As I sit here beginning to write my Blog, I am in the active process of listening to 99.7 Family Life Radio. How amazing that the two programs I have been listening to this morning are about the very subject I have decided to write about today!
The first was Chuck Swindoll in raising children and the difficulties we encounter and the huge responsibilities. The second (which is still in progress is the story of a Korean Street Child, as she tells her story of being put out in the street as an infant, still believing that her mother loves her, but did what she had to do. The child, now a grown Christian woman, in ministry, tells of being thrown into a building with another little girl, younger than she. She tells of the hatred she felt at being used as a human bait for rats. She tells of being abused by men over and over. She told of a man who finally showed some real affection and she spat on him, at nine years old, she was dead to emotion except for hatred. She was adopted by a Christian couple and began to know God and the love of Christ and began to heal....what a blessing to have a mother and father who can Train up a child in the way he should go!
That leads me into my subject for today. Proverbs 22:6 is an all time favorite verse for most Christian parents. I have that scripture dedicated in a brick at the Melbourne Beach Library for my three grandsons; Ryan, Ian, and Zane.
As I think deeply and intently about the verse, I see so many ways it can be understood. ( I LOVE the living, dynamic, changing, revealing, yet firm ways God makes His every Word come alive!)
Train: the definition of train means to impart knowledge, to instruct by precept and example, to give experience. As we train a tender plant as in a Bonsai tree, so shall it be bent. As we nurture and gently shape and mold it, as we turn it toward the sun (SON), it will turn in that direction. We can not force it, we must be gentle and consistent...if we force it, it will break. This is proven Biblically by the following scripture:
Colossians 3:21 " fathers, (and mothers) provoke not your children to wrath, lest they be discouraged" Some translations say: "Do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged."
Know that your child is wonderfully made by God and trust God that He will be His protector and guide. Know that His grace is sufficient for you and for your child if you leave that child in the Father's hands!
When we train up a child in the way he should go it means more than meets the eye! Train is to teach, to admonish, to gently guide, to discipline with loving admonishment (to express disapproval by gentle and ernest, solicitous manner, to advise and encourage...not DIS-courage).
As we train our child, we know that the fruit we will see may (most likely) not be immediate, nor even may it be in the next few years, but know that if you lovingly, gently, teach and admonish by example of your own life, that child will turn to the one who is loving, forgiving, and provides for him in his times of trouble. If he knows that God is his counselor, his sustenance, his rock of salvation, a very present help, his Lord and savior, he will turn to Him! It is God's promise. It is truth. It is written. God is faithful. The KEY is training by example, with love, gentleness, and loving admonishment.
When the Bible says; "spare the rod, and spoil the child...." I shudder to think of the ways in which this has been made perverse! We knew of a man back in Sheridan, who made a rod about three feet long and about 1/2 " thick to use on his children..they were ages from one year to about three!
In Biblical times, the rod was a gentle probe to guide or nudge in a certain direction. The rod and staff were to comfort not to beat or harm! We need to nudge our children in the right direction. If we see them having a desire we should listen with intention, ask them to pray with us about it and ask God to direct and counsel and then let God's grace be sufficient. In doing this, we teach them to seek God for all decisions and to trust in God's will not our own.
David was a man "after Gods own heart" yet David killed a man, caused another to die at the front lines of battle, committed adultery, killed a giant, killed a lion, and danced naked in the streets. The heart of David was toward the Lord, always. His intent was to please God, yet he failed many times to be a perfect example....the consequences of his behavior was to have those same sins repeated by his own sons, and to lose the son of Bathsheba. He paid the price of sin. God is no respector of persons, if we sin, we pay in this life, as well as being judged or rewarded on judgement day.
We teach our children that there are consequences in this life for our sins and for the choices that we make. When we include God in our decisions, I am a firm believer that He will work things together for good for those that love Him and keep His commandments!
We shall become as little children...."whosoever shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and whosoever shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me. But whoso shall offend (cause one of these to stumble!) one of these who believe in me, it would be better for him if a millstone were hanged around his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea."
The raising of a precious child is a very serious business. It is the greatest responsibility one can ever carry. It absolutely must be done with fervent prayer and with a bridled tongue. It must be carried out with the I Corinthians Love scriptures:
Love suffereth LONG! Love is KIND! Love envieth not! Love vaunteth not ITSELF! Love is not puffed up! Love doth not behave itself UNSEEMLY!
Love seeketh not her own! Love is not easily PROVOKED! Love thinketh no EVIL! Love rejoices not in unrighteousness. Love rejoices in TRUTH!
Love bears all things! Love Believes all things! Love HOPES all things! Love ENDURES all things! Love NEVER FAILS!
To the children: Children OBEY your parents in the LORD, for this is right. Honor thy father and mother. This is a commandment with promise, that it may go well with you! (Eph.6:1-2).
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth.....let all bitterness and wrath, and anger, clamor, and evil speaking or railing (shouting, arguing) be put away from you! Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving, EVEN as GOD forgives you! (Eph. 29-32).
Fathers, provoke NOT your children to wrath! but bring them up in the LOVING nurture of the Lord. (Eph. 6:1)
As Thanksgiving is upon us, I am so thankful to my God and my Savior for my children! I thank my God for my grandchildren and my son-in-law and for my husband. God is so good to us. I have no words to thank Him for His awesome grace, mercy, love, patience, forgiveness, and His constant and wonderful presence. I am so glad, in light of my lack of ability to thank Him enough, that His GRACE is truly sufficient for me!
To my family: I thank you for being a part of my life, for the blessing you have been to me these past years, I thank my God for all of you. I thank my God for my brothers and sisters around the world, for the body of the Living Church of Jesus Christ, our Redeemer! With every blessing, I give HIM praise!
Thanksgiving be Unto our Father!
The Fishermens Line
Pray Without Ceasing!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Monday, October 30, 2006
The Eyes of Man Are Never Satisfied!
King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes that the eye is not satisfied with seeing. (Ec.1:8) How true this statement is and always has been and will be true!
Greetings!
I make the above statement about Solomon's wise saying because it fits so perfectly with my reading Genesis this past week (for the 15th time at least...probably more than that even). This time, although I always love to read Gods word, I love the history of creation...and history in general, but I wanted to read it with INTENTION! I asked God to show me more, I want to know Him more! I want to know His Word for me!
As I read through Genesis and read intentionally, with the strong desire to get what HE wanted me to get out of it, I was overwhelmed with how truly AWESOME He is! What a plan for us! Even though our ancestors, Adam and Eve, were placed in a paradise garden, with un-told beauty, and with the job of taking are of this paradise and the animals subject to them, even though they walked and talked with their Creator God, they were not satisfied!
Why can we not be satisfied with what God has given us? Why do we always want to listen to the adversary? Why do we allow ourselves to be deceived by a tempter and liar, and the father of lies?
This is why! When the serpent (Satan) held the beautiful fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil up before Eve...he knew the eyes of man are never satisfied...he was the progenitor of pride and the desire to be above God! The very thing that caused his fall was about to cause the fall of humankind!! He knew that Eve would easily be tempted to be more 'like God', to know more, to not surely 'die'!
See, isn't the fruit alluring? Isn't it good to look at? Isn't it satisfying?? You will not die, you will be like God and know good and evil! You will be lifted up! Your station in life will be better! You will be stronger...smarter, you will be better than others, you will be successful, you will be in control! Isn't there the idea that you will be on a higher plane? You can control your life, if you just have this one thing!
Then the moment you listen to this tempter and give in to his enticements, you know you have been deceived! You know God is near and you have disobeyed HIM!
The instant, you give in to Satan and his lies and deceptions, you KNOW he has won and you have broken Gods very heart! Thank God for His omniscience! His omnipresence! His omnipotence!
