Dearly Beloved in Christ,
Greetings in Jesus' Name.
ON THE MOVE AGAIN
Thank you for all who were praying for our medical van repair and all who contributed towards the repair, for we are on the move again. What is amazing is the crowed of people who want to come and be treated and the time they wait to be examined. We went to Podia, which is 70 km southwest of Malkangiri after a gap of 1year 7 months and treated 79 women and 9 children. We are now asked to come to examine 250 children of the Sara Mission Center on the 16th of Nov. That is going to be another long clinic too. Now as the medical van is repaired, we will be moving from village to village in the next few months. We need your prayers for wisdom and safety.
God enabled me after almost a decade to go for the EMFI (Evangelical Medical Fellowship of India) conference at Bangalore and I could meet Dr. Garlic from Australia who visited me at Malkangiri 30 years ago and taught some very simple but unique surgical techniques which I use even now. I could meet many doctors whom I had not met for one to two decades and this was good.
This month has been a month of many movements, for I could be at Chennai and after I think nearly a decade, I could share in Emmanuel Methodist Church and also at their Fellowship center. This uplifted me as the mission committee is thinking of reviving their contact with our work and also visiting Malkangiri in the near future.
I request prayer for one of our staff Mr. Prakash Takiri and his family who take care of the hospital campus. He and his wife Rukmani's entire family are still Hindus and it is in near his house, many poisonous snakes are being killed. I have been requested by some prayer partners not to mention about snakes, but the incidents are so close, that in the last 5 week Prakash has killed one cobra, one viper and just 4 days ago one krait, a very poisonous variety which was nearly 4 feet long and almost 3 inch in thickness, this was killed as it crossed in the veranda (portico) of his house. I defiantly feel the force of the evil one near Prakash house so I want you all to be praying for Prakash and Rukmani's immediate relatives to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour and to be protected from all these poisonous snakes.
The rough roads, the living conditions here and the snakes have kept many away, but not Ms. Jane Blunt - a dental hygienist from US who has come to stay with me for the next 6 months. She took the move as she felt God telling her to go and help me out. I am thrilled with prayer and fellowship what we share with each other. God also helped Mrs. Avitha Daniel of Agape ministry from Chennai to come for a week, to enhance my life at Malkangiri.
Thank you for all who prayed for the health of our staff, one after another are falling sick. We need your prayers. Dilip is admitted in the hospital with fever and gastroenteritis. Hannah also has abdominal pain and fever, Niranjan has gone to the Nowrangpur Christian Hospital for investigations for umbilical infection and gastroenteritis. Please cover the health issue of all our staff. I am very concerned.
Please pray for our prior permission for FCRA to be obtained as the hospital construction has stopped this past 1year 7 months. Please pray for wisdom as I approach the District Collector and other government authorities regarding this.
Please pray for the phone connections to be established. I am not able to connect to my email from the afternoon today. Electricity continues to be erratic.
Thank you for standing with me in Prayer and finance.
Love and Prayers,
Yours in Christ,
Iris
Being a Christian is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all the yucky stuff-- including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you to shine for all the world to see.
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Luke 2:43 (NLT) “After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn't miss him at first”
My step-father was raised in Arkansas so about every other year we would load up our car and go to visit his family. One year we met up with one of his siblings at another sibling’s home in Little Rock. My step-father and his sibling decided to travel on together to the family home at Junction City. The next morning we got up early, said our goodbyes to the Little Rock family, piled into our two cars and took off for Junction City. My brother, Scott, and I were sitting in the third seat of our station wagon. It faced backwards so we were looking at the traffic that was behind us. About 45 minutes into the trip I noticed this car behind us because the driver looked a lot like my Little Rock aunt. When she caught up to us and started frantically waving and beeping her horn we realized that it WAS the Little Rock aunt. We pulled over to discover that during all the confusion of leaving, my brother Donald had been left behind. (My step-father thought he was riding in the first car.) If my aunt had not thrown my brother in her car and chased us down, we might have been in Junction City before we knew we had left him behind.
When Jesus was 12, He and His family went to Jerusalem for Passover. When they started back for Nazareth in a caravan, Jesus wasn’t with them. Mary was busy with Jesus’ younger half brothers & sisters, Jesus’ step-father, Joseph, was just as busy. They were not worried about Jesus, figuring that he was out and about somewhere. After all, if the Son of God can’t take care of Himself - who can? They probably weren’t concerned until Jesus did not show up for the evening meal. (No 12 year old boy - God or not - is late for dinner!) They had traveled a full day before they realized that Jesus was not with them.
But I cannot fault Mary and Joseph for leaving Jesus behind. I do it all the time. I do it a lot of different ways too. Sometimes my pride gets to growing and I decide that I am doing so much good work that I am number 1 when it comes to serving Jesus, so I know what I am doing and where I should be going and off I go. Then when things start falling apart, I look over to Jesus to find out why. Only He is not there. I have left Him behind. He is back there where I decided to take over. Jesus doesn’t sit in the co-pilot seat. He don’t fit in it. Jesus said, “Follow Me” He never said He was willing to follow us. And why should He? When we expect Him to follow us then we are a train wreck waiting to happen. Who can blame Him for not wanting to be involved with that?
