Once upon a time, there was this girl who had four boyfriends.
She loved the 4th boyfriend the most and adored him with rich robes and treated him to the finest of delicacies. She gave him nothing but the best.
She also loved the 3rd boyfriend very much and was always showing him off to neighboring kingdoms. However, she feared that one day he would leave her for another.
She also loved her 2nd boyfriend. He was her confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with her. Whenever this girl faced a problem, she could confide in him, and he would help her get through the difficult times
The girls 1st boyfriend was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining her wealth and kingdom. However, she did not love the first boyfriend. Although he loved her deeply, she hardly took notice of him.
One day, the girl fell ill and she knew her time was short. She thought of her luxurious life and wondered, I now have four boyfriends with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone.'
Thus, she asked the 4th boyfriend, I loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?
'No way!', replied the 4th boyfriend, and he walked away without another word.
His answer cut like a sharp knife right into her heart.
The sad girl then asked the 3rd boyfriend, 'I loved you all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?
"No!', replied the 3rd boyfriend. 'Life is too good!. When you die, I'm going to marry someone else!'
Her heart sank and turned cold.
She then asked the 2nd boyfriend, 'I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me.
When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?'
'I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!', replied the 2nd boyfriend. 'At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.'
His answer struck her like a bolt of lightning, and the girl was devastated.
Then a voice called out: 'I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go.'
The girl looked up, and there was her 1st boyfriend. He was very skinny as he suffered from malnutrition and neglect.
Greatly grieved, the girl said, 'I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!.
In truth, you have 4 boyfriends in your lives:
;Your 4th boyfriend is your body. No matter how much time and effort you lavish in making it look good, it will leave you when you die.
Your 3rd boyfriend is your possessions, status and wealth. When you die, it will all go to others.
Your 2nd boyfriend is your family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for you, the furthest they can stay by you is up to the grave.
And your 1st boyfriend is your Soul. Often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world. However, your Soul is the only thing that will follow you where ever you go. Cultivate, strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of you that will follow you to the throne of God and continue with you throughout Eternity.
Thought for the day: Remember, when the world pushes you to your knees, you're in the perfect position to pray
Author Unknown - from an e-mail
Cry to God -
By Dr. Iris G. R. Paul
Rabaguda centre is 70 km south east of Malkangiri and it takes by jeep two and half to three hours to reach. Part of the way we had to travel on very rough, uneven mud road and then missionary John and I had to walk through the jungle path for 25 minutes to reach our centre at Rabaguda, a Koya tribal village. Does walking through the jungle path frighten me even after staying here for 36 years, with His Help? Yes, Of course it does. What do I do? I keep non-stop praying till I reach the village as in the forests there are all varieties of poisonous snakes and the bears too. When I get frightened I think of Jesus on the Cross and then tears fill my eyes to realize that the creator of galaxies died a cruel death on the cross to save me, who is not even a speck in His entire creation.
At Rabaguda centre our missionary Dilip and Niranjan live. Niranjan’s wife
Prabhathi and their 1 year 3 month son Prince now live in a near by town Nowrangapur with the parents, as Prince is under treatment for chronic malaria, anemia and fits.
Due to illness of most of our missionaries the pond digging work could not be started in February. Only a few days ago the work started and so naturally I was keen to see first hand what was happening. The climate is burning hot around 45 degrees centigrade. As I neared the centre I saw a man lying motionless in the hot sun – in this area, I do see men lying motionless, fully drunk – but every time I see, I pray and then go slowly as there are reported
incidents of ambush and also murder – I stopped for a few minutes to see whether the man was breathing – I noted his chest movements and then went and brought our missionaries Dilip and Niranjan and we found out that he was having high fever and was feeling very cold and so was sleeping in the hot striking direct sun light!. We helped him to a shade and bathed his head with water and gave him medicines – Praise the Lord with in an hour he was feeling O K.
In many areas we have trained the local people to handle medical cases. But the need is still immense
Medical need in these interior villages is indeed very great so please Cry to God to bring doctors who will move into the interior villages and bring healing touch to many suffering like this young Koya man, who is a special creation of God.
I move on to the pond digging area and again I am very much moved to see 20 men and women working in the hot burning sun so that their area will have some water collection during the rainy season, which will see them and their cattle through the burning hot summer days. I stood and watched for an hour encouraging them by talking to them. I had an umbrella to hold but they had non and they were willing just as Jesus taught to struggle to make their community a little better. The transformation in some of them is awesome. Pray that they will get the boldness to go and take a court affidavit and take
baptism openly and stand for Him alone forgoing all government privileges as here the anti conversion law is in force.
Please Cry to God as often as you can that people like these who are living in jungle hidden villages will be given the strength to stand boldly for Jesus and many more missionaries will join this area to live with them and transform the community. We need 4 more graduate missionaries who are from a Tribal community or Oriya speaking community.
May God be with you as you read this and move you to action.
Love and Prayers,
Dr. Iris G. R. Paul
From the Cybersalt Digest issue #3145 - author unknown
The Many Names of CHRIST
To the ARTIST He is the One Altogether Lovely.
To the ARCHITECT He is the Chief Corner Stone.
To the BAKER He is the Living Bread.
To the BANKER He is the Hidden Treasure.
To the BIOLOGIST He is the Life.
To the BUILDER He is the Sure Foundation.
To the CARPENTER He is the Door.
To the DOCTOR He is the Great Physician.
To the EDUCATOR He is the Great Teacher.
To the ENGINEER He is the New and Living Way.
To the FLORIST He is the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley.
To the GEOLOGIST He is the Rock of Ages.
To the HORTICULTURIST He is the True Vine.
To the JUDGE He is the Righteous Judge, Judge of All Men.
To the JEWELER He is the Pearl of Great Price.
To the LAWYER He is the Counselor, the Lawgiver, the Advocate.
To the NEWSPAPER He is the Good Tidings of Great Joy.
To the OCULIST He is the Light of the Eyes.
To the PHILANTHROPIST He is the Unspeakable Gift.
To the PHILOSOPHER He is the Wisdom of God.
To the PREACHER He is the Word of God.
To the SCULPTOR He is the Living Stone.
To the SERVANT He is the Good Master.
To the STATESMAN He is the Desire of All Nations.
To the STUDENT He is the Incarnate Truth.
To the THEOLOGIAN He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith.
To the TOILER He is the Giver of Rest.
To the SINNER He is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World.
To the CHRISTIAN He is the Son of the Living God, the Savior, the Redeemer and the Lord.
To me...HE is all of this and more,
HE is my everything, my all in all.
HE is more than LIFE to me,
~MY SOON COMING KING~
What is He to you?
I love the recklessness of faith. First you leap, then you grow wings. William Sloane Coffin
Michael Dangaran unexpectedly passed away in his sleep early Thursday morning. His service will be held on Monday at 10:30 in our Worship Center. Please keep Eve & the family in prayer. This has been a hard year for our Eve with the loss of Ron, her brother and now this. And yet her faith remains so strong that she says that God told her to go to Nigeria – so she is going to Nigeria.
Char Cole has come down with bronchitis. She is recovering and the doc says that if she rests and takes care of herself, she will be able to get on the plane to Nigeria. (Just between you and me – Char is going if I have to carry her on the plane!)
Please keep my beloved sister in Christ in your fervent prayers. She is such a warrior for God that she is one of my personal heroes of the faith. I have watched and prayed as satan has attacked her through many different paths, and now he is trying to break her through her son. I know that she will stand victorious in the end – but right now she is in pain. Please pray for her.
Our sister Ivy is under a lot of pressure right now between trying to get everything going for the Nigeria trip and writing a paper to get into graduate school. She and Norm have done a fantastic job of leading the Nigeria team as we prepare to go to Jos.
Keep the Nigeria team in prayer – we take off in just over a week.
Every Tuesday I go to the downtown Farmer’s Market to buy produce. I have made friends with a couple of the vendors, and in particular an older Armenian couple. They have both been under the weather, and he suffered a heart attack just about two months ago. He came back to the market before his doctor told him he could – but he had to because this is his family’s only source of income. Please keep him and his wife in prayer.
A friend of ours named Tonee is on a medical leave of absence from work. Please pray for a quick recovery.
Kid’s Klubs next fundraiser is a bake sale on March 30th. All donations to the sale are greatly appreciated – as are all purchases! And if you don’t have the time to bake, or are on a diet and can’t eat – I don’t want you to feel guilty – so we will accept (gladly) cash donations.
Please continue to pray for –Debra Power, Carol Eland, Bernice Lippert, Sue Aldridge, Katie, Eddie Ronsley & his heart & stomach, Nelle Lacy in hospice care, Sible Spikes in hospice care, Johnnie Sowell & vertigo, Vance Smith with nerve damage, Donna Hemphill, Carol Robertshaw, Kathy, waiting for back surgery and Walt Couch.
Pray for our missionaries –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, Bounkham & Khamla in Laos, Laurie Bethall in Amsterdam, Megan Dineen in Mexico and all the missionaries worldwide.
Pray for our pastors, our leadership, our ministries and our finances. Pray for opportunities to be fishers of people.
Pray for our county, the military who serve freedom and our leadership. Keep Zack
Ruud in Iraq and Frankie Banuelos in Korea in your prayers.
El Hai, Our Living God,
On this evening before the day we stop to rejoice in an empty tomb and a risen God, we sing from the debths of our abundant joy because You are our Living God. Before time began, You are God. When time stops You are God. We are in awe of You.
