Happy Thursday & Friday

Editor's Note: Finished the paper layout at 8am Thursday... Way too tired to think about a Thursday Devotional... Hope to get the paper posted in the next day or so... 
Happy Thursday & Friday,
Richard 
Overcoming the Four Ds
By Gene Markland, CBN Staff Writer

Roy was the Senior Pastor of the church he pioneered, when his marriage came to an end. This most significant disaster in his life nearly destroyed him. Feeling like he could not go on, Roy left his church of nineteen years and moved to Virginia to live with his sister and brother-in-law.

In the months and years to follow, Roy describes what he went through as the four Ds: Depression, Despair, Defeat, and finally Despondency. Though he would not admit it at the time, Roy was, in fact, a man of faith with the strength of a lion. God would not let him languish forever. Oh no. Christ was in him and scripture helped him keep his sanity.
"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them" (Romans 8:28 NLT).

Roy began to attend his sister’s church and eventually headed up the men’s group. He had one consistent message. It’s not too late, God is not through with you yet, and the best is yet to come. I was in that men’s group and witnessed the optimism and faith that sustained him.

Roy went on a short-term mission trip to Romania, and developed relationships there with Christian leaders. On a subsequent trip to Romania, God sparked a vision in him and Roy began to stay for extended periods of time, preaching in churches all over the country.

He found the Romanians to be a poor people with a rich hunger for God. All day they would work in the fields, and afterward eagerly come to his meetings at night. The people touched his heart and he realized God’s purpose for the next phase of his life.

He received the vision and calling to reach the Nation of Romania for Christ. With only his small minister’s pension, he turned his face from retirement and set out on his greatest adventure with Christ as his only partner.

He bought an old house with a barn and declared it Apa Vie, which means living water. He repaired and then renovated the building into a conference center. From this commitment began Evangelistic meetings for youth, and Pastors conferences training hundreds for ministry. Roy has spoken before the elite political and scientific leaders in the country, including major Universities.

He developed an outstanding reputation among Romanians from all walks of life. Pastors and churches in the U.S. have partnered with him and use his Apa Vie conference center as a base of operations for mission trips.

God proves through Roy that we do not have to wait until everything is in place to start. We must face the reality of our circumstances, hold faith in God and His plan for us, and act! You do not have to languish either. Don’t give up hope. Your dreams may seem impossible to accomplish. The four Ds may be your daily companions, but don’t quit!

Remember what the Bible says,
"For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him" (Philippians 2:13 NLT).

Roy’s dream is still in progress as he has plans for further expansion. We are all part of God’s expanding Kingdom, so don’t fall prey to the four Ds. Take your rightful place in the Kingdom. With Christ, your dream is possible! In Roy’s words, "You are significant! The best is ahead of you! You never know what God is up to! Keep the faith, and trust God!

Daily Smile:

The Difference Between Men and Women

Let's say a guy named Fred is attracted to a woman named Martha. He asks her out to a movie; she accepts; they have a pretty good time. A few nights later he asks her out to dinner, and again they enjoy themselves. They continue to see each other regularly, and after a while neither one of them is seeing anybody else.


And then, one evening when they're driving home, a thought occurs to Martha, and, without really thinking, she says it aloud: "Do you realize that, as of tonight, we've been seeing each other for exactly six months?"


And then, there is silence in the car.


To Martha, it seems like a very loud silence. She thinks to herself: I wonder if it bothers him that I said that. Maybe he's been feeling confined by our relationship; maybe he thinks I'm trying to push him into some kind of obligation that he doesn't want, or isn't sure of.


And Fred is thinking: Gosh. Six months.


And Martha is thinking: But, hey, I'm not so sure I want this kind of relationship either. Sometimes I wish I had a little more space, so I'd have time to think about whether I really want us to keep going the way we are, moving steadily towards, I mean, where are we going? Are we just going to keep seeing each other at this level of intimacy? Are we heading toward marriage? Toward children? Toward a lifetime together?

Am I ready for that level of commitment? Do I really even know this person?


And Fred is thinking: ...so that means it was...let's see...February when we started going out, which was right after I had the car at the dealer's, which means...lemme check the odometer...Whoa! I am way overdue for an oil change here.


And Martha is thinking: He's upset. I can see it on his face. Maybe I'm reading this completely wrong. Maybe he wants more from our relationship, more intimacy, more commitment; maybe he has sensed - even before I sensed it - that I was feeling some reservations. Yes, I bet that's it. That's why he's so reluctant to say anything about his own feelings. He's afraid of being rejected.
And Fred is thinking: And I'm gonna have them look at the transmission again. I don't care what those morons say, it's still not shifting right. And they better not try to blame it on the cold weather this time. What cold weather? It's 87 degrees out, and this thing is shifting like a garbage truck, and I paid those incompetent thieves $600.


And Martha is thinking: He's angry. And I don't blame him. I'd be angry, too. I feel so guilty, putting him through this, but I can't help the way I feel. I'm just not sure.


And Fred is thinking: They'll probably say it's only a 90-day warranty...scumballs.


And Martha is thinking: Maybe I'm just too idealistic, waiting for a knight to come riding up on his white horse, when I'm sitting right next to a perfectly good person, a person I enjoy being with, a person I truly do care about, a person who seems to truly care about me. A person who is in pain because of my self-centered, schoolgirl romantic fantasy.


And Fred is thinking: Warranty? They want a warranty? I'll give them a warranty. I'll take their warranty and stick it right up their...


"Fred," Martha says aloud.


"What?" says Fred, startled.


"Please don't torture yourself like this," she says, her eyes beginning to brim with tears. "Maybe I should never have...oh dear, I feel so..."(She breaks down, sobbing.)


"What?" says Fred.


"I'm such a fool," Martha sobs. "I mean, I know there's no knight. I really know that. It's silly. There's no knight, and there's no horse."


"There's no horse?" says Fred.


"You think I'm a fool, don't you?" Martha says.


"No!" says Fred, glad to finally know the correct answer.


"It's just that...it's that I...I need some time," Martha says. (There is a 15-second pause while Fred, thinking as fast as he can, tries to come up with a safe response. Finally he comes up with one that he thinks might work.)


"Yes," he says. (Martha, deeply moved, touches his hand.)


"Oh, Fred, do you really feel that way?" she says.


"What way?" says Fred.


"That way about time," says Martha.


"Oh," says Fred. "Yes." (Martha turns to face him and gazes deeply into his eyes, causing him to become very nervous about what she might say next, especially if it involves a horse. At last she speaks.)


"Thank you, Fred," she says.


"Thank you," says Fred.


Then he takes her home, and she lies on her bed, a conflicted, tortured soul, and weeps until dawn, whereas when Fred gets back to his place, he opens a bag of Doritos, turns on the TV, and immediately becomes deeply involved in a rerun of a college basketball game between two South Dakota junior colleges that he has never heard of. A tiny voice in the far recesses of his mind tells him that something major was going on back there in the car, but he is pretty sure there is no way he would ever understand what, and so he figures it's better if he doesn't think about it.
The next day Martha will call her closest friend, or perhaps two of them, and they will talk about this situation for six straight hours. In painstaking detail, they will analyze everything she said and everything he said, going over it time and time again, exploring every word, expression, and gesture for nuances of meaning, considering every possible ramification.


They will continue to discuss this subject, off and on, for weeks, maybe months, never reaching any definite conclusions, but never getting bored with it either.


Meanwhile, Fred, while playing racquetball one day with a mutual friend of his and Martha's, will pause just before serving, frown, and say: "Norm, did Martha ever own a horse?"

 

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