Notes from the road

Baptist History

2012-02-13T15:38:00.000-05:00

Some time ago, I began working on a book to introduce laymen to the subject of Baptist history. Many, having had exposure to my Baptist history audio series, requested that the material be made available in book form. After several futile attempts at transcribing the audio, I decided to just write the book from scratch, as it were, scrapping the transcription idea.

After months of work on the project, on and off as schedule would allow, I am about to enter the final chapter of the first part of the book. Do not for a moment assume that the fat lady is warming up her vocal cords. It is more akin to Winston Churchill’s comments on the Allied invasion of North Africa:

“This is not the end. It is not the beginning of the end. But it may be the end of the beginning.”

In any case, it is measurable progress—always encouraging.

New Year

2012-01-28T14:39:00.002-05:00

Ministry Update

The Lord has allowed us to settle in here in Mississippi and has given us ministry opportunities. For the first time in several years, we were in a meeting with Evangelist Dwight Smith right here in Southaven. We alternated preaching with him one night and me the next night. He had to leave the meeting after the Thursday night service because of a long drive before his next meeting, so I ended up closing the meeting.

The Lord blessed the effort. We alternated working with the choir each night and leading the music. I had never been in a meeting like that in which two evangelists shared the preaching responsibilities. There were two that trusted Christ as Savior and God's people made numerous other decisions.

In addition to the revival meeting we had at our home church, the Lord is also opening doors of ministry in other area churches. Several area pastors are looking to start a fellowship meeting again in the Memphis area, allowing me to get to know many excellent men. In addition, I have been doing pulpit supply for the Calvary Baptist Church of Coldwater, MS, as they seek the Lord's will for a pastor.

The fact that we have been home for a few weeks makes it possible for us to be involved in something that normally does not happen much in our ministry due to our constant traveling. The Lord has allowed us to see fruit through our participation in our normal local church visitation program. Clay and Kristin were saved but had been out of church for a while when Sarah and I knocked on their door on a Saturday morning. They are now coming to our church and getting plugged in, along with their two children.

Chris and Tiffany are another couple that Sarah and I contacted through door-to-door visitation. Tiffany gave a good testimony of salvation, but admitted that they, too, were out of church. Chris was not home because he was on a hunting trip. A subsequent visit enabled me to talk to Chris about his soul. Pray for him. His testimony leaves some grave concerns in our minds. If only he can get under the preaching of the Word of God, the Holy Spirit will do His work of conviction and bring him to salvation.

The warmer winter of Mississippi means that some germ-caused diseases are rampant. Our children have been sick a couple of times so far this winter. Nothing serious, but their illness does inconvenience us a little bit. If we could just have a good, hard freeze, some of these germs would be killed off. That is all in the Lord's hands, though, and I cannot begin to complain about the mild winter we are currently having.

If you haven't checked out our latest family picture on our website, you may want to do so. Thanks so much for your prayers and support.

Year End Update

2011-12-03T18:19:00.001-05:00

Ministry Update

The regular schedule of our revival meetings for 2011 has come to an end. We have only two Sundays of preaching left before the end of the year. What a great year the Lord has given us!

This past month has seen some good meetings, though they were unusual in that I flew to them all without my family. Just a couple of stories will suffice to show you how God is answering prayer.

On Sunday, November 6, 2011, I opened a meeting in the Cornerstone Baptist Church of Phoenix, Arizona. After the service began—in fact after I had announced the text to begin my message—a man came into the auditorium and took a seat. At the invitation he raised his hand for salvation, but I did not see it due to the size of the auditorium. The pastor, however, was aware of what was going on and asked me to approach the man after I turned the service over to the pastor.

The man was very open and willing to step into a room apart and listen to what I had to say to him. He had a fascinating background to relate. He was fluent in five languages, had been a citizen of three different countries, and had served in Saddam Hussein’s army during the Iran/Iraq War of the 1980’s. His journey to Phoenix led him first through Canada, then Chicago, and finally on to Phoenix.

Louie, as he was called by his English-speaking friends, was Assyrian. As I reviewed the Gospel with him, the Spirit of God convicted him of his sin. Before long, he prayed and asked the Lord to save him.

On the closing night of that meeting, a little boy of perhaps eleven years of age listened intently to the preaching. Being convinced of his need for a Savior, he was impatient by the time the invitation came. As soon as everyone around him bowed their heads and closed their eyes, he marched right up to the pastor on the platform. He needed to be saved and was unwilling to wait for any formalities!

The Lord has given us good meetings, not only this month, but all year long. We praise Him for His working through us.

In the coming weeks, we will be relocating to Southaven, MS, where I will be accepting a position as staff evangelist at the Clearview Baptist Church. For many years, I wanted to be staff evangelist at a local church, but the Lord delayed answering that prayer at different places and for reasons of His own. Now, we believe He has led us to the right church, the right pastor, the right place, and the right time. We are scheduled to move the week before Christmas. Pray for us. Our phone numbers will remain the same as well as our e-mail, but we will have a new snail mail address. It will be posted on our website once the move is complete.

Thank you for another year of supporting our ministry with your prayers. The longer I serve the Lord as an evangelist, the more convinced I am that we can do nothing without the power of God, power that comes to us through the prayers of God’s people.

If You Give Josiah a Cookie

2011-09-14T19:25:00.001-04:00

Family Update

We are in week six of our school year, and as the maxim goes, so far, so good. Abigail has been initiated to the delights of cursive writing, and all the details of correct handwriting formation. Josiah is forging ahead in math and English, boggling his way through the dizzying array of terms, formulas, definitions, and diagrams. Esther is still joyfully throwing herself into her kindergarten work and loving every minute of it. I must confess that at times she gloats a little when she finishes her schoolwork before her siblings complete theirs. Of course, her gloating is always received in the best and kindest way... Daniel is content to roar around the trailer making as much noise as possible, and commandeering his older siblings’ belongings while they are engaged in their studies. I had no idea this much drama would be a part of my daily life! We are once again attempting potty-training with Daniel, with more or less success.

Our summer has been so busy, and has flown by with amazing speed. We have covered a lot of territory, and the Lord has given us many ministry opportunities. Frankly, we all needed a break. Thankfully, we were able to take a few days of R&R at Paul’s parents’ farm in northern Indiana last week. The kids were thrilled to see their grandparents, as well as meet their brand-new cousin. Grandpa and Grandma were happy to see us as well. The kids had all kinds of lovely adventures – riding the tractor, playing in the barns, fishing in the pond, and gathering eggs from the chickens. All in all, it was a really nice, relaxing time for all of us.

This week, we are holding a meeting in Warren, IL. We are staying in an RV campground just over the Wisconsin border. The weather has been nice this week, but it is supposed to get rather cold tomorrow and the next day. I am so glad we have some of our winter clothing with us. Of course, I have to swap it all out with the summer things, and I haven’t quite found the time to do that, so right now we are all digging clothes out of the boxes sitting on the living room floor. I really need to get that done. Jumping over boxes to reach the kitchen table does not enhance our trailer living experience. There is always the chance that you will land on a stray toy!

Josiah has had a rough summer physically. It seems that everywhere we have been, allergies are at an all-time high, causing the need to have numerous breathing treatments. There have been a few “stupid attacks” (as we sweetly refer to them) of eating things that he should have known better than to ingest. The most recent of these was last week, when a misinformed sibling gave him a cookie, telling him that I said he could have it. I found out thirty minutes later, and was highly upset with both of them – the younger for giving it to him (I never said he could have it), and the older for eating it (I had already said that those particular cookies were off-limits to him). We ended up driving to the emergency room where he was treated and observed for several hours. Thank God there were no serious side effects, other than a few new gray hairs upon my head.

If you have ever read the children’s book, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, this may make sense to you.

If you give Josiah a cookie, he will want to have a drink.

If you give him a drink, he will throw up in the sink.

After he throws up in the sink, he will finish taking his shower.

After his shower, his stomach will feel very bad.

Because his stomach feels bad, he will hurry and get dressed.

After he is dressed, he will wander downstairs.

When he goes downstairs, he will find Grandma.

When he finds Grandma, he will tell her that he ate a cookie.

When he tells her that he ate a cookie, Grandma will panic.

When Grandma panics, she will run downstairs to tell his mother.

When his mother hears the news, she is incredulous.

Because she is incredulous, she runs upstairs to verify the story.

In order to verify the story, Josiah and Abigail are called into the kitchen.

When they are called into the kitchen, the interrogation begins.

When the interrogation begins, their mother becomes highly animated (this means upset).

When she becomes highly animated, the tears begin to flow.

Because the tears begin to flow, the mother gives her children hugs.

Because hugs do not allay the pain in Josiah’s tummy, she also administers Benadryl.

Because the mother is scared, she talks with the father.

They both decide the best course of action is to go to the hospital.

Since they have to go to the hospital, Grandma takes Josiah and his mother.

After they get to the hospital, the waiting begins.

Because they have to wait, they are subjected to inane television programs.

After some debate, they change the channel.

Since they changed the channel, they begin to watch a cooking show.

While they watch the cooking show, they decide that it makes them hungry.

Because they are hungry, the clock goes more slowly.

After several hours, they are released with a prescription.

Because they have a prescription, they have to get it filled.

Because they have to get it filled, they go to Walmart.

Because they go to Walmart, they have to wait 30 minutes.

Because they have to wait 30 minutes, they do some shopping.

Because they are shopping, they do not hear their name called over the loudspeaker.

Because they do not hear the page, they do not find out until 40 minutes have passed that Walmart does not have the medicine in stock.

Because Walmart does not have the medicine in stock, the pharmacist volunteers to call it in to the CVS.

When the pharmacist goes to make the call, he realizes that they DO have the medicine after all – it was just hidden behind something else.

Because they have the medicine after all, the wait was prolonged another 15 minutes.

Because they were all exhausted, Josiah, his mother, and grandma all sat on the bench, stomachs growling.

After escaping Walmart, they still had to go to CVS to get more Benadryl (Walmart was out of that, too).

On the way to CVS, they took a short cut.

Because they took a short cut, they got lost.

Because they got lost, it took twice as long as they had expected.

Because it took so long to get home, they were practically starved when they arrived.

Because they were so hungry, they ate dinner.

However, Josiah did not have another cookie for dessert...

Hopefully, that is THE END.

Rain

2011-06-28T10:50:00.000-04:00

Ministry Update

More than one English idiom deals with rain coming from the sky. Two come immediately to mind. The first is this: When it rains, it pours.

On Saturday, June 18, 2011, we took delivery of another trailer, having lived in our first one for nearly eight years. We had looked at the unit before and told the dealership what things needed to be done to fix it up. They had two weeks to get the work done. In addition, they gave us their assurance that they would run some tests on it themselves so as to ensure that it was all ready for us by the deadline. During the two weeks, we were away at camp, after which we returned to begin the tedious process of moving from one trailer to another. When we arrived to pick up the trailer, it was not ready, nor would it be ready for another two days. It seems that the promises of the sales team were never communicated to the service department. We should have checked things more thoroughly, but instead we were concentrated wholly on getting our things moved from one unit to the other.

After two very full days of moving things, we said our goodbye to the old trailer and headed out toward I-25 and our next meeting in Kansas. We would never get there.

As we negotiated the hills and mesas on our way to Albuquerque, we discovered that something was wrong with the truck. It still ran, but it was losing power at higher rpm—not good for pulling a trailer in the hills.

We found a place to park in Rio Rancho, NM, just north and west of Albuquerque, and began to settle in for the night. This would be our first night in the new trailer away from the campground. Operating the slide-outs, we discovered that the rear bedroom slide-out had some serious problems that we had not noticed in our preoccupation with moving. During the trip one of the drawers in the kids’ room had fallen out and broken into its component pieces, the next morning we discovered that the rear bathroom toilet leaked, and the next day my closet with my hanging clothes collapsed to the floor. When it rains, it pours.

The second English idiom comes from the time-honored pages of the King James Bible: showers of blessing. Many years ago, a man named Paul Schmidt worked for my Dad in SC. He had since moved to Albuquerque, married, and adopted a little girl. His church was where we parked. He had all the tools I needed to fix my trailer and after a few days of working, the toilet leak was stopped, the closet was back up and stronger than ever, the slide-out was completely fixed, and the kids’ drawer was back together. When it came time to pay for the repair on my truck (bad throttle position sensor; cost for the part alone over $600), he took care of the entire thing. As if that were not enough, his wife provided us with many meals while we were working on the trailer, and his little girl Monique had a great time with our children playing.

Now we are ready to go again, except that Daniel and Esther have been running fevers for a while. Please pray for their recovery.

And speaking of rain and water, we are now off to Minot, ND.

Out West

2011-06-10T16:20:00.000-04:00

Ministry Update

Years ago when I was in college, I heard a seasoned evangelist remark that an evangelist must have bats in belfry to schedule meetings in the state of Arizona during June. Yet, we find ourselves heading to New Mexico for two weeks of meetings this month. Granted, NM is not AZ, but it is very hot.

The summer will be a full one with not only our own meetings, but also vacation Bible schools inherited from a friend who was unable to keep all of his scheduled meetings. Things will taper off slightly around the first couple of weeks in September, after which our fall schedule will begin in earnest. Thank you for your prayers for our safety over the thousands of miles that we will cover this year.

After living in our current trailer for eight years, seven of those full-time, we have come to the decision that it is time to replace our trailer. The reason for this decision is not because what we have is falling apart, but rather we can no longer accommodate our family with the present configuration. We would like to sell our current trailer and get another one that we have already picked out to replace what we have. With the present economy, anyone trying to sell anything faces an uphill struggle, a struggle only compounded by the fact that an RV is considered a luxury item. God has all these details in His hands and we can trust Him to do what is best in our lives.

Family Update

School’s out! We have been enjoying our summer break for almost two weeks now! I don’t know who is more excited – the students or the teacher! We are looking forward to a very busy summer of camps and vacation Bible schools. The Lord has given us safety in travel this spring, and provided for all of our needs.

Our house in Indiana is for sale, and we are looking for the Lord to provide the right buyer in His time. Please pray with us about this step. There are so many decisions to be made.

I had the greatest blessing this week. We stopped at a church for the night, and prepared to spend the midweek service with them. The assistant told us that we were welcome to peruse the missions closet while we were there. I was amazed when he opened a door and an entire store appeared before me! It was like a small Goodwill, with clothes on racks according to size, as well as household goods, shoes, jewelry, and miscellaneous craft items. The Lord knew that some of our clothing needed to be replaced, and He provided amply for almost every member of the family! It was such a blessing! Now I have to pray that the closet rods hold up under the strain!

Everyone is healthy and strong right now, and although we have had a bit of sickness now and then, it has passed quickly. Probably the only thing any of us are suffering from at present is torrential boredom on the long drives! I have endeavored to fill the hours by reading aloud several classics of literature. We most recently finished “The Wind in the Willows” by Kenneth Graham. Even Paul enjoyed the rollicking adventures of Mr. Toad! Right now, we are forging our way across the prairie with Laura Ingalls Wilder in “Little House on the Prairie.” I am ever a lover of good books, and I am attempting to instill a love of reading in my own children. I anticipate a summer full of adventure and learning!

Greatest Snow on Earth

2011-02-22T18:56:00.000-05:00

Ministry Update

For the second year in a row, God has brought us to Richfield UT to minister in the Bible Baptist Church. God is steadily growing this work in the middle of Mormon country. We will head out as soon as possible after the meeting is over and cross the country to southwest MO.

Thank you all for your prayers. God has been at work so far this year and we look forward to seeing more of what He has planned for us this year.

Family Update

Greetings from Utah! The weather here is clear and cold, and absolutely beautiful! The trip here from California was a bit rough, since we had several delays and a breakdown on the way. After a few days, the trailer was repaired, and we headed out somewhat wounded in wallet, but in good spirits! The Lord is good—had we broken down just a few miles farther up the road, we could have been in a serious accident. While we were waiting for the repairs to be finished, everyone decided to get sick. It was rather convenient for everyone to be sick at the same time, but on the down side, I felt as if I was living in a tuberculosis ward with all of the terrible coughing and moaning, especially at night. Thankfully, everyone is on the mend, and we are all up and running.

Paul and I had the opportunity to go skiing for the first time last Friday. We went with the pastor and his wife and daughter. The pastor had never been before, either, so we pooled our ignorance in an amusing and dangerous way. We did have an instructor, but upon conferring with other skiers, I have determined that he played a tremendous practical joke on us by telling us to do the opposite of the proper technique in almost every area. We spent most of the afternoon lying on the snowy ground after having crashed too many times to count. Being one with nature is not all it is cracked up to be. There is something humiliating about lying on the ground while 4- and 5-year-old skiers whiz by you with the encouraging shouts of their instructors echoing off the mountainside. Adults are supposed to be more coordinated, right? I am very glad to say that there were no serious injuries incurred, although I had some very sore spots the next day—probably from flinging myself on the ground to avoid certain destruction in the form of a fence, tree, or another human on skis! All said, I would try it again—with a different instructor... one that didn’t smile so much when he was telling us how to ski!

We have had a major change in our house. Daniel at some point last week lost his pacifier, or “pappy,” as he calls it. While we knew this would come at some point, we hadn’t planned to go cold turkey. Thankfully, he has been so sick and tired every time he is to go to bed, that he hasn’t really had a hard time. He has been very clingy lately, though. I hope it stays lost forever! We are also considering buying dentures for Abigail, since every time we turn around, she has another loose tooth. Maybe we will just get her some “Billy Bob teeth” out of the quarter machine.

We have had a lot of sickness already this year, so I would ask that you pray for our health, especially that of the children. If one of them gets sick, they almost always all get whatever it is. This is partly due to the fact that we are in such close quarters all the time (either the truck or the trailer), and partly due to the fact that none of them ever covers their mouth when coughing or sneezing. I know I have been sprayed with germs on more than one occasion. Bring on the Lysol and hand sanitizer!

Today I went hiking up the mountain with the pastor’s wife and another lady from the church. The climb was not all that bad, but the altitude nearly killed me! I could barely catch my breath just walking uphill! The view from the top was breathtaking, with the brilliant blue sky behind the red, rocky mountain, sprinkled with dark green cedars and dusted with snow! Our God has given us such a beautiful world! I am so glad that I am able to experience so much of it!

In Regions Beyond

2011-02-01T18:54:00.000-05:00

Ministry Update

A few years ago, someone was in one of our meetings and purchased a copy of every preaching CD I had available on my table. Their mission: to send it to American troops in Iraq. So it was that I preached to men in harm’s way on the other side of the world. Last night, a Marine named Ron Miller came up to me and told me a similar story, only this time my preaching CD’s went to Afghanistan. He told me of Marines gathered around the stereo to listen to me open the Word of God by way of recording. I wept as he told the story. He took off his globe and anchor tie clasp and gave it to me as a token of appreciation for my ministry to those Marines, some of whom breathed their last there in that mountainous country.

When I turned 18 some years back, I got out the phone book and found the number for the local Marine recruiter in the town where I lived. I wanted to join the Marines, I told him. After a few questions pertaining to my medical history, the recruiter told a disappointed youngster that there was no way I could ever join the Marines due to medical problems. God used the news in my life as another confirmation of my call to the ministry, but I have never lost my love of the Marine Corps, though I could never be one of them. To know now that I had the opportunity to preach the Gospel of Christ to Marines facing combat every day was one of the greatest blessings of my life.

“In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.” Ecclesiastes 11:6

CA at Last!

2011-01-31T13:55:00.000-05:00

Ministry Update

The first month of 2011 has come to a close, with the Lord doing some wonderful things for us. In north MS, a man gave us two brand new trailer tires, both of which were greatly needed. We have only two Sundays available between now and the beginning of May, one them due to a cancelation. God has burdened my heart to pray and to trust Him for the greater works promised in John 14:12. Thank you for praying with us that souls would be saved and Christians would be revived.

Family Update

I’m loving California in January. The people here are all apologizing for the cold weather, which happens to be in the 60’s. Ummm... I think I can handle it after such a cold Indiana winter! We made it across the country with only a few mishaps – frozen water in Mississippi, a new water pump in the trailer, a transmission rebuild and a tire blowout in Texas, and some dreadful sickness that gave the children fevers and general malaise for a week. All of the sickness did wreck my school schedule a bit, which is the worst of all the aforementioned mishaps! I am a stickler about keeping a tight school schedule! Anyway, things are on their way to being back on track.

On a personal note, I have started an “everyday blog” about life in general, just not things related to family happenings. Well, I guess it is still family, but just more about my random thoughts and interests than I normally write about in the ministry/family update. Please feel free to visit http://sarahsnotes-rvmama.blogspot.com to find out more. The updates on things are generally a little shorter and more frequent – that is, when I have internet access!

We are glad to be in meetings again. This morning, a little girl was saved in the services, and a young man received assurance of his salvation. I believe we are going to have an amazing week. The people have been praying and fasting in anticipation of what the Lord is going to do, and I think we will see some great answers to prayer. We serve a wonderful God!

I think 2011 is going to be a great year, and I hope that you will pray with us as we serve the Lord in itinerant ministry.

CA or Bust!

2011-01-06T13:59:00.003-05:00

Ministry Update

The new year takes us out of our house and into the trailer once again for our annual pilgrimage away from the cold and into the Southwest. In the next few weeks, we will be in different spots along the southern part of our nation ending our westward migration in San Diego, California.

The thrill of the road and, more importantly, the thrill of seeing lives changed is very high for us right now as our peripatetic lifestyle arouses from its Christmas hibernation. The Lord has given us many opportunities to serve Him this year in many different places. As Archippus was told so many years ago, we want to take heed to our ministry, that we fulfill it.

Family Update

Sarah will be able to fill in the details of preparing to depart our house and get the trailer ready for travel once again, but first of all, a man’s perspective. The move from North Carolina to Indiana was culture shock in many ways, but one of the lessons that we had to learn was the lesson of the cold weather and its affect on the trailer. From time to time, we had been in the trailer during cold weather, and because the trailer was our only home, we have never winterized it. Then, in the summer of this year, we moved into our house and were in it when the cold began to exert its icy grip on Indiana.

No problem, right? We will just leave the heat on in the trailer and there will be no need to spend the money and effort to winterize everything. This cold, however, was a different kind of cold. We are not in Kansas anymore, Toto. It is one thing to have an overnight low of 17 degrees, but it is another matter entirely to have a week in which the high temperatures are in the teens. Heat or no heat, that kind of cold is bound to do things to the water system, especially is no one is living in the unit at the time.