Papa God, we lift up Eve, Char, Ivy and all of the Nigeria team. Build a stronghold of protection around us, particularly around those of us who are facing challenges of loss, health and pressures.
For my sister, El Malki Our King, first of all, I thank You for the witness she is for You and for the impact she has had on my life and the loves of those around her. satan’s attack against her is the most vile he can do as he attacks her by attacking her family. I know that she is going to stand strong in You, LORD. We ask that You reveal Yourself to her as her strong tower, her comfort, her papa,
We pray for the couple downtown and for Tonee, LORD, that you will bring healing to them. Help me to be a witness to all of them. We pray for those who continue to be on our prayer chain, that You will continue to heal bodies, souls and situations
We pray, Holy Spirit, for our celebration tomorrow. It is the best day of the year – the day we remember the risen Savior, the victory over death and sin. We will have a crowd tomorrow, LORD and we ask that Your power come upon us, upon Willie, upon our leaders, and that our nets will be full. It is all for Your glory and kingdom.
Be with Your missionaries, and all of the leadership of Your Church. Show us opportunities to witness with our lives, with our actions and with our words.
You are El Giber, the Mighty God. All of eternity bows at Your feet. You chose to leave the glory that is Yours to become Emmanuel, God With us, and then chose to lay down Your life for our sins. You rose again to bring us eternal life in Your presence. We cannot comprehend the hugeness of such a love, even as it fills our lives. We love You, LORD. We choose You and thank You that You have chosen us. Thank You.
I don't know if this is true or not - but it sure did make me smile! Valerie
Why Jesus folded his facial cloth
Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection?
The Gospel of John (20:7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.
Early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said . 'They have taken the Lord's body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they have put him!'
Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb to see. The other disciple outran Peter and got there first. He stooped and looked in and saw the linen cloth lying there, but he didn't go in. Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side.
Is that important?
Absolutely!
Is it really significant?
Yes!
In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day.
The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table until the master was finished. Now if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers and mouth with that napkin and toss it on to the
table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done.' But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant knew that the folded napkin meant ... 'I'm not finished yet.' The folded napkin meant . 'I'm coming back!'
Author unkown
In January 2000, leaders in Charlotte, North Carolina, invited their favorite son, Billy Graham, to a luncheon in his honor.
Billy initially hesitated to accept the invitation because he struggles with Parkinson's disease. But the Charlotte leaders said, 'We don't expect a major address. Just come and let us honor you.' So he agreed.
After wonderful things were said about him, Dr. Grah am stepped to the rostrum, looked at the crowd, and said , 'I'm reminded today of Albert Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honored by Time magazine as the Man of the Century. Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets. It wasn't there, so he looked in his briefcase but couldn't find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn't find it.'
The conductor said, 'Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket. Don't worry about it.' Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to m ove to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket.
The conductor rushed back and said, 'Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don't worry, I know who you are. No problem. You don't need a ticket. I'm sure you bought one.'
Einstein looked at him and said, 'Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don't know is where I'm going.'
Having said that Billy Graham continued, 'See the suit I'm wearing? It's a brand new suit. My wife, my children, and my grandchildren are telling me I've gotten a little slovenly in my old a ge. I used to be a bit more fastidious. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one more occasion.
You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I'll be buried. But when you hear I'm dead, I don't want you to immediately remember the suit I'm wearing. I want you to remember this:
I not only know who I am. I also know where I'm going.'
Author Unknown
Valerie Rae Hanneman
Ephesians 4:4-6 (NIV) "There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
Last summer I went to Jos, Nigeria to work at the Faith Alive Medical Clinic. Papa God has allowed me to have some extraordinary adventures as I serve Him, but there is no doubt that this six week period was both the most unexpected and the most satisfying adventure that I have had with Him. Six weeks was a long time to be gone from my children, my mom and my church family. I was surprised at just how much I missed everybody. (I have to be honest and admit that not once did I miss my job.) I made a lot of new friends in Jos and attended many wonderful churches - but there were days when the loneliness weighed heavy on my heart. The worst day of all - the one day that actually had me in tears - was the first Sonday in August. The first Sonday of every month is Communion Sonday at Fresno First Baptist and it has been years since I have missed it. It is the most meaningful service for me as I stand with my church family that I love so very much (and with whom I will stand with for all of eternity) and remember with them the reason we will be together for eternity. On this first Sonday in August I was thousands upon thousands of miles from everybody that I love and from traditions I cherish, and I was feeling every inch of that distance. On that Sonday morning, as I got dressed to attend a church where I was a stranger and an oddity, I wept the tears of the broken-hearted and lonely. I thought about celebrating communion by myself - but in the end - didn’t. It just wasn’t the same.
