The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity. - George Bernard Shaw
Ron Dangaran has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is undergoing some intensive treatment.
George Esparza is finally home from St Agnes! They found a cyst on his liver and now that they have taken care of it, his color has really improved.
Kathryn Aycock may have to undergo additional surgery, they are not real sure that they got everything. I talked to her last night and she continues to have the most upbeat attitude. Her trust in Father is complete.
I am so excited about some news that I received this past week. Brian of Delta Ministries contacted me to see if I was still interested in going to India. I just about turned cartwheels! So please pray that Father will make a way for me to go.
My young friend is due to be released this week. Please pray for her that she can keep her life together. Pray for me that I can be a strong witness for her.
Harley Sowell is home and doing well.
The Silent Auction for Care Fresno continues this Sonday, then takes a one week break while I am out of town, then will be back on March 18th. On March 18th there will be a fundraiser luncheon right after second service. The silent Auction will close during the luncheon and the prizes will be awarded. Reservations can be made for the luncheon over these next two weeks. Tickets are $6.00 - max of $24.00 per family.
We continue to pray for: Nola Ambler, Peggy Molander, Remo & Susan Paul and their pregnancy, Lorraine Esparza’s daughter, Bianca & Stephanie, Kelli Hastings, Tony McDonald, Ellen Burton, Walt Couch, and Michael Ferris.
Pray for our missionaries – 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, Yvonne Deel in Belize, Bounkham & Khamla’s mission to Laos, Gospel for Asia, Laurie Bethall in Prague, and all the missionaries worldwide.
Pray for our pastors our leadership, our ministries, and Father’s provision for His Church. Pray that we recognize opportunities to share our faith with others.
Pray for our country, her leadership and our military.
Holy Father,
We praise You, LORD God, not because You demand it or because we are “supposed to” but because to worship You is our greatest joy. Worshiping You is the foundation on which our lives are anchored and from which all other aspects of our lives flow. Because it is worship of You, we choose to live a lifestyle that is pleasing and worthy of You. Because it is worship of You, we choose to serve You first, and others second. Because it is worship of You, we strive to be the best witnesses of Your glory that we can.
Forgive us, Abba, when we have failed to worship You as we should. Forgive us for our sins against You. Thank You for the amazing wealth of Your forgiveness that always welcomes us back home to You.
El Hanun, Gracious God , we pray that Your grace be extended to Ron, Evie and all of us who love Ron so much. Your mercy and power is poured on us so that we can accomplish what we cannot do.
Jehovah Jirah, Our God Who Provides, We praise You and thank You for Your mercy towards George. Continue to heal his body.
We lift up Kathryn, Father God, in prayer. We ask, Great Physician, that You touch Your beloved daughter with a complete healing. We praise You that through this trial, she stays true to You.
LORD Jesus, You know my heart for India and the Reaching Hand Society. But even stronger is my prayer that Your will be done in my life.
Spirit of Life, touch my friend and help her to stay strong in your choices. Help me to stand beside her and be an effective witness for You.
El Neeman, Faithful God, You have shown Your faithfulness to Harley for his entire life. Continue to heal him.
Our minds return often to You, Triune God, and we love the time that we spend with You - if it is just a minute or an hour - our spirits and lives are renewed by this time with You
We lift up the names of those who are on our prayer chain, knowing God of Mercy, that You are in each situation and with each person.
We pray for our beloved pastors and for the leadership of our community of faith. We lift up the newest member of our office staff and ask that You pour Your blessings on Brooke Abbott. Guide her as she assists Pastor Bryan and in all the rest of the work she does for us.
We ask that You be with our beloved missionaries as they faithfully serve You. Bring them a renewed joy and sense of purpose.
Father, Bless our country and bring her back to You.
We love You, LORD. We will fill eternity with songs, shouts and dances of praise to You.
Hola! Muy buenas noches! Ojala que todos esten bien.
I write to you from the state of Hidalgo, in Pachuca - about 45 mins outside of Mexico City. I like it a lot here, arrived on Fri. There is so much to tell, but little time right now, so the highlights are such: God is good (an understatement for sure), and it has been said that I will be staying here at a new base in Pachuca for the next while. God has arranged for me to be able to design here for publicity of the base (which will host its first class of students Jan 2008), maintain the website, and work alongside in other ministry with youth, including teaching english, and who knows what else! I'm excited. . . and plans are still coming along. Coming along with those plans will also be a return home! I know many of you are awaiting me (and I, you). I'm looking to be in Cali about a month, and would love to have a get-together with many of you to fill you in on the ministry I'm partaking in, what's gone on these last few months of my life, and how so many of your prayers have been being answered, so be prepared to put something on the calendar! Alright, I'll write more when I have more time, or better yet, maybe we'll get a chance to talk in person!