Sometimes in my busyness I leave Him behind. I am so busy trying to be the perfect mother, the perfect daughter, the perfect employee, the perfect friend, the perfect servant of Christ, the perfect, the perfect, the perfect - that not only am I not perfect at anything - I don’t even make sense anymore. My life is chaos. Jesus does not exist in chaos. Look at the universe - it is not chaotic. The only chaos in it is in the minds and lives of humans. And when the whirlwind of my life finally spits me out, exhausted, broken, defeated, then I’m looking for my rest in Jesus - and He is not there. I left Him behind when the whirlwind chaos of my life was so bad He couldn’t tell if I were coming or going so He stepped out of it. Jesus said, “Be still and know that I am God.” When I have left Him behind in the busyness, He will wait until I am still and then He will straighten out the priorities of my life.
Sometimes, in my inattentiveness, I leave Him behind. It isn’t that I am so busy I don’t have time to be with Him. Instead, I just skip my time with Him and cover it with excuses. I need to get to work a little earlier, so I will skip my morning praise time. I need to help kids with a project, and so I push aside my evening prayer time. And the truth is that I get up a little earlier in the morning to check my e-mail before I go to work, and I always manage to stay up and play Zuma on the computer before I go to bed. So my excuses are just that - excuses to cover my inattentiveness to my relationship with the Living God. Then when I finally feel the distance between us and I look for Him, I see Him in our meeting place - waiting for me to return to Him. Jesus is a gentleman, He is not going to demand that I spend time with Him. He will wait until I miss the closeness we share to bring me back to Him.
Sometimes in my sneakiness I leave Him behind. When I am heading in a direction that I know I should not go and I sort of sneak away - leaving Him behind. When I gossip, and I hear His voice whisper, “don’t go there,” but I go there anyway. When the clerk gives me too much change, He urges me to be honest, but I keep my mouth shut. I could give hundreds of examples of my sneaking away from Him. I purposely leave Him behind but Jesus knows where I am. He just refuses to go with me. Jesus is clean. He is not going to join me in wallowing in the world’s muck. And when I am finally tired of the stench of the world that clings to me, I know not to look for Jesus to be right beside me, because I know that I purposely left Him behind. And shamefully, I go back to Him to be cleaned and restored. Thank You Jesus, for loving me so much that even when I purposely leave You, You take me back.
If my aunt had not chased us down we may not have known that Donald was left behind until we got to Junction City. If Mary & Joseph had not been concerned when Jesus failed to show for dinner, they might have made it to Nazareth before they realized He was left behind. I do not want to reach my final destination, to be standing before God’s throne, and find out that I left Jesus behind during my life and never realized it.
LORD Jesus, help me to quickly realize when I - through pride, busyness, carelessness or on purpose - leave You behind. Help me to turn back to you quickly. You are where I want to be.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@fresnofirst.org
From Gospel for Asia
The lives of several children attending a Bridge of Hope center in Tamil Nadu, India, were disrupted when fire struck the nearby slum where they lived. Remnants of coals from a cooking fire started the blaze, which completely destroyed numerous houses and killed several residents. According
to eyewitnesses, the flames reached a height of nearly 30 feet.
The slum is located along a riverbank where numerous impoverished families reside.
The fire occurred during the day, when the children were eating their lunch at the Bridge of Hope center and their parents were at work, which greatly reduced the number of casualties. But some residents-including boys and girls attending the center-lost everything.
Suganya and Vignesh are in third and fourth grade, and their parents are completely dependent on the wages they receive through daily labor. The fire destroyed all their possessions.
Sandhya, a fourth-grade girl, lost her grandfather in the flames. Her parents had died earlier from AIDS, and now Sandhya lives with her aunt.
Bridge of Hope staff members have visited the homeless families, now living in a temporary shelter, bringing them food, cooking vessels and clothing. Along with this, they are sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This area is just one of thousands where Gospel for Asia has established Bridge of Hope centers to reach out to impoverished children. Pray that these families would know the Lord's provision for them, and that their hearts would be open to receiving Christ.
In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart. -John Bunyan
This is the last week of the 777 Prayer Project table. The 777 Prayer Project is a 1 year commitment to pray for our pastors. If you are interested in participating in this powerful gift of prayer and love to our pastors, stop by the 777 Project table to pick up your prayer card.
Denise is doing so well that they are considering transferring her out of ICU and into a regular room! Denise still has a long way to go before she will walk out the door of the hospital.
Please pray for Kathy and Fletcher Anderson. They both watch our TV broadcast and have been in services a couple of times. Fletcher has been in the hospital for 2 months with Valley Fever. They are hoping to release him in the next few weeks - but he is very weak.
Frieda Kennedy underwent hip replacement surgery this past Tuesday. As of my sending this I have not heard how she is doing.
We continue to pray for the following: The Kids Klub family that is homeless, Katie, Jerri & her family after the loss of Jerri’s brother, Tony & treatment for prostrate cancer, Michael & recovery from bypass surgery, Mike Joos & radiation treatments, Liz & stress from ill family members, Danette Joos mother fighting depression, Fran Regier’s daughter, Karen, as she continues to recover, Baby Logan’s recovery from surgery, Bob & Geri Kinnish Merle Rush & recovery from a stroke, Doug Clapp’s brother in law with prostrate cancer, David & his heart, Helen & Harvey Wilmot, Walt Couch & prostate cancer, John Rodgers with cancer, Brandon & leukemia, George & Margie Martin and his cancer, new employment opportunities for Dan Hansen, Stan Reed & cancer, Kassel Coon in Afghanistan
Pray for our missionaries -The Reaching Hand Society in India, SeaFM and their work in Southeast Asia, Dr. George Pe Myat & the hospital in the Congo, Bounkham & Khamla’s mission to Laos, Gospel For Asia, The Faith Alive Clinic in Jos, Nigeria, Laurie Bethall in Prague, Judy, Faye & Miisaw at the New Life Center in Thailand, Jan & Larry Martin in Thailand, and all the missionaries worldwide.
