"As YOU sent ME into the world, I also have sent them into the world." John 17:18
Dear Praying Friends and Family,
It looks like the "Friday email," is becoming the Sunday email lately. I am thankful for the opportunity the LORD has given me to write tonight. Writing this email is something I love to do, and I am thankful for the grace that GOD gives me to share with you. Thank you for your prayers for us, we sure do need them....i sure do them. In fact, shortly before i began writing, i had a meltdown...and I need your prayers. I am a weak vessel, who continues to struggle with hormonal changes or something, and I need your prayers.
As I began to write, right now, at our church, our members are making phone calls to those in our community. The purpose of those calls are to reach those who don't know CHRIST and to encourage those who do. The people who make the calls record if the person is churched or not, and writes down any prayer request they may have. If they don't have a church home, they are inviting them to come to our church, and to a special meal and worship service we will be having in a few weeks...called "Harvest" Sunday. After the caller has finished taking the person's prayer request, those cards are taken to another room where "Prayer Warriors" are waiting to pray for those request and to write a note of encouragement to the person the caller spoke with. If the person didn't have a church home, they will be receiving a card from our church family for the next three weeks and all the prayer request will be prayed for again by intercessory prayers who are praying at home for these people.
Last Tuesday night, I had the privilege of being one of the "Prayer Warriors," and writing notes to those who had been contacted that evening. I will have to be honest, I was kind of wishing I didn't have to "go" to the church but, that was what GOD had for me, and I am so glad HE did. I was so blessed to be a part of what GOD was doing. We spent 2 hours praying and writing notes on cards and rejoicing in what GOD was doing. One of the callers shared that they spoke with someone who said that 30 minutes earlier their sister had told them she needed to be in church and then our church called. We were all really excited about the LORD using us to reach out to that person who needed to know JESUS and be a part of what GOD was doing in their life.
We had a wonderful guest preacher this morning who really shared with us that JESUS has left us here to use the talents and gifts HE has given us to lead others to CHRIST. I wondered about that with these new leading in my life of returning to nursing school, how GOD would use that to reach others for HIM. I don't know, but I want HIM to use me in any way HE sees fit...even if that includes suffering from all these changes my body has been going through recently. As uncomfortable as it's been, I know that HIS power is made perfect in my weakness and HIS grace is sufficient for me. I guess this would be a good time to share with you all that GOD's grace allowed me to make a 102 on my last precal test and I have an A average in there....amazing grace for this gal who has had a most difficult time concentrating at times. I am humbled but know that GOD is strengthening me and helping me in everyway that HIS grace might be displayed through my life to draw others to HIM. I can't tell you how many people have told me they admire me for going back to school...I am surprised at this, but it reminds me that this is where GOD has me and HE wants to use this to draw others to HIM.
Well, I lost some of what I wrote while ago when the computer clicked off, and I'm getting tired. It's a nice evening here in Alabama, not too hot, though I know that many of you are suffering from the heat, and I am praying for you. I love the crickets singing softly in the trees, and whipperwill nearby, singing his song...those he suddenly stopped for now. I have been studying most of the afternoon since after lunch though I did take a short nap with my husband and that refreshed me.
John Mac is heading to Hawaii this week, GOD giving him the desire of his heart. Please pray for him as he flies over on Thursday and returns Sunday or Monday to be with his girlfriend and her family over there. Pop is having some difficult days, please continue to remember him in your prayers, along with my dear Mother-in-law who cares for him at home.
Please pray for our churches efforts to reach our community for JESUS and that each of us who know CHRIST would remember what we are here for, and be a lighthouse and rescue the perishing right where GOD has placed us...you know, I appreciate what the preacher said this morning, is you don't have to go to Africa or Peru to be a missionary, our mission field is all around us...our family, friends, neighbors, people we work with, whoever the LORD brings into our lives. Johnny and I thought that we would be living on a foreign mission field until I got sick, and this is the field that HE has for us. Sometimes I still want to go other places, and I'm so thankful for all the mission trips that our church is going on...one team is in Peru with our friends Josh and Crystal Murphree right now. But this is where GOD has us and we are to be HIS lighthouse to rescue the perishing and care for the dying.
