Sermon [Part 1]
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Thursday, May 08, 2008
Monday, May 05, 2008
Men's Prayer Breakfast
May 10 at 7:00AM [Come help at 6:00AM]
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Gaby Johnson
Gaby Johnson will be traveling to Romania on a Mission Trip in a few weeks. During her 10 days in Romania, Gaby’s group will be teaching VBS in villages, leading sport camps for poor village kids, building/repairing houses and churches, working with kids at the orphanages, and helping at a shelter for sexually abused women. If you would like to help support Gaby’s trip, checks can be made payable to Eastridge Church (IL) and sent to her home: 1473 South Shore Drive, Knoxville, IA 50138. Gaby can be reached at 641-203-4604 for any questions.
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Prime Time Retreat
Saturday, May 17, 2008 is the date for this year’s Prime Time Retreat held at the Des Moines First Church. This is an annual Adult Ministries held for the “55 and ups” with Dr. Jim Pettitt, Director and Family Life and Men’s Ministries at Nazarene Headquarters in Kansas City giving an inspirational message and music will be led by Deb Blodgett. Registration forms are available at the welcome center and need to be returned by May 10th. Cost is $25 or $20 for first time attendees.
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Lunch for ALL WOMEN Daughter – Mothers Lunch, May 10th, 11:00 a.m. at Angel’s Restaurant. Our guest speaker will be Lisa Mulliken. Martha VanSickel will be selling tickets in the foyer after this morning’s service. Cost is $10.00 each, ladies under 5 years old, $5.00.
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ATTENTION SENIORS:
Applications for the Men’s Ministry Scholarship is available for ALL seniors. Pick up an application form from the church office, deadline to apply is May 11th.
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Annual Church Elections
Voting for the annual elections will be held on Sunday, May 18; Wednesday, May 21; and Sunday May 25. If you would like your name on the ballot for the possibility of being elected to NMI Convention, Tuesday, July 8th at 9:00 in Des Moines; District Assembly, Friday July 11, 8:30 a.m. in Des Moines; Sunday School Convention Saturday August 23rd, 8:30 a.m. in Cedar Rapids please fill out a nomination paper. Please return all nomination papers to the office ASAP so we can begin building our ballots.
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11:45 AM
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Thursday, April 10, 2008
Nazarene Renewal Prayer Team [Thoughts After Some Time Off!]
Dear Nazarene Church Family,
Approximately six years ago I initiated a prayer movement in the Church of the Nazarene by asking everyone on my mail list to take some time on Thursdays to saturate the work of our entire denomination in prayer. The movement was born out of my belief that we need a shakeup, a Divine shakeup from the bottom up and the top down! I still believe that. And, let me quickly add that my concern has nothing to do with individuals, rather, in a denomination, corporate, high-centeredness and a drift into passionlessness that has robbed us of our God-given heritage.
A couple years ago I made a decision to back away from my weekly emailings for the Nazarene Renewal Prayer Team (NRPT)...for a few reasons. One was that I had the impression that some of what I was saying was a bit "over the top." I found myself saying stuff more in ways to get a response rather than to make a legitimate point. Another was that I wanted to back away in order to absorb more information about the local church. One more...I had made a personal transition in pastorates and needed to pay close attention to what I was doing!
And, by the way, this email today is not the re-beginning of a weekly NRPT email. I will send out occasional reminders to pray.
One important development during my time away from NRPT is a growing group of leaders in our denomination who are promoting a restructuring of some components of our church. You can pick up on the discussion of the restructuring movement by visiting www.naznet.com This is a vital discussion and one in which I have taken part, but th concern of NRPT revolves around spiritual revival, renewal and restoration.
It seems obvious to me that spiritual renewal and organizational restructuring should go hand in hand! To have spiritual renewal without restructuring would limit out future productivity. To have restructuring without spiritual renewal would limit our future passion.
This "reminder" is being sent out on this Thursday to remind you to spend special time in prayer for our denomination on today. You probably already do this, but please pray for:
Our General Superintendents
Divisional Chairs
General Board
NPH
Universities, Admin and Faculty
District Leadership
Local Church Pastor and Lay Leaders
Missionaries
Evangelists
We all need a fresh outpouring of God's Holy Spirit upon our lives. It is incredibly easy to fall into a routine and forget that the "Cloud" and the "Pillar of Fire" moves...on a rather regular basis! Pity the pour soul who decides to put down stakes when the presence and power of God has moved on!
