Sunday's Coming

Good Morning,

Thank you for your prayers, e-mails and calls what a blessing you are to us. When we hear from one of you, we are encouraged and our strength is revitalized. Thank you! 

Each day we have a choice we can be negative or choose to be positive.

Hows are you feeling today?

If you are feeling defeated and discouraged, you have forgotten something vitally important.

Psalm 42 is a great example of how loving the Lord with your memory can fill you with hope, pull you out of the pit of discouragement, and propel you into more fervent faith. Here David presents a problem and a solution: "My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you" (Psalm 42:6). Whether you’re in the valley or on the mountaintop, let David’s cry be your prayer.

Prayer: God, thank You for the many ways You have delivered me, helped me, healed me, and provided for me. Today I choose to dwell on Your faithfulness rather than my own disappointments. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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

Sunday Is Coming

Good Morning,

This one is a little long but well worth the time.

FACING TRIALS

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4 (Does that sound familiar?)

James, in his letter to the early Christians, lists the qualities that many kinds of trials develop in us.

She stood outside the doorway of the church intrigued by the love and joy displayed by those inside. The missionary had asked her to come in, but she had politely declined. This was a hostile area in the Philippines, and her father had strictly forbidden her to have anything to do with “those Christians.”
Unknown to the little Filipino girl, the missionary was praying fervently for her soul. Finally one Sunday morning, the little girl accepted the invitation to attend the Sunday school class. There she also opened her heart to Jesus and became a child of God. The missionary presented her with a beautiful white dress, representing the fact that Jesus had washed all her sins away.
The next Sunday the little girl was nowhere to be found. Concerned for the girl, the missionary travelled to her home village. Arriving at her home, she found the young, new believer lying in the dirt. Her white dress was torn, filthy, and soaked in blood. The girl’s father hadn’t shared the missionary’s joy in his daughter’s new-found faith. In a drunken rage he had beaten her, repeatedly kicked her, and left her to die.
The missionary gently lifted the fragile girl and carried her back to the church where a doctor rushed to help. But there was nothing he could do. He removed the ragged dress and cleaned her up, but her injuries were too severe. The missionary stayed with her, trying to comfort her during her final hour.
Upon regaining consciousness the little girl made an unusual request. She insisted on holding in her hand the white dress the missionary had given her. They explained that it was torn and soaked with blood and dirt. With the simple faith of a child she whispered, “I just want Jesus to know that I was willing to bleed for Him.”

RESPONSE: Today I acknowledge that struggles and trials are exactly what I need in my life. Without them, I would be crippled. I would never fly!

PRAYER: Lord, cause my suffering to make what I really believe to be evident to others.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS)
A daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks

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

Sunday's Coming!

Good Morning,

Thank you for your prayers, e-mails and calls the past few weeks; you all help us so much. A special thanks for each of you who sent money to buy the tent and chairs; we are almost there! You are bringing a vision to life.

I was reading this morning and read the following : From Dayspring Cards:

Thanking God for You
I always thank God for you. I Corinthians 1:4
A squeal of excitement, an encouraging smile, a shoulder to cry on…a true friend walks through life with you. Thank you for being there for us during these trying times. As I remember each of you I encourage you to think about the special friends God has brought into your life. Take a moment to SHARE with them what a blessing they are to you!

Take time right now to praise Him for this day, the challenges in it and those who help you through it. You will be amazed at the difference it will make in you!


We love you and want to thank you for all the ways you support us.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don

P.S. We have sold the pick-up truck and are thankful for the very nice 2002 Chrysler 300M that God led us to.

Sunday's Coming!

Good Morning,

We continue to be pleased, more each day, with this park. God seems to allow me to visit daily with our manager here in the park and he seems to like me for some reason. We both get to tell him of our Jesus.  He has agreed to let us have church services here, but we will need a place to do it. He has agreed to an area in the park, so all we need is a tent and chairs. The leading by God to do a church service and/or Bible study here in the park is very encouraging to us in light of how I have felt the last few months. We are now even more encouraged that the pacemaker/defibralator upgrade to be done, Friday, October 3rd, will be successful in increasing the function of my heart and I will have energy once again to stand and preach. Glory to God!

In my quiet time this morning, I read the following by Pastor Jeff Schreve. Some of you will recognize why this spoke to me and I hope it encourages you, also.

Rejoice in each day!
Perhaps you heard the story of Bob who died and went to heaven. As Saint Peter was showing him around, he noticed a “complaint box.” “Peter!!” Bob exclaimed, “Why would there be a complaint box in heaven?” Peter replied, “Well, heaven is a place of perfect happiness… and some people just cannot be happy unless they can complain.” 
MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE
Regardless of the situation we may be facing today, one thing is for sure: God made this day… and He wants us to rejoice in it. In Psalm 118:24, a definite choice was made to rejoice. The writer says, “We will rejoice and be glad...” Rejoicing is an act of the will. 
You and I can choose to rejoice and be glad, or we can choose to grumble, gripe and complain. Choosing the latter course of action does not change the circumstances, it just sours your attitude and outlook. Choosing to rejoice, however, pleases God and lets your light for the Lord shine among men. 
What are you facing today? Stop complaining and start rejoicing! You and I serve a RISEN Savior who loves us, died and rose again for us, and promises to work all things together for good for us. 
Take time right now to praise Him for this day and the challenges in it. You will be amazed at the difference it will make in you!

We want to thank you for your support through your prayers, calls, e-mails and financial gifts. You are an encouragement to us more than you know and we know that God has answered your prayers for us many, many times.

