Prayer Letter – January 2012

http://thesharingorg.podomatic.com/entry/2012-01-01T16_25_45-08_00

January 2012

Ministry Moment:

I was reaffirmed in my calling to the residents of nursing and adult foster care facilities this past week when I was introduced to a new resident in one of the homes.  Due to the Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act (HIPAA) I am restrained from divulging any details but I can share that this person is a person of faith who has simply grown elderly.

As this person is adjusting to their new dwelling and the fact that the independence that they had always known and enjoyed has become more dependent upon others, it seems that their faith is being greatly tested.  While change is always difficult for any of us, I can relate to the person of faith who finds themselves in a less desirable situation than they had ever really anticipated – and how the blessing of God is to be understood in new and even undesirable circumstances.  To have one’s life-long faith jolted to the core is a hard thing to recover from – it is a perfect situation for the Evil One to do much damage.

I talked with this resident and discussed how I would love for a resident to conduct daily devotions and times of prayer with the other residents of the home.  Although the person was non-committal at our meeting, my prayer is that over time this person of faith will find renewed purpose in their affliction.

I will not sugarcoat it: some change stinks horribly – especially when that change is a final life-altering change.  However, even in bad situations like these, we can go out fighting the good fight of faith.  I remember after the unsuspected passing of my dad I was very angry at God for letting such a tragedy happen in my life.  However, as I considered it I came to realize that I was angry at the wrong person – it is sin and the Evil One that bring suffering and death, so I resolved to fight back with faith by sharing the love of Christ with people who needed to be loved by God.  My hope is that I can encourage this new resident to that sort of resolve.

~John

 

Prayer Letter:

Dear Prayer Partner,

Happy New Year!  Welcome to 2012 – another year that will zip by in the flash of an eye.  I pray that your New Year’s celebration was safe and happy.

I guess the first thing I want to ask you to pray with me about is for the residents who have moved on to other facilities and who no longer have the benefit of regular worship services in their new homes.  Because of the New Year I’ve been thinking about the many people that I have shared God’s message of reconciliation with and who are no longer with me.  Please pray with me that they will hold fast to the faith no matter what their situations.  On the flip side of that coin, I have been thinking about the many new residents whom I will have the privilege of encouraging and sharing the grace of Christ with.  Please pray with me for all the residents who come in and who go out – that I may encourage each resident with an enduring faith in the God who died for them.

Also, please be in prayer for me this year as I will be attempting to develop those who are with me to become faithful people of prayer.  Not the normal times of “saying grace” or the standard “night time prayers” but rather a richer deeper prayer life full of fervor and faith.  God placed this vision on my heart in early November during my time on retreat, and then just this month I read something from E. M. Bounds that really stressed the importance of this for me.  Bounds states, “The pastor who succeeds in changing his people from a prayerless to a prayerful people, has done a greater work than did Augustus in changing a city from wood to marble.  And after all, this is the prime work of the preacher.”  Please be in prayer, first for me as I know that I have a ton to learn about prayer myself and then I have to communicate it clearly to the residents, second for the residents that they might understand my communications, and third that all of us are able to put into practice the often very difficult task of actually praying.

I mentioned in last month’s correspondence that as part of my endeavor to incorporate prayer into our faith lives, I will be incorporating a time of corporate prayer in the third week of every month.  Please be in special prayer for these times as this will be something completely new for our services.

Now from all of us, I thank you again for your continued prayers and support.  Without you so many people whom I serve would not have the hope that they have, and I would not have the extreme privilege of sharing the message of God’s love with the residents.  You are certainly a blessing to us all.

In His Service,
John

Prayer Letter – December 2011

http://thesharingorg.podomatic.com/entry/2011-12-01T18_13_42-08_00

Ministry Moment:

Usually when I get a new resident joining us in our weekly worship services I get asked the same thing – “What church are you with?”  I understand that residents are simply asking if it is safe to come to services or not, because really, we all need to make sure that we are not attending the high-church of Satan. J  However, this past week I was asked one of the most original questions for sizing me up and making sure that I was ok to worship with.  The new resident asked me, “Did Jesus drink the wine that He made or did He not?”  Hmm – I had never been asked this question before, nor had I ever really thought about it.  However he was not budging toward the worship area so I made the best unscriptural guess that I could.  “Well, I’d try the wine if I made it, so I guess it stands to reason that Jesus would have, too.”  With that, the new resident was satisfied and joined us as we worshipped.

