One of Ten #121

Luke 17:12 And as He entered a certain village, ten leprous men who stood at a distance met Him; 13 and they raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" 14 And when He saw them, He said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And it came about that as they were going, they were cleansed. 15 Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice, 16 and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine-- where are they? 18 "Was no one found who turned back to give glory to God, except this foreigner?" 19 And He said to him, "Rise, and go your way; your faith has made you well." (NAS)

Are you thankful? Do you take the time to thank someone for their kindness to you? Jesus entered a village and met ten lepers who were begging for Him to heal their leprosy. Their plea was for Jesus to show them mercy. They had a dreaded terminal illness with physical and social implications. They were separated from family and friends; made to walk the streets declaring themselves to be ‘unclean’ and were total outcasts from society. No wonder they begged for healing.

Jesus gave them their desire and healed them all. As they were going to the priest one of them noticed he was healed and returned glorifying God and fell on his face thanking Jesus for the miracle of life. How sad that only one out of ten returned with a thankful heart. As we celebrate Thanksgiving Day ask yourself if you would have been that one; or would you have gone on your way and not returned to fall before Jesus and thank Him for a new beginning in life.

You can thank God right now for giving you life and life more abundant. Thanksgiving Day as you celebrate the multitude of blessings God has given to you; be the one who returns to God and show your gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving Day to you.

______________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings and Happy Thanksgiving!

As I drink my coffee this morning at Starbucks I think how great it would be to have the opportunity to sit down with you and share a cup. Reflecting on that which I am most thankful for my mind turns to people who have been a part of my life. From my Christian parents who took me to church and told me about Jesus to the many encouragers who have made a profound impact on my life. For all of you I call family the thankfulness of my heart goes out this morning. For those of who who are friends and a part of a great support system I give a big THANK YOU for being there so many times.

Years have come and gone and Thanksgiving Day means more and more. I wish we could all have Thanksgiving every day and maybe we would have a more loving and compatible world in which to live. Please tell someone thanks for what they have meant to you. God has made us relational beings in order to reflect the image of God who so loves us all.

The Encourager now is sent to 13 countries in our world; 27 states and almost 1000 people. It is my heart's desire to encourage one and all with the Word of God.

Sandy and I had a wonderful retreat last weekend in Avondale, AZ. The pictures are from the retreat. The attendees were all volunteer missionaries throughout the state of Arizona. We were personally encouraged by what we heard from these wonderful people who share their lives in difficult places. They serve the inner cities, the Indian Reservations, the homeless, small churches, college students, Internationals, and endless other places. I am grateful for each of them and their sacrificial dedication to telling others about Jesus.

May God bless you and your family on this very special Thanksgiving Day with family and friends, and my you share the love of God with them. ~ DGW

(The photos are of the The Mission Service Corp volunteers and Clint & Carol Smith, MSC Arizona Coordinators.)

Small Things #120

Joshua 7:3
3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, "Do not let all the people go up; only abouttwo or three thousand men need go up to Ai; do not make all the people toil up there, forthey are few." (NAS)

How big is your enemy? What do you struggle with in your relationship with God that tries to defeat you? Sometimes it’s the small enemy that gets the upper hand over you. After the great victory in the Battle of Jericho the Children of Israel came up against a much smaller enemy; the City of Ai. After spies checked out the city they returned with a report of “easy victory.” They noticed that Ai was a small city in size and in number and after such an incredible victory at Jericho it seemed relatively easy to capture.

They recommended that only two or three thousand soldiers go up to battle. Their reasoning was simply “they are few.” Few or small does not mean easy. Some of our greatest spiritual battles are not the gigantic enemies, but the small things and the few numbers. As you face the spiritual battles in your life never look at something as insignificant or easy. In the journey of life the war is real and the enemy is ready to bring you down over the easy and the few. The nation of Israel lost the battle at Ai for many reasons.

One of the major reasons for failure was the evaluation of the enemy. Anything that is against God is to never be taken lightly. Another reason was the assumption that just because they were few in number that it was going to be a snap to defeat Ai. Your enemy may look small,but it is often the small things that will defeat you. Be on alert!

Probably the number one reason for failure was the presumption that God would defeat the enemy when He had not even told them to march against Ai. Faith is believing what God has instructed and spoken. In this case God had neither given them instructions to battle Ai or had He spoken to them concerning His will in the matter.

Don’t allow the enemy to lull you into a false sense of security. Only as we follow the guidance of God will there be real victory. Beware of the small enemies which can quickly defeat your spiritual life. Be alert!!

__________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in Tempe, AZ!

Can you believe it is almost Thanksgiving time? Last Thanksgiving was really special for me and my family. It was a time of real thankfulness for all of us. Hard to believe a year has past.

Sandy and I will be speaking at Church on Mill, November 17, Dec 1 and 8 at 6:30 PM. We will be sharing our "Celebrating Life" conference. Looking forward to the opportunity to share the encouragement with them of how God has encouraged us.

We will be speaking at the Mission Service Corp retreat Friday and Saturday (18-19) in Avondale, AZ. The MSC volunteers from around the state of AZ will be in attendance. We are eager to encourage them in their important ministries. I asked you to pray for opportunities for ministry for both Sandy and me. God has certainly answered your prayers. Thanks.

