Good Morning,
We had our first service Sunday with 15 people attending. I preached on encouragement, how to encourage others. After the service a man came to me and said “Well pastor that was a warm sermon.” I thought that was a strange thing to say but I said “thank you but what did you mean?” He replied “ not so hot.”
I couldn't help but smile. Maybe he didn't get what the sermon was about.
I want to thank you for your support, by your prayers, calls to encourage us, and your gifts that make it possible for us to be here to share Christ with this park.
In my reading this week was this devotional:
Grow Spiritually through Ministry
As a young boy growing up on a farm in rural Mississippi, my mom taught me to minister in simple ways. On the occasions that we would go to the small town nearby, she would always have me gather a bouquet of flowers to take to a widow, or a sick person, or just to say "thank you" for being my teacher, leader, or pastor.
This practice became a joy as people decades older than I gave a genuine smile, words of appreciation, and spoke words of encouragement into my life.
We make ministry so organized and methodical...even laborious. God blesses the acts of kindness in His name. He can use informal personal touch ministry and formal structured ministry for His glory. He wants to use you as a missionary in ministry.
Give a cup of water in His name, and go ahead, make disciples.
Matthew 28:19 - 20 (ASV) 19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.
LaVon and I are truly thankful to God for each of you. Thank you for your continual support and interest in our ministry by investing yourself in many ways as partners with us: by prayer, e-mails, phone calls and your financial gifts. Without any of these we could not continue what God has called us to do and that is to share the living water with the world through the RV ministry.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
Good Morning,
We are in back in Apache Junction, Arizona. We had a great week with LaVon's family celebrating the wedding of her great-niece in Seattle, Washington. Now it is time to get to work; we start church this Sunday. Thank you for your prayers.
In my reading this week was this:
NO ENEMIES YET, PASTOR
Six-year-old George listened very attentively to his pastor’s sermon. As he and his father were leaving church he said, “Pastor, I heard you say that I should love my enemies. I’m only six and I don’t have any. But I hope to have some next year when I’m seven.”
Individuals tend to become enemies when they cannot agree on an issue or a course of action or a goal. The differences become insurmountable, positions harden and opinions become set in stone. We might well say that enemies are “made.” Unfortunately, it is easy to make them and they usually last a life time. On the other hand, friendships are formed when individuals have common likes and dislikes, goals and values. There are “common denominators” that draw them together and a sense of mutual trust.
And we read in Proverbs, “A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in times of need.”
Perhaps the greatest part of friendship is loyalty - standing with or along side of someone when they are enduring times of distress or disappointment, sickness or struggles that never seem to end. When there are “calm seas and gentle winds” carrying us along life’s journey, we can pretty much make it on our own.
But when the waves are crashing and the winds are howling - that’s when we discover the true meaning of friendship and loyalty. There seems to be nothing as valuable as a friend. We need to make more of them!
Thank you for being our friend.
Prayer: Help us, Lord, to reach out and make friends with those who are our sisters and brothers in Christ so that we may grow together in loyalty and service. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture for Today: Proverbs 17:17 "A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity."
LaVon and I are truly thankful to God for each of you. Thank you for your continual support and interest in our ministry by investing yourself in many ways as partners with us: by prayer, e-mails, phone calls and your financial gifts. Without any of these we could not continue what God has called us to do and that is to share the living water with the world through the RV ministry.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
Good Morning,
We are in Apache Junction, Arizona. We told them in Monday morning meeting that Church services will begin on the 21st of October at 10:00 a.m. and are still in need of someone to play the piano and people to sing in the choir. Please, keep us in your prayers.
In my reading this morning:
AN ATTITUDE FOR GRATITUDE
NOW OR NEVER
A soldier was assigned the responsibility of driving a senator from the airport to a military installation. Between the baggage claim area and the vehicle he noticed an elderly lady struggling to pull her
suitcase behind her. He immediately went to her rescue and pulled the suitcase until they met her waiting family. He then paused to help a young mother secure her child in a stroller. After that he
helped a man who was having a difficult time opening the door to the restroom.
Impressed, the senator asked, “How is it that you see so many people who need help and immediately go to their rescue?”
After a moment of silence he replied quietly, “During my tour of duty in Vietnam it was my job to clear minefields. I never knew if my next step would be my last. It was there that I learned to get the most out of every moment because, in life, it’s now or never.”
Paul summed it up this way: “Share each other’s troubles and problems because if you do so you will obey the law of Christ.”
We, as Christians, have a responsibility to God and to anyone we know who is faced with a difficult situation that is beyond their ability to manage. It can be as simple as opening a door or as complex as helping them through the loss of a loved one. The size of the problem does not matter to God. It is the willingness of His children to help those in need.
Prayer:
We pray, Lord, for eyes that see the needs of others, ears that hear the cries of others, a heart that is open to others and hands that are willing to help others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture for Today: Galatians 6:2 - Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
LaVon and I are truly thankful to God for each of you. Thank you for your continual support and interest in our ministry by investing yourself in many ways as partners with us: by prayer, e-mails, phone calls and your financial gifts. Without any of these we could not continue what God has called us to do and that is to share the living water with the world through the RV ministry.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