There seems to be a fad this past couple of months.  Lately, in two separate services, two separate ladies have gotten warm, so they did like my 2-year-old daughter does when she gets warm – they went topless!  Heh, heh.  While I am in no way making light of these women’s mental infirmities, I do chuckle because I am assuming that this is not a common occurrence for either of the ladies, and I find it hugely ironic that they wait until worship services to disrobe.  This is not the first time that this has happened during services, but two separate services in the same 30-days?  Now that makes me chuckle and puts it freshly at the top of my mind.

Megan and I were talking the other day about the Christmas season and the residents – how they love it so.  We were remembering a lady from years ago who just loved the song “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem” and how she would begin asking for that song in May.  While it has been many years since she passed, we still think of her during this time of year specifically because she loved Jesus and the celebration of the birth of our Savior.

~John

Prayer Letter:

Dear Prayer Partner,

Last month I coveted your prayers as Megan & I were going on retreat.  Thank you for praying for us.  The retreat turned out better than I had imagined it could be, and God met us and forced us to deal with stuff that had not even been on my radar.  I had planned to spend a significant time seeking God for direction with the ministry.  Specifically, I desired to ascertain if He even really wants us to continue this ministry or not (I had not spoken to Him about it in a long time), and if He wanted me to continue the work, I wanted to seek His direction about how I should go about raising the necessary funds for the ministry.  With that agenda in my mind, I went expecting results.  As it turns out, when I was quiet and still long enough for the noises in my head to clear (about an hour), God showed up ready to talk to me.  I meant to get to my agenda, but as it turned out He had His own.  He dealt with me on two topics – one marital and the other ministry related.

During the week away God directed me to address a significant problem in Megan and my relationship.  It was a deep-seated issue that had been lingering like a sleeper agent just waiting to destroy us.  The bulk of our time was spent dealing with this and other such marital issues, and I am happy to announce that God has given us a great miraculous healing in our relationship – even though we were not necessarily aware that the problem was as pressing as it was.  Praise God for this!

The other thing that God had spoken to us about was how to minister to the residents in this coming year.  I’ve been spending a lot of time ministering and preaching God’s love and grace through Jesus Christ to the residents, but now I will be doing more work with teaching and studying the Bible about prayer.  In fact, during the third week of every month I will be forgoing the regular service and implementing a time of corporate prayer that invites all the residents to join in.  I am not exactly sure if our residents will want to participate in such a prayer time and a little frightened of what the ones who do will say, but this I believe is something that God would have us do – so we will.   Please be in prayer for us as a group that this time of prayer would be beneficial to them as well as the Kingdom of God as a whole.

Also, we have begun the Advent season in our worship services as we are in preparation for the celebration of the birth of the Christ child.  Last week we looked at Gideon’s call and how he told the angel of the Lord that from the appearances of things he concluded that God had abandoned the Children of Israel…  It was telling to see how many of our residents shook their heads in affirmation to this and indicated that they completely understand how Gideon must have felt.  I was once again reminded how the residents whom I serve feel like God has abandoned them and how many of them have lost hope in their future.  Please be in fervent prayer for the residents as I take to them a grand message of hope in the child who is born to us on Christmas Day.

Thank you for praying with us as it really is a blessing to us all.  Intercessory prayer is necessary and powerful, and I am so thankful to each of you who pray with and for us.  I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas – I pray that you know the joy and hope by remembering that the Word became flesh (Emmanuel) and was born to us in a manger some 2000 years ago.

Merry Christmas,
John

 ~ The Sharing Org | PO Box 73 | Armada, MI 48005 | 586-949-6885 | www.thesharing.org ~

Prayer Letter – November 2011

http://thesharingorg.podomatic.com/entry/2011-11-01T03_05_06-07_00

Ministry Moment:

Audible encouragement (I think) from other people is sort of like the pull of the oars in a row boat that propels you along your way.  Just as my boat seemed to be slowing and floating guided by nothing but the current, Suzie joined me and Sela at one of the Shoebox filling parties this past month.  Suzie is with Operation Christmas Child – South-East Michigan and she shared with the residents a little bit about the great blessing it was to have them join in the shoebox-fun.  She rode with me and Sela and we were able to talk.  She is a very passionate woman for the Operation Christmas Child program and its ability to not only send real physical blessings to impoverished children around the world – but mostly with its ability to share the gospel with whole communities in impoverished regions of the world.

