The Global Day of Prayer (www.globaldayofprayer.com) began in Africa with the use of a rugby stadium as a surprise location for people to come together to pray.  45,000 attended that first one.  Since then GDOP has indeed become “Global.”  By May 23, 2010, Pentecost Sunday, more than 200 countries each have within them multiple gatherings to seek to please the Lord God by seeking Him in prayer.  In this radio conversation, retired St. Louis, MO business executive Charlie Fay provides the exciting report of this worldwide prayer movement, its continuation for several years, and all the blessings and aspects of it in one American city, St. Louis, MO (www.praystl.org). (In St. Louis the primary gathering –with related aspects before and after -- occurs at 4:00 PM on 5/23/2010 in the Chaifetz Arena (www.thechaifetzarena.com) of St. Louis University.

Below are two dramatic examples of America’s spiritual heritage as cited by author and historian William J. Federer:

(1) Shortly before they signed our Declaration of Independence, the founding fathers called our nation to prayer and repentance.  This was done just weeks before they, the Continental Congress of 1776, produced and signed  our Declaration of Independence, our nation’s birth certificate.  Please read each word carefully:

“(March 16, 1776), as recorded in the Journals of Congress, passed without dissent a resolution presented by General William Livingston declaring May 17, 1776, [just seven weeks before the Declaration was signed] as being a National Day of Humiliation, Fasting and Prayer:

“The Congress … desirous … to have people of all ranks and degrees duly impressed with a solemn sense of God’s superintending providence, and of their duty, devoutly to rely… on his aid and direction…

“We do earnestly recommend Friday, the 17th day of May [1776] be observed by the colonies as a day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer; that we may, with united hearts, confess and bewail our manifold sins and transgressions, and, by sincere repentance and amendment of life, appease God’s righteous displeasure, and, through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ, obtain this pardon and forgiveness.”

From William J. Federer’s America’s God and Country … An Encyclopedia of Quotations, pages 141, 142:

(2) Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Baptist Association of Danbury, CN, that the new United States Constitution would protect them from further punishment for expressing opposition to the government.  The Constitution would indeed provide “…a wall of separation of Church and state…”  That wall was to protect them, not separate nor isolate them from public life.

Remarkable evidence of President Jefferson attitude toward the Bible and Scripture is seen in the following fact: 

“Thomas Jefferson, while U.S. President (1801-1809), chaired the school board for the District of Columbia, where he authored the first plan of education adopted by the city of Washington.  This plan used the Bible and Isaac Watts’ “Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs, 1707, as the principal books for teaching reading to students.”

From William J. Federer’s America’s God and Country, an Encyclopedia of Quotations, pages 324, 325

Thomas Jefferson is noted for use of the phrase “…separation of church and state…”  But it was that same President Thomas Jefferson that required the reading of the Bible – and a hymn book, every verse of which includes the Bible – as the instrument of teaching public school children to read!

Part 1

Part 2

As an International Ambassador with Campus Crusade, one of Nancy Wilson’s journeys in 2002 took her to Kenya.  Sixteen-year-old orphan George Gachara was among the many youth who responded to the invitation to receive Jesus by faith in repentance for forgiveness of sins and eternal life. 

Nancy Wilson has adopted George in every way but legally, which included his admission into a very fine Kenyan college.  In this radio conversation, George and Nancy laugh when they recall George arranging for her to speak to his college classmates … and of the big laugh the students had when George (very Kenyan -(www.georgegachara.com), introduced Nancy (very white, blond  American - www.nancywilson.org) before his college assembly as his “mother!”  Nancy Wilson is now assisting George in hopes of his receiving scholarships for doing graduate studies in the USA.

August 13, 2009 -- 2nd interview with Dora Gianoulakis – aired after a hearing before the St. Louis (MO) County Planning Commission.

August 4th, 2009 -- first interview – aired before the hearing. Dora Gianoulakis (john a like' us), refused to let the “powers that be” easily push a new casino into her neighborhood.  As President of the board of her neighborhood association (www.spanishlakemo.org), she, her board unanimously, and others refused to give into all the glitz, glitter, negatives and devastation that casinos inevitably produce.  Hear Dora’s “fire” in resisting the high pressure efforts of politicians, bureaucrats and big gambling money people to ruin her community.     

The Global Day of Prayer is now world-wide.  It was birthed in Africa, and Africa invited to rest of the world to join them.  Nearly every country in the world now takes part. Charlie Fay, Coordinator of the Global Day of Prayer in St. Louis (www.praystl.org, www.globaldayofprayer.com), provides an inspirational explanation of it, encouraging others to participate. His great focus to obey the command of Jesus found in John 17:20-23 that all those belonging to Jesus would be “one.”  Charlie, a retired executive of the A. G. Edwards financial house in St. Louis, MO, is the president of the Clayton, MO chapter of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship and a board member of the Christian Broadcasting Network (www.cbn.com).  Near the end of the interview he is invited to reflect on the life of Ben Edwards, longtime Chief Executive Officer of A. G. Edwards, who had just passed away.  Mr. Edwards grew his company into the largest financial house in the country “… west of Wall Street.”  Charlie is able to speak in glowing terms of the man who built a great company on character, integrity, and other great Biblical values.  “In all his years as company head, Ben Edwards never laid anyone off!”

See www.thedredscottfoundation.org.

Longtime Jewish friend Leroy Goodman was once a “buyer” for a major upscale department store (now Macys) in St. Louis, Missouri when Carol, his loving & praying wife, was significant in his coming to faith in Christ.

Upon his receiving Jesus the Messiah into his life, Leroy was to soon experience a special call of God to minister the message to Jesus, often with his fellow Jews.

One impressive strategy Leroy utilized in sharing the Gospel to other Jews: on a single piece of paper he printed out the last three verses of the Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter 52:13-15 and all of Isaiah 53.  But in this printed version of the passage, he left off the word “Isaiah” and also removed the numbers of the chapters and verses.  What remained was only the words of the Bible passage.   

He would then distribute these words to Jewish people, asking them who the writer was referencing. 

Almost every time the Jewish people would respond with the obvious answer: that the author was writing about Jesus!

Leroy would agree and affirm that their answer was correct.  The writer of the passage was indeed writing about Jesus.  He then would point out that the words were from the Old Testament book of Isaiah … and were written 700 years before Jesus came to earth!

Leroy Goodman welcomes your call and can be reached at 314 739-2723.

With a great concern regarding the many of today’s lost young people, Franklin Graham is leading a tremendous effort to reach and show love to thousands of them through Rock the River.  As an attraction to young people, Rock the River brings in several famed youth bands to perform their music.  Throughout the several hours of concerts, Franklin preaches three or four brief messages of hope, love, and salvation in Christ.  See www.rocktherivertour.com.  “It’s not my kind of music,” Franklin says. “I’ll probably have to bring my earplugs!  But we want to reach the young people.”  Performing under the St. Louis, MO, Arch on Sunday, August 2, 2:30 – 9:30 PM are Flyleaf, Kirk Franklin, Red, Canton Jones, Hawk Nelson, Lecrae, Skillet, and Action Sports – Jsaw.  For months numerous BGEA staff members have been focusing on preparing for RTR … and the BGEA is donating more than a million dollars to “bless” the thousands impacted by it.  Local churches and individuals are needed to provide the remaining $500,000 in necessary financing.   Franklin Graham, older son of Evangelist Billy Graham, is the president and CEO of both the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and the international Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse.