“God’s Word is the manger that holds Jesus.” – Martin Luther

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing,  in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

How do you respond to unpleasant circumstances or unkind people?

At noon on Wednesday May 2, four our us gathered in the downtown Culpeper prayer room to pray for one another and for the upcoming NDP events. This was my first time  praying with Rev. Brad Hales. Wow, what a treat! Brad talked about getting back to the basics of life, namely rejoice, pray, and give thanks. He said that every morning he prays using 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Brad told us we are in the middle of revival in Culpeper; revival has already begun.

Then the very next day, Rev. Jacob Phillips preached an outstanding short message at the NDP event by the Culpeper Courthouse. His key scripture was “pray without ceasing.” Clearly, God wants prayer to be a lifestyle, not just something we do once a year, once a week, or even once a day. For prayer to become a habit, it takes practice and time.

For more than 20 years, Culpeper has hosted an annual National Day of Prayer event on the lawn of the Culpeper Courthouse. This year’s event was extraordinary. The greetings, prayers, music, and speaker were all exceptional. Lisa Lyons played the keyboard while singing two songs she wrote. Clearly, the Spirit of God moved in power.

Dr. Charlene Phillips, this year’s event coordinator, did a wonderful job planning the entire event. After Charlene’s warm welcome, Janette Smith sang a beautiful solo of “God Bless America” with musical accompaniment by Cheryl Jarvis.

Then we were blessed with personal spiritual greetings by:
1) Dr. David Cox, Superintendent of Culpeper County Public Schools
2) Steve Nixon, Culpeper County Board of Supervisors
3) Major Jim Branch, Culpeper County Sheriff’s Department

To see the rest of our agenda as well as photos for this event, click here.

Prayer Power
Heavenly Father, thank You for the way Your Spirit moved in power during the NDP event on the lawn by the Culpeper Courthouse. Thank you for the marketplace leaders who participated. Thank you for what You are doing in our community. Continue to turn up the spiritual temperature so that other communities around us ignite with Your fire. Thank You Jesus. Amen.

Link of the Day
Photos and agenda from NDP on lawn by Culpeper Courthouse [www.yourdailyblessing.com/content.cfm?id=2304]

Blessings to rejoice always, pray with ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances!