Where is Thy Sweet Savor?

Oh Christian…where is thy sweet savor,
Of a life…holy, consecrated, acceptable unto Me?

I have called you from darkness to light,
To live a life, holy devoted unto Me.

Set apart for good works,
That I ordained for you before the foundations of the world.

You have been called to be My ambassador,
Yet I see you entwined in the cares of this world.

Sin entangles you,
Rendering you no longer effective to a world lost in sin.

The sinner examines your life and concludes,
No different than I, so I must be a Christian too.

Thy words, thy deeds,
Do they reflect Me?

Satan will clamor and shout with glee,
He’ll utter hypocrite, liar and sinner too!

Do you hunger for the meat of My word,
Is it hidden within your heart?

Will you choose to be conformed by this world,
Or receive My promise…be ye transformed and renewed in Me?

Does your heart break…even ache,
For that which breaks My heart?

Will you run the race,
Strive towards the upward calling?

Finish strong…
I beckon you "Come…live a life of no regrets!"

By Susan Bunts
July 27, 2007

This poem is dedicated to my precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who called me from darkness to light and death unto life; and to my beloved former Pastor Chuck Obremski…who uncompromisingly taught us the Word of God so that our hearts and minds would be transformed and renewed in Christ Jesus.

Dearest David and Passing Thru Bob...thanks so much for your encouragement! May we...the body of Christ be built up in our faith and walk in a manner worthy of our calling. David...just for the record...I trust you implicitly...and you have permission to use anything on my blog you find of worth. Blessings in Christ!

REMEMBER

As our day draws to a close , we had some answers to prayer, praise God but many needs still remain, new challenges daily , guidance , healings , finances - let us take Heb's post and apply in our praying --- Pilgrim David and Carol , the tomorrows , here on earth , remain difficult and uncertain, Their faith is Certain and Solid but they need us to pray hard for them - and all our other needs , let us be faithful in praying ---- Until Christ returns , this is our mission and yes , today was refreshing for some and difficult for others ---- thanks again Heb for that post

passing-thru

Message from Hebrews 11:1

Lil Pilgrim Pal

Never Again List

NEVER AGAIN will I confess “I can’t”, for
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Phil. 4:13

NEVER AGAIN will I confess lack, for
“My God shall supply all of my need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:19

NEVER AGAIN will I confess fear, for
“God hath not given me the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”2 Timothy 1:7

NEVER AGAIN will I confess doubt and lack of faith, for
“God hath given to every man the measure of faith.” Romans 12:3

NEVER AGAIN will I confess weakness, for
“The Lord is the strength of my life.” Psalm 27:1

NEVER AGAIN will I confess defeat, for
“God always causeth me to triumph in Christ Jesus.” 2 Cor. 2:14

NEVER AGAIN will I confess lack of wisdom, for
“Christ Jesus is made unto me wisdom from God.” 1 Cor. 1:30

NEVER AGAIN will I confess worries and frustrations, for
I am “casting all my care upon Him who careth for me.” 1 Peter 5:7

NEVER AGAIN will I confess condemnation, for
“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1

HIRED !

THANKYOU for all the pilgrims that have prayed for my getting a job ---- At this point , I have been hired , contingent on my two former employers calling in to verify my working for them.
Its been a long 3 months ------ we have to toil to get by in this world . The list of people praying I want to say thankyou to David of course , faithful even under great stress in his life, Terry , Heb and Prayinsensfan , Lil Missionary, Claire, Peterborough Julie, Donna, Jel, the problem with naming names is one feels bad when U forget one --- to all who prayed for not only my need but for all our needs , A HUMBLE AND THANKFUL passing-thru ------

Some news...

I just spoke to the owner of the funhouse where I may soon have a job! I am going to meet him for an interview next Tuesday morning (August.7th) at 11 am. This is going to be an interview like I have never had before...I need to do some homework!

He is looking for someone to plan/organize/run a morning playgroup during the week for pre-schoolers. Should I get the job, I would be planning everything (with final approval from him, of course). He wants me to come prepared with ideas, i.e. games, songs, crafts, etc. Sort of an idea of things I could do and ways to help bring people in.

So...I'm a little nervous. I know I can organize activities, but to start it would be a couple days a week...moving to 5 days a week (maybe even twice a day) if it goes really well. So, should I get the job, I will only have a full 5 days a week if there are enough kids coming in to the playgroup. Eek!

I have some ideas already...perhaps my marketing skills learned in college and university will FINALLY be put to use. Plus all those years of teaching Sunday School and Pioneer Club. Oh yeah, and I think having a toddler will be helpful!

I am starting to think that I may just keep Stubby Sally* a few more months until I know what is happening...I could probably hang on until Christmas if I had too! But...I mentioned that I make and decorate cakes and he said he could probably work something out for me in that regard...so maybe I'll be too busy doing cakes anyways that I won't need the bus!

Julie - Sweet Inspirations

* For those of you who don't know who Stubby Sally is...she is the school bus that I drive. I call her Sally - long story but basically I don't feel that a bus that has a name can break down on me! - and David nicknamed her "Stubby" Sally...because she is a short, stubby bus. I think David is a little sad at the thought of her not sitting out in the parking lot...he sees her when he comes to work. Well David...who knows, even if I am still driving bus, I won't have Sally...she is old and is now out to pasture, donating usable parts to other buses in need. :0)

Basking In The Father's Love

BASKING IN THE FATHER'S LOVE...

Basking in the Father's love,

Beams of mercy from above;

Daily His great promise prove,

I am His!

He has bought me, saving grace,

Given me in heav'n a place;

One day soon I'll see His face,

I am His!

When my ship the storm assails,

Then His promise never fails;

He is there 'midst fiercest gales,

I am His!

Soon this journey will be o'er,

And I'm safe on heaven's shore;

There abide for evermore,

He is mine!

written by David Warren Fisher

Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJEiXsqMR2E

Note from David, the Pilgrim: This poem/song came to me while sitting on a bench in the cathedral close in Exeter, England in early March of this year. I was waiting to meet Mr. Roger Steer an excellent writer who has penned biographies of the two men who have impacted me most, J. Hudson Taylor and George Muller. As I sat in the warmth of the morning sun I was reflecting on God's goodness, amazed that He had allowed me to realize my dream of visiting England. Roger was such a humble, godly man who took time out of his busy day to visit with an unknown pilgrim from a far-off land...me. If you view the You Tube link you will note that my voice cracks. I was in tears as I sat at my piano on my return to Canada. God is so good!

Thanks, Terry, for posting this.

Tuned Together

The following devotional appeared on David Jeremiah's Turning Point site today. Truly, if we are in tune with our Creator, God, we will live in harmony with each other. Idealistic? Yes! Realistic? Can be! Let's strive for that unity in spirit by staying close to the Father. - David

"Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers [meeting] together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become ‘unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship."

These are the words of A. W. Tozer, who clearly understood the importance of fellowshipping with believers in order to keep our minds and hearts turned toward the Lord.

On our own, it is easy to become out of tune and start living a life that is in disagreement with God's standard. But when we surround ourselves with the body of in-tune believers, our ears are suddenly opened, and we hear our need for a spiritual tuning.

"Keep yourself in tune with the Lord by staying in consistent fellowship with other believers. There are many things which a person can do alone, but being a Christian is not one of them. As the Christian life is, above all things, a state of union with Christ and of union of His followers with one another, love of the brethren is inseparable from love of God." - William T. Ham

The Cross

The following truth was posted by our Pilgrim Pal Julie (Little Missionary). I am adding it to PILGRIM PALS without her permission. Is that alright, Julie? This is good stuff!

An instrument of inhumane torture used by the Romans over 2000 years ago to punish and kill criminals.The Holy Innocent One hung on a cross in order to set the real criminals free! We deserve punishment for our offences against a Holy God. But our God, who created us, loves us so much He can't bare separation from us.

Reparation had to be made for our sins. Jesus, the Son of God, lay down His life for us. By His Death and Resurrection we are brought into God's family for eternity. Jesus suffered humiliation and torture beyond belief so that we could be made clean and stand in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

His love is great and awesome and can only be accepted by faith. If you are reading this and you do not know the saving love of the Lord Jesus - call on His Name; trust in Him. He loves you.

"What restores our faith in God?
What reveals the Father's love?
What can lead the wayward home?
What can melt a heart of stone?
What can free the guilty ones?
What can save and overcome?.....
Mighty, awesome, wonderful is the Holy Cross.
Where the Lamb laid down His life to lift us from the fall."

(Chris Tomlin - Arriving CD)

- Julie (Little Missionary)

Misty Morning

The following prayer was posted this morning on Pilgrim Scribblings. It is my prayer for each of us as we continue our pilgrimage towards home. Rest in His unfailing love today, beloved!

Gracious Father, I haven't ventured out into a fallen world yet. Before I encounter Your creation I desire to see Your face, hear Your voice and rest in Your embrace.

Today I will face challenges that, without Your enabling grace, would almost destroy me. I can't "go it alone". I need You!

As I linger here in the quietness of the morning, please fill me afresh with Your divine Spirit, Your enabling Presence.

Give me a love for the unlovely. A hatred for all that displeases You. A desire to know You better. And when I lay my head down tonight, may I be able to say, "God, You gave me fresh strength to face every trial. You are a good God. AMEN!"

Victoria's Special Day

Today is Victoria's birthday
This little princess is Pilgrim David's grand-daughter.

Happy Birthday Victoria...from Hebrews 11:1 and all of the pilgrim pals.

Especially Heather

Victimization, Despair and HeavenJuly 30th, 2007
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ; 2 Cor. 10:4-5
I often times can be found at my computer reading devotions in the morning. The kids are sleeping, the house is quiet, and I can sit uninterrupted with my cup of coffee. This morning I read the following devotion:
Just the other day, a young patient sat sadly, telling one of our chaplains that she just didn’t have the strength to fight her cancer. She wanted to live, but she just had no energy to fight, so she was resigning herself to the fact that she was going to die.
The chaplain told her, “Well, you basically become what you focus on. So if you focus on dying, on being weak, on having no strength, you probably will die. But wouldn’t it be better to focus on what makes you happy, what gives you hope, what gives you strength? Then you might find out that you do have the energy to fight this disease and to live.”
Good advice. Because when cancer strikes, the battle for survival must be engaged at the mental, emotional and spiritual levels as much as at the physical level. Thoughts of death, dying, resignation, victimization, despair, depression and hopelessness are as lethal as cancer itself.
And because God knows that and knows how weak we are to Satan’s suggestions, doubts, lies and whispers of death and destruction awaiting us, He gives us supernatural weapons to win the battle for our minds and thoughts, including His power, His Word and His authority, when we’ve given our lives to Him.-Engage your mind in the battle with cancer
How true that is! Lately I have found myself wondering about what the future holds for me and my family. I have laid awake at night, pondering on this over and over, and the answer remains the same: The future holds hope. Whether I am to live another 50 years, or merely days… The future Holds hope..
Barbara Johnson, who I recently found out died of a brain tumor, said it best…
The worst that can happen is the best that can happen.
The worst that the future holds for me is that I will die. Cancer didn’t change that reality for me!! It certainly will not steal my hope and joy while I am here! I love how Barbara Johnson ends that thought:
Christians know the truth of that statement. For surely the worst that can happen is that we die- and that’s actually the best that can happen because we know that we don’t go from life to death. As singer Kathy Troccoli says so emphatically, when we die we go from life to LIFE! We sigh out that last earthly breath and breathe in the glorious atmosphere of heaven!-Plant a Geranium in your Cranium, Barbara Johnson
Now don’t get me wrong… I have alot of living left to do! I just needed to remind myself (and possibly someone else out there) that We have so much to look forward to in this life, but it veils in comparison to what we have to look forward to for eternity!
Worry Borrows.Worry Borrows. It’s a disease of the future. It borrows the unknown trouble of tomorrow The worrier loses the beautiful spirit of hope because worry paints such a gloomy, shocking, dreadful picture of the future.”-Joyce Landford
Amen.

