July, 2005

WELCOME HOME!

Well, our brother, Daniel Norr, has gone home. He fought the good
fight, he has finished the course, and we now have another UP Team
member interceding before the throne of grace. I ran across some notes
I had made in 2003 about a totally different situation, but they seem
appropriate now. And elderly couple in a Springfield Assisted Living
Center experienced the tragedy of their daughter being struck by a car
and killed while she was walking the family dog. It was the day after
her 38th wedding anniversary and the day before she was going to the
Center and help her parents prepare for theirs. Another daughter
wrote a poem and the couple asked me to read it in a little get-together
in their room. When I saw it again recently, it surely reminded me of
Daniel. So, I share it in honor of him, and as a prayer for his precious
wife, Joanne (please pray for her – it is wonderful to see people from her
church reaching out to her in so many ways): “When I come to the end
of the road and the sun has set for me, I want no rites in a gloom-filled
room; why cry for a soul set free? Miss me a little, but not too long, and
not with your head bowed low; remember the love that we once shared,
miss me, but let me go. For this is a journey we all must take, and each
must go alone; it’s all a part of the master’s plan, a step on the road to
home. When you’re lonely and sick of heart, go to the friends we know;
bury your sorrows in doing good deeds. Miss me, but let me go.” It
seems very appropriate to offer as the reflection in this edition of the
Newsletter excerpts from some of Daniel’s e-mail messages, from this
wonderful ministry he had: “How many of us skip right over
(challenging) passages (in Scripture) because it’s uncomfortable or
because we would have to do something that might become disagreeable
to our mortal ways of acting? For example, take Romans 12: 1-2: “I
appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your
bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your
spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed
by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is good and
acceptable and perfect.” Did it ever occur to us that this is the exact
reason God had Saint Paul put it in writing? It takes a great deal of
courage to turn this into a personal prayer. We give God permission to
bring about a complete metamorphosis of our thinking, offering Him
the opportunity to do whatever He wills as an act of worship on our
part. Jesus continually offered Himself to the Father. And He asked us
to follow in His footsteps by our actions. If God takes us up on our
prayer to Him, we will find that we are able to discern whether what we
are doing is His will for us: just tolerable, good, or perfect. Prayer:
God of acceptance, we offer, as well as we are able, our physical being to
You as our act of spiritual worship. Conform us to Your image.
Amen.”…Quoting a letter from a saintly woman in the 16th century:
“Put aside your hatred and animosity. Take pains to refrain from
sharp words. If they escape your lips, do not be ashamed to let your lips
produce the remedy, since they have caused the wounds. Pardon one
another so that later on you will not remember the injury. The
recollection of an injury is itself wrong. It adds to our anger, nurtures
our sin and hates what is good. It is a rusty arrow and poison for the
soul. It puts all virtue to flight. It is like a worm in the mind. It
confuses our speech and tears to shreds our petitions to God. It is
foreign to love. It remains planted in the soul like a nail. It is
wickedness that never sleeps, sin that never fails. It is indeed a daily
death.” Daniel’s reflection: “If Jesus paid the price for my sins, why do
I need continuous conversion? It reminds me of the story of a young
boy. His father instructed him whenever he got angry to pound nails
into a fence. Later, after forgiveness, he had him remove the nails. The
holes were still there. Repentance helps heal the wound. Lord of
healing, may we repent of the damage caused by our angers. Amen.”…
Quoting Catherine of Sienna, Italy, a middle ages reformer: “Eternal
God, eternal Trinity, You are a mystery as deep as the sea; the more I
search, the more I find, and the more I find the more I search for You.
But I can never be satisfied; what I receive will ever leave me desiring
more. When You fill my soul I have an even greater hunger, and I grow
more famished for Your light. I desire above all to see You, the true
Light, as You really are. Eternal Trinity, Godhead, You could give me
no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a Fire ever
burning and never consumed, which itself consumes all the selfish love
that fills my being.” Daniel’s reflection: “How many of us have such a
relationship with God that we talk to Him ‘face-to-face’ like this? Most
of my prayers are, ‘Dear God…’. If we were to approach the sun our
bodies would be consumed. God is a consuming Fire. By entering His
presence we would experience the death of our selfish love, as Catherine
verbalizes. When He calls us to Himself, we need to respond. Eternal
God, eternal Trinity, call us to, and fill us with, Yourself. May the love
and hunger with which You feed us overflow to this starving world.
Amen”…And, in December of 2003, Daniel sent me the following:
“Jesus’ prayer for all of who believe in Him is ‘that we may all be one;’
even as the Father is in Him, and He in the Father, ‘that we also may be
in Them, so that the world may believe that the Father has sent Him.’
Jesus summed up the Ten Commandments into two: Love God totally
and love my neighbor as myself. He didn’t come to destroy the Law but
to fulfill it. In my time of walking with the Lord I have discovered my
inability to love anyone as much as God is asking of me. Too often I am
looking to my own needs first, not the needs of another. And I have
come to realize that God’s ideas regarding love differ radically from
mine. To begin with, I tend to love those who love me and avoid anyone
who does not love me back. That is conditional love. God’s word asks
me to not only love those whom I can see but goes so far as to declare
that I cannot love God if I do not love my neighbor! In addition, He
requires me to love my enemies and to do good to those who persecute
me! And at the end of these Scriptures I am directed to be perfect and
merciful! I used to believe that God was asking of me an impossible
task. I realize today that He wants to equip me with everything I need
to accomplish these goals. But the only way is through His gifts and His
style of love. It’s called agape, and it requires me to be willing to lay
down my life for another. It is impossible in the natural. But in dying
to my self and learning to live in Christ Jesus who showed me the way, I
know it is achievable. God will not ask me to do anything that He is not
willing to give me the ability to succeed in. I have to ask – and then I
must be willing to let Him make changes within my heart and mind to
bring about His will and way in my life. It is not easy but possible. The
obstacle to this kind of love in the family of God is not an external
problem; the fears, angers, hurts, subtle deceits, antagonisms, and pride
all reside inside of me. On this journey to wholeness I am to call on the
Name of the Lord Jesus. He desires to give me His Holy Spirit to lead
me into a loving relationship with God the Father and with all of His
‘children.’ It’s about inviting God to transform my life into one of
agape love. God’s word tells me this live is the only thing I can take
with me into eternity – and it is the greatest gift I can desire. I need to
ask God to reveal my heart and to purge all unrighteousness. Through
God’s word I am asking Him to reveal, then heal, any and all
impediments to fellowship with Him and others. This is another step on
the journey. Zion Enterprises, Inc; P.O. Box 938, Kimberling City
65686-0938.” Thank you, Daniel; your journey is now complete. Pray
for us who are still on the way.

