"Nothing can.....not ever...."
Romans 8:38-40 (New International Version)
Don Collette
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Print"There is Healing..."
Malachi 4:2 (New International Version)
2 But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall.
Through out our ministry, it has been the children of God who have revered God's name, put their total faith in Him and trusted Him with no doubt, that over and over again were touched by the hand of God. It is these that to this day I seek out for counsel and guidance and to pray for me. It is these that will listen and not condemn, but offer the same hope that God has given them in a mighty way. God is our very best friend, but we must still stand in awesome reverence of Him, His glory and power and majesty. Remember to revere your heavenly Father... There is healing in Him..... God Bless, Don and Karen
"They overcame by the Words of their testimony.."
Psalm 27 (New International Version)
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.
4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
We can stand secure in the knowledge that one day we will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Until then, share the victories you have had because of your faith with family and especially young people. Go to a nursing home and share your experience with God with some folks there. You and they will be blessed. We really do overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony.... In fact if you drop us an e-mail with your testimony we will share it with the friends of Sermonsnacks and especially in our teen snacks. God Bless, Don and Karen
"Take Heart"
John 16:33 (New International Version)
"Yet hope..."
Romans 8:24-25 (NIV)
24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
In years of ministry we have noticed some things that are just about always true. One of those is when someone loses "hope" it is a downward spiral from there. God tells us that he can do far and exceedingly above all that we ask or think. Whatever place and circumstance you find yourself in today, know that you can hope, hope for every promise of God, wait for them patiently, think on them, dream about them. God desires to fulfill your every hope in his time and in accordance with his plan for you. God Bless, Don and Karen
"Adopt a youth group...."
Bushnell Assembly of God, Bushnell, Florida. They decided that instead of being the ones soaking up ministry they wanted to give out from their own lives. As their group set goals for themselves they came up with two main agendas: Adopt-A-Youth and Prayer Vigil. It took almost 7 months to actually get the Adopt-A-Youth up and running smoothly, but their efforts have been worth all the time and planning. In April of 2004 they had a dinner and presented “Adoption” certificates to the youth in the program. Diana says, “My husband and I bonded with the two teens we chose (actually they chose us!)”. Mullin took her “granddaughter” and five of her friends out for pizza and mall stuff on her birthday and they all had a ball. Diana buys gifts and prays for her “granddaughter” and they look for each other every time they are at church. Mullin says, “One Sunday I was not feeling well and my adopted “granddaughter” came and sat with me to ‘comfort and cheer’ me.” Another member of the Senior Adult group took her adoptee to the beach on Senior Skip Day and also took her for her driving test. Recently the church gave time for testimonies regarding these relationships and everyone seems to be benefiting from these special ties. Diana Mullin reports that she had gotten out of touch with teens and this outreach has made a tremendous difference in her understanding of their lives. Bushnell Assembly of God averages 200 in attendance on Sunday mornings and over fifty of them are youth group attendees. The Adopt-AYouth effort has been good for the whole church.
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"Grandmas House"
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If your church is located near an elementary school, consider opening a “Grandma’s House.” Meet with your pastor to discuss the possibility of offering a before and after school daycare for children with grandparents as volunteer caretakers.
Be sure your church has adequate insurance to cover the children and volunteers. Check with an attorney if necessary.
Grandpas can provide playtime for the children.
- Play games.
- Color pictures.
- Teach the alphabet or new words.
- Play catch.
Grandmas can provide nurturing.
- Provide milk and cookies.
- Hold the shy children and reassure them.
- Talk to the children and listen to their stories.
Other activities can be led by either grandparent.
- Read stories at designated times.
- Make simple crafts to take home.
- Sing songs and play instruments together.
Keep complete records for each child who attends Grandma’s House. You need the name, address, phone number, emergency contact, and any physical limitations or diet restrictions.
This service can be strictly gratis, or a small hourly fee may be charged. Have set hours for opening and closing.
Solicit enough volunteers to provide adequate help for the number of children you have attending. Keep order among the children.
Allow for drop-in children who need to come occasionally. Consider naptime for children who need it.
All children love grandparents. Be the best they have ever known.
"The faithful will rejoice and be glad..."
Psalm 97:11 (The Message)
11 Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God's people,
Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil.
