Pray now, pray often--fast on election day

From a prominent Colorado Springs minister:

Dawn's note (what a great idea to fast on election day. Let us all fast and pray!)


Due to IRS rules, this letter is from me personally and is not from any

of the ministries I am associated with. (Also because of IRS rules, I cannot

send it to my ministry database and therefore need your help in getting it

out.) Do with it as you see fit, but my desire is that you forward it to as

many praying friends as possible.


October 20, 2008

Dear Praying Friend,

In 2000, I wrote the 2nd most important letter of my life—a call to

prayer for the elections of that year. I’m now writing what may be my most

important letter. I knew the importance of those elections in 2000 was

beyond any in my life up to that point and that the spiritual warfare

surrounding them would be unlike anything any of us had ever seen. That

letter was read by millions of people and I believe millions of them

responded by praying. I also believe the prayers turned the tide.

You may question whether President Bush was the right choice;

obviously, he has made some blunders in his tenure as president. But two

of his decisions alone left no doubt he was God’s choice: Roberts and Alito.

These two Supreme Court Justices have proven critical in the process of

breaking the hold of humanism, death and anti-God agendas that have

ruled the Court for 50 years. I assure you that more devastation—the

shedding of innocent blood, immorality, decay of the family and an erosion

of our godly heritage—has flowed into our nation through that institution

than any other door in America. Many times more. The poison allowed into

America through their decisions is beyond any of our abilities to articulate.

The reality in America is that you don’t need to control Congress or

the White Hose to rule the nation. You only need 5 people – 5 out of 9 on

the Supreme Court. And for decades those who disagree with just about

everything you and I stand for have been in control!

In Bush’s two terms, the process of turning this around began with

the appointments of Roberts and Alito. Now, we win some cases 5-4 and

lose some 4-5. (We barely outlawed partial birth abortion. The vote of one

judge saved thousands of babies from this horror.) We need one more

conservative Justice for a consistent majority, then more to build a strong

majority.

In Obama’s own words, “the next president will appoint at least one,

perhaps two or more Supreme Court Justices.” He’s right. Almost certainly

two or more older, liberal Justices are waiting until after the elections to

retire, in hopes of Obama winning and appointing more liberals to replace

them. And he certainly would. He voted against the confirmation of Roberts

and Alito. So did Biden. And Biden led the fight against Justice Thomas

several years back, another of the 4 solid conservatives. Make no mistake

about it, the two of them do have a litmus test for Supreme Court Justices,

and a major part of that test is Roe vs. Wade. McCain and Palin, on the

other hand, both have very strong pro-life positions. This alone makes the

choice for President simple. To vote for the 2nd and 3rd most liberal

senators (Obama and Biden), both of whom are firmly and blatantly proabortion,

would be unconscionable. Obama has actually said that if he

wins, he would like his first action as president to be the signing of the

Freedom of Choice Act, which would eliminate every other law against any

aspect of abortion (partial birth abortion, parental notification, etc., etc.).

And with a democratic majority in the House and Senate, pretty much any

legislation he and Biden want to pass will be a slam-dunk. There are many

other unrighteous positions they hold but this position alone makes the

choice easy. If they win this election, it will set America back decades in

the cause of life and the restoration we seek.

Just as many of you do, I too, want to see a first black President, but

not Senator Obama. To allow that noble and godly desire, the economy or

one’s position on the war to trump this issue of life and death for the

innocent unborn is simply wrong. The scriptures teach that if we choose

first to exalt righteousness and turn from evil, God promises to heal our

land (see Proverbs 14:34; 2 Chronicles 7:14). It is righteousness that

exalts a nation, not wealth, prosperity or armies. If we will finish the

process of removing the curses of death and anti-God laws off of America

by electing a president that will continue to shift the Court, God will grace

us with breakthrough in other areas such as the economy, the war against

terrorism, etc. My faith is not in a person, and certainly not a political party,

for the healing of America, but I know God’s word and His ways well

enough to know that our decisions do move Him to action or inaction.

Now to the heart of my reason for writing this letter (I realize I am

“preaching to the choir”—most of you who know or listen to me are

conservative enough to vote for McCain and Palin.) I have not written any

appeals for prayer concerning this election because:

1) others have, and

2) I believe our movement has matured to the point that the prayer

base of the Church is already praying.

But I now feel the need to raise my voice. I am appealing to you to pray for

these elections the next two weeks like you’ve never prayed for any in the

past. Faithfully. Passionately. Boldly. Ask God for His mercy and grace.

