfies the thirst of a soul that longs to hear from God. And along the way it purifies the body of those lingering sins that so often hang in the life of a Christian who doesn’t spend enough time in the word. Evidence begins to show in the life of a child of God by the Word of God flowing from them into the lives of others and again that chain reaction occurs. Hallelujah! It’s how souls are saved by the very vessels God pours into.

Enthusiality

It’s not a word, but it works for my third point. Water helps limit the changes in body temperature in a warm or cold environment. And you better believe in this cold world, you need the ability to stay even tempered and enthusiastic about your relationship with God. Turn on the news and your blood may boil… at least mine does. Spend a few hours in the presence of carnal Christians and watch your temperature plummet and your desire for spiritual things diminish.

But spend time in the word of God and in the fellowship of strong Christian people and it will excite the soul! Windom, Minnesota has a new sister in Christ Jesus; it has a marriage restoration in the making and some dramatic changes in the lives of some children of God who discovered through the word of God and testimony of His people that the water of life not only extinguishes the fires in Hell from one less soul to burn, but floods the body of Christ with life giving water that is essential to its growth.

20 years… it never grows old or cold!

Posted in Christian Service

From West Virginia & New Mexico ~ here we come!

Written by talk2shari Published November 5, 2017 Discussion Leave a Comment

Ephesians 6:19-20

And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

This is where it gets real! In less than 24 hours I’ll be on my way to Windom, Minnesota, and as I said to one of the Minnesota Team members this week, it’s like I’m coming home. That may seem somewhat odd for them and anyone who knows me, because I’ve only been there once; so how on earth could it be like going home?! Because home is where your heart is and I have a heart for the people of Windom.

When I arrived at Windom last year, having driven 16 hours to get there, I stepped out of the car at the home of Loretta Jackson and it was as if we’d been friends for a life time, and yet I’d never so much as spoken to her on the phone. I had an address plugged into my GPS and an image of a house from google. That’s it. But two seconds in the door and our mouths started talking and they didn’t shut up for 5 days. Even stranger, this whole journey began in a place I’ve still not been, but long to go, New Mexico! That’s where Dewey Moede is from. Dewey is a Windom, Minnesota born and raised boy who now is a circuit riding preacher in New Mexico as well as the co-founder of FGGAM.org, For God’s Glory Alone Ministry with his wife Sharon. Through social media we connected and began a journey of faith and a collective burden for Revival in our home towns. Miles and Miles apart, yet thanks to technology just a phone call, text, tweet or message away.

With the help of many churches and God’s people in my life, as well as social media, I have friends from across the globe. Some of them are as you would expect… “friends.” But others are F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Genuine, real, I count on them friends. Dewey Moede is one such friend and many of the Minnesota Revival Team on the ground in Windom. We’ve prayed for one another, I’ve cried with them and for them, they support what I do by allowing me to be a part of this extraordinary event. We’re excited!

Please stay tuned to my blog this week as I update the events of the week and most of all join us in prayer. We want God to move, Mighty! And we believe in the might power of prayer to do that. Please pray for our team:

Dewey Moede
Clara Nelson
Pat Fisher
Barney Wall
Pat Dunnick
Jennifer Anderson
Rod Byam
Maranatha Ministries
Gene and Martha Duerksen
Lynn Stoneking
Shari Johnson

Posted in Life Inspiration, Purpose

Where the Chalkline Leads

Written by talk2shari Published September 27, 2017May 3, 2021 Discussion Leave a Comment

I’m certainly not your ordinary missionary. When most people think of a missionary, they consider the work on foreign fields and those works are mighty and necessary. But few consider the United States as a missionfield.

The hard truth is, America has just as much a need for missionaries as any country in the world. And while I serve foreign mission fields as well through Marietta Bible College, I have no less a burden for my own land. I love this country, and I desire to see her in the God Glorifying state that she was once in. I believe that starts one city at a time, and God has laid Windom, Minnesota on my heart.

However… a journey such as this isn’t cheap. I humbly ask that you consider supporting my mission trip this November as I move forward for God doing a great work, and perhaps beginning a great and mighty revival across our land. I’d like to start by stirring up a few gals in Windom and this morning I’d like to stir you a litle too! I read this morning a scripture in Hebrews, Chapter 10, verse 24

And let is consider one another to provoke unto love to good works.

