Dear Praying Friends,

While praying for the situation between Russia and Ukraine sometime last week, as most of us have been doing, the Lord drew my attention to a startling prophetic dream that he gave me just over 20 years ago. In fact it was just a few days before the U.S.-led coalition began intensive military action in Afghanistan. And now we find ourselves plunged into the next and potentially more dangerous chapter.

Early that October morning the latter portion of a very intense and complicated dream faded into a waking vision that impressed me strongly. In the dream itself I was aware that the world was in the grip of some kind of war and I had an unexpected meeting with the head of a military encampment.

Suddenly everything changed, and I was looking down at the world itself as one looks at it from high enough above where the curvature is very obvious. As I looked on from my breathtaking vantage point, I could see the surface very clearly. But rather than seeing the geographical details I found myself watching an incredible turbulence before me, as if the world were a huge boiling kettle.

When one boils water with leaves to make tea, there is a marvellous roiling, swirling movement as the leaves rise to the surface with the bubbles of steam and then are quickly pushed outward and down again towards the bottom as the boiling forces more leaves in the center to the surface in an endless rolling and churning.

What I saw happening on the world was the same type of movement, but rather than leaves, there were countless images—pieces of history—as if newspaper clippings and video clips and photographs of historic events were all being stirred and churned about by a great boiling force.

By this time I was now quite awake, and still the vision persisted very clearly as countless events swirled to the surface only to be overlapped and covered up by other images. As I watched and wondered, the feeling I had was a sort of dizziness, not unlike what a person experiences first trying to walk after getting off a spinning swing or carnival ride. But rather than just a physical dizziness, it was one of orientation in time and space itself.

While many of the events and places and pieces of human experience I was able to recognize, the rest were unfamiliar to me. I was overwhelmed by everything I was seeing. It was all so confused and jumbled together that I couldn't find any continuous thread to it. I found myself very disoriented and really didn’t know just where I was, or even in what period of time I was.

As I continued watching all this go on and on before me, I became a bit apprehensive about my inability to make sense of anything, or to control things at all. Aware of the Lord’s presence, I asked Him to help me regain my proper sense of self-control and peace. After several more moments of watching the churning of world events, the vision began to fade. So then I asked Him to help me understand what I was seeing.

Immediately the scripture came to mind, “…. the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.” from Hebrews 12:27. The Lord clearly reminded me that my only security was in Him, to hold onto Him with all my strength. In the long run, the only thing stable in our lives that will remain is Jesus, and our lives are hidden in Him along with Christ. Anything and everything else is fleeting and deceptive.

As I latched onto that fact, I soon began to feel more at ease and held harder onto the truth He was showing me. I began to see more and more clearly the depth of the simple fact that “In Him we live, move and have our being.” from Acts 18:28. Everything else is just temporary.

I began to reflect on all the things happening around the world as a result of the terrorist attacks on American soil on September 11th. Surely a military response by the United States was imminent, and the consequences of that action could become more complicated than what anyone might imagine… (In light of today’s situation with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the intervening 20 years have proved this out in startling ways!)

When I woke up very early on October 7th, 2001 to finish preparing my Sunday message, I was astonished to learn that my dream/vision had intersected with our world and that history was being made. The Lord began to download many more scriptures besides Hebrews 12:26-27, “...whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven...’” Romans 13: 12 says, "The night is advanced, and the day is approaching. Let us therefore cast off the work of darkness, and put on the weapons of light."

Ephesians 6:11 says, “Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age…” and in verse 18, “Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.”

Please let us remember in prayer all those whose lives have been turned upside down, as well as those yet to be adversely affected. And especially we should pray that our Christian brother and sisters receive the grace and strength needed to put on the weapons of light and so shine the light of hope of the Gospel into the desperate situations of so many innocent people around them.

There is a new reality today in 2022. And we are not in a position to just carry on trying to recover from the pandemic and politics, even if we wanted to. The world around us is suddenly in a very precarious position, and very much in our face. How then should we live? Ephesians 5:15-16 makes it very clear. “See that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

May the Lord grant us all grace and wisdom to let His light shine into a darkened world, and His words in John 16:33 be our strength,
"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

We are so thankful to be standing with you on Our Solid Rock in a quicksand world,

Dick & Gladys

Some photos are just too interesting to not pass along! Proverbs 30:28 says, "The spider skillfully grasps with its hands, and it is in kings’ palaces." This scaffolding pipe may not be quite so luxurious, but it certainly provides a "mighty fortress" in which this spider can wait for its dinner! And I'm sure there is a spiritual truth highlighted here also.

I've been reading through Ezekiel lately, and this morning at the chapel I was reading about God's judgment against Israel for all the abominations they committed. Then in chapter 9 what struck a deep chord in me is in verses 3-4 where it says, "And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; and the LORD said to him, 'Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.'"

In the next verses the fierce judgment is carried out but God says, "...but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary." So in the midst of all the abominations and worldliness that had crept into the temple and the city, there are those that had been set apart to "sigh and cry" and who were then spared from the judgment. They were as safe is this little spider in his iron fortress!

I believe the invasion of the church in recent generations by worldiness and comfort has made its influence in today's media-mandated society largely ineffective. However I also see the role of intercessory prayer as able to make a huge difference. It is not just for a few "special" people, but we are ALL called to walk as Jesus walked, following Him daily. He withdrew frequently to spend time alone in prayer with His heavenly Father. Shouldn't we do likewise? Must not our need be far greater than His?

Hebrews 7:24-25 says, "But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."

This is Jesus - our Savior, our teacher and our prayer-partner! There is no matter to small or too great that we can't come to Him with boldness and make our petitions known. We can lay our claims as far as the ends of the earth, that people everywhere will repent, turn from their sins and their worldy idolatries, and find that His mercies are new every morning!

May He keep each one of us in awe of His lovingkindness,

Dick & Gladys
     (This is re-posted from September, 2010, and it seems even more timely now than then!)

Dear Friends and Praying Saints,

Last week I heard Dutch Sheets mention the idea of "intersection" in his Give Him 15 post for February 1st entitled, "From a Siege to a Suddenly." It struck a vaguely familiar chord with me and so I began to dig around to find out why. As a result I found an email update I sent out 15 years ago, and am re-publishing a slightly modified version here.

In March of 2007, Gladys and I attended a prayer meeting at Moriah Chapel. It was a monthly gathering to pray specifically for the first Celebration for the Nations that was to take place that year in July.

During a time of prayer when we had all stood to our feet, the Lord repeatedly impressed the word "intersection" into my spirit. So at an opportune moment I shared that word, and how the Lord is bringing the church into a time when we can no longer live a parallel life style, "in the world but not of the world."

But rather how He is bringing us to a juncture where His Kingdom is going to be intersecting the natural world, causing lives to be directly affected—confronted, overturned and redeemed. First the church, and then the world around us, will be impacted with the supernatural interventions of Almighty God. I saw what was like a mighty volley of arrows coming down from heaven and piercing the human plane with God events—thousands of individual lives being touched and changed, healed, and set free.

Please continue to pray about and for this concept of intersection. Especially in the context of what's going on aound the world today in 2022, we need it more than ever. A dictionary defines it as: "An act of intersecting : his course is on a direct intersection with ours." Even the example they use seems quite prophetic. And so we can boldly pray that God's ways will come into direct contact with man's ways, and He will be glorified in the nations of the earth. "For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope." 1 Cor. 9:10

Holding fast to the plow with you,

Dick & Gladys