Hello to all:
Busy day today; breakfast with my wife, then teaching Adult Life Application Class (wife also teaches 3-4 year olds), leading Worship for the morning service. Attending a birthday party for 3 of our grandchildren, all 3 belong to my youngest daughter, then back to church tonight for Prayer time.
Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, but life is always busy it seems. Anyway; trusting that the Lord will move in the midst of His children and lives will be touched today. Praying that someone will give their life to Christ; praying that someone will be healed.
Blessings:
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Who Am I?
This blog posting is in response to a question that was asked of me several days ago. This person; who will remain nameless, wanted to know what I did before going into the ministry. I thought that, that was a fair question and so I thought it would be good to blog about what I did over the last couple of decades.
Let me begin by telling you that I was born in Lynn, Ma. in June of 1947, and started attending the Lynn Assembly of God at the tender age of 2 weeks old, when my mom first took me to church. I lived there until I was 18 years old. And I graduated from Lynn Classical High School in 1965. I had joined the U. S. Navy while I was in my Junior year, and upon graduation, I went to Electrical School in the Navy at the Great Lakes Training Center. After coming home in October of 1965, I worked locally and in March of 1966, At that point, I was shipped out to Holy Loch Scotland, where I spent the next two and a half years serving my country. While in Scotland, I got involved in a large youth group for two years out of the 2.5 years that I was there.
I came home from the Navy in October of 1968, met my wife Lynne in March of 1972, and was married in September 9, 1972 (see I remember my anniversary).
Let me jump ahead to the last 20 years or so before being called into the Ministry. I worked for several transportation companies driving trucks of various sizes; the last 6-7 year of my driving career was in a Tractor Trailer unit with 22 wheels. I hauled construction throughout New England.
Lynne and I (and our girls) have been attending Lowell Assembly for about 22 years. I would have never thought that one day, God would call me into the ministry, but due to a series of events, beginning around 2003, I found and felt God calling me to serve Him.
I obtained my license to preach by completing on line courses through Global University, and received my license; I believe in November, 2004 (I would have to check my diploma in my office)
I became Ordained in May of 2010, by attending classes at the Southern New England District Office of the Assembly of God, In Sturbridge, Ma. from September 2008 through May of 2009 and was Ordained in May 2010. (I believe that the dates are correct)
I started studying for the ministry at age 59, so you see, age does not matter with God, He calls you when He needs you. It has been a great experience serving the Lord in this capacity at Lowell Assembly. Like Pastor Dick, Lynne and I have no intentions of retiring.
So now you know the rest of the story, and I hope that I have answered all the questions that were proposed to me.
Blessings:
Youth Event Pictures:
Hello Everyone;
It was quite a day today, here are some pictures of the event. I did not get a chance to take many pictures of the Yard Sale; hopefully someone else did. Enjoy:
As you can see in the next two pictures/ President Obama and the Federal Government cannot afford to pay for the washing of the Humvee, so Ben Sweeney took care of business. Way to go Ben!
It was quite a day today, here are some pictures of the event. I did not get a chance to take many pictures of the Yard Sale; hopefully someone else did. Enjoy:
End of event;
Well; the youth group and those who volunteered to help are cleaning up from the car wash, cook out and yard sale. Things went pretty well, but; I think the road traffic was lighter than normal due to the Lowell, Ma. Folk Festival taking place today as well.
Whatever the youth group made will go to help them going to Six Flags in September. The Army National Guard had quite an impressive setup. I will post pictures later tonight.
Thanks.
Whatever the youth group made will go to help them going to Six Flags in September. The Army National Guard had quite an impressive setup. I will post pictures later tonight.
Thanks.
Early Saturday Morning
Arrived at the church about 5:15 AM this morning, Saturday, July 30, 2011; excited about the events that will take place here today. The youth of our church are hosting a Yard Sale, Cook Out and Car Wash to raise money for their trip to Six Flags in early September.
I am also happy that Zach M. had arranged for me to speak to SSgt. Bonilla, and he agreed to bring some National Guard Troops (4 in all) to our campus for this event. They will be setting up three fun areas for the kids to experience. They are a Soccer Kick, a Base Ball and Foot Ball Toss. Plus they will have a Humvee for folks to see, and sit in. I want to take advantage of that myself.
