“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.” Isaiah 61:3

The past few weeks have been a real trial. Some might say we’ve had a streak of “bad luck” lately. If I even believed in luck, I would have to say it wasn’t just bad but almost non-existent.

One of the “highlights” of our week was this past Friday night. We were at GIG Coffeehouse in Uniontown. We’ve been going there every 3 months for the past 4 years or so and have never had as much trouble with our sound as we did that night. In fact at the start of the concert, we didn’t have any sound at all. Not that we didn’t try it out before the concert started, we just didn’t have the whole group do a sound check because there were so many people there already. (When we’re at GIG, we typically do a first song as the sound check and only have to set the volumes.)

As we began to sing, there just was no sound at all coming through the speakers.

The guys were busy trying to find out what the problem was so I started to talk to the crowd to take up the time. I started telling those in attendance of my “bad luck” stuff. It had been feeling to me like the devil was a bulldog with his jaw clasped about my leg, his teeth sunk deep into my muscles, and not letting go until I bled to death! I started to share about how we need to persevere through the trials because “greater is HE that is in ME than he that is in the world.”

At one point the screen from the sliding glass doors crashed to the ground outside and I heard someone say that the devil sure made a quick escape from the premises that night!

Shortly thereafter the guys were able to get some sound going. It wasn’t “right” but we were able to make do. It truly felt as the devil had left the building. We continued to sing.

But when the devil couldn’t stop us from singing he tried to stop the live broadcast on the internet. The computer shut down. We kept singing.

At the break I set up the broadcast again; I sent a quick posting on Facebook and asked any prayer warriors to pray.

The second half began. Shortly after, the computer crashed again and shut down the broadcast. I don’t know why it waited till we were singing to do that – it had nothing to do with the sound problems. It had been running for 15 minutes fine. Then the worse part happened! One of our speaker columns stopped working totally. There was no power getting to the unit. We finished the program with only 1 speaker unit.

I felt defeated. I went home embarrassed and upset about the whole situation.

The next day we had a puppet show and things were not any better. Mapquest underestimated travel time to West Virginia, we took a wrong turn and were 20 miles off course, arrived late, sound problems again, couldn’t find the disk with the puppet songs, and so on. Still persevered through and had a great program!

Monday morning I called a repair shop for the speaker. We were in a pinch since Chalice had another gig the following Saturday. I found out that repairing our speaker wasn’t going to be easy as Bose, the manufacturer, was not too reliable or prompt for unauthorized service centers and there wasn’t an authorized service center in our area. The service guy I talked to estimated at least $300 (shipping extra) for the problem IF it was what he thought it might be, based on my description and trouble shooting. And he said it might take 4 weeks or more to fix. He suggested I call Bose direct and see if they could help.

Bose offered us a flat fee of $250 for repairing the speaker but with shipping it could have been another $150 bucks! And it would take a few weeks especially with shipping the unit back and forth. Then they offered us a “trade-up” special. We send ours back with a thousand dollars and they send us the brand new model 2 system including a $500 upgraded gadget. (Brand new this system costs about $3000.00.) And it included free shipping for both the new model and to turn in our old one!

What the devil meant for bad, God turned into beauty for us!

And the best part…they shipped the new unit before they expected me to send back the old one. It arrived safe and sound today, in plenty of time for our service on Saturday!

We are surely going to sing HIS praises!

God gave us “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness … that HE might be glorified!”

Whether we are People of Faith or not, we all know that there are laws of nature that cannot be denied. There is the law of gravity: what goes up must come down. There is the law of motion: for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. There is the law of conception: male and female of the same species will create another of the same species. Human beings do not procreate baby lizards, rabbits, or monkeys; they procreate baby human beings. And yet another law of nature is one day we are born and one day we will die. It’s inevitable. No one lives forever.

The one law of nature that I want to talk about today is the law of sowing and reaping. Any farmer knows and believes that law: if he plants a seed one day, he reaps a crop months later. If he plants a lot of seeds, he reaps a harvest.

This principal applies to everything in life. When we sow time into learning, we will reap a better education, which in turn reaps a better paying job. When we sow time and effort into our jobs, we reap raises and advancement. And in the same aspect if you want a better job, you need to sow into your education. If you want a nicer harvest, you need to sow a few more seeds. If you want to have better grass in your front yard, buy better grass seed to plant.

You don’t have to believe in God to believe in the law of sowing and reaping.

But if you believe in God then we can apply these principals to the Kingdom.

If we want our children to walk in the ways of the Lord, we need to sow into their Biblical education with Sunday Schools and Youth Groups. If we want our church to grow, we need to sow into the membership by bringing visitors. If we want a nicer church, we need to sow into the finances during the offerings. If we want to reach lost souls, we need to sow into our churches and ministries that specialize in evangelism and outreach.

The Bible confirms this in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NIV):
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

This principal works for tithing too. Malachi 3:10 (NIV) says, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”

“Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty. He’s not afraid of being tested there, because He knows the law of sowing and reaping. If you sow into the storehouse, you will reap a blessing so much that you will not have room enough to contain it.

Now the even better part of sowing and reaping is that God even supplies us the stuff to sow! He wants us to reap a harvest so great that we are willing and able to share it with whomever we can.

2 Corinthians 9:10-11 (NIV)
“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”

If more of God’s people followed these principals of tithing and sowing, we would not have pastors that have to work part-time secular jobs or ministries that are struggling, because there would be plenty of finances to support them.

2 Corinthians 9:12-15 (NIV)
“This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

The biggest problem with this theory is that we become so focused on our own problems that we can’t see past them. Sometimes we don’t give anything at all; sometimes we give with motives to receive. Remember the Scripture in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 says “whoever sows sparingly reaps sparingly and whoever sows generously reaps generously,” not whoever reaps will sow, but who sows will reap. We don’t sow because we will reap. We just need to sow, then we will reap. But we need to sow with the right mind, with our heart. God wants us to be cheerful givers, not begrudging the receiver.

Galatians 6:8-10 (NIV)
“The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

This principal isn’t just for God’s people individually but corporately. Churches and ministries themselves should tithe and sow as well. When The Well Ministries was started the first thing we decided was that our organization would tithe 10% of our offerings to be given to other local churches, non-profit organizations and activities. And we have reaped blessings because of it.

I am a giver. It’s one of my gifts from the Lord. My husband Lou would tell you that I’d “give away the farm” if I could. I was always taught to give till it hurts, then give more.

I love giving door prizes at our concerts and events. I love making and giving little favors at the banquets. I love rewarding our volunteers with little token gifts.

When The Well Publication began it was given free of charge. In the past 8 years we’ve given over 125,000 copies away that actually amounted to over $50,000 worth of printing. (Talk about giving till it hurts.)

I didn’t give all that because I knew we would reap a financial blessing. I gave because God said to.

Now, I can’t tell you how many times we have been prophesied over that “the windows of heaven are going to open so much that we won’t be able to contain the blessing.” Many times we thought that would come as a financial blessing to our ministry – and even more, now that we are going to venture out into full-time ministry. But God’s ideas of blessings are not always the same as ours. We have received those blessings from Him but not always in ways we can count.

Galatians 6:9-10 speaks to me but I’ll restate it from The Message: “So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.”

Therefore, we press on.

Last August someone donated a car to our ministry. Through doing some research with the IRS, we found that to accept the donation and give the donor a better tax deduction, we would either need to use the car for a period of time or fix it up and donate it to someone else. At the time, Lou and I were doing a lot of traveling for another church plant, helping them get started with their worship. So we accepted the car knowing we could use it for about six months. One month after we received the donation the car needed inspected. I shudder to say that it didn’t pass, and actually cost us nearly $700 to get it inspected. That with the $350 it cost us to insure the car for 6 months meant we had invested about a thousand dollars into something that was supposed to be a blessing to the ministry. And it would need more work before the next inspection.

Needless to say that after our six months we had committed to using the car were up, and Lou and I did not need to travel to the other church anymore, we decided to get rid of it, before it cost us any more. Because the insurance was about to expire, and we didn’t want to invest anymore into it, our board voted to give it away, trying to find a nice couple that really needed a car.

Knowing that in six months it would need some more work done to it, we didn’t want to just give it to anyone. Our son Lance knew of a young couple in his church that really needed a car and even if just for six months, it would help them out. The young woman was pregnant and traveling to and from work and doctor appointments on the bus; the young man recently unemployed.

We were honest with them about the work that would need done and that they might only get six months out of the car. Well as it turned out they have family that fix cars and could do the work it needed cheaply. It definitely was a blessing for them.

A month later, we discovered the blessing even more.

Another local music group had retired last year and had a tour bus they wanted to sell. A year ago the price started at $20,000, but over the year the offers kept dropping. Now the price was down to $8,000, and it wouldn’t go any lower because if they didn’t sell it for that amount, they were going to take it to the auction to sell.