Once Adam and Eve fell, we could never be innocent again! We all became immoral! How wonderful that God had a plan from the beginning! When He gave us free-will, He had a plan to redeem us from our sin.
Isn't it so amazing that God told us about it all in the beginning. All we have to do is believe in Him and the salvation plan He has given to us!
God shows us all along that when THe Word said, "let there be light,(Jesus is that true light!) and Christ was and is that light! The Word is the creative work of God and the Word is Christ. God shows us the three person work in the first chapter of Genesis: The Word, The Spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters. The Word speaks, God moves,through the Holy Spirit of God.
Every Word that He has spoken has come true and will come true. He implemented the entire plan into action from the beginning! He planned one wife...monogamy. He planned a job for us...tending a perfect garden. He planned a moral and intellectual nature. If He had not given us free-will, there would have been no opportunity to do what is right on our own...we may have been better to be robots...but thankfully, we serve a God who wants us to CHOOSE Him out of faith and love!
He tells us later in His Word to "be ye holy, for I am holy" He would not say this to us if it were not possible! He only wants us to know that if we choose Him once He calls us, we are to follow His lead, His example, His life, His work, to die daily to ourself and literally tell Satan, "get thee behind me!"
We must continually be aware that the adversary, the devil,walketh about, as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour! (I Peter 5:8).
As Proverbs 6:11 says "a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool to his folly (repeats)". Once we have chosen to follow Jesus, we must simply tell Satan, "get thee behind!" and that "you are a liar and a deceiver, and the father of lies!"
Think of the men of God who believed His promise of a city whose builder and maker is God! We are not looking for an earthly city, we are looking for the promised land that is eternal, with the Lord, and our walk through this earth is filled with trials, temptations, troubles, testing, and adversities, but when we ask God, our Creator and our Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, He will lead us through all of this by the power of the Holy Spirit! He will be right there with us, going before us and being strong when we are weak!
Right now, I know, beyond a doubt, that God has called us to a Prayer Journey...we are preparing for Rain! God called us during our trip from Bangkok to Hong Kong...February 8th. We don't know how, when, etc. but we do know that it is a call that we must answer. Please pray for us!
I am not sure, but even though we also have a desire to go overseas for awhile again, the Prayer Journey seems to be a priority on the agenda! We need a LOT of prayer for guidance in the details. We are trusting that God will reveal as He sees necessary!
We also are positive that He wants us right where we are right now! As in the cloud by day and the fire by night...we will move when God moves! Until then, we serve Him right where we are and are content in that.
The house is coming along. It has a roof (not a finished roof yet), and we are hoping yet again for good weather to hold until the garage is poured and built and roofed! Allan is working so hard! He is so intent upon this task. Ryan, Ian, and Zane help him when they can. They are such precious little guys...what a blessing God has given us in our family!!
Michael plans to come up here for Thanksgiving, so please pray for him, traveling and for a wonderful time here with the family. Pray for blessings on all of us during this time of Thanksgiving and fellowship with God and each other! I BELIEVE in the power of prayer, so please pray for this. We miss Michael so much and I pray for good weather and safety for his journey!
I hope that all of you have a very special Thanksgiving and BE THANKFUL "Let your moderation be known to all men, be careful for nothing (be not anxious!),but in everything by prayer and supplication, with THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds in CHRIST JESUS."
Finally, bretheren, 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, if there be any praise, THINK ON THESE." (Phllipians 4:5-8
"Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have..." He.13:5
May God bless you and may Kingdom work be done by His Spirit through you.
The Fishermens Line
Is.30:21, Eph. 4:30
Greetings!
I make the above statement about Solomon's wise saying because it fits so perfectly with my reading Genesis this past week (for the 15th time at least...probably more than that even). This time, although I always love to read Gods word, I love the history of creation...and history in general, but I wanted to read it with INTENTION! I asked God to show me more, I want to know Him more! I want to know His Word for me!
As I read through Genesis and read intentionally, with the strong desire to get what HE wanted me to get out of it, I was overwhelmed with how truly AWESOME He is! What a plan for us! Even though our ancestors, Adam and Eve, were placed in a paradise garden, with un-told beauty, and with the job of taking are of this paradise and the animals subject to them, even though they walked and talked with their Creator God, they were not satisfied!
Why can we not be satisfied with what God has given us? Why do we always want to listen to the adversary? Why do we allow ourselves to be deceived by a tempter and liar, and the father of lies?
This is why! When the serpent (Satan) held the beautiful fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil up before Eve...he knew the eyes of man are never satisfied...he was the progenitor of pride and the desire to be above God! The very thing that caused his fall was about to cause the fall of humankind!! He knew that Eve would easily be tempted to be more 'like God', to know more, to not surely 'die'!
See, isn't the fruit alluring? Isn't it good to look at? Isn't it satisfying?? You will not die, you will be like God and know good and evil! You will be lifted up! Your station in life will be better! You will be stronger...smarter, you will be better than others, you will be successful, you will be in control! Isn't there the idea that you will be on a higher plane? You can control your life, if you just have this one thing!
Then the moment you listen to this tempter and give in to his enticements, you know you have been deceived! You know God is near and you have disobeyed HIM!
The instant, you give in to Satan and his lies and deceptions, you KNOW he has won and you have broken Gods very heart! Thank God for His omniscience! His omnipresence! His omnipotence!
Once Adam and Eve fell, we could never be innocent again! We all became immoral! How wonderful that God had a plan from the beginning! When He gave us free-will, He had a plan to redeem us from our sin.
Isn't it so amazing that God told us about it all in the beginning. All we have to do is believe in Him and the salvation plan He has given to us!
God shows us all along that when THe Word said, "let there be light,(Jesus is that true light!) and Christ was and is that light! The Word is the creative work of God and the Word is Christ. God shows us the three person work in the first chapter of Genesis: The Word, The Spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters. The Word speaks, God moves,through the Holy Spirit of God.
Every Word that He has spoken has come true and will come true. He implemented the entire plan into action from the beginning! He planned one wife...monogamy. He planned a job for us...tending a perfect garden. He planned a moral and intellectual nature. If He had not given us free-will, there would have been no opportunity to do what is right on our own...we may have been better to be robots...but thankfully, we serve a God who wants us to CHOOSE Him out of faith and love!
He tells us later in His Word to "be ye holy, for I am holy" He would not say this to us if it were not possible! He only wants us to know that if we choose Him once He calls us, we are to follow His lead, His example, His life, His work, to die daily to ourself and literally tell Satan, "get thee behind me!"
We must continually be aware that the adversary, the devil,walketh about, as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour! (I Peter 5:8).
As Proverbs 6:11 says "a dog returns to his vomit, so a fool to his folly (repeats)". Once we have chosen to follow Jesus, we must simply tell Satan, "get thee behind!" and that "you are a liar and a deceiver, and the father of lies!"
Think of the men of God who believed His promise of a city whose builder and maker is God! We are not looking for an earthly city, we are looking for the promised land that is eternal, with the Lord, and our walk through this earth is filled with trials, temptations, troubles, testing, and adversities, but when we ask God, our Creator and our Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, He will lead us through all of this by the power of the Holy Spirit! He will be right there with us, going before us and being strong when we are weak!
Right now, I know, beyond a doubt, that God has called us to a Prayer Journey...we are preparing for Rain! God called us during our trip from Bangkok to Hong Kong...February 8th. We don't know how, when, etc. but we do know that it is a call that we must answer. Please pray for us!
I am not sure, but even though we also have a desire to go overseas for awhile again, the Prayer Journey seems to be a priority on the agenda! We need a LOT of prayer for guidance in the details. We are trusting that God will reveal as He sees necessary!
We also are positive that He wants us right where we are right now! As in the cloud by day and the fire by night...we will move when God moves! Until then, we serve Him right where we are and are content in that.
