God’s Wakeup Call (Rosh Hashana preparation)

God’s Wakeup Call

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Rabbi Moshe Rothchild in Blog, Weekly Message

On the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul (this past Wednesday),  Jews around the world began blowing the shofar (ram’s horn) in anticipation of Rosh Hashanah which will be celebrated in one month. What is the source of this custom?

Jewish tradition tells us that when Moses climbed Mt. Sinai for a second time after the sin of the Golden Calf, he was accompanied by the sounding of the shofar. Moses ascended to beg for forgiveness for the Jewish people and to receive the second set of tablets. All of this happened on the first day of Elul hence we mark the beginning of God’s forgiveness of the Jewish people by blowing the shofar. We will do so every day until Rosh Hashana.

For the Jewish people this forty day period beginning today and extending to Yom Kippur is a time that has been designated for forgiveness. We do our best to repair our relationship with God and with people. We cannot ask God to forgive us for offenses committed against other people—we must reconcile directly with them.

How did the shofar come to be such a powerful symbol?

Abraham is instructed by God to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. In perhaps the most dramatic moment in human history God tells Abraham to stop just as he is about to plunge the knife in to the neck of Isaac. God teaches us that we are to live for Him and not give up our lives to honor Him. Abraham looks up and caught in the thicket is a ram. Abraham takes the ram and offers him to God as a replacement for Isaac. Abraham has passed the test and demonstrated the depth of his commitment and loyalty to God and at the same time is taught a powerful lesson about life.

The ram’s horn recalls this incredible act of Abraham reminding us of his faith in order to inspire us to higher levels of faith and commitment. We sound the shofar and we are brought back to the great moment where Abraham, the great knight of faith, instructs us.

Another imagery that we find in Jewish literature is the shofar as a kind of spiritual alarm clock. When a person is physically asleep and needs to be up to go to school or work, they set an alarm clock. When a person is spiritually asleep he listens to the sound of the shofar. It is a wakeup call that reminds us not to sleep away our lives in a spiritual slumber. We must arouse ourselves and awaken our souls to God.

Others suggest that the sounds that emanate from the shofar represent the deepest cry of the human being. Crying transcends words. Words can only reach so far but a cry from the soul can open all doors of heaven. Sometimes we simply do not have the words to express ourselves so we cry to God to express the inner emotions and thoughts of our hearts in a way that can never be achieved through the spoken word. This is what the shofar is. Its sounds reach down in to the soul of man and reach up to the highest places in heaven.

The shofar reminds us of Abraham, it is a wakeup call and it is a cry from the depths of our soul.

Finally, the shofar is mentioned everyday three times a day in Jewish prayer. “Sound the great shofar for our freedom…and gather us in from the four corners of the world.” The shofar is the instrument that will announce the redemption.  It will begin an era where the whole world will recognize God and live in peace. Let us pray that we are blessed to hear the sounding of the great shofar!

Editor's note: I added the following photos (just because I love photos!)  Steve Martin

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Derek Prince - Israel: Past, Present & Future (1/6) - How I became Involved with Israel (with Chinese subs)

Derek Prince - Israel: Past, Present & Future (1/6) - How I became Involved with Israel (with Chinese Subs) - Derek Prince Ministries videos: DP161, DP162, DP163

The name Israel occurs about 2,600 times in the Bible. In this comprehensive series, Derek Prince paints a clear picture of God's dealings with Israel — and instruction on how to pray for Israel.

Ruth Prince

TRIBUTE

A 'Prince'ly Legacy

By Cheryl Wilcox and Scott Ross
The 700 Club

CBN.com – It was 1941. The world was at war. In a British army barracks this Cambridge- educated philosopher had a life-changing encounter with God. He simply opened the Bible and read it. He came to the conclusion that Jesus was alive and the Bible was an up-to-date, relevant book. That conviction changed his life forever. His name was Derek Prince.

"I was so ignorant I didn't know you had to go to church to get saved. I mean, I didn't have any spiritual language at all," Derek notes.

Derek was a son of British privilege. Born in India, he was whisked away to boarding school and later Eton.

