If you have been around me at all the last couple of weeks, you know that I have been challenged (spiritually & financially) by a home computer that is on it’s last legs. Today, if I can believe Dell, my new computer arrives. In order to give my computer specialist (Fawn) as much time as possible to get it set up - the e-Bible reading is coming out early.
This week we reach the half-way point in our Bible reading!
This week we are going to breeze through a couple of the minor prophets - Joel, Jonah and Amos. We get started into Isaiah. Isaiah has one of my favorite promises in it - “I saw the LORD, seated on the throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple” Isaiah saw God in all His glory, and God’s promise is that I am going to see Him too. Goosebump time!
We finish 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus in the Newer Testament.
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Sonday - June 25............Joel 1-3; 2 Timothy 1
Monday - June 26...........Jonah 1-4; 2 Tim 2
Tuesday - June 27............2 Kings 13-14; 2 Chr 25; 2 Tim 3
Wednesday - June 28.......Amos 1-3; Ps 80; 2 Tim 4
Thursday - June 29...........Amos 4-6; Ps 86; Titus 1
Friday - June 30................Amos 7-9; Ps 104; Titus 2
Saturday - July 1...........Isaiah 1-3, Titus 3
Valerie Rae Hanneman
John 15:16a (NLT) “You didn't choose Me. I chose you....”
The problem with being a child is that you soak up so much information from parents, siblings, school chums, etc but you don’t always have the right filters to fully understand everything that is being given to you. I don’t know how old I was the first time my step-father said to me, “I am the only one in my family to marry a divorced woman with kids. But I wanted to marry her so I did - even though she had you kids.” As an adult I look back and wonder what it was he was trying to say - but as a child, I heard, “I chose your mom - I didn’t chose you, I just had to take you.” I was like the booby prize or something. When his daughters were born it seemed like even more he would tell me that he had never chosen me. Needless to say, my self esteem wasn’t real high. To make it worse - I was always (or so it seemed) chosen last for any team. The popular kids went first, then the ones who were not popular but could play the game, then the rest of the Geeks and then me. I was a good student, but even for the academic games I was chosen last. It wasn’t that I didn’t know the right answer - I was so painfully shy that when the spotlight came on me I couldn’t give the answer even though I knew it. When I was older and going to school dances the boys would ask my friends first - and when my friends said “no” then they would ask me. At 20 I got married to somebody who had finally chosen me first. Only six months into the marriage I discovered that I wasn’t his first wife - I was his third wife. That marriage was a spectacular failure. I discovered (with great gusto) the party scene after that and it was a repeat of the school dances - but that was okay, because by then I understood that I was not the type who was chosen first. Whatever the others possessed that made them worthy of being chosen first was simply lacking in me.
I don’t know about you, but eternity weirds me out. For some reason I can accept that God goes on forever and that I will go on in His presence forever. I think that is easy to accept because I - in my human vanity - cannot imagine myself not existing. And I can accept that God always is - because I feel His presence in my life so strongly. But that God always was - that is a little harder for my finite mind to comprehend. My finite mind says that everything has to start somewhere - it just can’t always be. Then my logic kicks in and says - well, if God began sometime - what began Him? Who created God? Who’s God’s daddy? Some sort of pre-God god? And where did the pre-God god come from? This sort of reasoning will drive a person crazy - it just doesn’t make sense. Only an eternal God is logical, but still my finite mind wonders about the Infinite always was, always is and always will be.
But wait! There is more! God is exactly the same today as He will be tomorrow and was yesterday and all the yesterdays and all the way back into eternity. He is exactly the same. God has never had a new thought and God has never had a second thought. There was never a time when God was sitting around the throne room and suddenly thought, “ I should create a world of humans!” God never had that thought because He has always thought it. There has never been a part of eternity when God did not know that He was going to create our world or that we would need a Savior
When Jesus, God the Son, said to His disciples, “I chose you.” He did not mean that He chose them on that day, or the day before or when He called them from their fishing nets to follow Him. The disciples had always been chosen. In all of eternity, they are chosen. Not only is that thought mind-blowing - it is so awesome.
If Jesus chose the disciples for all eternity - He chose me for all eternity. The world chose me last - but God has always chosen me, He always chooses me and He always will chose me.
When my step-father told me that he did not choose me, God in eternity whispered, “I’ve always chose you and in just a moment of time you will know that I am the only real Father you will ever have or need.” When I was picked last for a team, Holy Spirit smiled, because He has always chosen me to lead the Care Fresno Kids Klub Team. When I was not chosen first at the dances, Jesus said, “I have always chosen You. And when you come back to Me, I am going to give you a life that you are going to dance with joy through. And I, the King of Kings, the Prince of peace, the LORD of Lords, am going to dance through it with you.” When I was hurt and dismayed to find out that I was not the first bride - I was the third bride, Jesus had already written to me in His Word telling me that, as part of His church, I was His bride and that there was none before me and would be none after me because He loves me with an everlasting love.