There are two sacraments - or traditions- or whatever religious word you want to put on them - that Jesus left behind for us. They are baptism and communion. There are two laws that He left us with. Love the LORD your God with all your heart, soul, body and mind and love your neighbor as yourself. He gave us one mission - go into all the world and make disciples. He left three practices for the Church to follow. To serve each other, to love each other and to be one with each other.
There aren’t any specific instructions on how we are to baptize or take communion. I think that is because He left it up to us to determine the method that is the most meaningful to us. After all, the only important thing is the inward change that these outward traditions represent. And although the two laws He left us are pretty all-encompassing, there are no specific ways to fulfill them. Maybe that is because Jesus did not want to put limitations on our love. The way that I love God with all I got may not be the way that you love God with all you got. The only thing that is important to our God is that we love Him with all we got. His command to go into the world and make disciples is pretty vague also. Again, He did not want limitations on how we reach out to the world. There are a plethora of ministries throughout the world focused on reaching the lost. Some are traditional, some are far from that. Some reach one person at a time - some reach thousands at a time. Some work for me, some work for you and some work for neither of us - but do work for somebody. It seems as if God is pretty loosey-goosey with these - but not with the three practices of the Church. When it comes to how we serve, how we love and how we are one Jesus gets a lot more specific on how we are to do this. In Matthew 20:27-29 Jesus says, "And whoever wants to be first must be your slave, just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many." On the last night of Jesus’ earthly life He became a slave to the disciples when He took a basin of water and washed their feet. This was a job reserved for the lowest of the low, and it was embraced by the Highest of the high, because He came to serve. This is how He wants us to serve. We are to willingly serve as the lowest of the low as He did, because we serve the Highest of the high. In John 13:34b Jesus says, "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." Jesus doesn’t want us to just love one another, he wants us to love one another as He has loved us. Now that makes me just a wee bit nervous, because Jesus died of love for me. Does He want me to die for love of you? Now in some cases, that might be pretty easy - but then there are those other cases......... I think even more than to be willing to die for the love of each other, Jesus wants us to live for the love of each other. He loves us so much He put us first before Himself. I wonder what would happen in the Church if we loved each other so much that we put others first before ourselves? In John 17:11b Jesus prayed, “Father, protect them by the power of Your name, the name You gave me – so that they may be one as We are one.” Jesus wants His Church to be one as He and Father are one. Does being one mean being exactly the same? No – any more than Father and Jesus are exactly the same. And yet, Father and Jesus are one. And that is what Jesus wants for us – His Church. That we be one.
That is what I forgot when I was in Jos on that first Sonday morning in August. I forgot that the Church is one. We are one in service, we are one in love, we are one. We are one in our mission, we are one in our God, we are one in our sacraments, we are one. We will not stand in eternity with Fresno First grouped together, Westminster Pres together, Evie Free together. We will stand in eternity as one – as the one Church. No denominations, no disagreements over methods, traditions, baptism, communion, music or anything else. We are one. That was what I finally remembered while I was worshiping God on that first Sonday in August in Jos, Nigeria. It is okay that I missed my family and my extended family while I was in Jos. I am created to be in relationship, first with God and then with others. What was not okay was the importance I placed on being in Fresno First Baptist on that Sonday. It does not matter if I am in Fresno First Baptist, in Fresno or if I am in United Baptist in Jos Nigeria. All that matters is that I am standing with the one true Church, worshiping the one True God. All that matters is that I am one with the Church.
LORD Jesus, I love my local church and I thank You for blessing me with them. Help me to not forget that I am one with something that spans all of history and fills every time zone. I am one with Your Eternal Church. We are one in service, one in love and one in You.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-Ministry of Fresno First at valerie@fresnofirst.org
Psalm 118:14-29 (The Message)
God's my strength, he's also my song,
and now he's my salvation.
Hear the shouts, hear the triumph songs
in the camp of the saved?
"The hand of God has turned the tide!
The hand of God is raised in victory!
The hand of God has turned the tide!"
I didn't die. I lived!
And now I'm telling the world what God did.
God tested me, he pushed me hard,
but he didn't hand me over to Death.
Swing wide the city gates—the righteous gates!
I'll walk right through and thank God!
This Temple Gate belongs to God,
so the victors can enter and praise.
Thank you for responding to me;
you've truly become my salvation!
The stone the masons discarded as flawed
is now the capstone!
This is God's work.
We rub our eyes—we can hardly believe it!
This is the very day God acted—
let's celebrate and be festive!
Salvation now, God. Salvation now!
Oh yes, God—a free and full life!
Blessed are you who enter in God's name—
from God's house we bless you!
God is God,
he has bathed us in light.
Festoon the shrine with garlands,
hang colored banners above the altar!
You're my God, and I thank you.
O my God, I lift high your praise.
Thank God—he's so good.
His love never quits!