"I was reading my school reports just two days ago from Eton, I mean years back," says Derek, "and one of my teachers said, 'He had a rather sour outlook on life.'"

He furthered his education at Cambridge and later held a fellowship in ancient and modern philosophy. Then, while defending his majesty's England, he cracked open the Bible.

"I was a professional philosopher before I became a Christian, and philosophers all have problems in their minds," he explains. " I thought, I need something to protect my mind. Then I read in Ephesians 6 'the helmet of salvation,' and being logical by background and by character, I said, 'That's it! The answer for depression is hope.' So I said, 'I'm going to put on the helmet of salvation.' My unit was almost immediately sent out to the Middle East, and I spent the next three years in the desert of the Middle East.

So began the spiritual journey of internationally known Bible scholar Derek Prince.

"In my country people do not know what Coca-Cola is or who the president of the United States is, but they know Derek Prince," says one Siberian national.

On September 24, 2003, Derek died peacefully in his sleep and went home to be with the Father. At age 88, he’d spent nearly six decades in ministry. He had finished his race on the eve of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, or the Feast of Trumpets. His body was buried in Israel, his adopted homeland for more than 20 years. In his last interview with The 700 Club, Derek talked about his deep love for the Jewish people.

"Without the Jewish people, we'd have no patriarchs, no prophets, no apostles, no Bible, and no Savior. How much salvation would we have without that? So we all owe an infinite debt to the Jewish people," he says.

Earlier this month, Derek was memorialized in Charlotte, North Carolina, home of his North American ministry. Family, friends, and co-laborers in Christ celebrated his life and ministry to the nations.

"The name of Derek Prince became a synonym around the world for integrity and for courage, courage to speak on Bible topics that most preachers were afraid to think about, let alone teach," says John Hagee at Derek's memorial service.

"Friends, I am hear to tell you that the same Derek Prince that I lived with at home in Jerusalem was the same man you saw in the pulpit," Barry Segal told the congregation at Derek's memorial service. "He was without guile, and he was without hypocrisy."

"A prolific writer, Derek authored more than 40 books, including his hallmark work, Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting. He recounts the great move of God he witnessed while teaching in Kenya during the late 1950s and early 1960s.

"Prayer and fasting," says Derek, "definitely made an impact for one generation on that nation of Kenya."

Today, Derek's teachings are broadcast by radio around the globe and translated into Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Malagasy, Mongolian, Russian, Samoan, Spanish, and Tongan.

Grandson Derek Selby recounts what his grandfather told him about his legacy: "It is my desire, and I believe the Lord's desire, that this ministry, Derek Prince Ministries, would continue the work God started through me until Jesus returns."

But Perhaps Derek Prince's teachings, his books, or his ministry to the body of Christ are not his greatest legacy. Instead, it is the extraordinary example of his family life.

"I was married to Lydia for 30 years and to Ruth for 20. And each of them was a happy and successful marriage," says Derek. "The most painful thing in my life has been the death of Lydia, and even more, the death of Ruth. With Lydia, I was a part of a big family, but Ruth and I were, basically, two people on our own. We had that big family, but I have never had such a close, personal relationship with anyone in my life as I had with Ruth, and losing her -- I won't say losing her; the Holy Spirit rebuked me by saying, 'You haven't lost her. She has gone ahead. She will be waiting for you.' But I am just so sorry for people who aren't ready for the issue of death because if it doesn't come to me, it is going to come to my wife. Death is part of life. That is the way it is because of our sin. Thank God Jesus has taken the sting out of death. We are going to have to die, but Paul says that we don't have to mourn like others because we have a glorious expectation."

Derek's passion for fatherhood is also a living legacy to the body of Christ and an example for other leaders to emulate. While on his tour of duty in Palestine, grandson Derek Selby explains, "He came to a children's home that a lot of soldiers would frequent for prayer meetings. That home was run by a Danish woman named Lydia Christinson, who had already been there for 15 years on her own in Jerusalem. The day that Lydia and Derek got married, he immediately became the father of eight adopted daughters. One is British, one is Palestinian Arab, and six of them are Jewish girls."

When Israel declared statehood in 1948, the region erupted in war. Derek Prince and his multi-racial family were forced to flee the country because of threats against their lives.