The house is coming along. It has a roof (not a finished roof yet), and we are hoping yet again for good weather to hold until the garage is poured and built and roofed! Allan is working so hard! He is so intent upon this task. Ryan, Ian, and Zane help him when they can. They are such precious little guys...what a blessing God has given us in our family!!
Michael plans to come up here for Thanksgiving, so please pray for him, traveling and for a wonderful time here with the family. Pray for blessings on all of us during this time of Thanksgiving and fellowship with God and each other! I BELIEVE in the power of prayer, so please pray for this. We miss Michael so much and I pray for good weather and safety for his journey!
I hope that all of you have a very special Thanksgiving and BE THANKFUL "Let your moderation be known to all men, be careful for nothing (be not anxious!),but in everything by prayer and supplication, with THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds in CHRIST JESUS."
Finally, bretheren, 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, if there be any praise, THINK ON THESE." (Phllipians 4:5-8
"Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have..." He.13:5
May God bless you and may Kingdom work be done by His Spirit through you.
The Fishermens Line
Is.30:21, Eph. 4:30
Thursday, October 12, 2006
I Can Only Imagine!
I can only imagine and what an awesome glimpse of His Power, His Presence, His Knowledge!
This past Wednesday, as I took my walk along the river walk in Portland I walked and prayed for the people of Portland and its surrounding villages and communities.
When I awakened and once again saw the heavy mist and fog hanging low over the winding river, the leaves of gold, red, yellows, browns, and scarlet, russets, and all sorts of breathtaking colors, I looked at the Colorado Blue Spruce, Scotch Pines, Holly, Juniper, and many other evergreens, and the still remaining greens of the Maples, Oaks, Walnuts, Elms, and Sycamore trees along the path, I felt an overwhelming awe at the landscape that our Father designed for us to enjoy!
I took a deep breath and just felt so joyful at the fragrances of fall mingled with the lingering fragrances of summer. God knew exactly what He was doing when He created this beauty for His children!
That thought gave rise to another regarding the spoken WORD of God. What power! To speak and a thing comes into existence! To breathe and a life comes into being! What power has our God! What power IS our God!
Of course, I then thought about the way only HE can design such intricasies as to be able to co-ordinate every detail of the life of every person that He ever created. What power He has, what intelligence! What love! What presence!
How can I even put these thoughts into words! To have a personal relationship with the God of creation. The One who can just speak things into being. The One who knows all...who is omniscient. The One who even created knowledge! The One who is all wisdom! The One who designed the living cells of all creation!
To know the One who hung the stars, the moon, the sun, the planets, the One who holds the ocean in its place, the One who gave the law and fulfilled the law. The One who gave us grace through His love for us, His special creation...mankind! The One we can call Father, through faith in Jesus Christ. What an awesome wonder, to be His children and to be able to say, "Abba, Father!"
I truly stand in awe of Him! I was reading today in my "Every day with Jesus" newsletter, about knowing Him, not just His word, but knowing His attributes, about what would someone feel who sent a love letter to us and cared so deeply for us, but all we cared about was the words of the letter, but not the PERSON behind the letter...the One who actually wrote the letter. I started to think about that, and it made such perfect sense! I want to know my Father and my Lord Jesus, I want to know Him better! I want to really know the Person of Christ! I want to see Him as He is. I want to experience the kind of love He gave to us. I want to experience the kind of forgiveness that He has for us! The forgiveness that would forgive a thief on the cross beside me, that had just mocked me, and then asked me to forgive him, and I would do that!
I really want to be the kind of person that can look at the beggar on the street and love him or her for the fact that they are God's creation...and not pass them by, but reach out to offer a helping hand! I want to be a doer and not just a hearer! I want to give, not just pray for them, but to offer them a hand of love and hope.
I don't want to just pray that God will bring people to Himself, I want to speak the words of hope to them, and to show them the way to salvation through Christ.
I suppose these walks are really being used by my Father to open my eyes to things that I need to see in myself. Please pray for me that I will be and do what God wants me to do, that I will walk "worthy" of the calling. Pray for me that my prayers will be for fruit for my Father's Kingdom!
I have been working in the outpatient surgery department, and I am really enjoying it. I think that, maybe this is where God wants me right now. I have been working in Med-Surg until a couple weeks ago, and once I started doing orientation in outpatient, I found I really like it, and I don't have to do any lifting and that is a big relief! God always comes through, and he knows my needs!
Allan is working on getting ready for the second story of the split-entry house. He just got the backfill in yesterday, even during the wet, muddy day (it had rained for two days!).
We awakned to the first snowfall this morning! This is the 12th of October and we had about three or four inches...it was so beautiful! The snow didn't stick, though...what a pity!
Lora said she felt really guilty because she wanted it to stay, yet she knows that for Grandpa's sake and building the house we don't need snow or rain! We are praying that the weather doesn't get too cold, windy, wet, etc. If it does, we may need to hold off on building till the spring thaw!
I just ordered tickets for the musical called the "Magic of Christmas", which will be performing in Grand Rapids in November. I am so looking forward to it! It will be mine and Lora's birthday gift to each other. We have birthdays together (mine Nov. 18th and Lora's the 19th), The musical is Christian and Christmas music with several musical talents and the Ohio/Michigan Orchestra.
We had the most wonderful blessing yesterday! We had a visit from Karlene and John Johnson and the family! What a great visit. We all talked non-stop, but our visit was all too short. We made plans to get together again soon,though, and we are looking forward to it! Ryan was here,too,so he got to see them and he was very happy about that! Katie is such a beautiful little baby and this is our first time meeting her (except by photographs, of course).
Karlene looked just beautiful. God has so wonderfully blessed that family. John looked great, too, and all the boys had grown since we last saw them in Florida before we went to China.
Karlene pointed out a very interesting thought. She mentioned that just five years ago she sat in our living room in Melbourne Beach, and now she sat in our living room in Michigan! God is truly awesome! That's just what I meant about He plans all the tiny little details of our lives and works His marvelous blessings into our days!!! He designs our life just as He designed us in the womb, if we only allow Him to work His wondrous works in us, He plans so much better that we can even think to ask!
As I look out the window, the snow is still gently falling. The flakes are smaller now, and still not sticking to the ground. It's about 45 dergees out there, but I'm all snuggly inside with a cup of spice tea. Allan just got home a few minutes ago, and is reading a magazine...waiting patiently for me to stop writing and give him attention. I think I will make tea for him and we'll do our devotional time together.
May the God of peace be with you and may Kingdom work be done!
In His Love for His Glory!
Is. 30:21
Eph. 4:30
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. (I John 3:1)
Sue and Allan
The Fishermen
This past Wednesday, as I took my walk along the river walk in Portland I walked and prayed for the people of Portland and its surrounding villages and communities.
When I awakened and once again saw the heavy mist and fog hanging low over the winding river, the leaves of gold, red, yellows, browns, and scarlet, russets, and all sorts of breathtaking colors, I looked at the Colorado Blue Spruce, Scotch Pines, Holly, Juniper, and many other evergreens, and the still remaining greens of the Maples, Oaks, Walnuts, Elms, and Sycamore trees along the path, I felt an overwhelming awe at the landscape that our Father designed for us to enjoy!
I took a deep breath and just felt so joyful at the fragrances of fall mingled with the lingering fragrances of summer. God knew exactly what He was doing when He created this beauty for His children!
That thought gave rise to another regarding the spoken WORD of God. What power! To speak and a thing comes into existence! To breathe and a life comes into being! What power has our God! What power IS our God!
Of course, I then thought about the way only HE can design such intricasies as to be able to co-ordinate every detail of the life of every person that He ever created. What power He has, what intelligence! What love! What presence!
How can I even put these thoughts into words! To have a personal relationship with the God of creation. The One who can just speak things into being. The One who knows all...who is omniscient. The One who even created knowledge! The One who is all wisdom! The One who designed the living cells of all creation!
