Volume 20, No.4

APRIL 2005

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CONTENTS

Victory In Jesus

The Storms of God

Hugs 'N Tugs
By Wendy Greiner Lefko

Who Crucified Jesus?

Don't Fake It

The Best of Life
By Rev. Larry W. Greiner

The Secrets of the Lord

I Will Glory In The Cross

It's Worth It All

Praise & Prayer

Itinerary

VICTORY IN JESUS

Most Christians fail in their Christian life for one simple reason: They fail to have a quiet time.  They fail to start the day with Jesus.  It is so simple.  They say, "Why am I failing?  Why don't I have the victory?  Why don't I understand?" I want to respond, "Why don't you get quiet before God at the beginning of your day and saturate your soul with His presence and bathe your heart with His Word?"  

Someone has said, "Every morning lean thine arms a while upon the windowsill of heaven and gaze upon thy Lord.  And then with the vision in thy heart, turn strong to meet the day." --Dr. Adrian Rogers

"My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up" (Psalm 5:3).

Faith is resting in the fact that God has an objective in leaving me on the scene when I feel useless to Him and a burden to others. --Pamela Reeve 

THE STORMS OF GOD

Watch for the storms of God.  The only way God plants His saints is through the whirlwind of His storms.  Will you be proven to be an empty pod with no seed inside?   That will depend on whether or not you are actually living in the light of the vision you have seen.  Let God send you out through His storm, and don’t go until He does.  If you select your own spot to be planted, you will prove yourself to be an unproductive empty pod.  However, if you allow God to plant you, you will “bear much fruit” (John 15:8).

                                   --Oswald Chambers

There is nothing He does not know.
Though limitless the universe and gloriously grand,
He knows the eternal story of every grain of sand.  

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HUGS 'N TUGS

ANTICIPATING GRACE

By Wendy Greiner Lefko

Do not fret, God is working
Though His hand you may not see.
All the trials, all the testing
For His purpose it must be.

Through the hurt, through the sorrow
He is working in the heart.
Disappointment, His appointment
To accept, the hardest part.

Times of waiting in the dark
Sowing seeds of patience rare,
Glowing brightly, Jesus shining,
Shedding light on every care.

Still no answer, still not knowing,
Sprouts of faith begin to grow,
Seeking Jesus, waiting for Him,
He is all I need to know.

Look to Him, He is able
All our troubles to erase.
If we wait in faith believing,
He will show His lovely face.

In His time, in His purpose
He will bring all things to light
Do not fret, God is working
He will guide our paths aright.

Dark the road, long the journey,
He our Light along the way.
He will lead, we must follow
His command--trust and obey.

When I don't see answers coming,
I look upon His loving face;
Then in faith, believing, hoping,
I'm anticipating grace!

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I like the attitude of the preacher who refused to take revenge.   He said, "I'm not going to get even.  I'm going to tell God on you!"

WHO CRUCIFIED JESUS?

In a dream I saw the Savior.  His back was bare and there was a soldier lifting up his hand and bringing down that awful cat-o'-nine-tails.  In a dream I rose and grasped his arm to hold it back.  When I did, the soldier turned in astonishment and looked at me.  And when I looked at him, I recognized myself.

 --W.A. Criswell

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DON'T FAKE IT

Years ago Walt Kelly, the originator of the lovable comic-strip character Pogo, pictured his little friend fishing in a swamp.  By and by a duck comes along and sits down beside Pogo.  The duck opens the conversation, "Has you seen my cousin?"    Pogo answers, "Your cousin?"  "Yes, my cousin.  He’s migrating north by kiddy car."   Pogo asks, "By kiddy car?"  "Yep.  He's afraid to fly.  He's afraid he's gonna fall off." "Then why don't he swim?"   Pogo responds.  "Well, he don't like to swim 'cause he gets seasick."  With a measure of insight, Pogo states, "When your cousin decided to be a duck, he chose the wrong business."   

That little comic strip is a "beatitude of life."  "Blessed is the duck who, when he decides to be a duck, does what a duck is supposed to do!" --Haddon Robinson

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Hear about the fellow who had a nagging wife?   "Talk, talk, talk, talk, he said to his friend.  "That's all my wife ever does is talk, talk, talk."  His friend responded, "Well, what does she talk about?"  "I don't know," he said, "she don’t say." --Ray Stedman

THE BEST OF LIFELINE

                        By Rev. Larry W. Greiner

Two weeks before he died of cancer, George gave me a copy of what he had read at his father's funeral.  Having had the privilege of leading George to Christ, I was honored to read the letter which he had not shared with anyone else since the funeral. He said that the only love that came close to fitting his own description of real love, which he now saw in Christ, was found in his father. 

"I never had a chance to say goodbye to my Father, so I thought I'd express a few words to you of what he symbolized to our family.  James Francis Gallagher was a living symbol of a loving person. He radiated love and embraced everyone.  James was a symbol of our church and country's philosophy.  My father was one of the good men who lived to love and loved to live.  He gave my family the greatest gift of life, love.  We learned there is no substitute for love. Without love we only exist.  When you give yourself, you give love, you give life.  Love is the foundation of a lasting family, religion and civilization.  The difference between a life filled with love and a very comfortable one is infinite.  Love has more faces than a diamond has facets.  True romantic love is rarer than a Burmese Ruby and more brilliant than a diamond.  What ever the question, the answer is always love.  Love is more powerful than all the weapons ever made and yet more fragile than a butterfly.  Behind every great invention or art treasure is an act of love.  Love can appear in a flash and be gone in a minute, if it isn't nourished by your heart.  Never stop loving, because we can't live without it.  Love is the only force that can enable you to reach the ultimate ecstasy and serenity of despair.  We can never be fully content without love.  It can be crushed by a death and yet be more indestructible than gold.  Whatever the illness, love is the cure.

