Valerie Rae Hanneman
Revelation 22:20 (NIV) “He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”
When my daughter Fawn was about seven she and I were putting together a puzzle. When we put in the last piece we discovered that a piece was missing. It wasn’t a piece of the sky or the grass - oh no, my luck doesn’t run that way. It was the face of one of the characters, the most important piece. After a short search for it I suggested to Fawn that it really wasn’t that important. My daughter, the possessor of a ferocious temper (that she inherited from me)promptly threw a royal hissy fit. It was a sight to behold and, needless to say, we did not stop looking until we found that missing piece of the puzzle.
Piece by piece, Father is putting together the picture of human history, which is really His-story. There is a piece that is shaped like a newly created planet, another shaped like a snake. There is one shaped like an ark and one shaped like a tower built to reach God’s heaven. Here is a piece shaped like two tablets of stone right next to a piece shaped like a golden calf. Some of the pieces are shaped like lepers and Samaritans, like a little boy’s lunch and a crashing wave. Here’s a piece shaped like tongues of fire and one shaped like Paul. Even newer pieces are shaped like an edict nailed to a church door, and a ship of missionaries crossing to a strange land. Over there are the pieces of great evangelists who brought revivals of faith to the nations, and right here is one of my favorite pieces because it is shaped just like you - and there is that goofy shaped one that looks like me. Some of the pieces are small, some are big. Some of them are as old as time, some of them as new as a child’s first cry. Some of them don’t look like they are important to the picture but all of them are needed to complete the masterpiece of what God is creating. There are, however, four vitally important pieces. For without those four pieces the picture does not make sense. In fact, the picture doesn’t even exist.
The first piece is shaped like a manger. It’s the first time that everything changed. Up until this moment God has been thunder and lighting on Mount Sinai, He’s been behind the veil of the temple, He has come to people for a time and a purpose but He does not stay. And now with this child in a manger, El Elyon, The Most High God, has become Emmanuel, God with us. He looks just like us and He acts just like us. Jesus, the Glory of Heaven has become just an ordinary guy. Isaiah says that He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.(Isaiah 53:2) For His first 30 years as a human nobody can tell that Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. But nothing will ever be the same.
The second piece is shaped like a bloodstained cross. With it being placed into the picture everything changes again. For three years the hands of God have touched His creation to heal and restore. His feet have walked to bring a message of hope and redemption. His voice has been strong and sure as He taught the multitudes. But now, in His supreme act of love, God’s hands are nailed to a cross, God’s feet are nailed to a cross. God’s voice, weak from thirst, raspy from trying to breathe says, “It is finished”and He dies for our sins. The earth shakes at His death. The temple veil is torn by God the Father from top to bottom as mercy and grace replace justice. And nothing will ever be the same.
The third piece - how I love this third piece - is shaped like an empty tomb. A shout of victory shakes the Throne Room as it is put into it’s place. Once again, everything changes. Jesus died for our sins. His lifeless body was laid in a borrowed tomb. Had that been the end of it then Jesus would have been just one more good man dying for a good cause. But there is a big surprise waiting for the women making their way to the tomb in the early morning to put the finishing touch to the end of a good man. But He is not a good man, He is a Great God, and He does not lay lifeless in that tomb. He has risen from the dead. He has defeated death and the grave. He defeated them for us. Sin, death and the grave no longer have a hold over us. Nothing will ever be the same.
The fourth piece, the piece of promise, has not been placed yet. This piece is shaped like a crown. It is the final piece and when it is placed the picture will be complete. When the first piece was placed, Jesus came as Emmanuel. When the second piece was placed, Jesus was the sacrifice for our sins. When the third piece was placed, Jesus was the LORD, risen in victory. The fourth piece will be placed when He comes back to earth to take His rightful place of King of kings and LORD of lords. It will be the most glorious day in His-story. I don’t know how many more pieces have to be added to the picture before the final piece can be placed. My children’s pieces have been placed, will my grandchildren’s pieces be placed? Or my great-grandchildren? I don’t know - I just know that His promise is true and that final piece will be placed. And on that day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD of all. We will be complete. Nothing will ever be the same.
Like the picture of His-story, Abba is also completing a picture within me. Eleven years ago He took the broken pieces of my life and started fitting them back together again. The picture He has made of my life is beautiful, more beautiful than I would have ever imagined it could be. But it is not complete. There is a piece missing - an important piece. It holds part of my heart, part of my joy, my dreams, my anticipation and my longings. It’s not really missing though because I know right where it is. It is in Jesus’ hands. And when I dance out of this world and into eternity, I will fall on my face before Him. My tears of joy will land on His feet. Then He will touch me and my heart will be complete, my picture will be complete, I will be complete.
LORD Jesus, how I long for the day when I will see the fourth and final piece put into place when every knee bows and You are crowned King of kings and LORD of lords. But even more, I long for the day that I will be at Your feet and You make me complete.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of FFBC at valerie@fresnofirst.org
Since God offers to manage our affairs for us, let us once and for all hand them over to His infinite wisdom, in order to occupy ourselves only with Himself and what belongs to Him. -J.P. de Caussade
Andrea & EJ Wyatt are 22 weeks pregnant with their son, Luke. (Andrea is Lois & San Hanson’s daughter) The doctors have discovered that Luke has a small cyst on his brain caused by excess spinal fluid. Although the doctors say this is fairly common - they are concerned enough to send Andrea to a specialist. Please pray Father’s protection around this precious child.
Kelli Hastings has discovered a lump in her breast the size of a quarter. She will be having a mammogram and an ultrasound on December 28th.
Dr Ron Martin leaves shortly for a mission trip to Laos with the Well Community Church. Don’t you just love to see our community of faith partnering with other communities on these mission trips?
Please pray for the Prague mission trip in the Spring. We are partnering with Cornerstone for this trip!
Sharleen Ferree will be having surgery in January to remove kidney stones.
Debbie Lemons, Dianna Hansen’s oldest daughter, has just been diagnosed with hepatitis-C. She will be undergoing further testing.
Cori Dorfmeier had her thyroid removed on Dec. 21st - please pray for a full recovery.
Anthony, Kristen Nolte’s fiancé, has been diagnosed with Graves disease.
My stepfather, Walt Couch’s prostrate cancer is moving so slowly that the doctors say he will die of a heart attack before he dies of the cancer.
Jo Murry has a cyst behind her knee.
We continue to pray for: Lou Olsen, Char Cole, Pastor Glen Aycock, Jim Sullivan, Herbert Miller, Nathaniel Good, my friend down at Juvenile Hall, Nancy Eland, Tony McDonald, Michael Ferris, and Kris Baiz.
Pray for our missionaries – Yvonne Deel in Belize, Bounkham & Khamla’s mission to Laos, Gospel for Asia, Laurie Bethall in Prague, Meghan Dineen in Mexico, Matthew, Lisa & Nathan in Jos Nigeria, 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.