Supplication For Susan

From our Pilgrim Pal Susan Bunts of Susan's Blog. Susan just posted a new poem she has written. Please check it out at: http://www.thesusanblog.blogspot.com Hopefully Susan will post it here on PILGRIM PALS but until then, please check it out. It's excellent!

Note: The following prayer requests appeared on the Prayer Ministry web site of Kindred Community Church. Susan's former pastor, Chuck Obremski, was such a godly man! He went home to be with Jesus following a valiant battle with cancer. Chuck was a friend of mine. For many years he was the Baseball Chapel leader for the Anaheim Angels, now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. - David

Susan's requests:

"1) We will be moving my mother, Gayle, to a different room in her Alzheimer's assisted living facility on Saturday. We are moving her to put some distance between her and a neighbor who has caused some problems. Also, to help reduce some of the very high expenses, we will be moving Gayle into a room that she will share with another resident. Please pray that God will oversee each aspect of the move, that it will go smoothly and that Gayle will handle this change well.

2) Also request pray that God will oversee the withdrawal of funds from the family trust account to pay for Gayle's monthly expenses. Pray that I will be able to get my stepbrother's co-signature and get the funds transferred without causing any delay in paying Gayle's bills. 3) Additionally I will be looking in to possible veteran's benefits that Gayle may be eligible for that will help with expenses. Thank you so much for your faithful prayer and covering this situation in prayer.

"Also requesting prayer for a co-worker Holly. She is seeking to have a more balanced life/schedule so that she will be able to spend more time with her husband and keep stress at a reasonable level. Holly has a long commute. Pray that God would draw her close and that He would reveal Himself to her. Thank you!"

Thumbs Up To Rodney

Our friend Rodney Olsen from down under in Australia has come up with a new idea which he hopes will "take off". Sounds good to me.

Click on the link at top of the links column here on PILGRIM PALS and it will take you to Rodney's description of this idea.

Let's give Rodney from The Journey a big THUMBS UP!

Check out The Journey at http://www.rodneyolsen.net

Stealing From Saija

Pilgrim Pal Saija always has such great graphics on her site, Thro' A Glass Darkly. Here are two recent ones. Thanks, dear friend! We continue to lift you and Leo up before the Lord following Leo's father's passing.

Lots of love,

David & your Pilgrim Pals

rest ...

saija (picture taken by my nephew)

WHAT A GOD

What a song ! " I have returned to the Father of Abraham , Shepherd of Moses , who called HIM THE GREAT I AM , He's JESUS to me, ETERNAL DIETY , Praise HIS NAME --- I HAVE RETURNED ----------- I am tone deaf, can't read music, BUT I KNOW A GREAT SONG WHEN I HEAR ONE --------------------- Praise God for the HOPE that HE GIVES --

passing-thru

Pit Stop in Peterborough

While driving home today I noticed an F18 fighter jet circling close to the airport (and our home). I picked up Nathan and went back to the airport to see if the jet had landed. It had! How exciting! I'm an airplane buff and I'd never seen a Canadian Forces jet at our airport before.

One of the pilots/captains came over to the fence where a dozen or so "flight fanatics" were standing and fielded questions from us. Jameel Janjua and the other pilot, Brandon Robinson, are stationed at CFB Bagotville, Quebec. They were doing manoeuvres and needed to refuel.

Brandon's parents live in the area so he radioed them to say they were refueling in Peterborough. His father is a pilot as well so his parents flew down in their private plane to meet him. They hadn't been together since Christmas.

Nathan and I drove home to get Matthew and my camera. I wanted to watch them taxi and take off. As the plane built up speed, the roar of the engines was deafening. Being a plane buff, and a NASCAR fan (by the way), the sound brought tears to my eyes.

We spoke with Brandon's parents after the F18 disappeared from sight. They were certainly pleased that they had a brief visit with their son over lunch.

The boys and I were grateful for a divinely appointed diversion in the middle of our day.

God is good!

Claire (Pilot Mom): I certainly was thinking of you and Jim while I was at the airport. It sure gave me a greater appreciation of what it must be like to be a Pilot Mom.

DESPERATE But Trusting

Dear Pilgrim Pals: I just sent out the BRETT BUTLER prayer request to our e-mail list of 600 plus friends. I added the following personal update:

PERSONALLY:

It's been a busy summer for Carol, me and the family! Matthew (11) spent a week at Camp Medeba, a Bible camp he has attended for four years now. He had a great time again! Nathan (10)spent a week at golf camp and then last week attended a half-day basketball camp at one of our local churches. Our granddaughter Victoria (15 tomorrow) has spent two weeks at Graphite Bible Camp counselling. Tamara (27), the young lady that we provide care for was away at the Christian Horizons camp for a week. Carol and I wish they could all be away at the same time so we could have a break. Maybe someday!

We took Matthew, Nathan and Victoria to Splash Lagoon, an indoor water park in Erie, PA in early July. While the rest of the family had fun in Erie, David drove down to Pittsburgh for an afternoon and evening to spend some time with Gabe & Kelly Gross (Milwaukee Brewers).

In between taking kids to camp and picking them up, Carol and I have been packing dozens (seems like hundreds) of boxes and taking them to a storage unit we have rented. Due to financial concerns we will have to sell our home so we've been taking steps to get this heart-breaking process in motion. Thanks for your prayers concerning this.

God is good and we continue to trust Him for a miracle in the days ahead. THANKS FOR STANDING WITH US.

Gratefully,

David & Carol Fisher
EPISTLE SPORTS MINISTRIES

Note: The part which I colored in red was SO difficult to write. Where is the line between stating your needs and begging? I've always been so afraid of appearing like a beggar that I've erred on the other side and failed to make our needs known.

Anyhow, please pray that God will use this update to move His people to pray and give. THANKS, my dear and beloved PILGRIM PALS.

