Greetings in the precious name of our risen Savior,
We are on the road. We spent last night in Waco and today we are headed to Tulsa, Oklahoma and will stop somewhere before we get there. Thanks for your prayers for our travels.
Friday is the Road to Sunday: Good Friday is the day we remember the crucifixion of Jesus, but there’s more to it than remembering: our task as preachers is to call people to the cross. We want to embrace the resurrection, but Jesus calls us to the cross, too. The famous sermon says "it's Friday, but Sunday's coming!" More properly, the point of the story is that Friday is the road to Sunday. There's no Easter Sunday without Good Friday. There is no resurrection without the Cross. Our job as pastors is to tell the truth to His people: there's a Good Friday for all of us.
NO GREATER LOVE
It was February 1941, Auschwitz, Poland. Maximilian Kolbe was a Franciscan priest put in the infamous death camp for helping Jews escape Nazi terrorism.
Months went by and in desperation an escape took place. The camp rule was enforced. Ten people would be rounded up randomly and herded into a cell where they would die of starvation and exposure as a lesson against future escape attempts.
Names were called. A Polish Jew, Frandishek Gasovnachek, was called. He cried, "Wait, I have a wife and children!" Kolbe stepped forward and said, "I will take his place."
Kolbe was marched into the cell with nine others where he managed to live until August 14.
This story was chronicled on an NBC news special several years ago. Gasovnachek, by this time 82, was shown telling this story while tears streamed down his cheeks. A mobile camera followed him around his little white house to a marble monument carefully tended with flowers. The inscription read:
IN MEMORY OF MAXIMILIAN KOLBE
HE DIED IN MY PLACE.
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. - John 15:13 (NLT)
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, from the RGV,
Well, this is my last post from the Rio Grande Valley. We will be leaving Monday. Please keep us in your prayers. As you know, gas prices are headed to $4 a gallon, but I know God is still in control. I was reading this morning and we received an email from a friend that her husband just walked out on her and their children. Then I read this devotional from David Jeremiah:
Brick by Brick
Therefore we do not lose heart... the inward man is being renewed day by day. - 2 Corinthians 4:16
Thomas Carlyle labored with intensity on the first volume of a three-part study of the French Revolution. He felt it could be his greatest work. He loaned the manuscript to his friend John Stuart Mill to read, and Mill read it by the fire. One morning the maid, cleaning the room and seeing the scattered pages on the floor, threw them in the fire. When Carlyle learned his manuscript was burned to ash, he sank into abysmal depression. Some time later, still desolate, he saw a brick mason through the window. The man was standing on a scaffold, singing and whistling to himself as he built the wall of a house one brick at a time. Watching him, Carlyle decided he would write his book again, one page at a time. His history of the revolution became famous, and he is remembered as one of Scotland's literary giants.
Perhaps you've lost something very valuable to you. Don't give up. Tomorrow still holds a bright promise, and the Lord blesses faithful, plodding work. Let's take it step-by-step, day-by-day, and moment-by-moment.
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine,
moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine. - Daniel Whittle
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, from the RGV,
We are coming to the end of our time here and I urge you to be in prayer for our travels and financial needs. I want to thank each of you who have given to our ministry; without you we could not continue.
Don't Leave Shore Without Him!*
A young naval ensign was completing his first cruise aboard a large destroyer. He performed so admirably in executing all his duties that he was given the honor of getting the ship underway. In his excitement and enthusiasm for being given such an honor, he went through every procedure carefully, wanting to further impress his superiors. However, in setting a new record he broke an old rule. As he was sterring the ship out of the harbor, the first Officer quietly said to him, “Ensign, you have overlooked one of the unwritten rule of the sea. Make sure the Captain is on board before you get under way.”
Even though we are eager to get under way we need to make sure the Captain is on board. When look at all we are expected to do and what we need to get done, we need to ask the Lord to be with us every step. As I preached last week, first of all, Pray and ask God on board.
Psalms 139:10 (ASV) Even there shall thy hand lead me, And thy right hand shall hold me.
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, from the RGV,
We are saying "Adios" to many, but this week has still been very busy. That is good because it makes the time go by faster.
My sermon this week is “How Can I Make my Prayer Life Fresh and New?”.
Does Prayer Always Work?
An avid baseball fan was sitting next to a priest during a baseball game. Aware of the need to speak religiously, the fan did his best to speak of Godly things.
A player came to bat, and before stepping to the plate, bowed his head and made the sign of the cross. On the first pitch he hit the ball over the bleachers and out of the park.
On his next trip to the plate he followed the same routine. On the first pitch he hit another home run. Amazed, the man turned to the priest and asked, “Does prayer always work out there?”
