The Better Place News

This October we had the smallest Agape Prayer Ministry School we have ever had. There were just six students and all of these students were first-timers. But size sure did not limit power or the work of the Holy Spirit. – If people of the world can say, “holy cow” when they are really amazed, I guess we will just say, “Holy Spirit!!!!” Wow! The joy, the victory, the freedom; wow! God showed up; just like always.

This School was held over two very intensive days – from 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. on Friday the 8th and from 7:45 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. on Saturday the 9th – at the Warren Wesleyan Church in Warren, PA. Due to the small size, we were able to meet around tables in the library/lounge of the building. Worship times and some other events were held in the church sanctuary.

Take a look at some of the accompanying photos to see our leads, our students and our gourmet cooks.

Here are the ministry recipient responses to our little response forms that they complete after receiving ministry at the School:

Was there an atmosphere of love and acceptance?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes

Did the team listen and pay attention?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes

Was the Holy Spirit free to work?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes

Was there unity among the team?

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes

Was the session helpful to you personally?

Yes, yes, yes, very, yes, yes, yes very much – thank you!

Please make any comments regarding any strength or weaknesses of the School to help us improve in the future.

Strengths – I really like that you put a mix of people in the room. With their different gifts and such, it really rounds out the experience.

Having the session part of this School is very helpful. Being a part of and having this session helps with learning the set up and how it works.

I AM FREE!!  Praise God!!

My session: Great listeners to me and to God. Teaching: well done. Atmosphere: very good. Food: outstanding

[And this e-mail was sent later to some of our leads from a recipient who did not have time to write comments on the form]: Good morning, I just wanted to thank you so much for all your time, energy, and love in helping me … – You’ve shown me a whole other side to the word AGAPE… not just God’s agape love, but human agape love for others. I’m so grateful…. we all were! Please extend my thanks to the whole team for their agape love. It was incredible to feel so much unconditional love in one place to help us move from condemnation into conviction.

On the 2nd of October our Director, Roy Miller, led a Saturday morning workshop at the Fredonia First United Methodist Church in Fredonia, NY. Several area congregations of the Church were represented. The topics that were covered that day were: “Why You Can Pray with Authority” and “Prayer Walking.”

When The Fredonia FUMC hosts a workshop they begin with breakfast. It was a great time of fellowship as workshop participants gathered around the tables. That was at 8:30. Then at 9:00 everyone went to the sanctuary for a time of uplifting worship led by the FFUMC praise team. Teaching began at 9:30, but times of singing – led by the praise team – were woven into the schedule of the morning.

The first topic, “Why You Can Pray with Authority,” prepared the participants to pray with faith believing. That was in preparation for putting the second topic, “Prayer Walking,” into practice.

There was a break between the two teaching segments. Many participants took advantage of this time to go to the book table and purchase books on prayer that The Better Place makes available at all such workshops. They also purchased many copies of Dr. Miller’s book, My Gospel, and also the Companion Study Guide. The FFUMC Prayer Facilitation Team announced their plan to use these resources in their mid-week small groups. (Since people from other congregations were invited to join them, perhaps the small groups will not be very small.)

Following the Prayer Walking instruction, participants picked up prayer walk assignments that were printed on cards and they went into the streets of Fredonia to pray. – Luke 10:17 records how the disciples “returned with joy” after Jesus had sent them out two-by-two. The prayer walkers at the Fredonia Workshop also went out two-by-two and they also came back rejoicing! As testimonies were shared, everyone was encouraged by what God had just done.

What did the participants say about their experience when they turned in their evaluations? Here are some responses to the question, What did you especially like or appreciate about the Workshop?: “No beating around the bush. It is very clear!” “The excitement and energy that flow from Rev. Miller” “The Power-Point and personal stories – We are witnesses of God’s love, glory and power” “Roy’s total awareness of God’s Spirit” “The walk” “Speakers – Materials offered / emphasized” “Scripturally sound – good application to everyday living!” “I appreciated everything about the workshop and how well organized it was.” “The subject content and an excited prayer-driven leader! Printouts ready to go” And there were many more, but these responses reflect the flavor of them all.

To schedule a Better Place led workshop at your church with Dr. Miller, go to the Seminar Topics description page on this web site and you will see what is available and how to go about setting up a workshop.