So, as we were preparing to leave, I discovered that the water system on the trailer was frozen. There are two ways to put fresh water into the trailer and both inputs were blocked by solid ice. Nor was there any hope of getting the problem even diagnosed, much less solved, until we could get to a warmer climate. The words of that wonderful song come to mind, “I wish I was in the land of cotton…” Never truer than in January. So, to Mississippi we went.

It was a balmy 52 degrees the day we arrived, although it had cooled to about 45 by the time we arrived that evening. The problem was that when I tried to hook up water so that we could have the comforts of home, there were leaks. Turns out, the water pump had some issues so that the water from the hose built up so much pressure in the pump that water was spraying all over the bay of our trailer, threatening to douse my books and other equipment that was in storage there. After hours of work, we still did not have water and all retired to bed for the night.

The next morning we had running water! That is, whenever I ran to get it in a 2-liter bottle from the church. But by 2:00 that afternoon, I have worked around enough to repair the pump leak and to give us water again in the trailer. I have no idea how things might be different in UT in a few weeks, but for now, we have running water as long as the weather holds above freezing.

California, here I come!

Due

2010-11-28T22:22:00.002-05:00

Ministry Update

This past month, going back into October, has been good month for us. The meetings in October took us to different parts of the South in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee while November found us back home in Indiana working in our home church.

This last round of meetings brought a lot of vehicle expense. In Alabama, the flywheel came detached from the torque converter on the truck, destroying both parts. That, combined with the need for tires, put the repair bills very high for that period of time. With all the trouble-free miles we have logged on the truck, I figured that we were due for a major repair sooner or later, especially considering the miles were hard miles pulling the trailer.

The good news is that the BOA (bed of affliction) is now gone, having been replaced by a very nice mattress that was a gift from a lady in Prattville, AL. The frame for the bed went in our house and the mattress went in the trailer. God is so good to us!

We will be out in meetings again in January when once again we will turn west and head for California. The Christmas season is always difficult financially. Thank you so much for your prayers.

Family Update

Within the last month, both Daniel and I celebrated our birthdays. I really can’t believe he is already two years old. He is beginning to speak more plainly each day, repeating things that his siblings say. The girls are busy trying to teach him his colors, which he can repeat, but cannot yet identify. They have a good time doing it, though.

Thanksgiving was a time for relaxation and family. My family came from Ohio and spent the night at our house, giving the kids some grandparent time, and Paul some much-needed mother-in-law time! I was able to spend the day after with my mom doing our favorite activity – scrapbooking! All in all, it was a lot of fun.

One of the things we are thankful for is that Paul was able to shoot four deer this season, and they all went straight into our freezer. The Lord has provided bountifully for us during these lean months, and we are so grateful. This was also our first Thanksgiving meal in our new home. Many of you have asked how we like our new house, and I must say we LOVE it!

Yesterday, we went out and chose a Christmas tree – our first real tree in eight years! I was so excited! We put it in our living room, and after a short battle with the lights, got it up and decorated. I always let the kids help decorate the tree, giving them the unbreakable ornaments and allowing them to place them on the tree. The effect is somewhat akin to a Christmas shotgun blast. There are clusters of ornaments hung precariously on tiny, drooping branches with large open spaces between cluster groups. I am trying to teach them the art of balance in decorating, but so far, I haven’t succeeded. It is hard to let go of my perfectionist tendencies and allow them to enjoy the moment. I will admit to limiting the amount of ornaments per branch to only five! This is always a highlight of the season, and we all look forward to it each year. We wish you a wonderful, Christ-centered Christmas!

BOA

2010-10-16T10:19:00.001-04:00

Ministry Update

Feast or famine. That is how the ministry of evangelism has often been described, and that phrase has described this year very aptly. The first part of the year was the busiest spring we have ever had while this fall has been one of few meetings. Yesterday, however, was a time of excitement for me. After living in a normal house for a few months, after knowing firsthand the benefits of having all my library accessible, after having a piano readily accessible every day, after having all the space we need as a family so that the children were never under our feet—after all that, I moved my family yesterday back into the trailer to head south toward Alabama and a revival meeting. And what is more, I was excited to do it. Excited to leave behind the normal settled existence that I had grown to know in our house. Excited to cram all six of us into the cab of the truck for hours on end. Excited to settle down after the travel in a home where we are constantly crawling on top of each other. The excitement, of course, is not primarily to be living in the trailer so much as it is for the reason we do this in the first place: a revival meeting. The chance to beg God every night for His mind as to what to preach, the chance to plead for His power every day several times throughout the day, the chance to see lives changed and eternity affected—this is the ultimate reason for my excitement every time I load the trailer for another trip. But I would be less than truthful if I did not admit that I enjoy all the other attendant circumstances of heading to a revival meeting. I actually enjoy the travel, the trailer life, and even the cramped quarters. I don’t even complain about preaching in a suit and tie, so much so that I often liken the task of dressing up to a fighter pilot putting on his flight suit for another mission. Thank God to be in another meeting.

Oh, regarding the famine time of no meetings? God provided for our every need as He always has done in the past and as He will continue to do in the future.

Family Update

Ahhhh! On the road again with trailer in tow – what a feeling! That feeling was preceded by other feelings, mostly stressful ones such as, “How am I ever going to get all this stuff ready to go?” and “the house is not clean,” and “I sure hope I don’t forget something important!” (I did…) It took us a while to get “moved” back into the trailer from the house, but by late afternoon Thursday we were on our way to Alabama. The day was one of those gorgeous fall days and I enjoyed seeing the vibrant colors of the changing leaves against the cloudless azure sky. We parked overnight in the greater Nashville area, and after several hours of driving, we were eager to rest our weary bodies. However, our much desired repose was less than invigorating for several reasons. The first reason was that we were parked on a steep hill, the incline of which left the front of the trailer several inches lower than the back. While this may not seem like a big deal, it does create a gravitational force that pulls me to the side of the bed, and if I am not careful, over the edge onto the twelve inches of floor beside it. The second reason was that we are now sleeping on what we have laughingly dubbed the “Bed of Affliction,” or BOA. Some time ago, you will recall, we bought a house, and have been in the process of remodeling, moving, and furnishing our new nest. Of course, we had some furniture in storage, but precious little, since we had downsized our possessions when we first purchased the trailer. One of the items we did not have was a queen size bed. No problem – we would just use the one in the trailer.

Now, RV mattresses are never anything to write home about, and our original mattress was no exception. A few years ago, we were given a regular mattress to replace the thin, lumpy RV mattress. It was really nice, although the gas springs that raised the bed platform (for under-the-bed storage) were not equipped to handle the weight of a regular mattress. Consequently, it now required two people to access the storage space, one of which had to have the strength of Atlas, and the other the speed of Mercury. After the desired item was retrieved, the sweating, straining, herniated one would release the platform, letting it fall with a resounding whump! At this point, the one retrieving would have visions of what it would be like to face the guillotine. We decided, then, to take the mattress from the trailer and move it into the house, since neither Paul nor I relished the thought of sleeping on the floor. We dragged the mattress off of the platform, groaning under its weight, and it promptly folded itself into something that resembled a very large taco. I do not know the exact weight of the mattress, but I will estimate it between 150-200 pounds. Somehow we managed to drag it into the house, around several corners, as well as up and down a few stairs and dumped it in the bedroom. I vowed then and there we would never move it again. I believe Paul seconded the motion.

This brings us to the present. Since there was no way we were going through the Olympic task of moving the mattress back into the trailer, we had to figure out some kind of sleeping arrangement. I had an inspiration. “We can just use the mattress out of the hide-a-bed couch in the trailer!” It isn’t very heavy, and I reasoned that we could use it in place of the other mattress for the few weeks we would be on the road. I have already mentioned that RV mattresses are somewhat below standard in quality, but an RV hide-a-bed couch mattress scores lower than a leaky air mattress. The article in question is a full-size mattress about two inches thick. I mentioned earlier that we normally use a queen size mattress, so this mattress is a good ten inches shorter than our normal bed. It really isn’t a problem for someone who stands 5’4” tall, but when you are 6’3”, there are some definite issues, as we discovered last night. The experience was somewhat akin to camping out in a sleeping bag, minus the rocks underneath. I think perhaps, the ground might actually have been softer than the wooden platform. Paul tried in vain to find some way to get comfortable, the fetal position being the only means to have all of his lanky frame on the mattress. It quickly became evident that neither of us was going to sleep well. I suggested that he try to sleep diagonally. This worked well for him, but meant that I was now shoved into the upper right hand corner of the bed. In retrospect, it was not bad, because the angle offset the gravity problem of the uneven trailer, and I was no longer in danger of falling out of bed.

This is not the first BOA on which I have ever slept. In years gone by I have slept on lumpy beds, hard beds, sagging beds, scratchy beds, beds with dirty sheets, beds with flat pillows, and beds covered in animal hair. However, this time, I don’t have to endure it for just a night, or even a week – it is a BOA of my own making that I must endure for at least three weeks at this point! The worst part about it is that the couch is now defunct as well, having sacrificed its innards that we might have a place to sleep. The couch doesn’t look too bad at first glance, but beware the casual sitter! It swallows up people like an oversized Venus fly-trap, and the victims must be extracted by their hands and feet, usually the only thing sticking out from between the flapping cushions. “Where’s your sister? AAAHHHH! The couch got her! Quick! Help me get her out!”

So if you see us in the next few weeks, don’t be surprised if we look as if we haven’t been sleeping well. It all comes from having a BOA in the house. 

Home, Sweet Home

2010-08-24T14:48:00.001-04:00

Ministry Update
We are coming to the end of our time that was to be spent on fixing up the house. It has become quite a nice place for us to live, completely adequate to meet all of our needs as a family. So far, the list of improvements we have made to the house since we moved in a month ago is as follows:

New bead board and trim in three bedrooms
New paint in kitchen, living room, bedrooms and bathroom
Fixed kitchen plumbing leak
Replaced toilet
Painted bathroom cabinets
Install new bathroom floor all the way down to the joists
Installed new bathroom lighting
Cleaned ductwork
Removed low basement ceiling
Removed moldy wood in basement
Installed new basement lighting
Painted basement with Dry Lock paint
Replaced leaking cast iron sewer lines with PVC

There are some other things that we would like to do, but I go back to preaching this week, going to northern Indiana to preach in two churches there. Once we return to Connersville, I will be teaching in the church’s Bible institute in between meetings, plus preaching from time to time as the pastor asks me to. We are busy, but loving the place where the Lord has us.

Many do not know our new address because I have not yet gotten my website updated. Please forgive my negligence in this area. Here is the new address:

Paul and Sarah Crow
827 Earl Dr
Connersville IN 47331

Thank you for all of your prayers as we begin to resume our traveling schedule once again.

Family Update

As you can see from the above list, we have been quite busy the last several weeks. In addition to all the repairs, we have also begun a new school year. Josiah entered the fourth grade, and Abigail is now in the first grade. The challenges continue to mount with each passing day. Josiah is desperately trying to conquer two-digit multiplication, with nominal success. Abigail’s biggest struggle is overcoming her need for perfection in the area of writing. She thinks that if it doesn’t look exactly like the printed example that a meltdown is in order. Esther keeps busy with her “school work” of coloring reams of pictures and adding them to the ever-growing pile of homework, quizzes, and tests that litter the desk. Daniel is content to color himself, the floor, the desks, and any papers he can get his hands on, as well as initiating organized terror in the form of toy-dumping, sippy cup irrigation, and hitting anyone who threatens his agenda. Nap time is a welcome reprieve!

I have also taken on several piano students, which is exciting for me. I think some of them are still in shock. Right now, I have eight students, including two of our children. It is a blessing to help prepare these young people for service at an early age. We need young musicians to be trained and working in the context of the local church.

The house is really nice—we have much to be thankful for! We have had so many friends pitch in and help with the demolition and renovation projects! It is so nice to have some space to call my own. The kids love living in the house, and have staked out the “no boys/girls allowed” areas. The boys’ room is, amazingly enough, relatively clean most of the time. The girls’ room, however, is usually a complete disaster, with dolls, clothes, toy food and dishes, shoes and strands of gaudy beads mixed liberally and scattered on the floor. I keep telling them if they would only get out one thing at a time, the cleanup time every evening would be cut down tremendously!

Abigail, always my helper, has appointed herself the chief dishwasher. While this relieves my work load, it has also caused some anxiety due to the fact of the lowered standard of sanitation (sometimes the food from the last meal escapes her six-year-old notice). Paul and I have learned to be a little more circumspect when selecting cups and plates from the dish drainer! I am so thankful for her sweet spirit and helping hands. Obviously her attitude is contagious. Esther announced today that she wants to “fold the clothes every day.” This means romping about on my bed in the clean clothes, and folding the smaller pieces of laundry until she gets distracted, but I am grateful for all the help my girls give around the house! Sometimes I have to remind myself that I need to put aside my way of doing things better and let them be responsible. Hence, we have beds that are made crookedly, with blankets askew, clothes that are folded in strange ways, and dishes that have smears of food on them. Only with practice will these things improve, so I have determined to put up with less than perfect in order that I might train them to be good housekeepers. Josiah wants me to teach him to cook – I think it is primarily because he loves to eat so much! I have not yet relinquished that duty, though. I may have an aspiring chef on my hands! Daniel’s greatest joy these days is his bath time. He laughs and stomps around in a little dance whenever I start running the bath water. Of course, he feels it necessary to empty the tub himself, one cupful at a time onto the bathroom rug, so he must be kept under a watchful eye at all times. He is beginning to talk more as he approaches his second birthday. Some of his words are “bath, out, NO, mine, all gone, cookie, eat, please, thank you, HEY, and Bye-bye.” He is such a funny little guy. He loves to be chased and tickled, especially at bedtime. He also loves to sit on my lap and read books. “Book” is another one of his words. I am so thankful for the children God has given us. They are such a joy!

Home Without Wheels

2010-06-04T12:55:00.000-04:00

Ministry Update

Although May was a slower month for us as far as meetings were concerned, the Lord has kept us busy with many activities and unexpected places of ministry. We were able to attend my Sarah’s brother Micah’s graduation from college and from there we were off to Virginia for a meeting with Pastor Nate Clark. Then it was the throes of moving. Now tomorrow, I fly out to the American southwest where I will be in two different churches, one in NM and the other in AZ. After all the hard work I have been doing for my wife (see below), it will be refreshing to get back to mere 14-hour days at teen camp.

Family Update

Many of you may be wondering what has been going on in our lives, and I must say, we have been so busy! This spring, we had a full schedule complete with many answers to prayer. I have felt guilty for not sending out an update in so long, but I just never took the time to sit down and tell all that has happened. So… here is the latest

Some time ago, the Lord began to move in our hearts about making some major changes. After much prayer and counsel, we made the decision to move our “home base” to Indiana. In March we began looking for a house, and on May 5, we closed on a three bedroom ranch in Connersville Indiana. There were mixed emotions about the house – excitement about our very first home balanced with the sobering realization that we now have a house payment and all the additional expenses that come with being homeowners. At this point, we are still planning to travel in the fifth wheel – we will just have a place to spread out when we are not in meetings. We will officially become Indiana residents in after our Family Camp with Emmanuel Baptist Church in July. It is sad to be leaving Emmanuel after fifteen years, but the Lord has given us another wonderful church in which we can have a part. Our home church will be First Baptist Church of Laurel, Indiana.

This past week, we took possession of our new home, and began making it our own. This entailed much “elbow grease” from many different people. We painted every room, stripped wallpaper, put up bead board and trim in all the bedrooms, and tore up all the carpet. It was a blessing to have beautiful oak hardwood floors under al the carpet, and the house now looks totally different than it did a week ago! Paul’s parents and another couple from their church, Doug and Carol Sanders put in many hard, hot hours painting and working under my slave-driving conditions! We are so grateful for all of their help—it would have taken us weeks to do it all ourselves! A few others—Andy, Jaimy and Jeff—helped us unload our belongings and do some miscellaneous jobs, and we appreciate them all! The Lord has blessed us with so many good friends here already.

The children are so excited about their new house – the girls have their own room, and so do the boys. We were not in the house five minutes before a “no boys allowed” policy was instated in the girls’ room! We also have a full basement, which doubles our living area. We have had some unexpected (covered up) problems already, but we will work our way through those eventually. It has been wonderful to be in the house, and not be stepping on people every time I turn around! I am thrilled to have a chance to decorate for the first time ever! The house, except for the kitchen, which was highlighter yellow, was white all the way from floor to ceiling. Paul said it was my “blank canvas” for inspiration. It has been a lot of work, and there is more to be done, but I am so grateful for what the Lord has given us, and for a husband who is willing to go the extra mile to make the house pleasant!

School is out for the summer, and we are all breathing sighs of relief. The schedule of school every day and church every night can be quite exhausting, and we are enjoying every minute of our vacation! All of the children are growing so quickly. It seems that every time I turn around, someone’s clothes are too short, or the shoes are too small. Abigail has lost her first tooth, and has several more wiggly ones. Esther will celebrate her fourth birthday in just a few weeks. On Mother’s Day, we had the blessing of seeing both Abigail and Esther baptized. It is such a joy to see our children trust Christ and follow Him in obedience! Please pray that the Lord would continue to work in our children’s hearts and that they would follow His leading in their daily lives.

Please also pray that the Lord would fill our fall schedule. We know that whether or not we have meetings, the Lord will provide for our needs, but we do so enjoy the work He has called us to do. Pray for safety as we travel and for people to be saved as we minister. Pray that God would use us to encourage the hearts of pastors and congregations where we minister as well.

Thank you for your prayers and I will try to be a little more regular in sending out updates than I have the last few months.

In the Presence of the Angels

2010-04-02T22:57:00.000-04:00

Ministry Update

This evening, I closed one of the greatest meetings of my ministry up to this point. Its greatness was not so much seen in the number of decisions, but in one great decision close to my heart for which we had been praying for years. The meeting was in Plymouth, Indiana, the seat of the county in which both of my parents grew up. Many of the extended family members are still in the area, and to make matters even more significant, the meeting was in the church in which my parents were married.

On Sunday morning, my maternal Grandmother showed up to surprise me. It was amazing to see her there, not only because she had given me no prior warning, but also because neither she nor my Grandpa are saved. To her great delight, she was greeted by Josiah and Abigail who both insisted on sitting with her during the service. I preached the burden of my heart that morning on the subject of pride from the Old Testament story of Uzziah. One of the points that I made was that pride sometimes keeps people from getting saved. At the invitation, my Grandma knew that she was in need of something, but did not go forward. I was grateful to see her in the morning service, but suspected that she had just come out of duty to me as her grandson. She was not in the evening service that night, and I thought that I would not have time to see her again until I had opportunity to visit in their home later in the week. To my surprise, she was back on Monday night, having driven into the service herself. Although she is a fine driver, she is restricted to driving only in the daylight hours because of her age. With Monday’s service starting at 7:00 and ending around 8:15, she was cutting things very close.

Ever since I can remember, we have prayed for her salvation, as well as my Grandpa’s. The one great hurdle was getting either one to admit a need—they were moral people all their lives and he saw no need for a Savior while she believed that she had always been saved. A few years back, as I was praying for them both, the Lord seemed to impress on my heart that Grandma would get saved first, then Grandpa would follow. I mistakenly thought at the time that the Lord was leading me to try to get her alone and talk to her, but all efforts in that direction proved futile.

Grandpa’s bout with Parkinson’s disease has left him more and more bound to his home, and he was unable to come to a single service because of his condition. That left Grandma to come alone whenever she could.

Monday night found Grandma once again hedged by Josiah on one side and Abigail on the other. I preached that night from Psalm 139, giving a kind of character study of God from that psalm. In the end, the invitation was to total surrender to the God revealed in the verses of David’s song. When the invitation time came, Josiah took Grandma’s hand and rubbed it a bit. He then left his seat, as is his custom and went forward to pray for his great grandparents. His great grandma was right behind him. That night at the altar, she admitted her sinfulness in prayer to God and confessed her need to Him. Because of the lateness of the hour, I did not have as much time to deal with her as I would have liked, but knew that my Mom would call her after she got home. Sure enough, Grandma had no sooner walked in the door, when Mom called and further explained the Gospel to Grandma. At the age of 81, she trusted Christ as Savior!

By Tuesday, someone in the church had volunteered to pick her up each night and she did not miss another service of the meeting. Now, the process of discipleship has begun just as we have to leave town. I would ask all of you to pray for Mary Silveus and her husband Eldon, that Mary would grow in the Lord and be baptized and Eldon would trust Christ as Savior. What a blessing it has been to see God do a great work in my Grandma’s life so far. The good work has begun, and God will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

California At Last!

2010-02-01T19:13:00.001-05:00

Our trip to CA continued to be eventful, even after all the trailer repairs were complete. I was able to get the power converter replaced without any problem and we headed out of Fort Worth on Thursday of last week. Our goal was spend the night in the parking lot of the Hillcrest Baptist Church of El Paso. We started the drive with a light rain falling, which, though it made packing up a little bit more difficult did not concern us in the least. After we left the relative safety of civilization in the Fort Worth area, the storm that had been a mere sprinkle became a huge thunderstorm. Thunder and lightning were our companions for the next 180 miles, as was torrential rains. So much rain fell that hydroplaning became a concern, particularly after we saw an 18-wheeler that had careened off into the ditch because his wheels lost their traction on the wet roads. Shortly after passing this wreck, I myself lost traction and began to swerve all over the road. The problem was not ice; it was simply a lot of water. After those antics, I slowed down considerably until the rain stopped a couple of hours later.

Finally, the rain stopped and we had a few miles of driving without any precipitation. It was only the calm before the next storm. The next storm began shortly after we got off I-20 onto I-10 east of El Paso. All day long I had been watching my truck thermometer so that I would have a better idea of road conditions. It had lingered in the high 30's all day long, but now it began to plunge rapidly. Soon, it reached and passed the 32 mark, ever going down. Then it started to snow hard. We were in some of the most sparsely populated counties in the entire United States and the likelihood of snow plows and salt trucks seemed remote in such a place. Who expects it to snow in south Texas anyway? Yet there it was covering the roads and slowing our progress greatly. The number of prayers that went up for our safety caused the God of heaven to protect us every possible mishap and we arrived in El Paso late on Thursday night.

From there it was on to the valley of the sun, where we stopped for the night at the Cornerstone Baptist Church of Phoenix AZ and had supper with our good friends, Pastor Ben Schwanke and his wife Stacy. Then on Saturday, we completed our drive to CA, arriving shortly before 5 in the afternoon at the Fundamental Baptist Church of Escondido.

Sunday, an 83-year-old Roman Catholic woman walked the aisle for salvation. After dealing with her, the counselor led her to trust Christ as Savior! The process of unlearning 83 years of Catholicism will be a long one, but I believe this woman understood the Gospel and was saved. Thank the Lord for the Gospel and its power.

