Trusting Beyond Understanding

To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous. Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. —Psalm 25:1-5

If you've never been at the place where the trials are so significant that you don't even know what to do, then you won't understand Psalm 25. David is pleading, God, I'm not seeing it. I know You have ways, but I have to learn them because everything that's happening makes no sense to me at all. A big part of trusting is learning this truth: trust must extend past understanding.

In August of '09 I taught Psalm 25 in my church. 98 percent of our people knew nothing about what I was facing and dealing with, but my circumstances sure caused me to understand verse 5 where David says: "Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation." The word salvation can have many meanings in Scripture. Most literally, it means to “make wide.” It's contrasted with a person who is in a narrow place full of trouble and distress. I'm stuck here. I can't move. It's too tight, God. It's closing in. It's very dark. And he's saying here: You're the God who gets me out. That's what he's claiming by faith. If you've ever been in the I-need-God-to-get-me-out-of-this place, that's what this is about. I wait for You. No one but You can get me out of this. You are the God of my salvation.

Well, when you say that you're waiting, that means that you're accepting God's timing and the wisdom of it. You're confessing this: I'm not fussing. I'm not fuming. I'm not fixing. You’re not thinking in the back of your mind, Oh, I could do a few things to get me out of this situation. I've got some insights. I could say some things. I could get some balls rolling. I could take hold of this if I had to.

Waiting means you’re no longer relying on what you can figure out or even understand. It is deliberately relying on God through prayer and flat-out trust. This is way beyond me, Lord. I’m leaving it in Your hands. I know I don’t have to understand in order to trust You. I'm waiting on You for my salvation; You have to get me out of this narrow place.

James MacDonald

Family Update: October 2011

www.slenkfamily.blogspot.com

On Monday, we arrived in Louisiana just outside of New Orleans. We have just completed four great weeks of seeking the Reviver at Mayfair Bible Church in Flushing, MI, Emmanuel Baptist Church in Wabash, IN, First Baptist Church in Poplar Bluff, MO, and First Baptist Church in Marion, IL.  

To see people set aside the time and step out of the traffic of life to hear from the Lord has been of great encouragement to us these past few weeks. So many lives changed as individuals step up to the responsibilities that God has entrusted to them as men, husbands, fathers, women, wives, mothers, employees, neighbors, and friends. Below are just a few of the two hundred plus testimonies that we have received in just the past few weeks: 

“I could write a book, but I will lift off and land the plane on this page. My idol has become trying to fix my family through books, counselors, worry, prayerlessness, etc. How is that working for me? Not so well. We/I have been walking a dry, lonely, messy road going through what we have never experienced before and not knowing how to fix it. I finally have come to the point of understanding – I CAN’T DO THIS ON MY OWN. I quit trying. I have confessed boxes of sins (on your page). I asked my husband to forgive me(who has hurt me and whom I have hurt – husband/daughter). I plan to confess and ask my daughter to forgive me this afternoon in therapy (long story – needs to happen there. Praying for protection of time – this will be hard!) I’ve been a Christian for almost 29 years. The walls I have up with others I have had up with God. I have been a baby Christian for 29 years because I didn’t understand how to have a personal RELATIONSHIP with God. Thanks for showing me. The theme of God’s voice in my life lately has been it is about relationships. I’m getting it – the light bulb is on!! Praise be to God.”

“I prayed for Jesus to come into my heart about 2 ½ years ago. I did not grow up in the church and have been coming when I can. I haven’t really had a real understanding of what it is to walk in the light. I have not had a full understanding of all that I do that is actually sinning. I find myself feeling ashamed and that I will never be free of sin, so why try to stay in the light. So I find myself falling back to the old habits of staying in the dark. Over the past few days, I feel that my understanding of what it is to be a Christian has grown more than I ever thought it could. Every question I have asked in prayer over the past few nights gets answered the next day. I know now that I am the Lord’s. No matter what I do, I can’t be taken from him. I have a better understanding of what I need to do, how I need to walk, who I need to forgive, who I need to ask for forgiveness from. Most of all I feel him with me and his love for me. The Lord certainly brought me closer. I met the Lord a few years ago, I got to know him these last four days.”

“I was skeptical of this conference, not of you guys personally, but of the idea that 4 days (4 DAYS!!!) in a row could whip up something meaningful. I confess I was wrong. Your transparency and talents combined to set an ideal environment that truly was ‘set apart’. I’ve been on a 10 year drought due to anger, stress, stubborness, (you name it) due to family health issues, business issues, sons walking away from the church – a slow death occurred. I hid it from most –staying very active in church, but hating it more and more. I tried several times to ‘revive’ out of it – to no avail – leading only to more deadness. I feel so much softening and renewal in these 4 short days. I believe dryness and emptiness have been healed and am excited about what comes next. I also wonder what it will look like and if it will persevere. I believe it will, but not because of me. I already tried that. I feel God doing things, and its been a long time since that happened. I don’t think things will ever be the same, and that the future will be unlike anything I’ve known. Thank you for coming and letting us just ‘be’ and just concentrate on the important. May God bless all of you with the same as you carry on this important work.” 

“Wow! So much has been going on in my heart and life these past few days I can’t possibly express what has happened but I’ll try to share just a few. First, my husband and I have been married 49+ years but there has not been any joy in my heart as I look toward our 50th anniversary. Bitterness, selfishness, pride, resentment, grudge – I could go on but I think you get the picture. This week the Lord has been peeling layer after layer of sin and revealing these sins in our lives. The Lord is healing our marriage. Still needs work, but it is the beginning! Also, depression, anxiety has plagued me for years and I felt as if I had a huge hole in my heart and God is filling that hole not with meds, but with His love and grace.” 

“God was never real to me until this Thirst Conference. I’ve grown up in the church since before I could remember and I prayed the prayer around age four but even though I never knew it, I never truly loved Jesus until yesterday through the words of the speakers and the music of the praise team. God revealed Himself to me. I had my first real devotion time this morning and for the first time I was certain He listened. I feel joyful and I keep bursting into tears simply because I am so happy. God bless you for sacrificing so much to follow His direction, for there is no doubt in my mind that He sent you to minister to me and help change my life. To God be the glory.”
The next five weeks has us in Slidell, LA, Rome, GA, Milton, FL, and Brownsburg, IN before coming home late November for some time to rest, reconnect, refresh, and prepare for a long winter/spring semester (January through early June) that will be taking us into Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, and Colorado. Jennifer and I and our family continue to be amazed as what God is doing in people’s lives as they continue to move in obedience towards Him.  

Below are a few ways you can be praying for us as:

· Continued safety for our team (29 individuals) as we travel.
· As parents, Jennifer and I would continue to minister to Christian and Elizabeth as they grow up.
· That we would stay fresh and committed to what it is God has called us to, that it would not become routine or mechanical in nature.
· Jennifer is scheduled for much needed foot surgery as soon as we get back home (November 28th). Please pray for wisdom and discernment on the part of the doctors as well as the healing process for Jennifer while we are home for the holidays. We also have a high deductible HSA health insurance plan that requires a $5,000 + co-pay that will be required and we are trusting God for the funds necessary for this.

Thank you for your friendship and support over the past four years as we have had the opportunity to minister in over one hundred local churches thus far. This truly is a great adventure.

Sincerely,

Ben, Jennifer, Christian and Elizabeth

Berrien Center Bible Church Thirst Conference Update

We have just completed our first Thirst conference at Berrien Center Bible Church in Berrien Center MI. What a great place to start our season as we get back on the road (close to home). Our team was prepared and ready to serve this local church body. Many came back all four nights to seek and hear from the Lord. On our last night many shared what God had said to them and how they had responded. Below is one testimony of many that we received:

“God found me dry. What I thought I needed these days wasn’t what I really needed. God showed me that the strife and chaos in my home wasn’t because of my family members. The problem was my sin. 

I had become selfish. I thought the conflict was everybody else’s problem. God showed me the depth of my sin. I was self-righteous. I wanted my family to be close to God but I was unwilling to be close myself. I was rude, insensitive, and impatient. This caused all sorts of problems with selfishness and anger in our home. God also showed me that I was judging my wife. I was critical, unloving, and did not honor her. I was withholding my love because she didn’t meet my expectations. I was totally broken by what He showed me in my life.

