The Lord has been speaking to my heart about the breaking off of this generational curse, this terrible event that took place 100 years ago exactally (Nov. 1909)…there WILL be redemption. Something will happen on this date this year to BREAK off the curse. Amen. Thank you Jesus for writing your story on the hearts of men and women in Cairo. Victory is Yours!
The moral arc bends
The Herald (Australia)
BY JOANNE MCCARTHY
21/01/2009 9:18:00 AM
ONE hundred years ago a black American man, Will James, was lynched in the main street of a town called Cairo, in the state of Illinois, when he was strung up from a telegraph pole beneath street lights in front of thousands.
Fifteen photographs of the lynching became postcards. The atmosphere was described as “circus-like”.
James didn’t die by hanging. The rope broke and he fell to the ground where he was “riddled with bullets”, before his body was dragged for several kilometres and finally burnt.
He wasn’t the only man lynched on November 11, 1909. After the mob killed James it turned on a white man, Henry Salzner, who was awaiting trial for murder. He was lynched, but not shot, mutilated or burnt. His body, hanging from the pole, was also photographed, and the image became a postcard.
In his book about lynching, Without Sanctuary, published in 2000, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Leon F. Litwack noted the men and women who “tortured, dismembered and murdered in this fashion understood perfectly well what they were doing”.
“This was not the outburst of crazed men or uncontrolled barbarians but the triumph of a belief system that defined one people as less human than another,” he said. Nearly 90 per cent of lynching victims were black.
Lynching postcards did a roaring trade until the US postmaster general banned them from the mail system.
In 1909 100 years before a black American man was to become president federal legislators initiated the first of many attempts to make lynching a federal crime, because of the extent of lynching and the failure of states to act.
Typical of state representatives was Benjamin Tillman, governor of South Carolina from 1890-94, who said in 1900: “We have done our level best (to prevent blacks from voting) . . . we have scratched our heads to find out how we could eliminate the last one of them. We stuffed ballot boxes. We shot them. We are not ashamed of it.”
Also Tillman: “We of the South have never recognised the right of the negro to govern white men, and we never will.”
The sound we might hear today even at this distance, over and above the celebrations as Barack Obama is made 44th US president, is of Tillman and his like, turning in their graves, not to mention the angry cries of some who never will recognise “the right of the negro to govern white men”. But they’re a minority. The majority feel jubilation, relief and astonishment.
Cairo, Illinois Barack Obama’s home state is a town with one of America’s worst racial records. Its population is predominantly black. By 2000 it had an infant mortality rate of 15.4 per cent, which was, shockingly, only the state’s second-worst. Industrialised nations have an average infant mortality rate of 6 per cent, according to UNICEF.
About half the town’s children live in poverty and in Cairo “poverty can’t be separated from the issue of race”, said Cairo resident Sarah Gatewood, in an article about its history.
When integration was forced on Cairo in the 1960s and 1970s, city elders filled the local swimming pool with concrete rather than allow black people to use it. When white shopkeepers refused to hire black workers and black residents boycotted stores, shop owners closed rather than change.
There were violent clashes and lynchings, and the white supremacist group White Citizens Council, known as the “white collar Klan”, ruled.
Barack Obama visited Cairo a few years ago while running for the US Senate. He was met by 300 people, one-third black, two-thirds white, wearing “Obama for US Senate” badges, supporting “a black guy born in Hawaii, with a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas”.
When he returned to Cairo in July 2005, Obama quoted Dr Martin Luther King: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice” and noted that the arc “bends because each of us in our own small way tries to bend it in that direction”.
Obama’s election is more than an American triumph. It is a human triumph.
It took more than the 100 years between Will James and Barack Obama, but the minority of individuals black and white who showed courage and sought justice for all, became the majority bending the moral arc today.
For the past two nights I’ve been getting my praise on in Paducah with brothers and sisters from Eddie James Ministry…okay they have like a million names (like our ministry), but this would be the most familiar. This ministry is raising up a generation in LOVE with Jesus. Taking them off the streets, out of gang life, drugs, addictions, sex, alcohol, hate, bitterness, unforgiveness, fear, shame, guilt, fatherlessness…the list goes on. Basically this family lives RADICAL for the LORD 24/7…at least try to. I LOVE IT! I LOVE THEM! God is soooooo GOOD. Hearing their testimonies made me weep….seeing the Spirit move made me jump…the anointing…the FREEDOM! Sometimes when you worship you feel hindered, because of your own junk, issues, pride…sometimes it is because of the environment…this was NOT the case in Paducah Monday and Tuesday. There was such a FREEDOM to worship – young, old, white, black, Latino, baptist, Pentecostal…they were all getting down! I really did feel like I was at a house party for Jesus.
TUESDAY: The TR staff invited a bunch of youth, filled our cars and took off to Paducah, KY to experience the Lord. Yeah, most of these youth did not have a vibrant/growing relationship with Jesus. In fact, we have been praying for these SPECIFIC youth and have had close relationships with them for the past three years. It was so fun to walk into a church with these kids knowing that they were going to experience Jesus in a different way than normal “Sunday Church”. There’s a spirit of religion in this town, so most likely they have been tainted by that. (I understand this phrase might not make sense to some of you, please email me and I will break it down.) We walk in and shortly after finding some seats right up in front on the floor, they get into it. I’m talking “YOu are Worthy” was the first song…this makes you want to get up and shout. Which I did. The youth are looking at me like, “Ms. Heather, it’s okay to do that in CHURCH?!?!” haha. Some of them were looking like that, others were just bug-eyed and didn’t move for like 30 minutes. What they expected and what they experienced did NOT match up…but I think they were glad in the end. We got crazy in worship, they shared some POWERFUL testimonies of deliverance of all sorts of stuff, and had a type of an alter call. NOT the type that is manipulated by words, pressuring people to come forward, music playing on the emotions in the back…NO! It was the real deal…not a “one prayer” rescues you from hell type of thing either. It was sincere, lead of the Holy Spirit and POWERFUL. Basically Eddie James asked everyone to consider their hearts before the Lord. That title or position DID NOT MATTER. We are all desperate for JESUS! He asked people to just come to the front and kneel before the Father lifting holy hands to Him WHO IS ABLE to save them and give them NEW LIFE. One of the first girls to go up was one that I have been ministering to for about a year and a half. She is precious before the Lord and to me. I have seen her struggle, cry, laugh, smile, question, and yes even surrender. She meant it, it was for real. She is now a NEW WOMAN. Of course, it is a process for each of us…BUT I knew we spoke afterwards that something had shifted in her. A couple other boys also went up….they didn’t make the commitment YET, but something shifted in their hearts too. They are both in 6th grade, my friend Robyn is their teacher. One just asked Stacy for a white Bible and is now reading John as an AR book in SCHOOL! Check it, MANY of the kids in that class are reading the BIBLE as an AR book! haha! LOVE IT! Watch out Cairo…you are about to get rocked by some radical revivalists! There is a stirring at the schools, EACH ONE OF THEM in Cairo. I feel it, I see it, I hear it, I believe it! After sowing nearly four years of prayer in the schools for the teachers, students, administrators, curriculum…he starts to built a little HOPE where there was none. You start to really believe for the things you are asking for…yea! It’s not so far out there, like it was the first day you started praying. A Spirit of faith arises and you PRAISE THE KING! Amen.
TUESDAY: I knew I was going both nights with a full car. I just didn’t know WHO was going to be coming the second night, until I was doing some work in Ms. Harper’s (Band Director) office. I was minding my own business when a couple girls come up, “Ms. Heather, where you going tonight?” You see, they had already heard from a couple others that went or were invited…they wanted in. haha. I was a bit hesitant because I didn’t know how to deal with the flood of students that would REALLY want to go, when I only had space for four…the other staff were not going the second night, so it was just me. God knew. I had invited about four that couldn’t come, and He invited four new ones. So, it ended up being three gals (including the one that took the plunge the night before) and one guy. It was funny because I just told them about it THAT day, in fact the male student had not even asked his dad until I got there to pick him up…but he let him go…even though I said we’d be back at midnight. That’s cool. I prep. them a bit before we get there, asking them questions about their experience (I didn’t know these kids as well…just see them at school), tell them what to expect…it’s okay to feel weird…blah, blah, blah. We walk in as they have already started the party…the other girl (who had been there Monday) and I start dancing and hopping around. The others are like stiff boards wondering what is going on…they’ve probably never seen white people get crazy for Jesus like this…haha. The great thing about it is, the ministry is a mixture of all different types of cultures and so was the audience. These kids are the majority in Cairo, so when they are around more white folks, it gets a little uncomfortable sometimes (trust me, I have talked to them about this). So, I am aware of their “reactions” they whole time, just allowing God to do what He is going to do. This night I am less concerned about how I respond to the Lord. I tamed it down the first night, but last night I was just me. I think that’s okay too. I didn’t need to wear a mask or try to be what I thought they wanted or felt like Ms. Heather should be.
They did rapid fire testimonies…they had a different type of alter call prayer…they did personal ministry and deliverance (again, ask if you are curious)…it was sweet. The whole time the youth were a bit hesitant, but VERY curious and God was definitely doing something. One girl went up for prayer, Eddie actually had the whole place pray for her…REALITY of the LOVE of the FATHER. Amen. We all need a good dose of that. Next one of the other girls looks real sensitive, I ask if she wants to go up…she says no, but she would have someone come to her. I find a female staff and she prays over her…on target. This girl was so eager for prayer, she says, “I just need prayer. I need all this stuff broken off.” WOW! Humbling. She couldn’t express in words, but God KNOWS HER HEART! It was beautiful. The other girl kept wanting ME to go up for prayer. I told her I NEED it all the time, but didn’t feel now was appropriate. I even asked the youth to pray for me as I go into the school…they wouldn’t. Too much fear of man…
For the male student…I knew that he wanted prayer from one of the dudes, but was too hard to admit it. So, one of the guys was talking to us afterwards and I asked him to pray for __________. He said, “Yea, I’ve been praying for him all night.” He begins chatting with this guy and he does pray over him…some truth, some destiny, sprinkled with the WORD. My type of prayer, love it. Afterwards the student is really hit by the Spirit and doesn’t know what to think. He is breathing real hard and I ask, “What do you feel?” He has a big smile and says, “Nothing, I’m okay.” “Right, you are getting touched by God.” “He’s feeling something.” We all laugh. It’s all good.
Next thing you know God is breaking through in some other areas. The deal ended a bit earlier, but that’s okay we needed to spend time fellowshipping. We are hanging out with the prayer warrior guy, and some other guys…just free style singing and rapping. This is my kind of fun. The youth were in fear and wanted to sing but were afraid. I felt the Lord was going to break off the “Fear of Man” in a big way, through them singing out loud. Yeah, crazy, because I know I suffered from this too about five years ago. Christian (the warrior) starts going ape nuts singing something absolutely beautiful…my youth are AMAZED. WOW! I say, “Now your turn.” Knowing they have all this comparison and fear. For like half and hour Christian, some other dudes and I are singing trying to get them to join in…FINALLY break through. One of my girls starts singing her favorite song, “slow motion.” This girl can sing! My friend Tiffany (who I met at Books a Million a couple months ago) comes in outta no where and starts singing Amazing Grace. I NEVER knew she could sing like that! Talk about anointing! Next, the dude wants to give it a whirl…he starts singing, “This little light of mine.” Then we all start singing together. It was really ___________________…I can’t put a word to it, but basically, “ROCKED MY FACE OFF!” haha. For real, this stuff blows my mind. Here we are at this worship deal in a town 45 minutes away, that the students found out about a minute ago, now they are getting set free of all this stuff and falling more in love with their Creator. Yea!
Last stop is the basement before we leave. It was really going to be a quick convo…that doesn’t EVER happen with me…I should know better by now. We go downstairs where the 40 EJM peeps are eating. It is really “supposed” to be off limits because they need a break from people (I totally understand). But, I was trying to get in contact with the head dog in charge to set up a Cairo worship deal. The youth come with and I am talking to this brother…telling him about Cairo and why I think it would be a blessing for them to come. THey are going to pray about it. Actually they are doing an IL tour starting in the south…what town do you think they should start in?!? HA! Let’s see, maybe that little one right at the southern tip…hmmmmm….we’ll see.
People are eating, fellowshipping, laughing, singing…I get held up in the room where a man is playing all these Misty Edwards and Rick Pino songs on the piano. A couple other brothers are singing their hearts out, so I join them, why not? Ha. Talk about a unique blend of voices, it just worked. The youth were cool, they were dancing in the hallway with some other people. It really just felt like a big family reunion to me. After an hour or so, we are needing to head out…it’s 11:00 already!
One last thing, I had talked to Eddie the night before and asked if I could pray over him and some of the team. He is on his way downstairs to rest and I stop him and his PA in the hall…”Can I pray quick.” Of course. Beautiful. We all join up (some of their team) and pray. Holy Spirit inspired words, I have nothing.
God is good. I love my family. The end…or the BEGINNING!
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Christian…I think you need to teach me these dances…lol.
Shawn Boltz…a passionate man called to minister in Hollywood. Watch out, the Holy Spirit is sending a new wave of power, love, compassion, and revival to the Hollywood scene. Sound unlikely? Why wouldn’t the King of Glory transform one of the most INFLUENTIAL mountains of our society. It’s not too big. He’s too big!
Isaiah 58
“Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.
3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.
4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?
6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.
What a night! Seriously, what just happened?!? I think I am still overwhelmed by the power of God.
Let me try to summarize this story for you.
Tonight I went to Charleston to work out. Get my run on. I am training for a few marathons you know (running, rollerblading, and dancing). That’s another story. On the way to the Health Club I noticed the tire getting really low. Too low in fact to drive back to Cairo. Heather and Jesse had already put the spare on, the original one had a leak in it, and I have not gotten it fixed yet. Shame on me. I meant to do that today in the midst of all the business, but it slipped my mind. Oh, well God had other plans anyway.
I end up saying goodbye to my friend J at the club and heading out the door, knowing full well he was going to see me walking to the truck stop/restarant and stop to get me. You see, I have this rule. I don’t ride in vehicles with men I barely know…espescially in Cairo. Yeah, I am pretty strict about this – there are too many things that could go down, so I just don’t allow it to happen. Even if I feel he is “a nice guy”. It’s okay if you think I am crazy. I’d rather be crazy and safe than something else. So, of course, he sees me walking (really it is like a two block distance, not far) and pulls over.
“Heather, WHAT are you doing?!? WHy didn’t you tell me you had a flat? You know I could help you or give you a ride home!” He is kind of upset, and I can tell he is offended that I didn’t trust him because he prides himself on being a “nice guy.” I have discernment that he really is in fact a “nice guy”, but I have this rule in my mind and I would just rather be smart about stuff. So, in the nicest way possible I explain that I can walk the 100 feet remaining and that if he went to get his pump that would be great.
He comes back to help me pump up the tire and just lays it out, “Heather, I was kind of offended when you wouldn’t get in my vehicle and let me take you to the truck stop. I mean, it is dark out here and those semi trucks go by so fast. It really wasn’t safe.” Understand, this man is about my dad’s age (a bit younger) and single and African American. Nothing wrong with any of those things – I just don’t ride with men from the community period. Don’t matter if they are black or white, it is sketchy. After explaining that I knew he was a nice man with integrity and my rule and that it had nothing to do with him being black, he understood. Quickly, we pumped it up and I headed back to my “Perkins” truck stop to sit down and do some reading. It really didn’t bother me, I have had so many car problems in the past – each time there ends up being divine appointments on the other end, so I just sat and waited for it to unfold.
Reading I did not do…praying, prophesying, testifying, and praising – YES. My good friend’s dad – Pastor Terry was actually hooking it up at the buffet when I came in. We had a nice little chat, sharing testimonies of God’s goodness in provision. As we are talking the other two people at the restaraunt join in our conversation. Pastor Terry then starts directing his focus on B, a female truck driver who is sitting fairly close to me. He just whips out the prophetic words – BAM, straight to her heart. Starts reading her mail. She starts crying and explains her desire to come back to the Lord. She had known the Lord and walked away, now truly desires to come back. We talk a bit more, my phone rings, I catch up with an old high school friend. This friend of mine really wants to go to One Thing, but lacks financial resources. Aparently B (woman at restaraunt – stick with me, it’s coming togehter pretty soon) overheard the convo. Pastor Terry was about to leave, so we said a prayer together regarding some things we chatted about. Before he leaves, B (the female truck driver) hands me a $20 bill and says, “THis is to help your friend pay for the hotel. I wanted to help.”
WHAT?!? Hold the train.
Here is a perfect stranger wanting to help my friend, who she has never met. Crazy! This stuff is crazy, I tell you. Oh, wait, the best part is yet to come!
B starts sharing more about her life…struggles with alcohol, drugs, bad friends, you name it. She believed the Lord had her come to this specific truck stop to have an encounter with him. She is truly repentant and wants to come back into the arms of her Father. So, we start praying for her. Meanwhile, S (woman who works at the truck stop – who actually gave me a ride home 15 min. away) comes over to also pray with us (she had just punched off the clock), along with her friend and another pastor guy who just “happened to be there”. We are all praying over her, the Spirit falls. She is weeping like a baby. I can barely stand because the presence of God is so thick. She starts repenting before the Lord and asking for help and guidance. Pastor Terry starts praising Jesus in tongues. I just can’t even contain it at this time and begin laughing. Not because it was funny, because of the goodness of God!
I tell you what, sometimes I feel like my life is composed of movie scenes. I think, this stuff IS really happening!
The best part is, the Holy SPirit wants to do MORE! Always, there is always more where that came from! After our prayer session, we are all standing in awe of God. Here we are a bunch of “strangers” praying, praising and whooping it up at a truck stop.
It really isn’t surprising to me in a way. God had already spoken to me about this particular place being a place of encounter with the Holy Spirit. A place where lives are redeemed and people have their eyes open to Jesus. Every time I go into this place (which happened a lot more last year) I have divine appointments with people. For some time I have felt lead to ask the manager if I could play my guitar and sing…not for money or a concert, just to shift the spiritual climate.
Worship is warfare.
Worship brings the anointing.
So, my friends, pray for an open door to do that.
I’m out.
Good night.
PS I think I need to start going to this place (Cheers Truck Stop in Charleston, MO) more often. Just on my way out after I work out or to sit and write…whatever, I just need to be available to Him. Praise God for the most “unlikely” of places to become a habitation of His Spirit! I love it!
Today was monumental! This morning a community friend stopped by to pick up her box of food (through a ministry we host at Two Rivers – Family to Family) On her way out she stops me, “Heather I need prayer! I have had migraine headaches for the past 8 days!” I bring her into the prayer room so the other gals can gather around her to pray. As we pray, Amanda asks if she currently has a headache. “Yes.”
She prayed that in Jesus’ name the headache would leave and that His Kingdom would come in her body.
We each took a whirl in praying for our sister. She received it.
I asked her if she thought God was able to heal her, she responded with a confident, “Yes”.
As we prayed I saw a picture of her being attacked by witchcraft. I didn’t want to go ape, so I gently rebuked those evil spirits (who says we have to yell anyway?) to leave her, the blood of Jesus is covering her heart, mind, spirit, and body.
Amanda asked her, “Is it still there?”
“A little bit.”
“Is it behind your eyes?”
“Yes.”
“We can’t have that, let’s finish it up.”
Amanda continued to pray for healing.
“Is it gone now?”
“YES.” With tears flowing down her face, “YES!”
“For the past eight days I have had strong headaches non-stop. This is the first time I have felt peace and rest!”
Not only was she healed, she prayed over Gary to be healed (since he too has migraine headaches).
Praise Jesus for this first-fruit of healing in Cairo. There are many more to come.
Pray this woman would be a bold mouthpiece for Christ in declaring His goodness in her healing!
Miracle story – yes, it IS a miracle! I was driving home for Christmas. I felt like the Lord said I would have a terrible accident, but that I would survive and it would be a miracle. No, I didn’t hear the “voice”, but I thought it and felt it strongly in my heart. I saw a vision of a cracked windshield in front of my face. Really, I thought I was maybe making it up, so I didn’t tell anyone about it, I really didn’t even pray about it. Sometimes when you feel like the Lord is speaking to you it is hard to discern if it is you or Him. That’s okay if at this point in the story you are ready to click on someone else’s album, but stick with it. It really is a miracle story!
I slid on a patch of ice that sent me swerving across the road four times, traveling at 70 mph (thank the Lord I didn’t hit anyone). I started going over the steep bank and knew that all I could do at that point was scream out for help from the the Lord. I screamed “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!” There must have been some supernatural protection (I joke around that an angel was hugging me), because when I finally landed after rolling 3 or 4 times all I had was a drop of blood on my thumb from a piece of broken glass. The windows were completely broken, the windschield was cracked in a million pieces (just like the vision I saw before the accident), and the car was flipped on its side. A man came running down the hill within 30 seconds asking if I was okay, he had called 911 and an ambulance was on it’s way. The EMT men checked me out. The hospital checked me out – ultrasound on my internal organs, x-rays, the whole bit.
Everything is OKAY!
Praise God!
This is just the beginning of the stories that I have from that weekend. I ended up traveling home on a Greyhound (my fav.) and met some interesting people. It was great. I made it home safely.
My classroom called life...Kingdom lessons 