Hello everyone,

I had a powerful time in Virginia this past weekend. The Lord did much in my heart personally and as well brought renewal to those of us there.

I also completed my assignment in praying over the land where the first Africans came to this land as slaves at Old Point Comfort, VA, along with another site I was brought to called Emancipation Oak at Hampton University. I have pictures glalore on my facebook page. The word that day was the famous passage from 2 Chronicles 7;14 - "if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land."

From the Awaken the Dawn National Prayer Summit, one thing that stood out to me was that David Bradshaw talked about how there were several last minute changes to the schedule, one was that the leaders felt there was a need to have an inner healing session and corporate deliverance time and we did that on Friday morning, and then there was a powerful message that Bradshaw brought forth that I felt intertwined some of the intense, militant, contending type prayer that I learned and walked in Cambridge, MA along with the joy of the Lord and rest that I've been learning and experiencing especially through a revelation of the finished work of the Cross, through Cathedral of Praise and Bill Vanderbush's ministry/leadership of the Texas School of Supernatural Ministry. It was about the "drunkenness" of Hannah to birth the sons and the daughters into God's Kingdom. I've often felt like those two things where like two different worlds. Our Father truly does sit in the heaven and laugh (see Psalm 2), but He very much is the King who reigns with an iron scepter. In His presence is fullness of joy and yet He is the Righteous Judge whom we fear.

On Sunday, August 25, Ronnette Cooper, an African American lady who's been a part of the community there for 22 years was commissioned to the Middle East on a long term basis after several short term trips. When I shared with the Awaken the Dawn Family about how this was the 400th anniversary of the African enslavement here on this land, they saw how this tied in as part of this storyline.

There's a prophetic word that Jonathan Tremaine Thomas has been trumpeting on how the Lord is sending forth African American ambassadors of Christ to the Middle East, many having come through inner city environments where they aren't afraid to die "repping their hoods" and having dealt with racism. Of all the world's missionaries there are literally just over 200 African American missionaries overseas. Resources for sure are a huge key. I've learned from my time in campus ministry the past few years, that often it can be tougher for many minorities who are raising support in attempting to go back to their communities to ask for support 1) because there is a paradigm of giving just being in tithes and offering to the church and not an understanding of the missionary calling particularly if it's not something overseas, but 2) there being a lack of resources from those communities. On Saturday night, we had a time praying into this sending, and Ben Atkinson shared about an invitation to those not of the African American community to serve them into their calling.

Some of you know that there has been a real talk politically in some of the presidential candidates about reparations for black Americans. It's not a new thought. And I've done some weighing different opinions on this and even the practicality of that or fairness of it. Thomas writes well to the body of Christ, to not get lost in the politics that even that the discussion is happening could be a sign of a national spiritual renewal: Signs of A Spiritual Renewal? Without going into the intricacies of that topic here and the politics behind all of that, 1) I do think there is a real thing to me as a black American (and as a disciple of Jesus) of forgiving the debt of anyone around me who perpetuates racism today or is a descendant of those who especially did in the past. It is the key to freedom for me and all of us who have been mistreated in anyway and it's what Christ did, as the most mistreated and the one who suffered the ultimate injustice. But 2) what I think a number in the black community have felt is that, apologizing for slavery is great, recognizing the wins of the Civil Rights movement, fantastic and important but just like the broken marriage where one spouse has been victimized, an apology does not actually restore to wholeness the person who was victimized or what has been taken. And so, you see the cry for justice. There's great pain in many of these communities.

In covenants, there is a place for the party which has a strength in an area to give of that strength where the other is weak. There's an invitation for the one who may have certain privileges and power to utilize that for the sake of the one who does not. So, I also think that there is an invitation, just as Ben extended for those in the body of Christ, to serve the African American community into their/our destiny.... Just as there is an invitation for husbands to serve their wives into their calling. But, I think this really can apply across the board and is not just dependent on color. If you see my point below from Garland Hunt, truly biblical justice does not care if we're black, white, whatever color, God's justice is not always what we think justice should be.

