NOVEMBER, 2008
REFLECTION
For this month’s Reflection, we turn to a
short book of the Bible that narrates one
of the great events in the history of the
People of Israel. First, let’s meditate on
some passages from the Book of Esther
and then draw some timely conclusions.
Esther was a Jew, selected by the Persian
King Xexres, who reigned from 486 to 465
BC, to be his queen. The story line
revolves around this beautiful and regal
Jewess raised to a position of prominence
specifically to be an instrument of God in
saving yet once again the Chosen People.
Let’s focus now on some of the passages:
“This is what happened during the time of
Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127
provinces stretching from India to Cush
(the upper Nile region). At that time King
Xerxes reigned from his royal throne in the
citadel of Susa, and in the third year of his
reign he gave a banquet for all his nobles
and officials. The military leaders of
Persia and Media, the princes and the
nobles of the province were present. For a
full 180 days he displayed the vast wealth
of his kingdom and the splendor and glory
of his majesty. When these days were over,
the king gave a banquet lasting seven days,
in the enclosed garden of the king’s palace,
for all the people from the least to the
greatest…Queen Vashti also gave a
banquet for the women in the royal palace
of King Xerxes. On the seventh day…King
Xerxes commanded the eunuchs who
served him…to bring before him Queen
Vishta, wearing her royal crown, in order
to display her beauty to the people and
nobles…But…Queen Vishta refused to
come. Then the king became furious and
burned with anger…’According to law,
what must be done to Queen Vashti?’ he
asked…Memucan (one of the advisors)
replied, ‘If it pleases the king, let him issue
a royal decree…that Vashti is never again
to enter the presence of King Xerxes…Also
let the king give her royal position to
someone else who is better than she.…Let
a search be made for a beautiful young
virgin for the king.’…Now there was in the
citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of
Benjamin, named Mordecai…who had
been carried into exile from Jerusalem by
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
Mordecai had a cousin name Hadassah,
also known as Esther, whom he had
brought up because she had neither father
nor mother…(She) was lovely in form and
features…Esther was taken to the king’s
palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had
charge of the harem…He moved her and
her maids into the best place in the harem.
Esther had not revealed her nationality
and family background, because Mordecai
had forbidden her to do so…Before a girl’s
turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had
to complete twelve months of beauty
treatments…Esther won the favor of
everyone who saw her…Now the king was
attracted to Esther more than to any of the
other women…So he set a royal crown on
her head and made her queen instead of
Vashti…After these events, King Xerxes
honored Haman son of Hammedatha,
elevating him and giving him a seat of
honor higher than that of all the other
nobles…But Mordecai would not kneel
down or pay him honor…Haman became
enraged. Yet having learned who
Mordecai’s people were, he scorned the
idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead
Haman looked for a way to destroy all
Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout
the whole kingdom of Xerxes…Haman
said to King Xerxes, ‘There are a certain
people dispersed and scattered among the
peoples in all the provinces of your
kingdom who keep themselves separate.
Their customs are different from those of
all other people, and they do not obey the
king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best
interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the
king, let a decree be issued to destroy
them.’…When Mordecai learned of all that
had been done, he tore his clothes, put on
sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the
city, wailing loudly and bitterly…Esther
summoned one of the eunuchs assigned to
attend her and ordered him to find out
what was troubling Mordecai and why…
Mordecai gave him a copy of the text of the
edict for the annihilation of the Jews and
told him to urge her to go into the king’s
presence to beg for mercy and plead with
him for her people…She instructed him to
say to Mordecai, ‘All the king’s officials
and the people of the royal provinces know
that for any man or woman who
approaches the king in the inner court
without being summoned, the king has but
one law: that he be put to death. The only
exception to this is for the king to extend
the gold scepter to him and spare his life.
But thirty days have passed since I was
called to go to the king.’…Mordecai sent
back this answer: ‘Do not think that
because you are in the king’s house you
alone of all the Jews will escape. For if
you are silent at this time, relief and
deliverance for the Jews will come from
another place, but you and your father’s
family will perish. And who knows but
that you have royal position for such a
time as this?’ Then Esther sent this reply
to Mordecai: ‘Go, gather together all the
Jews who are in Susa and fast for me. Do
not eat or drink for three days, night or
day. I and my maids will fast as you do.
