DYSMAS CONDUIT
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2009
Question for the day: What drew you to the place you made your last purchase?
What can we pray for YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
Today’s Chapter in God’s Word
1 Corinthians 4
Listen at
http://www.audiotreasure.com/webindex.htm
1-4
Don't imagine us leaders to be something we aren't. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God's most sublime secrets, not security guards posted to protect them. The requirements for a good guide are reliability and accurate knowledge. It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. I don't even rank myself. Comparisons in these matters are pointless. I'm not aware of anything that would disqualify me from being a good guide for you, but that doesn't mean much. The Master makes that judgment.
5
So don't get ahead of the Master and jump to conclusions with your judgments before all the evidence is in. When he comes, he will bring out in the open and place in evidence all kinds of things we never even dreamed of—inner motives and purposes and prayers. Only then will any one of us get to hear the "Well done!" of God.
6
All I'm doing right now, friends, is showing how these things pertain to Apollos and me so that you will learn restraint and not rush into making judgments without knowing all the facts. It's important to look at things from God's point of view. I would rather not see you inflating or deflating reputations based on mere hearsay.
7-8
For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn't everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what's the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need. You already have more access to God than you can handle. Without bringing either Apollos or me into it, you're sitting on top of the world—at least God's world—and we're right there, sitting alongside you!
9-13
It seems to me that God has put us who bear his Message on stage in a theater in which no one wants to buy a ticket. We're something everyone stands around and stares at, like an accident in the street. We're the Messiah's misfits. You might be sure of yourselves, but we live in the midst of frailties and uncertainties. You might be well-thought-of by others, but we're mostly kicked around. Much of the time we don't have enough to eat, we wear patched and threadbare clothes, we get doors slammed in our faces, and we pick up odd jobs anywhere we can to eke out a living. When they call us names, we say, "God bless you." When they spread rumors about us, we put in a good word for them. We're treated like garbage, potato peelings from the culture's kitchen. And it's not getting any better.
14-16
I'm not writing all this as a neighborhood scold just to make you feel rotten. I'm writing as a father to you, my children. I love you and want you to grow up well, not spoiled. There are a lot of people around who can't wait to tell you what you've done wrong, but there aren't many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me proclaim God's Message to you that I became your father. I'm not, you know, asking you to do anything I'm not already doing myself.
17
This is why I sent Timothy to you earlier. He is also my dear son, and true to the Master. He will refresh your memory on the instructions I regularly give all the churches on the way of Christ.
18-20
I know there are some among you who are so full of themselves they never listen to anyone, let alone me. They don't think I'll ever show up in person. But I'll be there sooner than you think, God willing, and then we'll see if they're full of anything but hot air. God's Way is not a matter of mere talk; it's an empowered life.
21
So how should I prepare to come to you? As a severe disciplinarian who makes you toe the mark? Or as a good friend and counselor who wants to share heart-to-heart with you? You decide.
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
Please pray for Mike and Sandy Brommer as they spread the Lord’s Seed and witness to His glory while on the road today. Please pray also that the Lord will lead him to Kingdom-profitable loads to carry, and that He grants them safe passage today.
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR PASTOR BOB ALLMANN
Please remain in prayer concerning his continued healing and that he is upheld by the Spirit, becoming physically strong as he returns to serving the Lord… what he loves to do!
Please continue to pray for Billy Hamburg, whose doctors found 5 tumors in his bladder. He had surgery June 29th and the biopsy results showed a cancerous condition. He will be undergoing chemo & radiation treatments and will need the Lord’s Hand to overcome his anxiety as well as the cancer.
UPDATE:
After more testing, the doctors have found that, despite the number of tumors found in and around the bladder, that the cancer has NOT spread to any surrounding muscle tissue or organs. They are looking at completely removing the bladder and replacing it with a piece of intestine. WE PRAISE GOD AND GIVE HIM THE GLORY FOR THIS; WE ALSO PRAY THAT BILLY WILL RECOGNIZE THIS AS GOD WORKING IN HIS LIFE!!!!!!!!!