Para los que esten en Guadalajara, ojala que nos veamos pronto - sea que yo les visite o visa versa (en mayo que van a estar haciendo? . . . . saaabe. . . )
All my love, Todo mi amor,
Meghan
PS: The phone is available for use here. Nightime is good to call; during office hours, short calls are allowed. Here's how the schedule goes, more or less:
7:30a - 9a occupied with breakfast and prayer
9a-1p work
1p-2 lunch
2-6 work
6:30-7:30 dinner
after that, open
Here's the info of the base:
YWAM PACHUCA
Leona Vicario #100
Colonia Santa Julia
CP 42080 Pachuca Hidalgo
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Deuteronomy 4:35 (NIV) “You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides Him there is no other.”
I love to drink fruit smoothies. I have a preference for just one flavor at a time in the glass - peach is my favorite - but I have also been known to go for two combined flavors. And I really like it when there is cream to mix into the blended fruit & ice. My friend at work brought in some homemade smoothies, it had several flavors in it - truly a unique combination. It was an ugly color - so I looked at it with trepidation - but she is my friend and although it was an ugly looking thing I was fairly confident that it wasn’t intended to poison me. In fact, Sherry said that it was very healthy for me (now I am not so confident - but she is my friend!). I took a little sip and it wasn’t half bad. It wasn’t as sweet as the ones you buy in restaurants and juice bars, probably because there wasn’t any added sugars, but I was able to finish it with no problem.
I have been working a lot of hours lately. I go through this every year at this same time. I work for a non-profit corporation and we are required to have an annual audit done. In addition, every one of our funding sources has a report (or two) due in either January or early February. As the CFO I am responsible to make sure that everything gets done on time. I don’t mind the extra hours at this time of the year because I have a great deal of flexibility during the rest of the year. This year, though, it seems to be harder than ever before, and I feel more tired than I ever have before. Dealing with a couple of health issues have just made things even more complicated. I come home from work and fall asleep almost immediately, then I hit the snooze alarm in the morning until I am right on the borderline and have to jump out of bed and rush to get ready to go to work. There has been another new side effect as well. I am not my normal upbeat self. I am irritable and irritating, making comments that are just this side of nasty-mean, having little patience with myself, and even less patience with others. I definitely have not been exhibiting the fruit of the Spirt. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control don’t seem to be part of my vocabulary or lifestyle anymore. This is not a good thing. I am not being a good witness for Christ when I am acting like this and I am harming my witness to others - particularly to those who know me as a Christian.
What I need is a fruit of the Spirit smoothie every morning. Wouldn’t that be just the thing? To mix up fresh fruit of the Spirit with milk, ice and maybe a dollop of whipping creme on the top to finish it off? I could drink it down then all day long I would react to every situation with love, joy peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. No matter how tired I was from working, or stressed from the health concerns, it would never show to the world. My witness for Christ would remain strong. Is this just a great idea? I think it is - in fact I think it is such a great idea that I am going to suggest it to Father.
And then it hit me - just when was I going to do that? In the few minutes late at night when I mumble - through my yawns - and routinely thank Father for my day? Or in the morning when I hit the snooze alarm and sleep rather than spend my accustomed time with Him? Somehow I don’t think that “Oh, lord! I’m late again!” qualifies as heartfelt morning communication with God. I know, I will look up that verse - it is in one of Paul’s epistles - and bring my idea to Father then. Only I have been so busy I haven’t been in the Word in awhile - do I even know where my hard copy Bible is?
What I wanted was a quick fix to what I am going through - a fruit of the Spirit smoothie - that would make me feel right again - make me normal again. What I realized was that I was so wrapped up in the things of the world that I was ignoring the things that are my world. The vitalness of my relationship with the Living God, the sweetness of time spent in His presence just talking to Him, the power that is in His Words to me - recorded in the Bible.
My change in attitude is not caused by my working extra hours or by my health concerns. It is because I have become distracted and have taken my focus off of my Lifesource. Once I realized what I had done - what I had sacrificed - in order to focus on the world’s problems, there was an immediate change. I pray at night standing up, it is a little hard to fall asleep that way. My alarm clock is moved to a spot further away from my bed so that I actually have to wake up more fully in order to turn it off. And guess what!?! I am feeling pretty upbeat lately. I am still working long hours - but my attitude has undergone a major adjustment. My focus is once again firmly on My God and King, and He works in me and produces the fruit of the Spirit. It may not be as easy as drinking down a fruit smoothie - but it most certainly is more satisfying!