Friend,
Wes Smith,
Longview, WA, Nazarene
********************************************
[Extra Credit Reading!]
One lesson I've learned over the past couple years of silence on the NRPT level is that we are the greatest barrier to Kingdom advancement. That is, the enemy isn't exactly "out there." I don't know the exact best way to describe it, but anytime in history a group of people have sacrificially committed themselves to a common cause, extraordinary outcomes have been the result. On the other hand, when there is discord, lethargy, self-centeredness or a lack of a clear vision the mission is diminished and potentially aborted.
Let's use that thought regarding a typical Nazarene Church with an average weekly worship attendance of eighty. We know right off the top that a good one-half of that attendance is made up of people who are peripheral to the mission of the church. Of the other forty there are five who are driven to press on with the vision of reaching the area for Christ. There are twenty who are followers and will cooperate...whatever. There are ten who like things just the way they are (but won't fight) and the other five have set themselves up to oppose anything new and different that comes down the pike (and will fight). These folks are often good looking, dyed-in-the-wool, even loving, members of the church. Problem is, they see themselves as guardians of what has always been and enemies of anything that looks new or different.
Multiply that by the number of people in your church and I think you will see that a primary job of any local leader is to seek and embrace an unshakeable vision. Take it from one who lives and breathes ministry. There will be times in the turnaround of the church where the only thing you have going for you is the vision God has placed in your heart. The good news is...when you have a vision you have everything. On the other hand, you may have lots of ministry advantages (stuff), but without the vision they amount to nothing. Where vision is absent, boredom and/or rebellion will ultimately rule. When the vision is present and well spelled out...in time, the vision will prevail.
Bottom line? Let me say this as positively as possible. Revival, renewal and restoration currently resides in the hearts of pastors and lay leaders in our denomination. Our need is to give in to it! Dullness exists because we are dull. Lethargy exists because we are lethargic.
Take God out of this issue for a moment. Islam, minus the empowerment of God's Holy Spirit is encroaching on civilization like crazy. Mormonism holds its head high and continues to increase in spite of all the errors, additions and omissions. Various multi-level-marketing organizations dream a dream and bite off significant portions of the nation's economic prosperity. How in the world is this stuff possible? Nearly all of us would say that these organizations are not driven by the Holy Spirit. How in the world do they sustain their forward mobility? Vision. Passion. That's it! Take any ordinary individual and add vision and passion to his/her life and you have the immediate potential for revolution.
Here we are, the embodiment of the holiness, Holy Spirit movement and we are, to a large extent, dead in the water. Someone please try to justify this! Explain it to me! How is it possible? One possibility is that our denomination is the keeper of an old dream. Our archives have become more important to us than our legacy. (Where we've been is more discussed than where we are going and what legacy we will leave behind.)
Read slowly now.
Well, what about hope? Is there any? The neat thing, the blessing is that of all people we are, or should be, people of great hope. We serve the God who is always the same. We embody Pentecost. The ONE who blew fresh wind, fresh fire, and a new language into the Upper Room is the One who blows His breath, His Spirit into our personal lives and into the deadness and dullness of our key "believing resisters," and into a fresh, powerful vision and passion for our church.
Honestly, being the bearer of passion and vision in the local Church of the Nazarene is exhausting work! You must find ways to protect and nourish your spirit. For every visionater...the night is long. Everywhere you turn--darkness! But please believe--joy comes in the morning! The darkest hour is that time, that very time when we are most tempted to give up. And, that darkest time in the soul means that breakout is near! Okay, all together now, "Hold on my child. Joy comes in the morning. The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight!" Hmm. (Where in the world is Doug Oldham when we need him? Ha!)
That's it for today. Wouldn't it be great if every pastor, every lay leader in the Church of the Nazarene was on his/her face before God asking for a fresh vision, or praying to hold on to the vision! Not just any vision. A vision worth living and dying for!
