Good morning again,
I know, I am late but this has already been a busy week, I pray you forgive me and continue reading this post.
Last Sunday, I preached on the Bible, the inerrant word of God. How one in the hand is better than two on a shelf. How we get more out of the Bible when we let more of it get into us. This morning I would like to continue that thought by reading this passage;
…be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction. 2 Timothy 4:2b
Seldom in our lives do we get to see what’s coming next. I think about a sister in Christ who is sharing her life with the people of Haiti in a medical crisis; I think about our friends daughter with problems with her son, another friends daughter that has a friend who just lost her baby daughter,I think of a friend of our daughter who's mother has been taken off life support. My question this morning is: Will we be ready to help?
Are we actively seeking to further understand and gain knowledge of who God is through study and application of His word? Are our spiritual “gas tanks” daily being filled up with the Source of our Power through reading His Word and sharing our hearts with Him through prayer? God is so very kind – He regularly blesses our private time with Him by giving us opportunity to share that very day what we’ve learned from Him in the quiet moments. What a sweet way to anticipate, be ready, keeping our tanks filled up and available to His call… whenever it comes.
I pray daily for God to show me were He is at work and let me help, but also ask Him to give me the words to say and the demeanor in which to say them.
My prayer for you this morning is that you are reading His word and are ready to be used when someone ask you for help.
As always, thanks for your emails, phone calls, prayers and financial support... by these we can continue this ministry that the Lord has called us to.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Sunday's Coming
Good morning again,
It seems like the weeks are going by faster and faster.
As I was reading this morning thinking, "what will I write about?," I read this:
What I Believe
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? — Romans 10:14
"Sometimes people ask me why I do what I do. I have a very simple answer to that question, which is that I really do believe the things that we read in the Bible are true.
For example, I really believe what the Bible says about our lives being "a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). I really believe there is an eternity, there is an afterlife, there is a heaven, and there is a hell. I really believe that only those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ will go to heaven. And I also believe that I need to share this message with as many people as possible."
I also believe the Lord answers prayers and He puts people in our lives to minister to. We pray every moring and ask God where He is working and can we go with Him.
Monday we went to the hospital with one of the sweet people here in this park and while we were in the waiting room, I over heard a man talking on the phone, his wife of 62 years was not doing good; they were not giving her much chance to make it through the night. We went over and introduced ourselves and prayed with him and for his wife.
Yesterday, LaVon rode back up with Linnea to get Fran and while she was waiting, this gentleman came by; saw LaVon and his face lit up. They hugged and he told her his wife was doing much better and thanked us for caring and praying.
That, my dear friends, is why we do what we do and YES! I believe the Bible is God's word and it IS alive!
Today, I just want to tell you "thank you" for your support: emails, phone calls and financial. Without any of these we couldn't continue. As we continue asking God to lead us to where He is working, will you pray for us?
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
It seems like the weeks are going by faster and faster.
As I was reading this morning thinking, "what will I write about?," I read this:
What I Believe
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? — Romans 10:14
"Sometimes people ask me why I do what I do. I have a very simple answer to that question, which is that I really do believe the things that we read in the Bible are true.
For example, I really believe what the Bible says about our lives being "a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (James 4:14). I really believe there is an eternity, there is an afterlife, there is a heaven, and there is a hell. I really believe that only those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ will go to heaven. And I also believe that I need to share this message with as many people as possible."
I also believe the Lord answers prayers and He puts people in our lives to minister to. We pray every moring and ask God where He is working and can we go with Him.
Monday we went to the hospital with one of the sweet people here in this park and while we were in the waiting room, I over heard a man talking on the phone, his wife of 62 years was not doing good; they were not giving her much chance to make it through the night. We went over and introduced ourselves and prayed with him and for his wife.
Yesterday, LaVon rode back up with Linnea to get Fran and while she was waiting, this gentleman came by; saw LaVon and his face lit up. They hugged and he told her his wife was doing much better and thanked us for caring and praying.
That, my dear friends, is why we do what we do and YES! I believe the Bible is God's word and it IS alive!
Today, I just want to tell you "thank you" for your support: emails, phone calls and financial. Without any of these we couldn't continue. As we continue asking God to lead us to where He is working, will you pray for us?
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Sunday's Coming
Good morning,
We pray you are well today. If you have a prayer need, please email us and we will pray with you.
