Beloved Intercessor,
Loving greetings from Engeltal, Valley of Angels! Winter has arrived in many parts of the country and
it’s chilly here too. We are making plans for a special Christmas Friday Night Live Worship service on
the 23rd from our home. We hope you can join us! And this week Tabby Peter will bring the message,
and Quintessa Murry will lead us in worship. Join us on our YouTube channel or our Facebook page.
No Manipulation! I don’t like to talk about money! I have seen far too many ministries that beg and
manipulate. Perhaps I have been negligent in making the needs known, but I just hate manipulation
and I believe our Father does too! I always expect our Father to meet our needs. I have faith that He
will speak to His people and that they will lovingly obey Him.
I even dislike using the word “urgent” because I don’t want people to be stirred in their emotions to
picture desperation or fear. So here’s our trusting prayer request: On a daily basis when Margaret in
our accounting department sets out to pay the bills, there is just barely enough in the bank to cover
them. The finances have been trickling in and many times she has to wait to make some payments in
favor of more pressing ones. Sometimes she can only make a partial payment—especially on credit
cards.
We are trusting and believing God to pay the bills before the end of the year. Please pray for the Lord
to move His people to obey Him in whatever amount He speaks to them and that the spirit of
procrastination will be bound and forbidden to hinder their obedience.
I want to say a huge thank you to the 45 or so donors who have faithfully given monthly, whether it’s
$10, $20, $50, $90, $100, or more, we are deeply grateful for your faithfulness! Some wrote a check
each month, and some had a recurring charge on their credit or debit card so they wouldn’t forget!
(Technology is wonderful—when it works!) Please pray with us that the Lord will raise up His faithful
group of monthly givers for 2023. Here’s a link to our secure donation page on our website in case
you are feeling led by the Lord to give: https://secure.paperlesstrans.com/GlobalOutpouring
We are also deeply grateful for those who have given generously for specific needs like the House of
Peace, and our building fund (which has now been fully used for remodeling and ongoing repairs).
Rejoice with us! The Lord has brought John and Linda Thomas alongside to help us. Linda has
already begun helping in the office, and John will soon be helping with building repairs, maintenance,
and remodeling. Please pray for the building fund to be replenished so that we can purchase the
supplies needed to make repairs and refinishing.
Ann Lewis is also coming alongside soon to help in the office. We are so grateful to God for bringing
His people to help! And we are so grateful that you are helping in prayer and in obedience to what
the Lord puts on your heart.
Missions: As you know, from the time the Lord began sending our founder, Gwen Shaw, to the
mission field, this ministry has been all about the nations! Even our new name, Global Outpouring,
expresses that, so our missions budget is of high priority. When we don’t get enough donations
specifically for missions, we have to supplement the need from our General Fund (that pays all the
other bills). So far this year, we have had to supplement missions by nearly $15,500. Please pray for
an increase in missions giving. Our podcast has also reached 186 nations. Philip and I haven’t begun
to travel internationally since 2020 and it’s been on our hearts to begin to do so again, but we don’t
want to keep adding to the credit cards, and so we wait.
Peace Under Pressure: I’m convinced that God’s purpose in allowing all of the troubles of the last
three years is to mature His Body. Isolation and uncertainty have driven many of us to our knees. I
know that I have grown all the more confident in the Lord and am far less flapped by every new
diabolical scheme that shows up. Every shaking throws off a little more of what can be shaken so
what remains is unshakable. Every strategy of the enemy is in the process of backfiring on him, just
as his plot to kill Jesus resulted in mankind’s redemption along with the earth. God is giving him
enough rope to hang himself! He’s the forever loser, and will lose at every turn, even when it looks
like he won!
The more I learn to walk in the spirit and not in the flesh I discover the deep peace/shalom of His
Presence! For years I have seen a mental picture of how the pressures of life press us into God, and
when the pressure lets up, we find that His image has been stamped upon us as we have been
softened and malleable as the Potter’s clay.
2023 will likely still hold more intense pressures, difficulties, and trials, but our Redeemer lives and
has amazing plans to work all the details out for our good, for we love Him and His call resonates
within us. Rest in Him and find that the embrace of His Everlasting Arms is your refuge, no matter
what comes your way!
Marry Christmas! I receive texts from many nations and most of them speak English only as a
second language. English is a very complicated language because it is influenced by a number of
other languages, so the spelling rules change depending on the roots. While we expect to have a
Merry (joyous, happy) Christmas, other spellings (although not customary) might be worth
considering. Many people have a strong focus on the wonderful young woman whom our Father
chose to carry His only begotten Son. So we might consider her virtuous heart’s willingness to receive
this favor (and persecution!) with godly humility. This might be a Mary Christmas.
This morning a greeting for a Marry Christmas came in from a distant land. I chuckled at the
misspelling, but then realized that because of the birth of Jesus and His subsequent sacrifice for our
sins, that He purchased His Bride with His own sinless Blood so that we could have a Marry
Christmas!
Of course we know that Jesus wasn’t born on December 25 (most likely that’s when the Wisemen
arrived when He was a toddler, according to Rick Larson’s calculations in “The Star of Bethlehem”),
and that He was probably born in September, during the Feast of Tabernacles. But that’s no reason
not to celebrate now! I’m told that in the Philippines, they honor Jesus’ birth in all the months ending
in “ber.” So they decorate and play Christmas songs during September, October, November, and
celebrate in December. I think that’s how we may do it when Jesus comes to reign as King of kings
on the Earth! You don’t forbid celebrating on a certain day just because pagans tried to steal one of
God’s days to defile it. You redeem what was pagan and sanctify it back to our Father’s purposes to
draw people into His everlasting love.
This year, the last day of Hanukkah coincides with the 25th . Let’s pour our love and adoration to our
Father and to His Son who is the Light of the World! This is our opportunity to live before the World as
a people filled with His Light, Life, and Love, celebrating His greatness and passionate devotion to
His Creation. Be filled with His joy and have a Merry Christmas! Be filled with grace and humility like
the Handmaiden of the Lord and have a Mary Christmas! And be filled with Bridal love for Him and
have a Marry Christmas!
Thank you so much for standing with us in prayer and giving. We are so very grateful and pray that
you will be built up in strength in your spirit, soul, and body to bring optimum glory to our Father and
our Bridegroom and King, the Lord Jesus Christ, as we enter this new year. Meet it with the full
expectation of a new walk with Him, and to experience His miracle power flowing through you to the
people all around you and around the world as you pray!
Your handmaiden and servant,
Sharon and Philip