Finishing with Joy

Luke writes in the Acts of the Apostles that Paul's desire, despite his sufferings for Christ's sake, was that he might finish his course with joy (Acts 20:24). Today that part of scripture really hit me. I said to myself, "Me too." I really, really want to finish my own course here on planet earth with joy.

I want to finish well, with joy, though I know that joy and trials just seem to go together in living for Jesus Christ. It did for the Lord in his earthly ministry (Hebrews 12:2); it did for Paul (above), and Peter writes of it (1 Peter 1:6-9).

And not only that. I want my wife Mary and my children to finish well, with joy. I want my brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ to finish well. I preach the gospel open-air and witness to friends and neighbors, because I want them to be found on THAT DAY safely in Jesus Christ, so that they will finish well. With joy!



So much in scripture speaks of encouraging and helping one another, reaching out with a helping hand to pick someone up when they've fallen; to challenge one another to press on through the promised trials and tribulations of this life (2 Thessalonians 1:4-5, for example), because of the promise of the life that is to come. Just ahead for the believer is joy unspeakable and full of glory!

That's the reason for this website. Whatever circumstance in life this finds you, I hope what we publish here is a helping hand, an encouragement, or a challenge to live more fully for Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, until we go to be with Jesus, or he comes to catch us away. Let us know if we can help or pray for you in any way. Maranatha!

The "Cancer" of Sin in the Soul of Man & the Cure

Made it out to the Farmers Market on Saturday (10/8/16), and Chuck from Des Moines met me down there to help pass out tracts to our friends and neighbors on a lovely Fall day in Iowa

View from north-east corner of Court Ave. and 3rd Street

As October is breast cancer awareness month, I used our experience with Mary's cancer diagnosis & treatment as a springboard to speak on the "cancer" of sin that we all have: how the Holy Spirit used the word of God to diagnose our condition, the cure found in the person & work of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the need for everyone to take this information and make an informed decision.

Here is the audio:  LINK

Afterwards: taking a break under a tree by the Walnut parking ramp

Oktemberfest 2016

The Lord gave us good weather last weekend, and we were able to go out in our little city of Marshalltown, Iowa, to pass out gospel tracts and witness to our friends and neighbors at the annual Oktemberfest festival on the city square.

Vendors setting up in front of the Court House on Friday, 9/22/16. The rain was just letting up, and the weather was warm & dry for witnessing later that evening.

I was able to finish a project I had thought about for a long time, but never got completed: a light-up witnessing cross to use in the evening. I found some 10-foot battery powered LED mini-lights, and I made some small boxes from scrap wood. I cut some Lexan for the faces, sprayed the back side with frosted glass spray, and had my local sign shop make the "JESUS" and "SAVES" from translucent vinyl. I mounted this all on my largest witnessing cross, and it all came together just  in time for Friday evening.

On Friday eve, Nathan Sleyster and his 9-year-old daughter came from Des Moines, as well as our Farmers Market friend Chuck, but Frank Chirco was not able to make it for the first time since we started going out, and I was very bummed!  Aquila Sletten and his friend, Blake came out, and David & Anna Leigh Heckart, all from Marshalltown. We were out from 6:30 - 9:00, and then came to our house where Mary had a huge victory meal waiting for us. On Saturday evening, Mary & I went out, and we had some great gospel conversations with both fellow believers and lost folks. Mary gave out just a ton of tracts...I thought she was taking too many when we parked the car, but turns out she had to go back for more!

We thank the Lord for the opportunities he gives to reach out to those around us with the hope of the gospel, and are now praying for the many seeds sown at the festival. If the Lord gives us another year, and health & strength to labor in our little corner of his harvest field, I can't wait for next year! BUT...none of us is promised another day, so let us encourage - "provoke" - one another to the love & good works mentioned in Hebrews 10:24, to take advantage of every opportunity to point a lost world to the one-and-only Savior, the Lord Jesus. Amen.