Let's "spiritually" do what I did with a few of my buddies when I was a young child in South Dakota. We poked (little) holes in our wrists and then conducted a special handshake that let our blood mingle! It meant we were "blood brothers!" Well, that thought actually works for us since all of us, in Christ, really are! (and sisters!) Take my hand. Pray and believe with me that we are in the early days of a new one-eighty-turnaround and it's going to be good. Very good!
Love To You All,
Wes
Approximately six years ago I initiated a prayer movement in the Church of the Nazarene by asking everyone on my mail list to take some time on Thursdays to saturate the work of our entire denomination in prayer. The movement was born out of my belief that we need a shakeup, a Divine shakeup from the bottom up and the top down! I still believe that. And, let me quickly add that my concern has nothing to do with individuals, rather, in a denomination, corporate, high-centeredness and a drift into passionlessness that has robbed us of our God-given heritage.
A couple years ago I made a decision to back away from my weekly emailings for the Nazarene Renewal Prayer Team (NRPT)...for a few reasons. One was that I had the impression that some of what I was saying was a bit "over the top." I found myself saying stuff more in ways to get a response rather than to make a legitimate point. Another was that I wanted to back away in order to absorb more information about the local church. One more...I had made a personal transition in pastorates and needed to pay close attention to what I was doing!
And, by the way, this email today is not the re-beginning of a weekly NRPT email. I will send out occasional reminders to pray.
One important development during my time away from NRPT is a growing group of leaders in our denomination who are promoting a restructuring of some components of our church. You can pick up on the discussion of the restructuring movement by visiting www.naznet.com This is a vital discussion and one in which I have taken part, but th concern of NRPT revolves around spiritual revival, renewal and restoration.
It seems obvious to me that spiritual renewal and organizational restructuring should go hand in hand! To have spiritual renewal without restructuring would limit out future productivity. To have restructuring without spiritual renewal would limit our future passion.
This "reminder" is being sent out on this Thursday to remind you to spend special time in prayer for our denomination on today. You probably already do this, but please pray for:
Our General Superintendents
Divisional Chairs
General Board
NPH
Universities, Admin and Faculty
District Leadership
Local Church Pastor and Lay Leaders
Missionaries
Evangelists
We all need a fresh outpouring of God's Holy Spirit upon our lives. It is incredibly easy to fall into a routine and forget that the "Cloud" and the "Pillar of Fire" moves...on a rather regular basis! Pity the pour soul who decides to put down stakes when the presence and power of God has moved on!
Friend,
Wes Smith,
Longview, WA, Nazarene
********************************************
[Extra Credit Reading!]
One lesson I've learned over the past couple years of silence on the NRPT level is that we are the greatest barrier to Kingdom advancement. That is, the enemy isn't exactly "out there." I don't know the exact best way to describe it, but anytime in history a group of people have sacrificially committed themselves to a common cause, extraordinary outcomes have been the result. On the other hand, when there is discord, lethargy, self-centeredness or a lack of a clear vision the mission is diminished and potentially aborted.
Let's use that thought regarding a typical Nazarene Church with an average weekly worship attendance of eighty. We know right off the top that a good one-half of that attendance is made up of people who are peripheral to the mission of the church. Of the other forty there are five who are driven to press on with the vision of reaching the area for Christ. There are twenty who are followers and will cooperate...whatever. There are ten who like things just the way they are (but won't fight) and the other five have set themselves up to oppose anything new and different that comes down the pike (and will fight). These folks are often good looking, dyed-in-the-wool, even loving, members of the church. Problem is, they see themselves as guardians of what has always been and enemies of anything that looks new or different.
Multiply that by the number of people in your church and I think you will see that a primary job of any local leader is to seek and embrace an unshakeable vision. Take it from one who lives and breathes ministry. There will be times in the turnaround of the church where the only thing you have going for you is the vision God has placed in your heart. The good news is...when you have a vision you have everything. On the other hand, you may have lots of ministry advantages (stuff), but without the vision they amount to nothing. Where vision is absent, boredom and/or rebellion will ultimately rule. When the vision is present and well spelled out...in time, the vision will prevail.