Prayer Letter #21

22 October 2010

Dear Prayer Partners of The Better Place,

A couple things we are always endeavoring to do through the ministries of The Better Place is to encourage people to grow in their understanding and practice of prayer and also to spiritually refresh pastors and other leaders in Christian ministry. On the 27th of September, I was privileged to be refreshed greatly myself as my wife Valerie and I attended an intimate gathering with some Western NY pastors and Pastor Jackson Senyonga from Kampala, Uganda. Prior to the official start time, Valerie and I spent several minutes with Pastor Senyonga learning about his ministry and sharing with him about The Better Place. – This gathering took place at the Full Gospel Tabernacle in Orchard Park, NY. During the luncheon that followed the morning meeting, several people were all “a-buzz” because of Delia Knox’s healing. Delia had been a member of the Orchard Park Tabernacle back in the 1980’s when she was college age. On Christmas day 1987, while returning to Buffalo from ministering in a prison in Toronto, Delia was in an automobile accident. As a result she was paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. Now, 23 years later, all the buzz was about the fact that God had healed her. The day before she walked again, a little boy was placed in her lap so she could pray for him, and as she prayed she could feel what she called “sensation” in her legs for the first time since the accident. She knew her healing was on the way. You can read a recent news story about this at, http://www.wkbw.com/news/local/MIRACLE-CURE-FOR-PARALYZED-WOMAN-105482958.html and you can watch the healing as it occurred, on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=delia+walking I suggest watching the thirteen minute video first and then watch the many other videos that were subsequently placed on YouTube. You will see Delia only days after her healing walking all around healing other people. Now that is my idea of an encouragement to remain persistent in prayer!

During the third quarter of this year the Chautauqua Lake Region Men of Integrity held their third regional breakfast of the year, people have continued to be healed at our Healing Rooms (including one person who was healed of stage 4 cancer), we held the third day-long session of our Regional School of Prayer in Gerry, NY, we held the two-day intensive fall Agape Prayer Ministry School in Warren, PA, and I was privileged to teach at a morning workshop in Fredonia, NY. I have run out of words with which to praise God for his faithfulness over and over at everything we do or are involved in. “Awesome,” and “Amazing,” and “Powerful”, and “Transforming” etc all start to sound trite after a while, but all are true. How great is our God! – God answers your prayers.

Speaking of “Transforming;” that is one word that has been used to describe the experience people are having as they read My Gospel. This book has been available since the end of June and the very positive and praiseful responses to the book have been both humbling and encouraging to this author. My Gospel, Companion Study Guide and the booklet, First Step to Adventure have been available since the 1st of October and people have been purchasing these, along with the primary book, at workshops, schools and other gatherings where I have been able to make them available. – All of this is an answer to your prayers. – Our Webmaster will be putting a printable order form on our site that people can use to order all of these books plus some other books that The Better Place sells at a discount rate. I’ll let you know when that us up. Meanwhile, anyone may order My Gospel at Amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com or christianbook.com.

You prayed for the day with Dr. Kevin Leman that our Chautauqua Lake Men of Integrity sponsored (16 Oct.). Thank you; God answered! The breakfast meeting for pastors and their spouses was sparsely attended, but nevertheless, a true spiritual uplift for those who were present. (Here is a perennial problem in North America: Pastors are too busy wearing themselves out to take time out to be refreshed. Keep praying for pastors!). The afternoon gathering for men only in the Jamestown Civic Center was well attended and most of those men returned with their wives for the evening meeting when the Center was filled to capacity on the main level (the balcony was not open to us). We know of couples who were on the road to divorce, who the Spirit brought to that evening meeting and who left hand-in-hand. We know of others who were struggling in their relationships who were talking to anyone who would listen the next day about how immensely God had helped them through Dr. Leman’s presentation. There were over 700 people there and everyone was touched by God. – God loves to answer your prayers. – I met with the CLMI leaders just today and, while they were sharing all the praise reports, their treasurer also had to report that ticket sales and gifts to support this event fell almost $3,000 short of all the expenses (publicity, Dr. Leman’s travel and honorarium, free breakfast for pastors, Civic Center rental, insurance, etc). You can help to answer their confident prayer by sending a designated gift to help with the cost of this very effective event. (Their budget was established with an expectation of more sponsorships than they received).

It’s a new season: After a fairly intense week of seeking God regarding next steps for The Better Place – on Tuesday morning14 September God directed me to Proverbs 24:27 which says, “Finish your outdoor work and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.” Now, God gave that to me in the middle of a pastors’ prayer meeting, so I couldn’t deal with it right away. But later that day I asked God how he wanted me to understand it and he told me that all of the “hermit crab” ministry we have been doing (using facilities that are not our own) has been a season of preparing our fields. And now it is time to build our house. That means much of the ministry we initiate will be off the calendar for 2011 as time and energy that used to be directed to those things will now be directed to fund-raising and the purchase of land and the development of the campus. – It just so happened that The Better Place Board of Directors had a meeting schedule for the ensuing Saturday, so I asked them to listen to what the Spirit was saying to us through Prov. 24:27 and, with one voice, they all said the same thing I had heard. That is good confirmation. Doors that have been holding the finances back which have not opened prior to now are about to open and the money needed for the campus and the endowments is about to come forth!