Last night I had a wonderful time at the Bowling Family Concert at Seven Mile Post Church of CHRIST. Two of the Crabb family girls from "The Crabb Family" are a part of "The Bowling Family," along with Mike Bowling and John Jeffrey's who drove the bus for the Greene's and played the keyboard for them. Now John drives for the Bowlings and plays keyboard and sings with them. It was great to see John and how i sure do miss the Greene's. GOD was with us down there last night in that church, and how I thank HIM for strengthening the Bowling Family to continue to be a witness for HIM after their terrible bus wreck last year that miraculously they all lived through, though they suffered some very difficult injuries http://www.youtube.com/watch?
GOD has called us all to be HIS lighthouses, to "rescue the perishing, and care for the dying." Do we even care, is what some of the words in this song says, and it is a stinging rebuke to my heart. I noticed on our church today little posters put up that said, "Do you care enough?" I know that I don't but I want to care like JESUS does...please pray that GOD would give me HIS heart for those who are perishing. This is a powerful video of "rescuing the perishing," by Billy and Cindy Foote that I hope you will take time to watch and listen carefully to the words... http://www.youtube.
I pray this for me and my family and for you tonight....please pray that for our family, that our hearts desire would be to magnify JESUS so that others might be drawn to HIM. I'm so glad that it's not our strength that draws others to CHRIST, but it's CHRIST in us...it's HIS power, as Oswald Chambers shared this morning in My Utmost for HIS Highest:http://www.christ.com/
The Miracle of Belief
My speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom . . . —1 Corinthians 2:4
Paul was a scholar and an orator of the highest degree; he was not speaking here out of a deep sense of humility, but was saying that when he preached the gospel, he would veil the power of God if he impressed people with the excellency of his speech. Belief in Jesus is a miracle produced only by the effectiveness of redemption, not by impressive speech, nor by wooing and persuading, but only by the sheer unaided power of God. The creative power of redemption comes through the preaching of the gospel, but never because of the personality of the preacher.
Real and effective fasting by a preacher is not fasting from food, but fasting from eloquence, from impressive diction, and from everything else that might hinder the gospel of God being presented. The preacher is there as the representative of God— “. . . as though God were pleading through us . . .” (2 Corinthians 5:20). He is there to present the gospel of God. If it is only because of my preaching that people desire to be better, they will never get close to Jesus Christ. Anything that flatters me in my preaching of the gospel will result in making me a traitor to Jesus, and I prevent the creative power of His redemption from doing its work.
“And I, if I am lifted up. . . , will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32).
That's one thing I love about the gospel singers, the Greene's, the Bowling's, the Isaacs, and others...they just go around telling what JESUS has done for them, and sharing and singing the gospel of JESUS CHRIST and they do that with much faith in GOD to provide their needs, and they give up a lot to be on the road every weekend. They are weak vessels that GOD is using to draw others to HIM and I want to be counted in that number.
I love you and thank you for spending this time this week...i'm sorry again about the late email...but I just have to trust the LORD with that, and write when HE makes the way. Apart from HIM, I can't do anything. Thank you for praying for me as I prepare for my test on Thursday, but most of all, that I would be a witness for CHRIST, and not be consumed with class, but keep it in balance with my family life, and all the other relationships GOD has for me. Pray for our church and for all of GOD's Church to be HIS witnesses as HE commanded us, to "rescue the perishing and care for the dying."
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8
"For GOD so loved the world that HE gave HIS only begotten SON that whosoever believeth in HIM shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16
With all HIS love,
mitzi
--
"Men ought always to pray and not to faint." Luke 18:11
"When I passed by thee,...I said unto thee..., Live."
Ezekiel 16:6
No comments:
Post a Comment