"In the middle of the night, Derek lead his wife and eight daughters into the streets with nowhere to go and left everything they had in the home, which wasn't much to begin with, to protect his family and get them to safety," says Derek Selby. "That eventually led to them coming back to England, where Derek's preaching ministry really began."

One of Derek Prince's adopted children, Anna Selby, remembers her father affectionately.

"I don't recall when he came to the home in Ramullah," Anna says. "I just remember that he was always there for me, and he has always been there as my daddy. He was a great dad, big supporter. I shall miss him dearly."

Derek and Lydia bonded with their ninth adopted child in Kenya. Her name was Jessica.

"They went to my parents and said, "We heard that you take in children. They are much older now' They said, 'We no longer do that. We are missionaries. We no longer take in children.' They got up to leave, and as they went to the door, my hand went out to my father to say, 'What are you going to do with me?'" says Jessica Sorenson. "What you saw in the pulpit is what you saw at home. He was the same man. He wasn't two different people. What I remember about my father is that he was a loving man. I knew that I was loved by my father, and I think he loved me when others didn't love me. That has always touched me. He loved me and he instilled faith."

Derek Prince: father, friend, and teacher to the nations.

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Stakelbeck on Terror: From Samaria, Israel's Biblical Heartland

 

On this week's edition of the Stakelbeck on Terror show, the world calls it the West Bank but we call it Samaria: Israel's Biblical heartland.

We're on the ground in the mountains where Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob walked to bring you the truth about those so-called illegal settlements that Israel is being pressured to abandon.

Click here to watch. 

Stakelbeck on Terror: From Samaria, Israel's Biblical Heartland - April 9, 2013

Ariel University

Jewish residents in Samaria with Stakelbeck

David Haivri, Shomron Regional

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Stakelbeck on Terror: In Judea, Where Israel's Biblical Forefathers Walked

First we took you to Samaria. Now we're in Judea, the other half of Israel's Biblical heartland. 

We visit the ancient city of Hebron, burial place of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Rebecca, Sarah and Leah. 

Also, Israeli Minister of Public Diplomacy ...

CBN News link: 

Stakelbeck on Terror: In Judea, Where Israel's Biblical Forefathers Walked

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The Jerusalem Cafe'

This week Laurie and I decided to use a coupon ($5.00 off!) I had gotten for renewing my membership at the Pineville, NC BJ's super club. We wanted to check out the new, one year old restaurant in our area.

We had to drive seven miles to it's location east of us, which wasn't too bad. Specifically, it was in Matthews, NC. We could have walked I suppose, but I was hungry.

As you probably guessed by now (pictures tell a thousand words, so do titles of Blog posts), it is called Jerusalem Cafe'. We were excited that some true tastes of Jerusalem, Israel were awaiting us - falafel, shawarma, hummus and more. Three years not being in the capital city of Israel had been just too long without having a good bit of Israeli food.

After parking and walking to the door, the hours on the sign said "Open 11:00 to 3:00 pm" We missed it! But then, the "OPEN" sign was on, even though no one seemed to be inside. 

But after closer review, the rest of the sign said, "Also Open 4:30 pm - 8 pm". They were open!

We walked in, and I immediately starting taking photos. ("Have camera will travel.") There were indeed scenes of Israel's cities on the walls - Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem and Jaffa. We had been to them all several times.

Of course, the olive wood camels...and smoke pipes? Don't recall that being Jewish.

But I continued taking photos (self-portrait to prove I was there.)

Even though I dislike taking pictures, or showing pictures of, the Islamic Golden Dome mosque, which sits on the Temple Mount, where the rightful Jewish Temple is to be, I took this one anyway. It was the only Jerusalem photo on the wall, except for the Damascus Gate and other sections of eastern Jerusalem.

Soon enough we were greeted by a smiling, young, dark-black haired young lady. 

"Welcome to the Jerusalem Cafe!'" she said.

I replied quickly, "Are you from Israel?"

And she responded even more quickly, "Palestine!"

In a surprised gesture, my eyes lit up but I spoke not a word. I knew then that this was not a Jewish restaurant. And I didn't want to get off on the wrong foot with a smart comeback. Let there be shalom.

So I continued taking pictures, while praying for the Lord God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,  to touch Ishmael's sons' and daughters' hearts too. Praying that they would come to the saving knowledge of Yeshua HaMashiach, King of kings and Lord of lords!

We ordered from the menu and enjoyed the good food. Yum yum! 

Laurie had a chicken salad. You can go ahead and have a bite of hers. I did! 

I had the beef and hummus. (Sorry, the section missing below was meant to be yours.)

And yes, we will be going back! Maybe we can make an international connection right here in Charlotte/Matthews NC that will reach to Jerusalem! (Louie, my Arabic friend, lives in the eastern part of Jerusalem. inside the Old City's Jaffa Gate. Maybe he knows this young lady, even though I didn't get to ask her her name.)

Shalom my family of friends,

Steve Martin
Love For His People

Jerusalem's flag - the capital city of Israel

 The correct map of Israel. 

(No "West Bank" - it is Judea and Samaria.)

Hebrew name for Jerusalem - "Yerushalayim"

Painting below by Baruch Nachshon 

"Going Up To Jerusalem"

AMEN!!!

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MILESTONE WORDS - PART 1 (c) Morris E. Ruddick

MILESTONE WORDS - PART 1 (c) Morris E. Ruddick    Note: About a month ago, I was uniquely led to go  back and review milestone words the Lord has  imparted to me over the years. I found it a riveting  experience. Our natural tendency is to be either  overwhelmed or side-tracked with short-sighted  minutiae, rather than keeping our eyes on God's  big-picture goals.  Those at the forefront need to overcompensate  for the seductive traps, whether personal, cultural  or doctrinal. The bar has been raised. Imparting  righteous power in corrupt, defiled settings is not  possible without God. We've entered a season in  which the Western hop-skip-halleluiah model will  fall short. May these words from my journey stir  you in yours.  Morris________________________________ "Is not My word like a fire?" says the LORD, and  like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?"  Jer 23:29   The heroes of faith operated in oneness with  the priorities and issues of God's heart, without  any vestige of variation between Truth and what  they heard from the Spirit.  Their impact on history was defined by their view  of things from a big-picture God perspective. They heard  from God and they embraced His word, regardless  the cost. That's commitment that requires  discipline. It's also the foundation for maturity. While intimately concerned with the details  impacting the lives of individuals, the Lord's  priorities are strategic. He orchestrates things  from the stance of generations and the  community of His people within a generation.  As I look back over four decades of walking  with the Lord; that walk has been shaped by  a series of milestone words God has imparted  that have raised the bar with a long-term,  big-picture perspective. My walk with the Lord began in the early  70s with a dramatic encounter as I was  seeking to know Him, to really know Him.  I was serious and understood the realities.  At that juncture, I had spent over two years  of my life in heavy combat as a US Marine.  I understood what it meant to believe in  something bigger than myself and I understood  the importance of the dynamics of discipline  and commitment. With the years that have passed since my  salvation experience, I recently was prompted  to outline key words the Lord has spoken to me  over the years; personal milestone words shaping  my calling, my priorities and who I am.  As one of my mentors during those days once shared  with me; if we can just get the door open sufficiently  to capture a glimmer spiritually from God's perspective,  it will be enough.   The Priority That first encounter; the first time I ever heard  the voice of the Lord came from a time of spiritual  seeking. Having been brought up in the church,  I understood basic precepts of faith, but while I  knew about Him, I really didn't know God.  Having met people who did, I was hungry for that reality.  An old combat friend, Ted Gatchel, wisely just  stuffed a New Testament in my shirt pocket,  telling me that I'd find what I was looking for in God's word of truth. My spiritual hunger increased. Finally, I began  plowing through Matthew, then Mark, Luke  and John. After starting the book of Acts, I f ound myself pausing as I read the story of Stephen.  Stephen was facing a life and death situation  without hesitation or waffling. It was a commitment  I could relate to. He knew what he believed in. The combat encounters I had had in which I didn't  know whether I would come out of them alive  probably numbered more than three dozen. As I  reflected on Stephen's story, one of a man willing  to die for what he believed in, I began reflecting  on what I believed in; what I had been willing to  die for: my country, my Marine Corps, to be  remembered for being able to face the ultimate  test with honor. At that point, I heard the voice of the Lord for  the first time. In light of what had been going  through my mind at the time, He simply asked  me: "Would you be willing to do that for Me?"  