The Board decided that anyone who contributes $200 or more to The Better Place during November and December will receive – as a special thank you – a complete My Gospel set; the book plus the Companion and First Step. At full retail price, that is a $36.97 value.

Please pray:

For doors to open with financial provision for the development of The Better Place campus; [see, http://www.thebetterplace.org/the-better-place-facilities.cfm ] – also check out “TBP Price Tag” and “Phasing in the Ministry” under the “FINANCE” tab on our web site.

For our Board of Directors as they gather for a two-day meeting at Camp Findley on Nov. 19-20

Regarding a meeting I have with the Warren, PA Ministerial Association on 11 Nov. to present the Agape Prayer Ministry

For me as I preach at area churches most Sundays and represent TBP in the process

For God to use the My Gospel books according to his purposes

For the finances and ministry of the Chautauqua Lake Region Men of Integrity

For the ongoing ministry of the Healing Rooms and Director, Mary Ann Dahlbeck

For Agape Prayer Ministry sessions that are on-going throughout our three-county region

Thank you for your faithfulness in prayer!

Your partner in the adventure,

Roy L. Miller

Director, The Better Place, Inc.

Roy@TheBetterPlace.org

716/488-9918

Employer ID #83-0362390 NYS Charities Bureau Reg. #20-49-47

Do your web searches at www.goodsearch.com and help to support The Better Place by typing

The Better Place in the “Who do you do Goodsearch for?” box.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Would you please consider a gift to The Better Place at this time?

Checks should be made out to THE BETTER PLACE, INC and mailed to the above address.

Who can you tell about The Better Place ministry?

Hi Everyone and Blessings On You All,

This has been an awesome time in Healing Rooms. We have had a man get healed that had stage 4 cancer. He started coming to the Healing Rooms in middle of June. He was diagnosed with stage 4 sqaumous cell carcinoma in the throat,lymph node,and left side of lung and neck. He came faithfully almost every week and we continued to pray and lay hands on him with him, gave him scriptures, encouraged his walk with the Lord. God is so good. Last week he came in to announce that he was healed and cancer free. Roswell could find no cancer in him. Praise The Lord! He will be at Revolutionary Life Church to give his testimony on October 23rd at 10:30 A.M.

Remember God is no respecter of persons, what he does for one He’ll do for another. God does miracle healings (all at once) and he does healings a little at a time. So, don’t give up if you haven’t seen your healing right away. Stay in Faith, Healing Scriptures and Believe.

We also have many prayer requests every week. Please contact us if you need prayer . Come and see us or go to a local church that will lay hands on you.

We also had a guest speaker and prophet who gave teachings and word. His name is Fred Vesterling and he is from Buffalo Healing Rooms and we attended a conference at the Buffalo Healing Rooms. We were all Blessed.

Keep praying for Jamestown and America.

The Healing Team

Here are a couple of early reviews / testimonies for Dr. Miller’s new book My Gospel:

(August 2010) “Every day, hundreds and thousands of times His Gospel is spoken…God loves His story told…and we need to hear it. As often as possible, in many different ways we need to hear the story of God’s love for us, His redemption of us and the power He gives us to live a holy life. In My Gospel, my friend Roy Miller tells God’s story again. It’s the same story I’ve heard for much of my life, but through his telling it, Roy gave me new insights and reminded me of God’s purpose in my life. I recommend reading My Gospel and letting Roy tell you God’s story one more time. You will reference it many times afterward.”

Nathan Bailey, Ministry Director

Park Church, Sinclairville, NY

(August 2010) “My Gospel helps to direct those in the Word whether it is the milk or the solid food that is needed. Rev. Miller has an awesome way to encourage us to walk closer with our Lord and Savior and to rely more on our “Papa Bear”. It has encouraged me to examine my life but more importantly to allow the Lord to examine my life (Psalm 139). I highly recommend reading it slowly and with a group, examining the scripture references to mine all of its truths. Truthfully, there were so many things that I enjoyed that helped me to evaluate where I am. I loved the last chapter and the illustration of the prayer house. It is so timely and I shared the illustration just this morning at the YMCA.”

[Sheriff] Lieutenant Jim Quattrone

Lakewood, NY