One of God’s Precious Saints
Hi Men:
Most people in the Christian community in Las Vegas would probably never come across this dear woman. Her name is Ernestine Feazell. Her birthday popped up on my calendar and I called her up to see if I could swing by and get one of those awesome hugs and have her pray………. Oh boy can she pray! She turned 88 this week and there are a handful of us (Tommy Burns, Chip Hinderliter, Gregg Schatzman, Steve Crawford, my 2 boys and others) that first met her in the old Promise Keeper days. Raised dirt poor in the hills of Louisiana, she would say how God always took such good care of her and I never once heard her complain. She had a feeding ministry in Las Vegas to the most down-and-out folks you can imagine…. crack heads, alcoholics, prostitutes, you name it. Not only did she know the Bible, but was a doer of the word and “always” shared the Good News of Jesus Christ. We came alongside her for many years and she showed us what the “love of Christ” was all about, working with some of the most difficult folks you can imagine. Ernestine is one of those unsung soldiers for Jesus, humble and lived a life of obscurity (see attached) – it was “never” about her. Keep this dear old saint in your prayers. I’m praying that she will let me mow the lawn on that big mansion that Jesus is preparing for her right now!
Dying to Live,
Dan
(Galatians 2:20)
PS: We will be meeting in “my office” at noon. The Cragin & Pike team are having a Cinco de Mayo luncheon.
Prayer Requests: Note – the struggles that so many people are faced with right now are over-the-top. Please lift up the families (wives and children). Evil is running rampant and whacking so many right now. There are business-related issues, medical issues, financial issues, etc. In all our struggles, let us continue to trust the Lord and hold fast to that which is good. One of the brothers sent this quote from Walt Henrichsen to me yesterday:
“You will never get life to conform to your expectations,
no matter how hard you try. God controls the affairs of life,
and the intensity of your desires will not persuade Him to relinquish that control.”
Please continue to pray for Ron Rodriguez and family and Alejandro IV and family
A few areas to take notice:
Click Here: E²Vegas.org/Second-Saturdays
Next Second Saturday – June 8th
[Note: No Second Saturday in May]
Trevor Brown – Headed To India
As mentioned previously, Trevor is a sophomore at Texas Tech. He was discipled by Tom Wanberg in Denver. Trevor is an amazing young man committed to Jesus Christ. He has been praying and fasting to serve the people in India. His desire to give a good chunk of his summer, about a month and half. Pastor Satyanandam has said that when Trevor arrives, he will be part of his family. Trevor is raising all his own funds for this trip. If you would like to participate, here’s his gofundme page: https://www.gofundme.com/trevor039s-campaign-for-sharon-india-foundation
But if you would like to avoid all the fees, you can also click here, and 100% will be forwarded toward Trevor’s campaign.
Affirmation by Silence – Day 214 Red Book
When I read this again, I thought of what we have said many times, the two greatest problems in the church today are:
- People have lost the “Fear of the Lord”
- People want to serve God on “their” terms, and not His
LET ME ASK YOU FOUR TOUGH QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR WALK WITH GOD:
In an age of casual Christianity and mediocre spirituality, it behooves us to take careful stock of our lives, asking the penetrating, hard questions, with the understanding that one day we will give an account to a holy God who reminds us that without holiness no man shall see the Lord. (Heb. 12:14) Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you–unless, of course, you fail the test? (2 Cor. 13:5) (See Matt. 5:20; 2 Cor. 5:9, 10)
Are you going deep with God? By that I mean, are you studying Gods word regularly, carefully, and in depth? How about memorizing key passages and praying them into your life? Are you internalizing quality spiritual material in the vein of Elizabeth Elliott, Richard Foster, Cynthia Heald, C. S. Lewis, George McDonald, Henry Nouwen, J. I. Packer, John Piper, John Stott, A. W. Tozier, Dallas Willard, and Philip Yancy, etc? Or are you only reading light weight, quick fix religious fast food caliber material that is so prevalent today? Are you choosing to associate with men and women of spiritual substance, who challenge you to the core to be hard after God; to be great for God?
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart – Train yourself to be godly – Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth…He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. (Jer. 29:13;1 Tim. 4:7b; 2 Tim 2:15; Pro. 13:20 )
Do you possess a passion for holiness? By that I mean a passion for Christlikeness. An exercise to help you intelligently answer that question is to prayerfully review Galatians 5:19-23 as to where you really stack up. Tell me, do you gravitate toward what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of praise? (Phil. 4:8) Or are you inclined toward that which is sensual, pride-based, and materialistic? Does your heart truly yearn for God? Does your daily schedule and check book strongly suggest that the knowledge of and service to the Holy One is your top priority?
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple – To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. (Psa. 84:2; 27:4; Pro. 8:13)
Are you a broken vessel before God? Or does your pride rule your life? Are you grieved over your attraction to sin? Do you have a tendency to react whenever someone crosses you, challenges your authority, or corrects you? Do you secretly pride yourself on your achievements, ministry, financial success, and social status? If you are truly honest, are you focused primarily on yourself or on serving others?
The sacrifice you want is a broken spirit. A broken and repentant heart, O God, you will not despise All who fear the Lord will hate evil. That is why I hate pride, arrogance, corruption, and perverted speech – Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Psa. 51:17 NLT; Pro. 8:13; Phil. 2:3, 4)
Are you intentionally engaging with the lost (the unconvinced) with a view toward influencing them toward Christ? Or are you hunkered down in your holy huddle, safe among the churched? “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men – When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous – I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some ” (Matt. 4:19; Lk. 14:12-14; I Cor. 9:22b)
This week, may you experience His grace, peace, and protection.
~Dwight Hill~