When I tell people how painfully shy I was - not only as a child, but well into my adult life - they can’t hardly believe it. People use a lot if different words to describe me these days and I can guarantee you that “shy,” “low self-esteem,” and “withdrawn” are not on the list. What happened to make the shy, low-esteem, withdrawn girl/woman into the out-going, gregarious, joyous woman that I am today? God happened. He showed me who I am in His eyes. I am not His first chosen one, I am not his last chosen one. I am His always chosen one.
So are you.
Holy God, words fail me. How can I ever fully tell You what it means to be Your chosen one? I will live my life showing You how much I love You, I will spend eternity singing my love to You.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@fresnofirst.org
e-Praise & Prayers - June 21, 2006
The glory of Christianity is to conquer by forgiveness. -William Blake
After a long battle with cancer George Martin was welcomed into the open arms of his Savior this past week. His Celebration of Life services will be held on Thursday at 2:00pm at FFBC. Please keep the family in prayer.
Dennis Galloway had his leg surgery last Friday. They inserted a rod between his knee and ankle to help brace his bone. I wonder if he is going to set off airport alarms?
Kirt Hunt is back in the hospital with pneumonia and blood clots in his legs. After a rough spell he is improving. Dennis is back in Michigan with his dad.
Dan and Edie Gate’s son-in-law, Jim Pombo’s heart surgery went better than expected.
Debbie Jenks came through her surgery with flying colors! It will be several weeks before this dynamic servant of Christ is fully recovered.
Khamla in continuing to have pain in her left arm - sometimes it keeps her up at night.
By rough estimate - 7 to 8 kids accepted Christ from our group that went up to Sugarpine last week - 22 kids in the entire camp made this lifesaving decision. Care Fresno is going to the beach this Saturday. Please cover us in prayer for safety and fun.
Please pray for Matthew & Lisa Watson as they raise the funds that will allow them to serve Jesus in Nigeria for two years.
The daughter of our church, Megan Dineen, will be serving in Mexico for six months (I think) as a missionary. How blessed we are by this extraordinary young woman!
Lillian Seward and Gene Wright continue to progress on their road to physical recovery.
We continue to pray for the following: Sandy Hall & radiation treatments, Jonathan Rumsey, in Bagdad, Ellen Burton, Aunt Pat & cancer, Uncle Dale & chemo, Mike Abbott in Afghanistan, Walt Couch & prostrate cancer, John Rodgers with cancer.
Pray for our missionaries -Bounkham & Khamla’s mission to Laos, Gospel For Asia, Biana Grogg with 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, The Reaching Hand Society in India, 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.
Holy God of Israel,
Thank You for the genuine smiles that are on our faces. You give us reason to smile from our hearts - those smiles are reflected on our faces.
We lift up Margie Martin and her family as they grieve the loss of Gorge. We praise You for a life well lived and a life that glorified You.
Place Your healing hand of mercy upon Dennis, Jim and Debbie as they recover from their surgeries. We thank You and praise You for the success of the operations and ask that You continue to be with them.
Kirt and Khamla continue to be troubled with their health issues, Abba. We ask that You heal them and bring them back to full health. We ask that You continue to heal Lillian and Pastor Gene and we praise You for the progress they have already made.
From a humble heart, LORD Jesus, I thank You for the lives that You redeemed this past week at Sugarpine. Thank You for giving me the privilege and honor of being used as a tool in the Master Carpenter’s hand as You build Your eternal kingdom.
Holy Spirit, I pray for Your presence to be made manifest at the beach this weekend. Help all of the leaders to act in ways that glorify You. Use us to further reveal Yourself to these children and parents.
Jehovah-Shalom, our God of Peace, we rejoice with You over the willing servant hearts of Lisa, Matt and Megan as they make these radical lifestyle changes so that they can follow close to You and heed Your call. Provide for their physical, spiritual, and monetary needs.
We thank You. Merciful God, for Your relentless love for us. You love us in spite of the many times that we have failed to listen to You, have failed to act in ways that honor You, have failed to have purity in our hearts. We confess our sins before You and ask Your forgiveness
Spirit of Light, some of those on our prayer chain have been there for awhile. We pray for them with a renewed spirit of love and concern. Never let us get routine in our prayers to You.
We pray for Your Eternal Church and for all who serve You and her so faithfully. We lift up our missionaries, our pastors, our leaders, our volunteers and our paid staff. Help us to - above all else - keep the focus on You.
We pray for our country, Great Shepherd, that You will guide her on the path of righteousness. We pray for those who serve our country and for the families that wait for them. We ask that You comfort the families of those heros who have fallen this week..
Forever, LORD God, FOREVER! That’s how long we get to spend in Your presence. We love You - we get to love You forever.
Thank you for your prayers for Marjua. She has been in a local hospital for a week now, and has been gradually improving. She's eating small meals now and interacting more with her family and visitors again. The Faith Alive Support Group is providing volunteer care-givers to stay with Marjua during the time her sister needs to be away from the hospital. A variety of volunteers are providing food for the care-givers and for Marjua (this isn't routinely provided by the hospital like it is in the states). The hospital has performed many tests to try to determine why Marjua has had these repeated down-turns in her health. All of the tests so far have come back negative, but they are modifying her HIV treatment regimen, & considering treating her for other possible complicating conditions, such as TB and malaria, in spite of the negative test results. If she continues to improve, she should be able to return to the Faith Alive Transitional Housing apartment shortly. Thank you again for joining with us in supporting Marjua. Your prayers give us strength and encouragement, and are so important. God Bless You!
Well, one thing we learned in our readings this week - it was not good to be related to the King of Israel! In 1 Kings we see the promise that God made to David - that his kingdom would be split and although his blood would continue to reign - it would be only a small part of Israel. There are two countries now - Israel consists of 10 tribes, Judah the other two. Jeroboam, to keep the 10 tribes from reunited with Judah, builds two golden calves and declares them to be the gods of Israel (they love turning a calf into a god - don’t they?) Israel quickly sinks to the lowest sins possible. In Judah things aren’t much better. In 1 Kings 16:34 we see a prophecy made by Joshua come to pass regarding the rebuilding of Jericho. Then in 1 Kings 17, Elijah shows up for the first time.
I loved the beginning of 1 Philippians when Paul wrote that he had been imprisoned to stop the spread of the Message - but the opposite had happened - the guards were asking questions about Jesus. How cool is that? My favorite chapter, though, is chapter 3 when Paul gives all of his impressive credentials from when he was the Jew of the Jews - then says that next to the joy of knowing Jesus - his credentials are just trash That preaches!
This week we will finish up Colossians and 1 Kings - sliding right into 2 Kings and 1 Timothy!.
Sonday - June 18............1 Kings 22, 2 Chr 15-16; Col 4
Monday - June 19...........2 Ki 1-3; Psalm 82; 1 Tim 1
Tuesday - June 20............ 2 Ki 4-5; Ps 83; 1 Tim 2
Wednesday - June 21.......2 Ki 6-7; 2 Chr 20; 1 Tim 3
Thursday - June 22...........2 Ki 8-9; 2 Chr 21; 1 Tim. 4
Friday - June 23................2 Ki 10; 2 Chr 22-23; 1 Tim 5
Saturday - June 24...........2 Ki 11-12; 2 Chr 22-23; 1 Tim 5
Marjua began doing worse again Sunday – vomiting again, weaker. We transferred her to one of the hospitals today. One of our home based care staff and one of the pastors will visit with her daily. Thank you for your prayers and support throughout the past week. This experience has opened my eyes and my heart more to how great the need here is for medical care. I knew it already mentally, but getting to know someone personally & being involved in the process of trying to help has changed my perspective. When I was walking though the clinic waiting area after returning from lunch today, there were 2 individuals laying on benches and one laying on the floor waiting to see a doctor. It is a common sight, but affects me much more today than 2 weeks ago, modifying how I prioritize my time & driving me more to prayer. It’s going to be awhile before the new FA hospital building is furnished and the staff is ready to open the emergency treatment area or the small in-patient ward. There are no funds available yet for the completion and furnishing of the building, but God didn’t begin this project to leave it partly finished. So, please continue to pray with us for God’s provision and guidance for the completion of the new hospital, and that God would multiply & bless the small acts of love that we are able to provide today.
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Mark 4:22 (Contemporary English Version) “There is nothing hidden that will not be made public. There is no secret that will not be well known”
During the last week of school I got a phone call form Buchanan High School. The woman introduced herself as a guidance counselor. I was beaming from ear to ear because her call meant that my son had dealt with his summer school registration problems on the FIRST day I asked him to! Finally, LORD! A small glimpse of responsibility! Then she said that she was the disciplinary arm of Buchanan. Disciplinary arm? Then why was she calling me? She proceeded to tell me that my son had been “apprehended” at Garfield Elementary during school hours. In other words - he’d been caught ditchin’. I couldn’t believe it! Two days before school’s out and he ditched! I asked to speak to my son and when he came on the line I said, “Son, is she telling me the truth?” There was a pause, then he answered, “yes.” I spoke again to the counselor about the consequences of Steven’s choices, then asked to speak to my son again. “Son, I am going to pick you up when you are done with detention. Don’t look forward to the ride home - you are not going to enjoy it.”
In today’s world of “what’s good for me is good for me, and what’s good for you is good for you, just don’t let what’s good for you get in the way of what’s good for me” morality, finding a definition of integrity that suits everybody is like nailing jell-O to a tree. The best definition of integrity that I have heard is: “Integrity is who you are when nobody is looking.”
As a Christian, I am called to a higher level of integrity than the shifting jell-O integrity of the world. Father tells me “Let your “yes” be “yes” and “no”be”no” anything else comes from the evil one.”(Matt 5:37) I am to tell the truth in every situation. I don’t get to get away with “but I didn’t inhale.” Father tells me “Be holy because I AM holy” (1 Peter 1:16) and He tells me “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.” (Eph 5:3) The sexual merry-go-round that the world embraces, the “Me first!” attitudes, the “I want my slice of the pie and yours too” greed of the world are not for me. These are not to be my actions, attitudes or thoughts.
