Gustav and the Gulf Coast

At this writing it is predicted that sometime early Monday Hurricane Gustav will make landfall in Louisiana.

The good news is that this time around the evacuation order has been heeded and people are leaving. The bad news, of course, is that a category 3 storm can do major destruction.

As residents of the Outer Banks, we have a greater appreciation for such storms. So as Jesus said for us to "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", let's be sure to include the Gulf Coast residents in our prayers.

FYI, NC Baptist Disaster Relief teams are standing by on alert to move to Mississippi as soon as given the go ahead.

And Paul and Jenny South, former members of NHC live in New Orleans. Paul is a student at New Orleans Baptist Seminary. My last contact with Paul was on Friday and they were preparing for the storm. Likely they have also evacuated.

Tools to help you pray

On the sidebar to the top right of the blog are two tools you can download and print.

One is a "Fridge" list that you can put up on your refrigerator at home or any place, for that matter. On it you and your household can write down prayer requests as they come to mind, and everyone in your family can see them.

The other is a "Prayer Journal" that you can also use to keep a journal of your daily prayer and quiet time.

Thanks to Andy for putting these together for us.

We've been assigned a battalion in the US Army!

The following is from a letter received recently in the mail.

Dale Hamilton, one of your congregation members, yesterday gave me your name and address. I am thrilled and grateful you are excited to support 1-63CAB through prayer and other forms of spiritual support.

This is so important for many of our soldiers and their families. As Dale has filled you in, we're lining up the entire brigade to leave for Iraq before Halloween. We have many soldiers [for whom] this will be their first deployment. Others who have done this before just want to get it over with and rejoin their families.

So there is a lot of stress on families and marriages - more than what we're juse to seeing in this office. Recently I led and taught a marriage retreat for our senior leaders. It went over very well. Part of it, a big part, was people praying for this specific event.

God is pleased to act in the midst of discouragement and fear to bring life and hope - even when He is not "in the headlines", such as the book of Esther. The leaders and their wives came back telling everyone to go to the next one. The marriage retreat, open to the whole battalion of marrieds, is the first weekend of September and it is already half full! But that is one thing going on here that I see God working through.

Another item for prayer is our battalion commander, LTC Jim Bradford. He is in Iraq scouting out the land we are expecting to occupy. Needless to say it is very hot and jet lag is doing him no favors. He's a good leader and an all-round great man to be around. He made a tip priority for me to gather prayer support for this battalion - and that says something about his nature and faith. So please keep him in mind and in your prayers.

Thank you.

Captain David Chapman
Chaplain, USA
1/63 CAB Dragons

NHCers Preaching this Weekend Appreciate Your Prayers

Three of our men are going to be in other churches this weekend and I hope you'll join me in praying for them:

Burnie Staples will be sharing the Gospel at his dad's funeral service in Jackson, NC on Saturday. Pray that those who may not know Christ will listen as Burnie explains how to have eternal life. He is especially concerned about a family member.

Sam Knight will be preaching at Ocean View Baptist Church in KDH and Tom Lee will be doing the same at Outer Banks Baptist Church in KDH at 11:00 on Sunday. Both guys are filling in for pastors who are away. This is a great opportunity for them and I know these sister churches will be blessed. Pray for God to give them the right Scriptures and Word for each church.

And while you're at it, you can pray for me and our gatherings at NHC this Sunday as I speak from Matthew 4 about Jesus' 40 days experience.

Rick

The Petersons/Campus Crusade

John Peterson was with us this past Sunday, sharing some of the exciting things that Campus Crusade for Christ is doing around the world. NHC has been partnering with John and Cindy for many years to reach college students. Here are a few specific things that John asked us to pray for...

1. Please ask God to prepare the hearts of students on campuses across the country as they return to campus. Ask God to draw men and women to Himself to become life long disciples of Christ.

2. Ask God to strengthen believing students to initiate spiritual conversations with their friends and classmates. Pray that they’d be bold in lovingly sharing the gospel.

3. Pray for Christian professors to courageously identify with Christ before their students. In particular, ask God to draw professors from every university in this region of the country to participate in meettheprof.com.

4. Cindy is increasingly struggling with migraine headaches (maybe as much as 28 days of the month). Ask God to show her what steps she should take, and ask Him to make her well.


Feel free to post an encouragement or a prayer in the comments section for the Petersons!

How do I comment on the blog?

If blogging is a new experience for you here are some easy instructions to get you started.