LaVon bought a wall art this week and it says, “The Best Things in Life Aren't Things” as I sit and think on that, one question comes to mind, especially since I like gadgets and things, what is better than things? The answer that came to me is relationships. The relationship between a husband and wife, the relationship with our children and grand children, our parents and our dear friends, the ones back home and the ones we have met on this journey the past three years.
You all with your emails, phone calls, and finacial support make each day possible. Thank you may God bless you!
I have left out the most important relationship and that is our relationship with the Lord Jesus. The Bible says; Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." Nothing in this world is important, wealth or material things, until you have a personal relationship with Jesus.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
DL Moody was a great evangelist from Chicago. He went to England once and met a young man there that wanted to preach in his church. Moody agreed thinking that he would never see him again. To his dismay he recieved a letter that said the young man would be in his town shortly and wanted to take him up on the offer. Moody was going out of town that week and agreed to let the man preach, but he warned the deacons to be ready in case it was a real flop. When Moody returned from his business his wife informed him that revival had broken out in his church and that "he needed to be converted". The young man preached every night on the same text, John 3:16, speaking of the love of God, from his heart. Moody went and he said he was indeed converted. He said I used to preach the judgment side of the cross, now I focus on the grace side of the cross, I used to preach mainly on the wrath of God, now I preach, he said, on the love of God. His life and ministry were forever changed. We need to experience a renewal of the love of Christ in our lives; a relationship with Him.
What is prayer to you? Why do you pray? A new inspirational movie, "A Time for Prayer" is a wonderful reminder of the power of prayer, its significance, and our daily need for it. Click here to watch.
We pray you are well today. If you have a prayer need, please email us and we will pray with you.
LaVon bought a wall art this week and it says, “The Best Things in Life Aren't Things” as I sit and think on that, one question comes to mind, especially since I like gadgets and things, what is better than things? The answer that came to me is relationships. The relationship between a husband and wife, the relationship with our children and grand children, our parents and our dear friends, the ones back home and the ones we have met on this journey the past three years.
You all with your emails, phone calls, and finacial support make each day possible. Thank you may God bless you!
I have left out the most important relationship and that is our relationship with the Lord Jesus. The Bible says; Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." Nothing in this world is important, wealth or material things, until you have a personal relationship with Jesus.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
DL Moody was a great evangelist from Chicago. He went to England once and met a young man there that wanted to preach in his church. Moody agreed thinking that he would never see him again. To his dismay he recieved a letter that said the young man would be in his town shortly and wanted to take him up on the offer. Moody was going out of town that week and agreed to let the man preach, but he warned the deacons to be ready in case it was a real flop. When Moody returned from his business his wife informed him that revival had broken out in his church and that "he needed to be converted". The young man preached every night on the same text, John 3:16, speaking of the love of God, from his heart. Moody went and he said he was indeed converted. He said I used to preach the judgment side of the cross, now I focus on the grace side of the cross, I used to preach mainly on the wrath of God, now I preach, he said, on the love of God. His life and ministry were forever changed. We need to experience a renewal of the love of Christ in our lives; a relationship with Him.
What is prayer to you? Why do you pray? A new inspirational movie, "A Time for Prayer" is a wonderful reminder of the power of prayer, its significance, and our daily need for it. Click here to watch.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Sunday's Coming
Good morning,
I pray you are well and warm. As we begin a new year let's join our hearts together in prayer: pray for our nation, our troops, and we ask you to keep LaVon and I in your prayers for this year. Without your prayers, emails calls and finacial support we could not continue this work that we truly believe the Lord has called us to do.
When we pray we need first to know we are one with Christ, that we are praying for God's will and that we pray with the right motive.
May this year be everything you need and may God be with you.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo
A fifth-grade boy who had heard a sermon on persistence in prayer was praying by himself in his room one night. As his dad passed his door, he heard the boy praying over and over again, "Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo." The next day, the dad asked his son what we was doing. The boy replied that he had given the wrong answer on a test for the capital of Mexico, and he was praying that God would make Tokyo the capital of Mexico. I think the boy was a little unclear on the concept, don’t you? But sometimes, we do the same. We want God to adjust to us rather than our seeking what God wants and adjusting to Him. Contributed by: Robert Garrett
I pray you are well and warm. As we begin a new year let's join our hearts together in prayer: pray for our nation, our troops, and we ask you to keep LaVon and I in your prayers for this year. Without your prayers, emails calls and finacial support we could not continue this work that we truly believe the Lord has called us to do.
When we pray we need first to know we are one with Christ, that we are praying for God's will and that we pray with the right motive.
