HOW A DISTRESSED WIDOW WAS SAVED FROM SUICIDE BY A LITTLE BOY!

A Small Boy's Witness Every Sunday afternoon, after the morning service at their church, the Pastor and his eleven-year-old son would go out into their town and hand out Gospel Tracts. This particular Sunday afternoon, as it came time for the Pastor and his son to go to the streets with their tracts, it was very cold outside as well as pouring down rain. The boy bundled up in
his warmest and driest clothes and said; "OK dad, I'm ready." His Pastor dad asked, "Ready for what?" "Dad, it's time we gather our tracts together and
go out." Dad responds, "Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring down
rain."

The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking "But Dad, aren't people still
going to Hell, even though it's raining?" Dad answers, "Son, I am not going
out in this weather." Despondently, the boy ask, "Dad, can I go? Please?"

His father hesitated for a moment then said, "Son, you can go. H ere are the
tracts, be careful son." "Thanks Dad!" And with that, he was off and out
into the rain.

This eleven-year-old boy walked the streets of the town going door to door
and handing everybody he met in the street a Gospel Tract. After two hours
of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone-chilled wet and down to his
VERY LAST TRACT. He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a
tract to, but the streets were totally deserted. Then he turned toward the
first home he saw and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the
doorbell. He rang the bell, but nobody answered. He rang it again and again,
but still no one answered. He waited but still no answer. Finally, this
eleven-year-old trooper turned to leave, but something stopped him. Again,
he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked loudly on the door with
his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the front porch. He rang
again, and this ti me the door slowly opened. Standing in the doorway was a
very sad- looking elderly lady.
 

She softly asked "What can I do for you son?" With radiant eyes and a smile
that lit up her world, this little boy said, "Ma'am, I'm sorry if I
disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU,
and I came to give you my very last Gospel Tract which will tell you all
about JESUS and His great LOVE." With that, he handed her his last tract,
and turned to leave. She called to him as he departed.

"Thank you, son! And God Bless You!"
 

Well, the following Sunday morning in church Pastor Dad was in the pulpit.
As the service began, he asked, "Does anybody have a testimony or want to
say anything?" Slowly, in the back row of the church, an elderly lady stood
to her feet. As she began to speak, a look of glorious radiance came from
her face, "No one in this church knows me. I've never been here before. You
see, before last Sunday I was not a Christian. My husband passed on some
time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. Last Sunday, being a
particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so in my heart that I came
to the end of the line where I no longer had any hope or will to live. So I
took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic of my home.
I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof, then stood on the
chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck.

Standing on that chair, so lonely and broken hearted I was about to leap
off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I
thought, I'll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go away.
 
 "I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and more
insistent, and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly. I
thought to myself again, "Who on earth could this be?! Nobody ever rings my
bell or comes to see me." I loosened the rope from my neck and started for
the front door, all the while the bell ran g louder and louder When I opened
the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for there on my front
porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I had ever seen in my
life. His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to you! And the words that
came from his mouth caused my heart that had long been dead, TO LEAP TO LIFE
as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice, "Ma'am, I just came to tell you
that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU." Then he gave me this Gospel Tract that I
now hold in my hand. As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold
and rain, I closed my door and read slowly every word of this Gospel Tract.
Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn't be needing
them any more. You see, "I am now a Happy Child of the KING and since the
address of your church was on the back of this Gospel Tract, I have come
here to personally say THANK YOU TO God's little angel who came just in the
nick of time and, by so doing, spared my soul from eternity in hell."
 
 There was not a dry eye in the church. And as shouts of praise and honor to
THE KING resounded off the very rafters of the building, Pastor Dad
descended from the pulpit to the front pew where the little angel was
seated. He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably. Probably no
church has had a more glorious moment, And probably this universe has never
seen a Papa that was more filled with love & honor for his son...Except for
One. This Father also allowed His Son to go out into a cold and dark world.
He received His Son back with joy unspeakable, and as all of heaven shouted
praises and honor to The King, The Father sat His beloved Son on a throne
far above all principality and power and every name that is named.

James 1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

"A gripping account of how Islamism is taking control of Britain's culture and institutions." -- National Review

Londonistan

by Melanie Phillips

The suicide bombings carried out in London in 2005 by British Muslims revealed an alarming network of home-grown terrorists and their sympathizers. Somehow, London had become the European hub for the promotion, recruitment and financing of Islamic terror and extremism -- so much so that it was mockingly dubbed "Londonistan" by exasperated European security forces. Now, British investigative journalist Melanie Phillips reveals how widespread Muslim immigration into Great Britain, and the country's paralysis by multiculturalism and fear, has created a fifth column of jihadists plotting against the West from deep inside its bosom.

Londonistan paints a picture of a country so terrified of giving offense to its Muslim minority that it has been cowed by radical clerics. Institutions across British society -- the judiciary, security circles, the Church of England, the universities, the media -- have all been reduced to silence or appeasement. With the resulting license to incite hatred and terror, London's mosques have churned out literally thousands of foot soldiers in Islamic terrorism's war against the West -- including shoe-bomber Richard Reid, 9/11 plotter Zacarias Moussaoui, and the British Muslims who perpetrated last year's hideous London Underground and bus bombings that killed 52 people.

The result, Phillips shows, is an ugly climate in Britain of fear and defeatism, which now threatens to undermine the alliance with America and imperil the defense of the free world. In the end, she argues, British authorities are walking the same path as those who capitulated to Adolf Hitler -- a strategy that is as likely to earn peace as Neville Chamberlain's.

