I received the following e-mail announcing revival at the Sparta church:
Bro. Chip, I wanted to invite you guys to join us, "By His Grace" Ministries for revival services at Sparta COGOP. We will begin services Friday night @ 7 PM thru Sunday morning. Hope you can join us and help us pray for revival!
God bless you! Gary Baker
www.byhisgrace.faithsite.com
We had an awesome service on Wednesday night. My mother ministered from the book of Jonah, “You Can Run, But You Can’t Hide.” Following her teaching, we had a powerful time of prayer. As we prayed for one another the Holy Spirit seemed to sweep through among us. The children came from the back and joined in the celebration. It was so exciting to see them express the joy of the Lord along with us “older folks.”
Friday, my family went to the lake in Spring City to celebrate Independence Day. We had a great time! I got to see many of my maternal relatives—the Weaver clan. It is always a joy to be around them.
Today we had an awesome service. Pastor Tony Cathey was with us (filling in for our Worship leader who took some extra time with his family). Tony did an awesome job. I preached “Understanding the Seasons of Your Life.” Although we had about 10 of our regular people out, we still had 30 people in attendance with several first time guests! Today was also the first service in which we had a drummer, and we are looking forward to having her play on a regular basis as part of our worship services. We are excited about the future!!
Saturday was the 7th Annual Block Party hosted by Bread of Life Rescue Mission. Mother, Dad, and I went around noon and it was very crowded. It was good to see so many people interested in the ministry of this mission. We enjoyed visiting and look forward to our continued cooperation with them.
Saturday afternoon I went to Grandview for my niece's birthday party. It was a western theme and free horse rides were offered. Jurnee had a great time opening all her birthday presents (who wouldn't, heh?)
Yesterday we had a great service. I preached "Wake up, take off your night clothes, put on your day clothes, and go to work" with Romans 13:11-14 as my text. We had some 2nd time guests and Aaron (Rhonda's son) who is visiting from CA.
I'm looking forward to a wonderful week ahead!
I received the following note from Linda Kawicki, Bread of Life Mission Secretary.Just as a reminder:
Tomorrow is the BLOCK PARTY hosted by the Bread of Life from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm. Lots of food and fun for the kids. And lots of praise and worship.
Hope to see you all there. Bring your favorite lawn chair and enjoy the day with us.
God Bless
On Eagles Wings
Restoration Ministries Newsletter
February – March, 2008
In February, we had a meeting with the NUFED schools. The purpose of this meeting was to decide which schools wanted which project. The projects offered were: reforestation, water cisterns, raising fish, and raising chickens.
On February 8, Vickie and I began raising 500 Tilapia. They are growing very well. Starter food has been given to them three times a day. We started out at 9 ounces, then 12 ounces, and now they receive 1 lb of food. The Tilapia were just minnows when purchased. Now, some are about 3 to 4 inches long in two months. However, 63 fish have died. Please pray for the fish to stop dying. The fish will be sold, and the proceeds will be used for construction.
The day finally came to hand out certificates of thanks and the showing of a Jesus film. Twenty two of the twenty eight families who installed water cisterns during the past two years received their certificate of thanks. After a time of thanking the people, we also praised the Lord for supplying rain to fill the cisterns. There were approximately 100 men, women, and children in attendance.
Following the time of thanksgiving, we showed the Jesus film. The movie was enjoyed by all. No one came forward afterwards for prayer. However, we ask that you partner with us in continued prayer for the village of Cajon de Rio.
On March 3, Don Julio came to teach us how to graft our fruit trees. Four people were present to learn how to do the grafting process. Two hundred thirteen trees were grafted in all. The trees grafted were 70 tangerine, 70 limes, and 73 grapefruit. We are now waiting to make sure the grafts took hold.
Santos and Amabilia, two students from the Intermach school in Jacotan planted radishes. We planted approximately 800 radishes. The radishes will be sold, and the proceeds used for construction. The radishes are growing well and will be ready to harvest in about 3 weeks.
On March 28, Jorge Rosales from NUFED schools and I went to Guareruche. For two days, Moringa limbs were cut down in preparation to be handled out at the school inn Guarecruche. The teacher was excited about the trees as were the students and parents. Twenty seven limbs, three feet long, were given to the school. The limbs were placed in a dark room for four days. Then, they will be planted around the school property.
