AUGUST 2003 VOL 6 NUM 6

Dearest Friends,

Recently I asked the Lord (not complaining, just asking) "why oh why do we see so much heart ache?" It seems we are always near somebody who is in the midst of a heart breaking situation. And He is the one who places us there. He reminded me of a scripture that He gave us personally years ago, one of the ones I put on the "Who are we?" page of our website, it was written 6 years ago. Isaiah 61. Specifically verse 1, "The spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners, ..." He reminded me of the binding up of the brokenhearted. How can you bind up the brokenhearted if you’re never around them? Awhile back we were around a brother who was trying to figure us out, that happens a lot, he was trying to put us in a box. He asked, "which people group are you called to? you know, old? young? rich? poor?" I contemplated the question then the Lord gave me the answer, we are called to the broken hearts. We have been called to the hospital ICU when someone is in the last stages of life and then see them go but their whole family turn to Jesus. We’ve seen convicted murderers weep on Jim’s shoulder realizing the only thing they really have left, Jesus, is standing right before them with open arms. We have prayed for countless many with terminal illnesses and seen them healed by a Merciful Savior. Seems like the Lord has us "right there" when someone finds out a family member just committed suicide. Or when a pastor who doesn’t believe in the gifts all of a sudden needs a miracle. Or when so and so’s wife just left. We have seen lots of situations that bring about a broken heart. That is one reason we minister in jails and prisons, many times they are at the end of their rope, there is nothing left they can do, and they will admit it. Just last night at Maury County Jail they all came to the altar. This is normal where people realize they need Jesus. Everybody needs Jesus just most of the time they won’t admit it, or they have other things they would rather have. Then something happens in their life that they can’t fix, their heart is broken, and they finally turn to Him. He is the King of broken hearts. To "bind up" means "to wrap", similar to swaddling a baby. You wouldn’t let a newborn baby just hang loosely on your lap. You would hold them snug, yet tender, so that they feel secure, safe, warm. So that’s where He puts us. Where we can offer His arms for safety, security, love. One of Jim’s favorite passages to preach from is Luke 10:25-37, about the good Samaritan, in verse 34 the Godly man went to the one hurting and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil (Holy Ghost) and wine (Jesus). That’s how you minister, you take the situation that the Lord himself has created to soften their hearts and bind them up with HIM, pouring in more of HIM! But first, and this is the hard part, first you have to be open for it to happen to you! We have had numerous situations in our own life that have prepared us for these times, and we continue to have. There are some who teach that victory means never having hard times, well I would say that creates a very shallow walk. Salvation yes, but no depth. I want to walk beyond where the Apostle Paul has been, ask him about suffering. I want to walk where Jesus is, and that means lots of broken hearts, it means lots of hurt, but the JOY, oh the Joy is indescribable! There is a certain peace that comes from walking through fire and being refined, a peace that can not be put into words. A change that happens in your heart, compassion, love overflowing, all HIS. The key is to be open to know who is in control, who is in control of your life? IS IT JESUS? If Jesus is in control then He is the one creating the circumstances, and they are intended to CHANGE YOU. You can not lead someone else where you have not been. Total submission to Jesus is letting HIM do it HIS way. Submit to him today. Victory is not manipulating the Lord into what you want, it is standing in the midst of refining fire, allowing HIM to work you over, becoming clay in HIS hands. He is the potter, if we allow Him to be. There is freedom in that, in submission to a mighty God. There is freedom in knowing that it doesn’t depend upon you but rather HIM. Now don’t get me wrong, we still believe in the power of God, in miracles. We have seen the dead raise probably more times than most people. Yet we have also seen our own son die, and knew it was Jesus. There was more power in the events after Levi’s death than there was in any of the miracles we had seen, and broken tender hearts, oh how the Lord was allowed to touch people! Allowed because they were finally open to Him! They were so unable to "fix it" that they had no where else to go but Him. That is only brought about by broken hearts, imagine, Jesus really knows what He is talking about! So you want to know where the power is? Hang out with the broken hearted, not the ones who go from one self induced crisis to another but the "God projects". ER waiting rooms, nursing homes, funeral homes, prisons, jails, any place where tragedy strikes. But be prepared, your heart will break with them, if your open and willing, but then Jesus will use you in a way you have never been used before. And you will see true power.

LOVE SONGS TO A SAVIOR-Pure and innocent worship by April Raine on CD! Nobody here is looking for a professional music career, just want to share a little of our worship time with the body. Hoping it brings you into His presence. I’m all caught up on requests so if you have requested one and haven’t got it, please let me know. We have updated and improved the request page so if you had trouble with it before please try again here. Of course you are also welcome to send a request by mail with the enclosed envelope. Also we are adding a reviews page, so if you have been blessed let us know, we would love to hear your comments! You can hear it online or request a CD at www.pennyraine.com/april .

RADIO TUES NIGHTS 6PM- WMRB 910 AM- every week, rain or shine! Listen in! One of our favorite guests was recently with us again, Robert Pruitt.

JAILS, PRISON, HOMEMEETINGS, OUTREACH CENTERS, COWBOYS FOR CHRIST-You never know where the Lord might have us next. We are available as He calls. Seems like His presence gets more overwhelming all the time, with everyone at the altar. That’s where we should be, at His feet.

TRACTS- We have a bunch of them! They are all available on our web-page here  and I also have them available in printable form, I can e-mail them or send out.