I would like to say a few words and let everyone know my heart and how our Joshua Walk was born. I would like for you to see how God works through ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

In Jan., as we all do, I was praying and making goals and plans for a better year. As I prayed, I felt God was calling me for something.

As I prayed, my heart was broken for my city. The poverty, the addictions, the realization sat in. My city has become barren. Our drug problem in this area has surpassed a problem – I believe it has become an epidemic.

As you go out today, I challenge each of you to look around. I believe that not one person or family member you will see today is exempt from this overwhelming giant. We have all experienced this problem either directly or indirectly.

My thoughts started by thinking, “Where do we begin?” City council, law enforcement… the Lord quickly let me know…I am all you need.

My pastor has always taught us that the spiritual climate of a town reflects the economy and social climate of that town. I believe this to be very true.

The Scriptures tell us that in every generation that God will raise up a remnant to rebuild.

In July of 2010, our church began a prayer night for our city and its problems. We prayed each Thursday at 7 p.m.

We have a box that we put all of what we perceived as problems in it and prayed each Thursday evening.

Now, let me show you how our God works. While we are doing all of this, Brent Baker has been called to Central Christian Church.

While in his transition here, he was staying with a family in my neighborhood. Before school was out that year, a member of Ironton In Bloom asked me if I would put my yard on the backyard tour that they began last year. Can you believe it? I said, “yes.” Whoa, what to do?

A friendship was born with Brent, who by the way, has a degree in horticulture. He helped us with our yard and we became good friends.

I would come home from my Thursday night prayer sessions for our city so excited. You guessed it, he got excited too.

Everything he did only confirmed that he was to be a part of this.

He asked, “Where do we go from here?”

We had been praying for someone to help us to the next level. We knew that we had to get the other churches involved. We knew we must come together in one accord, just as they did in Acts.

You could look over our town and see what I like to call “Pockets of Passion” through the city.

The crosses that you see in so many yards. I knew other churches were taking steps in the fight against drugs. We just didn’t know how to take that next big step.

Later on that year, Brent sent out letters to all the ministers for a meeting and luncheon with the ministerial association and here we are today. Oh, and one more cool thing, the Joshua Walk begins on Pentecost Sunday. Any of this coincidence? I don’t think so.

I have such a passion for this. I am so excited to see what God is going to do for us in our town. All we need is for him to show up. His presence alone will heal our town.

In the late 1800s Mark Twain visited Israel. The land was barren. He made the statement that of all the barren lands he had seen, the Palestine was prince.

We all know that in 1948 Israel was once again recognized as a nation. God was beginning to restore to them what had been lost. Since that time, the Jewish people have started going back to their promised land in large numbers. The land has started producing.

In Isaiah it speaks of the desert blossoming like a rose. They now export 1.5 billion flowers a year. Their roses are second to none and the vegetables are the same. They produce more food per acre than any place in the world. Their land is producing again.

You see, when God returns, not only does he heal his people. He is God, their land is healed also. In the New Testament, how many times would you see multitudes come to Jesus?

Each time, the Scripture would say he had compassion upon them and healed them. God is the same God today. He wants to do the same for us.

There is a Hebrew word that means to be persistent. The word is chutzpah. I pray you have chutzpah as you pray and march for our town.

Theresa Bowen

Ironton