Do you have a dream to see your city changed? Our mentors are here to talk.

“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed” (Acts 16:25-26, NKJV).

Is it really possible that we as Christians could significantly impact our cities for Jesus? The Word tells us that we have been given dominion and authority on the earth, and the responsibility to “tend and keep it” (Gen.1:26, 2:15).

One of the most important ways we exercise that authority is through prayer in Jesus name. Praise and prayer in the mouths of the people of God are powerful weapons that can break the chains, open the doors, and set the captives free. So there is a direct link between our decision to pray and the circumstances that are evident around us.

There is a saying, “evil prevails when good men do nothing.” As the people of God we have the authority, power and responsibility to intercede on behalf of our cities. We have the promise that if we abide in Him, we can ask what we desire (according to His will) and it will be done for us. (John 15:7)

So what is your desire for your city? Is it for healthy, unified families, for unity and power in the church, for honest government, for schools to uphold biblical values? I encourage you to follow the desires that God has set in your heart, engage in unified prayer with others, and watch and see how the Lord will transform your city.

Jesus Said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23, NKJV).

Have you thought about praying at the gates of your city for one hour on Canada Day?  Contact us at Emmie.stanley@powertochange.org for free promotional materials for this event.

Questions: What is your desire for your city? What plan you have to set this in motion?

What does your community say about who you are?

The reaction of the fans was in one sense understandable. Their team, generally considered to be the favorites in the series, had just come tantalizingly close to achieving hockey greatness for the first time ever, and lost … on home ice. It would be natural to be disappointed. But choosing to act out by rioting, stealing, and burning cars is entirely inappropriate and immoral. Fueled by anger (and likely alcohol, not to mention a few people who had come in to the city looking to start trouble) the fans acted in a way that shocked and appalled Vancouver residents.

Reports are now showing that it was only a miniscule portion of Canuck fans who participated in the riots. In fact, many of the rioters were not even hockey fans, but merely opportunists eager to take the opportunity to stir up a crowd. Nevertheless, the incidents reflected badly on Vancouver as a city. The actions of a few tainted the reputations of many in the community.

The community quickly tried to respond. Volunteers started cleaning up the mess the next day. People wrote notes of apology and encouragement and left them around the city. A Vancouver elementary school exchanged letters with a school in Boston, congratulating the Bruins on their win. One child’s letter read: “Vancouverites are good sports but a few troublemakers made us look kind of bad. Vancouver is not a bad city. Great job on your win.” (Vancouver Sun)

What does your community say about you, and what do you say about your community? Do you feel embraced or isolated from your community? Everyone has a desire for intimacy, but increasingly we live in a world where we are isolated from those living around us. Sometimes don’t even know who our next-door neighbors are. If you feel isolated or lonely today, you’re welcome to contact a mentor to talk about it. You’ll receive a reply via email.

Related:
What does your Soul Crave?

I’ve grown to enjoy the day when we celebrate another year in the history of our nation.  I like walking down to the park, listening to the music, watching the multitude of flags flying from car hoods and childrens’ hats and marching bands.  I like watching my kids run around while the band plays our national anthem.

I especially love the giant flag cake.

It’s a big deal when the cake arrives.  It arrives on its own special car, at the end of a parade of old-fashioned cars, and is big enough to feed several hundred patriots.
There’s something special about celebrating the place where you live.  It’s a small portion of a day where one can proudly say “this place is a good place to live. And for that, I’m thankful.”  This is what we call patriotism.

Patriotism: The academic edition

In our current reality, patriotism has become closely intertwined with images of battle, conflict, and supporting our troops.  Being a patriot conjures up images of flags waving in the background, with immaculately-trained troops going to battle against an invisible enemy.   I can admit it, I’m a war aficionado.

Given the choice of learning about history, or the history of warfare, I’d default to the latter.  I enjoy learning about the weaponry and the political maneuverings of warring states.  I’ve even spent time in Israel studying the details of modern and historical warfare.  Not that I’m a gun nut (or even remotely so), but the details of history are fascinating to me.

Call me a war geek.

It’s not my fault, really.  As a young child of about eight, my brother and I discovered my grandfather’s naval uniform in a trunk, tucked away in the basement of his house.  Inside this trunk were things we had never seen in real life.  A naval uniform, complete with a hat, sat neatly folded in the bottom of the trunk.  A few bullets, the size we had never seen, had been collected.  There were newspaper clippings of men in uniform standing aboard a ship, saluting perfectly.

It was as if we had stumbled across a family treasure.  What had my grandfather done while in this very uniform?  What lands had it seen?  What sort of battles had it been a witness to?  How had my grandfather felt while he was wearing this uniform?

It wasn’t until later in life that I rediscovered this passion for history.  In university, I was forced to take a class called The Violent Century: a Look at Historical Warfare.  I begrudgingly sat for three hours as a professor ranted about the details of modern combat between nations.  However, as the semester wore on, there was a growing problem.

I was hooked.

The brilliance of my professor was found in his recounting of the historical record.  It wasn’t about dates.  It wasn’t about accomplishments.  It was about the humanity behind the history. What were soldiers thinking when they first donned their gas masks and engaged the enemy?  What kind of emotions took hold when a fellow soldier was killed by an invisible sniper?  How did it feel to live in the trenches of the Second World War?  Even more recently, how does our country engage in conflict and how does it affect the family life of soldiers?

