Candlelight Prayer Vigil for Butch Mills on 9-11

11 Sep

Death is for a moment. Life in Jesus is for eternity!

Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.  (Matthew 6:33 & 34, The Message, Eugene H. Peterson)

If you knew today was you last day on earth … how then would you live?
What would you do more of? Less of?
What would you make sure to say to your loved ones?
What would you do or not do?
What would you “let go” because it really doesn’t matter in the big picture?

Today marks the six year anniversary of 9-11, when four planes flown by terrorists destroyed the two World Trade Center towers, severely damaged the Pentagon, and claimed innocent lives on the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. Probably none of the victims that dreadful morning suspected it would be their last ever on earth.

How many lives are lost unexpectedly every day? For how many would life never be the same? Sudden death; it keeps happening.

Since July 3, I have been participating in a weekly prayer conference call with a small group of people around the nation praying for Virginia Morton’s book “Marching Through Culpeper” (MTC) to be made into a mini-series and a major motion picture. We believe God is going to use this movie to heal the heart of America.

During our prayer call on August 14, Virginia prayed for Butch Mills. She thanked God for how excited he was about Rick Heeren’s teaching about reaching entire cities for Jesus. We have prayed for him each week since.

On August 30, tragedy struck. Butch while he was working on a sewer line in a trench in Culpeper. The ground collapsed all around him and he was buried up to his neck in concrete and rubble for more than five hours before being rescued and flown by helicopter to the University of Virginia Medical Center. He broke every rib, his scapula, sternum and clavicle. He has a punctured lung and bruises to his kidneys and heart. He has multiple fractures to the area around one eye and sinus and to his right shoulder. He remains in critical condition on a ventilator.

I barely even know Butch, but I know he’s sold out to Jesus. Carter Mills, Butch’s son, is the star kicker on the Culpeper High School football team and a good friend of my son. Julie Brooks, his niece, did her first triathlon in Culpeper this summer and now is a superstar triathlete. Jonathan Brooks, Butch’s nephew, is a local chiropractor who sent me an email asking me to pray for Butch shortly after his accident.

Our whole community is rallying around this champion for Christ. He is much loved by many, many folks in Culpeper. Our local newspaper has had 11 front page articles about Butch in the last 12 days. Tonight, the Culpeper United Methodist Church is hosting a candlelight prayer vigil to pray for Butch’s healing. This begins at 7:30 PM at Comet Stadium, the former stadium used by the Culpeper High School football team.

Even if you are not able to attend the prayer vigil, please join us in praying for God to completely heal Butch. Thank you.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, we don’t know why bad things happen to good people, but we do know that You are a master at taking things meant for evil and turning them into great things that bring You glory and draw people to You. In unity with every one of my readers and many people in Culpeper, we ask You to touch Butch with Your healing hand and make him well. Make his life a testimony of Your goodness, greatness, and saving power. Stir the hearts of everyone who comes to tonight’s prayer vigil to live each day as if it’s our last on earth – for You. Thank You Jesus. We love and adore You. Amen.

Links of the Day
Newspaper articles about Butch  + outstanding from Jeff & Jill Williams  [see below]

Photos from the Sept 11 prayer vigil for Butch Mills

Blessings to live each day as if it’s your last – for Jesus!

 
2007 Culpeper Star Exponent newspaper articles about Butch Mills

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From: Nancy Palmer
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007 11:35 AM
Subject: Prayer vigil for Butch

Candlelight Prayer Vigil

My apologies if you receive this twice. Many were returned as undeliverable.

Some of you may not be aware that a loved member of our church, Butch Mills, was the man trapped in a trench that caved-in last week here in Culpeper, Virginia. He is in severe condition at UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville with pneumonia. He suffered every rib broken, broken scapula, sternum and clavical. He has a punctured lung and bruises to his kidneys and heart. He has multiple fractures to the area around one eye and sinus and to his right shoulder.

A candlelight prayer vigil will be held tomorrow evening, Sept. 11, 2007 at 7:30  p.m. at Floyd T. Binns Middle School Comet Stadium. Please bring a candle.

If you are not able to attend, please lift a prayer for healing to his lungs and cure for pneumonia. He is much loved by many, many folks in the community.

Nancy Palmer,
Director of Adult Ministries
Culpeper United Methodist Church

for Pastor Randy Orndorff

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From: Jill Williams
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007 10:28 PM
Subject: Daily Grace and Truth – My Last Day on Earth – 09-11-07

The morning was clear but muggy, quiet and inviting for a walk and talk. Jill and I crested the hill less than a mile from our house and suddenly came upon a horrible crash scene. Several cars, a van and a truck entirely blocked five lanes of traffic. About ten emergency vehicles were parked to block traffic with flashing lights, and several more wailing sirens approached. How many lives had been lost? For how many would life never be the same? Sudden death; it keeps happening.

Six years ago today thousands of Americans died unexpectedly when the Twin Towers collapsed after assault by terrorists. Thousands of talented, loving and beloved people perished. Their stories are familiar, their last words and their last deeds celebrated. In the blink of an eye many knew the end would soon approach. How many had regrets for how they’d lived their last days on earth?

Gospel singer, Stephen Curtis Chapman, wrote a song* prompted by observation of a funeral procession. After pulling to the side of the road, and bowing to pray for the bereaved of the departed, the thought that wouldn’t recede was that it would one day be him; perhaps even that same day. “If this should be my last day on this earth, how then should I live?”

Jesus urged his followers to live one day at a time, fully investing themselves in those things that mattered most:

Matthew 6:33 & 34 – Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.  (The Message, Eugene H. Peterson)

If you knew today was you last day on earth . . . how then would you live?
What would you do more of? Less of?
What would you make sure to say to your loved ones?
What would you do or not do?
What would you “let go” because it really doesn’t matter in the big picture?

Just as those who naively ascended the Twin Towers September 11, 2001 didn’t know that it was their last day, neither do we. So how will we live?

Prayer
Lord, thank you for liberating us to live fully in the moment as if it were our last. This is a profound and simple truth and freeing to “full life.” Would you provide the courage to act or speak, or to refrain from acting or speaking with this reality at the forefront of our minds? That what we say or do may be our last words or deed and to make them count for best, for your best, for the best of those you have given us to love and serve. Amen.

* “Last Day on Earth,” by Stephen Curtis Chapman