Among the disturbing revelations in Londonistan:

• Why Great Britain can be described as the birthplace of al-Qaeda
• Why Brits can thank Prince Charles for London's leading radical mosque, Finsbury Park
• How the British push toward multiculturalism has provided cover for jihadist forces plotting terrorism
• How British universities are being used as a major recruiting ground for Islamic terrorism
• Plans for a 70,000 person mosque to be erected next to the Olympic Stadium in time for the 2012 games
• Why the legions of Muslims in Britain who are British citizens not only feel no allegiance to their country, but are actively hostile to it
• The newest political party in Europe: both far left and Islamist . . . and winning elections
• How Muslim leaders in Britain are demanding -- and are getting -- special rights, along with the special application of Islamic religious law ("Sharia")
• How the toleration by British authorities of Sharia law in certain quarters could lead to the effective legalization of polygamy
• How the British Left has endorsed and advanced the grotesque anti-Semitism that infuses Islamism
• The wholesale abdication by the Church of England in the face of this threat
• How the British government is manipulated by the country's radical Muslim clerics
• How leading Brits are bending backwards to appease and accommodate a radical community bent on their annihilation
• Why British police and intelligence services are impotent in the face of this growing threat
• How Great Britain's failure to deal with its radical Islam problem could lead to a breakup of its "special relationship" with the U.S.

"A last-minute warning for Britain and for much of the free world." -- Nathan Sharanksy

"One of the most compelling books you will ever read on the ascendancy of Islamic fundamentalism, violence and intimidation in the West. Melanie Phillips exposes the scandalous appeasement of militant Islam by British officials, the media, even the Church of England, capturing in extraordinary detail how British society and institutions have either ignored or actively fostered the growth of extremist groups on British soil. This book will both enlighten and enrage. Although its story is focused on the United Kingdom, it could be applied to any European capital or to the United States." -- Steven Emerson, author of American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us

"A last-minute warning for Britain and for much of the free world. In the 1930s, Britain was the leading appeaser of the world's most intransigent foe, refusing to see the gathering signs of danger until it was almost too late. Today, the same tendency to appeasement and self-delusion is evident again -- only now, the threat is within. Britain refuses to recognize the clear and present danger of Islamism inside its own borders, which steadily corrodes its social values and moral compass." -- Nathan Sharansky, author of The Case for Democracy

I stood watching my university students file into the classroom for our first session in the "Theology of Faith".
That was the day I first saw Tommy. My eyes and my mind both blinked. He was combing his long flaxen hair, which hung six inches below his shoulders it was the first time I had ever seen a boy with hair that long. I guess it was just coming into fashion then. I know in my mind that it isn't what's on your head but what's in it that counts; but on that day, I was unprepared and my emotions flipped I immediately filed Tommy under "s" for strange... Very strange.
Tommy turned out to be the "atheist in residence" in my theology of faith course. He constantly objected to, smirked at, or whined about the possibility of an unconditionally loving Father/God. We lived with each other in relative peace for one semester, although I admit he was for me at times a serious pain in the back pew.
When he came up at the end of the course to turn in his final exam, he asked in a cynical tone, "do you think I'll ever find God?"
I decided instantly on a little shock therapy. "No!" I said very emphatically.
"Why not?," He responded, "I thought that was the product you were pushing."
I let him get five steps from the classroom door and then called out, "Tommy! I don't think you'll ever find him, but I am absolutely certain that he will find you!"
He shrugged a little and left my class and my life. I felt slightly disappointed at the thought that he had missed my clever line: "he will find you!" At least I thought it was clever.
Later, I heard that Tommy had graduated and I was duly grateful. Then a sad report came. I heard that Tommy had terminal cancer. Before I could search him out, he came to see me.
When he walked into my office, his body was very badly wasted and the long hair had all fallen out as a result of chemotherapy. But his eyes were bright and his voice was firm, for the first time, I believe.
"Tommy, I've thought about you so often--I hear you are sick", I blurted out.
"Oh, yes, very sick. I have cancer in both lungs. It's a matter of weeks."
"Can you talk about it, Tom?", I asked.
"Sure, what would you like to know?", He replied.
"What's it like to be only twenty-four and dying?", I asked.
"Well, it could be worse.", He replied.
"Like what?", I asked.
"Well, like being fifty and having no values or ideals; like being fifty and thinking that booze, seducing women, and making money are the real biggies' in life.", He replied.

I began to look through my mental file cabinet under 's' where I had filed Tommy as strange. (It seems as though everybody I try to reject by classification, God sends back into my life to educate me.)
"But what I really came to see you about", tom said, "is something you said to me on the last day of class."
(He remembered!) He continued, "I asked you if you thought I would ever find God and you said, 'no!' Which surprised me. Then you said, 'but he will find you.' I thought about that a lot, even though my search for God was hardly intense at that time."
(My clever line. He thought about that a lot!)
"But when the doctors removed a lump from my groin and told me that it was malignant, that's when I got serious about locating God. And when the malignancy spread into my vital organs, I really began banging bloody fists against the bronze doors of heaven. But God did not come out. In fact, nothing happened.
Did you ever try anything for a long time with great effort and with no success? You get psychologically glutted, fed up with trying. And then you quit." "Well, one day I woke up, and instead of throwing a few more futile appeals over that high brick wall to a God who may be or may not be there, I just quit.. I decided that I didn't really care about God, about an after life, or anything like that. I decided to spend what time I had left doing something more profitable. I thought about you and your class and I remembered something else you had said:" "the essential sadness is to go through life without loving. But it would be almost equally sad to go through life and leave this world without ever telling those you loved that you had loved them.'" "So, I began with the hardest one, my Dad.
He was reading the newspaper when I approached him.
"Dad."
"Yes, what?", He asked without lowering the newspaper.
"Dad, I would like to talk with you."
"Well, talk."
"I mean... It's really important".
The newspaper came down three slow inches.
"What is it?"
"Dad, I love you--I just wanted you to know that." Tom smiled at me and said it with obvious satisfaction, as though he felt a warm and secret joy flowing inside of him. "The newspaper fluttered to the floor. Then my father did two things I could never remember him ever doing before.
He cried and he hugged me. We talked all night, even though he had to go to work the next morning. It felt so good to be close to my father, to see his tears, to feel his hug, to hear him say that he loved me." "It was easier with my mother and little brother. They cried with me, too, and we hugged each other, and started saying real nice things to each other. We shared the things we had been keeping secret for so many years. I was only sorry about one thing --- that I had waited so long.