Lou and I prayed about the bus because we had been wanting to get some type of motorhome for the ministry to do some traveling in. This bus was a lot bigger than we were thinking, but the price was so right. We didn’t think we’d find another deal like it. We thought about borrowing the money, but this ministry has never yet purchased anything it didn’t pay cash for, and I really didn’t want to start. I felt that, if God wanted us to have it, He would provide a way.

Well, when some anonymous benefactor stepped up and donated $8000 to pay for the bus, I was quite shocked. I never really expected God to do it, even though I had prayed for it. And I certainly never expected it to come from one person. The sad part is that this is the way many Christians pray – to receive something but not really expecting God to give it to us. I’m just as guilty. We probably all need to pray with a little more faith to receive that which we’re praying for.

A few complications emerged with the bus because it wasn’t inspected. Someone told us that it would need quite a bit of work to pass, and we had no more money to put into it. We debated whether we should continue with the deal.

Our son, Steven, was a little discouraged thinking that we had come so far only to be disappointed. I tried to teach him that we had to pray through this roadblock. And that is all it was – a roadblock. I knew God hadn’t brought us this far to quit already. It was a learning experience for us to pray through.

Lance said to me one day during the roadblock, “Mom, I just realized something. You guys sowed a car and God is going to give you a bus!” We had never planned to sow the car to receive anything. But God’s promise is fulfilled. Give and you will receive! And boy did we receive.

Well, the story of the bus continues that the other group offered to get it inspected; we offered to pay for the tires it needed to pass. The guy worked to get us a good deal on the tires. It was only $750 for 4 brand new bus tires, which was about half of what they normally sell for.

About a month later we signed the papers to receive God’s blessing – a tour bus!

We prayed through the roadblock and the blessing was delivered.

Are you in the middle of a roadblock?

I think one of the biggest roadblocks we face is “if only.” “If only the bus had been inspected,” “if only it didn’t need tires,” “if only we weren’t trying to raise money to pay for our church carpeting,” “if only we didn’t have too many bills to pay already,” “if only we weren’t trying to buy a new van,” “if only we weren’t trying to fix our roof,” “if only more people believed in the law of sowing and reaping!” “if only more people would dare to test God in it!”

What better way to raise money for your carpeting than to sow a seed into someone else’s carpeting needs. Raise money for your van by sowing a seed into someone else’s vehicle. Raise money for your roof by sowing a seed into repairs of another’s home or office. We sowed a seed of a car and received a blessing of a bus.

“But we already tithe to our denomination” or “we tithe to other organizations.”

The tithe is required of us. It’s when we go above and beyond the tithe and make offerings that the blessing really comes.

Our blessing hasn’t stopped yet. A wonderful friend is sowing his woodworking skills into doing the remodeling inside to give us living quarters. Port Vue United Methodist Church is sowing the use of their church for our fundraiser concert/Spaghetti Dinner. Gary is sowing his talents into driving the bus.

You see, you don’t have to sow money to reap a harvest. There are plenty of things you can sow. You can sow your time and your talents. And everyone has both of them to spare.

If you are looking for a great opportunity to sow we do have some needs.

• We must extend our driveway back 20 feet to park the bus in compliance with the city ordinance. Anyone want to sow some labor in construction/cement work?
• We need items for the inside of the bus including sheets, mattresses, pillows, blankets, towels, curtains and more. Anyone want to sow some sewing?
• We need plumbing work done in the bus to put in the toilet and shower. Are there any plumbers out there that want to sow?
• We’re having a Benefit Concert and Spaghetti Dinner on April 14, 2007. Maybe your church or Sunday School Class would take a special offering to sow into our bus ministry.

Sow a seed today and help us travel the miles, reach lost souls, and give a drink of Living Water to a dry and thirsty world.

If you want to help with our bus ministry, you can make a financial contribution to The Well Ministries. Mark your donation “bus fund.” If you would rather purchase something we need for the living quarters we have created a “wishlist” with Target to make shopping a little easier and to avoid getting too many items. You can go to www.target.com or any Target store to see “The Well Ministries” wishlist.

Please visit the bus webpage for pictures and more information about the remodeling:
www.thewellministries.org/bus/

There were a few glitches in the day but overall everything went according to plans. At one point in the afternoon the wireless microphones gave us a little trouble. But I think we had some interference with the fire station being across the road from the park. Then a little before 7:00 it started to thunder and the wind started blowing so much that papers were blowing across the park and a few of our tarps almost took flight! Both of those times a few of our prayer warriors attending started praying and nothing more happened.