The students and I visited San Jocinto and another village about 10 minutes from Chiquimula. They graciously gave us permission to cut 100 Moringa limbs from each location to hand out at the NUFED schools. It is our goal to plant the Moringa limbs at each school. Six months later the limbs will be cut off and half given to the school and the other half to us so other schools will benefit from the limbs. The Moringa trees have a three fold purpose. The leaves are a good vitamin resource, the seeds are used to purify water, and the wood can be used for firewood for cooking. Every six moths the limbs can be cut. Since the tree grows so fast, the tree is a good resource for firewood.
The students mixed dirt to put into bags to plant seeds. Six hundred bags were filled with dirt. The mixture was six parts dirt, three parts manure and one part sand. Six hundred Ramon seeds were planted in the bags.
The Ramon trees can supply food for the people. The Ramon seeds can be ground and made into tortillas and atol, a drink which the people like.
We thank you for helping us with our personal support. Without your faithful financial support, we would not be able to serve the Mayan people of Camotan and Jacotan, Guatemala.
God bless you for all you do.
Love and prayers.
David, Vickie, and Melissa
Saturday night was awesome! New Beginnings prepared the evening meal for the residents of Bread of Life Rescue Mission. We served about 30 people and there was plenty of help and food. After the meal, we had a service with them. Representatives of the Lantana Road Baptist Church opened the service and led in singing, and then I preached. I used Matthew 20:30-34 as my text. The Spirit of the Lord was awesome in that place. Several came forward for prayer during the altar service, and one man gave his heart to the Lord. God is awesome!
On Saturday, June 28th, Bread of Life will host their 7th Annual Block Party and Open House. This will be an all day event, beginning at 10:30 a.m. and concluding at 6:00 p.m. There will be fun and games for the kids, plenty to eat, and lots of worship, music, and praise.
I just received word a little while ago from the families of Veness Diden and Rhonda Turner. Sister Veness had her surgery this morning in Knoxville and she came through it quite well. She had a tumor behind her right eye about the size of a golf ball. The doctors were able to get it all, and it was benign.
Rhonda had her surgery in California. She had an aneurysm in the brain. I am told the surgery was successful and Rhonda is doing great.
We give praise to the Lord for watching over each of these ladies today. Please continue to remember them in prayer that they will have a full and speedy recovery!
Today both Veness Diden (from Sunbright) and Rhonda Turner (my cousin) will be having surgery. Please join me in prayer for both of these ladies.
Here is an interesting quote I found on Christian unity.
Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become "unity" conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified. --A.W. Tozer
I am often asked, "Why would you want to start another church in Crossville?" In some ways, I suppose this is a legitimate question, although I do sometimes tire of hearing it. Nevertheless, I would like to answer the question here.
First of all, starting a new church is biblical! Paul said, “My one ambition is to proclaim the gospel where the name of Christ is not known, lest I build on someone else's foundation” (Romans 15:20). The New Testament church was very aggressive in planting churches.
Second, starting a new church gives people options! Usually, churches are afraid of competition from a new church that is planted across town. It is possible, however, for two churches to complement one another rather than to be in competition. People are not all the same, and some aspects (style of worship, average age of congregation, etc.) of one church may not appeal to everyone.
Third, starting a new church may be more effective in reaching the lost. Numerous studies have shown that 60-8- percent of the new adult members of new congregations are people who were not actively involved in the life of any worshiping congregation immediately prior to joining a new mission.
In my preparation for our Sunday service, I ran across this poem and thought I'd share it here.
Mender of toys, leader of boys,
Changer of fuses, kisser of bruises,
Bless him, O Lord.
Mover of couches, soother of ouches,
Ponder of nails, teller of tales,
Reward him, O Lord.
Hanger of screens, counselor of teens,
Fixer of bikes, chastiser of tykes,
Help him, O Lord.
Raker of leaves, cleaner of eaves,
Dryer of dishes, fulfiller of wishes,
Bless him, O Lord.