She and I talked some of the normal “size you up” denominational stuff that we Christians do but mostly we talked about God’s goodness in the OCC project.  She asked me many questions about the ministry that I do and I (being the talker that I am) did not disappoint and hopefully did not bore.  When we had arrived back to my home Suzie came in and visited a while with the family and she even tasted some of my fresh roasted coffee (that’s another story).  During the visit she had commented to Megan that she saw that I was perfectly suited for this ministry that God had called me to and that she really enjoyed experiencing the work of God we provided to the residents of the care facilities.  Let’s just say that my hat-size increased a few notches that afternoon when she paid me such a great compliment – And she said it to my wife.  I had received another such compliment from my pastor who had taken time from his busy schedule to join me at a few of the services as well.  Both of these compliments are great encouragements to me because as each one was given I could feel my boat of faith being propelled forward.

I wondered if sharing these compliments with you is not just me “tooting-my-own” horn, but as I considered it I did not think so.  As I am the front man, I do tend to get all the glory, but without you and your continued support and blessings I could not be in a position to get this praise.  Yes, Suzie and my pastor recognized me because I was there, but the reality is that Megan and I know that there are some 45 of you who make it possible for us to minister to the residents each week.

Thank you…
~John 

Prayer Letter:

Dear Prayer Partner,

Shoeboxes are complete!  93 residents helped us to pack 30 shoeboxes.  We were able to pack all of the items on our packing-list except for the wrist watches.  Between not being able to get the watches at an agreeable price and me not meeting budget in the fund-raising efforts, the wrist watches were the item that needed to be forgone this year.  However, despite that, 93 residents were able to help in a significant way, 30 children will have a significant impact made on their lives, and many staff members were encouraged to be a part of this gospel-spreading program in the future.  Not a bad little impact our little hodge-podge of residents has effected this year.  Now, please pray with us as the shoeboxes begin their journey overseas.  I am tracking the boxes with a barcode that OCC has supplied so I will be able to report to you when we learn where they have gone.

Praise God for what appears to be an answer to prayer.  Megan has had a weird neck pain that was making her arms and shoulders ache and burn, even at rest.  She was so uncomfortable that she could not sleep.  This has lasted some 3 weeks, but with a chiropractic adjustment, prayer, and a focused deep muscle massage, Megan seems to be feeling better.  We were fearful that this was a disk problem, and so we are very happy if God has dealt with it once and for all.

This month is going to be a very busy month for us.  Here is the schedule, so please keep this prayer letter handy and pray for us (me) during the month.

Nov. 1 – 6:  Worship Service as usual

Nov. 7 – 12:  Megan and I are out of town for a spiritual retreat without kids (1^st ever in over 7 years).  Please pray for us as we will be seeking God’s direction for this ministry and just as importantly we will be concentrating on reconnecting spiritually and emotionally as a couple.  There is no worries for us, but we are both aware that 7 years and 3 kids has taken its toll on our marital relationship as we recognize that our spiritual lives have been slowly moved aside for other pressing family matters.  Also, please pray for my mom-in-law who will be taking care of all 3 kids for that week.  God bless her!!!

Nov. 13-15: I am out of town for my annual Taxation conference in preparation for 2012 taxes.  Please pray for Megan as she will be tending to the kids alone.

Nov. 16:  Dropping off shoeboxes to the pick-up location in St. Clair AND hosting a coffee roasting demonstration with the residents at one of the homes in Armada AND attending a training seminar in Southfield.  Please pray that I don’t fall out.

Nov. 24-27:  Thanksgiving Weekend – I’ll pray for travelling mercies for you.

Nov. 30^th:  Another coffee roasting demonstration for a group of residents.  Please pray that the residents experience the greatness of God in the fresh roasted single origin coffee that I serve.

Well, that about does it.  Thank you so much for praying with and for us as we take the hope of Christ to the residents in the care facilities.

God Blessings,
John

October Prayer Letter

http://thesharingorg.podomatic.com/entry/2011-10-01T04_11_18-07_00

Ministry Moment:

The other day I remained after a service and spoke with a woman who has been in my services for a few years now.  I think that she is aware in her mind, but she is elderly and feeble so she lives in the care home.  She told me about family members who had come to visit her and how much of a blessing it was for her to actually talk to her children – how she felt better when all of them just talked.  She had many regrets in her life with the kids but when they visit they set her mind at ease that all is well.

I find it interesting how a simple visit and a little time makes such a big difference in the lives of the people who live in the care facility.  I am blessed that I get to go each week and visit with them.

~John
Prayer Letter:

Dear Prayer Partner,

This is shoebox month!  Thanks to all of you who have given money to this great ministry effort.  There is still time if you missed it.

I want to share a story that I shared earlier this month with many of you who are on the email list.