Pray for our pastors, our leadership, our ministries, and Father’s provision for His Church. Pray that we recognize opportunities to share our faith with others
Pray for our country, her leadership and our military.
Great and Magnificent God,
You reign in splendor over all of creation and over all of eternity. When You tell us that our eyes have not seen or our minds imagined what You have prepared for us, it takes our breath away. For if we can not even begin to imagine what You have prepared for us - how much even less are we able to imagine Your radiance and glory. We can hardly wait to behold You.
Father, show us where we have failed You, help us to walk stronger in You.
LORD of All, Denise is truly a picture of Your grace and mercy. As You continue to heal her, use her and her family to reach those around her in Your name.
We pray for Fletcher Anderson as he continues to recover from Valley Fever, LORD God. We ask that You strengthen him. Guide Fletcher and Kathy to a community of faith that can support and surround them with love.
Healer of the World, touch Frieda as she heals from her surgery. Help her to recover quickly, complete her therapy quickly, so that she can quickly rejoin our community. We thank You for her and the living example she is of Your love.
Abba, You knew me before I was born. You knit my bones together in my mother’s womb. You know my comings and goings, You know the number of my days, You know the face that I show the world and You know the thoughts that I conceal. You know me better than I know myself. In spite of all this, You love me with an everlasting love. You love me with a love that says no matter what I do or where I go - even to the gates of hell itself - You will still persist in loving me. I am not worthy of You. But not even that seems to matter in how much You love me. I exult within Your love.
Holy Spirit, we pray for those who remain on our prayer chain. Hear our request that You touch each person with a new vision of hope. Heal them.
Father God, we pray a stronghold of protection around those who serve You in the fields of harvest as missionaries.
With joy we pray for our pastors, LORD Jesus. Thank You cannot begin to express how grateful that we are that You deemed us worthy of them. We ask every good thing for them. We lift our ministry leaders and our ministries before You and ask that we be given a fresh vision of You. Sometimes we grow weary, the needs of the world seem overwhelming to us. Give us strength and courage to continue to serve You.
LORD God, bless our country. Help our leaders make wise decisions based on Your will rather than on the will of special interest groups. Bless our men and women in the military. Grant their spirits peace.
God of the angel armies, thank You for this time in Your presence. Within You we find the strength to continue. You are God, and we fall down and adore You.
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Judges 11:39 “At the end of two months she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed.” (Amplified)
When I was in Junior High, I had a fight with my friend, Gwendolyn. I don’t remember what we fought about. Something silly I am sure. Whatever the issue, we both felt that we were right. In spite of years of friendship, we quit speaking to each other, waiting for the other to admit that they were wrong. Here’s the kicker - I was the one who was wrong. I knew it just shortly after the argument. But my pride was all that I had and I would not let go of my pride and admit that I was wrong. And so the friendship ended. We both found others to hang out with and although eventually we were speaking to each other, we were never really friends again.
Back in the day (of the Judges) in the area of Gilead, there was this guy named Jephthah who was a mighty warrior. He grew up knowing how to fight because he was the illegitimate son of his father and a prostitute. When his younger brothers (who were legitimate) got older they kicked him out of the home saying that he had no part of them or of their inheritance from their father. Jephthah then went to a different country where he attracted what the Word calls “worthless men” who went on raids with him. Then the Ammonites came against Israel, so the elders of Jephthah’s former home came to him. “Dude,” they said, (well, sorta) “You are a mighty warrior! We need you to come home and lead our armies against our enemies.” Jephthah said, “No way. I’m not lifting a finger to help you after what you did to me.” Then the elders said, “If you will lead the fight against the Ammonites we will make you the head guy over all of Gilead.” I can only imagine the elation Jephthah felt at that moment. After all the years of being the whore’s son, they were begging him. He, who wasn’t good enough to share in his father’s inheritance would now rule over all of them. Jephthah moved back to Gilead. When it was time to go to battle, Jephthah decided to bribe God for a victory. “If You give me a victory, I will sacrifice the first thing that comes to meet me when we return.” God gave him the victory. And the first thing that came to greet him was his daughter, his only child. Jephthah tore his clothes in grief. “You have made me wretched and miserable!” he said to his daughter, “I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break.” The girl asked for two months to mourn the fact that she would never marry. Personally, I believe that she hoped that in the two months her father would find some way out of this vow. But he didn’t. And at the end of the two months, Jephthah gently placed his daughter on an altar, he held her head back at her chin, his fingers feeling her frantic pulse in her neck. He looked into his daughter’s terrified eyes
And he cut her throat.
Even these thousands of years later, I am grieved at the death of this child. I wondered about why God would accept this vow and this sacrifice. Then I realized that although Jephthah had sacrificed his daughter to keep his vow to his god, he did not sacrifice to YHWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He sacrificed his only child to the god of his pride. I know that Father tried His best to turn Jephthah away from the path he was on. I wonder how many times during those two months Father urged Jephthah to just say no to the vow. But Jephthah wouldn’t do it. He, who used to be the leader of a band of worthless men, he who was now the leader of Gilead, had spoken his vow before those he now leads. And he would not admit that he had been wrong. He sacrificed his daughter rather than sacrifice his pride. And Father found that sacrifice to be abhorrent. Heaven’s gates shook with His grief as she died.
