Lifes ups and downs.

It seems that things have been real tough lately and my heart has not really been in keeping everything up to date or posted on this blog. So if you don't hear much here don't worry. God bless. Joe

Not much to say!

Well it seems that i have been pretty quite the last month or so...my mom always said that if you don't have something good to say be quite. Not much to say except God is still on the throne and i can still be a knot head to God, family and friends. pray that all is well with you.

AUGUST 2009 NEWSLETTER

This year has been quite a year for us so far and it seems to be one of growing, testing and waiting. It has been extremely dry and hot here this summer and it seems that over the last couple of months when I sit down to write one of these newsletters my thoughts and ideas are just as dry and miserable. I was told that if you don’t have anything good to say don’t say anything…so I have been pretty quite. This last week all of a sudden it is like there has been a burning in my heart and spirit to read more and to listen to the Father about several things going on I my life. In the last few days I have started rereading the book “What’s so amazing about Grace”, changed the bible I am reading to the “Message” bible, I even wrote a new poem for a dear friend and it has felt great to once again feel like God is raining down in my heart and spirit. Once again I feel like I am on a “mission from God”. We go through all sorts of things in our walks of life but I think that the dry times are the hardest…the dust blows…the wind blows hot and dry..the plants try to grow but fade under the hot dry times. Even in these miserable times God is still working in us and when the rain begins to fall on our spiritual ground again the seeds start to send forth green and vibrant shoots full of promise and hope. I can’t really point to any one thing that seemed to move me but I am pretty sure it was some of the lessons my pastor has been teaching on lately. About three weeks ago as I got up to pray before Michael got up to preach I was in one of those dry places and shared that I felt kind of like the song that says “I am not skilled to understand what God has willed, what God has planned” Pastor has been sharing about vision and my heart was trying to get on the same page but things just were not clicking…I cannot tell you exactly what he shared that day but the Father used his sermon that morning to get me thinking. The next Sunday I had to get up and admit to God and our congregation that I had been wrong in that thought. That week the Father reassured me that I was able to understand where he was taking me and that I was not trusting in him. Didn’t really have to go to the wood shed but felt pretty upset as I pondered the words he had showed and given to me.

That Sunday morning as we prayed I quoted Jeremiah 33:2-3 which says “ this is what the Lord says The Lord who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the Lord : Ask of me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.” So as Michael continues to share on vision I am going to be asking God for some pretty special things….hope to share some neat stuff with you real soon.
FAMILY UPDATE
Marissa: As many of you know our oldest daughter graduated from high school this year and the day after she went to work on a summer missions team at a camp. She has only been home about four days all summer. Sally and I are so proud of her commitment to the camp…she has worked hard in the kitchen serving and cooking meals for several hundred kids and staff all summer long. She has been putting in about 11-12 hours a day. Oh to be young again. She will be going to Applied Life Leaders Academy in Hot Springs, AR this fall for ten months and then I hope she is back in Texas for awhile. I must admit it has been real hard for dad to watch her spread her wings and start to fly on her own.
Cheyanne: well she will be a junior at Fredericksburg H.S. this year. Her summer has been a long tough one. About three years ago she had an accident and hurt an ankle. Well we had tried about everything we could to get the ankle well but she finally had surgery on it and has spent most of the summer in a cast and on crutches. These last couple of weeks she has been a team servant at the camp Marissa is at.
Sally: seems that Sally is busy working and taking care of the house.
Me: same ole stuff..work etc..
Prayer requests are so varied and numerous but the thing I would ask you to do is to PRAY. We each have things in our lives that need prayer so instead of making a long list if it is on your heart pray. The word says that we have not because we ask not. the word says seek and you shall find, knick and the door will be opened unto you! Just talk to the Father and tell him all you need to. I know that he knows your heart but talk to him….ask of him…receive from him…listen to him and he will show you great things.
Last night I was reading and old Guide Post magazine and the story was talking about prayer…it shared about a young lady that had been in a terrible accident and was in a coma. Her mom prayed but not her dad….she was put on a prayer list and on this day she was lifted up in a church of several thousand members and the dad got a call from his wife and she told him that at the same all this prayer was going on their daughter came out of the coma….luck, happen stance, freak accident…I don’t think so. The father said that he then prayed the first true prayer of his life as he thanked God. What a thought…no what a TRUTH!








PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) PRAY FOR OUR PRESIDENT AND HIS GOVERNMENT. GOD TELLS US TO PRAY FOR THEM NO MATTER WHERE WE STAND ON THEIR DEEDS PRAY.
2) I HAVE A GOOD FRIEND UP IN THE JUNCTION AREA NAMED PETE DAVIS AND HE IS GOING THROUGH SOME TOUGH TIMES AND I KNOW THAT HE WOULD CHERISH YOUR PRAYERS.
3) PRAY FOR ALL OF OUR PASTORS, THEIR FAMILIES, THEIR CHURCHES AND THEIR VISION OF WHERE GOD IS LEADING THEM AND THEIR FLOCKS.
4) THERE IS PASTOR NAMED GLENNA KELLEY AND HER HUSBAND DELBERT IS HAVING A MAJOR BATTLE WITH CANCER PLEASE PRAY FOR THE FOR HEALING AND STRENGTH. I BELIEVE I HEARD THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE THAT THEY MAY BE TAKING HIM TO M. D. ANDERSON FOR TREATMENTS. I HAD THE PLEASURE OF WORKING A WALK WITH GLENNA LAST YEAR AND SHE HAS SUCH A SWEET SPIRIT AND SHE TRULY TOUCHED MY LIFE.
OUR NEXT SERVICE WILL BE SUNDAY MORNING, AUGUST 16, 2009 AT LUCKENBACH. ALL ARE WELCOME. 8:30 AM

WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?

About 18.5 years ago my wife and i were blessed with our first child. a beautiful little girl who would cry if you said that word "radical" around her. this garnered much entertainment time for her dad. now that baby girl is getting ready to spread her wings and to take flight on the "radical" life that the Father has set before her. there have been some good times, some great times and also even times when the tears flow or the voices get raised. The Father above gave us a gift in Marissa and now that she is graduating high school and going off right after her graduation to work at a christian camp this entire summer. as i father i must tell you that i am very pround of her and i have been blessed to have her as my daughter. i am sure her mom shares all of the above feelings with me. her furture plans are still being made and i am looking forward to see what God has planned. this is the blessing her mom put in the paper this week.

Marissa,
You are Beautiful and Amazing!
A new life is open before you, so step out onto the path that God has planned for you.
Go out and be a blessing to others, just as you have been a blessing to us!
We are very proud of you.
Love, Mom, Dad and Cheyanne

Easter Sunrise Service

Would like to invite you all to a sunrise Easter service at Luckenbach on Sunday morning April 12, 2009. It will take place at 7:00 in the morning. Casual dress is welcome. Will have some music, a short message and communion. will have breakfast tacos after the service.

WINDOWS

A good friend from the Junction area sent out this story to several people this morning and I thought ath it was so good i had to post it here. I hope that it will bless you or convict you if not both. Blessings, Joe

The Window Through Which We LookA young couple moved into a new neighborhoodThe next morning while they were eating breakfast,The young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside.'That laundry is not very clean,' she said.'She doesn't know how to wash correctly.Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.'Her husband looked on, but remained silent.Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,The young woman would make the same comments.About one month later, the woman was surprised to see aNice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:'Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.I wonder who taught her this.'The husband said, 'I got up early this morning andCleaned our windows.'And so it is with life. What we see when watching othersDepends on the purity of the window through which we look.I hope that you have a very blessed day!

BEST WALK EVER AND HUG IN TIME

This last weekend i worked as chapel/prayer team on a walk to Emmaus #1480 in Junction, TX. The last time I had done a walk was in 2001. It was alot of work but as usual it was "THE BEST WALK EVER." It was neat to see some old friends and make new ones. Last night as I was down in the bedroom unpacking and putting stuff up I got a phone call from one of the team members just to say thank you....I think that one call would have made my tired body jump with glee if it hadn't been so sore.....but it made my evening.

Now on to this next weekend. This weekend Feb 13-15, 2009 is the Hug In at Luckenbach. They have stuff going on all weekend long some are free and some cost some cash just check out their web site. On Sunday morning at 10:30 we will have our yearly HUG IN service. all are welcome and you can bet that there is no dress code so come on out. This picture gives a whole new message to HUG IN