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

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

Filled with Peace When I Feel the Pressure

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!' " - Luke 2:13-14

One of the things that just grieves me is when I think about how we picture the nativity scene. I mean how we picture the people there with glowing faces and embroidered clothing. That is so NOT the way it was. Those people were under pressure! Jesus came to regular people overwhelmed by challenging and difficult circumstances and I believe that peace is the antidote to pressure.

So what makes me feel pressure? Has this ever happened to you? Do you feel like sometimes people are making decisions about your life and no one really checked with you? That's when I need peace, when stuff just comes suddenly out of nowhere.

That happened with Joseph for sure. Joseph must have been thinking, "What's some guy at the other end of the Mediterranean Sea doing? And right when my wife's getting ready to have a baby. Someone lost my reservation and there's nowhere to stay but some cold, nasty stable, and then Mary tells me that the baby is coming NOW." That's pressure. Joseph needed peace. So do we.

We need peace with God. That's the peace I feel when I feel conversion. Romans 5:1 says "Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." You can't have any other peace until you have that - peace with God.
Peace from God is descriptive of a covenant relationship with Him. The Old Testament concept is shalom, it means peace, but is the complete state of wholeness and wellbeing. It's the sense that I'm living in a close, covenantal, relationship with God. It means great things about my life and future because of His grace toward me.

Then there's the peace of God. It's the calm assurance that what God is doing is best. It doesn't matter what comes in the mail today, it doesn't matter what the doctor says, it doesn't matter who rings my phone, it doesn't matter what comes my way today I have something guarding my heart.

You can get off the emotional rollercoaster and let this peace guard your heart. Nothing can penetrate that except that you open the door yourself. God's gonna take care of me. It's an awesome thing. And listen it's a real thing.

Peace with God, peace from God, peace of God. That's what the angels were talking about.

James MacDonald – Walk in the Word

The Benefits of Waiting

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord." - Psalms 40:1–3

The longer I live, the more I come to understand that life doesn't have a lot of green lights. There are hardly any times where God is like, "Do you want that? Have it right now. Why didn't you ask sooner?" More often God is like, "I'd like you to wait."

"No! I want it right now!"

God is like, "Listen! You might think you want it now, but I'm going to give it to you when you're fit to receive it. I'm going to use the process of waiting to shape you into the woman or the man that I want you to be. Getting it now wouldn't advance My purposes for you. I want you to wait."

Waiting is not an easy thing. Waiting is not passivity. Waiting on God is not the absence of efforts. Waiting is "I've done everything I know how to do but it's not enough and now I am waiting on God to do for me what I could not do for myself."

That is such an important lesson to learn. Let me tell you about some of the benefits that you get when you wait on God. Here are five verses that spell them out.

• According to Psalm 40:1 when we wait on God, He hears our prayers: "I waited patiently for the Lord and He inclined to me and heard my cry."
• According to Isaiah 64:4 when we wait on God, He acts on our behalf: "Nor has the eye seen a God like You who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him." That's what God is fired up about. He works for the people who wait. I wonder how many things we don't get because we're out there working for it ourselves beyond what we should and God's like, "Would you just stop that? I act on behalf of the people who wait for Me."

• Psalm 25:3 says that when we wait on God, He keeps us from shame: "Indeed none of those who wait for You O God will be ashamed."

• Isaiah 40:31 says that He gives strength to those who wait: "Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength."

• Psalm 37:34 tells us that those who wait for God are exalted: "Wait for the Lord and He will exalt you."