We deserve His judgment for removing His influence and authority from our

government, schools, homes and businesses; for the killing of 50 million

babies; for leading the world in the consumption and exporting of

pornography; for passing laws to reject His; etc. But mercy triumphs over

judgment and in His wrath He remembers mercy. In 2000 we actually lost

the popular vote and won the election—talk about grace! Please pray for

this grace to be released again.

But I am also asking you for something more than normal prayer. For

those of you who understand spiritual warfare, I am asking you to also

include this aspect of prayer. There is no doubt that we have entered a

Daniel 10 moment in time: “Then he said to me, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel,

for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on

humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, I have come in

response to your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was

withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief

princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia’”

(Daniel 10: 12-13 NAS). The spiritual warfare in this election is incredibly

fierce, and just as it was in Daniel’s day, is all about the restoration of a

nation. And also like Daniel, we must keep praying until we win the battle in

the heavens.

In August of this year I predicted that September would mark a shift in

momentum for these elections. This happened with the appointment of

Sarah Palin as the Vice Presidential nominee (who is a true Esther in our

generation), but when the economy began its meltdown and the media

ramped up their unprecedented attacks on Palin, that momentum wasn’t

sustained. But we can see it turn again if we approach this battle as the

spiritual warfare it truly is and bind the evil forces involved (see Matthew

16:18-19). The reality is that this election can be the breakthrough we

need to fully shift the Court (and ultimately our nation) or it will be an

immeasurable setback that could take many years to reverse—if ever.

Please understand what I am saying: if we engage in this battle and

do what I am asking—in mass—we will win; if we do not, we will lose. I, for

one, don’t intend to allow the latter. I am in Washington, D.C. now (October

20-22) with Lou Engle and a team of prayer leaders from around the nation

to war for this election. Join us! Lose some sleep, miss some meals—

pray! Pray like never before for these elections. And as you do, involve

yourself not only in petitioning prayer but also in spiritual warfare. Use your

God-given authority over the plans and strategies of satan’s kingdom. Bind

all witchcraft that is working to control the outcome, including occultic

powers that are suppressing truth. Release Christ’s Kingdom rule in every

way the Holy Spirit leads you.

Don’t be deceived and don’t lose hope (if you have to, turn off the

TV.) It is not too late to turn these elections. God is plenty powerful

enough to do so. The real question is will we rise to the level of prayer and

spiritual warfare necessary to release that power. And remember, we don’t

need a majority of Christians who are willing and able to do this—only a

praying remnant. We can do it!

`

Here are some practical suggestions to consider:

1) Fast (a meal a day; a day a week; a Daniel fast; 3 days; 10 days;

TV; etc.) and spend the time praying.

2) Agree in prayer with someone everyday for God’s will to be done.

3) Form/participate in prayer groups regularly. Churches could pray

everyday.

4) Take time in every gathering to pray. (Take 15 minutes in every

service to pray for the elections. Turn an entire service to harp and

bowl style intercession—worship and prayer combined.)

5) Join 2 or more on a conference call and pray for 15, 20, or 30

minutes.

6) Pray on the way to work (and on the way home).

7) Pray before you go to sleep.

8) Pray before church services.

9) Ask God to give you His strategy—He will!

In His grip,

Dutch Sheets

Ye shall not fear

Is that a commandment or a promise anyway? :-) Because we live in the last days, it is incumbent on us to be familiar with what will happen before the Savior comes again. Truly a great and terrible thing to look forward to. I like this quote by Pres Benson, Oct 1986 conference:

OCT:1986


If they saw our day, and chose those things which would be of greatest worth to us, is not that how we should study the Book of Mormon? We should constantly ask ourselves, ''Why did the Lord inspire Mormon or Moroni or Alma to include that in their records? What lesson can I learn from that to help me live in this day and age?'' And there is example after example of how that question will be answered. For example, in the Book of Mormon we find a pattern for preparing for the Second Coming. A major portion of the book centers on the few decades just prior to Christ's coming to America. By careful study of that time period we can determine why some were destroyed in the terrible judgments that preceded His coming and what brought others to stand at the temple in the land of Bountiful and thrust their hands into the wounds of His hands and feet.

From the Book of Mormon we learn how disciples of Christ live in times of war. From the Book of Mormon we see the evils of secret combinations portrayed in graphic and chilling reality. In the Book of Mormon we find lessons for dealing with persecution and apostasy. We learn much about how to do missionary work. And more than anywhere else, we see in the Book of Mormon the dangers of materialism and setting our hearts on the things of the world. Can anyone doubt that this book was meant for us and that in it we find great power, great comfort, and great protection?

