In This Month's Report:
* Editorial - The Tale of Two Presidents
* Promotions -  Mr. Charisma
* December Events - ICA Annual Conference Largest Ever
* December Ministry - Impacting the Northeast and Beyond
* Tips and Resources - Breakpoint
* Products - Two Great Resources (see link below)
* Partnership - Invest in God's Program for the Northeast of America

We would love to hear from you; please send us your feedback today. Don’t forget the ever-popular 'GOD THOUGHTS' at the end of this report. Enjoy! JB

(This appropriate article by international columnist, author, speaker and Assyrian Christian, Ken Joseph, Jr. looks at the ending of two starkly different public lives. Jeff Beacham)

End Well — a Commentary on the Deaths of a President and a Dictator
Ken Joseph, Jr. (Jan 2, 2007)

"A Tale of Two Presidents" was the way it went through my mind as I stood watching the procession of President Gerald R. Ford wind its way into the Capitol Building. Amazingly, there were 97 vehicles in all!

The spontaneous gathering of people was quiet, respectful and patient, as the hearse finally came by. I, along with all the people, had never met President Ford, but the quiet conversations as we stood in the cold waiting for the procession said it all. When I suddenly sneezed, even the grim-faced police officer guarding the route smiled and said a big "God bless you."

Then, there was the other President. Hated in life, one could hear the taunts as he was taken up to the gallows to be hanged. My own family, Assyrian Christians, along with millions of other Iraqis, suffered his torture and live to this day with the memories of the over one million people he killed. Saddam Hussein died the way he had lived — violently and alone.

Two presidents — a continent apart. The contrast could not have been greater.

The New Year brings a chance to start again, to go back to the "starting block." As I pondered the "Tale of Two Presidents" and listened to the contrasting eulogies, the reminder was stark. Imagine the sadness of living your whole life, only to be taunted at your death and buried in silence, with nobody's regret. Imagine the joy of ending your life surrounded by those you love and the love of those you didn't even know, in an eternity planned.

Life is full of choices. Nobody forced Saddam Hussein to live a life of terror, blood and hate. Nobody forced Gerald R. Ford to live a life of quiet public service, kindness and care. As the New Year begins, it is a time to make good choices, change those that may have been made wrongly, adjust those that you can, and remember that what counts is not what you accomplish, but how you live.

My father always said to me "Few people 'end well' — strive to end well." What a challenge for the New Year! Live your life, make the decisions that you make, and plan for only one thing — to "end well."

Gerald R. Ford "ended well." Saddam Hussein did not. "End well" by living well, and you will hear those special words, "Well done, My servant." #

Source: ASSIST News Service

Harald Bredesen, 'Mr. Charisma,' Passes into Glory!

(This is an abbreviated copy of a report by Michael Ireland, Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service)

Harald Bredesen, a Lutheran minister who was a giant in the so-called Charismatic Movement and responsible for spreading a form of evangelical praise known as “speaking in tongues,” died Friday, December 29, 2006. He was 88.... Bredesen died at Palomar Hospital from complications following a fall at his home.

Bredesen befriended evangelist Pat Robertson while they both lived in New York in the late 1950s. Robertson credits Bredesen with leading him into a charismatic Christian experience known as the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.... "He served the Lord in a global ministry leading many into the fullness of the Holy Spirit and set an example for us all in his boldness and perpetual joy," Robertson said in a statement Friday. "He was a dear friend and beloved brother in Christ."

Bredesen served on the CBN Board of Directors since its founding in 1960. Harald's ministry, which has been described as "another chapter of the book of Acts,' kept him on a global itinerary throughout most of his life....

Bredesen was ordained in 1944 in the American Lutheran Church and became one of the most influential ministers in the early days of the Charismatic Movement. In 1946, he received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Many charismatic Christians have credited him with leading them into the same experience, including Pat Robertson and Pat Boone. Known by many as "Mr. Charisma," Bredesen was involved in the founding of major Christian media ministries, including the Christian Broadcasting Network, Trinity Broadcasting Network, and 100 Huntley Street in Canada.

Over the years, Bredesen's ministry was featured on ABC, the BBC, Radio Moscow, CBS's The World Tonight, Walter Cronkite's News and World Report, as well as other major international news programs. Articles chronicling his ministry and influence were featured in Time, The Saturday Evening Post, Encyclopedia Britannica, Charisma Magazine, and Christianity Today. The Saturday Evening Post once called him the "charismatic envoy to the campuses," referring to his many speeches and ministry visits to colleges and universities, including Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Chicago University, and many others around the world....

"There is no man like him," said evangelist Benny Hinn. "He has touched my life and has left his mark on the Church in a powerful way. When I met Harald for the first time he was known as the father of the Charismatics. Well, in my opinion, he still is."

George Otis, another veteran Charismatic leader said of him, "Harald Bredesen is a rare person. He is one of the great big cylinders in the engine of the Charismatic revival that spawned thousands of churches and ministries and new broadcast organizations and enterprises that further the cause of the Lord...." Bredesen is survived by his wife of 52 years, Genevieve, and their children Dagni, Margaret, Christopher and David.

ICA Annual Conference Largest Ever - This report from C. Peter Wagner, Presiding Apostle, International Coalition of Apostles, "I believe that every one of you who was present at our ICA meeting in the Gaylord Texan would agree that it was our best ever. One of our charter members commented that he felt as if some restraining spirit, detected in past meetings, had totally been broken and that the connection between heaven and earth was more evident than ever before. I would agree with this spiritual discernment....

We had our largest attendance ever, closer to 600 than to 500. Some even said that next year they plan to bring their spouses and to book a couple extra days of vacation after the meeting. The content of the presentations and panels was outstanding.... When I took the leadership of ICA in 2000, the Lord showed me that I would see it between 500 and 1,000 members. We have now peaked over the 500 mark. A few days ago, Chuck Pierce gave me a word from the Lord that the growth will accelerate. He said that we should expect 1,000 in next year’s meeting. I witness to this word...."