May this year be everything you need and may God be with you.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo
A fifth-grade boy who had heard a sermon on persistence in prayer was praying by himself in his room one night. As his dad passed his door, he heard the boy praying over and over again, "Tokyo, Tokyo, Tokyo." The next day, the dad asked his son what we was doing. The boy replied that he had given the wrong answer on a test for the capital of Mexico, and he was praying that God would make Tokyo the capital of Mexico. I think the boy was a little unclear on the concept, don’t you? But sometimes, we do the same. We want God to adjust to us rather than our seeking what God wants and adjusting to Him. Contributed by: Robert Garrett
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Sunday Is Coming
Good morning,
We are fast approaching the end of this year and the beginning of a new one. I pray all is well with you and may God Bless you in the coming year.
We hear of people making New Year resolutions but seldom do they keep them. So, this year I have a suggestion for a New Year’s resolution that we ought to be able to remember and keep. It is kind of broad & very general, but here it is - let’s promise ourselves & God that we will make a change for the better. One change is seeing others as God sees them.
I was reading this morning and came upon the following it's a little long but so worth the read.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
F. Jim Cymbala preaches at a church in the slums of New York. He tells the following story:
It was Easter Sunday and I was so tired at the end of the day that I just went to the edge of the platform, pulled down my tie and sat down and draped my feet over the edge. It was a wonderful service with many people coming forward. The counselors were talking with these people. As I was sitting there I looked up the middle aisle, and there in about the third row was a man who looked about fifty, disheveled, filthy. He looked up at me rather sheepishly, as if saying, “Could I talk to you?” We have homeless people coming in all the time, asking for money or whatever. So as I sat there, I said to myself, though I am ashamed of it, “What a way to end a Sunday. I’ve had such a good time, preaching and ministering, and here’s a fellow probably wanting some money for more wine.”
He walked up. When he got within about five feet of me, I smelled a horrible smell like I’d never smelled in my life. It was so awful that when he got close, I would inhale by looking away, and then I’d talk to him, and then look away to inhale, because I couldn’t inhale facing him. I asked him,
“What’s your name?”
“David.”
“How long have you been on the street?”
“Six years.”
“How old are you?”
“Thirty-two.”
He looked fifty- hair matted; front teeth missing; wino; eyes slightly glazed.
“Where did you sleep last night, David?”
“Abandoned truck.”
I keep in my back pocket a money clip that also holds some credit cards. I fumbled to pick one out thinking; I’ll give him some money. I won’t even get a volunteer. They are all busy talking with others. Usually we don’t give money to people. We take them to get something to eat. I took the money out. David pushed his finger in front of me. He said,
“I don’t want your money. I want this Jesus, the One you were talking about, because I’m not going to make it. I’m going to die on the street.”
I completely forgot about David, and I started to weep for myself. I was going to give a couple of dollars to someone God had sent to me. See how easy it is? I could make the excuse I was tired. There is no excuse. I was not seeing him the way God sees him. I was not feeling what God feels. But oh, did that change! David just stood there. He didn’t know what was happening. I pleaded with God,
“God, forgive me! Forgive me! Please forgive me. I am so sorry to represent You this way. I’m so sorry. Here I am with my message and my points, and You send somebody and I am not ready for it. Oh, God!”
Something came over me. Suddenly I started to weep deeper, and David began to weep. He fell against my chest as I was sitting there. He fell against my white shirt and tie, and I put my arms around him, and there we wept on each other. The smell of His person became a beautiful aroma.
Here is what I thought the Lord made real to me: If you don’t love this smell, I can’t use you, because this is why I called you where you are. This is what you are about. You are about this smell.
Christ changed David’s life. He started memorizing portions of Scripture that were incredible. We got him a place to live. We hired him in the church to do maintenance, and we got his teeth fixed. He was a handsome man when he came out of the hospital. They detoxed him in 6 days. He spent that Thanksgiving at my house. He also spent Christmas at my house. When we were exchanging presents, he pulled out a little thing and he said,
“This is for you.”
It was a little white hanky. It was the only thing he could afford.
A year later David got up and talked about his conversion to Christ. The minute he took the mic and began to speak, I said,
“The man is a preacher.”
This past Easter we ordained David. He is an associate minister of a church over in New Jersey. And I was so close to saying,
“Here, take this; I’m a busy preacher.”
We can get so full of ourselves.
