A group from my church traveled to Jamaica in 2003 to work alongside missionaries Dean and Karen Dawson. Here is a recent newsletter from them regarding the hurricane. I thought I'd post it here to give it a wider audience. Who knows...maybe one of you will give or gather some friends and go give them a hand!
"Dear Prayer Warriors and Supporters,
Thank you for your many prayers & email responses! God pushed Hurricane Dean offshore approximately 40 miles, which spared many people and properties. The north coast with Montego Bay and Ocho Rios was barely touched. The southern parts of Manchester (including Newport, Newfield & Crosskeys) St. Elizabeth & Clarendon are the heaviest damaged.
Here at Bethel we totally lost Cabin #2 - the walls are laid flat & roof no-where to be seen, Cabin 1 lost the zinc off the roof, and one third of the Dining Hall roof is gone. We had damage to the top corner of the Great House - lots of water but we are blessed the roof did not come off.
We have lost many of our trees- pine, avocado, lemon, mango, palm & almond. We have a lot of cleanup to do as water and debris was pushed through every crevice inside the buildings. Electric is out - Praise God for our generator that we are using sparingly since getting fuel may become a problem to get. Phone lines are down & we can only be reached through our cell phones. The elevated water tank is still standing & we have plenty of water in the cisterns.
Financial support is desperately needed to assist in purchasing building supplies and work teams are needed to come repair homes, schools and churches in the area.
Financial support can be sent to: Bethel Christian Mission, Larry Riley, CPA, 924 Exmoor Ave., Louisville KY 40223 - please make a note that it is for "Hurricane Dean Relief".
Teams - We need you!!! Please contact us at Dean's Cell - (876) 909-0683. Dates for teams can start beginning immediately!!! You can come as an individual or as a team from your church. We will be working 100% of the time to get repairs done in the community as quickly as possible.
In Christ, Pastor Dean, Karen & Kimone Dawson"
Saturday, August 25
Saturday, August 18
Changes...
I’ve not talked much about SoulFire on this blog and it seems kind of weird since it’s been such a huge part of my life over the last three years. I’m not going to give the band’s history here…if you want to read it you can go to our website.
The reason I write today is because change is in the air. After three years of ministry SoulFire (in the words of Tim) “is in its twilight moment, with the end of this journey just around the corner. We have had an amazing three years together, performing for God and worshipping with so many wonderful people. Growing to be more than just a band, we are a family. We've had some great moments throughout this journey, and we're eternally grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to be used by God so mightily, it has been an honor. But God is moving His players. And we, of course, are following His lead.”
As of July 15, our lead guy, Tim, accepted the worship director position at our home church. It was a decision that God made extremely clear not only to Tim, but to the rest of the band, as well. Looking back I can see that God has been moving us in this direction for quite some time. I, personally, am very excited for Tim and this new adventure he, and his family, are now on. His desire has always been to advance he kingdom of God by pointing hearts toward Him through musical worship. And, for this season, God has asked him to do that at the local church level. As a result, it is clear that SoulFire is not to continue.
Ending SoulFire is bittersweet…we have invested so much in each other over the last three years. We have encouraged each other, challenged each other, and comforted each other when we lost Mark last October. But God is moving and that is always a good thing! What an incredible privilege it was to have been a part of what He has done through SoulFire.
So a big thank you to every SoulFire fan, every t-shirt wearer, every CD listener, and to those faithful few who showed up wherever we played! You know who you are. We believe God has fulfilled His purpose for SoulFire and we could never have done it without your love, support, and devotion. Thanks for accepting us with open arms, every time. It’s hard to put into words what that means as a performer…to have you worship our great God in such a way that we disappeared before your eyes as you came face to face with Jesus. Thanks to you, SoulFire’s reach extends very far. Did you know that SoulFire is on the radio in Brasil and in Houston, Texas? How does that happen without you? It cannot. Words cannot express, so a humble thank you will have to do....
And to my brothers in SoulFire…what can I say? I will simply echo the sentiments of Tim and say “a deeply indebted thank you. I'm so glad it was you guys who were with me. And I'm thankful for every part of our journey together. What a ride this has been, from the beginnings in Brazil, to countless concerts and evenings of worship at FCC, to Marshalltown, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Pella, back to Brazil, and so many places in between. I'm proud of what's been accomplished through our little band. And I'm so very thankful for each of you. For sticking together like a solid family should during our darkest hour, when our Mark was taken home to glory. For being faithful to God's call. For allowing God to use you to reach so many for His glory…with the one goal always at the forefront of leading people towards our Heavenly Father.” Thanks to Tim for leading us into battle for our Worship Leader, the Holy Spirit. I love you guys so much, mere words cannot express. You can never stop the ‘Fire’.