God Who Fills Eternity,
You are the Great I AM, Who was and is and is to come. You fill time and space with Your glory, the heavens and earth bow down before Your majesty, You are our Almighty God. We, Your children, praise You and worship You. We love You, LORD
El Nose, our forgiving God, we confess that we have sinned before You. We have failed to live as Your children. Forgive us for our shortcomings and wrong choices. Guide us in our choices and help us to be more like You. We choose to be Your holy people
We pray a special prayer for Baby Luke, that You will touch him and heal him, even in his mother’s womb. Be with Andrea and EJ as they go through this stressful time.
We lift up before You, Emmanuel, God With us, our friends and family - Kelli, Cori, Debbie, Anthony, Sharleen, and Jo asking that You place Your healing hand upon them
Jehovah Jirah, Lord God Who provides, we pray for Dr. Ron Martin and for the Prague mission team as they travel to other countries to serve you. We pray for all those who serve You on the mission field and ask, Spirit of God, that You renew them daily, strengthen them and guide them. We pray a wall of protection around them.
LORD Jesus, help us to keep the wonder and joy of Christmas in our hearts throughout the year. Help us to cherish the miracle of God becoming man - the Uncreated taking on the flesh of the created. Help us to share Your gift of love and reconciliation to all those that we meet. Give us the courage and the words to say to our friends and family.
Abba, please place Your hand on each situation and each person who continues to be on out prayer chain. Fill them with Your presence and give them new hope.
We thank You, Holy Spirit, for the men and women that You have called to be pastors and leaders in our community of faith. Help us to love and support them in all that they do. We lift up Pastor Mike Shelton and thank You for his work with our families. We praise You for Mike and his heart that is as big as Texas and we ask that You fill his heart and mind with a fresh vision of who You are.
You are Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. Our lives are lived within Your love and care. We surrender our lives to You. We are Your duelos - we choose to be Your bond-servants, to have no will other than Yours in our lives.
We ask Your blessings on our country, that she will come back to You where she belongs. We lift up our leaders and pray that Your wisdom be on them. We pray for our military men & women all around the world, but particularly for those in harm’s way.
Abba, You have given us the gift of eternal life and that life has started here on earth. You fill our lives with Your presence, with Your joy, with Your peace. We have a good life and we thank You for it. But the truth is that we are out of place on this earth. It is not our home. Our home is where You are and we long to be with You, to take our place with the multitudes that surround Your throne and lift our voices in praise of You.
e-Bible Reading Plan
Doesn’t it just seem appropriate that at this time of the year we would be reading the Gospel of John? I noticed something about John that I had never realized before. It doesn’t record Jesus teaching in parables. There is the one place where he uses the example of sheep and the other where He says that we are the branches and He is the vine - but that is about it. I don’t know why this is so - I just found it interesting.
Well, with this posting our year of adventure in the Word is complete. I asked to be shown things I had not noticed before - and Father granted my prayer in abundance. I pray that He did the same for you.
This week’s readings:
Sonday, Dec 24…....Jn 19-21
Monday, Dec 25…...1 John 1-5
Tuesday, Dec 26…..Psalm 117, 119:81-176; 2 John; 3 John
Wed. Dec 27…...…Rev 1-4
Thurs, Dec 28…..…Rev 5-9
Friday, Dec 29……Rev 10-14
Sat. Dec 30……...…Rev 15-18
Sun. Dec 31.............Rev 19-22
by Ruth Sockett
I have not wrapped a present and the paper's disappeared.
The children are hysterical, they just found Santa's beard -
The baby ate a Christmas ball, there's eggnog in my tea
Daddy's chasing mistletoe, he swings from tree to tree.
Susan's changed her mind about the doll that walks and talks -
Now she wants a simple thing, a real live horse that talks.
I just got back my Christmas cards that gave me writer's cramps
I didn't forget a single soul, I just forgot the stamps.
So, Santa, when you do get here and find beneath the tree,
A poor lost soul without a mind, be nice, for it is me!!
Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child,
Make thee a bed, soft, undefiled,
Within my heart, that it may be
A quiet chamber kept for Thee.
My heart for very joy doth leap,
My lips no more can silence keep,
I too must sing, with joyful tongue,
That sweetest ancient cradle song,
Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given
While angels sing with pious mirth.
A glad new year to all the earth.
- Martin Luther.
"If Jesus were born one thousand times in Bethlehem and not in me, then I would still be lost."
- Corrie ten Boom
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Matthew 1:1-2 (NIV) “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the One who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."
When my Steven was a chubby-faced, cute little 3-year-old boy (as opposed to the handsome 6’3” 17-year-old man I am dealing with today) we were driving somewhere on a cold rainy day. It was raining pretty heavily, visibility was poor, and I was nervous and cautious. Stevie was watching out the window when he asked me, “Mom, what’s that?” I looked out the windshield and couldn’t see anything in particular that would spark his curiosity. “What’s what, son?” “That, mom!” Again I peered out all the windows. “Son, I don’t see what you are talking about – describe it to me.” “It is black and going back and forth, mom.” Now I looked out all the windows for something black going back and forth but drew a blank again. Impatiently I again said, “Son, I just don’t see what you are looking at.” His voice was even more impatient! “Like this, mom!” He stuck his little arm out, bent at the elbow to a 90 degree angle, then started waving his hand back and forth. The light dawned in my mind. “They are called windshield wipers, son. It is their job to keep the rain off the windshield so we can see.” He was seeking information on something that was so commonplace to me that I didn’t even see it anymore.
On another occasion, - he was just a bit older – we were driving along when I noticed that he was sitting with his head lolled back against the side window, the sun bright into his face. Thinking he was getting ill (which is always where a mom’s mind goes first) I asked, “Are you okay, Stevie?” “Yeah.” “What are you doing? Isn’t the sun hot on your head?” “I want it to be, mom. It is cooking my brain ‘cause I don’t think it is finished yet.” My son knew that there was more for him to know. Although his methods to obtain knowledge were wrong (but interesting), he was still seeking to know more.
The wise men came from the east following a star. They were the scientists of their time. They held all the knowledge, they studied the ancient writings from all cultures, they studied the skies and the signs for even more. Although their science was primitive by our standards, their minds worked the same as scientists today. They wanted to know, they wanted to understand, they wanted to explain the world around them. Although much of what went on around them could only be explained as actions of the various and assorted gods, their desire to seek more knowledge was not dampened. Their methods were wrong but their desire to know more was strong. They wanted to know the truth.
Do you ever wonder how they knew that the new star foretold the birth of the new King of the Jews? They knew exactly who they were looking for – they asked Herod directly, “Where is the one Who has been born King of the Jews? We have seen His star.” This is just my guess, but maybe because Numbers 24:17 (NIV) says, "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.” Right there in the scriptures it talked about a star and a new king of Israel. I can imagine the wise men seeing the new star in the sky and searching their collection of writings trying to understand what this new phenomenon meant. How excited they must have been to find this verse that came from the prophecies of Balaam in the history of Israel. They were so jazzed about it that they loaded up their camels and went to find this wondrous new king. They were seeking to know the truth.
How many others saw this new star in the sky? How many of them were Jewish? But there weren’t any Jewish wise men that came to see the newborn king. And yet, who would have known those scriptures better than them? The Talmud was everything to them. They memorized the scriptures from birth, they studied them as adults. But they never connected the dots between the star and the King. Maybe it was because they had spent so much time studying them and memorizing them that they had become commonplace to them and they simply could not see the truth in the meaning of the words any more than I could see the windshield wipers.
The wise men were seeking a newborn king so they went to where a newborn king is found. They went to Herod’s palace. But the King was not there. Herod’s wise men did a little searching of their own and sent the seekers to Bethlehem. What must they have thought when they found Baby Jesus? This was the newborn King who was going to conquer Moab? This child of peasants? Baby Jesus was not what they were expecting; He is not what they thought they were seeking. But somewhere in this encounter these wise men realized that in this Child is the truth that their hearts had been seeking for so long. And they bowed down in worship before Him.
And Jesus is still the truth today. In John 14:6 He said, I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. He came to show us the truth about ourselves - that we are sinners and we cannot be good enough to be acceptable to God. Jesus came to show us the truth about God - that God loves us enough to make a way for us to come back to Him. And He came to show us the truth about Himself – that He is the way that God prepared to bring us to new eternal life.
Wise men sought the Truth over two thousand years ago. Wise men still seek Him today.
King Jesus, You are what my heart has been seeking for so long. You are my Truth, you are my Way, You are my Life. Use me to call other seekers of truth to You.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministries of FFBC at Valerie@fresnofirst.org
[T]he most significant event in the whole course of human history will be celebrated...at the end of this season, Advent. -J.B. Phillips
Just a reminder that on this Sonday - Christmas Eve - we will be having our regular two services (if anything about Christmas can be called regular!) and then at 5:00 that evening we will be having our Christmas Eve service - this one is one of my favorite services! I absolutely love the music of Christmas!
Please pray for Pastor Glen Aycock (Jon & Chris’ father). He has been having a few health issues with his heart - they have put him on some new meds and he is slowly adjusting to them.
Char Cole has an infection in her blood caused by her med’s port. The doctors have removed the port and she is on all sorts of bug killers (antibiotics).
Char Cole is requesting prayer for Lou Olsen, her daughter-in-law, Linda’s father. He has been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer.
Pastor Dale Bethell was in services on Sonday. I was up on camera three so I didn’t get a chance to talk to him but he looked really good.
We continue to pray for: Cori Dorfmeier, Sharleen Ferree, Jim Sullivan, Herbert, Nathaniel Good, Roberta, Eileen Betts, my friend down at Juvenile Hall, Sylvia Eland, Tony McDonald, Michael Ferris, Kris Baiz, Walt Couch & prostrate 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, Meghan Dineen in Mexico, Matthew, Lisa & Nathan in Jos Nigeria, 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.
Glorious Light of Eternity,
I am speechless before You. I cannot string together the words to praise You for what You have done for us. Because of Your love, You, Who are everything, became as nothing. Because of Your love, we, who are nothing, have obtained everything. It is so frustrating for me that I cannot express to You in words all that fills our hearts, and so we invite You to search our hearts and see how much we are in awe of You and how much we love You. You are our celebration.
El Elohim, we lift up Pastor Glen before You and ask that You touch his heart physically. We know, just from knowing his sons, how much You have touched his heart spiritually.
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, if there is one thing we know for sure it is that Char loves You and wishes to serve You completely. She has had a lot of challenges in her life this past year, but through it all, she has stood firm for You. We ask that You touch her life with healing and blessing. Father, You know her situation - be her strong tower.
Lou Olsen is in bad shape, Yahweh, we pray that You bring peace to him and to his family as they walk this rough road. If they do not know You personally, use this situation to make Yourself known to them.
We lift with joy all those who remain on our prayer chain, we praise You for Your presence and Your work in their lives.
Jehovah Shalom, LORD of Peace, thank You so much that Your peace is with us even when the storms of life blow around us.
We pray for Your missionaries as they serve You. During this Christmas season bless them with joy and peace.
Bless our pastors, Abba, with Your wisdom and patience. We love them and appreciate them so much - but sometimes we don’t act like it. We lift up Pastor Chris, Holy Spirit, and ask that You reveal Yourself to him in a new and wondrous way. Keep his enthusiasm and fire for our young people and for men’s ministries burning bright.
LORD Jesus, in this season of lights, let the brightest light that shines be You shining through us. Help us to share the glory of the Baby in the straw, the Sacrifice on the cross, and the triumphant risen God.
We love You, LORD of all. Today has brought us closer to You. Help us to be even closer to You tomorrow.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was filled with sorrow at the tragic death of his wife in a fire in 1861. The Civil War broke out that same year, and it seemed this was an additional punishment. Two years later, Longfellow was again saddened to hear the his own son had been seriously wounded as a lieutenant in the Army of the Potomac.
Sitting down to his desk, one Christmas Day, he heard the church bells ringing, and ringing. It was in this setting he wrote:
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep,
God is not dead, nor doth he sleep.
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.
At this Chirstmas time whether you are in sorrow or in joy you can know that God is not dead, not doth he sleep. He knows your every need and longs to comfort you and be that special friend you need. Seek Him this year instead of the outward manifestations of the season. He will give life real meaning and your heart real peace, the peace that passes all understanding.
If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows,
strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls, but do
not show love to my family,
I'm just another decorator.
If I slave away in the kitchen, baking dozens of
Christmas cookies, preparing gourmet meals and
arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime,
but do not show love to my family,
I'm just another cook.
If I work at the soup kitchen, carol in the nursing
home and give all that I have to charity, but do not
show love to my family, it profits me nothing.
If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and
crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday
parties and sing in the choir's cantata but do not
focus on Christ, I have missed the point.
Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated
Christmas china and table linens.
Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way,
but is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give
in return but rejoices in giving to those who can't.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all
things, endures all things.
Love never fails.
Video games will break, pearl necklaces will be lost,
golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.
Merry Christmas and lots of love to you and yours!
-Author Unknown
e-Bible Reading Plan
I thought I had read 2 Timothy 1-9 a little more recently - then I remembered - it was the gossip pages and new reports of the paper. 2 Timothy 4:1-5 a charge to us on how to live so that we don’e become front page news. I was reading verse 17 of 2 Timothy 4 and for the first time ever wondered if that meant that Paul was rescued from the Coliseum- from when they were feeding Christians to the lions as a sporting event.
I noticed that Jude was presenting a similar theme as Paul’s letter to Timothy - be careful of those who are in your fellowship - but are not true believers - and who are bringing a false doctrine. A warning for us as well as we see the Doctrine of Jesus Christ being watered down to fit within the “politically correct” attitudes of the world.
I found another interesting passage in 1 Peter 1:12 when he wrote about angels longing to look into these things - and it made me wonder - don’t they understand what Jesus did? I’m going to have to ask the professional Christian about this one too.
Can you believe that we are almost at the end of the year and at the end of reading our Bible together? Fifteen more days! What an adventure we have had together!
This week’s readings:
Sonday, Dec 17…....2 Peter 1-3; John 1
Monday, Dec 18…...John 2-4
Tuesday, Dec 19…..John 5-6
Wed. Dec 20…...…John 7-8
Thurs, Dec 21…..…John 9-11
Friday, Dec 22……John 12-14
Sat. Dec 23……...…John 15-18
Dearly Beloved in Christ,
Greetings in Jesus' Name.
NEW RESPONSIBILITIES.
The Path that we walk with Jesus is Full of Excitement and it is Awesome. After serving in a tribal area for 33 long years with God's help - I felt that I am "PERFECT". But when God gave me a New Responsibility of taking care of my 9-month-old grandson Reuben, initially nothing was Perfect. What I like about my God is the way He talks to me corrects me and leads me step by step. I quickly realized how far away I am from perfection! In fact I felt most inadequate but I thank Him for His guidance through His Word and through the book "Quiet Moments for Working Women" by Mary Whelchel.
In the mission field I had not seen my lovely 4 children grow up, and now I cannot stop "Thanking God" for giving me another chance to see a precious child grow up. It is so awesome to watch Reuben do something different every day.
As I watch my grandson Reuben, my thoughts go to "Baby Jesus" whose Birthday we will all celebrate in a few weeks time. How dependent and vulnerable my Saviour was in Mary's arms. Why should my Saviour be born as a Baby and go through all the hardship, in the days when there were no pacifier to sooth him, no special tasty pre-prepared food to satisfy Him, growing up in most difficult circumstances and be dependent on a imperfect human being - Mary? Tears roll down as I think through every phase of my Saviour's growth and His pain and suffering to take away my sin. What can I do to say "Thank you" to Him? Thoughts rush through my mind...
My being away has given full responsibilities to all the missionaries, especially those helping in all the official work. I Thank God for the efforts and time and finance that has gone into the training of the missionaries and now they are equipped to lead the mission on! Tribals, yes, very little education for some of them, yes, and yet it is sooooooooo Awesome to see God moulding each of them and equipping them and giving them a vision to take the mission work forwards. Praise God.
Christmas time is fast approaching and all of us want to wish each one of you "A Christ Centered Christmas. We want to thank you for your prayers and sacrificial support towards RHS work.
Praise Points:
1.God enabling and equipping me for the new responsibility.
2. For the many opening for Remo as he travels to promote IMA work.
3. Mary completing her first semester exam in Stella Maris.
4.The male prisoners start Sunday prayer on their own if the RHS team is late. Please praise God for Sushil, Bhagwan and Biswanth who are taking leadership.
5. Released lady prisoner Niva Rani has got a job as a cook in a house.
6. The Children's Day in India - Nov 14th celebrated in Grand way in Saniyasiguda and Kadval. Both are koya tribal villages and in Kadval, 2 other near by village children also are coming regularly for the classes.
7. Starting of new work among the Halwi Tribe for the first time.
8. The Naxalite visited our center Rabaguda and questioned the missionaries and the local Koya people But did not ask the RHS work to close down here. Praise God.
Prayer Requests:
1.Remo for wisdom as he balances work and home.
2. Susan for wisdom as she manages the home and her MD studies.
3. Wisdom in his work for Mano as he changes to another team and a new Director at work.
3. David to accept Jesus and to do well his semester exam.
4. Mary to be a witness in her college and hostel and to stand first in her semester exams.
5. For all RHS Children to do well at School especially for the children of Swepan, John and Prakash.
6. Missionary Hannah fell off the motorbike in a jungle path and had only minor injuries. Praise God.
7. Niranjan Kuldeep gets on and off back pain. Please pray for a full cure.
8. For protection form the Naxalites for all the missionaries in this area.
9.The Bengali prisoners who are resisting the Sunday prayer to be touched by God.
10.Evangelist Sukdev's sister Saita is in a critical sate suffering from sickle cell Anemia. Please pray for a miraculous cure.
11.For many to accept Jesus during the Christmas programmes in all the villages and for the money to reach in time for these programmes.
Thank you once more for standing with us in your prayer and financial support - Please do not be worried if the support you can send to RHS work is very small - for you know that "Little drops of water makes the mighty Ocean".
The DD/cheque should be made in the Name of "MALKANGIRI DEVELOPMENT PROJECT" and send to:
Dr. Iris. G. R. Paul,
Founder Director,
Reaching Hand Society,
Malkangiri. P.O. / Dt,
Orissa - 764045.
May the Lord Bless each one of you and make you a channel of Blessing to others this Christmas season is our prayer.
Love and prayers,
Iris and the RHS Team.
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Isaiah 49:6 (New King James Version) “Indeed He says, ‘ It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
I woke up Monday a week ago to the shrill wake-up call of my alarm. I rolled over and sat up to turn it off and could not see it. “Dingle berry,” I said to myself, “you have the alarm facing backwards!” It took only another moment of fumbling to realize that the alarm clock was not facing backwards. Its LED display was not lit because we had no electricity! When I realized this I looked around my room and noticed for the first time that all the little lights that I seldom notice were now conspicuously absent! It was really, really dark. I inched myself across the room, down the hall, feeling my way carefully. I made it into the entryway and opened the hall closet. I banged my toes on the vacuum cleaner as I was reaching for the flashlight, but, to my credit, did not use inappropriate language even though it really hurt! With the flashlight I was able to partially see in the darkness. I knew that I still had to go to work and Steven had to go to school. I discovered that if you angle the flashlight just right into the bathroom mirror the reflection will go over the top of the shower and you can take a quick, very basic shower. I then woke my son up. Steven’s first reaction at seeing his mom standing over him with a flashlight was that the house was on fire. (Fastest he has EVER gotten out of bed!) I assured him that all was well (relatively speaking), gave him his own flashlight and told him to get ready for school. I then got dressed – a best-guess scenario because it was impossible to tell if the clothes I had chosen were clean and wrinkle-free. I took one flashlight look at my hair and put my curling iron and hairspray into a plastic bag – I would have to do that at work. Next I rushed back to check on my son’s progress. Through the sliding glass window I could see how much lighter it was outside. “Look, son,” I said, “The dawn has come, the darkness is gone.”
Israel knew about darkness and not just about the darkness of the night. Their darkness went much deeper than that. There was the darkness of the body – The Roman government ruled their land with an iron fist. The throne of David was long gone – gentiles ruled in Israel. There was also the darkness of the spirit. The Law of Moses – as interpreted by the religious leaders – had become so burdensome that it was like a yoke around their necks. The law was hard and the religious leaders were constantly checking to make sure you obeyed it! But the worst darkness was the darkness in their hearts. They were the seed of Abraham, God’s chosen people – but the voice of God was not heard in Israel. And it had not been heard for four hundred years.
