LAM Newsletter, April 2004

LAM updates

It's been awhile since I've shared some wonderful things that have been going on in the ministry. I want to take opportunity now to do so.

In January of this year, I conducted a meeting at a 7th Day Adventist church in Angels Camp, CA. It was held right after their Sabbath Service (Saturday) and ran into late afternoon. Many were sitting on the edge of their chairs waiting for the next thing to come out of my mouth. Little did they know, I too was doing the same. I never know what God is going to say at times either, and I was truly blessed myself. One lady told me she couldn't wait to go home and begin the "love quest" and "forgiveness" principals I shared. She said she had a lot of work to do!! My friend, who is a nutritionist, provided a wonderful healthy pizza, and even taught us how to make it. As a matter of fact, this same lady is going to be available at one of the retreats coming up to conduct a session on nutrition. She may even have one of these delicious pizzas ready for you too! Stay tuned for that.

We were contacted by a Christian missionary in Russia who wanted to put Tom's testimonial in the Soviet paper that reaches the veterans of their wars. It will be written in Russian and go out in their first newspaper! What a blessing.

In February of this year, I participated in a wedding. Not only did I sing, but I also conducted the ceremony. God arranged everything, and the marriage went off wonderfully. The bride was so nervous but she said once I began speaking, her fears and nervousness left! She didn't realize my knees were knocking.. but that's God. Always meets us where we are and completes where we lack.

March was a full month for ministry. Completed a seminar for the Elmhurst Baptist Church in Hayward. What a tremendous response and outpouring of love. God was surely in the midst that day, as evidenced by the love that sprang up everywhere. Over 60 attended, male, female, old young, kids, and teens. I think God used this as an example of the direction this ministry is going. It was as successful as it was because I had help! In most of the meetings I do, I'm putting together the music, preparing food, preparing invites and sending them out, and more. I did it myself. This time I did none of those things. It was all taken care of; all I had to do was show up! What a difference. I had focused on study and teaching, while others in their gifts, focused on the rest. The Lord showed me through this that as long I stay within my own efforts, the meetings would remain small. As long as I ask for help, the meetings will grow. The scripture comes to mind of "enlarging my borders." And I believe that is what He is doing.

Just a side note: As I begin thinking of the ministry growing, I began to fear it. I realized that I feared success. Knowing that success brings on more responsibility, and I didn't know if I could handle it. But, since I know that fear is not of God, I repented, and now am free to be successful.

In the meetings that I do, the people are there to receive teaching, but not only for them, it's for me too. Every single time I come home from a meeting, I tell Tom what God did for others and how it affected me as well.

Along with the seminars, I continue ministering to individuals on-line. I would like to share a few excerpts of some of the testimonials of the on-line ministry. Basically how it works is that when someone contacts me, I send him or her an "initial contact questionnaire" form. Once that is returned, that is my "OK" to conduct ministry with them. I have a number of sessions I send that I have created that teaches along the same lines I do in seminars. The first one is on Salvation. So many believers have never quite understood what salvation is or what true repentance is, not to mention those who never received the Lord Jesus as Savior in the first place. This teaching is even helping believers who doubt their salvation from time to time. We need to get that settled once and for all and stop doubting. Remember, a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways…. and he shall receive nothing of the Lord (James 1). We have to get first things first.

The second session is on God's love, 3rd is on Forgiveness, 4th is on Fear, and many more to follow. I found that no matter what the people contact me for ministry about, each session I have developed is exactly what they need. Let me share a few emails that have been sent to me from people receiving on-line ministry:

"On the last e-mail you sent me on knowing Gods Love, and forgiveness. I cannot thank you enough. I went through the list, wrote down names, categories of hurt and a prayer to help me forgive. What happened was that I knew Gods love via my head, but not in my heart. After going through the list and praying to be free from any hurts, I now understand Gods love in my heart. I now have a desire to be in His word, listen to Him, a desire to be close to Him and can finally see Him as my true Father.

The other day before you sent me the e-mail while I was in prayer, I saw myself in a pit and a person reaching out their hands to me pulling me out of the pit, I now see my self out of the pit. I cannot thank you enough and your ministry. What ever the Lord lays on your heart again for me, PLEASE send it."

This email was sent from a man. Many men are being ministered through this ministry as well, it's not just the ladies.

Another email:

"The forgiveness assignment I had done my entire life, but only in part. I came to know as a very young Christian the importance of forgiving others and the freedom that it brought to me. So, putting items on paper that I needed to forgive for (what they did to me) was no problem. While I could recall them, there was no pain associated with any of those things and I knew I had "forgiven". However, I never realized I also needed to list how I felt about what they did to me (my sins) and how the victim also sins by taking this stuff on. That is the first time I came to an understanding about my own sin in the victimization. Writing how I felt about what was done to me was my final "freedom" step. I confessed and repented for all of that stuff, renounced it and purposed in my heart to hear God's truth about all of those areas in my life where I had believed Satan's lies or allowed his ugly nature to manifest through me. In this area, I got "unstuck." He is still working some of that stuff out of me - lifelong patterns of behavior or responses.

I immediately began to "feel" better emotionally and I had more energy physically."

There are countless others who have been ministered to through the teachings shared through this ministry. We are marching on as soldiers in God's army, in His Kingdom, with courage, fearlessness, and love. But it could not have been possible until this person, Linda Lange, got a hold of the promise that healed her. That God loves her unconditionally and able to receive that love personally!

