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What is an Ebenezer and do you have any? In 1 Samuel 7, we see God miraculously delivering the Israelites from their enemies. Samuel takes a rock, names it "Ebenezer" and places it next to a road for all to see as they pass by. He tells them that Ebenezer means, "The Lord has brought us this far". Joshua had the same idea when he took 12 rocks out of the miraculously dry Jordan River to make a monument to remind following generations of God's faithfulness and deliverance. Then he instructed the fathers to tell their children about the story as they passed it. (Joshua 4:1-7). Melva and I have many "Ebenezers". This year we celebrate 55 years of ministry, 53 years of marriage, and last month, my 75th birthday. (Thank you soooo much for your cards and the wonderful video collage from over 50 of you that our children put together!). We stand in awe that God would take two unqualified college students, save them, call them to His ministry, and use them to His glory. A few years ago, Melva and I wrote down some of the stories of God's grace and provision in a short book we call, "The Freight Train Chronicles". We give these out to encourage others, especially those just starting in ministry. We'd love to send you a copy. Each of you who pray for us has a huge part in these "Ebenezers"! What are some of the "Ebenezers" you have? Have you passed the stories on to your children, your grandchildren? We encourage you to write them down and share them. Every generation needs to be reminded of how our God is faithful to guide, provide, and protect them. Thank God for Father's! One of the great tragedies of our society is the number of children growing up without a dad. A father who sticks around and not only provides but guides his family in the "paths of righteousness". I grew up without a father in the home and know how difficult that can be. I've asked the folks in our Saturday Night Worship group to write down at least 3 things they are grateful for about their fathers and/or husbands and then share them at our service. Let's honor the men in our lives and thank God for each of them! May blessings: The beginning of May we held a Celebration of Life for a member of our fellowship who Melva visited regularly in the nursing home. Then we took a trip to CA to visit our sons Steve and Tim and their families. It was wonderful! At the end of the month, we held services in Pitkin CO. We've shared in the Pitkin and Tin Cup summer-only Churches for over 40 years and love them. A special highlight was baptizing one of our young people. Aliah and her grandfather have attended our Saturday Night Worship service for several years and has had wonderful mentoring from several women along with her grandfather. We are so proud of her! Upcoming: Lord willing, we will be sharing in: June 2, 23, 30, Sept 1 Tin Cup CO Worship Services @ Tin Cup Community Church June 9, Sept. 29 Pitkin CO Worship Services @ Pitkin Community Church June 16 Esterbrook Wy Celebration of the church's 20th anniversary July 11-14 Gunnison CO Cattlemen's Day Chaplain and Rodeo Service August 1-3 Colorado Springs Rick Barton Ministries Board Meeting October 20-23 Guthrie OK Bible Conference@ Abell Community Church *These are in addition to our Saturday Night Worship Services, Systematic Theology class and Celebrations of life (2 this month). Your faithful prayers sustain us! Fire and Police New Testaments and Devotionals: In May we received great reports from British Columbia, Michigan, Wyoming, and New York State chaplains! And more requests have come in from Texas and Florida Chaplains. Finances: By God's grace working through your generous giving, every need is met. We have helped more families in need and given more missionary support than usual at this time and yet He continues to provide. May He provide a wonderful return on your investment! Family: We had a great trip to the Los Angeles area to visit Tim/Sara, Elizabeth and Sydney, as well as Steve/Annie, Samuel and Abigail. It's wonderful to see them all grow in their love for the Lord and each other. Please pray for Steve and Annie as they seek the Lord's direction in his work. He is doing free-lance video production which he enjoys, but as their family grows, they would desire a more stable income. We hope to visit Stephen/Joy, Hannah and Bethan in London in August which would fulfill our goal of visiting all the family this year. Thanks for praying for our family! Prayer Requests: Please pray for the Holy Spirit to be upon us as we share His wonderful, good news! Please pray our family to continue to love and serve Jesus! Please pray God will use every New Testament and devotional we send out! And please pray for our nation as we approach the fall elections:
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April 2025
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