Bottom line? Let me say this as positively as possible. Revival, renewal and restoration currently resides in the hearts of pastors and lay leaders in our denomination. Our need is to give in to it! Dullness exists because we are dull. Lethargy exists because we are lethargic.
Take God out of this issue for a moment. Islam, minus the empowerment of God's Holy Spirit is encroaching on civilization like crazy. Mormonism holds its head high and continues to increase in spite of all the errors, additions and omissions. Various multi-level-marketing organizations dream a dream and bite off significant portions of the nation's economic prosperity. How in the world is this stuff possible? Nearly all of us would say that these organizations are not driven by the Holy Spirit. How in the world do they sustain their forward mobility? Vision. Passion. That's it! Take any ordinary individual and add vision and passion to his/her life and you have the immediate potential for revolution.
Here we are, the embodiment of the holiness, Holy Spirit movement and we are, to a large extent, dead in the water. Someone please try to justify this! Explain it to me! How is it possible? One possibility is that our denomination is the keeper of an old dream. Our archives have become more important to us than our legacy. (Where we've been is more discussed than where we are going and what legacy we will leave behind.)
Read slowly now.
Well, what about hope? Is there any? The neat thing, the blessing is that of all people we are, or should be, people of great hope. We serve the God who is always the same. We embody Pentecost. The ONE who blew fresh wind, fresh fire, and a new language into the Upper Room is the One who blows His breath, His Spirit into our personal lives and into the deadness and dullness of our key "believing resisters," and into a fresh, powerful vision and passion for our church.
Honestly, being the bearer of passion and vision in the local Church of the Nazarene is exhausting work! You must find ways to protect and nourish your spirit. For every visionater...the night is long. Everywhere you turn--darkness! But please believe--joy comes in the morning! The darkest hour is that time, that very time when we are most tempted to give up. And, that darkest time in the soul means that breakout is near! Okay, all together now, "Hold on my child. Joy comes in the morning. The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight!" Hmm. (Where in the world is Doug Oldham when we need him? Ha!)
That's it for today. Wouldn't it be great if every pastor, every lay leader in the Church of the Nazarene was on his/her face before God asking for a fresh vision, or praying to hold on to the vision! Not just any vision. A vision worth living and dying for!
Let's "spiritually" do what I did with a few of my buddies when I was a young child in South Dakota. We poked (little) holes in our wrists and then conducted a special handshake that let our blood mingle! It meant we were "blood brothers!" Well, that thought actually works for us since all of us, in Christ, really are! (and sisters!) Take my hand. Pray and believe with me that we are in the early days of a new one-eighty-turnaround and it's going to be good. Very good!
Love To You All,
Wes
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5:59 PM
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Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Coffee Team
We need two or three more people who would be willing to serve on the coffee team. This team takes turns, about once every 6-8 weeks, making coffee before Sunday School. Please let Jan Allen, 437-1476 or Patty Brown at the church office 724-3649 know today.
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7:47 AM
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Trip to Branson
We are planning a Nazarene Fun Trip to see “Noah the Musical” at the new Sight and Sound Theatre in Branson. The trip will be May 29-31 and will cost $275 per couple. This trip is limited to 22 people and must be paid for when you sign up. There are information sheets on the welcome center or you can see Richard Davis for details.