LORD and King, I take my focus off of You and my life starts falling apart until I realize how foolish I have been and turn back to You. You really are my Lifesource, the reason for my existence, my One and Only. Help me to keep my focus where it belongs - on You.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@fresnofirst.org
Come with me to a third grade classroom..... There is a nine-year-old kid sitting at his desk and all of a sudden, there is a puddle between his feet and the front of his pants are wet. He thinks his heart is going to stop because he cannot possibly imagine how this has happened. It's never happened before, and he knows that when the boys find out he will never hear the end of it. When the girls find out, they'll never speak to him again as long as he lives. The boy believes his heart is going to stop; he puts his head down and prays this prayer, "Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat."
He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered. As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and inexplicably dumps the bowl of water in the boy's lap. The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, "Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!”
Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else - Susie.
She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. "You've done enough, you klutz!"
Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Susie whispers back, "I wet my pants once too."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
May God help us see the opportunities that are always around us to do good. Remember.....Just going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car. Each and everyone one of us are going through tough times right now, but God is getting ready to bless you in a way that only He can. Keep the faith
Dear GOD:
I want to thank You for what You have already done.
I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards; I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better; I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me; I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears; I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves; I am going to thank You right now.
I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet; I am going to thank You right now.
I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job; I am going to thank You right now.
I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief; I am thanking You right now.
I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed; I am thanking You right now.
I am thanking You because I am alive.
I am thanking You because I made it through the day's difficulties.
I am thanking You because I have walked around the obstacles.
I am thanking You because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more to do more and do better.
I'm thanking you because, Father, YOU haven't given up on me
Author unknown
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Revelation 21:1 (NIV) “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.”
Revelation 21:4 (NIV) “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
Revelation 22:20 (NIV) “He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus”
I am truly fortunate because I share a house with my best friend. My mom and I live together. My mom is the greatest, she is the only person I know who only wants what is best for me. She has no hidden agenda, she never uses me for her own purposes. She simply loves me no matter what. I absolutely depend on her love and I hope that she knows that I love her just as much.
That is not to say everything is perfect between us - we each have habits that can drive the other up the wall in 30 seconds flat. Most of the things that bug us about each other we have simply accepted and moved on. My mom is a reader and because she loves to read - I love to read. Mom’s favorite books are mysteries - but here is the quirk that I just don’t understand. My mom reads a little bit of the book, and then reads the ending of the book. I think that is so weird. Why would you want to read a mystery story when you know who the bad guy is and you know how the hero and heroine fall in love forever? I personally like the suspense, and trying to guess who the bad guy is (the hero and heroine always fall in love forever) but my mom says that that is how she has always read her books. I wouldn’t want to read a book that way, but if it works for my mom, it works for my mom.
There is one story though that I really do like knowing the end of and that is the history of humanity. And the history of humanity is simply His-story of His relationship with us. His-story is incredibly exciting - full of ups and downs. You know right off who the bad guy is - it’s satan who intends to destroy the Kingdom of God. The Hero is Jesus, who comes to save the world. There is even a heroine whom the Hero loves forever and the heroine is the church. There are some times when defeat seems imminent. The Garden of Eden when humanity fell into sin, the Flood when it did now seem man could not continue on, Calvary when God died, modern thinking that says we are all a product of chance and there is no God. But there are also times of great victory - when God clothed man, when an ark was provided, when a stone rolled away revealing an empty grave, when a remnant of believers rejects modern thinking for the simple and ageless truths of God. And best of all - we know how it ends. We win.
In the end of time we will see satan defeated and cast into the eternal darkness of hell, we will see Jesus as LORD of All, we will live in the New Jerusalem that is built on the new heaven and earth, Jesus will wipe away all of our tears and there will be only joy. How cool is that? I absolutely love how our story ends - it ends as it was meant to begin - with God glorified and with us in relationship with Him.
Here is what confuses me - if we know how our story - which is really His-story - ends then why don’t we live like it?
Or worse, why do we live like we have lost?
Don’t you love watching a football game that first favors one side then favors the other? No matter how closely the game is fought, there comes a point in time when the spectators realize that their team has won and man alive! Don’t the fans in the sands go crazy with celebration! They are bumping chests, high-fiv’ng, shouting, dancing, throwing stuff up in the air. Down on the fields the players are doing their victory dance and a couple of the players are sneaking up on the coach with a bucket of Gatorade and ice.
Why are we not celebrating like this? We know that in the end we win and satan loses - so why are we not celebrating? I am not advocating that we pour gatorade on Pastor Willie every time he preaches a great sermon - it would ruin the carpet. (Maybe we could do it once or twice though!) And maybe bumping our chests is a little much also. But why aren’t we dancing through life? Why aren’t we high-fiv’ng God as we jump out of bed in the morning? Do we shout “Hallelujah” in our cars as we drive to work? Or do we drag along like everybody else does? Do we bubble with the joy of Christ, or mope through our day?