There are some types of pride that are good. I am so proud of my children - they are awesome. I am proud of my community of faith and the way that we reach out in the name of Jesus. I am proud of my God and His glory. But Jephthah’s pride was wrong. Any pride that is centered in the “I” is detestable in God’s sight. Psalm 10:4 (NIV) says, “In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God” When our hearts and thoughts are swollen with self-pride, there is no room for God and He is kicked out. Actually, God is not kicked out - He simply refuses to live in the pigsty of our self-pride.
Pride creeps in slowly. Bit by bit our focus moves off of what God does for us and onto what we do for God. We get to forgettin’ that without Him we are nothing, and we start believing in our own something. Father whispers to us, “Just say no to your pride.” But off we go - following our own pride. And Father lets us go.
The good news is that once we have fallen flat on our face (cause that is what always happens when we think we are large and in charge) He lets us come back. He stretches His arms wide to receive us back to Him.
I don’t know what the rest of Jephthah’s life was like - but I imagine it was quite miserable. I wonder if he ever admitted - even just to himself - the enormity is his mistake and the price of his pride.
I don’t remember a lot of the people I knew when I was a child. But I have never forgotten Gwen. To this day I regret that I did not go to her and admit that I was wrong, and ask her forgiveness. But I chose my pride and found out the hard way that pride is a dry-ice cold companion.
Father, pride is too easy for me. It sneaks in and I don’t even realize it until it has taken root. Then it comes between You and I - and I hate that. Help me to see myself more clearly so that we can stop my self-pride before it harms me.
Subscribe to the e-Ministry of Fresno First or contact Valerie at valerie@fresnofirst.org
Blessings hemmed with praise will not unravel - Anonymous
In honor of Pastor Appreciation month, a new project started this past Sonday. The 777 Prayer Project is a one year commitment to pray for our pastors individually. If you are interested in participating in this powerful gift of prayer and love to our pastors, stop by the 777 Project table after services to pick up your prayer card.
An adjustment in medication and on the sleep apnea machine is allowing Nola Ambler to sleep better at night - which is allowing Judi to sleep at night as well. We lift praises!
Faye McDonald’s son, Tony, is going to be undergoing chemo & radiation for prostrate cancer.
Judi Wright’s close friend, Jerri, called her to let her know that Jerri’s brother Bob Hill had passed away. Please keep the family in prayer.
I am requesting prayer for my young friend, Katie. Katie suffers from a progressively worsening disease. It is hard on her, her family and all of us who love her so much.
Please pray for two of our Kids Klub children. Today, I got a phone call from their mother and the family is homeless again.
We continue to pray for the following: Michael & recovery from bypass surgery, Mike Joos & radiation treatments, Liz & stress from ill family members, Danette Joos mother fighting depression, Stan Reed & recovery from surgery, Karen as she continues to recover, Baby Logan’s recovery from surgery, Bob & Geri Kinnish, Denise, Merle Rush & recovery from a stroke, Doug Clapp’s brother in law with prostrate cancer, David & his heart, Helen & Harvey Wilmot, Walt Couch & prostate cancer, John Rodgers with cancer, Brandon & leukemia, George & Margie Martin and his cancer, new employment opportunities for Dan Hansen, Kassel Coon in Afghanistan
Pray for our missionaries -Jan & Larry Martin in Thailand, The Reaching Hand Society in India, SeaFM and their work in Southeast Asia, Dr. George Pe Myat & the hospital in the Congo, Bounkham & Khamla’s mission to Laos, Gospel For Asia, The Faith Alive Clinic in Jos, Nigeria, Laurie Bethall in Prague, Judy, Faye & Miisaw at the New Life Center in Thailand, and all the missionaries worldwide.
Pray for our pastors, our leadership, our ministries, and Father’s provision for His Church. Pray that we recognize opportunities to share our faith with others
Pray for our country, her leadership and our military.
Great I AM, Who was and is and is to come,
God be merciful to us. Forgive us for our sins and make us pure within. Restore to us the joy of Your presence and the glory of Your love. Help us to be steadfast in our worship and service to You.
LORD of All, we pray for Tony as he starts treatment for his cancer. Be with him, LORD.
Comfort Jerri and her family as they grieve the loss of her brother, Bob. Grant them peace.
Abba, we lift Katie before You. I admit, Father, that I don’t understand this situation. But I do understand Your love for Katie. I understand that her life is being used to glorify You. And so I believe - even when I don’t see. Touch Katie, her family and her friends with peace.
LORD God, we place before You this Kids Klub family. The family has always faced problems with a stability. Help them find a stable environment.
Holy One, continue to do a mighty work in the hearts and lives of all those who continue on our prayer list. Work Your will in each situation so that Your glory shines more clearly.
LORD Jesus, Thank You so much that in this world of sorrow and sin we have Your promise that this world is not for us. We cling to Your promise of eternal life in Your presence and we rejoice in the day when our soul is freed to fly with joyful abandon into Your throne room to take our place with the multitudes already there.
