Many Benefits

There is a great hymn entitled, Showers of Blessing, that speaks of God’s promises fulfilled in the Christian’s life. And as my family and I recently vacationed in South Carolina, we were able to see what a good shower of rain can do to refresh a needy area. Although, there may be green grass, a warm climate and beautiful flowers, this beauty only continues through the rejuvenating rain from the sky above. Yet, we as God’s children experience the same revival from Heaven when we spend time in the presence of our Lord and Savior and are showered with His mercy and love. This is exactly what a great year 2019 is as it is full of answered prayers spiritually and personally.  Many of these answers are to long-term prayer requests, but God always hears our cries and is ever-mindful of His dear children. I encourage you not to give up on prayer or time with the Lord; this is time that will never be wasted, but will only reap benefits.

A Clearer Perspective

As mentioned earlier, our family was able to visit loved ones in South Carolina and while there we gained a clearer perspective on God’s will for our lives. Oftentimes, we can focus on the things that need to change around us instead of what God has already done. Our trip helped us to appreciate even more the area we live in and the people we minister to. God always knows what He is doing, and He will never steer us wrong.

While there, I was able to preach during the mission’s conference at Life Baptist Church in St. Stephen, SC under Pastor Alfred Willis. It is such a tremendous blessing to visit them each time we are in the area and they are a great church doing great things for God. I was also able to visit their Fair Haven Home for Men ministry and see the great work that God is doing in the lives of hurting and struggling men. Please pray for this church and ministry as they serve the Lord in this needy area of addictions.

In my absence, Northern Lakes BC was blessed to have Pastor Jonn Morrow along with  preacher boy in training, Alec Draeger, from New Hope BC in Kennan, WI and Pastor John Sass with his daughter, Sethanie, from Lighthouse BC in Antigo, WI cover the two Sundays we were gone. Our church family was tremendously encouraged by the messages and music and I am so appreciative of their willingness to be a blessing to a small church. We also had up to seven visitors each Sunday either traveling into the area from an hour away  or residents of Land o’ Lakes; God is obviously working on the hearts of many in the area, even in our absence. Please continue to pray for the souls of the people in this area.

Lastly,  my wife and I visited the church we were married in nearly twenty-five years ago. So, much has changed in the area, but the most important change is what God has done in our hearts through salvation and in our lives through service to Him. We have gone from unsaved teenagers doing our own thing to a saved couple sold-out for God. We don’t regret giving our hearts and lives to our Savior because the showers of blessings continue to fall.

Exciting Changes

The most exciting change for us here at Northern Lakes is the answer to a prayer regarding one of our sons. Two weeks ago our son, Seth, announced that God is calling him to pastor this church. This has been bathed in much prayer and to see the Lord answer is tremendous. Seth will graduate with his Bachelor’s in Missions this December and will be married soon after in 2020. He will return this summer to establish himself financially and continue to train for the full-time pastorate. His summer goals are to find a job, purchase a car, save money for the wedding and pay for moving costs after his graduation. Please pray for God’s provision for these upcoming changes in Seth’s life. I will continue to pastor the church and train Seth until this transition is complete and we expect this to take at least one to two years. After the transition is complete, our family will continue to support Northern Lakes financially and through our membership.  As of yet, God has not called me to start another church beyond this one, but where God leads, I will follow.

Summer Blessings

This past Sunday, I met with a young couple, Jeremy and Samantha, who have been attending our church faithfully. I had the pleasure of confirming their salvations and this summer I will have the pleasure of baptizing them along with Jeremy’s brother, Josh. If you remember, Josh wanted to be baptized last year, but bootcamp did not allow time for this. Thankfully, we will get this privilege soon along with performing Jeremy and Samantha’s wedding in July. Please pray that they continue to grow in the Lord, God blesses the wedding preparations and that this couple join the membership here. They have expressed a deep desire to raise their family in a good church and I am thankful that they have chosen us.

Additionally, we are working on the mail-out that will reach over 5,000 homes with multiple mail-outs planned to familiarize the area with our church name and the gospel. We have several individuals expressing interest and we hope to see them make that step of attendance to a service. Please pray for God’s provision for and blessing upon this soul-winning effort. 

Thank You

Lastly, your prayer and financial support are always appreciated. One of the many benefits of serving God is to have friends who care about us, but most importantly, care about the work of the Lord here in the Northwoods. We are actively seeking God’s will and direction for everything we do, and your support encourages us to stay faithful. Thank you for your love for us and for the Lord as we labor together in our different fields, you are in our prayers.

May the Lord Bless,