He, who seeks the Father more than anything He can give, is likely to have what he asks, for he is not likely to ask amiss. George McDonald
Our beloved sister, Debra Power, has suddenly started acting in a manner completely contrary to her personality. Her doctor’s believe that a tumor in her brain may be the culprit in this aberration. Please keep Debra in prayer.
Carol Eland is suffering from pneumonia, she was admitted to the hospital, but I do not know if she is still there.
Please keep the Nigeria team in prayer as we are on the final prep stages for our trip. Polaroid has turned down the donation of film, so if you can purchase a few boxes of 600 Polaroid film, or can make a donation towards purchase of it, we would be very grateful. You can give those donations to me, Char Cole, or leave them at the office.
Kid’s Klubs next fundraiser is a bake sale on March 30th. All donations to the sale are greatly appreciated – as are all purchases! And if you don’t have the time to bake, or are on a diet and can’t eat – I don’t want you to feel guilty – so we will accept (gladly) cash donations.
Please continue to pray for –Sean Cooney’s family as they grieve his passing, Ann Herrington’s family as they grieve her passing, Bernice Lippert, Sue Aldridge, Jessica Winebrenner, Marva Ward’s dad, Dottie Clem, Lill Wilson’s sister, Holly Rahn, Matthew & Lisa Watson, Katie, Eddie Ronsley & his heart & stomach, Nelle Lacy in hospice care, Sible Spikes in hospice care, Johnnie Sowell & vertigo, Vance Smith with nerve damage, Donna Hemphill, Carol Robertshaw, Kathy, waiting for back surgery and Walt Couch.
Pray for our missionaries –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, Bounkham & Khamla in Laos, Laurie Bethall in Amsterdam, Megan Dineen in Mexico and all the missionaries worldwide.
Pray for our pastors, our leadership, our ministries and our finances. Pray for opportunities to be fishers of people.
Pray for our county, the military who serve freedom and our leadership. Keep Zack
Ruud in Iraq and Frankie Banuelos in Korea in your prayers.
Yahweh Metsudati, The LORD our Fortress,
The world, LORD God, has gone crazy. They do the basest of evil and call it good, they attack and destroy with a shrug of the shoulder, they laugh at the downfall and pain of another. Thank You, Papa God, that although we are in this world, we are not of this world. We are of You. We are Your children, called to Your purpose. And when this world wearies our souls, there is You. You are the strong fortress to whom we run. In Your arms of mercy we find rest and restoration. In the quiet of our hearts we listen to You. Hope is reborn in You, strength abounds in You, peace comes from You. You are the reason we continue on.
God of our Peace, We know the pain Debra must be in as she acts in ways that are so contrary to her nature and to her witness for You. Reassure her that You understand and love her, remind her that this is not her fault or her doing. LORD God, guide her doctors and help them to diagnose quickly and bring her back to who she is.
LORD God, our healer, we lift up Carol and ask that she be quickly restored to health.
Holy Spirit, Strength of our hearts, we call out for those who remain on our prayer chain and ask, LORD of Light, that You continue to work to the good of all those who love You and are called according to Your purpose.
LORD Jesus, our Good Shepherd, we lift up the Nigeria team as we are about to leave to serve You so far from home. Thank You for giving us this adventure and this opportunity to serve You. We pray for all the missionaries who serve You so faithfully around the world. We pray that they will always find peace and comfort in You.
Triune God, we call down Your power on our pastors. Help them to lead us in the direction You would have us go. Give us the wisdom to follow their lead, and help us to show them our love and support. We pray for the leadership that You have set in place to serve You, and for the ministries that reach out in Your name.
Help us to see the opportunities You place before us.
Guard our beloved military who serve the cause of freedom from so far from home.
It is a beautiful day outside, LORD. Your creation is incredible – and I am just looking into my backyard. Thank You so much for the beauty that surrounds us because we know that it is just the slightest taste of the beauty to come. We long to take our places around Your throne in eternity. The greatest joy – the greatest beauty will then be ours – the joy and beauty of singing Your praise forever and ever and ever. We love You and chose to serve You
The Lord's Prayer
"Lord, teach us to pray."
LUKE 11:1
"Our Father who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy name..." opens a prayer channel that ushers us into the presence of God.
"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven..." establishes our priorities. It acknowledges that God is in charge.
"Give us this day our daily bread..." clothes us with Gods daily provisions. Jesus is the Bread of Life, the very sustenance and nourishment of God the Provider.
"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us..." allows us to enhance our relationships by forgiving people---and in turn we are pardoned by God.
"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil..." equips us with the full armor of God so that we have power over the Devil.
"For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power. and the glory, forever" lavishes God with the continual praise he is due.
"Amen" seals the prayer with his promise to fulfill all we have requested in his name and for his glory.
by Thelma Wells
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for showing me exactly how to talk with you.