There is a lot of items for the Yard Sale that have already been brought to the church and they were gone through last night to set the pricing for each item.
That’s it for know; will post later about the results of the day.
Stand by, more to follow.
Friday, July 29, 2011
What a difference three hours makes:
I am so glad that I left the house this morning three hours before I usually do on a Friday. For the past three weeks I have been leaving about Noon or 12:30 PM to head to the nursing homes, but today, I decide to leave early, because I knew that folks would be stopping by the church to drop off items for the yard sale tomorrow and also for the cook out. We are also having a car wash, all sponsored by the youth of our church to assist them in paying for their end of the summer trip to Six Flags early in September.
I went to two nursing homes today and spoke to my peeps and gave them a word of encouragement, as I usually do. One man that was usually sitting up, was in bed, stating that they were trying to get him to be more relaxed.
At another facility, I met with the folks that I usually see, but this week due being early, they were having their time of exercise.
This past Wednesday, when I went to do the Weekly Bible Study, I again felt as Jesus felt when He told us the story of the lost sheep. You may remember that He left the 99 and went out to look for the one that was lost. I felt the same feeling, as I found out that one woman that I have come to know and love (she had actually come to our church twice) was transferred to Boston and will not be returning. I am sure that it will not be long before she goes home to see the Great Sheppard.
Anyway; arriving at the church; for the last four hours it has been busy with different things taking place, phone calls and other jobs that needed to be done. It certainly makes the day move swiftly buy. Prayer meeting tonight, starting at 6:00 PM. Folks will also be coming in to prep things for the Yard Sale, Cook Out and Car Wash that will be taking place on our campus tomorrow. Lots of excitement in the air; as a matter of fact; even the U.S. Army Nation Guard will be bringing some of their toys for us to see and play with. Here is a sample. Where is this all happening, you ask, well let me give you the address in case you are in the area, after all, I am not sure who even reads these blogs.
Lowell Assembly of God
995 Andover Street
Tewksbury, Ma. 01876
978.851.9800
SEE YOU TOMORROW, SATURDAY, 7-30-11 8 AM-1 PM
Nursing Home Visitation
Well; again we find ourselves looking at another Friday morning; some may look at it as the day that they start their weekend, but; for me, it's the day that I make my rounds at the various nursing homes in the Greater Lowell, Ma. I state the location as I am not aware who reads these blogs, so I want them to have an idea on where I am located.
Visiting nursing homes for me, started about seven years ago when I was asked (as the Visitation Pastor) to go and visit one elderly man from our congregation, who had recently entered a facility in Lowell, Ma. As a side note, I usually visit from 1-4 nursing homes on Friday's.
As I would visit Harry (who has gone home to be with the Lord) I would find myself being introduced to either Harry's room mate or someone new. Over the past seven years this has grown from one nursing home to a total of seven nursing homes that we (along with four other people) either visit on a weekly basis, or conduct a monthly Worship and Preaching of God's Word. More on that in a minute.
It wasn't long after that start of visiting nursing home that the Lord began to speak to my heart about expanding to other facilities, and here is the reason for doing that.
Romans 3:23 tells us that....."All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God"
Romans 6:23 states....."The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God, is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So you see, all of us need the Lord; folks that have been placed into a nursing home, or into a rehab center, are about as close to stepping out into eternity, and facing Heaven or Hell, as they will ever be.
Therefore; I believe that the Lord has expanded this area of my ministry, in order to reach those who need Christ, and come into the knowledge of His Saving Grace.
I don't want to make this blog too long, so let me wrap it up by giving you the following information that I mentioned above.
On a monthly basis, this is what takes place....
Blessings:
Visiting nursing homes for me, started about seven years ago when I was asked (as the Visitation Pastor) to go and visit one elderly man from our congregation, who had recently entered a facility in Lowell, Ma. As a side note, I usually visit from 1-4 nursing homes on Friday's.