"Real love always creates. It never destroys.  Everyone who ever made it to the top needed someone, so reach out and touch someone.   There is no meaning or purpose in life without love.  Love is food for the soul and man’s only hope.  My father's message was spelled LOVE and our world is empty without him today." --George Gallagher. 

On Father's Day, dads, would our children say something like this about us after we are gone?  

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at any time, If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us." (1 John 4:11,12).

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THE SECRETS OF THE LORD

It is when a man is alone with his wife that he tells her the precious secrets of his soul.  It is not when the family is around, or when there is company there.  So, when we want to get the secrets of heaven we want to be alone with Jesus, and listen that He may come and whisper to our souls.  The richest hours I have ever had with God have not been in great assemblies. . . . but sitting alone at the feet of Jesus. --D. L. Moody

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"Many a sick, weakly soul cowers with a healthy body, while many a hopeless sufferer is perfectly whole in heart. . . . A healthy soul is a greater gift than a healthy body, and this is something that none of us need lack."

        --Margaret Clarkson

I WILL GLORY IN THE CROSS

Dear Lord, Thou hast appointed a cross for me to take up and carry, a cross before thou givest me a crown.   Thou hast appointed it to be my portion, but self-love hates it, carnal reason is unreconciled to it. Without the grace of patience I cannot bear it, walk with it, profit by it.

O blessed cross, what mercies dost thou bring with thee!  Thou art only esteemed hateful by my rebel will, heavy because I shirk thy load.

Teach me, gracious Lord and Savior, that with my cross thou sendest promised grace so that I may bear it patiently, that my cross is thy yoke which is easy, and thy burden which is light.  

 --Puritan Prayers and Devotions

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Present-day religion far too often soothes the conscience instead of awakening it; and produces a sense of self-satisfaction and eternal safety rather than a sense of our unworthiness. --Martyn Lloyd Jones

IT’S WORTH IT ALL

The infusion nurse who came to our home each week to supervise the medication and do blood work showed a particular interest in spiritual things.  On her second visit, we had the joy of leading her to Christ!  Claire told her it was worth the months of suffering and pain just to have her become a child of God.  She is excited about her new relationship with Christ, and is meeting with Ruth on Wednesday evenings for Bible study on Experiencing God. 

The day she received Christ she went home and wrote the following note: "Today was so very special for me.   I just wish you knew how special.   I really believe God has a master plan for me and for the 1st time in my life I'm starting to believe it's really there.  He brought you both into my life for a reason and I'm beginning (thanks to talking to you both) that there really is a chance that I can become the person He wants me to me.   Thanks for being there for me, a stranger.   Thank God He thought me worthy to meet you both.  I won't let God or you down.  Love and thanks, Nancy ."

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 PRAISE & PRAYER

* Praise for God’s faithful provision.

* Praise for the encouragement of friends.

* Praise for responses to the meetings, literature, the web and Hearthstone.

* Claire completed his 28 days of anti-biotic medication, through a picc line to counteract the liver abscess that had developed after surgery.   A cat scan showed that it is now completely gone.  Praise the Lord!  He continues to have blood work every two weeks, and a shot for his red cells once a week.   The white cell count is still low.  Thank you for your faithful prayers.   Claire has been preaching and sharing in the meetings.   He is struggling to put on some weight, but otherwise feels well.

* The following letter received last week was a special blessing:  "Writing is not one of my strengths, but I couldn't fail to let you know how God used you in my life.   You were both a wonderful blessing.   Every morning my husband and I have devotions and a prayer time together.  He's in the early stages of Alzheimer's, so I do the reading from God’s Word and the Daily Bread.  He then prays from a written list for family and friends and I take the church list and a missionary album.  This is a time of precious closeness with the Lord, and I thought it was enough.   After your moving testimony this morning in church I came under strong conviction of the need to spend more time alone with my Heavenly Father.  I plan to do that regularly from now on.  I can't thank you enough for your blessed influence for a personal closeness with Him each day.   May He bless you and continue to use you." --S.M.

* * * * *

Beloved co-laborers,

Thank you for your faithfulness and friendship.   Your prayerful support has enabled us to keep going during these days of testing.  God gives the victory.    May He bless you in exceeding ways for your commitment to Him and His work.

"The Greiners"

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GREINER ITINERARY

April 24  First Baptist Church, Dover , DE

May 7    United Methodist Church, Williamstown , NJ

May 9     Olney Baptist Church,  Philadelphia , PA

May 19-24  Indiana

June 7   Community E.C. Church, Ladies Luncheon                              Hatfield , PA

June 6-10  Seniors Retreat (Claire & Ruth), America's Keswick                 Whiting, NJ

Pray for Bob's Korean Youth Meetings every Friday evening and Sunday morning.

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