AMEN
Valerie Rae Hanneman
John 12:21 (NIV) “They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request. “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.”
Anybody who knows me knows one thing for sure. I love Sondays and in particular, I love Sonday mornings when we gather around the Throne of God to worship Him. Sonday morning is the one day when I never hit the snooze button. I am up and ready to go! Much to the chagrin of my children, Sonday is the only morning when I have my I pod on full blast and am singing praise at the top of my lungs as I get ready to go. Finally, I am in the sanctuary, lifting my hands, my face and my heart to Jesus as I sing to Him. I close my eyes and imagine that I am before His throne, my face and my hands glowing as the light of His glory shines upon me, and I feel the warmth of His love surrounding me. Then I take my seat and pray for God to reveal to me what He would have me learn as Willie begins to preach. I love Sonday mornings – I know exactly who I am as I look into Jesus’ face. Then Monday morning rolls around. Monday is not so exciting, I still have my personal time with God, and I still sing praise – maybe not so lustily – but still praising. I get in my car, already anticipating my first cup of coffee, and drive to work. On the way, I see that woman standing on the corner again. She is there most mornings, just standing there, blank-eyed and shivering (but not from the weather). If you look up the phrase “tore up from the floor up.” in the dictionary, you will see this woman’s picture. Life has been rough for her on multiple levels, there is definitely something wrong with her and to be honest, she creeps me out. So I don’t look at her. I get to my office and the tensions of my workweek begin. I try to be the best witness for Christ that I can be – but it sure is easier on Sonday morning than it is on Monday morning. A lot easier. Sometimes who I am on Monday is not as clear to me as it is on Sonday.
The core disciples had been with Jesus from the beginning of His ministry. They traveled with Him, ate with Him, laughed with Him, watched His miracles, slept on the dirt roads with Him, and told silly jokes around the campfire with Him. But I wonder if they ever looked at Him, if they ever saw Jesus. Now of course, I know that they looked at Him and saw Him with their physical eyes, but they never really saw Him with their spiritual eyes. They thought that they did. They understood that Jesus came from God, and for the most part, they believed that Jesus was Messiah. But they never saw Jesus, the Servant/God. Jesus was certainly up front about it. “The Son of Man came to serve, not to be served.” “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.” are just a few of the things He told them. On His last night on earth, He took the servant’s role and washed their feet. Peter, my impetuous, beloved Peter, wanted Jesus to wash his hands and his face as well, but he only asked that because he did not understand what Jesus wanted Peter so see when he looked at Him. And in just a short time after the Son of God had clearly modeled His servant status – the status He wants for us – the disciples were once again arguing about who would sit at Jesus’ right hand when He came into His kingdom. No matter how hard Jesus tried to get the disciples to really see who He was – Servant/God/Sacrifice/Messiah all that the disciples could see was Jesus as the Conquering King/Messiah/Kicker of the Roman oppressors to the curb. Jesus’ death on the cross was a shock to His followers even though He told them time and time again that He would die. They never saw it coming because although they looked at Jesus, they never saw Jesus as He was and where He was. They only looked and saw what they wanted to see.
It is easy for us to be a little critical of the disciples as we look back on Jesus’ ministry and see clearly all the tings that the disciples did not see. How could they have missed seeing Jesus – he was so transparent with them! Hindsight is always 20/20 – isn’t it? And, to be honest, I do not think we see Jesus any better than they did. We love to see the Jesus of Sonday morning – when it is all about the worship and praise, the preaching and the fellowship. We look at Him on Sonday morning and see Him clearly – we can hardly wait to get back to services the following Sonday so we can see Him again.
But where is Jesus on Monday morning? Do we see Him as He is and where He is? I do not. Oh, I still have my time with Him, and I try to serve Him on my worksite, I try to be His witness, but I do not look at Him and really see Him. Because I refuse to look at that woman who stands on the street corner and see her as Jesus sees her. I chose to allow her to creep me out rather than have a heart of compassion for one of Jesus’ own. I make excuses that there is nothing I can do for her – but how can I know that if I won’t even look at her. Jesus said that when we take care of the least of these, we take care of Him, so if I were to look at this woman, I would see Jesus.
I want to look at Jesus and see Jesus – no matter where He is. I want to see Him seated on His throne, high and exalted above every other thing in creation, when I worship Him on Sonday morning. I want to know who I am in Him on Sonday. But Monday is coming. This Monday, I am going to look at that woman, knowing that I am seeing Jesus when I look at her. Knowing that whatever I can do for her, I am doing for Jesus. I don’t have a clue one of what I can do for her – except pray for her. And I can certainly do that. Who knows, maybe as Jesus works in me to build a heart of compassion towards the least of His, maybe he will show me another way to help her. But I will never know until I look at that woman and see Jesus as He is and where He is. I will never know who I am in Him on Monday until I look and see Him on Monday.