As I would visit Harry (who has gone home to be with the Lord) I would find myself being introduced to either Harry's room mate or someone new. Over the past seven years this has grown from one nursing home to a total of seven nursing homes that we (along with four other people) either visit on a weekly basis, or conduct a monthly Worship and Preaching of God's Word. More on that in a minute.
It wasn't long after that start of visiting nursing home that the Lord began to speak to my heart about expanding to other facilities, and here is the reason for doing that.
Romans 3:23 tells us that....."All have sinned and come short of the Glory of God"
Romans 6:23 states....."The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God, is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
So you see, all of us need the Lord; folks that have been placed into a nursing home, or into a rehab center, are about as close to stepping out into eternity, and facing Heaven or Hell, as they will ever be.
Therefore; I believe that the Lord has expanded this area of my ministry, in order to reach those who need Christ, and come into the knowledge of His Saving Grace.
I don't want to make this blog too long, so let me wrap it up by giving you the following information that I mentioned above.
On a monthly basis, this is what takes place....
- Conduct two monthly Services on the second Saturday of each month
- Conduct a weekly Bible Study in two different areas of a nursing home, one on the nursing home side, and one on the Assisted Living side.
- Conduct two monthly Bible Studies at two different nursing home locations, which are done by two different couples on our Nursing Home Ministry Team
- Weekly visits to 2-4 nursing homes, depending on the week
- Visit other facilities on an as needed basis.
Blessings:
Thursday, July 28, 2011
End of Day:
Well; here we are again; all tasks that were scheduled for today have been completed. Only thing left as far as the ministry goes, is to make several followup calls tonight to speak to those visitors that came to our church last Sunday. See you further down the log as they say. Leaving the church in about 15 min.
Questions, Questions, Questions
At one time or another, we all have had, or even asked questions. The biggest question we asked as a child was, “Are we there yet”?
Even today as adults we all have questions at times.
· What will we make for breakfast, lunch or dinner
· What we I wear today
· Where will I go today
· Why is this happening to me
· What can I do to solve this problem that I am facing
· The list can be very long
We can find many answers to the many questions that we may have in life, but the answers we receive, may only assist us while we are here on earth.
But; there is a greater question about the life to come; it’s called eternity.
According to God’s Word; He states in Romans
Romans 3:23 (NIV) for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
And; the results or wages of sin are grave;
Romans 6:23 (NIV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So now; you may be asking the question; If sin is so devastating, how can I be saved from it.
I am glad that you asked that question, for God’s Word answers the question for us
Let’s look at the story where the question is asked “What must I do to be saved?”
Acts 16:9-32 (NIV)
(9) During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
(10) After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
(11) From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis.
(12) From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
(13) On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.
(14) One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message.
(15) When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.
(16) Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.
(17) This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved."
(18) She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.
(19) When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.
(20) They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar
(21) by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice."
(22) The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten.
(23) After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.
(24) Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
(25) About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
(26) Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.
(27) The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.
(28) But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
(29) The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
(30) He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
(31) They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."
(32) Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.
(9) During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
(10) After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
(11) From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis.
(12) From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
(13) On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.
(14) One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message.
(15) When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.
(16) Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.
(17) This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved."
(18) She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her.
(19) When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.
(20) They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar
(21) by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice."
(22) The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten.
(23) After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.
(24) Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
(25) About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
(26) Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose.
(27) The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped.
(28) But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
(29) The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.
(30) He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"
(31) They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."
(32) Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house.
Most people you ask will tell you that they believe that there is a God
We also know that God loved mankind that He sent his only Son to die for our sins
John 3:16-17 (NIV)
(16) "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
(17) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
(16) "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
(17) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Did you notice what the scripture states about those who refuse to believe in Jesus Christ? They perish;
That’s right; there is a Heaven to gain and a Hell to shun.
We will all spend Eternity in one of those two places
Heaven is for those who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior
Hell is for those who refuse the Love of God that can save them from their sins
So; if you are asking the question today “What must I do to be Saved”?
God’s Word again has the answer for you.
Romans 10:13 (NIV)
for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Make it your choice today; ask Jesus to forgive and pardon you from your sins and change you destination from Hell to Heaven.
You’ll be glad you did!
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