Our daughter, Mandy and her husband John, are currently asking all the immediate family to make suggestions for a name for the new baby. Due date May 21, 2011.We still don't know the gender, but Tapaw wants a little girl to balance the three grandsons. So I am majoring on girl names. If it is a boy it will be John Joseph Koleszar IV.

Susan and Collin are preparing to move into their new Condo. It needed lots of TLC so for the past six weeks that has been Susan's main avocation. Roger, Jen, Bennett and Burke have moved into a new home also. We are excited for all of them.

May God give you a season of thankfulness as He blesses your life. ~ DGW

Only Jesus #119

Philippians 3:4
...although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more.

Philippians 3:7
But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

2 Corinthians 1:9
...indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves in order that we shoud not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; (NAS)

The Bible reminds you that there is security in no one else or no place else other than in God The Apostle Paul's security, value, worth, trust and confidence were not in his credentials. Because of his religious background, his heritage, his family, his wealth, and his social standing he could have easily bragged about his standing with God and his fellow man. Yet his true trust was in the person Jesus Christ.

Jesus was the one who had died for him, had called him, and given him eternal life. Paul realized that anything and everything else in life would never give him that kind of security and hope. It was Jesus and Jesus alone that was worth counting all things as loss. It was Jesus that brought him to the realization that he could not trust in himself.

It was the God who raises the dead and gives eternal life that gave him worth. He did not need to brag about his personal accomplishments or his heritage, because it was Jesus and Jesus alone that gave him hope of resurrection and eternal life.

For that reason he counted everything loss. He gave up his credentials and standing in the world in order to follow Jesus. He found in Christ someone who not only could forgive sins, but give him life in its fullness. He counted victory in loss. Could you find purpose for your life by ceasing to trust and have confidence in anything other than Jesus?

__________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Dennis & Sandy's home.

We had a great retreat in Ohio this past weekend. The Homebuilders class of the Dublin Baptist Church was a joy to be with. The food and fellowship were outstanding. Sandy and I enjoyed sharing our lives and experiences with them.

Yesterday I had my liver tube exchanged. The procedure went well. Thank you for your prayers. God has been good to take care of us and know He will continue..

We are home for the holidays. We do have a couple of speaking engagements. One will be at the Mission Service Corp retreat in Avondale, AZ. MSC is a volunteer missions organization of the North American Mission Board. We will be sharing with volunteer missionaries.

We look forward to some time with our family for a few weeks. It has been a busy fall season and we are ready for a break.

May God bless you and watch over your special needs today. He is ABLE!

In Christ's love, ~ DGW

Got Trouble #118

2 Corinthians 4:7 But this precious treasure...this light and power now shines within us...is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own.
2 Corinthians 4:16a That is why we never give up
2 Corinthians 4:17 For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever.
2 Corinthians 4:18 So we don't look at the troubles we can see right now; rather we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the trouble we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.

The vacation was going well until it became evident that it was going to take a long time to reach Disneyland. That's when the complaining started. "How much further?"? Are we there yet?" Mom and Dad are thinking, "WILL IT EVER BE OVER?

Does that sound much like life as well? What time did you wake up last night with the stinking thinking and the thoughts that could be labeled catastrophizing. Was it at 2AM or 3AM? How long was it before you were able to return to sleep? Maybe your thoughts were based on the assumptions that all bad things will continue in eternity. How easy it is to forget that God is in charge of life and that He will see you through.

Whatever trouble you are experiencing is quite small compared to eternal reward of heaven. They are producing immeasurable great glory that will last forever. The Psalmist understood the feeling of endless trouble yet wrote that "joy comes in the morning." No wonder when we wake up in the middle of the night rehearsing the tragedy of living that we long for the sun to arise so the night thoughts will go away.

What is the solution? "Don't look at the troubles but rather look forward to what we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever. Praise the Lord for HOPE and ENCOURAGEMENT.

May God bless you today.
_______________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from The Moser Home in Columbus, Ohio!

Sandy and I arrived yesterday in order to lead a retreat in the beautiful Hocking Hills area of Ohio. We will be speaking on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Please keep us in your
prayers. We hope to be an encouragement to all who attend.

I had a not so good week. Last Friday I went to see the oncologist and was told my last labs showed a decrease in cancer markers which was great. The problem is that on Saturday morning I awakened with yellow eyes, the jaundice was back for the first time in 18 months. I have been treating the fever and jaundice since. It is better. I will have the liver tube replaced next WED Nov 10. Pray that this will take care of this very pressing need.

Even though Sandy thought I should stay home and not come to Ohio I felt God wanted us to come. We are trusting that He will see us through another struggle.

The Sun is shining brightly in Ohio this morning, but snow is on its way tomorrow. I haven't seen snow in a while so would be nice to see a little, very little.

Praise God His Son is shining all the time. I praise the name of Jesus. God bless you and thanks for your prayers. Especially remember the prayers for next Wednesday's tube replacement. Next week's encourager may be a few days late.

I love you all. ~ DGW