Bottom line; God always makes it worth our while to wait for Him!
James MacDonald - Walk in the Word

Angola Prison

Hello everyone, just wanted to give you a quick update on an adventure that we are about to embark on. We have been invited to the Louisiana State Prison (aka Angola or “The Farm”) to facilitate a four day conference. We have been invited by Awana Lifeline which God has used to make a significant impact in the lives of many of the inmates. Angola is the largest maximum security prison in the United States and houses just over 5,000 inmates. 4,000 of the inmates are serving a life sentence and those that remain average a sentence of 90+ years. What used to be the considered the most violent and dangerous prison in America is now considered one of the safest! Only one reason, God at Work! Awana Lifeline has started a program called the “Malachi Dads” which is having the largest impact of any program that the prison has ever experienced, and they have asked us to come alongside and help continue on with what the Malachi dads program has begun.

Then link below is for a video highlighting what is happening with the Malachi Dads program at Angola. The interesting thing is that it was produced by USA Today. I would encourage you to take a look at the video to get a glimpse of what has been happening that we have been given opportunity to be part of.

I had the opportunity to take a trip to Angola this past August to do some preliminary work in regards to our days there. I have attached a picture below.

Fathers for Life Video
Angola State Prison Website

I will be sending updates through Twitter and Facebook while at the Prison. Check it out.

The Harvest

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." - Galatians 6:9–10

We have looked at the principles of planting and harvesting and we talked about various seeds. Now it’s time to see some of what the harvest teaches us.

1. We harvest only what has been planted. I mean, how clear is that? You can't harvest stuff if you don't plant it. Farmers never decide to skip the planting and just pray for corn! Good results spring from good choices; you know what comes from bad choices! Too often we forget that we're planting every day.

2. We harvest the same in kind as we plant. You see a person acting a certain way, treating people in a certain way, you say to yourself, "That's coming back to her or him." If we're not watchful of what we plant, we can expect to be disappointed with the results we get.

3. We harvest in a different season than we plant. Decisions take a moment; consequences and results roll out for a long time. We often tend to live through the spring time of life and we make all these shortsighted decisions: "I'm gonna act the way that I want to. I'm gonna do the things that I want to do. Who cares about results - this is my life!" And so we plant all these bad things: choices, habits, and decisions. Young people can get rebellious and make bad choices that seem to go unnoticed. By the time they reach adulthood they're like, "I beat the odds. Nothing's gonna happen to me. I got away with it." And then we get to harvest time and we're like, "How did this happen?" And it all comes down on our heads. And we're like, "Why didn’t somebody tell me?" I'm telling you right now. You harvest what you plant; but you harvest in a different season. Numbers 32:23 says, "Be sure your sin will find you out." That’s as true today as it was when God instructed the Israelites not to treat sin lightly.

These are three significant reasons why we should be continuously in prayer to the Lord of the harvest, that He will instruct our planting efforts each and every day.

James MacDonald – Walk in the Word

O Canada!

O Canada!

After five weeks ministering in the beautiful country of Canada, it is good to be back in the United States. But, oh, what an adventure we had while visiting our neighbors to the north! Allow us to share just a few things we learned about life in Canada:

• Milk does not come in a jug…it comes in a bag!
• Canadian ketchup is ridiculously sweet
• A pound of butter comes in a block, not four sticks
• Food is a lot more expensive
• There is an 18% tax on everything
• Tim Horton’s coffee/donut shops are EVERYWHERE!
• Ben loves Coffee Crisp candy bars
• Canadians do a much better job with portion control than Americans
• Conversation with Canadian immigration officers went something like this: “So you live in this trailer? Yes, sir.” “You’ve been invited to these Canadian churches? Yes, sir.” “They’re not paying you anything? No, sir.”
• You can get Oreo Double Stuff in Canada, but the package is half the size…kind of defeats the purpose, don’t you think?
• There’s an app available for the iPhone to convert everything to the metric system (ie. mph, clearance of a bridge – very important for us)
• Canadians are an extremely friendly bunch…Right? Aye!
• We have yet to find a good piece of Canadian beef…but our new friends in Wyoming, Ontario have promised us when we return in May we will have some!
• Canada is beautiful!
• Canadians know far more of what’s going on in the United States than we do about what’s going on in Canada
• Store clerks are happy to put your purchases in a plastic bag…for $.05 each!
• We now have some incredible new friends in Canada!