With that question, I understood who Jesus  was and what was being asked of me; was I  willing to make the Lord the priority I had made  as a US Marine. Knowing the cost and commitment,  my response was immediate: "Yes Sir!" The Mission My encounter with the Lord had taken place on  a training mission in the Caribbean. Upon arriving  home, I found that remarkably my wife Carol  had had a similar personal, life-changing encounter  with the Lord. Spiritually, we were like sponges.  Then, having found an active Bible-believing church,  we read great swaths of the Word of God, attended  Bible studies, participated in fellowship gatherings  and counseled with our pastor. At that juncture, I came in contact with a simple  phrase that became like a fire in my soul: "God has  a perfect plan for your life." I had chosen a good plan,  one that I'd been excelling in with my military career;  but what God began holding out before me was t he prospect of a higher purpose, a plan for my life  that would redirect my mission to one that served  Him directly. I really didn't know what God had in store for me,  other than the fact that I would be serving Him.  I suspected my future and my calling might involve  a role within what was at the time becoming known  as the "para-church ministry," but the reality is that  when I resigned my Marine Corps commission, what  Carol and I stepped into was something akin to an  Abrahamic journey. Knowing the importance of preparing, although I  already had a college degree, I enrolled in  Oral Roberts University where I could dig deeper  into God's word and be immersed in a Christian culture.  In the interim, we served as full-time trainee-ministers  for a small AG ministry, participated in intense Bible  training and helped start a coffee-house ministry. The time at Oral Roberts University was filled with studies, activities and relationships that laid the foundation.  At the core of this setting was the mantle to " Train up young people who hear God's voice to go to  where God's light is dim." Additionally, the value of  my time at ORU was punctuated by two mentors,  Paul McClendon and Harold Fisher. These incredible  men of the Spirit had prayer lives, a strategic outlook  and a spiritual maturity that set the standard for what  lay ahead. Toward the end of the year we spent  at ORU, the Lord led me to enroll in a graduate program  at a local secular university. Not long into this program,  I began to realize I may have bitten off more than  I could chew. The Gift The program I was in had required courses in statistics,  which I had no background in. Somehow the school had  overlooked this with my entrance into the program. I  soon found myself scrambling and going to the professor  for extra help. Then in the midst of what seemed as sinking sands I was  encountering with this required course work in research  designs and statistics, the Lord spoke a clear word to me  from Psalm 119. That word was: "I'll make you wiser  than your teachers." Yet, my efforts didn't begin to approach what this  word suggested. Despite rapt attention during classes,  fervent study, getting extra help and praying, I was not  grasping the subject matter. Then far too quickly, we were  facing a mid-term exam.   My faith shaken, I began to think that somehow I had  misfired with what I thought I had heard from God to  enroll in this program. The night before the exam, having  done all I knew to do, I repented for my presumption.  The next day I felt no better as I walked into the exam.  I placed my name on the exam paper and read the first  question. The only way I can describe what happened  was that it was like curtains were pulled back and I had  complete understanding of what the question asked. I went through the entire exam that way. As I read  each question, not the answer but understanding was  imparted. I was pretty excited as I turned in my paper  and left the room. Outside were some of the better  students in the class, complaining about how hard the  exam was. The star pupil stated he thought it was the  hardest test in the subject he had ever had. Doubt  encroached at my door and my faith went through the floor. A week later the professor, with a scowl on his face,  entered the classroom with our graded papers in hand.  He growled that the median grade was a 62 and he  then proceeded to call out the name of each student  along with their grade, as he handed the graded exams out.   One doctoral candidate had a 29. The class star had a 73.  Finally he called my name and stopped. He looked down  again at the paper and then at me and back at the paper. I  had a 98. Clearly something supernatural had taken place.  