Unfortunately, even as I type this, I am aware of my own shortcomings. The Christian woman that you know through Fresno First Baptist - that’s really really me! Anyway it is me on Sonday morning. But if my yes is to be yes, then the truth is that my level of Christian integrity on Monday is not quite as holy as it is on Sonday. When I am at my house, with only my family, the level slips a little more. In my bedroom, behind closed doors - it slips to it’s lowest level.
So which is the true measure of my integrity? Is it who I am in church - at the office - at the house - or in my room? If integrity is who I am when nobody is looking - then the true measure of my Christian integrity is who I am in my bedroom when nobody is looking.
Does that mean that the Christian I am on Sonday morning is a fake? A Pharisee? I don’t think so. I think that on Sonday morning I am the best that I can be and in the privacy of my bedroom I am the worst I can be. But both are me. And by the grace of Father, the person I am in my bedroom is much closer to the person that I am on Sonday morning than I was several years ago.
My son and his friend knew that what they were doing was wrong but everybody does it. They figured they were safe - teachers weren’t taking roll - nobody would know. But they didn’t stop to think that with both of them being over 6 feet tall they would stand out like sore thumbs on an elementary school campus. What they thought they could keep secret became public.
Sometimes the person we are when nobody is looking gets us involved in things we know are wrong. We ignore the warning voice of our Father because we think that nobody will ever know. We visit that website - we cheat on those taxes - we flirt with that person we have no business flirting with - we double dip on our expense report - and anyway, it’s no big deal, everybody does it. We don’t plan on getting caught but somehow, we do.
Why is it so important that the integrity we have in private is the same as the integrity we have in front of the world? From presidents to priests, teachers to talk-show hosts, what is done in secret is trumpeted from the front page of the newspapers. Hopefully nothing that I ever do in secret will be so bad as to end up on the front page - but what about the person who sees me on Sonday morning then finds out about who I am when nobody is looking? Will who I am when nobody is looking cause them to stumble in their walk with Christ? Or even worse - will I cause them to reject Jesus because they see me as a hypocrite? God forbid that this could happen!
My son says that he was just about to tell his friend that they needed to go back to school. I am glad that he was trying to get out of that wrong situation and do what was right, but it was too late - and he was caught. I disciplined Steven severely for his wrong decisions. I did it because I love him more than my life and I want him to be a man of integrity.
Even if you are alone in a vault 15 miles below the earth what you do is not in secret. God knows. We can’t keep secrets from Him. He has already proved that He loves us more than His life, He wants us to be a people of integrity, so He will discipline us and allow us to bear the consequences of our secret actions. What is secret may well become public,
I must strive to make the person I am when nobody is looking be the same as the Christian on Sonday morning.
Holy God, You have called me to be holy because You are holy. Help me to be a person of Christian integrity when nobody is looking - when only You are looking.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@fresnofirst.org
Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up.-Anne Lamott
I have a praise. We are facing a serious shortfall in funding where I work and hard decisions have to be made. As the financial person the stress is wearing on me. Yesterday I ran into a Christian friend who works in the building. During our conversation she reminded me that this world is not my home, we talked about being at the throne of judgement when Jesus shows us what our lives have accomplished, we talked about the joy of casting our crowns at His feet, we talked about the wonder of being able to touch Him. We laughed with joy, we hugged and we went our separate ways. The minor stresses of this world were lost in the glory of my God and King. My Jesus, thank You for reminding me that the troubles of this world are just a shadow in the vapor of my life. Only You are real, only You are lasting.
Dennis Galloway is undergoing surgery this week on his leg. Last time they operated on his leg it almost killed him. Pray for better results this time.
From Biana: Marjua, after doing better, has taken a turn for the worse. I will be sending Biana’s update on her out by separate e-mail. Biana writes: “please keep my daughter-in-law, Nicole in Montana in your prayers. She is due to deliver their second child any day now. The pregnancy has been normal with no problems, but it is a little difficult being on the other side of the world right now. Blessings”
A great update on Kirt Hunt! After being in the hospital for 34 days he has been transferred to a rehab facility. Our friend, Dennis, is home from Michigan. Kirt still has a long road to travel - please continue to keep him in prayer.
Pam Galendo, a friend of Georgette Bersani, is undergoing surgery today for spurs in her shoulder.
12 children ended up going to camp. Please keep them in prayer - that this week will change their lives and change our world for Jesus.
We continue to pray for the following: Sandy Hall & radiation treatments, Jonathan Rumsey, serving in Bagdad, Ellen Burton, Aunt Pat & cancer, Katie Arizon, Uncle Dale & chemo, Mike Abbott in Afghanistan, Walt Couch & prostrate cancer, George Martin & cancer, Tony & treatment for prostrate cancer, John Rodgers with cancer.
Pray for our missionaries - The Reaching Hand Society in India, Bounkham & Khamla’s mission to Laos, Gospel For Asia, Biana Grogg with 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.