I think that I am going to act like a winner now and now wait until I am with Jesus to start celebrating my win in Jesus. I think that I am going to try a little harder to be God’s dancer and not just one more brick in the wall. Come with me - we’ll celebrate Him together.
LORD Jesus, because of You, I am a winner now and for all eternity. Help me to remember that I am a winner and help my life and my attitude reflect it.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@.fresnofirst.org
Check out our blog at www.fesnofirst.org It is under the resources tab.
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Revelation 21:1 (NIV) “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.”
Revelation 21:4 (NIV) “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
Revelation 22:20 (NIV) “He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus”
I am truly fortunate because I share a house with my best friend. My mom and I live together. My mom is the greatest, she is the only person I know who only wants what is best for me. She has no hidden agenda, she never uses me for her own purposes. She simply loves me no matter what. I absolutely depend on her love and I hope that she knows that I love her just as much.
That is not to say everything is perfect between us - we each have habits that can drive the other up the wall in 30 seconds flat. Most of the things that bug us about each other we have simply accepted and moved on. My mom is a reader and because she loves to read - I love to read. Mom’s favorite books are mysteries - but here is the quirk that I just don’t understand. My mom reads a little bit of the book, and then reads the ending of the book. I think that is so weird. Why would you want to read a mystery story when you know who the bad guy is and you know how the hero and heroine fall in love forever? I personally like the suspense, and trying to guess who the bad guy is (the hero and heroine always fall in love forever) but my mom says that that is how she has always read her books. I wouldn’t want to read a book that way, but if it works for my mom, it works for my mom.
There is one story though that I really do like knowing the end of and that is the history of humanity. And the history of humanity is simply His-story of His relationship with us. His-story is incredibly exciting - full of ups and downs. You know right off who the bad guy is - it’s satan who intends to destroy the Kingdom of God. The Hero is Jesus, who comes to save the world. There is even a heroine whom the Hero loves forever and the heroine is the church. There are some times when defeat seems imminent. The Garden of Eden when humanity fell into sin, the Flood when it did now seem man could not continue on, Calvary when God died, modern thinking that says we are all a product of chance and there is no God. But there are also times of great victory - when God clothed man, when an ark was provided, when a stone rolled away revealing an empty grave, when a remnant of believers rejects modern thinking for the simple and ageless truths of God. And best of all - we know how it ends. We win.
In the end of time we will see satan defeated and cast into the eternal darkness of hell, we will see Jesus as LORD of All, we will live in the New Jerusalem that is built on the new heaven and earth, Jesus will wipe away all of our tears and there will be only joy. How cool is that? I absolutely love how our story ends - it ends as it was meant to begin - with God glorified and with us in relationship with Him.
Here is what confuses me - if we know how our story - which is really His-story - ends then why don’t we live like it?
Or worse, why do we live like we have lost?
Don’t you love watching a football game that first favors one side then favors the other? No matter how closely the game is fought, there comes a point in time when the spectators realize that their team has won and man alive! Don’t the fans in the sands go crazy with celebration! They are bumping chests, high-fiv’ng, shouting, dancing, throwing stuff up in the air. Down on the fields the players are doing their victory dance and a couple of the players are sneaking up on the coach with a bucket of Gatorade and ice.
Why are we not celebrating like this? We know that in the end we win and satan loses - so why are we not celebrating? I am not advocating that we pour gatorade on Pastor Willie every time he preaches a great sermon - it would ruin the carpet. (Maybe we could do it once or twice though!) And maybe bumping our chests is a little much also. But why aren’t we dancing through life? Why aren’t we high-fiv’ng God as we jump out of bed in the morning? Do we shout “Hallelujah” in our cars as we drive to work? Or do we drag along like everybody else does? Do we bubble with the joy of Christ, or mope through our day?
I think that I am going to act like a winner now and now wait until I am with Jesus to start celebrating my win in Jesus. I think that I am going to try a little harder to be God’s dancer and not just one more brick in the wall. Come with me - we’ll celebrate Him together.
LORD Jesus, because of You, I am a winner now and for all eternity. Help me to remember that I am a winner and help my life and my attitude reflect it.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@.fresnofirst.org
Check out our blog at www.fesnofirst.org It is under the resources tab.
