Psalm 47
God the King of the Earth.
For the choir director. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.
1 O clap your hands, all peoples;
Shout to God with the voice of joy.
2 For the LORD Most High is to be feared,
A great King over all the earth.
3 He subdues peoples under us
And nations under our feet.
4 He chooses our inheritance for us,
The glory of Jacob whom He loves. Selah.
5 God has ascended with a shout,
The LORD, with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;
Sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with a skillful psalm.
8 God reigns over the nations,
God sits on His holy throne.
9 The princes of the people have assembled themselves as the people of the God of Abraham,
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is highly exalted.
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Acts 20:13(NIV) “When they saw the courage of Peter and John, and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
Acts 4:20 (NIV) “For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard”
I went up to my boss one day, “Chris, I need to speak to you for just a minute.” “Why,” he answered, “Do you want to know everything that I know?” “No, Chris,” I teased, “I need the full minute, not thirty seconds.” My boss and I have a very comfortable relationship built on a great deal of respect. We have a lot of respect for each other’s knowledge and opinions, but even deeper than my respect for his knowledge is my respect for how he has lived his life. Chris has been an advocate for the most powerless of our society since he was 16. At the age when most of us were dreaming about cars, proms and members of the opposite sex, Chris was already involved in equal justice and equal rights work. I really enjoy hearing him talk about those days because it is the account of what he has seen and heard. It is personal eyewitness testimony. His experiences are part of his life and have made him the man he is today.
Peter and John had gone to the temple as was their custom and on the way they healed a life-long cripple in the name of Jesus. A crowd gathered and Peter started preaching about Jesus. This made the Sadducees so irate that they threw Peter & John into jail. The next day they started questioning them and Peter started preaching about Jesus again. Peter and John stood up to the most powerful men in their society; many of them had probably conspired to crucify Jesus, and Peter started telling them that they had crucified Messiah. The Sadducees were astonished by these two men because they were ordinary uneducated men who spoke boldly about Jesus to them. They took note that Peter and John had been with Jesus. They listened, and then told Peter & John that they were going to let them go – but that they were to quit preaching about Jesus. John & Peter answered that they would not because they were speaking about what they had seen and heard. It was personal, eyewitness testimony. They could not – they would not – stop telling about what they knew.
“I just don’t know enough about the Bible to be a good witness – I mean – what if I get asked a question I don’t have an answer for?” I was really surprised when a Christian friend said that to me recently. She had been a Christian for longer than I had – but I couldn’t really fault her for saying out loud what I have thought more than once. Have you ever thought something similar? My guess is that most of us have. And the simple truth is that we can study the Bible until we can qualify as professional Christians and we are not going to have answers to all the questions.
“What about the dinosaurs?” “Why did God allow the Holocaust? 9/11? Children starving to death? AIDS?” “How can a loving God not accept everybody who believes – even if it is not a Christian belief?” I can answer these questions – sort of. I can tell them what I believe about the pre-creation, free will and so on. But what I tell them will only be what I believe. And I don’t think that that is going to be too effective. People don’t really want to know what I believe – they want to know what I have seen and what I have heard – what I am an eyewitness to.
Unlike Peter, John and the rest of the disciples, I cannot tell about witnessing a physical Jesus that I touched after He rose from the dead. I cannot tell about the miracle of feeding 5,000 because I did not see that. I cannot give eyewitness testimony about anything Jesus did while He was on the earth. But I can tell you – and anybody – what I have witnessed Him do in my life. I can tell them about how I was before Jesus changed me. I can tell about hiding the truth of who I was behind a wall so none could get to me, none could hurt me. I could tell of how important it was that I was always in control of what was going on around me. ; And now there is Jesus in my life and I know the freedom that comes of being His. I know that He loves the truth of who I am and He encourages me to be all that I can be in Him. I now know that I am not in control of anything around me but Jesus is in control of everything around me – and that is working for me.
I am like Peter and John in a few ways – I am an ordinary person who serves an extraordinary God. I am not highly educated – but I know what I have seen and heard. The Sadducees took note that John and Peter had been with Jesus – I want the world to know that I have been with and am with Jesus. I cannot – and I will not – stop talking about what I have seen and heard because I have a personal, eyewitness testimony of how Jesus saved me.
I don’t need to know everything God has ever done and why He has done it to be an effective fisher of people. I just need to know what He has done in my life and why. He has forgiven my sin and saved me. He did it because He loves me more than life. And He freely offers this salvation, this incredible life, to anybody who asks Him for it.
LORD Jesus, I don’t know a lot, but I know that You love me. I don’t believe in You, I know You personally. The most effective way for me to fish for people is to tell them what You have done for me. Thank You for saving me and giving me this life.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of FFBC at Valerie@fresnofirst.org
Salvation is joy in God which expresses itself in joy in and with one’s neighbor. -Walter Kasper
Great news with Bev Willis! Her wound has finally healed completely and she will be able to schedule her hip replacement! YIPPEE!
Biana’s brother, Rich, went in for a follow-up consultation on his prostrate cancer – and guess what was missing? If you guess the cancer give yourself a hand! They are going to keep an eye on him, but for now, Rich is cancer free! Praise You Father!
Things appear to be calming down a little for the Nolte’s – let’s continue to keep them surrounded by prayer.
Please pray for Ken & Marianne Barickman. Marianne was in Switzerland for a friend’s funeral and was involved in a car accident that left her with fractured vertebrae in her back.
I usually get an update from Kelli, but haven’t so far this week. Please keep Sandy and Kelli in prayer.
Kat Bailey’s father has gone home and is dancing on golden streets with the angels.
I have two unspoken prayer requests from beloved members of our family.
Please continue to pray for –Doug Iverson, recovering from a quadruple by-pass, Ann Herrington with kidney cancer, Eileen Betts, Kathy waiting for back surgery, Carol Robertshaw with lung cancer, Norm Baird as he leads the Men’s Emmaus Walk, our Katie as she faced ongoing health challenges, Ellen Burton with worsening cancer and Walt Couch, with prostrate cancer.