DONNA...The Pilgrim's Request

Dear Pilgrim Pals:

As you may or may not know, one of our own, DONNA, has experienced something recently which has hurt her deeply. She says she does NOT need or want our prayers. Please respect and understand that...for now. At the moment I'm not aware of the circumstances behind this.

As the facilitator of the PILGRIM PALS site, I would ask that you:

1. Commit to fervently prayer for our sister in the Lord, DONNA.


2. Refrain from writing about DONNA on the PILGRIM PALS site. She may be checking us out from time to time but we don't want to alienate her. We just want to love her and care for her deeply.


3. Repeat point # 1 - Pray for DONNA and keep praying until she is back with us.

God is faithful and we will trust Him to do His work of healing and restoring in Donna's life.

Recently our special friend Julie (Little Missionary) went through "deep waters", a "crisis of faith", a "dark night of the soul". Our prayers and God's power brought her back and we're so very grateful.

He can and will do the same for our beloved DONNA!

Thanks for doing #'s 1, 2 & 3!

Much love in Christ,

David, the Pilgrim

BRETT BUTLER - Prayer Request

Dear Pilgrim Pals: I just posted the following prayer request on my PILGRIM SCRIBBLINGS site but I ask that each of you would lift up Brett & Eveline in your prayers. THANK YOU!

Brett & Eveline Butler have been great personal friends and generous supporters of Epistle Sports Ministries for many years. Brett had a long and successful career in major league baseball with five teams and is currently managing the Mobile BayBears, the AA affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

On June 15th, Brett celebrated his 50th birthday and Carol and I both had the pleasure of speaking with him and getting caught up.

Today we received the following e-mail from Brett & Eveline's daughter, Stefanie.

PLEASE KEEP BRETT & EVELINE IN YOUR PRAYERS. THANK YOU!

Stefanie writes:

For those of you who were not made aware of this the day before last; my mom asked me to e-mail everyone and keep you all updated on my dad's health. Brett was sent to the hospital this past Friday for what they believed to be Vertigo at the time. He was very dizzy; his equilibrium was off; and he was having trouble with his balance. However; once he was at the hospital and they checked him out and ran tests; they found that he had actually suffered from a mild stroke.
Thankfully Eveline was with him; she had flown in from Arizona by way of California and met them at the Mobile; AL hospital. They checked him out and said that the only type of paralysis that he has experienced thus far is in his equilibrium; which does throw off his balance; and makes him nauseas. This paralysis they said can be something that he totally recovers from within the next six months; or it could be something that he has to live with from this point on.

The stroke they believe is something that is hereditary (something from his parents); because he is in very good health and has no other symptoms that would lead him to have a stroke. His blood was clotted which was preventing him from getting enough oxygen flow to his brain; which in turn; caused the stroke. Since then; they have out him on blood thinner and are trying to prevent anymore clotting. He is going to be in the hospital for a few more days; but hopefully Eveline will be able to take him home shortly. He was in pretty bad shape on Friday; but has since then progressed a lot. I think that is definitely from all the prayers! Right now; someone is taking over his managing position until they decide whether or not he is going to be well enough to go back and finish out the season. But; if you know Brett; he's pretty persistent and I wouldn't doubt that that is a possibility! Either way; I will keep you all updated on any further information I receive.

Please just keep him in your prayers; as well as Eveline and the doctors. He's a strong man and when I spoke with him yesterday; he said "Stef; I don't know what's going on but I know that God is going to get us through it. We just have to remember that and trust Him." Ab and Katie and Blake and I are doing okay at the moment. Brett and Eveline appreciate your support and love and we will contact you with any further news. Thanks so much and God Bless!

His girl,

Stefanie

* I have just been informed that Brett is doing very well and that the doctors are going to be sending him home on Monday. I'll keep you posted otherwise!

TERRY is Ok

Terry is Ok -- she was just sad over a friend that is going thru a hard time ---

passing-thru

TERRY

OUR TERRY is sad right now , I don't know why, so Pilgrims , lets remember TERRY in prayer --- we are lifting U before the Throne Terry ------------ we love U ------------

A CUP OF WATER in HIS NAME

Pilgrims remember to bring a CUP OF COLD WATER by way of prayer to these as well as others

Arlene - Heather - Vickies hubby - Ron and Lisa - Felisol's Gunnar and Sigve - Heb 11:1 - The other "David" - - Young Aaron Devine - Dad Golden for his neck and salvation - Julie (sweet inspirations) and her mom about jobs - Lil Missionary Julie for the peace and healings to "stick" - Pilot Mom's Jim for continued healing - Pilgrim David for finances, direction, home and for Carol , for stress, and healing of her body -

"Pilgrim Pals" praying makes a difference, moves the Kingdom closer to people, punches holes in the darkness that covers the minds of lost souls , brings the believer to obedient faith for its commanded to pray always and it PLEASES GOD - - What a great ICON Post below this one !

passing-thru

PILGRIM PALS...Standing Together

Looking Good

Since my friend Gabe Gross was assigned to the Nashville Sounds, the AAA affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, he has looked good, not only in his Sounds uniform (#27) but at the plate.

Gabe went hitless in his first game on Tuesday but has had 7 hits since then, not counting tonight's game.

Thanks for your prayers for Gabe & Kelly! Hopefully he will show the Brewers that he should be in the "bigs" and they'll call him up before September.

CONGRATULATIONS, Gabe! We're praying for the two of you!

Fragrance of God...

Early this morning I was sitting in the living room praying while Andy was still sleeping. As I was praying for something specific I began to pray "differently" about this certain petition than I have in the past. I don't want to go into details about it at this time, so hopefully this makes sense to you! Anyways, as I was praying (and praising!) about this request, I started to smell something.

At first smell, I thought that Andy had gotten up without me realizing it and was spraying on some body spray. You know when you spray body spray, hair spray, etc. and if you're standing right there the smell kind of makes your nostrils tingle? This is what I was smelling. I then realized that Andy was still sleeping...so he hadn't sprayed anything. I started to think "maybe it's God" and then my brain tried to tell me it wasn't...that it had to be coming from outside. Well...common sense (and God) told me that it couldn't be possible...someone would have had to spray something right near me for my nose to tingle like it was.

