Do What You Do

We were delighted and surprised to find ourselves mentioned in the newsletter of That Christian Parody Band...Apologetix. It seems we have a good friend who is a good friend and fan of theirs.

ApologetiX gets their unusual name from the word "apologetics" which means "the defense of the Christian faith." They are a band that appeals to kids and parents alike and they travel all over the United States sharing Jesus Christ through their music. Besides their on-stage performamces, they stop at schools to talk to kids, answer questions and are a terrific role model for all of us. Make sure you check them out!

It's another wonderful example of how when each of us uses our gifts for God, God uses us. The Body of Christ is intertwined and interdependent. The dream is to get everyone to know, love and serve God and it takes teamwork to make the dream work!

Whether you pour concrete or pour cookie batter, play the cello or play golf, sew or sing...God wants you! He designed you to share your life and we need you. Apologetix educates and entertains. We walk and talk. Just give God what you have....it's enough.

When you use you talents, it makes Him smile and the world shine.

No Debt....for... Nobody!

Got a piece in the mail yesterday from Capital One credit card and it really bothered me.

They wanted Breath of Christ Ministries to design a credit card with our logo and our image and encourage our friends and family to use it. In exchange, the ministry would earn 1% of supporters' purchases. So if you spent $1000.00 using your credit card, we would get $10.00 and you would get in debt!

The big advantages touted were:

1) our cause is displayed every time they use their card
2) gave people a creative way to support us
3) could support us without an extra dime coming out of your pocket.

Lucyah and I want you to stop using credit cards!

We do not want to profit from your use of credit cards in any way! The advertisement and lopsided reasoning may sound good to some...but life happens! You may tell yourself you are going to pay the balance at the end of the month but... when you don't make the entire payment and interest is charged and a liability is created.

If you can't afford to pay cash for an item, don't buy it. Think about whether you need it or not ...If you aren't able to donate to us at this time, don't send us anything! Get your family's finances in order first.... Need help with getting keeping your money in your pocket check here.


Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another....Romans 13:8

Giving + Receiving = Life

God gave us good weather and Arnold was able to put the finishing touches on the inside of the door. Captain Arnold also spotted a small leak in a line attached to the water tank and he’s using his fix-it skills to get that mended.

This man is blessed with knowledge plus the ability to apply his knowledge plus a servant’s heart. We’ve worn ourselves out saying “thank you” for all the work he has done and all the work he has overseen. Sometimes words just aren’t enough. We trust God will pay our debt…He’s done it before, you know.

Someone emailed me asking how we were doing and if the waiting to leave starting to get us down. We have our moments but how can we get upset over people looking out for our comfort and safety. What are we suppose to say? “Stop! We can’t handle another second of this! Stop loving us right now!”

Solomon tells us “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” This is our season not just to wait; it is our season to receive love and so we will sit and receive this blessing from God. We will enjoy it knowing that those who are giving are enjoying it as well.

Don't Lose Your Joy!

No matter what words come out from the pulpit, everyone hears something different. What I heard this morning from Elder Bill Russell was don't let expectations and circumstances steal your joy.

As many know, our plans have gone awry and our timetable has been overturned. Every once in awhile I feel the joy leaking out of my spirit but then God sends someone like Bill along to remind me of God's goodness to Lucyah and I. Yesterday was a prime example.

"Captain" Arnold has been working his buns off trying to get the water pump to empty our tank. The hours he has put in the on the RV has saved us thousands of dollars! In the afternoon, Bob & Ginger Leavitt drove about fifty miles to see if they could help. After emptying the water tank through some "Marine" ingenuity, Bob was able to locate the problem (a clogged filter...looks like a cigar in the photo below)) and together he and Arnold put the tank back in. Water is flowing freely from the faucets and shower. Next on Arnold's "fix-it" agenda is our door. The lower inside section is rotted out and needs to be replaced.


The effort, teamwork and love of so many people is like caulking to my spirit. It prevents joy from leaking out. I look at these people and I see the Hands of God at work and I am filled with joy once again!

