It is a FREE gift

The Lord blessed our ministry with several boxes of hoodies.  Although we were very excited for this blessing, we really didn't know what we were going to do with them.  Denver and I prayed about it and felt that we were suppose to drive the truck full of blessings from Alaska to New York.  Our focus was on the next five months of mission in Africa, but it seamed that God had another mission planned for us before we would leave.

We gave the hoodies out all along the way and then spent two days in the streets of New York, with our team here, ministering to people and giving them this free gift.  My friends, I really never could fully describe to you how much this touched all of our lives.  There is a story behind ever hoodie that was given, but it wasn't about the warmth that the hoodies would provide, it was about God’s love and the free gift.

Every person that we pass has story if we’ll take the time to listen:
“my mom abandoned me. I believe in God but I can’t forgive her”
“I’m just cold and hungry”

“I’m just so lonely”
“just earlier today someone was witnessing to me at Tim Horton’s”
“I just want to get through the holidays.  It’s a difficult time of the year because it’s when my 4 year old died”

“I believe in Jesus but Christians don’t love each other”

“I am Christian but the churches don’t allow someone like me to come to church”
“I can’t believe it. I can’t believe someone would just give me something for free”
“I was a heroine addict, and just got out of rehab last week.  I’m living at the homeless shelter and I’m trying but it’s really hard”

but some said “no thank you and walked away” and one lady quickly darted across the street to avoid us all together. 

As we listened to the stories of those God led us to and we shared with them this free gift, we told them about Jesus and His love and that it is a gift of God, not of their own works.  Just like the hoodie, they did not have to do anything to earn it but just to believe and to receive what is freely given.  You have to receive the gift however.  We didn't make anyone take a hoodie.  It was there for them if they would receive it but they could choose not to receive. 

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast – Ephesians 2:8-9

Many people are still trying to earn what God has freely given them.  Nothing you do can earn it, but if you will receive it, He freely gives it to you through faith.

We don’t go Africa because we are earning anything from God and our team didn't give out hoodies because we were earning anything.  We do it because Jesus said to go into all the world and because “the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given us” – Romans 5:5

Jesus always had compassion on the people, but He didn't just “have” compassion, He was moved by compassion.   An action always followed compassion: feeding the hungry, healing all who were sick or oppressed of the devil. 

Are you moved by compassion?

Our New York team

Happy New Year 2015!

Happy New Year 2015!

Today is the first Day of a brand new year.  Happy New Year to You!

As we bring to remembrance why we should celebrate such a day as this, Stacey & I would like to give an update of the progression of  Loving The Majesty Ministries  ” Africa 2015 Mission” .

We pray our story will inspire you to look forward to 2015 in Hope and Joy.

It is our desire to cause you to Dance with Your Bridegroom Jesus in great delight of His love for you in 2015. Such intimate LOVE that squeezes you into the closeness of Himself so there is no separation of distance or status of class of being between us and HIM …in fact this is what the word “TOGETHER” means in Greek language as used in the book of Ephesians chapter 2:6 in the phrase raised us up “together” and made us sit “together “ In The anointed Jesus . We are the Body of Jesus Here on this earth –even married to Him in covenant relationship that HE nourishes us and cherishes us as members of HIS own Body, of His own Flesh and of His own Bones!

 Stacey & I left home from Healy, Alaska on Dec 16^th, 2014 driving enroute to Phillipsport, New York to prepare for our upcoming flight that departs Jan 7^th 2015 out of JFK to Entebbe, Uganda.

The plan during this 14 day, 4862 mile (7080 kilometer) drive, was to minister to people on the streets and along the route both in convenience stores and gas stations and on the side of the road by sharing the love of Jesus and giving the extra sweat shirts that overflow from the allowable Baggage by the airlines that were donated to Loving the Majesty Ministries.

On the day of departure the Miracles began to manifest in timing. We received the IRS Tax Exempt Status of a 501(c)(3) public Charity.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we rejoiced celebrating the remembrance of the Virgin Birth of our Messiah Jesus with Josiah, one of our sons, Elizabeth our daughter in law and Silas one of our 5 grandsons.  Celebrating Christmas with some family was a bonus to the many miles spent in prayer and listening to ministering CDS and Music as we drove along.