God loves each of us as if there were only one of us. -St. Augustine
I received the most amazing e-mail. In pictures it showed different comparisons of planets and suns. Our own planet earth is in the middle of size when compared to our nine planets (free Pluto!). The next picture compared our planets to our sun. The earth was the size of a small dot - you could just see it - our sun was 6 inches in diameter.. Then the pictures compared our sun to other suns. The one that blew me away was the comparison to Antares. Antares is the 15th brightest sun in space. It is over 1,000 light years away from us (1 light year = 5,900,000,000,000 miles) (Do the math - it staggers the mind). In this comparison Antares was 6 ½ inches in diameter, our sun was the size of one pixel - I couldn't even see it. God bounces Antares on His little finger as if it were a marble - and He numbers the hairs on our head. I think sometimes I get so comfortable with Father God, I forget about God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth and I forget how magnificent and immense His creation is. Today I have been reminded of exactly how small and insignificant I am in His creation- and absolutely awed that this Mighty God, this creator of Antares and that black hole that sings a single B- note at 57 octaves below middle C is the same Father who cradles me close to His heart when I reach for Him. It’s breathtaking isn’t it?
Harley Sowell had a 4-valve heart by-pass surgery last week. Pastor Gene Wright talked to Johnnie, Harley’s wife, last Thursday and at that time he was off the respirator and hopefully able to sit up soon..
Please pray for Nola Ambler, Judi Wright’s mom, who had her toe amputated earlier this week. Nola suffers from severe Alzheimer and simply does not understand what is happening to her. Pray for Judi, this is painful for her.
Kathryn Aycock had surgery to remove the breast cancer. Initial reports are that surgery went well. She will shortly be undergoing radiation treatments.
Delaine Zody’s friend at work got the results of her cancer tests and it was considerably better that what had been thought. They believe that they got it all with surgery and will be able to treat anything else that pops up.
We continue to pray for: Peggy Molander, George Esparza, Marty Clifton's family, Betty Arnold and family as they mourn the loss of Lula, Remo & Susan Paul and their pregnancy, Lorraine Esparza’s daughter, Bianca & Stephanie, Kelli Hastings, Tony McDonald, Ellen Burton, my friend at juvenile hall, Walt Couch, Nancy Eland, and Michael Ferris.
Pray for our missionaries – 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, Yvonne Deel in Belize, Bounkham & Khamla’s mission to Laos, Gospel for Asia, Laurie Bethall in Prague, and all the missionaries worldwide.
Pray for our pastors our leadership, our ministries, and Father’s provision for His Church. Pray that we recognize opportunities to share our faith with others.
Pray for our country, her leadership and our military.
Father,
I love to look at pictures of outer space and marvel over the beauty and size of what You have created. I dream of the day that, from Your side, I see for myself the magnificence of the stars, the galaxies, the black holes and all that is out there. Our eyes will be dazzled. We know it is incredible, but what is even more incredible is that You have created all this, it is Yours, and yet, what You want, what You long for, is our love, our attention and our time. We who are the least of Your creation have been elevated by Your love to the heights of heaven. We give You our love, our attention and our time because You are worthy of all that we have to give. We give You our love not because we have to, but because we cannot hold ourselves away from You or away from loving You. Compared to You, Antares is minuscule. Compared to You, all of creation is lackluster. Nothing compares to You. You are our God.
We lift up Harley, Nola, Kathryn and Delain’s friend before You, Jehovah Shalom, God of our Peace, and ask that You continue to heal them and give them peace of body, peace of mind and peace of spirit.
Shepherd, we pray in agreement for our beloved Judi, and ask, Jesus, that You hold her in Your arms. Let her feel Your heartbeat, let her know that her mother is eternally secure and she is eternally secure. Let her feel Your pride in her as she faces these trials and yet continues to glorify You with her life. Grant her peace.
We lift up those who continue to be on our prayer chain and ask that in each of these situations You are the glory and You are glorified.
We pray for those You have placed in leadership within Your church, those who serve around the world, those who serve in the local church. Holy Spirit, we pray Your blessings on our beloved Lill and thank You so much for her. No matter what is going on around her, the challenges that our busy church office brings, her attitude is loving and sweet. Her desire to serve You by serving the needs of our pastor and of our church is a joy to us as much as it is a joy to You.
We pray for those that we will come into contact with who do not know You and ask that You help us to speak the right words and act the right way so that we can be effective and true witnesses to Your glory.
Forgive us when we fail You, restore us to a right relationship with You, guide us into a closer walk with You.
We love You so much. You are more than everything - You are the only thing.
Praying the Lord's Prayer
by Max Lucado
Here’s an example of how the Lord’s Prayer can guide your prayers:
Our Father
Thank you for adopting me into your family.
who is
Thank you, my Lord,
for being a God of the present tense:
my Jehovah-jireh (the God who provides),
my Jehovah-raah (the caring Shepherd),
my Jehovah-shalom (the Lord is peace),
my Jehovah-rophe (the God who heals),
and my Jehovah-nissi (Lord, my banner).
in heaven,
Your workshop of creation reminds me: If you can make the skies, you can make sense out of my struggles.
Hallowed be thy name.