TIME IS FLEETING

Daniel’s homecoming serves as a reminder that time is short; it goes so quickly, and
none of us is ever certain when our time on earth will end. A great source of e-mails
for this Newsletter is my good friend, Judy, at Silver Dollar City. About a year ago
she sent me one entitled “How Old is Grandma?”: “Stay with this. One evening a
grandson was talking to his grandmother about current events. The grandson
asked his grandmother what she thought about the shootings at schools, the
computer age, and just things in general. The grandma replied, ‘Well, let me think
a minute. I was born before television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox,
contact lenses, Frisbees and the pill. There were no credit cards, laser beams or
ball-point pens. Man (or woman) had not invented pantyhose, air conditioners,
dishwashers, clothes dryers. Clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and man
had yet to walk on the moon. Your grandfather and I got married first and then
lived together. Until I was 25, I called every man older than I ‘sir’ and every
woman ‘ma’am.’ We were before gay-rights, computer-dating, daycare centers and
group therapy. Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good
judgment and common sense. We were taught to know the difference between right
and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions. Serving your
country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege. We thought
fast food was what people ate during Lent. Having a meaningful relationship meant
getting along with your cousins. Draft dodgers were people who closed their front
doors when the evening breeze started. Time-sharing meant time the family spent
together in the evenings and on weekends. We never heard of FM radios, tape
decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt or guys wearing earrings. We listened to
the Big Bands, Jack Benny and the President’s speeches on our radios. If you saw
anything with ‘Made in Japan’ on it, it was usually junk. Pizza Hut, McDonald’s
and instant coffee were unheard of. We had 5 & 10-cent stores where you could
actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents. Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a
streetcar and a soft drink were all a nickel. And if you didn’t want to splurge, you
could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail one letter and two postcards.
You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600, but who could afford one? Too bad,
because gasoline was 11 cents a gallon. In my day, ‘grass’ was mowed, ‘coke’ was a
soft drink, ‘pot’ was something your mother cooked in and ‘rock music’ was your
grandmother’s lullaby. ‘Aids’ were helpers in the Principal’s office, ‘chip’ meant a
piece of wood, ‘hardware’ was found in a hardware store, and ‘software’ wasn’t
even a word. And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed
a husband to have a baby. No wonder people call us ‘old and confused’ and say that
there is a generation gap. Now, how old do you think I am?” Let’s see, this was
written a year ago, so she is actually older now. Grandma is 59!

