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Good evening and welcome everyone! This is Philip Burley speaking. This is our fourteenth Awaken the Sleeping Giant conference call. Our next conference calls will be on Wednesday, March 29th and Thursday, March 30th, 2006. In order to establish unity and oneness in spirit, let us begin by speaking out our name and city in unison three times. On the count of three, please speak out your name and city three times. 1, 2, 3, Thank you. PrayerDearest Heavenly Father, It is from a place of humility in a country in need of prayer that we begin tonight’s time together. With highest of intention, all of those who have participated in Awakening the Sleeping Giant, have gone the course and served well and admirably this cause which Jesus started more than three months ago. In continued humility, bowed before your eternal parental love, we again answer the urgent call to bless our land with prayer for another three months. From this day, March 22, 2006 until June 21, 2006 -- the first day of summer. Father, please give us the faith, vision, clarity, determination and strength to serve our fellow citizens and citizens of the world in this most holy effort to bring a spiritual awakening and peace to the United States of America. Use us dearest Father, to extend your benevolent will upon and through our people. Let the awakening come not from fear and warring but from a heart of proper self-love with the self-initiating stirring of each one’s spirit as they hear your voice, in many forms, speak loudly and clearly through the record of suffering in human history and through the present day unfolding realty of America which we all know so well. When we pass from this earth into the eternal land of existence we will well remember these times both as to why we prayed, how we prayed, and that fact that we prayed for our America. It is our highest and lasting hope that through all of the prayers rising from earth to heaven these days for America, that you will hear and heal our land. That we do not pray in vein but in the expectation that what we have done -- all of those praying for this country -- will have made a difference. Heavenly Father, I offer up this prayer on behalf of all those who have joined this most noble cause and give thanks in the Christ Spirit. Amen QuoteThere is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: Ecclesiastes 3:1[1] Our second quote for tonight is from a reply to a clergyman who said to Lincoln that he hoped "the Lord was on our side." To which Lincoln said, “I know that the LORD is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that this nation should be on the LORD'S side”.[2] TalkLet Us Continue to Pray to Awaken the Sleeping GiantLife seldom turns out the way that you expect it to turn out. The fact is, life teaches us, if we watch carefully, to live more in faith than anything. Though I thought the Awaken the Sleeping Giant prayer would last only three months, due to guidance from above I am extending it both in faith and because of continuing perceived needs for our land. Life is like this with God: A great, unpredictable adventure and journey. While we are praying for our country we do not actually know what lies ahead. We are convicted that our prayers are heard and count but just how we do not know. This is "that thing or situation" in which we must have faith. Life Lived in Fear is No Life at AllThe life that is lived in fear is no life at all. It hems you in and keeps you from the spontaneity of life and thus new experiences. Helen Keller, the great woman of recent past American history, blind, nearly from birth, tells that while she is blind she does not let it stop her or put a damper on her existence. Her words tell us that she steps out in life -- no matter what -- to face it fully. Let me quote from her exact words so that you may know of a woman undaunted by life who has set an example for us all to follow both in our present personal life as well as in the future and in the life of this nation. Here are Helen’s words:
Don't you deeply appreciate the way she ends her words with "Life is either a daring adventure or nothing"? Helen Keller is the perfect example of one who receives a lemon in life and turns it into lemonade. To Continue "Awaken Prayer" or Not ContinueDuring the unfolding weeks of prayer, preparing the weekly contents and all that goes with such an undertaking, I was filled with great joy at God’s trusting us with this responsibility of helping him take care of our nation, of allowing us as co-creators with him to do our portion of responsibility. While I carried on this prayer campaign the original dream of the sleeping giant and Jesus' appearance loomed much in my mind though I did not have the time to consider fully the reality of what might lie ahead either for myself or for our country. I felt in my heart that we should continue and be a force of prayer to contribute our very soul's heart to our land; to seek to make even more of a difference by continuing. Why shouldn't we? After all, so many sacrificial souls died establishing this great nation; pioneers coming west died in great numbers as did others who reached these areas of wilderness to eventually overcome, little by little, to make the great cities that America has today. We stand upon the precious toil and prayers that created a land so beautiful and so free. Jesus' VisitAs I prayed Jesus came to me and asked me what I felt about continuing? He told me to examine my feelings as I pondered his presence. I was overcome greatly by an inner knowing, more than a feeling, rising into intuition but above it as if coming straight from my gut were the words, "You know you must continue." I was overwhelmed with a sense of spiritual knowledge and victory about carrying on. But as the human mind and heart will have it, I still wanted further substantiation to carry on, after all, I am only one person and there are more than 300 of you out there who are a part of this undertaking. What about you? My conviction grew and grew to an almost overwhelming feeling that I had no choice even though I have so many other responsibilities around me. I have not been able to work in the last three months due to the enormity of this project with over 2500 emails sent and answered and the constant preparation for each week for the conference call. My inner self spoke to continue. Mountain Vision Parallels Terrorist ThreatThen about a week ago my wife and I were watching the 10 o'clock news when the woman anchor spoke of a communication that had been received by the federal government from terrorists saying that Arizona was now a target for destruction. The report went on to say that while people in Arizona were innocent, that is we did not send troops to Iraq nor were we responsible for the killing of innocents in that land, still we would, as innocent victims, experience the horror and grief of bombings in Arizona where we and our children would die in our homes. I sat in dismay, sadness, and fear of what I just heard. My wife, likewise, was stunned. I sat for a few minutes more and then turned the television off. I needed to reflect, to ponder what I just heard and read on the screen of the terrorist’s message. I walked into our bedroom and was suddenly overcome with the reality of it all. The answer had come full-force: "You have to continue the prayer condition." In that split second I recalled what I saw while sitting on a mountain side over looking Phoenix, Arizona. I shared this experience in the initial letter I sent out to all of you. And here I quote from that letter just what I wrote:
My vision -- what I saw on the mountain that day, over three months ago -- was being echoed by the terrorist's message of bringing destruction to Arizona. How could I not continue to pray, if only by myself? End of story! There stirred within me (and it is still there) an energy bigger than myself to do whatever I can to keep my country and my people protected and safe if only by adding my little prayer to the mix of prayers (both known and unknown) for this land. It brought to mind the words of Abraham Lincoln prior to the beginning of the Civil War when he said:
Living for a Purpose Bigger Than MyselfIn my case, I am trying to be ready and I guess I am more than ready through all that we have put into praying for America. I know it is part of why I was born. Not to be some hero or to appear to take on heroic proportions but to be of service in God's unfolding story of our nation and the world. I was very moved when I happen to come a cross a quote by George Bernard Shaw that says so clearly what our life is about if we truly realize it:
I don't know about how Mr. Shaw's words sounded to you, but to me his words ring so true and speak volumes about being a mature and responsible person to family as well as the family of man. And it is in this spirit that I will continue to carry on the Awaken the Sleeping Giant prayer. There is no question about it, it is needed and only time will show forth the need and wisdom of sending forth such prayer into and over our people. In fact, the new plan calls for a campaign among those of you who continue with us and who can, to get more people involved by a systematic method of reaching and informing the public. Public Service is Most Desirable and Needed.It does my heart good to have a clear conscience and a clear path ahead. As I said in the beginning, we don’t know what life will bring. It was not daunting to Helen Keller and so many forgotten heroes and heroines of America; and I don’t want it to be daunting to me either. Otherwise, what is my life worth? What really counts? And if our nation should undergo more suffering as it did on 9/11 or with the horrific hurricanes of 2005, or another terrorist attack on our precious soil, where will I be and what will I wish I had done, if even in a small way, to make a difference and to avert, where possible, further suffering of our people? Albert Schweitzer, great servant that he was to the people of Africa, knew well from life experience just what counted in life when he wrote:
In a time when so many are hypnotized by materialism with the driving need to acquire more and more, a part of what has caused us to not be awakened to the real things of life, it is good to be reminded of just what does count and what will be of lasting value. I believe in the future of America, regardless. We are a resilient people who have been sustained through many wars and catastrophes since the founding of our beloved land. We will go on. I hope you go with me. The Greatness and Beauty of LifeI would like to share with you some words that truly touched my heart and summed up what is meaningful in life and a life well lived. I share this because I do not want to be fear ridden or lose sight of the greatness and beauty of life and what really matters. It is a quote by Andrew Young, a Scottish schoolmaster and poet of the 1870’s who wrote The Scottish Highland and Other Poems:
The Spirit of "Daring to Do"And so Awaken the Sleeping Giant prayer for America will continue and you will be kept informed of how this will take place as there will be some needed changes. There rings within my heart a spirit that comes by grace that is the Spirit of Daring to Do. The following quote from Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe speaks so eloquently my exact sentiments about the Spirit of Daring to Do:
And this is followed by equally true words, by one-time-president Calvin Coolidge, that speak of carrying on the noble work of praying for America to awaken to the giant that it is in the world.