I went to an Operation Christmas Child picnic in September and wanted to share with you a story that was shared there.  A woman spoke who had gone to Honduras to help distribute shoeboxes to the children.  She does not speak Spanish, so when the minister was speaking to the children and asked a question, he raised his hand and more than half of the children who were listening raised their hands in response.  She told us how after that the children with their hands raised came to the minister and the minister gave them a hug.  She said that later, when all was finished and they had boarded the bus to move on, she asked one of the interpreters what the minister had said.  She was told that the minister asked the children how many of them had never received a hug from their parents.  And then he called them to him so that he could give them an honest-to-God hug.  When I heard this I felt my eyes mist up a bit because I could not imagine a parent not showing affection to their children.  This report bolstered my understanding of how important shoeboxes are to the children who receive them.

Also, something I did not share in the e-mail: At this picnic I was fortunate to meet a young girl (late teens) who was the recipient of the shoeboxes in her home town in Albania.  She explained that she was not as destitute as others but the gift made a huge impact in her life and in the lives of so many of the children in her town.  It was very encouraging to hear a first-hand account from a child who was blessed by the box and the gospel message.

I also heard a report of children who lived in the garbage dumps of Honduras and how their daily bread was whatever they could scavenge from the trash.  The children who dwelt in these dumps would receive the shoebox gifts as their one and only gift and cherish the items and the God who provided them.

I was greatly encouraged to have been at this picnic, and I ask you to be in prayer with me as October is the month that the residents in the homes have the blessing of filling the shoeboxes for the children.  Please be in prayer for me, the residents, the children who will receive the boxes, and all of the fine folks at Operation Christmas Child who make it all happen.  To find out where we stand on our financial goal for this year’s program, please visit www.thesharing.org.

Blessings,

John

September Prayer Letter – 2011

http://thesharingorg.podomatic.com/entry/2011-08-31T07_54_00-07_00

Ministry Moment:

She Greets Me With Coppers…

Every week for the past year a solitary lady has been greeting me in the same manner – with a couple of coins.  Before anything else can happen in the weekly worship service her coins must be ceremoniously transferred from her change purse into my outstretched hand.  “This is for the shoeboxes,” she reminds me.  It may be a single penny or it may be two quarters, but every week she makes sure that she will be able to fill a Christmas shoebox for a child.

The shoebox program has been something that we have been doing ever since our very first year of service to the homes back in 2003 – 9 years of shoeboxes now!  The residents so desire to take part that the year that I had broken my knee (2007) and was on bed-rest for 3 months I arrived back to one of the homes to be greeted by the residents with shoeboxes that they had collected, wrapped, and were simply waiting for me to provided them with the materials to pack. J

Every year I try to show the residents the short 10 minute video about the shoebox program and the children who receive the gifts.  One year there was a younger man who participated with us.  Every week I went and it seemed that he would attempt to wear me out with his complaints of his situation. He was angry because he had been forced by the court to live in his group home because he had done irreparable damage to himself with the use of narcotics.  However, after I showed the video of the shoebox program, and the children who received them, I was surprised when he came to me and informed me that he had decided that maybe he did not have it as bad as he had thought after-all.

And so it is that September is fund-raising month for this year’s shoebox program and October is the month for the shoebox filling parties.  I am excited to see how God will touch all of our lives with the love of Jesus again this year.

~John 

Prayer Letter:

Dear Prayer Partner,

Well, September is the month for raising the funds for this year’s shoebox program.  This year we are raising $1,620 to fill 30 boxes.

We have almost 100 residents who like to fill shoeboxes with us, but because raising $5,400.00 is terribly difficult, we simply buy enough materials to fill 30 boxes and reuse it all again and again for the residents since 30 is the maximum number of boxes we fill at any single shoebox filling party.  Of course it would be nice to let everyone have their very own box to fill, as well as provide for many more children in the program, but alas this seems to be the way that works best.

Please be in prayer with us this year as we raise the money to provide for the program.  Also, if you would like to provide financially for all of the materials for one or more of the boxes and allow our residents to fill them, I invite you to donate $54.00 per box.  Many of you have asked if you can just provide the items for a box, but because I have tax-exemption and special buying power with purchasing in bulk, I ask that you just donate toward the raising of the funds – thanks.

This year we have a special treat as a young lady from Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child has contacted us and will be involved with one of the shoebox filling parties.  It is very gratifying to me that someone with international reach has noticed what our little organization is doing in this global effort.  Thank you for being an integral part of the annual shoebox program with us.  As I write this I realize that next year will be our 10^th year of doing shoeboxes – I am going to have to figure out how to make a big deal of it because – well, because it is a big deal now, isn’t it?

Finally, thank you all for joining us in the effort to make sure that the residents who cannot get out of their homes to join a local church for weekly worship are still served with the grace of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.  If you were not helping to make this happen it would not take very long before it did not happen.  So I thank you for continuing to pray with and financially support for me, my family, and our residents.