Stacey & I began to memorize Psalm 91 together for meditation, and spoke in two churches- City Center View in Edmonton, and Clare Church of the Nazarene in Clare Michigan, which the Lord opened as doors for us to touch people’s lives and to raise support for the work of this year’s NEW venture in our lives.

  

SO what does this all have to do with New Year and the reason to celebrate it with Joy and Hope?

As we met so many people along way this last two weeks one thing stood out clearly- People want to be loved! No matter what baggage and hurt they carry or trouble they have walked thru or are seemingly in at the present, everyone is just a few words of encouragement from gaining the strength to Stand up and Live again.

In fact 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 says that if any Person is IN CHIRST (the anointed Messiah) Jesus,

OLD THINGS- ARE- PASSED AWAY and “ALL THINGS” are MADE NEW…just like the dates on the calendar at the turn of a new year.  God has already reconciled us to HIMSELF in Jesus Death on the cross and resurrection from the dead.

It is clear that God – verse 19 says is not holding our former sins against us anymore….this means SIN in and of itself is not against us anymore. Do not misread this in the English and interpret it to mean only the sin that you committed to date. It does not in any way imply such thing. Jesus DIED ONCE FOR ALL people and fro ALL time to take away the Sin of the WORLD.  Jesus carried those sins and paid the price for them in Hades for you suffering on your behalf so you do not have to carry them or suffer from them.

I understand – it may not “feel like that could possibly be the truth. It is, however, TRUTH  established for ALL TIME AND ETERNITY THAT THE BLOOD OF CHIRST HAS SQUEEZED US INTO THE MIDST OF GOD MAKING US ONE WITH HIM AS HIS DEAR SONS AND DAUGHTERS. IT IS A FREE GIFT.

Joy returns to the eyes of people, who come to realize and understand that God really does love them. God really does care for them. God’s will is to help them out of any storm of life, or through any storm of life they are now experiencing no matter if they caused the storm by bad choices  or some other person or situation caused it.  

As Stacey & I and our team spoke with people –even those some may label “street people”- Love and Hope bring caused JOY to shine in the eyes of those we spoke with! Love and Hope that someone Like Jesus who is able to help them NOW, and that will to help thru His own body  - people like you and I, who are willing to forgive and throw out the old, and offer the NEW life for eternity as a free gift. A free gift paid for and freely given without reservation….Remember those Jesus touched 2000 years ago- a rough fisherman, a demon possess woman, a prostitute, an adulterer, a thief, a murderer…..you and I. 

This is a NEW Beginning and New YEAR. Out with the old prejudices and selfishness of our own private lives. And In with the New Unity of the Body of the Bridegroom. Get a REVELATION of JESUS – your Bridegroom coming for those whose lamps are burning bright with oil!

Joy OF THE NEW will spill over into the lives of those who need that LIGHT ALL AROUND YOU!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  

Are you a doer or a hearer only?

I have a friend who has been faithfully exercising and eating healthy for over a year now.  Anyone can see that she has lost a lot of weight.  Many will look at her and say “I wish I could loose weight like that”.  Now I know my friend and she is willing to help anyone who wants to have a healthier life; she will guide them, she will encourage them, but she can’t do it for them. 

For anyone who will listen, God has told us how to live a blessed and prosperous life, but it’s going to be up to us to listen and to do what He says.  James 1:22 tells us: do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. (NIV) It then goes on to say, if you do what it says, you will be blessed in what you do. (James 1:25)

The NKJV puts it this way: But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.

It’s going to take some doing! 

Just going to church on Sunday morning and listen to a great sermon isn't going to change anything unless you’re willing to do something.  It has always been God’s desire to bless us and that is why He tells us what we need to do. 

“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God” – Deuteronomy 28:1-2 (NKJV). Then the next 12 verses listed these blessings. 

My friend that I mentioned earlier sought to exercise and eat well.  She has found many other rewards as a result: more energy, healthier hair, better skin, and she sleeps better.  She didn't seek those things but they are a result of her seeking to eat better.

When we seek God, we can’t help but be blessed.  It isn’t what we seek, but blessings are the result of seeking God because they are part of the covenant.  They are what God has promised.

