Dear People of the Northstate Vision:

Luke 1 includes the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist. The story climaxes in v.17 when the angel declares John will go forth in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and prepare a people for righteousness. This passage was released over the Body on New Year’s Eve 2007 as we entered ’08 – a year of new beginnings. It comes at the close of a half century in which more miracles – and more decisions for Jesus – have been recorded than in all previous history combined – and it declares that this party is just getting started!

It has been Jim’s privilege to lead people to the Lord in the past month in venues ranging from a friend’s dinner table to a book signing in Barnes & Noble. We are seeing miracles of healing break out in places that do not expect them – like the worship leader and the pre-believer, both of whom were healed of laryngitis in spite of their skepticism. But the season of great favor and extravagant manifestation of the glory of God is just one part.

The events of Revelation are coming like a runaway freight train. Forces of repression – directed against Christians – are mounting all over the world and this nation is no longer exempted. Opportunities for Christians to stand are multiplying along with an increasing need to stand in the strength of our love – the way Miss California handled herself in the face of the hysterical hatred directed at her. But let us remember that the season is not just about standing in our faith; it is about stepping out in the authority of the Great Commission. We hear dark prophecies about God judging our nation; we had best remember that the Church will be judged first. And let’s remember we’re called to joy in this time and month with Pentecost at it’s end.

CURRENTPrayNorthstateEVENTS

• PrayNorthState offers three editions of Praying Home the Prodigals in May. The weekend workshop teaches participants to become ambassadors of the Kingdom. Topics include Warfare by Honor, The Privilege of Repentance; Intervention – God’s Doorway to Healing; and The Power of Radical Engagement. Prodigals will be offered at Jesus Christ Fellowship in Middletown May 15-16; Carenet Pregnancy Centers in Redding May 22-23; and at Crossroads Ministries in Susanville May 29-30. Call 707-987-9082 (Middletown); 530-941-3470 (Redding); or 530-251-0701 (Susanville) for information. There is no admission charge, although love offerings are taken for PrayNorthState. Times are Friday Evening from 7-9:30 and Saturday 9-5.

• Jim has become a blogger for the Redding Record-Searchlight. No, he has not joined their staff; they asked for members of the community to volunteer and we are stepping up to the plate. This means that the Gospel gets a new outlet, but it also means Jim becomes more of a lightning rod than ever. Please pray for us and post a positive comment for us on Redding.com.

• Prayer Vanguard will visit more than a dozen physical and spiritual gates of the city of Redding (and County of Shasta) May 7 – the National Day of Prayer. All are welcome to come with us; meet in the City Hall breezeway – 777 Cypress Avenue at 1:15 PM and be finished by 4 PM.

PRAYNORTHSTATE RADIO and TV for MAY

KLXR, KBLF and KNTK:
• 5/2-3 – Sondra Shirer and Ann Tessier – Carenet Pregnancy Centers
• 5/9-10 – Kelli Ferrari – Doorkeeper Ministries and Lover of Israel
• 5/16-17 – David Schmitz and Daniel Martinusen – Worship Leaders
• 5/23-4 – Bonnie Mark and Wendy Jessop – Christians in the Arts
• 5/30-31 – Mark Matta – Praying Up and Training Up Prayer Warriors

Fox 30:
• 5/4 – Erica Gismegian and Kate Eifert – Missions Foreign and Domestic
• 5/11 – Dean Johnson and Kristina Neill – Rock the Block
• 5/18 – Rich Potillor and Robert Wigington – Safety Net
• 5/25 – Walter Bright – Cross Cultural Minister to Americans
• 6/1 – Steve and Deborah Shaw – Taking it to the Elders for Prayer

PrayNorthstate Radio is heard every Saturday Morning at 8 AM on AM 1490 KBLF, and 9 AM on FM 102.3 KNTK, Sundays at 7 AM on AM 1230 KLXR. See PrayNorthstate TV Monday Mornings at 6:30 AM on Fox Channel 30/Cable 2.
WHAT’S UP IN THE NORTHSTATE AND BEYOND

• National Day of Prayer is right around the corner. May 7 – the first Thursday of the month – is the day itself, although national leadership is seeking more and more to think of the occasion as National Daily Prayer. In Redding the observance begins with the annual Bible reading marathon – from 6 AM on Monday, May 4, through Noon on Thursday, May 7, at the Redding City Hall at 777 Cypress Avenue. Worshippers will gather at 7 PM on Wednesday, May 6, to praise God for the nation, participate in a variety of prayer tents, and share testimony of what God is doing in the region. On Thursday, May 7, the traditional observance of prayer by leaders from all spheres will occur at Noon, to be followed by a 12 teams prayer walking various strategic locations.

