Sunday's Coming

Good morning from Branson, Mo.


LaVon is still in Norman with her mother, but only for a few more days. Yeah! She is headed back to Branson.


The work here is still very rewarding. Yesterday, I visited with two families that were having health issues - family members in the hospital. You know, even when you are on the road things happen and I'm glad to be able to pray and give comfort to these. When God lead us into this ministry, I never questioned Him, we just went. I knew He knew what he was doing. You see, we have to put what we believe into action.


I pray you are following what God is leading you to do. I also thank you for praying for us, the encouraging phone calls, even the visits from some, and the financial support from a few of you.

Have a great day, love you, pass it on.

Don

"Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ." —1 Corinthians 11:1

The great philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard, told a story about ducks that came from an imaginary country where only ducks live.


One Sunday morning, all the mother and father ducks headed to church with their children waddling behind them. They entered the doors and sat in their duck pews, sang songs from their duck hymnals, and gave to underprivileged ducks at the offering time.


When the duck preacher got up to proclaim the message, he was very dynamic. He opened his duck Bible and screamed,


“Ducks, you can fly! You have wings and you can fly like eagles.”


The ducks all clanged, “We can fly, we can fly!”


He asked, “Do you believe you can fly?”


Again, they shouted back, “We can fly, we can fly.”


He screamed again, “We can soar through the skies!”


They all shouted, “Amen.”


With that the pastor closed his duck Bible and dismissed his congregation of ducks.


Then they all waddled back home.


Just a simple reminder today that while your words are important, they can only go so far. So much of the work of passing on our faith takes place when we model it ourselves. To do that, we must make sure that we are working on the issues in our own lives. If we do not, the message we proclaim to others will be very similar to that of the duck pastor. After he told them they could fly, he needed to show them by spreading his own wings and soaring above the clouds.

As we live out what we believe in our lives, we can lead the way for others and make a difference for lifetimes to come.

Never judge

Thanks to my sister, Debbie, for sending this to me.

This is great!
Every day, I thank God for the Blessings that have been bestowed upon me! I ask that I not be judged until you know my full story and have walked that mile in my shoes.

Welcome Home Brothers! We are Brothers Always!
James L. Johnson (Sparks)
CPO USN-Retired Vietnam Veteran
The Patriot's Blood Is The Seed Of Freedom's Tree....Thomas Campbell

Subject: Never Judge

Never Judge.....

'Some people!' snorted a man standing behind me in the long line at the grocery store.

'You would think the manager would pay attention and open another line, said a woman.

I looked to the front of the line to see what the hold up was and saw a well dressed, young woman, trying to get the machine to accept her credit card. No matter how many times she swiped it, the machine kept rejecting it.

'It's one of them welfare card things. Damn people need to get a job like everyone else,' said the man standing behind me.

The young woman turned around to see who had made the comment.

'It was me,' he said,pointing to himself.

The young lady's face began to change expression. Almost in tears, she dropped the welfare card onto the counter and quickly walked out of thestore. Everyone in the checkout line watched as she began running to her car. Never looking back, she got in and drove away.

After developing cancer in 1977 and having had to use food stamps; I had learned never to judge anyone, without knowing the circumstances of their life. This turned out to be the case today.

Several minutes later a young man walked into the store. He went up tothe cashier and asked if she had seen the woman. After describing her,the cashier told him that she had run out of the store, got into her car, and drove away.

'Why would she do that?' asked the man.

Everyone in the line looked around at the fellow who had made the statement.

'I made a stupid comment about the welfare card she was using. Something I shouldn't have said. I'm sorry, said the man.

'Well, that's bad, real bad, in fact. Her brother was killed in Afghanistan two years ago. He had three young children and she has taken on that responsibility. She's twenty years old, single, and now has three children to support,' he said in a very firm voice.

'I'm really truly sorry. I didn't know,' he replied, shaking both his hands about.

The young man asked, 'Are these paid for?' pointing to the shopping cartfull of groceries.

'It wouldn't take her card,' the clerk told him.

'Do you know where she lives?' asked the man who had made the comment.

'Yes, she goes to our church.

'Excuse me,' he said as he made his way to the front of the line. He pulled out his wallet, took out his credit card and told the cashier,

'Please use my card. PLEASE!'

The clerk took his credit card and began to ring up the young woman's groceries.

loading his own groceries onto the belt to be included.

'Come on people. We got three kids to help raise!' he told everyone in line.

Everyone began to place their groceries onto the fast moving belt. A few customers began bagging the food and placing it into separate carts.

'Go back and get two big turkeys,' yelled a heavyset woman, as she looked at the man.

'NO,' yelled the man.

