I started journalling my life's journey in 1985. God
uses my journalling to nurture me in the life of Christ in me. As with all Christians, I have been given the mind of
Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). So my true thoughts are rooted in Christ inside me. I also realize that there are
deceiving thoughts that come from outside me (2 Corinthians 11:3). My journalling helps me sort through these thoughts.
I see my journals, and thus my newsletters, as love letters from God...testimonies of how God lovingly relates to me.
In July 2000, I was compelled to summarize highlights from
my journals to share with a few family and friends through a simple Grace Newsletter. I am currently mailing newsletters
to nearly 300 families. Because Christ is a giving Person, and Christ lives in me, these newsletters are really an overflow
of His life in me to you.
I am so excited about the potential through this web
site for many more people to relate to the life and hope I have endeavored to communicate through these newsletters.
So, these newsletters are not written to inform you of what I do, but
are written to personally encourage you.
There is a brief description of each newsletter to help you
select those that might be most meaningful to you. Each newsletter is from 1 to 2 pages long, with each page divided
in sections that I hope facilitates your reading.
Note: These newsletters are PDF (portable document format) files.
If you do not have a PDF reader, you can easily download a PDF reader for free by going to www.adobe.com and simply click on the "Get Adobe Reader" icon. It will automatically
download quickly for you.
Blessings to you as you read!
February/March/April 2008 (click here)
NEW!
February/March/April 2008: The unfolding of Journey in Christ,
Inc.! A biblical basis for each of our journies in Christ. A challenge to personally grow in the gospel of Christ,
instead of depending on second-hand information from those people we think are "more qualified." Plus, an amazing journey
through the glory days of textile league and major league baseball.
November/December 2007/January 2008
NEW!
November/December 2007/January 2008: 1000s of Christians
are being warned that God has abandoned America in response to our disobedience. Is that true? Are we actually
more in control than God? Powerful truths of the majesty of Christ. Also, read about the miraculous healing of
my wife Joy through a special doctor.
September/October 2007
September/October 2007: A newsletter born out of a pivotal
time in my life that readers will be able to relate to. Describes the difference between doing the "right" thing and
doing the most "loving" thing...the difference between death and life! Includes a powerful revelation of the mind of
Christ exposing the subtly of the flesh. And a living discussion on "suffering."
July/August 2007
July/August 2007: A focus on marriage counseling. Includes
a beautiful analogy of a marriage in a violin with bow. Also a profound marriage ceremony from the altar of the cross.
May/June 2007
May/June 2007: A contrast of BEING and DOING, and the
difference between living on the ground with the turkeys or flying high in your new identity as an effortless eagle!
Plus some thought-provoking random thoughts.
February/March/April 2007
February/March/April 2007: Read about questions
leading to the meaning of life! Be encouraged to read about how honest questions are so much better than pat answers.
Be equipped to respond to the top 5 questions our young people in college are asking. Be challenged to question the
truth of the end times.
December 2006/January 2007
December 2006/January 2007: Come journey with
me along life's pathway for a few minutes this winter day to reflect on truths I have grappled to write from my heart and
into my newsletter since July 2000. Jesus says His words are spirit and life (John 6:63). I hope this newsletter
might encourage you to experience the genuineness and warmth of our Lord breathing life through you in your own personal journey.
October/November 2006
October/November 2006: A Christmas season
newsletter that re-focuses on the reason Jesus came: "The LORD sent me (Jesus) to proclaim liberty to the captives." A look into why Christians actually fear the freedom that Jesus has proclaimed in our lives...and a look into
the truths that renew our minds to the reality of pure freedom!
August/September 2006
August/September 2006: Learning
to communicate the message of the cross with Power Point, knowing that the Holy Spirit is the real power in illuminating the
Truth!
June/July 2006
June/July
2006: This is perhaps my most important newsletter to date! It is an overflow of my heart testifying
of the foundational Message of the Cross. It also includes some interesting ministry photographs.
March/April/May 2006
March/April/May 2006: This newsletter presents
a new Grace Life Conference brochure that I tried to beautifully summarizes the beautiful truths of the gospel. The
difference between teaching the facts about the gospel and testifying the Truth of the gospel is presented.
January/February 2006
January/February 2006: This newsletter focuses
on the foundational issue of identity. I am convinced that all of life comes down to this single issue. This
newsletter presents a wonderful testimony from a friend regarding his identity, a pastor's plea for Christians to
know identity as the greatest Scriptural principle, the greatest question ever posed regarding identity,
and a precious look into God the Father's affirmation of Jesus' identity. In addition, I share some schematics
regarding identity from my engineering mind-set...not to try to logically explain identity, but to hopefully be used
as an instrument by God to reveal the truth regarding identity.
