City Reaching and City Transformation result in Changed Lives at Marion Correctional Institution (MCI) in Ohio.
D. Vincent (Bud) Ford, Ph.D.
Twenty years' efforts at city reaching and city transformation have produced meager results in transformed cities in America.
Now there is a place in America where we can see city reaching and city transformation that is resulting in changed lives.
Marion Correctional Institution (MCI) is that place of effective city reaching and city transformation. It is a men’s prison located in north central Ohio. MCI is a small city with 1800 inmates and 500 staff members, and it has been radically changed from a dark and dangerous place to a place that has become known as the Christian prison. The changed lives of many of the men have resulted in a drastically transformed prison.
Dr. D. Vincent (Bud) Ford has documented the transformational change at MCI in his book Transformation: The Missing Piece. Ford spent three years ministering at MCI and much of that time was spent mentoring the leader of the violent Arian Brotherhood prison gang whom Ford led to the Lord.
Nine years ago MCI had an average of 1,200 violent incident reports a month. Today there is an average of less than a dozen such violent incident reports. Today MCI is a place where many of the inmates are at various stages of being personally transformed by God.
There is no question that God is moving in a very special and powerful way at this prison. What has happened there is nothing short of miraculous and something only God could do. "The environment of the prison changes when incarcerated men find hope, forgiveness and healing," says Christine Money, the past warden of the Marion Correctional Institution, "and the impact at MCI can be seen through a very low rate of rule violations, inmate grievances and other serious incidents." Many of those incarcerated in Ohio prisons today know of MCI as the “Christian” prison and as the place where many Christian faith-based programs are taking place.
City Reaching Must Involve Bringing Spiritual Light to Bring Transformation
"If we ask the question 'Why does spiritual darkness linger where it does?,'" says Dr. Bud Ford, "we find the answer to be that the spiritual darkness lingers because there is little or no spiritual light. Darkness disappears when light becomes present." This is an easy concept to put into words, but implementing the concept is much more difficult.
In the book Transformation: The Missing Piece Dr. Ford explores what the light of more peace and righteousness looks like in the difficult prison environment of MCI. The principles learned from MCI are transferable to cities says Ford.
Nine years ago, the violent Aryan Brotherhood gang involved itself deeply in criminal activity and was one of the predominate gangs in the prison. Today the Aryan Brotherhood gang at MCI has been essentially dismantled as a result of the gang leader, John Beason, receiving Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
Nine years ago, it was hardly safe to walk down the halls at MCI. Today you will see men carrying their Bibles with them as they move through the halls, greeting one another with heartfelt greetings, and most astounding of all, you will see men on their knees praying in their dorms and cell locks.
Nine years ago, it was not macho - or safe - to cry, hug or show emotion; these all happen today on a regular basis.Nine years ago, it was unheard of for people to accept the Lord as their personal Savior. Today it happens on a regular basis.Nine years ago, it was difficult to find a Bible study. Today, Bible studies are abundant.
Transforming Your Life, Your Workplace, Your Church and Your City"
If we want the light of more peace and righteousness to exist in our own lives, in our homes, in our churches, and in our cities; if we want to see transformation," Ford says, "then we must have less sin and evil in each of these places." The concept is simple, said Ford; the more peace and righteousness we have, the less sin and evil predominate. "The inverse is also true." Dr. Ford explains, "The more sin and evil that exists in a place, the less peace and righteousness exist there."
In Transformation: The Missing Piece, Dr. Bud Ford identifies principles gleaned from his first hand observation of life at MCI. "The 'missing piece'," says Dr. Ford, "may be summed up as being, and walking, in the presence of the Lord."
Ford uses the platform of MCI to draw principles for city reaching and city transformation, and identifies what city reachers need to do to avoid the errors of the past in our city reaching and city transformation efforts in America.
You can find out more about the Mission Miami Valley by visiting http://MissionMiamiValley.com .You can find out more about the book Transformation: The Missing Piece.You can find out more about 12 For Jesus.
Thursday, July 5, 2007
When the new president comes to the White House he shall be Mine, says the Lord
"A WORD ABOUT THE NEW PRESIDENT--'WHEN HE COMES TO THE WHITE HOUSE, HE SHALL BE MINE!'"
Father God says, "The only time I turned My head and cried, the only time I turned My head in shame was when My Son took the sins, then I cried and looked away. A Father's heart remains untouched in the pain. Now I say to you, because of that holy, holy day a treasure will come forth because of the sacrifice. The children are waiting to hear the sound of the Father whispering in their ear 'I Love You.' There remains a Father's heart in this nation. I will bring the Fathers to the children, and I will bring the Fathers to their sons. The Spirit of Elijah is about to come upon this holy nation."
