Sunday, March 19, 2006

Touched by God

We have developed a problem with putting photos on here and until I figure it out I will need to apologize for not being able to show them. Hopefully we will get them back soon.

This was truly the Lord's day!

This morning we went to church here at Bethel. Pastor Ken was the visiting pastor and boy can he deliver a powerful message. He doesn't pull any punches and calls it like it is! He taught on what the church is all about, and that's not the decorating of it! The church is the place for spiritual warfare and we need to step out and reach those who are hurting, those who are reaching, no matter what they look like. This upcoming generation doesn't care what we say, they want to see what we do! We never know the impact we can have on someone's life and we must spend time with them and invest in them! It's impossible to serve God without faith!
Monty went up for prayer as his sinus infection has taken a turn for the worse. He really did receive a touch from God and felt it clear through causing chills and taking him to the floor! God is such an awesome God!

We decided to head to a local buffet for a late lunch and met up with Willie, Cathy and their 4 beautiful!!!!! young girls. Willie helped at the clothing give away a couple of weeks ago and that is the church we went to this past Wednesday night for services. We had a wonderful lunch and were so blessed to be able to spend time with them and get to know them. They are such a great example of God's blessings and have truly given their lives to His service. We look forward to getting to know them even better. They were some of the fortunate around here. The storm brought in "only" 8 inches of water in their home and so far all they need to replace are their floors. Around here that is fortunate!

We took a couple of hours late in the afternoon to get some rest and relaxation. We are both really tired and need to remember to take the time to rest and reflect. For those of you who know the "situation", I made a phone call to my youngest daughter this afternoon but it went nowhere but to a dead phone line. She didn't call back! Please pray for my children and grandchild. They have no idea of the pain in my heart. I pray God will bless them and that maybe someday they will realize my love for them. With God nothing is impossible!

This evening we went back to New Life Church, the one that meets in a tent because they not only lost everything in their church, they lost the entire building. The Spirit was really moving in that tent this evening! The music was awesome and when the prayers started they took on a life of their own. The associate pastor got a word from God that the women in the congregation were all under attack from the devil. He called us all forward and prayed for each of us on an individual basis and what an impact! When he got to me he knew exactly what I needed and it sent chills through me! We plan on meeting with Pastor Hart this week and see what they have been able to rebuild in their parsonage. We are so thankful for God bringing them into our lives and blessing us with their friendship. We would like to ask all of you to keep Pastor and Tracy Hart in your prayers. They have been in the process of trying to adopt a baby girl from Guatamala for the past 2 years. They were so close before the storm but that also affected that process. It looks like things are progressing, slowly, and we would like for you to pray for them.

When I read one of my daily devotions this morning it stated, "Unity in our diversity is the most effective witness to tis sin-fractured world". We are all one church, no matter what the label over the door or outside on the sign says. Unity among Christians comes from our union with Christ. We all belong to the same family. Even though we are divided by all sorts of barriers and differences, "under the skin" we are all the same. This is what we need to hold on to, to pray about and put into practice! That is the only thing that is going to accomplish the rebuilding needed down here, and the rebuilding in our own lives! Please take that to prayer this evening and the rest of this week.

If you are interested in helping support us in this work you can send your tax deductible gifts to us through: Vineyard Community Church PO Box 3277 Bloomington,IN 47402 and be sure to note on the check "Katrina fund" as 100% of your gift will be sent to us.

We thank you for your prayers and support. Without you this would not be possible.
Bless you and until tomorrow....Susan and Monty

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was wondering if you could save a little eating out money by maybe trading your meals for volunteer housing? Talk to David Kilburn or David Baker at the Church of Christ. Corner of Ingalls and Buena Vista(close to Market) Keep up the good work. Me and Mary really miss our 'jobs' in Pascagoula and were so blessed by the experience. It sounds like I am crazy, but I really could see God holding the people there, like you, who have given their lives to helping others.

Anonymous said...

I was wondering if you could save a little eating out money by maybe trading your meals for volunteer housing? Talk to David Kilburn or David Baker at the Church of Christ. Corner of Ingalls and Buena Vista(close to Market) Keep up the good work. Me and Mary really miss our 'jobs' in Pascagoula and were so blessed by the experience. It sounds like I am crazy, but I really could see God holding the people there, like you, who have given their lives to helping others.

Anonymous said...

I think I just said the same thing twice, so nevermind the second time.