Dry Dock to Underway

2010-01-27T00:24:00.002-05:00

I was able to take the trailer back to north MS with no problems, at least so it seemed. I arrived without incident on Friday night, but was nagged by some things that I noticed about the trailer. To begin with, the trailer seemed to be leaning to the passenger side—listing to starboard, as sailors would say—even though it was on relatively even pavement. A man in a trailer repair shop in Anderson, SC, had looked over my suspension and pronounced it good to go, but after my trip to north MS, I was beginning to doubt his word. Secondly, when I arrived at the church, there was the unmistakable smell of burning rubber wafting about the parked trailer, and particularly on the passenger side. (What is it about that side?) Further inquiry revealed that the first two tires had touched each other countless times during the trip as well as rubbing on the top of wheel well, combining for a burnt rubber sensation to rival Daytona or the drag strip. Though it was dark, I decided to look into the trailer yet that night and try to ascertain what was causing the problems I had discovered. The pastor and another man in the church immediately volunteered to help me and we three worked until midnight assessing problems and getting a part list together for me to find on Saturday. The problem as we saw it was an equalizer, a triangular part that couples the rear of the middle leaf spring to the front of the rear leaf spring. On the passenger side, this piece had almost been cut in two by the constant bumps and jarring of the road, the cut costing the trailer about two inches of height compared to the other side. The opposite equalizer on the driver side, though it was not nearly as bad as the passenger side, was nevertheless damaged and also needed to be replaced. By midnight the old part was off on the passenger side, the trailer was suspended safely on blocks, and the tools were in place to put the new parts in on Saturday.

Saturday morning was filled with futile efforts to locate the parts that I needed. Not only did I call businesses all over the Memphis area, I also visited many of them in person, hoping that though they did not have a part from the original manufacturer, they might have one from another company that would meet my need. After three hours of this work, I was still without the parts that I needed to get the trailer fixed. In the providence of God, the owner of one of the trailer repair places that I had called was in his shop on Saturday, even though he normally does not keep Saturday hours. He was in the office and heard me leave a message on his machine about the parts that I needed. He returned my call and assured me that he had the exact parts I needed. A quick run to his establishment prepared me to put the trailer back together. We still had to make one more run to get some bolts that we needed to put the parts on. The pastor and I made this run while the other layman stayed and completed some other tasks that he needed to perform at the church. When we returned, he informed us of another discovery: one of the welds that held the front leaf spring on had come completely off. Can you guess what side it was on? At this point, I decided to take the trailer in and have someone who was set up with all the tools on hand do the work. So our plans were altered yet again.

We stayed the night in the trailer Saturday night and got ready to go to the Sunday service. Sunday night, the pastor asked me to preach once again to his people, and the Lord gave us another good service there.

Monday morning, I took the trailer into Memphis to the shop and left it in the care of the Surwic Trailer Hitch Company. The owner, Danny Surwic, assured me that he would complete the job on Monday, if he had to stay until 7:00 at night to get it done. A few minutes before 5, the work was completed and they called me to ask that I would come pick it up. The workman did an excellent job on the suspension, repairing anything that showed any signs of weakening due to age. The result is a trailer is very road ready in the axles and suspension.

This morning, we left the Memphis area headed for Texas. We arrived at the Metropolitan Baptist Church in Fort Worth, TX, a little before 8:00 this evening local time. After installing the proper receptacle for our trailer (they had the wrong one), we plugged in only to notice a burning smell in the trailer. It smelled as if it were some sort of electrical problem. After power was on, I finally pinpointed our problem. The inverter that converts 120v AC to 12v DC has burned out and will have to be replaced. That means that most of our lights now run off the battery instead of the normal power supply, causing them to grow dimmer the longer we run them. The good news is that this part will be relatively easy to replace; the bad news is that it is expensive. At least we are in a big city right now on a normal workday. The part should be easy to find and install tomorrow, but then, I have said that before.

We can still make it to CA in the time that we have. Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for us. The temptation to abandon the trailer along the side of the interstate is growing in strength, and though we have not yet yielded, we must fight it harder than we have ever had to before.

Trailer Ransom

2010-01-21T21:06:00.000-05:00

After a great meeting in Southaven, MS, I left the family in the prophet’s chamber of the Clearview Baptist Church and headed out alone to get the trailer in SC. Traffic was perfect; or the trip was timed perfectly so that even Atlanta was a breeze to travel through, and I arrived in Anderson, SC about 3:30 this afternoon. Since my dad had picked up the parts to fix my trailer, I asked him to meet me at the gas station at which I had left my trailer on Saturday of last week. He arrived there shortly before I did and immediately called me to tell me that my trailer was not there. By the time I arrived, he had done some investigation and discovered that the owner of the gas station had towed my trailer off the premises at my expense. (I should have anticipated this development. The station employees told us that the owner was a jerk.) Thankfully, the towing company that towed the trailer was just right across the overpass from the gas station, and we could get to work on repairing the parts almost immediately.

This morning, when I left north Mississippi, the temperature was a balmy 63 degrees. Though thunderstorms had moved through in the early morning hours, I anticipated a nice day to work. By the time I hit Atlanta, a strong front had moved in, dropping the temperature over twenty degrees and bringing high winds and rain. The result was that the dirt lot that housed my banished trailer was a soupy mess of Carolina mud. When we got the hub off the axle and began putting the new studs in it, I noticed that the newly purchased studs were not quite the same as the ones that had come off the trailer originally. Specifically, their threads were not as deep as the original studs, causing me to wonder if the wheel would tighten down properly or not. Before putting all the studs in, we tried the tire on to see if the lugs would tighten and, thank the Lord, they did. So, for better or for worse, I made the decision to go with the parts that the manufacturer said should go on the trailer, even though they differed slightly from the originals. Once I finally got everything put back together, I left Anderson, tired, wet, cold, and $300 poorer. Far better to pay that much to get our old trailer than to pay $80,000 for a new one, I figure. Besides, if we totally got rid of the old trailer, I would have replace all of my wife’s shoes and clothes. Who knows how much extra that would run?

The plan is for me to take the trailer back to north Mississippi tomorrow, pick up my family, and continue on from there toward California. Everything seems to be going on schedule for those plans except one thing: they are calling for snow here tonight…

Off the Highway

2010-01-18T13:13:00.000-05:00

Please forgive me for not updating you sooner. The trailer is no longer on the side of the highway (sorry to all you curious South Carolinians who wanted to drive by and see it), and we are in Southaven, MS in our scheduled meeting.

On Saturday, my dad and I took the two remaining lug studs and installed them opposite each other on the hub so that we could temporarily attach the wheel. Then I drove down the shoulder of the interstate never going more than 10 mph to the next exit. Once we were off the road, I turned carefully into a gas station parking lot. The spot where we were initially was not a good one, so I eased the trailer into yet another turn so as to round the building to to more spacious part of the lot. In this slow, gradual turn, one of the two remaining lugs broke. I pulled the trailer out of the way despite this loss of the stud, and simply left it there. Then, Dad and I went back to Taylors where I picked up my wife and family and returned to where the trailer sat. Sarah and I packed up all the things that we would need for this meeting and we took off down the road in the rain. After a favorable time change at the GA/AL state line, we arrived in Southaven, MS shortly before midnight local time. The rain that started falling while we packed our things never let up the entire time we were driving, causing some of the items that I normally sell on my table to get wet.

The meeting started off very well yesterday with excellent crowds and tremendous response in all three services. Several people from another area church have told us they will be out during the week as well. We look forward to seeing what the Lord is going to do.

The meeting closes Wednesday night, and we will go back to the trailer on Thursday, fix it, and then turn around and immediately head west again. Thank you for all of your prayers in our behalf.

Chinese Fire Drill

2010-01-18T12:37:00.002-05:00

Ministry Update

We headed out of NC yesterday after our children finished school, hoping to stop in a church parking lot in Conyers, GA for the night and continue on to Southaven, MS the following day. The trip down was uneventful enough until we crossed the county line between Greenville and Anderson counties in SC. Shortly after crossing that line, a man pulled up next to me on the left hand side and just stared at me. This usually means one of two things: either something is seriously wrong, or he wants to race. Under normal circumstances, I prefer the latter, being rather confident in my diesel’s ability to out-accelerate many challengers to the posted speed limit. When I am towing the trailer, however, people who pull up next to me rarely want to race. Usually their presence indicates some kind of a problem. The age of the driver next to me on I-85 seemed to confirm the problem theory of why he was there, but he never said anything to me. He just stared and then eased on the accelerator, dropping back behind me again. After a few times of doing this, he eased up alongside me again and his passenger mouthed to me that I had a flat tire on my trailer. We immediately pulled off onto the side of the road to change the tire. I discovered, however, that the tire was perfectly full of air, but five of my eight lugs had broken off. If this story seems familiar to those of you who read these updates, it is because the same thing happened to us on the same side of the trailer (different axle though) while we were heading to the same area to be in a meeting in the fall of last year. Now we need to find a place that has the parts so that I can get back on the road. The SC Highway Patrol says that I have 48 hours to get the thing off of I-85 and we are supposed to open a meeting in Southaven, MS Sunday morning. The Lord knows all of this, and He has perfectly planned for every detail. We were able to spend the night with my parents, enjoying a wonderful meal in the process. In addition, the kids got to see their Grandma and Papa, a circumstance the announcement of which caused spontaneous cheers in the cab of our truck. In addition, the church to which we are headed has a prophet’s chamber so we can head on to the meeting if need be. God has it all worked out. We only wait to see His plan unfold. In the meantime, please pray that we can get the parts we need. Labor is not the problem—after all, I have done it before—but the availability of parts on Saturday is a hurdle to overcome.

Family Update

Yes, we are on yet another adventure! I couldn’t believe it when Paul told me that the wheel was coming off - again! Granted, it was a different wheel this time, but I am beginning to wonder if perhaps they are all going to come off while we are driving. It creates a certain paranoia that causes me to want to do a Chinese Fire Drill at every stoplight, checking all the lugs on the tires. It would affect our travel time in a very negative way, I suppose, but no more than being stranded on the side of the road. Now that I think about it, I wonder if the Chinese fire drill actually originated because the Chinese knew that the cheap bolts they used to hold their tires on were of such poor quality that they needed to be checked at every stop, lest the tires break off and roll away while they were driving. Perhaps now that everything is made in China, we should all resort to such measures. Be glad that I have forewarned you. One day you will thank me for this keen observation!

We are thankful that the Lord planned this out for our good. We were on our way to Memphis, but because of the rockslide that closed I-40 some months ago, we had to take the southern route through Atlanta. That may sound strange, but in reality, it is only 30 miles longer, and there are no mountains to navigate, which is a definite plus when you are hauling an RV. Had there not been a rockslide, we could have been in the mountains on I-40 when the wheel came off, with no place to stop or pull over, and been in a terrible accident. Thank the Lord for His protection and direction in out lives when we don’t even realize it! When I think of this event in that light, it is easier to bear the inconvenience and praise God for His goodness. Truly, He does all things well. We don’t yet know how this will end, but we do know that He will work it out for our good and His glory, so we can trust Him and keep praising Him. Sometimes the most difficult circumstances precede the greatest meetings. We look forward to a great meeting in Mississippi this week, and ask that you pray for the Lord to work mightily in the hearts of those that attend.

Off and Running

2010-01-13T23:46:00.002-05:00

Ministry Update
The Lord has graciously allowed us to be in meetings during a time of year when things are usually a little slower for us. We had a wonderful meeting at Maranatha Baptist Church of Yorktown the first full week of January. The pastor wanted not so much a revival meeting as he wanted me to preach a conference on holiness, roughly following the contents of my book. The Lord used the meeting in the lives of many people and we are so grateful to see that.

We started the month in the Tidewater area of Virginia and before the end of the month, our meetings will take us to San Diego County, California, a great place to be in the winter, to be sure. Then in March, we will once again be in eastern North Carolina for meetings. Don’t feel sorry for me in the travel. I look forward to it about as much as a little child looks forward to Christmas. The family does not always share my zeal for hours in the cramped quarters of the truck, however, and doubtless would appreciate your prayers.

Family Update
Due to the many drains and demands upon my time, I have taken an unintentional hiatus from writing our updates for several months. School and travel have kept me quite busy in addition to the normal duties of a wife, homemaker, and mother of four very active children.

In November, Daniel celebrated his first birthday in great style. We actually had two parties in two different states, and all of his grandparents and some of his great-grandparents were in attendance, along with other family members. He was a bit uncertain about the candle, but quickly caught on to the cake idea! It was really nice to be able to spend time with our extended family on this special occasion.

Christmas came with a whirl of activity – parties and church programs, rehearsals and the like. One of my favorite things is to watch our children participate in the children’s programs each year. Something funny always happens, and this year, Esther was the one who made us laugh. Although she is only three, she has an uncanny ability to think and act older than her years. Her job in the program was to hold a sign that said, “Merry Christmas.” She turned it over at the correct time, but it was upside down. She cannot read, but she kept looking at the sign as if she knew something was wrong. Finally, a helper turned it around, and only then did she smile and hold the sign proudly. It was one of those “mother” moments!
We had a wonderful Christmas with our family as well as extended family. It was a blessing to us to see Josiah become a giver this year. We do not encourage greedy materialism at Christmas, although we do give gifts to one another. Josiah came to us and said he wanted to spend his money to buy gifts for all of us this Christmas. He carefully and thoughtfully planned his budget and picked out the “perfect” gift for each person. His generosity has shown itself on several occasions this past year, and we are thrilled to see him giving with a cheerful, willing heart not just to his family, but to missions as well.

Abigail is well entrenched in the trials of kindergarten. She is somewhat of a perfectionist, and gets quite frustrated when her shaky letters and wobbly numbers don’t look like the ones printed on the pages. However, she is quickly learning to read, and can be found sounding out words she sees around the house. So far, the most impressive one is “pomegranate.” She is so excited about reading, and her eyes just sparkle when she learns something new. This year she has also stopped sucking her thumb and biting her nails, major milestones for her. I am so proud of her for working hard to conquer these difficult habits!

Esther is more and more the vivacious, helpful, little sweetheart. Her energy knows no bounds, and she is always doing some kind of imaginative play. She loves her dolls, and many times the babies can be found in various places “sleeping,” so we have to be very quiet! I do hope my children outgrow their penchant for weird names before they start having children of their own. Josiah used to have pretend children that he named Shadrach and Meshach, which, though unusual, are not too terrible, but the girls have followed his example in such a way that now we have dolls named Mrs. No Head, Grandma Cock, Flamingo Baby, and Italy. It really is scary!

Daniel is up and running – well, at least walking very quickly. He perambulates about the trailer finding all kinds of trouble. He loves to eat crayons, play with scissors (left out by his thoughtful older siblings), tear pages out of books, eat baby wipes, and wave pencils in the air as he walks around the house! He is a real cutie, and loves to play “rough” with us – growling and chasing, tickling and giggling. He also plays “where’s Daniel?” which is our version of peekaboo. He covers his ears and says “doo” without looking at you, and then he will make eye contact and shriek with laughter, as if you couldn’t see him at first. It makes us all laugh to hear him chortle so happily. It is hard to believe that just a few short years ago, it was Josiah that I held in my arms, and now, my firstborn is eight years old!

Josiah spent New Year’s Day in the hospital with a severe asthma flare-up. It all started with a cold and twenty-four hours later, he was in the ER. He ended up being hospitalized for three days in Virginia. He Lord was so good to us, and the church where we were ministering that week was so gracious and helpful. I know that many people were praying for him that weekend, and our family thanks each one of you that spent time interceding for Josiah. He went for a follow-up visit to his own pediatrician when we came back to North Carolina, and she declared his lungs totally clear. Some of you may have heard the saying, “Swallow a frog first thing every morning, and no matter what happens that day, it will never be worse than swallowing the frog!” I do hope that this was our “frog-swallowing!” We are so thankful that Josiah has had such good health for the last few years. His last hospitalization was over three years ago, and while his asthma still flares from time to time, we know that it has been the good hand of God upon him that has given us such relief from a really serious episode. Please continue to pray for health and safety as we travel.

We look forward to what the Lord is going to do this year. We anticipate a tremendous year of ministry and blessing that only He can provide. I will try to be a little more frequent in my updates, so that you will better know how to pray for us. Thank you for your prayers and your part in our ministry. Your words of encouragement mean so much to us. We thank the Lord for such faithful friends.

Baby Wipe and Electrical Tape

2009-12-11T23:33:00.002-05:00

Ministry Update

The last month has held some interesting events for the Crow family in our ministry. November found us making a trip to northern IN for two Baptist history conferences at two different churches. We were able to stay in my parents’ farmhouse while there, so we left the trailer in NC and just traveled in the truck. After two great conferences, we headed back down I-75 on our way back home. We had to take a circuitous route as it was because I-40 was closed at the time. Driving through the mountains on glorified cow trails makes a traveler grateful for the Interstate system.

The family was asleep as I drove south on I-75, when I noticed that the defrost was not blowing hot air and the engine temperature was rising higher than I had ever seen it before. Not even pulling the trailer did the engine get as hot as it was at that point, and we were empty. Clearly, there was a problem somewhere. Because of the detour, we had to get off I-75 in Corbin, KY, and continue on through the mountains from that point. We stopped at a service station and I popped the hood to find that the upper radiator hose had blown. Antifreeze covered the inside of the engine compartment and had even started to stain the front passenger quarter panel. Obviously, this hole in the hose was the reason for our lack of defrost and the high temperatures. Furthermore, driving in the mountains meant that the problem would have to be repaired rather than put off til a more convenient time. Had we had the trailer with us, there would have been no difficulty at all: foreseeing the possibility of this hose leaking, I had purchased a new one so as not to be stranded out west miles from help. Unfortunately, the trailer containing the part I needed as well as the tools to fix it were still several hours of driving away from where we were at the time.

I was able to borrow a tool to get part of the old hose off, at which time I discovered that no one in town had a replacement part for me. Neither the auto parts stores nor the dealer carried this hose. Improvisation would have to carry the day. Armed with no more tools than a baby wipe and electrical tape, I was able to repair the hose and drive all the way back to NC without incident. Not one time did the truck overheat! Praise the Lord.

We are home for a few weeks until after Christmas. Our time at home is spent working in our home church, enjoying the fellowship of different Christmas gettogethers and stocking up on deer meat for the next year.
The Sunday after Christmas we are out once again and will not return home for a few months. God is good to fill our schedule the way He has.

Thank you always for your prayers. As you pray, please pray that God would fill the open dates we have at this point. You can look at the first part of next year’s itinerary and see which dates need to be filled.

One final word. If you are a pastor and are reading this message, I probably lost your contact information due to a computer problem. I would be grateful if you could send me an e-mail (paul@paulcrow.org) containing your name, church name, church address, and telephone numbers. I am learning the adage that my pastor often repeats to us: To err is human; to really foul things up requires a computer.

Paul

Trailer Trials

2009-10-22T15:05:00.001-04:00

The Lord has given us a busy schedule right now and we praise Him for what He is doing in our lives. He has also kept us safe through some difficult circumstances and we would like to share the story of some of His protection.

On Saturday, October 3, 2009, we loaded up the truck and trailer and left Wayland, MO headed for Horn Lake, MS in the greater Memphis area. The trip was uneventful, the only kind you like to have, until we got into the Memphis metropolitan area. We pulled into a Flying J in West Memphis, AR to dump our sewage tanks before continuing the short distance on to the church. Because the line of RV’s was long, we found ourselves waiting in line to get to where we could turn the rig and dump our tanks.

I got out of the truck and walked around to the passenger side of the rig, continuing down that side to where the trailer door is. As I walked, I noticed that one of the trailer tires was skewed badly, so much so that it rubbed on the fiberglass tire skirt that partially hides the tops of my tires. Closer inspection revealed that of the eight lug bolts and nuts that hold the tire on the trailer, all but two of them had broken off and were gone. How long we went with only two lugs no one really knows, but if they had been gone for long, the tire would have probably come flying off somewhere on the Interstate. (Maybe it could have found a comfortable place next to our awning, who knows.) In the end, the tire was still connected at the service station and we endeavored to get the trailer out of the main flow of fueling traffic.

As I pulled the rig slowly toward the nearest parking area, Sarah, who was outside keeping a close eye on the tire, had to halt me. Had I gone on, the tire would have broken completely off. The truck and trailer now completely blocked the entire parking, except that one vehicle could fit in front of the truck and another behind the trailer. Here we sat and I immediately went to work jacking up the trailer hoping against hope that I could find the lug bolts I needed and get the wheel installed in time to get to our next meeting.

After some work, I was able to get the tire and hub off and began the process of trying to extract the broken pieces of lug bolt that still lodged in the hub. Meanwhile, two men from the church in north MS met me at the Flying J and we three headed off to try to find the lugs we needed.

One of the most important aspects of the work of the evangelist is that the majority of his work is done outside of normal business hours. His longest consecutive hours occur on Saturday and Sunday, while his weekdays hours are often when others have closed up for the night. Though I have never taken official polls, I would venture to guess that most breakdowns for evangelists occur on Saturday when the most helpful businesses are closed. At least that was true in Memphis when my trailer broke down. We looked at store after store and each one of them informed us that they would not be able to give us the bolts we needed.

After a lot of time and energy spent, we finally decided to rig up something that would at least get us out of the Flying J parking lot and, we hoped, all the way to the church. Undersized bolts might be able to be tightened down to where they would hold, we reasoned, if we took the back roads and took it slow. Not liking the option, but knowing of no other, I purchased the temporary bolts and put them into the hub. Off we went, slowly headed south along roads other than the Interstate. When we finally eased into the church parking lot, all eight of the temporary lug nuts on the temporary bolts were so loose, you could spin them with your fingers. In any case, they got us there without injury to the truck or trailer, apart from a broken trailer skirt on the passenger side.

The following Monday, we looked all over Memphis for half a day before finally finding the right lugs. They are now installed and ready for another 100,000 miles or so. Praise the Lord! While working on the lugs, I also discovered that my brake assembly was completely shot and had to be replaced. The Lord supplied that just in time, too: the part came on Friday afternoon and I got it all put back together just as we were leaving to eat with the church people in the fellowship hall before the service.

Last week, while in Ruston, LA, I determined to check the rest of my brake assemblies to see how they were doing. All that I checked seemed to be perfect, but in the process, I noticed that a bolt was missing from one of my leaf springs. Thank the Lord, that leaf spring did not break while we were going down the road. God is so good to us!

