Reflecting His Glory #208

2 Corinthians 3:18 And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord. And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him and reflect his glory even more.

2 Corinthians 4:1 And so, since God in his mercy has given us this wonderful ministry, we never give up.

“And all of us;” I like that. The apostle Paul writing to the believers in Corinth was writing to remind them of what Christ had done in their lives. He reminds them that Christ removed the veil of the Old Covenant, the law. The veil that deceives us into believing that the Christian life is accomplished by our own effort is defused by the truth. The truth is that when Christ died on the cross He removed the curse of the law and gave us the New Covenant. His Holy Spirit came to live within us. The Holy Spirit brightly reflects the glory of God.

You can become more and more like Jesus as you allow the Holy Spirit to control your life and reflect God’s character. It is as the Spirit works in us that we are changed. If we look into a mirror we see ourselves. It is a reflection of yourself that you see. As you look into Christ, and the perfect law of liberty and freedom, you become like Him as the Holy Spirit works in us.

God desires that you glorify Him. You were created for that purpose. All things are created to glorify God. Your ministry as a Christian is to bring Him glory by reflecting His glory in your life; by being like Jesus.

For that reason you never give up. No matter what you are facing, what challenges you are experiencing, what struggles you endure; just remember you are here for His glory. Never Give Up!

___________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from McDonalds in the beautiful White Mountains in Pinetop, AZ!

As you can see by the picture that Sandy and I are camping this week. The White Mountains (don't tell anyone) are the best kept secret in Arizona. They are beautiful, cool and have opportunities to fish all over the place. We have had temperatures in the daytime in the 60's along with lots of rain. For a desert dweller I have really enjoyed the rain. Our camper sprung a leak in the bathroom so I ran for the caulking. All fixed. 

Last Sunday I preached again at First Baptist Church of Tempe. It was a wonderful day. The three morning services are a drain on me, but I not only

finished them, but drove 4 hours up to the mountains and then set up camp. I slept real good. 

Sandy is preparing for her fall Bible Study classes. She will be teaching on Tuesday mornings at FBC Tempe. She is teaching on the attributes of God.

The lessons will deal with how God's promises are fulfilled through His attributes. Should be a challenging study and a helpful one. I hope you can join her. 

Our children and grandchildren are busy as they end up the summer. Burke and Bennett resume school next Monday the 30th. Collin's school begins the 

following Monday. Collin has spent this week in California with his Dad. He is having a great time. Johnny continues to grow and is such a joy to all. 

I will preach on Sunday night August 5th at FBC Tempe. The church will begin a series on Philippians at the 6PM Sunday Service. I have the privilege of starting that study. On August 12th I will be in Globe, AZ at the First Christian Church-Disciples of Christ at the 11AM service. August 19th and 26th I will again be preaching at the FBC of Tempe at the three morning services. On September 2nd and 9th I will be preaching at the Intersect Service at FBC in the LOFT at 9:30 only. Sandy and I really appreciate your prayers for our preparation for teaching and preaching as well as the presentations. 

Please be in prayer as I undergo some extra tests. The doctors are doing extra lab work and are doing an MRI of the brain sometime soon. I am not too excited 

about tests, but I am having some small things happening that they would like to investigate. Appreciate your prayers. 

Weekly I hear from so many folks who are struggling with one problem or another. Some are health related, some family, some are work related and still others include many things. I pray for you and ask God to give you strength and hope and that in Christ you will be encouraged to face whatever comes your way. 

May God bless you this week with his great mercy. He is full of mercy. To Him be the glory.  ~ DGW

Christ Alone #207

Galatians 2:17-19, 21                                                                                              Have some of you noticed that we are not yet perfect? (No great surprise, right?) And are you ready to make the accusation that since people like me, who go through Christ in order to get things right with God, aren't perfectly virtuous, Christ must therefore be an accessory to sin? The accusation is frivolous. If I was "trying to be good," I would be rebuilding the same old barn that I tore down. I would be acting as a charlatan. What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily. (The Message) 

The Apostle Paul was being accused of being soft on sin. He quickly admitted he was someone who still sinned and then added his readers did as well. No one is perfect, except Jesus, and He is the one who justifies; makes us right with God. Paul had attempted to keep the Jewish laws and rules with the end in sight of being perfected. It didn’t work. He not only was not perfected under the law, but he was also not free. 


He proposed that his attempts at perfection; pleasing his peers and keeping rules had actually taken away the relationship he had with God. It was a relationship of freedom. His accusers would tell him that Christ was not enough; he needed to add law, works, and rules. His response was that Christ was enough and that to think that Christ wasn’t enough to bring him into a right relationship with God meant Christ died needlessly.

You likewise cannot be right with God by laws, rules and works. It is only by Christ and through grace that you have true freedom. His grace is sufficient. 

_______________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

Sandy and I have been home from San Diego several days now and have almost recovered from vacation. You know it takes two weeks to recover

from a one week vacation. I hope you are enjoying your summer and some time away from your work. 

I bought a pool fence. Now I have to install it. It is one of those five feet tall, seventy feet long mesh fences. It is going to take some work. I think Sandy will do a good job installing it. LOL

Johnny is big enough now that he gets around so fast we need a fence for his safety. With the new baby only six months away we will need a

pool fence for many years. Johnny is taking swimming lessons. Screams all the way through the lesson. The instructor is teaching him to float on his back and swim to the side of the pool. Mandy has yet not been able to watch.

Sunday was a wonderful day. I was able to preach (and again make it through three services) at First Baptist Church. I looked up as the third service was about to begin and I saw two familiar faces. Tommy Crenshaw and Jack Odle were in Phoenix for an agriculture meeting. Tommy and his wife Connie were

in our church in Nebraska and in Wisconsin. Jack and his wife Willa were in our church in Wisconsin. I have known Tommy almost 40 years and Jack for 30 years. 

They made me feel 'real' old. We spent the rest of Sunday with them. What a joy to share memories of our years together. God is using both of these college

professors in great ways on their respective campuses: Tommy at the University of Wisconsin and Jack at the University of North Carolina. I am so proud of both 

of these men. 

I will be preaching all three services at FBC again this week. (July 22) I have a week off and then will preach on Sunday evening August 5th at 6PM; and begin a new series on the Book of Philippians. I will be preaching  in Globe, AZ at the United Church of 

Christ on August 12th. Then I will be back at First Baptist for August 19 and

26th for the three morning services. On September 2nd and 9th I will be preaching at FBC in the Intersect (contemporary) service at 9:30AM. Kinda makes me tired about it, but also rejoicing with the opportunity to share God's word. Please pray for not only the preaching but for the preparation.

Sandy is preparing for the Tuesday morning Women's Bible Studies at FBC. She is hard at work studying and organizing her studies. I do hope many of you who live in the Phoenix area will come hear her. I know she would love to have you join her. Pray for her preparation. 

It seems as if on a very regular basis I receive an email or a call from someone to ask for prayer for a friend or relative with cancer, or some other serious need.

Most of those contacts are to ask to add their names to The Encourager mailing list. My heart goes out to so many who are struggling with disease and difficult circumstances. Recently added to that list of prayer concerns is the drought, especially in the midwest. Many of you who receive The Encourager are from farm country in the midwest.  I know for many of you the drought is of great concern. We are praying for rain.We in Arizona have a continual drought. Our annual rainfall is around seven inches. Hardly enough for farm country that is not irrigated. We irrigate here or nothing grows, except for a few cacti. Our prayers are with you.

Thanks for your prayers. You are a vital part of the ministry that Sandy and I are a part of here and wherever God leads.

God Bless.  ~ DGW

Real Intimacy #206

John 5:16
16 You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. (NASB)                                                                              
Mark 3:13-14
13 And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. 14 And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with HIM...(NASB)
John 15:15
No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. (NASB)

What an incredible thought God chose me. It seems today that maybe there is too much emphasis on the choosing and not enough on the reason for God choosing you. The deep need of the human heart is a relationship with someone. By far the most important relationship is the one between the creator and the created. God made you to glorify Him, to know Him and enjoy Him. That is a relationship.

The longing of the human heart is to engage in relationships with family, friends, neighbors, church, and especially God. Jesus was so emphatic about His relationship with you that He chose you for that intimacy. He called His disciples and you to be "with" Him.

He told His followers that the new relationship was not one of slave to master, but one of friendship. He calls you to be His friend and you are.

John 15:13 There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends (NLT) He did that for you. Thank God that He not only chose you, but He chose you for an intimate relationship.

__________________Today's personal note from Dennis


Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful San Diego, CA (dare I mention cool also)

Sandy, Collin and I are finishing up a week in San Diego. It has been a great time together. Between museums, the beach, Sea World and host of other things we have stayed busy. Collin had the opportunity to climb into a flight simulator and fly a jet. He loved it. The young couple are in front of their new boat!! LOL (see pic) Looking forward to getting home except for the heat.

We also got to spend some time at the beach with Burke and Bennett who were here on vacation also.(see pic) It was fun being with all three of the bigger boys. 

By this time next year we may have to bring Johnny with us. His new brother or sister will still be a little small for such an adventurous trip.

Sunday was a great day. We attended the Shadow Mountain Community Church where Dr. David Jeremiah is the pastor. He spoke Sunday morning, but the real treat for me was to hear Dr.Tim LaHaye preach on Sunday night. His topic was "Is the United States found in Biblical prophesy?" His answer was NO. He did say that he believed the real greatness of the United States was our commitment to live by Biblical principles and our treatment of Israel. I had a wonderful time listening.

Sunday July 15th I will be preaching at First Baptist Church of Tempe. My topic is "Have you ever been at the wrong place at the wrong time?" Join me at 8:00, 9:30 or 11:00. I will also be preaching on July 22nd. 

Thank you for your prayers and support. Your words of encouragement through your emails are very helpful. I always enjoy hearing from you. It is always my desire to write a personal email back to you. 

If you know someone who would like to receive The Encourager please send me their name and email address. I will add them to the list. Also if they would like to check it out go to:    www.dgtheencourager.blogspot.com 

Also you can google "Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ".  What a kick!!

Many times I receive a name to add to The Encourager list who is struggling with cancer or some other serious issue. I pray for them as well as put them on the email list. It seems there are so many people who need encouraged. It is my heart's desire to do just that. 

God bless you. May God give you an understanding and enlightenment of what it means for you to be "IN CHRIST."  ~ DGW

Why DId I Do That? #205

Romans 7:15-20 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

“Why did I do that?” “Why didn’t I do the right thing?” “I feel like such a failure.” “Every time I turn around I am messing up again.” “Is there any hope?” “What is the explanation for my actions or lack of them?”

Are these thoughts ever churning through your mind? Do you feel defeated in your Christian life? You have a real desire to live in such a way that God gets glory and your life is an example of the holiness that God has declared you to possess, but it seems to allude you? Let me assure you, you are not alone. Even the Apostle Paul wrote to the Roman church about his personal struggles. He was having a similar experience. He simply said that “what I want to do I don’t; and what I don’t want to do, I do.  

It is certainly frustrating to have the desire to live a life that is pleasing to God and yet fail over and over. Paul says his inconsistency is really not failure of the new person; he is in Christ, but the flesh that indwells him. It is the sin that is still present in the life of a believer.                                                                                   

You may not have difficulty admitting your struggles with the flesh, but maybe you do. Maybe to admit your struggle might be the most helpful decision you could make. By admitting your weakness you can also find your strength. Your dependence upon Christ within you is your only hope of victory. 

The Bible says in Romans 7: 24-25 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

______________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

The heat is on!! I suppose that could mean lots of things, but for most all of you it means one thing; the weather is HOT!  We who live in AZ have a hard time understanding how so many people struggle when it gets over 100 degrees. It is that way here almost everyday all summer. Usually we have 40 days over 110 degrees. Then I remember some of you have no air conditioning. Hope things cool off for you. 

I took Bennett, Burke and Collin to the AZ Science Center this past week. We had a great time. The Center is filled with scientific 

and experiential hands on exhibits. We tried just about everything. The best part is that I had the privilege of being with my grandsons for the 

day. They are really special to me. The only problem is that Johnny is not quite old enough to join us. 

Sandy, Collin and I will be heading to San Diego this week. We are looking forward to staying in an RV park with our travel trailer. Burke and Bennett 

will also be in San Diego and we plan a day at the beach with them. Should be a lot of fun. Burke has a new metal detector. We are going treasure hunting on the beach. 

I will be back at First Baptist Church Tempe preaching on July 15 and 22. It will be the three morning services again. I so enjoy preaching and the First Baptist
Church Family are very encouraging. 

Several of you have asked about Mandy and the pregnancy and how things are going. She is doing well. We are excited and yet concerned. The doctors tell her she is at high risk to have another preemie. Pray that she is able to go full term with this baby. Mandy is still working full time as the acting manager of a Charlotte Russe store. John continues his check business and watches Johnny when Mandy is at work. Sandy and I watch him one or two days a week. We so enjoy him. He spent the night with us last Friday night. He was so good. 

I am continuing my reading of books on grace. God is so gracious. Daily I find myself reflecting on all He does for me and for you. He not only gave 

us eternal life through Jesus, but every good and perfect gift is from Him. What a blessing. It is so easy to look at the negative things of life and miss out on the joy of life that God gives us. Philippians 4:4 "Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say rejoice." 

May God Bless you this week as you walk by faith and not by sight. I so appreciate all of you. Would love to hear from you. What are you up to this summer?  ~ DGW