May we recognize and honor the presence of the Holy One this Christmas season.

Then those who feared the LORD spoke with each other, and the LORD listened to what they said. In His presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared Him and always thought about the honor of His name, (Malachi 3:16 NLT).

What Kind of List Does God Keep?

The world tells the fanciful story of jolly old St. Nick keeping a list of those who are naughty and nice, but Scripture gives the true account of God keeping some lists of His own …

• The Book of Remembrance, with the names of those who enjoy talking about God, and who are careful to honor His name, Malachi 3:16.
• The Book of Tears, where God keeps track of the sorrows of His people, Psa 56:8.
• The Book of Our Days, where our lifespan is recorded, Psa 139:16.
• The Book of Life, where our works are recorded. We will be judged according to the works listed in this book, Rev 20:12.

Please take some time to consider what is being recorded in Heaven about your life.

Our Winter Wonderland Experience

The pics in the collage above were made in March of this year, when we had the pleasure of spending a couple weeks in a winter wonderland with our Canadian family (brothers and sisters in Christ).

Benjy and I had our 25th wedding anniversary in Sept. 2008, and we chose to celebrate it by vacationing in the beautiful Pacific North West (British Columbia, Canada). We went during their short summer season and enjoyed the beautiful mountains, waterfalls, trails, and lakes, but we were told that we HAD to return during the winter season to experience the beauty of a world of white. I must say, it was a sight to behold! Our Deep South eyes have certainly never seen anything like it, and words and pictures can only partially convey the beauty of that experience.

On His Exciting Journey,

See what's next on Our Calendar or schedule Benjy to sing or preach.

McKenzie did a beautiful job singing Joseph’s Lullaby at Goodyear Baptist Church last Sunday. She will be singing it again next week as part of the youth Christmas drama at Unity Baptist Church, where she was invited to play the role of “Ancient Mary” in a play that compares the ancient story of Jesus’ birth to a modern day couple who are expecting a special child of their own.

Goodyear is currently without a music minister, and Pastor Garry Killen has asked Benjy to fill in for them any time he has a Sunday available. Winter is the slow season for our ministry, so this offer worked well for us, and Benjy has served there several Sundays during the last couple months.

With approximately 100 appointments, 2009 has been our busiest year ever!

This year we have:

• Worshiped with congregations in revival
• Ministered to families grieving at funerals
• Sung praises at family reunions
• Given testimony at praise services
• Celebrated homecomings
• Served at Bible conferences
• Ministered to widows
• Performed concerts
• Given devotions at women’s conferences
• Led music at the state evangelism conference
• Acted in church plays
• Sung at a banquet for Gideons and Pastors
• Delivered food and flowers to the sick
• AND we have eaten LOTS of good cooking with our brothers and sisters in Christ

One thing we have learned for sure … if you make yourself available and usable (through an obedient lifestyle), God will give you plenty to do.

We couldn’t be happier than we are right now, serving the Lord as a ministry family, encouraging and edifying His people, and introducing the lost to Him as often as He provides an opportunity. If you haven’t determined your place of ministry, we encourage you to spend some time praying (maybe even fasting) and seeking His guidance concerning the work He has planned for you. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do,” Ephesians 2:10.

Coming Up Next

McKenzie will be singing Joseph’s Lullaby at West Union Baptist Church this Sunday, Dec. 13, in the 10:30am service. And as I mentioned earlier, she will be performing in the youth Christmas drama at Unity Baptist. The play starts at 7:00pm and there will be refreshments afterwords.

Benjy will be leading music for both services at Goodyear Baptist this Sunday, and he will be singing several Christmas songs at Morton Church of God in Morton, MS, next Sunday. His brother Randy Rigney pastors that congregation, and they have a big Christmas celebration planned for the evening service.

On His Exciting Journey,

See what's next on Our Calendar or schedule Benjy to sing or preach.

Benjy, McKenzie, and I spent the afternoon stuffing shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child, the special Christmas evangelism effort sponsored by Samaritan’s Purse. We stuffed one girl box and one boy box, put our two with a handful of boxes that had been stuffed by some caring women from Benjy’s workplace, and delivered them to Union Baptist Church.

