Well I finally got to see the doctor today and my blood work was all fine. No symptoms like in the beginning and I am still cancer-free! I will have no more CAT scans and don't go back for another check-up until December. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for me.
Well, summer is almost over. School is about to be in session again, and we made it through another VBS. For many, this is the last thought we have of VBS until May of next year. For many more, this is the last thought we have of the countless children we teach through our VBS. They come for a week of fun and learning, and then go home to we don't know what. And we never see them again; or maybe we will next year. Maybe. But what happens between now and then?
For most churches VBS is a hectic week that we do because we have always done it. If we want to see kids at church, we have to do VBS, right? But what about when VBS is over? Where do the kids go? I mean the kids we only see during VBS. Writing and helping churches to be effective with follow-up after VBS has really challenged me to take notice of the people around me. What kind of people come to our VBS? What happens to them afterward? Where do they go? What needs do they have? What can our churches do to meet those needs and share Christ with those families? Do we even see these people?
Today while reading Dr. James Dobson's newsletter I was struck by the story of a doctor who worked in VBS at his church this summer. He was also struck with the realization that he really did not see these people before. Not really. As he drove a bus to deliver children to VBS and home again, he saw first-hand where the children came from, and more importantly, where they had to return. While reading his account, I was gripped with the importance (yet again) of following up on families that send children to our VBS. We must reach these people with the gospel of Jesus Christ!
Follow this link to read Dr. Dobson's newsletter. Go here to the Focus on the Family web site.
Also, visit the following links for assistance with VBS Follow-Up and Outreach:
From Vacation Bible School to Sunday School
Make Your VBS Stronger with FAITH
After VBS - Closing the Books and Looking Ahead
AGREEING ON THE BASICS Acts 15:1-35
What should Christians do when they disagree at church? The normal practice is to ignore the problem and hope that it goes away. Or in some cases we take our disagreement on the gossip circuit and spread bad tidings about our brethren to others in order to justify our own position. Both courses of action lead to disunity and misunderstanding. In our text this week the church at Antioch follows a course of action that continues to serve as a model for handling disputes within the body of Christ. We should follow it.
Check out these new blog offerings sponsored by Lifeway.
Do More Ministry - a Financial-related blog
Also, check out the newly-revamped and -refocused SBC Outpost.
SHARING CHRIST IN ALL PLACES Acts 13:1-3; 14:1-7,21-23
The number of lost people in our world boggles the mind. Sometimes our efforts at evangelism seem to make little difference. Over six billion people are alive today, and if even 20 percent are Christians, that means about five billion are lost!
Obviously the church faces an extremely difficult task in evangelizing the world. Some countries have little or no Christian witness at all. But our efforts certainly make a difference to every individual who believes in Christ for salvation! And God doesn't ask any one of us to reach the world for Christ on our own. He does ask us to be faithful witnesses wherever we may be and to go wherever He leads us to witness. What does God want us to do with the gospel? SHARE IT!
Well, I was supposed to have a check-up with my cancer doctor Monday morning. We waited all morning and were never called back. I spoke with some other patients who had already been called back, before we arrived, and they had been waiting back there for 2 hours! Something, obviously, was amiss. It seems that the scheduling was (and is) all fouled up. The doctor sees patients who are currently undergoing treatments in the morning, so they can get over to the hospital for their treatments. Thats fine; we did that, too. But follow-up patients (like me) are given appointments in the morning, too, and have to wait to be "worked in". Ergo, you wait all day and waste valuable time.
If you know me, you know that I don't like my time wasted. My time is as valuable to me as the doctor's time is to him. After 2 hours I asked when we could expect to be seen. They could not tell me. So, we left; very frustrated I might add. Now I have to call and see when they can schedule my next yearly scan, etc. and hope to not have to sit in the waiting room again, waiting for an appointment that will never be.
I feel great and have no symptoms whatsoever like I had in the beginning. We give God praise for that! I will celebrate my 37th birthday this Thursday July 19, and consider each one a special gift from a very gracious and generous God. Thanks for all of your prayers.
Check out this video: No One Like You
Check out this humorous cartoon!!
SHARING CHRIST WITH ALL PEOPLE Acts 10:1-48
What makes something embarrassing? Look at these definitions:
Have you ever been too embarrassed to share your faith? What caused the awkward feeling? Is it because witnessing is viewed by so many (including believers) as ‘socially unacceptable'? As difficult as it seems for many to share Christ with others, it becomes an almost insurmountable task to cross cultures or perceived barriers to share Christ. In our lesson text this week the Apostle Peter learns a hard lesson about crossing barriers with the gospel.
I just read an good article concerning what holds back revival by Dr. Henry Blackaby. The link to the full article is below, but let me share some interesting lines:
"Like the "house of Israel," God's people continue to sin against God in our day and live without any awareness of the consequences."
"Many of us today are aware that America is in desperate need of revival, but we haven't made the connection. While we see the spiritual darkness around us, we do not recognize that the greater problem is with the light! Light dispels darkness! Jesus said that His disciples are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14-16). When the light of Christ is dimmed by our sin, the darkness flourishes. But when we repent, His light shines in us and through us to a watching world; people "see" and God is glorified!"
"Revival tarries because God's people will not repent, and we see no reason to do so. So, even if we recognize that the times are urgent and the spiritual climate is dark, and even if we cry unto God for a mighty revival, without our repentance He will refuse to hear us because we keep iniquity in our hearts."
Read the full article here.
Visit Henry Blackaby’s website to learn more about the desperate need for revival in America: www.blackaby.org. For other information about Blackaby's ministry and travel schedule, visit the website; call 770-603-2900; or contact Blackaby Ministries International, P.O. Box 16338, Atlanta, GA 30321.
The Shack by William P. Young et al
3:16: The Numbers of Hope by Max Lucado
Citizen Soldiers: The U. S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany by Stephen E. Ambrose et al
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