My wife and I spent considerable time asking for and receiving forgiveness. God has brought so much tenderness into our marriage in such a short time. I am so thankful for God’s grace – His covering over my sin.

We certainly have not totally arrived, but God has brought us many miles all at once. Also, we have hope for the future which we haven’t had in a long time. Praise the Lord!”

What a great testimony of taking responsibility for the role that God has you in! What an encouragement this was to us. What an encouragement this man will be to his own family in the days, weeks, and months to come.

We traveled to Flushing MI yesterday and arrived at Mayfair Bible Church where we will start our second conference of this season tomorrow. We are eager to see what God has in store for us as well as this local church body over the course of this next week.  

Please pray that we would be authentic in sharing the truth of God’s Word as well as for this church body that they would be willing to move toward God, reflecting His image through their obedience.

Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. 

Ben, Jennifer, Christian and Elizabeth.

Pass It Down

Excerpted from Moments With You by Dennis and Barbara Rainey.
Family Life Today.

Pass It Down

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go.
Psalm 32:8 NASB
How can you tell if the spiritual-sounding words coming out of your children's mouths are evidence of a true faith?

The fact is, you may not really know until they're somewhat older, because most children are clever enough to say what they know Mom and Dad want to hear. It often takes some severe testing to determine the veracity of your children's faith, and that doesn't usually happen until they're well along in their teen years, perhaps even college-age or older.

Our children began to have their faith tested in middle school. They started coming home with questions like, "What does the Bible say about evolution?" or "What does God think about being gay?" We had many lively discussions at the dinner table as I played devil's advocate to help them think through their beliefs. That's when they began to discover truth on their own from Scripture.

I don't know how to emphasize enough the importance of this kind of training. Depending upon whose research numbers you believe, the rate of young adults who abandon the faith of their parents is somewhere in the 50- to 80-percent range. We're talking about a major problem.

If we are to avoid the fate of many other nations where Christianity has dwindled into irrelevance, it must begin in homes like yours. Your children can only hitchhike on your faith for so long. You must constantly be looking ahead to the day when you release them to take their own journey of Christian belief.

May we raise children to invade and infiltrate the twenty-first century, not with faith standards blindly adopted from their parents, but with biblical beliefs honed into convictions.

Discuss
What are the key messages and convictions from the Bible that you want to pass on to your children? Discuss how you can both do a better job of diligently teaching and training your children.

Pray
Ask God for the passion to make biblical training a top priority in your home, as well as the peace not to worry about being a super-theologian--just to share what you're experiencing and learning about God.

Home Soon

Dear Friends,

This ministry season has taken us to twenty four churches and one maximum security prison and is fast approaching its conclusion. It’s hard to believe that in a few short weeks we will have completed our fourth year on the road. It does not seem possible that we have been at this four years already.

What an opportunity to see lives changed as a result of individuals getting real about their true condition and seeking the Lord like never before. Just last week, as I had the opportunity to teach on marriage and family, we received this testimony:

“I have no doubt in my spirit that you have been sent by God, these days have changed my life forever. Me and my wife were talking about and in the process of divorcing after outside counseling and church counseling but all that changed during this conference. We are now showing love for one another and praying together….. We have been married for twenty five years. Our lives have been changed forever and we are so grateful to God. Thank you for your ministry!”

Regardless of how exhausting life on the road may be, testimonies like this make it all worth it. We have received thousands of testimonies of changed lives throughout this season and are grateful that we have been given the opportunity to get in on what God is doing in people’s lives.

As we conclude this year on the road, we begin to look forward to some time at home to rest, recharge, begin the process of training our new team, help upcoming churches get ready for our next ministry season (25 locations), and meetings at Life Action headquarters in Buchanan, MI. However, we are especially excited to reconnect with family and friends who we have not had the opportunity to see much over the past nine months.