Uncomparable God,
Sometimes it feels like our hearts should just burst with the praise in them for You. Thank You for my time with Sara. When I was down in the dumps You were the lifter of my head. This is what You do - You fill us with joy. You give us peace, You surround us with hope. You give us new life beyond what we could have imagined. I humble myself before You in gratitude.
In agreement, we lift up our friends and brethren who are facing health challenges - Dennis Galloway and recovery from surgery on his leg, Marjua in Nigeria, Nichole & her pregnancy, Kirt and continued recovery, Pam and the surgery on her shoulder. You are the great Physician, place Your healing hand on them.
Spirit of God, we thank You that we were able to send these kids to camp. We ask that You bless them, call them to You, fill their hearts and change their lives.
LORD Jesus, the world tells us that beauty is found in Jennifer, Ulma, Britney, Jessica, Tom, Ben and others. But we who follow You know that beauty is found in a blood-stained cross, a crucified Lamb, and a love so relentless it tore down all barriers - including death - to make us Your own. Thank You for the love that could not let us go.
Jehovah-Jirah, God our Provider, we pray for those lives and situations who continue to be in our prayers. Rule supreme in each situation and use them to Your glory.
We pray for Your Church, Yeshua, and ask that You provide for her needs as she reaches the world in Your name. We pray in particular for the persecuted Church, those who choose to follow You at the risk of their own lives. We pray for Your missionaries around the world as they also serve You.
We pray for our pastors, these extraordinary people who have put You first in everything. Surround them and protect them. We pray for the various ministries that serve the needs of the Body and reach out to those who don’t know You. Provide willing hands and hearts to serve You through the ministries.
God Almighty, Elohim, be merciful to us and bring our country back to her knees before You. Bless those who serve our country.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to You. How great You are! How great You are! Then sings my soul, my Savior God to You, How great You are! How great You are! This is the song that will live in my heart and spring from my lips for all of eternity. We love You, LORD.
e-Bible Reading
I was in the library when I read Proverbs 30 - the Four mysteries. From the Message it says, “Three things amaze me - no, four things I will never understand– How an eagle flies so high in the sky, how a snake glides over the rock, how a ship navigates the ocean, why d\adolescents act the way they do.” If you have ever parented a teenager, you understand why, even though I was in the library’s “quiet room” I gave out a heartfelt “AMEN!”
We finished the entire book of Ephesians this week. What a wonderful book on God’s plan, how He is bringing everything together, and how we need to be mature and forsake the carnal way of life. When I read a book like Ephesians, where the writing is so powerful and the mind pictures are so clear, I wonder what it must have been like to be in the crowd when Paul preached. I hope there DVD’s in heaven, so we can sit back in a great big comfy chair with a bag of popcorn and see what it was like.
This week we finish Song of Solomon (an interesting read in the Message) and we go back to the historical books. We sail through Philippians, and start into Colossians. If there is something in this week’s reading that touches you, let me know what it is - I love sharing your experiences.
Sonday - June 11...........Song of Solomon 5-8 Phil 1
Monday - June 12...........1 Kings 12; 2 Chron 10-11; Phil2
Tuesday - June 13..........1 Kings 12, 2 Chon 12, Phil 3
Wednesday - June 14......1 Kings 15; 2 Chron 13-14; Phil 4
Thursday - June 15.........1 Kings 16; 2 Chron 15-16; Colossians 1
Friday - June 16..............1 Kings 17-19; Col 2
Saturday - June 17...........1 Kings 20-21; 2 Chron 17, Col 3
Valerie Rae Hanneman
“To all who received Him, to those who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God -- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God” John 1:12-13(NIV)
The news is full of stories of individuals and groups demanding their rights. There are homosexual partnerships demanding all the rights of heterosexual partnerships. There is the atheist in San Diego demanding his right to not be offended by a war memorial shaped like a cross. In the United States of America we are blessed to have individual rights to the degree that few countries share. Try saying something against the “god” dictator on the streets of North Korea, or preach about Jesus on the street corner in Iran. In these countries, and in too many others, the rights that we as Americans take so casually, are a dream that they will never hold.
With rights come responsibility. Because we hold our rights so casually all too often we take the responsibilities of those rights just as casually. Thousands take to the streets to protest for the rights of those illegally in the US - ignoring the responsibility to obey the laws of our land. A woman takes advantage of the right to reproduce but leaves the responsibility of providing for those children to the taxpayers. Or they purchase a cup of coffee at a drive through, put it on the dashboard and drive off. Then when the coffee spills in their lap (duh!) they grab their right to sue the fast-food company and refuse to accept responsibility for the questionable decision to place coffee on the dashboard in the first place. I am sure that you could fill my e-mail with your pet peeve of somebody not accepting the responsibility of the rights that they claim.