Jesus said: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (food to eat, clothes to wear vs. 31) will be added unto you. – Matthew 6:33

Are you a doer? Are you seeking the kingdom of God? Or are you trying to seek the reward and not God (the rewarder). 


Jesus said: “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and all your mind, and love your neighbor as your self.” – Matthew 22:37,39

Are you a doer?

Jesu said: “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you” – Luke 6:38

Are you a doer?

Jesus said: “And whenever you stand praying if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses” – Mark 11:25-26

Are you a doer or are you a hearer only?

Highlights from Uganda

Denver has been working on writing down some of the detail from our time in Uganda during January and February 2014, and I plan to post some of that through several blogs but I see how quickly days and weeks slip by with no post so I decided to post this video with several of the highlights. 

I put the video together to show at our church after we returned from Uganda but I know many of you were not able to be there.  

The video can only begin to show some of what God did during out time there.  

Please pray with us as we seek God's direction for our time in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania this coming winter.

Good Honey

I saw an article last week about some bees in France that had produced blue and green honey.  At first the bee keepers were alarmed at the colored honey but discovered the source of the strange event.  The bees had been feeding on waste from an M&M factor.  The blue and green was a result of the bees feeding on the candy coating shells from the M&M’s.  Blue and green honey may sound like it would be kind of fun, but for the beekeepers this was a major problem because the honey was actually contaminated with toxins and not sellable.

 

It profited them nothing.

What you feed on will directly affect what you produce.  This is true for your body as well as for your spirit.  Sometimes it might sound fun, but does it profit anything?

 

John 6:27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

John 6:54-56 Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.

Many times we get caught up with the cares of this world.  Instead of feeding on Jesus and the Word, we labor for food which will perish and we feed on things of this world.  Jesus told us that the Father knows that we need these things, but that we should not seek them.  That if we would seek first the Kingdom of God, that God would provide these things.

Matthew 6:31-33 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Luke 6:45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

If we put good in, we will get good out. 

If we put evil in, we will get evil out. 

Proverbs 4:20-22 

My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

Do not let them depart from your eyes;

Keep them in the midst of your heart;

For they are life to those who find them,

And health to all their flesh.

God’s Word produces the “good” honey

Jesus asked his disciples: Did you lack anything?

It has been over a month now since we departed Africa and returned to Alaska.  During our time in Africa, we had very little access to internet and were not able to keep up with blogs, but we know that there are many who are still anxious to hear the details of what God did.

To tell the entirety of this three month journey seems nearly impossible. From the personal interactions and growth in our own hearts, to the growth of each team member who traveled with us to the miracles of healings in each location and the reception of the message in God’s Word that we preached is more than most readers would be willing to sit thru. After all it was almost three months filled each day with hours of ministry, so we will be posting a few blogs over the next weeks to fill you in on some of the amazing things that God did.

We traveled to many locations throughout Uganda and Rwanda. Some churches were in cities, some in remote villages, some ministry was in prison and some were on the side of the road as we moved along traveling to our next destination. Almost always we were receiving phone calls asking when our team would arrive to minister. Almost always they said we were leaving too soon and every time we were asked to return again next year not only in the same location but also in nearby locations to hold other Pastors conferences for nearby pastors who had not been able to be made aware of the sessions we held.

The meetings were more than meeting and messages. The meetings were ANNOINTED meeting with Jesus speaking thru His Holy Spirit building relationships and love with people who most often spoke an entirely different language than ours.  It was thru this process that I was made aware that God is not waiting to tell His Body ALL truth until we can receive it. He has already told us ALL TRUTH NOW – we just have not translated it to our own understanding as of yet, and the better we get at translating the Word of God the closer to the Full Knowledge of God we will become. It is not God who is changing but WE who are changing from Glory to Glory boasting in who He is.

The details of the journey began with a focus on the people and location we had planned to move in and out of and then we began to see God working in the hearts and lives of each of us who were traveling as a team of 7 members as well. Our personal interactions brought as much growth between us individually as the sessions at each location. The Giving of our time, worship, our love, dedication, and adjustment to the needs of the group made the whole experience an ongoing journey that likely only those of us involved will ever be able to fully comprehend.