When this is done, I will go to the king,
even though it is against the law. And if I
perish, I perish.’…On the third day Esther
put on her royal robes and stood in the
inner court of the palace, in front of the
king’s hall. The king was sitting on his
royal throne in the hall, facing the
entrance. When he saw Queen Esther
standing in the court, he was pleased with
her and held out to her the gold scepter
that was in his hand. So Esther
approached and touched the tip of the
scepter. Then the king asked: ‘What is it,
Queen Esther? What is your request?
Even up to half the kingdom, it will be
given you.’ ‘If it pleases the king,’ replied
Esther, ‘let the king, together with Haman,
come today to a banquet I have prepared
for him.’…Haman went out that day happy
and in high spirits. But when he saw
Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed
that he neither rose nor showed fear in his
presence, he was filled with rage. His wife
Zeresh and all his friends said to him,
‘Have a gallows built, seventy-five feet
high, and ask the king in the morning to
have Mordecai hanged on it…The king
and Haman went in to dine with Queen
Esther and the king again asked, ‘Queen
Esther, what is your petition? It will be
given you.’…Then Queen Esther
answered, ‘If I have found favor with you,
O king, and if it pleases your majesty,
grant me my life – this is my petition. And
spare my people – this is my request. For I
and my people have been sold for
destruction and slaughter and
annihilation…King Xerxes asked Queen
Esther, ‘Who is he? Where is the man who
has dared to do such a thing?’ Esther said,
‘The adversary and enemy is this vile
Haman.’…The king got up in a rage, left
his wine and went out into the palace
garden…One of the eunuchs attending the
king said, ‘A gallows stand by
Haman’s house…The king said,
‘Hang him on it!’ So they hanged
Haman on the gallows he had prepared for
Mordecai. Then the king’s fury
subsided…Mordecai the Jew was second in
rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among
the Jews, and held in high
esteem by his many fellow
Jews, because he worked for
the good of his people and spoke up for the
welfare of all the Jews.” I strongly
recommend this Book of the Bible for
meditation; it is a story of treachery and
triumph, fear and heroism. Now, what
does it mean for us? I believe that this is
a story for our own time, and here is why:
The national election is now over and we
have the first African-American
President-Elect in history – actually a
man who is bi-racial, son of an immigrant
and raised by a single mother. Obviously
the American people have spoken, and
time will tell if the choice was a wise one.
Many people are jubilant and excited;
many others – though less to be sure – are
disappointed and even fearful. Let’s put
politics aside, for they have no place in
this Reflection. Let’s focus, rather, on
what is a major issue and a major
concern: The sanctity of life from the
conception to death. Even though there
are other important issues for the life and
welfare of our nation, the issue of
abortion was, and is, the #1 and
overriding issue for me. Our new
President-Elect, in his interview with
Rick Warren, said in reply to the question
as to when life begins, “That is above my
pay-grade.” And that, to me, is horrific.
Please, again note that I am not being at
all political. I believe that our
responsibility now is to support our
President, pray for him, seek God’s
guidance for him. But the fact is that,
without a miraculous intervention
(definitely possible through prayer), the
killing of unborn babies will continue.
We are at about 48,000,000 (that’s
million!) in our country since the Roe v.
Wade decision, about 4,000,000 a year.
Put that in perspective with the European
Holocaust during World War II, one of
the most terrible acts of genocide in
history. The Holocaust had 6,000,000
victims; that is only about 13% of the
American Holocaust. So, brothers and
sisters, the unborn babies are represented
by the Jewish people in exile during the
time of Esther. They are being
slaughtered, just as the Jews then almost
were. In the words of the Holy Spirit
spoken through Mordecai: “Who knows
but that you have done to royal position for
such a time as this?” Our royal position is
being members of the Body of Christ, a
living priesthood joined with the ultimate
Priesthood, that of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We do not have to approach the King
with fear, but we do indeed need to have
the courage to stand up and proclaim the
sanctity of life – even at the risk of being
seen as narrow-minded or fanatical. And
here is the bottom line of this Reflection:
Folks, regardless of our political
persuasions, all American Christians are
called by God to pray, pray fervently, for
our nation and for our elected officials.