Eternal Spirit, be with Your missionaries around the world. Give them opportunities to share Your Good News with those who have not heard. Open hearts and minds to their words.
Jehovah Jirah, hear the cry of Your children as we lift our pastors up before You. Provide for them, protect them, renew them. Bless the leadership and the ministries of our community of faith. Give us opportunities to show You and Your relentless love to a world that does not know You.
There are those in our country, LORD, who want to remove any mention of You in our schools, our government, our public places. They want to confine You and minimize You. Help us to resist this - but to do it in a way that brings no harm to Your name.
Help us to worship You with every word that comes from our mouths, with every action we take, with each breathe we take and every beat of our heart. We love You so much.
There is the classic story of the Chinese who had one horse and one son. One day his horse broke out of the corral and fled to the freedom of the hills. The neighbors came around that night and chattered, "Your horse got out? What bad luck!" "Why," the old Chinese said, "how do you know it's bad luck?" Sure enough, the next night the horse came back to his familiar corral for his usual feeding and watering, leading twelve wild stallions with him! The farmer's son saw the thirteen horses in the corral, slipped out, and locked the gate. Suddenly [the man] had thirteen horses instead of none. The neighbors heard the good news and came chattering to the farmer, "Oh, you have thirteen horses! What good luck!" And the old Chinese answered, "How do you know that's good luck?"
Some days later his strong young son was trying to break one of the wild stallions only to be thrown off and break a leg. The neighbors came back that night and passed another hasty judgment: "Your son broke his leg? What bad luck!" And the wise father answered again, "How do you know it's bad luck?" Sure enough, a few days later a Chinese warlord came through town and conscripted every able-bodied young man, taking them off to war, never to return again. But the young man was saved because of his broken leg. Only God knows what's good for us and what's bad for us.
"All things work together for good to those who love God." When we learn this lesson, then it becomes possible for us to pray the surrendering prayer of deepest faith, "Thy will be done."
Valerie Rae Hanneman
2 Corinthians 9:2 (NIV) For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action.
Several years back both of my children qualified to compete in the National Judo Tournament. That year’s tournament was being held in Hawaii so needless to say I was very willing to accept the invitation. One of the perks that came along with the tournament was a luau. The food was good (except the poi) and the show was great with dancers performing all sorts of different styles of hulas. Then the audience was invited to join the dancers on stage and learn to hula. There were prizes for the best learners in each category. When it came time for the women to compete my children double-dog dared me to go up there. I can’t resist a double-dog dare - so up I went. I was determined to have fun with the situation, because I knew there was no way that I was going to win that contest. I was not a hula dancer. I weighed 300 pounds at that time, and nobody in my entire life had mentioned gracefulness as an attribute of mine. So I got up there and had fun. I laughed, I was enthusiastic about trying, I invented my own moves (no you do not want to imagine them), and when the judges put their hands over the heads of the other contestants I clapped and cheered as loud as I could for all of them.
And here’s the kicker - I won the contest. Can you believe that? The heaviest, clumsiest, most inept contestant up there won the contest. I did not win because I was doing the best hula. Far from it. I won because people responded to my having fun, to my enthusiasm and to my attitude - and that transcended skill. And I will tell you the truth - no chocolate covered macadamia nuts have ever tasted sweeter than the chocolate covered macadamia nuts that I won that night.
I have found that you can determine how important something is to a person by seeing how enthusiastic they are about it. Talk to me about opera and I am going to go catatonic. Talk to me about football and you will quickly find out more about the Dallas Cowboys then you ever wanted to know. I am going to talk Landry, Staubach, the triplets, and Nuygen. With pride, I will tell you that it ain’t football until the ‘boys are on the field.
But if you really want to see me light up with enthusiasm - ask me about Care Fresno Kids Klub. Fawn & Steven are the only ones I am more enthusiastic about than Kids Klub. I am most enthusiastic about Kids Klub because, although I try to serve Jesus in any way I can, Kids Klub is my primary ministry. It allows me the greatest opportunity to serve Him and thereby brings me the greatest joy. Get me to going on Kids Klub and you are going to hear about Donny, my Rachels, Ryan, The Garcias, Anissa, and on and on and on and on about lives changed because God is in Care Fresno.
Other than your family - What lights you up? If a survey was taken among your friends - what would they say is important to you - based on your enthusiasm for it?
Are you enthusiastic about the ministries you are involved in or are they part of the weekly “to-do” list you have? Walk the dog - Check. Take out the trash - Check. Sing in the choir - Check Believe me, I understand that it is impossible to be totally enthusiastic about your ministry at all times. Come into Fellowship Hall on Friday at about 5:30 and you are not going to come face to face with my enthusiasm. Instead you are going to see a drained woman, looking at all the kids that still have to go home, the messes that still need to be cleaned up, a woman who is wondering, “Why do I do this to myself?” But those feelings are temporary. They are negligible when compared to the joy and enthusiasm of 8 of our kids accepting Christ at summer camp - or even better - standing in the choir loft, tears of joy on my face as one of our kids is baptized. The 5:30 Friday night discouragements are going to come - but our enthusiasm for how Jesus is using us to engage our world should far outweigh them. People should know us by our enthusiasm for ministry.
If your ministry is just a check on your “to-do” list, if your enthusiasm for it is low, if you are doing it because “It’s what I do” then maybe it is time to have a talk with Jesus. Ask Him to restore your joy and enthusiasm for your ministry - or to move you to a new ministry where you can be renewed.
