I just was preparing our message for Sunday evening . It will be a study on the "Return of the Lord", taken from Matthew 25. Are you ready for the Lord to return? His return will be Sudden, Surprising, Separating, Sudden , and Spectacular. Have you noticed the world events lately? They seem to be very comparable with the Scriptures portrayal of End Time events. Earthquakes, natural disasters, world economics seem to be ready to fall setting the stage for the Antichrist. Are you following our very own elections in America, Who would have ever dreamed such possibilities? Friends we need to wake up and smell the roses. Are you personally ready? How about your children,spouse, parents, friends? We must get the message out that the only way to be ready for this surprising event is to REALLY KNOW the LORD via the new birth. This Sunday eve lets get as many of our family and friends to Liberty and pray that the Lord will bring great fear to their hearts so they will be saved and be ready for this UNBELIEVABLE EVENT soon to take place on PLANET EARTH. It really is going to take place, dont go to sleep, be waiting and watching. It may be TODAY!     "SEE YOU HERE, THERE, OR IN THE AIR".

Yesterday was a real busy day. Got to the office and started out with our weekly staff meeting. I sure appreciate all our Pastors and other staff. We were able to do lunch with the Pastors and then took care of some ministry errands. Got back to the church for afternoon meetings and was able to take care of lots of loose ends from the weekends. Made many calls and then at 4 p.m. Karen picked me up to go into the funeral home to minister to Deb Mcatees family and of course pay our respects to Deb. Then we we went to the hospital to visit Ray Carmichael, Mary Cox and Sue Deshaey. Then Karen & I went home and walked and run 2 miles. Then fixed a bite to eat. After that we went to Beth and Ryan's and spent a little time with them and of course Lucy. We spent a hour or so catching up with email and then to bed. Its amazing how our days come and go so fast. We all need to be so careful how we use them. All day yesterday during all these activities I was able to commune and fellowship with the LORD! I sought guidance, I leaned on Him for direction and listened to His voice. The Lord walks with us in every moment of life. We need to be mindful of how we use our each of our days. 

Well today will be a little hard for me as we will officiate Deb Mcatee's funeral. Deb is one of our church family. She and I served the Lord together for 35 years . She was in the morning service the day I was saved. I remember her teaching children, going soulwinning, singing in the choir, enjoying the church fellowships, sitting in the Church services for all those years. Deb was our age and there are so many memories. I am thankful today for Jesus, and Calvary. Because of what Jesus did for Deb and because she repented and received Christ many years ago today she is HEALED AND IN HEAVEN. We will miss one of our own but it wont be long till we will meet again. 

 How is everyone today? You know, so  often we ask that of each other but do we really want to know?  Are we really concerned?  Jesus told us that the second great commandment was to love one another. When we are saved Romans 5: 5 tells us that the Holy Spirit Sheds The Love of God in our hearts. He pours out His Love in us. This allows us to Love Him and others with His powerful Love. The Question is "DO WE REALLY CARE"? You better believe we do! When we begin to allow the Lord to add to our Faith , Fear, Love, Virtue, Devotion and so much more we are able to step out and away of ourselves and begin to minister to others in Love. Every person we will speak with today needs to experience the Love of God, and it is those of us who have had His Love shed in our hearts that can be used of the Lord to touch them! Right now as you read this blog, pause in prayer and ask the Lord to help you today be filled with His Love and for Him to work it out throughout the day to be able to Love others. The Glorious thing is you will benefit even more then those you Love. It sets us FREE from the slavery of self and the destruction of self pity. Remember "LOVE NEVER FAILS" ! 