Simeon goes to the temple once again to look at the baby boys, praying that this is the day when he will see the right baby. A fisherman and his young sons, Simon and Andrew, cast their nets into the Sea of Galilee, dreaming of the day when the Roman tax collectors will not take excessive taxes from their catch. A child born a cripple watches the other children play and prays for a miracle. Pharisees search the law for anyplace where their obedience is weak because maybe – just maybe - if they completely follow the law then the voice of God will be heard again. The bottom rung of the social ladder, the shepherds in the hills, hope for the day of being respected and equal. An innkeeper in Bethlehem wonders about his purpose in this life of mediocrity.
Like a mist that covers the land comes a single whisper of the heart– “Come, Messiah.”
And so He does. Born in a stable of humble parents, the Light that will dispel the heart darkness has come. Elohim Bashamayim, God in Heaven, has become Emmanuel, God With Us. The Glory of Eternity has clothed Himself in frail human flesh.
And nobody knows it. As Mary nurses the Great I AM, life in Bethlehem goes on just the same as it did yesterday and the day before. Oh, there’s that crazy story the shepherds told last night – but who knows what they’re smoking up in those hills?
There will be one more spark in the Temple as Simeon and Anna recognize Jesus for Who He is, but then for 30 years He will live quietly and anonymously among us.
Then the light comes to the land as Jesus steps into the public eye. He’s the promise of God fulfilled, He’s Messiah - but He is NOT what they are expecting. They’re expecting a king who will kick out the Romans and re-establish the throne of David. What they are getting is the Servant Who will bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth.
He will not free the fishermen from the taxes, but He will free their souls and make them fishers of men. The cripple will be lowered through a hole in the roof, receive a miracle, then he will dance out through the door. The Pharisees will be taught that it is not the law that counts, it is where the heart is. Shepherds will listen as Messiah teaches that the last will be first and the first will be last. The innkeeper will find a purpose much greater than that that an earthly king can give them.
After 400 years, the dawn has come to Israel, the Light that will end the darkness of the heart is born. Messiah has come.
He is still the Light of the world today. He came to defeat the darkness in Israel, He came to defeat the darkness in us. The darkness of our hearts is filled for eternity by the light and salvation found in Jesus.
Jesus, my Savior and my God, thank You so much for the light that You have bought into my life. Help me to shine so brightly for You that others see what You have done for me and come to You to have the darkness of their hearts filled by You.
Contact Valerie or subscribe to the e-Ministry of FFBC at valerie@fresnofirst.org.
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator; If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist; If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist; If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer; But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior. Source Unknown.
If you didn’t get a chance to make it to Saint’s Rest I am glad to report to you that it was a wonderful service. It was well attended by all the churches involved, our choir was fantastic and Willie’s sermon was one of the best I have heard him preach - and I have heard some doozies from him.
I got a chance to talk to Floyd and Bev Willis this past week and am so glad to be able to tell you that they are both doing much better.
I also talked to Peggy Molander on Sonday and she told me that the tumor that Bobby Mo’ had was operated on up in San Francisco. It was not malignant and was successfully removed. Songs of gratitude filled us, God of Wonders.
Ivy Huff has found a job - Yippee!
Pastor Dale Bethell has been ill - no other details on what is going on - but that’s okay - God knows what you are talking about when you pray for Dale.
Eileen Betts has had two surgeries recently with another one scheduled soon.
Jennie Coronado’s daughter, Roberta, has been diagnosed with cancer.
Nathaniel Good, Margaret Good’s great-grandson was born with a transversed heart valve. He has undergone one surgery and has another scheduled to correct it.
Please pray for Bill Hansen’s cousin, Herbert, who is recovering from surgery for hydrocephalus.
Jim Sullivan is undergoing several tests - an EEG, a MRI and others.
Sharleen Ferree will be having kidney stone surgery in January.
Jonathan Rumsey has come home from Baghdad. Thank You, Father for protecting him.
Ramona McDonald is requesting prayer for Cori Dorfmeier who is having her thyroid removed on Wed. for thyroid cancer.
We continue to pray for: my friend down at Juvenile Hall, Sylvia Eland, Tony McDonald, Michael Ferris, Hank Michalk, Kris Baiz, Walt Couch & prostrate 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, Meghan Dineen in Mexico, Matthew, Lisa & Nathan in Jos Nigeria, 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.
Yah Ozi, God our Strength,
At this time of year we pause in astonishment to think that You, LORD of all creation, the great I AM, Sovereign God, would chose to be born as a helpless baby into the very world You created with Your spoken word. You looked and acted like every other baby to the world but You were so much more. You are Jesus - Light of the World, Hope of humanity, Peace that passes all understanding. You are everything that is good and perfect. Shine through the darkness of the world.
We thank You, Father, for the great news on Bobby Mo’ and on Floyd and Bev Willis. Continue to heal and strengthen them. We thank You that Ivy has found a job, we ask that You help her shine with Your glory on that job.
Yahweh Ropheha, LORD Who Heals, we lift our beloved friends, Pastor Dale Bethell, Eileen, Roberta, Nathaniel, Herbert, Jim, Sharleen and Cori and ask that You be with them and comfort them as they deal with their health issues. Please, LORD God, continue to be with those who are on our prayer chain.
We thank You for the safe return of Jonathan and ask that You continue to be with our country, our leaders and all the men and women who serve us in the military.
Teacher and Guide, we ask that You fill the lives of our pastors. We pray for Pastor Bryan Hitch, Holy Spirit, and ask that You continue to fill his heart and soul with Your music. We thank You for his talents that he brings to serve You. Bless all of our leaders with joy and our ministries with growth.
Savior, we ask Your continued blessings on Your missionaries who serve Your purpose around the earth.
We have great joy at this time of the year when we celebrate Your birth when You came as a servant. In just a few months we will remember Your death as the sacrifice for our sins, and then - with even greater joy - we will celebrate Your resurrection when You defeated death and the grave. But our greatest joy is yet to come. That will come on the day when we see You returning to the earth as King of kings and LORD of lords, when you come to rule the earth. You will bring us goodness and light. How we long for that day.
This letter brings a big Saludos a Todos! I hope you all are well and enjoying this time of Thanksgiving and harvest. May you be blessed with great harvests of friends, family, and love that God brings. I am continuing to learn and grow in character, and mainly really grasp what life is and what I myself am here for. While currently fighting off a cold/respiratory illness (that we are all struggling with and might be due to air pollutants from chemicals emitted from burning on the lot next to us - a point of prayer please), I am totally excited for the next few weeks/months to come. As many of you know, the schooling phase of YWAM is followed by an outreach time (we will be gone for about 6 weeks). This is essentially where we put into practice all we have learned during the schooling phase - because we are not here just to receive and be taught, but to give of ourselves and allow our lives and experiences to be used to better others.
Is everyone with me? Alright, y’all, now pull out the map! We are taking a look around Northern Mexico, where about a dozen of us students and staff will be ministering during our outreach time. Logistics are still being worked out, but here are some of the places and people we shall be visiting: the states of Durango, Chihuahua and Zacatecas. We will be working with at least a couple of tribes: the Mochis and the Tarahumaras. I know at least the Tarahumaras are an indigenous semi-nomadic tribe in the state of Chihuahua, and we shall do our best to be hands and feet for these people, bringing hope by farming, caring for children, building, or whatever it may be. As I am given more info, I look forward to passing it your way.
