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New Life

It seems that I am having trouble getting caught up. It is a busy time of the year. I love this time of year, everything is coming back to life, the birds are singing, the flowers are starting to bloom, the trees are coming back to life. Spring is a time of resurrection. A time when that which is dead and dormant gets new life! This time of year should be a time of spiritual resurrection as well.

Abundant Life Church held our annual easter egg hunt on April 7th.  The weather was a little chilly, but the sun was shining & we had a great turn out. Over 200 children were registered, & they all had a good time.  There were egg hunts for four different age groups, and the kids were like human vaccums as they covered the ground gathering over 6000 easter eggs.

There were many prizes, & give aways. It was a great time had by all.

Our Easter services at Abundant Life were great! We had a full house and broke our attendence record! Praise the Lord!

On Palm Sunday we had a communion service that was very special. I preached on “The Old Rugged Cross” there was just such a special presence of the Lord in that service. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the place. You can go to the sermon page on the web site and listen to the message on line. I know it will bless you.

We are having a spring revival in May and we are looking for a great move of the Holy Spirit. I believe that God is still pouring out His Spirit where there is a thirst & hunger among His people. We are living in the last days, and I believe that God is getting His church ready for the Coming of the Lord!

We are excited about what God is doing at Abundant Life Family Church, and I know that the Best is yet to come!

See you in church Sunday!

Pastor Rick

Posted: April 16th, 2007 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none

The Pursuit Of Happiness

Good Morning!

This has been a busy week & I am running behind schedule.

I am preaching a revival in Des Arc Missouri this week and the Lord is blessing & moving in a great way! Peoples lives are being touched & changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for which we give God Praise!

We are looking forward to Palm Sunday services this week and to our Easter Service on April 8. We are believing God for a record attendance on Easter, as well as a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

Someone sent me this little devotional this past week and I want to share it with you. I believe it will be a blessing.

In his book, To See the World in a Grain of Sand, C.L. James tells the fable of a wise old cat that notices a kitten chasing its tail. “Why are you chasing your tail so?” asked the wise old cat. The kitten replied, “I have learned that the best thing for a cat is happiness, and happiness is my tail. Therefore, I am chasing it; and when I catch it, I shall have happiness.”

The wise old cat said, “My son, I too have paid attention to the problems of the universe. I too have judged that happiness is in my tail. But, I noticed that whenever I chase after it, it keeps running away from me, and when I go about my business, it just seems to come after me wherever I go.”

Jesus promised us real happiness and true joy. “I have spoken these things to you that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” (John 15:11). Happiness results from positive emotions such as joy, gratitude and hope. Negative attitudes are toxic to the mind and body. Research shows that negative emotions narrow thought. We can’t dream or envision new possibilities when we are filled with negative emotions such as fear, resentment and pessimism. Positive emotions make thinking more creative and resourceful.

Everyday is a celebration of life. Begin every day with this affirmation of faith: “This is the day the Lord has made we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).

First, today is the day the Lord has made so receive it with joy and gratitude. Thank God for today. “In everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Second, God only gives you today, not tomorrow, so focus on today. Don’t get distracted by the failures of yesterday or the worries of tomorrow.

Third, He has made this day especially for you. Today is not an accident; not just another 24 hours.

Fourth, everything in each day is made for you — the ups and the downs, the joys and the sorrows. God is involved in every aspect of your today. So, “give thanks for everything” (Eph 5:20).

Finally, expect something good to happen today. Then go out and make something good happen. You’ve got to make something happen in order to be happy.
God Bless, See you at church Sunday!

Pastor Rick

Posted: March 30th, 2007 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none

“The Instrument or the Musician”

Good Morning!

It looks like it is going to be a beautiful day in the Lord!

Vicki & I are preparing to leave for Spring Bible Conference at Jefferson City and we are expecting to receive a refreshing from the Lord.

The following story came across my desk and I wanted to share it with you. I believe it illustrates how the Lord can make something beautiful out of anyone’s life that is yielded to Him.

Years ago, there was a master violinist in Europe. He would play in concerts, and he had a magnificent Stradivarius violin,
extremely expensive. He would play the Stradivarius violin in
concert and everyone would whisper in the crowd, “Listen to the beautiful sounds of the Stradivarius.” He would play in churches, and people would say, “Listen to the beautiful sounds of the Stradivarius.” He even played before kings and queens, and they, too, would turn to one another and say, “Listen to the beautiful sounds of the Stradivarius.” All the glory went to the instrument.

Then one day this master violinist was walking by a pawn shop.
He noticed an old, beat-up, worn-out violin. He walked into the pawn shop and asked how much it would cost. The owner of the pawn shop told him the American equivalent of five dollars.

He bought the violin, and he took it home. He polished it, and he refined it, and he tuned it, and he retuned it, and he built some character into that violin.