• In Orland the Day of Prayer will be observed at Noon at the Library Park – corner of 4th and Mill Streets. Call 530-865-3403 for info – and let us know at PrayNorthState what your community is planning. In Yreka there will be a Bible Reading Marathon from May 4-7 at 4th and Lane Streets, and the day will be observed with a community rally at Noon (also at 4th and Lane) and a 7 PM community prayer service hosted by the Southern Baptist Church.

• The Rev. Walter Hoye has been released from jail after serving 18 days of his sentence for standing in front of an Oakland abortion clinic with a sign advocating life. He is reported to have led 6 inmates to the Lord while in jail. Meanwhile the Oakland abortion clinic is reported to have closed during the latest 40 Days’ Vigil for Life around the nation. Prayer and Witness – they do invite the Spirit of the Living God!

• Julia Loren is a licensed pastor and family counselor in Redding, as well as an accomplished author and speaker. She offers Love and Glory: An Experience in Reawakening on Saturday, May 9, from 10:30 to 5. The workshop is designed to re-invigorate – with the peace and the joy of the Lord – ministers of all kinds from pastors to caregivers to disaster relief workers. There is a charge of $75.00 and info is available at windsongoutreach@gmail.com. Loren is the author of Breaking the Spirit of Despair and Dancing in the Fullness of Joy. She will share teaching duties with Mary Andersson, NorCal leader and author of Scrupulous Conformity and For Freedom’s Sake.

• Pacific Justice Institute is more and more often mentioned in this newsletter. They have just been cleared to proceed with a lawsuit against the Bay area College of Alameda for the threatened suspension of two students for praying openly on campus. (PJI also represents the high school student who was manhandled and suspended for asking a question of a gay rights advocate during a school assembly.) On a grimmer note, PJI reports that a new hate crimes bill has passed the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee enroute to a vote before the full house. The bill – if adopted – can criminalize even preachers who cite the Bible for politically incorrect moral positions.

• 40 Days’ Vigil for Life continues through the end of May with prayer vigils at various sites linked to the abortion industry. An allied group called Crossroads Youth Walking – presently engaged in a walk across America for life – will visit Sacramento May 28-31 and be hosted by the Vigil folks. The vigil organizers report more than one hundred lives saved during the current effort.

• The Center for Transformation Studies, based in Chico, announces two new offerings for May. The Love Revolution, based on Pastor Gaylord Enns’ book by the same name, begins on May 7 – the National Day of Prayer. A one day workshop titled Can Faith Work at Work? will be offered on Saturday, May 16, and will feature Dr. Doug Hignell of The Hignell Companies; Dr. James Postma of Chico State University; and David McKay, Assistant Principal of Fairview High School. Both events will be held at St. Matthew’s Café – 5th and Mangrove in Chico. Contact the Center at 530-891-8944 for information or to register. There is a fee for participation.

• Californians 4 Jesus and Christian Educators Association organized an event in March called Blessing Our Schools that drew Christians with a heart for blessing public schools from all over the state to converge on First Baptist Church of Sacramento for two days of prayer and testimony. The worshippers prayed inside the state capitol to climax the event. (Bonnie Phillips, aunt of Columbine martyr Rachel Scott, was among the speakers.) They are organizing another such event on Saturday, June 13, to be held at the same location – the corner of L and 23rd Streets. Watch the June newsletter for details as they unfold and call organizer Dai Sup Han at 530-570-0085 for info.

• Simpson University is a four-year Christian liberal arts university located in Redding and boasting a nationally recognized education department, the Aspire Program for working students, and a full ride seminary, among many other academic and spiritual opportunities. PrayNorthState has always launched our Paah-ho-ammi prayer projects on the campus, thanks to the generosity of administrators who donated facilities to us. The university cannot donate to all comers, but they are seeking opportunities to be a destination for many ministries and events. Contact Paul Davis at 530-226-4971 for information about holding an event or seeking assistance for ministry.

• Life Choices is a crisis intervention and prevention ministry that was introduced to California at the Blessing Our Schools event in Sacramento. Endorsed by former First Lady Laura Bush and Texas Governor Rick Perry, and sponsored by Christian owned companies such as Chic-fil-A, they can be reached at 888-201-2550 about ministering in communities in California.

• B & T Satellite and Redding Home Theatre has offered a $100.00 donation to PrayNorthState following each purchase of a sound system. Call 530-510-8101.

UPCOMING PrayNorthState EVENTS

• Praying Home the Prodigals comes to Red Bluff and Texas in June. Jim will offer the weekend workshops at La Nueva Vida Church in Red Bluff (call 530-209-9535 or call us at 530-941-3470), on Saturday, June 6, and at Church of the King in New Braunfels, Texas (call 830-832-0986), the weekend of June 19-21. The event provides training and practice for becoming more effective ambassadors of Christ in this special season through the practice of both submission and authority in the spirit of the centurion found in Matthew 8. Jim brings the same teaching and practice to The Cornerstone Church in Anderson; St Luke’s Anglican in Merced; and the River Rock Fellowship in Reno, Nevada, on August 7-8, 21-23, and 28-30 respectively.

• PrayNorthState offers Seeding the Future: God’s Way of Sowing Into This Economy at All Saints Anglican Church, in Bakersfield, on Friday and Saturday, June 19-20. There is no charge for attendance (love offerings will be taken) and lunch on your own. There is a seating limit of 30. Call 661-303-8101 or e-mail us at praynorthstate@charter.net. Topics include A Prophetic Community in the Marketplace; Having Each Other’s Back; From Revelation to Reality – Be Practical; and Tending What God has Already Given. A special offering of Worship as Warfare is included this time.

• Jim’s new book – The Holy Spirit and the End Times: A Season of Unusual Miracles – is out. Everything we know about revival and transformation – and a whole lot of good stories – are in its pages. The book sells for $16.00, and we offer a special bargain for a limited time – a set of Living As Ambassadors of Relationships and The Holy Spirit and the End Times for $25.00. Prices include taxes, although a $5.00 shipping charge is added to shipped orders. They attract attention – Jim has guested on the nationally syndicated radio programs The Truth Uncovered, The Frank Pastore Show, and Bytes. The publisher tells us Holy Spirit and the End Times has also been translated into Indonesian.

Anyone desiring to participate or to gain a fuller picture of any current or upcoming events should go to the PrayNorthstate web site at www.praynorthstate.org or call us at 530-941-3470.

WHAT THE COORDINATORS ARE UP TO

• Jim speaks on Sundays in May at Shepherd’s House of Prayer, Red Bluff (5/3); St. Anselm’s Anglican, Lodi (5/10); Jesus Christ Fellowship, Middletown (5/17); The JH Ranch, Eton (5/24); and a TBA location on the 31st. He coordinates Shasta County’s National Day of Prayer and the prayer-walk-to-the-gates on May 7. Jim and Diana host a table at the annual Carenet Pregnancy Center banquet on the 7th, and he hosts a book table (for his own books) at the Bethel Church Writers’ Conference on May 18 and 19.
Please pray for our leaders and media sponsors:
Please pray for PrayNorthstate’s Board: Jim and Diana Wilson, Dr. Andre Van Mol, Mollie Wilson, Charles Davidson, Charlie Harper, and Linda Hartman. Pray for Taylor Motors, Perry’s Tree Service, Redding Custom Home Theatre, Nicolet Glass, Fox 30/Cable 2 TV, Crown Motors, Belongie Entertainment Enterprises, Curves of Redding and Anderson, Children First Foster Family Agency, Gallagher’s Heating and Air, Dr. Scott Kremer, Corning Ford, Method 3 AM, Mercy Medical Centers, and Dr. Todd Royse’s Chiropractic First Healing Services. Pray for Imago Dei Ministries, Carenet Pregnancy Centers, Bethany Christian Services, Spyglass, and LifeLight Pregnancy Center.

HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT
Correspondence – and donations – may be addressed to PrayNorthstate, P. O. Box 493743, Redding, CA 96049-3743. Call us at 530-941-3470. Our web site is www.praynorthstate.org; our e-mail is praynorthstate@charter.net.

PRAYER FOCUS FOR SPRING:
THAT WE WOULD FIND CONTENTMENT LIVING IN THE TENSION BETWEEN WHAT GOD HAS DONE AND WHAT HE
HAS PROMISED TO DO, SEEKING HIS FACE WHERE HIS
LOVE AND JUSTICE COLLIDE – ON THE CROSS AND IN HIS
KINGDOM. THAT LUKE 1:17 WOULD COME RICHLY TO
PASS AND THAT WE WOULD REJOICE TO TURN OUR HEARTS