Once I "shut off" my brain I started to really praise God! I know that He was there right beside me and it was His fragrance I was smelling! No wonder it smelled so good! I have never experieced something quite like this and I've been excited ever since. I mentioned it to my pastor this morning and he says that God is trying to get my attention and tell me something. So now I am really listening for His voice...I'm excited to see what happens now! I will keep you posted about what happens!

I just had to come here and share with you all!

Julie - Sweet Inspirations

ALL OF GOD

NO FLESH SHALL GLORY IN HIS PRESENCE

Struggling thru the early months in our first church, I started praying 2 hours in the morning before going out visiting townspeople or farmers, we stopped passing the plate during church services, for we had some real poor people and some well to do, so we left the offerring plates in the back of the sanctuary and people could drop their love offerrings there. We stopped sending the percentage of money to the "district" and used all available money after the "bills" were paid and gave it to the poor - bought fuel oil and hot water heaters and clothing or shoes for the people in need. The church started filling up with rich people and poor people, educated and illiterate. In that little home mission church that had no air conditioning, bees flying around , smelly kids sometime sitting next to cultured people, GOD started moving, the song services were ALIVE, people were getting SAVED, pews filled up and then GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT started to SIGNATURE these Sunday services with HIS OVERWHELMING LOVE, we went for about 8 months of pure revival, people were filled with HIS PRESENCE, they would leave services and tell their families, people in jails, townspeople, many sickness were healed (and we never had a healing service). This went on for 8 months , word got out to the distict and we became the buzz. The district said Bob, our records show U have not had an evangelist come up there yet, we want to send one to U , so schedule one soon if U would. I felt we didn't need an evangelist as GOD was doing HIS THING SO WELL. I was pressured somewhat to do it -- we did. The revival services were so so - something was lacking , we finished up the "revival" week. After that our weekly services never were the same, same preaching on my part but that "SPECIALNESS" that was SIGNATURE of HIS WORKING in our services was not the same. GOD WAS DOING A SPECIAL WORK, and we put the hand of flesh on it, we had called in "MAN" to stir us up to have "revival" WHEN WE WERE ALREADY IN REVIVAL FOR 8 MONTHS. We put the hand of FLESH on HIS DIVINE WORK. If God is working, sit, listen, absorb, appreciate, share , bless but don't put your ego in there, or say, we are having a "special" speaker this week, lol -- WE HAD A SPECIAL SPEAKER FOR 8 MONTHS -- What brought revival to that little church , was God's method of winning the lost, Godly love and sacrifice, using the money to reach the needs of the poor among us. "A memory from a yesteryear" -- passing-thru

HIS NAME IS WORTHY

HAVE A GREAT DAY IN THE LORD ! HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW - HOW BLEST ARE WE ! as Aunt Terry would say EH !

Thanks David for The "Pals" site ---

passing-thru

An Oasis

While doing a Google search for a good picture of an oasis, I came across this logo.

This ministry is an outreach of Eagle's Nest, First Baptist Church in McDonough, GA.

I'm not stealing the logo, just borrowing it to show our friends what PILGRIM PALS really is all about. This truly is an oasis, giving us nourishment for the journey.

ENJOY!

Our Boy Is Back

This morning we went to Camp Medeba to pick up Matthew. The first thing I did after saying "hi" was to take him to the shower and give him a royal scrubbing. You know boys! He was filthy. We were still glad to see him though. He had a great time! Thanks for your prayers.

We decided to drive north through the town of Dorset and up to Highway 60 and across through Algonquin Park. For our American and overseas friends, Algonquin is a huge wilderness area filled with lakes and streams. Only one corner of the huge park has a road through it. The scenery is pristine. It's breathtaking in places. We were hoping to see a moose grazing and we did. A big cow moose was quite close to the highway. About a dozen cars had stopped and the passengers were out with their cameras trying to capture the scene. My batteries had just died.

While we were in Dorset, Matthew and I climbed the huge tower that overlooks the whole area.

Matthew has a fear of heights but he chose to set that aside and he went right to the top with me. See the pictures taken from the top.

All in all it was a great day. We were all glad to get home after a long day. What did we do with Matthew as soon as we got home? We put him in the bathtub to soak. Then it was my turn. I needed it. It felt good!

Thanks for your prayers, dear Pilgrim Pals!

The Sheep of His Pasture

Living in the country, we enjoy many of the pastoral scenes that grace the landscape. We are fascinated by the sheep which graze in a nearby field. One thing we've noticed is that the sheepdog is never too far from the flock.

Regardless of where the sheep are, the dog is always closeby.

After nightfall they congregate in a corner, tightly squeezed against each other with the sheepdog on the perimeter, keeping watch over the flock.

You know where I'm going with this don't you! At times the Great Shepherd may seem distant from us but He's always attentive to our cries. He won't let us stray too far from the flock. And He does lead us in green pastures.

Trust the Good Shepherd tonight! He knows us by name and He's given unto us, eternal life, and we will never perish. John 10

"For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: I myself will search for my sheep and look after them. As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock when he is with them, so will I look after my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places where they were scattered on a day of clouds and darkness. I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land. I will tend them in a good pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel will be their grazing land. There they will lie down in good grazing land, and there they will feed in a rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. I myself will tend my sheep and have them lie down, declares the Sovereign LORD. I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd the flock with justice." - Ezekiel 34: 11-16 (NIV)

Okay, okay!

*Ahem* I'd like to announce that after almost 3 weeks of non-blogging on my blog, I just wrote an entry. David...if you'd like to check it out it is there for your reading enjoyment! :0)

Now back to our regular programming...

I was asked to call about my prospective job early next week...I have a good feeling about this, but I am also aware of the fact that if I don't get it, then it just means that it wasn't meant for me.

