Sunday's Coming

Good Morning,

We are leaving Waco Texas this Friday then on to Magnolia, Texas and be close to Leslie and the family. We continue in prayer as to what the Lord wants us to do when we get there and we urge you to be in prayer with us.

We have heard from many of you who are facing trials and hurts we want you to know we are praying fervently for you.

From my today:

Down but Not Out by Dennis and Barbara Rainey 

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing. - 2 Corinthians 4:8 

Have you been through a period of life when everything looked bleak? When it seemed everything around you was coming unraveled? When you hoped the phone wouldn't ring for fear it would be more bad news?During seasons like that, I'm often reminded of this story:Karl, a Norwegian fisherman, had taken his two teenage sons out for a day of fishing. The morning had been beautiful when they started out, but the afternoon turned nasty--in a hurry--catching them too far at sea to beat the incoming storm to shore. The wind-whipped ocean began to work into a frenzy, until he and his sons were battling for their lives. As darkness fell on their frantic efforts, even the steady beacon of the seaside lighthouse was suddenly extinguished by a terrific bolt of lightning. Hope seemed lost.But things were actually worse than Karl knew. Lightning had also struck his home and the structure quickly erupted into a fireball. So when Karl and his sons finally staggered ashore, exhausted, he was met by his wife with the bad news.Strangely, Karl seemed unfazed, much to his wife's frustration. As he stroked her tear-lined face with his tough, leathery hands, he said, "Don't you understand, sweetheart? When the lighthouse went out, the glow on the horizon became my compass. The fire that destroyed our house guided us home."

LaVon and I have certainly gone through times when there were "fires" burning. But we've also discovered that during these times, these crises have guided us "home," because they've forced us to hunker down in faith, crying out in absolute dependence upon God. "Lord God, You know what You are doing! We don't know what You are up to, but we trust in You."

Discuss:
What is an example of a trial you've experienced that turned out to have a good consequence from an eternal perspective?

Pray:
Pray that you will face the fires together and that your faith in Christ will grow stronger as you go through them.

As we thank you for your prayerful and financial partnership with this ministry, we want to encourage your personal ministry as well. When you use your influence for the Kingdom, your witness in works and words touches people for eternity.  David Livingstone, famed missionary doctor said it well: "If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"

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

Sunday's Coming

Good Morning,

We are in Waco, Texas for the next week then on to Magnolia, Texas and be close to Leslie and the family. We continue in prayer as to what the Lord wants us to do and we urge you to be in prayer with us.

My reading today from David Jeremiah.

Sunlight Through Glass
This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

Writer F. W. Boreham told of taking lodgings in the home of Old Bessie, the widow of a local pastor. One morning he noticed some words etched into one of the windows: "This is the day!" At breakfast he asked Bessie about it.
"I have had a lot of trouble in my time," she explained. "Each morning when I woke up I felt as though I had the weight of the world upon me. Then one day when I was very upset about things, I sat down and read ... the 118th Psalm. When I came to the 24th verse, I stopped. ... It flashed upon me like a burst of sunshine on a gloomy day." With a glass-cutting tool from the kitchen, Bessie etched the words on the windowpane --This is the day the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

"There!" she thought. "Now I shall see that little bit of Bible there every morning when I draw up the blind."¹

Even biblical characters as courageous as Joshua needed to learn to keep a good attitude despite circumstances. So did Old Bessie. So do we! Today rejoice! Be glad in Him.

As we thank you for your prayerful and financial partnership with this ministry, we want to encourage your personal ministry as well. When you use your influence for the Kingdom, your witness in works and words touches people for eternity.  David Livingstone, famed missionary doctor said it well: "If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"

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

Don

Sunday Is Coming!

Good Morning,

We have taken some time to warm up. We are in Waco, Texas for the next month then on to Magnolia, Texas and be close to Leslie and the family. We continue in prayer as to what the Lord wants us to do and we urge you to be in prayer with us. I also want to thank you for praying for us during our illness we are getting better.  PTL.

During my reading today, I really liked this from the Sower.

PRAYER: FORCE OR FOOLISHNESS

Prayer, for some, is a force that enables them to approach God in worship and wonder or in times of need for the necessities of life. For others, prayer is utter and complete foolishness because they believe it is foolish and a waste of time.
In the life of David, it was a powerful force. Whenever he was hurt by harmful words, received a wound from a battle or had a need that was beyond his limitations he turned to God in prayer. Listen carefully to his words: “I am a man of prayer.”
It is always interesting to listen carefully to someone introduce themselves: “I am a doctor...I am the CEO of...I am a sales representative at...I work for...I am the one who...I set a record by...I am the owner of.” We seem to want others to recognize us for what we have done not who we are.
But with all his power and prestige, wealth and wisdom, David wanted others to recognize him as someone who was completely dependent on God: “I am a man of prayer.”
Prayer was a force in the life of David. As we read his prayer in the Psalms we discover that he had no definite time of prayer, no specific place to pray, no particular position he assumed when he prayed and it seems as though most of the time when he prayed he was alone.
David realized that prayer was a force in his life. It brought forgiveness when he sinned, peace when he was anxious, and victory when he was embattled and constant joy.

Prayer: Father, may we see the need for prayer in our lives when we see the results of prayer in the life of others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: Psalm 109:4 In return for my friendship they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.

As we thank you for your prayerful and financial partnership with this ministry, we want to encourage your personal ministry as well. When you use your influence for the Kingdom, your witness in works and words touches people for eternity.  David Livingstone, famed missionary doctor said it well: "If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"


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

Post script:
Here is the main reason we are in the Waco area for a month.  Pop Wink Winklemann and I have been friends since the mid-70's. Recently, Pop's sweet wife, Dovie, went home to be with the Lord quite suddenly. Due to illness, we were not able to make it to her funeral and that grieved me greatly, so now God has allowed me to spend some quality time with Pop. His heart hurts, so a prayer for him would be greatly appreciated.