Be holy in my heart.
You are a “cut above” all else.
Enable me to set my sights on you.
Thy kingdom come,
Come kingdom!
Be present, Lord Jesus!
Have free reign in every corner of my life.
Thy will be done,
Reveal your heart to me, dear Father.
Show me my role in your passion.
Grant me guidance in the following decisions …
On earth as it is in heaven.
Thank you that you silence heaven to hear my prayer.
On my heart are the ones you love.
I pray for …
Give us this day our daily bread.
I accept your portion for my life today.
I surrender the following concerns
regarding my well-being …
Forgive us our debts,
I thank you for the roof of grace over my head,
bound together with the timbers and nails of Calvary. There is nothing I can do to earn or add to your mercy.
I confess my sins to you …
As we also have forgiven our debtors;
Treat me, Father, as I treat others.
Have mercy on the following friends
who have wounded me …
Lead us not into temptation,
Let my small hand be engulfed in yours.
Hold me, lest I fall.
I ask for special strength regarding …
Our Father … give us … forgive us … lead us
Let your kindness be on all your church.
I pray especially for ministers near
and missionaries far away.
Thine—not mine—is the kingdom,
I lay my plans at your feet.
Thine—not mine—is the power,
I come to you for strength.
Thine—not mine—is the glory,
I give you all the credit.
Forever. Amen.
Thine—not mine—is the power. Amen.
From The Great House of God
Copyright 1997, Max Lucado
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Acts 16:5 (The Message) “Day after day the congregations became stronger in faith and larger in size.”
I have been having a very introspective week. All these songs have been winding their way through my head. My mind has been singing Sonny & Cher’s “The Beat Goes On” (And the beat goes on - and the beat goes on) and singing the Byrds’ “Turn, Turn, Turn” (For every thing turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn, a time to live, a time to die, a time to laugh, a time to cry...) And of course, the classic from Fiddler on the Roof - “Sunrise, Sunset” (Sunrise, Sunset, Sunrise, Sunset, swiftly flow the years, one season following the other, laden with happiness and tears). I can almost hear you asking, “Good grief, Valerie! What’s with all the passage of time songs!” I can answer that. This Saturday, my son, my baby, my Steven, turns eighteen. Legally, he is a man! (Legally maybe, but every mother of an “adult” son is snickering right now at just the thought!) I am now the mother of grown children. What?!? How did that happen?!? Wasn’t it just last week that I was laughing at him trying to walk, and just a few days ago that I was sitting in the elementary school principal’s office because Steven beat the living snot out of that kid who made fun of Andrew, Steven’s best friend (who happened to be mentally challenged). (His punishment was the biggest banana split I could find in Fresno!) And now I see my great big 6'3" son making his plans for college, holding hands with his beautiful girl-friend, looking forward to a future that is not based around my home. Do I sound sad? I am a little bit. But I think that mostly I am just coming to the realization that the rhythm of life goes on. That generation follows generation that follows generation. It is as it should be - as it has been planned by Father since before the beginning.
In my introspective mood, I am looking at the other foundation of my life - the church- and realizing that it also follows the rhythm of life. Do you know that I used to carry Hannah Neuman around on my hip in my first Sonday School class? Now she is as tall as me and as pretty as all get out. The other day I heard Norm Baird talking, and turned around to say hi - only it was Gavin Baird - another child that was in my first Sonday School class. I was a camp counselor for Meghan Dineen and now she is a missionary in Mexico. And Kristin Nolte - my goodness! I watched her grow from a child to a gangly teenager, to a beautiful composed young woman, serving Jesus with her whole heart as the Director of Children’s Ministry (And she’s my BOSS!)(Praise God!)
Isn’t it an amazing thing that we can look back to when the church was born (the day that Holy Spirit descended in tongues of flame and Peter stood up to preach) and follow her rhythm of life until today. We watch as great preachers stand before the people telling them of Jesus, and in the crowd to whom they preach is the next great preacher. A Sonday school teacher teaches, as the next Sonday school teacher listens intently. A missionary at home on furlough sets ablaze the heart of the next missionary. And like all rhythms and melodies the Church ebbs and flows in time - this age strong as great revivals sweep the country, this next year a little weaker as new age thoughts take hold of people’s minds, and following year - who knows? And no matter how her rhythm ebbs and flows, the melody of the life of the Church never changes. From when Adam and Eve were the pre-church, teaching Abel how to build an alter of sacrifice, to Willie’s sermon last Sonday, to the next great evangelist fifty years from now, the melody and the life of the Church always was, always is and always will be Jesus.