Fulfilling the word from Psalm 119 I had to take independent  studies in multivariate statistics and psychometric designs to  complete the task I had embraced for my thesis. God had  given me a gift that would become foundational in the work I was  to do. The Gateway During this time, we had developed a unique relationship  with a man who was a partner in a media ministry in  South Africa. Our friend Peter Church had been visiting  the US to gather information to help with his plans for a  Christian media production and entertainment center.  I had been invited to become General Manager of this  operation upon completion of my graduate program  coursework. Then with a matter of weeks before our  intended departure, Peter's plans changed. He and his  partner had a falling out and Peter and his family had  decided to immigrate to the land of milk and money (the US). So, here I was having left a stable career in which I was excelling;  approaching the end of my time of retooling, without any  prospects whatsoever before me. While in prayer, I asked  the Lord for an answer to what I should be expecting. He  gave me one. With clarity, I heard Him say that I was going  to be a consultant. Without even a realistic idea of what that  meant and without any formal background in business,  this word strangely gave me great peace. Then, having put this "word" on a shelf, I found myself  becoming very practical with the need to obtain  employment to support my family. Following up on an interest  in the advertising world, I learned from one executive  I spoke with of an opening that existed within a firm that  he seemed convinced that I'd be perfect for. His conclusion  was based on the "gift" God had given me with research designs.   So, without really understanding what I was pursuing,  I followed up on his suggestion. What unfolded was  something of a whirlwind that resulted in my being hired  by this firm. What I didn't realize during this process was  that I had just been hired by a research-based consulting firm. The Calling During those early days in my new "career," again I was in prayer  trying to grasp how this all fit together on this pathway, this  adventure that was unfolding with the Lord at the helm.  At that juncture, the Lord spoke a word to me that riveted  me and subsequently defined the path of my calling.  The words the Lord spoke to me were: "Just as in the days of Joseph and Daniel, I am going to  bring out mighty works at your hand. As you are led into  the midst of the world, kings, rulers and leaders will be  converted and humbled. You'll work beside them and  your counsel will be heeded for their good." Once again, I had received a word that I didn't fully  understand. However, I knew that I had heard from  the Lord and it brought great peace. The Spiritual Gift Then came another unexpected word that has  complemented the natural gift the Lord had given me.  While on a business trip for my employer, I checked  into my hotel. As I went into the room to drop my bags,  I noticed an open Gideon Bible on a table across the room.  The thought passed through my mind: "I wonder if the  Lord has a word for me." So I went over to this open  Bible and my eyes fell upon Jeremiah 51:20: "You are My battle-ax and weapon of war; for with  you I will break nations in pieces; with you I will destroy kingdoms and  strongholds." I was gripped by this word, but couldn't seem to see  its application in what the Lord had been telling me  that I was to do. I left for the meetings I had set up.  That evening, I opened my own Bible to read and it  just happened to fall open to Jeremiah 51:20. I pondered  it and prayed. The next morning as I opened my Bible;  to spend some time in the word to start my day, it again  opened to Jeremiah 51:20. I knew God was telling me  something, but I just wasn't sure what it was. Upon returning from this business trip, we met with  some friends who we prayed with who were older  and much wiser in the things of God than we were.  I shared my Jeremiah 51:20 experience. Connie  replied that "Maybe the Lord is leading you into some  type of intercession ministry." My off-the-cuff response  was "I know, but there's something more to it than that."  Actually I hadn't "known" that, but the process was  serving as a catalyst to unveiling a prophetic and authority dimension to my calling as a consultant that would become very key in the days ahead. During the next three years, I began learning the tools of the  trade; the trade of being a consultant.  Faith and Risk I then had a most unique encounter that I describe  in the last chapter of my "God's Economy" book. The Lord  told me I was to start my own business. That first year of  business I felt like Peter who had stepped out of the  boat to walk on the water and had started sinking.  Again, I was taking on something that was far beyond  my experience level. I began realizing that faith involves  risk and risk carries a cost. I traveled the country, gave presentations and attended  conferences. Yet, during that first year of being in  business for myself, very little of what I did seemed to  take root. I managed to sell one (underpriced) assignment  during that time, along with compiling sufficient debt to  seriously wonder if we were going to lose our home.   