I'd like to invite all of you reading to consider if you have a part to play in that, and in general if there may be some areas where the Lord has blessed you where He might have you give of yourself for the sake of serving and blessing another (not necessarily targeting skin color). There may be some community/people groups/persons that the Lord highlights to you. In fact, I know that perhaps the greatest injustice out there is that there are people on this planet who don't have the word of God as freely as we do (some call this Bible poverty), and who have not heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Through these things, today I see the Lord trying something together that I hadn't seen before that I wanted to share. I'm seeing the Lord highlight Isaiah 59 into Isaiah 60 and really that whole portion of Scripture.

A) Generational Synergy: On Thursday, Chuck Pierce ministered at the gathering. You'd have to look at the video to hear all that he shared. But one thing stuck with me. Chuck shared out of Isaiah 59 into Isaiah 60. “My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from now and forever.” – Isaiah 59:21. Israel was coming into a time of restoration.... Now God is looking for where 3 generations align together, and start prophesying... When God is doing a new thing He’s not getting rid of those over 60. He’s aligning the prophetic voice so that 3 generations begin to prophesy together. When that happens, time from heaven into the earth realm is realigned and a portal opens up. You have to learn to prophesy together. 3 generations prophesying together…. You let these prophesy together and in the midst of it, I will Awaken the Dawn, Isaiah 60 comes forth, you come up into new life.

- partial quote and paraphrase of Chuck Pierce

Chuck brought forth a key of 3 generations prophesying the word of the Lord together.

Here's the video of the service: https://www.facebook.com/awakenthedawnmvmt/videos/536650616874014?sfns=xmo (Bradshaw shares first at 1 hr 12 min in laying out the miraculous birthing of Awaken the Dawn and vision, before Chuck comes and speaks)

B) Relational Unity & Biblical Justice: This past weekend as you know was the 400th anniversary of when the first African slaves came to the land. OneRace did a conference around this in Atlanta, while inviting the body of Christ around the nation to repent, intercede and pray over this for the way forward. I just heard a fantastic message from their co-founder, Garland Hunt closing this out, where he shared about Justice and Righteousness and he highlighted Isaiah 59, as well, how the people were crying out for justice but it seemed like God was not hearing them. Everyone has their definition of justice, but we need justice to be paired with the righteous standard and that's Jesus. What he spoke about is the need for right relationships with one another, and for God's definition of justice, not ours.

Hunt to me highlighted that if we want to see biblical justice, we need to act in the biblical way toward one another in the body of Christ, and in our dealings, that's first to the weak, those who cannot help themselves. So we start the justice not by what we’re demanding on the outside but we start the justice by what we’re doing internally.

And of course, Isaiah 58 also has much to say. And Hunt mentions Isaiah 57 about the contrite and humble heart. To me this also reminds me of the notion of "order," first things first in our priorities.

Here is Hunt's powerful message: https://www.facebook.com/1641492592587948/posts/2953116294758898?sfns=xmo (30 min approx)

C) When we went to Emancipation Oak last Sunday, the Lord highlighted "oaks of righteousness" and I began to declare parts of Isaiah 59, 60 and 61 particularly over the African American community and those there on that land in Hampton University and Hampton, Virginia. Emancipation Oak is where the Emancipation Proclamation was read to those who lived there and this was a seedbed for the formation of Hampton University.

So I see the Lord highlighting those portions of Scripture and I see those things from Pierce and from Hunt as keys to help us in going forward both in regards to the movement of the Kingdom here in America in general, and things that we see are not right that we desire to see the Lord make right (and specifically with the racial issue in our nation). I see this tying together with the John 17 prayer of Jesus, about our oneness with Him and the Father testifying to the world that the Father uniquely sent Jesus.

"That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me." - John 17:21

So yes Father, I thank you for dealing with us, Your people so that You may bring healing to the land and to the masses. May the world know and see the risen Savior, Jesus Christ, the Lord!

God bless you all,

Clinton