Personally, I am excited to work in the yard, use the grill, sit on the porch, and do many of the things that don’t happen when living on a church parking lot, things that would be considered “normal”.

However, one of the things that “normal” presents for us is an increase in expenses. Things like: utilities (gas, electric, trash, water, etc...), groceries for all our meals (while on the road, the churches take care of most of this for us), and gas and insurance for the car, etc…

We also have the need for some minor house projects. The house needs to be stained, wood chips for landscaping (it’s been four years), and we experienced some water damage in the basement this past season.

Coming home for the summer increases our costs by $1,200 per month totaling $3,600 for the three months that we are home. Add approximately $1,000 for the house projects and we are looking at a total additional expense of $4,600 (trusting that the home projects are minimal).

I am asking God to raise up forty six people to contribute $100.00 to help us be “revived” this summer at home. Would you please be one of those individuals? Our current level of support does not allow us to be home for a length of time like this. God continues to provide for our needs and maybe He would use you at this time to help meet this specific need.

With a grateful heart,
Ben, Jennifer, Christian and Elizabeth

You can donate online using the link below:
www.lifeaction.org/donate/support-a-staff-member

Or if you prefer to donate via check, make your check payable to:
Life Action Ministries (indicate Ben Slenk on the memo line)
PO Box 31
Buchanan, MI 49107

All contributions are tax deductible.

The Work of God......

Dear Friends,

On this weekend of remembering who God is and what He has done, here is a report I got this morning from a pastor in Little Rock, AK from last night's gathering. This is the end of the third week of unscheduled meetings every night. Be encouraged as God is making Himself known.

Also, as you pray, one of our teams is extending a conference in Cleveland, TN because of the extraordinary work of God. Our ministry has scrambled to form a fourth team to cover a Summit beginning Sunday in Saltillo, MS. We are praying that all of this is a reflection of God stirring in many places. Is it possible that national revival is approaching?

Currently our team is in Chattanooga, TN where the service last night went three hours and the conviction of the Spirit of God was heavy upon us.

In His grip!
Ben and Jennifer Slenk (and family).


The Wedding Ring that Funded a Homeless Prayer Center
Report of God’s Mercies 4.22.11

Last night, we began a teaching on Acts 2 and 4. It was beautiful to be reminded that we are experiencing, in a wonderful measure, exactly what was happening in the book of Acts. But we pointed out that there is one component that we are not yet quite seeing. No one considered that anything they had was their own. This is hard for us to even imagine because our thinking about our possessions (even among the most committed believers) is so Americanized. What would it be like if EVERY believer in the WHOLE CHURCH IN THE CITY didn¹t think of ownership, but was willing to give whatever God asks to meet the needs of the rest of the body so that (just as in Acts 4:29 and following) there was literally no more need? How it would amaze believers and create curiosity among unbelievers! We have been burdened in our heart for a long time that THIS ONE ACTS MODEL would be an amazingly powerful tool of witness to a lost world if it occurred in our whole city and have even prayed for this with our city pastors. One of our other teaching pastors followed with an exhortation from the first verses of James 5. Reminding us of our incredible wealth and how silly to be hoarding it, as we see the day of the Lord approaching. Then, another pastor was led to remind us from Matthew 17 that the Lord

Jesus was interceding for US, individually, by name at the right hand of the Father. Why should we worry about anything? Fear anything? Therefore we should take courage and do exactly what the Lord prompted us to do. There is nothing to fear. And again, we read from Psalm 27 that we should be strong and let your heart take courage.

In a few minutes, a precious sister came up trembling. She had been prompted to do something and she had prayed and prayed about it and the Lord kept impressing her heart about it. She went to her husband thinking he would disagree but, he agreed with the Holy Spirit! She then removed her (large) wedding ring and said that she wanted to give it to meet the needs of the homeless. A few minutes later, a man who had come from another church came up, told a story about a similar situation in Florida and said that he wanted to help buy back the ring for the lady and said all I have is $250 but I wanted to take this step. As he said this, one of the pastors was reminded that he had $250 in his pocket and this was amazing because he NEVER CARRIED CASH, BUT that very day had been given that money. They were able to put the $500 into the offering basket that contained the ring. People began streaming to the altar, filling the basket with money. In a few minutes, when the basket was full and after several other wonderful moments of prayer and ministry, we called the lady who had given the ring and her husband up and had a glorious wedding ceremony! You, like Mary, have given a beautiful gift that has anointed the Lord¹s feet and filled the room with the fragrance. But now, the King of Kings wants to remind you that you are married to HIM. And HE places this ring on your finger as HIS bride.