Blessings,
John

Prayer Letter – August 2011

http://thesharingorg.podomatic.com/entry/2011-07-26T09_16_28-07_00

Ministry Moment:

What a crazy July…

During the 4^th of July weekend I was called by a local funeral director to see if I was available to serve a family on Wednesday the 6^th.  I was, so I arranged my schedule to meet with the family in order to be prepared for the funeral.  Before I left the house (on Tuesday) to visit with the family, I was called to one of the nursing homes because one of the regulars to our worship services was passing.  So I stopped in there to pray with the passing man and spent time with his family.  Afterward I went onto meet with the other family at the funeral home.

The next morning (Wednesday) when I arrived to perform the funeral, I was asked if I could officiate on Thursday the funeral of another person who had just passed.  So after the funeral on Wednesday, I went to meet with the family of the next person for the funeral on Thursday but was delayed as the family was not available.  So, in the meantime, I called to cancel the two homes that I was supposed to perform services at but would be unable due to the Thursday funeral.  When I talked with the first home I was informed that one of the residents had passed over the 4^th and the funeral had just been completed.  Shocked, I promised to swing by when I could in order to pray with one of the residents who was particularly close to the resident who had just passed.

On Thursday morning I performed the 2^nd funeral.  This was an interesting funeral because most times when I am called by a funeral home to officiate a service, the people do not actually know me but are looking for a pastor to do a Christian funeral because, well, because America is a “Christian” nation.  Anyway, one of the family members of the deceased told me in no uncertain terms that I was to get a very clear gospel message across to the people.  While I think that I usually do this, it was nice to have it directly requested.

The next day (Friday) I was called to come to the hospital as one of the ladies who has known me since I was in diapers and who I had served for a few years in one of the homes was being taken off life-support and the family wanted me to come.  So I hurried off to the hospital and got there a few minutes too late but was able to pray with the family.  They asked me to officiate the funeral on that following Monday.  I agreed.  After I left the hospital, I went to pay my respects at the home of the resident who had passed away over the July 4^th weekend.

Saturday I had a day of relative rest – I worked in the office all day since I’d been out-of-the-office so much the previous week.  Sunday I served in the nursery at church (very draining), then hosted a family from church for lunch (not draining but not restful either), and then I was off to the funeral home to spend time with the family that I was serving for this 3^rd funeral on Monday.  When I arrived home at 8 p.m. or so, I began writing the service for the following morning’s funeral.  The 3^rd funeral was at 11:30 a.m. on Monday, so I was still able to make my two Monday-morning worship services with residents prior to the funeral.  Then I arrived at the church for the funeral around 11 a.m. where I began the process of laying our friend to rest.

Monday’s funeral seemed to go like all the rest.  I have a standard formula that I stick with when writing a funeral service, so it was not out of the ordinary.  It was nice being with a family that knew me and knew my family for generations, and it was nice being in a church building for the service – I am usually conducting services at the funeral home.  One of the changes in my duties for this funeral was that I was expected to be in attendance at the luncheon after the service.  It was this luncheon that really showed me the worth of what I do at a funeral.

An older gentleman (older than me) made eye contact with me from across the room.  He held my gaze as he walked across to where I was seated.  When he came to me he shook my hand and said, “Thank you.  I have avoided church for many years because I can never understand what the preachers are saying, but I fully understood what you said today.”  I thanked him for telling me that, and then he thanked me again and went back to his seat.  I doubt that I will ever see that gentleman again in this life, but I am confident that the Holy Spirit of God used me that day to communicate the greatest message ever told – the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Have I expressed lately how much I love my work?
~John

Prayer Letter:

Dear Prayer Partner,

This prayer letter is short because I am going out of town at the end of the month for my brother-in-law’s wedding.  Our family is taking a 6-day trip to Iowa for the nuptials.  So I have only one prayer request – for travelling mercies.

Our family has never spent so much time together in the auto or in a hotel room before – in fact, I don’t think my kids have ever been in a hotel before.  So please pray that the vehicle runs well, the children travel well, the parents get restful sleep at night, and that this is a time that we all will remember fondly.

