Reply from Frank & Helen Maguire

Don, LaVon, and Quail Run friends,

We are reaching the end of our stay in Kirkland, WA. On Sunday we begin our train trek across the frigid north-central tundra, eventually on to Indianapolis.

We have enjoyed our stay, though "unhappy" re: the weather here. But we know that Joy, not happiness, is the test.

I am involved in the Dickens matter, still. Arizona Federal Public Defender Dale Baich and I stay in communication. He has sent to me the full trial transcript--Grand Jury, Pre-trials, and Trial--on a cd rom. I am in the process of studying it. It is a bundle, and all of the procedural stuff makes one wonder how we ever make the system work. (Does it work?) I will tell you more when we return to AZ, on the first or second week of March.

Give our love to all, and continue to pray for us. God's grace is sufficient for the day, and, as I look over our national scene, we need a super-abundance of it these days.

God bless,

Frank and Helen

Don Baker wrote:

How are you two doing? LaVon and I think of you two often and pray for you and yours. I have been asked by several in church how you are. Hope we get to spend some time together before we leave. Let me know where you are and what your plans may be.

Have a great day,
Love, Don

Sunday's Coming

Good morning from Arizona.

I pray all is going great for you. We had the best service Sunday since we have been here. A couple brought their granddaughter. I always give people an opportunity to give their heart to Jesus. Your right, this beautiful little girl prayed and asked Jesus into her heart.

God continues to use us here in a special way. I urge you to keep us in your prayers. I know when you're on the mountain top, you could fall off.

Know that we think of you often and are in our prayers. If you have a specific prayer request, let us know so we can pray with you.

Happy Valentine's Day!

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


I've Learned

I've learned that when you're in love, it shows.

I've leaned that just one person saying to me, "You've made my day!"makes my day.

I've learned that what we do for only ourselves dies with us, but what we do selflessly for others becomes immortal.

I've learned that I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.

I've learned never to humiliate another person.

I've learned that if you are still talking about what you did yesterday, you haven't done much today.

I've learned that when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned that no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned that life is tough, but I am tougher.

I've learned that friends are telling you something you should really listen to them even when it's something that you really don't want to hear.

I've learned that no matter how many times you lose someone you love, it still hurts just as bad as if it were the first time.

I've learned to live like you're gonna die tomorrow...

Why worry when you can pray?

Sunday's Coming

Good morning,

I would tell you it is cold here but you would just laugh and say, "You should be here." Hope all is well with you and yours.

We want to say "thank you" again for your prayers, emails and especially the phone calls. It seems every time we hear from you something is going on and we are feeling a little down but, afterwards, we are encouraged again.

The work here is rewarding. We are seeing God at work in many ways. So, keep praying, writing and calling. It lifts our spirits so we can continue the work.

Also, keep us in your mind regarding our financial needs and thanks in advance for your support.

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

TINY FROGS

Once upon a time there was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a running competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower. A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants....

The race began....

Honestly: No one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower.

You heard statements such as: "Oh, WAY too difficult!!"

"They will NEVER make it to the top."

"Not a chance that they will succeed. The tower is too high!"

The tiny frogs began collapsing. One by one except for those, who in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher.

The crowd continued to yell, "It is too difficult!!! No one will make it!"

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up but ONE continued higher and higher and higher, this one wouldn't give up!

At the end everyone else had given up climbing the tower. Except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

THEN all of the other tiny frogs naturally wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it? A contestant asked the tiny frog how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal?

It turned out that the winner was DEAF!!!!

The wisdom of this story is: Never listen to other people's tendencies to be negative or pessimistic because they take your most wonderful dreams and wishes away from you, the ones you have in your heart!

Always think of the power words have because everything you hear and read will affect your actions!

Therefore: ALWAYS be POSITIVE!

And above all: Be DEAF when people tell YOU that you cannot fulfill your dreams!

With thanks to George Mow

To The World You Might Be One Person; But To One Person You Might Bethe World.