First, you can comment by simply clicking your mouse on the "comment" link at the bottom of any post. This will take you to the comment screen where you'll be able to both read others' comments and insert your own. Simply click on the "Leave your comment" screen and type in what you have to say.

If you don't have a Google account, your comment will appear with "Anonymous" at the top. That's fine, as long as you put your name at the end of your comment. We are moderating the blog and want to keep it within the NHC family. We'll keep it a safe place. So if you comment without a Google account and you don't "sign" your name at the end, it will be deleted.

You can open a Google account by simply following the instructions under "Choose an identity" on the comment screen. Click on "Sign up here" and it will take you through it. It's pretty simple. With an account you won't need to sign your name every time because your comment will automically identify you.

Welcome to you newbies into the blogosphere!

24/40x96! Mission Accomplished!

As of yesterday we have 98 men and women comitted to pray 'round the clock from September 1 through October 10. That means God will be hearing from NHC continuously for 40 days. How incredible is that?

If you haven't signed up for a time yet that's OK. Just find a time that works for you and put your name on the chart Sunday beside the name that's already there. It's not limited to the first 96, and there's no reason we couldn't double up every time slot.

Kids and youth can also get in on this, so spread the word!

And remember that you don't have to wait until September 1 to get started. God's waiting to talk with you right now!

Don't forget to tell us why you chose the time you did here.

Getting Ready for the Journey

Elijah spent 40 days walking through a desert to ascend the mountain of God and be confronted with a question from God: What are you doing here? He was sustained during that 40 day journey by a meal of bread and water provided by God, delivered by an angel.

Your 40 days of prayer can be a journey like no other for you if your nourishment comes from God. Then, following our 40 days of prayer we'll be taking the next 40 days to find out "What on earth am I here for?".

Like Elijah, have you ever allowed fear, feelings or a sense of failure to cause you to doubt?

A great start!

Since we put up the prayer schedule Sunday for the 24 hour NHC prayer x 40 days we now have 69 of the 96 time slots taken! Just 27 left!!

If you didn't sign up Sunday, please do so asap. What might God do if for 40 days there's never a time when someone from NHC isn't crying out to God?

What time did you choose and why is that a good time for you?

Getting Ready to Meet with God

Why 40 days? Why not 30 or ten? Well, one reason is that we can find several times in the Bible where men met with God for 40 days. One of those examples is Moses.

Not only did Moses spend 40 days praying and fasting while receiving the Covenant laws God made with Israel, he followed it up with another 40 days...twice! You can read more about Moses' encounters with God, both on Mt. Sinai and in the valley in Exodus 24-34. You can also visit our podcast page and here the message from NHC that was given on Sunday, August 10.

What do Moses’ 40 days experiences teach us about God?
1. GOD HAS A PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE. God gave His law to Moses to give to the children of Israel. It was His way of affirming His convenant or contract to be their God and for them to be His people. That was His plan, and even though they tried hard to ruin the plan, God's bigger than our failures. During 40 Days of Prayer it just might be that God wants to reveal to you more of His plan for your life.

2. GOD CAN DO THE SUPERNATURAL IN YOU. Moses went for a total of 120 days without food or water while he prayed. That's physically impossible, right? Absolutely. But it's the impossible that God does so well. And just maybe during 40DOPrayer God is going to work out some kind of miracle in your life.

3. GOD WILL REVEAL HIS TRUE CHARACTER TO YOU. After the final 40 days with God, Moses had one request: "Let me see your glory". God could have answered that prayer, but knowing it would have killed Moses to do so, He responded in His compassion and mercy. He hid Moses in the cleft of the rock and covered him with His hand, allowing him just a glimpse of His "back" as His glory passed by. We don't always pray for the right things, do we? But God always answers us compassionately and graciously. What if God taught you something about Himself that you never grasped before? It could happen.

4. GOD WANTS TO RENEW YOUR SPIRIT. When Moses came down from the mountain he was probably a little hungry and thirsty. But he carried with him a new set of tablets containing the Ten Commandments, preplacing the ones he had broken before upon seeing the idol worship of the golden calf. God gave His people a second chance. Not only that, Moses face glowed from being with God - so much so that his appearance actually frightened them. What difference might it make in your passion for the Lord and for His people when you spend 40 consecutive days praying to Him and for them? Think your batteries might get recharged?

As we prepare for the God-thing we hope will take place at NHC this fall, what of those four points are you especially hoping will happen for you? How can we pray specifically for you?