To know the One who hung the stars, the moon, the sun, the planets, the One who holds the ocean in its place, the One who gave the law and fulfilled the law. The One who gave us grace through His love for us, His special creation...mankind! The One we can call Father, through faith in Jesus Christ. What an awesome wonder, to be His children and to be able to say, "Abba, Father!"
I truly stand in awe of Him! I was reading today in my "Every day with Jesus" newsletter, about knowing Him, not just His word, but knowing His attributes, about what would someone feel who sent a love letter to us and cared so deeply for us, but all we cared about was the words of the letter, but not the PERSON behind the letter...the One who actually wrote the letter. I started to think about that, and it made such perfect sense! I want to know my Father and my Lord Jesus, I want to know Him better! I want to really know the Person of Christ! I want to see Him as He is. I want to experience the kind of love He gave to us. I want to experience the kind of forgiveness that He has for us! The forgiveness that would forgive a thief on the cross beside me, that had just mocked me, and then asked me to forgive him, and I would do that!
I really want to be the kind of person that can look at the beggar on the street and love him or her for the fact that they are God's creation...and not pass them by, but reach out to offer a helping hand! I want to be a doer and not just a hearer! I want to give, not just pray for them, but to offer them a hand of love and hope.
I don't want to just pray that God will bring people to Himself, I want to speak the words of hope to them, and to show them the way to salvation through Christ.
I suppose these walks are really being used by my Father to open my eyes to things that I need to see in myself. Please pray for me that I will be and do what God wants me to do, that I will walk "worthy" of the calling. Pray for me that my prayers will be for fruit for my Father's Kingdom!
I have been working in the outpatient surgery department, and I am really enjoying it. I think that, maybe this is where God wants me right now. I have been working in Med-Surg until a couple weeks ago, and once I started doing orientation in outpatient, I found I really like it, and I don't have to do any lifting and that is a big relief! God always comes through, and he knows my needs!
Allan is working on getting ready for the second story of the split-entry house. He just got the backfill in yesterday, even during the wet, muddy day (it had rained for two days!).
We awakned to the first snowfall this morning! This is the 12th of October and we had about three or four inches...it was so beautiful! The snow didn't stick, though...what a pity!
Lora said she felt really guilty because she wanted it to stay, yet she knows that for Grandpa's sake and building the house we don't need snow or rain! We are praying that the weather doesn't get too cold, windy, wet, etc. If it does, we may need to hold off on building till the spring thaw!
I just ordered tickets for the musical called the "Magic of Christmas", which will be performing in Grand Rapids in November. I am so looking forward to it! It will be mine and Lora's birthday gift to each other. We have birthdays together (mine Nov. 18th and Lora's the 19th), The musical is Christian and Christmas music with several musical talents and the Ohio/Michigan Orchestra.
We had the most wonderful blessing yesterday! We had a visit from Karlene and John Johnson and the family! What a great visit. We all talked non-stop, but our visit was all too short. We made plans to get together again soon,though, and we are looking forward to it! Ryan was here,too,so he got to see them and he was very happy about that! Katie is such a beautiful little baby and this is our first time meeting her (except by photographs, of course).
Karlene looked just beautiful. God has so wonderfully blessed that family. John looked great, too, and all the boys had grown since we last saw them in Florida before we went to China.
Karlene pointed out a very interesting thought. She mentioned that just five years ago she sat in our living room in Melbourne Beach, and now she sat in our living room in Michigan! God is truly awesome! That's just what I meant about He plans all the tiny little details of our lives and works His marvelous blessings into our days!!! He designs our life just as He designed us in the womb, if we only allow Him to work His wondrous works in us, He plans so much better that we can even think to ask!
As I look out the window, the snow is still gently falling. The flakes are smaller now, and still not sticking to the ground. It's about 45 dergees out there, but I'm all snuggly inside with a cup of spice tea. Allan just got home a few minutes ago, and is reading a magazine...waiting patiently for me to stop writing and give him attention. I think I will make tea for him and we'll do our devotional time together.
May the God of peace be with you and may Kingdom work be done!
In His Love for His Glory!
Is. 30:21
Eph. 4:30
Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. (I John 3:1)
Sue and Allan
The Fishermen
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
They That Wait Upon the Lord!
And she said unto them, " Call me not Naomi, call me Mara, for the Lord has dealt very bitterly with me." Ruth 1:20
As I read this scripture in the book of Ruth, I think about how we are so quick to decide what our Sovereign God, our Father, our Creator, our Rock, our Protector, our Savior has in His perfect plan for us!
How can we be so quick to decide that He has left us, or dealt very bitterly with us?! Why can we not always do as Isaiah says, "but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
If only Naomi could have known and trusted the God she served...if only she could have known her future and her contribution through the faithfulness of Ruth...the child born to her daughter-in-law would be the the bloodline of the Christ, the savior of the world! If she had known the plans God had for her, how blessed she would have been! How very differently she would have viewed things that seemed at the time to be a bitter inheritance!
If we only trust the promises of our Father God, through His Living Word! If only we can step out of the boat in complete faith...if only we can truly know, not just believe, not just think, but truly KNOW that our God is faithful and that He will prosper us and not harm us, that HE will work things together for good for those that love Him and keep his commands and are called to His purpose!
We can know it. He has told us in His Word and we can trust Him completely. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption...we are His kinsmen and He is our kinsman Redeemer! He has given us His word and every jot, every title is written in His Word for a purpose! Nothing is accidental. Every word, every line has a meaning.
God works in every little detail of our lives to accomplish His purpose! All we have to do is invite Him to lead, guide, and intervene in our daily life! He will not force us to be part of His blessings, but He has made it clear in each word spoken through His instructions, divinely given and preserved for us, that He wants us to have the promises and blessings given to those who love Him!
When God called Ruth, a Moabite, to be part of the Davidic line, He was showing His love for the Gentiles of the world, both then and the future. His plans have always been to include the nations of the world for Salvation! What a blessing for us to have God's written words, living and dynamic, to follow, to study, and to compare with secular history, and to know that He has shown us His plans and His will for our present life and for our future in eternity with Him!
Naomi didn't have that wonderful book. She didn't have the Holy Spirit to listen to and to guide her along. Her knowledge of God was passed on to her through family stories and through the books of the Law of "Moses". Think of the joy she must have known when she passed into eternity to be with God, and to learn, perhaps for the first time, that she was the grandmother of Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David!
My whole point to this is that when we have been dealt with very bitterly, and when we suffer persecutions, and sorrow, and pain, that we remember that our Father is still in control and that we will someday know why these things happen...but in the meantime, let us "occupy" till He comes( Luke 19:13). Let us trust in Him completely. Let us Let Go and Let God do His magnificent planning in our daily life and then let us see what wonderful things can come from that seed of faith that is un-wavering!
Please pray for me as I speak at the WMU meeting this week (Oct. 5th). Pray that God will give me words to say that will glorify His name.
I am also hoping to start a prayer-walking team here in Portland. Pray for that, also. Prayer-walking is fairly new around here, so I'm hoping to encourage the women of this church to step out in faith and pray for the many things we need to take before our Father.
Please pray for Lora as she home-schools Ryan, Ian, and Zane. Please continue to pray for Michael and his desire to serve God. Pray for Allan as he builds our house....for safety and for his health. Pray for me as I work at the hospital, that I will be salt and light to those I work with that are lost.
I just partnered with my favorite radio station...you can hear it online at Family Life Radio! www.familyliferadio.org. On Thursday morning they are calling to get my testimony about missions, so pray for me, that God will use my words to reach someone!
The weather is so beautiful! We have had a lot of rain and fog. Monday morning on my way to work at 0630, you could not see one foot in front of you! It was also thundering and lightening and raining!