We want to thank all of those who gave so we could believe in this outreach succeeding. However, even here is part of the miracle. Unlike last year when Stacey & I went to Africa and our entire budget was in our hand before we left America, this year it was not. In fact we were $6,000.00 short of our budget for this trip when we left home and we did no hold in our had two of the needed plane tickets even to return to the United States and Alaska at our departure. It was a walk of Faith. Yes some people had support us in part, our church had given some, and we had given some of our own. Yet this three month mission was going to be a work of calling those things which are not as though they were + Faith= God said GO and Do this and we were going to do. He was going to have to take care of the detail of how it was going to be accomplished. To make the story even more interesting, at every location we had budgeted a certain amount to accomplish different needed items. When we arrived at each of those locations The Lord showed us things He was asking us to do in addition to the ones we had on the list. These things involved more money than was budgeted for those locations. It was our faith being tried as we choose each time to include the new decision and give extra to that location. Since I have begun to tell this story here, I may as well add that each church responded to our teaching on Breaking the Spirit of Poverty by giving offerings and sowing seed into our ministry faithful to God’s Word. Now before you conclude that these offerings made up the shortfall needed let me say that all thought the money given did add up over time –the entire income from these monies was about $500.00.     

I am not sure how good you are at math or budgeting? Yet most casual readers will recognize that begin $6,000.00 short minus giving more than was planned + $500.00 does equal breaking even. Yet God began to do things like stretch money further than planned or maybe we choose to give and do without things we had planned for and at the end of Uganda Stacey informed me that if we did not have to rent a vehicle in Rwanda we would have what we needed for the rest of the mission – even the new plane tickets to New York, and then the other one to ALASKA! Yet this financial Blessing is such a small part of the trip it is only worth mentioning because God performs His Word Faithfully.

We have seen Him Provide our funds in advance. We have seen Him provide as we go, and now we know that we only need to follow His direction to our spirits and He is taking care of everything we need. We believe our equipment is on its way for future trips as well, including our own plane and sound equipment, projectors and vehicles to accomplish what He directs us to continue to do.

Please continue to pray with us.

Yes it is right for me to feel this way

Over the past several weeks, Denver and I have traveled to many villages and churches here in Uganda.  We have come to bring them God’s love and His word. 

We were blessed to take with us a team from Uganda who does singing and dancing ministry and also children’s workshops.  If you get a chance to look at our facebook page, you can see several of the pictures of them and what they do.  Thank you Gloria, Josephine, TK, and Princess Samantha.  You truly will be part of our family forever.  Also to our special friend and brother John Robert who drove the team through the country and took such care to watch over us all.  We love you.

Because of limited internet we have been unable to post blogs all the details but it has been an amazing experience and so many lives have been touched, including ours.  Our journey began in Entebbe Uganda at Tabernacle of Christ Church and then continued to Miracle of Faith Church in Mukono.  As we were leaving Mukono, I wrote a blog that I was unable to post because we didn’t have internet.  Although there is much to tell about all the travels, I have decided to still post the blog about Mukono Miracle of Faith Church. 

More to come as time allows:

We have spent the past twelve days in Mukono, Uganda. This is the second preaching Conference during our time we will spend here in Africa this year. For this Conference we returned to Mukono where we had preached our final two days of the previous trip to Africa last March. We did eight days of teaching at the Miracle of Faith Church as well as open air conferences for three nights and a soccer tournament that was sponsored in our name.  When I think of my brothers and sisters in Mukono, I have a greater understand of Paul’s writings to the church and the Miracle of Faith church is like my church of Philippi. 

Paul writes:

I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.  God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

Yes, it is right for me to feel this way about the people of Mukono and God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.  When we travel and preach the Word of God, we give all we have of ourselves, both financially and spiritually. The refreshing of the spirit is critical in order to be able to continue to give.   Our family at Miracle of Faith Church always fills us in a way that leaves me bounding with joy.  