Pray for our missionaries –Bounkham & Khamla in Laos, Laurie Bethall in Prague, Meghan Dineen in Mexico, Biana and Faith Alive in Nigeria, Judy, Faye & Miisaw with New Life Center in Thailand, Jan & Larry Martin in Thailand, The Reaching Hand Society in India, Yvonne Deel in Belize, and all the missionaries worldwide.
Pray for our pastors our leadership, our ministries, and Father’s provision for His Church. Pray for the person that Jesus has laid on your heart.
Jehovah Jirah, Our God Who Provides,
Your mercy and grace reached down to save us. There was no way that we could escape the chains of our sins, we could not be good enough to earn a place with You. You gave up Your life so that You could give us a place with You. Your mercy and grace continue to fill our lives. There is never a time when we are separated from You. Even when we, in our foolishness, wander away from You, Your eyes are still on us. You are the foundation of our life, the hope of our future. We love You, LORD.
LORD of All, we thank You and praise You for the wonderful news on Bev and Rich. You are the Great Physician. We pray that Bev will be strong and ready for her operation and that Rich continues to be cancer free.
Abba, with joy and in agreement with each other, we continue to lift up the Noltes in prayer. God of the Angel Armies, we ask that You continue to guard them and protect them from the snares of that snake, satan. We thank You, LORD Jesus, for the way that You continue to hold them close to You and we ask, Good Shepherd, that they will find peace in You. Holy Spirit, continue to guide and lead the Nolte’s on the path that You would have them travel. With humble and grateful hearts, Triune God, we thank You for Willie and his leadership, for his family and for all that they mean to us.
We pray for Ken & Marianne Barickman as she recovers from the car accident. We lift up Sandy and Kelli and ask that You continue to be the strength of their hearts, we hold up the two unspoken needs, knowing, Light of the World, that You are already there. Holy Father, we did not get to know Kat’s dad when he was here, but we rejoice knowing that he is our brother. When he calms down a little from the excitement of bowing before You, and is done exploring, tell him “hi” for us and that we will see him soon. Father, work in the lives and hearts of those who remain on our list.
To follow You, LORD God, is to fish. You have promised that if we follow You we will become fishers of people. Help us Lord to know how to bait our hook, where to cast our line, and most of all, how to get them into the boat. King of Eternity, You probably give us a multitude of opportunities every day to witness for You but we are so busy running here, there and everywhere that we blast right past them. Help us to slow down and really see others as You see them.
We ask, Holy spirit that You fill our pastors and leadership with a new fire, and LORD, that You bring that fire to our hearts as well. Help us to not be so comfortable in our lives that we miss the fire of Your life. Provide for Your missionaries and provide for the needs of the Church. Father, change our hearts so that we will walk more closely with You, and start with me.
You are God Who has always loved us, God who always loves us and God Who will always love us. Your love is better than life. You are all that we ever need. We stand silent in awe before You because You are Sovereign King of eternity. Hear our songs of love and praise, may they come before Your throne like the sweetest incense.
The Maka-Messiah Shoppe
I dreamed I was walking through Eden Mall shopping center when I spied The Maka-Messiah Shoppe. It was laid out so you could select your doll then accessorize to your own tastes.
With my mouth open in disbelief, I stepped through the wide open doors and curiously enough, set off an alarm. The workers seemed nervous as if afraid of me. The manager came out and just stared for a moment as if sizing me up. Her name tag said Angel Delight.
I broke the silence and said, “Hi, Angel.” And Angel smiled a slow, beguiling smile that seemed to light up the room. For a surreal moment, I was at absolute peace and asked her what her store was about.
She took me by the arm as if into confidence and began to tell me she was an entrepreneur of sorts and this was her latest, final enterprise. I explained that I was a Christian and wondered if this was about Jesus Christ the Messiah.
“Yes, all about Jesus,” she assured me and encouraged me to go through the process to tailor make a Messiah of my very own.
I looked into the bins of lifeless dolls and was aghast. There was Buddha, Mohammed, George Santayana, Molech, and so many, many others. The special of the day was the Jesus doll. There was a big sign over the bins that read, “God Wears Many Faces.”
I picked up a Jesus doll and moved to the line where he could be filled and brought to life. The varied choice of materials was baffling. You could stuff your Jesus doll with pornographic pictures, money, tired old books penned in dead languages, higher education diplomas, sugar, instruments of religious sadomasochism, racist booklets; there seemed no end to the kinds of fillers or their combinations.
I quietly backed out of the line and went to the next. There were outfits everywhere. I could dress my Jesus doll in a mini Armani gold threaded suit, or dress him as a soul wrangling cowboy, or as a hippie, a pacifist, a guru, or as a war mongering warlord complete with a board game giving me the right to declare Armageddon for God’s glory. The gay Jesus could be dressed as male or female.
Apparently, you could reinvent the Messiah and make him be anything you desire. There was a sign over the outfit racks that said, “Scriptures Are Books That Can Play Many Different Tunes.”
Overwhelmed, I stepped out of the fashion assembly line, and went to the voice isle. The sign over these bins had no wording, just a bizarre picture of an ear with a feather sticking inside. I was amazed that I could put a voice box into my Jesus doll and make him say whatever I wanted. All I had to do was squeeze his little hand with the plastic Faith Button.
Pre-recorded messages were stacked to the ceiling in bins. Some were political messages that said, “I command you to take dominion before I come.” Others said, “Marijuana is the leaf for the healing of the nations. Preach this word!” Another read, “Hate for me!” Still another said, “My kingdom is now of this world. Pick up the sword and kill for me!”
Prosperity message buttons were the current rage. You could even get little eyes for your Jesus doll with dollar signs etched in them to better inspire you to confess covenant wealth. Why, I could even speak and record a message and then insert it into my Jesus doll so it would sound just like me! That way, whatever I wanted became his will.
The next isle was so bizarre I didn’t even bother. When I saw the Jesus Voodoo Doll kit complete with pins that were replicas of the spikes used at the Crucifixion, I nearly vomited. This product promised a special grace to Curse Your Enemies. I guess it was no weirder than the Jesus Cookie Making kit where you could turn Christ into a cookie and eat him.