I took a nice morning walk today (off work today), and I took a dozen pictures of the misty foggy morning, the river walk, the beautiful Colorado Blue Spruce trees, the Scotch Pines, and the beautiful leaves turning their lovely reds, yellows, golds, and browns, mixed with the evergreens. The fog hung low over the river and what a glorious sight the Lord has given us to enjoy in this earth!!! If only I could have captured the smells: fresh rain, misty air, a spicey fragrance from the trees, and the flowers that are still lingering...roses and petunias, morning glories and marigolds...how wonderful!
Please pray for Ryan, my twelve year old grandson (just turned twelve) and is struggling between childhood and wanting to grow up all too quickly! That age is so difficult for both the child and the parents, who often are torn between wanting to please yet direct their child. Please pray that Lora and Jim will seek their counsel from God and His word during these years of growing and learning and changing....physically and emotionally. Ian and Zane will be ten years old on Friday the 6th. Ten is not quite so difficult because they still are being little boys, and mom and dad have been there with Ryan! It's always the one who is the one paving the road in childhood that we are always so worried about. Pray for wisdom for all our pre-teens and for the desire to serve and love God with all their heart, mind, and strength!
We had a very successful Missions Conference. It was a blessing to everyone. We had missionaries to Peru, Romania, and Turkey (in addition to Allan and I representing E.A.)
Hopefully, tomorrow, we will go see the new movie "Facing the Giants". It is the Christian movie that had received so much attention for having a PG rating because it was about having faith in God!! Please try to see it when it comes to your area!
Oh, well, God will make this work together for good, too! Publicity!
Please write to us and let us know how we can pray for you! We always pray for you and remember you each day. It would be nice to know how we can pray more effectively with specifics that we can take before our Father on your behalf.
I send my love to all, as does Allan.
"laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life (the life which is life indeed). I Timothy 6:19 Grace be with thee!
As I read this scripture in the book of Ruth, I think about how we are so quick to decide what our Sovereign God, our Father, our Creator, our Rock, our Protector, our Savior has in His perfect plan for us!
How can we be so quick to decide that He has left us, or dealt very bitterly with us?! Why can we not always do as Isaiah says, "but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
If only Naomi could have known and trusted the God she served...if only she could have known her future and her contribution through the faithfulness of Ruth...the child born to her daughter-in-law would be the the bloodline of the Christ, the savior of the world! If she had known the plans God had for her, how blessed she would have been! How very differently she would have viewed things that seemed at the time to be a bitter inheritance!
If we only trust the promises of our Father God, through His Living Word! If only we can step out of the boat in complete faith...if only we can truly know, not just believe, not just think, but truly KNOW that our God is faithful and that He will prosper us and not harm us, that HE will work things together for good for those that love Him and keep his commands and are called to His purpose!
We can know it. He has told us in His Word and we can trust Him completely. We are sealed by the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption...we are His kinsmen and He is our kinsman Redeemer! He has given us His word and every jot, every title is written in His Word for a purpose! Nothing is accidental. Every word, every line has a meaning.
God works in every little detail of our lives to accomplish His purpose! All we have to do is invite Him to lead, guide, and intervene in our daily life! He will not force us to be part of His blessings, but He has made it clear in each word spoken through His instructions, divinely given and preserved for us, that He wants us to have the promises and blessings given to those who love Him!
When God called Ruth, a Moabite, to be part of the Davidic line, He was showing His love for the Gentiles of the world, both then and the future. His plans have always been to include the nations of the world for Salvation! What a blessing for us to have God's written words, living and dynamic, to follow, to study, and to compare with secular history, and to know that He has shown us His plans and His will for our present life and for our future in eternity with Him!
Naomi didn't have that wonderful book. She didn't have the Holy Spirit to listen to and to guide her along. Her knowledge of God was passed on to her through family stories and through the books of the Law of "Moses". Think of the joy she must have known when she passed into eternity to be with God, and to learn, perhaps for the first time, that she was the grandmother of Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of David!
My whole point to this is that when we have been dealt with very bitterly, and when we suffer persecutions, and sorrow, and pain, that we remember that our Father is still in control and that we will someday know why these things happen...but in the meantime, let us "occupy" till He comes( Luke 19:13). Let us trust in Him completely. Let us Let Go and Let God do His magnificent planning in our daily life and then let us see what wonderful things can come from that seed of faith that is un-wavering!
Please pray for me as I speak at the WMU meeting this week (Oct. 5th). Pray that God will give me words to say that will glorify His name.
I am also hoping to start a prayer-walking team here in Portland. Pray for that, also. Prayer-walking is fairly new around here, so I'm hoping to encourage the women of this church to step out in faith and pray for the many things we need to take before our Father.
Please pray for Lora as she home-schools Ryan, Ian, and Zane. Please continue to pray for Michael and his desire to serve God. Pray for Allan as he builds our house....for safety and for his health. Pray for me as I work at the hospital, that I will be salt and light to those I work with that are lost.
I just partnered with my favorite radio station...you can hear it online at Family Life Radio! www.familyliferadio.org. On Thursday morning they are calling to get my testimony about missions, so pray for me, that God will use my words to reach someone!
The weather is so beautiful! We have had a lot of rain and fog. Monday morning on my way to work at 0630, you could not see one foot in front of you! It was also thundering and lightening and raining!
I took a nice morning walk today (off work today), and I took a dozen pictures of the misty foggy morning, the river walk, the beautiful Colorado Blue Spruce trees, the Scotch Pines, and the beautiful leaves turning their lovely reds, yellows, golds, and browns, mixed with the evergreens. The fog hung low over the river and what a glorious sight the Lord has given us to enjoy in this earth!!! If only I could have captured the smells: fresh rain, misty air, a spicey fragrance from the trees, and the flowers that are still lingering...roses and petunias, morning glories and marigolds...how wonderful!
Please pray for Ryan, my twelve year old grandson (just turned twelve) and is struggling between childhood and wanting to grow up all too quickly! That age is so difficult for both the child and the parents, who often are torn between wanting to please yet direct their child. Please pray that Lora and Jim will seek their counsel from God and His word during these years of growing and learning and changing....physically and emotionally. Ian and Zane will be ten years old on Friday the 6th. Ten is not quite so difficult because they still are being little boys, and mom and dad have been there with Ryan! It's always the one who is the one paving the road in childhood that we are always so worried about. Pray for wisdom for all our pre-teens and for the desire to serve and love God with all their heart, mind, and strength!
We had a very successful Missions Conference. It was a blessing to everyone. We had missionaries to Peru, Romania, and Turkey (in addition to Allan and I representing E.A.)
Hopefully, tomorrow, we will go see the new movie "Facing the Giants". It is the Christian movie that had received so much attention for having a PG rating because it was about having faith in God!! Please try to see it when it comes to your area!
Oh, well, God will make this work together for good, too! Publicity!
Please write to us and let us know how we can pray for you! We always pray for you and remember you each day. It would be nice to know how we can pray more effectively with specifics that we can take before our Father on your behalf.
I send my love to all, as does Allan.
"laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life (the life which is life indeed). I Timothy 6:19 Grace be with thee!
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Another Blog-Fog!!
I went back to check my blog post and noticed that sereval paragraphs had been cut off. Now, I seem to be having problems with the posting....it won't stop publishing a blank page! help!!! It has never done this before.
This is a test blog.
This is a test blog.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
To God Be the Glory!
I Thessalonians 5:16-17
Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing.
Greetings once again to our faithful prayer warriors, brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ. May the blessings of the Lord be with you as you walk in His love and His perfect will.
Yesterday as I listened to my new favorite Christian radio station Family Life Radio, I was deeply involved in many people calling in to tell what prayer has done in their life. Then a young pastor came on to give his view of how we, in America, and the world have become so complacent in our prayer life.
This young man is from a SBC church in, or around Kansas City. He was talking about how we often (usually) are so quick to ask God for everything we need (or think we need), or want, (think we want), and we don't make our personal relationship with Him intentional.