Until next month – blessings,

John

July 2011 – Prayer Letter

http://thesharingorg.podomatic.com/entry/2011-07-01T10_46_18-07_00

 July 2011

Ministry Moment:

I was away at a men’s retreat at Liberty Christian Church in Lansing, MI (you know, doing what guys do) and on that Friday night we went to a Lansing Lugnuts baseball game where another guy and I thought it would be funny to get our individual pictures with Miss Michigan and email them to our wives explaining how we were actually enjoying the game.  Yes, it was childish, but as my wife says, guys never really grow up.  Anyhow, the guy that talked me into getting my picture with Miss Michigan (yes, I blame him J) was none other than Pastor Doug Hon from Main Street Church in St. Charles, Missouri, near St. Louis.  Doug serves as one of our board members for the Sharing Org, and he was the key-note speaker for the men’s retreat in Lansing.  While I thoroughly enjoyed myself shouting insults at the players, umps, and score board, the next day was a well-needed refresher that caused me to slow down and focus on the goodness of our God.

The reason that Doug is on the Sharing Org board is because he has a real passion for the ministry that we do.  One of his own children has a severe mental condition, and he knows first-hand the value of ministering to the needs of those with special limitations.  In fact, his church in Missouri has a special monthly gathering that is geared specifically toward those individuals who have some form of mental illness or disability.  When Megan and I have had opportunity to talk with Doug and his wife Sandra, we share with one another stories of the Sharing Org’s work, and they completely understand our experience.  These times of sharing are rare but are blessed all the same.

As Doug spoke to us men on the Saturday morning of the retreat, he did so from his heart, sharing some intimate details of being faced with the challenges of raising his special needs child, as well as his personal struggles with how to cope with a faith that was not as clearly defined as it had always been before.  As I watched him tear up with the pain of his situation, he dove into the hope that sustains him and brings him great joy:  one day Jesus would make all things right and all things new.  When he said that, I was instantly encouraged and reminded that, as I face the day-to-day challenges of the ministry, there is a light and hope at the end of the tunnel, a hope that is promised by the blood of our Savior and His resurrection.

As I listened to Doug speak, I was most powerfully reminded that a day will come in the not too distant future when the many people whom I have interacted with each week will thank me for not forgetting about them and not abandoning them to their circumstances.  As I pondered this, I could not wait to share with you that I will not be the only one thanked, but you too will be thanked by the many people whom we serve with the love of Christ each week.

So I Thank you, in advance, for standing with me in that reception line…
~John

Prayer Letter:

Dear Prayer Partner,

Wow!  What a great month it was.  Besides me having a chance to attend the men’s retreat, my wife applied to Broomtree Ministries for a FREE week long pastors & wives get-away retreat for the two of us in November, and after a phone interview, her application was accepted!  Then we scheduled a date with the local Operation Christmas Child chapter for October so that they could join us for a shoebox packing party.  And then there were three instances where the residents demonstrated the value of our service to them.

Megan had come across a ministry that strives to encourage pastors by offering a week-long retreat for the ministry couple.  It has been, well, since before Sela was born in early 2004, that Megan and I have had any time alone with God without our three kids.  So Megan applied on our behalf, was interviewed, and was accepted by the organization.  In November we are off for an all-expenses-paid spiritual retreat right here in northern Michigan.  Praise God!  We are giddy–you would think we were off to Hawaii!

Last month I asked you to pray about a woman from Samaritan’s Purse who contacted us with interest in our shoebox packing parties with the residents.  Usually people will contact us but then forget our number.  Well, earlier this month I set a firm date for Samaritan’s Purse to officially be a part of one of our shoebox packing parties.  I am excited that word of our work with the nursing care community is getting to the ears of some people outside our own sphere of influence.  Now, I need to begin raising the money for this year’s shoebox campaign.  Stay tuned…

And then finally, it can often feel as though my efforts with the residents becomes merely routine, that me showing up is just a nice visit but of no real spiritual effect in the lives I serve.  Well, this month a gentleman shared a specific prayer request about some emotional concerns of his, and his sharing demonstrated the spiritual growth taking place in his life.  Then I blushed as a group gushed on about how my time with them was the highlight of their week because of the spiritual nourishment to their souls.  And finally, when I started a new series on the 10 Commandments, one of the residents indicated that she could not wait until the next week because she would hear the next part of the message.  This meant that someone was actually awake and listening (something that I am not always sure about). J

This month I have just two prayer requests.  First, please pray for me as I begin to raise the funding for this year’s shoebox program, and second, please pray for Megan and me as we work though the logistics of getting childcare arranged for our November retreat.

And as always, I thank you for remembering us in your own times of prayer…

Have a great July!
John

June 2011 – Prayer Letter

http://thesharingorg.podomatic.com/entry/2011-07-01T10_46_18-07_00

June 2011

Ministry Moment:

Typically, when I write, I try to be somewhat light-hearted and flippant – this is not one of those times…

Gerald is 67.  He is a widower and was recently taken from his home and placed into protective custody.  The court deemed Gerald mentally incompetent to care for himself, and the one son who lived with Gerald had been considered “abusive” and “negligent.”  So it was to an AFC home that he went.