Then, when he was to play the greatest performance of his life in a concert hall, he took out the little, five-dollar, worn-out, beat- up violin that he had polished and refined. He put it up to his chin, and he began to play, and everybody in the concert hall whispered, “Listen to the beautiful sounds of the Stradivarius.”

It should be our goal to allow God to “play” us and use us
for His glory and honor to the point that people see Him, and not us.

The Bible says in: Matthew 5:16 - Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. This is truly reflecting thepraise to the master musician.

Have a great week & see you in Church Sunday!

Pastor Rick

Posted: March 14th, 2007 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none

Sunday Is Still The Lord’s Day!

It seems that our lives can be so busy these days. How many would agree that it is hard to find the time to do everything that one needs to in a day’s time. We have our jobs, families, recreation; and church activities. We live in a fast paced soceity. With much anticipation we look for the weekend.

The problem that we face today is that when life gets too busy and their is too much to get done in the week, we tend to forget the Lord’s Day.

Sunday is the first day of the week. It is this day that was set apart by the New Testement Church for the Lord. It was their custom to assemble on the first day of the week to have a time of worship, take communion, pray, and listen to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God. (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2)

 The Bible teaches us that we are give the Lord First place in our lives. I believe there are three main areas that He should have first place.

1) In our Love & Affection.

2) In our Financial arrangments.

3) In our management of TIME.

If Jesus is First in our lives, and our management of time, shouldn’t we give Him the First day of the week? I believe we need a day to rest, and refresh our bodies and our spirits. I am not advocating the keeping of the Jewish Sabbath, however I am advocating giving God His time! Putting Him first!

It cannot be done as a ritual or a legalistic bondage.  To reduce this to hard and cold legalism would be to return to the empty laws of dead religion.  It’s life and joy when we celebrate His Resurrection in the liberty of His finished work.  We must turn away from our own natural delight and labor to worship and renew His life in us at the begining of every week. 

Notice some important facts:

Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday. Believers should come together to commemorate the resurrection and the finished work of Christ in His victory over death, hell, and the grave.(Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:9; John 20:1)

It was on Sunday that the Lord’s appearances to His disciples occured. (John 20:19 & 26)

The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit came on Sunday. Pentecost was the first day after seven Jewish sabbaths. (Acts 2:1)

John on the island of Patmos “Was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” Jesus appeared to him and gave him the book of Revelation on Sunday. (Rev. 1:10)

Sunday is not just another day, it is the Lord’s day! Let’s do our best to give HIM some time on His day!

I wonder if what one person said is not true: “The church with the largest Sunday Morning congregation is called, St. Mattress.”

See You in Church Sunday!

Pastor Rick

Posted: March 7th, 2007 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none

The Rest and Refreshing

Good Morning!

What a blessing it is to be a child of God! What a blessing it is to be filled with His Holy Spirit! I don’t know how we could survive without the power and presence of the Holy Spirit in our life and the help and comfort that He provides.

Many times people will ask “What is the benefit of speaking in other tongues?” Well, the benefits of receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues are many, but two of the benefits of speaking in tounges is found in the Old Testement book of Isaiah.

In Isaiah 28:11-12 the scripture says,

“For with stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people. To whom He said, This is the rest wherewith you may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.”

These verses tell us of two of the greatest benefits of speaking in tounges, a Rest and Refreshing for the weary. Time spent with the Lord in your private devotions praying and worshipping God in other tongues provides a rest from the tiredness of the journey of life. Speaking with other tongues also brings about a refreshing to your spirit man that will rejuvenate you when the problems of life seem to weigh heavy on you. These are only two blessings of MANY that are available to the Spirit Filled Believer as you spend time fellowshipping with the Father in your heavenly prayer language.

Many have been the times that I have been tired and weary and spiritually exhuasted, but as I would go to the Lord in prayer, and begin to worship the Lord in other tounges I would experience a refreshing from the Lord.  It is in those times when I leave that place of prayer, I feel like a new person. Praise God for the Baptism in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues!  This is the Rest and Refreshing!

Are you tired and weary? God has provided a Rest and Refreshing! The Baptism in the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues!

Have a great week in the Lord and see you in Church Sunday!

Pastor Rick

 

Posted: February 27th, 2007 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none

Great Services Sunday!

This past Sunday was a great day at Abundant Life Family Church!

There was such a wonderful presence of the Lord that it was hard to leave when the service was dismissed.

God is doing great things! Those who are suffering from Satanic oppression are finding freedom through the Lord Jesus Christ.  There are also testimonies of physical healings for which we give the glory to Jesus!

 Continue to pray for the Church and the services. Continue to expect great things!God is sending Revival!

He is truly pouring out His Spirit on all who are thirsty and have a desire for His blessing. Just about the time we think God’s blessings couldn’t get any better He opens up the windows of Heaven and pours it out upon us again. This is what the Church needs in 2007, A grassroots Revival of Pentecost!  God is still the same, He has not changed, and He is showing Himself strong to all who will turn to Him in prayer, faith, and sincere repentence.