Liberty Family please remember the Funeral of Deb Mcatee

Viewing is Today { Tuesday May 27  4p.m. - 8 p.m.}

Funeral Service   { Wed      May 28  11:30 a.m. }

Needham North Funeral Home

 This weekend we are presenting to Liberty Baptist Mike & Sarah Click to fill our Youth Pastors position. Both are dedicated and gifted servant's of the Lord. And their main goal is to find a church where they can HELP other people find the Lord and grow in His grace. I am looking forward to getting some HELP, and if our congregation votes them in on June 1st we also are looking forward to HELPING them become all the Lord want's them to become! When we think we don't need HELP we are really practicing some bad thinking. God created us as needy people. We need each other and we need especially the LORDS HELP. I have been praying for Help and the Lord seems to be sending some, Thank You Jesus! We are praying for more HELP in the future, as I am already looking for more HELP to come and get involved at Liberty. The only way to get HELP is to look for it, ask for it, and to receive it when it comes. You will never ask for HELP unless you humble yourself and see your need. More of us need to be more needy. We need to rely on the Lord's HELP more and more. He is a great HELP in every area of life. "LORD   HELP  US TO NEED   HELP " !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All of us are living for something and for certain are heading somewhere. Let me ask a question today that I would like for you to ponder. WHEN YOU GET TO WHERE YOUR GOING,WHERE WILL YOU BE? Write that down on a little card put it in your pocket or purse and over the next several days pull it out often and meditate on it. It will stir you to serious thought. Have a great day.

It has been fun the last few day's to hear the comments being given in honor of Pastor Ryan and Beth's 10 year service here at Liberty. I have had the wonderful joy of listening and reading many many emails of honor to both of them. In 1st Timothy 5:17 it tells us to pay honor to those elder's who are honorable. So it is right to do. I know both of them are thankful but also it has been a little hard to receive praises of men. Karen & I were talking and she told me never to do that for her, as she wouldn't want the attention. Well I could never promise that as the Bible tells us to honor each other on occasion. But here is the point that I really want to make today for each of us to think about.    

                       "THE TRUEST THING ABOUT ME IS WHAT GOD SAYS ABOUT ME'      

Think about that throughout the day and it will help you to live a life that will bring glory to the Lord!!!!

 It is Monday and what great service's we had again yesterday. We had nearly 700 in attendance in the morning service. We had 2 adults baptized and 1 adult lady saved. Last eve we had a great service honoring Pastor Ryan and Beth for ten years of faithful service as Pastor in our church. To hear all the testimonies was moving. We ran out of time there were so many more people who had come prepared to share. This morning we got to the office at 6:15 a.m. and Pastor Ryan and I went  to Ft Wayne to visit Deb Mcatee. Deb is not doing well. She is in very serious condition, Please pray. Also stopped at Lutheran Hospital to visit Ray Carmichael and Larry Brooks. Larry and Libby received some very bad news today concerning Larry's health. Please pray for them that they will be strengthened by the Lord. Also remember Denise Singer as this morning in Indianapolis she had surgery and Pastor Chas is there with her for the next 4 days. Pastor Chas will be working out of her room this week. Pray for them and as we are a little short handed pray for us also. What a great day Saturday to see Jamel Wolford graduate with his degree is Pastoral Studies. Jamel was brought to church 6 or more years ago and was saved here. What a joy to watch the LORD'S working in his life. Thanks to so many who allowed the Lord to use you in Jamels life. Last eve we announced that the Lord has given us peace about Mike & Sarah Click coming to Liberty. This next Sunday the Click's will be with us and during the evening service they will share their testimonies and ministry vision. Then on Sunday June 1st we will have a membership vote concerning Mike becoming an Assistant Pastor here at Liberty. Be in prayer concerning this.  I have to go for now hope you have a great evening. 

Our youngest daughter Rachael will be a senior this year in the nursing program at Purdue University. To be in Purdue's program is an honor as it is very difficult to be accepted and to make the grade. So you see Rachael has a great mind. But once when she came home for a break after being away she was starting her car when I noticed a funny noise. I motioned for her to roll down the window and asked, What's the matter with your car?" She said she didn't know. so I asked how long has it been making this noise? She said it had been doing this for several weeks. I said Rach when a car makes a noise like that it's time to see a mechanic. The longer we wait,the worse it can get. In the same way in our spiritual lives when we have problems perhaps we shouldn't wait so long to get help. Perhaps with our marriages, our relationships, our health, etc. Seek help early from the Lord, a mate, a parent, a pastor, a friend, a councilor. Don't put off seeking help, sometimes we wait just a moment to long.