This is my opinion: We just cannot
expect God to continue blessing the
United States of America when we
continue to kill so many of the most
innocent citizens of our nation. The
economy is important, to be sure; but it
pales in comparison to the seriousness of
the life issue. And, finally, I firmly and
passionately believe that God will indeed
perform miracles within the hearts of
people when His people pray that His
perfect will be done. There may be other
reasons why Barack Obama is our
President-Elect, reasons that we simply
cannot know with our limited knowledge.
But I do know without the shadow of a
doubt that the hearts of people who – in
all good conscience – support abortion
rights can be changed. We are the ones
who at this time need to be fervently
praying, not with the spirit of the
Pharisee but with that of the Publican –
with repentance for our own sins first,
and then for the awakening of our great
nation.
STORY
“How to Dance in the Rain: It was a busy
morning, about 8:30, when an elderly
gentleman in his 80’s arrived to have
stitches removed from his thumb. He
said he was in a hurry, as he had an
appointment at 9:00. I took his vital signs
and asked him to take a seat, knowing it
would be over an hour before someone
would be able to see him. I saw him
looking at his watch and decided, since I
was not busy with another patient, I
would evaluate his wound. On exam, it
was well-healed, so I talked to one of the
doctors, got the needed supplies to
remove his sutures and redress his
wound. While taking care of his wound, I
asked him if he had another doctor’s
appointment that morning, as he was in
such a hurry. The gentleman told me no,
that he needed to go to the nursing home
to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired
as to her health. He told me that she had
been there for awhile and that she was a
victim of Alzheimer Disease. As we
talked, I asked if she would be upset if he
was a bit late. He replied that she no
longer knew who he was, that she had not
recognized him for five years now. I was
surprised, and asked him, ‘And you still
go every morning, even though she
doesn’t know who you are?’ He smiled as
he patted my hand and said, ‘She doesn’t
know me, but I still know who she is.’ I
had to hold back tears as he left, I had
goose bumps, and thought, ‘That is the
kind of love I want in my life.’ True love
is neither physical, nor romantic. True
love is an acceptance of all that is, has
been, will be, and will not be. Life isn’t
about how to survive the storm, but how
to dance in the rain.” And that, brothers
and sisters, fits perfectly here following
the Reflection. Even if people do not
know we are praying for them and do not
know we love them with the love of
Christ, it is still very real, very important
and very meaningful.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
Songs of the lukewarm Church: “Blest be the
Tie That Doesn’t Cramp My Style;” “Pillow
of Ages, Fluffed for Me;’ “I Surrender
Some;” I’m Fairly Certain that My Redeemer
Lives;” “Sit Up, Sit Up for Jesus;” “Take My
Life and Let Me Be;” “What an Acquaintance
We Have in Jesus;” “Where He Leads Me, I
Will Consider Following;” “He’s Quite a Bit
to Me;” “Oh, How I Like Jesus;” “Fill My
Spoon, Lord;” “It is My Secret What God
Can Do;” “Shall We Slumber at the River;”
“Pretty Good Grace, That Upheld a Pretty
Good Guy Like Me;” “Jesus in the Morning –
But Let’s Not Get Fanatical.”
MORE ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
“Eddie took his girlfriend to her first football
game. They had great seats right behind their
team’s bench. After the game, he asked her
how she liked the experience. ‘It was great,
but I just can’t understand
why they were practically
killing each other over 25 cents.’
‘What do you mean?’ asked Eddie,
dumbfounded. ‘Well, I saw them flip a coin,
and one team got it,’ she explained. ‘And
then for the rest of the game, all they kept
screaming was, ‘Get the quarter back! Get
the quarter back! Hel-lllo! It’s only 25
cents.’”…”I lost 30 pounds on this all-
popcorn diet. But I spent $8,000 going to the
movies.”…One time before his capture,
Saddam Hussein decided that he wanted to
write his memoirs, so he asked his bodyguard
for a stenographer. The guard came back a
little while later with a laptop computer
instead. ‘No, thanks,’ Saddam said, ‘I’m a
dictator.’”…”Feeling horrible, an alligator
went to the veterinarian. ‘What seems to be
the problem?’ the vet asked. ‘I just don’t
have the drive I used to, Doc,’
the gator said. ‘Used to be, I
could swim underwater
for miles and catch any animal I
wanted. Now all I can do is let them swim
by.’ Concerned, the vet gave him a thorough
examination and then handed him some pills.