We’ve been hosting the Gospel Sing for 6 years now and none of those years has it rained even one drop during the event. Sometimes it rains every day for a week before and even up to the night before, but never on the day of the event. Some might say we’re lucky but I know we are blessed. We put so much prayer into the event before it even happens and then we have people praying throughout the day as well. God couldn’t do anything else but bless the day.

[thumb:534:r]Every night the week before the sing a group of us usually prayer walk around the area of the park we use. For me, it’s also a great family time as our kids participate as well. But many nights others joined us too. It’s become a tradition and one we look forward to.

This was the first year that we were all ready to start in time that we could have some more prayer with all the volunteers and singers that were present as well as some guests that joined in too. I was surprised how many people wanted to join in the prayer for the event.

Prayer makes all the difference and if you don’t believe me, try it!

Every year since then we take a few moments throughout the day to remember those who lost their lives 9-11-2001 and those who fought for others’ lives. We remember the tragedy but we remember that we have a God that is greater. This year, being the 5th anniversary of that tragedy, will be no different.

We have had some great themes over the past few years. This year’s theme, “Healing Waters” came to me back in the early spring when we went to Niagara Falls for a ministry trip. It is such an incredible site to see.

[thumb:500:r]Lou and I had been to Niagara Falls a few years ago. And I have heard him say many times during concerts how the site of the waterfall affected him that first trip. But it was when we were there again that I experienced that same awe of seeing that water continually pouring over the falls. 150,000 gallons of water per second travel over the American falls and 600,000 gallons per second travel over the Canadian falls.http://www.niagarafallslive.com/Facts_about_Niagara_Falls.htm Even in the dead of winter the water continues to flow over the falls. The top of the water may freeze, but underneath the water still flows. The flow of the water stopped only one time in 1848 when there was an ice jam in the upper river. The water continually pours and pours over the falls 24/7. No matter what, nothing stops it.

This is much like the love of God. He pours out His love on us 24/7. Whether you receive it or not is the question.

Today, God wants His healing power to flow like that river, non-stop, right where you are. Jesus healed the blind, the lame, the deaf, the emotionally disturbed, and the Bible says that we will do even greater than He did. Won’t you receive that healing water today?

When I heard that a local church was hosting the Belfast, Ireland worship leader I could hardly wait to go to the concert. But when that church’s music leader invited the members of Chalice to sing in the choir along with Robin, I was ecstatic! What an honor it was to sing with such a well-known person. It was a successful night — a sell-out crowd of about 600 people.

Chalice and Robin Mark

We also made a few new friends with another worship team that was co-hosting the concert. Their team played a song before Robin and his band started and some of them were members of the joint choir. They were a blessing too. We asked them to participate in our Gospel Sing in September.

The concert was incredible. He sang all of my favorite songs and one I really didn’t know. Lou fell in love with that song so I’m sure we’ll be doing it soon. The girl that plays the flute and whistles, wow! She was so good. It was such a blessing being there.

During the concert I saw a group of people not entertaining us, but worshipping the Lord! I thought to myself how awesome it must be to worship the Lord like that every night! I heard Robin talking about the number of angels around the throne worshipping the Lord.

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”
Revelation 5:11-13 (NIV)

It says, 10,000 times 10,000 angels which totals 100,000,000 = one hundred million angels were around the throne worshipping the Lord saying “worthy is the Lamb who was slain!” It sure sounded like there were all those angels in that church worshipping the King of Kings! I can hardly fathom just what that would be like — to be one of those angels. How awesome it will be to worship the Lord 24/7 or at least 9/10!

Be blessed and keep worshipping Him!
Kris:kris:

This past weekend was a great time of ministry for us. We had a worship service at a new church and I was really concerned how it was going to go. We spoke to the people in charge the week before and I was concerned how our style would be received. When we got there, we were met with smiles and helping hands to unload the equipment (which is always welcomed). As we set up, I felt that God was, even then, instilling peace in my heart. We did what we do best, which was to follow the flow of the Holy Spirit, putting all our worries behind us (get behind me satan!) and even did a new song that went over beyond great.

Often, or should I say all the time we go to minister, I get this feeling deep inside me that we are not good enough, or professional enough, or not spiritual enough, and I want to crawl in a hole instead of doing what God made me to do. Sometimes I can recognize the feelings as not of God, but other times they sneak up on me and I start to fret. Each time we minister I ask God for my flesh to take a back seat and let His Spirit move in and thru me. He has never failed me yet, but still the doubts creep in. I want to be strong in the power of His might, not leaning on myself.

