First Fruits

The first revival of our ministry in 2014 is now history.  For the third year in a row, we were in the First Baptist Church of North Port, Florida, where Jared Gritton is the pastor.  Pastor Gritton and I first met when he was an assistant in Urbana, Illinois, in 2003.  We have been friends ever since then.

Because of the presence of seasonal residents of Florida, usually known as “snowbirds,” we had better crowds this year than we did in days gone by.  The Lord worked mightily in the services each night, and many responded to the preaching.

On Thursday, Pastor Gritton and I ventured out in the afternoon to make some visits and talk to some that would be home at that time of day.  We were able to find a woman named Ciria at home.  Ciria had visited the church a few times but had not yet trusted Christ as Savior.

Her story is an interesting one.  She was born into atheistic Communism in Cuba, coming to this country a few years ago.  Her family was a moral one, but one that did not really believe in God.  Upon coming to Florida, she had dabbled in Roman Catholicism because her mother had been a Catholic prior to Castro’s takeover of Cuba.  Her experience in the Catholic Church convinced her that the people there were just going through empty ritual.  Indeed, after coming to First Baptist Church only a couple of times, she had more friends there than she had at the Catholic church in two years of attending.

When we showed up to talk to her, she was very eager to hear what we had to say.  It took no convincing to persuade her that she was a sinner, and she was glad to learn that Christ’s death on the cross was all that was necessary to pay for sin.  After explaining the Gospel to her, she prayed in her living room to ask Christ to save her.  It was a glorious time in the ministry!

Ciria’s husband Paul—of all names—is not saved, and the two are in divorce proceedings right now.  Ciria wants to see her marriage put back together, and we know that God can do it.  If the Lord brings the matter to your mind, would you pray for Paul’s salvation?

We are off now to Beaufort, South Carolina, to preach in the Victory Baptist Church.  Thank you so much for your prayers.

Ready, Set, Go

What parent hasn’t heard these words from his or her child from as they grow up?  And yet those words very aptly describe the last few days of 2013 for our family.  And the work that had to be done to get ready was far from child’s play. 

After a wonderful Christmas season spent at home in Mississippi, we headed out to Ripley, Tennessee, on December 28 to prepare for a Sunday of services there all day December 29.  After preaching three times on Sunday and driving 81 miles back home, we pillowed out heads knowing that the next few days would be intense. 

Monday, we set to work getting ready; that is, preparing the trailer for a long period of time on the road.  Then there was the “get set” part of preparation: checking the air in the tires, changing the truck’s engine oil, replacing the water heater anode, and other technical projects relating to our equipment.

By 1:00 Monday afternoon, we were ready to go.  Eight hundred sixty-four miles of go, in fact.  A day and half later, we arrived in North Port, Florida about an hour before our service was supposed to start.  On Sunday, we begin our first meeting of the year here in North Port, after which he head north to South Carolina.

This year promises to bring some very important decisions for us, particularly regarding the trailer.  Last year, pulling the trailer cost us a little more than $1.64 a mile.  Admittedly, it was a rougher year than usual, mainly due to a transmission that needed to be replaced in the truck.  Still, this kind of expense forces us to make some hard decisions regarding the way we have always traveled as a family.  Would you pray for God’s wisdom as we seek His will in these matters?  What a privilege it is to serve Him, and we know that He will reveal His plan to us in His time.

May God give all of you a prosperous and fruitful New Year.