Enthusiasm stirs people to action. It stirs them to applause in a silly hula contest and it stirs them to a closer walk with Jesus when a ministry is enhanced by enthusiasm. The enthusiasm that caused me to win the hula contest got me a box of chocolate macadamia nuts. And they were good, but then they were gone. What we get for our enthusiasm in our ministries is so much more. It is the faces of people worshiping around the throne of God for all eternity who might have not been there if our enthusiasm had not stirred them to action.
LORD Jesus, restore in me anew the joy and enthusiasm of serving You and being used by You to stir people top action. Light me up so much that when my friends are asked what I am enthusiastic about they say, “Well duh! It’s Jesus!”
Contact Valerie or subscribe to the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@fresnofirst.org.
Note from Valerie: Okay, here is the truth of it. In my small group on Tuesday the discussion turned to tithing. It was incredible to hear everyone talk about how Abba has blessed them in abundance since they started tithing. Then on Wednesday morning I received this fantastic e-devotional from Max Lucedo. You know that I don't believe in coincidences in the Christian life - so I thought - okay, you discuss tithing in small groups, the next morning you get this devotional and you are the one who sends things out on the e-Ministry. So I connected the dots - and am sending it out. My prayer as this comes out to you is that it touches your heart - like it touched mine.
The UpWords Weekly Email Devotional
MaxLucado.com/newsletter
10/12/05
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GIVE FOR YOUR OWN SAKE - - - - -
By Max Lucado
You don't give for God's sake. You give for your sake. “The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God first in your lives” (Deut. 14:23 TLB).
How does tithing teach you? Consider the simple act of writing a check for the offering. First you enter the date. Already you are reminded that you are a time-bound creature and every possession you have will rust or burn. Best to give it while you can.
Then you enter the name of the one to whom you are giving the money. If the bank would cash it, you'd write God. But they won't, so you
write the name of the church or group that has earned your trust.
Next comes the amount. Ahhh, the moment of truth. You're more than a person with a checkbook. You're David, placing a stone in the sling. You're Peter, one foot on the boat, one foot on the lake. You're a little boy in a big crowd. A picnic lunch is all the Teacher needs, but it's all you have.
What will you do?
Sling the stone?
Take the step?
Give the meal?
Careful now, don't move too quickly. You aren't just entering an amount . . . you are making a confession. A confession that God owns it all anyway.
And then the line in the lower left-hand corner on which you write what the check is for. Hard to know what to put. It's for light bills and literature. A little bit of outreach. A little bit of salary.
Better yet, it's partial payment for what the church has done to help you raise your family . . . keep your own priorities sorted out . . . tune you in to his ever-nearness.
Or, perhaps, best yet, it's for you. For though the gift is to God, the benefit is for you. It's a moment for you to clip yet another strand from the rope of earth so that when he returns you won't be tied up.
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From When God Whispers Your Name
Copyright 1994, Max Lucado
e-Praise & Prayers - October 12, 2005
Watch your motive before God; have no other motive in prayer than to know Him. O Chambers
In honor of Pastor Appreciation month, a new project will start this Sonday. The 777 Prayer Project is a one year commitment to pray for our pastors individually. Each day you will pray for a different pastor utilizing the seven prayer points (7 pastors - 7 days- 7 prayer points). If you are interested in participating in this powerful gift of prayer and love to our pastors, stop by the 777 Project table after services to pick up your prayer card.
David Hansen has been released from the hospital and is doing great with his recovery.
Edie Gates is fully recovered from shingles!
Barbara Fortier’s cousin, Michael, had a 5 way coronary bypass surgery last Wednesday.
We have an update on Mike Lee Joos - he started his radiation treatments on Monday.
Please pray for my friend, Liz. She is under tremendous stress. She has the care of her mother and grandmother who both have Alzheimer’s. Her partner is David for whom we have been praying for over the past several weeks. Add into the mix her young daughter and the need to work full-time - and it is easy to understand her stress.
Bob, Geri Kinnish’s husband has had a stroke and is dying. Please pray for both of them.
Baby Logan had surgery on Thursday and still may require another one.
Fran Regier’s daughter, Karen, is home from Stanford. Although she is doing better she still has a way to go.
Stan Reed recently underwent surgery to remove a tumor from his colon.
Please pray for Danette Joos, mother who is suffering from depression after losing her job.
Nola Ambler, Judi Wright’s mom, is suffering from sleep apnea but fights the machine she has to use at night which is causing JudI to only get about 4 hours of sleep a night.
We continue to pray for the following: Denise, Gina & Chris, Katie & her biopsy, Merle Rush & recovery from a stroke, Doug Clapp’s brother in law with prostrate cancer, David & his heart, Ray Rahn and breathing problems, Helen & Harvey Wilmot, Walt Couch & prostate cancer, John Rodgers with cancer, Brandon & leukemia, George & Margie Martin and his cancer, new employment opportunities for Dan Hansen, Stan Reed & cancer, Kassel Coon in Afghanistan
Pray for our missionaries - Judy, Faye & Miisaw at the New Life Center in Thailand, Jan & Larry Martin in Thailand, The Reaching Hand Society in India, SeaFM and their work in Southeast Asia, Dr. George Pe Myat & the hospital in the Congo, Bounkham & Khamla’s mission to Laos, Gospel For Asia, The Faith Alive Clinic in Jos, Nigeria, Laurie Bethall in Prague, and all the missionaries worldwide.