We know that we pray to God the Father, through Jesus the Son and through the Holy Spirit, yet the world is filled with those who believe just as fervently in PRAYER, yet to other 'gods'. When we pray to God in fellowship, worship, for intercession, for requests, for praise, etc., if we EXPECT those prayers to be answered, we MUST be in His will. We can not be living a life of sin, of complacency, of living the ways of the world, and still expect God to hear and answer our prayers!
If our prayers go un-answered and it seems that we are forgotten...could it be that we have allowed the deceiver to slip in and convince us that the wrong we are doing is "right, or okay"? In I Peter, we see that we should "be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may DEVOUR".
He can not take your soul, but he CAN take your joy, your walk with your Lord God can be destroyed and he can cause you to fall over and over! He can cause your prayers to go un-heard or un-answered.
It is common for us to search our selves and see if we have un-confessed sin in our life before we take communion.....just so, we should examine our walk with Him and daily offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him. Christ tells us to "be ye holy, for I am holy". He loved us so much, still in our sin, that He gave Himself for us.
Too often we CONFUSE legalism with OBEDIENCE. Too often we CONFUSE works with OBEDIENCE. Too often we CONFUSE law with OBEDIENCE. Jesus says, "If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments."
In James we read that "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask AMISS, that ye consume it on your lusts (worldy desires)". What if we are asking for others, and not for ourselves?
We still need to be IN Him and "be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22).
We should ask ourselves in all that we do, think, and feel, and in our attitudes: Is this grieving the Holy Spirit? "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption" (Eph. 4:30). If we truly have Jesus as Lord of our life then we must obey His every command.
" be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds, (thoughts) through Christ Jesus." (Eph.4:6-7)
May we grow daily in His love and may we love and forgive as he loves and forgives us....completely!
I love you all and will be praying for my precious family every day! Please pray for us without ceasing and rejoice evermore with us.
In His Name for His Glory!
Is.30:21, Eph.4:30
Sue and Allan
The Fishermens Line
Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing.
Greetings once again to our faithful prayer warriors, brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ. May the blessings of the Lord be with you as you walk in His love and His perfect will.
Yesterday as I listened to my new favorite Christian radio station Family Life Radio, I was deeply involved in many people calling in to tell what prayer has done in their life. Then a young pastor came on to give his view of how we, in America, and the world have become so complacent in our prayer life.
This young man is from a SBC church in, or around Kansas City. He was talking about how we often (usually) are so quick to ask God for everything we need (or think we need), or want, (think we want), and we don't make our personal relationship with Him intentional.
We know that we pray to God the Father, through Jesus the Son and through the Holy Spirit, yet the world is filled with those who believe just as fervently in PRAYER, yet to other 'gods'. When we pray to God in fellowship, worship, for intercession, for requests, for praise, etc., if we EXPECT those prayers to be answered, we MUST be in His will. We can not be living a life of sin, of complacency, of living the ways of the world, and still expect God to hear and answer our prayers!
If our prayers go un-answered and it seems that we are forgotten...could it be that we have allowed the deceiver to slip in and convince us that the wrong we are doing is "right, or okay"? In I Peter, we see that we should "be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary, the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may DEVOUR".
He can not take your soul, but he CAN take your joy, your walk with your Lord God can be destroyed and he can cause you to fall over and over! He can cause your prayers to go un-heard or un-answered.
It is common for us to search our selves and see if we have un-confessed sin in our life before we take communion.....just so, we should examine our walk with Him and daily offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to Him. Christ tells us to "be ye holy, for I am holy". He loved us so much, still in our sin, that He gave Himself for us.
Too often we CONFUSE legalism with OBEDIENCE. Too often we CONFUSE works with OBEDIENCE. Too often we CONFUSE law with OBEDIENCE. Jesus says, "If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments."
In James we read that "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask AMISS, that ye consume it on your lusts (worldy desires)". What if we are asking for others, and not for ourselves?
We still need to be IN Him and "be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:22).
We should ask ourselves in all that we do, think, and feel, and in our attitudes: Is this grieving the Holy Spirit? "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption" (Eph. 4:30). If we truly have Jesus as Lord of our life then we must obey His every command.
" be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds, (thoughts) through Christ Jesus." (Eph.4:6-7)
May we grow daily in His love and may we love and forgive as he loves and forgives us....completely!
I love you all and will be praying for my precious family every day! Please pray for us without ceasing and rejoice evermore with us.
In His Name for His Glory!
Is.30:21, Eph.4:30
Sue and Allan
The Fishermens Line
Friday, September 08, 2006
Blog-Fog
Ok, I'm not a blog pro...but you would think I could at least get the web address correct for those interested enough to come online to read the letter!
Well, by now you have it and you are reading this and all confusion (Blog-Fog) is cleared up! Praise the Lord!
As I sit here at this very late hour, rain falling gently on the roof, and softly against the windows....I should be sleeping soundly in my new warm comfy bed, but after work today and all that is going on, I found myself a "tad" hyper.
I'll try to begin back in July (like I can remember yesterday anymore!). Well, after our return from Florida in July we played the bounce back and forth game....what should we do now (with the next year or so, of our lives!)?
We decided to try to build a little home (buying is too expensive here for what you get), and Allan feels that he can do it just the way he did 20-30 years ago (pray for him, please!!). After weeks of getting prices together and looking for affordable property, we finally started the foundation about a week ago.
Maybe by Christmas (Lord willing), we can at least be close enough to move in. I'll be happy if it's far enough so that he can work inside and not out in 20 degree weather!
I was hired at the Ionia Memorial Hospital to work per diem. I'm in orientation and can stay there until I feel comfortable with the new paper work, equipment, etc.....I think that'll be a couple of months or five! Once I go off orientation, there is no guarantee of being called in to work ( from what I see, though, it is very likely that I will have as many shifts as I can handle).
Since I had been away from the hospital for about three years, I was a bit nervous, but it all came back (with much prayer, of course!). God is sooooo good, all the time, isn't He?
Ian (one of my twin grandsons) and I went prayer-walking around Portland. We walked for about half a day and had lunch together. He kept me in 'stitches' all through lunch. He could really be a comedian!! We had a wonderful time laughing, talking, and praying for the city.
I think most of you have heard about our friends in China who are being kept under scrutiny by the PSB. The prayer-walking and Bible study team we formed, The Joshua Team, are having to be very careful. One of my friends had told us that during a Bible study that Mr. W.W. (Chinese) had prepared some English lessons to pass out to the team "In case we need them". Please pray for them as often as you can, because the persecution and consequences for being a Christan there can be imprisonment, beating, death, children, family members disappearing without a trace, and loss of jobs, education opportunities cut off,etc.. People just disappear and often no one even questions it for fear of their own life.
We know of a situation during our time there, of a co-laborer and his wife, who had reached many in their city; only to have over one hundred people arrested and a little girl ( about three) taken from her parents. No one knew where they took her or anything about what happened to any of them. The couple who had been working there had their visa cancelled and could not go back into the country.
These are some of the things I could not tell you while we were there because the mail and phones are monitored and you just can't risk it. We know that God has it all, don't we?!
We usually get about fifty e-mails every day or two. We try to answer them as much as possible. If we are away from the computer (which is often), we may have 70 or 80 to sift through. Hopefully, if you write (and I hope you do!), I will answer as soon as possible, because your letters are truly important to both of us. We love hearing the news...all the way from Turkey, Taiwan, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Florida, Texas, North Carolina, New Mexico, Virginia, Tenneessee, South America, and even Michigan! Thank You All!!!!!!!
When God promises a hundred-fold blessing...He delivers! We are so blessed to have so many brothers and sisters around the globe, and that God has allowed us to be part of their ministry in a personal way.