Then in a week in time came a most remarkable breakthrough.  It began a time of favor and growth. The next several  years the greatest challenge was in keeping up with the  growth. We grew to have offices in three cities and  27 full-time employees. I was also beginning to realize  the fulfillment of the words God had spoken to me  before entering the consulting world about being  called like Joseph and the influence I would have on my clientele. I was doing assignments for Fortune 100 companies,  as well as a number of respected media ministries.  My firm was like a David amidst a group of Goliaths in  terms of our competitors, consulting firms like  Arthur D. Little and Booze Allen Hamilton. My role  as the head of my firm resulted in exploits far  beyond my natural abilities. For example, in work I did for Xerox during the early 80s,  I recommended that they enter the facsimile business.  It proved to be their most profitable division. Feedback  from clients included statements such as: "It's like your  recommendations were prophetic." Such were the words  that God had spoken to me years prior: "Your counsel will  be heeded for their good." Such is the calling of a  modern-day Joseph. The Shaking There was a wonderful season of an upward spiral of  opportunity and fast growth. But then came a sudden  turn and the bottom dropped out of the primary market we served. We didn't seem able to back-pedal and  downsize fast enough. Sadly we eventually shut down  this amazing God-birthed phenomenon. We shut down  honorably, but not without much pain in the process. Simultaneously one of my clients in the banking industry  took over as President of a statewide financial institution  with 34 branch locations that had just undergone serious  losses the year before he joined them. He reached out to  me to join him as his SVP of Marketing and Planning in his  as chief architect of a corporate turnaround. I'm still not  sure which was the frying pan and which was the fire;  between what I had left behind and this new "opportunity."  Details on that stage in my career are also found in my  "God's Economy" book. We completed a successful corporate turnaround,  putting the organization back in touch with the marketplace  and restoring profitability. Then came the subtlety of  corporate politics; the games people at my peer level  had played that had brought this firm to the place where  they needed the corporate turnaround in the first place.  So it was that the man, who had recruited me and corporately  had become my mentor, became the victim of the ambitions  of a dog-eat-dog culture. Being on the wrong side of this  political infighting, I also found myself without a job. Note: Part 2 will describe New Horizons; Raising the Bar;  Applications for Change; Set Times; Convergence and  Preparedness; and The Discipline: Actively Hearing God and  Obeying. Part 2 will be posted to the SIGN list in roughly two  weeks; or can be finished by picking up at the New Horizons  section at http://strategicintercession.org/2013/04/milestone-words/  where the full piece is already published.___________________________________________________   Morris Ruddick has been a forerunner and spokesman for the  call of God in the marketplace since the mid-90s. As founder of  Global Initiatives Foundation and designer of the God's Economy  Entrepreneurial Equippers Program, Mr. Ruddick imparts hope and  equips economic community builders where God's light is dim  in both the Western and non-Western world. He is author of "The Joseph-Daniel Calling;"  "Gods Economy, Israel and the Nations;" "The Heart of a King;"  "Something More;" and "Righteous Power in a Corrupt World,"  which address the mobilization of business and governmental  leaders called to impact their communities with God's blessings.  They are available in print and e-versions from Amazon.com,  BarnesandNoble.com and other popular outlets.   Global Initiatives Foundation (www.strategic-initiatives.org) is a  tax-exempt 501 (c) 3 non-profit whose efforts are enabled by the  generosity of a remnant of faithful friends and contributors whose  vision aligns with God's heart to mobilize the least of these our  brethren. Checks on US banks should be made out to Global Initiatives  and mailed to PO Box 370291, Denver CO 80237 or email us at  sign@strategicintercession.org for access information on our secure  web-site. 2013 Copyright Morris Ruddick - sign@strategicintercession.org Reproduction is prohibited unless permission is given by a SIGN advisor.  Since 1996, the Strategic Intercession Global Network (SIGN) has mobilized  prophetic intercessors committed to targeting strategic-level issues  impacting the Body on a global basis. For previous posts or more i nformation on SIGN, check:http://www.strategicintercession.org

Morris Ruddick Global Initiatives Foundation www.strategic-initiatives.org www.strategicintercession.org

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