Sunday July 10, 2005

Every once in a while, you meet people who you just click with, and whom you just grow to love very quickly. This Sunday, we had Bill & Debbie Crawford, missionaries to Germany with us, and we just fell in love with this wonderful couple and their family. Bill & Debbie joined us in both services, and Bill preached using his karate expertise, showing how we can use the armor of God to withstand the attacks of the devil (see pictures below). We were so excited to have these folks with us, and I look forward to sending a missions team over to their church in the next two years to minister along with them. Let's be in prayer for either 2006 or 2007 for God to give us the opportunity to go and send a missions team there.

Along with the Crawfords, we had a wonderful day overall. Our attendance was good (107) even though we were missing so many people. God continues to give us momentum heading into the fall, and I believe our Wednesday prayer meetings with lay some of the spiritual groundwork necessary for a fall harvest of people coming to know Jesus Christ through this church.

One other funny note: during the first service, Bill Crawford used Seth to be his warrior that he would dress up in karate gear during the message and then show how the attacks of Satan are useless against the armor. Well Seth had on a tight karate belt, a chest protector, feet protectors, and a shield, and he thought Bill was going to hit his shield with a rod. Instead Bill kicked the shield (and Seth), sending Seth flat onto his butt! We laughed, but when Seth got up, he looked ashen, and couldn't focus. I had to go up and give him some juice, and let him sit down - we thought he was either going to faint or throw up or both! But you know, as I sat there with Seth, I thought, "What a place to be when you get hurt! We could lay hands on him if this continues." And he got past it in just a few. I believe that he just got dizzy. Bill didn't mean to knock him over - but it's all good, and God was in it, and the service went well.

Thank you, Lord, for Your protection over Seth, and for Your Spirit meeting with us through the Crawfords. We seek Your beautiful face more and more in our services.