We also had some opportunities that gave us some incredible memories:

• Christian and Elizabeth went to a Sarnia Sting hockey game
• We took the subway into Toronto and then went to the top of the 1,815 ft. CN Tower and walked out onto the glass floor…did we mention Ben is not a fan of heights!?!
• Celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving Monday, October 10 with a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with Ryan and Maryann Loveing’s family
• Celebrated Christian’s 13th birthday in Cobourg, Ontario including a surprise party thrown by the youth group of Fellowship Baptist Church
• Playing in the leaves in Cobourg
• Watched the snow come down on a Sunday morning in Barrie, Ontario
• Strolled on the shore of Lake Ontario where Jennifer, Elizabeth, and Maryann and Crista Loveing discovered milk weeds to blow into the breeze…what a beautiful time with good friends!
• Viewed the amazing Niagara Falls
• The kids spent lots of time in the indoor skate park within Fellowship Baptist Church, rollerblading and playing hockey

On the ministry front, we saw God’s hand move mightily in all three churches. During our three conferences, God’s Word was faithfully taught, and people responded humbly and obediently which resulted in an overwhelming number of people experiencing personal revival. Consciences were cleared, relationships were reconciled and rebuilt, and the Spirit of God was wonderfully evident. On one Sunday, the morning and evening services included a combined five hours worth of people testifying to what the Lord was doing in their lives! Our two Summits in Canada were also the first opportunities for Ben to begin teaching marriage and family principles during the first 30 minutes of each service as well as during the Home Life Cafe’ on Saturdays. Jennifer is continuing to enjoy teaching Ladies’ Luncheons with Maryann. We had a packed gym of 370+ women at one church! God is continuing to stretch us, yet He has been so faithful to give us just what we need to do exactly what He calls us to do.
O Canada, how we enjoyed our time with you…see you in the spring!

Family Update November 2010

We have finished our five week tour in Canada and have just begun our last Thirst Conference in Mt. Gilead, Ohio (Mansfield, OH) before we head home for Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving, we will be headed to Angola, LA for a conference that we will be facilitating at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, the largest maximum security prison in the United States (5,000 inmates).




We have seen so much over the past ten weeks in regards to God working in the lives of His people. Marriages restored; relationships with parents and children recovered; years of hidden secret sin revealed, repented of, and confessed; deep seeded issues of bitterness and unforgiveness dealt with; a divided church body that has humbled itself and begun the process of reconciliation; all of which have allowed individuals to be set free from the bondage that had held them for so long in order that their lives and relationships would reflect and honor the image of God.



Written below are just a couple of the testimonies regarding what individuals have been experiencing over the last several weeks (more to come)….



“Before the summit, God found me as a man who had been hurt, and caused hurt because of it. When I was 18, nearly 13 years ago, my mother was killed. What is worse is that she was murdered by my father. Almost two years later, my father was convicted of first-degree murder. My mother was the most significant Christian influence in my life, where my father reviled the church, did not walk in Christ, was having an adulterous affair, and denied all wrongdoing in her murder. Growing up I never felt good enough for him, and to lose both parents at once hurt me deeply in so many ways. I carried that hurt with me for many years, and it showed itself in anger, frustration, anxiety, an overwhelming need to succeed and “matter,” times of alcohol abuse, and other sins. I hated my father and everything he put me and my siblings through. I was a deeply wounded and broken man.

However, by the grace of God, I can now say I am ready, willing, and able to forgive my father. I earnestly desire for him to come to Christ, be broken, repent, believe, and be saved. I am willing to take more of a step in faith to pray for him, put input into his life, and give forgiveness. I praise my heavenly Father, whose perfection can completely fill and heal the painful void caused by my fleshly father. Praise God for all He has done! With God, ALL things are possible!”