As you are looking at the map, you might notice the mountainous regions; it is very very cold in these parts of Mexico at this time. In these conditions we will need proper clothing and protection. Our team will be traveling a lot, often overnight on trains to be ready to work the following day. Safety and health are major concerns, but at the same time, we know God will not leave us alone or call us where we can’t go. Additionally, many living in these regions have strong spiritual strongholds - this is to say that life is not valued at its worth; many live their entire life in vain trying to please the gods and escape the wrath of evil spirits. Friends, this is not what life is intended to be - we are valuable beings, created in the image of the great Creator himself, and how sad it is that so many don’t even know this truth. We want - I want - to tell others of the purpose we have, the great hope that the Lord of the Universe offers us, that the one who created it all is still alive and working, and wants us to live alongside and in relationship with Him! And I want to do this, not with words, but with action. I believe that when we go and meet people where they are, do all we can to assist with their needs and live a life that seeks the highest well-being of another - well, this is love, and my purpose is to love.
Friends, I wish to share this with you all for a few reasons: I value you and wish to remain in relationship no matter where in the world we find ourselves; I wish for you to remain a part of my life. I (we) need your covering of prayers - now and especially for the outreach. As I mentioned, the climate will most likely be pretty brutal - probably colder than this valley girl has ever stayed in! We will be vulnerable to these conditions, and will not only need physical strength, but character and spiritual guidance throughout the journey. Along with these conditions come a couple of additional material needs: there are members of the group who do not have clothing for this weather, nor the finances to provide. We also will need finances to travel and purchase materials for aiding people we minister to along the way. I petition to you, my friends and family, for any assistance you might offer. We are all in a time of strategy to make this time of outreach happen, but also know God is not limited by finances, so we continue to seek wisdom in planning and ask for you to join. Would you please take this matter into prayer and consider how you might be able to support? I do appreciate your interest in what I am doing; moreover, what God is using me for. I look forward to seeing many of you in December and sharing more with you then. In the meantime, please have us in you prayers; if you would like to contribute to the needs of outreach, I would love to know ahead of time so as to factor in your giving. Please respond to meghandineen@yahoo.com
Below is a list of my teamates, along with the complete list of the rest of those going on outreach to Spain:
MEXICO: Ana Valadez Lopez; Carrie Mihalyov; Sarah Blakely; Meghan Dineen; Chastin Martin; Joel Hansen; Manola Bastida and Daniela (3yrs); Noemi Baltierra - leader; Martin Garcia - leader; Antonio Rojas - leader; Ljiljana Rodriguez and Barush (4yrs) - leader;
SPAIN: Leah Durst; Erika Casillas; Martha Berenice Rodriguez; Andrew Simmons; Tatiana Campso Alvarado; Dana Hess and DaVonte (4yrs) and Dominic (18mos); Tania Peniche; Yelitza Orozco ; Sharon Soto - leader; Hector Valencia - leader
e-Bible Reading Plan
This week we got to read half of the longest of the Psalms - Psalm 119. This is a fascinating Psalm because this psalm is an acrostic poem; the verses of each stanza begin with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Every 8 verses is a new letter. So this week I have been trying my own “Praisin’ through the Alphabet” I have taken a phrase like “I ______ You” and have filled in the blank with a different word in alphabetical order. Like this - I adore You; I believe You; I choose You; I delight in You and so on and so on. Some of the letters are tough - and I admit I cheat a little on X - I used I (e)xault You. Q is another tough one - I quiet myself before You. You can use more than one word to fill in the blank - but the first one has to start with the right letter. I have tried it with another phrase “You are (the)__________!” and used words that describe God. You are All-powerful! You are the Beginning and the End! You are the Chosen One! You are Divine! You are Everything to me! You quantify me; You (e)xcite me! (I don’t have a “Z” word yet in this series because I used zealous with the first phrase and I am trying not to duplicate.)(But I may have to)
And now I understand why the psalmist chose this method. You really have to focus when you do this - and your focus is on God. I loved it!
I challenge you to do this “Praisin’ thru the Alphabet” this week using one of my phrases or one of your own - and then let me know how it went. Let me know your phrase - and your favorite letter and your most challenging letter.
This week’s readings:
Sonday, Dec 10…....2 Timothy 1-4
Monday, Dec 11…...Philemon; Hebrews 1-4
Tuesday, Dec 12…..Hebrews 5-6
Wed. Dec 13…...…Hebrews 9-11
Thurs, Dec 14…..…Hebrews 12-13; Jude
Friday, Dec 15……James 1-5
Sat. Dec 16……...…1- Peter 1-5
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Luke 2:7 (King James Version) “And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”
When I was a child all I wanted to be was a grown-up. What freedom grown-ups had! The ability to do – and be - whatever you wanted! I was going to be a movie star, a jet plane pilot, a rock star, a writer, a President, an artist. I was going to change the world! But I didn’t. What I did do is find out that being a grown-up is largely overrated as I ended up living a life of mediocrity. I wasn’t living the American dream – I was being crushed by the daily grind. Every day I got up, went to work, paid my bills, loved my kids and went to bed. The next day I got up, went to work, paid my bills, loved my kids and went to bed. The next day I did it again – and again – and again. There was nothing particularly wrong with my life but there wasn’t anything particularly right with it either. It was an everyday – ain’t never gonna be a rock star – life. And inside of my heart was an empty space. It was an empty space that cried out to me, “There must be more than this! There must be a purpose for your life!” But I knew I wasn’t going to change the world – empty space or not. I was just one more empty space in a sea of empty spaces.
The innkeeper understood a life of mediocrity. Everyday he and his wife were up long before his guests. They cooked and cleaned. They ran to the market and mucked out the stables. They met their guests’ demands. Only after all the guests were asleep, and the demands had ceased, did they fall into their bed. The next day they would get up and do it again. They didn’t see the amount of traffic of Jerusalem, but it was enough to keep them busy. Gone were the dreams of younger years of maybe making it out of Bethlehem and making a mark in the world. Now their world was meals to be cooked, rooms to be cleaned and animals to be fed. There wasn’t anything particularly wrong with their lives but there wasn’t anything particularly right with it either. There was an empty space within their hearts that said, “There must be more than this – there must be a purpose.” But the voice was overrun by the work of an everyday – ain’t gonna be a rock star – life.
But things weren’t everyday right now! That cursed Cesar Augustus had declared that a census was to take place and that every person had to travel to the city of their birth. Bethlehem – normally a quiet place – was teaming with people! All of the line of David had to come to Bethlehem – and David – bless his heart - had created a lot of lines when he was King. The innkeeper had people crammed into every room – why some of them were even sleeping in the common room – and still they kept coming to the door to ask for lodging. He couldn’t take any more guests even if he had the room! The guests he had were incessant with their demands. If that whiney-mouthed woman upstairs sent down one more demand by her cowering husband he was ….he was…well, he was not going to be responsible for his actions!