After preaching this coming Sunday in Citronelle, AL, we will head back home for the first time in several months. The Lord has given us a wonderful fall season and that season is not yet over, though it will be somewhat less dramatic because we will not have the trailer for many of the remaining meetings of the year.

At the end of the day, we still thank God for the trailer that He has given us, even if we do have problems from time to time. The benefit of being able to have the family together as we travel is priceless, and we would have it no other way.

Thank you so much for your prayers for us as we travel.

Paul

Compatibility Training

2009-09-26T11:07:00.002-04:00

Ministry Update

The Lord gave us a wonderful meeting in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, at the Berean Baptist Church where Tim Riley is the pastor. The church had just finished a building program and, according to Pastor Riley, really needed the meeting. There was not a service in which there were not first time visitors present, and several key people who had been struggling made some public decisions during the meeting. It was a blessing to be able to be used of God.

Some time ago our trailer’s propane system had sprung a leak. Because of this leak, we simply shut the supply of gas off and went without propane for several months. Summer is a good time to run that way, if you must. The greatest problem of running without propane is that you have no cooling when you are driving down the road, the refrigerator needing propane to cool. We were getting by, but praying that God would allow us to get the leak fixed.

On Sunday, a man in the church came to me and asked if there was anything that he could do for us during the week. He told me that his business was heating and air conditioning. I told him about the propane leak and made an appointment to get it fixed. In the providence of God, there was enough spare black iron pipe just lying around at the church (it had been a bar and grill before the church purchased the facility and renovated it for church use) to fix the problem. I had to purchase some fittings and clamps, but the total repair bill was just under $10. Praise the Lord, as winter comes, we have propane again.

Family Update

Things have been hectic the last few weeks – but then, that is usual. In fact, you should probably just assume that things are crazy around our house all the time, and if there is ever an exception, I will let you know. Some of that is a result of my husband scheduling back-to-back meetings in opposite corners of the USA. People ask me, “Where are you going next?” (By the way, I never know if they are just being polite, or if they really want to know where the circus will be next week so that they can stay away.) I launch into our itinerary with an auctioneer’s flair, “Well, let’s see… We are in western Nebraska this week, and next week we will be in eastern Minnesota, then the week after that, we will be about ten miles from here. Then we have a 500 mile drive for another meeting and then a 900 mile drive in the opposite direction, but the next week, we go right back…” When their eyes begin to glaze over, I pause, at which interval, they breathe a sigh (perhaps of relief that they are not in evangelism) and say “WOW! You sure do get around!” Yes, I have to agree, we do get around. I must also say that our schedule is much more area-targeted than it used to be. You may have heard of dying the death of one thousand screams. I told Paul that would be his fate if he ever pulled another “Mexico to Minnesota in three days” trip again.

The death of one thousand screams could be riding in the car with four tired, bored, cranky, hungry kids for three days. Make that in Nebraska, on a two-lane road with no rest areas or restaurants for 200 miles, and no berm so that we can pull over and fix our own lunch. Every couple considering marriage should try this stunt at least once to ascertain if they are really “compatible.” I will even loan you our kids. Heh, heh, heh. They are highly trained at testing compatibility, creating the most realistic stressful conditions. For instance, they begin by lulling you into a false sense of tranquility by playing happily with their own toys until you pass the last exit to civilization. Then, as if by previous arrangement, a fight breaks out. Child B no longer wants her toy – she wants the toy that Child C has. Snatching it with an evil laugh, she foists her toy upon the now enraged Child C, who promptly throws it to the floor and bursts into loud, indiscernible complaints interspersed with tears, waking Child D, who had been sleeping for 20 minutes. Child A whirls around in his seat to see the fracas, meanwhile kicking the leg of Adult X, causing him to accelerate rather abruptly. Adult Y, who had also turned around, gasps audibly and erupts with threats about Cracker Jack revoking Adult X’s license. This causes Adult X’s blood pressure to rise and he offers Adult Y the option of driving. Adult Y snaps back that she would rather have the option of walking, but the ensuing melee quickly diverts her attention once again. While Child B and C are arguing, Child D decides that “Carpe diem” is his motto for the afternoon, and grabs a handful of Child B’s hair. After extricating Child B from the tight-fisted grasp of Child D, Adult Y extracts apologies and promises of kindness from all parties involved. Child D, however, having had a power nap, is now hungry two hours sooner than anticipated, and begins wailing loudly. At this point, the pastor usually calls, wondering if we have been abducted by aliens. After assuring him that we have only been waylaid by wild Indians, the conversation ends with him saying something like this: “Sounds like you’ve got your hands full!” If he only knew! Child A begins to whine about his hunger pangs forcing the issue to the table, as it were. Adult X tells the children, who are now chorusing together about their lack of sustenance, that there is plenty to eat if they like grass, trees, and buffalo chips. Adult Y announces in a threatening tone that they WILL stop at the VERY NEXT AVAILABLE PLACE, right, DEAR???? Adult X now drives doggedly, eyes darting back and forth for the slightest widening of the road, but to no avail. Finally, he pulls over close to a driveway. “Why are you stopping here?” queries Adult Y. “Do we know these people?” Adult X says no, he is just stopping so Adult Y can make lunch. Adult Y peevishly argues that she isn’t going to sit in the ditch in front of someone’s house and make lunch – just keep driving. Adult X drives, the cacophony behind him urging him ever onward, ever faster. The children grow quiet as their stomach juices eat their tongues, and some of them even fall into a trance. Then one of them breaks the silence by hallucinating out loud, “Look! McDoodles!” Sure enough, there it looms, the nemesis of all travelers with young children. Adult Y begins whining, “Oh, do we have to go there?” She well knows that, despite its innocent sounding Scottish name, this establishment is actually descended from the ancient patriarch Montezuma whose revenge is only somewhat abated by the passage of centuries. Adult X grimaces, but pulls into the parking lot anyway. The children erupt from the truck, screeching, “YAY! McDoodles!” Meanwhile, Adult Y searches her purse for a bottle of TUMS and swallows half a dozen, handing the rest of the bottle to Adult X. Thirty minutes and three gallons of grease later, the family is herded back into the truck. Adult Y blots the grease off of her tongue with an extra napkin and settles in for the rest of the drive. Two hours and fourteen potty breaks later, they arrive at the church, thoroughly exhausted.

School is going smoothly, and we are all learning new things. Abigail has taught me this year that all the vowels say “uh” and all the consonants say “um.” It is getting a little easier each day for her and she is really excited. Josiah has a lot more work this year than previously, which is a sore trial for an eight-year-old with a big imagination. He is learning division and punctuation as well as creative writing. His piano lessons are improving, and two weeks ago he played a duet with me for the offertory. It was really exciting for both of us! Esther is my little helper – always wanting to wash the dishes and go to the store with me. Daniel is beginning to realize the potential of movement. He can crawl faster than a speeding locomotive, and wreak destruction and havoc faster than his siblings can believe. He loves the vacuum cleaner, and I think his extreme interest in it can be attributed to the fact that it is the only thing that can eat Cheerios faster than he can.

Josiah has been struggling with his asthma a bit the last week or two and it may be due to the change in seasons. Please pray that we have wisdom as we treat his asthma, and that he would remain healthy. We have been blessed with some wonderful meetings, and the Lord continues to meet our needs and open new doors of ministry for us. We are so thankful for your prayers, and we appreciate the part you have in our ministry.

Plains Update

2009-09-03T20:22:00.001-04:00

Ministry Update

The Lord has given us good meetings in the heartland of the United States. I have met some men that I had not known before, and God has given us some wonderful fellowship on the basis of our salvation and desire to serve Christ. One of the men that I have met is another evangelist by the name of Rodney Stewart. I had never met him before, but he eyed me askance as I walked into church with the rest of my family. (It was one of our Wednesday’s off; I was not preaching anywhere that night.) After a while, he asked me if he knew me, and after my negative assurances, he realized that he had seen my picture on the back cover of a book named Cliffs and Fences. Pastor Surrett of our home church had told me that things like that would happen. He told of men whom he had never met who had picked up his book from he knew not where and had read it, then favorably passing it on to others. The same thing has happened to me in the case of Rod Stewart. More and more, the stories are getting back to me of how the Lord has been using my book in their lives. We praise the Lord for answered prayer in this matter. (If you would like a copy of my book and have not yet gotten one, you can order by clicking here.)

One of the ways that the Lord is providing for our financial needs is with money from table sales. In between my book, Sarah’s piano book, and my two Baptist history series, we are often kept busy after the services at our table. We praise the Lord that these materials are getting into the hands of God’s people.

Thank you for your prayers for our ministry. The Lord has planted seed thoughts in my head for another book. I would ask that you pray for me in this regard. Some might wonder if the next book may have something to do with Baptist history. My answer is, Wait and see.

Family Update

Well, greetings from windy South Dakota! Our family has been enjoying this trip through the northern Midwest states. The weather has been very mild, and sometimes even cool, which is evidently due to the fact of global warming. This may be a direct result of all the rainforests that have been destroyed by our family in the form of disposable diapers. I am happy to say that we are now going “green” and are only going to be using half the amount of consumable paper products as before. Yes – congratulations are in order for Esther, since she is now a “big girl” and no longer needs diapers! Thank you, thank you… (round of applause).

School started nearly three weeks ago, and we are enjoying the days already. Josiah is now in the third grade, learning the rules of capitalization, the times tables, and the organs of the human body. Abigail is finished learning her five “bowels” and is ready to move on to the consonants. She is doing a great job so far, and is looking forward to reading this year! Esther also does “school,” which basically consists of coloring a pretty picture for Mama each morning. Her interest is waning already, and more often than not, she stops coloring to play with her dolls. We have already had two very neat field trips.
The first was to Itasca State Park, where we waded across the headwaters of the Mississippi River. For those of us that have seen the Mississippi river as it enters the Gulf of Mexico, it is amazing! It is perhaps 15 feet across, and 1-2 feet deep! It was neat, because the kids remembered crossing the Old Miss before, and they couldn’t believe how little it was. As I looked at it, I was reminded of the fact that so many times we allow something in our lives that seems insignificant, but after a little time and distance it is extremely powerful! How carefully we need to guard our hearts and lives from those “little things.”

Our next field trip was a long-coveted one for me. We went to Rapid City, SD, the home of Mount Rushmore. It was a beautiful day – clear skies and a nice breeze. The mountain was impressive! The kids really liked seeing the carved faces of the Presidents. Even Esther got excited. She still likes looking at the pictures and asking which one is Lincoln (she can’t remember any of the other names). We hiked the Presidential Trail, which gave us a several different views of the mountain’s face. We even saw a mountain goat and her baby grazing not far from the walkway. It was hard work walking up and down the stairs, carrying the stroller with Daniel in it, so we had to take a lot of breaks. Esther’s short little legs got kind of tired, and I commented to Paul that she must be worn out when even her pigtails were wilted!

Josiah has had some minor trouble with his asthma the last few weeks, and we are not sure why. It might be because one of the popular crops out here is hay, and it is in the air, especially when they are harvesting, cutting, and raking it. I am just glad that they are not harvesting wheat right now. That would be really hard on him. Please keep him in your prayers. He has also had some random breakouts after eating, which bothers me, since it shouldn’t be happening. Perhaps his system is just reacting to the stress of the airborne allergens.

Daniel continues to grow and is nearly ten months old!!!!! Where has the time gone? He has six, beautiful, shiny, and very sharp teeth. He likes to use these not only on his food, but occasionally on Paul’s and my shoulders. He has decided from our reactions, that perhaps he should just stick to using them for food. He eats at an alarming rate, and is learning to drink from a cup as well. However, whenever possible I give him his own cup, because I do not like as many “floaties” in my drink as he does. He is crawling and pulling up, too, but not yet walking. Sometimes he will get up and then cannot figure out how to get down again. This results in a lot of hollering on his part until one of us rescues him. He definitely enjoys his mobility, and he siblings are now being a little more careful about where they leave their most precious belongings. He has had a few minor skin rashes, and I think they are due to having some egg and milk in his food, so we will be eliminating those items from his diet. Nothing new – he just wants to be like his big brother!

We had a blessing a few weeks ago. I ran across Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free baking mixes and found, to my great delight, that with an egg substitute, Josiah can eat both kinds of cake and the chocolate chip cookies! You should have seen his eyes light up when I told him the goodies were for him! The Lord is so good to give us unexpected blessings!

Our meetings are going well, and we will head to Elkton, SD this weekend for out next meeting. Pray that the Lord will use us to be a blessing to the church there, and that we would see fruit that would remain.

Scary Tomatoes

2009-08-11T17:13:00.001-04:00

Ministry Update

The Lord has been so good to us over many miles and many opportunities of ministry this summer. We are so grateful to be able to serve Him.

This summer seems to be the summer of hearing personal testimonies of how the Lord has used our ministry. One man in Indiana confided in me that the Lord had used my ministry to teach him that preaching must be Bible based in order to be preaching. Another family heard me preach four years ago at a family camp in MN. They were baby Christians at the time and made some life changing decisions during that week of camp. This time around, they were unable to attend family camp, but they found out that I was going to be preaching nearby on Sunday and attended the evening service at the church where I was preaching. Man took time to relate to me some of the things that the Lord had done in their lives at family camp four years ago and how that God was still working in their lives now.

When I was in college, I was told that longevity is the key to the blessings of God. I didn't understand what was meant by that at the time, but I believe I am beginning to see. It is still required in stewards that a man be found faithful.

Family Update

Once again, it is time for the update. Time seems to fly by so quickly. This summer has gone especially fast - perhaps because we have been so busy. That is a blessing in itself. Most evangelists have a "down-time" during the summer, but the Lord has given us a full schedule. We have been in Minnesota for the last few weeks, and will be here for a few more. The weather is really nice and cool (compared to North Carolina, that is). Our week of camp was fun and we were able to spend some time swimming, boating, and a lot of hiking, since our trailer was "over the river and through the woods" - well, over the bog, anyway. We had two services a day, as well as workshops done by several pastors. It was a blessing to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. Josiah celebrated his eighth birthday last week. Oddly enough, one of the pastor's daughters turned eight the same day. That was neat. So, the last day of camp we had a breakfast "party" for them.

School begins very soon. The kids are all clamoring to start, but I am not quite ready. I think we will start later this week, or the beginning of next week. Josiah will be in third grade, and Abigail starts K-5. Esther insists on doing school as well, so I think we will color a lot of pictures this year!

Daniel is just about ready to crawl. He can move around enough to get into all kinds of things. The kids are in awe of all the naughty things he can do now! He will be nine months old this Sunday, and is as cute as can be. He has several teeth and will soon be eating us out of house and home with the rest - I mean, the best - of them.

Saturday evening we arrived in Brooklyn Park, MN, where we were to be the next day for services. The girls hadn't been feeling well, and I sent Paul to the store for a few items while I bathed the kids and prepared them for bed. Daniel was asleep and the girls had just gotten out of the shower when a big storm moved in. The rain was pouring down, and then I heard through the thunder, the sound of the tornado siren! Thankfully, Paul had left the church door open, but I had to run through the rain to check it first. Then back to the trailer I went. I grabbed the kids and told them to run into the church, and then grabbed Daniel out of his bed. It was dark in the church, and since I had not yet been inside the building, I didn't know where anything was - even the light switches! I used my cell phone as a flashlight, and found the ladies restroom. I herded everyone in and we sat on the floor waiting for the storm to pass. I told the kids what was happening - they were a bit confused about why we ran through the rain and were sitting in the church restroom. The power flickered, but remained on, so at least we had lights. Esther told me, "Mama, I am scared of the tomato!" Paul, in the meanwhile, was still at the store, where they lost power. The siren stopped, and just as we were about to emerge from our hiding place, it started up again, so back in we went. After it stopped the second time, I waited just a bit, until I could tell that the rain had eased. Just as we came out of the church, Paul pulled into the parking lot. I was quite glad to see him safe and sound! I was standing on the steps of the trailer talking to him when Daniel threw up all over my feet and the floor! So - adventures never cease! I had to stay home from church with Esther and Daniel the next day, but everyone seems to have recovered from whatever bug they picked up. I am so thankful for a washer and dryer in the trailer! We have used it a lot this last week due to sickness and camp activities.

The Lord has kept Josiah in good health this summer, although we have had a few minor incidents every once in a while. He has been a little more wheezy the last week or so, and thus required a couple of breathing treatments, but nothing serious. I appreciate your prayers for him. Daniel has already had an allergic reaction to something he ate a few weeks ago, so I guess the proverbial lightning has struck out family again! At least I have a background in diagnosing the problems now! The Lord is so good! He never gives us more than we can handle, and always gives us the grace we need for each day.

Life in the Big City

2009-06-27T21:14:00.000-04:00

Ministry Update
The Lord has been so good to us to provide us with so many places of ministry this summer. Tomorrow I am to preach a special patriotic service at Community Baptist Church in Quakertown, PA. Please pray that souls would be saved.

Family Update
What a time we have had on the road these last few weeks! The Lord has blessed us with good meetings and many adventures! We took off for Knox, Indiana with a newly rebuilt transmission, courtesy of our ever-so-accommodating AAMCO mechanics, who only took four times as long and charged two times as much as they first estimated. In any case, we were glad to have the job done and be back on the road with our own wheels again.

After our meeting in Knox, we headed to Brooklyn, NY with the trailer in tow. It was a very rough ride, apparently, for when we finally pulled into the church parking lot, I found that not only were all the clothes out off the closet bar, but the drawers and cupboards had come open, showering our belongings all over the floor. I was really surprised to see that the sink covers had bounced off, and the toaster oven was in the sink! That has never happened before. So, after a little “let’s tidy up the trailer,” everything was back to normal.

The church was hosting a home school graduation ceremony that evening, so I jumped right in to help with the food and decorating. That was fun. While I was working inside, Paul was working outside to get power to the trailer. The poor man worked for about four hours before everything was ready to go. It was with a sigh of relief that we fell into bed that evening. It rained on Saturday, so we didn’t go out and do any sightseeing, so we just spent time with the Walkers. Their children and ours played together very well, and Abigail and Esther each have another “best friend.”

Sunday was a very busy day with a morning service, dinner on the grounds, and then an afternoon service. In the evening, we went to another church on 6th Ave. This is a very old church and was the old stomping grounds of Robert Lowery, the great Baptist hymn writer. In fact, his organ was still in the church. Although it wasn’t in the best condition, I was able to play it for the song service. It was a huge pipe organ that went all the way up to the cathedral ceiling. It was awesome! I helped in the nursery that evening, since the attendance was rather low and my children made up half of the nursery crowd!

Monday we did some sight seeing. The pastor took us down to the Staten Island Ferry, where we boarded and had a nice view of Lady Liberty. On the way back, I took the girls to the bathroom, and Abigail found four pennies on the restroom floor – she can find money almost anywhere! I told her she could give one to each of the children and they all ended up, so I thought, throwing them into the bay. We disembarked and the pastor went to get the van while we waited on the street corner by the subway entrance. After a few minutes, Abigail began crying loudly, and I asked what was wrong. “I swallowed my penny!” she wailed. Horrified, I asked, “The penny you found on the bathroom floor?!” When she nodded, I thought I was going to be sick. Anyway, after the crisis passed, we jumped in the van, and headed into downtown Manhattan. We drove by Wall Street and Central Park, down 5th Avenue, and Broadway, and into Times Square, where we were pulled over by the police for a random license check. We waited for fifteen minutes, before the police realized that they had forgotten us, so they let us go (it was crazy). We drove through Chinatown, and bought some yummy dumplings, and drove by the Plaza Hotel. There were lights and people everywhere – very exciting! They say New York City is the city that never sleeps, and I can tell you that while we were there, we didn’t do much sleeping. I tend to sacrifice sleep when I have good friends with whom to fellowship.

Tuesday evening was a youth hockey game in which Paul participated in zealously. He chose to forego the inline skates, and just play on foot, but he still did pretty well, considering that the last time he played hockey, he knocked out four or five of his friend’s teeth! Everyone was in one piece at the end of the game, so I thought it went well.

We packed up to leave on Wednesday, and after lunch, hooked up the truck and trailer. It was then that things began to get interesting. Paul backed out of the church lot and into the narrow, one-way street. There were cars parked on both sides of the street, so he didn’t have much room to move. We had reserved two parking places, in advance, so that we could get out, but, in retrospect, we should have reserved three. At this juncture, I let the kids out of the truck, because it was obvious that it was going to be a while before we were on the road in the figurative sense. When I opened the back door, I smelled a very pungent odor. Abigail had decided that, during the previously unsupervised moments, it would be a great time to take a bath in a bottle of transmission fluid treatment that she found in the back seat. It was everywhere, and stunk up the whole truck. I had to take a break from helping Paul and change her clothes and wipe up the excess fluid. Then I went back out to help Paul. He was perpendicular to the street, and had to back up over the opposite curb and between two trees. This normally would have been no problem, but at this time, the newly rebuilt transmission decided that it was tired of reverse, and decided that it would no longer work in that particular gear, making it necessary for us to push the truck and trailer back manually (I am totally serious). So there we were, stuck across the street, up on the curb, pinned in on every side by parked cars, when it began to rain. We decided that we only had one problem – one too many cars in the way of our escape. We had no way of knowing to whom the cars belonged, and as rush hour was fast approaching, we had to make a decision. We got a jack, and recruited some teens on their way home from the basketball court to help us get it up onto the curb, all the while hoping that the car alarm would not go off, or that the owner would not walk up while we were messing with the car! When we finally got the car out of the way, it was no problem to ease the trailer out into the street. We grabbed the kids and put them in the truck and “got outta Dodge” as fast as was legally possible. Because of the leaked fluid, we had to ride at highway speed with the windows down, only rolling them up to use the defrost when the windshield totally fogged up.

We pulled into our Wednesday evening meeting 30 minutes after it started (this was not a problem because we had called ahead and they rearranged the service to accommodate us. We did the “superman in a phone booth” routine, and ran into the service. Whew! After church, we enlisted the help of all the men to push the truck backwards into the parking place. All those teen boys were really feeling manly at that point! Paul took the truck back to a local AAMCO center and left on his primitive camping retreat with Josiah and the men of the church. So, once again, our truck is in the shop. I believe I know the reason AAMCO has a nationwide guarantee on their service. It is because they know it is going to break down soon, and they better have someone in the area who can fix it. My personal opinion, but nevertheless, it makes sense.

Anyway, we are in good hands despite all the recent difficulties. The Lord is always in control, so we can sit back and watch Him work in this situation. Please be in prayer that the truck would be fixed quickly and correctly, that we would see people saved in our meetings, and that we would have safety traveling back to North Carolina next week.