Here I was, just beginning to open up to all the people I had actually been close to."
"Then, one day I turned around and God was there. He didn't come to me when I pleaded with him. I guess I was like an animal trainer holding out a hoop:" 'c'mon, jump through. C'mon, I'll give you three days, three weeks.'
"Apparently God does things in his own way and at his own hour. But the important thing is that he was there. He found me! You were right. He found me even after I stopped looking for him."
"Tommy", I practically gasped: "I think you are saying something very important and much more universal than you realize. To me, at least, you are saying that the surest way to find God is not to make him a private possession, a problem solver, or an instant consolation in time of need, but rather by opening to love. You know, the apostle john said that. He said: God is love, and anyone who lives in love is living with God and God is living in him.'" "Tom, could I ask you a favor? You know, when I had you in class
you were a real pain. But (laughingly) you can make it all up to me now. Would you come into my present theology of faith course and tell them what you have just told me? If I told them the same thing it wouldn't be half as effective as if you were to tell it."
"Ooh I was ready for you, but I don't know if I'm ready for your class."
"Tom, think about it if and when you are ready, give me a call." In a few days, Tom called, said he was ready for the class, that he wanted to do that for God and for me. So we scheduled a date.
However, he never made it.
He had another appointment, far more important than the one with me and my class. Of course, his life was not really ended by his death, only changed. He made the great step from faith into vision. He found a life far more beautiful than the eye of man has ever seen or the ear of man has ever heard or the mind of man has ever imagined. Before he died, we talked one last time.
"I'm not going to make it to your class", he said. "I know, Tom."
"Will you tell them for me? Will you tell the whole world for me?"
"I will, Tom. I'll tell them. I'll do my best."
So, to all of you who have been kind enough to read this simple story about God's love, thank you for listening. And to you, Tommy,
somewhere in the sunlit, verdant hills of heaven --- I told them, Tommy as best I could.
If this story means anything to you, please pass it on to a friend or two.
It is a true story and is not enhanced for publicity purposes.
With thanks,
Rev. John Powell, professor Loyola university in Chicago

1John 4:8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

SAFETY TIPS FOR WOMEN!

Sent in by as concerned citizen

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If
you are close enough to use it, do!

2.  Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans . If a robber asks for
your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HANDIT TO HIM. Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their chequebook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS!) The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get
in on the passenger side put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side, floor and in the back seat.
B.) If you are parked next to a big van enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY (And better paranoid than
dead.)
6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are
horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).
7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS
RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!
8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP. It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her "Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.
Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby. This e-mail should probably be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on America 's Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana . I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a
life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle  I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well.

MY CHRISTIAN TESTIMONY
With Push-ups and

World Records

      By Doug Pruden, Edmonton, AB   March 4, 2006

My first Christian experiences were in the lower junior high grades at school. Christian people would give me extra food like sandwiches and be very kind to me, while telling me that Jesus died on the cross for me.   

      Why would a centuries old religious figure from Christmas die for me, Doug, in the 20^th century? Those words would eventually penetrate me!   

       That Polish Christian student “Pete” would become a dear friend of mine and a constant reminder of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He would always read Scriptures to me at school and ask me if I had any new questions, while telling me of the latest CKER evening broadcast on the radio.   

       Peter Bieniada would take me to his Mom’s house after school and on some evenings on the weekend. His Mom would lay out the silver and dishes and put Ukrainian and Polish food on the table and tell me to eat and eat more, making an impression on me.     

1 WOULD RATHER WATCH TV  

      I was always invited to church and he always quoted John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life”.  Everlasting life to where?   We live in the real world of ‘suffering humanity’ and school work. I would rather watch T.V. over Kraft dinner. “My family was not like that”, I thought. 

      Peter had a modest home and T.V. but I almost never seen him watch it. His Mom and Dad and brothers would instead talk over dinner and get to know each other through Jesus. He tried to get me to go to his church but I turned him down many times.   

      At school he and myself like other kids were called names. I just ignored all of it and went on with my school work and desires after high school, which included college and whatever career. I was never much into the music scene and drugs and occasional booze parties while in school. I was also not very social either so maybe that helped.   

      I just feared not doing my homework and getting into trouble at home. I suppose every other kid grew up like that. I never had the self-confidence or esteem to get the really great marks in staple courses like English and Math. At home we ate well and studied hard.  I passed and made it through school.   

      One day in 1978, Peter asked me if I would go to church with him.   I thought, “Oh I may as well, he was so nice to me all these years, so why not”. The place he took me to was the Edmonton Revival Centre - the Faith Cathedral Church (Pentecostal, speak in tongues type of place). I did not know what to expect so I said to Peter, “You will sit beside me, won’t you?”    Peter said, “YES”!   So I went.  

     A fireball of a Minister named Max Solbrekken was preaching.  He spoke and then asked if anyone there would like to receive Christ as their personal Saviour. Peter nudged me a bit – “Would you like to go up?”  I answered softly and nervously - “I don’t know Peter.”  As if trying to quell my already frayed nerves he said: “I’ll go up if you do.”  I thought: “I am not a dirty drug-using sinner that needs help. I am just a school kid”. 

      But the real issue was whether I was going to go to heaven? And will I have a personal relationship with this Jesus Christ he had talked to me about for years? THAT WAS THE ISSUE!  

THE CALL TO FOLLOW JESUS!  

      So I stood up and went to the “altar” with Peter and bent my knees like the others there to pray for forgiveness of sins and accept Jesus Christ as my Saviour. All of what Peter taught me and all of his work in my life came to a head right then and there.   

      I was SAVED and I was like Peter, “a Christian person”.   After I wiped away all the tears, Peter and his Mom and I went to their place to eat.  He asked me how I felt after this experience. I said “better, but seemingly more happy that I was before” I went into the Revival Centre. I guess that was proof enough for Peter that his work and love towards me was worth it.  Only time would ever tell.  

      AS THE YEARS WENT BY, I learned more about speaking in tongues and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire.  A few years later, I finally got that “speaking in tongues thing” at a Morris Cerullo event. I began to read my Bible more and talk to family and strangers about the love of Jesus Christ.  I discovered a unique purpose to my life and that was to reach out to young people in the same way that Peter did to me.  

     Over the coming years I went to conferences in Canada and the USA to learn about Ministry.  I sat under teachings by Tony Campalo, Benny Hinn and Bill Macartny of Promise Keepers. 