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Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Week of May 4, 2008 - Attendance
Sunday School - 225 [ - Last Week]
Morning Worship - 339 [ - Last Week]
Evening Worship - 138 [ - Last Week]
Morning Worship - 339 [ - Last Week]
Evening Worship - 138 [ - Last Week]
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Wednesday, February 13, 2008
THIS WEEKS PRAYER NEEDS: May 4, 2008
THIS WEEKS PRAYER NEEDS:
The family of Jimmy Carr – passed away April 29
The Jerry Walton Sr. family – home destroyed by fire this week
Shanna Gerig – hospitalized with pneumonia
Danielle Bohn – pregnancy complications
Jim Lay – health needs
Virginia Rinehart – lung condition
Richard Gardner – recovering from a stroke
Gerald Stickler – health needs
Imogene Tisue – broken leg
Carl Tisue – health needs
Those who have been diagnosed with cancer and are taking treatments:
Teresa Thomas, Mike Woolrich, Eugene Poush, Mervin McDanel, Dianne Campbell,
Mabel Moore, Peggy Grismore, Amy Peterson, Jean Wilson, Ava Hutchinson, Geneva Chamblee,
Joan Christensen, Randy Jones, Diane Metz, Marietta McGrann, Arden Hetland, Marjorie McAllister, Sherry Birchmeir, Connie McDonnell
The family of Jimmy Carr – passed away April 29
The Jerry Walton Sr. family – home destroyed by fire this week
Shanna Gerig – hospitalized with pneumonia
Danielle Bohn – pregnancy complications
Jim Lay – health needs
Virginia Rinehart – lung condition
Richard Gardner – recovering from a stroke
Gerald Stickler – health needs
Imogene Tisue – broken leg
Carl Tisue – health needs
Those who have been diagnosed with cancer and are taking treatments:
Teresa Thomas, Mike Woolrich, Eugene Poush, Mervin McDanel, Dianne Campbell,
Mabel Moore, Peggy Grismore, Amy Peterson, Jean Wilson, Ava Hutchinson, Geneva Chamblee,
Joan Christensen, Randy Jones, Diane Metz, Marietta McGrann, Arden Hetland, Marjorie McAllister, Sherry Birchmeir, Connie McDonnell
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Saturday, February 02, 2008
[Missions] Japan Update 4/18/2008
Praying Partners!
Thank you so much for your prayers and kind email replies for us here in Japan. They have encouraged us greatly. After emailing you the next morning I woke up with John 14:1 running through my head and throughout the next few days God encouraged me with His Word. Following are some verses God spoke to me through.
John 14:1
"Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me."
(It was nice to wake up with this verse ringing in my heart. So often I let my heart be troubled when I need only to trust in Him.)
Ecclesiastes 8, 10, 14
"The end of the matter is better than its beginning; Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit."
(We are at the beginning of this work – it will be hard as it should be. We need patience in it and insight to look beyond the difficulty of the beginning towards the goal)
"Do not say, 'Why is it that the former days were better than these?' For it not from wisdom that you ask about this."
(God used this in the form of a rebuke for me. It's easy to long for the past "good" days, but this is not wisdom and it is not trusting God for a better tomorrow)
"In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider – God has made the one as well as the other…"
(God is in charge of the day of adversity as well as the day of prosperity – can't I trust him for both?)
Lamentations 3:25-27
"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth…"
(There is meaning in this struggle of hardship for us now that God may use years down the road, and so it is good for us to have it now and it is good for us to wait, to seek, to sit silently before Him)
To say the least, God has been encouraging us through your prayers and His Word. Thank you!
For our first introduction meeting 1 freshman guy came. But one is more than many and God can do more than we can imagine through just one person (as some of you have also reminded us of). For our second meeting we had 3 students from the Utsunomiya BEST club come down and join us as well us 4 students from Tsukuba (3 from last year and the one freshman guy who came before = so no new people for our second introductory meeting). Though no new people came, the night was amazing as we watched students interact with students. In fact the students were having so much fun talking together that they didn't leave until 1:30 the next morning. God used the students from Utsunomiya to encourage our students to be excited about BEST club. "Monday Bible" "Bible Time" "Freshman Bible" "B of BEST" throughout the conversation the Utsunomiya students continually referred to the Bible times of BEST club. I couldn't help but wonder what our students were thinking as they heard other students refer to the Bible without hesitation or suspicion! The night gave our students a better idea of what BEST club is and more enthusiasm to see it succeed in Tsukuba.
It the months to come we will continue to recruit for BEST and we are also beginning to see that God may have designed this year as a year to build depth in the relationships with the few He has led to us. Please continue to pray with us!
From Japan,
Tom and Ai
Thank you so much for your prayers and kind email replies for us here in Japan. They have encouraged us greatly. After emailing you the next morning I woke up with John 14:1 running through my head and throughout the next few days God encouraged me with His Word. Following are some verses God spoke to me through.
John 14:1
"Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me."
(It was nice to wake up with this verse ringing in my heart. So often I let my heart be troubled when I need only to trust in Him.)
Ecclesiastes 8, 10, 14
"The end of the matter is better than its beginning; Patience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit."