The story is told of a salesman who had a flat tire on a lonely road one dark rainy night and, to his dismay, he had no lug wrench. Seeing a nearby farmhouse, he set out on foot. Surely the farmer would have a lug wrench, he thought. But would he even come to the door? And if he did, he’d probably be furious at being bothered. He’d probably say, “What’s the big idea getting me out of bed in the middle of the night?” This thought made the salesman angry. Why, that farmer is a selfish old clod to refuse to help me.
Finally the man reached the farmhouse. Frustrated and drenched, he banged on the door. “Who’s there?” a voice called out from a window overhead.
“You know good and well who it is,” yelled the salesman, his face red with anger. “It’s me! And you can keep your old lug wrench! I wouldn’t borrow it if it was the last one in the county.”
It is amazing how our thoughts often determine our actions. We can work ourselves into a frenzy dwelling on negative things. But it is a contradiction to think that we can walk in faith, expecting all the good things of God, while dwelling on the negative and being suspicious of the motives of others. Perhaps that’s why Paul said, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8, KJV). The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language says it this way: “Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” Don’t dwell on things as they are...or appear to be...expect better!
I spoke with Boonyong Bureenok on the phone last night and he shared some of the happenings in Thailand with me. Later, he sent me several photos, some of which I will post here. Please continue to join me in prayer for Brother Boone and his family, the orphanage, and the work of ministry in Thailand.
A few days ago I requested prayer for Reese Samuel Davis, My cousin, Ginger Meadows Davis' new baby. Although he remains in Children's hospital in CA, I am informed that he is doing much better. We praise the Lord for touching and watching over this baby, and request your continued prayer.
We were very honored to have Pastor Ralph Reagan of Bread of Life Rescue Mission to minister to us at New Beginnings this morning. I had only met Ralph once before, but I had heard a great deal about him and how the Lord is using him in Crossville.
Brother Ralph preached a very inspiring message on standing up for what we believe even in difficult times. He stated that the enemy will use all kinds of temptations to sway us, but it is critical that we remain absolutely committed to the cause of Christ. He shared some of his life story, especially after he surrendered his life to the Lord.
After the service, I announced that Ralph had brought a supply of his book (just recently published). I'm not sure how many he brought, but the were all sold and he was kind enough to sign several (if not all) of them. Once I got home, I started reading the book and have now finished it. The book, Fallen, Felon, and finally Faith, is a powerful testimony of Ralph's life and the grace of our loving God! To purchase books contact: April Press BOL, P.O. Box 1514, Crossville, TN 38558
My cousin, Ginger Meadows Davis, had a baby on Friday. His name is Reese Samuel Davis. I just learned that the baby is in a children's hospital in California in critical care. I'm not sure of all the details, but Uncle Jim is requesting that we please be in prayer for Reese.
New Beginnings had the privilege of serving a meal at Bread of Life Rescue Mission tonight! This was our first time to serve a hot meal, but certainly not the last we will be doing to support this tremendous ministry. In fact, we are scheduled to be back there on May 31. We also have a box at New Beginnings for receiving food donations for the Bread of Life food pantry.
I am pleased to announce, too, that Pastor Ralph Reagan, co-founder of Bread of Life Rescue Mission, will be with us this Sunday morning to share from the Word, and about BOL. Ralph has written a book, Fallen, Felon, and Finally Faith which has just been published. He will have some with him on Sunday and will be on hand to sign copies. The book is $10 and the net proceeds go to the mission building fund.
Please add Pastor Ralph and his wife Connie as well as the ministry of Bread of Life to your prayer list.
Sunday is Mother's Day! As I have been preparing and thinking about how to best honor our mothers, I ran across a few quotes I thought I'd share with you here.
“The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new.”
- Rajneesh
“All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother."
- Abraham Lincoln
“If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden.”
- Attributed to Claudia Ghandi
You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around - and why his parents will always wave back.
-William D. Tammeus
Don't wait until Sunday to tell your mother you love her!
I went to Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt yesterday, along with Mother & Dad, Bill & Kim and family. I am pleased to report that Isaiah Samuel is doing much better. His bilyrubin has come down. He will probably be in the hospital for a day or so longer, but I know the Lord has touched him. We appreciate your prayers very much and request that you continue to pray for him and Jason and Jennifer.