The intoxicating stupor of making my own Messiah began to wane. Sensing my perplexity, Angel Delight quickly came to my aid wondering why I hadn’t made made a buying decision. I said, “Thanks, but I want the real Jesus. No imitations or pretenders. Do you have the real Jesus?”
Angel Delight smiled that radiant smile again and assured me that, unlike many of her patrons, I had the real Jesus. The beauty of her store, she said, was that now I could take the real Jesus and dress him up as I wished, make my words his words, my agenda his agenda. I could Maka-Messiah of my very own!
“How long have you been in business?” I asked.
Angel Delight was quiet for a moment and, with measured words, said, “The Company I started with was subject to a hostile takeover attempt. Suffice to say I have trafficked in the religion trade ever since.”
A growing sense of unease told me I needed to leave. I nodded curtly and turned away as if to continue shopping. I put the Jesus doll back into the bin and tried to make a beeline for the door. Angel Delight hindered me. Instead, I had to walk through the checkout line as it was the only way to the Exit.
The checkout line had a sign that read:
We Do Not Accept The Following:
Cash
Credit Cards
Money Orders
Valuables
I could not figure out how people were paying for their Maka-Messiah accessories till it came my turn. The clerk passed a scanner over my right hand and then my forehead. The screen was blank. He assured me that, as a new customer, all I had to do was take the Maka-Messiah credit chip, and all would be well. The good news was that I was already pre-qualified! I politely declined the offer and headed towards the door.
He gulped and yelled after me that no one could leave the store without a purchase. Again, I said no thanks and made for the exit.
Suddenly, a legion of workers descended on me to block my departure. Angel Delight herself appeared and said, “If we offended you, please accept our apologies. Don’t you want to Maka-Messiah of your very own?” I assured her I was happy with the original and just wanted to leave.
Angel Delight looked deep into my eyes, into my soul, as if searching for a secret, and then she smiled again. She said, “At least let me give you a parting gift. I see you need money for a vision you have for the kingdom of your god. I can give you a spiritual gift to know the secrets of men’s hearts. When you speak the hidden truth, they will make you rich!”
Tempting an offer as it was, I shook off its effects and declared, “It is written, ‘My God shall supply all my needs according to his riches in glory!’”
Angel Delight’s eyes narrowed, and said. “My credit chip is free. No one leaves here without a parting gift! Take it. Take it!”
And then, the nervous clerk who failed to sell me anything blurted out the truth: “Sir, if you leave here empty handed, all you’ll have is the real Jesus!”
And that was all I wanted.
The façade fell apart and Angel Delight showed herself as Jezebel, the Great Harlot Church. She charged at me in a rage, screaming, “I’ll drink your blood yet, Christian!”
I quickly stumbled out into the mall while she glared at me from her side of the lease line. With prideful contempt, she sneered, “Well, I don’t lose many.” And she backhanded the fearful clerk who failed to sell me anything and promptly resumed her role as the always delightful Angel Delight.
A security guard came and offered me a steadying hand. I was shaking in fear and tried to tell him what had happened. “She’s a fraud!” I bellowed.
He said, “I know. I know. ‘Angel of light’ is more like it. I’m here to keep an eye on her. The original managers of this mall fell for one of her first tricks and she beguiled her way into a lifetime lease in this place. She is now trading in almost every store here under different brand names. Now that she holds sway over the majority of the mall, she is getting more and more brazen.”
“How do we stop her?” I asked.
He shook his head and said, “Right now, we don’t. Though her wares are counterfeit, her lease is legal. Soon though, the true Owner of Eden Mall will return. I understand he plans to evict her, to level this place completely, and build anew. Angel Delight and her legion will have no part or place in the new Mall.”
I awoke.
Copyright © Bryan Hupperts 1996-2007
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Luke 16:27-28 (The Message) "The rich man said, 'Then let me ask you, Father: Send him to the house of my father where I have five brothers, so he can tell them the score and warn them so they won't end up here in this place of torment.'”
We have all heard things like, “I don’t care if I go to hell, because that’s where the party people are,” “....all my friends will be there!” “….I’ve got family there!” and so on. We have seen satan, that prince of lies, made a joke on cartoons, on TV, in movies - everywhere we look he is made into a clown figure of red skin and horns. (Do not believe for one second that satan is not rejoicing at being a laughingstock in this world. What people laugh at - they do not fear.) Luke 16:19-31 (please read this passage) recounts Jesus telling the parable of Lazarus and the Rich Man. He tells about the rich man who had the best of everything and about Lazarus the sore-covered beggar thrown at the rich man’s gate to eat the rich man’s leftover garbage. Verse 22 says, "Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.” Notice that the rich man was buried, with all the pomp that befitted his station in life. It does not say that Lazarus was buried, simply that he died. With no money, no family, no nothing - was Lazarus’ empty shell dumped on the garbage heap?
It was a much different story when these two men stepped into eternity. The parable does not talk about their relationship with God, but their final destination does! Lazarus danced into heaven; the rich man was delivered to hell. Hear the torment in his cry, “Father Abraham! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to just cool my tongue. I am in agony in this fire.” Father answers that in his lifetime the rich man had the best of the best and Lazarus had nothing. Then Father adds that there is a chasm between heaven and hell that none can pass through. Even if Lazarus was willing (and I will bet that he was), he could not go to help the rich man. When he realized that there was no further hope for him, the rich man turned into an evangelist. “Father, for mercy’s sake! Send Lazarus to my five brothers so that they do not end up here!”
There are not any God-doubters, atheists, agnostics, unbelievers or fence-sitters in hell. In spite of what they believed on earth - they absolutely believe in God now. They are - each one of them - powerful evangelists. But they have no voice with which to speak to us. If they could, they would fill the earth with their cries of warning. “This is NOT party central!” “Your friends don’t want you in this place of eternal death!” “Your family is begging you to not come here!” “Turn back! Turn back! Turn to God before it is too late!”