I find that to be a great comfort- don’t you?
satan has always been about the destruction of the Church - it is his mission statement. he took his first swipe at her in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve fell from grace and harmed their relationship with God. (Their purpose was supposed to be the same purpose of the Church today - to be in intimate relationship with God) The next swipe came in the garden of death, when satan used a cross, nails and a spear to try to destroy the church by destroying the Head of the Church. Then came the Roman emperors who used Christians as cat chow, then the inquisitions, and into this very day when the persecuted Church struggles to survive in many countries. But no matter how hard he tries satan will never succeed in destroying the Church because to destroy the church, he must first destroy Jesus - and that ain’t happening.
It is part of the rhythm of life that the older generation shakes it’s head at the next generation and wonders what is going to become of civilization. It is part of the rhythm of life for the Church that the older generation shakes it’s head at the next generation of the Church and wonders what’s gong to happen to the Church when guitars and drums replace the organ, and praise choruses replace the hymns and who knows what is coming after that. And the answer simply is that the beat goes on - and on - and on. It goes on through the Church’s ebbs and flows, it goes on through satan’s attacks, it goes on throughout changing times. The Church is eternal because the head and heart of the Church - Jesus Christ - is eternal. And in the end - we win.
In these days when Christianity is increasingly under attack by the secular world - isn’t that good to know?
LORD Jesus, because You are eternal, Your Church is eternal - and I am eternal. Thank You for eternity.
Sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist or contact Valerie at valerie@fresnofirst.org
Each of us may be sure that if God sends us on stony paths He will provide us with strong shoes, and He will not send us out on any journey for which He does not equip us well. -Alexander MacLaren
We completed the church survey this past Sonday - it was an interesting experience, wasn’t it? Please pray that Father uses this survey as a tool to guide us in the direction He would have us go.
What a joy it was to run into Sharleen Ferree on Sonday. She looks GREAT! Her surgery went fine! Thank You, LORD, for Your grace on our sister!
Erik Hamilton, Pastor Gene Wright’s grandson, is back in Fallujah and will be headed back home on February 14th! What a valentine from Father God!
George Esparza will finally be going to a specialist in San Francisco on February 21st. Please keep our beloved brother in prayer.
Peggy Molander took a fall recently and broke her shoulder. She is in the health care center of San Joaquin Gardens.
Harley Sowell had heart by-pass surgery yesterday. Please pray that this warrior for God will shortly be restored back to full health.
Please pray for Nola Ambler, Judi Wright’s mom, who has been hospitalized with a foot infection.
We had been praying for Marty Clifton and his family. Marty was suffering from leukemia - but is suffering no more. He has gone home to be with Jesus and Jesus has wiped the tears from his face. Please pray for the family that he leaves behind.
So many parents on our prayer list from Sonday are praying for their children to come back to their faith - we should be in constant prayer for all of our children - the world looks so tempting to them.
We continue to pray for: Betty Arnold and family as they mourn the loss of Lula, Remo & Susan Paul and their pregnancy, Delaine’s friend at work, Lorraine Esparza’s daughter, Bianca & Stephanie, Kelli Hastings, Tony McDonald, Ellen Burton, my friend at juvenile hall, Walt Couch, Nancy Eland, and Michael Ferris.
Pray for our missionaries – 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, Yvonne Deel in Belize, Bounkham & Khamla’s mission to Laos, Gospel for Asia, Laurie Bethall in Prague, and all the missionaries worldwide.
Pray for our pastors our leadership, our ministries, and Father’s provision for His Church. Pray that we recognize opportunities to share our faith with others.
Pray for our country, her leadership and our military.
Father,
I have been so drawn to the vision that Isaiah had of You, high and lifted up, with the train of Your robe filling the throne room. The thought of seeing You like that makes me breathless. But what is even more astounding is that You, Great and Glorious God, looks down for me and pauses to hear my slightest whisper to You. Thank You for Your love for us. Thank You for Who You are, and for what You have done.
Holy Spirit, use this survey and this process to guide us in the way You would have us go. Our only desire is to follow You.
We lift up George to You and ask that You guide the specialists that he is going to see, be with Peggy as her shoulder heals, restore Harley to full health, Spirit of Life, and take away the foot infection from Nola. We pray in agreement for our beloved friends.
Jesus, our Savior, we cannot grieve for Marty, he is with You. He has joy beyond what we can even begin to imagine. We pray for his family that he left behind and ask that You comfort them in this time.
Good Shepherd, we pray for our children, we ask that You
We pray for our family and friends who remain on our prayer chain, Jehovah Jirah, and ask that You continue to provide for them.
With joy we sing out the names of Your missionaries, and thank You and praise You for them. Take care of them, LORD.
God of our Peace, we thank You so much for the pastors and leaders that you have brought to our fellowship. We ask that You continue to bless them. We lift up Faye Lowes before You, Abba, and thank You for the extraordinary servants heart that she has. Truly she is a woman after Your own heart.
