From David's Desk...

Greetings Worshipping Warrior! 

As I write this I am preparing to travel up to Townsville, a regional city in the north of Australia, which was affected by Cyclone Yasi last month.

One of the greatest joys of traveling to meet with other banner wielders is to see and share with them the impact that using banners has had on their life and ministry.  

In this newsletter I want to share two of the hundreds of stories of normal Christians going about their normal lives and integrating banners into what they do. Olga in South Africa shares how banners released her and opened up new ways for people to relate to her.

Becky from Virginia, USA shows how banners took her to another level of effectiveness in prayer and worship, so much so that her mobile phone rings.

Nikki in North Carolina, USA, shares how she turned two of our hand painted silk banners into pieces of art that can be hung in a home or office, making a spiritual statement even in their stillness.

This month we start a new series on Banners Outside the Christian Context to inform you about how people and groups outside the Church are using banners in powerful ways.  

And finally, the response to our flood stories from our last issue have prompted us to make the Tsunami Waves of Love banner more widely available.

I'm looking forward to catching up with those of you in Northern Australia and France in the coming weeks. Please let me know if you want me to come to your region during 2011 - 2012.

The free banner drawing won by Daphne Botha in South Africa last month generated quite a flurry of e-mails. We want to reassure you that you don't have to enter to win a banner; every newsletter subscriber is eligible. We will draw a name from our database and publish it in the left hand column. Be sure to check each month to see if you are the recipient for the month!

Thank you for the stories that are coming in that we are able to share with thousands of others worldwide. Let your victories become our victories through these stories!

David S  

Your banner stories

We get quite a few cards and letters of thanks and sometimes feedback. This is an extract from a long letter from Olga in South Africa who is 74, which shows it is never too late to worship the Lord.

Since your last visit I have acquired a new identity. People used to recognize me as the "dancing lady". Now perfect strangers come up to me in the supermarkets, etc., like this woman who said "My dear, I must give you a hug."

"Why?' I replied.

" You're the BANNER Lady!"

Last year I was invited to The Church on the Way to dance to share in their Thanksgiving Celebration. The Church was packed - but NO banners. As the worship started, I sensed a dreary spirit of heaviness and rigidity. I began dancing in the spirit - but something was lacking. In desperation I took off my long scarf and started using it. A young lad saw me and disappeared. Then he came back bearing your " Lion of Judah " banner and handed it to me. I prayed silently, "Lord, give me the skill of David." and WOW!   

What a difference!  The whole atmosphere changed and the worship soared to the heavenliesl People became released and joyous. Soon three more of your banners appeared and I led them round the church in glorious procession and triumph.

 From Becky in Virginia, USA

One day a friend and I decided to go to a nearby park to worship and pray with our banners. While there we felt impressed to pray for a particular person. Within moments, my phone rang - it was the person we had been praying for. He said, "Have you been praying for me? I just felt like 

someone was praying for me!"

Banners as art

by Nikki Phillips 

While waving a banner is the ultimate use for it, sometimes more formal settings require a little creativity to bring our worship and warfare weapons into play.

For my home, I just basted this small banner, which happens to look good hanging lengthwise, on a decorative hanger. Since it is so lightweight, it still moves when the air is stirred by a breeze or someone walking by.

In an office setting it seemed better to actually mount the banner as an art piece. Frame shops can mount textiles for you, but I did not want to permanently commit my banner by having the edges trimmed.

The solution involved applying a flannel base to stretcher strips with a staple gun and then pinning the banner to the flannel stretcher strips.
You do not get a really firm edge this way, but you don't destroy the banner for future use, either.

 

Here it is, hanging in my office, where there has been a lot of warfare lately. It is making a statement and is also reminding me to intercede when situations arise that need prayer.

Banners outside the Christian context

It is important for us to consider how flags and banners are used outside the Christian context. This will provide us with clues about what is possible and what to avoid within our own contexts. The very dramatic image below was sent to us by Julia in Toulon, France. It appeared in a French newspaper.

The image captures the passion expressed by tens of thousands of Shiite Muslims when they were finally able to make a pilgrimage to Karbala after 25 years. They are followed by this huge banner, stained with their own blood as a sign of their devotion.  

Karbala is the location of the tomb of Muslim martyr Imam Hussein bin Ali, the grandson of the prophet Mohammed, who was killed more than 1,300 years ago.The pilgrimages were suppressed under Saddam Hussein's rule.