Lord, we speak blessing into every life that has helped us, supported us or prayed for us. We speak increase and favor on every hand that has reached out to us. Please help them to understand, Lord, that they are important, that You are using them and that their life is pleasing to You....and, Lord, don't let anything steal their joy!

Sometimes

Although our friends are doing their best, we're still in Kansas City, still have a water pump situation and still don't know when we're leaving to resume our walk for Christ.

Sometimes it's hard to wait.

My mind equates speaking, writing and walking with movement. It associates movement with being productive. The world says that being productive is a good thing.

My mind also links waiting with being still and doing nothing. Doing nothing paints a picture of sitting around and not contributing. When I am waiting, I get fidgety and sometimes that leads to a case of the "shoulds"..."I should be doing this" or "I should have done that." Should often leads to self-depreciation, a place God does not want us to live

God's Word (Ps. 46:10) tells us to...

"Be still and know that I am God"
Be still and know that I AM
Be still and know
Be still
Be

The world tells us to go, move, get busy but two thousand years ago Jesus knocked the "L" out of the world and left us with God's Word.

Sometimes it's hard to wait but... just for today...I'll stand on God's Word... and Be.

Out of the Church...Into the RV!

Southwest Community Church in Olathe, KS is finally back to normal!

Today we got the last remnants of our stuff out of their facility. My friend Don and I acted as the burros and carried things out while Lucy, Cherril and Pat worked the last two days finding a place for everything. There is more room in this unit than the last one so some of the items could be placed in outside storage.


Captain Arnold was busy as usual. He was replacing batteries and windshield wipers and fixing the trim of the roof. He said he figured we'd be ready to ship out by noon Friday. Woo-HOO!

Had a little rain off and on today. The weather is suppose to be getting a little chillier in the next few days. Glad we're headed south. On the upside, the colors of the trees are magnificent! How anyone can live though the colors of autumn and doubt there is a God amazes me.

America; an Ocean of Generosity

What a great time in history to be alive!

I remember as a kid sharing a phone line with the neighbors. The phone would ring in four houses at the same time. Each family had the same number but a different ring to let them if the call was for them or not. Today we can share messages, pictures and videos around the world in a matter of minutes and direct to one person or a million. WOW!

It's been great to share our RV adventures (the good, the bad and the ugly) with you. For me it has been a testimony of the goodness of people. Sometimes we don't know how good folks can be until we have a hurt or a need. In this ocean of generosity called America, we have experienced more hugs, smiles and love than CNN has viewers! We have experienced kindness, not just in the Midwest, but throughout these United States...literally from sea to shining sea!

The American people, work, give, help, support and pray to help each other and others everyday. We see it happening everywhere we go. God is the thread of goodness that runs through this nation. That's why we're united and that's why we stand!

Dedicated!

Sunday after worship we dedicated the 94 Winnebago....Lucy and I went inside the RV (She took the driver's seat!), the church circled the RV and Arnold led us in prayer. It was beautiful!

As anxious as we are to get back on the road, it's going to be very tough to say good-bye to our wonderful family.

It Won't Be Long Now!

The finishing touches are being put into the RV. Captain Arnold says we should be Oklahoma bound by Wednesday. Woo-Hoo! Here's some pics of the Captain putting his best foot forward and our Thursday night prayer buddies. Love you guys!

Acknowledge God in All Your Ways

And….

God will direct your path….(Proverbs 3:6)

Acknowledging God is my job description. When people ask me what I do for a living. I tell them “I Acknowledge God” and whenever I describe my job, I‘m doing my job!

In return for that, the Lord cares for me as He cares for the birds of the air. He feeds, clothes and shelters me but because I am His child, He also fills my life with love. You may be thinking I’d like to have a job like that! Well, you’re in luck….God is hiring.

I recently saw this ad in The New Beginnings Gazette:

Wanted: God Almighty is looking for an administrative assistant in your city. Applicants must have a willing heart, a teachable spirit and be flexible (things change fast here). Daily duties include looking for the good in people and telling them about it. Encouraging is only done as long as it’s Today. You are required to use the name of Jesus (Power flows through that name) to open doors to healing and abundance and to close doors to illness and lack.

Benefit package: All of your sins are forgiven and all your diseases are healed. Your life is redeemed from the pit, you are crowned with love and compassion plus your desires are satisfied with good things (please note that this last benefit will be different for everyone).

The job of acknowledging God is one that everyone can do and even though I move around a bit, relocation isn’t necessary. My friend Don Knepp was just hired as an admin assistant in the Prayer Division and if you watch the Kansas City Marathon, you might just see ‘ol 92 flying by and praying as he goes.....

Do what you love and acknowledge God as you do it!

God Likes You A Lot!

It doesn’t matter how you and I got into debt; our own choices or life’s circumstances. The bottom line is that we’re still in debt and God doesn’t want us there! Scripture tells us that we should owe no debt except for the debt of love. (Romans 13:8)

Recently Breath of Christ Ministries and Nick & Lucy became debt-free! I’d like to tell you that it was because we are such great money managers. I’d like to tell you that but I can’t. It was all God.

In December of 2008 we were debt free and by May of 2009 we were stuck $40,000.00! Accident, illness, RV repairs all played a part. The details of our debt are not important but the details of our deliverance is, because often we think God doesn’t care about the details of our lives.

Lucy turned fifty in March and believed with her childlike faith it was her year of Jubilee and God would forgive our debt. I asked God to help my unbelief. I’m a number’s guy and I didn’t see any way out. In June, the hospital discounted the amount we owed them from $22,200.00 to $2,200.00! Twenty grand wiped off our bill! Lucy was beside her self with joy; laughing, crying and praising God. I was stunned. Despite her happiness, we still had a lot of red ink to deal with and the world was crying recession.

God whispered to me “There is no recession in My Kingdom.” I felt the Holy Spirit nudge me to invest in two specific stocks. They were in the worse segment of the economy; automobiles and housing! Yikes! Over the course of the next several months, I invested in Ford and Fannie Mae…and prayed. During all this time, we continued to pay down our bills to the best of ability.

October came and God nudged me to sell. I didn’t want to. Stocks were going up. If I held them for another month or two, we might have a very Merry Christmas. God said “Sell.” I said, “But God…” He said “Sell.” “But” “Sell!” We still owed $11,000.00 and I sold the stocks and received…want to take a guess?....$11,000.00. Now I’m telling you this story for two reasons.

One…God has no favorites. What He does for us He will do for you. Do your best to pay off your debt (go ye and buy only with cash incurring no more debt), ask God to help you and expect Him to act on your behalf. God is real and He likes you a lot.

Two…God worked in our lives in a way that Lucy could understand. She simply stood on His Word and believed. God also worked in a way that I could understand…investing and numbers. We are different people with different personalities and comprehensions and yet He took the time to speak to us in a way we could each understand.

Christ came to set the captives free;

from darkness,

from destruction,

from death and

…..from debt!

Because of the RV

A few days ago, Lucy & I had the pleasure of reconnecting with our good friend Paul Davis. Paul is one of those mystical, magical guys who understands computers and technology. He is also a staunch defender of the Christian Faith; an Apologist. Besides strongly encouraging Lucy & I to blog daily (he actually threatened us!), he also gave us an interesting perspective on our old RV. I believe he called it one of God’s tools.

Sometimes an item, vehicle, person or circumstance is introduced into your life and the result is anxiety, aggravation or frustration. Often times we too quickly brand it “bad.” These “additions” sometimes cause us to do things we’d rather not do or experience things we’d rather not encounter or meet people we ordinarily wouldn’t meet. There are many times, we travel roads we would not have traveled had “something” not happened. God always…yes, I said always…uses these happenings to teach us something. The question, of course, is do we learn? Sometimes, yes…sometimes, no.

Our good friends Al & Gloriah gave us the original RV. They are wonderful people with great hearts and had no idea the vehicle was going to have as many problems as it did. Instead of feeling bad in any way, we hope they feel honored. God used their generosity to bless people as we hiccuped along the road.