    I reached out to schools by going to malls and talking to kids after school. Kids practically grew up with me in the 1990’s in south Edmonton . I had a heart for them and wanted to see them changed in Christ.

      People would sponsor me, buy me lunch and I would just keep on telling them about Jesus.  I would go to their graduations and open houses and meet their teachers and eventually get favor to speak at some schools.  I wanted to really make a difference and change the world. 

I RECEIVED A BURDEN TO REACH YOUTH!

  I went to the University of Alberta and gave out gospel tracts till the U of A student president finally wrote about them in the ‘Gateway’. I went to public events frequented by the secular media with the hopes of making a difference and voicing my opinion on everything from policing and school drop-out rates to public architecture. I needed a unique edge.

    I went to clubs and bars and worked them just to share something about the Lord. I got a permit in 1992 and became a performer for the first time at the Edmonton Fringe Festival.  I could not sing or juggle so I did what I knew best, that is to do 1000 pushups in 20 minutes. I had a busking show.   As word spread, people notarized my act as the one that did push-ups “for Jesus” because I said things or prayed to Jesus during the shows.    I had even put Phil. 3:14 on a sign and my shirt: “I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength”.   

       People asked me repeatedly how many more push-ups I could do, even referring to world records in the Guinness Book. I began to seek the Lord on this and how I could mold myself into a champion with push-ups. I read the Word of God where Isaiah says: “Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles.  They will run and not grow weary and they will walk and not faint”. 

      Faith frees a person to do his best and to achieve his potential. Successful people believe they can overcome and win a battle. Think success!  Proverbs 23:7 says: “For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he”. We must believe that we are a champion. I needed to believe I could be a champion. I never liked physical education in High School but with Jesus helping me, I could “do anything”. Have a will to do whatever it takes!   

      My faith in Christ gives me assurance and the confidence to win.  Phil 3:13-14 says: “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”.  

FOCUSING ON CHRIST!   

      Focusing on Christ is a worthwhile purpose! You don’t know how strongly you feel about something until you have to stand up for it. Be fixed, unwavering and certain. That is what Jesus is to me. Certain and unwavering faith is what you have to have within you to do a lot of pushups and to challenge any world record that may be there.

     Physical strength is from training, but courage comes from God.  God wanted to give me courage and He supported me in “being the best”.   Psalms 37:4 says: “Delight yourself also in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of your heart” Proverbs 16:19 states: “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps”

     I learned early on to write down my goals and read them every day, believe them, sleep them, dream them! Get them in your head. Forget your past and believe in your future as the champion. Not to live by chance, but by a planned purpose in Christ. When we prepare ourselves for adventure, our setbacks and losses become building blocks rather than stumbling blocks. And stepping stones instead of headstones!

     Sacrifice, discomfort, pain, injury and the will to suffer in sports to gain, exceeds the need for comfort.   Rom 12: 1 says that we should present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God. Rom 5:3-4 says: “We glory in tribulation, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance character and character hope.”    

     The first time I ever did a world record attempt with pushups was in August 2001, at the Edmonton Fringe festival. I managed after many different attempts to do 102 one-arm pushups in one minute.  That record was accepted.  However, heartbreak set in a year later as I discovered that someone else had beaten that record by 18 push-ups.   

     Evander Weber of Switzerland did 120 and made it into the 2004 Guinness Book of world records.  I was crushed in my heart and had to seek a lot of counsel, as I did not make the book. People prayed and told me to press on and try “other records”.  There were none to try, at least that I was interested in.   

     The August 2001 record attempt took me months and months of work to get the documents together for invigilation by Guinness world records in London , England . They required things like: photos, video, witness letters, and the need to perform the attempt in a public place, in my case, the ‘Fringe Festival’.  After the Edmonton fringe was done in late August, I began to go over all the record attempt paperwork that people signed at the fringe and videos made and ready them for Guinness.  

      11 SEPTEMBER:  EVERYTHING ON HOLD!  

      Then, just as soon as I got things started everything was put on hold because of the Sept 11 terrorist attacks in New York . Witnesses who had seen the record at the fringe were not in the mood to immediately give letters, and besides I also was watching the world’s reactions on T.V. over the attacks too. So during the many weeks and months that went on after the attacks I did a little bit here and a little bit there and started to get documents for Guinness organized and that was delayed further by the coming cold winter in Edmonton .    

      Just before Christmas, I finally got all the documents to Guinness. The world record of 102 one arm push-ups in one minute was accepted in March of 2002 as an official world record!  However my balloon was burst, Evander Weber whom I tried to beat did another one on October 2001, thus nullifying my chance at being selected as the latest unbeaten record for inclusion in the millions of copies “Guinness book of records 2004.     

     I was stunned that the record I worked so hard at was beaten before the book was ready for the presses.   I just wanted to give up and give up on hope I had always had for things in God.  God after all “seemed to have lost control” of my circumstances and that of making it into the biggest selling book in the world. I NEEDED STRENGTH AND COURAGE TO GO ON, but only found misery and defeat. And time to have a good cry!

     We read in Psalms 46:1: “God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble.”  We need to establish our foundations on God’s Word instead of on emotions that can fluctuate!   

THERE IS NO OTHER NAME!

There is no other name that we can turn to. Where was I to go for a new set of values and beliefs?   Psalms 55: 22 says: “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall” and “Wait upon the Lord and keep His way, and He shall exalt thee to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, thou shall see it.” (Psalms 37:34)

      Believing God was a very tough thing to do, when you have been bumped out of the biggest selling book in the world, “The Guinness Book of World Records”.    To me that is the “Academy Awards” of pushups, to have a world record and have your name in the book. Kids at schools always asked me: “Are you in the book, Dougie?”  I always told them: “With God’s help I will be.”   

    My next attempt was not till July 1^st, 2003 , when I tried to beat Roy Berger’s record of 3412 push-ups in one hour and I did that on CTV at West Edmonton Mall.    I only reached 2500 plus.  I failed again, well short of the Guinness World Record.  I spent money on that record and the Mall had pre-organized it for months, how could I lose that too!