And now, another couple is here before him. They’re sure not much to look at. His hands are broad and scarred – the hands of a man who uses his hands to make a living. She is pretty in a backwater sort of way – and my goodness! Isn’t she pregnant! She looks like she is going to pop any day now. Maybe if they were wealthy or had some social standing he might be able to squeeze them in somewhere, but they are just a couple of peasants. They are not going to change his world. But he is not a man without compassion (or the eye for a quick buck!) For a small fee he will send them out to the stable, better there then in the streets! It might not smell the greatest but at least it is warm. As he makes the offer and takes the money, a spasm of pain crosses the woman’s face. He realizes that “any day now” is right now! For just a moment the innkeeper considers giving them his room for the sake of the baby – but then the demands of his everyday life pulls him back. As he turns to deal with that woman’s husband he sees the couple headed for the stable. The flash of guilt he feels quickly disappears. After all, it isn’t like this baby is going to save him.
But the innkeeper was wrong. The reason that this Baby is coming is to save him. The Baby would have filled the empty space in his heart with joy. He would have given his life the greatest purpose of all – to serve the King of kings and LORD of lords. Had he chosen the Baby, the innkeeper would have changed not only his world but also the kingdom of God. His life of mediocrity would have been transformed into the greatest adventure of all.
How do I know how the Baby would have changed the innkeeper? Because that is how Jesus changed me.
If Jesus had just saved me, it would have been enough. Truly, it is much more than I deserve. But although it was the greatest thing He did for me, my salvation was only the first thing He did for me. I used to wake up to another day, now I wake up to a new day. The old daily grind is now a dance of life. He has shown me who I am, whose I am, and why I am. He has shown me the purpose – the meaning – of my life and it is sweet. No longer am I one more empty space is a sea of empty spaces. I am a child of God, the daughter of the King, part of an extraordinary Kingdom that fills time and space and I am joy.
The innkeeper had everything he longed for in front of him, but he didn’t see it because he could not see past his everyday life.
Jesus still stands in front of us, offering every dream fulfilled, every empty space filled. Don’t look past Him.
LORD Jesus, how can I ever thank You for how You have made my life a thing of beauty and a song of joy. Help me to see You more clearly, to follow closer to You and to love You more fully with my heart and with my life.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at Valerie@fresnofirst.org
Life is a constant Advent season: we are continually waiting to become, to discover, to complete, to fulfill.-Connections
It is with deep sadness for us and great joy for Sam that I tell you that Sam Lawanza went home to his Jesus on this past Monday. Sam has been struggling with health issues since mid November. When Willie saw him this past Friday, Sam said he would have a great big smile on his face when they buried him. Sam’s Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, December 16th at 11:00 in the morning.
Maddie Neuman reports that Jacob Filpala is home from serving in Iraq! Praise Father for this young man’s safe return!
Please keep Georgette and Chuck Bersani in prayer. Georgette has been ill with that gunky flu that is going around, then had a reaction to her inhaler. Chuck spent three days in the hospital after knee replacement surgery and now is in rather rigorous therapy.
On Thursday, December 7th, we have the most exciting opportunity to share in the joy of Saint Rest Baptist Church as they install their new pastor. We are invited to join them at 7:00 pm for an installation service. Our choir is singing and Willie is preaching. The address is 1550 E. Florence Ave, Fresno. The easiest way to get there is to take 41 to the Jensen Ave exit, turn right on Jensen, turn right on Elm, turn left on Florence.
Hank Michalk has recovered sufficiently for he and Pauline to leave Kettle Falls just barely ahead of the snowstorms that would have locked them up there for the winter. (This is why I love being a California girl!)
We continue to pray for: Samee Myers, Floyd Willis, my friend down at Juvenile Hall, Sylvia Eland, Tony McDonald, Sharleen Ferree, Michael Ferris, Lance Corp. Eric Hamilton, Dorothy Wajckus, Walt Couch & prostrate 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, Megan Dineen in Mexico, Matthew, Lisa & Nathan in Jos Nigeria, 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.
Emmanuel, God With Us,
You are God’s love clothed in flesh. Never has Your love been demonstrated more fully than in the manger and on the cross. At Your birth centuries of God’s promises were fulfilled and continue to be fulfilled today. You are the eternal hope and life of mankind. At this busy time of the year, help us to stay focused on You.
Holy Spirit, Thank You for the assurance that Sam is safe with You. We ask that your comfort and blessings be upon his family that grieves his passing, even as they know that Sam is rejoicing. He has touched Jesus.
El Rahum, Merciful God, with joy we lift Georgette and Chuck before Your crystal throne and ask, LORD, that You quickly restore them to full health.
Holy Father, we thank You for the opportunity to share Saint Rest’s joy as they install this new young pastor. We pray Your blessings and abundance on him as He follows in Your footsteps.
Triune God, there is a sense of excitement that fills each heart at this time of the year. Even those who do not know You know of You and celebrate You at this time. God, with open hands we ask for You to help us reflect You so clearly at this time of year so that others will wonder, “What’s up with this Jesus?” and we can bring them to You. Then You can change them just as You changed the world 2,000 years ago.
Yahweh Roi, the LORD, our Shepherd, continue to guide and act in the lives of those who remain on our prayer list.
We lift up our pastors to You, Abba and ask Your mercy be new in their lives. We lift up Pastor Terrie, LORD, and thank You for the incredible energy she brings to our fellowship and for her gift of equipping the church to be all that it can be in You. Be with her LORD - if You can keep up with her - and bless her in all that she does.
Your missionaries, Light of the World, are the embodiment of the Great Commission. Be with them as they Serve You to the ends of the earth. Grant them peace.
Nothing in our lives compares with You, God. Nothing.
Bless our country and her leadership. We pray, Prince of Peace, for the peace that only You can bring to our hearts, to our country and to our world.
At the top of my lungs, I will sing HALLELUJAH because You are the One who saved us. We love You, LORD of All. We invite Your presence in our lives and surrender our will to You.
We had some GREAT reading this week! Romans is some of Paul’s best writings - well - actually - Paul was just the transcriber - so I guess that it is some of Jesus’ best writing - I’m not going to go any further with this! But although it was all great - my heart still lives in Matthew - my imagination just loves to go into high gear as I read Jesus’s words and imagine the faces in the crowds around Him. In Matthew 23 - can’t you just see the sour-lemon faces of the Pharisees when Jesus told them the truth that they refused to see about themselves? And then in Matthew 25 when Messiah tells parables about His return - can’t you just see the disciples trying to figure out what it all means? What do you suppose Judas’ face looked like when - in Matthew 26 - Jesus said “Yes, it is you” (who will betray Him) And we know what Jesus’ face looked like - pain from knowing that Judas would betray Him - but overpowering the pain will be Jesus’ love and compassion
He looks at us like that - with overpowering love. Love that filled a manger and love that filled a cross. Thank You, Jesus..