Father Abraham went on to say, “Your brothers have the law & the prophets – let them listen to them.” Hell’s evangelist knew that his brothers were not paying any more attention to the law & the prophets than he did, so he tried again, “If one went to them from the dead, they would repent!” “If they don’t listen to the law & the prophets they will not be convinced – even if someone rises from the dead,” Father Abraham ended the conversation. Did you notice the subtle difference between the evangelist’s statement and the answer given by Father Abraham? The rich man talked about somebody who was dead going back to his brothers, Father Abraham said that they would not repent even if somebody rose from the dead. There is only one person who has risen from the dead by His own power and that is Jesus.
There are not many in this world who has not heard of Jesus, and they understand that He rose from the dead. It is as Father Abraham said, they do not listen to the law, they do not listen to the prophets and they will not listen to the One who rose from the dead. And they cannot hear the evangelists from hell. There is only one way that they will listen and that is if somebody who is physically alive tells them about Jesus, the eternally alive. They need somebody to tell them, “Listen to what I know about Jesus. Let me tell you what Jesus has done for me.”
Whose job is it to tell them? Is it the pastor’s job? Of course it is, but it is not just their job. If it were Jesus would have said, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of me just as soon as you finish seminary.” Jesus did not say that. Maybe it is the evangelist’s job! Of course it is, but it is not just their job. If it was Jesus would have said, “I will make you fishers of men just as soon as you can draw 1,000 people to an event.” He did not say that either. Nor did He say, “Follow me and I will make somebody else fishers of men” so if you are thinking that it is somebody else’s job, it is not. What did Jesus say? He said, “I will make you fishers of men.”
He is talking to us – you and me. I do not know about you, but it scares me that Jesus wants me to fish for people. I mean, I love Jesus with my whole heart (well, as best as I can), and I try to live a life that shows that (ditto) – but deliberately fish for people? Wow. I do not know what to say to them. I will say something wrong or freeze up and do not talk at all. What are they going to think of me? What if they laugh at me? What if they tell everybody I am a religious nut? Are they going to avoid me? Have you had some of these questions? Sure you have, we all have.
Take a moment, and picture that person that you know and love – the one who does not know Jesus. Jesus has done all that He can. He laid down His life for them; He laid it down in front of the gates of hell so that they have to step over His dead body to go there. But if they do not understand what they are stepping over - they will step over it. So now it is in our hands because we are Jesus’ fishers of men. If we are hoping that our life is so Christ-filled that they will ask us maybe they will – but what if they do not? Maybe we are hoping that somebody else will talk to them about Jesus – but what if they do not? How do our fears of what they will think of us compare to knowing that our silence may cause them to be the next great evangelist in hell?
I wish that I could tell you that with time it gets easier – it has not for me. It is still hard to open that conversation. However, if my loved ones step over Jesus’ dead body and into hell, it is going to be their informed choice. They are not going to go to hell because they knew about Jesus but did not know Jesus. It is going to be because I told them about knowing Jesus personally and they chose not to know Him. Jesus has done His part, I will do my part, and the rest is up to my friend.
LORD Jesus, my fear of speaking to others about You is a pride issue – I do not want anybody to think I am a nut. Help me to remember that it does not matter what they think – only what You think. You have called me to fish, You have taught me how to fish, and You have equipped me to fish. I just need to get busy fishing.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of FFBC at Valerie@fresnofirst.org
"Never forget what Jesus did for you. Never take lightly what it cost Him. And never assume that if it cost Him His very life, that it won't also cost you yours." Rich Mullins
Last week I requested prayer for our senior pastor and his family. I wrote my request in terms of “challenges” etc and tried to keep it soft. I found out (from the pulpit- no less) that I am an in-your-face type of person. I think that that is kinda cool and so this week I am going to get blunt. All of our pastors are favorite targets of satan, that loathsome deceiver, but these past weeks satan has mounted an extensive and long-term attack on our senior pastor and his family. I am not going to go into the details, that is Willie’s business. (I am not to sure that he would even want me to be this blunt – but it is too late now and what is he going to do? Excommunicate me? Take away my honorary Baptist casserole dish?) After hearing last week’s sermon, it is easy to understand what has satan’s tail in a twist. He absolutely does not want us to build up our evangelism ministry and so he is going after Willie and his family. I am asking you to link arms of love and prayer with me so that we can build a wall of prayer around Willie, Joy and the family and make sure that satan knows that to get to our pastor he has to come through us.
It has been good to see Barbara Kansler in church!
Please pray for Doug Iverson, Betty Arnold’s son-in-law, who recently underwent a quadruple by-pass and is doing well.
Sandy, Kelli’s roommate, continues to weaken and is currently under hospice care. Kelli continues to provide care for Sandy during this time while putting off seeing to her own medical concerns. Sandy is going home, Jesus is ready to receive her – but those of us left behind will feel loss – even as we rejoice knowing that our loss is her gain. Please keep our Kelli in prayer during this very difficult time. Kelli is definitely Jesus’ blessing to Sandy.
I have two unspoken prayer requests from beloved members of our family.
Kat Bailey’s father is now in hospice care; please keep him and the family in prayer.
Please continue to pray for –Ann Herrington with kidney cancer, Norm Baird & his knee, Eileen Betts, Kathy waiting for back surgery, Carol Robertshaw with lung cancer, Norm Baird as he leads the Men’s Emmaus Walk, our Katie as she faced ongoing health challenges, Ellen Burton with worsening cancer and Walt Couch, with prostrate cancer.
Pray for our missionaries –Yvonne Deel in Belize, Bounkham & Khamla in Laos, Laurie Bethall in Prague, Meghan Dineen in Mexico, Biana and Faith Alive in Nigeria, Judy, Faye & Miisaw with 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 for the person that Jesus has laid on your heart.
King of Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow and Forever,
Prince of Peace, our spirit longs for You. You are Jesus, our LORD Almighty, our God above all gods, the Everlasting to Everlasting. We could call Your names from now until You come back for us and we would not be able to fully describe the glory that is You.