Salvation is not a right that I am entitled to. It is not something that I am capable of earning. It is not automatically mine because of where I was born. It is a gift from God. But according to John 1:12-13, accepting the gift of salvation gives me the right to become a child of God. Now that is an awesome right! But with the right to be called the child of God comes a responsibility - two of them actually. Jesus detailed out those responsibilities in Luke 10:27 when He said, “You shall love the LORD, your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Seems simple doesn’t it - love God & love your neighbor. But what seems so simple in concept is hard to put into practice in your daily living. There are parts of my life that are just right in there. Care Fresno is a great example of how I love God and love my neighbor. My prayer life is a reflection of how much I love God, that I pray for others is a reflection of how I love others. Actually, when you get right down to it - I could get a pretty puffed up chest and ego with all that I do because I love God and love others.
There are other parts of my life that aren’t quite so bright and shiny though. These are the parts of me that I try not to let others see. Sometimes I find myself gossiping about others. I try to justify it - or excuse it - by saying that somehow the conversation just slipped into gossip before I realized it - but in the quiet spot of my mind (that spot where the truth lives) - I know that nothing “just slipped” I fell willingly. Or when I see a man in the doorway of the building next door and I don’t see a soul that Jesus died for, I see a bum who should get a job or even better - just go away where I don’t have to see him. Or when I get to thinking about how much I do that shows God how very much I love Him and how very much I love others and my chest gets so puffed up with ego and pride that I can’t see anything but me.
I just don’t see how those times fit in the “love God, love others” responsibilities of being God’s child.
Unfortunately there are too many of those times when my thoughts, words and actions do not fit in with my responsibilities of being God’s child here on earth.
When I am careless with my rights and responsibilities as a citizen of the USA, the effect of my carelessness is felt here in this country and in this time. When I am careless with my rights and responsibilities as a child of God the effect of my carelessness is felt through all of eternity. It is felt when my friend will not listen to how much God loves her because she has heard me verbally claw another person apart. It is felt when the homeless man slips into eternity without knowing Jesus because I turned my nose up at him. It is felt when I am so puffed up with myself that I can not see what God would have me see.
The gift of my salvation gave me the right to become a child of God. My right to become a child of God has given me the responsibility to love God first and foremost, and then to love others. It is time for me to get serious about those responsibilities - the cost of my carelessness is too high.
Abba, my heart is heavy because in writing this I have realized how often I have been careless with loving You and loving others. Forgive me. Help me to make loving You and loving others the consuming fire of my life.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@fresnofirst.org.
Matthew 18:18 (MSG)"Take this most seriously: A yes on earth is yes in heaven; a no on earth is no in heaven. What you say to one another is eternal. I mean this. When two of you get together on anything at all on earth and make a prayer of it, my Father in heaven goes into action. And when two or three of you are together because of me, you can be sure that I'll be there."
Sandy Hall came through surgery just fine. Good news - the cancer doesn’t appear to be as bad as they thought it might be.
From Ann Mead: My praise - Yesterday I had my post op with my surgeon. They took an Xray of my hip and told me that it looked good. He also told me that I could start putting more weight on my leg. I begin Physical Therapy tomorrow to transition me from walker to cane to walking on my own. I know that I have progressed this quickly due to the prayers that went up from FBC! Thank you, church family. I love you all.
From Biana: Please be praying with us for a special young woman who lives in one of the Faith Alive Transitional Housing apartments. We are having trouble stabilizing her overall health situation. She will do better for a week or so, & then will go downhill again. It is very confusing and frustrating. Testing for other problems like TB & malaria have been negative, yet she continues to have breathing & eating problems. Her name is Marju (not spelled right, but that's how you pronounce it). Her sister is caring for her as best she can with no resources as her husbands family has sent them away, although they have been letting her children come for visits occasionally. Thanks for caring, loving, & praying with us.
Please pray for Gokharya Barela, Garsia Barela and their families in India. When these two men refused to renounce Christianity they were beaten and their wives sexually assaulted by Hindu extremists. In a move to protect the perpetrators from prosecution anti-conversion charges are being leveled against the nearby missionaries and these families.
Pray for traveling mercies for the Sullivans, the Kennedys, the Lombardi’s, the McKelvey’s and the Coles who are currently in Ireland and Pastor Chris and Mitzi who are in Georgia
In a little over one week we are sending up to 19 Care Fresno kids up to Sugarpine Christian Camp. Please pray that Jesus will touch them and that their hearts will turn to Him.
We continue to pray for the following: Kirt Hunt, Charlie Betts, Nola Ambler, Lillian Seward, Merrill Hardison, Dorothy Wajckus, Dennis Galloway, Jonathan Rumsey, serving in Bagdad, Jim Purgason, Ellen Burton, Aunt Pat & cancer, Katie Arizon, Uncle Dale & chemo, Mike Abbott in Afghanistan, Walt Couch & prostrate cancer, Mike Joos & recovery from radiation treatment, George Martin & cancer, Tony & treatment for prostrate cancer, John Rodgers with cancer.
Pray for our missionaries - Jan & Larry Martin in Thailand, The Reaching Hand Society in India, Dr. George Pe Myat in the Congo, Bounkham & Khamla’s mission to Laos, Gospel For Asia, Biana Grogg with 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.