We are truly experiencing “Blessings from Heaven in 2007″

Have a great week!

 See you in Church Sunday!

Pastor Rick

 

Posted: February 20th, 2007 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none

LOVE IS THE KEY

Today is Valentine’s Day and romantics everywhere are trying to find clever ways to express their love to their sweetheart with candy,hearts,cards and roses.

The only poem that I know by heart is “Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you!”  I think my wife is tired of that one, thank the Lord for Hallmark.

When it comes to love, the Bible does a better job than Hallmark could ever do because it tells of about the love of God.

Perhaps one of the best known verses in all the Bible is John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotton Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

We all know that God loves us; but the question is do we love God as we should? Jesus said in John 14:15 “If you love me keep my commandments.” That’s how we express our love back to God the Father.

But aside from that the Bible helps us to understand the real nature of this thing called LOVE.  In 1 Cor. 13 Paul shows us the qualities that will be displayed in the Christian life when they are filled with God’s Love.
The Scripture tells us in Galatians 5 that the fruit of the Spirit is LOVE, and all the rest of the fruit of the Spirit flows from LOVE!

Donald Grey Barnhouse put it this way:

Love is the Key. Joy is Love singing. Peace is Love resting. Longsuffering is Love enduring. Kindness is Love’s touch. Goodness is Loves character. Faithfulness is Love’s habit. Gentleness is Love’s self forgetfulness. Self Control is Love holding the reins. 

Be sure to show the Love of Jesus to others, not just on Valentine’s day, but every day of the year.

God Bless You. Have a Great week and See you in Church Sunday!

Pastor Rick

Posted: February 14th, 2007 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none

Super Sunday

Good morning!

It was a great day at Abundant Life Family Church on Sunday.

It was Super Bowl Sunday, and we had a SUPER Service Sunday Morning. The Lord was there in a special way.

I preached a message on What it is to be a Real Jesus Fan! With so much hype today about the Super Bowl and all the enthusiasm that is expressed by sports fans today, I wanted the church to know what it means to be a real “Fan” or “Fanatic” about Jesus!

After all that Jesus has done in our lives, we owe Him all of our Praise! When I begin to think about all the Lord has done in my life, I can’t help but get a little excited.

Sunday night service was great as well. We had our largest Sunday evening attendance to date for a regualar service, and we didn’t even watch the Super Bowl at church!

We did go to a Super Bowl bash after church that was held for the Youth Group at Ronnie & Kathy’s home. Good Food & a lot of Fun!

Have a great week in the Lord!

See you in Church Sunday.

Pastor Rick

Posted: February 5th, 2007 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none

The Silent Sermon

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going. After a few weeks, the minister decided to visit him.

It was a chilly evening. The minister found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for the minister’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.

The minister made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the minister took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent.

The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then it’s fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead.

Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The minister glanced at his watch and chose this time to leave; he slowly stood up, picked up the
cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals
around it.

As the minister reached the door to leave, his host said, with a tear running down his cheek, “Thank you so much for your fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday.”
This illustrates a great truth, and that is that we can’t survive without each other. I have heard people say that they don’t need to go to church, that they can live for the Lord just as good on their own.

The truth is the fellowship with those of like precious faith is of the utmost importance.

Hebrews 10:25 tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, but to come together more as we approach the coming of the Lord.
See you in Church Sunday!

Pastor Rick

Posted: January 30th, 2007 under Uncategorized.
Comments: 1

The Transforming Power of Friendship

 As a part of an assignment for a doctoral thesis, a college student spent a year with a group of Navajo Indians on a reservation in the Southwest.

As he did his research he lived with one family, sleeping in their hut, eating their food, working with them, and generally living the life of a twentieth-century Indian.
The old grandmother of the family spoke no English at all, yet a very close friendship formed between the two.
They spent a great deal of time sharing a friendship that was meaningful to each, yet unexplainable to anyone else.

In spite of the language difference, they shared the common language of love and understood each other.
Over the months he learned a few phrases of Navajo, and she picked up a little of the English language.

When it was time for him to return to the campus and write his thesis, the tribe held a going-away celebration. It was marked by sadness since the young man had become close to the whole village and all would miss him.
As he prepared to get up into the pickup truck and leave, the old grandmother came to tell him good-bye. With tears streaming from her eyes, she placed her hands on either side of his face, looked directly into his eyes and said, “I like me best when I’m with you.”

Isn’t that the way we feel in the presence of Jesus? He brings out the best in us. We learn to see ourselves as worthy and
valuable when we are in His presence. The hurts, the cares, the disappointments of our lives are behind us when we look in His eyes and realize the depth of His love. Our self-esteem no longer depends on what we have done or failed to do; it depends only on the value that He places on us.

To be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ is to generate in other people the Indian grandmother’s simple statement: “I like me best when I’m with you.

–James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale
House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 228.
See you in church on Sunday!
Pastor Rick

Posted: January 17th, 2007 under Uncategorized.
Comments: none

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