PRAYER PARTNERS

There are so many people and organizations with needs all around us.
Please include the following on your prayer list: 1) Prayer Mobilization
is an effort by Love INC, Pastor Gordon Shields, myself and others to
identify people with specific needs – clients of Love INC, applicants to
Share It Forward (the non-profit organization I coordinate that
provides financial assistance to employees and their families – from a
fund created by employees and Company matching), and others we
become aware of. So, please pray regularly for all the social service
needs of people in our area – individuals and families, agencies and
churches that provide assistance, and a consistent matching of needs
with sources to meet those needs. 2) The Promise Keepers Event in
Fayetteville, Arkansas is history, but please keep NW AR in your
prayers, including the Willits and the DaySpring folks who coordinated
the event and have a passion for community transformation. 3) I had
lunch recently with Jeff Reynolds, the UP Team member who has a
vision for Rockaway Beach and is raising funds to build a state-of-the-
art skate park there. There is a new church there which is reaching out
to the community; Vince Blubaugh is the pastor, Chris Campbell the
Youth Pastor, Sheri Pierce is a Ministry Assistant and Nancy Finn is the
Church Administrator. These folks are not waiting for people to come
to them; they are finding creative ways to mingle with and serve the
community. Dick Scott has been a spiritual rock in Rockaway Beach
for years and was the first person years ago to donate land to Mountain
County Habitat for Humanity. He is also donating land for the skate
park. There are still folks in that area who are hoping for gambling to
come in. People like Jeff and Vince and Dick and many others believe
that gambling is not the answer, is not in the best interest of the people
of Rockaway Beach, but that there are creative ideas that can be
implemented to bring a spiritual and economic renewal to that
community – just as for other communities in SW MO. 4) Pastor
Howard Boyd has partnered with Walt Cameron, a mortgage banker,
and they are offering incredible opportunities for people – individuals
and families – to be home-owners. This really works, and there are
many testimonies already. Lack of downpayment, lack of good credit,
nothing is an insurmountable obstacle. If you would like more
information, call Kimily Tinch at 335-2424. 5) I mentioned Share It
Forward earlier; please pray for this unique nonprofit organization that
seeks to provide help to HFE employees and their immediate families,
and pray for me as the Coordinator of this outreach. 6) Please continue
praying for the Silver Dollar City Foundation, under whose umbrella
the UP Team operates. This community outreach has provided some
very important and significant services to our area (and many pastors
and others can attest to it) and needs our prayers on a consistent basis.

ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: WHOOPS!

In a Boston fast-food parking lot: “Parking for Drive-Through Customers Only.”…

Ad: “Illiterate? Write today for free help.”… Church bulletin: “The Rector would
appreciate it if the ladies of the parish would lend him their electric girdles for the
pancake supper.”… Sign: “Toilet out of order. Please use floor below.”… Sign in a
laundromat: “Automatic Washing Machines: Please remove all your clothes when
the light goes out.”… In a department store: “Bargain Basement Upstairs.”… In an
office: “Would the person who took the step ladder yesterday please bring it back
or further steps will be taken.”… In an office: “After tea break, staff should empty
the teapot and stand upside down on the draining board.” Outside a thrift shop:
“We exchange anything – bicycles, washing machines, etc. Why not bring your wife
along and get a wonderful bargain?”… In a health food store window: “Closed due
to illness.”… In a safari park: “Elephants please stay in your car.”… Sign posted
during a conference: “For anyone who has children and doesn’t know it, there is a
day care on the first floor.”… Notice on a fence: “The farmer allows walkers to
cross the field for free, but the bull charges.”… On a leaflet: “If you cannot read,
this leaflet will tell you how to get lessons.”… On a repair shop door: “We can
repair anything. (Please knock hard on the door – the bell doesn’t work.”…

QUOTE FOR THE MONTH:

“Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence.”

DAYSPRING

I mentioned the involvement of the DaySpring founders in planning the

Promise Keepers event. I have met Dean and Dave. Years ago they
were discouraged; they were working in a print shop, but things were
not going well and they both had a huge heart for ministry. So, they
followed Biblical advice and went out into the desert – actually, in
Southern California. They found a juniper tree that looked like they
felt and settled under it to pray. The Holy Spirit prompted them to
totally yield to God and His will. Within weeks DaySpring was born,
and it is now the largest Christian greeting card publisher in the world.

CONCLUSION

The Scriptures encourage us to be still and to listen if we want to hear

God. We live in such a fast-paced society, there is so much noise, but
nevertheless God is present, God yearns to speak to our hearts and give
us encouragement and direction. But we have to listen. The following
story brings this home: A number of years ago, a young man was
seeking a job as a Morse Code operator. He found an ad in a
newspaper and went to the office address that was listed. When he got
there he found it was a large, busy office with lots of hustle and bustle,
including the constant chatter of a telegraph key in the background. A
sign directed all applicants for the open position to sign in, take a seat
and wait to be called for an interview. About a dozen applicants were
already there; this was discouraging to the young man, but he went
ahead and signed in and sat down. After a few minutes of waiting, the
man got up, walked to the door where the sign was, opened it and
walked in. That disturbed the other applicants, all of whom were before
him. A little later, the door opened and there stood the young man and
the employer. The employer told the others that the position had been
filled and they were free to go. One spoke up and said that this was not
fair. The employer said, “I’m sorry, but all the time you’ve been here
the telegraph key has been ticking out a message in Morse Code. The
message was, ‘If you understand this message, come right in. The job is
yours.’ None of you heard it. He did, and the job is his.” Can we be so
deafened by the noise around us that we fail to hear the patient and
persistent voice of God? Does it take a crisis, a tragedy? God loves us
so much.

Please pray that the UP Team continue to grow, to 24/7 and beyond.
Please invite family, friends, church members to join. Please encourage
other prayer groups to partner with the UP Team. Please suggest to
people from outside our area to consider beginning their own
uninterrupted prayer teams. I deeply appreciate all of you. I would
love to hear your ideas, input, suggestions. My number is 338-8036; and
my cell phone, day and night, is 331-1028.
God bless you. Peace to you and yours.

Bob Burton