Pray for our pastors, our leadership, our ministries, and Father’s provision for His Church. Pray that we recognize opportunities to share our faith with others
Pray for our country, her leadership and our military.
God, My Savior,
No matter what happens in our lives, it is well with our soul because our soul is held securely in Your heart.
LORD God, here our cry on behalf of those in our community who suffer from health problems, Michael as he recovers from heart surgery, Mike Joos as he starts his radiation treatments, Baby Logan as he recovers from surgery, Karen as she continues to recover from hepatitis, Nola Amber with her sleep apnea, and Stan Reed as he recovers from surgery.
Great Healer, You heal us in body, soul and spirit. Place Your healing hand on these who suffer: Liz who is under the stress of caring for ill family members, Danette’s mom fighting the depression of losing her job, Judi Wright as she cares for her mom, Geri and her husband Bob as they face his passing.
Your eternal promise is that You will never leave us or forsake us. We leave in Your glorious and protecting hands all of those for whom we continue to pray. Continue to work Your will in each of these situations.
Holy Spirit, Comforter Who dwells within us, we thank You and praise You for Your faithful servants who serve You joyously around the world. Grant them an abundance of Your spirit, keep them safe as they serve You.
LORD Jesus, Light of the World, we pray for those who lead our community of faith. We pray for our pastors, show us how to surround them with our love, we pray for our leaders and our ministries - that our focus will only be on You.
God Bless America, grant her leaders wisdom. Surround our military with protection and comfort.
Abba, how it comforts us and strengthens us to know that we are never out of Your sight, never beyond Your reach. No matter where we go -You are already there, loving us, protecting us, guiding us. Thank You for the lovingkindness You surround us with. You are the Great I AM, Who always was, always is, and always will be. Nothing compares to You.
Hey Friends of Flipside,
I wanted to let you know how thankful and appreciative I am for all your prayers and support. Our church is going really well. There are wonderful people who are a part of it and a tremendous amount of excellent workers in every area of ministry. We are continuing to grow with new faces each week. This Sunday we will have another baptism. All in all we are about 200 strong. God just continues to pour out His blessings upon us. It is simply because of His grace and goodness, not because we are “good at this” or worthy. God is just wonderfully gracious. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.
I also want to share with you the journal entry I wrote in my own journal on October 6th. I read it in church on Sunday. Simply follow this link http://flipside.typepad.com/flipside_blog/ and you can read “For such a time as this” journal entry. I welcome your response and additions. Please share the page entry with others on your email list. It may encourage some who need encouragement.
One more thing, our Harvest Party will be here soon! Please pray for God to pour out His blessing upon this event that it will serve as a “front door event” to our church and that many families will come to church at Flipside on November 6th because of their experience at our Harvest Party.
Thank you so much for your continued prayers. You are a blessing to us.
Blessings on you, Karl
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Philippians 1:29 (NIV)”For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for Him,”
Care Fresno Kid’s Klub started a little shaky this year. Our first day was August 26th, we were gathering for prayer when our beloved Caitlin came in. Her face was tear-stained and broken. “I have to go, they found Ashley from Sugarpine unconscious - I have to go.” With just that information, we prayed for Ashley. Then on Sonday Char Cole gave me an update on Ashley. She had been found in her college dorm room on that previous Friday. She had a brain aneurysm and was in a coma - it didn’t look good. Char reminded me that I had met Ashley, a counselor up at Sugarpine Christian Camps, when she had come down to a couple of our services. We included Ashley on the Wednesday e-praise & prayers and now there were people all over the world praying for her. Six days after they found her unconscious in her dorm room, Ashley passed away.
As I was writing the e-Praise & Prayers the following Wednesday, even as I tried to put the best possible emphasis on Ashley’s passing, my heart cried out, “Father, why Ashley?” It just didn’t seem right to me that Ashley had been taken. She had been a camp counselor for two years and was well-loved by the campers and by the rest of Sugarpine’s staff. Her love for Jesus was evident in her life. Her strong witness for her God had impacted many of the young campers she worked with. Her ambition in life was to serve God, to be used to build the Kingdom. At her young age, her opportunities to influence lives towards Jesus seemed endless. Father, why Ashley?
We say that a lot, don’t we? Why, Father, why? The job we thought would take us to retirement suddenly downsizes and is gone. “Why, Father, Why? Am I not Your child?” A lump under our skin, or a shadow on an x-ray. A grim doctor shakes her head and suddenly our life is not counted in years - but in months. “Why, Father, why? What happened to “all things work together for good?” A beloved teenage child suddenly rejects what you have taught them for so many years and their life seems to spin out of control. “Why, Father, why? I trained them up in the way they should go!”
You pray and you pray and you pray - but there is no answer. The job doesn’t come back, the cancer doesn’t go away, and the child cannot be found. And we suffer. Our brothers and sisters in Christ tell us that if we have enough faith every thing will work out. Only the unemployment is about to run out, months are slipping away, the police have called about our child. “Why, Father, why? What have I done to merit this suffering? Is my faith that weak?”
We know that Father will not give us more than we can bear - but doesn’t it seem like He has a lot more faith in us than we do? We wonder if we are modern day Jobs - surrounded by satan’s slings and arrows.
I have a different thought for us. What if it is not about our faith? What if it is not about our suffering? What if it is not about us at all? What if it is about God’s glory?