Everyone stopped dead in their tracks. The entire store became quiet for several seconds.

'Four turkeys,' yelled the man.

Everyone began laughing and went back to work. When all was said and done, the man paid a total of $1,646.57 for the groceries.

He then walked over to the side pulled out his check book, and began writing a check using the bags of dog food piled near the front of the store for a writing surface. He turned around and handed the check to the young man.

'She will need a freezer and a few other things as well,' he told the man.

The young man looked at the check and said,

'This is really very generous of you.'

'No,' said the man. 'Her brother was the generous one.'

Everyone in the store had been observing the odd commotion and began to clap.

And I drove home that day feeling very American."

We live in the Land of the free, because of the Brave!

Remember ourTroops of Yesterday and Today !

Kindness is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear. - MarkTwain

A great example of why we should be kind, patient and non-judgemental.

Enjoy Life, You only get one try at it.

Blessings to you and yours

Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

'This is the day the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.'Psalm 118:24

If this doesn't touch you what does it take?

Sunday's Coming

Good morning,

It is Thursday but Sunday is coming and LaVon and I are in Norman, Ok. We are staying with her mom, helping her get back to her old ways. Yesterday wasn't a good day for her. We don't know how long we will be here or what the future holds. We ask you to be in prayer with us as we travel this road.

I read this today. As always, it fits our life.

Thanks for your emails, phone calls and prayers. You are very important to us.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on,
Don

"Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies."—Psalm 34:12-13

"Difficult times help us appreciate the good times. Without some failure, we cannot fully appreciate success.

How often do we catch ourselves saying, “I’m having a bad day”? It is an amazing fact that our brains can convince our bodies they are sick. We’re like the little boy who creates a stomachache so he won’t have to go to school. And, we also have the ability to make every day pretty good. Waking up with a positive attitude, ready to face anything in the strength of the Lord just about guarantees a good day. The Psalmist adds to the verse above with these words: “Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Good days are like mountain peaks. There is a journey, a struggle to get to the top of a mountain, but once there…the view is awesome and the climb worth it.

God wants to help us have good days. In fact, He promises to be with us for every event, every step, for every day. God gives us the confidence to find the good and to just be good! One of the best things about having a good day is that it affects everyone around us. Our good days make other people have better days. Our good days demonstrate the love of Jesus in us. And that is why we live!"

May you have a good day!

Sunday's Coming

Good morning from Branson,

I pray all is well with you. God has continued to use us and I pray we continue to follow Him where He leads.

We turned down an assignment in Arizona for the winter opting to stay somewhat closer, for our mothers both have been ailing. I urge you to keep us in your prayers that we do what God calls us to do.

Thanks for your prayers, emails and phone calls. You will never know what they mean to us.

A special thank you to the few of you that heard and responded to God's leading to help us financial, you will be blessed.

A friend sent me the following this morning and I pray it touches you as it did me.

Have a great day, love you, pass it on,
Don.

'The Cab Ride'

When I arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.

Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, and then drive away.

But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself. So I walked to the door and knocked.

'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice.

I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness.

'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated'.

'Oh, you're such a good boy', she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice'.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening.

'I don't have any family left,' she continued. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.'

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'

We drove in silence to the address she had given me.It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.

'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?

What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, ~BUT~THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.

You won't get any big surprise in 10 days if you send this to ten people. But, you might help make the world a little kinder and more compassionate by sending it on.

Thank you, my friend...

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.

Sunday's Coming

Good morning from Branson,

May we be an encoragement to each other.

The free medical clinic is taking shape: we have a building, doctors, nurses, some helpers and are looking for others. God continues to show Himself mighty.

The park we are staying has had more people than last year. KOA, across the street, has been down in numbers, but no matter how big the crowd we still praise the Lord and share the gospel.

I read this today and felt compelled to share. I hope it speaks to you the way it did to me.

Thanks again for your prayers, encouraging emails and phone calls, and your financial support. The giving this summer is way down so without you helping us we could not continue this great work.

Have a great day, love you, pass it on,
Don

"Raising My Sights"

"My six-year-old granddaughter, Caitlynd, and I stopped at a Tim Horton's donut shop for a blueberry muffin. As we were going out the door, a young teenage boy was coming in.

This young man had no hair on the sides of his head and tuft of blue spiked hair on top of it. One of his nostrils was pierced, and attached to the hoop that ran through the hole, was a chain that draped across his face and attached to a ring he was wearing in his ear. He held a skateboard under one arm and a basketball under the other.

Caitlynd, who was walking ahead of me, stopped in her tracks when she saw the teen. I thought he'd scared the dickens out of her and she'd frozen on the spot.