“Before the summit, God found me comfortable with my faith, self-reliant and living a mediocre life. During the summit I was asked to extend forgiveness to my husband for something that would change our lives forever. In that moment I could feel my flesh crying out to be hurtful, bitter, and angry. But I could hear God telling me “Forgive. Forgive. Forgive as I have forgiven you.” Before the summit, I know that I would have acted in the flesh and my marriage would remain broken. However, through God’s grace and in only a few days I feel like we are making strides toward a better marriage than we ever had before. I am so thankful that I know how to choose forgiveness and be obedient to God.”



Please continue to keep our family in your prayers, for safety, health, and strength to press on and glorify Him in all we do. You can continue to stay updated on our travels by visiting our blog at www.slenkfamily.blogspot.com where you can find information as to where we are, what we have been experiencing as a family, experiences in the churches, and other miscellaneous information regarding “road life”. We have also added a new option to the blog where you can subscribe and receive a copy of each new blog post in your inbox if you would like.



Again, thank you for all your support and encouragement. It would not be possible for us to be out here doing this without all of you.

Travel Days

Have you ever wondered what “normal life” is really like for us? In addition to nightly church services, weekly ladies luncheons, team meetings, and counseling sessions, regular life continues. There’s a home to maintain, laundry to do, groceries to buy, and school to teach. HOWEVER, as we are in churches throughout North America, and even as we travel to those churches, we have such incredible opportunities to see and do things we probably otherwise would never be able to experience. Almost every week, we have a “travel day” when we pack up the trailer, travel to the next church, and set the trailer back up. We pray for uneventful (read no blown tires, no excessive traffic delays, no truck issues) travel days, and more often than not, they are. And some times, travel day turns into a wonderful opportunity. Let me give you an example. In September, after finishing two THIRST Conferences in the Raleigh, North Carolina area, we headed north to Loudonville, NY. With GPS on and atlas in hand, we began an amazing two day journey of touring the New England area in a Volvo semi with a 54’ trailer in tow. We left Raleigh and drove through Virginia’s state capital, Richmond. We continued on to Washington, DC driving right next to the Pentagon and seeing the Capitol Building, Washington Monument, and Jefferson Memorial. As we approached Baltimore Harbor, we saw the massive ships carrying imported cars filling the harbor…then we took the truck and trailer UNDER the Patapsco River by way of the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. Next came Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey (we skirted New York City!), and we stopped for the night just over the border into New York. Every big city we come to, we scan the atlas for significant landmarks and (for Christian) professional sports stadiums to search for. The next morning, we headed to our first “college visit” for our son Christian. Since last year, he has been considering and praying about going to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. When he heard we would be in New York this fall, he asked if we could stop by to tour West Point. Knowing how big New York is, I hesitated to even imagine that we might be near. However, when we mapped out our journey to Loudonville, we discovered we would be driving right through that area! What a joy to be able to dream alongside Christian and to imagine what it might be like for him in a few years if the Lord in fact directs him to West Point. Our time at West Point was amazing. What an incredible campus, outstanding education, and rich history West Point offers. With Christian’s encouragement, I am now the proud owner of a t-shirt that says “West Point Mom”!!! As I reflect on my own life’s journey, I am challenged to pray big for my children, trusting that God’s plans for them are even grander than I can imagine. Almost 650 miles, 6 states, the US Capitol, over $100 in tolls, beautiful New England scenery, a visit to West Point, and quality time as a family…that’s a pretty exciting travel day! So there you have it...a snapshot of life on the road!