Countless times I’ve used Hebrews 10:25 as a reminder about the need of attending the house of God. But this morning I thought on the these words. Perhaps a precursor to seeing an amazing work in the house of God! Provoking people with purpose. Provoking has a negative connotation to me when I see the word, after all it is defined as “to stimulate or give rise to (a reaction or emotion, typically a strong or unwelcome one) in someone.” So why is it used in the scripture prior to people attending the house of God? Have you ever shared the gospel with someone in hopes of getting them to church, it’s not always easy is it? It’s not easy being a servant of God. He didn’t say it would be, but it’s always worth it.

Image result for carpenter's chalk line This morning as I talked to God about my life and the Windom trip, He was very clear about what He wanted for me. And that was to “Focus.” That has been a word that God has used again and again in our conversations. Focus on the task at hand. But He added to that the word align. Aligning oneself is to get directly in that path. He brought to mind the illustration of a carpenter who flips the chalkline for a straight line, and that is the path he takes. When He starts me on a path, He’s drawn that line from where I am to where I’m to go and I need to stay on it. Aligned with God. Focused. That’s been Minnesota for while. He’s kept those friends in my view every day. There’s a work there for me to do and I believe it’s to be a part of provoking the Love of God in that city so that He can do a mighty work. No, it’s not a foreign mission field, but it’s a missionfield for me. A place to share the Love of God and to see a “good work.”

Below is the link to support the trip. I am an unfunded missionary supporting mission work. I don’t have a job, but I have faith that God will provide. He does that though people who can’t go, but want to be a part of the mission work. I pray you’ll consider my cause.

In His love and for His Glory,

Shari (the Jesus Chick)

https://www.gofundme.com/theJesuschick

Posted in Christian Service, Evangelism, Leadership, Life Inspiration

Are you ripe for the pickin’?

Written by talk2shari Published November 29, 2016 Discussion Leave a Comment

The Jesus Chick Attending the Calhoun County Christian Fellowship Dinner at Brooksville Baptist Church with Chuck and Rosemary McDonald. Photo bomb compliments of Donna Steigleder 😀

It seems like yesterday I had my car packed for the Windom, Minnesota revival with excitement and expectation of what the Lord would do in that place. It seems like yesterday because the revival that started for me in that place is still burning in my heart. From that revival I came back with a hometown desire to see Jesus at work in our neighborhoods and God is ever so faithful to give us the desires of our heart, especially when He is glorified!

The movement of Christian friends had already began with several men gathering each month from several different churches for a fellowship. So, even before I gathered some gals for a breakfast and ask if they’d like to follow suit, God had prepared the foundation. I was just a willing participant that God chose to use in our plight to see revival in our home town. My friend Dewey Moede was the vessel for Windom. His prayer did not come to fruition in a day or two… it took years. It’s all about God’s timing. That was my response to a friend who ask last night, “How did the fellowships begin.” We were ripe for the pickin’ and God picked us to begin a great work. I believe that.

It has to start somewhere.

Ripe for the Pickin’

I recently read of the great New York revival in 1857 and it has once again stirred the fire of desire within me. The North Dutch Reformed Church of Manhattan decided to reach out to the lost masses of people who surrounded them and to accomplish this, the congregation employed a 48-year old businessman, Jeremiah Lanphier, as missionary to the inner city. That one man started a group of men praying, who became thousands and thousands across America.

Lanphier handed out a pamphlet that on the reverse side said:
A day Prayer Meeting is held every Wednesday from 12 to 1 o’clock in the Consistory building of the North Dutch Church, corner of Fulton and William Streets. This meeting is intended to give merchants, mechanics, clerks, strangers and businessmen generally an opportunity to stop and call on God amid the perplexities incident to their respective avocations. It will continue for one hour; but it is designed for those who find it inconvenient to remain more than 5 or 10 minutes, as well as for those who can spare a whole hour. Necessary interruption will be slight, because anticipated. Those in haste often expedite their business engagements by halting to lift their voices to the throne of grace in humble, grateful prayer.

