Sunday’s Coming

Good Morning,

We are just outside Colorado Springs. The evenings are cool but we are having trouble breathing in this altitude.  Please pray for us.

In my reading this morning was this, by The Sower:

DIG DEEPER!

Henry was caught up in the gold rush. Shortly after arriving in California he found a mine, staked a claim and began digging. One day he found some ore, became excited, and believed he had struck it rich. He knew without any doubt that fame and fortune would soon be his. He kept digging for a few weeks but eventually became discouraged and wanted to quit. Finally, a stranger approached him and offered to purchase his mine. In a moment of frustration he agreed to sell his rights for $11,000.00.
The new owner was excited about his purchase and began to dig where Henry stopped. And he kept digging for years and years. Eventually the Comstock Mine produced 340 million dollars of gold!

Wanting to encourage the church in Galatia, the Apostle Paul wrote, "So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up for we will reap a harvest of blessings at the appropriate time."

We have all faced those times in our lives when we become discouraged and distressed at doing what we believe is the right thing to do. No one offers a word of thanks or encouragement and there are no visible results to accompany our hard work. But Paul reminds us to keep on doing good and to trust God for the results. Giving in or giving up or giving out is the sure way to forfeit the blessing that God will award us for being faithful.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, may we be faithful to You in what You ask us to do. Protect us from allowing discouragement to destroy us and doubt to defeat us. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

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

Sunday’s Coming

Good Morning,

We are just outside Omaha. We leave tomorrow headed west, keep us in your prayers as we travel.

In my reading this morning was the following (if you have ever been in church with us you will recognize the scripture): by The Sower:

LET GOD BE THE JUDGE

Young Anthony was ending his prayers before leaving for school. “And, finally God, thank You for this beautiful day that You have given us.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
“But, Anthony,” protested his mother, “this is not going to be a beautiful day. There are large thunderstorms approaching.”
“I know, Mom,” replied Anthony. “Never judge a day by its weather,” he said as he ran out the door.

The Psalmist proclaimed, “This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it!”

Sometimes when we get half way through a day we feel that there is nothing to rejoice about or to be thankful for. Our problems mount and their solutions evade us. Our plans are interrupted by meaningless demands that make no sense at all. Our decisions seem to be wrong no matter how hard we tried to get them right. Our sorrow overwhelms us and our guilt appears beyond His forgiveness. What then? Rejoice?
Makes no sense to most people.
But according to the Psalmist, that’s the thing to do.

Prayer: Thank You, God, for always being with us in all of our difficulties. Help us to hear Your voice and to accept Your grace as a solution to our problems. May we Praise You Today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today:

Psalm 118:24-28 ~ This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

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

Sunday's Coming

Good Morning,

We are in Kansas City, Kansas, visiting great friends we met in our first park in Arizona. They have been the good host and hostess and showed us the sites of Kansas City. We leave tomorrow for Omaha and then west. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel.

In my reading this morning was this by The Sower:


I can't help but think of our friends in Norman that lost everything in the fire

GOD BLESS OUR BUMPS

Little Martha was in a hurry to run out the door so she would not be late for school. In her haste she tripped and fell, hitting her head on the floor. Immediately, a bump appeared and frightened her. As the
tears ran down her cheeks she climbed into her mother’s arms to be comforted.
Her Mom, holding her tightly, placed a cold pad on the lump and said, “Let’s pray and ask Jesus to heal you so you can go to school.”
Soon the tears stopped, Martha left her mother’s lap, stood up and said, “Jesus healed me. Now I can go to school.”
That night when they knelt to pray the mother asked, “What do you want to thank Jesus for tonight.”
“My bump,” answered Martha quickly. “Because now I know He loves me because He made my bump go away.”

“Whenever trouble comes your way,” wrote James, “let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has an opportunity to grow.” 

In the life of every Christian, there is always a connection between the problem and the promise, between the hardship and the hope.
James reminds us to turn our difficulties into optimism and to have a positive outlook for life. Troubles are not an end in themselves. If we are willing to work with God, He can teach us perseverance.

Prayer: May we understand and accept, Father, that “whatever comes our way” is for our good and that we can profit from every hardship as we learn to trust You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: James 1:2 -- My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. (title of this blog)

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

Sunday's Coming

Good Morning,

We are still in Tulsa, Oklahoma, having a good time with family but it is very, very hot.  112 degrees yesterday.