Won't you continue to join me for the sake of our families, and other families, for the sake of all the people of our land, leaders and followers alike, won't you continue to join me in being bold and powerful to pray to Awaken the Sleeping Giant? Let us "press on" to the goal of God continuing to bless America! You will be receiving a letter regarding the continuation of this prayer condition. We may skip a week, allowing you to continue by praying for one week on your own as we take administrative actions to prepare for the changes necessary to continue to pray the Awaken the Sleeping Giant prayer for America. AWAKEN SLEEPING GIANT PRAYERMission StatementI understand that Jesus has asked for special prayer for America. To comply with his request, I have volunteered to be a prayer channel -- ideally once a day for three months -- for God to radiate through me unconditional, loving, healing energies to all Americans of the United States. It is not my responsibility to determine the outcome of my prayers. In faith, I leave the outcome in the hands of God. Meditation for Personal Healing and Setting IntentionLet us enter into a meditative state of mind: Find a comfortable position and close your eyes. Focus your mind upon your heart. Take a deep breath and ...become more relaxed and centered as you exhale. Take a second deep breath...and become more and more relaxed and centered as you exhale. Take a third deep breath...and become still more and more relaxed and centered as you exhale. Within your heart is an intense, holy, eternal, spiritual White Light. Take your time to feel its presence with you literally. This is the presence of God. And from this intense Light are rays of unconditional love radiating out throughout your body and spirit. Feel this almighty presence now. You are awakening to your own true power within; you are being made whole through all of the prayers you are sending out to America with this prayer condition. I am going to be silent for a few moments to allow you to dwell upon your present state of meditation... * * *Praying the Prayer to Awaken the Sleeping Giant1. Dear Heavenly Father, I visualize before me the city of Washington, D.C., our nation’s capitol. In my prayer, I see the radiation of a holy and eternal spiritual White Light spanning above and over the whole city. From this all-encompassing, loving, supernatural, White Light, I see the raining down of countless numbers of droplets of unconditional love upon all the people; leaders and followers alike. For a meaningful span of time, I will continue to visualize these droplets of unconditional love raining down upon our nation’s capitol where the drops may awaken, protect, and bless all of the people of Washington, D.C. May your will be done with my prayer according to your greater wisdom. 2. Dear Heavenly Father, I now call out in prayer the names of major cities of the United States as representative of all cities and towns. Albany, Albuquerque, Annapolis, Atlanta, Augusta, Austin, Baltimore, Baton Rouge, Birmingham, Bismarck, Boise, Boston, Bridgeport, Carson City, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Concord, Colorado Springs, Dallas, Denver, Des Moines, Detroit, Dover, Frankfurt, Harrisburg, Hartford, Helena, Honolulu, Houston, Indianapolis, Jackson, Jacksonville, Jefferson City, Juneau, Lansing, Las Vegas, Lincoln, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Louisville, McMinnville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Mobile, Montgomery, New Orleans, New York City, Newark, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, Salem, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Fe, Savannah, Seattle, Springfield, St. Louis, Tallahassee, Tampa, Topeka, Trenton, Tucson, Virginia Beach, Wichita, Wilmington. Dear God, I now place my hand on this list of city names of America and in prayer I see the radiation of a holy and eternal spiritual White Light spanning above and over all of them. And from this light I see the raining down of droplets of love that may awaken, protect, and bless all of the people in all the cities and towns in America. May your will be done with my prayer according to your greater wisdom. 3. And now, Father, I turn toward our nation. In my prayer I see the radiation of your holy and eternal, spiritual White Light spanning above and over the whole nation of the United States of America, from East to West, from North to South, including Alaska and Hawaii. And from this Light I see the raining down of droplets of love that may awaken, protect, and bless all of the people of America. May your will be done with my prayer according to your greater wisdom. 4. And now, Father, I place my prayer upon the world. In my prayer I see the radiation of your holy and eternal, spiritual White Light spanning above and over the whole world. And from this Light I see the raining down of droplets of love that may awaken, protect, and bless all of the people in every nation of the world to bring about universal harmony, unity, and lasting peace among all nations. May your will be done with my prayer according to your greater wisdom. 5. Heavenly Father, I affirm that my prayer has been heard, that your love and your energy combined with what I have given, awakens, protects and blesses me, all of the people of America and the whole world. I affirm that my prayers, asked for by Jesus, are making a difference in me, in America and in the whole world. All this I pray in the Christ spirit, in Jesus' name, Amen. Closing CommentsThank you all for attending this fourteenth in a series of prayers for our country. Let us all keep the promise and remember to remember to attend to our sacred prayer duty, first for ourselves and secondly for others and our country of the United States of America. God bless and good night.
[1] Bible, King James [2] http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/prayer [3] http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/prayer [4] Awaken Sleeping Giant letter to Philip Burley mailing list., www.awakensleepinggiant.org@aol.com [5] http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/prayer [6] George Bernard Shaw, http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/prayer [7] http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/prayer [8] http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/prayer [9] http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/prayer [10] http://www.zaadz.com/quotes/topics/prayer |
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Copyright 2006
by Philip Burley [When finished, simply close this window] |