The faithful servants of God may well rejoice and be glad, because he is glorified; and whatever tends to his honour, is his people's pleasure. Care is taken for their safety. But something more is meant than their lives. The Lord will preserve the souls of his saints from sin, from apostacy, and despair, under their greatest trials. He will deliver them out of the hands of the wicked one, and preserve them safe to his heavenly kingdom. And those that rejoice in Christ Jesus, and in his exaltation, have fountains of joy prepared for them. Those that sow in tears, shall reap in joy. Gladness is sure to the upright in heart; the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment. Sinners tremble, but saints rejoice at God's holiness. As he hates sin, yet freely loves the person of the repentant sinner who believes in Christ, he will make a final separation between the person he loves and the sin he hates, and sanctify his people wholly, body, soul, and spirit. (Matthew Henry's Commentary) God Loves you, Don and Karen
"God hasn't left our side..."
2 Corinthians 4:7-12 (The Message)
7-12If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That's to prevent anyone from confusing God's incomparable power with us. As it is, there's not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we're not much to look at. We've been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we're not demoralized; we're not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we've been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn't left our side; we've been thrown down, but we haven't broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake, which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us. While we're going through the worst, you're getting in on the best!
Even in what seems the worst of times.....God never leaves our side. Every day of your life, Jesus is evident in your life. He is always watching over you. God Bless. Don and Karen
"The Lord is near..."
Psalm 145:18 (New International Version)
to all who call on him in truth.
"Your work produced by faith..."
1 Thessalonians 1:3 (New International Version)
3We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
As we look back on the faithful saints we have had the privilege to know over the years, we see some of the things that made them strong and the reason why God blesses them and watches over them still today. They worked for the Lord, out of faith, faith that He would take care of them, Faith that one day they would enter into His rest and He would say "well done good and faithful servant", they were not concerned about what others thought, only God. They labored for the Lord in the church, for the church, at work and in the home. They endured over and over all the things the world threw at them, because there hope was and is in the Lord. God bless these saints, God bless you. Don and Karen
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"They will bear fruit..."
Psalm 92:12-15 (NIV)
12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the LORD,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, "The LORD is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."
We all seem to have a preconceived idea of what "bearing fruit" is. I believe from God's word we all have the God given ability to bear fruit. One of the most effective ways is by sharing what God has done in our life, and the longer we have lived the more God has blessed and done miracle after miracle in our lives. Share what God has done in your life with family, neighbors and loved ones. Pray that God would give you the opportunity, it will be a mighty blessing to someone and to you. God will place in front of you the right persons at exactly the right time....be ready and listen to the Holy Spirit. God Bless you as you continue to "bear fruit". Don and Karen
"Jesus Heals Many and Still Today..."
Luke 4:38-39 (New International Version)
"Overflowing with thankfulness"
"Rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." (Colosians 2:7 NIV)
As you look back on your life, many of us can probably give a lot of credit to our grandparents for the faith we have now. They taught us that we could believe in God and His promises, that God really does care and is in control of our lives. That we should always be thankful to Him for all we have and are. It is my daily prayer that we will teach the next generation of believers the importance of Faith in God our Father and to always be thankful for Him. As we grow older and have more time to share our faith and what God has done for us in the past in His promises for the future, let's share it with our children and grandchildren and keep them under a constant covering of prayer. God Bless, Don
"Senior Adult Ministry Homepage"
This site has a wonderful amount of helpful information for Senior Adults and their families!.......Check it out! http://sam.ag.org/index.cfm Don
Renewed Day by Day
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed...Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."
2 Corinthians 4: 8-9,16 The human body wears out............I know, mine seems to be doing just that. Things just don't work they way they used to. As we grow older, our bodies begin to fail, our families may be far away, we have much more time to think, sometimes on things God does not call to us think on. In this scripture, Paul tells us: "Hey.......we are going to be pressed, perplexed, prosecuted, struck down......but we're not going to
lose heart". Paul knew where his help came from. Day by day, no matter how old we are, we are getting closer to the perfect state which God is calling us to when we go to be with Him in Heaven. Day by day we are getting close to "No more pain or sorrow." What a wonderful day that will be!.......Until then, May God richly Bless you every day and keep you in His perfect peace!
God Bless,
Don