‘What are these?’ the gator asked. ‘It’s a pill
very similar to Viagra,’ the vet answered.
‘Hold on, I don’t have that kind of problem,’
the alligator protested. ‘What exactly is
wrong with me?’ ‘Well,’ the vet said, ‘you
have a reptile dysfunction.’”…And, finally, in
anticipation of the holiday season: “Why do
reindeer wear fur coats? They look silly in
snowsuits.” And, “How many reindeer does it
take to change a light bulb? Eight. One to
screw it in, and seven to hold Rudolph in
place.”
A PRAYER
The following is a Puritan prayer from
the late 16th or early 17th century: “Lord
Jesus, Great High Priest, Thou has
opened a new and living way by which a
fallen creature can approach Thee with
acceptance. Help me to contemplate the
dignity of Thy Person, the perfectness of
Thy sacrifice, the effectiveness of Thy
intercession. O what blessedness
accompanies devotion, when under all the
trials that weary me, the cares that
corrode me, the fears that disturb me, the
infirmities that oppress me, I can come to
Thee in my need and feel peace beyond
understanding! The grace that restores is
necessary to preserve, lead, guard,
supply, help me. And here Thy saints
encourage my hope; they were once poor
and are now rich, bound and are now
free, tried and are now victorious. Every
new duty calls for more grace than I now
possess, but not more than is found in
Thee, the divine treasury in whom all
fullness dwells. To thee I repair for grace
upon grace, until every void made by sin
be replenished and I am filled with all
Thy fullness. May my desires be enlarged
and my hopes emboldened, that I may
honor Thee by my entire dependency and
the greatness of my expectation. Do Thou
be with me, and prepare me for all the
smiles of prosperity, the frowns of
adversity, the losses of substance, the
death of friends, the days of darkness, the
changes of life, and the last great change
of all. May I find Thy grace sufficient for
all my needs. Amen.”
PERSONAL CHANGE
Saturday, November 1, was my last day
working for Herschend Family
Entertainment. On October 19 I reached the
milestone of 27 years working for this fine,
fine Company. It was time for me to take a
leap of faith and retire so that I can be at
home with my dear wife, Barbara, whose
health continues to deteriorate. It has
reached the point where I need to stay with
her – and be even more inspired by her
amazing faith and love and intercessor’s
heart. I will before long, however, have to
have a source of income, and I intend to be a
“home-body” and do a business – or, ideally, a
ministry – from home. I welcome any ideas or
contacts. I am excited to say that I will
continue my relationship with the SDC
Foundation, as a part-time Foundation
employee, primarily by writing the Newsletter
and spreading the word about the goal of 24/7
prayer, seeking the spiritual transformation
of our regions and the spiritual
transformation of our nation. I will also most
likely be taking on another writing project for
the Foundation down the road. Mary
Cockerell, UP member, will continue to do the
Newsletter layout. I will not be able to do the
copying, labeling, stuffing and mailing, so the
Foundation staff will be doing that. I know
they would very much appreciate a volunteer
or volunteers to help with that – the mailing
of about 450 Newsletters and the sending of
the Newsletter via e-mail to about 100 more.
The Foundation is doing amazing work within
Stone and Taney Counties, with a very small
dedicated staff. If you would like to help,
please contact Anita Prochnow at 336-7055.