Father God,
The greatest joy of our lives is knowing that You are always with us - even to the end of time - even throughout eternity. Your love is our foundation.
We praise You, Holy Spirit, for the great news from Sandy and Ann. We ask that You continue to move in their lives, continue to heal their bodies.
We lift Marju up before You and ask that You show those who are caring for her the answers to the health challenges that she faces.
With heavy hearts, Jehovah Shalom, we pray for these two families in India and ask that You bring peace to their lives. We pray for all of Your children who face persecution around the world. Help us, who are not persecuted, to hold them up in prayer always.
God of our Protection, we pray for those who are now traveling and who are soon to travel during this summertime. Keep them safe as they travel and bring them home to we who love them.
Great and Glorious God, You have promised that when we pray in agreement that You will go into action. We are praying in agreement for the children that we will be sending to Camp Sugarpine, that You will touch them and speak to them in such a way that they will yield to Your call.
It is such a joy to come into Your presence, Holy Father. Our spirits find rest in You.
Bless the situations and the people, LORD Jesus, who continue to be on our prayer chain. Your will is perfect and we seek it for them.
We pray for our much-loved pastors and for their families. Give them times of refreshing.
We pray for those who serve You as missionaries around the world and ask that You place a stronghold of protection around them.
Pour Your abundance on Your Church, Savior, so that we may reach the world with Your good news of mercy and hope.
I love the life that You have given me, Abba. It is not what I imagined as a child - it is much better than that. But as much as I love it, I never forget that this is not where I belong. I belong with You, I long to be at Your feet. I am happy and content to serve You here for as long as You want me to, but there is a part of my spirit that reaches out to You and asks, “How long, oh LORD, must I stay here?” It is because we love You, You are all we want.
Hi all! The past week has been very full and busy: beginning to work with some of the dept heads to prepare for a training time in July, helping the students from UC Berkeley & Madison, Wisconsin settle in, meeting Dr Blackner and his wife who are helping with the set up of the new U. S. Faith Alive Foundation, preparing for the 10th anniversary celebration, & visiting an occasional patient. Today I went to an early church service with Pastor Sunday Bakut at the Baptist church he attends, where I shared greetings from out church & Pastor Bakut preached. Then we were off to an HIV/AIDS awareness education time for the Sun. morning service in one of the nearby village comunities at a Church of Christ where one of the women living positively with HIV is a member & God has done alot of healing within their church as a result of her situation. A quick lunch, and we were off to the support group meeting to encourage & be blessed by them. We're on our way out to dinner soon for grilled fish as an early going away gathering for Ryan & Hillary who will be leaving this week to return to Madison, Wisconsin (although they are already planning when they can return around Hillary's final time in her med program - probably Nov 2007 - this place just gets to you that way, once you've been here you are family & know that you have to come back periodically). My health is much better now & although I still feel the separation from all of you that are so much a part of my life, I don't miss you as much now. I'm think I'm just going to have to find a way to maintain at least 2 residences on opposite sides of the world over the next few years. Is is wrong to pray for enough money to be able to have the best of both worlds??? Well, if it is, I'm sure God will make that clear to me. Thanks for all of your prayers and support. I love you all. God bless you!
Reading Proverbs in the Message is really interesting. This is what the Message says for Proverbs 27:15 “A nagging spouse is like the drip, drip, drip of a leaky faucet; You can't turn it off, and you can't get away from it.” The visual picture of that makes it very easy to understand. I am surprised by the number of times I have read one of the Proverbs and thought about how true that proverb is in my life.
Romans 9 this week really caught my attention. Paul’s grief over the Jews rejection of Jesus - he even goes to the point of saying that he wished he was cursed and cut off from Christ if it would help them. He knew his calling was to the Gentiles - but he could not ignore the spiritual state of his people. I wonder how different the Church of Jesus would be if we had this type of grief over those we know who are lost.
This week we leave Provers, go through Ecclesiastes, and get started into Song of Solomon. In the Newer Testament we finish Romans and Ephesians. We are almost half way through with the year - almost half way through the Bible - and what a joyful experience this continues to be!
Sonday - June 4.............Proverbs 28-29;Psalm 60; Romans 13
Monday - June 5.............Prov 30-31;Ps 22; Ephesians 4
Tuesday - June 6............Ecclesiastes 1-3;Ps 45;Eph 2
Wednesday - June 7.......Ecc 4-6;ps 18; Eph 3
Thursday - June 8..........Ecc 7-9; Eph 4
Friday - June 9...............Ecc 10-12; ps 94; Eph 5
Saturday - June 10.........Song of Solomon 1-4; Eph 6
There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck.
Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head, and killed it. He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.
After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen.Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?” So Johnny did the dishes.
Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper." Sally just smiled and said," Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help." She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.
After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally.. he finally couldn't stand it any longer.
He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug, and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."
Thought for the day and every day thereafter?
Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done... and the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.) ..whatever it is....You need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing..... He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven.
He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you. The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives you, but He forgets..... It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved.
