Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; 1Corinthians 13:4-8a
When I first came into this town, being not very rich I had to visit these shops quite often, coming to Hawaii, and not knowing anyone is kind of a hard start. I had to leave many things behind, and a lot of the things that I left were Christian books and bibles, church history, Christian tapes an so one. Also I had to obtain everything else that goes into a house, and office. And I defiantly could not walk into a furniture store and buy something brand new. Plus the normal things like pots and pans, knives and forks, plates you have it. I definitely needed all these things. When I go into these shops I find an inner peace, and it seems that all the people that work in all of these shops have that considerate compassion for others, especially when most of the people that go in the stores are not very rich, and some are very poor. I had a few dollars when I first got here, and that didn't go very far, and there is all other stories, and facts, trials and tribulations, to the move and this whole building of the church. I had this dream or "calling", to come here and help as many people as I could spiritual, physical, saving souls, giving out words of caring and compassion, direction and comfort, also to give out food and clothing and even play music,and sing songs. But I couldn't get the building or the church I wanted to rent. I am pretty shy of a person, and this dream or calling has changed, so maybe God wants me to build this church on the web. At least for now.
Each store has a different personality all its own, and they all have helped me so much, I wouldn't even have a couch to sleep on, or a light, or even a toaster, and all the cabinets, chairs, bookcases, that everyone pitched in and helped with. I read a lot of books and I needed somewhere to put them all, plus I collect a lot of used bibles, and put the church flyer in each one, and give them away. I even collected a lot of old frames, cleaned them up, to my certificates in, plus Christian pictures also, to hang on the walls.The candles the crosses, all make this house and office, a house of prayer, and of God. All these shops or stores save things, for me now. Today I received many blessings from all the stores, a lot of times I leave in tears because of the love and friendship they have given me. God Bless Cindy and Tina.
It is blessed to have friends, lately I have been doing more talking than looking or buying. They all have been giving inner peace, and just a kind word of, it will happen, you will get that church, or that building. It does build your faith and your confidence, having people that know you, giving you that push of inspiration, helps you succeed in your plans. It seems when you are trying to do great works for God, you are marked and targeted by Satan, so I do get many a share of sufferings, this way I understand more about the sufferings of Christ. People on the Internet know me as the 20th century Job. I got a prayer today from a ministry in Wyoming and it blew me away, all the right words to this prayer for me were right on, it was like they were with me here walking these streets, God bless them. Preaching in the streets is not working, and I am in prayer every night on this computer, and I send out many prayers all over the world, and sometimes the requests write back with beautiful praise reports, and thanks. I just sit there and cry, not a bad cry, a good cry. In the mornings they are tuff, that is when the attacks come the most, I sleep with 5 different bibles, all different translations. Those are the first things I grab in the morning, and start to pray right away. I sit out on my front porch and study looking out at the water, there is so many other things going on in my life I guess when this web-site is finally completed, everyone will know everything about me, Jesus Christ, and this church.
Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth. 2Timothy 2:15
Today's Verse
Daily Wisdom
But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence. 1Peter 3:15
Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you are also doing. 1Thessalonians 5:11
Do nothing from selfish of empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each one of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own interests, but also for the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4
Above all keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. 1Peter 4:8
I just really want to thank all of these people, for all the care and consideration in the aid and building of this church and ministry, from the bibles to the clothes to the dressers, tables, chairs, electrical parts, books bookcases, lamps, bible tapes, and all the love that they have given me. I would list everyone by name, but I would be afraid I would leave someone out. You all know who you are, and what you have done for me, and the building of this church, weather it just be a web-site for now, or later or even sooner than we think, maybe a large church hall, or building or even a type of mission, that will be able to help all of the people of this town, from the poor all the way up to the rich. To be able to help anyone in need, even if it would be just a simple prayer, or a smile and say hello for a bond of friendship, that eventually could bring all the groups, and family's, of Hilo together. In Christ's name, Amen
Thank-you Heartlight for the extras!
I could not forget the Helping Hands, they have been helping hands to me with all kinds of things that I can not list. They did help with the black iron and glass that are a part of my alter, and the two corner bookcases that hold a lot of there Christian books and bibles. All the ladies have been a blessing to this church, myself and this ministry.
If it wasn't for Kent and his Chevron station I would not have my truck, running. When I shipped it over here from the main land it was a mess, there were all kinds of complications with the moving company, and I had all kinds things go wrong. Plus all the, attacks of the evil one, from time to time, hit me right where it effects my life. I would be hitch-hiking into town from Papakou, everyday if it wasn't for all the men here that helped. Kent worked on my truck for 3 days trying to find a problem with a sensor. After he fixed it, he only charged me for 1 hours labor, what a blessing of a man. I did agree to buy most of my gas there, and I do enjoy all of the people.
I Thank Patriarch+Stephen Roger Paul Hopper,Ph.D.,Th.D. and all the brothers and sisters of the Church and Synod, for being so close to me with prayer, understanding, wisdom, love, and fellowship.
I wish to thank Rev. Dr. David M. Ford, for all his help and teachings, and education within the Church and School, and for being a Christian brother.
I want to thank Pastor Fred Nech, for all the correspondence,and the care with the school and all of his words of confidence, and helping me through with the letters, and e-mails in the move to the State of Hawaii.
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. Isa. 58:8-9a
You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2Cor. 3:2-3 NIV
This is my good friend and pastor of the New Hope Hamakua, a Foursquare Gospel Church, who took me in, and welcomed me into his to his family. I was dressed very poorly, running a very high fever, and looked like a total mess, I was very sick, at the time and I probably didn’t even smell clean, but God sent me there. I needed prayer and a friend. Pastor George Karvas, had me sit right next to him, and both the prayer leader and himself prayed on me for healing. You can tell from this picture a week later, what kind of man he is; he is washing his disciples’ feet. We are now building a bond of pure friendship through the aid of prayer, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is my surgeon and my friends office Brett Wyrick, who I met through my main doctor, I went to him and I knew I had a hernia, I found out I had two, which is called a bilateral hernia, he realized that I have been not properly taken care of through this whole year and to him I looked very sick on my first meeting. This man was another gift from God, the nicest and friendliest but to the point type doctor I have ever met. The staff too very compassionate and very professional, he looks right out of television, with all the prim and proper clothing with the white shirt and perfect tie and the long white coat with his name engraved on the side, very professional looking and very clean, right down to his fingernails. He was worried about me, so he had me tested for Lymphoma, all though my chest, abdomen, and pelvic regions with C-scans, he wanted to also check because I have had a fever for over a year and my glands under my jaw are always swollen, and he couldn’t do the surgery because I was in the class of malnutrition, that too, he was wondering, and he also mentioned he didn’t want any surprises when he would open me up. Today the C-scans look good and he is going to set a date somewhere in January 2004, he knows I still can’t eat right, and he is hoping I would get my brain surgery first, so I can start chewing again, he needs me to gain ten pounds so the operation will be successful, and we are all waiting upon the Lord for the neurologist report this Friday, November 30th, to see if I do have Trigeminal Neuralgia, then they can go ahead with the brain surgery in Honolulu. Thank you all for your prayers and I do thank God I am alright on my insides. Dr Wyrick has turned out to be one of my closes friends during this, and I can trust him, and I feel comfortable with him. Keep praying for us all, and God Bless you Dr. Wyrick.
Here is my family doctor and friend, Dr. Yvonne Conner, it took much prayer and is an intense story guided by an angel. All the prayer on my knees in the church for days upon days and for a while there I almost gave up hope. I was asking for a Christian doctor from the insurance company forever, one where we could pray together, more than just a doctor and talk about each others purpose, interests and most importantly the love of God, the church, spiritual highs and lows, and be open and truthful to each other. We now can talk honestly about anything within all aspects of life, which has helped me physically, mentally and spiritually. She has been a God send to me; to me she is an angel. I was praying one day on a bench in front of a grocery store with my head down and some man drove by on a bicycle and just yelled out her name. And I began to think was this an answer to my prayer? So I went through my wallet and I had an old insurance card with her exact name on it. So I drove over a couple of blocks, as if I was lead there and found the office. I went in filled out the papers and left my name with the secretary, and she was so understanding at heart, a real secretary, one you could communicate with and the atmosphere felt just right. She said she would leave my name and number by the phone, and would call me if there was a cancellation. There was the light of hope. The doctor I had before this one was a man I just wanted so much to get away from, he made me nervous, he would not let me speak, never smiled, and never made me feel like a real person, just another number. His way was always right, and didn’t care about my feelings and I was truly hurt by him, almost every time I left his office I was in tears. I was asking the insurance company continuously for a new doctor even after the first visit, plus they told me he was a Christian and he wasn’t and they kept telling me there wasn’t anymore doctors, so I continued to pray and I was begging God for a new doctor, now I thank God for the blessing, some how she was my doctor when I first got here, (hands of God) but after my first emergency surgery I was sent to a different one. God gave me Dr. Conner in the very beginning, but back then I was guided into the wrong direction. Now things are on track again and I have been praising the Lord for an answered prayer, and someone I can open up to, pray with, and be totally comfortable. Thank you so much Lord for guiding me to Dr. Yvonne Conner. I also wish to thank Alison the secretary who is another friend with compassion that I can talk to openly, who pushed the travel arrangements for the long awaited trip to the brain surgeon possible. I thank you Father for this gracious gift, in Jesus name.
On January 5th Dr. Wyrick did the bilateral surgery, that was a day I will never forget, I never liked hospitals even with my faith, the surgery went great, but I have never suffered so much pain in my life, all I can do is lay on my back, and can hardly move. I feel so bad I lost my friend Dr. Wyrick, it turns out that he is Col. Wyrick and got shipped over to the war, and I miss him. Please pray for my friend and pray for all the men and women he helps as a surgeon. God Bless you Brett.
Well where do I begin, I guess I will start out that our church congregation is spread all over the world. I was more or less unable to do anything, I could not go to the store, I could not go to the bathroom on my own, and there was know one maybe a neighbor here and there but I did not have a spiritual compassionate friend. I prayed to God for days, and weeks just for someone to help me and just to talk to, face to face about the word and our beloved Jesus or talk about anything. There was a series of events that I was able to get this man’s number and I gave him a call, and that is another story but I was being pushed by divine guidance to call, he didn’t know me but I felt this card was the answer to all my prayers, and it turned out to be one of the biggest blessings the Lord ever gave me. Being alone with know one to talk to for over a year, seems to open cracks in your armor a bit to where Satan used every power of darkness and every principality to bombard my spirit and mind. When you are helpless, and still have not been diagnosed, and on top of everything else you leave the hospital with a double hernia surgery and you only weigh about 135 pounds, many things cross your mind. You have all your ministries, churches, prayer networks and friends but you are only communicating by email and sometimes the phone and you don’t have someone to grab a hold of and pray with, and cry with, and tell the stories of the pain the loneliness you need to express to a good friend, So my brothers and sisters our Lord sent me another pastor, and he wants to do more than just talk he wants to work together in other realms, and this way we can be some sort of a union of harmony, more than just fellowship but of helping others in more ways than one, to share the love of Christ and we will see what we can do together, we need to praise God for Pastor Robert Daley of the Central Christian Church. We don’t know the future of our friendship, but it is all pointing to the dream and vision I had from the beginning. My dear friends don’t ever give up, when you think that things are all lost, the mighty hand of God moves in to give you that peace, tranquility, healing, sincerity, and love that you so long yearned for. Praise the Lord!!
I am praying, The course of all the elements and the past I am still trying to get over and heal, the Lord did save the partial trauma, and He deserves all the glory, but I can’t leave God’s people without prayer, even though I still suffer, I must pray for everyone almost as if the Lord has told me Himself, plus my heart opens up to all the concerns and all the burdens and troubles that people write in, it will be two years on the 17th and if it wasn’t for my affliction I would still be praying as part of the church and my duties as a pastor but not everyday and night, but I find I receive a joy that can’t be replaced with cars or homes or anything, to pray for others is probably the most important thing to me on this planet, If I was well enough I would be in the hospitals, the nursing homes, the jails and hospice centers, but being almost confined to my church office I make the best of the time I have, and I praise God I am able to still think, after all the warfare that has came across my table or should I say my life, I could write a book on spiritual warfare now, the evil one does not want anyone to pray for anyone else, because prayers give people hope, faith, strength, healing, peace and comfort. It is the Christian love that is deep within- side me which is Christ Himself, and the Holy Spirit guides my words for each and every person, and when I pray for each persons request and place them on the church alter and pray till all hours of the night that is all God, He is what has made me today and that is why I love Him and love all of His children.
“Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." (Mark 9:35) Importance is determined by servanthood. A true leader wants to serve, as Jesus demonstrated in his life and in his death. Being a “servant” did not mean occupying a submissive position; rather it meant having an attitude of life that generously is there for other people’s needs and requests without expecting or wanting anything in return. Seeking honor, recognition, credit, respect, and the attention of others runs contrary to Jesus’ requirements for His servants. An attitude of service brings true greatness to God’s Kingdom, not our own lives.
“Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:27-29) But for some reason, many people feel that they should be doing something for their salvation, to some it is hard for them realize that the gift of salvation is just handed to us just because we believe in Jesus this is God’s favor to except it as a gift. Even I feel I need to have a loving relationship, and be obedient to Jesus. But in these scriptures that is basically all he is telling us to do.
"No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; And every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their vindication is from Me," declares the LORD. (Isa. 54:17) “I have seen what they do, but I will heal them anyway! I will lead them and comfort those who mourn. Then words of praise will be on their lips. May they have peace, both near and far, for I will heal them all," says the LORD.” (Isa. 57:18-19)
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2Cor.4:8-9) Some times we feel we are at the limit like we just can’t take anymore, and still yet more trials and more tribulations come and we get to a point where we haven’t even healed up from the last battle or spiritual war. Our fragile bodies are subject to sin and suffering, pain, aguish, distress, agony, and torment can get to us or bring us down, sometimes we only experience a few, but there are many people out there that suffer all of the above and even more, but the thing is we know in our hearts that God will never leave us or forsake us. Because Christ has won the victory over death, we have eternal life through Him. All our risks, humiliations, and trials are opportunities for Christ to demonstrate His power and presence in and through us. You see many times when we go through hard times we don’t know what is going on at the time, but down the road or in time these become opportunities for Christ to demonstrate His power over this earth and reveal His presence through us. It makes sense we are just being human, with human reactions, but if we all had stronger faith we would know that God will come to the rescue in His time not ours, and His time is perfect.
“The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous. (Prov 15:29) The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.” Psalm (145:18-19) “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” (Jer.33:3)
God assured Jeremiah that he had only to call to God and God would answer (see also Psalm 145:18; Isaiah 58:9; Matthew 7:7). God is always ready to help us and to answer our prayers and this is basically what He is telling Jeremiah or in another sense to any of us, the thing is we have to ask Him we can’t just hope and have things appear, sometimes it takes more times then others depending on the situation or changes, and more people, that is why people pray for others, when God hears many voices on the same subject or person He will understand the urgency. When we ask we are giving a respect that He is God and we can not do anything ourselves, we need His help and sometimes God wants that type of communication in a relationship. When we approach God it must be with humility and honor and respect, we must lay aside our own determination, and we cannot show worry or fear or being anxious, and still yet be established and agree to obey Him and the Word. Then Jesus said to the disciples, "Have faith in God. I assure you that you can say to this mountain, `May God lift you up and throw you into the sea,' and your command will be obeyed. All that's required is that you really believe and do not doubt in your heart. Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you will have it. But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too." (Mark 11:22-25) The kind of prayer that really can move a mountain is for the effectualness of God’s Kingdom and I would say someone in need that is suffering. The moving of the mountain is if you did have enough faith and the prayer was for good it would be answered, I am not sure about a mountain getting lifted up and thrown into the sea, but God can do more amazing wonders than that. It is possible Jesus was just using it as an illustration that God can do anything, which He can He made the whole world; we know He can move a mountain. The answered prayer is surrounded by your attitude and your faith plus you must believe in both Christ and the Father, and be guided by the Holy Spirit and you can not have any bad feelings against anyone, I mean complete forgiveness, of anyone in your past or present, even the future, if you are praying for others it of course is not for selfishness normally prayer for others is a selfless act, and like I said before it should help the advancement of the kingdom, healing of a person could change everything that person could change the future with their testimony alone, plus all the people around, family, friends, seeing is believing and many will come to Christ when they see a miracle, and that too benefits the Kingdom, like the 3,000 at Pentecost, we also know we want the will of the Father to be intertwined in all of this, in other words you need faith in God and not just in the request if you have faith that He will do it and your purity is there, I do not see why a prayer would not be answered. But then again we also have evil waging war, but faith triumphs over any evil and the belief in Christ is a sure thing to victory. And if Jesus says you will have it, I believe Him. Sorry I got carried away with this prayer, and I will be praying even after you read this because that is what I do. God Bless, Rev. Paul www.thechurch-ministries.org
Great as a Ministry tool, to keep on hand, or to send to friends.
Order a subscription for that person, at the office, in jail
or at home who needs a good word, from the Lord.
Great for encouragment, and inspiration, with hope
Elena Ramirez has been a gifted true friend, so I asked her if she wanted me to put a link of her website in for everyone to share and see the hands of her love, her work, her poetry, her words, and compassion. She has saved me through many attacks and all the horrible days when I came home from the surgery's and many other times when I needed a friend she was right there sending me a beautiful emails and in this link you will see for yourself that the talent and the gift of God is there with a wonderful ability to help anyone, to bring a happiness from the light of our Lord into the heart, through her gifted hands and the fellowship and guidance through the Holy Spirit.
