5.17.09 MAY YOU LIVE FOREVER!

well, been out of work for 8.5 weeks now so i'm back down at about 10 hr per week work for 2009 so far. it will be interesting to see how God provides. one thing He is trying to teach me is patience. i could have worked for about 3 weeks now but a combination of almost constant rain and/or threat of rain on the one hand and being right in the midst of trying desperately (because of the aforementioned weather conditions) to finish painting the barn roof and the flat roofs for shirley and i - which has taken the few remaining good painting days to complete - has made it 'impossible' to 'paint for pay'. Lord, how long? if we have decent weather i hope to complete all the home projects by silverizing the back flat roof and putting a final coat of stain on the back deck tomorrow am.

another reason i am fighting to finish home-projects-in-process is because it is beginning to look like i may be elsewhere painting, etc. for a while. recently while reading a newsletter from a guy whose vision/ministry is seeking to be a catalyst between american and arab christians i came across news that he is heading to dearborn, michigan in june. the attraction is called arab festival and in its 13th year is attracting more than 300,000 muslims from canada and the u.s. it is like a three day giant block party with hookah, middle eastern cuisine and music, etc. in reading about it, oddly enough i sensed a special connection, began praying about it and decided to cast a lot...Lord, should i go?...yes. so the next day with a sense of hastening i called denny and asked him when i needed to let him know i was going. he said, 'yesterday'...and laughed. he said he would send some more info and i promised to give him a commitment the next day. the next day he gave the # of the agent booking and i called and gave her the ticket price by credit card in time for her to book our flight. so, COOL! it's wierd because i sense no special 'call' to evangelize muslims nor any desire to fly but sense a definite 'call' to dearborn for whatever reason.

checking it out on the web yielded some interesting info about the event. there are a handful of churches/christian ministries which will be there. george saieg (i think i butchered his last name), a muslim who has believed Christ has been going to the festival for a few years now. from california, denny somehow made a connection with him and so we few who are coming from the east coast will be learning from and working with george. his site was interesting. he shared several occurances. one was of him meeting a man whom he had given a dvd of the Jesus film (?) or something like that the year before. the man said something to the effect that he had viewed it and believed everything and then asked what he should do next. another was of a man to whom he had given the dvd one day. the man came up to him the next day crying and saying, i need to be saved...so who knows. only God changes hearts. i nor anyone else can do anything...only just be available to be His hands and feet.

i was concerned about eating junk food. denny said george will be handling all the food, that it will be middle eastern and to some degree kosher. george will be training us how to share Christ with muslims. we will not have a tent or anything. evidently we will just be in the milling crowds talking with people about stuff and offering stuff for them to consider. i'm guardedly-extremely excited, if that makes any sense. the actual festival is friday-sunday, june 19-21...5-11pm, noon-llpm, noon-10 pm. we should leave for home monday morning. everything is foggy though and i may have a few (or many) of these details wrong.

the day i put the $ down for the airplane, God sent me a job painting an apartment. every time i step out in faith He provides! He is just so true to what He says. i don't know this for sure but sense that my trust in Him may be growing stronger. i hope so and i pray that He will bring me to the place where i seek FIRST His kingdom and righteousness giving NO WORRY to how He will provide needs.

recently read an article from the group of farmers from which i get grass-fed milk and butter (C.A.R.E.) that stated that 70% of the mainstream food supply in this country is wholly or partially tainted with food grown from genetically modified seed. this seed is almost exclusively owned by the giant monsanto corporation which holds 60 or so patents for genetically modified plants. it reported that monsanto is currently running aggressively at the goal of holding a complete monopoly when it comes to seeds. they are buying out everyone and want to become the only source of seeds. they are attacking small family farms through unethical tactics in order to intimidate them into using only monsanto seed or driving them out of business. gmo plants are 'engineered' to send out toxins that kill the insects that might threaten them. animals will refuse to eat them while foraging but instead choose natural plants. they threaten organic crops by cross-pollinating with them thus corrupting them and destroying their value as nutritious food for human consumption. so...could i encourage you to concider doing what ever it takes to grow your own food, with only natural compost, and/or buy it from a source you can trust. (much 'organic' food is on the market which is produced by corporations who do not have integrity which calls into question the integrity of what they produce).

have been learning lessons about the lot and its use. 1. unless i need to make a decision immediately which i sense should be by lot it seems best not to cast the lot prematurely. the best seems to be in prayer about the decision and recommit it to God everytime it resurfaces in the mind. let it 'stew' before God and wait for revelation through His word that might provide direct guidance without the use of the lot. weigh, consider, pray. maybe even come to a sense, provisionally, about a guidance and then, if necessary, cast a lot. 2. always follow a lot when cast. 3. when the answer of the lot is perplexing ask God 'why' and wait for Him to teach thru the word etc. i have several times been rebuked in spirit after casting a lot. when this happens it seems best to sincerely ask God the nature of the rebuke.

this happened when i cast a lot about whether or not God wanted me to buy stuff at the rummage sale at church this week. the answer was 'yes'. the two-day sale is wednesday-thursday. i went over to the church late tuesday night to get the best of what was available and put it aside to purchase the next morning when the sale officially opened its doors. i felt rebuked on returning home. what, Lord? what is wrong. do You not want me to buy the things...You said 'yes'? i normally, between rummage sales in may and october make note of anything i might need in the area of clothing, household supplies etc. as i collected the things i would buy there were things - nice things- that i put aside for myself that were not on that list. as i went to bed it came to me that i should not put aside for myself but let God put aside for me what He wanted me to have. the next morning i got up and went over early and put all the things i got back where i found them so that they could be purchased by whoever with the thot in my heart...Lord, You will preserve for me the very things that You want me to have and then it will not be me providing for myself but a joyful sense of You providing for me what You know i need. well i went back again thursday the last day of the sale - $2 a bag sale day. first, i had a backpack on the list and hadn't found any tuesday pm. when i walked in and asked if they had any, the lady led me to what almost looked like a brand new and very sturdy ll bean bag. AWESOME out of the gate. then i went to the hat box and found an extremely warm and outlandish beanie that had been on the list to replace the beanie recently lost (that you, dearest kate, had made me years ago) and to comfort me in my loss...and another nice beanie i had not seen the first time. i had put away 4 pairs of thick, warm woolen socks that had been on the list for protection thru a coming winter...and they were all still there! i got a better sweatshirt, warmer and heavier than the one i put back, and found three pairs of really beefie sweat pants (i had found no sweat pants the first time). saw a beautiful and sturdy belt i had not seen (this had not been on the list but something i could use coming up). i found the heavy woolen sweater i had had a very difficult time putting back and am so grateful for it and another one to boot. this winter will be much warmer for me thanks to the Lord's provision! i am almost done reading wild at heart and was on my way to calvary church of souderton's library to renew it if possible. passing the book table ....you guessed it!!!...there it was. plus i found 2 other books that will be excellent reading for when i get old and immobile. this last was the clincher. God, for trusting His provision rather than my own gave me far more exceedingly abundantly than i could have asked or thot. GOD IS GOOD! i had $3 in my wallet. i had the sweatshirt and the beanie on and had stuffed (oh, i forgot...3 underpants too!) everything in the bean bag. i asked and was told the charge was $3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! have a good week. love, dad.