Because of the RV, our rapid rate of travel and mechanical mishaps, we met exactly who God wanted us to meet at exactly where and when He wanted us to meet them. Because of the RV, they blessed us with their stories. Because of the RV, we got a chance to pray for and with people (including 13 Kansas policemen in 17 days!) Because of the RV, people got to use their gifts to replace, repair and upgrade. Because of the RV, you and I saw...the beating heart of Body of Christ!

Just like the Hebrews muttered after Moses led them out of Egypt, I moaned and groaned about the Yellow Submarine a bit…okay, a lot! Because of the RV, I got to look back and remember. God has taken me across a lot of desert. He has pulled me through many a valley. My sins are forgiven. My health is restored. He supplies all my needs AND.... satisfies my desires with good things…after all I'm married to Lucy!

Little by Little

We're inching our way back to walking miles....

Our 1994 Winnebago is getting upgraded every day! Besides a new floor and linoleum, we have a new bathroom sink, a new water pump for the bathroom (shower pressure) and today we're getting a new toilet! It's for important people on the go...

Friends Richard and Jacque snatched up Lucy early in the day and took her to buy two new blankets! Later Lucy and Cheryl put in drawer liners while Arnold & Pastor Harold made another trek to the RV store for some plumbing fixtures. We already have new faucets in the bathroom and kitchen. I think they just like to poke around at the RV store! Our buddy Bill treated some drawers from the other RV unit with Kilz to prevent mold (remember, we had some water issues).

Our friend Pat is working on removing the decal on the outside so we can put up a new "3300 Miles for CHRIST" sign Friday morning. Even though taking time to put on the sign will delay our departure from Olathe, we feel it is very important. Scripture tells us to acknolwedge the Lord and He will direct our paths. The Bible says it and we believe it!

I once heard an advertising man say that a product has to be seen or heard at least six times before it registers in our brain. When they see CHRIST on our RV, hear you say CHRIST and another puts CHRIST on his tee-shirt and so on, it won't be long before "our product" of Hope and Love will register in their brain.

You know, if you see a Pepsi sign often enough, the first time you get thirsty you'll want a Pepsi. If you see or hear CHRIST often enough, the first time a person feels lost, lonely or hurting, they'll reach for a drink of Living Water....and thirst no more!

People Are The Heartbeat of God

A "beat" is the contraction and expansion of our heart. I believe God placed this vital organ in us to remind us that we need to come together regularly with others and then separate, come together and separate.

We need to be hugged and helped and then left alone to grow and expand. It is this pattern repeated that we call life.

Our spirits become smothered if we are held too much. We do not fully develop if we are helped too much. We need to stand a bit on our own, wobble like a child and fall forward. Those that love come and stand us up and encourage us to try again....then they move away and give us room. The circle of love contracts and expands. When we feel safe, we grow and as we grow, we recognize God in others...and the beat goes on and God smiles.

Body of Christ

We arrived at Southwest Community Church on Wednesday at noon and "the church team" was already working on fine tuning our newly acquired home. The floor had a weak spot in it so they decided to replace the old wood and lay down a linoleum floor.

The weather was changing and a storm front was fast moving toward us. Arnold, the RV team captain, suggested we empty the old RV and store our "stuff" in the church before the wet weather came. Lucy and I used muscles we didn't know we had and got everything inside just in time. Pastor Harold is so laid back. He took our invasion with a smile and a wonderful hearty laugh.

Since we were without a car, our friend Pat came over, and after helping us unload the RV, gathered up some of our clothes and whisked us off to her house. She lent us her car for the next few days so we could run errands (check mail, buy meds, register the vehicle etc).

Bob Leavitt had built an "office" for us in the '77 and I mentioned that it really worked well so Engineer Arnold (he really is an engineer) suggested we try to disassemble it and install it in the "94. So I did my best to unscrew and unbolt so the big guys could come in and lift it out.

Arnold, Pastor Harold, Bill Russell and his son Mike worked like crazy to remove this, put in that, tear out and upgrade. There is no doubt in our minds that these guys were, and still are as we speak, working "unto the Lord." One night Mike and Arnold stayed til about 2:30am putting in the linoleum and they laid it as one piece! There are no seams!

Now while the men were working so were the women. Bill's wife Cheryl took the curtains and cleaned and pressed them. She and Lucy washed down the walls and God only knows what else Cheryl has been in to. Jacque took Lucy out to get some sheets and towels (our bed is a different size in this unit) and was so generous, Lucy cried when she told me about her day.

The weather really took a turn. It got cold and it looked like it could snow at any minute! Jeanne, a Thursday night prayer partner, went home and made a bunch of sandwiches and a big crock pot of potato soup. It was appreciated by all! (Pastor Harold to the left; Mike & Arnold below) Good job, Jeanne!

God Cares For His Children

We thought we would drive into Olathe, take all our stuff out of the old RV and put it in the new RV and drive off into the sunset to resume our walking.

Then I heard the whisper of the Holy Spirit.."Not so fast, Grasshopper! What are you going to do with the old RV? You need to register the new RV and in order to register it, you have to get it insured! Plus, Eager and Impetuous One, you must learn how everything works on the new vehicle. Some changes occurred between 1977 and 1994! You must read the instruction manual!" Read the instructions? Yikes!

Now before we could leave Oklahoma, there were a couple things to do. First,we had the honor of being on KOKL radio for forty-five minutes. KOKL is an Oldies/Country Western station and has many listeners who may not grace the doors of a church. It was great to bring encouragement & hope of Christ into their homes, cars and trucks.

Next we wanted to fix the starter on the generator. Pastor George said he would provide the labor once we got the armiture repaired. We were expecting to pay over $200.00 but a Jewish man who owned a starter repair business provided the repaired housing for $65.00! Yeshua has connections everywhere!

Before we left, Bob Leavitt solved the problem of what to do with the RV. He simply told us to drop it off at his house and he would put it in his garage and tinker with it as he could over the winter. You never know, we could sell it to Hollywood as a vintage piece to be used in a movie...did you see Surrogate? There was an RV in it just like ours!

7 Days Later

What a whirlwind of blessing this past week has been....fasten your seat belts and watch the Hand of God move!

After being overcome by propane fumes, we slept on the altar of the church, got up in the morning and put in a call to Pastor Harold at our home church in Olathe, KS and asked him for prayer. We then called our friends George & Brenda Shafer in Bixby, OK . I said "Hi, Pastor! You said if we ever needed a place to stay to call you...well, here we are!" They opened their home to us, listened to our tales of woe and loved us.

For the next few days we just sat, talked to God and our friends and wondered what was going to happen. Sunday afternoon Pastor Harold called to inform us that they found an RV that might work for us. He gave us a link to check it out. He and his elders were physically looking it over as I pulled it up on my computer. I noticed the price was $20,000 and gulped. The pastor said, "We're going to get it for you. How soon can you be back in Kansas?"

"We are going to be radio guests on 'Good News Behind the News' in Okmulgee Tuesday morning so we could be in Olathe by Wednesday I suppose." I hung up the phone stunned. Lucy said she had to lie down. I put on my jacket and went outside to take a walk (hey, it's what I do!)

As I looked over the farm lands and into the vast blue sky, I felt the heart of David... who am I, O God, that You would be mindful of me. I thought maybe I had been dreaming and so I called Pastor Harold and asked if he had really called me about an RV. He laughed his hearty laugh and said yes, he had indeed called. Then he went on to tell me the rest of the story...

The church felt they needed to stay within a budget of $10,000 but couldn't find a RV in good condition for that price. Pastor Harold started to look in a higher price range when he came across an ad for this vehicle at $20,000. When he called the owner, the owner said he had sold this unit two years ago!

The pastor apologized for bothering him and then the man told him he sold it to one of his neighbors and that the fellow didn't use it very often; perhaps the neighbor would be interested in selling it. He gave the pastor the gentleman's number and the call was made.

The short version...The man decided to sell. The church wanted to make an offer but...how much did he want? He said, "I'll take $10,000." Of course, he would! God is soooo good!