God says He wants to tell you something, "I Love You." The Spirit of God says "Prepare yourselves for the many changes and swift things that will begin to happen. As you know this is a time of acceleration; this is a time of favor. Is it not befitting for each one of you to take hold of the one thing that I have promised. The door has been opened, come up higher," says the Lord. "There is a place where you will see way beyond your present circumstances. It shall come to pass that many of you will latch on and take the treasure that has been released from the Kingdom of Heaven and you will bring it out of the eternal place into this place that you are living."
"Your youth," God says, "I'm about to raise them out of a place and put them in an unusual place. Your youth (I speak to this place here) are about to drive your enemy crazy. There is going to be a transference from the father to the sons and from the father to the daughters. There will be a transference of the anointing and a double portion shall raise your children up and make them the Presidents of this nation and make them the great ones with authority and with power."
God says "A President that I will bring into the White House--they will say he is ungodly--he does not know God. Even as Jesus disguised Himself for the great feasts, so I've disguised this man's heart. When he comes to the White House, not only shall he be Mine, but he shall pray as a man that has never prayed in the White House. That same man shall put his feet onto this platform. They will say, how did this take place? Laws shall change. Young men and young women will have access into the Kingdom and with authority into politics and with authority into the industries that now have been controlled by darkness because of this man that shall rule for two terms. Do not fear; there will be no unnecessary stuff. There will be things that men shall question. Fear not, for he shall sit in that seat, and suddenly My Spirit shall come upon him and baptize him with a fire and with anointing," says the Spirit of the Lord. "No more war. The time for war has gone. The time for Peace has come. The House that you call White shall receive a man, a knight, who fought for you in your nights."
Kim ClementProphetic Image ExpressionsEmail: hope@kimclement.
ElijahList Publications310 2nd Ave SE, Albany, OR 97321 www.elijahlist.com email: info@elijahlist.netPhone 1-541-926-3250
Father God says, "The only time I turned My head and cried, the only time I turned My head in shame was when My Son took the sins, then I cried and looked away. A Father's heart remains untouched in the pain. Now I say to you, because of that holy, holy day a treasure will come forth because of the sacrifice. The children are waiting to hear the sound of the Father whispering in their ear 'I Love You.' There remains a Father's heart in this nation. I will bring the Fathers to the children, and I will bring the Fathers to their sons. The Spirit of Elijah is about to come upon this holy nation."
God says He wants to tell you something, "I Love You." The Spirit of God says "Prepare yourselves for the many changes and swift things that will begin to happen. As you know this is a time of acceleration; this is a time of favor. Is it not befitting for each one of you to take hold of the one thing that I have promised. The door has been opened, come up higher," says the Lord. "There is a place where you will see way beyond your present circumstances. It shall come to pass that many of you will latch on and take the treasure that has been released from the Kingdom of Heaven and you will bring it out of the eternal place into this place that you are living."
"Your youth," God says, "I'm about to raise them out of a place and put them in an unusual place. Your youth (I speak to this place here) are about to drive your enemy crazy. There is going to be a transference from the father to the sons and from the father to the daughters. There will be a transference of the anointing and a double portion shall raise your children up and make them the Presidents of this nation and make them the great ones with authority and with power."
God says "A President that I will bring into the White House--they will say he is ungodly--he does not know God. Even as Jesus disguised Himself for the great feasts, so I've disguised this man's heart. When he comes to the White House, not only shall he be Mine, but he shall pray as a man that has never prayed in the White House. That same man shall put his feet onto this platform. They will say, how did this take place? Laws shall change. Young men and young women will have access into the Kingdom and with authority into politics and with authority into the industries that now have been controlled by darkness because of this man that shall rule for two terms. Do not fear; there will be no unnecessary stuff. There will be things that men shall question. Fear not, for he shall sit in that seat, and suddenly My Spirit shall come upon him and baptize him with a fire and with anointing," says the Spirit of the Lord. "No more war. The time for war has gone. The time for Peace has come. The House that you call White shall receive a man, a knight, who fought for you in your nights."
Kim ClementProphetic Image ExpressionsEmail: hope@kimclement.
ElijahList Publications310 2nd Ave SE, Albany, OR 97321 www.elijahlist.com email: info@elijahlist.netPhone 1-541-926-3250
You can have absolute Authority!
You Have Absolute Authority so Walk in it!
"WHEN YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY AND YOU WALK IN IT, THE ENEMY WILL KNOW IT ALSO"
For the body of Christ to be victorious, we must have an understanding of the rulership God has given to us. In Genesis 1:26, God created man in His image and said let them rule over all the earth. In Psalm 115:16, God says the earth He has given to man. We are given the earth to rule over God's creation. This mandate has never been rescinded by God.
God's position on rulership has never changed. Man's position changed when Adam fell. But the second Adam, Jesus, redeemed man from the curse (Galatians 3:13) and reinstated man back into rulership. We see this in Matthew 28:18 where Jesus said, "All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth.