Pastor Margaret, George, Rolant, and everyone at Miracle of Faith Church hosted our time; covering our hotel, transportation, and food cost. The church also took a daily offering for us to help cover the cost that will allow us to travel to an orphanage in Katogwe and to bless the children there with school supplies.  This is an amazing thing for a church that is still believing God for a building to worship in and chairs to sit on but they have understood what God teaches on sowing a seed and have put their faith in God to provide what they need. This takes great faith to great faith to let go of what you have, not trusting in money but trusting in God and I know God will bless them for this because He is faithful to His word.

George our host asked us if they could host a soccer (football to Ugandan’s) Tournament in our name.  When he ask it did not seem like much of a request to us and we agreed.  Little could we know how much of an outreach this was. Many teams competed prior to our arrival but we were able to attend the final day; and two final matches, first the under 16 age and then the under 11 age group.

After the final match ended we were supposed to say a few words to the group and crowd and give a few small love gifts to whomever we wished and award the trophy for the final match. These boys, many of them orphans, hung on our every word not knowing we had uniform to share with them when we were done speaking. We shared where we are from and how we came to Africa. 

The tournament was built around HIV /STD education, and counseling.  We shared connecting the information on the pamphlet with the response of the crowd. Some took the pamphlets others did not. Some read them others did not. We likened this to the way people treated God and His Word. Many people just ignore it; some read it thinking they know what it says and others look deeply into Jesus and learn from what He has said. The game of life is coming to the final goal. Will we champion by faith in Jesus or lose the Game without a score?

Then we began to recognize the volunteer coaches, team captains, and goal keepers with Jerseys. We awarded Honorable mention jerseys to the losing runner up teams and gave recognition to the organizer with a few journals and jerseys as well.

The audience was so touched by our love that they announced that each Year they were going to hold the Denver & Stacey Tournament adding events as they are able. The amazing part is they just wanted to use our name and never ask anything from us other than our recognition.

If you could have seen the love of the children for us – players and non-players alike- Children whose clothes themselves were beyond repair sharing smiles and love for no return. The leaders encouraged the teams to give each other gifts at the conclusion as sportsmanship. We were blessed when two teams agreed to share their gifts to honor us; a simple plastic cup so full of love that it is priceless.

The church also blessed us by allowing us to bring four of the boys from Abba House and hosting them as well.  Mukono welcomed them with open arms.  Julius, William, Grace and Emmanuel have made us proud with outstanding behavior and participation.  These four boys have not had many, if any, opportunities to leave the orphanage on field trips, so to see them so well behaved was a breath of fresh air.  . Each of the boys was able to help in the conference in many ways. They all helped with the daily children’s lessons and children’s worship.  They also assisted with translating, worship, sound systems, setting up the open air conference, and many other things that I’m sure that I am forgetting to list.   My heart was overflowing with joy every time I saw one of them getting involved and helping. My family is growing every day and I now have four more sons and the family in Mukono counts them as their new sons as well.  It was very difficult to let them go at the end of the time but I know already that God has a plan that will lead us back to spending even more time with them.

 There were too many details of the conference to give in one short blog but Denver spent many hours teaching this week on the finished worked of Jesus Christ, the Blood Covenant, Breaking the spirit of poverty, Right Thinking, and the High Priest. I also did a teaching on Healing and on the final day, together we did a marriage teaching. Many people testified to healing of spirits and of bodies throughout the conference.

One special testimony came from one of the boys that had traveled here with us. He told how for the first couple days of the conference he was seeing there was chapatti for sale and he was wishing that he had some.   Then on the third day I gave him 1000 shillings (about 40 cents).  One chapatti cost 500 shillings so he bought one and had enough left to buy another the next day but then Denver taught on sewing a seed and so he decided to sew the 500 shillings (20 cents) instead.  God blessed him with 2,000 shillings, so he bought chapatti and again sewed part of the money, and then God blessed him with 5,000 shillings. 

I actually saw all the boys sewing money into the offerings more than once and this blessed me because I could see that they were hearing Gods word and putting their faith in Him and not in the 500 shillings that they knew would get them a chapatti.

 This is the heart of the people here.  They may not have much to give by American standards but like the widow with two bits, they give all they have, and it does up.  What they have all given will buy some school supplies for others, and soap for widows. 

We will continue to pour ourselves out as offerings these weeks to come, but we leave Mukono full and ready to give. 

Philippians 1:9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.