Keeping with the job theme...my mom will hopefully find out about her job this week. She went for an interview last week and now they are just waiting for some woman to get back from vacation to make the final decision. It's hard to explain the situation, but the good news is that even if mom doesn't get this job she wants (but I think she will!) she will be taking a position in another office that is being held for her. So either way, she will be out of the office she is currently in...which is good because it is pure evil what is happening there!

Thank you all for praying...I love being able to come on here and ask you to pray with me. It's almost like by everyone praying, you help me carry the burden and place it on God's altar...because sometimes the burden seems to heavy to carry on my own. Does that make any sense?

Julie - Sweet Inspirations

Reflecting back on a New Life...

Here is the story of Michelle who came to know the Lord on the same day as Phyllis. I wrote this back in November of 2004 to share. I'll repeat it here for you all. One needs to understand that the Utah State University is 99% mormon. We were very careful how we reared our son so he had a clear understanding of the differences between mormonism and Christianity.

Tonight I have been reflecting back on a significant event in our lives. It actually happened November 10, 2003. Our son, James, had the privilege of leading a young woman, Michelle, out of Mormonism and into a personal saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

James had written an argumentative paper for his college English class in the Fall of 2002. The title of his paper was "Mormonism is Not Christianity Because The Jesus of the Bible is Not the Same Jesus as that of the Mormon Church." There was one other Christian in his English class and all the other students, as well as his professor, were Mormons. As soon as James called and told us what he had decided to write on, I sent a prayer request out to all of our fellow prayer warriors. That paper was prayed over, not only for the professor to be objective in her grading, but that the paper might have an impact. An impact it did have. It has circulated the globe (PTL for email) as people have asked to have copies of it, but the most important impact was when it was used to begin a young woman's search for Truth! In her mind, Truth would stand up to scrutiny.

Michelle's "pedigree" reminds one of Paul in the New Testament. Her Mormon credentials were impeccable, her family was of pioneer stock, her father is the first counsellor to the Bishop in their ward, and she had held many callings in the church.

James and Michelle were lab partners in one of their classes so they were able to talk while they worked. One of their conversations was about James being born again. She really didn't understand exactly what that was, however, she did know that he was not Mormon. One night in early November Michelle got online to find out what Born Again Christians were. As she read she was confused and didn't really understand too much about it. She wrote down some verses and began studying the Bible that night.

The next day Michelle had a lab with James and she shared that she was tired from being up so late reading and studying about Christianity. James offered to let her read his paper that he had written that explained his beliefs very clearly. Michelle agreed to read it and let him know her thoughts on it. They planned to meet to go over her thoughts. She truly believed that she had the truth and that it would stand up to any opposition.

Michelle began digging into the paper, sure she could disprove his position. She found scriptures to support her claims. As she states in her testimony, "I was armed and ready to talk to James about everything."

Now, along with researching James' paper, Michelle was reading the Bible every night for three or four hours. This was the first time that she had really read it and soaked in what the Bible had to offer. (Isn't the Holy Spirit wonderful?) On Friday, they met and talked about some of the things that she disagreed on. They discussed about an hour. After talking about James' paper James began questioning Michelle, finding out what she knew about some of the teachings of her church, such as the Adam-God doctrine, the conception of Christ, and blood atonement. Michelle was absolutely shocked that James would say that the Mormon church taught that God the Father had physical relations with Mary. That was blasphemous to her!

They talked further and she asked James the one question that sent her head spinning for the rest of the weekend. "Okay, James, tell me, do you think that because I'm Mormon, I'm not going to go to heaven?" James chose his words very carefully, "If you do not believe in the True Christ you will not be saved. But I can't be the judge of anyone's heart." They agreed to meet on Sunday but as Michelle walked away she began to question things in her mind.

Michelle went straight to the library to check out the doctrines of the Mormon church that James had shared with her. She found all the information and struggled with why she had not been taught that growing up. She thought maybe she was just misinterpreting things. So she called her dad. He answered all her questions with the answers that James had said. That night Michelle had trouble sleeping. Thoughts regarding her eternal salvation consumed her. She was desperate to find the truth. Even reading the Bible confused her because it contradicted everything she had been taught.

On Sunday as she was getting ready for church she came across the verse in 1 Corinthians 14:33: "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace." She knew then that God would not confuse her. She was skeptical as she listened at her church that morning. She did more reading and studying before meeting with James. She had pages of questions for him. By the end of their conversation she admitted "that Joseph Smith was a false prophet, thereby coming to the natural conclusion that the Book of Mormon and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints were both false." That was a tremendous shake up to her belief system which she had held on to for her 22 years. She wasn't ready to make a decision yet....fear still held her.

Michelle told James that she would be praying that night. "Which God will you pray to?" he asked. She responded it would be the God of the Bible. That night she couldn't get enough of God's Word. One of the passages that she read was Ephesians 3:14-19 that says, "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filed with all the fullness of God." (emphasis mine) That's what Michelle wanted!

Monday morning she contacted James and asked if she could ask him some more questions. She asked, he answered until she came to the Ephesians verse. When Michelle asked him how to get "that" he explained the plan of salvation to her and then asked her if she was ready to accept Christ into her heart. She thought about it for a minute and then told him yes. They knelt together as she prayed the most important prayer in her life. As Michelle tells it, she felt that peace she was longing for. "The confusion, the fear, the doubt, it was all gone."

Now, when James' paper is sent out far and wide, Michelle's testimony accompanies it. Who would have thought what kind of impact God would cause with that paper? Would you continue to pray for Michelle? Her family is still steeped in Mormonism and there are times that she feels quite estranged from them. Her story doesn't end there....God has used her in mighty ways and she has grown mightily through the study of His Word. For all of us, here in Utah, that was one amazing week! To see God reach down and touch a young woman who desired to know The Truth was inspiring and faith building!