This week’s readings:
Sonday, Dec 3…....Romans 13-16
Monday, Dec 4…...Ephesians 1-4
Tuesday, Dec 5…..Eph 5-6; Psalm 119:1-80
Wed. Dec 6…...…Phil. 1-4
Thurs, Dec 7…..…Col 1-4
Friday, Dec 8……1 Timothy 1-4
Sat. Dec 9……...…1 timothy 5-6; Titus 1-3
Dear Partners In Ministry:
Winter approaches fast. The rice and feed corn are being harvested and some paddies are being prepared for soy beans. Our neighbors are sore from hard physical labor, yet there is a smile on their faces – the weather has been kind to them this year, good rains have given good crops and the opportunity for some extra.
This past month, we have had a number of specials, thank you for praying with us about the tract, we as a team used it and passed it out to others to use as well. It helped to generate some good conversations about the gospel and culture and we pray helped people see how Jesus is a part of their daily lives.
Living in rural communities gives new insight into Jesus parable of the sower and the seed and we are preparing to teach this story to the new believers. They have been Christians for almost a year now and it will be interesting to hear how they see themselves in relation to Jesus teaching.
The other night a new lady came to the worship service. She was actually coming over to the house to check on workers for the fields the next day but had heard about the services and was interested. She stayed for the prayer time and for dinner too. We hope she will come back again. We talked with the new believers about other people they were witnessing to and their hopes for some of their neighbors to become interested in the gospel. Outreach is probably overemphasized in a church led by missionaries but it is our passion and important for a young and small church. We pray constantly for more people to start a relationship with Jesus Christ.
We are also planning how to have the first Christmas in the new fellowship. We pray, at this time of year, that you are also feeling the excitement of the arrival of the Christ Child in the hearts of each and every believer.
With Love at Christmas,
Larry and Jan
Prayer Points
Please Pray for the Special evangelism we will do around Christmas time
Pray that Thai people will be open to the real meaning of Christmas
Please Pray for the new fellowship as they experience their first Christmas together
Please pray for our churches everywhere that the Hope of the Christ Child will be in abundance at this Christmas time
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Matthew 7:9-11 (New Living Translation) “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask Him.”
My son worked in a voting precinct during this last election. For that, he was paid $150.00. From the git-go Steven knew what he was going to do with the money. He was going to buy a $200.00 performance bowling ball. It even had a name - the Black Widow. When Steven spoke it’s name, it was with reverence. (It is a 17 year old male testosterone thing I am sure!) Of course, there was a small problem. Bowling ball - $200.00 - paycheck - $150.00. Steven assured me that he had the additional funds in the bank from his other job. Impatiently he waited for the check but it didn’t come and it didn’t come. Then he came to me - he had enough in his account to pay for it now, could we go to the bank and then go to Cedar Lanes Bowling Alley and get the Black Widow? I was not enthused. It was 7:00 at night! I’d had a long day at work and 5:00 am comes early!. I wasn’t in the mood to go all the way to the bank and then to Cedar Lanes. But I love my son and he was so enthused. We hopped into the car and drove to the bank to make the withdrawal. He didn’t have enough money. He was about $25.00 short. Steven was so disappointed. We went back home and Steven started checking the mail like he was a hawk and it was a gopher. Finally, his check came. On Monday evening we drove to Cedar Lanes. I was tired so I had wanted to wait until we were there on Thursday for his team practice but Steven convinced me that he would die from the stress of waiting. Finally we were in the pro shop and there was the Black Widow. From the way Steven had been talking about it I expected it to have a golden aura but it just looked like a black bowling ball to me. It probably had a golden aura for him though. Leroy took Steven’s hand measurements then dropped the unwelcome news. He had several jobs before Steven’s ball - it wouldn’t be ready until the next day. When Steven turned his hopeful eyes on me I refused. “No, we cannot come and get it tomorrow night. I have small groups until 9:00!” Then Leroy put in his two-cents worth. “My wife bowls late tomorrow night - I’ll be open until 10:00." As my son turned hopeful eyes on me again, I wanted to punch Leroy. I made a last plea for sanity to my son. “Steven, that is too late at night - why don’t we pick it up on Wednesday after your tournament?” It didn’t work and even as unwilling as I was to be driving that late at night I couldn’t bear to disappoint him. And so Tuesday night after small groups, I picked him up and we went to pick The Black Widow up. As we drove my son leaned over and rested his head on my shoulder. “Thanks, Mom. I know that you are really tired. I appreciate you coming out two nights in a row for me.”
I love my son with a depth that he does not understand. Until his sister Fawn was born - and then Steven just a few years later - I did not know that it was possible to love another person so completely. It is a given that I would lay down my life for my children. Anybody who comes against them comes against me first. I will sacrifice everything I am or have to love them, provide for them, protect them. They are my children.
And if I, an imperfect, sinful woman, can love my children this deeply - how much more does our perfect Father in Heaven love us? It is staggering how much He loves us.
My children do not understand the completeness of my love for them. They will when they have children of their own. We do not understand the immense completeness of God’s love for us. Through our love for our children we get a taste of His love for us - but it is a small taste.
I would willingly sacrifice my life for my children but there isn’t anybody that I would sacrifice my children’s lives for. Absolutely nobody. Father loves us so much that He did not sacrifice His life - He sacrificed Jesus, His only son’s life to restore us to Him. For absolutely anybody who will call on Him.
Sometimes though, my love for my children demands that I do what is best for them rather than what they want. When Steven realized that he was $25.00 short on what he needed for the ball - I had $25.00 in my purse. I almost gave it to him. But I didn’t because I knew that the more valuable lesson was that he earn all of the money for himself. I knew that if he wanted that ball enough he would wait for it and value it more because he had earned it.
Father always loves us enough to do what is best for us rather than what we want. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I have prayed to Abba expecting instant gratification for what I was asking for and He tells me, “No, I have something else for you.” And what He has for me will always be what is best for me. Because He loves us that much.
I am going to tell you that all that running around I did so that Steven could have his bowling ball was a pain in the neck! I did it because I love him. And I didn’t expect anything back from him. So when he unexpectedly laid his head on my shoulder to thank me it meant the world to me. All that I want from him is for him to love me, and in that car, he expressed that love.
I am sure that I can be a real pain in the neck to my Father, too. Sometimes I imagine Him on His throne, shaking His head as I once again take off in directions I should not go, and saying, Oh no, Valerie! Not again!” But He loves me so much that no matter what I do, He will not stop loving me, stop providing for me, stop protecting me. And I don’t thank Him nearly enough. Still, He loves me and He just wants me to love Him..
Still, He loves us and loves us and loves us.
Abba, I know that You love me even as I also know that I cannot fully comprehend how great and magnificent Your love for me is. Your love is more vital to me that my breath or my heartbeat. I am glad that eternity is forever because I am going to love You for that long, I am going to praise You for that long, and thank You for that long. Help me to love You more everyday.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry at valerie@fresnofirst.org