Walking Wounded

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

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