The 1790's were dark days in America, especially in the frontier of both Kentucky and Tennessee. Many people believed that society had decayed to the point that even God could not interrupt the rapid downward spiral. Immorality reigned supreme. Murder and rape were prevalent. Alcoholism was killing a vast number of people every year. Profanity was commonplace. Lawlessness was the order of the day. There was even a location in America where criminals could go for sanctuary, free from the fear of facing justice. It was called ‘Rogue’s Harbor’ and 'Satan's Stronghold' and located in Kentucky. It was at this point that a company of individuals began to humble themselves to seek the face of God in covenanted prayer with a tenacity that would settle for nothing less than a mighty move of God. That holy groundswell gave birth to an unprecedented event in America called 'The Second Great Awakening', when Heaven touched Earth quite literally. According to the Christian History Institute, “the rough, violent and irreligious frontier was being tamed by the Lamb of God”. That historic move produced divinely inspired events known as camp meetings. These were held in primitive settings with some arriving early to literally clear the land to prepare for the event. They had to be held outdoors in the open air because there were no buildings large enough to contain the volume of people in attendance. Many that were hungry and thirsty for a touch from God traveled as much as one hundred miles, in wagons, in buckboards and on horses to attend these camp meetings. These events were usually held within an outcropping of trees near a stream or other body of fresh water. Attendees brought provisions for several days and ‘camped’ (slept in wagons or on the ground) the entire length of the camp meeting, sometimes 5 to 14 days at a time. Most people stayed for the duration of the event so they would not miss whatever God was doing during that time. They ate together, they sang together, they listened to preaching together, they prayed together, they repented together, they wept together, all as they experienced the Presence of God together. One observer describes a typical camp meeting this way...“The glare of blazing camp-fires falling on a dense assemblage of heads simultaneously bowed in adoration…hundreds of candles and lamps suspended among the trees to illuminate the darkness of night…the solemn chanting of hymns…the impassioned exhortations, the earnest prayers, the sobs, the shrieks, or shouts bursting from persons under intense agitation of mind; the sudden spasms which seized upon scores, and unexpectedly dashed them to the ground.” The primary focus of these meetings revolved around preparing for, and participation in The Lord’s Supper at a common table. This type of event, called a sacramental service, was the catalyst that ushered in the Presence of God. Each of the camp meetings culminated in a holy feast at the Table of the LORD*. They expected the Presence of God to come and join them and they were not disappointed. This sharing together of the bread and wine sometimes continued throughout all of Sunday as thousands participated and had to be orchestrated in shifts to sit at tables and partake of this holy time together. What can we learn from these events of more than two hundred years ago? Is our society on a downward spiral and morally bankrupt in a manner similar to the previously described frontier of both Kentucky and Tennessee in the late 1700s? Can covenanted prayer change the course of American history in our day, as it did in those days? What are we missing in our pursuit of another Great Awakening? As you read through the pages of this book, most especially the first-hand testimonies of those who lived through the Second Great Awakening, perhaps the answers to some of these questions may be discovered. If we want what they had, we must be willing to do what they did. www.restorewonder.com