So now what, you may ask, happens for the Fire? We're opening for Starfield September 2, then we play September 23 for FCC's morning services, and that's the end as we see it. The truth is bands come and go, so this doesn't surprise God by any means. In fact, He has orchestrated this so clearly that we'd be blatantly out of His will to continue. But the ‘Fire’ is not a band. The ‘Fire’ is not a catchy phrase on a t-shirt (which you can buy in the SoulFire store for discount price, by the way). The ‘Fire’ is the Holy Spirit, alive and consuming. It burns deeper than ever for God's fame to be known, wherever he takes us. And who knows what God has in store?!? We put our hope only in the Lord, and our future rests comfortably with Him.
Psalm 91:1-2: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress. My God in whom I trust.”
The reason I write today is because change is in the air. After three years of ministry SoulFire (in the words of Tim) “is in its twilight moment, with the end of this journey just around the corner. We have had an amazing three years together, performing for God and worshipping with so many wonderful people. Growing to be more than just a band, we are a family. We've had some great moments throughout this journey, and we're eternally grateful to have been afforded the opportunity to be used by God so mightily, it has been an honor. But God is moving His players. And we, of course, are following His lead.”
As of July 15, our lead guy, Tim, accepted the worship director position at our home church. It was a decision that God made extremely clear not only to Tim, but to the rest of the band, as well. Looking back I can see that God has been moving us in this direction for quite some time. I, personally, am very excited for Tim and this new adventure he, and his family, are now on. His desire has always been to advance he kingdom of God by pointing hearts toward Him through musical worship. And, for this season, God has asked him to do that at the local church level. As a result, it is clear that SoulFire is not to continue.
Ending SoulFire is bittersweet…we have invested so much in each other over the last three years. We have encouraged each other, challenged each other, and comforted each other when we lost Mark last October. But God is moving and that is always a good thing! What an incredible privilege it was to have been a part of what He has done through SoulFire.
So a big thank you to every SoulFire fan, every t-shirt wearer, every CD listener, and to those faithful few who showed up wherever we played! You know who you are. We believe God has fulfilled His purpose for SoulFire and we could never have done it without your love, support, and devotion. Thanks for accepting us with open arms, every time. It’s hard to put into words what that means as a performer…to have you worship our great God in such a way that we disappeared before your eyes as you came face to face with Jesus. Thanks to you, SoulFire’s reach extends very far. Did you know that SoulFire is on the radio in Brasil and in Houston, Texas? How does that happen without you? It cannot. Words cannot express, so a humble thank you will have to do....
And to my brothers in SoulFire…what can I say? I will simply echo the sentiments of Tim and say “a deeply indebted thank you. I'm so glad it was you guys who were with me. And I'm thankful for every part of our journey together. What a ride this has been, from the beginnings in Brazil, to countless concerts and evenings of worship at FCC, to Marshalltown, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Pella, back to Brazil, and so many places in between. I'm proud of what's been accomplished through our little band. And I'm so very thankful for each of you. For sticking together like a solid family should during our darkest hour, when our Mark was taken home to glory. For being faithful to God's call. For allowing God to use you to reach so many for His glory…with the one goal always at the forefront of leading people towards our Heavenly Father.” Thanks to Tim for leading us into battle for our Worship Leader, the Holy Spirit. I love you guys so much, mere words cannot express. You can never stop the ‘Fire’.
So now what, you may ask, happens for the Fire? We're opening for Starfield September 2, then we play September 23 for FCC's morning services, and that's the end as we see it. The truth is bands come and go, so this doesn't surprise God by any means. In fact, He has orchestrated this so clearly that we'd be blatantly out of His will to continue. But the ‘Fire’ is not a band. The ‘Fire’ is not a catchy phrase on a t-shirt (which you can buy in the SoulFire store for discount price, by the way). The ‘Fire’ is the Holy Spirit, alive and consuming. It burns deeper than ever for God's fame to be known, wherever he takes us. And who knows what God has in store?!? We put our hope only in the Lord, and our future rests comfortably with Him.
Psalm 91:1-2: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress. My God in whom I trust.”
World Premier
Well, I can't believe I'm actually writing this but last night I watched the World Premier of "High School Musical 2". My nephew is SO into this and we made a whole night of it. Jill's parents came over, we ordered pizza and the showing of "High School Musical" started at 5:45. Neither Jill's parents nor Dan (my brother) had seen the first movie. Jill even planned trivia questions for during the commercial breaks complete with prizes! I won a magnet note pad and some Turtles. Then we felt the world stop at 7pm as THE SHOW began!! (Ours actually started around 7:30...thanks to DVR...cuz we were still watching the first one.)
