Dear Friend,
Merry Christmas! As I write I am also working on a Christmas message about Mary, the mother of Jesus. Luke records these words from an angel, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” (Luke 1:30) That short and simple statement speaks volumes about Mary, and part of the reason why she was chosen to be the mother of Jesus. Though
she was a very common person, and young, she had distinct godly character and immense spiritual maturity. None of us knows when God may tap us on the shoulder for some special task, but we can always be ready by being in a constant state of drawing near to Him and walking in holiness and faithfulness.
Guest Chaplain at The U.S. Senate
As we come to the end of yet another year, we conclude our 20th year of ministry.
It all started in the basement of our house in 2004. And the foundation of Great Awakenings was and is, prayer. Sometimes over the years, prayer has been a form of ministry. I have been given opportunities to pray at Memorial Day services, National Day of Prayer events, but one of the most unique has been a Guest Chaplain for various legislative bodies.
In the course of a year, from 2003 to 2004, I was given a rare privilege. God opened doors for me to be a Guest Chaplain at the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representative, Kansas Senate and Kansas House of Representatives.
I took great pains to seek God for what He wanted me to pray on each of those occasions, and not to pray something with the motive of creating controversy or trying to get a headline. However, that almost happened.
My prayers always had to be written beforehand and submitted, then it became an official part of the legislative record. However, at the federal level my prayers had to be pre-approved. For the House of Representatives, it was just a formality. However, for the U.S. Senate, things were more difficult. When I submitted my prayer, I received a reply to my surprise that it needed to be modified. Four times I went back and forth with the Chaplain’s office, with them finally agreeing (begrudgingly) to my final version. What was the problem? My ending, which concluded “in the name of Jesus.”
The reason for the tension was due to some Jewish Senators who did not believe in Jesus as the Messiah. When a prayer included “Jesus” it was offensive and sometimes caused backlash for the Chaplain’s office.
Fortunately, I was allowed to keep the prayer with my preferred ending, and nothing made it into the news. I will
never forget, that as I went out on the Senate floor to pray, there stood before me U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and Minority Leader Tom Daschle. Below is the text of my prayer, which also aired live on C-Span.
“Father in heaven, holy is your name. I seek your blessing on behalf of our Nation and its leaders. May our Senators draw near to you and experience your unconditional love.
May each seek your divine guidance for the hard decisions they face today.
Grant us all a holy desire to study Scripture, pray, and seek your plans for our lives.
In your unfolding mercy strengthen marriages, sustain vital relationships, and grant peace to each and every home.
God, bring a spiritual awakening across this land that every citizen of this great country would know your love and mercy as it transforms their lives, heals their wounds, and creates hope in hungry hearts.
I pray in the name of Jesus my Lord, who is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, and Prince of Peace. Amen.”
Why did I do this? For two reasons. One, I believe what the Bible says about the power of prayer. Two, because of the mission of every Christian. We are commanded to go and preach the gospel, and that can be done through the ministry of prayer. This also can be done in the political arena. Politicians are always crafting legislation that has a moral foundation to it. When I, as a minister of the gospel, step into the political I am able to bring the Word of God, to the issues of the day. What a ministry opportunity!
Meeting God on a Soccer Field
On a Thursday evening, as I was about to take the platform to preach the gospel on a soccer field in Kenya, God had a change of plans. Instead of speaking to adults, He put on my heart to share the gospel with the children who were present, and to share from the story of Zacchaeus. However, even though my focus was the children sitting around me, little did I know there was a young woman listening carefully. Ann was drawn by the Holy Spirit to hear the gospel message but was not ready for a decision.
When Sunday came though, she was led by God to come to the Manna Church where I was speaking on Sunday afternoon. I shared from John 3:16, and she rededicated her life to Christ. The interesting thing is, I knew nothing of this until the time I began writing.
Ann underwent a major transformation. She began regularly attending church, joined a discipleship class, has invited many others to come to church and intends to start Bible classes at Manna Bible Institute. Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.” Praise God for the transforming power of the gospel in Ann’s life.