God of the Angel Armies, You have promised that you are the Tower of strength that we can run to and so, LORD God we run to You. Abba, You know what is going on with Willie and his family. satan is coming hard against him, LORD, and coming hard against his family. We praise You, LORD God, that Willie is strong in You, but we worry because even the strongest rock turns to sand under the relentless pounding of the waves. Abba, we unite together and pray in agreement for the protection of our pastor and his family. Place Your hand in front of the Noltes and tell satan, “No more!” Grant them a season of peace and rest. Use our prayers to build a wall around Willie and his family that satan cannot overcome. We surround them with a covering of our love and ask, LORD, that our love will help them to be strong. Help us to support Willie and all of our pastors along with their families as they serve the Kingdom of God. Thank You so much for the team of pastors that are at FFBC.
Jesus, my Savior, I confess that my fire to be a fisher of persons does not burn as bright as it used to do. Forgive me, LORD, for allowing all that I do for You to get in the way of all that You have called me to do. Holy Spirit, use this series, Go Fish, to rekindle the fire in all of us. Give us a heart for the lost – a heart that is breaking for them. LORD Jesus, all of us know somebody who does not know You. Even as we pray together, LORD, put the name of the person You want us to reach out to in our mind’s eyes. Then, give us an opportunity, give us the words, give us the courage to speak them.
Father we lift up Doug Iverson and ask that You continue to heal his body. LORD, thank You that You have granted us the privilege to come before You in prayer, even when we do not know all the details. We lift up the two unspoken prayer requests and ask that You make Your will known in all of them. We lift up Kelli to You, Gentle Jesus, and ask that You strengthen her in body and in spirit as she goes through this difficult time. Praise forever and ever is Yours because we know that Sandy’s fate is not found on this earth, but found in You. We pray for Kat Bailey’s father, LORD, and ask that You gentle his journey home to You. We lift up all who remain on our prayer chain and praise You for those who are no longer on it.
Holy Spirit, if Your missionaries delight us with their courage and with the strength of their witness for You, how much more so must they delight You by their service to You. Continue to bless them and protect them. Lord of Light, again we ask that You protect and guard our pastors and help us to surround them with our prayers and our love. Guide us daily in how to best serve You. Our desire is that our lives be a song of love that fills heaven with our joy. Provide for the Church, provide for the ministries that reach out to the world. Again, we lift up the name of the one who sits on our heart and ask that You prepare them for what we will say.
We love You, LORD. You are our destiny, our hope, our life’s heartbeat.
The following is a October 17, 2007 article from an e-newsletter I receive called “Gospel For Asia Missions Update” provided through Crosswalk.com. I just LOVE reading about the incredible work that Jesus is doing through the Gospel for Asia ministry and throughout the world. I hope that it brings you as much joy as it did me! Valerie
Movie Changes Harassment to Hope
Film shows present the Gospel in a way that villagers can easily understand-and in a way that captures their attention.
Ameen Raj, a middle-aged doctor in Madhya Pradesh, India, accomplished his purpose of disturbing a Gospel for Asia team's film show. At the same time, the evangelistic film also accomplished its purpose.
While the GFA team began showing their film to the crowd of 300 people that had gathered to watch, GFA missionary Anand Tek, who had invited the team, noticed Ameen in the crowd. Ameen was notorious for harassing Christians. But knowing that the village leader had given permission for the film show, Pastor Anand told the team to go ahead and show it. Then Ameen began going to people in the crowd and raising doubts about the film and the team. Ameen's discouragement resulted in 100 people leaving. But eventually, Ameen grew quiet and started watching the film himself. When it was over, he quietly went home.
The very next day, Pastor Anand was surprised to see Ameen at his door. The pastor and the team members were even more surprised at Ameen's polite manner. Their surprise turned to astonishment when Ameen asked them to show the film again-this time, in his home!
Fearing the request might be a trap, the team prayed. With peace from the Lord, they agreed to show the film. Soon, the man who once was known for persecuting missionaries was watching the film on the life of Jesus in his home-and through it, he received salvation in Jesus, saying he was convinced that no one else could save him from his sins.
Pastor Anand requests prayer that Ameen's example will lead many others to the Lord.
Psalm 8 (The Message)
A David Psalm
1 God, brilliant Lord, yours is a household name.
2 Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;
toddlers shout the songs
That drown out enemy talk,
and silence atheist babble.
3-4 I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
Why take a second look our way?
5-8 Yet we've so narrowly missed being gods,
bright with Eden's dawn light.
You put us in charge of your handcrafted world,
repeated to us your Genesis-charge,
Made us lords of sheep and cattle,
even animals out in the wild,
Birds flying and fish swimming,
whales singing in the ocean deeps.
9 God, brilliant Lord,
your name echoes around the world.
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Matthew 23:37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”
My daughter, Fawn, and I went to the Big Fresno Fair together. With her working nights and me working days we are often like ships passing in the night so I was loving every minute of the time we had together. We were walking along, corn dogs in one hand, cinnamon rolls in the other, balancing our sodas and talking about getting the rolled tacos, when this woman approached from the other direction. I gaped at her in astonishment! Her top was cut mind boggling low in the front and on the sides and everything was jiggling like mad. She was one tiny puff away from a major wardrobe malfunction. And her jeans! Oh my goodness, they were so tight that if she farted it would blow her feet off! ‘Honey,’ I thought to myself, ‘Why don’t you just put a price tag on your rear end – it would be a little more subtle!’ My thoughts then turned to Father, ‘Thank You, Father, that I am not like that woman!’
Uh-oh.
“Father, please tell me that I did not just think that!’ But Father couldn’t tell me that – because I did think it. The only thing separating me and the Pharisee in the temple, beating his chest in self-righteousness over the tax collector, is about 2,000 years. In just a blink of an eye, I saw her, judged her, judged her unworthy and judged myself as worthy – in fact, I judged myself as more than worthy – I judged myself as righteous.