Maybe He is not answering our prayers for relief from our suffering because His glory is found in our suffering and our suffering serves His higher purpose. When we can turn to those who watch us suffer and are able to say, “Even though my sorrows like sea billows roll, I know that it is well with my soul.” it makes an impression on them. Our sufferings are not because our faith is weak. Our sufferings strengthen our faith and strengthens the faith of others.
Char, Caitlin and others went to LA to honor Ashley at her Celebration of Life. When Char came back she told me that Ashley’s service was one of the most powerful celebrations of a life in Christ that she had ever been privileged to attend.
Our verse today says that our suffering has been granted to us on behalf of Christ. Granted to us - like an honoring or a gift. Ashley’s family & friends suffered terribly when her promising life was cut short - but God was glorified in her passing. Several people accepted Christ as Savior at Ashley’s service. Even in death she pointed people to Jesus and she made a difference in eternity.
We are going to suffer. It is inevitable. Use your suffering as an opportunity to glorify God. Make a difference in eternity.
Why Ashley? Because it glorified God.
Father, I am not real good at suffering. I sulk and I pout. I wonder if You really love me. Remind me that my suffering has been granted to me on behalf of Christ. Show me how to glorify You through my suffering.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@fresnofirst.org
Father in Heaven! When the thought of thee wakes in our hearts let it not awaken like a frightened bird that flies about in dismay, but like a child waking from its sleep with a heavenly smile.
-Søren Kierkegaard
What a wonderful time we had on Sonday! It was so good to have the opportunity to be together as a community/family of faith! Willie’s sermon was just fantastic - as was the music! I can’t hardly wait to hear about this new miracle that Father has done through His children.
Last Friday night we had a slumber party in Fellowship Hall for Care Fresno Kids Club. We had about 50 kids, plus leaders and volunteers. I am praising Father because there wasn’t any gushing blood, fistfights, or any damage to our campus. It was a great time!
David Hansen has been in UC Davis Medical Center since Friday with an abscessed cheek. He is improving and will shortly be released. Lois and Dan are on their way up to help him.
Please pray for Gina & her husband Chris. They have been trying for the past 10 years to have a child. Gina recently underwent surgery to hopefully allow her to carry a child to term.
I went into Von’s to check on Katie, the baker’s niece. The results of her biopsy showed some problems so they are continuing to test her.
Denise is doing much better. Her organs are showing improvement but they have not yet found the source of the infection.
We continue to pray for the following: Merle Rush & recovery from a stroke, Edie Gates & shingles, Mike Lee Joos and his radiation treatments, Doug Clapp’s brother in law with prostrate cancer, Fran Regier’s daughter (not Ginger) who may need a liver transplant, David & his heart, Ray Rahn and breathing problems, Jean Hofer & her back, Helen & Harvey Wilmot, Walt Couch & prostate cancer, John Rodgers with cancer, Brandon & leukemia, George & Margie Martin and his cancer, new employment opportunities for Dan Hansen, Stan Reed & cancer, Kassel Coon in Afghanistan
Pray for our missionaries - Judy, Faye & Miisaw at the New Life Center in Thailand, Jan & Larry Martin in Thailand, The Reaching Hand Society in India, SeaFM and their work in Southeast Asia, Dr. George Pe Myat & the hospital in the Congo, Bounkham & Khamla’s mission to Laos, Gospel For Asia, The Faith Alive Clinic in Jos, Nigeria, Laurie Bethall in Prague, and all the missionaries worldwide.
Pray for our pastors, our leadership, our ministries, and Father’s provision for His Church. Pray that we recognize opportunities to share our faith with others
Pray for our country, her leadership and our military.
Great Builder,
We thank You that when we do Kingdom work - that we do not labor in vain. You use our work to build the Kingdom. We belong to that Kingdom. In our kingdom there is a mighty throne and upon it is seated the King of kings and LORD of lords. We will worship You around that throne.
Place Your healing hand on David so that this abscess quickly goes away. Be with his parents as they travel to him and then travel home.
We pray for Gina and Chris and ask that this surgery be enough to give them the child they want.
We continue to lift up Katie and Denise as the doctors try to find the cause of their problems. We ask, Father, that You grant wisdom to the doctors.
Bright and Morning Star, You are the Light of the World. You are the Light of our lives. Because of You, our lives make sense.
Holy God, we have so many names and situations that are on our prayer chain. We have seen You move in them. We ask that You continue to move in them.
Our Hope, we call out on behalf of our missionaries, and ask that You continue to provide for them. Protect them in this hostile world. Help them to not grow weary in Your fields of harvest.
Mighty King, to serve You is a joy beyond compare. We dedicate our lives to serving You.
Holy Spirit, descend anew on our community. Grant our pastors strength and peace. Give our leadership wisdom to hear Your voice. Keep our ministries focused on spreading the Good News. Help us as a community and as individuals to recognize opportunities to share You with the world.
There is no God like You. You have always been, always are, and always will be eternal God.
We pray for our country, LORD God, and ask that You bless us again. Our heart’s desire is to have our country turn back to You. Bless our leaders and show them how to come back to You. Bless those who serve in the military and their families. In God we trust.
King of Glory, we love You so much. Help us to keep our hearts in line with Your heart, our will in line with Your will, our thoughts in line with Your thoughts. Forgive us for how we have failed You. Teach us Your ways - help us to be strong. May our lives be more about You and less about us.