The church erupted in celebration.

In a few minutes, another amazing moment of giving occurred. Several nights ago a young woman came up whose husband had committed suicide in her presence 30 days ago. She was weeping and requesting prayer that God would deliver her from her anger towards God. People swarmed around and prayed and that anger was gloriously lifted from her soul. Another sister on that night mentioned to us that night that this widowed young wife needed a car and the people began to give and then a man who came in later found out about the need, had a 2001 Ford Explorer that the day before his father had said he needed to give to someone, and he gave her that car. Plus, she received the $2850+ that was in the offering. She NOW came to the offering and said that the Lord had told her to give HER wedding ring that had been given to her by her late husband. In a few minutes, another man came privately to me and said that he wanted to buy back HER ring for her, and others followed. We performed ANOTHER wedding as we placed the ring on her finger and reminded her, again from Psalm 127 that when mother and father (or husband) leave me, the LORD WILL TAKE ME UP! And reminded her as we placed the ring on her finger that God the Father was her husband and provider and she was married to Him. TWO WEDDINGS IN ONE NIGHT! And that was just the beginning!
Also,

• A couple came from another church and had two of our men come to the mic and share a need with their unnamed church where the pastor’s wife had just left her husband. It is a young, wonderful church. They wanted it to remain anonymous. The church TRAVAILED in prayer, reminding the enemy he had no right to touch God¹s pastor and the Lord¹s bride. Deep, fervent prayer and spiritual warfare on their behalf.
• A man that our church loves stood (for the first time in his life publicly) to admit that he had a 40-year addiction to alcohol. Before he finished the people came streaming and weeping around him. For the first few minutes, all you could hear was moaning and weeping and then massive, soulful, fervent prayer asking that God would deliver this brother. Four treatment centers had not delivered him. Great prayer was offered on his behalf.
• A brother from another church came to ask prayer for his son who is addicted to drugs and bound up. We invited others who were bound up with any issue to also stand for prayer and then those who had children who are bound up to stand. Dozens stood and the church gathered around them all with fervent prayer.

• A young man comes up and says that God has put the homeless on his heart and that the Lord has told him to go and live in a place where he can help men in need.

• Another brother comes up to tell us that his small group has already been praying about that and that they had prayed for a house in the Levy area and TODAY THE LORD HAD GIVEN THEM A HOUSE through a local Hispanic ministry. It’s a fixer-upper, but it is now God’s house to be used to help pray over and restore the homeless.

• We envisioned what it would like if God brought revival to the city for His glory, and EVERY HOMELESS NEED WAS MET. It could happen and has happened before in times of revival.

• People began to stream to the offering basket putting more and more money in the basket.

• A homeless man comes and brings his ring that his daughter had who died 12 years ago. More money comes in.

• We report that we are gathering Friday night on Good Friday. We cannot imagine being anywhere else but in His house with others on such a holy day.

• A dear sister, formerly Catholic, reports that she had always gone to her former Catholic church on Easter week services because she loved the reverence and the reminders of the Lord¹s work for her. But, she said, “I am now in this sacred place and I love it and am so grateful and will be here tomorrow night celebrating the Lord’s death and resurrection.”

And, at the close of the night the offering was counted. We know of more that is coming in, but at the CURRENT MOMENT THE OFFERING IS $12,747 given spontaneously and prompted by one beautiful, sacrificial gift. To God be the glory!!!
We meet tonight, Good Friday, at 7 pm around the cross and the Lord¹s Table.
Come praying. Bring someone to the Cross!

