Wednesday

“Trust in Him at all times, you people;

pour out your heart before Him;

God is a refuge for us.”

~Psalm 62:8~

Two Easter dramas in two nights! Both were good. There were similarities and differences. I was blessed by experiencing both of them. I hope you have been able to participate in something special to help you remember the real meaning of the Easter season. Just like Christmas, Jesus is the meaning of the season!

Don Denton

Today is Tuesday and Don will taper down to 10mg of steroid tomorrow. He has had more headaches and some nausea, but he has not had a relapse. He had a good day today as well.

Joshua is doing somewhat better. He is still having to use the nebulizer as his cough is still holding on.

And for that matter, I have gotten some much needed rest. I just felt that I had hit bottom this weekend with not much sleep for about a week. So I am thankful to have more rest.

We rescheduled Don’s day of testing up in St. Louis for April 17th and then his biopsy will be the last week of April.

Our blast of Winter came and went and we are glad for the hint of Spring again.

Today Don walked without a walker in physical therapy and his therapist says he can start using a cane by weeks end. He will have to take it very carefully as his dizziness is what makes it so difficult to keep his balance.

We are hoping that we all are well enough to go to church this Sunday. It has been most difficult not being able to be in church and be with our church family. WE look for the day that we can be back.

Thank you for continuing to reach out to us and walk with us it means so much to hear such words of encouragement.

…

Bless you our family and friends.

Diane

WEDNESDAY WINDOW ON THE WORLD – April 8, 2009

UNENGAGED PEOPLES OF CENTRAL, EASTERN AND SOUTHERN AFRICA. “For the last few years, prayer requests have been submitted on behalf of the Tsonga-Shangaan (pronounced T’SON-guh shon-GAHN) people of the Limpopo province of South Africa. Approximately 820,000 Tsonga-Shangaan live in the Gazankhulu area of the province, with no IMB personnel living among them. With joy, missionaries serving in the Southeastern Africa Cluster share that the Tsonga-Shangaan of the Limpopo province have been adopted in a prayer partnership by a church in Kansas. What a blessing to begin to work with this church to provide prayer support for the Tsonga-Shangaan people! Pray for unity as we begin this ministry together. Ask the Lord to provide personnel to help and assist in starting new work and developing leadership among the Tsonga-Shangaan.” prayerplus@imb.org

SAUDI ARABS OF SAUDI ARABIA (SAU-dee). “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” are words that are heard in Arabic across the Arab world as Christians greet each other on Easter morning. Unfortunately, these words are not heard in Saudi Arabia unless they are whispered between believers. In fact, Easter is just another workday. Please pray that believers will radiate the love of Jesus during this special season. Pray that their Saudi coworkers and neighbors will see the joy in their faces and ask genuine questions. Pray that believers will have the boldness to share the story of Easter and how Jesus has changed their lives! http://www.lovesaudis.com/

TURKS OF TURKEY’S MEDITERRANEAN REGION. “In a country where soccer is the national sport and American-style football is not played in any high school that we know of, college and ‘professional’ football are attempting to take root. This is a dream come true for our son’s best friend in this country. He first played football when we arrived here a few years ago. Our son, who loves football, taught him the basics of the game. This year, this young man went to a university that has a football team. He has been able to play as a freshman on the team. It is an exciting new sport here, and there are opportunities to share the Good News and build relationships through this sport. It is illegal for adults to share the Good News with a minor in this place, but our children can share with their friends. Over a recent school break, our son was able to share a good deal about the Scriptures with this friend. Please stop and intercede for him. ‘Almighty God, we ask that Your Holy Spirit will quicken this young man’s mind and that he will seek to know You. May the truths that he heard resound in his mind until he comes face to face with Christ, the lover of his soul. Father, we ask You to draw his entire family to Yourself. Please open doors to share the gospel through sports all across this country, and let this be the generation that follows Christ.’”

KneEmail
“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow…” (Philippians 2:10).
Mike Benson, Editor
ARISTOTLE SAID, “WE are what we repeatedly do…
Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” We are creatures of habit. Habits–overeating, thumb-sucking, breath-holding, nail-biting, smoking, and the like–run the gambit from unpleasant to unhealthy. Other habits, like reading, healthy eating, exercise, money management, and getting adequate rest, greatly improve our quality of life.
Our lives are all composed of habits from the time we wake up all the way up to bedtime. If a habit is negative, a cycle that includes triggers, feelings, and impulses can be broken anywhere along the way. If the habit is positive and needed, we can nurture that cycle by continuing in it.
Think about certain spiritual matters that are matters of habit–faithful attendance, daily Bible study and prayer, pure speech, visitation, welcoming visitors at church services, involvement in church works, controlling the tongue, and any number of personal growth matters.
Aristotle was right. Excellence does not consist in doing something once. it is not even found in sporadic, occasional engagement. We cultivate excellence by focusing on certain areas with repeated, persistent effort.
Paul urged the church at Thessalonica to “abound more and more” (1 Thessalonians 4:1). That consisted in knowing how “to walk and to please God.” Peter told the Christians dispersed abroad to keep their “behavior seemly among the Gentiles” (1 Peter 2:12). In the second letter, he included excellence–virtue–as a Christian grace (2 Peter 1:5).
Excellence is not something we are born with or just wake up possessing. It is, as Aristotle said, a matter of our habits! (Neal Pollard)
Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation” (1 Peter 2:12).

May you and I feel the presence of God as we walk, run, or crawl through this day!
Anna Lee

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