El Elohim, sometimes You show us opportunities to share Your good news and we act clueless. Forgive us when we have failed to tell others about us. Help us to recognize opportunities.
Bless our country, God of the Angel Armies, bless her leadership and bless the military that serve us around the world.
Holy, Holy, Holy, LORD God Almighty, which was and is and is to come! As I type these words of praise that my heart is shouting out to You, I am aware that in Your throne room the Seraphim and the Cherubim are also singing these words. How awesome!
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Philippians 3:13-14 “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”(NIV)
When I was growing up my parents had some friends who lived on a ranch in Auberry. Their names were Wes & Janice and the greatest part of our summer was when we kids would get to go and spend a week up at the ranch. What an adventure it was for a bunch of city kids when we got to feed chickens, ride horses, and milk cows. Not far from their house was a body of water - too small to be called a lake but much bigger than a pond. We would swim in it, raft on it, chase polliwogs, and run from the water snakes. As the summer passed, this mini-lake would start to shrink. One day as we were playing, chasing each other around the edge of the water, we came to a place where the water had stretched between two higher areas, but with the heat of the summer had started to dry out. It was still muddy with patches of slimy green spots, but we decided to cross through it. What a mistake that was! The ground looked a lot more solid than it actually was. Once we got down into it, we were sinking in the ooze to over our ankles. As we drug our feet out of the mud to take a step it would make this gross sucking noise, and it STUNK! When we finally made it through that mess we ran to the lake and washed the mud off our feet - but still our feet smelled of the ooze.
One of my most favorite verses of the Bible is 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.” When I came back to Jesus I desperately needed to be a new creation. I came to Him as a survivor of physical and mental childhood and spousal abuse.. I was a recovering drug addict. I had a barrier between me and the rest of the world that made sure that nobody - but my kids - got close to me. I cared for nothing and nobody but my kids and my mom. I was an angry, vindictive, miserable and broken woman with no hope, no joy and no dreams. Then I came to Fresno First Baptist and I began to wonder, “Is there more to life than this?” Slowly but surely as I turned to my Jesus, He began to put the pieces of me back together again. I started to hope, then to dream and finally to believe that yes, there is so much more to life than I had ever imagined. I wanted to spread my wings and fly like an eagle within the light of Jesus’ love. But I couldn’t fly. I could not seem to let go of what I was long enough to believe in what I could be. The guilt and regret over what I had done to myself and to others while I was on the drugs, while I was behind my wall, when I sought revenge for hurts, while I was who I was, drug me into the slimy ooze and it stunk!
Jesus wanted to make me a new creation but I wouldn’t quit beating myself up with the old one. But He wouldn’t give up on me and day by day He continued to change me until I came to the realization that I could stay stuck in the swamp of regrets or I could accept that my life was what it was and then give it to Jesus. I choose to fly - I choose to be free.
I am who I am - but I am not who I was. Jesus has freed me from that and when the Son has set you free, you are free indeed. And here is the best part of all - He has used what I was as a witness to show what He can do. Isn’t that incredible?!? He has turned everything that was yucky about me into His glory.
We are meant to fly within the freedom of Jesus. We are meant to soar with Him. But we cannot soar if our feet are stuck in the muck of regrets. We are meant to follow Him, but how can we if our eyes are always looking at the past behind us? How much greater our joy when we let go of our past, give it to Jesus, and watch what Jesus does with it!
I used to wonder about what I would change if I could go back and start over. Would I choose a lighter load - an easier road? But the truth is that I would not change a thing about my past. Because of who I was, and because of who I am, I am uniquely qualified to serve Jesus in exactly the place that He has me. I am uniquely called to worship Him in exactly the way that I worship Him. I am called to Him, just as I am.
Are you tired of being bogged down? Jesus is waiting to put your feet on the solid rock. Just let go and let Him.
My LORD Jesus, I don’t take pride in what I was but I take pride in what You have made of me. I am Yours. For you, Jesus, no reserve, no retreat and no regrets.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First Baptist at valerie@fresnofirst.org
Hey friends,
Just wanted to share a praise with you all. Thanks for praying for us.
We just began a Bible after school program at the two elementary schools. We only had one opportunity for the schools to pass out info to the students. We weren’t quite sure what kind of turn out we would have. At one site we had about 50 kids, at the other we had over 100- for the first meeting! We are really excited to see how it grows. Imagine having an opportunity to share Jesus in the public schools with over 150 kids each week! God has given us great favor in this community, with the schools, administration, etc. Thank you for your support and prayers. God is working through you to allow us to have a great ministry here in the Ranchos.
Thank you for being a part of it.
Blessings, Pastor Karl