"It does," said the priest, "if you can hit."
We can never assume that prayer is a substitute for hard work or intense practice. We must always be aware of the fact that God has given each of us skills, talents, and abilities. However, we are also responsible for applying ourselves diligently to develop them to the best of our ability- then pray.
James 2:17- Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
1 Timothy 2:1 - First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,
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, from the RGV,
Many are leaving but there is still much to do. We have several in the hospital and we have others with surgeries scheduled this week. As always, we receive prayer request from many who read our devotional. A lot of you are beginning to travel to your summer destinations. So I urge you to stop this morning and join us in prayer for all those in need and that includes us.
My sermon this week is on “Prayer and Fasting” . I have told this story a number of times but it never grows old.
Daddy's Empty Chair*
A man's daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit.
"I guess you were expecting me, he said.
'No, who are you?" said the father.
The minister told him his name and then remarked, "I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew I was going to show up."
"Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man. "Would you mind closing the door?"
Puzzled, the minister shut the door.
"I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head. I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man continued, "until one day four years ago, my best friend said to me, 'Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest. Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he promised, 'I will be with you always'.
Then just speak to him in the same way you're doing with me right now.'"
"So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though, if my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm."
The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey....Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church.
Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon.
"Did he die in peace?" he asked.
"Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange about his death.
Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?"
The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we could all go like that."
Mathew 6:6 - But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret, and thy Father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee.
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, from the RGV,
It has been busy around here and I have had a cold, as well, but praise the Lord, I feel better this week.
Last Sunday, we told the congregation that we will be back next year and to my surprise we received a round of applause. We have been torn in the process of making a decision about next winter season, but we trust the Lord and as we have been praying, God has brought people to us encouraging us and telling us how God is working in their lives. The "topper" came last Friday when a lady came over to ask some questions. We answered her questions but I could feel there was one she didn't ask. I asked her about her salvation and she wasn't sure and she wanted to be sure. She prayed for forgiveness and asked Jesus into her heart and life. Praise the Lord!!!!
My sermon this week is on “A Helping Hand” and how we can help others.
Breakthrough
It was the first time she had competed in the Special Olympics. Winning the fifty-yard dash was more than she could ever expected. In her excitement, the young girl ran to her parents and shouted “Mom and Dad, I won, I won the race!”
Standing in front of the crowd, a medal for winning the race was placed around her neck. Her parents looked on with great pride, eyes filled with tears that ended streaming down their cheeks onto their swelled chests.
An offical who was puzzeled by their tears approached them and asked,”Is something wrong?” “No said the mother. We just heard our daughter speak for the first time.”
It is easy for Christians to do good works and kind deeds in the name of the Lord without mentioning His name. Thats alright, but we must also be willing and without hesitation, boldly tell others of His redeeming grace and salvation.
Psalms 107:1 - 2 (ASV)
1 O give thanks unto Jehovah; For he is good; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever. 2 Let the redeemed of Jehovah say so, Whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the adversary,
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, from the RGV,
Thanks for all your prayers. Our trip to Waco was without any problems. We were able to witness God's power. Our son-in-law's mother, that was on life support, was transferred to a long-term care facility yesterday and is doing much better. The prognosis is for her to be there only a short time for physical and occupational therapy, then home to live her life. Praise the Lord!! Just a few short days ago, thoughts of a funeral loomed in our minds. God is faithful when we pray and believe.
We have the privilage to pray for people daily and the most requested prayer is for a loved one going through cancer. As I was reading this morning, I read the following, a word of encouragement.
What Cancer Cannot Do
"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39
What if you had an appointment with the doctor and found out that you had cancer? Maybe you have heard this news or heard it on behalf of a loved one. I want to tell you some things cancer cannot do.
Cancer cannot shatter hope.
Cancer cannot corrode faith.
Cancer cannot eat away peace.
Cancer cannot place a limit on eternal life.
Cancer cannot quench the spirit of God and
cancer cannot lessen the power of the resurrection.
That's how limited cancer is! - Adrian Rogers
Laugh for the day:
Open MicrophoneWhile my son was on the Navy carrier USS George Washington, the air wing was busy with training missions. After talking to a pilot, one air-traffic controller accidentally left his microphone on and remarked to a nearby buddy, "That guy sounded just like Elmer Fudd."
The airwaves got strangely quiet as everyone listened, realizing that the pilot had also heard the comment. After about ten seconds, the pilot broke the silence by announcing:
"Be vewy, vewy quiet. We aw hunting submawines."
Smile! God loves you! Thank Him for humor.
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