We arrived back in Olathe on Wednesday, entered the driveway and pulled the old RV(1977) nose to nose with the newer model (1994). . Lucy took out her camera and we saw what we should have known all along; Christ is in the center of our lives.

There's more blessings to tell....will write more tomorrow

The Quandry

Saturday Pastor George Shafer and his buddy Marvin took some time to investigate our RV. They took apart the starter and pronounced it dead...hope to get a rebuilt one on Monday.

Next on the fix-it list was the bathroom. They conferred with our buddy Bob Leavitt via cell phone and seem to make some progress on the bathroom. They got it to flush properly and I was a bit exasperated because they did everything Lucy and I did. The toilet worked for them them and not for us! It was kind of like calling the TV repairman and the TV works while he's there and then goes on the fritz when he leaves.

We turned on the furnace and the propane fumes filled the coach. You could even smell the as outside the coach in the back. After checking the lines and seeing the pilot line burn orange instead of blue, it was determined that the mixture was off. You could also hear the furnace pop...sounded a bit like popcorn. Gas is heavier than air and lingers and the general consensus was that if we continued to try and use the heater, it was just a matter of time before we'd blow.

Perhaps it's time to get another RV... but what to do with this one? Lord, You are good. We trust You and we seek You direction.

Blessings and Bumps On The Road

Today we're just south of Tulsa and the last couple days have been...interesting as usual. We never lack for conversational days. Praise God!

This past Tuesday morning, we took our RV in for an Cummins/Onan generator check. The diagnosis, we needed a starter transplant, oil & filter change: minimum damage: $700.00 (not counting the possibility of needing a new carburetor).

Before anything was done we wanted to get an estimate on fixing our non-functioning bathroom so we meandered over to Tulsa RV. They guestimated that we would need at least ten ours of labor (@$100 per hour) plus parts. Totaling everything up, we were looking at investing another two grand or so into our 1977 GMC Kingsley. At this point, Lucy and I drew a line in the sand. No more money would be put into this rig! We would go forward as best we could for as long as we could. We slept good that night. God will provide for us somehow. He never lets us down.

Wednesday we were blessed to be on Oasis Radio Network for forty-five minutes! It was wonderful! Here we are pictured with Steve Schwaderer who does just about everything at the station! After the program we had calls come in from all over Oklahoma. The serendipities continued as friend Matt Beucler from California stopped to see us. He was on his way home from a Corvette rally in Kentucky. Always good to spend time with Matt; he is a Life Coach and asks great questions that make you think.

Things kept getting better, as Pastor Kevin Lewis invited us to speak at Midwest Agape Chapel Wednesday evening. It was wonderful sharing "road stories with God." People seem to enjoy listening and God know I love to talk! A lovely lady named Cathy drove down to Bixby because she heard us on the radio. We also were blessed to pray for people afterward and spend some time with a young couple and counsel them a bit. What a blessing it is to work for and with God! It was midnight before we got to bed.

Thursday things got even better as we re-connected with friends we hadn't seen in a few years; Pastor George & Brenda Shafer. They founded Midwest Agape Church and have been active for and with the Lord all over the world! Pastor George travels extensively teaching about our Hebrew roots. We could listen to him for hours. Fascinating stuff! Next Tuesday, we have the privilege of being guests on his radio program. My Goodness, we are blessed!

It was about 11:00pm before we got to bed. It was a little chilly and so I turned on the heater. At about 2:30am, we were overcome by propane fumes and Lucy was very sick. She couldn't stop vomiting and had some trouble breathing. I got her dressed, picked up her blanket and pillow and went into the church. Thank God we were parked right next to the church and Pastor Kevin had graciously given us the key!

We sat on the steps of the altar for about an hour, catching our breath, talking with God and each other and asking the question..."What are we gonna do now?" No generator, no bathroom & now no heater. We need to get another RV somehow. 2Chron 20:12 came rushing into our mind; "We don't know what to do, God, but our eyes are on You."

We laid down on the altar underneath the cross, held each other, our eyelids got heavier and we dozed off. We're with You, God, no matter what. Use us. Direct us or...re-direct us.