How President Benson loved the Book of Mormon and this is probably why. We have the information we need. We don't hear much of doom and gloom from our leaders today. Is that because the day is still far off, or is it because it has been said and we do not heed? A good question to ask ourselves. I found a great website that I have been to over the years and want to share it. Lots of wonderful information about the last days.

http://www.ldslastdays.com

Are YOU prepared?

If ye are prepared???

So, I got this strange email the other day that was supposedly someone's dreams and visions of the last days (coming soon to a community near you). I don't discount the possibility that her dreams/vision could be true, but I am not digging my cave just yet. But, it does make one pause and take stock especially with the news as it has been the last couple of weeks.

I have been doing a lot of canning since last Fall I'd say. I've learned to can chicken and hamburger and put up lots of black beans and pintos. I just bought 500 lbs of corn that I don't have a clue what to do with, but I am asking our RS to have a class, so we can all learn. I know I can grind it to cornmeal. I suppose we should start having corn meal mush on a regular basis. Yuk!

But, my food storage is rather random. I mean we are off to a good start, but lots of room to grow and I really need to make sure for example I have yeast to make bread from the wheat. I actually do, but you get my drift. And I need a hand grinder in the event we don't have electricity. I do have an authentic matate found on our property and probably used by actual Native Americans 100s of years ago, but I really would rather not grind my grain that way. Mine is black.

Even more importantly, there is room to grow in my spiritual life. I accidentally opened my scriptures in Daniel this morning on my way to Helaman. Well, Daniel is very prophetic and millenial and has a tendency to get your attention. But it was really interesting. I realized I have family history that is undone. I am so much raw materials in need of molding and shaping.

I know it's hard to allow faith when there is fear, but I can say, I am nervous. I cannot say I am prepared, so I'd better get to it. A little every day.

WWPMD?

President Thomas S. Monson is the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

So, I have always liked the WWJD theme. But, I am tweaking it. I watched the special between conference yesterday, On the Lord's Errand. It was wonderful and it so touched me that Pres Monson said at the end something to the effect that if there was an errand the Lord needed, he wanted to be the one to run that errand. I have many weaknesses to overcome and have been struggling with them and this morning when one of them hit me between the eyes, my first thought was, what would President Monson do? I don't mean to be irreverent at all, but sometimes asking what would Jesus do, seems too hard. I mean, HE was perfect, and I am so not. Yet, to think what would my husband/friend/RS Pres do, doesn't seem right either. Although depending on your husband/friend/or RS Pres, it could also be appropriate. I know it is more often than not in my case. Anyway, I was happy to accept the thought, what would Pres Monson do and I immediately did the thing I had been resisting.

I also did several other things I "should" do this morning with that thought in mind. And I hope to keep the thought in the front of my mind, so I can continue to do what is right. What are you putting off that Pres Monson would do?

For more info on Pres Monson, see the following links.



http://www.thomassmonson.org/

http://lds.org/move/index.html?type=conference&event=178&lang=english

Under the screen, choose additional videos, then choose "On the Lord's Errand."

Man in my life--Man of my dreams

Here is the world's best husband. OK, so I don't always feel completely that way, but most of the time I do. He has his faults, but I'll keep him.

A couple of months ago, I gave some antiques to our local bed and breakfast. In return, she gave me some free nights stay at her B&B. I decided to book one of those nights last night. I had to work at a subdivision yesterday so my dear husband, fixed a lovely lasagna dinner, recorded my favorite love songs on his ipod so we could dance, and bought a dozen roses. And we met at the B&B. We had a very nice quiet night and I hope we can repeat it again soon. And the breakfast there is always lovely and so quiet without children. :-)

If we don't STAND, we'll FALL

We must protect marriage from the alternative acceptance of anything goes. Then heaven help us. Dawn


What Harm Would Same-Sex “Marriage” Do?
By Peter Sprigg

Some advocates of same-sex “marriage” scoff at the idea that it could harm anyone. Here are eight ways in which society could be harmed by legalizing same-sex “marriage”:

• Fewer people would marry.
In Massachusetts, only 43% of same-sex couples who live together have even bothered
to “marry.” Among opposite-sex couples, the comparable figure is 91%. In the Netherlands, the figures are even lower, with only 12% of homosexual couples having entered legal civil “marriages.” Giving the option of same-sex “marriage” would tell society that marriage in general is “optional,” not normative, and fewer people would marry.

• Fewer people would remain monogamous and sexually faithful.
One study in the Netherlands showed that homosexual men with a steady partner had an
average of eight sexual partners per year. Another has shown that the average lesbian has more lifetime male sexual partners than the average heterosexual woman. If these behaviors are incorporated into what society affirms as “marriage,” then fidelity among heterosexuals would likely decline as well.