LORD Jesus, Open my eyes and open my heart. I want to see You on Monday as clearly as I see You on Sonday.
Contact Valerie or sign up for the e-ministry of FFBC at Valerie@fresnofirst.org
Febrero loco, marzo otro poco
Hola! Greetings to everyone! Well, the weather here in Pachuca’s changing... it’s now the “typical” Pachuca climate - sunny and warm during the days, and cool, breezy and often rainy at night. It’s pretty nice! As well as marking another year of life - 24 years to be exact - February also marks one year since I came to Pachuca. It’s crazy to think back a year to when God told me to go to Pachuca, and see if it would be the place where I’d be living, serving, meeting new people, etc. And, it’s even cooler now to see how that has all unrolled - and how this has become my “home” at least for a little while longer! February seemed really long - I spent a lot of the
month translating materials for the upcoming Discipleship Training School (DTS) and the training we will host in March about immediate response to natural disasters. We have a handful of folks signed up as of now, but are hoping for a few dozen more to turn out... please continue with us in prayer over this event.
We also got to take a “fun day” this month, and combine it with a birthday celebration for me. We went into Chapultepec, Mexico City, to an amusement park for the day. We had a lot of fun on the rides and roller coasters, bumper cars, etc. It was a good time to hang out with others from the base, and also some friends from Pachuca. We also enjoyed a dinner with friends and family - all in all, a good celebration!
While it’s a little overwhelming, it’s been cool to see how God is filling up the calendar for this year.
We have open doors to serve in various schools in Pachuca - mostly helping out with English, which is proving to be a great ministry tool for us. We are also planning for various groups coming from Denver, Ensenada, Pennsylvania, California, and more. I am heavily involved in communications and planning/organizing such teams. We plan to visit the schools and run some English programs, do inner-city ministry in Pachuca and Mexico City, and work on the building next door to the base... all things I’m sure to be telling you about in the coming months. As far
as the construction with the building, good news follows!:
For the past few weeks, the workers have been here every day - morning til evening - working away at “plastering” the remaining exposed areas of the building. The blaring radio they put every day - morning til evening (hahaha - I think I’ve learned all the classics of Mexican music these past few weeks) - has been a small price to pay considering how necessary it is for us to be able to use the building soon! So, hopefully in the next few days, everything will be cemented and the metal security curtains installed downstairs. However, that’s as far as the progress can go as of now. The bad news is that funding is short, and there’s still a lot more work to be done. The main things we are praying for is to be able to tile the upstairs bathrooms, put water heaters in, and hopefully get some windows and doors in the rooms... until we’re able to do that, we won’t be able to utilize the rooms, and with the large groups that are on their way in April, it is an urgent need of ours. We’re hoping to get some folks to be able to come down soon to help out with this.
Please keep us in your prayers, as you are in mine!
Meghan
March 3, 2008
Dear Ministry Partners,
Greetings from Jos, Nigeria! The cool dry winter is quickly passing and spring is arriving here at Faith Alive. I look forward to the first rains which should come later in March and will settle some of the unending dust and sand that blows everywhere as a result of no rains since last September or October. The farmers in the surrounding village areas are preparing the fields to plant corn and other vegetables, which involves burning off last year’s growth and turning over the soil using hand hoes. When the first rains arrive, they will plant the carefully gathered seeds from last years harvest one by one and begin to pray for continued rain. If the rains are sparse, they will take buckets of water out to the fields and ladle the water onto the little seedlings with a cup. I am always impressed by the diligence, hard work, perseverance, and faith they demonstrate. If the rains are few, they don’t complain. They simply work harder and pray more, trusting that God will provide for their families. Oh, that we would learn that lesson and live similar lives of faith united with works. Galatians 6:9 says “let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” May God help us all to persevere in labors of love for the sake of His Kingdom.
Thank you so much for the part you are playing in the construction of the House of Hope in the village of Bakin-Kogi. Your prayers and financial support are greatly appreciated by all of us at Faith Alive and by the thousands of persons living in Bakin-Kogi who will soon have somewhere to go in their own community to receive basic health care. The foundation and the walls are finished. This week, the framing for the roof is being built and the metal roof will follow shortly. We are aiming to complete construction on the House of Hope by August and dedicate the structure to the service of the Lord soon after that. Our goal is to be able to provide housing in one half of the duplex before the end of 2008 for a health professional that will see patients in the other half of the duplex. He will also see patients in the neighboring village of Kafanchan where Faith Alive currently sponsors an HIV/AIDS support group and provides limited health support through a trained health assistant. Please join us in praying for God to provide just the right person to join the Faith Alive team serving in Bakin-Kogi by next year.