November/December 2005
November/December 2005: This newsletter includes a verse by verse
exposition and testimony of Luke 2:8-20 of how God lovingly relates to us just as He related with the shepherds to whom He
announced the birth of the Savior, Christ the Lord! The newsletter letter also includes beautiful insights from C.S
Lewis, Preston Gillham, and a Christmas song by Chris Rice.
September/October 2005
September/October 2005: A stirring testimony
of ministry after Hurricane Katrina, including insights on hope, not judgment, through that disaster. I also share my
most personal testimony of the gospel through an article entitled, "The Sewage Pond," also in the context of Hurricane Katrina.
July/August 2005
July/August 2005: Preaching from the
pulpit of our lives...I am the pulpit, Christ is the preacher...what a gracious privilege!
May/June 2005
May/June 2005: Every detail of Christ's
life during His earthly ministry was initiated by God the Father...and so is your true life!
March/April 2005
March/April 2005: Breathing life into
others...plus, a sermon from one word in Romans 1:1!
January/February 2005
January/February 2005: Beholding and
reflecting the glory of the Lord...plus a blessing from Jim "Gomer Pyle" Nabors!
November/December 2004
November/December 2004: Christianity
is a relationship, not a religion...and, thus, we are nurtured through genuine relationships.
September/October 2004
September/October 2004: Obedience and
the secret to soul winning. Jesus was obedient NOT because He tried really hard, but because the life in Him was the
Spirit of God!
July/August 2004
July/August 2004: A ministry is received,
not achieved. All Christians are in full-time ministry because Christ ministers His life through us all full-time!
June 2004
June 2004: Singing from a new heart.
Read about a profound one-word sermon from a precious little girl, "Sing Jesus, daddy?"
May 2004
May 2004: The gospel of Jesus Christ
or the gospel of heaven? A Person or a place?
April 2004
April 2004: Discipleship is all about
life. Read about the meaning of life, the source of life, and the experience of life.
March 2004
March 2004: A young boy from a local
boys home drew me a picture of the nail-scared hands of Jesus. View this drawing and read about personally seeing the
true meaning of these precious hands.
February 2004
February 2004: Is grace a concept to
you? Can true grace really be abused? Is grace really amazing? Read about how grace is the Person of Christ
we have received...and we now can live from grace to grace!
January 2004
January 2004: Read about Jesus producing
fruit through the precious lives of people. Jesus gave His life for us, in order to give His life to us, in order to
live His life through us!
December 2003
December 2003: Read about how "one iota"
of differences in God's truths can steal our experience of fellowship with the living Christ.
November 2003
November 2003: Read about the true church
without walls being the hospital out in the world. Also, read a Thanksgiving prayer for a boys home.
October 2003
October 2003: A comprehensive table summarizing
the "much more" of the gospel! Also, a wonderful excerpt from a book entitled "The Dance of Grace," an excerpt that
has ministered to many women through the Book of Solomon.
September 2003
September 2003: A look into what faith
is...living in His presence and living in the present. Also, how life's circumstances can be transformed from the pain
basket into the glory basket.
August 2003
August 2003: True life is not
about achieving and striving, but is all about receiving and responding. Take a look into what oneness with Christ
means.
July 2003
July 2003: God has a purpose to unfold
for your life...just like a beautiful rose can only be delicated unfolded by the loving hands of God.
June 2003
June 2003: Read about the greatest exchange
ever: Christ's ever-present beauty for your ever-past ashes!
May 2003
May 2003: Being on fire for the Lord
versus being on fire with the Lord...only one way of living shines the glory of Christ! Read about "The Prism of God."
April 2003
April 2003: The one message to share:
Christ is risen indeed in me! The contrast of being equipped with ability versus being equipped with the very life of
Christ. Also, my personal Psalm 23.
March 2003
March 2003: The key issue of life is
identity. Read about the cutting, the unity, and the sealing of God's covenant...His promise to you for an identity.
Also, read about a little boy and a husband searching for identity.
February 2003
February 2003: A look at the word "assurance."
Everyone is looking for it. What is it? Also, my wife's search for assurance of God's love in the midst of physical
suffering...read her precious personal rendition of "Jesus Loves Me."
January 2003
January 2003: The contrast between focusing
on behavior versus birthright. Also, the ministry of empathetic listening...rooted in God lovingly hearing your cries.
Hear the powerful statements in my poem, "You Listened to Me."
December 2002
December 2002: Prepare for the new year
by reading about the New Commandment promised by Christ, the New Covenant fulfilled by Christ, and the New Creation provided
by Christ.