In my reading this morning was this: by The Sower:

PROFIT AND LOSS

It was one of those days when nothing seemed to go right at work. Ralph had lost sale after sale and was three hours late for his lunch. He sat down on his favorite stool in his favorite diner waiting to place his order. When the waitress asked for his order, he said meekly, “Please, I like two things:
an order of pot roast and a few kind words.”
Looking at him kindly, she replied, “The kindest words I can think of right now are, ‘don’t order the pot roast.’“
Offering “kind words” is the responsibility of every Christian every day. Everyone we meet needs words of strength, hope and encouragement to meet the challenges they face. Life for most of us has various shades of difficulty each day.

But what are the kindest words we can ever offer anyone? I Love You! Or:

Perhaps they are these:
“Don’t forget the next world while living in this one.”

It is possible for each of us to put our values on the wrong things. No one is immune from being caught up in the moment when we are vulnerable and weak. How sad it will be if we live our lives and, at the last moment, discover life’s greatest mistake: we did not include God in our plans.

Jesus asked, “How do you benefit anything if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul?”

Prayer: We pray, Lord, that we will recognize our greatest need: first to accept You as our Savior and then to bring others to a knowledge of Your saving grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.


Scripture for Today: Mark 8:34-38 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? 37 Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?


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

Sunday's Coming

Good Morning,

We are in Tulsa, Oklahoma, having a good time with family.

In my reading this morning was this: by "Word for You Today"

“Look for the best in each other.” 1 Thess 5:15

V. J. Smith writes: “I don’t remember the date I met Marty. Like a lot of people…the line I was in wasn’t moving as quickly as I wanted and I glanced towards the cashier…an affable-looking man in his seventies. I thought, ‘Well, he’s an old guy and it probably takes him longer’…For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer with the usual ‘How’s it going?’ Then he did something different—he actually listened. 

You don’t give much thought to the question. I could say, ‘I just found out I’ve six months to live,’ and someone would reply, ‘Have a great day!’ 

The old cashier walked round to the customers, extended his hand, looked them in the eye and said, ‘I want to thank you for shopping here today. Have a great day.’ The looks on their faces were priceless. There were smiles and sheepish grins. All had been touched by this simple gesture…Some walked away, paused…and looked back…they couldn’t quite comprehend what had just happened…I wanted to take him home and feed him cookies!…I’d been in that store a hundred times and never walked away feeling like that.”

A marriage counselor asked a couple to list each others good qualities. The husband listed twelve. His wife couldn’t think of any! The Bible says, “Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.”

That’s hard to do when you’re looking for perfection and focusing on the other person’s shortcomings. The Bible says, “Love…keeps no record of wrongs” (1Co 13:4-5 NIV).

In other words, look for the best in them!

How are you doing in this today?

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

Sunday's Coming

Good Morning,

Today is our last day here in Norman.  We will leave tomorrow for Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In my reading this morning was this:


The Treasure Waiting to Be Opened
  by Adrian Rogers

“I rejoice at Thy word, as one that finds great spoil.” - Psalm 119:162

Have you ever found a dollar bill on the sidewalk? Did you leave it there? You probably picked it up, maybe asked people around you if it was theirs, and if it wasn’t, maybe you rejoiced a little, hmm?

Now, what happens with your Bible? You see it sitting on your desk and say, “Oh, the Bible is a wonderful book filled with good things for my life.” But what good is it going to do to just say nice things about the Bible? A dime and a gold Krugerrand are both of the same value when they are corroding on the ocean floor.

The promises in God’s Word are of no value, unless you dig down deep and appropriate them into your life.

My prayer for you today and every day is that you read your Bible.


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

Sunday's Coming

Good Morning,

We are in Norman, Oklahoma. Happy Fourth of July!

I read the following today and wanted to share. From the Sower:

FREE FROM FEAR

The word “freedom” carries with it the idea of being free from any restraints or not being bound by any regulations, rules or requirements. Many long to live a life with no obligations,
no opposition or no oppression.Yet all of life is wrapped with boundaries of one nature or
another. Highways are divided by traffic lanes, stop signs,caution signs, turning lanes and many other constraints. Every athletic contest or sporting event has specific lines, certain types
of equipment or clothing and regulations to control the activities of the participants. Even something as simple as boiling water has specific criteria.
Rarely, if ever, do we pause to consider all of life’s limits. We take for granted the ability to move about at will, make independent choices and manage our own affairs. But does moving and choosing
and managing make us free? Not really. They still involve constraints in the final analysis. Where, then, do we find freedom?
Paul said, “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” God, through Christ, offers us the priceless gift of living each day free from destroying ourselves and free for being who He wants us to be and doing what He has created us to do. But we must allow His Spirit to direct us along the path He has laid out for us. We can only be free if we have accepted the forgiveness of God through Christ.

Prayer: Lord, may we not fool ourselves into thinking we are free if we are enslaved by sin and have not been forgiven. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Scripture for Today: 2 Corinthians 3:17 - Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

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