Speaking of ministry....I always loved WCIF radio in Melbourne and I knew I would miss it terribly, and I do, but God blesses us with such good gifts every day...I found 99.7 Family Life Radio, and what a station it is! I love it so much...and you know that I have six Christian stations locked in on my car radio!! Six at least. I am so thrilled with that. Even though I am not sure "Michigan is my cup of tea", there are many good things about it.
I have a lot of quiet time this next couple of days.....Allan, Jim, Ryan, Ian, and Zane, all went camping (and they happened to choose a week that will be very, very cold). I think in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan tonight it will be in the low fifties! I hope they went prepared!
I mentioned my new soft bed early in my letter....well, we left Lora and Jim's "cottage" and rented a small (very) house until we get the house finished. Well, for three nights I slept on the floor....we had an air mattress, but I kept rolling off onto the floor, so the second night I just stayed there. They delivered the bed after three days and when the alarm went off, I just did not want to get up at five a.m.! (but I did, of course).
Allan got us hooked up with DSL today before they went camping/bear hunting. See, now I can do my newsletter at home without going over to Lora's to use her service............so much better!
Sunday night at the First Baptist Church in Portland, we were blessed with the opportunity of opening the month-long missons conference with our presentation of our trip to East Asia. It was a real blessing to all of us. We are hoping to be able to get some short-term trips planned for some small groups...we don't know when or where yet, so please pray for us about that.
We will continue to keep you all in or prayers. Stay strong IN Him. Be strong. Be of good courage, the Lord is with you! We love you and pray for you.
Ok, now, it's 0130 and I am finally ready to try to sleep. The thunder is rolling out there and I love to lie in bed and listen to it and talk with my Father and worship Him in the early morning hours.
In His Love for His Glory!
sue and allan
Well, by now you have it and you are reading this and all confusion (Blog-Fog) is cleared up! Praise the Lord!
As I sit here at this very late hour, rain falling gently on the roof, and softly against the windows....I should be sleeping soundly in my new warm comfy bed, but after work today and all that is going on, I found myself a "tad" hyper.
I'll try to begin back in July (like I can remember yesterday anymore!). Well, after our return from Florida in July we played the bounce back and forth game....what should we do now (with the next year or so, of our lives!)?
We decided to try to build a little home (buying is too expensive here for what you get), and Allan feels that he can do it just the way he did 20-30 years ago (pray for him, please!!). After weeks of getting prices together and looking for affordable property, we finally started the foundation about a week ago.
Maybe by Christmas (Lord willing), we can at least be close enough to move in. I'll be happy if it's far enough so that he can work inside and not out in 20 degree weather!
I was hired at the Ionia Memorial Hospital to work per diem. I'm in orientation and can stay there until I feel comfortable with the new paper work, equipment, etc.....I think that'll be a couple of months or five! Once I go off orientation, there is no guarantee of being called in to work ( from what I see, though, it is very likely that I will have as many shifts as I can handle).
Since I had been away from the hospital for about three years, I was a bit nervous, but it all came back (with much prayer, of course!). God is sooooo good, all the time, isn't He?
Ian (one of my twin grandsons) and I went prayer-walking around Portland. We walked for about half a day and had lunch together. He kept me in 'stitches' all through lunch. He could really be a comedian!! We had a wonderful time laughing, talking, and praying for the city.
I think most of you have heard about our friends in China who are being kept under scrutiny by the PSB. The prayer-walking and Bible study team we formed, The Joshua Team, are having to be very careful. One of my friends had told us that during a Bible study that Mr. W.W. (Chinese) had prepared some English lessons to pass out to the team "In case we need them". Please pray for them as often as you can, because the persecution and consequences for being a Christan there can be imprisonment, beating, death, children, family members disappearing without a trace, and loss of jobs, education opportunities cut off,etc.. People just disappear and often no one even questions it for fear of their own life.
We know of a situation during our time there, of a co-laborer and his wife, who had reached many in their city; only to have over one hundred people arrested and a little girl ( about three) taken from her parents. No one knew where they took her or anything about what happened to any of them. The couple who had been working there had their visa cancelled and could not go back into the country.
These are some of the things I could not tell you while we were there because the mail and phones are monitored and you just can't risk it. We know that God has it all, don't we?!
We usually get about fifty e-mails every day or two. We try to answer them as much as possible. If we are away from the computer (which is often), we may have 70 or 80 to sift through. Hopefully, if you write (and I hope you do!), I will answer as soon as possible, because your letters are truly important to both of us. We love hearing the news...all the way from Turkey, Taiwan, Thailand, China, Hong Kong, Florida, Texas, North Carolina, New Mexico, Virginia, Tenneessee, South America, and even Michigan! Thank You All!!!!!!!
When God promises a hundred-fold blessing...He delivers! We are so blessed to have so many brothers and sisters around the globe, and that God has allowed us to be part of their ministry in a personal way.
Speaking of ministry....I always loved WCIF radio in Melbourne and I knew I would miss it terribly, and I do, but God blesses us with such good gifts every day...I found 99.7 Family Life Radio, and what a station it is! I love it so much...and you know that I have six Christian stations locked in on my car radio!! Six at least. I am so thrilled with that. Even though I am not sure "Michigan is my cup of tea", there are many good things about it.
I have a lot of quiet time this next couple of days.....Allan, Jim, Ryan, Ian, and Zane, all went camping (and they happened to choose a week that will be very, very cold). I think in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan tonight it will be in the low fifties! I hope they went prepared!
I mentioned my new soft bed early in my letter....well, we left Lora and Jim's "cottage" and rented a small (very) house until we get the house finished. Well, for three nights I slept on the floor....we had an air mattress, but I kept rolling off onto the floor, so the second night I just stayed there. They delivered the bed after three days and when the alarm went off, I just did not want to get up at five a.m.! (but I did, of course).
Allan got us hooked up with DSL today before they went camping/bear hunting. See, now I can do my newsletter at home without going over to Lora's to use her service............so much better!
Sunday night at the First Baptist Church in Portland, we were blessed with the opportunity of opening the month-long missons conference with our presentation of our trip to East Asia. It was a real blessing to all of us. We are hoping to be able to get some short-term trips planned for some small groups...we don't know when or where yet, so please pray for us about that.
We will continue to keep you all in or prayers. Stay strong IN Him. Be strong. Be of good courage, the Lord is with you! We love you and pray for you.
Ok, now, it's 0130 and I am finally ready to try to sleep. The thunder is rolling out there and I love to lie in bed and listen to it and talk with my Father and worship Him in the early morning hours.
In His Love for His Glory!
sue and allan
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Fishermen go to Florida!!!
Greetings!
Today, I decided I'd best get back to blogging and update my blogspot.
We have, once again, done so much traveling that it's very difficult to keep up with all the exciting places and happenings.
Allan and I recently made the journey to the IMB debriefing in Richmond, Va. We met many wonderful brothers and sisters there. They had all just returned, as we had, from the field. Many from Europe, Asia, S. America, Java, Indonesia, East Asia, Romania, and many other places.
It reminded me of Acts...when they were gathered together and had all things common. I so much love the being part of the real living book of Acts in todays crazy mixed up world! Sometimes, I feel as if I could just look up into the clouds and see our Messiah returning...at any moment it could happen!
During our time at debriefing we were happy to learn that we were "being normal" to feel lost, displaced, lost in the cracks, and out of sorts! It was to be expected and we were so glad to be in the company of others in the same 'boat'. The trip was very well worth the time spent. We also got free round trip tickets for two, to anywhere in the U.S. for allowing someone to take our seats on an overbooked flight.
We plan on using those to see Michael off when he is commissioned in Feb./March, 2007, Lord willing! Please pray for him as he finishes up his paperwork for the Board and for conference in October of this year.
He is very excited about the prospects of going into the field and serving overseas. He is not sure yet where that will be...so pray for him for wisdom and guidance in that, as well. We are excited for him and of course, a lot anxious about it because of the the terrorism and fighting going on in the Middle East right now.