If you fall down 10 times, Stand up 11 times.

the Christmas Miracle continues

I received an email from Frank Maguire last week:

"LaVon and Don

Saw your fascinating web-site (blog).

I am sure that the publication of God at work in the Dickens matter will touch some folk. This is how the Lord works. There was a celebration of life service held for Joan on the beach at Carlsbad, CA. I wrote Celebration of Life and sent a number of copies to Michael Dickens to dispense. He promised me that he would. Michael, who has not been in contact with (his brother) Greg since the murders, conviction, and incarceration told me "I'm going to Arizona to visit Greg."

God heals, often in a way that we can't understand.

Hope to see you before you depart Quail Run, and hope, also, that all is going well.

grace and heart-peace,
Frank and Helen

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A Celebration of Life

by Frank Maguire

People often say “What a wonderful book,” or “Isn’t that song beautiful?” This is so common that we give no conscious thought to what is really being said. If we were challenged, we would surely say that by “wonderful book” we mean “a wonderful work of writing by the author.” And, “the composer was surely inspired when he produced that music.” In other words, we admire the creation, but we wisely give the credit to the creator.

Today is, specifically, a Celebration of the Life of Joan Dickens, but a celebration not limited to the life of Joan Dickens. Joan Dickens knew, and all who know the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, know, that the very reason Life is of value is that it is sacred, and should be revered and celebrated because God is the author…the composer…the Creator. It is the sanctity of each human life that is to be celebrated.


Better than most persons, Joan Dickens knew that her life was not of superior value relative to the life of others. She knew that all mortal souls are created by God, and that all fall short of perfection in this world.

There are those who reject the absolute sanctity of life, “If life has ended,” they might suggest, “should we not be celebrating death--the great release from worldly punishments?” Others could suggest, “We really are celebrating the life of Joan Dickens because she was a good person. So, we celebrate the good things that she did in her life.” It is not, they propose, what one is, but what one does that should be the cause for celebration. There is no intrinsic sanctity of human life, some insist, there is only relative utility, and it is measured by the quality of the life—by how valuable the life has been to its cultural and economic environment. But Joan Dickens knew better than that. She knew that each life has equivalent value because God is the author, and composer, of that life. God, she knew, is the eternal Judge, not men.


So, today, we are honoring Joan Dickens in a Celebration of Life. It is appropriate, for there are few persons who understood the sanctity of all life more than did Joan Dickens. All life! The innocent and the guilty! The sinner and the saint! The weak and the strong! The Jew and the Samaritan! Joan Dickens understood because she had within her the heart of her Lord and Savior. Yes, perhaps in this great universe Joan Dickens’ life might be thought of as a tiny rock cast into this expansive ocean…creating but a seemingly negligible ripple. But the ripple produced by the life of Joan Dickens will continue without end. For an eternity! Upon rocks thought negligible by the World, Jesus Christ built His church.



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A beautiful poem by Frank:





Surpassing Understanding (verse one)

By Frank Maguire
© July 12, 2006


The weighty heat of day relents,
And of the burdens it has laid upon us,
Even God’s worn Earth repents.

The life of this day’s sun,
Consumed by saw-toothed mountains in the West,
The crimson spread attests
That day is done.

‘Tis then we see Earth’s life in glory
With golden halo, Heaven’s clouds reflecting
One more day of poignant story.

A cool angelic zephyr sings
While angel faces dot the night;
And Earth, no more within our sight,
We soar away to Peace on Heavenly wings.


Surpassing Understanding (verse two)

By Frank Maguire
© July 24, 2006

The weighty heat of day relents
And of the burdens it has laid upon us
Even hostile Earth repents

The life of this day’s sun
By God ordained to ebb beyond its crest
Penumbra spread attests
That day is done.

Then, we see Earth’s life in glory.
Gold and crimson halo, Heaven’s clouds reflecting
One more day of poignant story.

“Come be with Me,” the whispering!
While angel faces dot the night,
And we, with Earth no longer in our sight
Are drawn to Paradise on Heavenly wings.

Sunday's Coming

Good morning, it is that time again. I pray you are well and safe.