Union Baptist is our home church, and it has served as a drop-off center for this event for the last several years. The Samaritan’s Purse coordinator from Union said they received about 1,500 shoe boxes from our area this year. What a blessing to know that our community reached out with the love of the Father to children in remote areas that we will never visit! May the Lord place those boxes in the little hands that need it most.

A few years ago, we volunteered at the drop-off center, and I was very impressed with the way this ministry is set up. Each and every box received, is prayed over and a special kid-friendly pamphlet with the Gospel message is included. The focus of the prayers for these boxes is that God would direct them to families who are willing to hear the Gospel and receive the gift of salvation.

Meeting physical needs is important, but no ministry effort should ever neglect the spiritual needs of those being ministered to.

You Can Give A Goat?

Samaritan’s Purse does a lot more than just deliver shoe boxes at Christmas. From their website, I learned that you can give a goat, fruit trees, or even honey bees to an impoverished family to provide them with nourishment and even a small income. Follow the link to their ‘gift catalog’ to get dozens of ideas on how to minister to needy families. Some of these ideas could be used to minister to the needy in our own communities.

It is God’s command and His delight for us to share His blessings. Recently, I heard a minster say that because we are receiving God’s blessings, a river of blessings should be flowing out of us. What a perfect way of describing the Law of Love!

On His Exciting Journey,

See what's next on Our Calendar or schedule Benjy to sing or preach.

Benjy, McKenzie, and I enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast with our good friends at Goodyear Baptist Church the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Benjy has helped out with the music at Goodyear from time to time this year, and we appreciated the invitation to share this special meal with them.

A well dressed man! The deacons decided to wear overalls to the Thanksgiving feast. I loved this guy … he really knows how to dress up a pair of overalls!

Plenty of good food and good fellowship in this congregation. Thanks again for sharing your Thanksgiving meal with us and for blessing us with your sweet hospitality!

On His Exciting Journey,

See what's next on Our Calendar or schedule Benjy to sing or preach.

Here we are at the Thanksgiving season again. Didn’t we JUST do this? Time hurries by so fast … and often, without even noticing, we receive and consume an abundance of blessings. I’m so thankful the founding fathers of our nation saw the need to stop all activity one day each year and consider the blessings God has poured out on us. What wise leaders they were!

Photo courtesy of: StarMama from Flickr

As President, on October 3rd 1789, George Washington stated the following proclamation and created the first Thanksgiving Day designated by the national government of the United States of America:

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God …”

Oh, that we had men of that heart and wisdom in the leadership positions of our nation today! Those great men saw the need to lead our nation in thanking God AND obeying His will. Things are changing fast in America lately, and obedience to God is no longer a priority. But God’s people have a powerful tool that can turn things around again … PRAYER. God has given us a sure promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14:

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

We’ve heard it over and over in revivals and prayer meetings the last several years, but I’ve noticed something … our land has not been healed. I believe this is a strong indicator that God’s people are not praying God’s way. Would you join us this Thanksgiving and ask the Lord to teach us how to humble ourselves and pray, how to seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways? If God’s people don’t get this right, we have no room to ask God to bless America.

A Word Of Thanks From Us To You

We’ve had a busier ministry schedule this year than ever before, which means that we have had the joy of worshiping with more of you this year than ever before … and we want to say thanks for all the encouragement, prayers, meals, and other blessings that you have shared with us as we passed through your congregation. What privilege to be welcomed as family in so many churches!

On His Exciting Journey,

See what's next on Our Calendar or schedule Benjy to sing or preach.

Benjy was invited by Pastor Jim Slowey to lead the praise service of First Baptist Mclain at the first of the month. As usual, we got there long before the service started so Benjy would have time to work with the sound equipment and coordinate with the pastor and the choir. While he takes care of the technical issues, I usually try to find good company and visit a while … and that’s exactly what I did Sunday morning.

Just look at these two cutie pies who entertained me until the sanctuary filled up. I learned, later, that they are brought to church by their neighbors, who are members there. I spoke with the man after the morning service and was touched by his heart toward ministry. He said that he and his wife had been on a foreign missions trip and they were excited about the ministry that had been done there, but when he returned home, he was convicted about the unchurched children in his own community. Now, these two kids are being blessed by that couple. It was sweet to see the little one waiting for the woman to hold her hand and walk her to children’s church, after enjoying the praise service in the sanctuary.