It is the last week of Jesus’ earthly life and He is teaching in the Temple, surrounded by His disciples, the crowds, and, of course, the Pharisees. Jesus has just spent the last 36 verses whomping all over the Pharisees. And then He spoke this verse that is called “Jesus’ Lament.” Lament means to express grief, weep for, bewail, bemoan. But who is He lamenting over? He says Jerusalem but I don’t think that He was grieving over the city; I think He w as grieving over what the city represented. Jerusalem and the Temple within it was the religious center of the nation of Israel. It was where they went to worship God. The priests, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the scribes practically lived at the Temple! The best of the best of a deeply religious nation wrote about, talked about, argued about, prayed about and worshipped God from the Temple in Jerusalem. It was the older testament Church, as was the entire nation of Israel. So why is God lamenting over Jerusalem? Maybe it was because Israel, as represented by Jerusalem, had left their purpose. Their purpose was to be God’s people, to live differently from the rest of the world, and by living so differently, to show the world the glory of God. They were to be the light on a hill that brought the world into relationship with God. That is how they started out, but something went wr ong. They left their original purpose and developed a bunch of rituals and laws that took the place of a relationship with God. They set themselves apart, not to show the glory of God but rather to show their superiority because of God. They were supposed to be the light on the hill, but instead they stood aloof on their hill and looked down on the rest of the world. When God sent them prophets to give them His Word and get them back on the right track, get them back to their purpose. Only, they didn’t want to hear the prophets, so they killed them, and they did it “in the name of God.” This makes the next words of the lament absolutely incredible “how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings…” In spite of the fact that they had left their purpose, they had made a relationship a religion, they had set themselves us as superior, they had killed those who were sent to them, Jesus still loved them with His whole heart. He loved them so much that, if they wouldn’t listen to the words of the prophets or pay attention to their deaths, maybe they would listen to His words, maybe they would pay attention to His death. So in just a few days, He will lay down His life for them.
We are the newer testament Church. Our purpose is to be God’s people, to live differently from the rest of the world, and by living so differently, to show the world the glory of God. We are to be the light on a hill that brings the world into relationship with God. Has something gone wrong? We say we have a relationship, not a religion – and yet we argue about the “right” baptism, communion, music, etc. We say we are set apart from the world for God’s purpose and yet many of us never leave the church to take God’s Word to the world. We are the light on the hill! But do we ever shine the Light to anybody who is not just like us? But we don’t kill the prophets! Do we? Maybe not physically, but do we kill their spirit when we sleep during services? Or file our fingernails? Or text our friends? Or daydream about being somewhere else? Do we kill their spirit when they invite us to join them in ministry and we stay home to watch the football game? Or plan our daughter’s princess party?
Is Jesus lamenting over the Church today? Jesus, are You lamenting over me?
That young woman did not need me to judge her. And who am I to set myself up as her judge? I am a recovering drug addict – and worse. Jesus reached deep into the gutter to fish me out. So what is the difference between her and me? Nothing – except Jesus. My purpose should not have been to judge that woman and her clothing, my purpose should have been to show her Jesus and let Him change her clothing. My purpose should have been to lead her to Him, by showing her Him in me, and not to show her me condemning her. I need to d o better in my relationship with God, I need to keep from making it into a religion about God
LORD Jesus, I realized almost immediately what I had done. If I could have, I would have hidden away from You in my shame. But You call my name, You bring me back to You. When I cry out for forgiveness, You hold me close to You and whisper, “I have already forgiven You.” Your love for me never fails, never falters, never weakens. I want to be worthy of You, not because I am clothed in my righteousness, but because You have clothed me in Your righteousness.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the FFBC e-Ministry at Valerie@fresnofirst.org
"In order to explore new oceans, you must be willing to take your eyes off the shore." ~Anonymous~
Please pray for Ann Herrington, a friend of my mother’s and mine. She has been diagnosed with cancer on her kidney.
Norm Baird was injured up at the men’s retreat; please pray for complete healing of his knee. Hal Cole was very ill when he came home from the retreat, please keep him in prayer.
Anabelle, Char Cole’s mom, was taken to Kaiser yesterday with uncontrollable shaking. They have allowed her to come home – but they do not know what caused the problem. Please keep her in prayer.
I am requesting prayer for Willie and his family. They have faced a lot of difficult challenges lately. These challenges coming one at a time would be hard enough, but to have them keep coming one after another, like waves on the shore, has got to be soul-wearying. I believe in the power of our prayers (I am, after all, writing this!) and I believe in the mountain-moving power of God’s children praying in agreement. Through our prayers, we can build a stronghold of protection and peace around our pastor and his family.
Please continue to pray for – The Nolte & McBain families as they grieve Ann McBain’s passing, Eileen Betts, Kat Bailey’s father, Sandy & Kelli, Kathy waiting for back surgery, Barbara Kansler with health issues; Carol Robertshaw with lung cancer, Norm Baird as he leads the Men’s Emmaus Walk, our Katie as she faced ongoing health challenges, Ellen Burton with worsening cancer and Walt Couch, who has prostrate cancer.
Pray for our missionaries –The Reaching Hand Society in India, Yvonne Deel in Belize, Bounkham & Khamla in Laos, Laurie Bethall in Prague, Meghan Dineen in Mexico, Biana and Faith Alive in Nigeria, Judy, Faye & Miisaw with New Life Center in Thailand, Jan & Larry Martin in Thailand, and all the missionaries worldwide.
Pray for our pastors our leadership, our ministries, and Father’s provision for His Church.
Pray for the unexpected. The unexpected glimpse of the beauty of creation, the unexpected note from a friend, the unexpected encounter with our God Who loves us so, the unexpected opportunity to share His love with someone who does not know.
Our Great God,
Our soul sings songs of love, songs of praise, songs of joy and they are all for You, LORD God. We come, within the stillness of our hearts, before You. We just need to hear Your voice. Sometimes the world gets so noisy, so confusing, and we seem to chase after this that and the other, until we find ourselves away from You. Call us back to You; let us hear Your voice so that we know how to come home. Whisper words of comfort and love, teach us to follow You more closely, sing with us of eternal joy in Your presence, we just want to hear Your voice.
Healer of body, soul and spirit, we pray for Ann Herrington, Norm Baird, Hal Cole and Anabelle. You know the physical needs and You have the power to heal, but LORD, with humble hearts we ask for more than just a physical healing, we pray for a spiritual renewing and that these health challenges help them to lean more heavily of the miracle of Your love and care for us.