On July 6th, we headed out for another trip to Florida to see Michael for his birthday (on the 12th) and to visit our family at F.B.I. in Indialantic.
This was one of the most wonderful, blessed weeks of my life. Each day we were able to spend time with Michael (we all probably gained about 10-12 pounds, though). We ate and bowled, ate, went to church, ate, visited with friends, ate more, shopped and ate again! It was great!
Thank you, to Linda and Howard for the use of your lovey Harbor House. You are so blessed, and you do just what God wants you to do, and that is to bless others with those blessings. I pray that someday, we can bless you in a very special way. I know that you are so kind to tell us that we do bless you, and we appreciate that so much, but maybe sometime we can return your so many kindnesses. If you ever want to come to Michigan, you have a home with us!
We had a very special time on our trips. We used that time to do a lot of praying for our country, our church, our family, friends, and for Israel, Lebanon, North Korea, China, South Korea, and our servicemen and their families. We prayed for our borders and for our leaders.
We have had a burden for our country since our return from E. A., and we hope that you will all join us in this effort to pray for peace and for the return of the only ONE who can give us all real peace!
As the wheels turned to take us back north, I must say, I really missed Michael more and more with each mile apart from him. It was such a treasured time there with him. As we sang along with the cd music, and as songs came on that I know Michael loves (like Victory in Jesus), I felt very homesick. I know that he is in the best possible hands, though!
Jean and Suzanne had a birthday party for Michael (surprise!!!), and it went very well. Jean's grandsons made the cake with Suzanne, and wow! What a cake....it was really good...and it was beautiful....lots of chocolate.
We all had a great time, and Jean and her neighbor (party crasher) kept us all laughing! Michael was indeed surprised.
We spent the night in Bardstown, Ky.....one of my favorite places. It is very beautiful there, the weather perfect, and the air so fresh and clean. I love Ky.....(very beautiful in western Ky., Brian!). Bardstown is near Lexington, where all the thoroughbreds are raised (and bred!).
We took our time both going and returning, so it was a good trip. We got a lot of pictures and some movies of the birthday party.
Well, now that we are back in Michigan, I suppose we really must settle down a bit and start getting into the routine of life here in the north. We are not sure exactly what that means yet, but we need to find out and get busy doing whatever it is. Pray for us!!!
We truly enjoyed your company! We miss all of you, and we are praying for you every day. Remember Joshua 1:9.
We are sorry that we were unable to see Jim J. this trip, but maybe next time??
Write us when you can: fishermensline@pobox.com or adw@pobox.com.
We love you!
Is.30:21, Eph.4:30
Sue and Allan
Today, I decided I'd best get back to blogging and update my blogspot.
We have, once again, done so much traveling that it's very difficult to keep up with all the exciting places and happenings.
Allan and I recently made the journey to the IMB debriefing in Richmond, Va. We met many wonderful brothers and sisters there. They had all just returned, as we had, from the field. Many from Europe, Asia, S. America, Java, Indonesia, East Asia, Romania, and many other places.
It reminded me of Acts...when they were gathered together and had all things common. I so much love the being part of the real living book of Acts in todays crazy mixed up world! Sometimes, I feel as if I could just look up into the clouds and see our Messiah returning...at any moment it could happen!
During our time at debriefing we were happy to learn that we were "being normal" to feel lost, displaced, lost in the cracks, and out of sorts! It was to be expected and we were so glad to be in the company of others in the same 'boat'. The trip was very well worth the time spent. We also got free round trip tickets for two, to anywhere in the U.S. for allowing someone to take our seats on an overbooked flight.
We plan on using those to see Michael off when he is commissioned in Feb./March, 2007, Lord willing! Please pray for him as he finishes up his paperwork for the Board and for conference in October of this year.
He is very excited about the prospects of going into the field and serving overseas. He is not sure yet where that will be...so pray for him for wisdom and guidance in that, as well. We are excited for him and of course, a lot anxious about it because of the the terrorism and fighting going on in the Middle East right now.
On July 6th, we headed out for another trip to Florida to see Michael for his birthday (on the 12th) and to visit our family at F.B.I. in Indialantic.
This was one of the most wonderful, blessed weeks of my life. Each day we were able to spend time with Michael (we all probably gained about 10-12 pounds, though). We ate and bowled, ate, went to church, ate, visited with friends, ate more, shopped and ate again! It was great!
Thank you, to Linda and Howard for the use of your lovey Harbor House. You are so blessed, and you do just what God wants you to do, and that is to bless others with those blessings. I pray that someday, we can bless you in a very special way. I know that you are so kind to tell us that we do bless you, and we appreciate that so much, but maybe sometime we can return your so many kindnesses. If you ever want to come to Michigan, you have a home with us!
We had a very special time on our trips. We used that time to do a lot of praying for our country, our church, our family, friends, and for Israel, Lebanon, North Korea, China, South Korea, and our servicemen and their families. We prayed for our borders and for our leaders.
We have had a burden for our country since our return from E. A., and we hope that you will all join us in this effort to pray for peace and for the return of the only ONE who can give us all real peace!
As the wheels turned to take us back north, I must say, I really missed Michael more and more with each mile apart from him. It was such a treasured time there with him. As we sang along with the cd music, and as songs came on that I know Michael loves (like Victory in Jesus), I felt very homesick. I know that he is in the best possible hands, though!
Jean and Suzanne had a birthday party for Michael (surprise!!!), and it went very well. Jean's grandsons made the cake with Suzanne, and wow! What a cake....it was really good...and it was beautiful....lots of chocolate.
We all had a great time, and Jean and her neighbor (party crasher) kept us all laughing! Michael was indeed surprised.
We spent the night in Bardstown, Ky.....one of my favorite places. It is very beautiful there, the weather perfect, and the air so fresh and clean. I love Ky.....(very beautiful in western Ky., Brian!). Bardstown is near Lexington, where all the thoroughbreds are raised (and bred!).
We took our time both going and returning, so it was a good trip. We got a lot of pictures and some movies of the birthday party.
Well, now that we are back in Michigan, I suppose we really must settle down a bit and start getting into the routine of life here in the north. We are not sure exactly what that means yet, but we need to find out and get busy doing whatever it is. Pray for us!!!
We truly enjoyed your company! We miss all of you, and we are praying for you every day. Remember Joshua 1:9.
We are sorry that we were unable to see Jim J. this trip, but maybe next time??
Write us when you can: fishermensline@pobox.com or adw@pobox.com.
We love you!
Is.30:21, Eph.4:30
Sue and Allan
Sunday, January 15, 2006
fishermensline
Good morning!
Well, this is my first posting on http:// fishermensline.blogspot.com. I hope you all will enjoy the many new discussions that will be posted! I also hope that you will make comments that can help my blogspot be a wonderful source of information and good healty feedback!
Today is January 16th and It's a good day! We are planning a trip to Thailand in just a few days. Michael will be going back to America, and how we will miss him! He has been such a joy and an inspiration. God is so good, isn't He!!?
I'll keep this short so that you can know that this is really just a test blog posting. Please let me know what you think!
In His Name for His Glory!
Is. 30:21, Eph. 4:30
SW fishermens line
Well, this is my first posting on http:// fishermensline.blogspot.com. I hope you all will enjoy the many new discussions that will be posted! I also hope that you will make comments that can help my blogspot be a wonderful source of information and good healty feedback!
Today is January 16th and It's a good day! We are planning a trip to Thailand in just a few days. Michael will be going back to America, and how we will miss him! He has been such a joy and an inspiration. God is so good, isn't He!!?
I'll keep this short so that you can know that this is really just a test blog posting. Please let me know what you think!
In His Name for His Glory!
Is. 30:21, Eph. 4:30
SW fishermens line
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