Meanwhile

2009-06-05T18:55:00.000-04:00

Ministry Update
My days have been filled with non-ministerial pursuits of late—things like repairing trailer axles, getting the truck repaired, securing and preparing another vehicle in case the truck is not done in time for our next meeting, and like pursuits. I praise the Lord for so many trips in which things worked like they were supposed to. Now that there are a few mechanical chores to complete, we are in a good place to get them all done.

A week from Sunday we are in a meeting again, and we are looking to see many saved. Please pray for the attendance and for the power of God to convict hearts.

Family Update
It was another dark and stormy night in Kings Mountain last night. We have had soooooo much rain lately. I am not complaining at all, though, because the water table has been so low for so long that people’s wells were drying up last summer. It has afforded no end of fun for the children, who enjoy playing in the puddles. They call themselves the “puddle patrol” and beg to splash in the puddles every time it rains.

We are currently “stuck” in Kings Mountain while our truck is (hopefully) being repaired. It was having transmission problems, and we ended up having to get it rebuilt. However, after it was totally rebuilt, it was still having the same problem shifting. So, they are checking everything that they can think of, and keep telling us that it “may be done today.” I have totally given up hope that they actually know what they are doing, since they have now had it for over a week, and the job was supposed to take only a day. Perhaps they will prove me wrong and actually have it done right sometime in the near future (like this month). We are very glad that the problem surfaced while we were at home, and not out on the side of a mountain somewhere, or in the middle of nowhere, through which we frequently have to drive to get to our meetings!

Our meetings this spring have been good ones, and we are so thankful that our schedule has been pretty full. Our summer will be very busy, as well. Please pray for safety as we travel, especially in light of the recent repair issues. Josiah is enjoying his days of summer vacation, and I have been filling my days with housework, and the occasional “day of scrapbooking” with friends. The girls play with their dolls and all of them enjoy playing outside when the weather is nice. Popsicles and watermelon are a staple of their summer diet right now!

Daniel has just finished cutting his first two teeth, and has finally graduated to rice cereal in small amounts. I think once he figures out the eating thing, he will be a little more excited about sitting in the high chair. He sits up quite well by himself these days, and plays happily on the floor for long periods of time. He also knows that when Mama walks toward him, many times she will pick him up. However, he has also been disappointed at times, when, instead of picking him up, I walk right past him into the other room. What a weeping and wailing we hear then! Overall, he is a very happy little boy, and we all love him very much. They grow up so quickly!

Abigail will start K-5 in the fall when Josiah starts third grade. She is so excited! It will be different having two in school, so I will probably have to juggle a few scheduling changes.

Esther will celebrate her third birthday this month. I cannot believe what a big girl she is. Paul and I will also celebrate our ninth wedding anniversary this month. It is hard to believe that we have been married that long! The best three years of my life! Just kidding! They have all been wonderful, and I am thankful for the sweet, faithful, and loving husband the Lord has given me.

Paul’s book is now available for sale, and I am so proud of him! He has done a wonderful job, and already we are hearing of how it has blessed so many people. I am so thankful that God has used it in the lives of others. We look forward to the ministry this book will have over the years.

Walking Wounded

2009-04-30T12:54:00.001-04:00

Ministry Update

The Lord has been giving us a good meeting here at Cornerstone Baptist Church of Willmar, MN. This is our second meeting here and the Lord has really done a work in the hearts of the people. Tuesday seemed to be a kind of breaking point in the lives of God’s people with several broken and in tears at the altar. Tonight, three walked the aisle to get saved: an adult woman, an adult man, and a teenage guy. The meeting closes tomorrow night and we are looking for great things.

Thank you so much for praying for our ministry. My big shipment of books finally arrived at the church where I was preaching two and a half weeks ago. I have no idea how I will get it, but I will try to have it with me from now on. Thank you for praying for it as well.

Next week, we head for Duluth, MN with its nightly temps in the 30’s. Minnesotans keep wondering where Al Gore is when they need him.

Family Update

Ahh – we are in the final hours of the school year! No one – I repeat – no one is happier to see the summer break arrive than I am. What a relief to have the long days of summer free to enjoy my own pursuits instead of gritting my teeth over a math paper with a frustrated child on the verge of tears. I only grit my teeth to keep from screeching, “What do you mean you don’t know what 3x7 is? We learned that weeks ago! At least, I did!” Instead, I count to 60 or 70 and then smile (the gritted teeth look pretty good at that point) and say, “Let’s count by threes, shall we?” The blank look seems to disappear for a moment and then after the answer is correctly given, we go on to the next problem. A meltdown has been avoided by both contestants. This is one of the many scenarios that play out during the school year. Next fall, we will have to relearn everything that was forgotten over the summer break, including how to grit my teeth while smiling and counting.

Daniel is growing and learning new things all the time. His new favorite trick is swiping a full plate or cup while sitting on my lap at the dinner table. He cleverly waits until I am distracted, and then lunges forward, waving his arms and trying to wreak as much destruction as possible before he is yanked away from the impending disaster. He tries to put everything in his mouth, and is not quite coordinated enough to do it, but he keeps trying. He has figured out what we are doing at the table each meal, and is very interested in the ritual of dinner. Soon, he, too, will be eating us out of house and home. He now rolls over, so “tummy time” is not as dreadful as it used to be – he can get on his back when he is tired of rubbing his face on the blanket. The kids still love him, although the novelty has worn off somewhat. Both of the girls still smother him with attention and affection, but he grins and slobbers and loves every minute of it.

Abigail will turn five years old in just a few days. We are trying to plan a party – not the easiest thing in the world when you have a two-year-old in on the plan. The concept of “secret” just eludes her. (I think the birthday party will also be an unofficial first day of summer break party for me.) I am still wondering how it is all going to work out with our travel and meeting schedule. Anyway – the grand tea party will be attempted. She will love it no matter what, I believe.

Esther and I are waging battle over potty-training. I march her to the bathroom and make her sit, and she complies, but if she is left too long on her own, she ambushes me by leaving puddles around the trailer – on the couch, the kitchen floor, in the bedroom. The other night, she ambushed the nursery worker with a lovely surprise package, much to my dismay. I promised myself that this was the last package of diapers I was buying for her, but three weeks into it, I am beginning to second guess my decision. Pray that we both survive the experience.

The weather here has been rather cool and rainy, but yesterday was an exceptionally beautiful day. I threw all care to the wind, along with all my housework, and took the kids to the park while Daniel was napping. They had a wonderful time playing and running. I particularly enjoyed watching Abigail run sideways after getting off the merry-go-round. Thankfully, the fence that she ran into was a soft one, and she didn’t get hurt. Esther did a front flip off the swing while doing the “superman swing,” but recovered after I brushed off the dirt and gave her a kiss. Josiah was the only one that came home unscathed. I figured that he was already even with the girls since he fell out of the trailer on Saturday. The phrase, “Look before you leap” would have been a very appropriate maxim at this point in his life, since he opened the door and stepped out without looking to see whether the steps were down. SPLAT! (Having done this twice myself I can fully sympathize with him. The only difference was, I didn’t fall on my eyebrow and hip and bleed all over the place. No, I did the full body swing into space as I hurled out the door at full speed, my index finger still gripping desperately to the door handle. I am sure it was quite hilarious had anyone seen it, and I wished at the time, that I had caught it on camera, but it was not to be.) Anyway, there was no serious damage done and Josiah was quite brave and only cried for ten minutes.

We had a tremendous answer to prayer a few weeks ago regarding a difficult family situation. What a blessing to have a God Who hears and answers prayer! We need your prayers as we go out and minister. Thank you for your part in our ministry.

Book Available

2009-04-09T23:03:00.002-04:00

Ministry Update

God has opened up many doors of ministry for us in many preaching opportunities this year. Since our last update, we have ministered in GA, OH, IN, and LA, in addition to being involved at Bible Conference at Ambassador Baptist College in Lattimore NC. God has blessed during this time with a full schedule of meetings.

Right now, I am alone (without my family) in Brooklyn, NY, preaching at the Bay Ridge Baptist Church. God is doing a work here, particularly among the church people. I am bewildered at the number of problems that an urban ministry confronts, but I am even more impressed by the fact that the Bible has the answers to every problem of mankind. As we close the meeting out in the last two nights, I would ask that you pray for Matthew and his wife. Matthew showed up in church for the first time last night and raised his hand for salvation. He comes from a Catholic background and has been searching for a long time for a church. He left the Catholic church because he found the people unfriendly, even though he had grown up with them. By contrast, he was overwhelmed with the friendly greeting he received by Pastor Jason Walker's church people. He also expressed gratitude to me, affirming that my message "really spoke" to him. He raised his hand for salvation during the invitation, but explained to me afterward that he did not come forward because it was his first time and he was in a totally new place. He plans to return on Friday with his wife. Please pray for their salvation.

This meeting closes on Friday and Saturday finds me on a plane to Cincinnati, from which I will then travel to Laurel, IN. The folks at Laurel really love our ministry and have worked extra hard to prepare for this meeting. Please pray especially for Sunday's service that God will save many people who have been invited to come.

My book is finally ready to purchase. There are two ways that you can get the book: first, you wait until I am preaching in your area and buy it from the table at the back after the service; and second, you can purchase it off Amazon.com. The first option is cheaper, but takes longer; the second is quicker, but more expensive. If you choose the second option, click here .

Thank you so much for your continued prayers for our ministry. These are exciting days to serve Christ.

Paul

Vestigial (Trailer) Organs

2009-02-28T22:01:00.001-05:00

Ministry Update

After basing for a couple of weeks out of Pine Forest Estates Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL, we headed across the panhandle into GA today. We left behind some new friends and some good memories: in a small church in Citronelle, AL last Sunday, a girl was saved. Tomorrow it is Leesburg, GA and next week we move to Jessup, GA before blowing back through NC on our way to OH.

My book has brought me more delays than I had ever anticipated, but I hope to have it available for purchase by March 25 of this year. Please keep that date in your prayers.

Family Update

UN-believable! That is my estimation of this day as I reflect back over it. It began when the church work day started at approximately 6:00 a.m., rousing me from slumber with slamming car doors, happy voices (I am not a morning person), and revving leaf blowers. After a futile attempt at going back to sleep, I finally crawled out of bed and prepared for the day. Before we left, I had to run to the store and get a few things. I hurried to the nearby store, and gathered my purchases, glad to find things that matched with my coupons. When I got to the checkout counter, though, the problems began. A manager was called, and things took about five times as long as I had anticipated. After one more stop, I drove toward home, deep in thought. I guess I was a little too deep in thought, since I passed the church and didn’t realize it until I reached the interstate. I turned around, mentally kicking myself, because I knew Paul was in a big hurry to get on the road. When I opened the trailer door, there they all were, sitting – waiting for me.

About an hour into our trip, we had to make an emergency “pit stop.” When I got out of the truck on the side of the road, little ones in tow, I looked up and saw the trailer awning sagging and partially deployed. I quickly ran back to the truck and told Paul we would be a little longer than we had expected. He got out and the fun began. We had to roll the awning out all the way to roll it back up. He ended up climbing on top of the trailer and unrolling one end by hand, while I stood below and pulled on the tarp. It took about ten minutes to fix, and then we were back on the road, grateful that we hadn’t lost this one on the side of the road like its predecessor.

A few miles down the road, another truck, pulling a fifth wheel, pulled alongside us and began honking and pointing. After recovering from the mistaken assumption that they were just “happy campers,” we realized that they were trying to tell us that the stupid awning was flapping again. We pulled over again, and saw that not only was the “sail” out, but the clips that hold the aluminum supports had snapped off, and the pull-down strap had disappeared. Now there was no way other than duct tape to hold the awning onto the top of the trailer, and we were running low on duct tape. Paul climbed back up onto the roof of the trailer to remove the awning. Then it began to pour down rain. I don’t wonder that no one stopped to help us. If I saw an RV on the side of the road with the awning out, a man on the roof in a thunderstorm, and a woman standing in the rain laughing and waving a long lightning-rod looking stick (the steel rod that grabs the loop on the awning to pull it down), I would have kept driving as fast as possible, too.

We finally got the awning off the track, and decided to put it in the trailer. It sounds simple enough, but have you ever tried to shove a wet 20-foot awning through a 26-inch door in a 38-foot trailer with the slides in? We decided the only way that it would work was if we were to extend the slide in the oncoming interstate traffic (speed limit 70 mph) because of the angle. Seeing that this was impossible, we hauled it back out into the rain and pursued the only remaining option which was to simply leave it: yes, it still sits neatly rolled up on the side of Interstate 10 Eastbound in the Florida panhandle. We have decided that we were providentially hindered from having an awning on our trailer, since now we have left two on the roadside within the space of three years. To be quite truthful, we were glad to be rid of the thing. Paul crowed with delight when we removed it, and broke into song, “Thank God, I am FREE, FREE, FREE!”

The rest of the drive was comparatively uneventful. That is, if you disregard the fact that the GPS decided that we had taken the road less traveled, and kept telling us to make a u-turn on the two-lane road. As if we needed anyone else talking in the truck! When we finally reached the church, I got out of the truck looking like a drowned rat that had been resuscitated by a tornado. My hair was dreadful, and my partially wet clothing was smeared with mud from the wrestling match with the erstwhile awning. Paul looked okay, since his hair is so short. I don’t even want to know what the pastor thought when he saw me get out of the truck! It was probably something like, “Aaaaakk! What is that?” or perhaps, “Man, I hope that barn gets some paint before tomorrow!” No comments were made, but the pastor kept asking if we were SURE there was nothing we needed… hair spray, curling iron, spare paper bag…whatever.

We parked the trailer, and lugged our remaining groceries into the church kitchen by way of a cooler. Did I mention that our refrigerator died this week? Talk about exciting! After deciding on supper plans, we sat down to the table and gratefully began to eat. “How nice to have a candlelight dinner,” Paul observed. “What’s the occasion?” I only pointed at the fixture above the table. It contains four bulbs, and to our complete amazement, three of them were blown! Some days, we just have to laugh – and then write an update!

Matrimonial Musings

2009-02-16T15:09:00.001-05:00

Ministry Update

One of the unsavory parts of evangelism is the reality of a cancellation. There is always a sinking in my heart whenever a man has to cancel a meeting. This week's meeting was canceled on short notice, just six days before. Like all cancellations, it was disappointing, but the Lord knew what He was doing. The Lord did open the door for me to teach/preach an adult Sunday school class today. That was a blessing. The pastor made it known to me that he was checking me out with the possibility of having me back, should the Lord lead.

We have been able to get to know the people of the church, having participated in a Valentine's banquet on Friday night. I even got to meet a vagrant who talked to the pastor about sleeping on the church property. ("Hey pastor. I am on my way to Oregon. Would you mind if I spread my sleeping bag on the church property?") He and his dog were offered a place in the bus instead of the ground. I wonder what this guy will do when he gets to Idaho later on this month. Will he still sleep on the ground? Anyway, when in Florida...

Family Update

Ahhh... back on the road again! We left Kings Mountain last week and headed for warmer climates - namely, Alabama and Florida. Our first meeting was in Tuscaloosa, AL, where we had some refreshing fellowship with the pastor and his family. Josiah seemed quite impressed with the pastor's six-year-old daughter. When we came back to the trailer after all the kids had been playing all afternoon, Josiah told me that he wanted to marry C-----. I told him that he would need to talk to her dad about that first. He thought about that for a minute, then asked if he had to talk to his own dad, too. I said it would probably be a good idea. Then he asked me what I thought. I told him she was kind of young, and that he should probably wait a decade or so. "Besides," I reminded him, "I thought you said you wanted to marry M----- (another pastor's daughter)." He sighed gustily and said, "There are just so many girls that I think I like! I wish I were in the Old Testament so I could marry them all!"

Abigail has made some new friends this trip as well. She told me this morning that now she has sixteen friends! She doesn't know their names, but they are her friends nonetheless.

Esther is enjoying her baby brother immensely. Sometimes I think her love for him stems from the fact that he is the only person in our trailer who can't tell her what to do. She loves to get in his face and laugh and talk very loudly and excitedly. Usually, it is something like, "AWWWWW! DANIEL IS SO CUTE!" Daniel, in the meantime, has nowhere to go, and must endure the blaring voice ten millimeters from his startled eyeballs. If he actually smiles, it is cause for more loud and excited talking, "MAMA! DANIEL SMILED AT ME! AWWWW! DANIEL IS SO CUTE! HAHAHAHA!" I usually rescue him when his lower lip starts to protrude - right before the big "Waaah!"

Daniel is growing like a weed. Tomorrow he will be three months old. He can hold his head up quite well, and is starting to try to roll over. He definitely makes his preferences known. He likes to be held sitting upright facing out or looking over your shoulder. None of this sissy lying down stuff for him! He also has a definite preference for his mother. He can be smiling and cooing, and the minute I shut the door behind me to run to the store all semblance of happiness disappears, or at least, that is what I have been led to believe. Frequently, I have received phone calls from the baby's father, who, when I answer the phone, holds the receiver next to the mouth of the howling infant. This is my cue to grab the rest of my purchases and head home post-haste. What would we do without the conveniences of modern technology?

I have been having fun the last several months with a new hobby of sorts - coupons! The Lord has enabled me to learn from some of the best, and I actually enjoy the activity! It really has made a big difference in our grocery bill, and I get a big thrill when I bring home several bags of "stuff" and a receipt for just a few cents. I still have much to learn, but I am confident that one day I will become one of those "gurus" that actually do so well that the store pays them to take home groceries! I have managed to save 40-60% of our grocery bill each month by this method, and with the sagging economy, it has been a big blessing, since we didn't get bailed out - yet!

We are currently in Pensacola, FL, and have had the opportunity to spend time with old friends as well as meet some new ones. Please pray that the Lord will continue to bring us into the path of good men and that we will know how to effectively minister to them as the Lord opens the doors.

Book Update

2009-02-04T16:52:00.001-05:00

Ministry Update
The Lord has been good to keep us safe through all of our travels. Safe and sane, too. Have you ever traveled in a vehicle in which every seat was filled? It is close fellowship, to say the least. We pulled 13 ½ hours that way on Saturday on our way to our meeting in eastern NC.

Many have asked about the status of my book. The electronic edits are now over and I have only to review a physical copy of the book and approve it before it will be available for sale. It would be nice to have the book before we head to AL. I will let everyone know when it is available for sale.

Thank you for your prayers.

Paul

The Angel of the LORD

2009-01-28T08:02:00.003-05:00

Ministry Update

"The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them."
Psalm 34:7

After settling my family in with Sarah’s Mom and Stepdad in Troy, OH, I drove to Louisville, KY, where I am to assist Evangelist Byron Foxx with his National Leadership Conference. The weather was the worst driving weather I have ever seen. Not only is I-71 almost entirely downhill between Cincinnati and Louisville, but the counties/state also did not plow the roads. Not only was freezing rain my constant companion throughout the trip (which takes three hours under normal conditions), but I also had the great experience of skiing in four-wheeled vehicle over 2-4 inches of packed snow.

My average speed for the trip was about 35 mph except on one exceptionally long hill. I wasn't giving the vehicle any throttle, yet I found the car (I borrowed my Mother-in-law’s car for the trip) accelerating at an alarming rate. It was when I gently applied the brakes that I realized that my tires were no longer in contact with the road. For the first time in my life, I was actually skiing. I confess it was not nearly as fun as I have heard people make it out to be, but then again, it might have been different had I been on skis instead of wheels. I found the experience particularly perturbing when the back end of the car tried to pass the front end of the car going down the hill. Attempts to correct this attitude with the steering wheel gave initial promises of success at first, but soon proved worthless. I found myself copying the tactics of Russian Cold War submariners in a maneuver the US Navy sometimes calls a “Crazy Ivan.” In order that I might fully inspect the baffled motorists behind me, I spun the car in a complete 360-degree turn, finally stalling the engine and coming to rest on the left shoulder. In reality, I had voted against the Crazy Ivan but found myself in the minority, being outvoted by gravity and lack of friction.

The event ended rather anticlimactically, however. I simply put the vehicle in park, restarted the motor and continued at my normal speed of about 35 miles an hour. Nearly six hours after I left Troy, OH, I finally arrived in Louisville safe and sound.

Then, I tried to step out of the car onto the icy sidewalk and the real danger started…but that is another story.

Spectacle

2009-01-25T22:33:00.000-05:00

Ministry Update

The Lord provided a preaching opportunity for me in the end of last year. I left for Alexandria, VA on Saturday, December 27, 2008 in a vehicle that had recently been made available to me to use. It had a lot of miles, but it was Toyota-they go forever, right? After being warned to change the oil before making my trip, I promptly disregarded the advice and decided to head out anyway. In my understanding, dirty oil was not good, but it could wait until after I got back and had some time to change it.

The trip was a smooth one on the way up. Inexpensive, as well: I was able to drive from my home in NC to northern VA on less than $40 of fuel. I have never in all of my ministry been able to do that.

The Lord blessed at the Lighthouse Baptist Church where I preached on Sunday, December 28. I had a wonderful time staying in the home of a family in the church, and it was not long before I was all packed for the trip back home in the car. The trip back home was as uneventful as the trip up-that is, until I got to Petersburg, VA. At Petersburg, I stopped at a gas station to take a brief break before heading onto I-85 and continuing my trip. On my way to the restroom in the gas station, I passed their quarts of oil and wondered if I should buy any. I went out and checked the oil, but it seemed to have oil on the dipstick, and above the add mark. It may have been dirty, so I thought, but it should be sufficient to get me home.

I had not been back on the interstate ten minutes, when the car began to lose power going down a hill. Not a good sign. I instantly pulled to the side of the road and shut off the engine. It has never started again. It had gone 261,000 miles, the last part of that with oil trouble and had decided that enough was enough. When I checked the oil this time, the dipstick was dry.

Now I found myself 60 miles deep in VA on I-85 with no way to get home. I called a friend in Richmond, but he happened to be out of town visiting family, ironically less than 60 miles from my home. I tried calling others, but all to no avail. Finally, I thought of another friend in Gaston, NC, and called him. In the providence of God, he was planning a trip to my home area and had not left home yet. He swung up into VA to get me and took me all the way back home.

I got home, secured the help of a friend and a tow dolly, and headed back to get the broken down car off the side of the road. It took us all night to get to where the vehicle was, get it onto the dolly and get it back home. It now sits in the church parking lot, not far from our trailer. If anyone happens to have a motor for a 1998 Toyota Camry lying around that needs a worn out body to go with it, let me know.

January has kept us at home where I have preached in my home church and taught adult Sunday school every Sunday in January on the subject of Baptist history in America since the Constitution. That series ends a week from tomorrow, after which we will hit the road again.