We continue to stay busy. Just yesterday, a lady in the park fell early in the morning. When we received the call, LaVon ran to her and stayed until she was taken to the hospital. After her Bible study we went to the hospital and praise the Lord, no broken bones, an answer to prayer.

So you see life here is like it was in the church back home, people need the love of Jesus and fellow Christians. My sermon this week is on telling others about Jesus even if you have to use words.

I urge you to keep us in your prayers, that we remain healthy and that our needs are met. Thanks for your emails, phone calls and support. Know we could not be doing this without you.

I read this this morming from Adrian Rogers and wanted to share it with you. Enjoy and may God use you today in someones life.

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

BIBLE MEDITATION:

"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty." 1 Corinthians 1:27

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

The people God chooses to do His work are plain, simple folks. All youhave to do is look at the twelve men Jesus chose to be His disciples.Fishermen, a tax collector, a "zealot." What a ragtag bunch! But theyended up "turning the world upside down." And those who watched them exclaimed, "Why, these are ignorant and unlearned men!" (Acts 4:13).

Maybe you didn't make the "Who's Who," or worse still, you made the "Who'sNot"! That's all right. God has a plan for you. God knows what He is doing. He turns the table on the world's idea of success. Wealth, fame, acclaim none of these are necessary for you to be used of God.

ACTION POINT:

What a glorious truth for you to share with someone today who may be feeling like they're not worth much. Ask God to lead you to that someone right now.

Sunday's Coming

Time seems to be going fast. I guess when you are busy and happy, time just gets away. I think it has a lot to do with our attitude, when you are doing what God wants you to do, you can't be anything but content.

Sunday, my topic was about discouragement and you know what happened, I got discouraged. God dealt with me and out of it came this weeks message, Forgiveness. You see when you get down the next thing that happens is you strike out at someone else. Now, you have to be about asking others for forgiveness. We need the right attitude in all situations. I read this this morning:

Rejoice in the LORD always. I will say it again: Rejoice! —Philippians 4:4
As you read it, remember the words of Paul in Philippians 4:11b, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances…”

There once was a woman who woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and noticed she had only three hairs on her head.
Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today ." So she did and she had a wonderful day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and saw that she had only two hairs on her head.
"H-M-M," she said, "I think I'll part my hair down the middle today . " So she did and she had a grand day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that she had only one hair on her head.
"Well," she said, "today I'm going to wear my hair in a pony tail." So she did and she had a fun, fun day.
The next day she woke up, looked in the mirror and noticed that there wasn't a single hair on her head.
"YEA!" she exclaimed, "I don't have to fix my hair today!"
The road you are traveling may be difficult and even heartbreaking. These seasons of life are inevitable. Yet, how we respond makes a tremendous difference. We can ask for God’s strength to help us. We can choose the attitudes we live by, even on our darkest day.

Laugh for the day:
"Salesmanship"
During a magazine and newspaper subscription drive, our son Philip, a paperboy, learned about good salesmanship.
His supervisor had instructed the kids to maintain a positive attitude, even when turned down. One potential customer told Philip, "I've got papers and magazines strewn all over the place -- I don't need any more."
Philip's reply? "Well, how about a subscription to Good Housekeeping?"

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

Sunday's Coming

Good morning,

I pray all is well with you. God is good, all the time.

He continues to show Himself here in our lives. Whenever we start to feel discouraged He shows us how we have been used here in someones life.

Just Monday, I was told of a man that was put in the nursing home from our park. I had had the privilege of spending time with him and sharing Jesus. My prayer is he really understood what we had talked about, but it encourages me to know God used me to talk with him.

We have befriended another couple that has never been to church and every Sunday they tell me how how God is talking to them.

Oh, I could go on but you see that even when I get down, God always lifts me up. Sometimes it's from people here and other times it fom hearing from you. Thanks.

"When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying."

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

"Perspective"
A woman walks in a store to return a pair of eyeglasses that she had purchased for her husband a week before. "What seems to be the problem, madam?"
"I'm returning these glasses I bought for my husband. He's still not seeing things my way."