(We are at the beginning of this work – it will be hard as it should be. We need patience in it and insight to look beyond the difficulty of the beginning towards the goal)
"Do not say, 'Why is it that the former days were better than these?' For it not from wisdom that you ask about this."
(God used this in the form of a rebuke for me. It's easy to long for the past "good" days, but this is not wisdom and it is not trusting God for a better tomorrow)
"In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider – God has made the one as well as the other…"
(God is in charge of the day of adversity as well as the day of prosperity – can't I trust him for both?)
Lamentations 3:25-27
"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man that he should bear the yoke in his youth…"
(There is meaning in this struggle of hardship for us now that God may use years down the road, and so it is good for us to have it now and it is good for us to wait, to seek, to sit silently before Him)
To say the least, God has been encouraging us through your prayers and His Word. Thank you!
For our first introduction meeting 1 freshman guy came. But one is more than many and God can do more than we can imagine through just one person (as some of you have also reminded us of). For our second meeting we had 3 students from the Utsunomiya BEST club come down and join us as well us 4 students from Tsukuba (3 from last year and the one freshman guy who came before = so no new people for our second introductory meeting). Though no new people came, the night was amazing as we watched students interact with students. In fact the students were having so much fun talking together that they didn't leave until 1:30 the next morning. God used the students from Utsunomiya to encourage our students to be excited about BEST club. "Monday Bible" "Bible Time" "Freshman Bible" "B of BEST" throughout the conversation the Utsunomiya students continually referred to the Bible times of BEST club. I couldn't help but wonder what our students were thinking as they heard other students refer to the Bible without hesitation or suspicion! The night gave our students a better idea of what BEST club is and more enthusiasm to see it succeed in Tsukuba.
It the months to come we will continue to recruit for BEST and we are also beginning to see that God may have designed this year as a year to build depth in the relationships with the few He has led to us. Please continue to pray with us!
From Japan,
Tom and Ai
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Monday, January 21, 2008
[Missions] This Week In East Timor: May 11, 2008
Dear Friends & Family,
Yesterday when I returned to Dili from Lospalos I went to the petrol station to put diesel in the truck. The price had increased by 5 cents per liter just in the three days that I was gone. It had already been getting more and more costly every few days. We now are paying $6.20 for a gallon of gas. Pretty hard on the budget; so guess I will try to use the motorbike more I don't really want to use the local bus to go to Lospalos but it may come to that if the prices keep going up! :-P If I have to do that I will probably spend the six hours on the bus hanging out the window vomiting from motion sickness and avoiding the smoke of all of the other passengers! I always enjoy going to Lospalos and spending time with pastors Samuel and Ully and the guys at the Youth Center there. While I was there I got some more information about Jose's miraculous healing that I told you about last week. Pastor Samuel told me that after he prayed for Jose, Jose went to bed and slept well for the first time in a long time. During the night Jose had a dream. He saw a man dressed in glowing white clothes come to him. The man reached down and put his hand inside of Jose's body and pulled out what ever it was that was causing Jose to be sick! The next morning when he got up he could stand up straight and went to the toilet and urinated normally for the first time in many weeks! Then he told his wife that God had healed him and he was going to go to work. What is very interesting to me is that Jose and his family live right next door to Abilio and the other young men who have been going to the Nazarene Youth Center every night for Bible study. It was because of the changed lives of these young that Jose was interested in asking Pastor Samuel to pray for him. Abilio is doing well at school and in fact the other boys too are being asked by teachers and students alike: "Why are you different than you used to be? What has happened to you?" These are great opportunities for them to share of the power of God in their lives. Abilio and the other boys that live with him have been having their own Bible Studies and Jose's two sons are now coming to join with them! About three weeks ago Abilio went home to his village. While he was there he found out that there was a young boy about age 14 who was sick. The boy had been sick for three years and it seemed nothing they did was helping him. Abilio asked if he could pray for the boy. After being giving permission Abilio prayed and then it was time for him to return to Lospalos. The next week one of Abilio's uncles came to Lospalos and told Abilio that the boy was completely well! He also invited Abilio to come to stay with him on his next school holiday. He said to Abilio, "I have heard that you are going over to 'Nazarene' to study the Bible. I want to to keep going. Don't stop. When my sons come to high school in Lospalos I want them to live with you and you are to take them to the Bible studies as well!" Lita is young lady who lives with Pastor Samuel and Ully. Her boy friend is a student at STTNI, our Nazarene Bible College in Indonesia. She only just became a Christian a few months ago. She has a radiant clear testimony. Some of the students at her school have been making fun of her because she has "changed her religion" but others are starting to ask lots of questions. Now she takes her Bible to school every day and if the teacher is late to class or simply does not come the students find Lita had ask her to read the Bible and explain what it means to them. We just returned from church and after church one of the couples who recently had a baby and are not yet married said that her father is sick. They are from a very strong radical Catholic family but the father who is now sick asked the couple to please ask the pastor from the Nazarene church to come and pray for him! I really feel that God wants to do a wonderful work here in East Timor. Please keep praying for us and the other team members as well as the young Christians here. Thanks so much for being partners in this work.