Go ahead and make the difference in someone's life today. Share this with a friend and always remember:
God is at the window
Inspired by Todd Agnew
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Mark 10:47-49 (NLT) “When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus from Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" "Be quiet!" some of the people yelled at him. But he only shouted louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" When Jesus heard him, He stopped and said, "Tell him to come here." So they called the blind man.”
There’s been a change in my circle of friends these past 11 years. My friendships back then were more varied. They ran the gamut from drug addicts to community leaders. Most were not religious, some stridently anti-religious and even a couple of Christians. These days my circle of friends had undergone a real change. My closest circle of friends are all Christians and only one does not attend Fresno First Baptist. My broader circle of friends that I socialize with are also all Christians. My circle of friends and I have Jesus as a common bond, we have a common language, and common beliefs. Because of what we have in common, I am more comfortable with them than with anybody else. But I don’t think Jesus is real happy with me when it comes to who I am friends with.
Jesus was leaving Jericho to go to Jerusalem. This was His last journey - He knew He was going to be crucified in Jerusalem. As He walked He was surrounded by a crowd. The closest to Him were His disciples- His closest circle of friends. Around them were the rest of Jesus’ followers. This was at the end of His ministry so the “free food” hanger-ons were gone. Those who flocked to Him because He was the latest version of the “hot to be seen with” had gone. Most of those still following Him on this day would be the core of the yet-to-be-born Church.
A blind beggar sits outside of Jericho and when he hears Who is going past him, he shouts out to Jesus. The crowds surrounding Jesus tell him to shut up. Blind Bart, being the socially polite man he was, ignored them and shouted even louder to get Jesus’ attention. Jesus stopped, told those around Him to get Blind Bart. When Blind Bart stands before Jesus, Jesus heals him.
There are three interesting dynamics on this day. The first and most important (always) is Jesus. Son of God, Messiah, Savior - He was, is and always will be the only hope mankind has. Then there is Blind Bart. Knowing that he is physically blind, maybe knowing he was spiritually blind as well, somehow he knows that the only hope that he has left is Jesus. Then there is the crowd. In the inner circle are the disciples. They have lived with Jesus for three years, seen all the miracles, received all the teaching. Their t-shirts have Jesus slogans on them. Ask them on this day and they will tell you that they will die for Jesus. The rest of the crowd follow Him by choice as well. Their donkeys have bumper stickers that say “Follow me to Saturday School!”
Imagine the scene with me - see Jesus walking down the road to Jerusalem, around Him the crowd hanging on every word, intent on Jesus. See Blind Bart by the city walls - he desperately needs Jesus - but when he calls out for Jesus’ mercy - it is the Jesus-followers that turn on him - “Shut Up! Go Away! He is busy with us!”
That just blows me away! How could they do that? How could they block out a soul in need of Jesus! Then I pause, and I get this little shiver of feeling down my neck - and it feels like guilt.
My circle of friends and I are intent on Jesus. We choose to grow in Him, we choose to worship Him, we choose to serve Him, and we choose to support each other within Him. And there is nothing wrong with that - it is what we are supposed to do. But by being so close to each other do my friends and I block others from reaching Jesus?
As I walk through the office at work there are people that I love to stop and talk to. I ask about their family, about their churches, we talk about Jesus. But for most of my co-workers, it is a quick “Hi!” and I am on my way. I don’t have anything in common with them. I don’t build any type of a real relationship with them because they don’t know Jesus. Am I so intent on Jesus that I block them from reaching Jesus because I don’t build a relationship with them?
Jesus did not come to earth to be in relationship with those who had something in common with Him. And I praise Him that that is true. I had nothing in common with Him - none of us did - so where would we be? Jesus came to get those He had nothing in common with.
When Jesus stopped at Blind Bart’s cry, He did not go back to Bart. Not did He call out, “Come here, Blind Bart!” Instead He turned to the ones who had just tried to set Blind Bart aside and told them to call Blind Bart. What must that have been like for those in the crowd? Just a moment ago they had tried to block this outsider from Jesus, and they turn to see His eyes on them. Did they see disappointment in His eyes when He said to them, “You go get him, and you bring him here.” Did they feel a shiver of guilt?
Jesus wants us to build up our community of faith, he told us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. But He didn’t tell us to get comfortable and stay there. He told us to go out into the world and make disciples.
As long as I am content to live within my circle of friends that I have so much in common with then I run the risk of seeing disappointment in Jesus’ eyes. I don’t want to hear Him chide me into going and bringing somebody to Him - somebody that I blocked earlier from Him.
I think on Monday morning when I walk through the office, I am going to stop to chat with my Christian friends. But I am also going to stop and chat with somebody I have nothing in common with. Maybe, with Jesus’ help, I will find a little something that we have in common - and from there build a relationship that will someday have Jesus in common.
LORD Jesus, forgive me for my comfortable life, surrounded by my comfortable friends. You did not call me to be comfortable, You called me to be Your hands and feet - to go out and bring others to You. I surrender myself to Your call.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@fresnofirst.org