We are fast approaching the end of this year and the beginning of a new one. I pray all is well with you and may God Bless you in the coming year.
We hear of people making New Year resolutions but seldom do they keep them. So, this year I have a suggestion for a New Year’s resolution that we ought to be able to remember and keep. It is kind of broad & very general, but here it is - let’s promise ourselves & God that we will make a change for the better. One change is seeing others as God sees them.
I was reading this morning and came upon the following it's a little long but so worth the read.
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
F. Jim Cymbala preaches at a church in the slums of New York. He tells the following story:
It was Easter Sunday and I was so tired at the end of the day that I just went to the edge of the platform, pulled down my tie and sat down and draped my feet over the edge. It was a wonderful service with many people coming forward. The counselors were talking with these people. As I was sitting there I looked up the middle aisle, and there in about the third row was a man who looked about fifty, disheveled, filthy. He looked up at me rather sheepishly, as if saying, “Could I talk to you?” We have homeless people coming in all the time, asking for money or whatever. So as I sat there, I said to myself, though I am ashamed of it, “What a way to end a Sunday. I’ve had such a good time, preaching and ministering, and here’s a fellow probably wanting some money for more wine.”
He walked up. When he got within about five feet of me, I smelled a horrible smell like I’d never smelled in my life. It was so awful that when he got close, I would inhale by looking away, and then I’d talk to him, and then look away to inhale, because I couldn’t inhale facing him. I asked him,
“What’s your name?”
“David.”
“How long have you been on the street?”
“Six years.”
“How old are you?”
“Thirty-two.”
He looked fifty- hair matted; front teeth missing; wino; eyes slightly glazed.
“Where did you sleep last night, David?”
“Abandoned truck.”
I keep in my back pocket a money clip that also holds some credit cards. I fumbled to pick one out thinking; I’ll give him some money. I won’t even get a volunteer. They are all busy talking with others. Usually we don’t give money to people. We take them to get something to eat. I took the money out. David pushed his finger in front of me. He said,
“I don’t want your money. I want this Jesus, the One you were talking about, because I’m not going to make it. I’m going to die on the street.”
I completely forgot about David, and I started to weep for myself. I was going to give a couple of dollars to someone God had sent to me. See how easy it is? I could make the excuse I was tired. There is no excuse. I was not seeing him the way God sees him. I was not feeling what God feels. But oh, did that change! David just stood there. He didn’t know what was happening. I pleaded with God,
“God, forgive me! Forgive me! Please forgive me. I am so sorry to represent You this way. I’m so sorry. Here I am with my message and my points, and You send somebody and I am not ready for it. Oh, God!”
Something came over me. Suddenly I started to weep deeper, and David began to weep. He fell against my chest as I was sitting there. He fell against my white shirt and tie, and I put my arms around him, and there we wept on each other. The smell of His person became a beautiful aroma.
Here is what I thought the Lord made real to me: If you don’t love this smell, I can’t use you, because this is why I called you where you are. This is what you are about. You are about this smell.
Christ changed David’s life. He started memorizing portions of Scripture that were incredible. We got him a place to live. We hired him in the church to do maintenance, and we got his teeth fixed. He was a handsome man when he came out of the hospital. They detoxed him in 6 days. He spent that Thanksgiving at my house. He also spent Christmas at my house. When we were exchanging presents, he pulled out a little thing and he said,
“This is for you.”
It was a little white hanky. It was the only thing he could afford.
A year later David got up and talked about his conversion to Christ. The minute he took the mic and began to speak, I said,
“The man is a preacher.”
This past Easter we ordained David. He is an associate minister of a church over in New Jersey. And I was so close to saying,
“Here, take this; I’m a busy preacher.”
We can get so full of ourselves.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Sunday's Coming
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21
Good morning,
LaVon and I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas! We pray you are warm and healthy and want to thank you for your prayers, calls and gifts. May God bless you richly.
Each December we celebrate Christmas for the birth of Jesus. Then, in the spring, we celebrate Easter for Jesus’ death and resurrection. But really, these two parts of the story of Jesus’ life cannot be separated. Christmas would lose its meaning without remembering what Jesus did during His life.
Jesus lived to reveal God to us. He was crucified and rose again to pay the penalty for our sins, to invite us into relationship with God, and to offer us eternal life.
