Greetings from Waveland, Mississippi
Martie and I would like to wish you Merry
Christmas and a prosperous new year. We
trust that this update finds you strong in
your faith walking in the way He has shown
you.
Even though our country is in great
financial turmoil, unemployment is going
through the roof, and we are engaged in two
wars … there is good news …. God sent His
Son, Christ the Lord … a Savior, to give us
hope and peace. We pray that this Christmas
season you will be reminded of the great
love God has for you … that although “some
may trust in horses and some in chariots,
you are found trusting in the Lord your
God.” (Psalm 20:7) The angels told the
shepherds, “Do not be afraid” The
encouragement to “not be afraid” is in the
Bible over 360 times. But it’s more than
looking unemployment or debt or illness in
the face and scoffing at it. It is placing
our trust in the One who can do more than we
can ask or think. I know that some of you
are being affected by the problems we are
having in the economy. Some
years ago, Frank Peretti wrote a book
entitled
“All is Well” about a single mom and her
daughter. The mom had lost perspective on
the great love God has for her but was
reminded by the love her daughter and the
simple acts of kindness of the people in the
neighborhood. My
point .... our God reigns! So do
not be afraid ... but be of good
cheer! God
is on your side!
The work continues here on the Gulf Coast.
The pace has slowed, but there are still
plenty of opportunities to help families
with the recovery. We are currently working
on 6 houses. You can check the houses out
on our web site … We had volunteers from
California, Georgia, Alabama, and Indiana
this month. We made good progress. The
Lord willing, we will have the Phillips in
their home by the end of January.
Speaking of
volunteers, right now January and
February are open so if any of you reading
this are of a mind to come help, that would
be a good time. In the mean time, I will be
working with other organizations here to
continue the work.
I had the opportunity to speak at a revival
at Old Spanish Trail Baptist Church last
week. Ben Dedeaux (Deedough) is the pastor
there. Ben
works at the commercial sales desk at
Lowes, which is where I first met him. We
have become good friends. Ben
wants to take the congregation of his
church beyond the walls of the building they
meet in,
for the advancement of the kingdom.
He asked if
I would speak at their revival … having
never done that, the first thing I did -
being the spiritual warrior that I am … was
I looked at my abilities and thought,
I can’t do that! I had all kinds of reasons
not to. Martie just had her surgery, we had
volunteers in the camp, our grand daughter,
Jessica, is staying with us for a season.
Plenty of reasons why I would be justified
in saying “Sorry”. In fact I did say
that, but the Lord wouldn’t let me
off the hook. So I took the “Sorry” back
and said “Yes”
and trusted God. Now I doubt that
you struggle with saying "yes"
to God, but just in case you do …. I want
to encourage you to remember
that what He asks you to do will "always"
require trust in Him … why do I
forget that so easily?
Let me share a quick story along those
lines. While we were in Alabama for Martie’s
surgery, I asked a volunteer if he could
stay an extra week. He was laid off from
his job so I offered to pay for the change
in air fare if he could help. He and his
wife prayed about it and he agreed to stay.
He had his ticket changed and got a “credit”
on his ticket … he got money back … God is
good!
While we were gone, Mitch and Sandy Reed
from High Desert Church in California ran
the camp for us … they did a wonderful job …
We thank the Lord for their willingness to
say yes and then to trust in Him.
Speaking of Martie. Her recovery is slower
than we expected and than she would like.
There are no apparent complications, but her
activity level is very limited. Jessica and
I are taking up the slack … well we are
trying to keep things from slipping anyway.
Please continue to pray for her. And us!
Please continue to pray for the people here
… not just that they will be warm and filled
… but that they will know Jesus. We thank
God for each one of you. The Lord bless you
and give you health.
With Great Affection