This is Benjy making his way from the pastor’s house back over to the church for evening worship. I love the unusual features we find at the churches we visit. For instance, the bell tower just above Benjy’s head. Isn’t that interesting? Here’s a close up:

I love this old bell tower. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen another one like it. It is still used to call the Sunday school classes to the sanctuary for worship service. This old church is filled with character and nuances of a bygone era. You can get a glimpse of it’s charm in the pics I took when we visited in December of last year.

Pastor Slowey told us about all renovations that have been made in the last 18 months … and he mentioned that he hopes to add a white picket fence around the front and side yards. I think that will really add a special quality to the building and grounds. Not only is the facility coming to life again, but the congregation is coming to life as well. In fact, the Sunday morning service was started with two baptisms. What a blessing to celebrate their special day with them!

On His Exciting Journey,

See what's next on Our Calendar or schedule Benjy to sing or preach.

Last Tuesday, McKenzie and I dropped by to check on our good friend, Fran Gerhart, from Harmony Baptist Church. She is recovering from breast cancer surgery. Doesn’t she look great! Keep her in your prayers, though. She still has radiation and chemo ahead of her.

Thursday evening, Benjy sang at the annual Widow’s Banquet, hosted by the deacons of Roseland Park Baptist Church. I love how those deacons treat the widows in their congregation to a meal and entertainment every autumn. Scripture says, “Religion [worship] that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

Benjy wasn’t the only one who sang at the banquet. We heard some songs from the Big Band Era, performed by Bro. Roy Gjertsen. Not only did Bro. Roy do a great job singing … he kept us laughing too. What a funny guy!

And these two young ladies did a fantastic job with some praise songs. They have the sweetest harmony … and sweet hearts to match! I love to see young people lead in sincere worship.

Visiting our sick friend and ministering to the widow’s this week seemed to be part of a theme God is using to speak to me about the ‘Law of Love.’ Through Scripture and ministers and conversations with godly friends, the theme of ‘love your neighbor’ has come up time and again, lately. If you are walking with the Lord, I’m sure you know how God, often, teaches that way. So when I recognize a theme surfacing, I start paying attention because I know I’m about to learn a very special lesson. I’ve written two short articles [ What Is The Law Of Love? and Why Is The Law Of Love So Important? ] about what God has taught me about loving my neighbor so far, but I have a feeling the lesson is far from finished. In fact, I think it will be a life long process of learning.

On His Exciting Journey,

See what's next on Our Calendar or schedule Benjy to sing or preach.

I love, love, love autumn … the colors, the flavors, and the respite from the heat and humidity of late summer in the deep south. While summer lends an intense energy to our lives, autumn tones it down and mellows things out a bit. Let’s all say … Ahhhhhhh. There! Doesn’t that feel better? Enjoy it while it lasts, because the hustle and bustle of Christmas it just around the corner!

Our table is dressed and ready for the season … bring on the flavors of autumn!

Benjy, McKenzie, and I were privileged to have dinner, last week, with Ms. Frankie and part of the mission’s team she hosted this summer. It was a blessing to hear her tell the team about the effects of their work in the Chinese town where she lives 6 months each year. Ms. Frankie has served the Lord as a missionary to China for many years, and she is encouraging and inspiring many others to reach out to the Chinese with the love of the Lord.

Speaking of reaching out to others with the love of the Lord … McKenzie and I had an opportunity, last week, to minister to a new friend who had fallen out her back door and broken her nose so badly that it needed corrective surgery. I cooked a pot of homemade soup and McKenzie baked a batch of brownies, and we had the sweetest visit when we delivered our little care package.

Scripture teaches that we should take every opportunity to do good for others, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Gal 6:10). Our family sees this as an important way of picturing God’s love, even in small ways, to the world around us. We often refer to it as the ‘law of love’ or ‘law of Christ’:  Love God and love your neighbor … ALL the law hangs on this (Mat 22:36-40).

Stationed outside our front door.
Not really the strongest security guards … but certainly the most fashionable!