The Choice to Forgive

"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." - Matthew 6:14-15

Let's start with this most obvious lesson in our verses today: we must choose to forgive. Forgiveness is a decision I'm making. In Matthew 6:14–15 Jesus said, "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But, (don’t miss this) if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

Now, sometimes a passage of scripture seems complicated as soon as you read it. That's not the case when we realize what Matthew 6:14–15 says. Jesus’ words are stunningly clear. Read them again above.

Do you get it? I mean, those are pretty serious verses, right? Not hard to understand - just hard to undertake. You read them and think, "that’s gonna leave a mark! I’m going to have to look again at how forgiving I am." That's nothing you want to be messing around about, or sort-of getting it right. The verses aren’t complicated - but they will definitely complicate your life if you are an un-forgiving person!

And it's not saying that you get saved by forgiving. It is saying that people who are really are saved are forgiving people, increasingly so. Not perfectly, not entirely, but increasingly we are more and more forgiving. As the love of Christ penetrates our hearts more and more deeply and more and more genuinely, we just become more forgiving people. Forgiveness is one of the expected bi-products of genuine salvation.

You ought to be the most forgiving person that you work with. Out of all the people, when they talk about you, they're like, "Man, he's not a guy who holds grudges. He's just not someone who finds fault." "She doesn't try to make people pay, she just lets it go. She just moves on. She's not petty." "He's not a scorekeeper. He's just not like that. He's forgiving, that's what he is." That's what people ought to be saying about you. The more you get to know Jesus, the more it ought to be true in your life that you choose forgiveness.

James MacDonald – walkintheword.com

Family Update March 2011

A Note from Jennifer…

As winter slowly recedes, and spring confidently emerges, I can’t help but be amazed at how quickly time continues to go by. We’re in the final months of our fourth year traveling with Life Action. Less than twelve weeks left in our eighth year of homeschooling. Ben and I move into our forties this year. And it’s over twenty years since the Lord placed a handsome, blond Dutchman into my life, blessing me with the only man I will ever do life with. Truthfully, this journey with the Lord just keeps getting better. God loves us too much to stop refining us. He’s so powerful, He’s not content with letting us attempt only what’s humanly explainable. And that, my friends, is exciting!

So what’s been happening over the last couple of months? We have had the privilege of ministering in seven different churches since we left Holland on January 1, 2011: Okeechobee, FL, Dothan, AL, Dalton and Savannah, GA, and Conover, Rocky Mount, and Kinston, NC. While in Conover, our team lead an 11-day Summit where Ben taught nightly on Biblical truths related to marriage and family. The Lord has placed such a burden on our hearts for not only the preservation of marriages, but also that husbands and wives would be passionately pursuing the Lord and being obedient to what He commands in order that Christian marriages would truly be a reflection of Christ’s love for His people. Each week, we ask the Lord to use us however He desires, and whether it’s through Ben teaching, Jennifer teaching at the weekly ladies’ luncheon, mentoring team members, or relationships with church staff and the church body, God continues to use us, imperfect vessels, to accomplish His perfect plan.

This has been such a sweet season with Christian and Elizabeth as well. To see their hearts continue to mature in the Lord is an encouragement as well as a challenge to us to continue investing in them. Christian is excelling in his school work, taking guitar lessons from our Tupelo, Mississippi team member Jonathan Becker, putting lots of miles on his long-board, and loves anything related to the military. The Lord orchestrated a meeting with a West Point couple, TJ and Jennifer, while we were in Savannah, Georgia that resulted in a visit to the Hunter Army Airfield where TJ currently serves as a Chinook tandem rotor helicopter pilot. Before we knew it, TJ and Jennifer were helping the kids work through part of the Army Rangers’ obstacle course and answering any questions Christian had about life at West Point and in the military. What a blessing to see how God continues to use this couple as a light within the military.

We continue to see Elizabeth’s creative side develop through her writing, drawing, and excellent progress in learning to play the piano. Sasha Shubert, our team member from Hull, Georgia, faithfully works with Elizabeth weekly to teach her piano technique and theory. What a joy it is to hear Elizabeth’s sweet voice as she sings along to whatever song she is playing on the piano. One of our school highlights with her this year is our study of Anatomy and Physiology. She is not only thoroughly enjoying science this year, but also has a keen interest of this area of science. Amazing how God has given us the opportunity to learn more about our brilliantly designed bodies and how they work during the same stretch of time that Mom and Dad Rogers have dealt with heart surgery and double knee replacements. The energy and sparkle we see in Elizabeth brings sunshine to our home!

