Who Do You Blame? #213

Genesis 1:22 Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God. (NAS)     

A recent TV commercial showed various scenarios that always ended with the phrase: “LIFE COMES AT YOU FAST.” Although the scenes were always humorous, the point came through loud and clear, “you never know what to expect.” Job was definitely taken off guard when he heard the news. The news came in rapid fire and was not good news. Isn’t that the way things come your way? Someone has said that bad news comes in three’s. Job had more than that.

Job 1:13-19 tells of the tragedies in the beginning of Job’s struggles. First while his children were feasting and drinking a messenger came and told Job that the Sabeans had taken all his oxen and donkeys and killed all his servants. Another messenger came and told him the fire of God fell on the sheep and the servants and they were all burned to death. Then another messenger came and told him Chaldeans swept down on the camels and made off with them and killed all his servants. Finally the last messenger came with the news:

Job 1:18 While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, 19 when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!.

The barrage of heartbreaking events from the loss of his livelihood to the loss of his children happened in short period of time. Any one of those would have caused most anyone to blame God. Blaming is such a ‘fun sport.’ It seems the easiest one to blame when life is hard is God. Yet the Bible says through “all of this” Job did not blame God. The real culprit is Satan. He is the accuser of the brethren, the father of lies, the deceiver, the destroyer, and the killer. Job’s friends tried to convince him that God was the cause, but Job knew God, so he knew that was not true.

Whatever you are facing trust that the enemy is not God. The enemy is the same one that was tempting Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He is still the one who causes you problems. Never blame God for that which is Satan’s fault.                    

_____________Today's personal note from Dennis


Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

It is my privilege to welcome over 50 new readers to The Encourager this week. I am always grateful when someone requests to be added to the email list. If you know someone who would like to receive The Encourager please send me their name and email address. 

I do hope and pray you had a great week. The highlight of my week was Sunday morning as I was given the privilege of sharing the Word of God with First Baptist Church in Tempe. The Lord blessed with a wonderful service. I was scheduled to preach again this coming Sunday, but if you remember my prayer request last week was for some health issues. Those health concerns have come to a time of action. The biliary system in my liver is partially blocked and it will require a surgical procedure called a cholangiogram. I will receive that procedure on Thursday morning August 30th. 

Please pray this goes well and that the outcome of removing the blockage will allow my liver to function properly. During this time of testing I also discovered that I again have multiple tumors in my liver. It is unknown at this time what we will do to treat them. In the meantime I am NOT GIVING IN OR GIVING UP! The fever comes and goes, but the procedure should take care of that. Thanks again for your prayers. Please pray for Sandy as she goes into care-giver mode for what I hope is only a few days. 

We have many friends that live on the gulf coast. Hurricane Isaac has messed with that part of the country. Pray for the people effected by the hurricane. The cleanup will be necessary for some time to come. I know they will appreciate your prayers and your help. 

Mandy told me she was tired this week. I asked why? She said helping John keep up with an 18 month old, working 40 hours a week and being pregnant gives her the reason. I had to agree that tired was probably normal. LOL Continue to pray for her pregnancy. It's official this morning. It is another BOY!

I hope to be back in the pulpit preaching on September 9th at the 9:30 Intersect Service at First Baptist Church in Tempe. Pray that I will have the strength to be ready by then.

Sandy and I talk of many of you as we remember great times either with your church, your family or just the fact we have made your acquaintance. Life is so meaningful when you

have friends. God bless you all. Thanks for your prayers and concerns. My concern is that God can use my life for His glory no matter  what comes my way, no matter what opportunity

I have to witness of God's love, mercy and grace, or to preach God's Word, or spend time with my family and friends or worship with the church. To Him be the glory forever and ever.
 ~ DGW

So You're Human? #212

Luke 22:31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 Peter said, “Lord, I’m ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”                                                                              34 But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”

Peter is so human, so filled with frailties, yet Jesus saw in him the potential for great leadership.  No one is ever fit for leadership until they have first been tested.  Peter was tested over and over, but in his greatest test he failed.

Jesus knew Peter would deny Him three times.  Peter went to the point of cursing in his adamant denial of Jesus, yet Jesus did not consider Peter's denial the end of Peter's value and worth. He saw Peter's denial as an opportunity for growth and learning. Once Peter turned again to Jesus and acknowledged his sin and failure he would actually be used to strengthen his brothers in Christ.  Jesus did not even consider his denial a failure of faith, because he prayed that his faith would not fail. Peter repented of his sin and found forgiveness and became an even greater leader than ever.

How human are you? The basis of so much failure in our lives is based upon our humanness. Peter felt very self-sufficient as he told Jesus he would go to prison and even die for Him, but his lack of trusting God actually caused him to do the opposite of what he said. He not only denied Jesus, but denied Him three times in the space of a few hours.

The result would have seemed like total defeat, but on the contrary his actions led him to repentance and eventually he became the leader of the disciples. Jesus words to him included, “So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” Don’t give up when you fail. Repent and trust Jesus. You may discover your response will help others. 

_____________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

I am so blessed. God has allowed me to preach His Word almost every Sunday all summer. He has blessed me with family that I love dearly. Check out the picture of my Dad. He is 87 years old. The picture was taken by one of my cousins last week. God has blessed

me with the health to carry on day by day. He has given me friends like you who are a great encouragement to me. He has blessed me with opportunities to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ both in preaching and to individuals. He has blessed me with a wonderful place to live, a nice house, vehicles to drive, and enough money to pay the bills. Sometimes as I think of God's grace and mercy I am overwhelmed with His love. You are also blessed. Take a minute and think about how God has blessed you and thank Him for all He has done and is doing in your life. 

Wednesday (August 22) was my son-in-law's 36th birthday. John and Mandy are expecting their second baby in January. Pray for a safe delivery. Mandy has a condition called Placenta Previa. She is already at a high risk for a premature birth, due to the fact that Johnny was born at 29 weeks. I really hope you will pray for her and for John and the new baby. 

Bennett, Burke and Collin are all in the band at school. They do not attend the same school. Bennett is in the percussion section, Burke is a trumpet player and Collin plays the trumpet. Sandy and I enjoy when they have a concert. We are very proud of them. 

Sandy and I are very busy. I do not know how I ever was able to pastor a church and keep up with everything else. I am very grateful for the opportunity to preach at First Baptist Church of Tempe this summer. Our pastor, Roger Ball, will return on the 9th of September. It will be good to have him back. I will be preaching three services again this Sunday (August 26th) 8-9:30-11:00) The 2nd and 9th I will be preaching at the Intersect (contemporary service) at 9:30. Continue to pray for me and Sandy. She begins her Women's Bible Study on September 4th. 

Thanks for your prayers, concern and support. You are loved. God bless you. I know God will give you guidance concerning the decisions you will need to make.  ~ DGW

PS Last minute prayer need. I have been ill this week, fever and fatigue. Lab results are not good.  My liver enzyme tests show a highly elevated reading. I had an MRI of liver and pancreas on Wednesday. Hopefully will know the results today (Thursday) Please pray. 

Where's Your Wilderness? #211

Luke 5:15-16

15 But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases. 16 But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.  (NLT)

Luke 6:12

12 One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night.  (NLT)

Ever say to yourself? “I need some time off. I am tired. I just have to have a break.”

I think Jesus did just that. He worked tirelessly caring for the needs of people. Sometimes he healed the sick, raised the dead, argued with the Pharisees and attended weddings. Sometimes it was walking miles to the next place of service. No matter what He was doing it took a physical, emotional and yes even a spiritual toll. No wonder the Bible tells us of the crowds of people gathering around Him to express their needs and then anticipate He would do something about them. The Bible wants us to understand the need he had to withdraw into the wilderness.

The wilderness was anyplace of solitude and quiet where He could be refreshed in body, soul and spirit. You need a place like that. The hustle of life, the cares of your work, family, church and people expose you to the need for some time alone with God. Jesus did not just go into the wilderness one time but repeated it. The Bible says He would often slip into the wilderness to pray. Later as He made the great choice of His disciples He spent the whole night in prayer. It was a prayer for making right decisions.

Do you need a time for refreshing, or a time for decision-making? Maybe it is time to escape to a place of prayer. You may say, “I think I could if I had a place like the beach, the mountains, or the redwoods; then I could pray.” You only need to find the closet Jesus mentions in, Matthew 6:6 “But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly.” (AKJV)                                       

Find your place of solitude today and pray to discover refreshing for your life.

________________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks at beautiful Tempe, Az

I hope and pray you had a wonderful week. I am just hoping it will finally cool off a little. We broke another record high this past week by going 8 days with no temperature going below 90 degrees. That is not daytime highs but night time lows. I personally am looking forward to a few nights in the 70s.

Sandy and I spent last week-end in Globe, AZ. I preached at The First Christian Church on Sunday morning. It was a wonderful church with a very warm and friendly congregation. They finished the morning with a pot-luck lunch. I really enjoyed that!! We stayed Friday and Saturday night with Carl and Rebecca Williams at the Dream Manor Inn. It is a beautiful bed  and breakfast situated on a high hill overlooking mountains and valleys. Carl and Rebecca are wonderful folks. If you are looking for a great get away let me suggest the DreamManorInn.com.

I will be preaching Sunday (19th) at the First Baptist Church. Service times at 8:00-9:30-11:00 AM. I only have four more Sundays to preach at FBC until our pastor returns from his Sabbatical. It will be good to have Pastor Roger back in the pulpit. 

Next week we will be celebrating our son-in-laws birthday. John and Mandy are eagerly awaiting the birth of their new baby. (due January 19th) Continue to pray for Mandy and the baby. There are some minor complications. Appreciate your prayer and concerns.

I also appreciate your prayers for my health. We finally have some definitive answers to some issues that I have been experiencing. The diagnosis is hypoglycemia and hepatocerebral syndrome. The later was a result of the liver cancer. Pray that it will not increase. I thank God that I feel well and am able to continue my active schedule. 

God has been so good to Sandy and me. We are blessed by our family, many friends, health, ministry and of course the love and grace of God. (Check out the attached Encourager)

May God bless you this week with understanding. So often we ask "why" and I pray God will give you His understanding.  ~ 

DGW

Between A Rock And A Hard Place #210

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)

Ever felt like you were between a rock and a hard place. Probably no one has felt that any more than Jonah. He was aboard a ship that was sinking. The reason it was sinking was his fault. He was running from God and found he could not escape the call of God in his life. Once he admitted to the other seaman that he was the problem they threw him overboard. He couldn’t win, or so it seemed. Yet when he fell into the deep it was part of God’s plan.

God had a great fish ready to swallow him. It was in the belly of the great fish that he came to the realization that there was still hope. Few of us have ever found ourselves in quite the predicament in which Jonah found himself. He was in the sea, in the belly of a great fish, and unable to save himself from the sea waters. 

So what would you do? How do you find an answer in this situation? In his distress he called out to God in fervent prayer. You have likely been at the point of despair when you felt you were surely not going to survive. It is then that you truly learn to pray. It is when there is no hope of survival, no word of encouragement, no way out that you learn to call out to God.

It is strange that you might think of prayer as the last resort rather than the first choice, but it is usually as you get desperate that you will ask God to save you.

It is then that you discover that God was all you ever really needed. If you are looking for purpose and have a burden why not call out to God. He loves you.

Start with prayer, end with prayer, and pray in the meantime. God desires to bring you through your struggle into hope, encouragement and victory. Call out to Him as Jonah did.

___________Today's personal note from Dennis

Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

I hope you have had a great week. I saw in a church newsletter this week that summer is over. Wish someone would tell the weather that. IT IS HOT! 

Sunday night I preached at First Baptist Church Tempe. We started a new series from Philippians. I enjoyed the opportunity to preach the first of the series. This Sunday (12th) I will be speaking at the First Christian Church of Globe, AZ. Then on July 19th and 26th and September 2nd and 9th I will be back preaching at FBC Tempe. 

All three of my older grandsons are now back in school. Collin and Burke are 6th graders and Bennett is a Sophomore. Johnny is doing well, and his little new brother or sister to come (January 19th) is doing fine, as well as is mom, Mandy. Johnny also got his first haircut. 

Several of you have asked about my tests. I have some issues to be dealt with. My blood sugar levels are not the best. I have hypoglycemia. The blood sugar drops to the point that I get weak and shaky and nearly pass out. Not a fun feeling. It also causes mental confusion. On top of that the MRI of my brain found that I do have one. LOL  The problem is with the cancer in my liver because it causes high levels of ammonia. The ammonia went to my brain and has caused some irreparable brain damage. Something I will have to live with. The Dr. is doing more tests on the ammonia levels. If they are currently high then there is medication to help that. As usual it will be another week before I know the results. Appreciate your prayers. 

Sandy will begin her Tuesday morning Bible study on September 4th. Pray for her preparation as well as the women who will attend her study. 

I so appreciate your prayers, encouragement and support. May God bless you this week with answers to prayer.  ~ DGW

Love Someone! #209

Philippians 1:9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (ESV)

The Apostle Paul was always concerned about the love that people had toward one another. This is one of those passages where he interjects into the text a word of encouragement for us to love one another. He not only asks that we have love, but that our love would grow; abound more and more. This love is to be filled with knowledge and discernment.

In I Corinthians 13 (the love chapter) he says three things are important: faith, hope and love and that the greatest of these is love. It is in love that our lives are preserved pure and blameless at the return of Christ. Other New Testament writers say it is love that covers a multitude of sins. “Love never fails.” I Corinthians 3:8 (NAS)

In his letter to the Thessalonian church he says: I Thessalonians 4:9 “Now as to the love of the brethren, you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves are taught by God to love one another; 10 for indeed you do practice it toward all the brethren who are in all Macedonia. But we urge you, brethren, to excel still more.” (NAS) Not only does the Bible say to love one another, but to excel still more.

Love is not static it is always dynamic. Constantly your love will grow or wane according to what you do about the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. The scripture says: Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love.” (NAS) As you allow the Holy Spirit to control and direct your life you will find your love will grow.

Is there someone to whom you need to express your love, or show affection to, in order for them to know that they are loved? Could you do something even today to make it happen? Love them. Care for them. Let them know by your actions that you love them. Paul’s implication is that to be filled with love is to be filled with the fruit of righteousness. In the end your life will bring glory and praise to God. What a great idea!

______Today's personal note from Dennis


Greetings from Starbucks in beautiful Tempe, AZ

Sandy and I came home a day early from the mountains. Guess we must have missed the HEAT! It was a wonderful time. We not only had the time to do some sight seeing and enjoy the cool, rainy mountain air, but on Friday night we attended a Bible Conference at First Baptist Church of Pinetop. The guest speaker was Dr. Richard Jackson, former pastor at North Phoenix Baptist Church. He was preaching from Philippians. He presented a wonderful message and it was good to see him and his wife, Wanda. We had not crossed paths in several years. He was doing well and preached a wonderful message. 

Collin came home from California on Monday. He enjoyed his time with his Dad. They went cave exploring, white water rafting, camped in the Redwoods and enjoyed playing video games. I picked him up at the airport and it was pretty much nonstop talking all the way home as he told me of the things he did. He also got to see his other grandparents. 

Bennett and Burke started school on Monday this week. Both had a good beginning. Bennett is a sophomore in high school and Burke is in the 6th grade. I think that makes me OLD. 

I will be preaching Sunday evening this week (Aug 5) at First Baptist Church of Tempe at 6PM. We begin a new series on Sunday night in the Book of Philippians. It will be a great study. Sandy begins her Tuesday morning study on September 4th at 9AM at First Baptist Church. 

Several of you have asked about my tests. I had the MRI on Tuesday July 31st. I will not have a report until Monday August 6th. The labs I had done a couple of weeks ago show a possible blood sugar problem. I will have a consultation with my doctor soon to determine if I have diabetes or hypoglycemia. My blood sugar seems to fluctuate considerably. Would really appreciate your prayers. 

Thanks for your prayers, concerns and support for both Sandy and me. God continues to use our lives for His glory as you continue to encourage us to serve Him. 

I always enjoy hearing from you and do try to respond to each email I receive. 

May God bless you this week with someone who needs your love. I do hope you will reach out to them with His love. Check out The Encourage that is attached. May the words encourage you to love one another.  
~  DGW