~Claire, Pilot Mom

A CHILD LIKE FAITH

Ever notice how a "new born-again" Christian seems to be able to "believe" God or God finds it easier to work "thru" a new Christian ! Somewhere in our "growth" we lose that "edge" .
I got saved in June of 1967 and a month later drove to R.I. and witnessed to my folks, who upon hearing me , thought I had gone "mad" and looked at me like I had 3 eyeballs. I went back to N.Y. for the next few months, The Lord worked and Mon and Dad got saved in Sept. of 1967. I moved back home in October. The 2nd nite home, I had a dream of a family friend we used to visit many years earlier. The dream was of "Janet" crying out for someone to tell her about Jesus !. In the morning, I said to my mom , we need to go and find Janet Perry, she wants to know about Jesus ! Well, my mom thought I was over the edge ! - She said , we don't even know if they live in the old home still plus she is married by now and moved on -- I said , Mom , I know God wants me to go and talk to her !. Reluctantly my mom agreed to go with me- we drove to the old site and sure enough , they didn't live there anymore -with some digging around , we found another place where they did live and I got the new address for Janet who is now married . We find the place and knock on the door -- Janet answers the door and is shocked to see old friends -- We walk in and I said , Janet, The Lord told me last nite that U wanted to know about Jesus -- Janet's eyes get big and she bursts out crying -- This is what she said -- My life was empty and I knew there had to be more, last nite I cried all night for God to have someone to show me about Jesus ---- I told her how I got saved and my mom and we led her to SAVING FAITH IN JESUS CHRIST -- we were brand new Christians ourselves but God was able to use us ----- passing-thru
Scroll down and check out Pilot Mom's post "Reflecting back on a New Life" - Good Stuff

Trusting God

While getting caught up with a little blog reading, I came across this quote from one of my blogging buddies and thought it would be well worth posting on the Pilgrim Pals.
I have included it with a purple flax field, a photo I took last year while visiting my beloved Manitoba.

We are called by God to trust Him, and Him alone, to meet our needs and to be our total source of supply. Furthermore, God requires that we obey Him as part of our trusting Him. We have the situation completely backward anytime we start expecting God to trust us to know what is right and to obey our commands so that He might prove His love for us. Our position is one of standing before God, declaring, “I trust You completely to meet my needs in Your timing and according to Your methods.”
–Charles Stanley

HOLD FAST THAT WHICH WE HAVE HEARD

DAVID , THANKS FOR "PALS" MINISTRY FOR AN OASIS , TO DRAW WATER --

David and Carol , enjoy your ride to the camp today - many are Still praying for God's Answer and Direction for U in the days ahead. Still remembering your "project" and God's Touch for Carol.

Donna , we are remembering U this very busy week, along with Jennifer and Kim --

Saija , Trusting that these days bring refreshment from HIM in the most unusual ways.

Peterborough Julie -- yes U can Trust God for Providence -- we know U know that :-)

Pilot Mom , thanks so much for good words in "pals" this week - a real ministry

Arlene and Barry , ambassadors for Christ among the imprisoned. Healing for Arlene

Heather - to heal and rest and continue to bless with her sweet spirit.

Heb 11:1 -- We have not forgotten to pray for healing in your body

Prayingsensfan -- Can God touch proudfoot ? -- Yes , praying opens hard hearts.

Terry -- Aunt Terry to so many -- remember her and Bernie to hold them up

Felisol's hubby Gunnar for healing and friend Sigve -- people across the pond

Lil Missionary to heal and allow God to work HE is capable , we need to just Rest in Him

AGAIN there are many more , God knows - Let us hold fast that which we have heard.

Remember to drop in and leave testimonies of God's Grace at work

Have a Great Weekend ---am spending time with my wife today , passing-thru

Nite

NITE and have a great weekend -- Thx David and Lord bless the pilgrims --passing-thru

(Pilgrim) Father's Five Friday Warnings

It's Friday evening, the weekend is here and I have Five Friday Warnings/admonitions for you (and me) to consider.

Please accept these as from the Lord and know that they are presented here in love. I would not write such warnings if I hadn't already been convicted by the Spirit of God myself on these important matters.

Here they are, beloved:

1. DON'T EVER let reading, posting or commenting on PILGRIM PALS take the place of daily reading and meditation of God's inspired, infallable, inerrant Word. Nothing, absolutely nothing can minister life to our spirit and body like the Bible, God's love letter to His children.


2. DON'T EVER let reading, posting or commenting on PILGRIM PALS keep you from spending time with family and friends. They need to come before this blog even though the purpose of PILGRIM PALS is to encourage one another and lift each other up in prayer.


3. DON'T EVER let reading, posting or commenting on PILGRIM PALS keep you from maintaining your own blog. It's so easy to get involved and excited with what God is doing here that we neglect our own sites. I battle with this all this time.


4. DON'T EVER let reading, posting or commenting on PILGRIM PALS be the only source of fellowship and encouragement that you receive from the Body of Christ. We need to interact face to face with real, flesh and blood people and not just communicate through the internet.


5. DON'T EVER forget to give God the glory for all He has done for you through Jesus Christ. We have much to praise Him for! Let's declare His faithfulness to all generations! He is good and His mercy endures forever.

Just a few thoughts, presented with the prayer that God, by His Spirit, will challenge us to be good stewards of all He has so richly blessed us with.