Keegan has had a few set backs. He has had blood in his stools. They did an abdominal x-ray and it showed Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC). Which means damage and death of cells in the intestine and inflammation of the colon (lower part of the intestine). It appears to be very mild. If it was severe it could mean surgery. They are taking x-rays a couple times a day and they are improving each time. They found the blood Sunday night at about 11:30 pm. Then started the x-rays. His last diaper was negative for blood. They say that this was probably caused by a shortage of oxygen during or after surgery or from being on the by-pass machine. So the brain recognized that there was a shortage of oxygen and sent it to the heart and brain not the intestines. For this we are grateful. If something had to be short on oxygen we are glad it was not the brain or heart. This would have caused irreversible damage. It appears that he will recover fully from this.
His white count is out of whack because of this and the infections and he is on a couple of antibiotics. They took his food away (just when he started to take a bottle again). And they put a drainage tube into his stomach via the nose. This has helped a ton. He feels much better and slept well last night. He has to be NPO (without food) for about 7 days. So this means he will probably be here another week or so. We take it day by day and it changes day by day. He still has pacer wires in his chest in case there is an emergency. There is still some drainage from around the wires. They said that they think it is ok as long as there is no fluid around the heart. They will do another Echo to make sure but are confident that there is not any.
He has had set backs but we still have our baby boy. Please keep praying for him. Some days I feel like the evil one is here and doing this. I know our God would not do this to our son. I keep praying over him for the evil one to leave and for the Holy Spirit to fill him and this hospital. We know our God is stronger and smarter than the devil. Keegan will make it through this and get better. It is just hard to take but we will make it.
We have confidence in the doctors and nurses here and I have been in contact with our own family dr. He is very reassuring to us. It is a blessing to talk to him, someone we know and trust. We thank God for him and all of you for all of the support.
Please continue your prayers for Keegan and that he will heal and nothing more will go wrong.
Thank you, David & Traci
Good morning, Church!
John 13:16, "I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master."
In
And then there is Jesus and His Church.
Listen to what He says in John 13:12-17, "When Jesus had finished washing their feet, He returned to His place. 'Do you understand what I have done for you?' He asked them. 'You call Me "Teacher" and "Lord", and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.'"
Doesn't Jesus get it? The way to attract people is to cater to their consumerism. The way to keep them coming back is to promise better service than the other guy does, not call them to be the ones serving!
But that's just it. Jesus DOES get it. He's not into attracting people, He's into developing people. If you want to keep someone self-focused and self-concerned, cater to their every need. If you want to develop a person, invite them to become a servant along with the Master.
We have begun using a turn of phrase around Gloria Dei: "Every servant serving." It's not a slogan to get stuff done around the church; it's a way of developing people to be the Church.
Some might say, "But I don't have time to do much serving!" Jesus would say, "The reason you have time is to serve."
A consumer-centered culture works on a number of levels, but not at the level of the Spirit. There Jesus calls us to be counter-cultural. After all, when your Master is a servant, what else could we be?
Will you pray with me? Dear Jesus, you are my Master. And yet you are the master servant. You have washed my feet and washed away my sin. You have served me as my Master! How can I do anything else today other than serve my Master by being the servant? Thank you for the privilege of serving along your side today. Amen!
Be wise and be Church,
Pastor Greg
GDLC Message: http://www.gdlc.org/worship/sermons.aspx
…and…
TURNING POINT
Dr. David Jeremiah
Slaying the Giant of Failure - Part 2
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Would you say you enjoy failing? Most of us would respond with a resounding, "NO!" to that question. And it's no wonder when our society is driven by success. Entire companies are dedicated to helping students achieve successful SAT scores, and companies reward employees for excellent performance. No one's saying that success is bad, but why do we fear failure? In this message, we'll learn that failing one time or many times doesn't diminish our usefulness to God.
Series: Slaying the Giants in Your Life
VIEW OR LISTEN AT
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Turning_Point/
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http://dysmasconduit.weebly.com/
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