We are closer than ever to my book's completion, although nothing has gone as fast as I would have liked. I will let everyone know when it is finally done.

Our website has a new look and we would invite you to check it out. The new look is another product of Sarah's creative talents.

Thank you for your prayers.

Family Update

The last two months have been a flurry of activity around our house. Of course, with the new baby, there are more chores and new routines that must be established for the entire family. At two months of age, Daniel now needs a moderate amount of quiet in order to get the rest that he needs. He can still sleep amidst the dull roar of the other three children, but it is getting more difficult. He is also on the brink of outgrowing the bassinet, which means that he will be sleeping in the same room as the kids very soon. Hopefully, his night cries will not disturb the sleep of his siblings too much. He is a very happy and contented baby most of the time, for which I am grateful.

Josiah has resumed school after the Christmas break, and is working hard to be done as soon as possible. He is already counting the "days left" of school this year.

Abigail and Esther keep each other company while Josiah is doing school, and get along quite well until they start fighting. I have dubbed their many squabbles, "the Polly Wars," since most of their disagreements are over the tiny dolls and their rubber clothing. At any time during the day, you could walk into our trailer and see what looks like a maid service commercial. Toys are strewn from one end of the trailer to the other, although lately, I have made our bedroom off limits to toys. This came about from too often jumping out of bed in the middle of the night and stepping on a toy soldier with plastic bayonet, or perhaps, a toy spaghetti spoon with eight sharp tines pointed at the sky. I told them they can play anywhere but in my room. There are also the mounds of laundry - both clean and dirty that either needs to be put away or washed. (Does it ever really get done?) Paul has done so much in helping around the house until I can get back into the swing of things and juggle the normal chores along with the demands of school and a new baby. I am so thankful for his work - he has truly gone above and beyond!

Currently, all the children are sick with head and chest congestion. Daniel and Josiah are both struggling to overcome the infection. Daniel succumbed to the sickness after having the other three breathe, cough, and sneeze in his face for two weeks. Josiah still continues to have breathing problems, and we aren't sure what is troubling him. He is on a very restricted diet in order to help control asthmatic flare-ups, but still struggles daily and must have nebulizer treatments to keep his airways clear. We covet your prayers for all of our children's health, but especially his right now. Soon we will be on the road again, and we never know what we will encounter from week to week. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.
Recently, my ancient glasses (circa 2000) bit the dust when a rivet in the frame broke and sent my right lens spinning onto the ground. They could not be fixed, and therefore, whenever I took out my contacts, having no backup coke bottles, I was in danger of running into walls and falling down steps. I suppose I could have tried the monacle thing, but that gets tiring on the cheeks when you have to squinch your face around the lens! There was no option but to get new spectacles. I made an appointment with the eye doctor, and dutifully went in to have my eyes examined. They gave me a new prescription, and I started looking at frames. I was horrified to find that the only available styles were straight out of my parent's high school year books! Aaagh! I found a really nice (gag) pair of blue cat-eye glasses, but decided that they wouldn't match enough of my outfits. There was one pair that looked like the kind an eighty-year-old organist would wear, you know - big, round lenses set in pink plastic frames with the bead chain around the neck. They were eerily reminiscent of the glasses I had in junior high, and I passed them by so I wouldn't get stuck in a fashion rut. Mine were brown, however, not pink. Paul went with me, and we had a hilarious time trying out the different frames and laughing and taking pictures of one another. Had our children been teenagers, they would doubtless have died of embarrassment at our shameless display of immaturity. As it was, though, they just thought the pictures were funny. So I finally decided on a suitable pair and am getting used to seeing myself in them.

It was shortly thereafter that Josiah decided he needed to wear glasses, too. We had an old pair of "Groucho" glasses (some of you may remember that family picture) that seemed to fit the bill. Thankfully, the nose had fallen off some time ago, so it was just the big black frames and woofy eyebrows. He commenced to wearing them around the clock. He wore them while doing his schoolwork, while playing cowboys and Indians, while reading, and at mealtimes. We drew the line however, at wearing them to church. He was somewhat disappointed at this, but recovered quickly. It was all I could do not to laugh when he came strolling out of his room in the morning clad in his pajamas and "grouchos." Sometime, try having a serious conversation with a seven-year-old wearing the most ridiculous pair of plastic glasses that keep falling down his nose. What a riot! I took several pictures of him wearing the glasses, so we can scare off any hopeful girls when he gets old enough to date. These pictures, along with the fact that he has stated he wants to have nineteen children, will probably scare off any normal girls anyway, so he may be living at home for quite some time! I hope the groucho phase won't last until then, or we may never get rid of him! Ha!

There is so much more that I could write, but since I have already been accused of being quite verbose in this update, I shall draw the proverbial line and end right here. I plan that the next update will not be so long in coming. Keep us in your prayers, for they are much needed.

Life Goes On

2008-12-10T17:25:00.000-05:00

Ministry Update

We are officially hunkered right now for the lull in meetings that comes from churches up to their ears in Christmas programs. That means lots of time in the trailer and lots of time in office working on next year’s schedule. While the Lord has given us many meetings next year, there are still openings in the schedule. Please pray that the Lord would fill these openings with the meetings of His choosing.

My book is progressing, though slower than I would like. Many have asked about it. It is still in the design phase during which I inspect every aspect of the design and veto or OK it. Since the whole design thing is beyond my area of expertise, the Lord has given me two friends in our church to help with that aspect of the book. Without the help of Glenn Stevenson, III and Matt Northcutt, I would produce a book that would be less than appealing to the eye. My goal from the beginning has been excellence, and these two have made that goal more attainable than it would have ever been without them. I wanted to have my book completed before Christmas, but that may not happen. I will keep everyone posted. One thing is certain: my book will be done some time next year.

Family Update

It has been almost a month since we experienced the addition of our newest family member, and it has been a busy time. Since Daniel was born via C-section, limiting my activity, Paul has had to pick up a lot of extra work around the house. My mom came for ten days after Daniel’s birth, enabling Paul to go to another meeting, and also keeping the trailer from falling down around our ears! I am so thankful for all her work and also for Paul’s efforts at cooking and cleaning (pray for us)! I have been feeling better each day, and although I still have to be careful, I am assuming more of my former duties each week. Sigh.

Everyone asks how the other children like their new brother. The answer is easy – they love him. If he can survive the “fan club” as we have dubbed them, he will be ready for anything life brings his way. Abigail is the little mama and squeaks sweet nothings in his face every time he wakes up. She asks to hold him all the time, and is the first one to run for the pacifier when he is crying. Josiah also enjoys holding him, but his seven-year-old arms get tired very quickly, and he wants to move on to something more exciting. Esther is my little helper – bringing diapers, wipes, and other sundry baby items. She likes to hold Daniel, too, but I have to watch her closely, or she will just wiggle out from under him none too gently and leave him lying on the couch. I am suffering from the usual lack of sleep that goes along with a new baby, so please pardon any spelling or grammatical errors that my fogged brain missed while typing this update!

1,000 Words

2008-11-20T11:13:00.011-05:00

"A picture is worth 1,000 words." Since I can't think of 1,000 words right now, I decided to share some pictures of our newest son, Daniel.

We wondered how the other children would respond to a new baby in the house. So far, everything seems to be positive.

New Arrival

2008-11-16T17:05:00.001-05:00

This morning at 9:48, our son Daniel Marshall Crow was born. He weighed 9 lbs. 13 1/2 ounces and was 21 1/2 inches long. The doctors took the baby C-section and Sarah is in the long process of recovery. Thank you for your prayers for us at this time.

The birth of this little boy is a cause of praise to God--the last time I held a newborn boy in my arms, he did not have long to live. We are so thankful that the Lord is the giver of life and that He has chosen to give us another son.

A picture will be forthcoming.

Paul

Traveling Circus

2008-10-16T00:23:00.001-04:00

Ministry Update
Thank you so much for praying for our ministry. The Lord gave us another great meeting at Maranatha Baptist Church in Yorktown, Virginia. The purpose of the meeting was an evangelistic outreach to teens in the area. On Monday and Tuesday, the teens of the church met and went out trying to get others to come. The actual activities and preaching services began on Wednesday. By the end of the meeting Friday night, ten people had trusted Christ as Savior. On Sunday, a girl who had been in all three nights of the rally without trusting Christ was in church and troubled about her soul. She came to a teen of the church and expressed her concern. She was saved on the church bus as she was being returned to her house after the service.

After a brief stay home in NC, we were off to Missouri for a Sunday. The Lord gave us a great day there that seems to promise more meetings in the area in the future. Wednesday night, I got to meet Dr. James Beller, the Baptist historian and join him in his church in the St. Louis, MO area. Sunday begins another revival in Urbana, IL. Thank you for your prayers for us.

My book is currently in the design phase. We are discussing fonts and layout and that sort of thing. I will keep you posted.

Family Update
We have had a rather eventful week. On Sunday, one of the church members told me that they had a petting zoo at their home and that we were welcome to bring the kids over. So, after dinner, we did just that. Esther was so excited that she nearly danced a jig when we let her out of the truck. She kept saying, “Animal! Animal!” while stomping her feet and twirling in circles. They had donkeys, goats, ponies, rabbits, pigs, chickens, a buffalo, and llamas. One of the llamas was a baby of three days old – he was so cute! The kids all loved feeding and petting the animals. That night at church, the owner told us that we were welcome to bring the kids over to ride the ponies the next day. What squealing and jumping there was when that announcement was made later that night. The first thing Esther said the next morning was, “Ride the pony, please?” I really didn’t think she would ride the pony, since she was scared to pet it, but I was willing to give it a try. After school, we went over to the farm, and rode the pony. It was a great success! I could hardly pry Esther off the back of the horse – she kept saying, “Again!” Josiah and Abigail also enjoyed it – Josiah pretending to be a cowboy shooting Indians while riding along the trail. I took tons of pictures and then we went home.

We went fishing in a small farm pond that evening. I got skunked, but only because my fish jumped into the air and got off the hook while I was reeling him in. Oh, well. While Paul and I were fishing, the kids played in the pasture that surrounded the pond. Esther looked like a little street urchin when we left. She had removed her pigtails, so her hair looked somewhat like Einstein, and she was covered in mud and, possibly, cow manure. But did they ever have a good time!

We headed out yesterday for St.Louis, and although it was not a long drive, we made several stops. One time, I told the kids to get out and stretch their legs. Abigail promptly got out of her seat, walked around to the other side of the truck and sat down on the curb. She then proceeded to stick each leg up in the air and pull on it. After a brief moment, I realized that she was stretching her legs – literally!

Some of you may be wondering about the soon arrival of our next little one. We are planning to be back in NC for the birth, and, barring something unusual, he will be born in the hospital in Shelby. Of course, there is always the possibility of Paul delivering him on the side of the road somewhere between Indiana and North Carolina, but we are really hoping that won’t be necessary. Right now, we have a countdown of less than five weeks until “Fred” arrives (that was the “name” we gave the baby before we knew if it was a boy or a girl). The kids frequently come up and shout at my stomach, “HEY, FRED!” Even Esther knows that “Fred is in Mama’s tummy.” We really aren’t going to name him Fred… If he is born early on Halloween, maybe we will name him Scare. Get it, Scare Crow? Just kidding.

I am doing as well as can be expected for someone in “my condition.” Imagine a small elephant stuffed in a truck cab with four other people for hours on end. Behind the elephant are two hyenas, and one monkey who feels it is her job to give the elephant a back massage by kicking the back of the seat incessantly. Blaring over the speakers and the children is reruns of Patch the Pirate, which get old rather quickly when you are over the age of twelve. Add to this the din of incoming phone calls, honking horns, screeching brakes, and rumble strips, and you have a good idea of what our road trips are like. Then when the elephant finally crawls out of the fetal position it was forced into, and hobbles its way back to the trailer, it finds that the zig-zagging roads have caused the contents of every cupboard and closet to vacate their normal positions and fall out as soon as you open the door. I have heard that elephants do not enjoy being surprised, but I can vouch for the fact that they really do not enjoy being avalanched. Only a few more weeks – I can handle it. The question is, “Can the rest of the family manage until then?”

Evangelism = Glamour

2008-09-30T00:36:00.005-04:00

[Warning: this e-mail contains nothing serious about the ministry, only dealing with the lighter side of traveling. If you are pressed for time, you might just want to delete this and move on.]

Ah! The glamour of evangelism. Pulling a trailer. Driving a big truck. The smell of diesel. The romance of disappearing into the sunset after a week of preaching. Dumping sewage at 11:00 at night. Wait a minute! That isn’t part of the glamour that people think about.

Actually, it was while I was out of the country that I got an e-mail from my wife telling me that the trailer, in addition to having an ultra-full black water tank, also had a serious leak near the bedroom slide-out. The carpet was as wet as the Okefenokee Swamp and beginning to develop kindred odors. There was even some question at one point if the carpet might have come loose from its moorings and was beginning to float. The exhaust fan had been out of order for some time, causing the relative humidity of the trailer to steadily increase, much to the delight of the resident mildew population, which had long been in an ongoing struggle to stay hidden from our sight and still reproduce like rabbits. Finally, to close out the water problems, the black water was both audible and visible in the bottom of the commode, the great bubble that defied gravity barely settling below the black pipe when it burst with a gurgling sound. It was all part of the unseen glamour of evangelism that today is going to be published for the masses to consider.

My wife, seven and a half months with child and playing the role of single parent of three while I had skipped the country, had issued a family ultimatum that unless absolutely necessary, all of nature’s calls were to answered in the church facilities. The threat of a Great Dismal Swamp from the bathroom adjoining the existing Okefenokee in the bedroom seemed imminently ominous indeed.

Before the deluge could burst forth upon the family, however, help arrived for the hapless woman and her children. Around 9:00 Saturday evening, the door to the trailer opened without anyone knocking and the head of the household walked. He was greeted with children who immediately began dancing jigs (what does their mother teach them?) and jumping and shouting for joy.

Supper came and went, as did the ritual of unpacking the bags, their clothes and personal items crossing the Okefenokee to the closet and the empty bags being stowed in the dry storage bay. By this time, the hour was nearing 11:00. The task of preventing the Great Dismal Swamp, it was decided, must not wait until morning. It would be completed in the darkness of night.

It seemed such a simple task, however. Across the church parking lot, there was a sewer cleanout that offered a final resting place for the dismal contents in the full tank. There was nothing to it. Hook up the truck, pull the trailer across the well-lit parking lot, extend the hose from the trailer to the cleanout and pull the valve to release the undesirable contents. Because of the lateness of the hour, all three children went to bed and just took a ride while the trailer was moving back and forth across the parking lot.

Neatly and smartly, the truck pulled the trailer from its parking place to other side of the parking lot. With the skill that comes from repetition, the hose was put into place, its ends securely fastened both to ground pipe and trailer. In order to prevent the ground connection from blowing out of the pipe by reason of the pressure, a 4X4 post about 30 inches long was placed upon the hose terminus. The whole setup was foolproof. It would be only a matter of minutes and the trailer could be parked in its old position and the family in its entirety could retire for the night. Open the compartment. Pull the lever. Listen to the rush of the liquid as it exits the trailer never to be dealt with again.

Disaster required only seconds to strike. The black water was at full force now, accelerating at the rate of 32 feet per second into the ground. Suddenly, there was a horrible sound, similar to the sound of the water in a glass that is completely full and about to overflow. Before anyone could fully appreciate this similarity, water, black water, began coming out of the pipe at high pressure. The 4X4 post acted as a pressure valve, turning the black water hose and its contents into a sort of macabre high-pressure irrigation apparatus, liberally fertilizing the church grass with its nutritious contents. Before too much more damage could be done, the valve would have to be closed, but then what to do about the black water tank still remained a problem.

Some in the church had believed that this particular pipe was, indeed, a sewer cleanout. The member of the pastoral staff called upon to advise in this time of crisis, however, denied that it was. Rather it was some kind of landscaping drain, designed to take the gentle rainfall that ran off the paved parking lot and drain it out of sight into an underground drainage field. Forty gallons of speeding black water running through a 4-inch pipe were simply too much to handle at one time.

The flow was stopped now, but what to do about the remains of the spill presented a problem. In a short matter of hours, people would pull into this very parking lot literally dressed in their Sunday finest and least prepared for the olfactory greeting they might receive. The black water had to be diluted somehow so that it could harmlessly seep into the ground undetected. A few scoops of impotent odor neutralizer (no wonder they were giving it away) might help the drainpipe and what was outside the pipe would have to seriously watered down. By 11:30, this job was history and the trailer parked neatly back in its former place by 11:40. Finally, the whole family was in bed. Even evangelist families can only take so much glamour in one day.

Canada

2008-09-28T22:45:00.001-04:00

Ministry Update

It was great to be in meetings in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. The area is interesting and the church is a reflection of the unusual demographic of Pacific Coast Canada. The majority of the church is Asian, most of them Filipino. In fact, the Filipinos are the most faithful members of the church. There were unsaved people in the services, many of them people who have attended the church for months, if not years. The pastor in his evangelism here has to begin with the very basics of Christianity, answering questions like "What is the Bible?" and "What does God say about man?" By Friday, three people had prayed to trust Christ as Savior.

The differences between American and Canadian culture make for some interesting moments in preaching. One of the notable differences is metric system versus the English system of measurement. I was giving an illustration last Sunday night about a situation I was in where the weather was hot. Canada uses the Celsius scale of measuring temperature, which is based upon the freezing and boiling points of water, 0 being freezing and 100 being boiling. I was relaying a story in which I told the congregation that the temperature was about 96. In their mind, that is slightly less than the boiling point of water (approximately 205 by our way of measurement). In order to keep from exaggerating, I admitted that my temperature scale was different from theirs and tried to figure the conversion on the spot. Failing that, I finally just exclaimed to the mostly Filipino audience, "Well, it was Philippines hot." They were much amused by my reference to their country of origin.

This week, I am with my family once again in Yorktown, Virginia. I preached all day today, and the people seemed to really be blessed by my ministry here. Beginning tomorrow, we begin what is called Combat, an evangelistic teen outreach. Tomorrow and Tuesday, we canvas the area recruiting teens to come and Wednesday through Friday we have the service. Please pray for souls to be saved.

Gator Morals

2008-09-15T14:49:00.000-04:00

Ministry Update

The Lord gave us a rather interesting weekend. We started out for the Maranatha Baptist Church of Yorktown, Virginia a day early on Friday of last week. After driving as far as Emporia, Virginia, we received a call from a member of the church staff telling us that they were not expecting us until September 28, two weeks later. We were scheduled to be in another church that week. After a few phone calls, I was able to get a replacement for my September 28 meeting so that we could honor the preparation that Maranatha had made as well as the preparation that the other church had made. In the end, both churches got to have their meetings when they had planned, but that left us with no place to preach on Sunday. After calling some friends in the area, the Lord opened a door for us to preach in the Great Hope Baptist Church of Chesapeake, Virginia, a little less than an hour from where our trailer was parked.

Financially, times were tight for us. The reason we continued on to the Tidewater area even though the church had not been expecting us was that we did not have the fuel or the money to go back home. In fact, when we arrived at Great Hope Sunday morning, we had an empty fuel tank, and empty bank account, and a nearly empty pantry back in the trailer. Pastor Godfrey of Great Hope Baptist Church was gracious enough, not only to give us an honorarium, but also to nearly fill our truck with fuel. The scheduling faults of men were overturned and God provided for our needs. We are grateful for the work that God did in providing for us in His usual, unexpected way.

Family Update

All is normal around the house, with the everyday squabbles over favorite toys and books, as well as the usual tattling over insignificant incidents. The other night, Abigail came in to tell me that Esther bit Josiah. As I launched my lecture on the evils of biting and its dire consequences, Esther happily shrieked, “I alligator!” Is it morally wrong for an alligator to bite someone – especially an evil pirate who is chopping at her with a sword?

We had a toy purge on Saturday in which all the old, broken, and unused toys were cleaned out and donated to the Goodwill. This is always done with much excitement on my part just to be getting rid of it, and on the children’s part because they think that, now that the old toys are gone, they will soon be getting new. This is a sad reality, because Christmas is not that far away, and we will once again be inundated with more worthless Chinese junk. However, for now, it is nice to have a little breathing room in the trailer.

Josiah is feverishly working on his loosest tooth, trying to wiggle it loose enough for me to pull out. He is such a snaggletooth already. I am not sure how he is going to eat with another missing tooth. Perhaps this is the answer to the astronomical grocery bill – just pull out all his teeth and he can live on Jello! Abigail keeps telling me she has a loose tooth, but it is just peer pressure.

For those of you who are waiting for my next piano arrangement book, I have good news. When our trailer was in the shop, I was able to write out several of my arrangements that have long been swirling around in my head. While they still need some editorial tweaking, the bulk of the work is done. Now I just need to come up with enough to fill a book – at least eight more arrangements. I would appreciate your prayers in this matter.

Finally Home

2008-09-10T12:28:00.001-04:00

Ministry Update

The summer is over and the busy season of our evangelistic schedule is about to begin. The Lord gave me (the family stayed at home) a wonderful service in Calvary Baptist Church in Hendersonville, NC last Sunday. Calvary is without a pastor and the people were very appreciative of my ministry. I was able to take along a friend to provide special music, and the people enjoyed his ministry as well.

Later this week, we will hit the road, not returning to NC until November. We will start in Yorktown, Virginia and head west from there.

My book has completed the second and final round of professional editing. After I review the editorial suggestions, we move into the layout phase. So many have expressed their interest in the book, and I am more eager than ever to see it in print. I will notify all of you by e-mail when the book is ready, as well as give you complete instructions on how to purchase the book, should you so desire.

Recently, I taught a five-week Sunday school series on Baptist history in my home church. This series is available on both CD and DVD, should any of you be interested. I have also prepared a set of notes to accompany the series because it covers a lot of material. Should any of you be interested in obtaining a copy of the series for yourself, you may feel free to contact me.

Family Update

For the past week and a half, we have been homeless. Well, sort of. Our trailer had a front jack that was broken and was in the shop getting fixed. That meant that we trespassed upon the privacy of the Steve Hefner family. Steve is a deacon in our home church and a dear friend of ours (he accompanied me to Hendersonville last Sunday), at least he used to be before our kids got hold of his house.