Sunday's Coming

Good Morning,

We continue in prayer and outreach and we ask you to HELP us by prayer and gifts. We gave out 23 food baskets Saturday in the park and neighborhood. Please be in prayer that God will use these to bring people to Him.
We want to thank all of you who pray for us for the Lord answered yesterday when I took LaVon to the hospital with symptons of a heart attack. She didn't have a heart attack, P.T.L. She is still sick so continue praying, thanks.

In my reading I want to share this:

Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.Colossians 3:17

Life is a celebration. Don't postpone it. Grasp the hour! Today is the first day of the rest of your life. I came across a list of possibilities to make your day a brighter one:

Seek out a forgotten friend.
Write a love letter.
Share a treasure.
Encourage someone with a kind word.
Keep a promise.
Give to a needy cause.
Forgive an enemy.
Listen.
Apologize if you were wrong.
Try to understand.
Read your Bible.
Pray for your family.
Examine your demands on others.
Appreciate a friend.
Be kind, be gentle.
Laugh a little.
Laugh a little more.
Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth.

We appreciate so much your support through your prayers, calls, e-mails and financial gifts of love.

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

http://donrbaker@blogspot.com/
sycamoreschapel.blogspot.com/
http://www.sanctuaryoutpost.org/

Sunday's Coming

Good Morning,

We continue in prayer and outreach here in this area from The Sycamores Community Chapel and we ask you to HELP us by prayer, gifts and words of encouragement. We are making plans for the upcoming month. We have Christmas trees to sell to help buy food for our first food give away on the 14th of December. We will also have our first Christmas Eve service. What a wonderful time!

My reading this morning from The Sower struck a nerve. May it inspire you as well.

QUIET CHRISTIANS
For many years two neighbors rode the same train to work in downtown Chicago. George went to church regularly and if pressed, would admit to being a Christian. But he never allowed being a Christian interfere with his life. On the other hand, Will never went to church and had no use for godly things. As they rode the train each day, they discussed business strategies, sports, politics, religion and current events. They rarely mentioned God.
One morning Will became violently ill and was rushed to the hospital. After a series of tests his physician informed his wife that he could not live longer than a few days - if that long. Frightened, his wife said, “Perhaps we’d better call George and talk about God.”
“George? Talk about God? Why George? He rarely mentioned God to me or that he knew Him. So I doubt that he would be the right person to call,” said Will. Without saying another word he passed into eternity - lost.
When George heard the news, he was stunned and filled with guilt. There was nothing he could do for Will now but go to God and ask for forgiveness and promise to become faithful. The words of the Psalmist echoed loudly in his ears: “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!”

Unfortunately, the Kingdom of God is filled with too many citizens like George. They know the Lord from a distance but are unwilling to speak as His ambassadors. They believe that they have “theirs” and that’s all that matters. But there is no denying that if indeed God has redeemed us, we will present Him faithfully to others!

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for our silence and refusal to be faithful in presenting Your message to the lost around us! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture for Today: 
Psalm 107:2 
"Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe..."

We certainly Thank You for your faithful support through your prayers, phone calls, e-mails and financial gifts and we pray for God to richly bless you above and beyond what you can ever imagine.

Randy Alcorn said, and this is a favorite quote:
"You can't take it with you, but you can sure send it on ahead."

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

The Son Is Coming!!

Sunday's Coming

Good Morning,

We continue in prayer and outreach and we ask you to HELP us. We made a visit to the brand new town in Oklahoma yesterday and met with the owner and builder. We had a great visit, heard his heart and offered to help start a church outreach there. It is just down the road from us so we can help. 

We also made a visit to a local Christmas Tree Farm and it was a great visit. We are going to sell Christmas trees this year, PTL. 

Saturday, we will all meet and start forming our food give away for this community. We urge you to be in prayer for this and if God leads you to give to help in this, again PTL.

Give Thanks to the Lord,You are my God, and I will praise you; You are my God, and I will exalt you.Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. Psalm 118:28-29

We want to thank you for your support through your prayers, calls, e-mails and finances. You are greatly appreciated.  God bless you abundantly.

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

Sunday's Coming

Good Morning,

We pray that each of you are doing well.  You are in our prayers often. May our God Bless and Keep you this week. 

My sermon this coming Sunday is on encouragement. While I was reading, the following got my attention:

God Knows Your Name

by Michael Youssef, Ph.D.

Have you ever wanted to change your name or wondered who you would be without a name?

Names are important. It is by our name that other people identify us and that we identify ourselves. In biblical times, parents gave their children names with descriptive meanings such as strong, trustworthy, and leader, in hopes they would embody these traits when they grew up.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 states, “A good name is better than fine perfume.”

The words we use to describe other people can either hurt or encourage them. There was a teacher who asked her students to tell what they wanted to do when they grew up.For the most part the students gave the usual responses—doctor, lawyer, policeman, nurse, pilot, and firefighter.

Then the teacher asked Billy. He said, “I want to be possible.”

“Possible?” she asked.

“Yes,” he replied, “because my mom tells me all the time that I’m impossible. So I want to grow up to be possible.”

As believers, we are adopted into the kingdom of God. We are given a new identity, a new name, and a life filled with possibility. We are called the children of God. No matter what our past is and regardless of our mistakes, the Lord knows our name and desires our worship and praise.

Hebrews 3:13 (ASV) 13 but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called To-day; lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin: 

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

Winston Churchill wisely said, "We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give."

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