Cry HELP! #169

Jonah 2:1-2

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the stomach of the fish, and he said, "I called out of my distress to the Lord, and He answered me. I cried for help from the depth of Sheol; Thou didst hear my voice." NAS

You may never have found yourself in quite the predicament in which Jonah found

himself. He was running from the call of God in his life. God was specific in His

instruction to Jonah; "go and preach to Nineveh." His unwillingness sent him on a fast and furious trip in the opposite direction. That response will usually bring anyone to an unfavorable end.

As a result of his rebellion Jonah ended up on a ship from which he was thrown overboard and left to die. Instead of dying God prepared a great fish to swallow him.

So now Jonah finds himself in the predicament of a lifetime. He was in the sea in the belly of a great fish with no hope.

Jonah was unable to save himself from the great waters; yet in his distress he called

out to God in fervent prayer. Have you ever been at the point of despair? Were you convinced you were not going to survive? It is when there is no hoe of survival, no word of encouragement, no way out that you will learn to call out to God. It is strange that you may think of prayer as the last resort rather than the first choice.

When you get desperate enough that you will ask God to save you; It is then you will discover that He was all you ever really needed. He is more than adequate to meet your need. Just call out to Him right now He loves you and desires to rescue you from the fish that has swallowed you, whatever it may be. After Jonah called out to God he was rescued and went on to fulfill his calling to preach to Nineveh. A whole city repented of their sin and came to faith in God because one man cried out to God in the time of desperation.

How desperate do you have to get before you "call out to God?" Are you facing a big fish and an ocean of unfriendly water? Take a lesson from Jonah. "HELP" was his cry. There is nothing wrong with admitting you are being engulfed and are over your head in struggles. It is usually only when yo

Why not call on God to rescue you and then allow God to fulfill your calling?

________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

Hoping and praying that you had a wonderful week.

We are back in Tempe after a great time in San Diego.

It is always good to be home.

Sunday we celebrated the resurrected Jesus with our friends at Northpointe Baptist Church. They are such a great church. Sandy and I feel like we are home

at Northpointe.

Praise the Lord with us. The report for Sandy's thyroid tests came back and show no malignancy. We are very thankful. I met with the oncologist on Friday and although I have a new tumor it is small and will require no treatment for now. Praise the Lord again.

Many of you have asked about our preemie grandson, Johnny. As you can see by the pictures seven months have made a big difference. He will be eight months old on November 8th. Again we praise God. The picture of him as a Big Boy shows him eating real food. His Dad thought it looked like BBQ sauce and put his picture on Facebook with the caption. "More ribs please" He received many comments. Some even believed he really served him BBQ sauce.

One person chastised him for doing it. My son-in-law

with his quick wit wrote back that they were "baby back ribs."

Sandy and I will be in Columbus, Ohio November 4-6 leading a retreat for our friends Bob and Pat Moser. The retreat setting is the beautiful Hocking Hills area of Ohio. We look forward to seeing all our friends in Columbus. Please pray for us as we continue to prepare.

It is very encouraging to me that almost 1400 of you receive The Encourager each week. Thanks for dropping an email to me to let me know how I can

pray for you and to let me know how things are going in your life, your family and your church. The purpose of The Encourager is to 'encourage God's servants.' I do hope and pray you are encouraged. Take a look at this week's Encourager devotional and be encouraged.

God bless you. May God give you strength, courage, power and love today. ~ DGW

Just Be You #168

1 Peter 4:10

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (NAS)

God in His graciousness has given to every believer a spiritual gift. The gifts are given for the benefit of the Church and for the glory of God. The gifts are given in order to best serve one another. To received a gift is to become responsible for its management and use. No one can say they have not received a gift for the grace of God has made sure each one has a gift.

Every person becomes a servant through the use of his or her gifts. A good manager is someone who uses his or her gift for its intended purpose. Your purpose in life is to use your various gifts to serve. As a pen is made to write, you are made to use your gift, if it accomplish its purpose. So you are meant to achieve fulfillment as you serve by using your spiritual gift. Your personal sense of value and worth is enhanced and proven as you serve through the use of your giftedness.

Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Ephesians 4; and 1 Peter 4 all reveal the names and uses the gifts given by God's Holy Spirit to use for His glory and the needs of others. You are unique. No one is given a gift mix quite like yours. Combine your personality, life experiences and gifts and you become a special instrument in the hands of God.

Your responsibility is the stewardship of all that God has given you. You will be fulfilled and your life will count for His glory as you just be who you were meant to be. Discover and use your gifts. Study the passages of scripture that relate to gifts. Begin by serving others and you will likely find your gift as you serve.

Praise God for all things, but never forget to praise Him and thank Him for making you special. You are special to God and to all those who serve in His name. Use your gifts wisely and use them often.

_____________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from foggy San Diego,

Sandy and I are enjoying our time with Don and Tommie Tuttleton in San Diego this week. We spent yesterday at the famous San Diego Zoo. What a neat place. We all were very tired after walking all day up and down the hills of the zoo. It was worth it though.

Thanks for your prayers.

1. My reports came back and I have a very small new tumor in the right lobe of the liver, but the oncologist does not feel a need to treat it for now. Labs showed a slight increase in liver enzyme counts, but not enough to be greatly concerned.

2. Sandy is still awaiting reports on the nuclear tests of her thyroid. We should hear from the Dr. before the week is over.

3. Susan finally is getting relief from the pain in her feet and hands from the peripheral neuropathy. She is so grateful.

I will be preaching Sunday October 23rd at Northpointe Baptist Church in Chandler, AZ. Their YOUNG pastor is hiking the Grand Canyon. I will preach. He will hike.

Sandy continues to enjoy teaching her Tuesday Ladies Class at First Baptist Church of Tempe. She is teaching Ephesians.

We continue to prepare for the retreat in Ohio. We will be in Columbus November 4,5,6. We look forward to seeing all our friends in that area of Ohio.

God has been good to us over the past few months in spite of health issues. We believe our purpose is to bring glory to God through our lives, in our message, and with our actions and words. That is our goal and aim. No matter what any of us face in life God can receive glory. What a great God we serve. ~ DGW

Tasks to Complete #167

Luke 14:28-30
For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish. (NAS)

No one likes to be ridiculed, even if it is deserved. Jesus warned His disciples to be aware of deciding to be His follower without first counting the cost. It is easy to sign on a dotted line and join up to all kinds of ventures. To become a disciple of Jesus is a lot more serious than building a house or buying a car.

The cost for a disciple is surrendering everything to the Lord. The Bible says of the first disciples, “They left everything to follow Him.” Luke 5:11 Jesus uses an example of what it means to be His disciple by describing someone who decides to build a tower but does not sit down first and calculate the cost. Can you imagine building a house without knowing the final cost? When the money ran out the builder simply quit building only to leave a partially finished house.

That left him open to ridicule. A professional baseball player was asked what was the most important part of hitting the baseball. His answer was simply, “Follow through.”

Books have been written with the theme of ‘finishing well’ referring to life itself. To finish a job is maybe the most important part. Many things have been started. In some cultures and countries to become a disciple of Jesus could cost you family, job, status, and maybe even life itself. To be a follower of Jesus and not finish brings ridicule and failure. Don’t begin the tower until you count the cost.

Buildings, movies, projects, books, music and a host of other things have been started and never finished. In fact few things are ever finished. When it comes to being His disciple Jesus desires us to follow Him all of our lives. To co

mmit to be His disciple is a life- changing experience of which there is no turning back. Are you considering becoming His disciple? First count the cost. You will find a life of challenge. Few things are finished. Plan now to finish what you start, especially when it comes to being a disciple of Jesus.

_________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ..,

Challenges abound. Sandy received her Ultra Sound test results. She has nodules on her Thyroid. She will be having a nuclear test done this week to determin whether they are hot or cold. If they are hot it means they are benign, if cold there is a possibility of malignancy. If they are cold then a biopsy will be taken. Pray for her and the tests and for good results. As you can imagine we are all concerned.

Susan continues to fight the peripheral neuropathy. Her hands, arms, feet and legs are all involved in the pain. She is on medication to try and correct the problem. Pray for her. She is having a hard time working because she cannot drive or use her hands without pain and her work includes using the computer, telephone and taking clients to see homes.

I have a preliminary result on my tests. I actually see the oncologist on Friday the 14th. There is a new tumor in the right lob of the liver and some ascites. The liver counts have again gone above acceptable levels. Friday I should know the next step of action. Again, just pray.

Our family had a wonderful time on Sunday as we celebrated birthdays. Jennifer and Bennett celebrated together. Jen #40 and Bennett #14. It is hard to believe I have a grandson 14 years old.

Sandy and I will be spending next week in San Diego, CA. with our friends the Tuttletons from Louisiana. Looking forward to seeing them.

I will be preaching on October 23, 2011 at the Northpointe Baptist Church in Chandler, AZ.

Sandy and I continue to prepare for the retreat in Ohio. Our topic, "God is not finished with you yet." has been challenging to prepare and yet very rewarding. Our study has

kept us busy the past few weeks. Pray for the retreat November 4-6.

You will never know how much I appreciate your prayers. We become aware of our needs and it seems your prayers are already ahead of us. Thanks a bunch.

I love you all. ~ DGW

God-confidence #166

Acts 18:9-11

And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city." And he settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. (NAS)

What is your ministry? Where are you serving God and people? How much confidence do you have that you are where God wants you? The Apostle Paul found himself in the great commercial city of Corinth. Located on the sea it attracted people from across the known regions. Here he found a tremendous need for the gospel, and received a good response. Paul had experienced rejection in almost every place where he had taught the great truth of the gospel message: salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. He had survived everything from stoning, to verbal assault, to tremendous physical torture.

No wonder when he entered a new ministry area he did so with questions. He no doubt looked for the call of God to stay and minister. Most of the time he stayed in one area only a short time. this time with great confidence he stayed for a year and a half. He proceeded with confidence because he received direct instructions from the Lord.

God is revealing God and delights in giving to His children encouragement and hope. The Apostle Paul was used to being afraid of what was coming next from those to whom he ministered. He never knew if he would receive another beating, an imprisonment or both. So when God gave him the word to not be afraid but to continue his ministry Paul was renewed in his mission and this challenge came with great confidence. Paul normally stayed in a city from a few days to maybe a few months but due to God's word of encouragement he stayed a year and six months making disciples by teaching the Word.

Do you have a ministry through which you serve God and people? Do you have confidence, not self-confidence, but God-confidence because you know god has called you and given you His word? Everything did not go well for Paul at Corinth, but he stuck with it because he knew God had spoken to him. Go today in the confidence and strength of God's call. Be encouraged as you serve the Lord in the area of

ministry He has called you.

______________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ.,

Hope and pray that you are having a great day and that this has been a wonderful week. God seems to know just what we need at the right time and sends the answers when He knows we are ready.

Several of you have asked about our grandson, Johnny, who was born prematurely 7 months ago this week. He has grown from a little 3 pounder into a big boy of 18 1/2 pounds. He is doing well. He is teething this week. His Mom and Dad are loving that, drool and all.

Sandy is still awaiting results from her tests.

Susan, our youngest daughter, has been having extreme pain in her hands and arms. This last week it moved into her feet. She has been diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy. She is on medication. Pray for her, especially the pain she is experiencing.

Sandy is really enjoying her Tuesday morning Bible study. She is teaching the Book of Ephesians. Although some of you have accused me of having Sandy write my sermons, I want you to know she went to my notes on Ephesians this week for ideas. What goes around

comes around.

Our friends, the Tuttletons are coming for a visit next week. They currently live in Louisiana. They are the couple that stayed with us for a month when I was so critical a couple of years ago. They are dear friends and we are

eager to see them. They have never been to San Diego, so our plans are to take them for a few days to see the sights.

I will be preaching October 23rd at Northpointe Baptist Church in Chandler, AZ. Pastor Ron is hiking the Grand Canyon again and so he asked me to preach. He didn't ask me to hike the canyon with him; wonder why?

Monday I have CT scans and X-rays. Pray for a good report. I get the results of the labs and scans on October 14th.

God bless you, your family, your church, and your ministry. May you have the great confidence of God's call on your life. ~ DGW