When I first met Gerald, he was not too interested in me except that I am a minister and I should have had some clout.  With tears in his eyes he literally grasped my hands and pleaded with me to help him as he is in a hopeless situation.  He told me that he had been “kidnapped” and “taken from his home” and he also informed me that if there were any Christian love in me that I would come to his aid and protect him during this horrible ordeal that he was going through.

Not for a moment did I doubt that the ordeal that he was experiencing was indeed horrible to him, and even though he was obviously fuzzy on the legal facts of the case, I knew that his feelings were completely intact and he felt hopeless, alone, and scared.  My heart ached as I tried to explain to him that I could not help him as the courts have already determined the action.  I wanted to pray with him but prayer he did not want – his freedom and independence were his only concern.

As I was leaving the care home, Gerald caught my attention and with vile detest in his eyes he told me that he hoped that I “burn in Hell” for not caring for him in his time of need.  I often get all sorts of colorful hopes from people who are mad at the world at the time, but I am pretty good at recognizing those for what they are.  But this, my lack of being able to do anything for Gerald, has cut me to the quick.  I don’t exactly know why.  Maybe it is his youth, maybe it was his tearful pleading for my help, or maybe it was a bit of both.  Whatever it was, I feel differently now about the people that I serve.  I guess maybe I see that I too will get to a point of total loss of control and freedom and that I too will get to a point when my mind does not comprehend the reality of my situation, and I will be at the mercy of others who cannot or will not help.

Today, my heart is heavy because I know that Gerald is in a boat that we each may one day be in, and unfortunately we all may sail…

Prayer Letter:

Dear Prayer Partner,

This past month I received a phone call from a woman named Susie.  She informed me that she was with Samaritan’s Purse’s Operation Christmas Child.  She asked me about the particulars about our shoebox program and seemed genuinely interested in our provisions to the residents in the homes to fill shoeboxes.  She told me that she was interested in sharing our work at her next meeting and officially participating with a filling party or two to experience what it is that we do.  I am intrigued by the attention that this could mean, but I am also leery as I have had people express interest before but to no effect.  Please pray that whatever comes of this that God’s will would be accomplished.

Since 2004 we have been providing birthday cards for the residents.  This seems a small thing, but it actually touches the residents in a profound way.  I have residents reminding me months in advance of their birthdays and thanking months after for the card they received.  I wanted to publicly thank the people who have made this program possible and regular.  First, my wife is to be recognized as she has collected all the cards and hand written on all the cards or envelopes.  Without her efforts this program would surely have become defunct.  Also, we have had people who have put in so much time making cards for us to give to the residents.  The cards are all hand-made, which the residents especially recognize.  For the first 5 or 6 years, the cards were exclusively provided by one of our ministry partners, Beverly, who recently stepped down because she is very busy with caring for her 6 children while her husband has been deployed to Afghanistan.  Now, the cards are made by two other friends of the ministry: Penni and Liz.  Thanks to all of you for helping us to touch the residents in very real and practical ways with the love of Jesus.

Since the transition to the ministry’s new accounting system, I could not get the giving details to accompany the text of the prayer letter.  This past month I have been approached by one of the ministry partners who indicated that they appreciated this bit of information from the old format.  I was also informed that I would have been told this some time ago but there was no phone number on the current letters.  Oooops– I missed that.  So I sat down again to figure out how to make it work the way I wanted, and I think I have finally got it.  At the bottom of each page you will now find your name, ministry account number, and your total annual contribution. Below that is the contact information for the ministry.  Please review all of your information and contact me should I need to change or update something.

In closing:  On behalf of myself, my family, and the residents whom I serve, I thank you for your continued prayers and support as it is with your help we are accomplishing on earth just as it is in heaven – the glorification of our God.

Blessings to you,
John

May Prayer Letter 2011

http://thesharingorg.podomatic.com/entry/2011-05-01T13_44_57-07_00

May, 2011

Ministry Moment…

“I was told by my mother that all religious claims were elaborate hoaxes contrived to control the masses.”  I was told this as I was leaving after the Easter service.  Sounds a bit like Karl Marx doesn’t it?

Part of my Easter message was about how we can be at all assured of the validity of the claim that Jesus actually came back to life on the third day.  In the message I pointed out how we all struggle with the question of believing this claim because it defies probability and leans precariously close to impossibility.  I pointed out how if we did not question the reality of the claim then we were simply not thinking about it and we would likely be easy marks to buy swampland for a fair price in the desert.  If, I pointed out, the claim was true then there is no reason we should fear asking the question – besides God isn’t afraid of the question either.