I was wrong.

My GrandAngel backed up against the door and opened it as wide as it would go. Now I was face to face with the young man. I stepped aside and let him pass. His gracious response was a kind, "Thank you very much".

On our way to the car, I commended Caitlynd for her manners in holding open the door for the young man. She didn't seem to be troubled by his appearance but I wanted to make sure. If a grandmotherly talk about freedom of self expression and allowing people their differences was in order, I wanted to be ready.

As it turned out, the person who needed the talk was me.

The only thing Caitlynd noticed about the teen, was the fact that his arms were full. "He woulda' had a hard time to open the door."

I saw the partially shaved head, the tuft of spiked hair, the piercings and the chain. She saw a person carrying something under each arm and heading toward a door.

In the future, I hope to get down on her level and raise my sights."

Sunday's Coming

Good morning from Branson, Mo.

The sun is shining at last and looks like a beautiful day or two in store.

I pray all is well with you.

God has been using us and a lot of exciting things are going on. The free health clinic is taking shape. The ministry is going great as people come to church and God touches their hearts. We visit every day with many different people as God shows us where He is at work and we join Him there.

I encourage you to keep us in your prayers.

Have a great day, love you, pass it on,

Don

Magic Penny

This devotional was written by Kelly McFadden

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.—1 Thessalonians 5:11

Do you remember the song about the Magic Penny? Here are the first two verses to refresh your memory:
Love is something if you give it away,

Give it away, give it away.

Love is something if you give it away,

You end up having more.
It's just like a magic penny,

Hold it tight and you won't have any.

Lend it, spend it, and you'll have so many

They'll roll all over the floor.

(Song written by Malvina Reynolds)

One way to give love away to others is by encouraging them. Since we are made in the image of God, we all possess some of God’s great qualities. So even if we are not always kind, or always honest, or always selfless, and so on, there are times when each of us displays those qualities (even if it is just for a moment!). When we encourage others, we have opportunity to move them closer to God’s design for them when we recognize God’s wonderful traits in that person.

Sometimes we don’t encourage others for a variety of reasons. Perhaps we are too busy and self-absorbed. Or, perhaps pride and jealousy keep us from affirming others, or maybe we are afraid of being misunderstood. When we withhold encouragement, we can actually become agents of discouragement to others. When we withhold encouragement, we withhold love.
When we encourage and show love, it is just like the magic penny. When we hold it close, we have none. When we give it away, it comes back tenfold.
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Sunday's Coming

Good morning friends,

Thanks for your prayers. My shingles seem to be going away and I'm feeling better.

The ministry here in Branson is going well we have had two good services and already had the oportunity to help people see that God is real and that He loves them.

I read this devotional this morning and it sounds like my heart. You see, we had a dream to take the gospel to people wherever they are, to lead them to Christ and this is happening, but we need your support. We need you praying, encouraging us and also giving financially so the work can continue.

Thanks again, have a great day, love you and pass it on,
Don

Ideas Need Friends Too
This devotional was written by Dan Johnson

Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.—Matthew 7:6

Have you ever been so excited to share a dream or idea that you shared your valuable secret with a less than worthy confidante? Perhaps in an effort to find support for your world-changing plan, you “cast your pearl before a swine” and went away disappointed or let down. Many times, I have looked for a kindred soul who has the ability, the attitude and the willingness to help foster what may or may not be a world-changing idea but is, at the very least, a cherished hope. If you’ve been in this situation, don’t lose heart and don’t stop believing. You have the pearls. Now you just need someone who enjoys them.

Mark Victor Hansen and Jack Canfield had an idea for a book. They enthusiastically set out with a proposal and in no time received 33 rejection letters from publishers. They were turned down by 134 more at the annual booksellers’ convention. Finally a small publisher agreed to take on their project, but not before they agreed to buy the first 20,000 copies themselves. And they were hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. After their book appeared, it took nearly 14 months of almost nonstop work and promotion to hit the bestseller lists. Today, their book series, Chicken Soup, has sold over 100 million copies and generated more than a billion dollars in sales. Why? Because they persisted in what they knew was a God-given dream even when swine outnumbered pearl lovers more than 100:1.

Most people don’t want to be dream crushers. They are simply too busy, too limited in their imagination or are unable to grasp what means so much to you. Take heart. God has put life and energy in you today. There are unique contributions that only you can make to the world. Without you, the world would be a poorer place. Keep honing the dream, understanding that the “dead ends” and delays are only part of the process God is using to develop the character inside that will sustain you when your dream becomes a reality. Persist; the journey is the point. And keep your eyes open for those who are eyeing you to see if you, too, may be a lover of fine pearls.