Following the economic crash of 1857 over 30,000 jobs were lost in New York City. That and other tensions in our nation made that city “ripe for the pickin’” by God too. According to some eyewitnesses, within six months’ time these noontime prayer meetings were attracting 10,000 businessmen, all of them confessing their sins and praying for revival.

Some would say it was just a knee reaction, well, I guess it was if being on your knees is the reaction they’re talking about. Yes, the crisis I’m sure lead to some crying out, but that’s the thing about despair, its usually not until then that anyone bothers to cry out. It’s all about the timing. America is certainly in a time of despair.

Our favorite revival verse 2 Chronicles 7:14 says “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Ready for Repentence

The people in that city had repentant hearts. They confessed sin, they acknowledge and honored God, they were ready to make things happen once God had chosen them and allowed them to be in the place. Perhaps that’s what’s happening in America now. God is getting ready to do some amazing things because we’re desiring it with a humble heart. It takes a humble heart to get past the name over the door of a church. Revival cannot happen among people who are more concerned with the name of a Church than they are about the name of Jesus. That’s good preachin’ right there.

There are differences in churches attending the meetings in Calhoun, with the exception of Jesus Christ. They are men and women who love the Lord and want to see people come to know Him. They all believe that He is the Way, the Truth and the life and that no man cometh to the Father except through Him. And God is honoring us in this place.

I’m excited about the fire kindled in my soul and I’m praying that it spreads to your town too.

Posted in Christian Service, Church Unity, Leadership, Life Inspiration

A Tale of the Heart of Two Cities

Written by talk2shari Published August 30, 2016November 12, 2021 Discussion Leave a Comment

Pastor, Dewey Moede, Pastor Richard Gordon, Shari Johnson-The Jesus Chick

Yeah, I know that title’s been used before, but this isn’t a movie, it’s a tale of how Grantsville met Windom. A town you may or may not have heard of. But for those who follow my blog I thought I’d share a little about my journey there last week. I’ve yet to make it home, I’m currently still in Iowa, and truthfully, I’m pretty sure I left a little piece of my heart there anyway. I’ve doncke that everywhere I’ve ever been invited to speak or sing; so you may wonder how I have any heart left? Apostle Paul explained it like this in 2 Corinthians 6:11

O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.

Apostle Paul felt free to speak what was on his heart with the Corinthians because he’d fallen in love with those people. No doubt from his words, his heart had been broken for the folks of Corinth which was expressed in his letters. It’s an odd thing about a part of the body that’s been hurt, the scar often causes an enlarged place on the skin. That’s kind of how I imagine Paul’s enlarged heart. Each time it was broken it grew larger and more burdened for the people he served. And each time I go to a new town or new church, my heart becomes broken and burdened for God’s people.

My arrival in Windom last week was amazing. The people who had prayed for me, provided funding for my travels, prepared for my stay, who I’d never met before were like old friends before I’d hit the city limits. When I arrived at Miss Loretta’s door on 5^th Avenue, she said hello and three hours later we took a breath. That’s God! Miss Darlene, who funded my trip, was a friend in Christ who trusted God enough to send money ahead of the trip to pay my way to Windom and was such a sweet treat to come to know during my brief stay. I met Miss Diane and fell instantly in love with her soul which encouraged mine. Rodney and Debbie Byam were jewels in the crown of Christ whose hospitality and kindness were as shiny as diamonds in the sun for Jesus. Oh what a journey! Pastor Ricky touched my heart with his servants heart and Pastor Dewey Moede… well, that’s a whole blog post on its own. And as amazing as that story is, that’s not the most amazing part.

What’s amazing about a trip like this is how the power of God moved through people in Windom who lived there, people who moved from there and returned, and some who had never been there before in their life; working together for the same cause, with the same broken heart for the city.

What it did in my life was set my soul on fire for my own hometown. I’m ready to make something happen. I have plans. BIG PLANS. Look out Grantsville, I’m headed home. But today I’ll spend a few more hours with three rowdy boys in Marshalltown, Iowa. I plan to leave here early, early in the a.m. to head back down the road through five states listening to preaching and singing along the way. Please pray for me… & pray for my ministry. Want to get some religious art for your home? Visit sites like https://www.houseofjoppa.com/collections/catholic-art and check out their offerings.