Rain, hail, snow, ice, wind, heat, freezing temperatures, thunder and lightning, time change, travel and ministry opportunities. Praise God.
We are embarked upon our 'Spring tour' and have driven East until June. The Lord decided that I didn't need to go to Africa, so He sent us to Iowa instead. There is considerably more variety in the Iowa weather than in the West African weather, this time of year, and we have been having an interesting trip thus far.
Of course the most interesting aspect is always the people of God; called out, set apart, and assembled...the Church of Jesus Christ. We are so privileged to be allowed to speak the Word of God to this living assemblage, in all her facets and forms.
Since February 1st (through March 22nd) we have shared the Scriptures over thirty times in eleven churches, two Christian Schools, a seminary and two Valentine's Day banquets! We ministered in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Iowa.
Please pray for Ken and Teri Bortz as they continue to faithfully minister the Word from their base in Eureka California. They will be ministering locally through May and will be touring in the Southwest US this Summer. Perhaps you would be open to having Ken share the Word in your congregation, school or home. His contact information is;
We are scheduled to film our Book of Revelation presentation the Third of May at Calvary Baptist Church, Mt.Pleasant Iowa. We hope to make DVDs available by June, both in standard format and in High Definition. (The High Defs will be a little more costly than the Standard.) We will be giving them for a donation to our 'Fund for the Least of These' and putting that money into kids & widows.
Everywhere we go the people are fearful, of the economic situation in the world, but generous to God's children and widows that He has entrusted to our care. We are so grateful.
As times have become a little difficult in the States people in other nations are going hungry. If you combine all the deaths from AIDS, Cholera, Malaria, and Typhoid; hunger still kills more. Malnutrition makes millions susceptible to diseases they could otherwise resist. The largest physical problems, in the parts of the Third and Fourth World where we work, are the cost of food and the lack of clean water. Food costs have doubled and tripled in Africa and India, and quadrupled in Haiti.
"Hitherto the Lord has helped us." Ebenezer...He is the stone of help, 1Sam7:12, and we believe the Lord will not fail us. He is not bound but He generally uses His people.
Perhaps God has prospered you and you desire to do some good with your abundance......It costs us about three dollars a day to feed, house, clothe, educate and provide medical care for one of our children in Haiti. We now have forty children in My Father's House Haiti. It costs about seven dollars a week (an American dollar a day) to care for, educate, house and clothe one of our children in India. We have one hundred and fifteen children at My Father's House India. These are just samples from a world of need. The daily costs in Africa are similar and then we add the cost of providing for widows. Please seek God's will in this matter.
Thank you for standing with us this far as we seek to glorify God.
Touring the East From our little Cabin by the corn field,
Jason & Sharon
Resurrection Season
Spring springing out
At every hand
Rain, snow, wind, sun
Sprouts sprouting
Buds budding
Life stirring in the land
From dead barren
browness.
To living fruitful greeness
But no Spring without
Winter
The death of Jesus
At work in us
Daily our crosses to bear
The life of Jesus
At work in you
Regeneration transforming
the heart
Still no resurrection
Without the crucifixion.
No life without death
- Jason
Our hearts have been stirred anew for His Church in America.
It seems the Church is under attack at every hand. We are suffering a decline in attendance and influence in public policy. We have brought reproach upon ourselves with scandal and hypocrisy and worldliness and wishy washy vision or lack thereof. We've given up our first love and we're not much different than the 'nice' world. We don't testify clearly to what is wrong in and with the world. The hallmark of the visible church of Jesus Christ in America is lukewarmness. We can be ignored or scorned for we are not 'hot' or relevant enough to be hated or feared.
Oh that the Children of God in America would stand up, with burning zeal, in the workplace and the market place and the schools and all public life and declare the greatness of God, live out the Love of God and refuse to be conformed to this godless world. If we would love each other without hypocrisy the world would know that we are disciples of Jesus Christ. If we could be of one mind & heart then the world would believe that Jesus was sent from the Father and that He loves the world.
We Christians are so scattered and broken and set in our separate ways that our unity will probably not happen until the Last Day. But we can love without hypocrisy....right here, right now. We can go to the least in the world and show them the love of Jesus today. We can go to the lost in the world and tell them the good news of Jesus and His love today.