My experience with guns and conflict and war have been limited to two venues: an exercise in academics and through the lens of CNN.  I am limited to the snapshots of war – another soldier killed, a military exercise over there, a soldier returning home.

Patriotism: The human edition

I recently had the experience of encountering a soldier in full uniform.  On the news that night, I had seen that one battalion had returned home after serving on a tour in Afghanistan.  Immediately, I wanted to approach him and thank him for what he had done for my country.  I mean, when we’re talking about patriotism, these people are on the front lines of the definition.

Being a patriot is literally defined as one who loves and defends his or her country. Regardless of your opinions on the current wars raging across our world, there are men and women, fellow human beings, fighting in the wars that we watch on our television screens.

I walked past the soldier.

Either out of embarrassment or timidity, I didn’t say anything.  I’m not sure I would know what to say, except a stumbling “thank you.”  This has been the extent of my experience in patriotism.  And yet the news has brought to me an entirely new perspective on patriotism and war.  Recently, on a few major news sites, there have been a regular occurrence of men and women returning home from the war.  Soldiers returning to their families.

The best images have come from inside classrooms.  Dads and Moms, dressed in fatigues, surprising their young children by coming home early.  Inevitably, the child breaks down in tears, runs to Mommy or Daddy, and weeps uncontrollably into the uniform of their country.

Well, color me patriot.

Strip away the flag-waving politicians and the loud military music and our nation is about people.  It’s people with families and friends, individuals who have chosen to serve in a way that our country calls them to.  Dads who have daughters and sons waiting at home — daughters with bright futures and sons with developing potential.  Mothers who have the invaluable gift of nurturing and loving.

If becoming a patriot is to love one’s country, despite its flaws and mistakes, then by extension, it means loving the people that are part of that country. And, despite the fact that some of those citizens cut me off on my way to work this morning, there is something great about being able to celebrate our nationality together.  It is wonderful to be free to let our kids run around while our national anthem plays.  It is a gift to lay in a park, listening to music play from a community band, to enjoy the celebration of another year in our nation.  It’s incredible to be able to wave our flag and think about the blessed life that we are able to take part in, to say ‘thank you’ to those soldiers in uniform that pass us on the street.

And, of course, to eat flag cake.

Related reading:
Military Lives – The amazing life stories of patriots who fight for their country
Confronting Giants – An online interactive life study on finding strength to face life’s challenges

Related:
Join a Breakthrough Prayer Group and discover strategies for praying more effectively

I don’t know what’s been going on in your hometown lately, but here in Toronto Canada we had a weekend full of violent protests.

Unfortunately most of the potential significance of the G20 summit was lost amidst the unfortunate violence and predictable condemnation of both the violent protesters and the police force – alternatively people are condemning the police for not doing enough to prevent the violence and sometimes in the same breath for doing too much! (Globe & Mail)

This incident is a black eye on the reputation of the usually wonderful city where I live, even though most of the violent “protesters” (in contrast to the majority of people there, who were peaceful protesters) were nothing more than opportunistic, cowardly vandals who cared little about the issues.

Incidents like these and a general feeling of skepticism and mistrust of government in general have led patriotism to be considered lame. Or even worse, could patriotism be intolerant? (Intolerance being the worst insult in a politically correct society.) Having pride in my country, thinking that it is in any way better than another, could be seen as being intolerant to other countries.

But I think the recent FIFA World Cup tournament provides an interesting example of how patriotism and tolerance are not opposed. Even though it is a sports competition between countries, it still is meant to be a way to foster greater understanding and camaraderie between the nations. At the end of FIFA matches, football (soccer) players will exchange their jersey with a member of the opponent squad as a way of “showing respect and camaraderie between combatants.”  This sort of competition demonstrates that it’s possible to be patriotic and love your country while simultaneously respect others. (Yahoo!Sports)

So I don’t think patriotism is lame or antiquated. Canada Day was July 1 and Independence Day in the USA is July 4. This year, instead of negatively focusing on the problems and failings of our governments, why not spend some time thinking about what is good and praiseworthy about the nations in which we live?

What do you love about your country? What do you consider good and praiseworthy about it, and wish to share with the world?

It has been said that “if mum is having a good day, the whole family is having a good day!”  And my experience tells me that it is true!

As Canada Day approaches, my thoughts turn to those people who serve our country in elected government positions.  We are admonished to pray for them so that we, the people, can lead peaceable lives. In other words, when the leaders of our country are having a good day, we are all having a good day.

            Leaders who have had a good night sleep, whose families are safe, healthy, intact, understanding and supportive of the leader’s role, are much more able to focus on their jobs and make decisions that well be wise and beneficial for us all. It is good and right for us to remember these leaders and their families in our prayers.

For the month of June, as we look ahead to Canada Day, let us be thankful for those who give so much to serve us, and be mindful in prayer for them, their families, the responsibilities they carry and the decisions they have to make.

Consider what it says in Leviticus 26:8, that five of us shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of us shall put ten thousand to flight!  According to Leviticus, we can have a formidable impact when we band together as a praying army in agreement for our government leaders, and we can expect to have influence for a good day for our nation!

“For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you.” Leviticus 26:9 (NKJV)

Prayer Points:

• Pray wisdom, courage, and  health for our elected officials and their families
• Pray for those who know the Lord, that they would do their job in a way that reflects Gods ways
• Pray for those who don’t know the Lord, that he would draw them to himself, and use them for His purposes
• Pray that God would put open doors in front of them to be able to accomplish what is good for our nation

    Blessings to you all, Emmie