Matthew 14:22 - Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowd. 23 After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, 24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 28 "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29 "Come," He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out. "Lord, save me!" 31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. "You of little faith," He said, "why did you doubt?" (NIV)
Good Thursday Evening and Friday Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. What a great day Thursday, ending with some heavy rain. And now a good start to Friday.
Thursday and the day we pray for churches and their flocks, Vacation Bible Schools, schools and all who go through the doors. Also pray for families asking for God to draw them nearer to Jesus and also get the love back into families who have - in fighting. Friday is the day we pray for all who go into the fields of Harvest working to get out the word of Jesus. As we pray for all of those, please keep Dan Stoner and his family in your prayers. The Stoners fly the word into the areas you cannot get to by vehicle. Also Tim Enloe's brother-in-law, who is a missionary to Indonesia. The Missionary (no name given) has severe kidney problems.
Dear Father in Heaven, thanks for another day in this place we call America. Thanks for being with me as I do the message. Please forgive me of my sins. Please hear our prayers, oh Lord, for the healing of those on our prayer lists and in all things thy will be done. And Dear Father, help us when it comes to faith, that we have total faith in You and we trust in You in all we do. Be in churches and anoint all, and please be in families and bring them together under You. And Lord, walk the halls of our schools and be in them, and Lord, please be at Penn State, for regardless of what happened and what will happen, You are needed. Be with the brother-in-law of Tim Enloe, and yes, with Tim and his family also. In Jesus' name, Amen.
7/26-27/12: Faith. On Wednesday I said that only two of the many miracles of Jesus were mentioned in all four gospels and asked you if you knew them. One was what we have been studying this week, the miracles of how Jesus fed about 5,000 people with just 5 loaves and two fish. Since no one responded with their answer, I will tell you. It was the miracle of the resurrection of Jesus. This Sunday I am going to preach/teach on the miracle of Jesus feeding all those folks, and to show Just how little five loaves and two fish really is, I went and caught two fish and will have five loaves of bread with me. "Caught two fish" - well, that might be sort of a fish story, but after the gentleman working the fish counter at our local food store was done wrapping them I had him toss the fish over the counter so I could say "I caught them." Moving on ...
As we go to our scriptures of today, we find that after the big feeding, Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him ... Jesus wanted to stay behind and dismiss the crowd. He also wanted to be alone and pray.
Matthew 14:22 - Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowd. 23 After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone.
One lesson that I got out of these verses was that Jesus wanted to be alone to pray. How often do we go to Jesus alone, I mean really alone, all background things turned off? Jesus set this example many times. This is but one of them. In our home, there are many times when Dolores and I pray together and the TV news (we are news junkies) is on. However, each morning we do talk to God without the noise, we find even our dogs will sit around our feet and keep still as we pray. And as you know, I love to go out to our "Rock of Hope" in the front yard and sit by the rock, near the three crosses, and talk to God, one on one. If you have never just stopped and talked to God, just you and Him, please try it. Just talk to Him like He is right there with you, because He is, He really is.
Okay, after Jesus dismissed the crowd and finished praying, the boat with His disciples in it was already far away from the dock. The waves were up and Jesus wanted to get to the boat to be with His disciples, so He just walked out across the top of the water. Wow, another miracle of the Lord, our Lord Jesus walking on the water. As He got near the boat, His disciples saw Him and it sort of scared them as they thought they were seeing a ghost. So Jesus called out, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
Matthew 14:26 - When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
Then Peter said, "Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water." So Jesus called him. "Come." Peter got out of the boat and did walk on the water for a tad but then started to sink.
Matthew 14:28 - "Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29 "Come," He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
So Jesus reached out His hand and caught Peter and He said to him, "you of little faith, why do you doubt?"
Matthew 14:31 - Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. "You of little faith," He said, "why did you doubt?"
Now this reminds me of a story, and yes, it happened while fishing. One day while on a singing tour, Dave, Duane, and Neil decided to rent a small boat and do a bit of fishing. So while they were out in the boat, taking a worm and some corn for a swim, Dave stated, "I think I have enough faith to get out of the boat and walk on the water. Now the water was not deep, and Dave stepped out of the boat and walked out across the top of the water, just getting his feet a little wet. Now Neil looked at Duane and said, I have great faith, I am sure as much as Dave, so out of the boat Neil went and walked out on that water. Come on, Duane, the other two said, and Duane was thinking, I have as much faith as my dear friends, so he also got out of the boat and soon found himself up to his hips in the water. At this time, Neil looked at Dave and said ... Do you think we should tell Dave where the rocks are?? Okay, before we go any farther with my story, I must confess this being a fish story, I just made the whole thing up. And at this time I will say that these great men of God might not even fish, other than I know they are "fishers of men." They also would never test the Lord, as this story I made up would do.
Do you see what I am saying on this story? While Jesus was working with Peter, Peter started to walk on water and then he took his eyes off Jesus and watched the stormy water. We can do many, many things when we step out in faith with our Lord, many things, but at the same time we are never to put the Lord to the test (except in our giving of our blessings). You could see in my story about my friends Dave, Duane, and Neil, I showed them testing the Lord, and again this is something they would not do, and we should not do.
Matthew 4:7 - Jesus answered him (Satan), "It is also written" 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
Folks, there are many, many times in our life we must have faith in God, in fact, and hear me on this, we need to have that great faith in our daily living, we should not just think it, we need to have it. Each day we must trust in God to get us through, and many days it is not easy, but our faith in Jesus will get us through each day. One of the hardest things to do is to have that complete trust, so it seems when we bundle up our worries and troubles and give them to God we also try and hold onto them. So brothers and sisters, when fishing, have faith you will catch some, but also stay in the boat.
Do you trust in God in all you do, and do you trust Him each day when I say go forth and share your blessings? You see you can test God in that.
Malachi 3:10 - Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and poor out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. (NIV)
Okay, I believe I can wrap it up now by saying this. Please share your blessings, love your neighbors, love God above all else, and have great faith in Him ... Love ya, Pastor Dan.
P.S.: Dave, Duane, and Neil had not a clue I was going to use their names today. These great men of faith have walked out in faith many, many times in their lives, an they are still doing it. Be blessed, Brothers.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Wed. 7/25/12 Another Fish Story
Matthew 14:17 - "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. 18 "Bring them here to me," he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. (NIV)
Salvation Wednesday, and the day we pray for the lost and for those who are saved to be able to help bring the lost to the feet of Jesus to be saved. I know sometimes I sound like a broken record, repeating myself over and over again, but again I remind you that we, you and me, cannot save a soul. That is between Jesus and the person who is lost. Our job is to bring in the harvest, for it is ready. I hear so often people saying after a big concert or a revival service that so many, and they give a number, came forth and were saved ... No, they might know how many came forth, but only Jesus knows how many were saved. We just need to be sure that God gets the glory for He is the Savior, and by His Grace we are saved. Also please keep praying for these on our prayer list. Pray for Allison, cancer. Joann Zimmerman, who must have surgery again this week. Leonard Dietz, bleeding ulcer (hospital). Ruth (hospital). Joe, cancer. Patsy Emig (rehab hospital). Barbara (now home). Betty Deardorff (hospital). Vicki, a full plate of health issues. Sarah Weiser, recovering from surgery. Beverly depression. Art, eyesight. Pastor Dan (yes, me), extreme pain. Dolores, extreme pain. And pray that Dolores and I can keep pushing past this pain and working each day for Jesus ... GOD IS GOOD ...
Dear Father in Heaven, Thanks for a great day, a beautiful day, and thanks for hearing all of our prayers. Thanks for watching over this line and all who use it. Lord, thanks for dying on the cross for us and for making a way for us to be saved. Help us to get others to You so they also may enjoy the love of being saved. Please hear our prayers for healing, starting with lost souls, and answer our prayers according to Your will for us ... In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Another Fish Story (Day Three). Matthew 14:17 - "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. 18 "Bring them here to me," he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. (NIV)
Yesterday I promised you that I would tell you about how one preacher presented this story about the five loaves and two fish. He stated that a boy brought along his lunch, which when he took it out to eat, others saw him doing that, so all who brought lunches got theirs out and shared them. And that pastor was serious about it, and said the miracle was in people sharing ... More than likely he got this story from a footnote in a Bible, as something like it appears in mine. Okay, first of all back in those days, and you will see in the scriptures, about 5,000 men ate, besides the women and children. The women and children were not in the same area, as back then Jewish men did not eat in public with women and children. So I guess I would need to say that the way that pastor told the story was a fish story the way some are told today.
So let's look at the scriptures and see how it really happened and then let's talk about, does this really happen today? We see according to Matthew that they had only five loaves, meaning five loaves of bread, and two fish. Now we know that since someone brought the fish, they had to be carried, so they more than likely were nice sized fish, but not two of the size that swallowed up Jonah. By the way, this miracle of Jesus is one of only two miracles that appears in all four gospels ... Do you know what the other one is? Tell me, please, otherwise I will let you know tomorrow.
So we have seen in the scriptures that Jesus directed the people to sit down on the grass, and in one of the gospels it states in groups of about 50. That does not make a difference, the fact is they all sat down on the grass. Then the miracle happened ... Jesus took the bread and the fish, looked toward heaven, gave thanks for it and broke it and gave it to His disciples to give out. They all ate, and there were leftovers.
So we know the miracle and it happened, and does it happen today, and will it happen tomorrow? I mean after all, I use this scripture again and again.
Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (NIV)
Okay, so let's look at it today ... A kernel of corn is placed in the ground and a stock of corn grows out with two ears of corn on it. How many kernels of corn are on one ear? (You count them and remember as you count to get the ones stuck between your teeth.) A tiny pea seed is placed in the ground and up comes a vine with lots of pods of peas on them. Should I go on? Well, what about those fish? Take your family to a fish hatchery and watch as the fish are born. Today we have more and more people in the world and while some places there is a shortage of food, here in America, as sad as it is, food is pitched daily. Yes, we have farmers, we have bakers, and we have those big machines, and God gave people the brains to do all these things. However, without the rain and the sunshine and God's hand on this, it would not grow. Folks, this is why when helping to feed others, as in foreign countries, we must teach them how to grow food and not just wait for handouts. Oh, and dare I say the same is true in the United States of America today. We have in this country a lot of people who need help and we try and help them with the support of many others, but there are people who will "ride the system" and live on what they can get free. Some even take food things, and trust me on this, they pick out what they want out of the bags and throw the rest away. The Bible tells us that those who do not work should not eat. We do need to take care of those who because of illness cannot work.
Yes, each and every day of our lives, God provides us with food to eat, and that is why we need to give thanks for it and not waste it. Back when I was a child and the streets were still dirt and the dead sea was still sick, what we put on our plate we had to eat. Mom would say it and mean it. Today you go to one of those buffets and you can watch some families and the kids pile the plates high, eat a few bites and go back for more and the first plate full of food goes in the trash. What is in store for tomorrow? Come back and see. Is there more to the fish stories?
Now go forth and share your blessings. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Salvation Wednesday, and the day we pray for the lost and for those who are saved to be able to help bring the lost to the feet of Jesus to be saved. I know sometimes I sound like a broken record, repeating myself over and over again, but again I remind you that we, you and me, cannot save a soul. That is between Jesus and the person who is lost. Our job is to bring in the harvest, for it is ready. I hear so often people saying after a big concert or a revival service that so many, and they give a number, came forth and were saved ... No, they might know how many came forth, but only Jesus knows how many were saved. We just need to be sure that God gets the glory for He is the Savior, and by His Grace we are saved. Also please keep praying for these on our prayer list. Pray for Allison, cancer. Joann Zimmerman, who must have surgery again this week. Leonard Dietz, bleeding ulcer (hospital). Ruth (hospital). Joe, cancer. Patsy Emig (rehab hospital). Barbara (now home). Betty Deardorff (hospital). Vicki, a full plate of health issues. Sarah Weiser, recovering from surgery. Beverly depression. Art, eyesight. Pastor Dan (yes, me), extreme pain. Dolores, extreme pain. And pray that Dolores and I can keep pushing past this pain and working each day for Jesus ... GOD IS GOOD ...
Dear Father in Heaven, Thanks for a great day, a beautiful day, and thanks for hearing all of our prayers. Thanks for watching over this line and all who use it. Lord, thanks for dying on the cross for us and for making a way for us to be saved. Help us to get others to You so they also may enjoy the love of being saved. Please hear our prayers for healing, starting with lost souls, and answer our prayers according to Your will for us ... In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Another Fish Story (Day Three). Matthew 14:17 - "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. 18 "Bring them here to me," he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and two fish and looking up to heaven, He gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. (NIV)
Yesterday I promised you that I would tell you about how one preacher presented this story about the five loaves and two fish. He stated that a boy brought along his lunch, which when he took it out to eat, others saw him doing that, so all who brought lunches got theirs out and shared them. And that pastor was serious about it, and said the miracle was in people sharing ... More than likely he got this story from a footnote in a Bible, as something like it appears in mine. Okay, first of all back in those days, and you will see in the scriptures, about 5,000 men ate, besides the women and children. The women and children were not in the same area, as back then Jewish men did not eat in public with women and children. So I guess I would need to say that the way that pastor told the story was a fish story the way some are told today.
So let's look at the scriptures and see how it really happened and then let's talk about, does this really happen today? We see according to Matthew that they had only five loaves, meaning five loaves of bread, and two fish. Now we know that since someone brought the fish, they had to be carried, so they more than likely were nice sized fish, but not two of the size that swallowed up Jonah. By the way, this miracle of Jesus is one of only two miracles that appears in all four gospels ... Do you know what the other one is? Tell me, please, otherwise I will let you know tomorrow.
So we have seen in the scriptures that Jesus directed the people to sit down on the grass, and in one of the gospels it states in groups of about 50. That does not make a difference, the fact is they all sat down on the grass. Then the miracle happened ... Jesus took the bread and the fish, looked toward heaven, gave thanks for it and broke it and gave it to His disciples to give out. They all ate, and there were leftovers.
So we know the miracle and it happened, and does it happen today, and will it happen tomorrow? I mean after all, I use this scripture again and again.
Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (NIV)
Okay, so let's look at it today ... A kernel of corn is placed in the ground and a stock of corn grows out with two ears of corn on it. How many kernels of corn are on one ear? (You count them and remember as you count to get the ones stuck between your teeth.) A tiny pea seed is placed in the ground and up comes a vine with lots of pods of peas on them. Should I go on? Well, what about those fish? Take your family to a fish hatchery and watch as the fish are born. Today we have more and more people in the world and while some places there is a shortage of food, here in America, as sad as it is, food is pitched daily. Yes, we have farmers, we have bakers, and we have those big machines, and God gave people the brains to do all these things. However, without the rain and the sunshine and God's hand on this, it would not grow. Folks, this is why when helping to feed others, as in foreign countries, we must teach them how to grow food and not just wait for handouts. Oh, and dare I say the same is true in the United States of America today. We have in this country a lot of people who need help and we try and help them with the support of many others, but there are people who will "ride the system" and live on what they can get free. Some even take food things, and trust me on this, they pick out what they want out of the bags and throw the rest away. The Bible tells us that those who do not work should not eat. We do need to take care of those who because of illness cannot work.