"See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." - Ephesians 5:15-20 (KJV)

BLESSING ONE ANOTHER

What a Great Story from Pilot Mom -- This is what David encourages in here, sharing blessings like this builds HIS CHURCH -- and MAGNIFIES HIS NAME -- if I may, will share a short version of Another Testimony - In our first home mission church , we had a farmer who was a wonderful saved Christian, he had an older sister that was an English teacher in the local high school and she attended the United Methodist church in town - It was formal and everybody that knew anybody attended there -- I talked with the pastor there and he was born -again but restricted somewhat by "structure" - anyway- Herb the farmer would say to me , have U been to visit my sister (he wanted me to witness to her about born-again) and I would say yes, Herb, but she turns me away at the front door - she would look at me reservedly, and with pronounced wording send me on my way - "Thankyou she would say , I have my church and I am fine " the following week, Herb would say , have u been to visit my sister - lol -- he never let up on me to visit his sister and time and again she turned me away - I told Herb, she won't even let me in to visit even once ! Herb would say - keep visiting her , I'm praying -- so I did -- Herb's sister Barbara was 30 years older than me , educated and had class -- She turned me away several times, THEN one day at the parsonage, The Lord impressed upon me to go quickly to Barbara's house, I went immediately, upon knocking on her door, she opened it and said pastor, COME IN , I was hoping U would come by - she said she wanted to know about this being born-again ! Out of the blue -- God had worked on her , she got saved right there at the kitchen table - came over to the little insignficant home mission church and the town was abuzz over it -- she developed MS shortly after and before she had her homecoming , wrote me a letter of grattitude to this young uneducated pastor who would not let go and brought her to the Saviour -- good stuff from the year 1972 -- passing-thru

REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT PILOT MOM'S GREAT STORY BELOW ---

An Empty Cross

Pilot-mom I read your marvellous story about Phyllis and hardly took a breath as I read it right to the end.I looked up Psalm 139 and I was so amazed Pilot-mom!That is Felisol's favorite psalm. How amazing is THAT?

I went to Bible Gateway and now I am going to copy and paste the special verses that you mentioned.

They are certainly worth reading!

Psalm 139 .11If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.12Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.13For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.14I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.15My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.16Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.17How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
I looked up the meaning of your dear Christian sister's name and guess what? Phyllis means "green bow" or "green leaves"!

How fitting, eh?

The story of your wearing that cross really interested me.I had a friend once who wanted to buy a cross for his friend in Texas who he was going to visit.He told me that he wanted one with the figure of Jesus on it. I told him, "Oh no Dave! You should get him a cross that is empty because that is how it is. Jesus died for us and then he rose again. He will never be on the cross again!"

He took my word for it and bought his Texan friend an "empty" cross!Dave was saved a year before he passed away and he is now with the Lord who died, rose again and went up into heaven, never to face the cross again!

God's blessings on your Bible classes Pilot-mom!

May I introduce Phyllis, a sister in the Lord! :)

This is a post which I wrote a few years ago on my regular blog site. Since most of you are rather new to me, I doubt you have seen it. I thought I would share it with you all.

This morning, Kim, at The Upward Call wrote about wearing a cross. It reminded me of the story about how the Lord used a cross to bring my grocery checker into His family. In Utah, one does not see very many crosses because the mormons don't like to 'focus' on the cross. Not always, but usually, when you see someone wearing a cross, it just takes a question or two, to confirm that they are indeed, saved.

On this particular spring day, I was in the check out line at the grocery store and the checker, Phyllis, saw my cross and commented on it. She asked if I was Catholic and I smiled and told her, "I'm a born again Christian." She asked which church I went to and I shared that I went to this particular Bible church. After that initial contact, whenever I returned to the store I made sure I went through Phyllis' checkout station. Over the next several months she always had a question or two, or maybe just a comment.

One day, several of the gals were talking about a 'tragic incident.' I asked if something had happened. Phyllis shared with me that one of the ladies that worked there had lost her husband the night before. I agreed that was sad. She looked at me and asked me if I felt like there was a specific time for people to die. My response to her was that the Bible says that our days are numbered and God alone knows how many they are. That is why it is so important for a person to be right with God, because one never knew when they were going to die and have to stand before God. Phyllis shared that she had been widowed some 16 years ago and she felt the same way...that there weren't any "accidents" when it came to a person dying.

On another visit she shared with me how she has a severely handicapped son, along with 2 other children who are older than Brad. I shared with her that I had had a brother who had Down Syndrome. There was talk about finding purpose in all of that and I reached out and touched her arm and told her that there definitely was a purpose for Brad being born. She told me that she couldn't understand what it was. I told her that even if she never knew what his purpose was, God did. I asked her if she had a Bible, to which she replied that she did. "Read Psalm 139, especially verses 11 through 16." I told her that she must be a very special person for the Lord to have blessed her with Brad.

Each time I went to the store I went through her line and over 7 months we had these little divine snippets of conversation. I prayed mightily that the Lord would enable me to give her just the right verse for encouragement. I asked her to come join us for our ladies Bible study on her day off. As the conversations progressed I asked the ladies in my Bible study to begin praying for her salvation. My husband, Jim, began praying, James was praying, my ladies prayer group began praying for her salvation, people at church began praying for her.

Well, right before Thanksgiving (2003) I was picking up a few last minute things and I went through her line. She made a comment to me, "You know, Claire, when one is right with God then everything else falls into place." I was so taken aback! My reply to her was, "Yes, Phyllis, that is true, when one is right with God, things fall into place." Then she said, "I am so glad that I made that decision!" She kept right on talking but I didn't really hear her because I was so fixated on the word "decision." "Decision?" I asked. "Oh yes!" she gushed. So, I sought to qualify, "Was there a specific time, or a day, or date that she could pin point for her decision?" "Oh most definitely! November 10th!" she shared. I just about dropped my bag of groceries as I repeated back to her, "November 10th?" "Oh yes! That's the best day of my whole life!" I looked at her and said, "Phyllis, that is the same day that James' friend and lab partner accepted the Lord! She came out of mormonism!" Phyllis said, "I came out of mormonism, too, and it all began with that cross of yours!!" I then shared that my spiritual birthday was November 6, 1972 at which her eyes got really big and she said, "God has certainly been busy in November, hasn't he? November is the very best month!" I agreed and left the store. As soon as I got out of the store I burst into tears, happy, joyful, tears. And, I called our son first, because Jim was still sleeping, to share the good news, then I began calling all the other people who had been praying for her.

Later, she shared with me how she had been seeking. In fact, she had asked so many questions of so many people in her search to know Truth. It wasn't until she saw my cross and began asking me questions that she thought maybe she was on the right track.

She has joined our ladies Bible study and just loves it and is growing in her relationship with the Lord. It was such a privilege to be used by God to bring Phyllis into His family!

- Claire (Pilot Mom)