One of the highlights of the year at Lancaster Baptist Church is our annual winter revival with Dr. John Goetsch. I look forward these meetings every year—both for my own spiritual growth and for the growth it brings in the lives of our people. Several days of concentrated meetings are spiritually fruitful because the culmination of attending each evening allows the preaching of God’s Word to gain momentum in our lives as we press on in spiritual battle.
Dr. Goetsch preached on the theme of “Humanly Impossible,” and each service highlighted God’s ability to overcome the humanly impossible strongholds in our lives and give us victory through Christ. The messages (audio and video) are posted at http://preaching.lancasterbaptist.org/winter-revival-by-his-spirit. You will be blessed, convicted, challenged, and encouraged by them.
I rejoice in the privilege of knowing and serving a God with whom nothing is impossible! Please continue to pray for Larry’s healing and for his strength during these weeks of chemotherapy treatments.
I must admit I had never anticipated that words like cancer, surgery, or chemotherapy would be a part of our everyday, family vocabulary. Yet, in the past several weeks by God’s sovereign plan, we have seen our son Larry endure two major surgeries, and he is now preparing for chemotherapy treatments that will begin this Monday, January 25.
As a pastor, I have prayed for grace to remain steady in preaching and ministering to our flock. I thank the Lord for the tremendous assistance from our staff and the overall daily ministry provided through our church family.
As a father, these have been times of tears and trust, and occasionally times of fear and then faith. Overall, I know that God is working in my heart in many ways to perform His will. It is my daily prayer, along with my wife Terrie’s, that He will grant us grace to trust Him more.
For Larry, I am sure there have been times of apprehension, but overall I sense a spirit of grace and trust that has been a tremendous testimony of his walk with Christ. Larry and Ashley have displayed a confidence in the Lord that has been such a great blessing for our family to observe.
The Bible says in Romans 8:28–29, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” While I feel it may be premature to share many of the lessons God has spoken into my heart during this time, there is no doubt that all of these things are according to His purpose and for the forming of our lives for His honor and glory. Moments of extreme difficulty have only reminded us of how greatly we need the Lord. (more…)
In Zechariah 4:6, God reminds us that what we accomplish for Him is, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” I’m looking forward to what the Lord will do through His people this year by His Spirit, and I pray this podcast will encourage you to attempt great things for God.
The Spiritual Leadership podcast is a free resource from Striving Together Publications (a ministry of Lancaster Baptist Church and West Coast Baptist College).
Although the times in which we live are in many ways alarming and perplexing, for the servant of the Lord, they are full of ministry opportunities—to a greater extent than ever before.
To effectively serve the Lord and take advantage of the ministry opportunities before us, we must be like David’s warriors of old, “men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32).
Like never before, God’s people need an understanding of the times—an awareness of the need of the hour. (more…)
Twelve days ago we brought our son, Larry, and his wife, Ashley, to Kaiser
Sunset Hospital in Hollywood for RPLND surgery. After a lengthy surgery, Larry was sent to recovery, and then to his room on the seventh floor.
A few days into recovery, Larry developed a condition known as “ileus.” Ileus is a Latin word which means ” to hold in check. ” Basically, Larry’s bowels were not awake for eight days. During this time, Larrry was very ill and in significant pain. Through many nights, he had severe stomach pain and bloating against the forty-two staples on his abdomen.
In the midst of the pain, God gave Larry extra grace, and Larry’s spirit has convicted and challenged me each hour. Ashley’s dad, Ernie Baydo from Tacoma, Washington, has been with us in the hospital, and we have spent many hours of prayer together in Larry’s room.
The ileus not only held Larry’s stomach in check, but our lives have also been in a holding pattern as, here in the hospital, God is teaching us how to wait and what it means to abide in His secret place.
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; zthey shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31)
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. (Psalm 91:1, 2, 4)
Through these intense days, we have seen God answering the prayers of His people. We want to thank our church family and friends for your prayers and words of encouragement. Each card, visit, blog comment, text, or call has meant so much. We are thankful also for the many health professionals who have served our son.
In the past several days, we have been able to pass out three cases of A Daily Word, we have witnessed to many, and we saw one person saved.
We are thrilled today to be bringing Larry home from the hospital. We plead with you to continue your prayers as Larry begins chemotherapy treatments in sixteen days. Pray for his continued strength and complete healing. Pray that God will continue to be magnified through Larry and Ashley in the days ahead.
We will keep you posted as God’s work unfolds. Thanks again, and please keep praying.
