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Winter 2007 
 A Year of Divine Presence and Power 

      Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:18-20, NIV)

     As we close 2006, I look back upon it and describe it in the words of Dickens when he opened one of his classics by saying, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”  The year of 2006 brought both loss and gain, both grief and gladness, both tragedy and triumph, both agony and ecstasy.  But I have made it because of the faithfulness of God and the love and support of you, my partners in ministry, who pray for me and support Christian Renewal Ministries.  I have come to realize that I am not alone in this work.  Just as our Lord promised, He is with me to the very end!  But how wonderful it is to realize that many of you are with me too!  I know that God never intended me to try to go to the churches without the prayer coverage and financial support of those whom He would call to stand with me in preaching His Gospel, in calling His people to prayer, and in casting the vision of revival.

Loss and Transition

     A day or night never passes without a deep sense of the loss of my dear wife of 56 years, who went to be with the Lord nine months ago on March 30.  The words on her gravestone in Sunset Memorial Park, Dothan, Alabama truly defined her heart and life: Faithful Wife… Loving Mother…  Precious Grandmother.  There are days and nights when I am overcome by sadness, but it has never failed that after a time my tears give way to the glorious realization that though she is absent in my life, she is present with the Lord – out of pain and suffering and all struggles!

     So many of you have written or called to say you are praying for grace and strength for me as I make the adjustments and continue with the ministry.  Thank you for your love and concern.  The Lord has used your thoughtfulness and words to comfort me.

     The Lord has truly been with me in the transition from Alabama to Montana.  I arrived in Bozeman, Montana on June 8, anticipating the building of my apartment within a few weeks.  The project was delayed until September, but I am expecting to move  in around the middle of January.  Meanwhile, I am comfortably situated in the home of my daughter and son-in-law, Ron & Priscilla Larsen.  In fact, my apartment is being built on the southern end of their home just beyond the city limits of Bozeman.  Pris is serving as my executive associate in running the ministry, and my apartment will include a large office sufficient for our operations.

Only Ten Meetings in 2006

     Due to Maxine’s failing health and death, I cancelled several meetings in order to care for her and be near her in the hospital.  But before her passing, I held meetings in Tennessee, Indiana and Pennsylvania; after her death I held meetings in Texas, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Bolivia, South America, Florida, and Montana.

     I need to tell you that because of God’s faithfulness to answer your prayers, every meeting was attended with unusual outpourings of the Holy Spirit!  Even when we began in an atmosphere of indifference and unbelief, after a service or session or two, the Spirit would come and wake people up, convict, and bring repentance and surrender.  And we would see revival!   In all of my missions overseas (Europe, Asia, South America, and the Caribbean), I never witnessed the demonstration of the power of the Spirit that we saw in Santa Cruz, Bolivia in October!  The country has been on the verge of revolution and the people are fearful and tense.  But every night in the Crusade, Christians were ready to pray with me for forgiveness for their disobedience, their indifference and their unbelief, and following their repentance and surrender there was revival.  The glory of God attended every Crusade service and every School of Prayer session.  There were many kinds of miracles!  Land was donated on which to build a new church.  People were gloriously and instantaneously healed!   To God be the glory!   On the closing session of the School of Prayer, after praying with a good number of people to be healed, my interpreter said to me, “Brother Jim, is there something we can pray about pertaining to your health?”  I said, “Yes, I’ve been a diabetic for several years, and I’m losing the battle taking medication.  I go back to Montana with an appointment with a specialist to teach me how to inject insulin into my body.  Please pray the Lord will heal me today.”  The pastors and people gathered around me, laid hands on me and what a one accord session of healing prayer we experienced!  I believed the Lord healed me, but couldn’t wait to get home and test my blood sugar level.  The counts had been running in the 300s and 200s, but on Wednesday night October 11, the count was 93!  Glory to God!  He has healed me of diabetes!  My blood sugar levels continue to be near normal without the need for insulin.

Looking Ahead

     I appeal to you for prayer and support as we head into the new year of 2007.  Here are my requests:

- That I shall be continually filled with the Spirit.  This means that I will be controlled (enlightened, motivated, stirred, prompted, led, empowered) by no other force external or internal except by the Spirit.  This means that I will know when and how to pray, when and where to go, what to say and what not to say, what to do and what not to do.  Please pray that I shall develop an even greater sensitivity to the Spirit this year, and have an ear to hear His voice.

-  That I shall respond to those invitations where my message is needed.  Research and personal experience tell me that 80 percent of all evangelical churches are in a state of plateau or decline.  About half of the pastors I work with are hoping for a call to another church.  When I ask why, I hear the following: lack of commitment on the part of most members; rejection of pastoral leadership; division; carnality; bickering and gossip; repeated rejection of new programs and ministries by the lay leadership.  When I start to wonder why I have come to such a people, the Spirit reminds me that He has brought me here, that I am to rejoice that I might see His power demonstrated in conviction, cleansing and revival!  And, praise God, most of the time we do see His glory!

- That I shall be able physically to meet the demands of preaching, teaching and travel.  I am grateful for the Lord’s healing touch on my aging body.  According to my new cardiologist here in Bozeman, my heart is in good shape.  Also, my new primary care doctor here seems to think I am doing well.  I am trying to watch my eating and exercise habits so that I can pray with integrity for my health.

- That the Lord will meet all financial needs for the ministry without undue emphasis.   I marvel at the Lord’s faithfulness in bringing us to the end of 2006 having met all of our needs.  There were three heavy expenses that were met over the last 12 months without special appeals:  A dear brother sent a sizable check earmarked to cover “all the transitional expenses” in our move from Dothan, Alabama to Bozeman, Montana.  Another brother sent a generous personal offering to cover the October mission to Santa Cruz, Bolivia, South America, which took care of most of the expenses.  And we replaced the seven-year-old ministry car with 167,000 miles for an ’06 model with 6,200 miles.  We were able to do this without going in debt because I and the board of directors agreed that I and the ministry should co-own the vehicle.  The ministry’s equity in the old car meant that we did not have to take a great deal of money out of the treasury, and the sale of my home in Dothan made it possible for me to come up with my portion.  So we begin 2007 with cause to believe that the Lord is going to bless those of you who will stand with us financially.  Despite deaths, divorce and retirements among those who stood by us in the past, others have come forward with increased financial support, and we are grateful.  If I did not believe the Lord wants this ministry to continue I would never appeal to any of you for investments in this work, nor would I pour money into it personally.  But I know I am to give more generously than ever throughout 2007, and I do not apologize for asking you to pray about what the Lord would have you give.  Enclosed please find the response card, fill it out prayerfully, and don’t hesitate to mark your personal prayer requests for my attention on the back of your response card.

- That God will yet prepare His people for the great spiritual awakening He longs to give as we approach the end of the age.  To the full extent of my being I have dedicated my life and this ministry to seeing revival come to our needy land.  I am convinced that neither education nor politics nor anything else holds the answer to all the things that are wrong in our nation.  But our Great and Glorious God can mercifully redeem His people and heal our land if His people will only humble themselves, pray, seek His face and turn from their wicked ways (II Chron. 7:14).  My dear people, let us lead the way and experience renewal in our hearts and homes and churches and pray that it will spread across our nation!

Big Sky House of Prayer—Belgrade, Montana

For three years now Christian Renewal Ministries has operated the Big Sky House of Prayer in Belgrade, Montana, just ten miles west of Bozeman.  Vanessa McMurray is the director.  The purpose of this ministry is to gather believers for contemplative worship and prayer for revival; to teach militant spiritual warfare; to interface with other Houses of Prayer across the world; and to cry out for a mighty spiritual awakening in America and all over the world.

 Kingsland House of Prayer—Kingsland, Arkansas

For two years now, the Kingsland House of Prayer has been operating as an interdenominational fellowship. Kingsland is a small city located about 80 miles south of Little Rock on Highway 79, and about 40 miles south of Pine Bluff.  George Best is the founder and director of this prayer ministry.  George is a first cousin to Rev. Jim Tharp, and he attributes his inspiration of the Holy Spirit to begin this ministry to the influence of Christian Renewal Ministries.  George is a member of the Assembly of God Church in Kingsland, but he has been reaching out to all the churches in the area.

Many Houses of Prayer

It is the burden of Christian Renewal Ministries that Houses of Prayer spring up in every community across America.  Since we believe that the call to prayer is the Spirit’s most urgent call in these critical times, we ask our readers to join us regularly in prayer for the flourishing of the prayer ministry everywhere.  In recent months, Rev. Jim Tharp has visited The World Prayer Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, operated by New Hope Church, The Justice Prayer Center in Washington, D.C., and The International House of Prayer in Kansas City, Missouri.  Let us pray for the many who gather in these centers to intercede for revival throughout the world.