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.