Love and Forgiveness

I want to continue along the same vein I was just speaking on. Love and Forgiveness. In the meetings, I teach the same thing over and over everywhere I go, but the interesting thing is that people have heard some of the things I share, but not all of the things I share. Many go away with a newness and revelation in their heart. As a minister, the teaching I share is very simple and basic. It's on love and forgiveness. God's perfect and unconditional love, how to receive that love for ourselves. Forgiveness is forgiving ourselves, others, and RECEIVING forgiveness from God. These are the basic Christian principals that each of us are supposed to know. But I found in my last seven years that it's what is lacking in most believers. The foundation was never established in the first place and people are out trying to build a life on Jesus, not even knowing they are loved unconditionally by God and truly forgiven! What a mess….

But because many of us never got the "basics" of Christianity, this teaching is almost foreign. If we were grounded and rooted in God's love, our lives would be further along in the Kingdom. But many are floundering or stuck in their lives, not understanding why. Well, this is why. The foundation of the Love of God and Forgiveness was never taught as a daily routine. When we are saved, we are told all our sins are forgiven, we are a new creature. Boy that is so exciting. Then 2 weeks later, we don't' understand why we feel so bad, or we get depressed, or we are sick. So then doubt sets in that we are even saved! Afterall, if I'm saved, I should be and feel better, right? Wrong. When we are saved, we ARE forgiven. But here's the problem, people aren't receiving forgiveness. Many "know" they are forgiven, but don't "receive" that forgiveness at the time they committed a sin. I find it's the same with God's love. People "know" God loves them, but they are unable to truly "receive" God's love for them personally. These two areas are the main reason people have brokenness in their lives.

It reminds me of Jesus. He came to take away ALL the sins of the world. So, are all the sins gone? Has everyone been forgiven? No, only those who "received" the sacrifice Jesus paid.

I find that many believers are living under guilt and condemnation today, perhaps you who are reading this. I'm here to tell you, dear saint, it's because you are not "receiving" forgiveness. When I pray for God to forgive me, I don't pray, "Father, Please forgive me for….". I pray, "Father I thank you for forgiving me for….." There is a BIG difference here - one is fear asking and one is faith receiving. I challenge you to begin "receiving" your forgiveness today; after all, it is already yours.

Reminds me of a story of a barber. He was walking along side a friend who was a new Christian. He asked the Barber why people were still miserable and sick? The Barber said, "Look over there at that man with the beard. Why isn't he shaven?" The new believer shrugged his shoulders. The barber said, "He has to come to the shop for me to shave him."

In order to be forgiven, you need to "receive" forgiveness. THEN when we receive the forgiveness from God, we are able to easily GIVE forgiveness to others. We now have what we need to give to others.

I realized that when I teach on forgiveness, I'm just helping people walk in love. Isn't that what we are all about? Forgiveness causes us to overlook other's faults, release them, not hold them accountable for their sins against us, walk in peace and so on. The Bible says that people will know we are Christians by our love one for another. But what do we see lacking most in the churches? Love. I have a friend who was raised in a Christian home, but because her father didn't demonstrate the love he taught, caused her to leave the truth. She seeks other things, and cannot believe that God even exists now. It was the lack of the demonstration of love that caused her to fall away. But there is still hope for her. As long as we have the ability to love, people like her will experience that love one day and bring them back into the truth of the Gospel.

What is the Gospel anyway? Love.

He Is My Portion

One morning while I was dragging myself out of bed, I was thinking of the work I had to do on my job. I was going to a job that really has no value to my life. It doesn't offer anything "freeing" to others. I just had no motivation about getting up and going. I did manage to get dressed and begin driving to work. As I medicated on this, the Lord began to speak to my heart.

He told me that the reason I felt like this was that I put too much importance on "work" to be my joy and my motivator. He reminded me that the times I had a fun job to do, or had a lunch date, or had a special event to be involved in, a new outfit I wanted to wear, a new hair style I wanted to show, I was motivated to get up with "zeal" in the morning and get to work with joy. And those times where it was "just another day on the job" nothing new and exciting, was hard for me to get going in the morning. He showed me that I was relying on the "world" to motivate and get me moving. He then said, "I am your portion, I am the one who is your motivator. Come to me, and I'll get you moving."

As soon as I realized I had been putting "confidence in the flesh" I stopped that thinking and confessed this to God. I began saying out of my mouth, "God is my portion. He is my motivator. The joy of the LORD is my strength, not the "joy" of this world." As I began to encourage myself in these words, my whole attitude and disposition changed. I even sat more upright in my car seat, I was singing songs, and before I knew it I was looking forward to going to work.. I was no longer motivated by the job ahead of me, but God who has gone ahead of me to work things out in my life. He's prepared the way, and he is setting up things ahead of time for me to experience. He began to show me all the opportunities I'll have to talk with people, share love, give hope, minister, and just be there for them.

Psalms 73:21-26 "Thus my heart was grieved and I was pricked in my reins, so foolish was I and ignorant, I was as a beast before thee. Nevertheless I am continually with thee, thou hast holden me by my right hand. Though shalt guide me with they counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth hat I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart fails, but GOD is the strength of my heart and my portion forever… but it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord that I may declare all His works."

Lamentations 3:22 "It is the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him.(and Him alone!) The Lord is good to them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.

God is constant. At the times I have an exciting day planned or one that is simply daily routine, I need to remember that……

"He is my portion, He is my motivator, He is my joy. In Him only will I trust to fulfill all in all."

Pleasant Valley Ministries Seminars
"Be in Health"

I'm so excited to share that PVC is now doing 3-day retreats, and perhaps in your neck of the woods! For information, be sure to visit www.pleasantvalleychurch.net. However, I'll mention a few here since I know some of you are in these areas: Houston Texas May 27-29, Portland Oregon, June 22-24 and Tacoma Washington July 7-9th. For information call 1-800-453-5775 and ext. 161