Yes, each and every day of our lives, God provides us with food to eat, and that is why we need to give thanks for it and not waste it. Back when I was a child and the streets were still dirt and the dead sea was still sick, what we put on our plate we had to eat. Mom would say it and mean it. Today you go to one of those buffets and you can watch some families and the kids pile the plates high, eat a few bites and go back for more and the first plate full of food goes in the trash. What is in store for tomorrow? Come back and see. Is there more to the fish stories?
Now go forth and share your blessings. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Tuesday 7/24/12 Another Fish Story 2
Matthew 14:15 - As evening approached, the disciples came to Him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." 16 Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." 17 "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. (NIV)
Good Tuesday evening, my dear brothers and sisters. Tuesday and today I am asking you to center your prayers on peace. Here in the United States of America we read about wars and rumors of wars, but we do not need to look far to see shootings on our city streets. Teenagers who should be home in bed are shot or shoot others in the middle of the night. You know where I am coming from. You do not need to go to a foreign country to see this, it is here ... We need to humble ourselves and ask God to bring on peace.
Praise Report. Beth had tests done today and the reports were all good.
Praise Report. Pamela Bower, our ministry partner who had been having back problems, is doing GREAT ... Glory be to God ...
Praise Report. Dolores was rechecked for infection that had her in the hospital several weeks ago. Tests came out excellent. Praise be to God.
Here is our big list from yesterday, please keep praying for these folks. Pray for Allison, cancer. Joann Zimmerman, who must have surgery again this week. Leonard Dietz, bleeding ulcer (hospital). Ruth (hospital). Joe, cancer. Patsy Emig (rehab hospital). Barbara (hospital). Betty Deardorff (hospital), and with Betty, please pray for her family as they make a decision on life support. Vicki, a full plate of health issues. Sarah Weiser, recovering from surgery. Beverly, depression.
Please add Art Breneman to your prayers, this for his eyesight. Art and his wife Elaine live across the street from us. Better neighbors one could not ask for. These "rock solid Christians" are great prayer warriors, and on many occasions we have prayed together right out along the road. Thanks, Neighbors!!!
Dear Father in Heaven, Thank You so much for hearing our prayers and thanks for your healing hand on those listed. All honor and glory is Yours, dear Father. Please forgive us this day of our sins and even our sinful thinking. Hear our prayers again this day and act on them according to Your will for us. Lord, I thank You for this line and for keeping it open. I thank You for all of our neighbors and I thank You for Art and Elaine. In the mighty name of Jesus, I ask You this day to please touch the eyes of Art and restore his vision. All honor and glory is Yours, dear Jesus. Also this day, I ask You to please, please humble this country so that we might return to You and have peace through You. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Another Fish Story (Day Two). Matthew 14:15 - As evening approached, the disciples came to Him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." 16 Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." 17 "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. (NIV)
Remember how Jesus wanted to be alone after He found out His dear friend John The Baptist had been martyred by being beheaded? But when a crowd of people heard about where he was going, they went to that place and waited for Him. When Jesus arrived, He at once healed all their sick. Now let's look at the scripture of today. The Bible tells us that evening was approaching and His disciples came to Him and said it was time to send them on their way, as they might want to stop at the villages in the area and go to McDonald's and grab a burger. Just keeping you awake, folks. The disciples did come and suggest to Jesus that He should send them so they could stop and get something to eat.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, we are not going to send them away, you give them something to eat. Let me ask you right now, have you ever had a bunch of people stop by and you were about to eat and you asked them to stay and eat with you, and they all said okay. Oh my gosh, you are thinking, what am I going to put together for these folks, and you might have ten guests. So you start to think, how much water can I add to a few cans of tomato soup, and how can I feed ten folks with just a few things? You were going to have hamburgers and you start to think ... If I cook up the burgers and put it in the tomato soup, add a can of tomato paste or two which was in the back of the cupboard. Shake on some spices, and pray over it a lot, and your pasta sauce is on the way. Let me see, you find a few slices of cheese and a two pound box of macaroni. So you make it, a nice size pot of macaroni soup. Oh my, still not enough, and you pray some more and wow, there is a half a bottle of catsup so you put some water in the bottle and shake it up and into the pot it goes ... And you all had something to eat ...
But wait a minute, over five thousand needed to be fed by the disciples. Now the disciples said, Jesus, we have only five loaves of bread and two fishes and you want us to feed everyone here? Now this is not your fish story from a fisherman, this fish story is in the Bible. What happens now? Come back tomorrow and join in and see just how Jesus fed all those people. I will also share a story that one pastor said happened that day ... Wait until you hear this.
Now go forth and share your blessings, and yes, you can share your food for it is a blessing. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Good Tuesday evening, my dear brothers and sisters. Tuesday and today I am asking you to center your prayers on peace. Here in the United States of America we read about wars and rumors of wars, but we do not need to look far to see shootings on our city streets. Teenagers who should be home in bed are shot or shoot others in the middle of the night. You know where I am coming from. You do not need to go to a foreign country to see this, it is here ... We need to humble ourselves and ask God to bring on peace.
Praise Report. Beth had tests done today and the reports were all good.
Praise Report. Pamela Bower, our ministry partner who had been having back problems, is doing GREAT ... Glory be to God ...
Praise Report. Dolores was rechecked for infection that had her in the hospital several weeks ago. Tests came out excellent. Praise be to God.
Here is our big list from yesterday, please keep praying for these folks. Pray for Allison, cancer. Joann Zimmerman, who must have surgery again this week. Leonard Dietz, bleeding ulcer (hospital). Ruth (hospital). Joe, cancer. Patsy Emig (rehab hospital). Barbara (hospital). Betty Deardorff (hospital), and with Betty, please pray for her family as they make a decision on life support. Vicki, a full plate of health issues. Sarah Weiser, recovering from surgery. Beverly, depression.
Please add Art Breneman to your prayers, this for his eyesight. Art and his wife Elaine live across the street from us. Better neighbors one could not ask for. These "rock solid Christians" are great prayer warriors, and on many occasions we have prayed together right out along the road. Thanks, Neighbors!!!
Dear Father in Heaven, Thank You so much for hearing our prayers and thanks for your healing hand on those listed. All honor and glory is Yours, dear Father. Please forgive us this day of our sins and even our sinful thinking. Hear our prayers again this day and act on them according to Your will for us. Lord, I thank You for this line and for keeping it open. I thank You for all of our neighbors and I thank You for Art and Elaine. In the mighty name of Jesus, I ask You this day to please touch the eyes of Art and restore his vision. All honor and glory is Yours, dear Jesus. Also this day, I ask You to please, please humble this country so that we might return to You and have peace through You. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Another Fish Story (Day Two). Matthew 14:15 - As evening approached, the disciples came to Him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." 16 Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." 17 "We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. (NIV)
Remember how Jesus wanted to be alone after He found out His dear friend John The Baptist had been martyred by being beheaded? But when a crowd of people heard about where he was going, they went to that place and waited for Him. When Jesus arrived, He at once healed all their sick. Now let's look at the scripture of today. The Bible tells us that evening was approaching and His disciples came to Him and said it was time to send them on their way, as they might want to stop at the villages in the area and go to McDonald's and grab a burger. Just keeping you awake, folks. The disciples did come and suggest to Jesus that He should send them so they could stop and get something to eat.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, we are not going to send them away, you give them something to eat. Let me ask you right now, have you ever had a bunch of people stop by and you were about to eat and you asked them to stay and eat with you, and they all said okay. Oh my gosh, you are thinking, what am I going to put together for these folks, and you might have ten guests. So you start to think, how much water can I add to a few cans of tomato soup, and how can I feed ten folks with just a few things? You were going to have hamburgers and you start to think ... If I cook up the burgers and put it in the tomato soup, add a can of tomato paste or two which was in the back of the cupboard. Shake on some spices, and pray over it a lot, and your pasta sauce is on the way. Let me see, you find a few slices of cheese and a two pound box of macaroni. So you make it, a nice size pot of macaroni soup. Oh my, still not enough, and you pray some more and wow, there is a half a bottle of catsup so you put some water in the bottle and shake it up and into the pot it goes ... And you all had something to eat ...
But wait a minute, over five thousand needed to be fed by the disciples. Now the disciples said, Jesus, we have only five loaves of bread and two fishes and you want us to feed everyone here? Now this is not your fish story from a fisherman, this fish story is in the Bible. What happens now? Come back tomorrow and join in and see just how Jesus fed all those people. I will also share a story that one pastor said happened that day ... Wait until you hear this.
Now go forth and share your blessings, and yes, you can share your food for it is a blessing. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Monday 7/23/12 Another Fish Story
Matthew 14:13 - When Jesus heard what had happened, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed Him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick. (NIV)
Good Evening, my dear brothers and sisters. It is a beautiful evening, clearing after a storm passed by. Monday, and we have a long prayer request today. Our Leaders: Please pray today for President Obama and his family and all of our leaders in Washington, DC. Please first pray for their souls and their salvation, for those who are not saved to come to Jesus. Also pray for all our leaders in our states houses, and please pray the same way. Pray for your local governments and also those who run your schools.
Our Military: Pray for our veterans, current military, include the reserve units and remember the Coast Guard and the Merchant Marines. Our Police: State Police, local police, FBI, CIA, Secret Service, US Marshals, and your local sheriff, and the border patrol. Our Firefighters and First Responders, Ambulance personnel, and those who fly those Medical Choppers.
Also pray for Allison, Cancer. Joann Zimmerman, who must have surgery again this week. Leonard Dietz, bleeding ulcer (hospital), Ruth (hospital), Joe, cancer, Patsy Emig (rehab hospital), Barbara (hospital), Betty Deardorff (hospital), and with Betty, please pray for her family as they make a decision on life support. Vicki, a full plate of health issues. Beth, complications of pregnancy. Sarah Weiser, recovering from surgery. Matthew Lehman (hospital), Dolores, pain from many issues. Pastor Dan, for guidance in daily message writing. For Carry The Light Ministries, as we press forward for Jesus!
Dear Father in Heaven, please forgive us of our sins as we start on this message. For me, dear Lord, as I write it and for others as they read it. Please, dear Lord, look over our big prayer list and please act on them according to Your will for all of us. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Another Fish Story (Day One). Matthew 14:13 - When Jesus heard what had happened, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed Him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick. (NIV)
Gosh, another day and another fish story. Last week I made this statement about fishing ... "I ask a simple question, the answer I surely wish, are all fishermen liars or do all the liars fish?" (author unknown) Let me get into today's message. True fish stories can be found in the scriptures. In Matthew 14:13 - "When Jesus heard what had happened" Jesus was just told that His dear friend, John the Baptist was killed. John was beheaded, and brothers and sisters, this is a price a lot of Christians have paid just to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus. I don't mean they are all beheaded, but many missionaries have been killed, martyred, for following Jesus or for speaking out for Him.
Jesus, upon hearing of the death of His friend, did what many of us would do if we heard of the killing of a friend, we would withdraw so we might be in private to pray or to even be with just a few friends and family ... The Bible tells us that Jesus withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. But as His followers, and by now He had thousands of them follow him ... So when Jesus landed His boat, or docked it, He found all these folks waiting for Him and the Bible tells us that He had compassion on them and He healed their sick.
Even when Jesus is wanting some time alone, to think about His friend John, He showed His never ending love for others. Jesus put others ahead of himself. So my question for you today, how about you, when you're down, struggling with some personal problems, are you willing to set them aside and help others?
That is hard to do. We in Carry The Light Ministries, our ministry team, work very, very hard to do just that. We feel, to really follow Jesus, we must put Jesus ahead of ourselves, and also put the others who count on this ministry for the Word and for food above ourselves. Sometimes the best thing you can do when you are having a really bad day is to take a step out in faith and help someone else. It really makes you feel better.
The term "Christian" gets beat up, people say they are Christian but are not living it. Folks, Christian means "Christ-like", and I think if we are true Christians we need to also be followers of Jesus. Here is another good example of Jesus showing us how to live. So when you are down, talk to Jesus, then try your very best to get moving and do something good for someone else ... AMEN!!
Lord, help us please to be more and more like Jesus each day. Amen.
Now go forth, sharing your blessings ... Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Good Evening, my dear brothers and sisters. It is a beautiful evening, clearing after a storm passed by. Monday, and we have a long prayer request today. Our Leaders: Please pray today for President Obama and his family and all of our leaders in Washington, DC. Please first pray for their souls and their salvation, for those who are not saved to come to Jesus. Also pray for all our leaders in our states houses, and please pray the same way. Pray for your local governments and also those who run your schools.
Our Military: Pray for our veterans, current military, include the reserve units and remember the Coast Guard and the Merchant Marines. Our Police: State Police, local police, FBI, CIA, Secret Service, US Marshals, and your local sheriff, and the border patrol. Our Firefighters and First Responders, Ambulance personnel, and those who fly those Medical Choppers.
Also pray for Allison, Cancer. Joann Zimmerman, who must have surgery again this week. Leonard Dietz, bleeding ulcer (hospital), Ruth (hospital), Joe, cancer, Patsy Emig (rehab hospital), Barbara (hospital), Betty Deardorff (hospital), and with Betty, please pray for her family as they make a decision on life support. Vicki, a full plate of health issues. Beth, complications of pregnancy. Sarah Weiser, recovering from surgery. Matthew Lehman (hospital), Dolores, pain from many issues. Pastor Dan, for guidance in daily message writing. For Carry The Light Ministries, as we press forward for Jesus!
Dear Father in Heaven, please forgive us of our sins as we start on this message. For me, dear Lord, as I write it and for others as they read it. Please, dear Lord, look over our big prayer list and please act on them according to Your will for all of us. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
Another Fish Story (Day One). Matthew 14:13 - When Jesus heard what had happened, He withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed Him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them and healed their sick. (NIV)
Gosh, another day and another fish story. Last week I made this statement about fishing ... "I ask a simple question, the answer I surely wish, are all fishermen liars or do all the liars fish?" (author unknown) Let me get into today's message. True fish stories can be found in the scriptures. In Matthew 14:13 - "When Jesus heard what had happened" Jesus was just told that His dear friend, John the Baptist was killed. John was beheaded, and brothers and sisters, this is a price a lot of Christians have paid just to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus. I don't mean they are all beheaded, but many missionaries have been killed, martyred, for following Jesus or for speaking out for Him.
Jesus, upon hearing of the death of His friend, did what many of us would do if we heard of the killing of a friend, we would withdraw so we might be in private to pray or to even be with just a few friends and family ... The Bible tells us that Jesus withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. But as His followers, and by now He had thousands of them follow him ... So when Jesus landed His boat, or docked it, He found all these folks waiting for Him and the Bible tells us that He had compassion on them and He healed their sick.
Even when Jesus is wanting some time alone, to think about His friend John, He showed His never ending love for others. Jesus put others ahead of himself. So my question for you today, how about you, when you're down, struggling with some personal problems, are you willing to set them aside and help others?
That is hard to do. We in Carry The Light Ministries, our ministry team, work very, very hard to do just that. We feel, to really follow Jesus, we must put Jesus ahead of ourselves, and also put the others who count on this ministry for the Word and for food above ourselves. Sometimes the best thing you can do when you are having a really bad day is to take a step out in faith and help someone else. It really makes you feel better.
The term "Christian" gets beat up, people say they are Christian but are not living it. Folks, Christian means "Christ-like", and I think if we are true Christians we need to also be followers of Jesus. Here is another good example of Jesus showing us how to live. So when you are down, talk to Jesus, then try your very best to get moving and do something good for someone else ... AMEN!!
Lord, help us please to be more and more like Jesus each day. Amen.
Now go forth, sharing your blessings ... Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Friday 7/20/12 Fish Stories 5
Jonah 2:10 - And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. (NIV)
Please stop right now and pray. There has been a shooting in a theater in Colorado. Early reports, 14 dead and 50 in the hospital. This is in America, brothers and sisters, not some other country.
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is Friday and a nice, cooler day here at the Southern Location of the North Pole. Friday and the day we pray for all those who work for Jesus in the fields of harvest. All of them, and YOU should be on that prayer list ... Also pray for those listed above, including the shooter.
Fish Stories (Day Five). We have been talking this week about Jonah, and how he did love the Lord but ran from God when he did not like an assignment from God. We know Jonah took a ship and was sleeping in an area under the main deck when the seas started to rage. We also know that all the sailors started to pray to their own gods, meaning then many of the sailors had different things or gods they prayed to. Then they placed blame on Jonah, who said, yes, he caused this as God was upset with him for running from Him. We know that Jonah told the sailors to toss him overboard and the seas would calm down. Then this strange thing happened, the sailors became saved, saved from the raging sea, and their souls saved, as they started praying to God. The seas became calm, God placed Jonah inside the big fish for three days and three nights to protect him, and then we learn today that God commanded the fish, and up came Jonah.
Now if this accounting from our Old Testament does not tell you that God is in charge of everything, I want you to let us know so we all can pray for you. God made the raging seas, and then calmed them. Did He do it just to shake up Jonah and bring him back from his walk-about, his walk from the Lord? No, He did this to bring the sailors to Him and to show all who in the future would read about this event and know that God is in the driver's seat, and although God gave us free will, He still does run the place. Once again, I want to call your attention to two scriptures that I use often ...
John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. (NIV)
John 1:14 - The Word became flesh and walked among us. For we have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (NIV)
Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (NIV)
So we know that God, God in the beginning, our Lord God who was with Jonah then is Jesus who is with us this day. Does God still do things that set us in our place from time to time when we drift from Him or upset Him? Yes, He does, and I know that for a fact. What about you, if you were saved, born again, and then drifted from God, what happened to you to bring you back to Jesus?
Dear Father in Heaven, thanks for giving us a way to heaven, a way home to be where You are, and thanks for forgiving us when we mess up. And Jesus, thanks for dying for me, so that I may be set free of my sins. Lord Jesus, You did Your part, and now it is up to us ... Lord, help us to repent from sin and walk in Your light. May we honor You this day for giving us another day, by living to please You. Please be with the people involved in the shooting and heal those who were injured, and Lord, heal the families who lost loved ones. And Lord, help me understand why there were so many "underage" children in a midnight showing of a violent movie. And please, Father, send Jesus back to get us, and until then help us to keep in touch with Jesus and tell others the true love story of Jesus ... In Jesus' Name, I pray ... Amen.
Let me close today by asking you this. If today, a gunman were to start shooting in a place where you were and you were hit and killed, would you go Heaven or Hell? Think about that, and go forth sharing your blessings. Next week, yes, some more fish stories from the Bible. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Please stop right now and pray. There has been a shooting in a theater in Colorado. Early reports, 14 dead and 50 in the hospital. This is in America, brothers and sisters, not some other country.
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is Friday and a nice, cooler day here at the Southern Location of the North Pole. Friday and the day we pray for all those who work for Jesus in the fields of harvest. All of them, and YOU should be on that prayer list ... Also pray for those listed above, including the shooter.
Fish Stories (Day Five). We have been talking this week about Jonah, and how he did love the Lord but ran from God when he did not like an assignment from God. We know Jonah took a ship and was sleeping in an area under the main deck when the seas started to rage. We also know that all the sailors started to pray to their own gods, meaning then many of the sailors had different things or gods they prayed to. Then they placed blame on Jonah, who said, yes, he caused this as God was upset with him for running from Him. We know that Jonah told the sailors to toss him overboard and the seas would calm down. Then this strange thing happened, the sailors became saved, saved from the raging sea, and their souls saved, as they started praying to God. The seas became calm, God placed Jonah inside the big fish for three days and three nights to protect him, and then we learn today that God commanded the fish, and up came Jonah.
Now if this accounting from our Old Testament does not tell you that God is in charge of everything, I want you to let us know so we all can pray for you. God made the raging seas, and then calmed them. Did He do it just to shake up Jonah and bring him back from his walk-about, his walk from the Lord? No, He did this to bring the sailors to Him and to show all who in the future would read about this event and know that God is in the driver's seat, and although God gave us free will, He still does run the place. Once again, I want to call your attention to two scriptures that I use often ...
John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. (NIV)
John 1:14 - The Word became flesh and walked among us. For we have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (NIV)
Hebrews 13:8 - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (NIV)
So we know that God, God in the beginning, our Lord God who was with Jonah then is Jesus who is with us this day. Does God still do things that set us in our place from time to time when we drift from Him or upset Him? Yes, He does, and I know that for a fact. What about you, if you were saved, born again, and then drifted from God, what happened to you to bring you back to Jesus?
Dear Father in Heaven, thanks for giving us a way to heaven, a way home to be where You are, and thanks for forgiving us when we mess up. And Jesus, thanks for dying for me, so that I may be set free of my sins. Lord Jesus, You did Your part, and now it is up to us ... Lord, help us to repent from sin and walk in Your light. May we honor You this day for giving us another day, by living to please You. Please be with the people involved in the shooting and heal those who were injured, and Lord, heal the families who lost loved ones. And Lord, help me understand why there were so many "underage" children in a midnight showing of a violent movie. And please, Father, send Jesus back to get us, and until then help us to keep in touch with Jesus and tell others the true love story of Jesus ... In Jesus' Name, I pray ... Amen.
Let me close today by asking you this. If today, a gunman were to start shooting in a place where you were and you were hit and killed, would you go Heaven or Hell? Think about that, and go forth sharing your blessings. Next week, yes, some more fish stories from the Bible. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Thur 7/19/12 Fish Stories 4
Jonah 1:17 - But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
Jonah 2:1 - From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord His God. 2 He said: "In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me. From the depths of the grave, I called for help and You listened to my cry. 3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me." 4 I said, "I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple. 5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever, but you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God. 7 When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to You, to your holy temple. 8 Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. 9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord." (NIV)
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is indeed Thursday and the day we pray for churches, Vacation Bible Schools, families and also church families. The little one in a coma, Devon Johnson, age 8, spinal meningitis. Prayers for Barbara, Patsy, Betty Sterling, and Luella.
Praise Report: We have been working a food drive this week with Red/Cedar and Dr. Lawrence Cox. Food is coming in, and we should have been done last evening, some storms kept some away, so some more night come in this evening. All in all, a great time to get food as our shelves were getting low ... GOD IS GOOD.
Special Announcement: I have told all of you yesterday that we will have a special announcement about our ministry. It will be separate, marked Special announcement. Too long for on here. On to the message.
Fish Stories (Day Four). As you recall yesterday, we left as Jonah was thrown overboard into the raging sea. So what happened next? Let's look at the scriptures ...
Jonah 1:17 - But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
Three days and three nights! What does that remind you of? Let me see, Jesus was put on the cross, crucified for our sins and died, and on the third day was risen from the dead. I want to take a look in the New Testament and see what might be said about this. Matthew 12: The Sign of Jonah.
Matthew 12:39 - He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 - For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (NIV)
To understand this even more, please read Matthew 12:39 through 12:45.
Now we know that Jonah was swallowed up by a great or huge fish. The Bible does not say whale, just a biggie. So what happened when Jonah was swallowed up? He prayed, and you can read over the prayer I have typed in. It sounds to me like Jonah was talking to God (praying), telling God just what he had been through and how bad it was and at the same time was praising God for what was done ... "In my distress I called to the Lord and He answered me." But the wording is not just praising God but also telling us that God answered him. "He answered me." Another example. "From the depths of the grave I called for help and You listened to my cry." Sounds like Jonah was reviewing all the things he went through before that big fish swallowed him. Then it sounds to me like Jonah is telling God that he will make a sacrifice to the Lord. Now remember Jonah had run from an assignment of God and was trying to hide out. That is the reason for the storm. Jonah also said, "What I have vowed, I will make good." Sounds to me like he is repenting and then knowingly tells all "Salvation comes from the Lord."
How about you, since you were saved, as Jonah was, have you ever drifted and then repented and came back really pleading with the Lord to help you, to save you? Maybe if I worded it like this, have you ever done a "backslide" or drifted away from God, even trying to hide an then at a low point in your life come back?
Think about those things and come back tomorrow and see what happens next.
Dear Father in Heaven, Thanks again for the messages, thanks for the food pantry, and please hear our prayers and please act on them according to Your will ... in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Now go forth and share your blessings. Look for the announcement later today, might be this evening. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Jonah 2:1 - From inside the fish Jonah prayed to the Lord His God. 2 He said: "In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me. From the depths of the grave, I called for help and You listened to my cry. 3 You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas, and the currents swirled about me; all your waves and breakers swept over me." 4 I said, "I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple. 5 The engulfing waters threatened me, the deep surrounded me; seaweed was wrapped around my head. 6 To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever, but you brought my life up from the pit, O Lord my God. 7 When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, Lord, and my prayer rose to You, to your holy temple. 8 Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. 9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord." (NIV)
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is indeed Thursday and the day we pray for churches, Vacation Bible Schools, families and also church families. The little one in a coma, Devon Johnson, age 8, spinal meningitis. Prayers for Barbara, Patsy, Betty Sterling, and Luella.
Praise Report: We have been working a food drive this week with Red/Cedar and Dr. Lawrence Cox. Food is coming in, and we should have been done last evening, some storms kept some away, so some more night come in this evening. All in all, a great time to get food as our shelves were getting low ... GOD IS GOOD.
Special Announcement: I have told all of you yesterday that we will have a special announcement about our ministry. It will be separate, marked Special announcement. Too long for on here. On to the message.
Fish Stories (Day Four). As you recall yesterday, we left as Jonah was thrown overboard into the raging sea. So what happened next? Let's look at the scriptures ...
Jonah 1:17 - But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
Three days and three nights! What does that remind you of? Let me see, Jesus was put on the cross, crucified for our sins and died, and on the third day was risen from the dead. I want to take a look in the New Testament and see what might be said about this. Matthew 12: The Sign of Jonah.
Matthew 12:39 - He answered, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 - For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." (NIV)
To understand this even more, please read Matthew 12:39 through 12:45.
Now we know that Jonah was swallowed up by a great or huge fish. The Bible does not say whale, just a biggie. So what happened when Jonah was swallowed up? He prayed, and you can read over the prayer I have typed in. It sounds to me like Jonah was talking to God (praying), telling God just what he had been through and how bad it was and at the same time was praising God for what was done ... "In my distress I called to the Lord and He answered me." But the wording is not just praising God but also telling us that God answered him. "He answered me." Another example. "From the depths of the grave I called for help and You listened to my cry." Sounds like Jonah was reviewing all the things he went through before that big fish swallowed him. Then it sounds to me like Jonah is telling God that he will make a sacrifice to the Lord. Now remember Jonah had run from an assignment of God and was trying to hide out. That is the reason for the storm. Jonah also said, "What I have vowed, I will make good." Sounds to me like he is repenting and then knowingly tells all "Salvation comes from the Lord."
How about you, since you were saved, as Jonah was, have you ever drifted and then repented and came back really pleading with the Lord to help you, to save you? Maybe if I worded it like this, have you ever done a "backslide" or drifted away from God, even trying to hide an then at a low point in your life come back?
Think about those things and come back tomorrow and see what happens next.
Dear Father in Heaven, Thanks again for the messages, thanks for the food pantry, and please hear our prayers and please act on them according to Your will ... in Jesus' Name, Amen.
Now go forth and share your blessings. Look for the announcement later today, might be this evening. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Wed. 7/18/12 Fish Stories 3
Jonah 1:12 - "Pick me up and throw me into the sea," he replied, "and it will calm down. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you." 13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried to the Lord, "O Lord, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O Lord, have done as you pleased." 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this time the men greatly feared the Lord and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to Him. (NIV)
Good Salvation Wednesday Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Wow, Salvation Wednesday today, and please, please read the message today. Today is the day we pray for Salvation for those who are not "Born Again". Keep praying for Betty Deardorff, she is now in the hospital and seems to have had a stroke. Betty is the mother of prayer warrior Bobbie Tucker, on this line. Pray for Art Shope who is in the hospital ... for an 8 year old who has gone into a coma. Details will come in today, I am sure. Pray for our neighbors, seems one went missing and foul play is suspected. This is on the local news, out of Silver Spring Twp., Mechanicsburg, Pa. if you get the local news.
PRAISE REPORT. As hot a it was, ministry partner, Grant Crockett and I went to a football camp where food donations were brought in. We received a LOT of food, and tonight we go back for more. Grant will be out singing for the Lord, but I have helped line up to help. Pray for a lot of food to come in, our stock has been very, very low. BUT GOD ALWAYS COMES THROUGH!! AMEN ...
My closing question yesterday ... how many of each kind of animal did Jonah take with him? None was the answer, it was Noah that took the animals with him ... Hey, if you got it wrong, you are one of the 50% ... Got ya!! Thanks to all who read!
Let's get to the message ...
Fish Stories (Day 3). As we left Jonah yesterday he was on board a ship, the seas were raging, and he was being blamed for the storm. So let's get to the scriptures.
Jonah 1:12 - "Pick me up and throw me into the sea,"
This was Jonah saying this and why would he tell these sailors to throw him into the raging water? Brothers and sisters, he is taking personal responsibility for his actions! Remember, he ran way from the Lord and took a ship to try and hide. So what happened next? Wow, this is great!
Jonah 1:13 - Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried to the Lord, "O Lord, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O Lord, have done as you pleased."
Do you remember last week, on my last day on the subject of the fourth man in the fire, it was not just the protection for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were in the fire, or God in the fire with them saving them from the fire. It was the fact that through this, King Nebuchadnezzar got saved, came to God? Now here we have it again. Look at this, how the sailors first prayed to their "own gods", but when things got bad and they saw the faith of Jonah, telling all the sailors to just toss him overboard and God will calm the seas. However, before they tossed him to the raging sea they prayed to God, our Lord God, folks. They prayed to be saved, from the raging sea, and asked the Lord to not hold them accountable for the death of Jonah. I am sure they thought He would be killed. But after praying, they tossed Jonah over into the raging sea.
Amazing how God lined this up about me writing about the sailors coming to the Lord on a day we call Salvation Wednesday. God never stops amazing me, day after day after day, He does this, Truly Amazing Grace. So overboard Jonah went, and they said, How long can you tread water!! Oh, be quiet, Dan, they didn't say that. After the sailors tossed Jonah overboard, God calmed the seas. Then the sailors offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. And what happened to Jonah? Well, you just need to wait until tomorrow to see, and you will be amazed ...
Dear Father in heaven, Thank You for saving me from my sins and thanks for all you do and all the food we collected yesterday. Thanks for this line ... Please look over all of our prayer requests and please, Lord, Thy will be done ... In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Now go forth and share those blessings ... Love ya, Pastor Dan.
PS. Tomorrow, an announcement you will not want to miss ...
Good Salvation Wednesday Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Wow, Salvation Wednesday today, and please, please read the message today. Today is the day we pray for Salvation for those who are not "Born Again". Keep praying for Betty Deardorff, she is now in the hospital and seems to have had a stroke. Betty is the mother of prayer warrior Bobbie Tucker, on this line. Pray for Art Shope who is in the hospital ... for an 8 year old who has gone into a coma. Details will come in today, I am sure. Pray for our neighbors, seems one went missing and foul play is suspected. This is on the local news, out of Silver Spring Twp., Mechanicsburg, Pa. if you get the local news.
PRAISE REPORT. As hot a it was, ministry partner, Grant Crockett and I went to a football camp where food donations were brought in. We received a LOT of food, and tonight we go back for more. Grant will be out singing for the Lord, but I have helped line up to help. Pray for a lot of food to come in, our stock has been very, very low. BUT GOD ALWAYS COMES THROUGH!! AMEN ...
My closing question yesterday ... how many of each kind of animal did Jonah take with him? None was the answer, it was Noah that took the animals with him ... Hey, if you got it wrong, you are one of the 50% ... Got ya!! Thanks to all who read!
Let's get to the message ...
Fish Stories (Day 3). As we left Jonah yesterday he was on board a ship, the seas were raging, and he was being blamed for the storm. So let's get to the scriptures.
Jonah 1:12 - "Pick me up and throw me into the sea,"
This was Jonah saying this and why would he tell these sailors to throw him into the raging water? Brothers and sisters, he is taking personal responsibility for his actions! Remember, he ran way from the Lord and took a ship to try and hide. So what happened next? Wow, this is great!
Jonah 1:13 - Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried to the Lord, "O Lord, please do not let us die for taking this man's life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, O Lord, have done as you pleased."
Do you remember last week, on my last day on the subject of the fourth man in the fire, it was not just the protection for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were in the fire, or God in the fire with them saving them from the fire. It was the fact that through this, King Nebuchadnezzar got saved, came to God? Now here we have it again. Look at this, how the sailors first prayed to their "own gods", but when things got bad and they saw the faith of Jonah, telling all the sailors to just toss him overboard and God will calm the seas. However, before they tossed him to the raging sea they prayed to God, our Lord God, folks. They prayed to be saved, from the raging sea, and asked the Lord to not hold them accountable for the death of Jonah. I am sure they thought He would be killed. But after praying, they tossed Jonah over into the raging sea.
Amazing how God lined this up about me writing about the sailors coming to the Lord on a day we call Salvation Wednesday. God never stops amazing me, day after day after day, He does this, Truly Amazing Grace. So overboard Jonah went, and they said, How long can you tread water!! Oh, be quiet, Dan, they didn't say that. After the sailors tossed Jonah overboard, God calmed the seas. Then the sailors offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him. And what happened to Jonah? Well, you just need to wait until tomorrow to see, and you will be amazed ...
Dear Father in heaven, Thank You for saving me from my sins and thanks for all you do and all the food we collected yesterday. Thanks for this line ... Please look over all of our prayer requests and please, Lord, Thy will be done ... In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
Now go forth and share those blessings ... Love ya, Pastor Dan.
PS. Tomorrow, an announcement you will not want to miss ...
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Tuesday 7/17/12 Fish Stories 2
Jonah 1:4 - Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, "How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us, and we will not perish." 7 Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 So they asked him, "Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?" 9 He answered, "I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, The God of heaven, who made the sea and the land." 10 This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.) 11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, "What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?" (NIV)
Good Tuesday Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is a beautiful morning here at the Southern Location of the North Pole. On Tuesday we have been praying for cures for diseases of all types. Starting today, I want to change the main prayer subjects. This does not come without thinking, for more and more people seem to be hurt or killed this way than any one other group. Starting today we are going to be praying for "drivers" on Tuesday. Starting with professional drivers, those who drive buses, including charter buses, city transit buses, and school buses, also those who drive trucks for a living, big rigs, dump trucks, cement mixers, trash trucks, mail trucks, and those trucks that deliver things up and down the streets. And remember please taxi drivers as they too are to be professionals. Now we also need to move on to all other drivers, like you and me. Yes, we all need prayers, and also pray for bikers, bikes with or without motors, for if in traffic they all are required by law to obey the road laws. Folks, it is in the Bible we should obey the law. Yes, Titus 3:1. Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to do every good work. (King James) (Magistrates = Police officers of all types) This would make breaking the laws of the road a SIN ... I just bet you did not want to hear that this morning!
Another prayer request just in, please pray for Betty Deardorff, mother of our prayer warrior, Bobbie Tucker. She was taken by ambulance yesterday to the hospital, updates to follow. Please keep our food pantry in prayer again through Thursday, as we have a major food drive going on at a football camp.
Let's get to the message.
Fish Stories (Day Two). Behind all fishing are good fish stories, and a lot of them are, well, made bigger, you know, one of those "little white lies" we talk about from time to time. However, the "fish stories" that I am talking about now don't always stop at fishing! Some happen in the woods during hunting season, some even happen on the road. I mean we have all been cut off from time to time, and sometimes a near miss happens. But often that near miss takes on another form, called road rage, and the stories about them can really grow. Water cooler stories are the same, and when the story can travel from person to person it really grows, and in fact a lot of it is just plain gossip which is of course a sin on its own. The bad thing about those fish stories that go on all the time, and I am not talking now about the little white lies, I am talking about those who have trouble telling a real story that is true the whole way through. Lesson, watch your stories. Now I love to tell one of those big whoppers once in awhile, but when done, I also like to say something like this ... Ah, I just made that up!! Okay, let me get back on point from the scriptures ...
You remember yesterday we said that Jonah was "running from the Lord," and he got on board a "ship" that was going his way. So let's pick it up. Jonah was now on the ship, and please remember that the ships back in that day were not the big ships like we have today, they were big, but were powered often by sailors rowing them. (Could you see a Carnival Cruise Ship being powered by men and women rowing the thing?) Anyway, Jonah 1:4 tells us "the Lord sent a great wind on the sea." Okay, let me point this out right now ... God controlled the storms back then and He controls them today and again I remind you He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Okay, moving on. "Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up." Now the storm was that bad that the sailors were afraid. Now I would think these sailors would be big, strong men and would not scare easily, but the Bible tells us that they were indeed afraid. So what did these big guys do? They prayed to their gods. Each had their own god, and we know the only one on board that worshiped the real, one and only Lord God, who is the Father of us all. But wait a minute, Jonah had run away from Him, He did not like the assignment that God gave him and he took off. Now folks, I pointed this out yesterday, you just cannot hide from God. But does God ever flee from us? No, but we might think so, when some things go wrong. We must remember that He did not say we will have a perfect life on earth, that comes IF we get to heaven. (Yes, God has rules, they are called laws and commandments and coming to Him and not fleeing.) But anyway, the storm got bad, the sailors prayed to their god, and then found Jonah sleeping below deck. They woke him and asked him to talk to his god, and of course we know that he had the real God. But Jonah also had God mad at him for fleeing. So the sailors blamed Jonah for the storm. They asked him all sorts of questions, who are you? where are you from? Etc. Then they asked him this, "What have you done?"
Now we know Jonah was fleeing, and then the storms really got rough, and rougher, and they asked Jonah what should we do to make the seas calm again? So then what happened ... oops, time's up, we will pick it up there on Wednesday.
Dear Father in Heaven, thanks for another day of life, and thanks again for this line, and thanks for always taking time to answer all of our prayers, even if we do not like Your answer. Help us to know that You know what is best for us, and to always honor Your will. Please look over our long list of prayer requests and act on them according to Your will. Lord, keep your people safe this day. Amen.
Now, one question before I sign off ... How many of each kind of animal did Jonah take with him? Now go forth and share your blessings. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Good Tuesday Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is a beautiful morning here at the Southern Location of the North Pole. On Tuesday we have been praying for cures for diseases of all types. Starting today, I want to change the main prayer subjects. This does not come without thinking, for more and more people seem to be hurt or killed this way than any one other group. Starting today we are going to be praying for "drivers" on Tuesday. Starting with professional drivers, those who drive buses, including charter buses, city transit buses, and school buses, also those who drive trucks for a living, big rigs, dump trucks, cement mixers, trash trucks, mail trucks, and those trucks that deliver things up and down the streets. And remember please taxi drivers as they too are to be professionals. Now we also need to move on to all other drivers, like you and me. Yes, we all need prayers, and also pray for bikers, bikes with or without motors, for if in traffic they all are required by law to obey the road laws. Folks, it is in the Bible we should obey the law. Yes, Titus 3:1. Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to do every good work. (King James) (Magistrates = Police officers of all types) This would make breaking the laws of the road a SIN ... I just bet you did not want to hear that this morning!
Another prayer request just in, please pray for Betty Deardorff, mother of our prayer warrior, Bobbie Tucker. She was taken by ambulance yesterday to the hospital, updates to follow. Please keep our food pantry in prayer again through Thursday, as we have a major food drive going on at a football camp.
Let's get to the message.
Fish Stories (Day Two). Behind all fishing are good fish stories, and a lot of them are, well, made bigger, you know, one of those "little white lies" we talk about from time to time. However, the "fish stories" that I am talking about now don't always stop at fishing! Some happen in the woods during hunting season, some even happen on the road. I mean we have all been cut off from time to time, and sometimes a near miss happens. But often that near miss takes on another form, called road rage, and the stories about them can really grow. Water cooler stories are the same, and when the story can travel from person to person it really grows, and in fact a lot of it is just plain gossip which is of course a sin on its own. The bad thing about those fish stories that go on all the time, and I am not talking now about the little white lies, I am talking about those who have trouble telling a real story that is true the whole way through. Lesson, watch your stories. Now I love to tell one of those big whoppers once in awhile, but when done, I also like to say something like this ... Ah, I just made that up!! Okay, let me get back on point from the scriptures ...
You remember yesterday we said that Jonah was "running from the Lord," and he got on board a "ship" that was going his way. So let's pick it up. Jonah was now on the ship, and please remember that the ships back in that day were not the big ships like we have today, they were big, but were powered often by sailors rowing them. (Could you see a Carnival Cruise Ship being powered by men and women rowing the thing?) Anyway, Jonah 1:4 tells us "the Lord sent a great wind on the sea." Okay, let me point this out right now ... God controlled the storms back then and He controls them today and again I remind you He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Okay, moving on. "Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up." Now the storm was that bad that the sailors were afraid. Now I would think these sailors would be big, strong men and would not scare easily, but the Bible tells us that they were indeed afraid. So what did these big guys do? They prayed to their gods. Each had their own god, and we know the only one on board that worshiped the real, one and only Lord God, who is the Father of us all. But wait a minute, Jonah had run away from Him, He did not like the assignment that God gave him and he took off. Now folks, I pointed this out yesterday, you just cannot hide from God. But does God ever flee from us? No, but we might think so, when some things go wrong. We must remember that He did not say we will have a perfect life on earth, that comes IF we get to heaven. (Yes, God has rules, they are called laws and commandments and coming to Him and not fleeing.) But anyway, the storm got bad, the sailors prayed to their god, and then found Jonah sleeping below deck. They woke him and asked him to talk to his god, and of course we know that he had the real God. But Jonah also had God mad at him for fleeing. So the sailors blamed Jonah for the storm. They asked him all sorts of questions, who are you? where are you from? Etc. Then they asked him this, "What have you done?"
Now we know Jonah was fleeing, and then the storms really got rough, and rougher, and they asked Jonah what should we do to make the seas calm again? So then what happened ... oops, time's up, we will pick it up there on Wednesday.
Dear Father in Heaven, thanks for another day of life, and thanks again for this line, and thanks for always taking time to answer all of our prayers, even if we do not like Your answer. Help us to know that You know what is best for us, and to always honor Your will. Please look over our long list of prayer requests and act on them according to Your will. Lord, keep your people safe this day. Amen.
Now, one question before I sign off ... How many of each kind of animal did Jonah take with him? Now go forth and share your blessings. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Monday 7/16/12 Fish Stories
Jonah 1:1 - The word of the Lord came to Jonah, son of Amittal: 2 "Go to the great city of Ninevah and preach against it, because its wickedness has come before me." 3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarsish to flee from the Lord. (NIV)
Good Monday Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is a beautiful morning here at the Southern Location of the North Pole, and thanks to our Lord Jesus, who is in charge of the weather, sent rain upon us last evening. Monday and the day we pray for our leaders, President Obama, and his family and our other leaders in Washington, DC. Pray also for the leaders in your state house, local governments, and please remember the ones who run our schools. We also have a lot of prayer requests, one I want to just list the way it came in. This one from Joe Zimmerman.
Hi Pastor Dan! Joanne's surgery was not 5 weeks ago. She had stopped breathing and had difficulty breathing during recovery from the anesthesia. I thought I had lost her. She spent 3 days in ICU. She was discharged to bed rest at home, probably too early, but you know insurance companies. Several days later her incision collapsed and infection set in. Back to the surgeon and more blood tests. More antibiotics and pain meds. Rest for 2 more weeks, then blood tests. Went to the surgeon this past Friday. Infection is still there. More antibiotics and pain med. I change the bandages 2-3 times a day.
Please continue to remember her in your prayers. We are thankful some healing is taking place but there are still serious medical issues with her spine and the fusion hardware they put in. Thanks for your concern. I read and keep your email every day on my computer. I enjoy reading them and what is happening in your ministry! Joe Zimmerman
Prayers also for Barbara who had knee replacement surgery and when the medical staff tried to move her they messed up the doctor's work and she is now in a cast. For Patsy Emig, as she recovers in a rehab hospital. For Vicki, whose plate seems to keep getting fuller with health issues, Pam Bower, as she has injections for her back, for Grant Crockett's back and shoulders, for Dolores Lehman, as she struggles each day just to move, yet she moves out for Jesus day. For Matthew Lehman, our son, who is in the Holy Spirit Hospital with major problems with depression. Sterling and Luella Funck, Doris Lively, both from our flock at the Bridges. For Leslie, who is working on losing weight for health reasons. Also prayers for (name removed by me) for weight loss. Pray for NASCAR driver 24-Jeff Gordon, as he flies to Africa to be with former President William Clinton (pray for him also) as they open a cancer center. Folks, NASCAR and its drivers support a lot of charities.
Big prayer list today, so let me get to the message and try and keep that short for today.
Fish Stories (Day One). For everyone who has ever gone fishing, there is a fish story in their life. Some are true, and some have been, well, for the most part, enlarged!! I once heard this little note. "I ask a simple question, the answer I surely wish, are all the fishermen liars, or do all the liars fish?" (author unknown)
The Word of the Lord came to Jonah! Now let me stop right away and digest this first part of the scripture. The Word of the Lord came to Jonah! How often does the Word of the Lord come to you? Would you know if it really came to you? And would you really listen if it did come to you? Folks, each day I pray to the Lord for a lot of reasons, to thank Him for things and to talk to Him about other things and yes, to ask Him for things. Then I need to listen, and brothers and sisters, God will always answers, however, often I do not like His answers. Sometimes His answers just come in results I can see, and other times He just speaks to my heart. And folks, He does it for everyone, not just a select few, or pastors. One thing I ask for daily is the message, and I try my best to follow what He tells me to do.
What happened when Jonah received this Word of the Lord? Let's look. "Go to the great city of Ninevah and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. So we see that the Lord sent His word upon Jonah and what did Jonah do? He ran away, he took off, he flew the coop. For whatever reason, Jonah did not want to take this assignment from God and go and preach where God wanted him to go. So he ran from God, and brothers and sisters, as we will see in the next few days, you just cannot run from God. You might think you can, but you can't. He sees you where you are and how you are, and oops, excuse me, I need to go get dressed, yes, He even sees what you have on at the computer. (I am dressed a tad, but no shower yet.) (Good thing we do not have a smell-a-vision yet.) Anyway, God knows where we are and what we are doing all the time. Wow, a good time to just pause and say this prayer ...
Dear Lord, please forgive me of my sins, those I have done and those I even thought about doing ... in Jesus' name, Amen.
I know many men and women who have prayed for direction in their lives and even in the ministry. I know that sometimes doors are closed and people pray for another opening. Sometimes this could be in the ministry or just on you getting a job. If you have faith in God, real faith and you have been laid off from work, pray and go job hunting, He will open another door. Remember, it might not be just what you want, but what He wants for you at this time. EVEN IF IT PAYS LESS THAN UNEMPLOYMENT COMP.
You can feel that tugging in your hearts, and I know in the ministry, sometimes directions get changed. It has happened to use in Carry The Light Ministries over the years, and even at the age of Dolores and I, we along with our ministry team will make changes to grow in faith and grow in God.
But what happened to Jonah when he tried to run from the Lord? See you tomorrow, as Jonah starts out in a ship.
Dear Father in Heaven, please look over our prayer requests and act upon them according to Your will for us, and please talk to us and help us listen for Your answers ... Lord, thanks for the rain and all You do for all of us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Now go forth, sharing your blessings and listening for God to answer you after you have spoken to Him, and listen for Him, even if you forgot to pray ... and remember this: I love ya, Pastor Dan.
Good Monday Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is a beautiful morning here at the Southern Location of the North Pole, and thanks to our Lord Jesus, who is in charge of the weather, sent rain upon us last evening. Monday and the day we pray for our leaders, President Obama, and his family and our other leaders in Washington, DC. Pray also for the leaders in your state house, local governments, and please remember the ones who run our schools. We also have a lot of prayer requests, one I want to just list the way it came in. This one from Joe Zimmerman.
Hi Pastor Dan! Joanne's surgery was not 5 weeks ago. She had stopped breathing and had difficulty breathing during recovery from the anesthesia. I thought I had lost her. She spent 3 days in ICU. She was discharged to bed rest at home, probably too early, but you know insurance companies. Several days later her incision collapsed and infection set in. Back to the surgeon and more blood tests. More antibiotics and pain meds. Rest for 2 more weeks, then blood tests. Went to the surgeon this past Friday. Infection is still there. More antibiotics and pain med. I change the bandages 2-3 times a day.
Please continue to remember her in your prayers. We are thankful some healing is taking place but there are still serious medical issues with her spine and the fusion hardware they put in. Thanks for your concern. I read and keep your email every day on my computer. I enjoy reading them and what is happening in your ministry! Joe Zimmerman
Prayers also for Barbara who had knee replacement surgery and when the medical staff tried to move her they messed up the doctor's work and she is now in a cast. For Patsy Emig, as she recovers in a rehab hospital. For Vicki, whose plate seems to keep getting fuller with health issues, Pam Bower, as she has injections for her back, for Grant Crockett's back and shoulders, for Dolores Lehman, as she struggles each day just to move, yet she moves out for Jesus day. For Matthew Lehman, our son, who is in the Holy Spirit Hospital with major problems with depression. Sterling and Luella Funck, Doris Lively, both from our flock at the Bridges. For Leslie, who is working on losing weight for health reasons. Also prayers for (name removed by me) for weight loss. Pray for NASCAR driver 24-Jeff Gordon, as he flies to Africa to be with former President William Clinton (pray for him also) as they open a cancer center. Folks, NASCAR and its drivers support a lot of charities.
Big prayer list today, so let me get to the message and try and keep that short for today.
Fish Stories (Day One). For everyone who has ever gone fishing, there is a fish story in their life. Some are true, and some have been, well, for the most part, enlarged!! I once heard this little note. "I ask a simple question, the answer I surely wish, are all the fishermen liars, or do all the liars fish?" (author unknown)
The Word of the Lord came to Jonah! Now let me stop right away and digest this first part of the scripture. The Word of the Lord came to Jonah! How often does the Word of the Lord come to you? Would you know if it really came to you? And would you really listen if it did come to you? Folks, each day I pray to the Lord for a lot of reasons, to thank Him for things and to talk to Him about other things and yes, to ask Him for things. Then I need to listen, and brothers and sisters, God will always answers, however, often I do not like His answers. Sometimes His answers just come in results I can see, and other times He just speaks to my heart. And folks, He does it for everyone, not just a select few, or pastors. One thing I ask for daily is the message, and I try my best to follow what He tells me to do.
What happened when Jonah received this Word of the Lord? Let's look. "Go to the great city of Ninevah and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me." But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. So we see that the Lord sent His word upon Jonah and what did Jonah do? He ran away, he took off, he flew the coop. For whatever reason, Jonah did not want to take this assignment from God and go and preach where God wanted him to go. So he ran from God, and brothers and sisters, as we will see in the next few days, you just cannot run from God. You might think you can, but you can't. He sees you where you are and how you are, and oops, excuse me, I need to go get dressed, yes, He even sees what you have on at the computer. (I am dressed a tad, but no shower yet.) (Good thing we do not have a smell-a-vision yet.) Anyway, God knows where we are and what we are doing all the time. Wow, a good time to just pause and say this prayer ...
Dear Lord, please forgive me of my sins, those I have done and those I even thought about doing ... in Jesus' name, Amen.
I know many men and women who have prayed for direction in their lives and even in the ministry. I know that sometimes doors are closed and people pray for another opening. Sometimes this could be in the ministry or just on you getting a job. If you have faith in God, real faith and you have been laid off from work, pray and go job hunting, He will open another door. Remember, it might not be just what you want, but what He wants for you at this time. EVEN IF IT PAYS LESS THAN UNEMPLOYMENT COMP.
You can feel that tugging in your hearts, and I know in the ministry, sometimes directions get changed. It has happened to use in Carry The Light Ministries over the years, and even at the age of Dolores and I, we along with our ministry team will make changes to grow in faith and grow in God.
But what happened to Jonah when he tried to run from the Lord? See you tomorrow, as Jonah starts out in a ship.
Dear Father in Heaven, please look over our prayer requests and act upon them according to Your will for us, and please talk to us and help us listen for Your answers ... Lord, thanks for the rain and all You do for all of us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Now go forth, sharing your blessings and listening for God to answer you after you have spoken to Him, and listen for Him, even if you forgot to pray ... and remember this: I love ya, Pastor Dan.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Friday 7/13/12 Hot Heat 5
Daniel 3:28 - Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent His angel and rescued His servants! They trusted in Him and defied the king's command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way." 30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the province of Babylon. (NIV)
Good Friday Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Folks, please pray for Paul and Susan who came for food today. Paul has lung cancer and had to drop off work. His wife Susan has health problems and just lost her job, and they have an adult child who is going for back surgery and lives at home. It is Friday and the day we pray for all those working in the fields of Harvest. Please pray for Tom Sansoni as he is working with more than one ministry and keeps on keeping on for Jesus. Tom's wife Kathleen went home to be with Jesus just over a a year ago, and Tom, knowing she is with Jesus, keeps stepping out sharing his blessings Jesus gave him. The biggest blessings, the love of Jesus and others ... Please also keep praying for Dan Stoner and is family. This family flies in the back woods to get the word out. They are in Togo, West Africa. Pray for Tim Beitzel as he is out singing, preaching, and teaching. Now while I could go on and name others, let me look at these three, all of whom I know, Tom and Din better than Dan. All are doing important work. Dan flies to places you cannot get into any other way. Tom goes behind the walls of prisons and also works with the Salvation Army. Tim has a heart to teach, sing, and preach in churches and other gatherings like our Ministry picnic last weekend. All working for Jesus on different assignments. Then we have local pastors such as Pastor Larry Hale. God needs all workers for Him. What is your assignment from God? Pray about it, talk to God about it, and then follow His instruction. All are working to get people to the feet of Jesus so they can be saved. Those working in the fields, outside of the walls of a building we think of as church, work hard to not just bring in the lost but get them hooked up with a good church, and then those pastors like Pastor Larry and singer, songwriter Tim can really hammer home the word. And remember guys like Dan and Tom need to get into churches to keep filled and fueled, and guys like Pastor Larry and Tim also go outside the walls of the building. You see, there is just no limit what you can do when you decide to not just follow Jesus but work for Him also. Are you ready today to pick an assignment if you are not out there already? So warriors, pray for those mentioned, and all who work for the Lord, and pray for those who don't pick up the slack and go out working for God ... Someone please shout AMEN. Now let me get to the message.
Hot Heat (Day Five). You remember yesterday after Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fire, King Nebuchadnezzar jumped to his feet and asked his adisors, did we just put three men into the fire? And folks, that fire was seven times hotter than a fire was in the furnaces back in those days. And remember the soldiers who took Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to the furnace were fried (burnt to death). The advisors said to the king, yes, we only put in three. The king said, well, look in that fire, there are four men up, untied, and we had the three tied and they are now untied and they are walking around with a fourth man. The king said the fourth man looked like the son of gods. Now folks, I most always use the New International Version of the Bible, but I did not really like the wording on this one, so I went back and pulled out my King James Version which states it this way. "and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." You and I know that it was God in that fire.
Now we know that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego loved God and that they were saved, they had God in their hearts, and please remember that God is Jesus, and because that is so important I want to once again put that scripture in.
John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. John 1:14 - The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (NIV)
Now I promised you that there was something in my opinion that is embedded in the scripture about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fourth man in the fourth man in the fire that is so important. Maybe even better than how Goid saved Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fire, was the fact, are you ready for this? King Nebuchadnezzar came to God!!! This made a believer out of the king and in fact in his way started at once getting out the word about God. How did he do that? Well, first he said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego." Then the king said, "they trusted in their God and defied the king's command and were even willing to die for it." Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were so sure of the love of their God and that life and it is life, after life on the earth, life in heaven with God would be better than life on earth without Him. In Daniel 3:29, the king said "therefore I decree that people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego will be cut into pieces."
Now, brothers and sisters, that is a turn-around, and while God does not want us to kill anyone who will not listen to the Good News about Jesus, we are just told to dust off our feet and move on. Now let me wrap all of this up today and for the week by just saying, often it takes a major happening in our lives to bring us to Christ. Were we down to the bottom when we gave our lives over to be saved, or maybe we saw it happen to a family member or a friend. If you did not believe in Jesus as your Savior and you had a child that did and your home was on fire and you saw a person bring your child out of that fire, would you not believe? Think about it, how King Nebuchadnezzar came to Christ and then think about how you came.
Dear Father in Heaven, please be with the Coffin family, the word came in while I was typing this that Don's wife Helen just went to be with you, so Father, please comfort the family. Lord, be with all those who work for You, and protect them. Thanks for the lessons of this week, and Lord, please touch the others on our prayer lists. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Now go forth and share your blessings. Have a great weekend ... And folks, get out of the fire and get with Jesus. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Good Friday Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Folks, please pray for Paul and Susan who came for food today. Paul has lung cancer and had to drop off work. His wife Susan has health problems and just lost her job, and they have an adult child who is going for back surgery and lives at home. It is Friday and the day we pray for all those working in the fields of Harvest. Please pray for Tom Sansoni as he is working with more than one ministry and keeps on keeping on for Jesus. Tom's wife Kathleen went home to be with Jesus just over a a year ago, and Tom, knowing she is with Jesus, keeps stepping out sharing his blessings Jesus gave him. The biggest blessings, the love of Jesus and others ... Please also keep praying for Dan Stoner and is family. This family flies in the back woods to get the word out. They are in Togo, West Africa. Pray for Tim Beitzel as he is out singing, preaching, and teaching. Now while I could go on and name others, let me look at these three, all of whom I know, Tom and Din better than Dan. All are doing important work. Dan flies to places you cannot get into any other way. Tom goes behind the walls of prisons and also works with the Salvation Army. Tim has a heart to teach, sing, and preach in churches and other gatherings like our Ministry picnic last weekend. All working for Jesus on different assignments. Then we have local pastors such as Pastor Larry Hale. God needs all workers for Him. What is your assignment from God? Pray about it, talk to God about it, and then follow His instruction. All are working to get people to the feet of Jesus so they can be saved. Those working in the fields, outside of the walls of a building we think of as church, work hard to not just bring in the lost but get them hooked up with a good church, and then those pastors like Pastor Larry and singer, songwriter Tim can really hammer home the word. And remember guys like Dan and Tom need to get into churches to keep filled and fueled, and guys like Pastor Larry and Tim also go outside the walls of the building. You see, there is just no limit what you can do when you decide to not just follow Jesus but work for Him also. Are you ready today to pick an assignment if you are not out there already? So warriors, pray for those mentioned, and all who work for the Lord, and pray for those who don't pick up the slack and go out working for God ... Someone please shout AMEN. Now let me get to the message.
Hot Heat (Day Five). You remember yesterday after Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fire, King Nebuchadnezzar jumped to his feet and asked his adisors, did we just put three men into the fire? And folks, that fire was seven times hotter than a fire was in the furnaces back in those days. And remember the soldiers who took Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to the furnace were fried (burnt to death). The advisors said to the king, yes, we only put in three. The king said, well, look in that fire, there are four men up, untied, and we had the three tied and they are now untied and they are walking around with a fourth man. The king said the fourth man looked like the son of gods. Now folks, I most always use the New International Version of the Bible, but I did not really like the wording on this one, so I went back and pulled out my King James Version which states it this way. "and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." You and I know that it was God in that fire.
Now we know that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego loved God and that they were saved, they had God in their hearts, and please remember that God is Jesus, and because that is so important I want to once again put that scripture in.
John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. John 1:14 - The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (NIV)
Now I promised you that there was something in my opinion that is embedded in the scripture about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and the fourth man in the fourth man in the fire that is so important. Maybe even better than how Goid saved Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fire, was the fact, are you ready for this? King Nebuchadnezzar came to God!!! This made a believer out of the king and in fact in his way started at once getting out the word about God. How did he do that? Well, first he said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego." Then the king said, "they trusted in their God and defied the king's command and were even willing to die for it." Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were so sure of the love of their God and that life and it is life, after life on the earth, life in heaven with God would be better than life on earth without Him. In Daniel 3:29, the king said "therefore I decree that people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego will be cut into pieces."
Now, brothers and sisters, that is a turn-around, and while God does not want us to kill anyone who will not listen to the Good News about Jesus, we are just told to dust off our feet and move on. Now let me wrap all of this up today and for the week by just saying, often it takes a major happening in our lives to bring us to Christ. Were we down to the bottom when we gave our lives over to be saved, or maybe we saw it happen to a family member or a friend. If you did not believe in Jesus as your Savior and you had a child that did and your home was on fire and you saw a person bring your child out of that fire, would you not believe? Think about it, how King Nebuchadnezzar came to Christ and then think about how you came.
Dear Father in Heaven, please be with the Coffin family, the word came in while I was typing this that Don's wife Helen just went to be with you, so Father, please comfort the family. Lord, be with all those who work for You, and protect them. Thanks for the lessons of this week, and Lord, please touch the others on our prayer lists. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Now go forth and share your blessings. Have a great weekend ... And folks, get out of the fire and get with Jesus. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Thursday 7/12/12 Hot Heat 4
Daniel 3:19 - Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual 20 and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. 22 The king's command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego 23 and these three men firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. 24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, "certainly, O king." 25 He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods." 26 Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire 27 and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisors crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them. (NIV)
Good Thursday Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Last evening, we got a tad of rain, but still I had to water the plants. Praise God for the water in our wells. Thursday, the day we pray for churches, Vacation Bible Schools, schools, and families. Pray for Pastor Larry and Glenvale Church of God Vacation Bible School. Let's get to the message ...
Hot Heat (Day 4). So we see today that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who had been brought before the king who, when finding out they would not bow down to his false god, the alter of gold, was really upset, the Bible says furious, so the furnace was ordered to be seven times hotter than normal. Now that is done by the number of bellows forcing air into the fire box. Now while we know the "HOT HEAT" was on, we do not know the degrees of that heat. We do know this, the fire was that hot that the soldiers who took Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to the furnace were fried and died and they were not in the fire pit. So the three were in the fire, and then the king saw it, four men walking around in the fire ... FOUR MEN, NOT JUST Shadrach, Meshach and ABednego, but there was another. And we know who that was.
Put yourself in the shows of the king for a minute or two and think about all he went through to kill these men. Even if you had not put them in the fire, think about it. How could this happen, the fire so hot, and yet these men got out. So do you think these things happen today? I do not want you to go and jump into a fire because we are not to test God, but think back in your life, did you have an event where you know, really know that the only way you got through it was by the grace of God? I could write three times in my life where I know it was only by the grace of God that got people through. Once when I was run over on my cycle, once when our granddaughter was in a bad crash and God had someone right there to help her. Also our grandson hit a deer on his motorcycle and it was said he was over 100 MPH when he hit that deer. I am sure you could all think of a time when God helped you "out of the fire" so to speak.
So this Amazing happening, this life saving event, could only be done by God, and God was right in the heat of the fire with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. However, it gets better, it really doe. So many folks stop the story right here. We know that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had faith, they had the faith of the mustard seed.
Matthew 13:31 - He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so the birds of the air come and perch on it." (NIV)
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had that great faith, and they were even in the presence of God, in person, so what then could be better than this? Oh yes, there is something better, in my opinion, anyway. But guess what? You need to come back tomorrow and we will put it to bed (so to speak). No, it will wake you up.
Dear Father in Heaven, thanks again for the message this day, and please, dear God, forgive us of our sins. Hear our prayers today for our churches and the Vacation Bible Schools, and please take care of the Bible school up there in the valley. Thy will be done, dear Jesus, in all things we pray, for Your will is always better than ours. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Now go forth and share your blessings, and please remember Jesus is your greatest blessing, just having Him in your heart, so you can share Him is a good thing. We do not to always think about sharing your material blessings, sharing the love of Jesus is ALWAYS A GOOD THING. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Good Thursday Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Last evening, we got a tad of rain, but still I had to water the plants. Praise God for the water in our wells. Thursday, the day we pray for churches, Vacation Bible Schools, schools, and families. Pray for Pastor Larry and Glenvale Church of God Vacation Bible School. Let's get to the message ...
Hot Heat (Day 4). So we see today that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who had been brought before the king who, when finding out they would not bow down to his false god, the alter of gold, was really upset, the Bible says furious, so the furnace was ordered to be seven times hotter than normal. Now that is done by the number of bellows forcing air into the fire box. Now while we know the "HOT HEAT" was on, we do not know the degrees of that heat. We do know this, the fire was that hot that the soldiers who took Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to the furnace were fried and died and they were not in the fire pit. So the three were in the fire, and then the king saw it, four men walking around in the fire ... FOUR MEN, NOT JUST Shadrach, Meshach and ABednego, but there was another. And we know who that was.
Put yourself in the shows of the king for a minute or two and think about all he went through to kill these men. Even if you had not put them in the fire, think about it. How could this happen, the fire so hot, and yet these men got out. So do you think these things happen today? I do not want you to go and jump into a fire because we are not to test God, but think back in your life, did you have an event where you know, really know that the only way you got through it was by the grace of God? I could write three times in my life where I know it was only by the grace of God that got people through. Once when I was run over on my cycle, once when our granddaughter was in a bad crash and God had someone right there to help her. Also our grandson hit a deer on his motorcycle and it was said he was over 100 MPH when he hit that deer. I am sure you could all think of a time when God helped you "out of the fire" so to speak.
So this Amazing happening, this life saving event, could only be done by God, and God was right in the heat of the fire with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. However, it gets better, it really doe. So many folks stop the story right here. We know that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had faith, they had the faith of the mustard seed.
Matthew 13:31 - He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so the birds of the air come and perch on it." (NIV)
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego had that great faith, and they were even in the presence of God, in person, so what then could be better than this? Oh yes, there is something better, in my opinion, anyway. But guess what? You need to come back tomorrow and we will put it to bed (so to speak). No, it will wake you up.
Dear Father in Heaven, thanks again for the message this day, and please, dear God, forgive us of our sins. Hear our prayers today for our churches and the Vacation Bible Schools, and please take care of the Bible school up there in the valley. Thy will be done, dear Jesus, in all things we pray, for Your will is always better than ours. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Now go forth and share your blessings, and please remember Jesus is your greatest blessing, just having Him in your heart, so you can share Him is a good thing. We do not to always think about sharing your material blessings, sharing the love of Jesus is ALWAYS A GOOD THING. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Wed 7/11/12 Hot Heat 3
Daniel 3:13 - Furious with rage, Nebuchadnezzar summoned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. So these three men were brought before the king, 14 and Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up? 15 Now when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, if you are ready to fall down and worship the image I made, very good. But if you do not worship it, you will be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?" 16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." 19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed ... (NIV)
Good Salvation Wednesday, my dear brothers and sisters. What a great day to be alive and also to one who is Born Again. You are Born Again, right? Salvation Wednesday and the day we pray for those who are not saved, and pray that God will use we who are saved to help lead them to the feet of Jesus. Again, I remind all that we cannot save a soul, only Jesus can do that, but we must get the good news to them as ordered, commanded by our Lord Jesus to do. Now speaking of that, please pray for Tom Sansoni as he heads to the Forsyth Jail for prison ministry. Tom asks for prayer for forty chaplains that work with the prison ministry and the sixty plus churches from the Winston-Salem North Carolina area. Let's get to the message.
Hot Heat (Day Three). Yesterday I asked for three names, even gave the scriptures where they were. Thanks for those who replied. All who replied made no mistakes. For those who did not reply, the names of the three men were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
You recall yesterday I told you that some astrologers finked on them to the king because they would not bow down to his altar of gold. So we pick it up today with King Nebuchadnezzar calling for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to come before him. King Nebuchadnezzar was upset, furious, the Bible tells us, mad as all get out, I might say. So when the king calls forth Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, what happened? Well, the king wanted them to bow down before his god, which was the altar of gold, and even warned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that if they did not they would be put into the fire. Now this really neat thing happened ... These three men, these Jews, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, even after being warned what would happen, refused to go into the fire, and said that their God would save them, and even if He decided not to save them, they were still better off with their God than the king's god.
Now let me ask all of you, and be serious about this, if someone would ask you to bow down to an altar of any type like gold or silver or maybe some other thing, and I am not talking about you getting on your knees at the altar in your church, unless of course you go to one of these churches that do not worship the one and only God, our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, there are churches that have altars that do not worship God, they might have their god, but that is not God. Some of these funny butt churches might think they have you worshipping God when indeed they do not practice what is in the Bible and all that is in the Bible they cannot be serving Jesus Christ. And listen to me here also, even when you get on your knees in a good Christian church, be sure you are worshipping God and not just the picture of Him on the wall or the cross in front of that church that is a symbol of where He died. As a Christian, I love seeing both the empty cross showing He has risen and also the cross with Jesus shown on the cross, reminding me what He did for me. And again I remind us all that we are not to worship these crosses. Also remember that when we bow down at the altar for communion we are not worshipping the pastor or priest, we are worshipping God. As a pastor, I want to be very clear to all that if someone seems to be bowing to us, we need to be setting them straight right away. Okay, my question again, would you bow down or would you say no, I bow down to Jesus Christ only? What if they had a gun to your head?
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said they would take their chances with their God, and their God and my God are the same person and I for one will tell you that I will side with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and would stand before God, and not a god. Would it be hard if you had that gun at your head? I am sure it would be and I hope it never happens. Let me wrap this up by saying, let's stand up for Jesus and by standing up for Jesus we could call it bowing down to Jesus and only Jesus ...
Two more days, hang in there with me, tomorrow what happens to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and then on Friday the most amazing thing happens, and you will just not believe it ... You just got to be back for that one.
Dear Father in Heaven, it is Salvation Day on our line and I pray today for the unsaved and ask that You use we who are saved to spread the word. Be with Tom and all those who work prison ministries for Jesus, not just in Tom's area but worldwide. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Now go forth and share your blessings. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Good Salvation Wednesday, my dear brothers and sisters. What a great day to be alive and also to one who is Born Again. You are Born Again, right? Salvation Wednesday and the day we pray for those who are not saved, and pray that God will use we who are saved to help lead them to the feet of Jesus. Again, I remind all that we cannot save a soul, only Jesus can do that, but we must get the good news to them as ordered, commanded by our Lord Jesus to do. Now speaking of that, please pray for Tom Sansoni as he heads to the Forsyth Jail for prison ministry. Tom asks for prayer for forty chaplains that work with the prison ministry and the sixty plus churches from the Winston-Salem North Carolina area. Let's get to the message.
Hot Heat (Day Three). Yesterday I asked for three names, even gave the scriptures where they were. Thanks for those who replied. All who replied made no mistakes. For those who did not reply, the names of the three men were Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
You recall yesterday I told you that some astrologers finked on them to the king because they would not bow down to his altar of gold. So we pick it up today with King Nebuchadnezzar calling for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to come before him. King Nebuchadnezzar was upset, furious, the Bible tells us, mad as all get out, I might say. So when the king calls forth Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, what happened? Well, the king wanted them to bow down before his god, which was the altar of gold, and even warned Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego that if they did not they would be put into the fire. Now this really neat thing happened ... These three men, these Jews, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, even after being warned what would happen, refused to go into the fire, and said that their God would save them, and even if He decided not to save them, they were still better off with their God than the king's god.
Now let me ask all of you, and be serious about this, if someone would ask you to bow down to an altar of any type like gold or silver or maybe some other thing, and I am not talking about you getting on your knees at the altar in your church, unless of course you go to one of these churches that do not worship the one and only God, our Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, there are churches that have altars that do not worship God, they might have their god, but that is not God. Some of these funny butt churches might think they have you worshipping God when indeed they do not practice what is in the Bible and all that is in the Bible they cannot be serving Jesus Christ. And listen to me here also, even when you get on your knees in a good Christian church, be sure you are worshipping God and not just the picture of Him on the wall or the cross in front of that church that is a symbol of where He died. As a Christian, I love seeing both the empty cross showing He has risen and also the cross with Jesus shown on the cross, reminding me what He did for me. And again I remind us all that we are not to worship these crosses. Also remember that when we bow down at the altar for communion we are not worshipping the pastor or priest, we are worshipping God. As a pastor, I want to be very clear to all that if someone seems to be bowing to us, we need to be setting them straight right away. Okay, my question again, would you bow down or would you say no, I bow down to Jesus Christ only? What if they had a gun to your head?
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said they would take their chances with their God, and their God and my God are the same person and I for one will tell you that I will side with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and would stand before God, and not a god. Would it be hard if you had that gun at your head? I am sure it would be and I hope it never happens. Let me wrap this up by saying, let's stand up for Jesus and by standing up for Jesus we could call it bowing down to Jesus and only Jesus ...
Two more days, hang in there with me, tomorrow what happens to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and then on Friday the most amazing thing happens, and you will just not believe it ... You just got to be back for that one.
Dear Father in Heaven, it is Salvation Day on our line and I pray today for the unsaved and ask that You use we who are saved to spread the word. Be with Tom and all those who work prison ministries for Jesus, not just in Tom's area but worldwide. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Now go forth and share your blessings. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Tuesday 7/10/12 Hot Heat 2
Daniel 3:4 - Then the herald loudly proclaimed, "This is what you are commanded to do, O peoples, nations and men of every language. 5 As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up. 6 Whoever will not fall down and worship will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace. 7 Therefore as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 8 At this time some astrologers came forward and denounced the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, live forever!" 10 "You have issued a decree, O king, that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold, 11 and that whoever does not fall down will be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, __________, __________, and __________, who pay no attention to you, O king. They neither serve your gods nor worship the image of gold you have set up. (NIV)
Good Tuesday morning, my dear brothers and sisters, it is a beautiful day here at the Southern Location of the North Pole. Please pray today for a cure for all those diseases that we need a cure for, things like cancer, heart problems, kidney failures. Please also pray for Dave, who is crippled up with arthrodesis, Dutch Webster, cancer. Sally Snyder, kidney failure, Dolores, kidney failure, knee failure (third time) and scoliosis.
Praise report for Dolores. She as a rule gets shots every other week and was at the doctor's today. A blood test shows no shots needed for one month. PRAISE GOD for this report. Let me get to the message.
Computer reminder. I will no longer open anything that has more than one forward on it, and then only if I know the person sending it. Please, when emailing me, do not put a personal note on something that has been forwarded. Also be sure you have something in the subject line. Thanks.
Hot Heat (Day two). In the book of Daniel we find that King Nebuchadnezzar has built an altar of gold which we talked about yesterday. We also looked at all who had to listen to him and the king summoned people from seven areas, I referred to them as the President, House, Senate, Supreme Court, Governors, those in State Houses, and local governments. Today we move forward and find out that all these people are to bow down and worship at the gold altar when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music. This is a good time for me to go for another scripture. Let's go to Exodus again.
Exodus 20:4 - You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (NIV)
Now we know that we are not to bow down to any idol, and for sure King Nebuchadnezzar built the gold altar and put out the order for all people to bow down and worship the idol. We also know that if we do this, God will punish the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Him. And for those showing love to God, and keeping the commandments, they will be blessed for a thousand generations.
Now the order also included a punishment for those who would not bow down when the Washington DC home town band played the music, I mean when the music sounded from all those instruments, again they were the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music. Well, it seems that when the music played three gentlemen would not bow down, they just would not, they would sooner take their chances with the one and only God!! Our Lord God, Jesus Christ.
Of course some came forward, they were astrologers, and they finked on the three. Okay, told the king on them, we call that finked or squealed, and that is what they did. Let me interject this right here and now, have you seen our president, yes, President Obama, bow down to some of the kings of other countries? That is a fact, folks. Now a few questions and some homework for you. Who were the three men that the astrologers finked on to King Nebuchadnezzar? Now if you know, that is great, but it is an OPEN BOOK test, so you can look up the answer. You will find the scripture numbers above. Wednesday we are going to find out how hot is that hot heat and what it might feel like. We are going to find out a few other things. Please hang with me all week as we take this little study from the book of Daniel. Let's pray.
Dear Father in Heaven, thanks for the message and thanks for the good report on Dolores. Lord, please look at our prayer requests listed above and honor them according to Your will. Lord, thanks for supplying our needs, and Lord, thanks for our family and the families of all those on this line. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Now go forth serving your King, King Jesus, and sharing your blessings with others. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Good Tuesday morning, my dear brothers and sisters, it is a beautiful day here at the Southern Location of the North Pole. Please pray today for a cure for all those diseases that we need a cure for, things like cancer, heart problems, kidney failures. Please also pray for Dave, who is crippled up with arthrodesis, Dutch Webster, cancer. Sally Snyder, kidney failure, Dolores, kidney failure, knee failure (third time) and scoliosis.
Praise report for Dolores. She as a rule gets shots every other week and was at the doctor's today. A blood test shows no shots needed for one month. PRAISE GOD for this report. Let me get to the message.
Computer reminder. I will no longer open anything that has more than one forward on it, and then only if I know the person sending it. Please, when emailing me, do not put a personal note on something that has been forwarded. Also be sure you have something in the subject line. Thanks.
Hot Heat (Day two). In the book of Daniel we find that King Nebuchadnezzar has built an altar of gold which we talked about yesterday. We also looked at all who had to listen to him and the king summoned people from seven areas, I referred to them as the President, House, Senate, Supreme Court, Governors, those in State Houses, and local governments. Today we move forward and find out that all these people are to bow down and worship at the gold altar when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music. This is a good time for me to go for another scripture. Let's go to Exodus again.
Exodus 20:4 - You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. (NIV)
Now we know that we are not to bow down to any idol, and for sure King Nebuchadnezzar built the gold altar and put out the order for all people to bow down and worship the idol. We also know that if we do this, God will punish the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate Him. And for those showing love to God, and keeping the commandments, they will be blessed for a thousand generations.
Now the order also included a punishment for those who would not bow down when the Washington DC home town band played the music, I mean when the music sounded from all those instruments, again they were the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes and all kinds of music. Well, it seems that when the music played three gentlemen would not bow down, they just would not, they would sooner take their chances with the one and only God!! Our Lord God, Jesus Christ.
Of course some came forward, they were astrologers, and they finked on the three. Okay, told the king on them, we call that finked or squealed, and that is what they did. Let me interject this right here and now, have you seen our president, yes, President Obama, bow down to some of the kings of other countries? That is a fact, folks. Now a few questions and some homework for you. Who were the three men that the astrologers finked on to King Nebuchadnezzar? Now if you know, that is great, but it is an OPEN BOOK test, so you can look up the answer. You will find the scripture numbers above. Wednesday we are going to find out how hot is that hot heat and what it might feel like. We are going to find out a few other things. Please hang with me all week as we take this little study from the book of Daniel. Let's pray.
Dear Father in Heaven, thanks for the message and thanks for the good report on Dolores. Lord, please look at our prayer requests listed above and honor them according to Your will. Lord, thanks for supplying our needs, and Lord, thanks for our family and the families of all those on this line. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Now go forth serving your King, King Jesus, and sharing your blessings with others. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Monday 7/9/12 Hot Fire
Daniel 3:1 - King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. (NIV)
Good Monday morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is a beautiful morning here at the Southern Location of the North Pole, and the snow is all melted! The weather folks say the heat wave is over and the sticky is about to go away for awhile, but folks, it is summer, so enjoy the break and get ready for some more. Thanks to all who braved the heat and came to the picnic along the creek. We had about 75 come and go over the course of the event. Singer Tim Beitzel did a great job getting the message out as he sang to the folks. A bus from the Bridges was parked on the lot if people wanted to get into the AC to avoid the high heat and fans were running full blast at the ends of the tables to move the air. The food was good. I want to thank all who came, and thank Grant and Wanda, part of our ministry team for their hard, hard work in setting up, and also Grant and Wanda, LeAnne and Brian, Sam and Karen, and "Me-Me" for staying after the event to help pack up. While our numbers were down, those who came had a good time, and most had departed by 2:00 PM. The bus from the Bridges departed at 12:45 to take the seniors home. Mark that first Saturday in July on your calendar for next year for our Ministry's annual picnic.
Monday, and the day we pray for our leaders, for President Obama, and all those in Washington, for all those in our state houses, and for those in our local governments and those running the schools. It is also the day we pray for veterans, active military, reserve units, police, firefighters, and all those who work to keep us safe and healthy.
Please pray for Vicki, who has her plate very full with health problems. Please also pray for a new grandchild who is "on the way", that the mother and child will be healthy and dad will have a great job to support them.
Prayers for Sally Snyder who has a lot of health issues including kidney failure. For Paul Deibler, who looks great, but does have some health issues. For Pat Spahr who has had some joints replaced, Thelma Beshore who also had joints replaced and for Debby Spiker as she studies for her nurse's degree. Prayi for Burt Emig and his family, and also Patsy Emig who is recovering from surgery and is doing well. Also pray for Carol Harris who is in Manor Care. Prayers for Sterling and Luella Faunk and William Sanders. A praise report from Mary, she HAD cancer, a recent operation got it all, no chemo is needed ... THANK YOU, JESUS!
Please keep praying for Helen and others who have cancer. And our ministry partner, Pam, as she is having severe back problems, and MRI's show slippage in discs. Let me get to the message.
Hot Fire (Day One): Daniel 3:1 - King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. (NIV)
Daniel = God is my Judge!! Yes, it is the first time I have written from the book of Daniel, and while I was named after my dad, I am a junior, this is where my name came from and the meaning of my name and all you other Daniels. My middle name is "Webster" after the statesman, surely not the dictionary, for I indeed cannot spell, as all of you know. Okay, let me get moving on this message which will be about a week long.
As we see in the scripture, King Nebuchadnezzar made an image and it was made of gold. Let me go to Exodus 20:3 - You shall have no other gods before me. (NIV) That, folks, is the second commandment of what is known as the Ten Commandments. As we go on in the week you will see why I am already calling it an other god. Tomorrow we will look deeper into this Hot Fire, and also the Third Commandment. As for all those names, the satraps, prefects, governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial officials, these were the seven classifications of government officials, and they were to pledge full allegiance to King Nebuchadnezzar and his empire. The image of gold was more than likely plated gold, and not full gold bars, but I am not sure of that, just going by a footnote.
Maybe we could say this today ... Those seven classifications of government ... President, Senate, House, Supreme Court, Governors, state houses, and the locals. Of course I could expand on that, for it seems our government is growing daily. Maybe I should have put in the Internal Revenue Service, known as the mighty IRS.
Let me stick in a few notes here that God is handing me. Did you ever hear of "fool's gold"? My daddy would take me down to the Cornwall Iron Ore mines in Cornwall, Pa. when I was a child and we would pick up stones with gold in them along the road. It was said that enough gold was mined out of that quarry to pay the expense of the operation at one time. My dad said that laying along the road was "fool's gold" or fake stuff, so to speak. Now, what my dear Lord is telling me right now is that any gold that people save up and then worship is "fool's gold" as we are not to worship anything other than our Lord Jesus who is God.
Now in closing up for today if you have trouble keeping Jesus as God, please go to John 1 and read from John 1:1 through John 1:14 and you will get that answer.
Okay, a big day so we will end here today ... Let's pray.
Dear Father in Heaven, first let me thank You for all of what You do for us daily, thanks for helping people through the heat. Please look over our prayer requests and those prayers in our hearts and honor them according to your will. Thanks to You for the computer up and running on this day. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Now go forth sharing your blessings, loving your neighbors and forgiving all who you are holding things against ... Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Good Monday morning, my dear brothers and sisters. It is a beautiful morning here at the Southern Location of the North Pole, and the snow is all melted! The weather folks say the heat wave is over and the sticky is about to go away for awhile, but folks, it is summer, so enjoy the break and get ready for some more. Thanks to all who braved the heat and came to the picnic along the creek. We had about 75 come and go over the course of the event. Singer Tim Beitzel did a great job getting the message out as he sang to the folks. A bus from the Bridges was parked on the lot if people wanted to get into the AC to avoid the high heat and fans were running full blast at the ends of the tables to move the air. The food was good. I want to thank all who came, and thank Grant and Wanda, part of our ministry team for their hard, hard work in setting up, and also Grant and Wanda, LeAnne and Brian, Sam and Karen, and "Me-Me" for staying after the event to help pack up. While our numbers were down, those who came had a good time, and most had departed by 2:00 PM. The bus from the Bridges departed at 12:45 to take the seniors home. Mark that first Saturday in July on your calendar for next year for our Ministry's annual picnic.
Monday, and the day we pray for our leaders, for President Obama, and all those in Washington, for all those in our state houses, and for those in our local governments and those running the schools. It is also the day we pray for veterans, active military, reserve units, police, firefighters, and all those who work to keep us safe and healthy.
Please pray for Vicki, who has her plate very full with health problems. Please also pray for a new grandchild who is "on the way", that the mother and child will be healthy and dad will have a great job to support them.
Prayers for Sally Snyder who has a lot of health issues including kidney failure. For Paul Deibler, who looks great, but does have some health issues. For Pat Spahr who has had some joints replaced, Thelma Beshore who also had joints replaced and for Debby Spiker as she studies for her nurse's degree. Prayi for Burt Emig and his family, and also Patsy Emig who is recovering from surgery and is doing well. Also pray for Carol Harris who is in Manor Care. Prayers for Sterling and Luella Faunk and William Sanders. A praise report from Mary, she HAD cancer, a recent operation got it all, no chemo is needed ... THANK YOU, JESUS!
Please keep praying for Helen and others who have cancer. And our ministry partner, Pam, as she is having severe back problems, and MRI's show slippage in discs. Let me get to the message.
Hot Fire (Day One): Daniel 3:1 - King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide, and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 He then summoned the satraps, prefects, governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial officials to come to the dedication of the image he had set up. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial officials assembled for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. (NIV)
Daniel = God is my Judge!! Yes, it is the first time I have written from the book of Daniel, and while I was named after my dad, I am a junior, this is where my name came from and the meaning of my name and all you other Daniels. My middle name is "Webster" after the statesman, surely not the dictionary, for I indeed cannot spell, as all of you know. Okay, let me get moving on this message which will be about a week long.
As we see in the scripture, King Nebuchadnezzar made an image and it was made of gold. Let me go to Exodus 20:3 - You shall have no other gods before me. (NIV) That, folks, is the second commandment of what is known as the Ten Commandments. As we go on in the week you will see why I am already calling it an other god. Tomorrow we will look deeper into this Hot Fire, and also the Third Commandment. As for all those names, the satraps, prefects, governors, advisors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial officials, these were the seven classifications of government officials, and they were to pledge full allegiance to King Nebuchadnezzar and his empire. The image of gold was more than likely plated gold, and not full gold bars, but I am not sure of that, just going by a footnote.
Maybe we could say this today ... Those seven classifications of government ... President, Senate, House, Supreme Court, Governors, state houses, and the locals. Of course I could expand on that, for it seems our government is growing daily. Maybe I should have put in the Internal Revenue Service, known as the mighty IRS.
Let me stick in a few notes here that God is handing me. Did you ever hear of "fool's gold"? My daddy would take me down to the Cornwall Iron Ore mines in Cornwall, Pa. when I was a child and we would pick up stones with gold in them along the road. It was said that enough gold was mined out of that quarry to pay the expense of the operation at one time. My dad said that laying along the road was "fool's gold" or fake stuff, so to speak. Now, what my dear Lord is telling me right now is that any gold that people save up and then worship is "fool's gold" as we are not to worship anything other than our Lord Jesus who is God.
Now in closing up for today if you have trouble keeping Jesus as God, please go to John 1 and read from John 1:1 through John 1:14 and you will get that answer.
Okay, a big day so we will end here today ... Let's pray.
Dear Father in Heaven, first let me thank You for all of what You do for us daily, thanks for helping people through the heat. Please look over our prayer requests and those prayers in our hearts and honor them according to your will. Thanks to You for the computer up and running on this day. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.
Now go forth sharing your blessings, loving your neighbors and forgiving all who you are holding things against ... Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Friday 7/6/12 Total Trust 3
Isaiah 12:1 - In that day you will say, "I will praise you, O Lord. Although you were angry with me, your anger has turned away and you have comforted me. 2 Surely God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid. (NIV)
John 14:1 - "Do not let your hearts be troubled. TRUST in God and trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place I am going." 5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (NIV)
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Our Picnic is STILL ON. It will be hot, we have lots of water, we are under a roof, which is under some trees, along a creek. More than likely we will start serving food at 11:30 AM while Tim is still singing, so that the seniors coming in can leave if need be.
Remember this is not an afternoon or evening picnic, it is AM before the hottest part of the day. Hey, it is Friday and the day we pray for all those going out and working for the Lord. And please pray for Tim Beitzel who will be singing at our picnic on Saturday. Let me get to the message.
Total Trust Day 3.
Our dogs trust in us for their food and water and shelter. When they want out they go to the door and bark (most of the time). When they want that "good stuff" at 5:00 AM they wake me if I am still asleep and keep right at my feet until they get fed ... Well, God provided us with a real nice shelter, heat, air conditioning, a potty inside (I don't need to go to the door an bark), and my fridge and freezer are full of food that God provided. And I just need to go to the sink and turn a valve and the water comes out. My friends, if you don't think God provides all these things, you better rethink what you have. For if God did not send rain, the water would soon not come out of the valve, and the food would not grow, and the world would dry up. If God would not provide the shelter, we would, not we might, we would be living out in the weather.
Our dogs talk to us by winding around our feet, by crying a little if they want something to eat or also barking to get our attention. And might I say that when we talk to God (you know, pray) do we wind around His feet? (We should, and someday I am going to sit at them.) Do we cry sometimes when talking to Him? (More often than you might think.) And do we sometimes "bark" at Him when things are not going our way? (Sadly, I must say yes to this one.)
So, my friends, take a lesson from our pets today, and relate it to our good Lord. Even the fact He gave us free will, we do depend on Him for all we have, even those who do not believe in Him, they depend on Him for those things, they are just too stupid to realize it. And just one more. At the end of time for my little dogs, I have held them in my arms as they passed, and I fully expect when my time comes, my Lord, my God, my Savior, my Jesus will be right with me holding me ever so tight in His loving arms (as He does daily now) and will carry me off to be with Him.
I don't know if dogs go to heaven, but I think they do, but to be safe, I will enjoy them now here on earth. I do know that I am going to Heaven (not all will) but I am going to enjoy God here on earth and then even get to know Him better when I go face to face. In closing, I might add that I never know until I sit at the computer just what God might plant on my mind to send out. Often times He uses the most simple things in life to show us that He is in control. So stop looking for something tough and just look for Jesus, look for the Light and Trust. Hear these words of Jesus again today. They come from John 14:1 - "Do not let your hearts be troubled. TRUST in God and trust also in me." (NIV) They are the words of Jesus. Now let's talk to Him.
Dear Father in Heaven, we are so blessed, and Lord, if it be your will, please send some rain on the wild fires and some rain on the drought, and maybe some cooler weather our way. I the meantime, Lord, help us love and appreciate what you do send. I love You, Jesus, protect those coming to the picnic as they travel, bless Tim as He sings for You, and Lord, bless the food. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
Now go forth sharing your blessings. Hope to see a bunch of you tomorrow. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Call for directions if you need them. 717 991 0754
John 14:1 - "Do not let your hearts be troubled. TRUST in God and trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place I am going." 5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (NIV)
Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters. Our Picnic is STILL ON. It will be hot, we have lots of water, we are under a roof, which is under some trees, along a creek. More than likely we will start serving food at 11:30 AM while Tim is still singing, so that the seniors coming in can leave if need be.
Remember this is not an afternoon or evening picnic, it is AM before the hottest part of the day. Hey, it is Friday and the day we pray for all those going out and working for the Lord. And please pray for Tim Beitzel who will be singing at our picnic on Saturday. Let me get to the message.
Total Trust Day 3.
Our dogs trust in us for their food and water and shelter. When they want out they go to the door and bark (most of the time). When they want that "good stuff" at 5:00 AM they wake me if I am still asleep and keep right at my feet until they get fed ... Well, God provided us with a real nice shelter, heat, air conditioning, a potty inside (I don't need to go to the door an bark), and my fridge and freezer are full of food that God provided. And I just need to go to the sink and turn a valve and the water comes out. My friends, if you don't think God provides all these things, you better rethink what you have. For if God did not send rain, the water would soon not come out of the valve, and the food would not grow, and the world would dry up. If God would not provide the shelter, we would, not we might, we would be living out in the weather.
Our dogs talk to us by winding around our feet, by crying a little if they want something to eat or also barking to get our attention. And might I say that when we talk to God (you know, pray) do we wind around His feet? (We should, and someday I am going to sit at them.) Do we cry sometimes when talking to Him? (More often than you might think.) And do we sometimes "bark" at Him when things are not going our way? (Sadly, I must say yes to this one.)
So, my friends, take a lesson from our pets today, and relate it to our good Lord. Even the fact He gave us free will, we do depend on Him for all we have, even those who do not believe in Him, they depend on Him for those things, they are just too stupid to realize it. And just one more. At the end of time for my little dogs, I have held them in my arms as they passed, and I fully expect when my time comes, my Lord, my God, my Savior, my Jesus will be right with me holding me ever so tight in His loving arms (as He does daily now) and will carry me off to be with Him.
I don't know if dogs go to heaven, but I think they do, but to be safe, I will enjoy them now here on earth. I do know that I am going to Heaven (not all will) but I am going to enjoy God here on earth and then even get to know Him better when I go face to face. In closing, I might add that I never know until I sit at the computer just what God might plant on my mind to send out. Often times He uses the most simple things in life to show us that He is in control. So stop looking for something tough and just look for Jesus, look for the Light and Trust. Hear these words of Jesus again today. They come from John 14:1 - "Do not let your hearts be troubled. TRUST in God and trust also in me." (NIV) They are the words of Jesus. Now let's talk to Him.
Dear Father in Heaven, we are so blessed, and Lord, if it be your will, please send some rain on the wild fires and some rain on the drought, and maybe some cooler weather our way. I the meantime, Lord, help us love and appreciate what you do send. I love You, Jesus, protect those coming to the picnic as they travel, bless Tim as He sings for You, and Lord, bless the food. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
Now go forth sharing your blessings. Hope to see a bunch of you tomorrow. Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Call for directions if you need them. 717 991 0754
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Thursday 7/5/12 Total Trust
Psalm 28:7 - The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. (NIV)
Psalm 32:10 - Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him. (NIV)
John 12:35B - "The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. 36 Put our trust inthie light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." (NIV)
Good Thursday Afternoon, my dear brothers and sisters. Before I get started with today's message, let me do a tad more work on Independence Day.
Psalm 33:12 - Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance. (NIV)
Again, thanks to our veterans and to our current military for keeping our nation free. Here are a few more people who I want to add to our list of veterans ...
Army: Donald Saylor (deceased), Oliver Ogden
Air Force: Charles Wotring (Charles flew President and Lady Bird Johnson)
Navy: Donald Coffin (Please take time to pray for Don's wife Helen, who has advance stages of cancer)
If I missed you, please let me know.
Please pray for the families of Pastor James Morris and Pastor David Oller, both Assembly of God pastors who went to be with Jesus on Tuesday.
Update on the picnic ... it WILL BE HELD, regardless of the weather, regardless of the heat, we are in the shade, along a running creek, and will have fans running. We will have plenty of water to drink ...
Since we start at 11:00 AM with music and eat at noon, we should be ahead of the heat of the day. The food is ready and will be good ...
Let me get to the message ... Remember I am tying this together with my animals.
Total Trust Day 2.
Here is lesson number two. Our dogs do not always listen to us, yes, sometimes they spot the carpet or don't come when called. Well, let me tell you that there has been more than one time in my life that I have not listened to my Master, our good Lord, and if I were to be standing on the "carpet of life" there would be more stains on it than the carpet in our house. (Maybe that last part is more than you need to know.) God has trusted in me for many things yet I have done my share of staining up things. The good thing is that the blood of Jesus is a great stain remover.
Dolores and I forgive the dogs when they mess up, and we clean and sanitize the carpet and floor and in fact even pulled the carpet out of the house and replaced it with flooring we can wash, which I do daily. My friends, God does the same to us, only even better. God picks us up when we fall, forgives us when we ask, and cleans up the stains of our mess. The neat part here, is God takes away all the stain from us. (I could not always get the spots from the carpet so it was moved.) But God will get every stain out of us and He does it over and over again if we just ask. Yes, folks, I have been washed and sanitized by God, and yes, over and over again. Let's look at today's scriptures.
Psalm 28:7 - The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. (NIV)
I like this scripture because The Lord is my strength and my shield and I do trust in Him ... And yes, I am helped daily, not always the way I ask, for I must remember that sometimes God does say no. But I still trust him, and yes, I do give thanks to Him in song. Now folks, remember if you trust in God and you want to give thanks in song, do it. Don't say you can't sing, for God tells us to make a joyful noise ... Sing, brothers and sisters ... (you might want to start in the shower before you go on stage).
Psalm 32:10 - Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him. (NIV)
I hate to say that I am wicked, but folks, I am looking at that as being a sinner, and I am indeed a sinner,and God never stops loving me, never. Even that man who is trying to stop people from getting a discount at a restaurant if they bring in church bulletin is loved by God, HE LOVES ALL PEOPLE BUT HE HATES SIN.
We are to be the same. Love everyone, they are after all our neighbor, but we must not love their son, we must hate it. We must also learn to hate all sin, including our own. REPENT FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS NEAR.
John 12:35B - "The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. 36 Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become son of light." (NIV)
Okay, tonight, when it is dark, take a good look around your house, really good, and then turn off all the lights and start walking, keep your eyes closed. You are going to fall for sure. We have dogs that are blind, cannot see a thing, and we watch them walk around the house. They do well, but they run into things and if we move a chair, they hit it. But this scripture goes far beyond the darkness when it comes to eyesight. It is talking about walking in the dark, in bright light of day, for if we do not have Jesus in our hearts we are INDEED WALKING IN DARKNESS. Jesus is the light of the world, and if we are not walking with him, we are walking in the dark. And brothers and sisters, we all, and I am saying we, we all need to RENEW with the Light each day. Try sitting on the edge of the bed each morning and talking to Jesus, ask Him to light your way ... Your day might not be perfect, but it will be better than hanging out without Jesus. And SOMEDAY IT WILL be perfect.
Dear Father in Heaven ... Thanks for this line and protecting it, and thanks for the message today and for helping those on our prayer list. Lord, help us through this day, and please be with those with cancer. Be with Helen Coffin and heal her please, and Lord, please be with the families of the two Assembly of God pastor who came to you on Tuesday. Lord, bless their families as we thank you for their service here on earth. Forgive us of our sins and help us to repent. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
Now go forth and serve God, and you can start by sharing your blessings ... Love ya, Pastor Dan.
Psalm 32:10 - Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him. (NIV)
John 12:35B - "The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. 36 Put our trust inthie light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." (NIV)
Good Thursday Afternoon, my dear brothers and sisters. Before I get started with today's message, let me do a tad more work on Independence Day.
Psalm 33:12 - Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance. (NIV)
Again, thanks to our veterans and to our current military for keeping our nation free. Here are a few more people who I want to add to our list of veterans ...
Army: Donald Saylor (deceased), Oliver Ogden
Air Force: Charles Wotring (Charles flew President and Lady Bird Johnson)
Navy: Donald Coffin (Please take time to pray for Don's wife Helen, who has advance stages of cancer)
If I missed you, please let me know.
Please pray for the families of Pastor James Morris and Pastor David Oller, both Assembly of God pastors who went to be with Jesus on Tuesday.
Update on the picnic ... it WILL BE HELD, regardless of the weather, regardless of the heat, we are in the shade, along a running creek, and will have fans running. We will have plenty of water to drink ...
Since we start at 11:00 AM with music and eat at noon, we should be ahead of the heat of the day. The food is ready and will be good ...
Let me get to the message ... Remember I am tying this together with my animals.
Total Trust Day 2.
Here is lesson number two. Our dogs do not always listen to us, yes, sometimes they spot the carpet or don't come when called. Well, let me tell you that there has been more than one time in my life that I have not listened to my Master, our good Lord, and if I were to be standing on the "carpet of life" there would be more stains on it than the carpet in our house. (Maybe that last part is more than you need to know.) God has trusted in me for many things yet I have done my share of staining up things. The good thing is that the blood of Jesus is a great stain remover.
Dolores and I forgive the dogs when they mess up, and we clean and sanitize the carpet and floor and in fact even pulled the carpet out of the house and replaced it with flooring we can wash, which I do daily. My friends, God does the same to us, only even better. God picks us up when we fall, forgives us when we ask, and cleans up the stains of our mess. The neat part here, is God takes away all the stain from us. (I could not always get the spots from the carpet so it was moved.) But God will get every stain out of us and He does it over and over again if we just ask. Yes, folks, I have been washed and sanitized by God, and yes, over and over again. Let's look at today's scriptures.
Psalm 28:7 - The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song. (NIV)
I like this scripture because The Lord is my strength and my shield and I do trust in Him ... And yes, I am helped daily, not always the way I ask, for I must remember that sometimes God does say no. But I still trust him, and yes, I do give thanks to Him in song. Now folks, remember if you trust in God and you want to give thanks in song, do it. Don't say you can't sing, for God tells us to make a joyful noise ... Sing, brothers and sisters ... (you might want to start in the shower before you go on stage).
Psalm 32:10 - Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him. (NIV)
I hate to say that I am wicked, but folks, I am looking at that as being a sinner, and I am indeed a sinner,and God never stops loving me, never. Even that man who is trying to stop people from getting a discount at a restaurant if they bring in church bulletin is loved by God, HE LOVES ALL PEOPLE BUT HE HATES SIN.
We are to be the same. Love everyone, they are after all our neighbor, but we must not love their son, we must hate it. We must also learn to hate all sin, including our own. REPENT FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS NEAR.
John 12:35B - "The man who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. 36 Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become son of light." (NIV)
Okay, tonight, when it is dark, take a good look around your house, really good, and then turn off all the lights and start walking, keep your eyes closed. You are going to fall for sure. We have dogs that are blind, cannot see a thing, and we watch them walk around the house. They do well, but they run into things and if we move a chair, they hit it. But this scripture goes far beyond the darkness when it comes to eyesight. It is talking about walking in the dark, in bright light of day, for if we do not have Jesus in our hearts we are INDEED WALKING IN DARKNESS. Jesus is the light of the world, and if we are not walking with him, we are walking in the dark. And brothers and sisters, we all, and I am saying we, we all need to RENEW with the Light each day. Try sitting on the edge of the bed each morning and talking to Jesus, ask Him to light your way ... Your day might not be perfect, but it will be better than hanging out without Jesus. And SOMEDAY IT WILL be perfect.
Dear Father in Heaven ... Thanks for this line and protecting it, and thanks for the message today and for helping those on our prayer list. Lord, help us through this day, and please be with those with cancer. Be with Helen Coffin and heal her please, and Lord, please be with the families of the two Assembly of God pastor who came to you on Tuesday. Lord, bless their families as we thank you for their service here on earth. Forgive us of our sins and help us to repent. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen.
Now go forth and serve God, and you can start by sharing your blessings ... Love ya, Pastor Dan.
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