      I gave everything and every single attempt back to Jesus in tears. BACK! I gave the talent and gift back. BY THIS TIME, I DEFINITELY GREW WEARY.     “What now”?  I asked the Lord.   

    I knew I needed faith to carry on. Back to the prayer closet and back to the prayer partners.  Could you pray for me about…..? Could you say a prayer for me about this and that? Strength, Lord!  Commitment, Lord!    Don’t give in or give up. Try something, anything!   

FIST PUSH-UPS!

On the internet there is a record of 1000 in 19:20 minutes by a Roy Berger. How about 4,700 by a Russian karate guy in 3:20 hours! That’s a lot of push-ups to do.   

    So I started to organize the two latest fist pushup attempts.  Hire the judges, get the video camera, get a photographer, get back into the swing of things and let God be GOD.  And get letters made and send them off.   

    On July 9^th 2003 I did the fastest set of fist pushups ever done, reaching 1000 in 18:13 minutes beating the previous record by almost 1 minute!  My faith was being stirred. 

     It took a year before I tried the next record. The next one was also a fist one held by the Russian Karate guy!  He completed 4700 in 3 hours and 20 minutes!   And he had to stop the exercise because he passed out for 30 seconds at the 4700 mark which resulted in the end of his performance.   

     My goal was to surpass his total by a lot.  On July 9^th 2004 , I reached 5557 in 3 hours 2 minutes and 30 seconds.  It was broadcast on the news that night and I had quite the testimony and story to tell. The judges were amazed and gave their letters and I got the video and sent things off to Germany to get approval to which they did.  I was on a roll.     

MORE RECORDS AND GLORY FOR GOD!

  I prayed to the Lord, read my goals and cased out more world records. Called a few friends for support and kept training. September 2004 came and I called Guinness world records in London England and asked them if there was a category for “most one arm pushups in one hour”. And praise the Lord, there WAS a category.   A NEW ONE that no other athlete had tried with Guinness, “The most one arm pushups in one hour” said Guinness.  “No one currently has this record,” Guinness said on the phone to me from London .  

       So I got on the internet and applied for the guidelines for that record and started practicing and planning the whole thing.   October 22, 2004 was set as the date for the attempt. I phoned judges and got a photographer and called the media just before the big day. One problem I did not wait for the actual rules/requirements to come in and meanwhile Guinness changed them since August 2001 when I did my first “Guinness” attempt.   

     They NOW require TWO video cameras (one for the side and one for the frontal view of me).   I only had one!   It was a few days before the attempt date And I did not have a second camera.  A friend of mine called a camera store that had previously donated film.  The friend Stew asked the owner of the store if he could sell him a VIDEO camera very cheap or loan one for nothing for Doug’s attempt.    

      The store owner “agreed to loan a $4,000 video camera for nothing”.  I was so happy for my friend helping me out (he was a Christian you know). So I arranged to immediately pick it up the day before and get things ready for October 22, 2004 .    

      That day I did 1,777 (a nice number) one-arm pushups in one hour of exact time with judges and TWO video cameras!  Guinness got the package a week later by courier.  I was getting good at this.  That record was “praise the Lord” accepted by Guinness!    And it MADE the 2006 Guinness book of records. Now I really had something to talk about in Christ.  

       I reminded myself of Phil 3: 13-14 that says:  “Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”   Our talents are God given and we must use them for the Lord. God gives us a unique assignment that He can use with us to change lives and bring people to the Lord.   God is a big thinker!   

       Once I made the book I showed my friends, and family. Now, I thought why not become a multi Guinness world record holder? Not just to establish records, but also to pass other peoples already established world records. I checked Guinness for other weird records. A British man by the name of Kevin Jefferson had established a world record in ‘back of the hand’ pushups.   

      He did regular pushups, but did them completely on the BACK OF THE HANDS.  Paddy Doyle started that in the year 2000 by doing 600 of them in one hour.   I took me about 4 years to muster up enough Holy Ghost courage to try a few.    They looked like they hurt! And they did.  I could not do 10 in a row.  And Paddy did 600 and eventually Kevin Jefferson completed over 1584 of them ( Oct 20, 2002 )!!!     How could I do that?    

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE & GOD!

  April 29^th, 2005 was the set attempt date.  I did the record.  It hit 1807 in one hour! One problem, a few months later Guinness REJECTED it.  The Germans said it was good but Guinness wanted to see me do it one more time with a more rigid body position.  REJECTION!    

      Scriptures could not change the fact but SCRIPTURES could change MY ATTITUDE towards the rejection. That they did, and I read the Word then went to work.   First, I video analyzed my own body doing pushups to see if I could see the errors.  I was a bit shaky.  After much prayer and patience, it was decided that I was going to do the attempt over AGAIN.    

      And this time make it as perfect of pushups as I can do. Make each one COUNT with a rigid body.  July 8^th 2005 was set as the date the gym and the judges could do it. I hit 1781, 197 past the record of 1584 set by Kevin Jefferson in 2002. My attempt with all its details was submitted to Guinness.

     The summer came and went and winter was almost here.    No answer back.   Delay, delay, delay!   It was suppose to take a few months for them to get back.    No answer, nothing to tell people.  Nothing to share about what God did. Delay did not mean denial with Guinness, because they hadn’t sent me a denial e-mail which is usually sent with a rejection.    Wait and wonder, what now?

     While browsing the Guinness website I noticed that they were having a first ever Guinness world records “DAY” on November 9, 2005 .   I thought, “Let's do another attempt, but what?  I did one arm, I did fist, I did two arm and failed years ago, I did back of hand.  What could I do?  How about, the “most one arm back of one hand in one hour?  That is 441 by Bruce Swatton of the U.K. Yikkess!!!!     I could barely do the back of hands never mind the one arm back of ONE hand!    God said: “YES you could. I saw you do one.” I did do ONE at the Edmonton Fringe in 2005.

   Actually, I did a few at the end of shows but never treated those show “conclusions” as a real contender for an ACTUAL world record.    So I applied to Guinness and got the rules and started to practice, as I had to learn this by November 9 (Guinness world records day).  

      I could only do 10 at a time, if that.  But no worry, the other guy ONLY did 441 in an entire hour.  Surely I could hack 10 here and 7 there, etc till an hour is done. “Jesus, with You all things are possible and I believe that,” I said to myself.    In training I could do almost 300 in half an hour.  Again 5 here, 7 here 13 here 10 here and so on and see just how the timing is and how much actual pain there is in doing ONE ARM BACK OF ONE HAND.  And you have to use the SAME hand!  I knew it might hurt somewhat towards the end, BUT it is only for an hour.    Besides, Jesus suffered more!  

      Let’s put this in real perspective.  So I could put up with an hour!  I phoned the judges and they all could work it!   It was coming together.   I just had to pray for the media, because that is usually a busy time in the midweek being on a Wednesday.   Global News Edmonton showed up, only AFTER a few hundred push-ups were done.   Presto, we had the last Guinness verification requirement;    A media presence.  All fulfilled.  I did 1781 in one hour all on the back of the hands.  

     In February of 2006 I finally got all the certificates for both world records and assurance from Guinness of possibly making the 2007 book!

     It was a great time to give praise to the Lord. Faith frees us to do our best whether it is push-ups or just living life every day. A champion’s heart is one molded into a likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ’s.   He did that for me, taking me from defeat to victory.    

     To be a success we MUST believe that we can win THE BATTLE . We can’t think defeat and serve the Lord. Go in and EXPECT to win.    Proverbs 22: 24 says: “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings”. Jesus is our King. Perseverance produces character. And character produces hope. 

      James 1: 17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from the above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” The Bible says in Hebrews 11: 6, “Without faith it is impossible to please God!”    Psalms 84:11 declares, “For the Lord is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly”

    That is a call for us to believe that God is who He says He is!  It is a directive for us to walk in faith and by faith in Christ. It is incumbent upon us to not give up in defeat but to keep trying and to set our hearts on the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus! We are destined to win as long as we don’t give up, and to perfect what it is He calls us to do.

    We have His promise, so we are able to set realizable goals and to persevere. He gives us the faith to believe in Jesus to save us, redeem us, to help us, to comfort us, to exalt us, to reward us, to give us His inheritance so we have something to talk about for future generations. And write our own story, our own testimonial, and our own history. To God be the glory.  Amen.

NEWS FROM EGYPT

       A Muslim man in Egypt killed his wife and then buried her with their infant baby and 8-year old daughter. The girls were buried alive! He then reported to the police that an uncle killed the kids.

       Fifteen days later another family member died. When they went to bury him, they found the 2 little girls under the sand - ALIVE!!

      The country is outraged over the incident, and the man will be executed.

      The older girl was asked how she had survived. "A man wearing shiny white clothes, with bleeding wounds in his hands, came every day to feed us. He woke up my mom so she could nurse my sister," she said.

      She was interviewed on Egyptian National TV, by a veiled Muslim woman news anchor. She said on public TV, "This was none other than Jesus, because nobody else does things like this!"

      Muslims believe Isa (Jesus) would do this, but the wounds mean He really was crucified, and it's clear also that He is alive! But, it's also clear that the child could not make up a story like this, and there is no way these children could have survived without a true miracle.

      Muslim leaders are going to have a hard time to figure out what to do with this, and the popularity of the ‘Passion of The Christ’ movie doesn't help! With Egypt at the center of the media and education in the Middle East , you can be sure this story will spread. Christ is still turning the world upside down!

      Please let this story be shared here too. The Lord says, "I will bless the person who puts his trust in Me." (Jeremiah 17:7)       

NOTE: Please help us to pray for Egypt and the millions of precious unsaved souls there, as well as the millions who sit in total darkness in other Islamic countries. My prayer is that they will come to know the True God, our Heavenly Father Who is our Creator, Sustainer and His only Son Jesus Christ our Saviour, Lord and Master. Amen.                                                  - Pastor Max Solbrekken

50 YEARS
with
MY LADY
By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.

             Max & Donna Solbrekken in Norway

        Donna and I celebrated our 50^th Wedding Anniversary recently in Edmonton . We were married on October 8, 1955 at the Saron Lutheran Church near Clive , Alberta . Our honeymoon began at Calgary ’s Palliser Hotel and the next night on the CPR Sleeper Car from Calgary to Cranbrook , where I had left my Swift’s company car! We had brunch with my colleague John Osler and his wife, and then we drove to Kimberley where I was stationed! On Tuesday morning I was back on the job!

     It doesn’t seem long ago that I swept Donna off her feet and carried her across the threshold of that Motel in Kimberley , British Columbia where we stayed until we could move into the little house I had rented! Our honeymoon that was supposed to last for a long weekend has never stopped. It has lasted for more than fifty years! Praise the Lord!

CHILDREN FILLED OUR LIVES WITH JOY!

      Ten months after we were married, Connie Marie was born. She was a beautiful little baby with lovely blue eyes and a round face and almost no hair! And she was our very own baby! It was such a miracle to see ourselves reproduced in her. What a bundle of joy! And we have always felt the same way about all our children!

      I was only 22 years old but was raised in a loving, hard working family that had come through the great depression. My mother and father were Norwegian immigrants who carved out a life for us in Saskatchewan during the “dirty thirties” and came out on top.

    We all worked together and never complained. My father refused to take the monthly dole (welfare) of $5 that the Federal Government offered! To me he was a role model, not a pussycat or push - over. He was rock-solid! And my mother was a precious, godly woman, a genuine lady and a real mother, full of love and understanding!

       Not long after Connie Marie was born, Linda Maxine arrived with her beautiful smile and lovely golden curls, Kenneth Allen our first born son and “my shadow”, Diane Ruth the last of the quartet was so precious to us, Betty Anne came four years later and became the “centre of attraction”, and finally John David the ‘last arrow in my quiver’. We called him Johnny and Betty called him “Goney”!   

  One of my brothers - a staunch Lutheran - obtained a copy of T.L. Osborn’s book, ‘Healing the Sick & Casting out Devils’. To verify whether divine healing is ‘for today’ he studied that book using 3 versions of the Bible, as well as the Norwegian Bible. After completing his study, he was convinced that divine healing was as much a part of the atonement as forgiveness!

He sent my parents the magazines of Oral Roberts and other ‘Men of God’ who were being used in the Healing Ministry!

      When my dear father Ingvar was dramatically healed by God's power and filled with the Holy Spirit in 1956 - while listening to Oral Roberts on the radio - my life was drastically turned around! I was also reminded, that my precious mother Anne had been miraculously healed through the ministry of two Lutheran lay preachers, Storm and Monsen, while still in Norway !

OUR SALVATION EXPERIENCE!

      To observe the change in my Dad – gall bladder and heart healed, as well as a spiritual transformation - made a very real impact upon me. I did not know about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and God’s power that is available to Christians, so although being respectful of my Christian upbringing, I had distanced myself from becoming intimately involved with the Lord!

      DON'T GET ME WRONG! When we got married, it had to be in a Lutheran Church and Donna - who occasionally attended the  United Church - had no problem being baptized and confirmed in order to join the Lutheran Church !

      When my Dad was healed and filled with the blessed Holy Spirit, however, God began to speak to my hardened heart about being born again and receiving the Holy Spirit.

      I had not met or known any Pentecostals or anyone else who spoke in tongues, so it was quite an experience hearing my own Dad speak in tongues without the slightest accent. My Dad who spoke only Norwegian and broken English, was filled with the Spirit of God and could speak several languages in other tongues as he rejoiced and praised the LORD.

     Wherever I worked with my Company, I began to meet people who were Pentecostal and Spirit-filled! I told them that my Dad had been healed, was well and that he spoke in tongues. And that we were Lutherans! 

        Discussing Dad's experience with my brother Fred over a glass of beer - in the Royal York Hotel, Edmonton - Fred shared that Dad had prophesied that his children would heal the sick and cast out devils. He asked me if I believed it. I told him that I didn't know and he felt the same way. Finally, after discussing the subject further, the Holy Spirit came upon me in that Bar and I said: "Fred, I don't understand it but I believe it!"

     I rationalized: "We are Norwegians and are taught to trust our Dad and we are Lutherans and our Minister said that if it is in the Bible, IT IS TRUE. We trust our Dad and he said that it is in the Bible, and being Lutherans we believe God's Word, so I BELIEVE IT."  And I made up my mind right there and then that I would open my heart the Lord, and visit Mom and Dad and receive Jesus Christ into my heart and life!     

     Not long after, while Donna and our little family were on vacation, we stopped one night in Prince Albert , SK. That evening in our little Motel, I got on my knees and called on the Lord to save my soul. He heard my prayer and filled my entire being with His peace! 

GOD GRACIOUSLY FILLED

ME WITH HIS HOLY SPIRIT!

       The next evening my Dad said: "You got saved last night." I answered: "Yes." Then he asked: "Do you want to be filled with the Holy Spirit?" Again, I answered in the affirmative.  After about five minutes on my knees with my parents and some siblings praying for me, I was baptized with the Holy Spirit and Fire! That was the beginning of 'My Journey of Faith'!

        Donna gave her heart to Christ about six months after I did and some time later was filled with the blessed Holy Spirit in the Sixth Avenue Pentecostal Church in Prince George , BC under the ministry of Evangelist Eunice Myers!

       We thank God for His grace and goodness toward us, and everything else that He has done for us through the years that have followed!

        Immediately after I had received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, I began to witness for Jesus and to win souls for His Kingdom. I was a commercial traveller for Swift’s selling meat in Prince George and district. About a year later, God surprised me with a new job where my earnings superseded anything I could have expected!  

        I was approached by McCormick’s Ltd to be their representative in the same general area selling biscuits, crackers, chocolates and candy. As a part of my contract I would immediately be put on a salary - earning twice what I had made with my former employer - and after six months placed on a straight ten percent commission basis. I was the only salesman in our Company on such a contract. 

Can you imagine the kind of money I was earning, selling to the large Food Chains, as well as detailing out of local wholesale houses to small grocery stores, restaurants, convenience markets and confectionaries? And earning 10 % of the gross sales!

         In the summer of 1963 I resigned from McCormick's Ltd and launched out in the full time Ministry for Jesus across Canada , and in 1965 we began our world-wide Crusades which continue until this day! In 1966, Thomas Tutyko and I made our history-making 3 1/2 month 'Around the World Crusade', reaching tens of thousands of souls for our Lord and Master!

        Since that time, Thomas has travelled far and wide preaching the Gospel and as a Bible teacher in the Ukraine . Through our contacts in Brazil we helped him get started in that great country. In 2005 at the age of 80, he fulfilled three 'tours of duty' for our Saviour in that nation. All glory to Jesus!

MY CALL INTO THE MINISTRY!

       I had begun evangelizing soon after I was converted in June, 1957, testifying and using gospel tracts, some of which I wrote and published. I soon met Pentecostal pastors who were filled with the Holy Spirit and who invited this Lutheran deacon to share the gospel in their churches.

      Three of those precious pastors were the late Fred Hunter of Terrace, BC and Bill Leggette of Prince Rupert , BC and Jack Williams of Hazelton , BC , who until very recently was still preaching in Nanaimo , BC at the age of 95.

       My Dad began sending me magazines from Oral Roberts, T.L. Osborn, Jack Coe and A.A. Allen, which I devoured hungrily. I studied the Bible a great deal and fasted, especially when I was away from home on business trips! Every year during our vacation, we planned trips where we could enjoy ourselves with the family, but also do some preaching. And God blessed our efforts enormously!

     In 1961, while still working with McCormick's Ltd, I launched our first radio program, 'The Cry of His Coming' on Radio KARI Blaine, Washington - directly across from White Rock, BC - which was a huge success, and soon our program was being aired on a number of stations across Canada ! 

       In August 1962 - while on vacation - we conducted our first ever Gospel Crusade in Edmonton , Alberta , at Alberta College . People had heard our messages on Radio CFCW Camrose and were drawn to the crusade. My direct preaching stirred them and Billy Leggette sang with gusto and played his violin! It was a powerful week-long crusade with large crowds, great miracles and 95 souls receiving Christ! 

     We had lived seven years in Prince George , but upon entering the Ministry in 1963 we decided to move to a more central location.

    Three Norwegian carpenters in Kelowna offered to donate their time to build us a house. Our only cost would be for the lot and building materials. I declined their offer, since I did not feel God wanted us to settle there at that time. Another friend offered to give us two acres of land in the Mission area. Again, I had to say: “No, thanks.”

GOD KNOWS EVERYTHING!

      During our Gospel Crusade with Pastor Dobson at the Assembly of God, Kent , Washington , precious souls were coming to Christ and great healings were occurring as God poured His Spirit upon us. To accommodate a scheduled wedding we cancelled the Saturday Night service, and I drove to White Rock to check out the Real Estate market there!

     I have always liked White Rock! It is close to Vancouver , the Airport and the US border. I felt it would be an ideal place for us to live and had asked Pastor Fred Hunter to investigate the rental availabilities there! I was totally relying on God and had not yet sold our new home in Prince George !

     It was 4:30 PM when I finally arrived at the Hunter residence. Fred and Gladys were not home, but had left a message for me with one of their children. He had made numerous inquiries regarding three bedroom houses for rent. There were none to be found!

     The snow was falling lazily and sparingly onto the ground as we drove up Johnson Road , when I spotted the neon lights of ‘Wolstencroft Realty’ blinking off and on.  The Lord spoke to my heart: “Go in to see them!” I pulled the car over and looked at my watch. It was almost 5:00 PM , which was closing time!

     A DEFINITE MIRACLE OF GOD!

     As I walked into the building, a man approached me. I put my question squarely to him: “Do you have a three bedroom house for rent?” He asked: “How much are you willing to pay?” I answered: “I’ll pay whatever it is worth.” He asked: “Are you willing to pay $100.00 per month?” (Now, it would be $1500.00 per month). I realized that was top rent but I said, “Yes.”

     Looking puzzled he remarked: “Isn’t it strange. We haven’t had a three bedroom house to rent for a long time, until a man walked in here 15 minutes ago. He has been trying to sell his house without success for several months, and has just now decided to rent it! He has taken his new car out for a spin and will be back in 15 minutes!”

     Strange as it may seem, the gentleman who had just listed his home as a rental, was Ernie James, an old acquaintance and neighbour from Prince George . Ernie was moving back to Prince George and we were moving to White Rock, and neither of us knew of the other’s plans! But, God knew because He knows everything and He is on our side. Praise his Holy Name forever!  We made a simple trade and the Lord made it easy for us!

       All through the years, Donna has stood by me as firm as the 'Rock of Gibraltar '. She has always been a wonderful wife, great mother and grandmother, and an excellent money manager. Her favourite shop is ' Value Village ' and she still buys my (new) white shirts there for only $5.00. 

GOD’S CALL & MIRACLES!

       When we stopped getting those huge pay checks from McCormick's Ltd, however, and had to pay for Radio and TV time, Orphanage support, Crusade expenses, Bible Schools, building Churches and printing huge amounts of tracts, books and magazines, it took faith and a lot of grit! And with eight mouths to feed… it was rough at times!

       In some ways, it was similar to St. Paul ’s call. When God called him, he conferred not with flesh and blood (Gal.1: 16,17) but was taught by the Lord Jesus and the blessed Holy Spirit. How we made it is a miracle – without denominational backing – proclaiming the GOSPEL freely to all people everywhere, without strings attached!

       And now, after preaching the gospel for 42 years all over the world reaching multitudes with the GOOD NEWS about Jesus Christ - 22 of those years as a pastor of a large Church - our Ministry is stronger than ever with open doors across this planet!

      Only by the power of God, Donna and I are in excellent health and more in love than ever! Praise the Lord! At 72 years of age, I feel like I'm just beginning and God is performing greater miracles than ever through our humble Ministry. Glory to God forever and ever!

       On October 8, 2005 – fifty years after we were united in marriage - as our family gathered to celebrate our Golden Anniversary, Donna and I could only thank God for His grace and mercy toward us! We raised our children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, and by faith have committed them unto God the “Keeper of our souls” for time and eternity!

       By the grace of God, we have an unbroken bond of love and commitment to one another that runs through our family, which nothing can destroy!  A deep familial love and a unity has bound us together for fifty years and will continue to do so through the coming years, of raising new families, overcoming adversities and staying focused on the Word of God and Jesus Christ our Lord!

ONLY TRUE CONVERSION WILL DO!

       The only counsel I have is this: Keep God in your lives, in your families, and in all you do! Obey the Word of God, humble yourselves, depart from all lustful sins of the flesh and spirit, resist the devil and turn from anything that has come between you and the Lord!

      Refuse to be intimidated by lukewarm, backslidden, half-baked Christians, who drink alcoholic beverages, watch x-rated movies, smoke marijuana, hang out in bars and casinos and commit lewd, lustful or questionable acts. Stay clear of gamblers, homosexuals, pornographers and perverts who may have infiltrated the Church!

       Only genuine REPENTANCE and CONVERSION from a sinful lifestyle will do! Pseudo - Christianity attains nothing. Neither does ‘Christianity-lite, ‘easy believism’ or ‘seeker sensitive’ religion! These are like a band-aid on a cancer. Radical Surgery is necessary for our sinful hearts and minds!

       The Bible says: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: Who can know it?” (Jer.17: 9) David cried out: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Ps.51: 10)

GOD GIVES US THE REMEDY!

      “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them.” (Ezek.36: 26, 27)     

        Jesus said: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God …That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” (John 3: 3-7)

      Dear friends and loved ones, bow your knees and your heart before the Lord in true repentance and pledge to Him your love and devotion! He will remove the blinders from your eyes, lift the condemnation from your conscience and fill your heart with genuine peace, joy and everlasting life! Then, you will know the true happiness that is found only in Jesus Christ!

     “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Cor.13: 14)

    “The Lord bless thee and keep thee; the Lord make His face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. “(Num. 6: 24-26)

      “And now unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the Church throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.” (Eph. 3: 20, 21) 

      Remember He is the ONLY hope, light and salvation of this world! Amen.

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