God of the Angel Armies, your promise is that where two or three are gathered together in Your name, there You are with us. We are sharing this prayer at different times and in different places, but our hearts are gathered together with the same purpose, we invite You among us. We are praying in agreement, LORD God, and we are praying that Your power surround Willie, Joy and their children (and child-in-law). Holy Spirit, each one of us could tell You of a time when Willie impacted our lives. Sometimes it is through a sermon, sometimes it is just by being Willie. Thank You so much, Father, for bringing the Nolte’s to our church family. They have blessed us so much. We ask, Holy One, that You continue to protect them and strengthen them. Deliverer, bind satan away from the Nolte’s, don’t let that liar come near them. Comforter, be the Peace that surpasses all understanding in their lives, calm their storms, and remind them that do not stand alone. You stand with them, and we stand with them. We ask again, Warrior God, that You protect the Noltes and that You protect all of our pastoral staff and their families. You have blessed to overflowing with them.
Holy Spirit, we ask that You bless us with understanding and willing hearts as we enter into this new series, “Go Fish.” Show us the power of the net.
LORD of Light, shine on those who remain on our prayer chain, and show them Your mercy.
We thank You for Your missionaries who serve You with courage and love. We ask, Father, that You provide for them in every way. We continue to ask for the needs of the Church, that we continue to keep our focus first on You, and then on our neighbors.
You are our Way, You are our Truth, You are our Life, reveal Yourself to us in the unexpected. We ask, Spirit, that we be given the opportunity to share Your words with somebody this week. Give us the eyes to see the opportunity and the courage to speak boldly of You.
We have come to worship You with our words, we have come to lift You high with our thoughts, and we have come to honor You with our deeds and our lives. You alone are worthy, You alone are holy, You alone are God. We love You, LORD. It is a forever love.
Where did September go?
Honestly, I cannot even believe that September has come and gone! What a great month it was. Independence Day, my first professional soccer game, English classes, and baking cookies for our neighbors are just a few highlights of this last month.
Let me tell you a little more about it:The Independence Day celebration here in Mexico took place the whole month of Sept., with main festivities on Sept. 15/16. What fun! We barbecued and enjoyed the company of friends, and took part in the celebrations in the plaza: fireworks, vendors of all sorts, lights, fireworks, sweet treats, Zapata mustaches, big sombreros, fair rides, masses of people (the kind that creates much nervous laughter shoving your way through and being herded like cattle), and.... did I mention fireworks? It really was a blast to just be with people, in a festive mood, see the flags and lights, and cheer when the governor gave the address. In sum, an interesting and fun cultural experience!
One of the major happenings in ministry of this month was the start of English classes, taught by Nikki (from Pennsylvania) and me. It’s a great team effort, because Nikki dedicates the majority of her time and effort to the lesson plans and work-sheets, etc. and grammar... while I continue to stay focused on design and commu-nications, and take care of the spelling side of English! We teach the course twice a week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, in the nearby town of Omitlán, as well as here in Pachuca. Classes, I must say, are going really well. Each class has a very distinct“flavor”and God is opening doors in building relationships. One small highlight is with a few high-school age girls who we met while passing out flyers for the class. The girls were really excited for classes and responded right away. However, as it turns out, after attending the first class, the three entered a period of a lot of homework and exams for their high-school classes, and are no longer able to come to our English class. At first, it was kind of disappointing, because Nikki and I both were really excited at the opportunity to be able to get to know these girls, and hopefully have a connection with them. All this to say, that even though they won’t be able to take the course this time around, the door hasn’t closed there.We’ve been in contact with them, and we all still want to hang out and spend time together, so hopefully we’ll be able to do that soon.I really have enjoyed being in the classroom a lot more than I expected, and I continue to thank God for the ability to translate and communicate in Spanish!
We plan to run this English course through November, look-ing at the possibility of offering it again the beginning of 2008.We also continue to prepare for the DTS - students are needed!
Love,Meghan.
PRAYER POINTS:
continued process of my VISA
ministry through English classes
Applications and DTS Students
Connections within the community
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Psalm 139:9-10 “If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.”
I went into the employee lunchroom to get my soda out of the fridge, only to see that there were a number of staff looking out the windows. “Valerie, come see this! This guy says he wants to jump!” I squeezed in-between two friends and looked out. From out our sixth floor window I could see over to the old Gottschalks building. There, almost at eye level, was a man perched on the big sign that overhung the pavement far below. On the rooftop were police officers trying to talk the man into coming off the sign, and back onto the rooftop. The man was shouting that he wanted to die. With a sick fascination, we watched the drama unfold. When a police office seemed as if he was going to get on the sign with the man, he scooted further back, away from the rooftop. Suddenly he started to slip off the edge. He grabbed onto the sign, halting the slide off, and started screaming for help. When faced with the very real possibility, he had changed his mind about wanting to die. The police officer, who was tied to a safety line, started crawling across the sign to where the man was. The man slipped even further off the edge, now his lower body was dangling in the air, only his grip on the sign was keeping him from falling. Finally the police officer reached the man, grabbed him by the wrists and started pulling him to safety.
I like to believe that I am always holding onto God with a cast-iron grip. And sometimes I am. There are times when the circumstances that I am in make it easy to hold onto Him. When I was in Nigeria far from the people that I knew and loved, far from my daily routine, far from everything that was normal in my life, I held on to Him tight because He was all that I had. There are other times when everything is bright and wonderful in my life and I hold tightly onto Father because my life makes it easy to do so. Temptations might come my way, but my hold on God is so tight that I don’t even take a second look at them.
If I am going to be honest with myself though, I have to admit that there are times when I am not holding on so tight. The daily routine sets in, everyday goes just as it always goes. I have my life pretty much under control, I’m not on the mountain top, but then, I’m not in the valley either. I am still holding onto Father, but my grip isn’t so tight. Maybe because it is easier to depend on myself than it is to depend on Him. At these times, when temptation comes around flirting with me, I keep my hold on God, but I am looking over my shoulder and I am making eyes back at it.
And then, there are those bad times - the times when my life is haywire and it feels like I am completely out of control - that nothing is in control and I am getting tossed in every direction by the storm. Sometimes I am so weak and tired from all of it that I just can’t hold on any longer. But too many times I am in this position because temptation has beckoned to me, and I have dropped Father’s hand so that I can get closer to the fire.