• Fewer people would remain married for a lifetime.
The same Dutch study that showed the high rate of homosexual promiscuity also showed
that the average homosexual male “partnership” lasts only 1.5 years. As the transience of homosexual relationships is incorporated in society’s image of “marriage,” we can expect that fewer heterosexuals would maintain a lifelong commitment as well.

• More children would be raised without a married mother and father.
Social science has proven clearly that children do best when raised by their own married biological mother and father. Yet legalizing same-sex “marriage” would put an official stamp of approval on the deliberate creation of permanently motherless or fatherless families. It would require legalization of homosexual adoption and forbid giving preference to mother/father households. As scholar Stanley Kurtz says, If, as in Norway, gay marriage were imposed here by a socially liberal cultural elite, it would likely speed us on the way toward the classic Nordic pattern of less frequent marriage, more frequent out-of-wedlock birth, and skyrocketing family dissolution. In the American context, this would be a disaster.

• Demands for legalization of polygamy would grow.
If a person’s choice of spouse cannot be limited based on the sex of one’s partner, it is hard to see how it could be limited based on the number of spouses either. At least one lawsuit has already been filed making this argument.

• Taxpayers, consumers, and businesses would be forced to subsidize homosexual relationships.
If same-sex marriage were legalized, all employers, public and private, large or small, would be required to offer spousal benefits to homosexual couples. You, as a taxpayer, consumer, or small business owner, would be forced to bear the expense of subsidizing homosexual relationships—including their higher health care costs.

• Schools would teach that homosexual relationships are identical to heterosexual ones.
A lesbian who teaches 8th grade sex education in Massachusetts told NPR that she teaches her children how lesbians use “a sex toy” to have intercourse. If anyone objects, she says, “Give me a break. It’s legal now.” One father was jailed after protesting because his son—a kindergarten student—was given a book about same-sex couples.

• Freedom of conscience and religious liberty would be threatened.
Religious schools and colleges could be forced to admit and employ homosexuals. Churches and non-profit organizations could be stripped of their tax exemptions and religious psychologists, social workers, and marriage counselors could be denied licensing if they “discriminate” against homosexuals. Expressing opposition to same-sex “marriage” could be outlawed in the workplace as “sexual harassment.”

Stanley Kurtz, “The End of Marriage in Scandinavia: The ‘conservative case’ for same-sex marriage collapses,”
The Weekly Standard 9, No. 20 (February 2, 2004): 26-33.

It's so tasty being green

For many years now, I have battled eczema in various spots on my body. The last six months it has been on the palm of my hand. It has been a frustrating, irritating experience and I have suspected a grain allergy. After trying all kinds of creams and ointments prescription and natural, I have almost given up. Tried the zyrtec thing with bad results.

I was really praying about it and decided to go off grains. I also started wondering what natural antihistamine I could take. After a few days, stinging nettle came to mind and I am going to order some of that soon. But then, I got a phone call returned that I made a couple of weeks ago to my LDS herbal momma. She is the mom of my childhood bestest friend and she has influenced me greatly. I called her in desperation a couple of weeks ago. She was out of town and called me yesterday. She suggested water and green drinks. Oh, I remember the green drinks she used to serve her family at breakfast.

So I am upping my intake of water and I read all about green drinks and smoothies today. I bought some spinach and kale and made my first drink for dinner while my family ate pizza. OK, I had 1/2 slice of 2 pizzas. And one very large glass of the following:

A large handful of spinach (or collard greens or chard or whatever)
2 stalks of kale without the largest part of the stalk on the end
1 apple (or pear)
1 peach (or mango or other)
1 banana (or 2)
Several large spoonfuls of frozen blueberries (or other berries)
1 cup of pineapple juice (or other juice)
1/2 lid of lemon juice
1 squirt of liquid or 1 spoonful of dry stevia
sesame seeds (calcium), flax seeds (omegas), almonds (good protein/fat), etc.

Note: if this scares you, start with more fruit and one leaf, then 2, then more. Decrease the fruit as you go and replace with greens. The fruit overpowers the greens. Really!

Blend baby blend. I have a Bosch blender that did pretty well, but I am thinking about saving for a Blendtech or Vitamix. It tasted quite yummy, although the blueberries changed the beautiful green color to a little less desirable. Everyone in the family tried a taste and they all agreed it was OK to wonderful. It passed the 6 and 8 yr old test.

I am so excited to make this a daily thing and can't wait to see the results.