Festival and personal evangelism is what we did after our evangelism classes were done for the day at Manna Bible Institute. In the last two years, the students and I have preached the gospel before hundreds in many open-air meetings. We have also presented Jesus on a personal basis to hundreds, seeing over 60 people make professions of faith in Christ. And most are attending churches, Bible studies and have been baptized.
Next year I will be returning to Manna Bible Institute for my 3rd annual trip, July 25 – August 6, 2025. I am looking forward to seeing some of the same students, along with new ones. We will also be conducting an outdoor evangelistic festival in a new place. We will take students about 3 hours away to a village in Muranga County to preach the gospel there.
Also, I am looking forward to taking some construction workers with me. In June while I was on the MBI campus, I noticed they could use help with some building and repairs. I offered to find construction workers who would be willing to come and help, so I asked for a list of needed work. Here will be the things our construction volunteers will do.
- Ongoing construction of a new MBI chapel. It will be a two-story building with a seating capacity of 3,000.
- Repair/replacement of ceilings in classrooms and dormitories.
- Replacement of pin-up boards in classrooms.
- Replacement of classroom door.
- Repair of floors in library and classrooms.
- Installation of ceiling in library.
- Repair of library wall.
- Repairs on 8 showers stalls: plumbing, walls, floors, ceilings and exterior.
- Repairs on electrical outlets in various rooms.
If you are interested in coming as a construction worker, contact me. Additionally, I am looking for a teenager or 20-something that has a call from God and would like to come to Kenya to learn about sharing the gospel in a cross-cultural context. If you know of someone, let me know.
Celebrating Rural Pastors
As I travel and preach at small and rural churches, I get to meet wonderful pastors each year. One of those is Pastor John States, who leads a two-church charge in Nebraska. The Church of Christ in Table Rock and Stella Community Church in Stella. He and his wife have been in rural ministry for 40 years.
I speak each year to the great congregation at Rocky Branch Baptist Church in Rogers, Arkansas. It is led by Pastor Dick Kelsey. He has been in ministry for over 50 years. These two pastors and their godly wives, have a calling from God to the small church in small places. Collectively, they have been sharing the good news of Christ for almost 100 years. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 states, “We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.” May God raise up a new generation of pastors like these, that are willing to go and give their best for God in the small places.
Trip to Israel in 2025
Great Awakenings has been working with Heartland to Holyland Tours to schedule a trip to Israel since the summer of 2022. We began promoting it in the summer of 2023. However, due to world events, it has been postponed twice.
Dwight and Anita Widaman shared a new date with me, November 1-13, 2025. Please check this website and our Facebook page for further information.
“Your Statement That Jesus Is God, Jesus Never Taught”
I give God praise for the opportunity to preach Christ through writing. Every week my syndicated newspaper column goes out in small town newspapers in America and across the internet. Sometimes people agree with me, sometimes they do not. Either way, I pray God uses each column to further His gospel. Here are a few comments I have received.
“YES and AMEN Clint!!! Powerful Truths!! Thank you for speaking out!” The comment comes after reading “6
Issues to Consider in Your Vote for President” from the Speaking Truth blog.
“I do not think your interpretation of Scripture may be all that helpful to young people.” The comment comes after reading “Modern Paganism and Witchcraft” in the Clay Center Dispatch.
“My heart goes out to people who you described in your article. Thank you for bringing this pervasive ongoing problem to our attention.” The comment comes after reading “Battle with Loneliness” in the Metro Voice.
“Your statement that Jesus is God, Jesus never taught and I do not believe. History confirms that Jesus is not God.” The comment comes after reading “Is The Deity of Christ a Lie?” on the Speaking Truth blog.
Your Partnership
If you supported or prayed for me and the work of Great Awakenings in the last year, thank you so much. I am eternally grateful for your financial and prayerful partnership in the gospel. Through your support I continue to preach and teach the good news every week in small churches, on social media, in local newspapers, in Kenya and to all people the Lord brings across my path. Everything you have read about, was made possible because God worked through you.
Kathe and I, along with our board of directors, wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Living for Christ this Holiday Season,
Clint Decker
President
Great Awakenings, Inc
P.S.: Would you consider making an end of year donation to join us in our work at proclaiming
Christ in rural communities for 2025? Pray and seek the Lord, if He would have you give a donation of $500, $100, $50 or $25.