If you are looking for consistency, don’t look at me. You are not going to see it. You had best look to somebody else because although I want to be consistent in my faith, although I want to hold tightly onto Father every minute of every day, I don’t do it. Some days, I don’t even get close.
I am so glad that my relationship with our Living God is not dependent on my ability to hold onto Him. My relationship with God is totally dependent on His ability to hold onto me. When temptation is getting a busy signal from me, when I am completely dependent on Him, when I am holding on to Him so tight that I really do have a cast iron grip on Him, He is holding just as tight to me. When temptation is flirting, and I am flirting back, when life is busy and I think I am in control, when I am half-hearted in my holding onto Him, He is still holding onto me just as tight as He can. When temptation has lured me and I have dropped His hand, when life is so stormy that I am too weak to hold onto His hand, still, He is holding on to me.
If you are looking for consistency, look to God. In our weakness, He is strong.
When the police officer grabbed him and started pulling him up, the man panicked even more and started flailing his legs, trying to find some type of traction on the sign. They yelled at him to be still, but it was too late. The police officer was unable to hold onto him, and the man fell to his death. The police officer beat his fists against the rooftop in frustration when they pulled him back in. He did everything that he could - he tried to hold on with all of his strength - he just wasn’t strong enough.
That will never happen to me. My life is dependent on God’s strength to hold on - and He will never let me go.
Father, thank You for holding onto me for life. You will not let go of me during this life, You will not let go of me for all of eternity.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of FFBC at valerie@fresnofirst.org
In its deepest sense, love is the life, the energy, of God in us. -Kallistos Ware
I saw the most wonderful moment in services this past Sonday. We were singing “How Great is Our God!” as we brought our commitment cards forward. I saw one of the young families in our church come forward, a dad, a mom and their child. They held hands together, paused for just a moment, and then together, put the commitment card into the plate. The world says the family is falling apart, that family values are falling apart. What I saw Sonday says to me – not all of it. Thank You, Father, for strong Christian families.
Ask and you shall receive! I asked last week after Bev Willis and got several responses including one from Bev! Thank you to all of you for responding. Bev has not had her surgery yet, it is on hold until a wound she has can fully heal. An e-mail from her tonight says that the wound is getting much better so things are looking up!
Sandy is now in hospice care. She isn’t in any pain but her memory continues to fail. Kelli has put her own health concerns on hold as she cares for her friend and roommate. This sad news makes our Right Hand of Fellowship greeting with Sandy last Sonday even more precious.
Please pray for Ann Herrington, a friend of my mother’s and mine. She has been admitted into the hospital. I am not sure of what the challenge she is facing is.
Continue to pray for Eileen Betts as she may have to have chemo.
Keep Kat Bailey’s father in prayer as he undergoes surgery.
Please continue to pray for – Kathy waiting for back surgery, Melissa & baby Eliza, Barbara Kansler with health issues; Carol Robertshaw with lung cancer, Norm Baird as he leads the Men’s Emmaus Walk, our Katie as she faced ongoing health challenges, Ellen Burton with worsening cancer and Walt Couch, who has prostrate cancer.
Pray for our missionaries –The Reaching Hand Society in India, Yvonne Deel in Belize, Bounkham & Khamla in Laos, Laurie Bethall in Prague, Meghan Dineen in Mexico, Biana and Faith Alive in Nigeria, Judy, Faye & Miisaw with New Life Center in Thailand, Jan & Larry Martin in Thailand, and all the missionaries worldwide.
Pray for our pastors our leadership, our ministries, and Father’s provision for His Church. Don't forget your prayer challenge of two minutes a day praying for unity within the Body and that we all are given opportunities to witness for Christ.
Father,
We turn to You and You are there. When we dance with joy, You dance with us. When it seems like the whole world is falling apart around us, You do not hide Your face from us, You help us pick up the pieces and put it back together again. When our life is filled with songs of praise, You rejoice over us with singing, when the storms of life crash around us, You are the calm voice that tells us to just hold on. Your presence either calms the storm, or calms Your child. Our hearts overflow with our love and thankfulness for Your loving-kindness that is poured upon us.
Good Shepherd, we lift up our sisters and brothers before You who are in need of Your healing touch. Thank You for the news of Bev’s progress, continue to heal her and prepare her for surgery. We call out Sandy’s name with sorrow LORD, and ask that her journey home continue to be without pain. Bless Kelli, Abba, as she continues to be the strength that Sandy can depend on. Help Kelli with her own physical challenges. Heal Ann and bring her back to health and back to the doll club. We ask that You surround Eileen with Your comfort and strength as she walks this path that has been chosen for her. Father, surround Kat with Your peace as she goes through this time with her father. Bless him, LORD of Lights, and heal him.
We continue to pray for those who are on our prayer chain, and we thank You, Holy Spirit, for the love that You have for them, and the love that we have for them. Each situation is unique, but each person is under Your loving hand. Continue to move in them and through them.
LORD Jesus, I thank You for letting me see that family on Sonday, for showing me again that in the midst of this troubled world, Your remnant remains.
Forgive us for the times that we have failed to be witnesses of You. Help us to live our lives stronger for You, help us to have the courage and the words to reach out to those around us. Give us opportunities to share Your love with those around us through our prayers for them, our actions around them and our words to them.
Surround the missionaries who serve You with Your hedge of protection, God of the Angel Armies. Keep them safe within the shelter of Your wings.
Remind us, LORD that the Church is to be a beacon of hope to the world, strengthen our pastors, and show them the path You would have us walk. Give wisdom to our leaders so that they will know Your will. Provide for the needs of our church, Jehovah Jirah, so that we can be equipped to reach out to all who are around us.
Your love for us is the same today as it was yesterday, and it is the same yesterday as it will be forever. You are unchanging in Your love for us. Even when we did not love You, Your love was strong. Even when our love for You is not faithful, Your love for us is always faithful. I want my love for You to be more like Your love for me, but I can’t do that by myself, LORD. Help me, LORD, to love You more.