Hail! the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail! the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King"
(from Hark! "The Herald Angels Sing")
So what is Christmas, at its worst? It is a crass, commercial, empty, exhausting, and very expensive event that drags on for months at a time. And what is Christmas, at its best? It is a glimpse of something that is coming: the beauty . . . the wonderful music . . . the adoring angels . . . the love . . . the warmth . . . the promise . . . the hope. Because when you get down to it, Christmas is a promise. It is a promise of things to come.
We celebrate Christmas not only for Jesus’ birth, but also for His life, death and resurrection. Through Him, we have a real reason to celebrate. We have our sins forgiven!
Merry Christmas!
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
Good morning,
LaVon and I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas! We pray you are warm and healthy and want to thank you for your prayers, calls and gifts. May God bless you richly.
Each December we celebrate Christmas for the birth of Jesus. Then, in the spring, we celebrate Easter for Jesus’ death and resurrection. But really, these two parts of the story of Jesus’ life cannot be separated. Christmas would lose its meaning without remembering what Jesus did during His life.
Jesus lived to reveal God to us. He was crucified and rose again to pay the penalty for our sins, to invite us into relationship with God, and to offer us eternal life.
Hail! the heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail! the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King"
(from Hark! "The Herald Angels Sing")
So what is Christmas, at its worst? It is a crass, commercial, empty, exhausting, and very expensive event that drags on for months at a time. And what is Christmas, at its best? It is a glimpse of something that is coming: the beauty . . . the wonderful music . . . the adoring angels . . . the love . . . the warmth . . . the promise . . . the hope. Because when you get down to it, Christmas is a promise. It is a promise of things to come.
We celebrate Christmas not only for Jesus’ birth, but also for His life, death and resurrection. Through Him, we have a real reason to celebrate. We have our sins forgiven!
Merry Christmas!
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Sunday's Coming
Good morning,
I pray all is well with you yoday. I want to thank you for your prayers this past week. I would not have been able to preach Sunday if not for your prayers. I am still having problems, but am getting a little better each day. Thanks, again, for your continued prayers.
In my reading this morning, this was a devotional I read and I would like to share it with you.
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26
In Dr. Seuss’ classic Christmas tale, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch suffers from having a small heart. The source of his heart problem is his lack of understanding the meaning of Christmas. As the story goes, the Grinch tries to put a stop to Christmas, but in the end, he comes to understand what Christmas is all about and his heart grows three sizes! This heart change makes a big difference in his life.
I’m not sure what Dr. Seuss’ intentions were when he wrote the story back in 1957, but it certainly comes across as a Christian parable to me that parallels the change that takes place in a person’s life when he or she comes to understand the true meaning of Christmas: the birth of Jesus, God’s Son, who was born to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). When the light of the Good News of Jesus dawns upon the heart of a person, God replaces the old heart of stone, with a new, fleshy heart – and a new person emerges. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
“Welcome Christmas – While we stand – Heart to heart – And hand in hand.”
It might just make all the difference in the world.
O Holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in;
Be born in us today!
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!
(from O Little Town of Bethlehem)
We celebrate Christmas because of the power Jesus brought to change our hearts.
May you have a Merry Christmas!
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
I pray all is well with you yoday. I want to thank you for your prayers this past week. I would not have been able to preach Sunday if not for your prayers. I am still having problems, but am getting a little better each day. Thanks, again, for your continued prayers.
In my reading this morning, this was a devotional I read and I would like to share it with you.
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26
In Dr. Seuss’ classic Christmas tale, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the Grinch suffers from having a small heart. The source of his heart problem is his lack of understanding the meaning of Christmas. As the story goes, the Grinch tries to put a stop to Christmas, but in the end, he comes to understand what Christmas is all about and his heart grows three sizes! This heart change makes a big difference in his life.
I’m not sure what Dr. Seuss’ intentions were when he wrote the story back in 1957, but it certainly comes across as a Christian parable to me that parallels the change that takes place in a person’s life when he or she comes to understand the true meaning of Christmas: the birth of Jesus, God’s Son, who was born to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). When the light of the Good News of Jesus dawns upon the heart of a person, God replaces the old heart of stone, with a new, fleshy heart – and a new person emerges. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
“Welcome Christmas – While we stand – Heart to heart – And hand in hand.”
It might just make all the difference in the world.
O Holy Child of Bethlehem,
Descend to us, we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in;
Be born in us today!
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!
(from O Little Town of Bethlehem)
We celebrate Christmas because of the power Jesus brought to change our hearts.
May you have a Merry Christmas!
Have a great day, love you, pass it on.
Don
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