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

Sunday's Coming!

Good Morning,

Thank you for your prayers, e-mails and calls. You all help us so much. I continue to struggle daily with health issues, but I count it all joy and claim God's promises.

I was reading this morning and read the following it is my life verse:

Paul's ThornBy Michael Youssef, Ph.D.
After the Apostle Paul pleaded with God to take away his thorn, God responded, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
What was Paul’s thorn? We don’t know. Whatever it was, it really doesn’t matter, but what matters is this: This was no minor irritation. Paul’s thorn in the flesh was a torment day-in and day-out. He was in severe pain.
In 2 Corinthians 11, the Apostle Paul talks about the horrendous things that were happening to him he was shipwrecked, nearly stoned to death, lashed thirty-nine times, beaten, put in prison, and deathly hungry and thirsty and yet through all of this he never prayed to God and said, "God, take these things away from me." Not once do we see him praying that these things would go away. Meanwhile, he persists in prayer over this thorn, whatever it was.It is no accident that the Bible did not tell us what his specific problem was. The Holy Spirit left this out deliberately so that all who go through suffering could identify with Paul. This godly man quietly asked the Lord to intervene and deliver him quickly, just like we often do and there is nothing wrong with that request. However, God’s response was, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Do you believe in the sufficiency of His grace today?
Prayer: God, thank You for Paul’s example of trusting Your grace in his life as he struggled with his thorn in the flesh. Help me to do the same. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
"That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12:10).

We want to thank you for your support through your prayers, calls, e-mails and gifts.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don

Sunday's Coming

Good morning,

We are very happy in our new location. It's so peaceful and much quieter here. Almost daily, God gives me an opportunity to chat with Louie, the owner. He may only be one person, but he is valuable to God.

Thankfully, it didn't fall on our RV, but it did take out a portion of the top strand of wire on Louie's fence.  The tree cutting crew repaired the fence.

As I deal with health issues, the following from David Jeremiah spoke to my heart this morning. I hope it will be an encouragement to you, as well.

Worshiping in the Darkness
I will praise You with my whole heart; before the gods I will sing praises to You. - Psalm 138:1
Recommended Reading
Job 42:1-6
The nineteenth-century South African pastor and writer, Andrew Murray, was feeling unwell one day when a woman came seeking his advice about a difficult situation in which she was involved. Unable to see the woman in person, he wrote down a few paragraphs on paper for his housekeeper to give to the woman. The last line he wrote was a summary for her to believe: "I am here (1) by God's appointment, (2) in His keeping, (3) under His training, (4) for His time."
In short, Andrew Murray gave his visitor four reasons for worshiping God even in times of trouble. If we are where we are by God's appointment, in His keeping, under His training, for His time, what could we possibly have to worry about? Those four points are usually what we think when things are going well, when we really feel like worshiping God. But if they are true all the time, even when things are hard, why wouldn't we worship God in those times as well? We agree with Job: "Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" (Job 2:10) 
We don't worship God because things are good or otherwise. We worship Him because of His sovereign oversight and care for our life. 

Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light. - V. Raymond Edman 

I read in Isaiah 46:4 this week and I really like this verse ... the most obvious reason being that my hair is almost solid silver now.  Second reason: God is good and I know He is carrying me.

Isaiah 46:3-4New King James Version (NKJV)

3 “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,
And all the remnant of the house of Israel,
Who have been upheld by Me from birth,
Who have been carried from the womb:
4 Even to your old age, I am He,
And even to gray hairs I will carry you!
I have made, and I will bear;
Even I will carry, and will deliver you.

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

Don

Sunday's Coming

Good Morning,

Thank you for your prayers, e-mails and calls; you all help us so much. We are settling in at this new, small RV park more each day. I continue to visit daily with our manager here in the park. He seems to like me, for some reason, and I get to tell him of my Jesus. Yesterday he and the maintenance man were washing our rig and we started talking about doing good things and heaven. I told him that grace was the only way to heaven and he agreed that Jesus Christ is the only way.
We pray God uses us to encourage this nice man in his walk with the Lord.

Morning in Magnolia.
Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together.

I was reading this morning and read the following:

WHAT’S A PROVERB?
Little Ruby was saying her bedtime prayers. “Dear God,” she prayed, “please help bad people to be good and good people to be nice.” Whether Ruby knew it or not, she provided a simple way of describing what the book of Proverbs is: “a guidebook for living a life that pleases God.”
Over the years, various cultures and societies have established different criteria to describe whether or not one is “successful.” Many have put “wealth” at the top of the list. And money, to some degree, is important and necessary if one is to have the basic necessities of life. Others would speak of power, prestige and one’s position in society as being critical. Those words express the core values of individuals who want to be recognized for what they have accomplished on the world’s stage in politics, the military or banking and finance. No doubt some want to be remembered for doing some “thing” that no one else has done - like discovering a medicine that extends life or setting a record in a particular sport, inventing a product or procedure that makes life better or is useful, valuable or delightful.But those whose lives are guided by the lessons that we find in The Proverbs are those who fear God and allow Him to guide them, guard them and give them His gifts.We often talk about hindsight, sometimes we wish we had foresight, but Solomon’s Proverbs give us insight to make decisions based on God’s laws. Proverbs provides the believer with God’s wisdom that is underwritten by God’s power that we may live godly lives.
Prayer: Grant us willful hearts, Lord, to obey Your laws. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Scripture for Today: Proverbs 1:1 Begins with: "The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:" and ends with verse 33 "but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

We want to thank you for your support through your prayers, calls, e-mails and gifts.

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