Because of the many doctor’s appointments that Sarah had, I found myself babysitting my children much of the time. One time, my daughter Esther decided that it would be neat to take all of the toilet paper off the roll in the bathroom and put it in the toilet. A regular house toilet is an anomaly, you see, because it, unlike the one in the trailer, has standing water in it. So my darling daughter emptied the roll into the standing water and then decided that it might not be the best idea to stay there. She then reached for the plunger and tried to plunge it down. Failing this, she decided to mix it with the plunger, splashing water all over the bathroom floor and mixing into the water the residue from past plunger jobs. By the time we discovered her, she had managed to irrigate not only the bathroom floor, but also the carpet for a few feet outside the bathroom. My babysitting career seems to be on shaky grounds. There is this nagging fear that we have not yet discovered all the things that my children did to the Hefner’s house while we were there.

When I took my trailer in to the RV dealer for repairs, I instructed them to keep the unit plugged in because there was food in the refrigerator that needed to be kept cold. The dealership observed my wishes all the time they were open. On Saturday, however, a customer came by and decided to unplug the unit, causing the frozen food to melt and leak all over the house. Although the customer paid for the food that was lost, he could not replace some of our deer meat. Nor did his payment clean up the mess that was all over the kitchen floor. Oh well. At least we are home again. Cozy trailer where we trip over each other, sticky floor from leaky freezer, lingering aroma of spoiled food, empty fridge—we really are happy to back home.

I (Sarah) am glad to be home as well. There is just no place like home, whether or not you live in Kansas! Josiah is well into the school year, having started, at his request, in July. So, we have just passed the six-week mark. What a blessing that is! This will enable us to take a little time off when the new baby arrives in just about nine weeks, without stretching the school year into next summer. He lost several teeth this summer, the last of which was his top right front tooth. The left one is also very loose, and I wonder what strange sounds will proceed from his mouth when it, too, is gone. As of right now, he already whistles like Gopher on Winnie the Pooh whenever he says certain consonants.

About four weeks ago, after much prayer, we started Josiah on a new kind of treatment using whole food supplements specially targeted to help specific areas of the body. It was only after two weeks had passed that we saw some dramatic improvements. We had a temporary setback when he was accidentally given a snack not intended for him during church two weeks ago, but I think he is almost totally recovered from that now. He has had a lot of breathing treatments over the last two weeks, and now that we are home, I think that the number needed will decrease significantly. Please pray that the Lord will continue to give us wisdom and continue to heal Josiah’s body.

This past week was filled with trials for me personally, most of which came in the form of doctor’s visits. I had to take the one-hour glucose test on Thursday, and ended up being there nearly three hours. They told me after my visit that I had low iron and would have to see the nutritionist. Then they told me that I had failed the one-hour test by two points and would have to take the fasting three-hour test the next day. I went home in a huff and went back the next day to be stabbed and drained of my remaining blood (no wonder I am anemic) for the test. I had one “abnormal” reading out of the four, so they labeled me “borderline” for gestational diabetes and told me that I would need to see yet another nutritionist for that special diet. “We made an appointment for you next Tuesday at 9:30. Is that okay?” the nurse asked. This was the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. After two days of sitting in the office, having nothing to eat, drinking syrup for breakfast, and having the blood drained from my body one vial at a time, I could take no more. I told the nurse that if I couldn’t see the nutritionist right away, then I wouldn’t be coming back. Her eyes grew quite round, and I wondered if she thought I was going to get violent. I am sure my red face, bulging eyes, and grinding teeth were quite helpful in getting them to acquiesce to my demand, and, so, just a few minutes later I had completed all the necessary lectures and went home. I can almost laugh about it now, but it still irritates me. Perhaps when the bruises on my arm have disappeared I will be able to laugh at the look on her face. I only wish I could have seen my own.

Summer Fruit

2008-07-27T08:41:00.001-04:00

Ministry Update

This summer has been quite a summer for us. After all the meetings with Baptist Youth Mission fell through, the Lord opened up other doors of ministry for us on a spur of the moment basis.

Josiah and I were able to be a part of a father and son camping trip in the mountains of PA with Pastor Dave Smith and the men of Community Baptist Church of Quakertown, PA. The Lord gave us a wonderful time with the men of that church.

From there, the entire family went to the Capitol Baptist Church of Dover, DE, where we joined Pastor Terri Moore and his people for their summer jubilee.

On our way back from that meeting, we had truck trouble in Smithfield, VA. The powertrain control module, a computer that controls the transmission of my truck, went bad and had to be replaced. Our home church picked up the bill for that repair and the people of the Calvary Baptist Church of Smithfield bent over backwards to help us while we were detained in the Tidewater area.

From VA, we came on to our home church's family camp and enjoyed a wonderful time with the folks of our home church.

Last week, my family and I, along with Bethany Hefner, ministered in the Calvary Baptist Church of Leonard, MI in both children's and teen's vacation Bible School. The children's rallies were in the morning and the teen rallies were at night. It was one of the busiest weeks of my entire ministry. As soon as I was done with one program, I had to go right to the next one with very little down time in between. It would not have been so taxing had it not been my very first vacation Bible school of this kind, both age groups in the same week. The Lord blessed, however, and though our numbers were not large, we did see two teens trust Christ as Savior.

Sam was one of the teens who got saved on Thursday night of the teen meeting. He comes from a Catholic home that religious enough that his grandfather had taught him the Catholic doctrine of purgatory. In the providence of God, I preached a message on the Great White Throne Judgment from Revelation 20. One of the points that I hit is the finality of this judgment. While Sam did not move at the public invitation, he did raise his for prayer, indicating that he was unsure of his salvation. After the service, the teens were to go outside and play a game to which they had been looking forward all week. They all left the auditorium except Sam. He just sat in his seat contemplating what he had just heard and weighing it against what he had always been taught. The pastor noticed him and, while I was out running the remainder of the program for the rest of the teenagers, the pastor led Sam to the Lord. When Sam's mother came to pick him up, the pastor was able to talk to her for a long time. During the conversation, she expressed her gratitude to the church for going to all the trouble to something worthwhile for teenagers. She has promised to attend the church on Sunday.

In addition to Sam, a girl named Tara also made a profession of faith on Thursday night of Bible school. While I was unable to get as many details about her conversion, I am no less grateful that she, too, has trusted Christ.

Today, we are to be in the Columbiaville Baptist Church in Columbiaville, MI. This meeting is another one of the churches that invited me "whenever you are in the area." Please pray that we will be able to be a help to this church.

My book has survived one round of professional editing and awaits my response to the editor's comments. There are some things that the editor has advised me to do that will only make the book better. I still hope to have the entire book ready for purchase in September. I will keep everyone posted about its progress.

As always, thank you all for your prayers.

Family Update

This has been a very busy and exciting week for the whole family, and especially the children. They have really enjoyed the temporary addition of Bethany Hefner, or “Baffy” as Esther calls her. Bethany was such a tremendous help to us during the VBS and Teen Rally this past week, as well as just being with the family. She has been a blessing and a big part of our ministry, and we are so glad her parents allowed us to take her along on such short notice. Thanks, Steve and Diane!

School is looming around the corner for us again, and Josiah is not looking forward to it. It is always sad when a child decides that they don’t really like school anymore! He has really enjoyed the summer break, and I think he will get back into the swing of things very quickly. He was sitting on the living room floor this week, and found a roll of duct tape that Paul had been using during VBS. With a gleam in his eye, he asked me, “Can I use some of this duct tape? Do we have anything that needs to be fixed?” I guess the urge must start when they are young.

Abigail won the silly hat contest this week in VBS. She had a paper hat that looked like a birthday cake (several layers) and had paper flowers sprouting out of the top of it. I really was a cute sight! She was so excited about it. As the youngest VBS member, she struggled to keep up with the others at times, but she did have a wonderful time.

We are all rejoicing in the fact that Esther finally has some hair – at least enough to keep people from thinking she is a boy! She will not keep her hairbows in yet, so we have some work to do in that area. She managed to pull a side table over on herself yesterday while we were in the pastor’s home. With a terrible crash, the table landed on top of her, its contents spilling all over the floor. Papers, pens, flyers, offering plates, candle holders, a chess set, and who knows what else all came down around her. There was a terrible silence, and then as we all jumped up to get the table off of her, she let out the most piercing scream I have ever heard from her lips. Thankfully, she was not hurt, only scared. I am not really sure how she pulled the table over, but I don’t think she will be trying any stunts like that in the near future. My heart couldn’t take it, I don’t think!

I haven’t had the opportunity to tell about our adventures in Smithfield, VA. Paul mentioned them briefly, but he forgot to mention the funniest part. I guess that is because he was the star of this particular event. We arrived at the church parking lot, and began the hookup process – backing in just right, running hoses and cords, etc. I was rather tired, and since Paul didn’t need my help, and a storm was threatening, I thought I would go sit in the truck until he finished. No sooner had I settled in my seat, than I saw a flash go by my window. It was Paul, running full speed ahead. My first bewildered thought was that when he plugged in, that electricity had zapped the trailer and he was getting away before the whole thing went up in flames. Very smart, but hardly heroic. Halfway into the parking lot, he stopped and waved his hands like a charismatic just as a huge bolt of lightning split the sky. He turned around and I could see his face, but just as quickly, he darted left, then right, still waving like Benny Hinn. I was baffled, and then as he came full circle, I saw that there were wasps chasing him! I opened the truck door, and he ran over, jumped in, and slammed the door. It was then that I began laughing – not maliciously, of course, but just at how funny the whole thing looked before I realized what was going on. Paul was not amused, considering how narrow his escape had been, but since no harm was done, I thought nothing of laughing about it every time I thought about it. If only you had seen it! Apparently, the wasps had built a nest behind the powerbox plate, and when he opened it up to plug in, they took offense. A call to the pastor, who brought some wasp spray solved the problem in no time. Paul still doesn’t see the humor in the situation, though, so I have to curb my laughter when retelling the story. I must say, he runs even faster than he preaches!

Together Again

2008-06-24T20:41:00.001-04:00

Ministry Update

For the last three weeks, I have been away from my family. It happened that I was to travel under the auspices of a group called Baptist Youth Mission doing children’s Vacation Bible Schools and teen rallies in church in the Midwest and mountain states. After a preliminary training period in March, I was to go for a two-week training period to Sinclair, Wyoming. When it came down to talking schedules, I had no meetings to do. There was one meeting after the two-week training in which I would be an assistant, but other than that one meeting, there were no others.

So I found myself flying alone to the training period and meeting, whereas I had originally planned to drive and take my family. The training was difficult without them—there were times that I could not keep from weeping as Sarah described things that the children were doing in my absence—but I made it through everything and then on to the meeting.

The only VBS we had (children only, no teens) was a big one. We started with 259 and ended up with 394 the last night. There were 39 children that made professions of faith.

It was good, however, to be back with my family. I arrived shortly after 1:00 Sunday morning. After a Monday filled with whirlwind activity, we have left again, this time the entire family in truck and trailer headed for Quakertown, Pennsylvania. I am to preach Wednesday night and then take my son with me to preach a father/son retreat in the mountains of PA. After that, we all head to DE.

Provided I have the time, my book should be done by late summer/early fall. Many of you have expressed interest. I would ask that you pray that God would use its message to make a difference in the hearts of readers.

Family Update

Hooray! Paul is home again! We all missed him greatly. There were times that I thought of leaving the kids and joining him out in Wyoming, but just couldn’t see Josiah watching the girls that whole time. The girls really missed their daddy, and were so glad to see him last Sunday. I could hardly detach Esther from him all day long.

Esther is now two, out of the nursery, and into a Sunday school class. She sat in the service with us for the first time last Sunday night. What an adventure that was! She was so excited to be out there, and kept squealing her delight. It was a rather noisy beginning, but when it was time to go out with her class, she was as ready as we were!

We had her birthday party after Paul got home. It was a much anticipated event, with the other two children making grandiose plans and inviting everyone at church (I found this out after the fact). We just had a simple family dinner and balloons, and, of course, the obligatory round of gifts. It was all very fun, since she kind of knew what to expect. Now that she has entered the “terrible twos,” I am wondering what it was that we have been through in the last six months. She has mastered the art of climbing out of her pack-n-play, as well as taking off her diaper. Not a good combination in any case. We also have gotten rid of the “ma-ma”(pacifier). We are still in transition on that adjustment, but she seems to be doing well.

Josiah is trying to win the “Snaggletooth of the Year” award. He has already lost his bottom front teeth, and now his top front teeth are both loose. Maybe I can teach him to sing, “All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth…” It will make for some rough eating with all of those teeth gone! He will look like a true redneck. I have also started teaching him piano this summer. He is doing quite well, and nags me about going over to practice his lessons. I have no doubt that he will progress rapidly if he continues in the same manner.

Both Josiah and Abigail participated in our VBS two weeks ago. It was neat to see them working on their verses and songs. Josiah won first place for memory verses in his class over the week. I was really proud of him. Abigail did a great job, too. Esther didn’t learn any verses since there aren’t many that say, “NO – MINE!”

All the children are looking forward to the arrival of their new brother or sister in November. Josiah is really hoping for a brother, and Abigail decided that a brother would be nice so that he wouldn’t get into her stuff. Josiah made the keen observation to me that it didn’t matter if it was a boy or a girl, it would still get into her things. I was very amused by his insight, and laughed about it all evening. I think Esther is going to have a hard time accepting a baby. She is quite possessive of both of her parents. Oh, well – she will learn. We are considering a slight remodeling project in the trailer so that we can fit another child in it. It will take some planning, if that is what we decide. Please pray that the Lord will give us wisdom in the matter.

We had a rather unpleasant discovery this past week. Paul called me from Kansas, and asked if I had made some charges at a local gas station. I replied that I hadn’t used the credit card in the three weeks he had been gone. After calling the company, he found that someone had gotten our credit card number and been charging things all over the Kings Mountain/Bessemer City area. We cancelled the account immediately, and they are investigating the matter. Thankfully, we weren’t liable for any of the spurious charges, and thankfully, the crook who stole it didn’t go on a cruise to the Virgin Islands. They wouldn’t have gotten very far – probably halfway to Cuba and then gotten thrown to the sharks. That would have served them right. Anyway, Paul had a flurry of activity on Monday to correct some financial things as a result.

Trailer leaks, medical bills, and repairmen in ties

2008-06-01T21:59:00.000-04:00

At 8:10 last night, I made an awful discovery. While putting something away under my daughter Abigail’s bed, I discovered that we had a serious water leak in our trailer: the carpet under her bed was soaked and the smell of mildew rudely accosted me as soon as I had lifted up her mattress. That immediately explained why Josiah had been having such trouble breathing whenever we would put him to bed. He, like his father, has a hard time dealing with mildew and mold.

I surmised that nothing would be open at 8:00 on a Saturday night and so decided to talk to some of the people in my home church about it the next day. Not to worry, I was told. Wal-mart sold some of the parts that I needed so I could actually get the parts and get my ox out of the ditch, despite today being the Lord’s day. (The preceding reference is not to be construed as an offhand comment regarding my wife. Please do not begin e-mailing us with immediate marriage counseling.)

To Wal-mart, then I went, violating the third ordinance of our church: that of the Sunday afternoon nap. As the Lord would have it, they had one package left, which, though it had been opened, was still sufficient to meet my needs. Now to simply install it.

There was everything I needed at the church: step ladder, my tools, readily available electricity, silicone sealant—everything. So I ascended the ladder past the rung that tells you it is unsafe to stand on all the way to the very top. From that vantage point I could reach the top of the trailer and repair the problem.

It was while precariously perched on the very top of the stepladder that I found that the parts I had rushed to get on a Sunday afternoon were not the right parts. There was another part sold at the RV store that was to go on before the parts I bought would fit. The RV store, of course, would not open until two hours after I had left for Denver.

As if it would somehow help the situation, I decided to take a couple of screws above the light that I knew was leaking just to make sure that no water was getting in there. It took some work to do with the Chinese hand screwdriver I was using. There I stood on the top of a stepladder in 90-degree heat, dress slacks, dress shirt, tie, and all. Although no one was there to watch me, I think that I must have made a humorous, if well-dressed, spectacle.

Choir practice interrupted me from doing anything towards fixing the leak. All I got from my work in my shirt and tie was a good plan of attack. Implementing the plan would have to wait until after church.

In the end, two men from the church helped me, one man doing the work that I was intending to do after church. The light fixture on the outside wall that was leaking is now sealed and altered so that there should be no more leak. The other man has promised to look at the situation tomorrow to further improve the design so as to prevent leaks. So much for the dressed up home repair man.

Final analysis: I’d better stick to preaching.

In other news, Josiah had some real problems back in October of 2006. He spent the night in the emergency room of one hospital and ended up having to be taken by ambulance to another hospital in the next larger town. He spent a week in pediatric intensive care at the second hospital, but finally was able to come home. Today, you would never know that anything that serious happened.

The medical bills for this time were mostly covered by insurance, or else we would be strapped with an extremely large bill. There were two bills that the insurance did not cover, however. Although we gave them the insurance information, for some reason they did not get their money. The insurance has a policy that if the medical provider does not file the claim within one year that the patient will have to pay. They did not get the claim filed, so they said, and it got turned, so others said. In any case, we were left with a little over $1100 in medical bills from a year and half ago.

The Lord was not surprised, however. He laid it on someone’s heart to give us $1100 to take care of the need. Praise the Lord for His provision.

Paul

Post AK

2008-06-01T21:57:00.001-04:00

Ministry Update

The Lord gave us a great meeting in Alaska. There were all kinds of neat opportunities to meet some great people and to have a real ministry to Pastor Wes Hudson and his wife Debbie. In addition to seeing the tallest mountain in North America (see below), a man in the church also took me out bear hunting. I was not technically hunting myself, but I did carry a 12 gauge shotgun for self defense. It was the time of year when the sows (female bear, not pig in this case) were having cubs, so walking in the woods could have been dangerous. I learned the real meaning of being loaded for bear.

The Lord has provided some meetings for us in the first part of the summer, though the last part of the summer is open right now. Today, He provided a need for us that was something I had been wanting for a long time. I look forward to watching how He will provide for our needs in the future.

Today, I sent the manuscript of my book Cliffs and Fences to the editor of the publishing company. After about three weeks of editing process, they are to get the manuscript back to me so that I can accept or reject their editorial suggestions. After that, there is another round of editing to ensure that they have missed nothing. Then, the book goes to the printer. I am getting more and more excited as the days go by.

Thank you to those of you who have shown such an interest in the book so far. I will, of course, let you all know when it is finally ready. As you pray for us, please pray that God will use the message of this book to work in the lives of His people. If you pray that I sell a lot of books, I wouldn't be offended either.

Family Update

Summer is finally upon us here in North Carolina - I think! Being out of school has given us all a sense of freedom that makes the "summer feeling" that much stronger. The weather has been unseasonably cool this spring, and we keep needing to get out the sweaters and jackets. I think it will be a little warmer from here on out - or at least, I hope so!

Paul and I recently got back from a trip to Alaska. We had a meeting there, so it wasn't just a pleasure trip. I was so excited to get to go to Alaska. I have heard so many people say that it is a beautiful place, and I wanted to see it for myself. We were in the village of Talkeetna, which is only about 60 miles from Mt. McKinley. One of the highlights of our trip was taking a flight that went around the mountain and then landed on the glacier. That was so neat! It was not the best flight we have ever had, even though the sights were breathtaking. The pilot had to restock on airsick bags after Paul and I deplaned. I won't tell you who used the most, but one of us used three times as many as the other! The mountains there dwarf everything that we have here in the lower 48, even the Rockies, which, if you have seen, you know they are impressive! The local information is that only 25% of visitors in the summer actually see McKinley, because of the clouds and such. It has something to do with the snow on the mountain hitting the hot air and creating a cloud cover. We were privileged to see the mountain the first three days of our stay.

We had a wonderful time with the pastor and his family, as well as the church members that we met that week. I was surprised at how rustic it was there. Many people do not have indoor plumbing of any kind. After thinking about it, it would be difficult to keep the pipes from freezing eight months out of the year. "Going into town" takes the better part of the day since "town" is about an hour and half drive. That is where the large grocery stores and other things are. It makes me even more thankful for the convenience we have!

Another big adjustment for us was the amount of daylight there. In a whole week, we only saw the sunset one time, and that was while we were waiting for our flight to depart to come back home. It was about 1:00 am. Of course, it is broad daylight again by 4:00am, so it was very hard to judge time by the sun. I felt like I was in Neverland or something. The down side of that would be in the winter when the sun only shines a few hours a day. Thank the Lord for bright, sunny days!

We did not take the children with us, and by the end of the week, I was really missing them. They were having a wonderful time at their grandparents' house, going to the zoo, gong to the park, swimming, and in general, being spoiled rotten! Abigail and Esther were jumping up and down on the porch, screeching our names when we pulled into the driveway. Josiah was hiding under the bed to surprise us. He said he wanted to stay longer.

Paul leaves for Denver, CO next week, and will be gone for three weeks. We don't really like to be separated for such long periods of time, but there was really no other way we could do it. We will all be very glad when he returns. I plan to stay busy helping with VBS, piano lessons, and general summer stuff, in addition to our regular family life. Life never slows down, so we can't either!

Softball, Humility, and Diesel Performance Chips

2008-04-30T16:05:00.002-04:00

Ministry Update

Last week we closed a great meeting on Wednesday in Semmes, AL, just outside Mobile. Though the meeting only lasted four days, it was action packed. This church is a very responsive church, especially to our ministry. Whenever we are in the area, there is a sizable group of people that follows us and can be expected to attend multiple nights of a revival meeting, even in another church. We started the meeting with Big League Sunday, which featured dinner on the grounds, a softball game in the afternoon, an apple pie and dessert making contest for the ladies, and a free baseball to every child who attended. The church was packed and there was tremendous response to the message I preached on "Excellent Christianity." Throughout the week, the altar was full almost every night, and two trusted Christ during the meeting. It was a great blessing. After preaching in chapel on Thursday morning in their Christian school, I packed up the trailer and drove straight through to NC, arriving at 12:30 Friday morning. Now we are home for a few weeks to prepare for the summer ministry that awaits us. More on that later.

Thank you so much for your prayers. It was a blessing to see the evidence of the Holy Spirit's conviction in the hearts of people responding, especially for salvation this week.

Though this is hardly ministry, the Lord did provide something for me that I have been wanting for a long time. I have been wanting to get a performance diesel chip in my truck to increase my fuel economy as I tow my trailer. The Lord provided through the gifts (green handshakes) of different people and now I have been able to purchase a chip for my truck. I hope that it will result in slightly improved fuel economy. The company claims increases of up to 4 mpg. We'll see.

Family Update

I am glad to be back in NC, although the weather has taken a turn for the colder. I do so hate breaking out the long sleeves after I have already packed them away for the summer. Thank the Lord we still had our electric heaters.