Update and Invitation

Dear Friends,


Its hard to believe that summers end is fast approaching. Its also hard to believe that next week Monday (Labor Day) we once again hit the road for the beginning of what is scheduled to be a full season. We have a great new team (some new, some returning from last year) of 18 single team members and two staff families that will make up what is known as the Revival Conference Team (aka the White Team). We are scheduled to be in twenty four churches and one prison this year (The Angola Prison in Louisiana). We will be traveling to Canada for part of the fall trimester where we will spend five weeks in the Ontario area. The summer has been a time of reconnecting with family and friends, preparing for the upcoming season with messages, logistics, new team members, etc… We have been heavy into staff training since the end of July where all three teams have been at Life Actions Camp preparing and getting ready for the new ministry season. Our team consists of Musicians, Worship Leaders, Children’s Ministers, Audio/Visual Technicians, Bus and Truck Drivers, and a few others to round the whole thing out (as well as the two families).

Once again this year, we are having a trailer “open house”. It will be this week Thursday September 2, from 5:00 –7:00 PM. We would love to see as many individuals and families stop buy to say hello or goodbye. If its feasibly possible would you consider paying a visit during that time in order that we may connect one last time with you before we leave? Jennifer, myself and the kids would be encouraged to see you, and you can check out the truck and trailer as well.

Thanks to all of you who made life at home “normal” for us this summer. Your prayers, friendship, and support encourage and bless us as we have been refreshed as a result of being home. We eagerly anticipate God doing great and mighty things this year in ourselves, team members, and the church bodies that we have been invited to minister alongside throughout North America.

See you on Thursday.

Ben, Jennifer, Christian and Elizabeth.

The Power of Forgiveness

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." - Ephesians 4:31-32

There isn't one person reading this who hasn't been hurt by another person. Question: what are you doing with that offense? Do you hold them hostage for the injury they inflicted on you? How many hours and days have you wasted thinking, "You owe me and I'm going to make you pay?"

That's a tough question on a painful topic but you have to get it settled. In order to navigate your way through relationships, you need to hold a conviction about how you're going to respond when someone hurts you.

Ephesians 4:31-32 gives us direction: "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

Read that last phrase again, "as God in Christ forgave you."

As freely as He forgave you.

As quickly as He forgave you.

As generously as He forgave you.

Jesus models what forgiveness should look like in our lives. He was falsely accused, mocked, beaten, and spat upon, then crucified. As He hung on that cross for your sins and mine, He said: "Father, forgive them." Jesus' model motivates us to live out Ephesians 4:32, "Just as God in Christ has forgiven you."

You've heard me say it before: there are no enduring relationships without forgiveness. None. Before you go very far in any partnership, there will be forks in the road where if you do not forgive, the relationship will not survive. It's true in every marriage, in every household, in every small group, in every friendship. This is always, always true.

You know that Kathy and I are committed to serving in one church for a lifetime. As I'm preaching, I look into the faces of people I've known for a long time. I know that I would not have those relationships today were it not for their willingness to forgive me and my willingness to forgive them. Forgiveness says, "Because of Christ, you owe me nothing."

I love this true account from the life of Leonardo DaVinci. Not only was he a great painter, but DaVinci had a great faith in God. On the day he was to begin to paint the masterpiece, "The Last Supper," he had a blow-out argument with one of his friends.

As he was painting the disciples seated around the table, DaVinci was still sour toward his friend. So when it came time to paint Judas - you guessed it - he painted his friend's face. Then he moved on to paint Jesus. Of course Leonardo loved Christ but try as he might, he couldn't paint His likeness in any way that he thought represented His beauty. He painted, erased, painted, erased. Convicted by his own unforgiveness, he repainted the face of Judas with some other, random likeness and went to get right with his friend. Only then could he return to finish his portrait of Christ.

It's been said that DaVinci's face of Christ in this work is one of the most beautiful ones ever painted. What a great picture of the mercy in forgiveness. It will bear itself out in your life and mine. We will not see the likeness of Christ reproduced in our lives until we forgive.

Has the Lord brought a relationship to mind that needs your long-overdue forgiveness? By faith say, "Because of Christ, you owe me nothing.”

Take to heart God's call on your life: "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

James McDonald - Walk in the Word