Coming Up Next

Benjy has enjoyed worshiping with the congregation at Goodyear Baptist Church here in Picayune several Sundays this month as he filled in as music minister there. Next on our calendar is a mid-week event … the annual Widow’s Banquet which is sponsored by the deacons of Roseland Park Baptist Church. They’ve invited Benjy to sing for the banquet several years now, and it is always a sweet pleasure to spend that time with them.

On His Exciting Journey,

See what's next on Our Calendar or schedule Benjy to sing or preach.

After being so very blessed by the testimony of Debra Hall’s life in Same Kind Of Different As Me, I was excited to read the sequel, What Difference Do It Make, but I found it a little disappointing. Not that I wasn’t blessed by the stories of how Debra’s testimony encouraged others to reach out with the love of Christ … but because the book felt like a promotional scheme, trying to get extra mileage out of the beautiful story in the original book. This seems to be standard marketing procedure for ‘best sellers’ in Christian publishing lately, producing a flurry of extra-mileage companion materials.

The stories of lives that have been touched by Debra’s example were wonderful, but they really seemed to be secondary in this book, as it’s focus was more on Ron and his rocky relationship with his father. Maybe the stories are better suited for an interactive blog-type of media, where the emails and letters could be regularly updated, and those who are looking for a sense of direction about how to reach out to their community could find examples and encouragement.

Pearls of Wisdom

All of that being said, there were some pearls of wisdom in this book. One such pearl was found in Denver’s dialogue about helping the poor and needy.

But when you reachin out to folks, ’specially if you just reachin out when other folks expects it, you got to ask yourself – is you doin it for God, or is you doin it for you? The things you do for nothin is the things you keep forever … If you doin it for somethin, you already done got paid. God don’t pay no overtime.

Well said, Denver! Further over in the book, Denver offers a profound insight to those of us who are suspicious about what is done with ‘our’ blessings once we have handed them over to a needy person.

I was sho ‘nough happy to hear that story ’cause it shows that even if you bless some needy person just a little bit, God might use other folks down the line to weave your little gift into a bigger blessin. And if you bless folks, you gon’ get the blessin back, no matter what they does with the money. So you give the gift with no strings attached, and let God take care a’ business on the other end.

I plan to keep Denver’s ’sermons’ in mind as I try to live by the law of love … “He gave justice and help to the poor and needy, and everything went well for him. Isn’t that what it means to know Me?” says the LORD” (Jer 22:16 NLT).

On His Exciting Journey,

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This is my personal review of What Difference Do It Make?: Stories of Hope and Healing, written by Ron Hall and Denver Moore and published by Thomas Nelson.

See what's next on Our Calendar or schedule Benjy to sing or preach.

He thought he was going to faint. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing his wife say … “I want her number.” He thought he had imagined every scenario, but none of them included this! She dialed the number, stated her name, then proceeded to tell the ‘other woman’ that she was sorry … sorry that she hadn’t been a good enough wife to her husband, sorry that he had to look elsewhere for what he should have found at home. Then she taught him a lesson in true love as he listened to her words … “I intend to work on being the best wife Ron could ever want, and if I do my job right, you will not be hearing from my husband again.” That’s what she promised, and that’s what she delivered. It was a sterling example of the law of love, spoken of in God’s Word.

It was when he treated Denver Moore to a cup of coffee at Starbucks that he got his second lesson about the law of love. He couldn’t have bought a better education from an ivory league collage. No, what he was about to learn from this new found friend was far more than head knowledge … it sunk deep down into his soul. What he got from Starbucks that day was about to change more than just his life, it was going to change a community!

In this true story of Debra and Ron Hall, we see a beautiful example of God’s love received and funneled through to those who are often considered untouchable … the homeless. Because we receive God’s blessings, a river of blessings should flow from us, and that is exactly the kind of life Debra Hall lived. Same Kind of Different As Me is an amazing story of a woman whose tender heart understood that caring for the poor and needy is how we show the love of Christ. I consider myself blessed to have learned this lesson from the beautiful testimony of Debra Hall’s life.

On His Exciting Journey,

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This is my personal review of Same Kind of Different As Me, written by Ron Hall and Denver Moore and published by Thomas Nelson.

See what's next on Our Calendar or schedule Benjy to sing or preach.