November 2002
November 2002: A tender search for understanding
healing...healing that is much deeper than just physical healing. Is your faith in how God heals or is your faith in
God who heals?
October 2002
October 2002: There is a difference between
sharing testimonies of how God has worked in your life in the past versus testimonies of how God is working in your life today.
Read a testimony of how someone with chronic pain experiences the life of Christ during yet another sleepless night.
September 2002
September 2002: Have you been wounded
in the past? Read about "Beautiful Wounds" as shown by the wounds in our Savior's hands and feet! Also, read about
how I witnessed a prison inmate set free without ever leaving the prison yard.
August 2002
August 2002: The message of the cross
(1 Corinthians 1:18) is often viewed as being limited to the death of Christ on the cross. Read about the full transforming
meaning of the message of the cross.
June/July 2002
June/July 2002: A testimony of our heavenly
Father revealing His commitment to me and my wife in our physical and emotionally weakened state, as contrasted to our
commitment to Him. Also, a testimony of my wife's daddy precious praying for her little girl before her back
surgery...the last time we would see him alive on this earth. Christ promises His grace is sufficient in all of
our weaknesses.
May 2002
May 2002: Depending on being one with
Christ on the operating table...includes a beautiful pencil drawing of Jesus holding a little baby.
April 2002
April 2002: Ministering life through
the Bible because Jesus is the living Word of God. Plus, practical Bible study suggestions.
March 2002
March 2002: Receiving new spiritual DNA...the
same DNA as in Christ! My personal Galatians 2:20. Plus, preparing for my wife's back surgery.
February 2002
February 2002: God leads us through brokenness
(Jordan River) into the experience of Jesus' rest (Promised Land). Plus an affirming note from a boyhood hero,
Bobby Richardson, second baseman for the New York Yankees in 1955-1964...and how I grew up to be just like him.
January 2002
January 2002: Twenty verses that testify
of the call to surrender to Christ as the source of life. Plus, ministering through suffering.
December 2001
December 2001: The message of salvation
is alive, universal, foundational, and the heart of God the Father. Salvation is not getting Jesus to come into your
heart, salvation is getting a new heart altogether...the very heart of Christ!
November 2001
November 2001: The way of the cross.
Plus, a wonderful article by Dudley Hall of Successful Christian Living Ministries. A foundational article.
October 2001
October 2001: A Grace Life Celebration
in Simpsonville, South Carolina! About 70 friends gathered to inaugurate my ministry through Christ Life Ministries
in my hometown. Includes testimony summaries from 10 people from all walks of life.
September 2001
September 2001: Be encouraged to read
that the message of the cross is true hope in the midst of the September 11 tragedy.
August 2001
August 2001: A focus on the meaning of
"hope."
July 2001
July 2001: We are all called for only
one reason: for God to reveal His Son in each of us (Galatians 1:15-16)! Read the testimony of this call in a
teenager and in a senior citizen.
June 2001
June 2001: Is it possible for prisoners
to be righteous? Yes! Sharing the truths of identity in Christ to prisoners.
May 2001
May 2001: Understanding the context of
Bibles verses is foundational to understanding the message of the verses. The ultimate context of all verses is the
finished work of Christ!
April 2001
April 2001: Read why the word "gospel"
does not mean only "good news," but "the great good news that makes you want to jump for joy!"
March 2001
March 2001: Read why you cannot balance
law and grace.
February 2001
February 2001: Gripped by the amazing
truths wrapped up in the phrase "in Christ."
January 2001
January 2001: Paul's summary of the message
of the cross. Paul desired to teach only one thing, he delighted in only one thing, and he had only one passion.
December 2000
December 2000: FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS
BORN (Isaiah 9:6a)...Mary wrapped Jesus in swaddling clothes (Luke 2:7). FOR UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN (Isaiah 9:6b)...Joseph
of Arimathea wrapped Jesus in linen cloths (Luke 2:53). This newsletter is entitled, "The Gift."
November 2000
November 2000: Affirmation of this discipling
ministry from prison inmates.
October 2000
October 2000: Affirmation of this discipling
ministry from attendees of the 10-hour Grace Life Conference. People experiencing the healing balm of God's grace.
September 2000
September 2000: Grace is the gift of
God, not just a gift from God. Plus, the true meaning of "revival."
August 2000
August 2000: I was challenged to view
a vital Scripture passage as a principle to live by. God used this challenge to show it is not my responsibility to
defend the truth as principles...I am called to share the living truth of Christ Himself, and trust Christ to reveal Himself
to the challenger. This is true freedom!
July 2000
July 2000: Stepping out in faith with
my first ministry newsletter based on Colossians 4:17. This verse refers to "a ministry received in the Lord," and not
to a ministry achieved in my abilities.
|