In the middle of it all we had this...
...a little bit of perfection! Jill even bought Dark Chocolate Syrup...Mmmm!
However, at the end of the "premier" we were a lot disappointed to see Zac Efron wearing capri pants in the pre-show song. And we hope it's not the beginning of a fad...
In the middle of it all we had this...
...a little bit of perfection! Jill even bought Dark Chocolate Syrup...Mmmm!
However, at the end of the "premier" we were a lot disappointed to see Zac Efron wearing capri pants in the pre-show song. And we hope it's not the beginning of a fad...
Saturday, August 11
Start from the top...
...and work your way down.
"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10 NIV)
Oh God, create in me a pure heart ...
• A heart that won't run with lust after physical pleasure,
• A heart that obediently refuses what you've rightly and wisely fenced away as sin,
• A heart of love that never insists on its own way (1 John 2:16).
Oh God, create in me a pure heart ...
• A heart that knows no greed when it looks upon worldly treasures,
• A heart that thinks of others, and not itself,
• A heart that argues for love instead of fairness.
Oh God, create in me a pure heart ...
• A heart that never boasts about what it has or what its done,
• A heart that walks humbly, not trying to appear more important than it is,
• A heart that takes no pride in the flesh.
Oh God, create in me a pure heart ...
• A heart that chases after you,
• A heart that looks to you for its provision,
• A heart that trusts that you are at work in others,
• A heart that does not manipulate people or circumstances,
• A heart that looks upon the things above and not the things below.
Heavenly Father, renew a steadfast spirit within me ...
• A spirit committed completely to you,
• A spirit that is not double-minded,
• A spirit that is focused, and single minded on your purposes,
• A spirit resolved to know Christ and Christ alone.
"Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10 NIV)
Oh God, create in me a pure heart ...
• A heart that won't run with lust after physical pleasure,
• A heart that obediently refuses what you've rightly and wisely fenced away as sin,
• A heart of love that never insists on its own way (1 John 2:16).
Oh God, create in me a pure heart ...
• A heart that knows no greed when it looks upon worldly treasures,
• A heart that thinks of others, and not itself,
• A heart that argues for love instead of fairness.
Oh God, create in me a pure heart ...
• A heart that never boasts about what it has or what its done,
• A heart that walks humbly, not trying to appear more important than it is,
• A heart that takes no pride in the flesh.
Oh God, create in me a pure heart ...
• A heart that chases after you,
• A heart that looks to you for its provision,
• A heart that trusts that you are at work in others,
• A heart that does not manipulate people or circumstances,
• A heart that looks upon the things above and not the things below.
Heavenly Father, renew a steadfast spirit within me ...
• A spirit committed completely to you,
• A spirit that is not double-minded,
• A spirit that is focused, and single minded on your purposes,
• A spirit resolved to know Christ and Christ alone.
Thursday, August 9
Armor of God
(I like this version I recently got when SoulFire lead worship at an FCA camp.)
The war is raging.
This is not a war against people or countries.
It's a brutal, deadly war against evil forces
for the minds, hearts and souls of humankind...
Without God's armor I'm Dead Meat.
For my Belt I will fully immerse myself in God's Truth.
I will protect my heart with the Body Armor of Righteousness.
For my Shoes I will put on readiness to spread the Good News of peace found only in God.
I will Shield myself against Satan's attacks by holding onto Faith in God's perspective and ultimate victory.
I will put on as a Helmet a confidence in God's Saving Work for me and in me.
As a Sword I will grip the power of the Word of God.
The battle will be vicious but at the end of the day, when the dust settles and the smoke clears,
I WILL BE STANDING!
Ephesians 6:10-18
The war is raging.
This is not a war against people or countries.
It's a brutal, deadly war against evil forces
for the minds, hearts and souls of humankind...
Without God's armor I'm Dead Meat.
For my Belt I will fully immerse myself in God's Truth.
I will protect my heart with the Body Armor of Righteousness.
For my Shoes I will put on readiness to spread the Good News of peace found only in God.
I will Shield myself against Satan's attacks by holding onto Faith in God's perspective and ultimate victory.
I will put on as a Helmet a confidence in God's Saving Work for me and in me.
As a Sword I will grip the power of the Word of God.
The battle will be vicious but at the end of the day, when the dust settles and the smoke clears,
I WILL BE STANDING!
Ephesians 6:10-18
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)