Please pray for Barb and for me, that we do
God’s will and that we are sensitive to His
loving and perfect guidance. And thank you,
thank you for your faithful support of the UP
Team. Finally, since I will be working from
home, we are in strong need of active
recruiters – to spread the word and encourage
intercessors to join the Team. Our Sector
Leaders have this responsibility, but, in my
opinion, so do all of us – not to be hard-core
salespersons, but to gently nudge people and
allow the Holy Spirit to touch others through
us. My cell phone is (417) 331-1028, and my
e-mail address is
bburt98@aol.com
PRAYER MOBILIZATION
Please pray for: The new free medical
clinic in Branson…Church Army…the
Homeless Count event, coordinated by
Church Army, that will with volunteers
count the homeless in Stone and Taney
Counties and provide care packages…
Abby as she seeks to serve the Lord in our
area…Dr. Martin Niboh, Torchbearers
and Cameroon…College of the Ozarks…
KLFC Radio…Bott Radio…all other
Christian radio ministries…all UP Team
members and supporters through
prayer…the SDC Foundation and Love
INC (in the Name of Christ), as they
prepare to provide Christmas gifts for
families in our area, and for a reaching
out to the hungry, always and especially
around Thanksgiving…the Foundation’s
Care for Kids program, with a growing
number of mentors to school children…
all applicants for Herschend Family
Entertainment’s Share It Forward
financial assistance program…people
without work because of season ending or
layoffs/job eliminations…all military
everywhere…a spirit of cooperation
during the transition from President Bush
to President Obama…all candidates
defeated for office, for peace and
direction…the starving, the refugees, the
persecuted around our world…a return
to the Christian values on which our
nation is founded…Barbara and Bill…
Sonya, Jo, Jacqui, Lisa, Annora, Jackie,
Sue, Pam, Deanna, Katy, Kami, Derald,
that their servants’ hearts and servant
leadership as an HR Team continue with
great blessings to them and to those they
serve…all Hospices…all struggling to
make ends meet in these difficult
economic times…thanksgiving for all of
the pre-election prayers – they will bear
fruit in God’s time and in God’s way…
the grace of identify and praise God for
our blessings during this Thanksgiving
season and always… other needs spoken
or unspoken.
MOTIVATIONAL THOUGHT
“How far you go in your life depends on
your being tender with the young,
compassionate with the aged, sympathetic
with the striving, and tolerant of the weak
and strong. Because someday in your life
you will have been all of these.” (George
Washington Carver)
INSPIRATIONAL WISDOM
The following are from “God’s Little
Instruction Book: Inspirational Wisdom on
How to Live a Happy and Fulfilled Life:”
“Patience is the ability to keep your motor
idling when you feel like stripping your
gears.”…”He who is waiting for something to
turn up might start with his own shirt
sleeves.”…”Remember the banana: When it
left the bunch, it got skinned.”…”It’s better to
die with a good name than to live with a bad
one.”…”Too many churchgoers are singing
‘Standing On the Promises’ when all they are
doing is sitting on the premises.”…”Some
people complain because God put thorns on
roses, while others praise Him for putting
roses among thorns.”…”The cure for crime is
not in the electric chair but in the high
chair.”…”The mighty oak was once a little
nut that stood its ground.”…”Most people
forget God all day and ask Him to remember
them at night.”…”If you don’t stand for
something you’ll fall for anything.”…”The
person who wants milk should not sit on a
stool in the middle of the pasture expecting
the cow to back up to him.”…”It is good to
remember that the tea kettle, although up to
its neck in hot water, continues to
sing.”…”It’s good to be a Christian and know
it, but it’s better to be a Christian and show
it.”
CONCLUDING SCRIPTURE
“He said to me, ‘Son of Man, stand up on
your feet and I will speak to you.’ As he
spoke, the Spirit came into
me and raised me up on my
feet, and I heard him
speaking to me. He said,
‘Son of man, I am sending you to the
Israelites, to a rebellious nation that has
rebelled against me; there their fathers
have been in revolt against me to this very
day. The people to whom I am sending
you are obstinate and stubborn. Say to
them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord
says.’ And whether they listen or fail to
listen – for they are a rebellious house –
they will know that a prophet has been
among them. And you, son of man, do
not be afraid of them or their words. Do
not be afraid, though briars and thorns
are all around you and you live among
scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they
say or terrified by them, though they are
a rebellious house. You must speak my
words to them, whether they listen or fail
to listen, for they are rebellious. But you,
son of man, listen to what I say to you.
Do not rebel like that rebellious house;
open you mouth and eat what I give you.”
(Ezekiel 2: 1-8) Just as Ezekiel rose up in
courage and just as Ezekiel loved his
fellow Israelites, so we, too, are called to
rise up in courage and speak God’s Word
to our own rebellious nation – knowing
that there is a remnant of faithful people
just as they were in the time of Ezekiel.

Peace! Bob Burton