I was in my first ever pie-baking contest while we were in Alabama. I tied for third place with my "Paper Bag Apple Pie" (yes, I actually put it in a paper bag in the oven) against some stiff competition! Some of those ladies can really cook! Anyway- it was a pie baking contest, not a pie eating contest, as Paul has been wont to tell some people. If the truth be told, though, I think he would have won the eating contest had there been one! Josiah would have won the hot dog eating contest with a grand total of six consumed in about ten minutes. Better him than me.

Paul and I played softball that afternoon and I became an official redneck - at least on one side of my neck. The sun was so bright and hot - it really felt good after the extended cool weather we have had had this spring. The kids are loving the nice weather. Since we have been back, they have spent quite a bit of time learning to ride their bikes. Josiah finally learned that he has to use the brakes and not just run smack into things in order to stop. Abigail learned the hard way not to take her feet off the pedals while coasting down a hill. Both, however, are making great progress in the skill.

School will be finished next week. Somebody say "AMEN!" Josiah has really made a lot of progress and had a great year. His greatest desire right now is to learn cursive. He can already read it pretty well, and has even attempted to copy words on his own, with impressive results! I think he will pick it up quickly.

He has also been singing with me in our meetings. We sang a duet, "A Tender Heart" and he did such a wonderful job, even though he left his shoes in the pew when he came up to sing! (You can listen to the duet here.) Later, someone told me that they told Josiah what a good job he had done, to which he replied, "I was just waiting for someone to tell me that!" Nothing like a good dose of humility to keep things in perspective!

Abigail will turn four this weekend, and is so excited. Josiah was trying to help me plan some games for the event. I said pin the tail on the donkey, and he suggested "Pin the Rock on Goliath." Now that sounds like fun! Abigail has learned a lot from her big brother, and they like to play together. One of their games is the spelling game. Each spells a word, and the other has to guess what it is. The handicap is that only one of them knows how to spell. Josiah will spell a real word, and Abigail, having no idea what it is will make wild guesses. Then, after several hints, she will figure it out, and it will be her turn to spell. Sample words might be "A-T-M-R-Q" or something similar. Then Josiah will try to sound it out. It is quite amusing to listen to them. He usually forgets the sequence about halfway through the word, and of course, she can't remember it either, so she tells him what the word was. Both are happy, and I have great hopes that one day it will be a good exercise for them.

Esther's vocabulary has really taken off, and she jabbers almost constantly. She also continues to get into everything. Monday, she found a bottle of hand lotion that her sister left out and promptly helped herself. I smelled a rather fragrant aroma coming from the bedroom and walked in to find her slathered in lotion - the entire bottle was on her arms, her legs, her dress, and the carpet. She was patting her hands in the lotion, and it was splattering everywhere. It wasn't the worst mess I have cleaned up, but neither was it the easiest - kind of greasy. She is a happy little thing most of the time, so it is hard not to smile when she gets into a situation like that. She enjoys the girly things of life - lotion, perfume, nail polish, lip gloss - you name it. She just needs to learn a bit of moderation!

LA (Lower Alabama)

2008-04-15T11:13:00.001-04:00

Ministry Update

We are in Mobile, AL for the first of two meetings in this great city. Sunday was the dedication of the new building that the Cloverleaf Baptist Church just completed. The dedication service was on a Sunday afternoon after dinner on the grounds. One of the former pastors came from Michigan for the service. Because the dedication service itself featured three different preachers, I was given only fifteen minutes to preach--a great discipline for me, to be sure. Since the afternoon service at Cloverleaf took the place of the evening service, I took the family to another church in town for their evening service. Josiah noted that we heard five different preachers on Sunday preaching a total of seven messages, because the church that we visited in the evening had two interns from Pensacola Christian College preaching in the service.

This morning, a man off the street pulled into the church parking lot and asked me if I would be able to help him. He told me that his son owned a 42-ft. fifth wheel travel trailer and needed someone to move it about a mile from where it was currently parked. He intended to put the trailer in a high traffic area with the purpose of selling it. I took my truck to his son's house, picked up the trailer, hauled it to the destination, and parked it to their satisfaction. In the process, I endeavored to witness to the couple. When they insisted that I take payment for what I had done, I refused, saying that they should come to the service that night, during which I would not prohibit them from putting some money in the offering. The man did not come, but his wife and her sister did show up. The sister was a pastor herself. Usually, the presence of another pastor in a revival meeting helps the spirit of the meeting--so I was told in college and so I have found in my ministry. This lady pastor's presence, however, seemed to be an exception to this rule. Still, both ladies heard the Word of God as it went forth. Both of them claimed to be saved. I am going to endeavor to find the husband later on this week and give him a preaching CD with the Gospel on it. Please pray for Tom that he would be saved.

Another promising highlight of this week is the Lower Alabama Pastor's Fellowship to be held here on Thursday of this week. I am once again to preach at this meeting. It has become one of my favorite meetings to preach in over the years. It seems that every time I am in Mobile, I get to preach to this same group. They are always so grateful for my preaching, although none of them has ever scheduled me for a meeting yet. Maybe this time, things will be different.

Thank you for your prayers on our behalf. Please continue to pray the Word of the Lord would have free course and be glorified (2 Thess. 3:1).

Family Update

Things have been busy around our house these last few weeks. There is much talk of birthdays and weddings by our second child. In just a few weeks, she will not only have her fourth birthday, but she is to be the flower girl in a wedding the same week! Talk about excited! It is almost all she talks about. Josiah is also to be in the wedding, but he really doesn't say much about it. I overheard Abigail telling Josiah what she wanted for her birthday. I perked up my ears when this information was being shared, hoping to get a hint of her heart's desire at four years of age. I was quite surprised to hear that she wanted a "pink horse trailer with flames on it!" Sorry - not this year - or the next - or the next! Maybe not ever. What her plans for this enormous white elephant were, I am not sure, but she will have to be satisfied with a more ordinary, mundane gift. How would you wrap that, anyway?

In one of our recent meetings, we had a rather interesting experience. A visiting lady became incensed when Paul made a comment in passing about his occasional dissatisfaction with a certain political figure. She was sitting on the second row, nearly behind me, and she clapped her hands in the air, snorted loudly, and then refused to look at Paul the entire rest of the service. Since it was in the very beginning of the message, she had to avoid his gaze for nearly forty-five minutes. It was alarming at first, and then I began to be amused by the whole situation. She was wearing an outfit of blaring purple, and I promptly dubbed her, "The Grape of Wrath." Her behavior was as bad as some of the toddlers I have seen in Wal-mart. The pastor told us later not to worry about it. It was the first time she had been in church since she became angry at him over two years before about he can't remember what. It is a sad commentary on church members when they become motivated more by politics than by holiness. How many people would never turn on the TV again after hearing or seeing something profane? Too few, I believe, and yet there are some who will leave a church because of the color of the carpet or some other trivial thing.

Last weekend as we were traveling down to Mobile, Alabama, we stopped at a campground for the night. When I took Abigail to the bathroom, I noticed that it was much lighter and airier in there than usual. I looked up, and saw that the tiny skylight vent was open - no - it was missing! Somewhere, it just flew off. At least, this time it was only something small like a skylight bubble, and not a 20 foot awning. Let this be a warning to you - never travel too close to a trailer. You never know when some miscellaneous part might come flying at you! Paul climbed up on the roof of the trailer and rigged a garbage bag over the hole with some duct tape. It was a good thing, too, because it poured down rain all night long. Had we not had the garbage bag over the vent hole, we would have been flooded! Of course, the bag did not survive the trip very well, and is now in shreds, the duct tape still clinging tenaciously to the roof. So, now that we have a convertible style bathroom, the weather has turned cold making every trip to the bathroom very brief. It's like having an outhouse indoors. There was some talk of building a fire in the commode to help with the heating bill (the smoke could easily escape out the hole in the roof), but due to the sensitive nature of the smoke detector, we decided that it was a bad idea. When the heat from the toaster oven sets off the smoke alarm, it is best not to start fires in small places.

Tonight, I played a duet with myself at church. The church has a beautiful digital piano, and I recorded myself playing a song. Then for the special music, I played along with my violin! That was a lot of fun, and very easy to prepare, especially since I knew exactly what the "accompanist" was going to do! We will be here through Thursday, and across town next week for another meeting. I do hope it warms up while we are here. Goodness knows, enough of our heat has escaped out the bathroom vent to warm it up a little!

The kids are all doing well, and we have all recovered from our recent illnesses. Thank you for your prayers. We know people have been praying for us, because of all the things that have happened to us during travel. From brake locking up, to brakes not working at all, pieces of the trailer disappearing, blizzards, thunderstorms, crazy drivers - the Lord has protected us and kept us all safe. What a great God we serve!

Road to Recovery

2008-03-31T14:46:00.000-04:00

Ministry Update

After showing up sick to this meeting in Hot Springs, VA, the pastor decided that it might be better if I did not preach on Sunday so that I could rest and recover. I hope to be in the pulpit tonight, although I am nowhere close to being well. I do, however, feel better than I have since Thursday night, doubtless due to the prayers of all of you. Thank you so much.

Family Update

After thinking that my fever had broken Saturday morning, I was negatively surprised when it came back with a vengeance as the day progressed. We left Luray, VA, and by the time we were in Harrisonburg, VA, the old symptoms were all back: burning eyes, aching bones, nuclear headache, and overall physical weakness. Once we got off the Interstate and began our trek to the church, I was hoping to meet Jack Kevorkian or some half-crazed serial killer to at least put me out of my misery. No such personage materialized, however, much to my wife’s comfort.

The cow path that led to Hot Springs (a.k.a. US 220) caused some close calls for us pulling the trailer: there were several times when we feared we would rear end ourselves on some of the curves. Had the children not been asleep, they probably would have been carsick by the time we arrived.

Set-up in Hot Springs took longer than usual. We had the trailer situated, only to find that it had to be moved so that we could have electricity for the week. Then, I had to wire directly into the breaker box, quite a feat when one’s hands are shaking like a set of canastas. We finally got everything set up, except for water, which I decided could wait until later. I then stumbled back into the trailer for another sleepless night of furnacedom.

Saturday night, I was hotter than ever, according to my wife. Not that she minded. The God of heaven had chosen to mock the meteorologists in their ideas of global warming and postpone spring, at least in the mountains of western Virginia. In addition to the other happenings of the evening, there fell a wintry mix of sleet and snow.

One of the effects of this sickness for me is that it completely takes away my ability to sleep at night. I have not slept except for catnaps here and there since Wednesday night of last week. Saturday, however, was the worst that I can ever remember. I lay in bed generating so much heat that it made a rotisserie of my wife, who had to turn over regularly, so as to avoid spontaneous combustion herself. I felt as if I were getting worse as the night progressed toward midnight. It was about then that I started seeing apocalyptic visions. These visions continued until 1:00 when my wife finally convinced me to take a fever reducer. Looking back on it, I realize that I must have been hot because I don’t remember the heater coming on very much despite the frigidity of the outside air. By morning, I felt somewhat better, the symptoms of my sickness being suppressed by the fever reducer.

After talking to my pastor and youth pastor at my home church, as well as to my Dad and the pastor of the church in which I was supposed to be preaching, I decided that it might be best to see a doctor about my condition. It was either a doctor or a snake-handling faith healer across the line in West Virginia. I opted for the former. Since I obviously had no family practitioner in the area, my only option was the hospital emergency room. I was somewhat embarrassed to go to the emergency room for something as trifling as a fever, but I was nearing the place where pride was completely out of the picture. I was startled when they asked about my living will before they would treat me. I had known that it was bad, but surely not that bad.

Now, I am on three different medications that have taken care of most of the symptoms. I am still weak, sometimes dizzy, and fearful of possible brain damage that may have resulted from the fever. My wife assures me that my brain, dubious as it was to begin with, has now been cooked to the consistency of scrambled eggs, though somewhat less tasty.

Our girls are still sick, especially Esther, who has a nasty cough and a fussy disposition. Abigail is not as bad as Esther, and Josiah seems to be fine. Thank you all for your prayers. They have been felt and appreciated.

Attention: Future meetings with Evangelist Paul Crow are subject to the approval of the Centers for Disease Control.

Sickness and Blessing

2008-03-29T11:53:00.000-04:00

Ministry Update

The Lord has given us a wonderful week of meetings at the Page Valley Baptist Church in Luray, VA. Hearts have been touched and challenged by the Word of God. Today, we head to Hot Springs, VA for another week of meetings. Thank you for praying for us.

During the slow months of the winter, God revealed to me through my pastor that I should write a book. I have been working on it ever since the new year and hope to have it available sometime in September. Please pray with me that God will use the book to minister to the hearts of men and women. The title is Cliffs and Fences: Personal Separation and Standards in a Biblical Perspective. I may work with the subtitle a little bit, but the first three words of that title are set in stone.

One of the things the Lord did for us this week was to lay it on the heart of someone to give a large gift toward paying off our trailer. Getting out from under that payment has been on my heart for quite some time, and God brought us much closer this week.

Family Update

This week has been wild from the family’s standpoint because of sickness. First of all, Sarah got sick at the beginning of the week and she has not recovered yet. Then Josiah was touch and go for a while, then I got sick, then the girls got it. Fever, runny nose, and a deep, sometimes barking cough are the symptoms of this diabolical disease. Because Sarah lost her voice early in the week, I had to sing a couple of nights. Due to the negative impact my vocalizing had on the crowds, we decided to have Sarah play the piano for the rest of the special music. Having escaped the plague most of the week, I found myself in its clutches Thursday night. After that service, I was unable to sleep all night long because of a fever of 101. Friday night, the fever had proven itself as inseparable as my shadow. After preaching, I stumbled home for another sleepless night. Shortly after 6:00 Saturday morning, the fever broke and I am on the way toward feeling better. The girls are still sick. Evangelists may not carry revival in their trailers, but this evangelist carries a dreaded sickness. Hopefully, the word won’t get out.

Paul

Blizzard

2008-03-16T22:53:00.002-04:00

Ministry Update

The Lord has given us many opportunities of service over the past couple of weeks. During the terrible blizzard (see below), I was in Denver, CO for a training session with Baptist Youth Mission. I will be traveling with them this summer as one of their youth evangelists doing vacation Bible schools and teen revivals. I am looking forward to it.

One of the opportunities that I enjoyed today was preaching to a juvenile detention center. I went in to address an audience that was not really interested in who I was. As my time went on and I preached to them, God gave me an entrance into their hearts. I was interrupted by the guard before I could give an invitation, but I was at least able to go through the Gospel with them. The longer I preach, the more grateful I am to preach in jails, for one, and to teenagers, for another.

Thank you all for your prayers. Our busy season of revival meetings is upon us. Our only hope is that the trailer will be ready to go for that time. The Lord is opening new doors for us as we go, and we are grateful for every opportunity that He provides for ministry.

Family Update

Well, having survived the great “Blizzard” that came through southern Ohio, I now feel up to date on my quota of bad weather. In fact, we had about three months’ worth of weather in the ten days we were there. It was really quite unbelievable. In the first week we were in Ohio, it was sunny, then it froze, then it rained and flooded, and then it iced and thawed. After that, the blizzard came with snow coming down two inches per hour, and then two days later, we were playing in the foot-deep snow in 60 degree weather. Needless to say, our snowman only survived for two days. The kids loved playing in the snow, and I was glad that it was rather warm, since they didn’t have proper snow clothes.

Our trailer has been giving us problems. The brakes have locked up on the rear wheel of the trailer, and must be repaired before we can drive it again. This has made for much scrambling and packing lately as we go to our different meetings. I am looking forward to getting back “home” to the trailer.

Today we had a wonderful meeting with Bro. Don Snow in New Philadelphia, OH. He and his family have been personal friends of our family since I was in diapers (literally). It was such a blessing to see them again and catch up on what is happening there at the church. Of course, I took a lot of teasing from him, but I managed to bear up with a longsuffering spirit, as you can well imagine.

Today, I looked in Abigail’s ears, and jokingly told her that there were potatoes growing in them. With a fearful voice, she said, “For weal?” I am certain that my laughter reassured her.

Esther has managed to fall as many times as possible in the last several days. Probably because she noticed that the bruises from her last tumble have started to fade. She fell out of bed last night in the hotel where we were staying. I say staying because we definitely were not sleeping. She bounced around on the bed for over an hour before we finally called the front desk to see if they had a spare cage. Once we procured a pack-n-play, she promptly fell asleep. Familiar surroundings, I guess. Today, she fell down a short flight of stairs at the pastor’s house. Later, I caught her about to follow Josiah’s example and jump off of the three-foot high platform at the church. She was all crouched and ready to spring, when I screeched “NO!” from the back of the auditorium. Tonight, she opened the drawers of the hotel dresser, and was climbing in them. I am not sure what mischief she was planning, but that also was nipped in the bud.

Josiah came into contact with peanut residue while in the gymnasium, and so, looked somewhat like a spotted hyena tonight, in addition to wheezing a lot. We treated him and washed him off as best we could. Sometimes things happen that are out of our control. He is a little trooper, though, and seems to be recovering quite well. Please pray that he would get over the sickness he has been fighting for a week or so. It puts him off balance enough that other things bother his breathing and complexion (hives, eczema). We are praying that the Lord would heal him of his allergies, and give us grace to deal with them for the time being.

Mercy Drops

2008-02-27T11:20:00.000-05:00

Ministry Update

The Lord allowed us to fill an open date almost at the last minute.  Sunday, we were in Twin City Bible Church in Nitro, WV preaching and ministering in music.  The Lord really met with us.  On Sunday morning, the Lord really got hold of hearts and many came and made key decisions in the area of interpersonal relationships.  There were those that were making things right with each other after the service and others that couldn't wait to see someone who wasn't there so that they could make things right.  It was wonderful to see God work. 

After a youth rally on Friday night in Morgantown, WV, we quit the Mountaineer state, heading West to IN.  Thank you so much for your prayers for us.  The emphasis of Friday is to be an evangelistic one, with the promise of lost people present for the rally.  Please pray that God will save souls.

Blessings, Superheroes, and Government Procedure

2008-02-13T23:29:00.001-05:00

Ministry Update

The Lord gave us a great month of ministry last month. Every Sunday except one, I was able to preach at the Bible Baptist Church of Spencer, NC. In addition, we were also able to minister in another church and gain another good contact for the future. The Bible Truth Music Leadership Conference was a highlight last month as well. This month will find us in West Virginia (hence the need for the passports, see below) and on into the Midwest. Thank you all for your prayers as we continue to travel and preach the Gospel.

Paul

Family Update

We know you are all eager to hear what has been going on at our house lately, so we will present the latest episode of “As the Trailer Turns.” Things have been quite busy since the first of the year with the general things of life, church, school, etc. Perhaps the most important thing was Josiah making a public profession of his faith before the church and getting baptized. How wonderful to see our son following the Lord in this first step of obedience. While we were waiting in the baptismal dressing room on Sunday morning, Josiah said to me, “I know that if I die before I get baptized, I will still go to heaven!” I responded that I hoped we wouldn’t have to test that statement. He stands firmly on the Bible for assurance of his salvation. All of his grandparents were present for this momentous occasion, and there were very few dry eyes. That evening, he was able to partake of his first communion, too, which was very exciting for him. We did substitute an unleavened potato chip for the bread, but I am sure the Lord understands. When you can’t eat bread, there just isn’t much choice! Some of you may take theological offense, but I am sure that with counseling you will get over it.

Josiah also had a great loss this past week when his first tooth finally evacuated his mouth. Only two small yanks and that baby was out of there. No, I did not use the doorknob method of extraction alluded to in an earlier update. Nor did I use the pliers as some suggested, or tie his tooth to the bumper of the truck and drive away. It was all very humane. He did ask if I was the “tooth fairy” when he put it under his pillow that night. I pretended to be offended and asked if he thought I looked like the tooth fairy, at which question he dissolved into uncontrollable giggles. I wonder what that was supposed to mean!?

Last week, (yes – everything happened last week, in case you are wondering, and we are glad that nothing has happened this week because it gives us time to recover between disasters) all three kids came down with the stomach flu. Esther was first, then Abigail caught it, and finally, Josiah. It was fortunate for me that I was gone for the day when it struck all three of them at the same time. Paul could hardly keep up with the cleanup, if you know what I mean. I did offer to come home, but he told me he preferred playing the martyr. Apparently, the penchant for drama runs in the family, because Josiah told Paul during this rather traumatic event, “I think that this is going to be my last day on earth!” You have all probably heard of the acclaim of Superman – “Faster than a speeding bullet…Able to leap tall buildings with a single bound…” With slight modification, these can now be applied to Paul. “Faster than a puking child in the middle of the night…Able to leap from bed to the other end of the trailer in a single bound, while grabbing the trashcan on the way…” Thankfully, his cape did not get snagged in the door of our phone booth-sized bathroom. I am happy to report that our health is back to normal, although we still start in fear when anyone coughs or burps. Just today, I caught Esther hanging over the Lego box, pantomiming throwing up. The drama gene again, I’m sure.

We also took the family to apply for our passports last week. This will enable us to continue taking mission trips with the family. The last time we went out of the country, we had a difficult time with the officials because all we had was our birth certificates. Now they won’t accept that either, so we really had no other choice. Paul went Thursday, and applied for his, and then took the rest of us on Friday. First we had to get our pictures taken. Trust us to pick the only Wal-mart in the area that did not have a digital camera. Instead, we had to wait for the Polaroid pictures to develop, and then discard them all because they were too small. Esther had her picture taken four times, and Abigail had hers taken three times. After we finally got done there, having had nine pictures for the price of four, we went to the passport office.

To call the esteemed establishment an office is really a grand flattery. It was just a room off of a maze of corridors in the post office. The fact that it had five chairs in it, seeing that there were twenty people waiting, was not of much consequence. After what seemed an interminable amount of time, we gathered all of our papers and offspring and herded them into the “office.” Esther took this opportunity to further advance her career in espionage by opening file drawers while we talked to the lady in charge. Since her reading skills are not all that they should be, she gave up on the state department files, and began hacking into the computer at the next work station. We barely intervened before she tested out their brand new digital camera. I think the passport official was relieved to have real Americans sitting before her, with real papers. We overheard her say while we were sitting in the waiting area, “Well, if you decide to become a citizen, then you can come back.” Apparently, it isn’t as easy to get a passport as some people might think. I was rather disgruntled when the woman told us that Josiah’s photo may be sent back because it is too small. Back to the Polaroid studio, I guess.

We are quite ready to get back on the road again, and ask that you pray for the Lord to continue to open doors for us in the next few weeks and months. Our summer is already full, for which we are grateful, but we still have several openings throughout the year. Our desire is that God would lay it on the hearts of good men to have us into their churches, and that we would be effective ministers at each opportunity.

Sarah