Merry Christmas

I wanted to take just a moment and wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas.  I know that the hustle and bustle of Christmas can often be frustrating and stressful, but please take a moment at this most precious time of year to remember the Reason for the season.  Christ was born a babe in Bethlehem’s manger, not just to be a cute baby, but with a much greater purpose.  He was born to die.  He offered to us the greatest gift that mankind could ever be given, the gift of eternal life.  Let that peace dwell in your soul this year.  From my entire family, Merry Christmas.  Thank you for your prayers and support this past year.  We are excited and looking forward to greater things in the year ahead.

 

Tremendous Article

As a church planter with children, there are many choices and challenges that we face that others may never know about.  We want to serve the Lord with our whole hearts, but we also want what is best for our children.  Sometimes it may seem difficult to balance those two things.  Jason Janz is a church planter in Denver, CO that has recently faced such a decision.  He writes a great article about it that I thought I would share with you this morning.

 

Article Here

 

Snow and Praise

As we awoke this morning, we were quite surprised to look out the window and see the van covered in snow and to see snow still falling quite heavily.  Now, this would be an unusual thing if we were at home in Covington, GA, but we’re not.  We are in Covington, LA.  That’s right, it is snowing in south Louisiana.  Unbelievable.

We have spent the last few days in Covington, LA looking for a house to live in when we move.  While down here, we were also blessed to attend the Louisiana Independent Baptist Fellowship.  This was an incredible group of guys who were all very supportive of our plans.  I do believe that they will do all they can to help us.  We spent a good deal of Monday and Wednesday riding around town, looking at any available house we could find.  Praise the Lord, He sent us to one on Wednesday that wasn’t advertised and we loved it.  We were able to secure and are excited about having a house here now. The Lord is good.

 

Chance Encounter

Yesterday, my family and I went to a Japanese restaurant for lunch.  It was one of those places where you watch them cook in front of you.  If you have ever been to one of those, you know that it is community seating, meaning you sit beside strangers.  We sat beside a lady named Rosie.  As it turns out, Rosie is from New Orleans.  She is staying in the area with her sister, as she evacuated ahead of the Gustav.  Rosie’s husband, August, is a firefighter for the city of New Orleans.  I promised Rosie that we would pray for August as he serves his community.  We took a moment there at the table to ask God’s protection upon August.  Will you please help us pray for the safety or August?  Not only August, but all those in the path of this fierce storm.  

Pray for Protection

I know that many of you have been watching the weather and the intense storm that is approaching south Louisiana. May I beg you to please pray for the protecting hand of God during all of this for those folks? This is not looking good. Please join me in praying for the area, that the Lord would watch over them and protect them.

Exciting Times

I must confess, I am a political junkie. I love politics, especially presidential politics. This time of the year is so interesting to watch. I enjoy watching all the maneuvering and positioning that everyone does. I confess, I even watched the Democratic Convention, nearly every night. I look forward to next week and the Republican Convention. This is truly an historic election. I don't go around telling folks how to vote. I only want to encourage you to pray and vote as you feel the Lord would have you to.

Awesome Thought

In the past month or so, we have had a number of people email and write us to let us know that they are praying for us. What an awesome thought, to know that people are praying for our family. I have even had people that I have never met email me to let me know that they are praying that God would get us to the field. I don’t ever want to take lightly that Christians would care enough to pray for us. Thank you all for the prayers that have been offered up on our behalf. We need it. We are so close, we just need you to continue praying that God would send in the remaining few churches so that we can be on our way.

Time Flies

It’s hard to believe it has been so long since I posted.  I know that is a pattern for me.  I am still trying to get in the habit of writing more often.  I did want to drop a quick note to let you know that since our last update, we have had a couple of new churches take us on and still have promises from several more.  PLEASE help us pray that we would see the churches we need take us on soon.  We are so close.  I feel like the Lord is working on our behalf.  We are trusting the Lord to send in these last few churches.  I know that He can do it.  God can do all things.  Please help us pray. 

Getting Closer

Thank you to all who take the time to visit the blog.  I know I often have difficulty keeping it updated, mainly for wondering if I have anything interesting to say.  Today I wanted to ask you to continue to pray for our goal of 20 new churches.  We have seen four new churches take us on so far and have three promises of churches that will begin supporting us.  This takes our goal down to 13.  We must have those 13 churches before we can move.  Please help us pray that God would supply as only He can.  It is only God that can lay it upon a church’s heart to begin supporting us.  We realize that we do our part, and He will do His.  Keep praying and as the Lord sends those churches in, we will begin packing and getting ready to go.

 

It's The Soldier

I heard this the other day and finally found it online.  I thought you might enjoy it.

 

It's not the reporter who gives you the freedom of the press, it’s the soldier.

It's not the poet who gives you the freedom of speech, it’s the soldier.

It's not the campus organizer who allows you to demonstrate, it’s the soldier.

It's the soldier who salutes the flag, serves the flag, whose coffin is draped with the flag, that allows the protester to bum that flag!!!!

 

I for one want to say thank you to the brave men and women that serve our country so admirably.  Remember, it is the soldier that gives us the freedom to enjoy the wonderful liberties we enjoy.  

 

Memorial Day

It is just a little after 3:00 p.m. as I write this and our country has just observed a moment of silence to show our gratitude for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.  I would like to publicly thank all the brave men and women who have served our country.  I also thank the families of those brave soldiers.  I understand that it is a family affair.  I know that without those sacrifices, we would not have the freedom to stand and boldly proclaim the Word of God.  Thank you, soldiers, for your contributions to our freedom.

However, as we think of sacrifices for freedom, we must remember the One who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could have the ultimate freedom.  Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins on Calvary so that our souls could be set free from the penalty of sin.  No more does sin have to rule and reign over us.  Jesus Christ laid down His life so that we could be free.  As we thank the soldiers who made our country free, let us also remember to thank the Saviour who set our souls free.

 

His Grace Is Sufficient

This afternoon I had the privilege of going to visit with Bro. Roger Blevins for a few minutes.  Many of you no doubt have been praying for Bro. Blevins since his accident in early February.  This was the first time I had been able to visit with him and boy was I thankful that I was able to.  It was a tremendous blessing for me to stand there and listen to Bro. Blevins explain how that “God’s grace is sufficient.”  Just to make sure we understood exactly what he was saying, he raised one hand in the air and proclaimed again, “God’s grace is sufficient.”  He told us how that he had been through things before in life, but nothing quite like this.  However, he was glad to report that God’s grace is still sufficient.  What an encouragement this was for me.  You see friends, I don’t know what difficulty you may be facing as you read this, but I can assure you, that God’s grace is sufficient for your needs right now.  If you don’t believe me, just ask a man who has spent the last nearly three months in ICU and the hospital fighting for his life.  God’s grace is sufficient.

Keep Praying

I just wanted to drop a short note and ask you to keep praying for our family as we strive to get to Covington, LA.  We are getting closer.  I look forward to sharing some exciting news with you in a few days.  I would ask that you continue to pray for 20 new supporting churches.  I believe this would be what we needed to get us to the field.  Thank you for the prayers that you have already offered on our behalf.  I know that the Lord is hearing and answering these prayers.

 

Pray for 20

            Most of you know that we are getting close to finishing deputation.  Currently, we are at 75% and hope to have our support raised before too much longer.  Of course, our heart’s desire is to be a blessing to the churches which allow us to come by, but we also have a burden for southern Louisiana.  We are very close to completion.  I would say that if we had about 20 more churches take us on for support that would be enough for us to leave for the field.  This is not a large number.  We have probably been in over 175 churches that do not yet support us.  Therefore, I am asking you to join me in prayer.  I am praying and asking God to give us 20 new supporting churches in the months of April and May.  This is a large request, as we have never had that many churches take us on in a two month span, but I know that our God is able.  I know the Bible teaches us that nothing is too hard for God.  We need your help.  Would you please intercede for us that God would give us 20 new supporting churches in the next two months so that we may soon get to the field?  It would certainly be a blessing.  As God begins to answer our prayers, I will certainly keep you updated on the blog.

Housing Needs

            A few weeks ago my family made a trip to Covington, LA to begin to scout out a place to live.  Seeing as how we are just a few more churches away from being able to move, we are getting excited about getting on the field.  Of course, in order to be able to do that, we must have a place to live.  After scouting out the area, it was clear to us that the effects of Hurricane Katrina still linger.  The housing market in Covington, LA is quite expensive.  Even apartments seem to be priced well above what you would expect.  Now, don’t misunderstand, we knew that the housing market had gone up since the storm, but we were reminded of it again as we drove around and looked.  Please help us pray that the Lord would provide a home for my family in Covington, LA.  We know that God never guides where He does not provide.  We are excited about seeing Him work on our behalf.  Thank you in advance for your prayers on our behalf concerning our housing needs.

Just Part of the Ministry

A few days ago I had the privilege of meeting a national pastor from the country of India.  What a great joy it was to be able to talk with this gentleman.  During the course of our conversation, he mentioned that he had a good number of young people who had gone out of the church and Bible College to start churches.  He was glad to report that only 13 of them had been arrested and were currently in jail.  He then made the statement, concerning the 13 in jail, that it is “just part of the ministry.”  WOW.  Can you imagine if we were the ones that had been jailed for preaching the Gospel?  We would be crying and pouting and telling everyone that would listen how unfair life is and how we are so persecuted.  Yet for these precious saints of God, it is merely part of the ministry.  I admire the bravery and courage of these men, the sacrifice and the willingness to do something great for God no matter the cost.  My prayer is that Jesus would give me a greater love for Him and His ministry.

Bro. Mark Stewart

This is a prayer request that was sent out by a fellow Macedonia missionary, Mark Stewart.  Bro. Stewart is the Middle East Director for MWBM.  Some time ago, his wife was diagnosed with cancer and they have been on an up and down journey since then.  There have been times that they thought they had gotten all the cancer only to have it come back again.  Bro. Stewart sent this prayer letter out asking for everyone to remember his wife.  Please pray for this dear family.

 

This is from Bro. Mark Stewart's prayer letter:

 
To all of our faithful supporters and partners, greetings in this new year. I want to thank God that we have some of the greatest supporting churches and pastors on the face of the whole earth. It is good to know that we have so many faithful people supporting our family. I truly mean what I am about to say, without you we couldn’t do what we do. We don’t say enough how much we love and appreciate each and every one of you in the Lord.

 

FAMILY- Our girls are doing real well in the Christian school that they attend. Both of them are on the A honor roll and it just amazes me at how smart these little one’s can be. They have been an inspiration to me and my wife during these difficult days of fighting this cancer. We want to try to bring everyone up to speed on the condition of my wife. Sandra has one more treatment to go of chemo. After that we are really not sure if the doctors are going to be able to do anything else. Her cancer is still not gone but it hasn’t been growing. The everyday worry is sometimes more than we can bear. We really need a miracle from the Lord!

 

PRAYER DAY FOR MY WIFE- I am very well aware that many people have prayed for my wife and gotten under a burden for her. You don’t know how much I appreciate that. I am asking that all of you on one specific day will pray for my wife in the church. We are asking that all of you make March 2^nd a day of prayer for my wife Sandra and that the rest of the week be spent as a prayer week for the healing of my dear wife. I need her in my life as well as my two precious daughters need their momma. Please, please join us in this special “Day of prayer” for my precious wife.

 

Prayer Request

Please remember this special prayer request.  A missionary from our home church, Bro. Roger Blevins, was involved in a serious car accident this morning on his way to a meeting.  Bro. Blevins is the South American director for BIMI and is a tremendous man of God.  He is as kind as anyone you will ever meet.  Would you please pray for him and his family at this time?  I know that his family would greatly appreciate your prayers.

The World

This morning while reading in the Gospel of John, I was once again reminded of the fact that Jesus came to die for all the world.  In John 1:29, John proclaims Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.  It is interesting to note that it does not say that He came to take away the sin of Israel, God’s chosen people.  It doesn’t mention the rich, educated, poor, humble, or any other group of people as being specially elect.  It does, however, mention the world.  Jesus came to die for the world.  He came to take the sin away of every man, woman, boy, or girl upon the face of God’s creation.  The question is this, are we doing our part to share that good news with them?  Are we telling humanity that their sin debt has been settled, it’s been paid in full?  All they have to do is receive the free pardon that has been granted them.  I trust that in the days ahead we will strive to do our part to share the good news of the Gospel with those for whom Christ meant it, the world.

 

As Many As Received Him...

I have recently begun a new study in the Gospel of John and it is proving to be fascinating thus far.  I am hoping to be able to share some thoughts with you every few days from that study, things that the Lord shares with me.  This morning, as I was reading in John chapter one, I was drawn to verse 11 and the first word of verse 12.  He came unto his own, and his own received him not.  But…  Praise God for that small word but.  You see, Christ came unto His own people first, the nation of Israel.  Those same people rejected Him.  They despised Him.  They mocked Him and cursed Him.  But…as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.  Oh sure, some rejected Him, but not every one did.  Even though the Israelites rejected Him, I didn’t.  And because I was willing to believe upon His name and receive Him as my Saviour, to me He gave the power to become the Son of God.  Now I am part of the family of Christ.  Isn’t that thrilling.  He could have rejected everyone when His own people rejected Him, but He didn’t.  He still chose to accept those that would accept Him.

            Of course, my mind often takes things back to the people of southern Louisiana, where God has called us to go and be a witness.  I am fully aware of the fact that everyone there will not accept Christ as Saviour.  Some will receive Him not.  Oh, but there is good news for the ones who will receive Him.  For the people that will receive Christ, to them is given the power to become a child of the King.

            I found this illustration the other day.  It clearly states the importance of accepting our pardon, the pardon from the punishment of sin that Christ offers.  On May 1, 1830, George Wilson and James Porter were sentenced to a public hanging for six charges of robbing the US Mail. The justice system was much different then, and penalties were harsher. However, George Wilson had some influential friends who convinced President Andrew Jackson to give him a pardon.

 

Rather than being overjoyed, Wilson resolutely refused to accept the pardon. The case was sent to the Supreme Court. Chief Justice John Marshal and the rest of the court ruled that a pardon could not be forced on anyone, so the execution was carried out.