Along the way, we have also been able to experience a gator farm in Florida, the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, and more sunshine than any Michiganders should be allowed in the winter! As for Ben and I, we’re daily celebrating the “oneness” God continues to solidify in our marriage. We love ministering together, parenting together, and just doing life day to day together. Ben is my best friend, and I am thankful for every day the Lord gives us.

Last spring, we ministered at First Baptist Church in Enid, Oklahoma. This congregation has a 100+ year tradition of taking a special offering for the wives of the men who minister to their church body. This gift comes with a stipulation: it may not be used for practical things like groceries, kids’ clothes, etc. It must be used for something fun and special…at the wife’s discretion. What an amazing surprise that gift was! Because of their generosity, our family was able to experience what is probably my favorite vacation spot…Disney World! On our way to our first church in Okeechobee, FL this January, we spent a couple of days at the KOA in Kissimmee, FL and spent the day at the Magic Kingdom. It was the BEST day together as a family! We rode Space Mountain three times, screamed riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in the dark, fought the evil emperor Zurg in Buzz Lightyear Spin, and ate funnel cakes overlooking Cinderella’s Castle. The next evening, we introduced the kids to a wonderful dinner show at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Campground that Ben and I went to on our Disney honeymoon back in 1994: the Hoop Dee Doo Revue! It’s an old-fashioned dinner show with Wild West singing, dancing, and family-friendly vaudeville comedy. We ate delicious food and laughed like crazy! As I’ve been working on scrapbooking pictures from our time at Disney, I can’t help but smile, remembering what a wonderful time we had and how much we enjoy spending time together as a family. Thank you, FBC Enid for making Disney possible for us.

Well, that’s a snapshot of our family for now. We’re eagerly anticipating what God has for us as our journey continues!

What is Forgiveness?

"Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony" - Colossians 3:12-14
Forgiveness is a decision. It's an act of will to release a person from the obligation that resulted when they injured you.

Unforgiveness sounds like this: "You owe me! I'm going to make you pay by hating you, by slandering you, by returning in kind, by recruiting other people to my bitterness. I'm holding this over you!"
Here's forgiveness: "You don't owe me. I'm not trying to get even. I'm not looking for a chance to pay you back. God didn't make me that way. I choose to forgive."

You say, "James, I can forgive today, but I know by Thursday I'll have that thing back on my back again." I understand that. Get this: forgiveness is a crisis and a process. The first thing you have to do is see your unforgiveness as sin. You have to acknowledge that God's not going to forgive you if you don't forgive others. You've got to have that crisis. You've got to stop explaining, defending, holding onto it, cherishing, and reviewing it. You've got to say, "I don't want this for my life."

The crisis means, "I choose to forgive. I'm letting it go." But the process means, when the painful matter comes into your mind again, you promise yourself to maintain the following process: "I won't bring it up to the person; I won't bring it up to other people;" and most hard by far, "I won't bring it up to myself anymore."

Someone said to me, "James, I can't help myself. As soon as I see the person, Bam! My mind goes right to that thing." That's why forgiveness is a crisis and a process. In the crisis you decide, in the process you live it out.

Now, here's a key: When you fail in the process you have to return to the crisis. When you find yourself flashing back to unforgiveness, realize you failed in the process. You've got to return to the crisis. You've got to get before the Lord and say, "God, forgive me. I want to be a forgiving person and here I'm holding this again, Lord. Help me again. I commit afresh to let it go."

Crisis/process. Over time you'll let it go and you'll be a lot happier because of it.

James MacDonald http://www.walkintheword.com/

‘Signs of real revival’ in Okeechobee, pastor says - Florida Baptist Witness

‘Signs of real revival’ in Okeechobee, pastor says - Florida Baptist Witness