"Jesus held all power in His hands and then reinstated this power for rulership back to His body. This is seen in Ephesians 1:22-23, "And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the Church which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."
"We have been raised with Jesus and seated with Him in Heavenly places," it says in Ephesians 2:6. In Luke 10:19, we are given power or authority. In Romans 9:17, Jesus tells us that we are raised up with Him to demonstrate His power through us in rulership in order to proclaim His name throughout the whole earth.
The reason God gives us authority is that we would rule and reign on the earth. Notice that, in Ephesians 1, all things are in subjection under the feet of Jesus. Since we are now the body of Christ, all things are in subjection under our feet. This is absolute authority that we have on the earth. We're not subject to the enemy, he's subject to us. It's this truth that we need to know, because it will set us free (John 8:32). This truth will put us in a proper position that will change our condition. When your position is unchangeable, your condition has to change. When you know the truth--that you have absolute authority and you walk in it--the enemy will know it also.
The enemy will always measure you by how you see yourself. If you went down to a street intersection and started directing traffic with the clothes on that you're now wearing, what do you think would happen to you? You might get run over. But if you were hired by the police department and given a uniform to direct traffic, you could step into that intersection and hold up your hand and traffic would stop. It would stop because you would be recognized as having designated authority.
When you are under authority, you have all authority. God gives you His armor of authority. When you wear it with confidence, without doubt, the enemy can no longer move you. You're not subject to this realm, because you have rulership over it. We must renew our minds to this truth, or we will be conformed to the world's order of things rather than God's order (Romans 12:2).
The ability for the believer to walk in authority is determined by the measure of authority we give God in our own lives.You cannot exhibit a demonstration of God's power if you do not believe you have authority. Without authority you cannot have rulership. The way to overcome the enemy is to be overcome by God. You can't have a fulltime experience with a part-time God.
Cal Pierce, Director Healing Rooms MinistriesEmail: healing@healingrooms.com
ElijahList Publications310 2nd Ave SE, Albany, OR 97321 www.elijahlist.com email: info@elijahlist.netPhone 1-541-926-3250
"WHEN YOU KNOW THAT YOU HAVE ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY AND YOU WALK IN IT, THE ENEMY WILL KNOW IT ALSO"
For the body of Christ to be victorious, we must have an understanding of the rulership God has given to us. In Genesis 1:26, God created man in His image and said let them rule over all the earth. In Psalm 115:16, God says the earth He has given to man. We are given the earth to rule over God's creation. This mandate has never been rescinded by God.
God's position on rulership has never changed. Man's position changed when Adam fell. But the second Adam, Jesus, redeemed man from the curse (Galatians 3:13) and reinstated man back into rulership. We see this in Matthew 28:18 where Jesus said, "All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth.
"Jesus held all power in His hands and then reinstated this power for rulership back to His body. This is seen in Ephesians 1:22-23, "And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the Church which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all."
"We have been raised with Jesus and seated with Him in Heavenly places," it says in Ephesians 2:6. In Luke 10:19, we are given power or authority. In Romans 9:17, Jesus tells us that we are raised up with Him to demonstrate His power through us in rulership in order to proclaim His name throughout the whole earth.
The reason God gives us authority is that we would rule and reign on the earth. Notice that, in Ephesians 1, all things are in subjection under the feet of Jesus. Since we are now the body of Christ, all things are in subjection under our feet. This is absolute authority that we have on the earth. We're not subject to the enemy, he's subject to us. It's this truth that we need to know, because it will set us free (John 8:32). This truth will put us in a proper position that will change our condition. When your position is unchangeable, your condition has to change. When you know the truth--that you have absolute authority and you walk in it--the enemy will know it also.
The enemy will always measure you by how you see yourself. If you went down to a street intersection and started directing traffic with the clothes on that you're now wearing, what do you think would happen to you? You might get run over. But if you were hired by the police department and given a uniform to direct traffic, you could step into that intersection and hold up your hand and traffic would stop. It would stop because you would be recognized as having designated authority.
When you are under authority, you have all authority. God gives you His armor of authority. When you wear it with confidence, without doubt, the enemy can no longer move you. You're not subject to this realm, because you have rulership over it. We must renew our minds to this truth, or we will be conformed to the world's order of things rather than God's order (Romans 12:2).
The ability for the believer to walk in authority is determined by the measure of authority we give God in our own lives.You cannot exhibit a demonstration of God's power if you do not believe you have authority. Without authority you cannot have rulership. The way to overcome the enemy is to be overcome by God. You can't have a fulltime experience with a part-time God.
Cal Pierce, Director Healing Rooms MinistriesEmail: healing@healingrooms.com
ElijahList Publications310 2nd Ave SE, Albany, OR 97321 www.elijahlist.com email: info@elijahlist.netPhone 1-541-926-3250
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