We are looking forward with great anticipation to the April visit by 8 members from FBC. In addition to providing assistance to us in the day-to-day activities of the clinic and social services center, they will be able to provide some manual labor assisting our Nigerian brothers and sisters with construction on the House of Hope. Thank you for sending them to be the hands and feet of Jesus here in Nigeria.
Thank you again for your financial support, your prayers, and your partnership in spreading the Good News of the Gospel of Christ.
May God bless you and watch over you, showering you with His love and peace.
United in His service, Your sister in Christ, Biana Grogg
God is love. Therefore love. Without distinction, without calculation, without procrastination, love. Henry Drummond
Pastor Terrie’s sister collapsed last week from what I think is a blood clot in the brain. The situation is grave. Pastor Terrie and Faye Lowes have traveled to be with the sister.
We have been praying for an Emmaus friend, Sean Cooney, who had undergone a heart transplant. Sean went home this past week to his LORD & Savior he served so faithfully. Another victory over death has been won. Please keep his family and the Emmaus community in prayer.
Ann Herrington passed into eternity this past week. Please keep her family in prayer.
Milton Gould, who celebrates his 91st birthday on the 10th, spent some time in Kaiser last week. He is home and adjusting to changes he needs to make.
Donna Hemphill continues to suffer from stomach pain so severe it is keeping her from attending services. The doctors do not have a diagnosis yet.
Bernice Lippert is experiencing memory loss and seems to have lost the interest to live. (Or maybe she is simply more interested in living in eternity?)
I invited my co-worker to services again. I was a little worried that I was nagging her, but then I remembered that I am writing this today because Joann Lewis nagged me nigh onto death to come to church with her.
The Kids Klub fundraiser was fantastic! We raised $488 dollars in three hours! And what fun it was as our community of faith came in and had a great time of fellowship while supporting this ministry. McDonalds has invited us back!
Please continue to pray for –Sue Aldridge, Jessica Winebrenner, Marva Ward’s dad, Dottie Clem, Lill Wilson’s sister, Holly Rahn, Matthew & Lisa Watson, Katie, Eddie Ronsley & his heart & stomach, Nelle Lacy in hospice care, Sible Spikes in hospice care, Johnnie Sowell & vertigo, Vance Smith with nerve damage, Donna Hemphill, Carol Robertshaw, Kathy, waiting for back surgery and Walt Couch.
Pray for our missionaries –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, Bounkham & Khamla in Laos, Laurie Bethall in Amsterdam, Megan Dineen in Mexico and all the missionaries worldwide.
Pray for our pastors, our leadership, our ministries and our finances. Pray for opportunities to be fishers of people.
Pray for our county, the military who serve freedom and our leadership. Keep Zack
Ruud in Iraq and Frankie Banuelos in Korea in your prayers.
Emmanuel, God with us,
You are God who always was, God who always is and God who always will be. We read in Your Word and see the evidence with our eyes that You are God who always was. We feel Your presence in our lives, Your touch on our hearts and so we know that You are God who always is. Because of what we read and see, because of Your presence in our lives today, we are secure in Your promise that You are God who always will be. No matter how dark the valley we travel through, we have nothing to fear for You are with us and You are God.
We pray for Pastor Terrie’s sister, LORD, be merciful to her. We pray for Milton that he will continue to adjust to the changes he needs to make and we praise You for the 91 yours he will soon have under his belt. We pray for Donna, LORD. Give her rest from her pain; show the doctors what they need to see. We pray for Bernice Lippert, LORD God, that Your will be done in her life.
Yahweh Shalom, God of peace, we know that to pass from this part of our life is to be present in the best part of our life. But the passing is hard on those of us whop remain. LORD God, be with the families and friends of Sean Cooney and Ann Herrinton.
LORD Jesus, help me to be just persistent enough to convince my friend that You hold the key for her and her families life.
We lift our hearts in grateful praise and in prayer for those who are on our prayer chain, many names, many situations, but only one God over all. Continue to reign in majesty.
Holy Spirit, we pray that You fill Your beloved missionaries, pastors, the leadership of Your Church and the ministries that are focused on You with a fresh vision and new purpose.
Holy Trinity, bless this country that we love, even as we acknowledge that we are simply passing through to our own eternal country, be with Zack & Frankie, and keep them safe. Protect all of our military.
Abba, You have given us a life beyond compare. We are blessed to live in Your presence, we have the privilege to serve the Living God, You even call us Your children. We have so much to praise You for. Forgive us, Father, when we whine about the bumps that are in our paths, for the challenges we face. We act like spoiled children sometimes. Still You love us, forgive us, and welcome us back to You. You spread Your arms wide to encompass all of eternity in Your love. You hold us tight in Your arms surround us individually with Your love. Help me to be worthy of You. We love You, LORD.