Engaged, I stopped and asked him. “So what do you think?”

“I don’t know.”

“You know that I cannot mix anything up in a test-tube to prove it to you – It is a matter of faith.  What is your heart telling you?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Well, you pray about it over the next week and we’ll talk more when I come again.  In the meantime I will be praying that God will give you some clarity, and I want you to be asking God to do the same.  Will you do that?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, see you next week.”

When I climbed into my car to go home, I was again made aware of the purpose of providing weekly worship services to the residents who live in care facilities.  I remembered the call that God placed on my life to take His message of grace through Jesus to the many residents who could not get out of their homes to attend a local church.  I was affirmed in the mandate of this mission and so very thankful for the handful of people that have partnered with The Sharing Org ministries to ensure that the grace and gospel of Jesus Christ is provided in the homes that I serve every week.

While I drove home, I shut off the radio and took the drive-time to pray that God would reveal His resurrected self to the man’s eyes of faith and dispel the whole notion of “hoax” for him once and for all.  Now, I can’t wait to see Him actually do it.

Prayer Letter…

In mid-April, VOX Church sent a service team to one of the homes that we serve.  It was part of VOX’s Second Saturday program, and they enjoyed a time of music and worship with the residents.  The team was delighted to see a few of the residents participate in the music with their own instruments and talent.  After the time of worship the team went outside and began to rake up and clean the grounds.  Many of the residents joined them in the clean-up, and the team got to converse with them while everyone worked.  It was a treat for both the residents and the VOX service team.

Last month I asked for general prayer for me and my family that God might knock us out of our rut.  You can stop praying now – thanks.  Although I won’t elaborate how God has answered this prayer, rest assured that He has answered like He does when you pray for patience.  J

This month, please pray for Mr. Elliot who struggles with his faith.  He tells me that he is having a difficult time believing that Jesus could forgive him of his many past sins.  The issue here (it seems to me) is that Mr. Elliot struggles with Schizophrenia so there is much more at play than just the regular faith struggle.  He is bombarded with everything that he sees on the television, hears on the radio, reads in the Jehovah’s Witnesses magazines, and experiences with the tweaking of his meds.  I seem to catch glimpses of clarity in his countenance but these moments are fleeting and most of the time he seems to just be far off in another world.  Please pray for him as he desires to trust in Jesus but cannot seem to get to a point where he can surrender all of his fears and concerns.

Thank you again for partnering with us for another month.  I cannot express how important you are to the work that we do and how much your partnership means to me personally.  I pray God’s best for you and yours.

Blessings,
John

CLICK ON IMAGE TO MEET HELEN

Helen

http://www.thesharing.org/files/Helen.pdf

Is Life Changed? What Easter Should Do…

http://thesharingorg.podomatic.com/entry/2011-04-23T09_47_48-07_00

TSO
Is Life Changed?
04/25/2011

INTRODUCTION:

• I remember waking up the day after my wedding and thinking to myself that “life would never again be the same.”
  • elaborate
• I remember the day that my daughter was born and thinking to myself that “life would never again be the same.”
  • elaborate
• I remember in 1994 after I had realized the significance of Easter that life could never again be the same.
  • elaborate

BODY: 

What is the implication of Jesus having risen from the dead?

1. That everything He said was correct
   1. “I am the way, the truth, and the life, that no man comes to the father except through me.”
2. That everything He taught was right
   1. “You have heard that it was said to love your neighbor and hate your enemies but I tell you to love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
3. That everything He expects from us; must be
   1. “If you would be my disciple you will pick up your cross daily and follow me.”

The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 3:16

• “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? (1 Cor:16)
• For people who profess the name of Jesus but have never actually experienced a radical change of life that has forever altered your life, I have to question:  Is the Holy Spirit of God actually residing in you?
  • If not, then I think you need to look at the empty tomb of Jesus just a little while longer: forgetting the bunnies, the eggs, and the candy of Easter and ponder the significance of a dead man rising back to life.

CONCLUSION:

When it boils down to it, you alone are the one to decide how the resurrected Jesus has influenced your life and how much the Holy Spirit of God in your life has changed anything.  But, I suggest that since a dead man rising back to life is so very radical, so also the change in our lives should be radical too.

When I am called names like “Jesus Freak” and “Christian Fanatic”, I don’t take offence at these words because they are indicators to me that Jesus has radically changed my life.  And every morning I awake to the knowledge that my life on this earth will never again be the same again.

How about you?