I have found the more I let go, and let God, the better off I am. Whether it be singing, sharing from my heart, or preaching more and more, I have found that as the scripture states “Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.”

Would YOU pray that I learn to “lean not on my own understanding” more and more? I know he answers prayers and I’m counting on you.

God’s richest blessings!
:lou:Lou

I realized that in our spiritual lives we struggle to focus on the “game” at hand and sometimes feel the eyes of others watching us. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing because they can be eyes of prayer helping us to press thru our experience. As we try to focus our eyes should look more and more to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith to help us “focus” on what He wants us to do rather that strive in our own humanity.

When I think how hard I was trying to look good for the people watching while I was playing, I only got worse. Whether it was my glasses or my lack of skill in this game, it wasn’t long till the game was over. Our lives fly by as we look to our circumstances rather than the solution, trusting in Jesus. I may never be any good at the game, but I hope to continue to try to look more and more to Jesus in my “game” of life so that some day it won’t be looking thru a glass dimly, but see all that God has and has promised for me and my family as well as the ministry.

:lou:Lou

This made me think of a message I heard one time on revival. The speaker said, “If you set a fire, people will come from all over to watch it burn!” How true that is! The neighbors sure came out to see what was going on at our house that day.

Now if we apply this to our spiritual fires then it would mean that people everywhere would know you are a Christian without having to say anything, like if you had a little flame hovering over your head just like the disciples did on the day of Pentecost. And people would also be drawn to you, to want to be with you, to watch your fire burn.

I’ll admit that I’ve watched my share of house fires. We used to go camping and would build a fire each night. I love to sit and watch a good fire burn; the flames are so mesmerizing. Some people have fireplaces in their homes because they like to watch the flames. As for me, I’d like to have a fireplace, but I’ll make do with candles. I hear they’re easier to clean up!

Yesterday was the Fourth of July and we had some fireworks leftover from last year that the kids wanted to set off. There were just some simple fireworks like sparklers. Well, Lance and Mandi came for dinner and they brought some more bigger fireworks and then Gary and Evan came by with even bigger fireworks.

Typically we go to Renzie Park to watch the city’s fireworks display but it had been raining and we thought the fireworks might be cancelled and we really didn’t feel like sitting in the wet grass. So instead we stayed home and set off our own fireworks display. We used the large cement area in front of the printing office where we were sure that we wouldn’t catch any grass on fire. The kids were way too excited to light the fuses and would light one right after another. It must have looked like our house was on fire again because some neighbors came by to watch. Every once in a while, the neighbors a few houses away would set off some huge ones that I know weren’t legal. But the kids would all run to the side of the house where they could get a good look. I will admit that I ran to the side of the house as well.

What is it that makes the kids want to light the fuses and set off the fireworks? Why are we so mesmerized by fire?

Fire has such power. It can be good and bad. Good, because it can provide heat and cook food. Bad because it can destroy buildings and towns and can even kill. Firemen will say that fire can look like it is alive because it has such power.

Can we harness that power for God?

Let’s remember to set our lives on fire for Jesus. Get yourself into the Word or listen to some good worship music. Spend some time in prayer. Then wait for others to come and watch us burn for Him! They will surely see that little flame of the Holy Spirit in your life!

Kris:kris:

This made me think of the things of God.

So often we know the cure for other’s problems in their lives that only God can fix. But how eager are we to offer the perfect solution for any problem, JESUS!!! I find that I am just as guilty in not offering the “cure” for others as well. So if that is why my back went out, to open my eyes to get me to open my mouth to tell the good news of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, then I will look to the pain and rejoice in the victory that Christ has already purchased for me with the stripes upon His back.

Serving the risen Savior,
Lou:lou:

A lot of you know that read these postings that my wife Kris (the head cheese) had surgery and has been on the mend. Thanks be to God for her speedy recovery! (still not quick enough for me!) Somehow I have been managing between the kids the business and ministry stuff. All I can do is put my trust in God to carry me through (and sometimes I feel like I literally need carried). Day by day as Kris gets stronger we approach more and more the doors that God has opened for us to minister. As the load gets heavier, I am trying to just keep looking to Jesus for strength and determination to do His will not my own. Like the song goes….I don’t know about tomorrow…. but I know who holds my hand…. My time is tight, but it is my desire thru the Holy Spirit to write more regularly here. So many wonderful things are happening that I don’t know where to start.

So……look for my next post!

Lou:lou: