1st Vision

Bible Study John 1 Word, Witness, Workers

2012-02-27T10:05:00.000-06:00

Bible Study John 1 Word, Witness, Workers

Recorded live from Pastor Kris' office
Click this link to watch

Bible Study John Introduction

2012-02-27T10:00:00.001-06:00

Introduction to the Book of John

Recorded live Bible study from the office of Pastor Kris Minefee
Click this link to watch.

"New Outreach and 35th Anniversary" Feb Missions Report

2012-02-24T11:23:00.000-06:00

Dear Pastors, Churches, Family and Friends,

My apologies for missing the January report letter, with Holiday traveling and starting the New Year I let it slip by me. I will pay more attention to our calendar for the rest of 2012.

35th Anniversary at Grand Canyon

We traveled back to Texas in December and part of January, it was good to get out of the cold of Flagstaff and back to the warmth of Houston and our family, friends and home church. While in the area I preached for the wonderful folks at Temple Baptist Church and their great pastor Rudy Rios. I have preached so often for Bro. Rudy that I feel like an Associate when I am in town. The people of Temple have been a blessing both with their prayers and support. It is good to see the church doing well and flourishing where God has planted it. The following week we touched base with our home church Santa Fe Baptist. I do not know how board missionaries are able to function without the moral and spiritual foundation of a sending church. When we have opportunity to attend services at Santa Fe it is like being welcomed home as a hero back from the war. Pastor Larry Jones and our church pour blessing on top of blessing when they see us. It is a joy to worship with them and such a sorrow when we have to say goodbye.

We continue to seek employment in Flagstaff to offset our living expenses and allow us to devote our support fully to the work or outreach. I recently attended a meeting in which the job situation in Flagstaff was one of the topics. At the meeting it was reported that 120 people responded to a job with the city and over 300 responded to a job opening at a local fast food restaurant. Needless to say the area is hurting for jobs. I have been interviewed a couple of times and was asked if I was willing to work on Sunday. When I voiced my willingness to work on Saturday or even at night instead of Sunday I was politely thanked and then told Sunday work was not an option. LeeOra has begun some work caring for people’s vacation homes and cabins in the area and we are very grateful for the income but it is usually only once or twice a month.

I have begun the process for applying to the local school district as a substitute teacher or bus driver. The first step is a finger print card and police clearance. The clearance takes 4-6 weeks to go through and I am still waiting after 5 weeks with no word of any progress. Once I am cleared there are a few more hurdles but I am hoping that once all is done I can work at the public and charter schools in the area. This will help with our finances as well as give us an avenue of outreach for the gospel.

The weather is bitterly cold and we have experienced our first sub-zero temperatures. The snow and low temperatures have hindered out outreach but we are working where we can. At present we are researching meeting rooms at hotels and schools though the prices are out of reach at present. We are also gathering tracts, door hangers, Scripture booklets and other evangelistic materials for use once the weather allows us to begin some proper outreach.

We are using Ustream, a free video streaming site, to broadcast our Sunday morning messages and our Thursday night Bible Studies. We are averaging 5 viewers during the broadcasts, with a total of 64 views including those who check out the recorded messages for the first 2 weeks of our broadcasts. We are praying that some of those viewers are folks in Flagstaff and that we will soon hear from them or see them in our services or Bible Studies. The Sunday messages are recorded and you can find them at this link http://ustre.am/HBpF/1 the Bible Studies are at http://ustre.am/Hs0p/1 . We would love to have you join us live but please don't miss church, just take advantage of the recorded messages and Bible studies at any time. Please forgive the commercials every 10 to 15 minutes, but that is why the service is free.

LeeOra and I celebrated our 35^th wedding anniversary on the 14^th of February, which is also Arizona's 100^th anniversary as a state. We took advantage of the free admission to the Grand Canyon to mark our special day. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes and we are looking forward to many more years of serving Him together as husband and wife.

In His service

Kris and LeeOra Minefee

Christ and Christian Character Bible Study on Ustream

2012-02-09T14:01:00.000-06:00

Our first online Bible Study will be Thursday night Feb 9th at 7pm MST on our Ustream channel. We will be studying the third chapter of the New Testament book of Colossians, "Christ and Character." You can download a MS Word document workbook at this link Christ and Character Workbook. Hope you can join us and praying that the Lord will use this to reach out to our local and online communities with the Word of God.

If you are in the Flagstaff area and interested in truly knowing God, joining us for Sunday for worship or having a Bible Study in your own home please contact us at krisminefee@gmail.com or call our home at 928 487-3807. Check out our website at 1stvision.org or look us up on Facebook.

First Vision Baptist "Hear the Word, Seek the Knowledge See the Vision!"

Trailside Devotion: The Works of God

2012-02-02T16:29:00.000-06:00

San Francisco Peaks from Doney Park Trail

The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein. Ps 111:2

Hiking can and is done everywhere in urban, rural and wilderness contexts but it is the wilderness that draws and produces the most profound sense of wonder and awe. The whisper of creation can be sensed in an autumn leaf plucked from an asphalt parking lot but it crescendos and cannot be silenced under the canopy of an old growth forest.

It is in the wilderness that the handiwork of God is most apparent. What is so often easy to miss on a city street simply can’t be ignored standing on the precipice of 1000 ft. overlook. Every twist of the trail brings into view another wonder of creation, from a wind twisted juniper to a 10 story tall Ponderosa pine. Amazing things are seen in the rocks underfoot and stretches out past the horizon to the columns of the Grand Canyon.

Once the “works of God” have been experienced, a person must seek them out again. First because most of our life is too mundane and void of anything even close to wonder and secondly, because in the cacophony of a busy life it is too easy to lose track of that still small voice that God often uses to say He has not forgotten His world and those who dwell on it.

We seek out the works of God not just because they are great but because they fill us with a pleasure that is innate in themselves, a joy and a peace that reminds us of our Creator and the beautiful world he has surrounded us with.

Examiner.com link

10 Reasons Atheist Make Me Laugh

2011-11-21T12:32:00.000-06:00

Charles Darwin

Atheists are fighting against something they don't believe exists. It's like writing blogs against Caspar the Friendly Ghost or Bilbo Baggins. Why would you bother?
Atheists spend more time writing on Christian blogs than they do on their own. Why fuel a nonexistent fire?
Atheists love to act intellectual until you catch them doing something illogically and then they scream profanities cause that's really intellectual.
Atheists have the word theist in their name. Every time they say who they are they call attention to God.
Atheist condemn all that's wrong with Christianity and yet can not produce one work of art, literature or sacrificially deed done in the name of atheism. Even they realize it's not worth dying for.
Atheists only believe in what their senses tell them unless its Darwin telling them things that happened billions of years ago, then they have more faith than a Catholic at First Communion.
Atheists believe in science unless the scientists believe in God, then they denounce the scientist and call him a moron.
Atheists believe in their fellow man, unless their fellow man believes in God then they denounce their fellow man and call him a moron.
Atheists believe in the great free-thinkers of the past like Andrew Flew unless they change their mind and become theists then they denounce them and call them morons.
Atheists don't believe in morons unless they are atheists and then they embrace them and call them intellectuals

Coming, Going and Staying October / November Report

2011-11-18T10:59:00.000-06:00

Family and Friends make a Full Mission

October brought appreciated visitors but also took away our first real mission attendee. Ron had attended several of our services and was doing a Bible study with us had to return to Phoenix to find work. He was a great encouragement to us as we could see the Lord working in his life. We drove him to Phoenix and left him with our prayers.

Lauren was there for the next Sunday

Later in the month though we had wonderful visitors. Family and friends made a visit that really cheered our hearts. Our daughter Susan, her husband Jason and of course our first grandbaby Calvin escaped the warm temps of Houston to be with us for a few days. A few days later our daughter Lauren came out also. If all that was not enough of a blessing we also had Mark, Jackie, Benjamin and Alyssa Risinger come up from Scottsdale, Az to be with us as well. We had two Sundays with visitors though we knew they couldn't stay it was pure joy to have them with us. It gave us our highest attendance yet in Flagstaff with 9.

Jason Risinger, my son-in-law, and Mark, his older brother, were members of my youth group at Bayshore Baptist. I watched them grow up into two of my most faithful and dependable men. I have prayed with them, played with them, hiked with them and worshiped with them. They are sure proof of the Lord's promise in Mark 10:29 that whatever we give up for His sake will be rewarded a 100 times over in this life. Mark and Jason and their family's relationship with us are among the greatest reward we can experience as servants of the Lord.

Our own "Sermon On The Mount"

While Lauren with us we set out on a hike on the hills behind our home. After we reached the top we stopped for a Bible Study and a meal. It may not have been “The” Sermon on the Mount but it certainly was “a” sermon on a mountain. We discussed Psalms 8 “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens!” The Bible study filled our hearts while the hike fatigued our bodies. It was a good day.

LeeOra has take on a housecleaning job but it is only a few times a month and so doesn't bring in much. We are hoping with the Christmas hiring we might both find work at least for the winter. I have finished writing the first installment of Christ's Principles for Powerful Prayer and will have it posted in a week or so on Barnes and Nobles. I'll will pass the information on how and where to buy it very soon. I have also begun ordering supplies for the work from those printing houses and tract stores that send supplies to missionaries with out cost. We are very grateful the Lord has supplied such ministries to help us as we get started here. The harsh winters here limit what outreach we can do so we are making plans for a Spring evangelism launch. We are looking at several festivals, fairs and downtown events to attend with the tracts, brochures and Bible study offers. Keep us in your prayers as we keep you in ours.

Kris and LeeOra Minefee

Your missionaries

Fall Prep and Prayers

2011-10-20T16:10:00.000-05:00


Kris and LeeOra Minefee Missionaries to Northern Arizona

October2011

DearPastors, Churches, Family and Friends,

In Flagstaff, there is not really much of afall. The seasons go from the cool Summer to the cold Winter veryquickly. We have been trying to winterize our older rental home toprepare for the truly cold temperatures that are yet to come. Sinceour place is older as manufactured homes go it has needed many smallrepairs such as hole patching both inside and outside, caulking andweather stripping. The propane we hoped would last for the wintermonths lasted about 2 months and we are needing to refill the tankbefore the snow begins to fall. We have had one small snow flurry atour home which is at 6500 feet but the same storm covered the SandFrancisco Peaks which are over 12,000 feet.

October Snow on San Francisco Peaks

Theinability to secure jobs has really been a set-back for us. LeeOraand I have easily filled out over 50 job applications and countourselves lucky if we get a rejection email back. In some cases it isour refusal to work on Sundays but for the most part we simply don'tknow why we are not contacted or interviewed. The Lord has providedand we have no doubt He will continue to do so but we would love tobe able to begin advertising or looking for a place to have meetingsbut cannot do so at this time due to the lack of funds. Please praythat both of us may be able to find work in the near future.

Wedid begin some free advertising on Craigslist in October but had topull the ad after just a few days due to the overwhelming amount ofspam and scams it generated. We are hopeful that with somefine-tuning we will be able to try this again in the future with moresuccess.


Saying Goodbye to the Deputation Rig

Also at the beginning of this month we returnedour deputation rig to the family that had lent it to us. I'm surethat they did not realize it would be almost a 3 year loan by thetime we got it back. We want to thank Danny and Mirim for their loveand patience. Deputation was a joy with our Jayco Featherlight andFord F-250. They were a major part of our deputation travel and Iknow I was more a man when I was driving that big red diesel.

While we are waiting for jobs I have started towork on publishing some Bible Studies and books. I am putting thefinishing touches on “Christ's Blueprint for Prayer” and willhave it out next month. It may not bring in much money but we arepraying the Lord can use it to bless others as much as it has been ablessing to us. I will let you know when it is done how you canpurchase a copy from for your e-book reader.

Bible Study with Songs

Aspecial thank you to my sister Shanna for the gift she sent for thepurchase of a keyboard for the worship services. We were able topurchase a used Yamaha keyboard from a church in Prescott. LeeOra isnow practicing so that we might have songs as well as Bible Studiesin our home worship times.

MayGod Bless

Krisand LeeOra Minefee

Why Homosexuality Today Is Not Just Another Sin. Part 2

2011-10-05T16:36:00.000-05:00

Homosexuality is not just another sin because it propagates itself by taking our sons and daughters.

Simply put homosexuals cannot have homosexual children. Contrary to the myths that have been embedded in popular culture by liberal cultural warriors, homosexuals are not born they are made. They are made in much the same way that young girls are turned into prostitutes. Sexual predators look for young people who come from troubled homes with bad relationships with one or both parents. Once they are chosen the grooming begins. The sexual mentor begins with subtle but obvious overtures of both friendship and sexuality. In the case of young men, it often begins with heterosexual pornography but then progresses to homosexual pornography. Sooner or later the troubled youth becomes an even more trouble homosexual.

This is all done in the name of “helping them to find out who they truly are” but in reality it is a progressive plan to change them from an innocent but emotionally needy young person to a sexual conquest. Many if not most homosexual men were molested as boys and teens. Ironically, instead of turning from the behavior that hurt them they often embrace it and become homosexuals themselves. This is not out of a genetic difference they were born with but because of a sense of worthlessness due to the after effects of being molested. They are left with a sense of shame and guilt that drives them to the only one they think will accept them.

The more accepted the homosexual lifestyle is the more our children will be turned into homosexuals by sexual predators. In the past as a child I was warned by my parents to avoid certain men, even if they were relatives. Though I was too young to understand why, I was told in a tone that didn't allow for too many questions, “Don't go any where by yourself with Uncle ___________.” The reason given was simply, “He's not quite right. He might hurt you.” The more we think overlook the perversion of homosexuality the more our children will be hurt.

References are from the Web article “Sexual Abuse: A Major Cause Of Homosexuality?” http://home60515.com/3.html

The following books refer to the fact that many many homosexuals were sexually abused when young:

Teen Prostitution by Joan J. Johnson (NY & Chicago: Franklin Watts Publishers, 1992), p. 53.

Female Perversions by Dr. Louise J. Kaplan (NY: Doubleday, 1991), p. 437.

Invisible Lives by Martha Barron Barrett (NY: William Morrow & Co., 1989), p. 140.

Incest and Sexuality by therapists Wendy Maltz and Beverly Holman (Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1987), p. 72.

The Secret Trauma by Prof. Diane E.H. Russell (NY: Basic Books, Inc., 1986), p. 199.

The Broken Taboo: Sex in the Family by B. and R. Justice (quoted in the book Incest: a family pattern by Jean Renvoize [London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1982], p. 127).

The following books refer to the fact that many young victims of sexual abuse later experience confusion over their sexual identities:

The Consumer's Guide to Psychotherapy by Drs. Jack Engler and Daniel Goleman (NY: Simon & Schuster/Fireside, 1992), p. 414.

Desires in Conflict by Joe Dallas (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1991), p. 187.

Betrayal of Innocence by Dr. Susan Forward and Craig Buck (NY: Penguin Books, 1988), p. 96.

See also the magazine article "Does Physical Abuse, Sexual Abuse, or Neglect in Childhood Increase the Likelihood of Same-sex Sexual Relationships and Cohabitation? A Prospective 30-year Follow-up" by Helen Wilson and Cathy Widom in Archives of Sexual Behavior (January 7, 2009).

Why Homosexuality Today Is Not Just Another Sin

2011-09-26T15:45:00.000-05:00

Flag in SF Gay Pride Parade shows the intent of today's gays

If homosexuality was still just a shameful secret then it could be treated like other sexual sins like adultery and fornication as many Christians still believe. They say, “It's just another sin. Pray for them and quit picking on homosexuals like it is a worse sin than others.” Such an attitude is naive and dangerous. With a false sense of love it overlooks the widespread danger of a movement not just a personal sin. Such a view refuses to see not only the sweeping changes that the homosexual movement wishes to push upon our nation and our families but also ignores the peril the individual homosexual is in. There is no love in refusing to warn the sinner that he will face judgment if he refuses to repent. How much more the homosexual who not only will suffer for eternity but will also suffer so much in this life.

Over the course of the next few weeks I will give several reason why Homosexuality is not “Just another sin.” First we need to understand that homosexuality today is not just a sin but is a movement that must be opposed before it changes everything about our nation, families and churches.

It is a movement against God's Word, God's Churches and God's People

Homosexuality in our nation today has moved from being a sin that no one talked about to one that marches in parades and parades in the corridors of congress. Homosexuals wear their sin proudly and often delight in rubbing it in the face of those who find their immorality shameful and degrading. It is not a personal sin like adultery or pornography that is hidden in secret away, but instead delights in strutting publicly and then daring you to say anything against it.

How many these lost young men came from Christian homes?

Most major cities have Gay Pride days and parades, amusement parks like Disneyland have Gay Days even President Obama, who refused to allow the National Day of Prayer Breakfast in the White House, welcomed homosexual and transgender advocates into the Oval Office in honor of Homosexual rights and to bring attention to the cause of same sex marriage.

The Hate Crimes law has been amended to include speaking out against homosexuals, this means that pastors and churches who dare to speak out against sexual immorality can be prosecuted for their “hate.” Those who passed the new Hate Crime Law say that churches have been exempted but that was a ploy to get the law on the books. The same kind of laws with the same kind of exemptions were passed in Canada and Britain and have now been used to shut down pastors and churches who dared to speak out in opposition. Even in the United States individual Christians are being sued because they spoke out or if they run a business like a Bed and Breakfast and refuse to allow homosexual immorality in their home they are being dragged into court. It is only a matter of time until the first persecution against a church in this country is brought. Even if the lawsuit is unsuccessful the cost and time it takes to fight the suit, will send a message that simply says, “We're here, we're queer and you better steer clear.”

Homosexuality as practiced in America today is a Godless political and social movement like other national movement of the past such as Communism, Socialism, Atheism or Humanism. It is determined to not only be accepted legally and socially, but to also shut down and out shout anyone who dares to disagree with it. How can real Christians not stand in opposition? It is not picking out a sin we don't like, it is fighting for a life that is under threat. If the homosexual advocates are successful God's word will be banned and His churches prevented from preaching the truth about sexual perversion and your children will be exposed to homosexual indoctrination in all public schools. Much more is at stake than not wanting to offend a gay friend or relative. Wake up or realize too late that that steamroller than just ran over everything you love and believe in was painted like a rainbow.

"Still Settling In" September Mission Report

2011-09-19T18:44:00.000-05:00

Dear Pastors, Churches, Family and Friends,

Another month of “settling in” has gone by in Flagstaff. I truly thought that by now LeeOra and I would both have jobs and be moving on to the next steps of church planting but that has not happened. The struggling economy has slowed that part of our beginning the work here. The jobs that are available are limited by our unwillingness to work on Sunday and by the employers restrictions and requirements. It is very much a “sellers” market when it comes to jobs and that means employers can be extremely choosing about who they will hire. The Lord has more than met our personal needs and we are not going hungry by any means but would like to shift more of His resources to outreach and less on subsistence. We have some good prospects that may open up more this fall as students go back to work so please keep praying.

Kris, LeeOra and Ron in our home study.

The Lord has blessed us with our first Bible Study and Sunday morning worship visitor (yes that is singular) in our. Ron has been very excited about our study in the book of Romans. We are hopeful that the study will aid him in his walk with the Lord and prepare him for a new chapter in his life as a closer walking child of God. It is a small step forward but one that really encourages us. We constantly pray that God will open the doors in Flagstaff to those who need the gospel and instruction from God's Word.

Our thanks go out again to Harbor Lights Baptist and Pastor and Sister Horning who once again sent us an unexpected love offering. As always the Lord knew our needs and passed that on to his churches which could then meet that need. We were able to purchase more propane for the coming winter as well as make some needed repairs on the home we are renting. In addition we updated our 2007 desktop computer in preparation for doing more printing and website work. The maintenance should keep our system up and running for a few more years.

We had the honor of being invited to preach at the Antioch Baptist Church in Pueblo, Co. in September. Pastor Ken Black, his wife Velda and the church were great hosts and we were treated as honored servants of the Lord. The fellowship was refreshing and the opportunity to preach was greatly appreciated by this missionary who doesn't get to preach every week anymore. The messages, “Preaching to the Pagans Acts 17” and “Christ's Blueprint for Prayer Luke 11” were well received by those in attendance and we pray the Holy Spirit will use the truths of God's Word to bless and strengthen.

It was great to see Pastor Chuck Bigler and Sister Jan from Heritage Baptist Church as they stopped over in Flagstaff on a trip back from a California missions conference. Though our time was limited to sharing a meal the Lord really blesses us by those he puts in our life. Heritage Baptist was one of our first supporting churches and the Biglers have been friends now for many years. Lord, thank you for the gift of Christian friendships.

We will begin our outreach in earnest this fall. We have already begun printing new material for distribution to those we meet. We are also updating our website and researching the avenues of outreach that are available to us now. We will soon be streaming and recording Bible Studies once a week via Ustream. Thanks to Pastor Rudy Rios and Temple Baptist Church for this idea as they are already streaming their services. We will also begin printing e-books for Bible Study through Barnes and Nobles free I-pub service. Next is “market” evangelism at some of the many community events around Flagstaff this fall.

May God Bless

Kris and LeeOra Minefee

The Unforgivable Sin of Selfishness

2011-08-25T18:24:00.000-05:00

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it.... Genesis 1:28

Some of the Van and Buna George family 1985

My wife and I often walk first thing in the morning through the hills that surround our house in Flagstaff, Arizona. This morning as we walked our conversation turned to the changes we have seen in our society in just our lifetimes. It wasn't the information age or the computers that amazed us but the revolution that had taken place in the foundations of civilization. It was the sudden destruction of the family and in turn the institutions that are based upon it. We both grew up in large families. I had 4 siblings and LeeOra had six. Now few families have even two children that is if the couple even bothers to get married in the first place. How did something as important, as fundamental as the family get tossed on the trash heap of society?

Lest you think I am overreacting look at what is happening around us let us look at some history and demographics of the American family. I am in my 50s but you don't have to be as old as I am to see the desperate plight of the American family and the fractured foundations of our nation that are the results.

In 1950 78 percent of U.S. households were married couples. By 1970 that was down to 69 percent and by 2000 it was all they way down to 52 percent. Not only has the percentage of married couples gone done, but those who are married are not having kids. Forty five percent of U.S. households had children in 1970. Then it dropped to 35 percent in 1990 and by 2003 only 32 percent of U.S. households had children living in them. Millions of people have simply decided not to get married and not to have children, and that number is growing.

Consider these stats: “In 1957, more than half of Americans viewed someone who did not want to get married as someone who was selfish, immature, peculiar or morally flawed. By 1976, fewer than one-third of a similar sample held such views.” That attitude translates into fewer and fewer children being born. The U.S. fertility rate during the height of the Baby Boom, in the late 1950s was 3.5 but dropped all the way down to only 1.8 births in the birth controlled, hedonistic, no fault divorce 1970s. That is below the rate by which a nation can sustain itself. There has been a slight increase, up to between 2.0 and 2.1 in early 2000s but that is still a dramatic decrease from the 1950s and probably any other time in history.

What has caused such a dramatic decrease in the traditional family and their children? I believe the answer is selfishness, and in this case unforgivable selfishness.

We are now a people who seek recreation, entertainment and pleasure for ourselves above all other things. I am constantly shocked by young couples who don't care to get married but choose to co-habitat or as my Mom would say, “shack up.” That to me is a better word because it conjures the image of amoral animals breeding in a shed. And that seems to be what we have become animals, only wanted ease and pleasure but no responsibilities and no thought for tomorrow or the world we will leave behind. Birth control is cheap and abortion is readily available while marriage is a commitment that impinges upon our time and desires for self-fulfillment.

Even couples who do get married are putting off having children until they are in there late 30s or 40s. Their own “needs” must come first. Education, a home they own (Lord forbid if they bring a child into a rented home) a nice car (or 2 or 3), a job with all the perks and promotions that only 10 or 15 years of loyal service can bring. They choose to have time to party and socialize like college co-eds until they are in their 40s because children would cramp their style and stop them from having so much self-centered fun.

They are selfishness. They think only of themselves and thought them we have become an egocentric society, unable to see beyond the sphere of our own existence, unable to do anything more than contemplate our own belly buttons and stroke our own pleasure centers.

This is an unforgivable sin. Unforgivable because the selfish person never realizes it is a sin until it is to late and therefore never asks to be forgiven. It is unforgivable because it means the slow death of our future generations, our neighborhoods, our cities, our churches and our nations. Unforgivable because it robs us of the greatest gifts that life can give. The gift of loving, caring and sacrificing for another, especially that other that springs to life from us, our dreams and our hopes and then goes on to to their own dreams and hopes because we gave ourselves.

Who can you seek forgiveness from if at the end of a selfish life, you realize too late that there is and always was only you?

Settling In and Setting Goals

2011-08-17T16:56:00.000-05:00

Dear Pastors, Churches, Family and Friends,

We are now just about a month in our new home here in Flagstaff. We are still moving out of the boxes but most are now unpacked. Some of the contents have been packed for over 3 years. It was like seeing old friends when my books came out. LeeOra was thrilled to see the pictures of the family and her cooking utensils see the light of day again. Some of our things we had forgotten about and so it was a little like children on Christmas Day opening some of the boxes and discovering what was inside. We enjoyed every minute of our RV living (well not every minute, the 7 day rainstorm across Colorado, Kansas and Kentucky about drove me crazy) but we are very grateful to have some room to stretch.

Fearless leader Pastor Rudy Rios leads his men
back from the brink of the Grand Canyon

We really enjoyed a visit from Pastor Rudy Rios and several of the young men from his Temple Baptist Church in Texas City. We really enjoyed our time with them and took the dollar tour to the Grand Canyon, Oak Cliff, Sedona and a ride to the top of Mt. Agassiz. Great to have company from back home. You also are invited anytime.

The home we rented was not in the best shape and we have been busy painting, patching, weeding and repairing. We need a lawn mower (there is no grass but the weeds are so high that even my machete is afraid of them) as well as other home and garden tools. These repairs and work will take time and most of the neighbors are in the same shape unless they have goats or horses, which several of them do.

A Fiery Flagstaff Sunset Reminds Us of God's Work
and The Part We Play In It

Our biggest prayer request is for jobs. We have filled out scores of applications and LeeOra has gone on one interview, but so far we are left looking for outside income to supplement our support. We would like to use the support money for evangelism and outreach and live off our job wages. Please pray for this as the need is growing urgent. We also are looking for furniture for our home and a keyboard for LeeOra to play. This would make our home more suitable for worship once we begin having services.

Thanks and praise the Lord for Bro Buddy and Sis Gerri Woolbright and their work in White Settlement, Tx for taking us on for support. We ask you to pray for them as they are in the initial stages of starting this work. Like a true independent Baptists the Woolbrights believe that a church, no matter how young, should support missionaries as soon as possible it is a great honor to be the recipients of that belief here in Flagstaff.

In His Service,

Kris and LeeOra Minefee

Home At Last: July Mission Report

2011-07-20T17:20:00.000-05:00

Dear Pastors, Churches, Family and Friends,

It has now been 4 months since I arrived in Flagstaff and 2 months since LeeOra joined me. Thankfully, we have made some real progress in establishing ourselves in our new location.

2003 Taurus Missionary Vehicle

God has truly blessed us through His churches and we are humbled to be the recipients of such generosity and grace. Harbor Lights Baptist Church in Virginia, where Jerry Horning is pastor, sold property and gave the proceeds to missionaries. We were among those missionaries to be blessed by the gift. The offering was used to purchase a 2003 Taurus to replace the F250 Diesel we will be returning to the family that lent it to us for deputation. The car has allowed us to spend much less on fuel and to be able to travel more comfortably when we do not have to use the RV. Thanks again to Harbor Lights Baptist and Pastor and Sister Horning.

New, Old Home on 2 1/2 acres

After many fruitless searches for a place to live we are excited to let you know that we are now renting a house in Flagstaff, well a mobile home to be specific. It is older but a good size and more importantly a good price. We will have to do some minor repairs and painting but it should be a good place for us to invite folks over for Bible studies and fellowship. The “manufactured home” as they like to call them up here, is a 3 bedroom 2 bath with an added-on room for storage or another bedroom. It is located on 2.5 acres of land in the part of Flagstaff known as Doney Park, a wide valley between the area's mountains east of Flagstaff. Our rent will be $875 a month which is a lot less than the $1000 to $1200 to rent closer to town. The acreage will allow for plenty of parking and the living area is large enough for 10 to 15 people when the time comes that we are able to have our first services. We have already made contact with several of our neighbors and are planning to host a housewarming party in the near future and invite our neighbors to get to know them better.

A special thank you goes to our home church and Pastor Larry Jones in helping us get into the home. If not for them supplying the deposits for the home we would still be looking. I don't know how missionaries who are not “church sent” make it without a home church family and truly don't ever want to know. Our church came through once again exceeding our expectations. Thank God for each member and the leadership of Bro. Larry.

Please continue to pray for jobs for both LeeOra and I. With the new expense of the home rental this is now a priority. We are polishing up our resumes and praying for jobs that will supplement the mission's support as well as giving us opportunities to meet people who need the Lord. Pray to see many open doors for outreach and to the courage to go through them.

Sunset Over the Peaks As Seen From Our Porch

With our move into the new home the deputation chapter of our missionary story comes to a close. It has been an amazing, humbling, full of grace experience and one that we have enjoyed immensely. In many ways we are sorry to see it end. It will mean less time to visit churches, pastors, friends and family. It will mean missing many of the mission and Bible conferences we have so enjoyed. It will mean only seeing beautiful places across this nation when we can go on vacation. We are looking forward to the work ahead of us but can't help but miss the path that brought us here. God bless so many of you who were there along the way to help us keep going.

In His Service,

Kris and LeeOra Minefee

What Ever Happened To God and Country?

2011-07-04T13:23:00.000-05:00

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. Ps 33:12

America the Beautiful, by Katherine Lee Bates 1913

O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

Are the words and sentiment of this song true? Did God really shed his grace on our country? I believe they are true and that we can clearly see the evidence of both the blessing and the reason why we were blessed. Our country is unique in that it alone is a Gentile country founded upon the principles of God's Word. A nation and a people carved out of the wilderness to create a place for the free worship of the Almighty. It has been this founding, and the subsequent revivals which returned us a nation to that foundation, that has been the major reason for the prosperity and blessings in our country.

The evidence is throughout our history. It is written into the documents that brought us to life and now sustain that life. Our founding document the Declaration of Independence speaks of being "endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights." During its most difficult history the Colonial Congress and the Constitutional Convention were opened daily in prayer and the motto of our country imprinted upon our coins is "In God We Trust." There is more, much more evidence of our Christian foundation but let me present just a small portion.

The Historical Evidence of Our Christian Heritage

Ps 33:12 ¶ Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

The Colonies

Eleven of the first 13 States required faith in Jesus Christ and the Bible as qualification for holding public office.

November 3, 1620 - King James I grants the Charter of the Plymouth council.

"In the hope thereby to advance the enlargement of the Christian religion, to the glory of God Almighty."

November 11, 1620 - The Pilgrims sign the Mayflower Compact aboard the Mayflower, in Plymouth harbor.

"In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith,

Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.

In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, King James of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini, 1620."

During The Revolutionary War

In the Summer of 1775 the Continental Congress issues a call to all citizens to fast and pray and confess their sin that the Lord might bless the land.

"And it is recommended to Christians of all denominations, to assemble for public worship, and to abstain from servile labor and recreation on said day."

In The Constitution

At least 50 out of the 55 men who framed the Constitution of the United States were professing Christians. (M.E. Bradford, A Worthy Company, Plymouth Rock Foundation, 1982).

Benjamin Franklin, speaking at the Constitutional Convention

I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: "that God governs in the affairs of man." And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?

We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I also believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in the political building no better than the builders of Babel; we shall be divided by our little, partial local interests; our projects will be confounded; and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing government by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war or conquest.

I therefore beg leave to move that, henceforth, prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessing on our deliberation be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business.

(Historical note to above: the convention was then adjourned for three days of prayer, Bible reading and special church meetings, following which the Constitution was discussed and adopted.)

James Madison who was the primary architect of the Constitution.

We have staked the future of government not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions on the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.

The Supreme Court

The first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, was the Honorable John Jay, who had also served as governor of New York. He wrote:

"Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty ... of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." --1816.

In 1892, Justice David Brewer, writing for the majority in the case of the Church of the Holy Trinity vs. the United States, said this:

"This is a religious people. This is historically true. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation ...

We find everywhere a clear recognition of the same truth ... These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation. --1892 (15)

Justice William O. Douglas wrote succinctly:

"We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being." --1952 (16)

One of our more liberal Supreme Court chief justices, Earl Warren, left no doubt about what he believed in a 1954:

"I believe no one can read the history of our country without realizing that the Good Book and the spirit of the Savior have from the beginning been our guiding geniuses ... Whether we look to the first Charter of Virginia ... or to the Charter of New England ... or to the Charter of Massachusetts Bay ... or to the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut ... the same objective is present ... a Christian land governed by Christian principles. I believe the entire Bill of Rights came into being because of the knowledge our forefathers had of the Bible and their belief in it: freedom of belief, of expression, of assembly, of petition, the dignity of the individual, the sanctity of the home, equal justice under law, and the reservation of powers to the people ... I like to believe we are living today in the spirit of the Christian religion. I like also to believe that as long as we do so, no great harm can come to our country." --1954

The Presidents

George Washington, Inaugural Address

No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency . . . We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained.

(Historical note to above: Washington added the pledge, "So help me God," to his inaugural oath. He then kissed the Bible to affirm his submission to the King of Kings.)

John Adams, our first vice president and second president, wrote:

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." --1798

Thomas Jefferson, our third president and one of the principle framers of the Constitution D.C.:

"Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God?" -1781

Our sixth president, John Quincy Adams, said this:

"Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the Foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity?" --1837

Abraham Lincoln would fill a book about his beliefs on God and country.

"Unless the great God who assisted [President Washington], shall be with me and aid me, I must fail. But if the same omniscient mind, and Almighty arm, that directed and protected him, shall guide and support me, I shall not fail ... Let us pray that the God of our fathers may not forsake us now." --1861

April 30, 1863 - President Abraham Lincoln's Proclamation for a National Day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer.

We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown.

But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.

Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!

It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the ascended power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.- Proclamation of Thanksgiving, October 1863

Calvin Coolidge, our 30th president, said this about America's founding fathers:

"They were intent upon establishing a Christian commonwealth in accordance with the principle of self-government. They were an inspired body of men. It has been said that God sifted the nations that He might send choice grain into the wilderness ... Who can fail to see it in the hand of Destiny? Who can doubt that it has been guided by a Divine Providence?" --1923

Here are the words of Woodrow Wilson, our 28th president and governor of New Jersey:

"America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of the Holy Scripture." --1911 (27)

Franklin Roosevelt prayed this prayer on a national radio hookup on D-Day, June 6, 1944, as our troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France:

"Almighty God ... with Thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogance. Lead us to the saving of our country. Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen." --1944

Harry Truman, our 33rd president, wasn't known to be a deeply committed believer. Nevertheless, he understood the spiritual heritage of this nation:

"If men and nations would but live by the precepts of the ancient prophets and the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, problems which now seem so difficult would soon disappear ... That is a supreme opportunity for the church to continue to fulfill its mission on earth. The Protestant church, the Catholic church, and the Jewish synagogue -- bound together in the American unity of brotherhood -- must provide the shock forces to accomplish this moral and spiritual awakening. No other agency can do it. Unless it is done, we are headed for the disaster we would deserve. Oh, for an Isaiah or a St. Paul to reawaken a sick world to its moral responsibilities." --1946

Gerald Ford, our 38th president, quoted a 1955 speech by Dwight D. Eisenhower on December 5, 1974:

"Without God there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first--the most basic--expression of Americanism. Thus, the founding fathers of America saw it, and thus with God's help, it will continue to be." --1974 (31)

Ronald Reagan our 40^th President was not shy about his belief in God and Country.

“Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.”

“If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”

“Within the covers of the Bible are the answers for all the problems men face.”
“Without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. “

Listen to this great testimony from a radio address given in December 1978:

"A young man whose father is a carpenter grows up working in his father's shop. One day he puts down his tools and walks out of his father's shop. He starts preaching on street corners and in the nearby countryside, walking from place to place, preaching all the while, even though he is not an ordained minister. He never gets farther than an area perhaps 100 miles wide at the most. He does this for three years. Then he is arrested, tried and convicted. There is no court of appeal, so he is executed at age 33 along with two common thieves. Those in charge of his execution roll dice to see who gets his clothing - the only possessions he has. His family can not afford a burial place for him so he is enterred in a borrowed tomb. End of story? No, this uneducated, propertyless young man... who left no written word... has, for 2000 years, had a greater effect on the world than all the rulers, kings, and emperors; all the conquerors, generals, and admirals; all the scholars, scientists, and philosophers who have lived - all of them put together.

How do we explain that? ...unless he really was what he said he was.

Biblical Evidence

Psalm 33:13 The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. 14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. 15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works. 16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. 17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.

We Believed that God Saw and that God Blessed

Once asked my liberal American History College professor, "What made American prosper?" He stated, "It was the Puritan Work Ethic, the belief that God rewards and blesses people who obey Him, therefore we work because we believe God will bless the labor of our hands.

The Psalms says there is no safety in armies or might or machines or strength. The only hope we have is God What do we as a nation believe in today? Our initiative, our education, our resources, our freedom, our rights. All could be lost in a moment and the USA would be nothing more than a footnote of history. In deed most of these have begun to fail in the last few years of our history.

Biblical Promise

Psalm 33: Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; 19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

Please understand there must be personal commitment to God. We are not nor ever could be a theocracy. Israel with judges and kings chosen by God failed as a theocracy how could we as a nation of Gentiles hope to achieve it today? A nation is made up of people both leaders and citizen. Only when we personally know God can He truly bless us and our nation. What good is it if our nation is founded upon Christian principle but our own personal life is not?

It is not our history that will save us. It is not our acknowledgment of our heritage. It is not our military power or government. It is only our personal commitment to Him now that offers any hope.

We begin with the song America the Beautiful let us conclude with the last verse of the Star Spangle Banner. Notice the expressed dependence upon God as the Power that hath made and preserved us as a nation.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,

Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;

Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land

Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us as a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"

And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! -Francis Scott Key

First Vision Report Flagstaff, Az for May 2011

2011-05-24T14:19:00.000-05:00

Dear Pastors, Churches and Family,

A month of “on the ground” searching in Flagstaff for a meeting place, permanent home, and job has so far not produced any real results. Some things have had to wait until LeeOra can join me here in Flagstaff which will take place in early June. What we’ve found is the same as many of you already have experienced, rentals are higher because people can’t afford to buy homes anymore and are renting instead. The problem is compounded here in Flagstaff due to the tourist industry which rents homes and cabins to summer visitors each year and students at the local university which help to keep rentals in demand and thus keep the prices higher than surrounding areas. A 3 bedroom 2 bath in Flagstaff typically is going for $1200 to $1500 a month. The same house outside of Flagstaff goes for about $500 less. We are looking into manufactured homes and nearby towns to lower the costs. We need a place large enough to host Bible Studies and fellowships as this will probably be the way we begin to reach individuals and families and build the church.

Jobs are scarce and mostly general labor or specialized skills. I hope to get on with the school district next year but this year is too far gone to allow enough time for the background checks, fingerprinting and interview processes. I may try to do some “tent making” by building websites for churches in the meantime. I have the experience in design, registration and maintenance but lack any kind of certification and this may be a hindrance.

In April we traveled to Pueblo, Colorado for the Missions Conference at Heritage Baptist Church where Bro. Chuck Bigler pastors. It was an encouraging fellowship filled with good preaching and the blessings that only come when God’s people gather together. Much thanks to the church for hosting the conference. Thank you to those who helped us out personally by paying for a tank of diesel fuel to make the trip back home. The Ford F250 holds 38 gallons and diesel was over $4 a gallon. I’ll let you do the math but that is a much appreciated love offering at any time.

It is now late May and I have traveled back to Texas to pickup LeeOra for the return trip to Flagstaff. I have a couple of appointments to present the work and then will pack up and head back to begin the work with redoubled intensity. I left the travel trailer in a Flagstaff RV park as it was cheaper to pay rent than to bring it with me. Mileage is about 20 without the trailer and about 10 with it.

I have received some great news that confirms the Lord is still opening doors and supplying needs for the work of First Vision but I’ll wait until everything is confirmed and give the report in the next mission’s letter.

I have also registered three domain names for the First Vision website. You can now reach it at firstvisionbaptist.com, firstvisonbaptist.info or the old address 1stvision.org. I have also put together a new Facebook page for First Vision Baptist and would invite you to join the page to receive news and updates about the work. In the next few weeks I’ll be adding content and updates to the pages as well as refreshing all the sermons and Bible studies that are online at the First Vision website.

In His Service,

Kris and LeeOra Minefee

Five Reasons the Church Cannot by Universal

2011-04-21T14:42:00.000-05:00

1) Definition of The Word

The Greek word, Ekklesia. is translated church in the New Testament. Strong's Concordance says ekklesia is from a compound ek and kaleo. It is translated in the Authorized version - church 115 times, assembly 3 times for a total 118 times. In the times of the New Testament is was a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly.

2) History of the Greek Cities Assemblies

Ekklesia or ecclesia is a compound word formed from the words "ek" and "kaleo" meaning "out of" and "to call" respectively. In the Greek city states of the past, the word ekklesia was a group of people called out by a town crier or trumpeter to assemble for the purpose of carrying our city business. There is an example of such an assembly (ekklesia) in Acts 19:32-39. Jesus did not create a new word, He simply took a word already in common use and made it His own, qualifying it as His ekklesia, His assembly. (See Matthew 16:18) It was understood as a local assembly then and could not be understood as universal since something that is universal cannot be assembled and an assembly cannot be made universal the words by their definition and history are mutually exclusive. One is the opposite of the other. Something cannot be a universal and at the same time assembled. Words mean nothing if we don't hold to their accepted definition.

3) Comparing Scripture with Scripture

An examination of the 117 N.T scriptures referring to the church shows they refer directly to a local, visible assembly. A group of people coming together to carry out the Lord's work in a specific location in Ephesus, Colossi, Philipi, or meeting in a house such as Philemon.

4) The Institutional Sense of Church

The only time the word ekklesia is used in a verse which does not directly refer to a local, visible assembly it is used in an institutional sense. In Matt 16:18. To refer to the institution of the church means that once Jesus established the church it would continue to exist and grow. It refers to all true churches in existence at any one time.

Though the church exists as an institution this does not mean it is something other than a local, assembly. Any time an example of the institution must be seen, that example is a local, visible body.

Jesus uses the word church in the same way a entrepreneur might say about his new store, "I will build my business and the competition will not beat it out." Yet if you asked him to show you his business he would then take you to a local store, or several local stores. This "business" would grow into more and more stores each on in several locations, but all of them visible and local.

5) The Universal, Invisible Church Error

The universal, invisible church is defined as all believers on the earth at any given time. The error of the universal, invisible church was begun not by a study of scripture but by opposition to another error, the universal, visible church which was and is the Roman Catholic church. The Protestants not wanting to be associated with the Roman Church, chose to change their understanding of a universal church from visible, (with it's head the pope at Rome) to invisible (with it's head in heaven). This ignored the authority of the local church, which most Protestant denominations still do. Such a belief leads to weak local churches and strong denominational hierarchies. It denies that Jesus can and must be the head of each local assembly and replaces Him with a bishop, cardinal or council.

Flagstaff Arrival and Set Up

2011-04-19T16:07:00.000-05:00

The Journey and Separation

Safe Arrival in Flagstaff

The Lord blessed the journey and I arrived safely in Flagstaff. LeeOra, however, stayed in Texas to help with our grandson Calvin's recuperation after his operation. She will stay with our daughter Susan and son-in-law Jason until Susan is finished her teaching for the year. If all goes well we will back together in June. As you can imagine this has been the most difficult part of our missionary experience so far. Thank the Lord for cellphones, texting and Skype.

Spring Snowstorm

I am so appreciative that my friend Pastor Rudy Rios opted to help me make the move to Flagstaff. It was a great relief to my family that there would be someone along for company and to help with the move and any emergencies. Blessedly, all went well on the trip except for a wind and dust storm in Albuquerque, NM. We parked for the night as the 40 mph plus winds dominated the highways. After a two day journey we arrived in Flagstaff. Shortly after Bro. Rudy went back to Texas City, I was treated to 12 degree temps and two snowstorms. The second laid down about 10 inches of pure white beauty followed by brown mud puddles. Flagstaff is just below 7000 ft and has seen snow as late as Memorial Day so I have not put away my warm coat yet.

Home, Job and Fuel

Big Rig and Lil' Rig

I have been busy trying to find a place for us to live and jobs to meet whatever expenses our current support will not. Flagstaff is a tourist and university driven economy and as such prices for rental homes is at about 20% higher than in the surrounding towns. A three bedroom home rents for around $1500 depending on location and age. Even a mobile home rents for $800 or more. I've been looking outside of town but the price of fuel is keeping me from trying to commute any distance. Diesel is now $4.20 at most of the stations in town. Thankfully, the RV park I'm in is close to the store and I'm getting in my exercise by riding my bike for groceries usually 3 times a week. My kids bought me saddle bags for the bike and so I'm not just exercising and saving fuel, I'm also styling.

Flagstaff Churches

I have attended three Baptist churches while in this initial stage of setting up home. The first was an independent fellowship church, the second said Baptist on their website but turned out to be Baptistic having dropped the name from their sign and heritage. The last church I visited was a Missionary Baptist Church of which I was the only white person in attendance. I have to say of all the churches I visited this was the one I felt most at home in. The music was heartfelt and warm, the people were friendly, the Bible was KJV and their traditions were a joy. The singing made my eyes fill and then spill the tears. When they sang “I'll Fly Away” I did! As of yet I have not found a true unaffiliated independent Baptist Church anywhere in the area and only three small fellowship Baptist works. Pray for us as we work through these founding steps and plant a real independent Baptist church in Flagstaff, for the Glory of our Lord and Savior.

In His Service,
Kris and LeeOra Minefee

Identifying the True Church

2011-04-01T09:36:00.000-05:00

by Independent Baptist Pastor and Missionary Van George 1914-2007

Upon this Rock I will build my church.. Matthew 16:18

Part 1 Founding The Church

In the gospel of Luke 6:12 we are told that Jesus went out into a mountain to pray. He continued His prayer to God all night. The thing He was about to do was so important to Him, to God and for all the world that He spent the entire night. Verse 13 tells what that important thing was, for when it was day He called His disciples. There were many of them for out of them He chose twelve men whom He named apostles. Verse 12, He names them, Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Simon, Judas and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Him. These are the same men that are named in Matthew 10. Matthew says they were sent to the lost sheep of Israel to preach “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Again after Jesus was resurrected they are named in Acts 1:13, except for Judas the betrayer. These eleven apostles elected Matthias to take Judas Iscariot’s place. Those twelve men preached to a multitude of Israelites on the Day of Pentecost. About 3,000 of them were saved and added to the twelve by baptism. Then in the last of chapter 2 they are called church. If those twelve men in Luke 6:12-13 and Matthew 10 were the same as those named in Acts 1 and 2 and were called to be the church, were they not the church even before Jesus was crucified? Yes, they were.

In Matthew 28:18-20 after His resurrection and before His ascension Jesus promised these men that He would be with them always even unto the end of the age.

The age or world, has not ended as of the writing of this article in 1997. We can but conclude then that His church is in our world today. She has been here for the last 1966 years and will still be here when Jesus comes again.

The purpose of this lesson is to examine in some way all of today’s churches to see if His church or at least which one of all different denominations is the one Christ is yet building. Can the true New Testament Church be identified in our present conglomeration of more than 2500 different church? She is one of them.

Note three things about the Lord’s Church that cannot be said of another.

The Lord’s church was planned in the Pre-determinate Council and foreknowledge of the God-head before the world was created. Acts 2:23 Ephesians 1:3-4; John 15:27
There are many prophesies related to the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. Two I will give, Isaiah 2:2-3; Joel 2:28-32 which was fulfilled in Acts 2:15-21. The true church had to be in prophecy.
Jesus’ church had to have a foundation. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church.” Notice “my” is possessive and church is singular not churches. Eph 4:4a. One body, There never has been but one church.

To build anything a foundation is essential. The apostles and prophets were the foundation upon whom the Lord would build, Eph 2:20. The body of Christ, His church, is built by adding through baptism more saved people and teaching them to keep on winning the lost. She grows spiritually in grace and knowledge of her head, Jesus Christ, the Lord. Ephesians 3:18, 2 Peter 3:18.

The foundation material had to be chosen from all the other prepared material, John the Baptist prepared men for the Lord. John had many disciples but they all eventually followed Jesus. In Luke 6:12 after leaving a multitude of disciples Jesus spent all night in prayer, the next morning He chose from the multitude twelve men who He named Apostles, Jesus in John 15:16 ordained them then sent them to the lost sheep of Israel. The entire chapter of Matthew 10 is about their mission to the lost sheep of Israel. Jesus was head of the twelve. He directed their visits to the lost sheep of Israel, provided for them, cared and watched after them for three and one half years.

Even though they believed He was the Christ, their King and Son of the living God, they had failed to understand that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was speaking to them when Jesus spoke. Nor did they comprehend that whatever Jesus did, it was the God of Israel doing it for them. Matthew 16:21. Jesus related to them that He was going to die. Peter didn’t accept what He said. He took him aside and rebuked him. In spite of his being corrected by Jesus, he never gave up that God and Jesus was correct until in the garden at the betrayal of Jesus. There he drew his sword and cut off the man’s ear. Jesus said for him to put up the sword. Humiliated, he followed Jesus afar off and then denied Him three times.

Their first commission, “I send you as lambs among wolves”, had but little visible results. Ending in one of the twelve betraying their Master, the man who had healed the sick, made the blind to see, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak and raise the dead was being led away bound by His enemies. Besides, all that He even volunteered himself to them. So all His apostles were scattered. Not one of them stood by him. All these things and much more had to be experienced by the eleven, one of them dead, all of them fled, all of them saw Barrabas, the convicted criminal, released and their master nailed to his cross. None of this they could understand yet they needed all of it exactly as it happened that they could be true witnesses under their new world wide commission. Forlorn, discouraged and disappointed like sheep without a shepherd, they did not know what to do. But when they were with Him the Resurrected Christ, for forty days learning their final lessons, they saw him ascend into the cloud. According to Matthew 28:18, during these forty days Jesus gave them their Great Commission. Though it was world wide they did not comment. Though it was age long they accepted it, they just exercised what for three and one half years they had failed to do; “Just believe what God said to them through Jesus and keep on believing.” Jesus knew truth, He was truth, He had life, He was life, He had all power in heaven and earth.” He said, “you men go. You witness of me, you will have someone to baptize in the name of our Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit, Teach them to do exactly as I taught you. You won’t fail until this age of my church mission is finished.”

(Note from Kris Minefee: Van George was my grandfather and more than any other man taught me to love the Lord, reverence His Word and honor His true church. He went to glory just before his 93rd birthday but left behind a heritage of truth in the many people he taught and discipled.)

Plotting A Course for Northern Arizona

2011-03-11T11:31:00.000-06:00

Dear Pastors, Churches and Family,

This letter should be one of the last we write from Texas and the deputation trail. Our plans are to be is flagstaff AZ. as of March. We truly ask your prayers on our behalf during this move and transition tine of our life. I will be traveling to Flagstaff by myself to initiate the search for a place to live and possible job. LeeOra will stay is Humble, Tx for a few more weeks to help with the care of our grandson Calvin. Calvin was born with hip dysplasia and will have surgery this month and then be in a cast for 3-4 months. Once our daughter Susan is through with teaching school for the summer l'll be back for LeeOra. Hopefully, I will have a place for her to move into and a job lined up as well. Please pray for us both as I travel and LeeOra stays behind. Also please pray for the surgery and our little grandson's quick recovery and the success of the surgery. (Update the surgery was rescheduled for a more serious operation in 3 months, please pray.)

Highland Baptist Church of El Reno, Ok. this month voted to begin supporting the vision for an independent Baptist Church in Northern Arizona. I can't imagine a better send off to the work than that vote of confidence from one of the Lord's churches. Thank you so much Pastor Travis Jones and all the Highland Baptist family. I know the Lord has great things planned for this group of faithful believers and we are so grateful to be a small part of that plan through their home missions outreach.

Over the next few months we will be sitting up house, looking for a job that will be flexible enough for is to do the work God called us to, making contact with several friends and family member that you leave asked us to contact and begin building a team to launch the mission in the next months or year. Please let us know of others that the Lord has placed on your heart and mind who might be into Flagstaff/Sedona/Williams area. Get us names, email, phone numbers and their relationship to you and we promise to look them up and as the Lord opens to door be a help to them spiritually.

We are praying for housing that will allow us enough room Bible studies and perhaps even for worship services in the future. As soon as we have a place to live we will need to return the travel trailer and truck back to the mission minded Christian family that lent it to us for the last two years. It has been such a blessed home for two of us.

Please pray for a safe journey, a new home, jobs, prospects and a newly planted church to honor to Lord in Northern Arizona.

In His Service,

Kris and LeeOra Minefee

Humiliation: a Cry for Deliverance

2011-02-25T09:42:00.000-06:00

And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

The final phrase which the disciples were instructed to pray dealt with temptation and deliverance from that temptation. The word temptation can mean both temptation to sin and a test. Indeed a temptation to sin is a test of a moral kind. Jesus is not however saying that God tempts man to sin.

It is put bluntly in James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:

James makes it very plain that God does not tempt in the way Satan tempts. The model prayer expresses an attitude, it began in petitioning God for His kingdom to come and proceeds with our submission to his will. Now within that submission to whatever God brings into our life, we turn to the One into whose hand our entire being has been given and ask Him to remember that we are human and dependent upon Him. Lord, keep us from temptation, trials and tribulation, for we are weak and frail. We cannot stand against the powers that will be brought against us. This room in the prayer is one of humility which is directly connected to room of submission to the will of God.

I believe Paul is operating in this attitude when he wrote

1Cor. 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].

But, what is the way of escape? I used to think that 1 Cor 10:13 was like a room with many doors and in the center of that room was the temptation, the trail, the obstacle I was to escape. All I had to do was pick one of the doors and walk away. I've found in my personal experience that such an idea was not reality at all. Perhaps the emphasis in the verse should not be on escape but on "the way."

If we read John 14:6 we found that Jesus promises us that He is the way. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

When we place our trust in Jesus as the way we will find the power to overcome the temptations and trials of life. When we realize that in our own power we are unable to overcome the obstacles and difficulties that will come into our life because we have fully submitted ourselves to God, then we will know the power of real humility. It is a cry to God for his deliverance that we might continue to serve and submit our lives to Him.

Without humility my prayer and indeed my service to God is only a sham. I must recognize that I am incapable of anything unless God intervenes. Humility is not weakness, it fact true humility is the key to real strength. For God's strength is not given to the proud but only to the lowly. Real strength is mine only when I realize how weak I really am and how great He is.

Christ's Blueprint for Prayer: Reconciliation Repentance toward God and Forgiveness of Others

2011-02-09T13:58:00.000-06:00

And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. Luke 11:4

Now Jesus instructs that each prayer should have a place in which forgiveness is asked from God and because of that forgiveness we also forgive those who have sinned against us.

Very few prayers omit asking for forgiveness but ironically very few include granting it. It should be noted that forgiveness is given by God based upon what Jesus has done for us. No work or righteousness which we do can have redeeming merit from God. Yet we must not write off the fact that these two acts of forgiveness are tied together. It should seem impossible to us who have been forgiven all our sin through Jesus Christ, to be unable to forgive someone else a slight or and offense no matter how great.

Read the following parable told by Christ.

Matthew 18:23-35

23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

What is the lesson to be learned from this parable? We who have been forgiven a debt against God which we could never repay, should be grateful and willing to forgive those who have sinned against us. To not do so is to mock and count as nothing the much greater forgiveness we have received.

The forgiveness of our unbelief against God, is not conditional upon anything except the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and my accepting His death on my behalf. Continued forgiveness from God after I have experience the new birth of salvation may be hindered if I cannot forgive those around me. It is absurd to harbor feelings of resentment and bitterness toward another when God, who has every right to send me to hell for all eternity, willing forgave me and made me his child. What offense against me could be greater than my rebellion against God which caused His own Son to die on the cross?

Christ's Blueprint for Prayer: Recognition Of God's Power to Live

2011-02-07T08:39:00.000-06:00

Give us day by day our daily bread. Luke 11:3

The next phrase asks God for daily bread. Certainly this looks to our food which ultimately comes from God, but within the framework of this model prayer it goes much further.

Bread was the "staff of life." It was the most important part of the middle eastern diet. Meat, fresh vegetable and fruit were luxuries at most tables, but bread meant they would not starve. "Daily bread" is that bread which is necessary to sustain our lives today. It means we stand upon the promises of God to care for his children and provide for their needs. It does not presume upon tomorrow except to believe that God will as always provide for us once we are there. The Wycliffe Bible Commentary says, "The Greek is concise and graphic, 'Keep giving to us our daily allotment'."

This room in the building of my prayer may be constructed quite differently than the simple idea of "daily bread." This room must not be thought of as license to ask for the luxuries of life, it is an affirmation of God's promise for the necessities of life. It is praying from faith not want. It is recognizing that it is God who must supply life itself to me.

Look at the following verses in which the first daily bread was given by God to his people of the Exodus.

Exodus 16:15 - 20

15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat. 16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. 17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. 18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. 19 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. 20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them.

What was the lesson of the manna to the Israelites? It showed God's provision yet it also showed the people's need of faith. God only would provide enough for the day. They had to trust him for tomorrow's provision.

What is the lesson of the manna to us? The daily bread is an object lesson in God's care for us. The greatest thing isn't the bread but learning to trust God. Notice what Moses said in Deut 8:3.

Deuteronomy 8:3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

Years ago I took my young daughter to the doctor for a checkup. He listened to her heart and then said words every parent dreads to hear. “There is something wrong.” He couldn't be sure but he was hearing something that wasn't quite right with our little daughter's heart. He told me to bring her back in for a echo cardiogram. He explained because I had never heard of this test that the ECG would use sonar, sound waves to look at the valves and chambers of my little girls heart.

The day arrived for the test and the technician had me place our child on the examination table. She was too young to even understand what was happening and cried and cried because I couldn't hold her while the tech attached all the leads to her chest. She finally cried long enough that she fell asleep with all the wires running from her to the ECG machine. The tech then turned on the machine twisted some dials and suddenly there on the screen was my daughter's beating heart. Not only could we see her heart but with a few twists of the dials and repositioning of the the leads we could see inside her heart, right into the chambers and their valves.

I remember standing there watching the valve of my baby girl open and shut, open and shut, open and shut. I realized that with all the love and power of a father for his child I could not will that valve to open and shut even one time. I realized how helpless I was to keep my baby alive and I prayed. “Oh, Lord. Please don't let that valve stop working. Please dear Father watch over my child and give her life for I cannot.”

When we all come to realize that it only by God's power that our heart beats another beat, our lungs breath another breathe and our eyes open to see another day then we will understand the reality of the room of recognition in our house of prayer. Only by God's grace and mercy to I live another moment and my prayers should recognize this, our lips should acknowledge it and the way we live our lives should demonstrate it everyday.

Christ's Blueprint for Prayer Lesson 3: Submission: to God's Rule and Will

2011-02-03T09:48:00.000-06:00

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Luke 11:2

The next part of the model prayer deals with submission. Jesus constructed it in two sections, God's Kingdom and God's Will.

"Thy kingdom come" had a very real and obvious meaning to the disciples of Jesus. The prophets had promised a kingdom of God ruled by the Messiah. God's kingdom was first and foremost that promised kingdom. It was not established yet or Jesus would not have told them to pray for it to come. It was however, on it's way and would someday be established over all the earth with Jesus Christ as King. This petition would fill the Roman dominated Israelite with hope as he endured the cruel rule of another.

For us this framework is both petition for a future reality and a present attitude. When I pray is there a place in my prayer for the return of Jesus to establish his kingdom? Is there an attitude of hope which permeates my prayer because I look for this to happen? Do I realize that no matter how difficult it may be now, under the rule of Satan in this world, that someday Jesus will reign and all will be right?

In a nursing home ministry I once led, I was talking to the residents after one of our services. One dear lady asked me, "Do you believe Jesus is coming again?" I told her I certainly did. She smiled very widely as if to say that was the only thing that kept her going. She then said, "Keep looking up, young man. Keep looking up!" I realized that it was more than just the place I should look for Jesus to come in the clouds. It was also the attitude I should have if I really believed and prayed for my Lord to return. How could I be anything but "up?"

Next Jesus told the disciples to pray, "Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven." In heaven is the qualifying statement for describing how God's will was to be done. In heaven God's will is carried out instantaneously by uncountable armies of angels. Angels aren't earthly creatures so who is to do God's will here? We are. His Servants on earth are us and we are responsible to carry out His will. How do the angels carry out God's will? Do they hesitate, make excuses, stale or even ignore God's will? Of course not. When I pray in the room of submission I am saying, "Lord, without condiotion or hesitation, I will serve you. I will carry out your will in my life and through my life wherever you may use me."

If I add this room to my house of prayer, how will it change my prayers? How will it change my life? To honestly and completely yield myself to God's will is to remove any right of ownership to myself, my future or any possession. To pray it, is to make my words a vow of personal servitude in the ministry of God. Every prayer then becomes a surrender of my own desires to God's desires for me.

Listen to the Consecration of Jonathon Edwards one of America's great preachers who led "The Great Awakening"

Jonathon Edwards Consecration

I have given myself clear away and not retained anything of my own. I have been to God this morning and told Him I have given myself wholly to Him. I have given Him every power, so that for the future I claim no right to myself in any respect. I have expressly promised Him, for by His grace I will not fail. I take Him as my whole portion and felicity, looking upon nothing else as any part of my happiness, His law is the rule of my obedience. I will fight with all my might against the world, the flesh, and the devil to the end of my life. I will adhere to the faith of the Gospel, however hazardous and difficult the profession and practice of it may be.

I receive the blessed Spirit as my Teacher, Sanctifier, and only Comforter, and cherish all admonitions to enlighten, purify, confirm, comfort and assist me. This I have done.

I pray God, for the sake of others, to look upon this as a self-dedication, and receive me as His own. Henceforth, I am not to act in any respect as my own. I shall act as my own if I ever make use of any of my powers to do anything that is not to the glory of God, or to fail to make the glorifying of Him my whole and entire business.

If I murmur in the least at afflictions: if I am in any way uncharitable: if I revenge my own case: if I do anything purely to please myself, or omit anything because it is a great denial: if I trust to myself: if I take any praise for any good which Christ does by me: or if I am in any way proud, I shall act as my own and not God's. I purpose to be absolutely His. -Jonathan Edwards.

If we are follwoing Jesus' blueprint then this is the kind of submission each of us should make every time we pray.

Christ's Blueprint for Prayer Lesson 2 Adoration: Praise Before Petition

2011-02-02T11:04:00.000-06:00

Adoration: Praise before Petition

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

The next phrase brings us another portion of the platform upon which to build, yet it is often the most undeveloped part of modern prayer.

Jesus told them to say, "Hallowed be Thy name." What does this mean? Is it just a phrase which we repeat in order to make sure our prayer is going to be heard? No, it is a vital part of the model upon which our own prayers are to be erected. After entered through the doorway of our relationship with God, adoration is the hallway that fills and connects all the other rooms in our house of prayer.

The word "Hallowed" is the verb form of the word holy. In the case of the model prayer is an acknowledgment of the holiness, the sanctity of God's name and thereby God Himself. The phrase in this abbreviated model is a place for worship and praise to the One we are praying to.

In our real prayers this room is often absent or very empty. We are so eager or programmed to ask things from God in prayer that we neglect time spent with God in prayer. To praise God during our prayer is to honor Him, commune with Him, and render to Him what is due as the Creator of the Universe and the only one who can intervene in time and space to help us.

Let's look at some examples of prayers from the great men of the Bible and mark how their prayers begin with praise and worship.

David

Psalms 86:1-17

Daniel

Daniel 9:3-7

Peter and the early church

Acts 4:23 - 31

In these examples you can see that those praying had a deep reverence and appreciation for the High and Holy one they approached in prayer. They understood what Psalms 100 tells each of us to do as we approach God.

Psalm 100:1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the LORD he [is] God: [it is] he [that] hath made us, and not we ourselves; [we are] his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, [and] into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, [and] bless his name. 5 For the LORD [is] good; his mercy [is] everlasting; and his truth [endureth] to all generations.

Many of us find the idea of praising God in our prayers difficult. We just don't find words of praise pouring from our lips as is did for David or Fanny J. Crosby. Let me make this suggestion which was given to me when I was trying to figure out how to put praise before petition. First quit stop praying the way you've always prayed, head down, eyes closed, etc. There is a place for that position in prayer but not when you are trying to worship God and praise Him. Instead get your Bible and open it to the Psalms. The last 50 Psalms are almost all about Praise, read them, read them aloud. You should also consider singing a hymn, praise song or chorus. You're prayer now becomes not just a means of telling God what you want but a real meeting with God, a sharing, a worship and a wonderful time of just being with Him. Now prayer isn't a duty or a chore it is a joyful time of being with the One who loves you more than any other.

Psalm 150:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. 2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. 3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. 4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. 5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. 6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

Christ's Blueprint for Prayer: Lesson 1 Relation: Father and Child

2011-02-01T08:02:00.000-06:00

Christ's Blueprint for Prayer

By Pastor D. Kris Minefee

Taught by the Teacher Luke 11:1-4

Luke 11:1. And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

Have you ever placed yourself among the disciples that asked this question? What an opportunity, to ask Jesus the best way to pray! If anyone would know how to reach the Father it would be the only begotten son, Jesus Christ.

We were not there in person to ask the Master to teach us to pray but thanks to the Holy Spirit's work through Luke and the other gospel writers we can still learn the same lessons about prayer Jesus taught his first disciples. And there is nothing lost in the translation, either, God's word is as pure and right in the Bible you hold as it was in the ears of those who listened to Him almost 2000 years ago.

So, are you willing to learn from Jesus Himself? Are you willing to listen with an open mind and open heart as the Holy Spirit reshapes our conceptions of prayer and deepens the relationship between God and his people through prayer? Then lets start with the platform.

Platform for Prayer

Luke 11:2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.

Let's begin by looking at the model for prayer that Jesus gave to his disciples. Technically, this is not the Lord's prayer. He did not pray it to His Father. The Lord's Prayer is really found in John 17, when Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsamene. This prayer is really a platform or framework upon which we should build our own personal prayers. It is very simple in construction, as any framework should be. It leaves room for us to raise up our own edifices of prayer in which we meet with God.

Relation: To the Father from His Child

Our Father which art in heaven

Look at the beginning of the prayer. What is the first thing you notice, Who is the prayer to? The prayer is to Our Father in Heaven. Jesus used a child's word for father, equivalent to our "daddy" it is the same word used in Romans 8:15 "Abba, Father".

What does this tell us about the relationship of those who pray? They must be children of God, they must be saved. It also tells us that in prayer we are to understand God as our “Abba” Father, a very personal, intimate relationship.

How do you think of God when you approach Him in Prayer? Do your prayers reflect that understanding or do they sound distant and routine?

Would you talk to your earthly father in the same way you pray to your Heavenly Father, using the same words, same tone, same order, same beginning same ending?. What are some ways in which my prayers should change and deepen along with my understanding of God as my Father? Wouldn't you spend more time in prayer? Wouldn't you grow in respect for Him as you realize how much He loves and blesses you. Wouldn't you want to talk to Him more readily, sooner, quicker, rather than waiting until you have to.

When I was a young child living in Altus, Oklahoma, I remember running through the house during a thunderstorm. I was looking for the one place where I could feel safe. I ran into the living room and there was my Dad, sitting on the couch. I jumped into his lap and buried my face in his chest and knew that I was safe in the protecting arms of my Dad. I think we should go back to that same kind of feeling when we come to God in prayer. He is our father and we will never outgrow that relationship nor his ability to protect us.

This then is the front door, the only entrance into real prayer and it must be that of a child coming into the presence of his father. In the next lesson we will look at Adoration: Praise before Petition

The Imminent Return of Christ and the Logical Impossibility of a Mid or Post Tribulation Return

2011-01-26T14:41:00.000-06:00

I don't intend to do an extensive study of all the scripture involving the return of Christ or to rehash all the arguments for the pre, mid and post positions. My only goal in the article is to hopefully present a logical argument. Simply put this is the premise: If Christ's return is imminent then there can be no signs that would precede it, therefore His return must precede the tribulation since signs fill the tribulation.

First does the Bible teach the imminent return of Christ? By imminent we don't mean immediate we mean that Christ could return at any time, therefore His coming would be imminent at any and all times. If Christ coming is not and always has been imminent then the apostles were mistaken in their beliefs and teachings that the church should always be ready for Christ return.

Notice the following scriptures.

1Pe 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

Re 1:3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Re 22:10 And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

Php 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

1Co 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

In all these scriptures the sense is that the Lord's coming was imminent. The specific phrase is “The Lord or the time is at hand.” If the Lord's return was at hand it meant either shortly or it meant at any time. Obviously it wasn't shortly as it has been 2000 years since these words were written therefore it must mean at any time unless the scripture is wrong. The preparedness of the Christians is encouraged in either sense but only one means that the apostles and even Christ were not mistaken in their expectation of Christ's second coming.

1Ti 6:14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:

1Co 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:

John McCarthur on this point states “All those texts suggest that in the early church expectation of Christ’s imminent return ran high. A solid conviction that Christ could return at any time permeates the whole NT.”

We of course are to live our lives in the same readiness, believing that the Lord may return at any time. Now here is where the logic impossibility of the mid and post-tribulational positions exhibits itself. If we are to believe as the NT writers told us to be ready at all times because the coming of Christ is “at hand” then we can't instead be looking for signs to precede that coming. If that were the case then we should be waiting for signs that are the landmarks of the tribulation and then we would look for His parousia and apokalupsis. Unfortunately that is exactly what many Christians are doing because of the misunderstanding of the imminent return. The tribulation begins with the the sign of the creation of the covenant that give Israel universal peace, its midpoint is marked by the sign of the covenant's breaking. It is filled with wars, pestilence, disease, earthquakes and death all these we are told are signs but not for us as New Testament believers but for the nation of Israel to know that their Messiah will save them. For us the only sign given is that which was given, the sign of Jesus risen from the grave and promising us “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. - John 14:3”

We are told to walk by faith not by sight until “...the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thess 4:16-18

To be logically consistent we either live in readiness of the Lord's imminent and therefore sign-less return or we live looking for signs and then make ourselves ready. One position walks in the principle of faith, the other looks for signs. You can't have both an imminent return and a return heralded by signs else it is not imminent, therefore any position that looks for the return of Christ for his church after the signs of the tribulation begin is logically flawed.

Remember the Travelers

2011-01-25T06:17:00.000-06:00

A short video of our two years of deputation. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have enjoyed our years on the gospel road.

Mission Report for December and January

2011-01-19T15:01:00.000-06:00

Dear Pastors, Churches and Family,

Flagstaff Snowstorm Feb 2009

The year 2010 has ended and we are looking at the new year with the eyes and heart of missionaries anxious to be on the field. We had planned to be in Flagstaff in the fall of 2010 but the heart scare delayed us by several months. Moving to Flagstaff while living in a travel trailer during the winter months is not wise, so we will wait awhile. Flagstaff averages over 100 inches of snow each year and the last two years they have seen much more than the average. Since September 2010 over 40 inches has already fallen and spring will bring more. I doubt I could even drive through the town towing the travel trailer much less set it up and learn how to keep warm with 3ft of snow on the ground already.

Flagstaff Icicles of Death Feb 2009

While we wait for the spring thaw we stay busy in Texas. We enjoyed the Bible Conference at Lakeway Baptist in Humble where we have anchored for most of the winter. The church under Pastor David Stone's leadership has moved into new facilities and it was great to participate in services preaching, singing, signing and playing harmonica with their great praise band. It is always great to see our fellowlaborers and pastors from around the area. The preaching was true, sincere and fervent. These men and their families are the best people I know and I count it one of God's greatest blessings to count them as friends and supporters.

I have preached in several area churches and will be speaking at a Valentine Banquet next month at Highland Baptist Church in El Reno, Ok., where Bro. Travis Jones is the pastor. We continue to visit in the area at independent Baptist churches and to make it a point to stop by those that have taken us on for support and thank them personally for their trust in us.

We plan to be in Flagstaff as early in the year as is feasible and safe. We have already begun looking for place to live and begin worship. Pray as we begin looking for work that will allow us to provide for our needs and still have time to do the real work God has sent us to Flagstaff for. We are praying for the Lord to lead us to people who will be open to the gospel, Bible study and starting a church. We have heard from many of you that have relatives and friends in the area and intend to do our best to look them up. If you have any others that you would like us to get in contact with please email me at krisminefee@gmail.com with their names and a way to contact them. We will make those folks our first priority to contact.

In His Service

Kris and LeeOra Minefee

The One Thing You Lack

2011-01-18T15:40:00.000-06:00

Mark 10:17 And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? 18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God. 19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother. 20 And he answered and said unto him, Master, all these have I observed from my youth. 21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. 22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

Consider this story of Jesus and the Rich Young Ruler. The young man came running to the Messiah and asked how to inherit eternal life. When Jesus quoted him the commandments, the young man replied, "Master, all these have I kept from my youth." Let's read what happened next. "Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions."

Why did Jesus tell the young man to sell everything and follow him? It was to prove to him that he had not really kept the law at all. If he really had kept all the commandments then loving his neighbor would mean giving his riches to them and loving God would mean giving himself away as a disciple of Jesus, who was God in the flesh. The young man had done everything in his mind, yet he had not really done anything. All that he had done was due to tradition or legalism or self-righteousness. When Jesus told him to show love by an act of sacrifice he walked away grieved. In his mind he wanted to be a follower of Jesus, but in the actions of his life he could not.

Do you think Jesus ever looks at our actions and life and says, "One thing you lack?" That one thing is what makes all the other aspects of the Christian life possible. It is love. Not the love which you, I and the rich young ruler have, not a natural human love but a supernatural divine one. This love is placed in us only when we accept Jesus as our personal Savior and is only seen in us when we follow Him as Master into acts of sacrifice of ourselves.

Love is the essential element, without it no church is a success, no marriage is sound, no career is lasting, no life is livable, no relationship is complete, no sin is covered, no worship is accepted and no forgiveness is given. Do you really know how to love? Do you really understand that without love you have not really accomplished anything for God, no matter how grand it may seem to others? Are you willing to commit to seeking, and submitting to love in all aspects of your life? Or will you, like the rich young ruler, walk away grieved instead of making up the one thing you lack and following Jesus?

Past Memories and Present Promises

2011-01-14T12:12:00.000-06:00

Joshua 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

Israel had been at this place before, ready to cross over and conquer the land of Canaan. Ready to enter into the land promised them by God, a land flowing with milk and honey. They had been there and they had failed. When it came time to cross over and conquer they would not trust God and they would not forget Egypt and so they spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness. They wandered and they watched while they slowly died marching in circles just outside the promises of God.

Have you ever felt like that? Like you are just outside the best that God has for you but are prevented from obtaining it and so you just keep marching in circles waiting for death. I think many churches are marching in circles just biding time until death puts a padlock on the door. They can be doing a lot while they’re marching in circles but they never experience God or His richest blessings.

We often fail because we can’t forget the past and see the promises of the present. The Israelites wanted to go back because they thought it was too difficult. They even wanted to stone Moses and Aaron because they felt they were to blame for their problems. They remembered the food and the shelter but not the slavery and pain. We look back to the past, the way things used to be and say, “If we could only do that again everything would be ok.” And as long as we stay with our heart set on the past we will never experience the blessing of God in the present.

I spoke with a church member once who was determined to leave the church. They spoke of never having done that, they spoke of what used to happen and what used to be. I listened in sadness and then told them, “You can’t go back. Even if you could call those same pastors back this isn’t the same church and they are not the same pastors.” But all they could see was the past of their memory. They missed the promise of the future because all they could see were phantoms of the past.

The Dedication of Jonathan Edwards.

2010-12-30T14:34:00.000-06:00

The Dedication of Jonathan Edwards.

I claim no right to myself- no right to this understanding, this will, these affections that are in me; neither do I have any right to this body or its members-no right to this tongue, to these hand, feet, ears or eyes.
I have given myself clear away and not retained anything of my own. I have been to God this morning and told Him I have given myself wholly to Him. I have given Him every power, so that for the future I claim no right to myself in any respect. I have expressly promised Him, for by His grace

I will not fail. I take Him as my whole portion and felicity, looking upon nothing else as any part of my happiness, His law is the rule of my obedience. I will fight with all my might against the world, the flesh, and the devil to the end of my life. I will adhere to the faith of the Gospel, however hazardous and difficult the profession and practice of it may be.

I receive the blessed Spirit as my Teacher, Sanctifier, and only Comforter, and cherish all admonitions to enlighten, purify, confirm, comfort and assist me. This I have done.

I pray God, for the sake of others, to look upon this as a self-dedication, and receive me as His own. Henceforth, I am not to act in any respect as my own. I shall act as my own if I ever make use of any of my powers to do anything that is not to the glory of God, or to fail to make the glorifying of Him my whole and entire business.

If I murmur in the least at afflictions: if I am in any way uncharitable: if I revenge my own case: if I do anything purely to please myself, or omit anything because it is a great denial: if I trust to myself: if I take any praise for any good which Christ does by me: or if I am in any way proud, I shall act as my own and not God's. I purpose to be absolutely His. -Jonathan Edwards

Thanksgiving Report

2010-11-23T13:49:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving Report Oct / Nov 2010

It has been a frightening, exciting and yet joyful year for LeeOra and I and now just before Thanksgiving it is appropriate that we look back and say thanks. We began the year at our home church in Santa Fe, Texas waiting for the warm weather so we could resume deputation outside of Texas and wound up the year in Humble, Texas waiting for spring so that we can finally get to Flagstaff and begin the church planting work God has called us to. Along the way we have experienced setbacks and at times wondered if we were going to be able to continue the quest to plant a church but just when it seems that we must retreat God sends his angels in the form of pastors, family, friends and even strangers to keep us moving toward the fulfillment of the First Vision Baptist Church.

In February after a visit with my physician and one of God's blessings in my life, Dr. Smith, I was sent to the ER with shortness of breath, dizziness and pain in my head and neck. After 24 hours spent in the hospital I was told I would need an aortic heart valve replacement. Open heart surgery was not the plan I thought the Lord had for me. At 52 years old, I felt my health was nearly irreparable and that God should have given the vision of starting a church to a younger, more fit man.

After many appointments with the county health services we were told we did not qualify for help with the $50,000 operation. Now I truly prayed about our future as missionaries. Then another of our angels, Dr. Vincent from UTMB Galveston said he would see what he could do. I didn't know exactly what that meant or where the funds came from but I did know that now I was scheduled for open heart surgery in June. After a call from the hospital I was told the new cost of the surgery would be only about $5000 which the angels in God's churches sent our way. With the funds raised we were able to pay off the ER and prepay the surgery.

The biggest surprise God waited until the last moment to reveal. Coming out of sedation I was amazed to find no scars on my chest, no bandages, no tube down my throat and no monitors by my bedside. I had feared the recovery more than the surgery since I would be conscious to suffer through it but now I awoke to find had not undergone the operation. The surgery team found that my valve was not that bad but instead one side of my heart was beating too fast and had made that side larger than the other. The blood flow from one side to the other was being restricted by the overdeveloped muscle not the valve. I was released, told to lose weight, take some medications and check back in a few weeks.

We are so grateful to the Lord, His churches, His pastors, His people and my family for all the prayers and gifts that have brought both of us through this. I have gone from writing “just in case” goodbye letters to my family and friends to writing this letter of thanksgiving instead. What a change a year has made.

We have picked up over 8 churches this year and we now stand at just over $2000.00 a year support. That will still necessitate one or both of us working when we arrive in Flagstaff, of course we were never opposed to working but were setting our goals and hopes high. We still are. We have logged close to 30,000 miles this year in spite of the delay caused by the surgery.

On a personal note we praise God for the safe arrival of our grandson Calvin on September 1^st and his growth and health since. Following the doctors advice LeeOra and I got serious about our weight and we are now both over 30 pounds lighter than at the beginning of this year. We also have continued preaching and deputation while being near our grandchild in Humble. I am teaching a Romans Study on Sunday nights and working on a Bible study via Skype to a couple in the Austin area. Please pray for this as our wi-fi access is not consistent.

We plan to finish the winter in the Texas area and then pull the travel trailer to Flagstaff once it is safe to drive in the higher, snowier altitudes. Please pray as we will continue some deputation out West and that we can find those souls God in his providence has waiting for us to win and then form them into a team that He can use to launch First Vision Baptist in the near future.

In His Service,

Kris and LeeOra Minefee

Winter Harbor (Mission Report for Sept/ Oct 2010)

2010-10-19T14:34:00.000-05:00

We have our travel trailer parked at Lakeway Baptist Church in Atasocita, Texas. Pastor David Stone and all the church have been very welcoming to us. I have even had the honor of playing my “French Harp” with their musicians during services. If I can’t preach every Sunday on deputation I sure hope I can play my harmonica somewhere. Lakeway is the new church name in a new church building created when Northway and Lakeland Baptist Churches merged. It seems a match made in heaven at least judging by how much we have enjoyed the people, music and preaching.

On the 19^th of September we traveled to the deep Piney Woods of East Texas to preach at Leagueville Baptist Church. We always enjoy our time with Pastor Tom Bragdon and his wife Lynetta. The folks at Leagueville have become very special to us during our time on deputation. I guess the feeling is mutual for the church voted to take us on for support while we were with them that morning. We thank them so much for their vote of faith in us and the Lord’s work.

That evening we presented First Vision Baptist to Willow Spring Baptist Church where Craig Locke is the pastor. As always the Lord surprises us with meeting new people who are undiscovered brothers and sister in Christ. We are overwhelmed by the Lord’s provision through the churches he has brought us into contact with. We pray for them daily and look for God to bless them for their care and love toward us.

I also have the privilege of teaching a Sunday Night Bible Study at my daughter Susan’s house. We are going through Romans and it has been a rich experience. It is a small group but a very precious one, especially since it includes our first grandchild, Calvin. Imagine, only a month old and he has already studied the book of Romans. How many of your grandkids can say that?

In October fellow Santa Fe missionary Chris Meier and I traveled to Broken Bow, Ok. We enjoyed the Bible conference at Lukfata Baptist Church, where Pastor Paul Pucket and his helpmate Dana were wonderful hosts to several missionaries and pastors. I presented our vision for Flagstaff and preached “Christ In Me: Experienced Through Prayer.” The preaching from all the pastors and missionaries was just what I needed and the fellowship was the “extra” every pastor or missionary needs to keep going. Thank you Lukfata family for doing all you did in taking care of us.

Thank you again for all your prayers during my recent health problems. I have made great progress toward regaining my health and want to say thanks to Memorial Baptist Church and Pastor Winston Wheeler for their generous love offering to help pay off any remaining Doctor bills. I was able to see a cardiologist and was told my heart is in much better shape but it would need to be treated with care if I wanted to avoid surgery in the next 10 years or so. A special thanks to my personal physician Dr. Smith for all he has done to get me through this time. I wouldn’t be here without his intervention and care. I believe the Lord sent him at just the right time to save my life. I owe so much to so many and can only say thank you and promise to try and be worthy of everyone’s sacrifice, offerings and care.

We will be in the Texas Gulf Coast region from now until January as we enjoy time with our grandchild, Calvin. We will continue to seek appointments in the area and within a few hours’ drive. If you need pulpit supply or would like to schedule a conference during this time please contact us.

In His Service,

Kris and LeeOra Minefee

We appreciate all those that support us financially and prayerfully. After 21 months of active deputation we are just over 50% of our goal. We are praying for $4000 a month in support. This amount will allow us to rent a building/ home, help with personal expenses and purchase supplies needed for our ministry in Flagstaff Arizona.

Supporting Churches and Individuals Last Month (Quarterly gifts are averaged by month)

Addyston BC	100.00
Bay City BC	50.00
Berean BC	150.00
Country View BC	85.00
Dearborn BC	60.00
Individual	100.00
Edmond Road BC	75.00
Evergreen BC	50.00
First BC	100.00
Grace BC	50.00
Heritage BC	65.00
Highlands BC	50.00
Holts Prairie BC	75.00
Lakewood BC	50.00
Individual	75.00
Memorial BC	120.00
Mountainview BC	50.00
Northeast BC	110.00
Riverview BC	75.00
Rodgers BC	70.00
Santa Fe BC	100.00
Story Road BC	111.00
Individual	300.00
Temple BC	100.00
Total	2,185.00

We just received word from Pastor Stone that Lakeway Baptist will also be adding us to their missionary support. Thank you so much.

On the Deputation Road Again

2010-08-30T23:26:00.000-05:00

July ended with LeeOra and I finally getting back on the deputation trail. The last week of July saw us saying goodbye to our home church after a lengthy stay throughout my health scare. We traveled to Rodgers Baptist Church and the annual missions conference. It is always a joy to be with the gracious folks at Rodgers and their pastor Ron Thomas and wife Brenda. It was a good meeting and encouraged us to continue on in our vision to start a work in Flagstaff, Az.

We left from Rodgers and drove to Pueblo, Colorado where Pastor Chuck Bigler was gracious enough to let us park our RV and then to preach. This is one of our first supporting churches and they have been faithful in their prayers and support throughout the months of driving and preaching from church to church, state to state.

We then left Colorado and drove through Wyoming, Utah, Idaho into Oregon. We had canceled meetings in Oregon with Cloverdale Baptist and Grace Baptist, now we were anxious to make these up. (Getting out of Houston during the month of August was also a strong incentive.) After 2400 miles we turned in the Oregon coastline and knew the trip was worth every mile. The beauty of the area was only surpassed by the warmth and welcome of the Lord’s churches and people.

Our first week was spent with Pastor Randy Winesburgh and wife Donna. Randy is a former student of mine and his Dad, Charles Winesburgh was a pastoral friend back in Farmers Branch, Texas at my first pastorate. How reassuring to see the next generation carrying on the work begun by their fathers. In Pastor Randy’s case literally as he is now pastor of Cloverdale Baptist where his father served for many years.

The following week we traveled to central Oregon and spent three days with Grace Baptist Church and their Pastor John Campione and wife Shelley. Bro. John is an old friend from our days in the Dallas, Texas area and it was good to be with him and his family in their new pastorate in Prineville, Oregon. While we were there Shelley Campione fell sick and was in the hospital undergoing tests. Please keep her in your prayers as they are still looking for the cause of her illness though she has been released.

We traveled back through California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico in order to stop in Flagstaff and check on our storage shed, which has all our worldly goods awaiting our return to the area. Seeing the city was a reminder to both LeeOra and I that this was now home, even though we have not been there in almost 18 months. There was a strong feeling of being incomplete until we are there working to raise up another independent Baptist Church for the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are hoping, praying, and planning to be in Flagstaff this coming spring of 2011. All along the way God has miraculously supplied and we are dependent on Him through your prayers to meet our needs to be in Flagstaff. We need a place to live, a place to meet, more support, jobs for both us and of course people that only God can provide to help in the work. We believe we need a team to launch the work properly and are trusting the Lord to provide music, child care, education, and administration of the church through that team. Please pray with us.

Finally, we want to praise the Lord for First Baptist Church of Clute which is the latest church to take us on for support. What a blessing to know the Lord is still meeting our need via his churches and faithful Pastors like Bro. Lyndon Pettijohn and his wife Ann. Our thanks to God and to them for the blessing they have been to us.

We will be in the Texas Gulf Coast region from now until January as we wait for the birth of our first grandchild in Humble, Texas. We will continue to seek appointments in the area and within a few hours drive. If you need pulpit supply or would like to schedule a conference during this time please contact us. Thank you again for all your prayers during my recent health problems and now as I recuperate and look forward to regaining my health before heading to Flagstaff and the real work of planting a church.

The Greatness of God Revealed In Life

2010-08-13T01:26:00.000-05:00

Let me tell you of the times I have seen God. These were not times of vision but they were glimpses of God’s greatness revealed in the events of my life.

I experienced God’s greatness as a seven year old child sitting in church one Sunday morning and feeling Him pull at my heartstings till he drew me down that aisle. Later, as a ten year old boy hiding in my closet as my parents fought and my dad left home. As I screamed in fear and shock God put his arms around me and would not let me go. As a teenager sitting on an Arizona hillside looking up at the stars and lost in the complexities and pain of growing up I felt God’s presence was beside me. As a 14-year-old walking the aisle with tears running down my cheeks and hearing myself say to the pastor, “I want people to know Jesus like I know Jesus” and realizing He had called me to preach.

I have seen God in the sunset, and heard him in the thunderstorm. I have felt his overpowering love as I’ve held each of my newborn children or looked deeply into the eyes of my wife. I have seen his power in the life of every drunk, every drug addict, and every child of Satan that he has saved and made a child of God. I have felt his presence like warm air drive the chill of death from the hospital rooms of his sick and dying children. I have seen God in the lives of the redeemed and I have heard him shout to my soul in the pages of scripture.

Therefore I stand today as a witness of who He is and what He can do. I can do nothing else; I have experienced the greatness of God.

First Vision Mission July Report "Open Hearted Praise"

2010-07-16T16:35:00.000-05:00

Dear Pastors and Churches,

Open Hearted Praise instead of Open Heart Surgery

This is our update to all those you who have been faithfully praying for my heart valve replacement. By now many of you have heard that I did not have to have the surgery. It was close, as in on the table in the OR, shaved, prepped and knocked out but something stayed the surgeons hand and I woke up without a permanent zipper on my sternum.

Since I was a child I’ve had a rapid heartbeat, over time the extra beating of my heart has caused the aorta side of my heart to enlarge. Once this happened it became muscle-bound. (I know the idea of any part of my body being muscle-bound is making many of you smile.) Anyway the extra muscle was preventing the blood from other side of the heart entering the chamber and causing it to look like my heart valve was at fault. In preparation for surgery my Doctor put me on a beta blocker which was designed to reduce the rapidity of my heart. After a few months of being on that medication that side of my heart shrunk and the blood flow came back to an acceptable rate. Though I do have a congenital defect in my heart valve, it does not need to be replaced yet. Praise the Lord, greatly.

For anyone who might not see this as an answer to your prayer let me go over a few things.

First, Originally I was supposed to have the surgery just two months after arriving in the emergency room in Feb. had we secured the money, or had insurance I would have had the surgery and probably got a new valve or at least a big nasty scar before they saw my heart was okay. The beta blocker had time to work because the surgery was delayed. Second, I went into the hospital a full 24 hours before the surgery was scheduled. They took me off all medication for about 36 hours had they not done that my heart would have still been under the influence of the medication and they would not have thought that something else was happening when they took me into the operating room. Third, they didn’t have to do another echocardiogram. One doctor has already told me that is not a standard procedure. If they hadn’t taken just one more measurement, my heart would be part pig and I’d be looking for another valve replacement in only 10 to 12 years.

I call these “Miracles of Coincidence.” An atheist wouldn’t see these as proof of God’s existence but a Christian sees the providence of God in every step. Just one step of these “coincidences” missing and the outcome would have been so very different. The steps along this process whether we see it or not are directed by God and initiated through prayer. Thank you so much for your initiative and Praise the Lord for His miraculous providence in all our lives, whether we see it or ignore it still it works in all our lives.

Our plans now are to make up some of the appointments we had to cancel and see if we can schedule a few more along the way. We had hoped to be in Flagstaff this fall, but we have been delayed by the medical close call. Our plans now are to get there in the spring as the snow begins to melt. Moving there in the winter simply is asking for problems with a travel trailer and 3-4 feet on the ground. The Lord has been gracious and we have picked up 4 churches during this time. We will be praying for a few more to bring us up to near $2000.00 a month. In the meantime we will both be looking for jobs in Flagstaff that will allow us to plant the church while providing money for a place to live and other personal necessities. We hope to use most of the support money for mission related costs such as rent, publicity, training materials, etc.

In His Service,

Kris and LeeOra Minefee

To download or print this letter in Word Doc form click here.

Put That on Mine Account

2010-07-09T11:01:00.000-05:00

The book of Philemon is a slice from the life of Paul. It is not an ordinary epistle or church letter. It is much more a personal letter that gives us a view of the life of Paul, the church at Colosse and a runaway slave named Onesimus.

Act 1: The Letter Arrives

In a well to do home in the ancient city of Colosse, a slave walks into his master, Philemon’s presence announcing there is a visitor to see him. The visitor is surprisingly Onesimus another slave who ran away from Philemon’s home taking with some of his master’s money to aid in his escape. Now Onesimus simply walks in. He is frightened as he should be for if Philemon so chooses he can turn him over to the law and as a runaway slave he would be killed. He bows at his Master’s feet and holds out to him a rolled parchment, Philemon sees the seal of his friend, the apostle Paul, in surprise he takes the letter, breaks the seal and reads.

While Philemon reads the letter let us look at the characters caught up in this true life or death story.

First there is Philemon. He was a rich man possibly of noble blood or a ruler in the city of Colosse. He is also a slave owner as many others were in the times of the Roman Empire. Philemon had met Paul and had become a believer in Jesus Christ. Now the at Colossian church met in his home every Sunday. Paul was a close personal friend for whom Philemon prayed every day. Many believe that Archippus, was the pastor of the church and perhaps his son and that Apphia was his wife.

Secondly there is Onesimus. Onesimus was a slave, probably captured from Germania, or the British Isles where the Romans were at war during this time. He was taken from his family who were either also slaves somewhere in the Roman empire or more probably killed by the very soldiers who took him and later sold him to the slave traders. He would have been chosen to be a household slave because he showed intelligence and could think. It was that intelligence that allowed Onesimus to escape. After months perhaps years of planning, he runs away taking with him some of his master’s money or goods.

He runs to Rome a city even in 63 AD of one and a half million people. With so many, he could hide forever, a fugitive, a criminal with a price on his head and a death penalty as his judgment. But even the best plans of an intelligent man can go wrong and Onesimus, afraid, probably broke and hungry begins to look for someone to help him. He remembers a man who his master, Philemon had dearly loved, a man who had told him of another kind of freedom than the freedom ran away to find. This man, the apostle Paul, who he knew was in a Roman prison at the order of the emperor Nero

Finally there is Paul, the apostle and author of this letter. Paul is under arrest and constantly guarded by a Roman soldier. He is past 60 now and his body is marked by scars and etched with the pain of a life fully given to God. He is a soldier of the Lord wanting to go to the One he has served so long. Now he sits in the cell and writes letters, the “Prison Epistles” of Ephesians, Colossians and Philemon, still serving the Lord though in heavy cutting chains.

Into his place of bondage one day walks Onesimus, his friend Philemon’s slave now a criminal and fugitive. After hearing Onesimus’ story and leading him to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, Paul writes a letter to Philemon. The letter is a plea for forgiveness on behalf of Onesimus based upon Paul’s love and friendship with Philemon.

Act II: The Letter is Read

Philemon reads the letter from Paul delivered by Onesimus.

Paul is asking Philemon to forgive his thieving runaway slave. He says, “I know in the past he may have been useless to you but now he truly lives up to his name Onesimus (useful). Paul’s plea to Philemon is a picture of the working of the Gospel.

The Working of the Gospel

The Love of the Gospel. Vs. 8-10 It uses love not force to convince and to persuade what is right.
The Authority of the Gospel. Vs. 12 It finds a runaway slave and sets him right with his master
The Sacrifice of the Gospel. Vs. 21 It makes a nobleman give up revenge and what is his for the Lord’s service.

When I read Philemon I wonder does the Gospel we preach work the same way?

Does it use love, as its most powerful tool?
Does it have the authority to send runaways back to their master, God and seek His forgiveness?
Does it call for sacrifice? Does it call for the willingness to give up ourselves for the cause of Christ?

Act II: The Letter Works

Ultimately, without Paul ever having ordered Philemon to do anything , Onesimus is freed. According to the letters of Ignatius, a disciple of John, Onesimus was given his freedom and then went back to serve Paul in Rome. He was probably there when Paul was killed by Nero's command. Later according to Ignatius he even pastored the church at Ephesus. Philemon had understood as Paul had meant him to, that you can’t put a brother in Christ in chains nor keep him there. What a great ending to this great story. From slavery, to rebellion, to repentance to freedom and then to slavery once again, but this time as a slave to Jesus Christ serving his flock in Ephesus.

Did you wonder why the Holy Spirit put such a personal letter in the Bible? It is because the role of Paul, Onesimus and Philemon are representative of more than just themselves.

Paul stand as Mediator, the go-between for Onesimus and Philemon. Just as Christ stands as the mediator between Us and God. Onesimus stands as the criminal the runaway, just as we stand before God as sinners and runaways from his ruling over us. Philemon stands in the role of the Master, the rightful owner of Onesimus, just as God stands as our master and the rightful owner of us.

The real life letter and life and death case of Onesimus is a picture of Christ mediating between us and God’s wrath, putting our sin on His own account. Christ forgiveness of us uses the same three appeals of Paul on behalf of Onesimus.

In love he came to this earth and died in our place
In authority he defeated sin and brings us back to God whom we have wronged and turned away from.
In sacrifice he mediates for us and takes the wrath of his father toward us on his own account.

Paul wrote in verse 18 “If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; 18 If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account;19 I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it:”

The word used for “put that on mine account” is the word Greek word elloguyao means imputed. It is used in 2 Corinthians 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Christ took the payment or our sin upon Himself and then imputed His righteousness to us. There as he is scourged, there as he is beaten, there as he is spat upon, there as he is crucified, there He is the Son of God, taking the wrath of God, the punishment for our sins on his own account. And God seeing the suffering and death of his Son, and our cry to Him for salvation marks it paid in full! Jesus put our sin on His own account and paid the price with His life’s blood.

In Paul’s words we hear an echo of the heart of Christ pleading for us before His Father. “If he hath wronged thee…,put that on mine account; I, Jesus, have written it with mine blood, I will repay…”

Did God Truly Bless America?

2010-07-02T19:58:00.000-05:00

Psalms 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. 13 The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. 14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. 15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works. 16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. 17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength. 18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; 19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

America the Beautiful, by Katherine Lee Bates 1913

O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea.

Our country is unique in that it alone is a Gentile country founded upon the principles of God's Word. A nation and a people carved out of the wilderness to create a place for the free worship of the Almighty. I believe it has been this founding, and the subsequent revivals which returned us a nation to that foundation, that has been the major reason for the prosperity and blessings in our country.

The evidence is throughout our history. It is written into the documents that brought us to life and now sustain that life. Let us look at the evidence of God’s blessing upon this nation.

God Blesses

Psalms 33:12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.

Look at the historical evidence that our Founding Fathers believed God’s blessings were necessary for their nation to prosper. Eleven of the first 13 States required faith in Jesus Christ and the Bible as qualification for holding public office.

On November 3, 1620 - King James I grants the Charter of the Plymouth council. This was the purpose in granting that charter, "In the hope thereby to advance the enlargement of the Christian religion, to the glory of God Almighty."

On November 11, 1620 - The Pilgrims sign the Mayflower Compact aboard the Mayflower, in Plymouth harbor. "In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, King James of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini, 1620."

This was even more true during the Revolutionary War. In the summer of 1775 the Continental Congress issues a call to all citizens to fast and pray and confess their sin that the Lord might bless the land. "And it is recommended to Christians of all denominations, to assemble for public worship, and to abstain from servile labor and recreation on said day."

The Constitution is our foundation and it also was founded upon the heritage of the Bible and a belief that God alone can bless a nation. At least 50 out of the 55 men who framed the Constitution of the United States were professing Christians. (M.E. Bradford, A Worthy Company, Plymouth Rock Foundation, 1982).

Benjamin Franklin, at a time of impasse and frustration during the Constitutional Convention rose and stated, “ I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth: "that God governs in the affairs of man." And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. I firmly believe this. I also believe that without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in the political building no better than the builders of Babel; we shall be divided by our little, partial local interests; our projects will be confounded; and we ourselves shall become a reproach and a byword down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from this unfortunate instance, despair of establishing government by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war or conquest. I therefore beg leave to move that, henceforth, prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven and its blessing on our deliberation be held in this assembly every morning before we proceed to business. (Historical note to above: the convention was then adjourned for three days of prayer, Bible reading and special church meetings, following which the Constitution was discussed and adopted.)

James Madison who is considered the primary architect of the Constitution said this, “ We have staked the future of government not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions on the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

Over and over again the Supreme Court has ruled that we are a Christian nation based upon a God’s Holy Bible. The first chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Honorable John Jay, who had also served as governor of New York wrote, "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty ... of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." --1816.

In 1892, Justice David Brewer, writing for the majority in the case of the Church of the Holy Trinity vs. the United States, said this, "This is a religious people. This is historically true. From the discovery of this continent to the present hour, there is a single voice making this affirmation ...We find everywhere a clear recognition of the same truth ... These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation. --1892 (15)

Justice William O. Douglas wrote succinctly: "We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being." --1952 (16)

One of our more liberal Supreme Court chief justices, Earl Warren, left no doubt about what he believed in a 1954, "I believe no one can read the history of our country without realizing that the Good Book and the spirit of the Savior have from the beginning been our guiding geniuses ... Whether we look to the first Charter of Virginia ... or to the Charter of New England ... or to the Charter of Massachusetts Bay ... or to the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut ... the same objective is present ... a Christian land governed by Christian principles. I believe the entire Bill of Rights came into being because of the knowledge our forefathers had of the Bible and their belief in it: freedom of belief, of expression, of assembly, of petition, the dignity of the individual, the sanctity of the home, equal justice under law, and the reservation of powers to the people ... I like to believe we are living today in the spirit of the Christian religion. I like also to believe that as long as we do so, no great harm can come to our country." --1954

So also have our Presidents stated their belief in God blessing our nation. George Washington’s Inaugural Address: No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency . . . We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained. (Historical note : Washington added the pledge, "So help me God," to his inaugural oath. He then kissed the Bible to affirm his submission to the King of Kings.)

John Adams, our first vice president and second president, wrote, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." -1798

Thomas Jefferson, our third president and one of the principle framers of the Constitution D.C.: "Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God?" -1781

Our sixth president, John Quincy Adams, said this: "Is it not that the Declaration of Independence first organized the social compact on the Foundation of the Redeemer's mission upon earth? That it laid the cornerstone of human government upon the first precepts of Christianity?" -1837

You could fill a book on Abraham Lincoln’s words on God and country. “It is the duty of nations, as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God and to recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord. "Unless the great God who assisted [President Washington], shall be with me and aid me, I must fail. But if the same omniscient mind, and Almighty arm, that directed and protected him, shall guide and support me, I shall not fail ... Let us pray that the God of our fathers may not forsake us now." -1861

April 30, 1863 - President Abraham Lincoln's Proclamation for a National Day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer. We have been the recipients of the choicest bounties of heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown. But we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own. Intoxicated with unbroken success, we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us! It behooves us, then, to humble ourselves before the ascended power, to confess our national sins, and to pray for clemency and forgiveness.

Calvin Coolidge, our 30th president, said this about America's founding fathers: "They were intent upon establishing a Christian commonwealth in accordance with the principle of self-government. They were an inspired body of men. It has been said that God sifted the nations that He might send choice grain into the wilderness ... Who can fail to see it in the hand of Destiny? Who can doubt that it has been guided by a Divine Providence?" -1923

Here are the words of Woodrow Wilson, our 28th president and governor of New Jersey: "America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness which are derived from the revelations of the Holy Scripture." -1911

Franklin Roosevelt prayed this prayer on a national radio on D-Day, June 6, 1944, as our troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France: "Almighty God ... with Thy blessing we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogance. Lead us to the saving of our country. Thy will be done, Almighty God. Amen." -1944

Harry Truman, our 33rd president understood the spiritual heritage of this nation: "If men and nations would but live by the precepts of the ancient prophets and the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, problems which now seem so difficult would soon disappear ... That is a supreme opportunity for the church to continue to fulfill its mission on earth. The Protestant church, the Catholic church, and the Jewish synagogue -- bound together in the American unity of brotherhood -- must provide the shock forces to accomplish this moral and spiritual awakening. No other agency can do it. Unless it is done, we are headed for the disaster we would deserve. Oh, for an Isaiah or a St. Paul to reawaken a sick world to its moral responsibilities." –1946

Gerald Ford, our 38th president, quoted a 1955 speech by Dwight D. Eisenhower on December 5, 1974: "Without God there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first--the most basic--expression of Americanism. Thus, the founding fathers of America saw it, and thus with God's help, it will continue to be." --1974

Though such statements and beliefs are badly needed in our day, how far removed from these principles are we since those days? How long since a president called for a national day of fasting, prayer and repentance? If the foundations be removed can the building long stand?

God Sees

Psalms 33:13 The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. 14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth. 15 He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their works. 16 There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength. 17 An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.

We Believed that God Saw and that God Blessed. I once asked my liberal American History College professor, "What made American prosper?" To my surprise he stated, "It was the Puritan Work Ethic, the belief that God rewards and blesses people who obey Him, therefore we work because we believe God will bless the labor of our hands.

The Psalms says there is no safety in armies or might or machines or strength. The only hope we have is God. What do we believe in today in our nation? Do we believe in our initiative, our education, our resources, our freedom or even our rights? If the last election proved anything it is that things can change faster than we could have believed. All our freedoms and rights could be lost in a moment and the USA would be nothing more than a footnote of history. We all watched in horror on Sept. 11^th 2001 as our nation was attacked and changed forever. In only a few minutes we were turned from our pride and strength to fear and disbelief. How could such a thing happen to us?

In the aftermath of 9/11 many people were looking for answers. Jane Clayson on The Early Show, CBS interviewed Billy Graham's daughter, Anne Graham Lotz. In the interview she asked one of those questions.

Jane Clayson: I've heard people say, those who are religious, those who are not, if God is good, how could God let this happen? To that, you say?

Anne Graham Lotz: I say God is also angry when he sees something like this. I would say also for several years now Americans in a sense have shaken their fist at God and said, God, we want you out of our schools, our government, our business, we want you out of our marketplace. And God, who is a gentleman, has just quietly backed out of our national and political life, our public life. Removing his hand of blessing and protection. We need to turn to God first of all and say, God, we're sorry we have treated you this way and we invite you now to come into our national life. We put our trust in you. We have our trust in God on our coins, we need to practice it.

God Helps

Psalm 33:16 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; 19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. 22 Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.

There must be personal commitment to God if there is to be a national blessing from God. A nation is made up of people, leaders and citizens. Only when we as individual personally know God can He truly bless us as a nation. What good is it if our nation is founded upon Christian principles but our own personal life is not? What good is it if our foundation is upon the Word and heritage of God but our modern laws and practices ignore that foundation.

It is not our history that will save us. It is not our acknowledgement of our heritage. It is not our military power or government. It is only our personal commitment to Him now that offers any hope. Do you know God? To some the question is foolish. How can we know God? Yet the Bible continually invites us to know Him. Ps 34:8 O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. If we don't know Him than even the blessing and protection of the most powerful nation that has ever existed will not be enough. We are great because of Him and we are nothing without Him. We have hope with Him, we are hopeless without Him. We have strength with Him, we are weak without Him. We have a past with Him, but without Him we will have no future.

Jesus and the rich man whose barns were filled. In Luke 12:16 Jesus told a parable it could be about any of us and about all of us as a nation. And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: 17 And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? 18 And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? 21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Conclusion: Last verse of Star Spangle Banner

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,

Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;

Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land

Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us as a nation!

Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"

And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

On this the 234^th birthday of our nation may the sentiments and beliefs of our founders, the blood and lives or our soldiers and the faith and hope of our churches still cling to and fight for the truth that God and only God can and did bless America. I pray that it will always be true and we can always say, God Bless America!

Open Hearted Praise instead of Open Heart Surgery

2010-07-02T12:21:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to update those you who have been faithfully praying for my heart valve replacement. I just got back from a follow-up visit to my primary care physician who has been in contact with the thoracic surgeon and between the two of them they think they figured out what happened and why I didn't have to have my heart valve replaced at this time.

Basically this is what they think (as interpreted by me). Since I was a child I’ve had a rapid heartbeat, over time the extra beating of my heart has caused the aorta side of my heart to enlarge. Once this happened it became muscle-bound. (I know the idea of any part of my body being muscle-bound is making many of you smile, so just stop. Now.) Anyway the extra muscle was preventing the blood from other parts of the heart from entering the chamber and causing it to appear that my heart valve was at fault. In preparation for surgery my doctor put me on a beta blocker which was designed to reduce the rapid beat of my heart. After a few months of being on that medication that side of my heart muscle shrunk and the blood flow came back to an acceptable rate. Though I do have a congenital defect in my heart valve, it does not need to be replaced yet.

For those who might not see this as an answer to prayer let me go over a few things.

First, originally I was supposed to have the surgery just two months after arriving in the emergency room in February. Had we secured the money, or had insurance I would have had the surgery and probably got a new valve or at least a big nasty scar before they saw my heart was okay. The beta blocker had time to work because the surgery was delayed. Second, I went into the hospital a full 24 hours before the surgery was scheduled. They took me off all medication for about 36 hours, had they not done that my heart would have still been under the influence of the medication and they would not have thought that something else was happening when they took me into the operating room. Third, they didn’t have to do another echocardiogram. One doctor has already told me that is not a standard procedure. If they hadn’t taken just one more measurement, my heart would be part pig and I’d be looking for another valve replacement in only 10 to 12 years.

I call these “Miracles of Coincidence.” An atheist wouldn’t see these as proof of God’s existence but a Christian sees the providence of God in every step. Just one step of these “coincidences” missing and the outcome would have been so very different. The steps along this process whether we see it or not are directed by God and initiated through prayer. Thank you so much for your initiative and Praise the Lord for His miraculous providence in all our lives, whether we see it or ignore it still He is at work in all our lives.

The Last Battle of Sammy (Samson) Minefee

2010-06-20T08:25:00.001-05:00

On a Thursday in July, 2002 I received a message from my hometown. It was a message I’d been expecting for over 30 years. It told me that my Dad, Sammy Don Minefee, was dead, a death caused by an overdose of alcohol and drugs. From the time I was about 10 I came to realize that any day could be the day my Dad died, or committed suicide or simply wasn’t coming back home. Once when I was 11, he locked himself in a bathroom and told me to get a knife so he could kill himself. One night when I was in High School I had to pick him up off the floor where he had collapsed from drugs or the lack of them. I held him while he wept and had seizures in my arms. Other times I watched him drive in anger out of our yard so fast that I knew he would kill himself or someone else. So I had prepared myself for that day when I’d get a message from home that Dad was dead and that it wouldn’t be from old age.

Now, please understand my Dad believed in God and had accepted Jesus as his Savior. There were times I can remember my Dad in church, walking the aisle and rededicating his life. They were not many but I believed then and now they were genuine. In fact, he was there when I was saved. I looked up at him just before I walked the aisle and he nodded his head toward the altar. It wasn’t much but it was enough for a seven-year-old boy to know his Dad was saying, “Go on son, God’s waiting for you.”

About a year before he died I talked to him on the phone. He told me he was so sorry for everything he had done and everything he hadn’t done. He told me he knew he had left God out of his life for too long. I told him I loved him and forgave him. He wasn’t drunk and he was sincere. I believed him. Sammy had not lost God, and God had not lost Sammy.

All his life my Dad fought. As a kid he was a Golden Gloves champ and he fought anyone who he thought didn’t give him respect. He fought against the bottle, drugs and temptation, battles he thought he could win, but he was wrong. On his final day he fought a battle with alcohol and drugs and he lost his life. Sammy lost that battle because like many other times he thought he was strong when really he was weak. He thought he was tough but he was really brittle. He thought he was a man but he was really only a lost child who had wandered away from His Heavenly Father, alone and in danger.

Sammy, though, did win the most important battle of his life, even of eternity. A battle fought between heaven and hell for his soul and Sammy won that battle. Why when he had lost so many others? Because in this battle he called upon the name of the Lord and Jesus Christ fought the battle for him. Like Samson, the fatally flawed, Old Testament hero he was named after, he stood on the battlefield of eternity and God gave him the strength and grace of Jesus Christ and Sammy won the most important battle of all.

He failed at much and finally settled for mere existence and then even failed at that. But his life should count. I want his life to count. I have promised myself that I will tell the story of Sammy Minefee so that others can hear and the battle that will be won through his death will be more than what he won in his life. If one person hears and one person turns to God, then the life of Sammy Minefee will not be in vain.

I told you that when I accepted the Lord as my Savior, Dad was the last person I looked at before waling the aisle. His look gave me his approval, his support to walk that aisle. That nod of his head that said, “Go on son, God is waiting.” If he did nothing else in all his life, that nod helped a young boy to come to God. So today as I once again say goodbye to my Dad, Sammy Minefee and just like that day so many years ago I still can see his nod and know that he is telling all his kids, family and friends, “Go on in your life, because at the end, God is waiting.”

First Vision Mission June Report "Better Now Than Before"

2010-06-16T18:19:00.000-05:00

Dear Pastors and Churches,

This will be the last letter I write to you before my heart valve replacement surgery. We are praying that the next letter will be on the other side of mended and recuperated. I knew that deputation would be a journey that would change our lives and our relationship with the Lord but I never foresaw that along the way we would take a side trip through the ups and downs of heart disease. Both journeys have changed our lives and though now I am weaker than I’ve ever been physically, I am stronger in my walk with the Lord than I have every felt.

Most of that strength has been bestowed through you, the Lord’s churches, pastors and people. God has made himself known in this trial by the hand of his people reaching out to us. I have been humbled by the outpouring of your prayers, the concern in your voices and the generosity of your gifts. As independent Baptists we are often distinguished by our isolation but in reality we are joined by bands of brotherly love that when needed tie us together in God’s wondrous love. I have felt those bands as never before in my 32 years of ministry and am overwhelmed.

I once had a ministry in a nursing home in DeSoto, Tx. I met a young man named Thomas who had been in a terrible motorcycle crash and would spend the rest of his life in a hospital bed or a wheelchair. He had lost his health, his wife, his son, his business and even a portion of his mind when his Harley hit that telephone pole. He used to tell me, “I died eight times on the operating table.” It was one of the few things he could still take pride in. He used to have me read the Psalms 31 to him after our service, always Psalms 31. Among the verses is this statement, “9 Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly. 10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.” I would look down at his twisted and broken body and wonder why he would want to hear this. But then the Psalm ends with, “23 O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. 24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.”

After his accident, the one good thing that had happened in Thomas’ life was that he had accepted the Jesus Christ as his Savior. I often wanted to ask Thomas a question but was afraid of the answer I might get. I wanted to know, considering all that he had lost and the one thing he had gained, how He felt about his life. I was concerned about the answer I might get, that he might tell me how bitter he was and how much he wished God had just let him die. Finally one day in spite of my apprehension, I did ask and Thomas without hesitation looked up at me from his wheelchair and said in a halting, broken voice, “Better now than before.”

If you asked me the same question about going through the rigors of the health problems I’ve faced, I would give you the same answer, “I’m better now than before.” I’ve discovered God’s providence is much more than the subject matter of a sermon. I’ve experienced the promises of Mark 10:30 “he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time” as I never thought I would. I’ve realized the depth of your care and commitment to the Lord’s work and the Lord’s workers in a very intimate way. My cup truly runs over and my heart though physically ready to quit, is emotionally and spiritually stronger and more ready to serve than at any time in my life. “Thank you” is a phase that seems too small at times like this but even a dictionary would be too small to contain the words needed to begin to express what you have done for us responding to God’s leading in your life.

At present our hospital bills have been met and barring any unforeseen expenses or extended stays in the hospital we should have enough for my recovery time until we can get to Flagstaff and properly begin the work of planting a new independent Baptist Church. If it is the Lord’s will we are planning to be in Flagstaff this coming Fall. We hope to visit a few more churches before then but are not planning any more formal deputation. Our support level is about $1500 a month at present, not enough to be full time but enough to offset the costs of renting and running a church start up.

We have been blessed to have churches take us on for support during our “dry dock” time and we are truly thankful for your vote of confidence at this critical time. The newest churches of the First Vision support team are Dearborn Baptist Church, pastor Darrel Sparks and Berean Baptist Church, pastor Robby Pollard.

I Know The Man

2010-06-16T10:23:00.000-05:00

I KnowThe Man

      That is the man. You may not recognize him after all these years but he has not changed at all to me. I still see the same man who when I was only 3 or 4 would load a potato into my bucket and tell me to take it in the house. He taught me that even at 3 I could work. He taught me that lady bugs were good for the garden and not to be caught or killed, potato bugs on the other hand you do what ever you wanted to with. He was teaching me values, lessons of life. It is how I will always recognize him for he will always be teaching. I knew him in his 40’s and I know him in his 90’s and the one constant, the one thing that never has changed is the unfailing, unquenchable drive to teach others.

   That is the man. I can see him talking with me on top of a hill near our home in Arizona when I was 6. He is teaching me the most important lesson of all, the lesson of eternal life. That morning in church I felt something I had never felt, a tug on my heart and awareness that I needed Jesus, but I didn’t know what it was. I asked my Mom and my Dad and they told me to talk to Granddad. We climbed the hill and set down on the ground, the man who had to teach and a young boy who needed to learn. He told me of Jesus though I already knew the story. He told me of salvation and eternal life, then he told me that night if I felt the same tug on my heart to walk up the aisle, to accept Jesus and believe in Him. I did feel, I did walk and I did believe. It was just like Granddad taught me.

   That is the man. He taught me Bible stories, and theological lessons. He taught me garden techniques and bee keeping ways. He taught me to drive a car and to drive a nail. He taught me to shoot a gun and shell peas. He couldn’t help himself, he had to teach and I had to learn. Of all the people I have ever sat under he has taught me the most in quantity and in quality. He even taught me how to teach others. I think of him every time I show someone something they never knew and I smile because I can’t help myself. I have to teach. I have to find someone like I was who has to learn because that is the man who filled me with lessons that can’t be kept. They must be shared, they must be shown, they must be given to others.

   That is the man. Years from now when he is gone, I will still see him. Oh, I may forget exactly how his voice sounded, or the way his eyes shone. I may forget how he walked or how it felt to wrestle with him, but I will still recognize him. I will see him in the lessons my children learned from me and the lessons they are now teaching to my grandchildren. I will never forget him because when my children teach my grandchildren and my grandchildren teach my great-grandchildren he will still be there. Yes, that is the man I’ll always see.
–D. Kris Minefee for Van George on the occasion of his 90th birthday.

Young One Arise - A Bible Short Story by Kris Minefee

2010-05-16T22:47:00.000-05:00

"Young One Arise"

The young girl lay upon a low bed in the corner of the darkened room. Her mother knelt on the ground beside her with a basin of water and a rag that she would dip in the water and place upon the girl's forehead to try and cool her fever. So hot was the child that the water in the basin was almost as warm as the fever in her body. Jairus watched his wife wage war with the sickness inside his daughter. he watched as tears ran down her face an knew she was losing. As she placed the rag upon her daughter’s forehead again, she looked to her husband with eyes that tore holes in his heart.

“Jairus, look how she breathes, her chest rises so little I must put my hand on her to tell she still lives.”

"I know, Ester. I reached out to touch her a hundred times in the darkness last night. Sometimes I was afraid lest I find her life gone."

Ester looked back at her daughter then doubled over to her knees and began to weep. She covered her face with her hands as the tears ran like rain falling in a pool through her fingers and into the basin in her lap. Jairus moved over to his wife and put his arms around her, but there was no comfort, no strength, only the sharing of sorrow. In spite of his position as head of the synagogue and the respect he received from the people of Capernium, Jairus was powerless against this angel of death or perhaps a demon which burned his daughter’s body with fever and stole the very breath from her lips.

There was a knock at the door, very light but steady enough not to be missed. Jairus rose from Ester's side and went to the door, almost grateful to escape the sorrow and suffering within the dark room. He stepped through the door closing it behind him, and turned to see his oldest servant, Gaius. Before he could finish shutting it Gaius was loudly whispering.

"Master, the Nazarene is back! He and his disciples landed their boats only a few moments ago. From the roof I saw the crowd moving down to the beach, it must be him."

Jairus looked into the eyes of his servant and saw the hope, something he had lost until just now. Jesus had returned to Capernium! Jesus had spoken often at the synagogue by his invitation. Many in the congregation had told him of miracles Jesus had done. When his daughter first fell sick he had thought about seeking out Jesus. But it did not seem serious then. Not until just the last few days did the fever burn so hot and by then Jesus was nowhere to be found. Now there was no time to delay, he must find Jesus, it was his daughters only chance and his only hope.

"Gaius, I will go to bring Jesus back, tell my wife. Do not leave them until I return with the teacher."

“May God go with you.” The servant spoke aloud his prayer.

As he walked toward his front gate he had to cross the courtyard, which was filled with relatives, and so called friends. He wondered if they were here to share his grief or to impress him with their loud cries. Some rose as if to speak but he hurriedly waved them away and ran out the gate. Let them think he was going for a doctor or some medicine in a last effort to save his child.

Capernium was a small fishing village and it took only a few moments for Jairus to be standing at the back of a crowd which had gathered around Jesus down by the shore. They had not even made it into the house of Simon, where he stayed, before he was surrounded by the crowd. Jairus could hear them talk about Jesus.

“There he is next to Simon.”

"What is he saying? Where is he going?"

Jairus spoke to the people in front of him.

“Please, let me through, I must talk to the teacher.” At first the people would look around as if to tell him to be quiet, or that they were first, but when they saw his fine clothes and realized who he was they let him pass.

"Make way for Jairus, he has business with the teacher. Make way." Business, thought Jairus, if only it were just business. Just another invitation to speak in the congregation or to discuss the finer points of Jewish law. This was not the routine of running the synagogue, he was running for his daughters life.

Finally he stood before Jesus and fell at his feet. In times past he had felt equal to this man, a peer in leadership and learning, but now no scholarship could save his daughter, only this carpenter from Nazareth, which some said was the Messiah and even the Son of God.

"My little daughter lies at the point of death: I beg you come and lay your hands on her, that she may be healed. I know that if you will come she shall live."

Jesus looked to his disciples and began to make his way toward the house. Jairus his legs weak with fear, rose to lead the way. The disciples began to make a way in the vast crowd of people that surrounded them. Slowly the entire crowd with Jesus and Jairus in its midst began to move slowly toward the home.

Jairus felt tears of relief in the corners of his eyes. Now it would be all right, Jesus was coming, his daughter would live. They had to hurry though for even now the death angel could be hovering over her bed. The crowd was very large and hard to pass through, he wanted to take Jesus' hand and run but he could not. So he continued as fast as he could until they turned down the street where he lived. "Only a little further, hold on my daughter, hold on!," he silently prayed.

Suddenly he realized that Jesus had stopped and turned to face the crowd behind him. What was happening? Did he not realize they could not wait? He heard the Teacher call out to the crowd.

“Who touched my clothes?”

Peter who had been leading the way before Jairus and his Lord was the first to return to Jesus side.

“You see the multitude crowding you, why do you ask, ‘Who touched me’?”

"Someone reached out and touched my robe. At that moment I felt power flowing to them. Someone has been healed." Jesus eyes stopped on a woman trying to hide herself behind the others in the crowd.

She came and fell on the ground before him, "Master for many years I have been sick. Many physicians have been unable to heal me and I have spent every thing, only to grow worse. I knew that if I could only touch your garment as you walked past, I would be whole again." Her voice trembled as she made her confession almost afraid that her blessing would be taken from her.

"Daughter," she heard Jesus say. “Your faith has made you whole; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Jairus was almost frantic when they had stopped, but now was filled with hope for if only the hem of Jesus garment could heal then his daughter could truly be saved. He turned with strengthened will toward his house. As he looked in the direction of home, his servant Gaius coming walking slowly toward him. His walk and face brought the message even before he spoke.

"Jairus, your daughter is dead. You need not trouble the Master further."

Jairus felt as if his own life had departed. How could he come so close and still lose his child? If only they hadn't stopped they might have made it in time. He did not know where to go or what to do, it seemed as if his world had suddenly stopped there in the dusty street.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Jesus. He heard him say something, it sounded far away and quiet.

“Do not be afraid, only believe.” The words broke the stillness of Jairus' world and once again he felt hope spring up in him like a refreshing wind from the sea. He began to move toward the house, it seemed like days since he had left though it was only a few moments ago. He must go to Ester, she would need him.

Jesus stopped anyone from going on any further. He left nine of his apostles there with the the crowd and then with Peter, James and John along with Jairus went towards the house. Inside the courtyard of the home the family and friends were crying and wailing. Loud and long they showed their grief especially when Jairus walked in. Jesus raised his hand to quiet them.

"Why are you making all this noise? This young girl is not dead. She is only sleeping." The crowd was at first hushed by his words but then began to laugh and to make fun of what Jesus said.

"Sleep? Then she is asleep for the rest of her life."

"Why do you torment this family? Let them get on with their grief."

“You must not know death, but we have seen it before and we see it today in this house.”

Jesus ignored them and walked to the bedroom. There was Ester still at her daughters bed, but the cloth lay on the floor where she had dropped it when she realized her daughter was gone from her forever. There were more mourners beside the bed and around Ester, they began to wail and moan at the sight of the child’s father. Jesus with the help of Peter, James and John ushered the mourners out into the courtyard. Without the support of Jairus and Ester, they did not protest too much. When the door was closed Jesus went to the little girl's bed. He reached down and took her hand, still hot from the fever. With his other hand he touched her brow and swept the hair from her forehead as if to look for life in those now opaque eyes. Then he spoke to her.

“Young one, arise.” A single command spoken so softly it couldn’t be heard across the room, yet somehow it was heard across the chasm that separates life from death.

Ester saw it first, that same breast that had struggled to rise before now swelled with air. The glazed, dull eyes blinked and when they opened there was the light of life behind them again. Jairus who had been bowing his head in a prayer felt his wife move toward the bed and raised his eyes to see his daughter sitting up, looking into the face of Jesus. As he watched she stood and looked around the room for a familiar face. When she saw her parents she smiled like a traveler coming home from a long journey. They swept her into their arms, holding her as if they would never let her go.

Jesus spoke, "Give her something to eat she will be hungry. Tell no one what has happened here today. They will know soon enough."

As Jesus turned to leave, Jairus called after him, “Thank you,” he hesitated a moment and then added, "Lord. Thank you for saving my daughter’s life and for giving life back to me."

"Live that life with joy, Jairus. Live it with great joy." Jesus replied and then with his disciples went back into the street.

First Vision Mission Report "Looking Forward to Relaunch"

2010-05-07T10:38:00.000-05:00

Looking Forward to Relaunch

Dear Pastors, Churches, Family and Friends,

I delayed this letter in order to give some final news about my upcoming heart valve replacement surgery. LeeOra and I have been without health insurance for several years and now starting out as church planting missionaries it will be a while, if ever, that we can afford it. After several meetings with the county health services agencies we were finally denied coverage since we had not lived in the county for 6 months. Of course that is hard to do when you are on deputation. However, the day after we were turned down I received a call from the hospital and they said the surgery was approved. It seems they were only waiting on the County’s yea or nay before proceeding on their own at least that is our understanding.

The surgery is expected to cost about $60 thousand dollars but we had already qualified for a discount program that would reduce the cost. When told of the discount I cautiously asked how much we would be expected to. It was a tremendous relief to hear the financial consultant tell me that the cost would be about 4 to 5 thousand dollars. Praise the Lord, Amen and Hallelujah! We have presently about $2500.00 set aside for the operation. This money has been graciously given by churches and individual even before we knew any of the details about the surgery. After speaking with my Pastor Larry Jones, we are putting out this letter with the predicted cost we know so far that you may pray or help with the cost as the Lord leads.

All money being sent as special offerings for the surgery should be sent to our church and will be put into a savings account to be used first and foremost for medical expenses. Should there be any money above the projected $5000.00 it will be used for costs associated with the surgery and recovery. Any remaining funds would be used to get us back on the road and ultimately into Flagstaff. We are very grateful for each church and person who has sent offerings even before we made any request. Your care and foresight has truly been a blessing and without you we would not be getting by as we are now.

We are also very grateful to Mountain View Baptist Church which took us on for support this month. Bro. Otis Medley is the pastor of this newly planted church and we are honored that we are one of their early supported missionaries. When we visited the church last year we were inspired by all that they had done in the purchase of land and the erection of a building in such a short time. God has truly blessed and they are now prepped and ready for the growth we are sure God is going to send their way.

Special thanks go out to Faith Baptist Chapel in Harris, Arkansas and Mosaic Baptist Church in Flower Mound, Texas for their gifts to help with our medical expenses during this time. We have also received gifts from individuals who have given in order to help us through this time of no love offerings since we can’t travel until surgery and recovery is completed. Addyston Street Baptist Church and Pastor David Pittman also doubled our monthly support to make up for the lack of deputation love offerings. Thank you to all who have given so much and so freely, we are so thankful.

It is beyond any “living by faith” I have experienced up to this point in my life to see how God provides just what is needed when it is needed. We are humbled and strengthened by God’s provision through his churches and his people. During this time of doubt and inactivity God has shown Himself at the forefront of our path and when we look behind to see where we have been we again see God as our rear guard. It is like living a Psalms and we are grateful to Him for the experience despite the illness which has become the day to day experience of our life for the time being.

In His service, even while waiting,

Kris and LeeOra Minefee

A Parents Prayer by D. Kris Minefee 1993

2010-04-18T08:43:00.000-05:00

Dear Lord, as I sit beside the bed of my child and watch their sleep, I am overcome by the blessing you have given to me. How can something this precious be placed in my care? How can this beautiful creation look at me with eyes so full of admiration and wonder? How can I live up to the task of not losing that innocent beauty to a world that would destroy it?

Lord, the time I have is so limited and cluttered with demands and deadlines. Yet when the deadlines pass I can't remember what made them so important. Meanwhile, at my feet a child looks up and asks me to play ball or be their horsy, look at their latest crayon masterpiece or just hold them in my lap. I know that I am the most important thing in the world to them. When will I fully realize that they must be the most important thing in all the world to me?

Lord, I know that someday they will walk away, no longer children but a young man or young woman. I understand I must release them either to You or to this world. Will I have been the teacher you wanted me to be? Will that child see in me the loving hand, the words of wisdom, the inexhaustible love of You, their Heavenly Father? Help me to make the time to show my children your love for them in me. Oh, my God if only one task I accomplish before my life is over, please let it be that my children will know You through me. I ask this in the name of your own Son. Amen

(Note) I wrote this in 1993 when I and LeeOra were young parents. I look back now and realize that God has been gracious in answering this prayer. My children are grown and married or in college all faithfully attend and serve Him through church. We are now expecting our first grandchild and I pray that God will be as gracious to this generation as well.

The Need for Personal Revival” Richard Baxter (1615-1691)

2010-04-10T11:22:00.000-05:00

This is a writing that has always moved me deeply. I have it pasted to the front inside cover of my Bible and often read it before going into the pulpit. It never fails to move and motivate me. It has the effect of stirring the embers of pity and fanning them into a fire of passion. I never preach but I hear, "Oh, do that in our souls which thou wouldst use us to do on the souls of others."

The Need for Personal Revival” Richard Baxter (1615-1691)

Were there but such clear and deep impressions upon our own souls of those glorious things which we daily preach, oh what a change would it make in our sermons, and in our private course of life! Oh what a miserable thing it is to the Church and to themselves, that men must preach of heaven and hell, before they soundly believe that there are such things, or have felt the weight of the doctrines which they preach! It would amaze a sensible man to think what matters we preach and talk of; what it is for the soul to pass out of this flesh, and appear before a righteous God, and enter upon unchangeable joy or unchangeable torment! Oh, with what amazing thoughts do dying men apprehend these things! How should such matters be preached and discoursed of! Oh the gravity, the seriousness, the incessant diligence, which these things require!

I know not what others think, but for my own part I am ashamed of my stupidity, and wonder at myself that I deal not wit my own and others souls as one that looks for the great day of the Lord; and that I can have room for almost any other thoughts and words; and that such astonishing matters do not wholly absorb my mind. I marvel how I can preach of them slightly and coldly; and how I can let men alone in their sins; and that I do not go to them, and beseech them, for the Lord's sake, to repent, however they may take, and whatever pain and trouble it should cost me. I seldom come out of the pulpit but my conscience smites me that I have been no more serious and fervent. It accuses me not so much of want of ornaments and elegancy, nor for letting fall and unhandsome word; but it asks me, "How couldst thou speak of heaven and hell in such a careless, sleepy manner? Dost thou believe what thou sayest? Art thou in earnest, or in jest? How canst thou tell people that sin is such a thing, and that so much misery is upon them and before them, and be no more affected with it? Shouldst thou not weep over such a people, and should not thy tears interrupt thy words? Shouldst thou not cry aloud, and show them their transgressions; and entreat and beseech them as for life and death?"

And for myself, as I am ashamed of my dull and careless heart, and of my slow and unprofitable course of life, so the Lord knows, I am ashamed of every sermon I preach; when I think what I have been speaking of, and who sent me, and that men's salvation or damnation is so much concerned in it, I am ready to tremble lest God should judge me as a slighter of His truths and the souls of men, and lest in the best sermon I should be guilty of their blood. Me thinks we should not speak a word to men in matters of such consequence without tears, or the greatest earnestness that possible we can; were not we too much guilty of the sin which we reprove, it would be so.
Truly this is the peal that conscience doth ring in my ears, and yet my drowsy soul will not be awakened. Oh, what a thing is an insensible hardened heart! O Lord, save us from the plague of infidelity and hard-heartedness ourselves, or else how shall we be fit instruments of saving others from it? Oh, do that in our souls which thou wouldst use us to do on the souls of others.

Missionary Toolkit #3 Church Planting Online Resources

2010-04-02T18:04:00.000-05:00

Once I confirmed that the Lord was changing the direction or our ministry and that we would be going into a church planting work, I know I would have to reeducate myself in the brave new world of building churches from scratch. I had pastored and worked on staff for over 30 years but never tried to grow a church from the ground up.

My first stop, since it was the cheapest and most accessible, was the internet. Say what you want to against it, the web is a powerful tool for resource gathering and research. I found several good places to begin.

First locating churches to call is a necessity. None of the independent Baptist online sites are perfect and I would suggest confirming the initial address and phone number with a look-up on the web itself though Google or another search engine but getting the initial name is a real help. Just don't get upset when the info is old and the pastor listed is no longer there or the phone has changed or even the name of the church. The very nature of these site means the information is always changing and unless someone at the church updates the entry it will be outdated very quickly.

I personally use Baptistinfo.com at http://www.baptistinfo.com/index.shtml which is maintained by Doyle Welborn who I personally know is a member of a good unaffiliated independent Baptist church in East Texas. Welborn has done a great job of hosting the site for years and has now established a presence on Facebook as well. His site usually is the most up to date in my experience. Other sites which I use to confirm BaptistInfo are Independent Baptist Church locator at http://militarygetsaved.tripod.com/texas_ibcl.htm, Baptist411 at http://www.baptist411.com/index.php and Independent Baptist National Roll Call at http://www.21tnt.com/roll/index.shtml. From my own and others experience with these lists you should be prepared for all manner of Baptist churches not just unaffiliated ones. You may even find some Southern Baptists on some of these lists. Just take my advice and do an internet search to see if they are listed elsewhere and especially check for their own website which should contain the most updated information.

After you locate the churches and gain support you will be on the field and starting the work. This is much more complicated than it once was and it would do you well to prepare by researching both online and through books on the subject of Church Planting.

Here are some of the online sources I have found useful.

The American Church Project at http://www.theamericanchurch.org/. David T. Olsen has written, The American Church in Crisis” which has been very influential in rekindling a vision of church planting in America. The site contains free PowerPoint presentations which summarize the need for new church plants both nationally and state by state. These can easily be incorporated into you own presentation to show the vision you have and the need for churches throughout the United States.

The Pew Forum at http://religions.pewforum.org/ also contains great information on the state of religion in the United States today. It’s scope is broader than just church planting but it has a tremendous amount of resources for you to know your community before you begin your church.

Church Planting Resources at http://www.churchplantingresources.com/ contains lots of links to place for you to get free or low cost tools to help with your new church plant. New Churches at http://www.newchurches.com/tools--resources/free-resources/ is also a good place to pick up ideas, software and web tools for your new church.

One of the most important internet tools you can use if of course Facebook. Facebook is a social interaction website which now has over 400 million people worldwide. It is surprisingly clean, completely free and very useful. You can set up your own personal page which allows you to connect with other Facebook users. The real power of Facebook for your church planting vision though is the ability to set up a “Fan Page” for you future or new church. This allows you to have a place for news, events, discussion, pictures and videos all easier to post and maintain than a regular website. You can connect it to your regular website as well as to a separate blog or just use the Facebook notes application to make a blog right there. People can see your page, personal or church but can only interact with it if you give them permission. This provides a great deal of safety. You can always hide or remove a “friend” if they turn out to be a problem. Facebook give you a world wide outreach at the same time it is as exact as your neighborhood or church family.

Next Missionary Tool Kit I’ll discuss some of the books that I have found the most helpful in getting ready for planting one of the Lord’s churches.

Not Death a poem for Sis Petty

2010-03-31T17:14:00.000-05:00

We lost a sweet sister in the Lord today it was sudden and unexpected. We are left sad at our loss of Joy Petty but we can still rejoice for at times like this we know that it is the grace of God that gives us a hope of eternity and a surety of seeing her again.

In her memory I dedicate this poem not written by me and I don't know the author but use it often for the funerals I preach. It states very strongly what we believe about death and eternity because of Jesus Christ. God be with you till we meet again, Sister Petty.

Death is not death if it kills no part of us, save that which hindered us from perfect life.
Death is not death if it raises us in a moment from darkness into light, from weakness into strength, from sinfulness into holiness.
Death is not death if it brings us nearer to Christ, who is the fount of life.
Death is not death if it perfects our faith by sight and lets us behold him in whom we have believed.
Death is not death if it gives us to those whom we have loved and lost, for whom we have lived, for whom we long to live again.
Death is not death if it rids us of doubt and fear, of chance and change, of space and time, and all which space and time bring forth and then destroy.
Death is not death, for Christ has conquered death for himself and for those who trust in him.

Finding A Way (A Bible Short Story by Kris Minefee)

2010-03-26T12:41:00.000-05:00

“Finding A Way”

In the small coastal town of Capernaum excitement was mixed with the mist of the Galilean Sea. Whispers and shouts all carried the same news, the man called Jesus had returned and was staying at the house of Simon the fisherman. Already a crowd was gathering to hear the Prophet speak.

One man heard the news at the market and dropped the fish he was thinking of buying to get closer to the one just come from Simon Peter’s house.

“What did you say? Please I couldn’t heart you.”

“I said the the Nazarene was back the one who has been staying at Peter’s house.”

The first man began to run from the market not bothering to pick out any fish or waiting to hear the last words of the other man.

“You will not see him the crowd overflows into the street.”

The man ran as he had not run since he was a child, but not in the direction of Simon’s house. He ran to the house of friend near the center of town. He arrived just as his legs and lungs remembered how old he was. He slowed to a walk catching his breath as he worked the latch on the gate and entered the yard of the house.

It was the same as when he had left it only a few short time ago to buy food. Under the shade of a tree which grew in the middle of the yard, three men sat with a fourth. By their action and expressions of concern even a stranger could tell that the fourth man, lying on a pallet, was deathly ill. He did not move anything except his eyes and only the slow, weak rising of his chest told you he still lived.

“Friends, I have such new!” the man exclaimed as he flung open the gate. The sound of his voice echoed from the inner walls of the courtyard.

"What is wrong with you. Have you lost your senses?” One of the men closest to him whispered.

"I am sorry, but I have just heard. He is back. The teacher called Jesus. He is at Simon’s house even now."

This time the message echoed not from the walls of the courtyard bur from the chambers of their hearts.

"Are you sure. How long has he been there? How long will he stay? This Jesus is the only hope for Nathan." All three of the other men were all asking questions at the same time. Then they looked down at their friend, Nathan, as if to somehow listen to him as well. He lay in the shade on a thickly woven mat on top of a pile of straw. No doctor could tell what was wrong, why he was paralyzed and unable to move or even talk. As he listened to the talk of Jesus, though there was a look in his eyes, perhaps a look of hope, but also more a deepness of thought, an understanding of the soul more powerful even than his paralysis.

“We must hurry, already I have heard of a crowd filling the house.”

The four friends each grabbed a corner of the bed and as gently as their need would allow lifted their precious burden and began the trip. Before they got within a furlong they could sense the crowd that was before them. People rushed pass them with each step they took. As they go closer the noise of the moving crowd gave way to a hushed whisper and then as they sighted Simon’s house, to a silence strained only by the breathing of a huge mass of people surrounding and cutting off the house, inside which was Nathan’s only hope.

“Look at all the people!” one of them voiced what they all were thinking. Pouring out the gate and overflowing every window were people trying to listen to a voice that came from the teacher standing in an inner courtyard of the house. The crowd formed a barrier ten and twelve deep before they could even touch the door frame, the courtyard inside would be packed. As they looked their hope slowly turned to emptiness.

One of the friends lifted his eyes, perhaps the involuntary movement of one looking to heaven for help, and his eyes stopped on the roof of the house.

"Look, they are not on the roof. They have forgotten the roof!" The crowd had left the roof empty even though it surrounded the courtyard in which Jesus taught. The courtyard might be open to the sky and therefore open to their friend.

They carried their burden with a new hope to the back of Simon’s house where they found the outside stairs that most houses had. Their fingers were cramped from gripping the bedroll and their legs ached at the added strain of climbing the stairs, but pain could not stop them from reaching the roof. Finally as the last man set his foot on the roof, they found another obstacle, Simon’s courtyard was covered with a tiled roof.

“This is why they did not come on the roof, they could not see the Rabbi from here,” the friend who had thought of climbing the stairs now felt foolish for his suggestion.

"What can we do now? Nathan, is much worse from the carrying. I do not think he has the strength to make it back home."

"Listen”, hushed one, “I can hear him teaching.” They all bent forward on hands and knees and pressed their ears to the roof.

“He must be beneath us.”

“Yes, and the roof must be thin if we can hear him this well.” He pulled at a corner of a tile, it lifted easily to show a lattice work of branches underneath and the voice of Jesus grew louder. Instantly the friends began to tear away the tile and branches to make a hole large enough for their desperately ill friend.

Below in the courtyard as the crowd strained to catch every word spoken by Jesus, they were astonished to see bits of plaster, sticks and dust begin to fall from the ceiling. Jesus stopped teaching and began to walk over to where a hole was rapidly growing. Now the crowd could see the faces and hands of four men tearing away the roof. Suddenly the activity stopped and a blanket holding something was lowered through the hole. At the end of their arms the men on the roof held a dying man.

"Help them with their friend, " The voice of the teacher commanded his disciples. Other hands reached up and slowly brought the paralyzed man to the floor. The crowd made way as Jesus walked over to the sick man. He looked up at the faces of the friends who having come this far, still could not leave their friend.

What faith they must have to overcome so much and bring this one here, Jesus thought. Then He looked into the eyes of the paralyzed man. He saw the look which had escaped the notice of his friends, but it did not escape the one who could read men’s hearts. What He saw was hope but it was a hope mixed with fear. The man was afraid that his sin, his life, his faults would prevent his finding the help he needed. He was afraid that his guilt was greater than Jesus power to heal.

And so it was only the crowd and especially the scribes who wondered and gaped when Jesus said, “Son, your sins be forgiven you.”

Like a wave breaking over a beach the whispers of the crowd washed over Jesus’ conscience, and loudest of all were the thoughts of the scribes, the so called experts of all that scripture said.

“This man speaks blasphemy, who can forgive sins but God?”

“Why do you reason about such things in your hearts?” Jesus answered aloud the questions they only dared to think. “Which is easier to say to this paralyzed one, Your sins be forgiven you or arise take up your bed and walk? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins,” and then He turned to the sick man and said. “Arise, take up thy bed and go your way to your house.”

The light in the man’s eyes had changed while Jesus was talking to the scribes, no doubt, no fear but now only peace and joy remained to be seen. Even if he was not healed it was no longer important, for he knew in his heart his sin was gone. At the word of Jesus he was a new man. And now this teacher. this prophet, this Savior was talking to him again and he could clearly hear the command, “Arise, take up thy bed and walk.” Without fear, without debate, instantly this man who had to be carried by four men stood and picked up his bed. He glance up at the hole in the roof to see the smiles and tears on the faces of his friends who had refused to let him die without seeing Jesus. The he set his face to the gate of the courtyard and began to walk. The crowd fell aside to let him pass and at the same time began to worship God with words of praise, and the most sincere was also the most spontaneous, “We have never seen anything like this?”