Warren Neal
Yesterday when I returned to Dili from Lospalos I went to the petrol station to put diesel in the truck. The price had increased by 5 cents per liter just in the three days that I was gone. It had already been getting more and more costly every few days. We now are paying $6.20 for a gallon of gas. Pretty hard on the budget; so guess I will try to use the motorbike more I don't really want to use the local bus to go to Lospalos but it may come to that if the prices keep going up! :-P If I have to do that I will probably spend the six hours on the bus hanging out the window vomiting from motion sickness and avoiding the smoke of all of the other passengers! I always enjoy going to Lospalos and spending time with pastors Samuel and Ully and the guys at the Youth Center there. While I was there I got some more information about Jose's miraculous healing that I told you about last week. Pastor Samuel told me that after he prayed for Jose, Jose went to bed and slept well for the first time in a long time. During the night Jose had a dream. He saw a man dressed in glowing white clothes come to him. The man reached down and put his hand inside of Jose's body and pulled out what ever it was that was causing Jose to be sick! The next morning when he got up he could stand up straight and went to the toilet and urinated normally for the first time in many weeks! Then he told his wife that God had healed him and he was going to go to work. What is very interesting to me is that Jose and his family live right next door to Abilio and the other young men who have been going to the Nazarene Youth Center every night for Bible study. It was because of the changed lives of these young that Jose was interested in asking Pastor Samuel to pray for him. Abilio is doing well at school and in fact the other boys too are being asked by teachers and students alike: "Why are you different than you used to be? What has happened to you?" These are great opportunities for them to share of the power of God in their lives. Abilio and the other boys that live with him have been having their own Bible Studies and Jose's two sons are now coming to join with them! About three weeks ago Abilio went home to his village. While he was there he found out that there was a young boy about age 14 who was sick. The boy had been sick for three years and it seemed nothing they did was helping him. Abilio asked if he could pray for the boy. After being giving permission Abilio prayed and then it was time for him to return to Lospalos. The next week one of Abilio's uncles came to Lospalos and told Abilio that the boy was completely well! He also invited Abilio to come to stay with him on his next school holiday. He said to Abilio, "I have heard that you are going over to 'Nazarene' to study the Bible. I want to to keep going. Don't stop. When my sons come to high school in Lospalos I want them to live with you and you are to take them to the Bible studies as well!" Lita is young lady who lives with Pastor Samuel and Ully. Her boy friend is a student at STTNI, our Nazarene Bible College in Indonesia. She only just became a Christian a few months ago. She has a radiant clear testimony. Some of the students at her school have been making fun of her because she has "changed her religion" but others are starting to ask lots of questions. Now she takes her Bible to school every day and if the teacher is late to class or simply does not come the students find Lita had ask her to read the Bible and explain what it means to them. We just returned from church and after church one of the couples who recently had a baby and are not yet married said that her father is sick. They are from a very strong radical Catholic family but the father who is now sick asked the couple to please ask the pastor from the Nazarene church to come and pray for him! I really feel that God wants to do a wonderful work here in East Timor. Please keep praying for us and the other team members as well as the young Christians here. Thanks so much for being partners in this work.
Warren Neal
posted by Marty at
8:21 AM
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