 It is early Thursday morning May 15. I got into the office little earlier and sure love the quietness ! I know the day will get real crazy in awhile and that makes the quietness so much the better. "It's The Calm Before The Storm". We seem to serve in the storm and prepare to serve in the calm.  It always moves me to think how we can come into the Presence of the Lord! We who so often fail Him and sin against Him, yet we can seek Him and He will Lift us up, encourage us, strengthen us, and yes cleanse us when we sin. I have found a FRIEND IN JESUS! HE IS EVERYTHING TO ME! Won't it be great to see Him face to face and to finally be out of this body and world of sin, where we will experience unbroken fellowship with the ONE who LOVES us so? I know it may seem like I am just rambling but spending some time with Jesus will do that to you. I PRAISE HIS Name!!!!!!!!!!

I hope all our Liberty people get our Email Prayer Request's. So many have been coming in lately and many are so needy. Remember to pray for those with great needs. If you are not signed up on the email prayer line call Gerti Harmon or the office to get into this important ministry. Our church is touching the world by it's prayers.  

 How is everyone? Today is Tuesday and it is a beautiful day in Northeastern Indiana. Absolutely gorgeous! The Lord sure knows how to "Show Off" in His creation! Sorry about not blogging yesterday, I lost my laptop for a day. I thought I left it at the office but in fact I left it in the car Karen drives to work in and so I had suffered some "WITHDRAWAL PAINS" yesterday. What did we ever do before computers, email, blogs? Well for one thing it was a little less hectic and somewhat easier to make time just to pray and meditate. Now I not against modern conveniences , because they can help us accomplish more in less time and in so many ways help us as we serve the Lord. But we all must remember to not just fill our time up with busy activities, but to look for times to slow down and listen to HIS small still voice. I survived yesterday without email, without blogging, without my ICAL calendar , all my documents and downloads. But one thing is for sure I wouldn't have been able to survive yesterday, today or tomorrow without HIM!!!!!! 

Hey all you Liberty Baptist people remember to pray for Linda Cain this week she has found out some bad news about a mass in her brain area, pray for her and Steve. Also Jennifer Deboy's daughter Kim has been in a serious car accident and is in need of prayer. Larry Brooks , Mary Cox, Tracy Gordon, Don Purvis, Deb M'Catee and many others stand in need of our intercession. As I look at the beautiful sky today I am aware that it is raining on someone , somewhere. I will enjoy the day but will pray for those less fortunate and one day they will pray on a beautiful day for me and mine as  the rain's fall!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 I just left our Life Center filled with Mother's & Daughter's. What a wonderful sight! The Life Center was beautifully decorated and all the  "Girls" both young and old were dressed in those bright spring colors. Thank the Lord for making women and for making them like they are. They are so much different then we men and Praise God for all those differences. I am in my office praying for all the mothers and fathers in our ministry. What great potential they have in their hands as they mold young children, teen, and young adults into godly individuals. Make sure you pray for all the MOTHER'S today. AND DON'T FORGET TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THEM THIS WEKEND! See you tomorrow a church! 

 I love to observe people. Because of my Pastors heart and the appointment of the Lord to be a Shepherd it leads me to be watchful especially of the Children of God. One thing I believe to be true is all those I observe need to find more time for REST. I think I just heard a lot of AMEN'S ! I am not just talking about laying around or just vegging out, but to really rest in the Lord. We want to be productive, we want to fulfill purpose, we want to be good stewards of our time and talents. So our life must be lived not wasted, yet we need to find that all important rest to help us accomplish all of this for His glory. May I remind each of us today that the rest we need can be found in being with the Lord on a moment by moment basis. You can be very active but restful at the same time. Jesus is our source of energy for the physical, mental, emotional, spiritual parts of life. We must practice His presence and walk with Him day by day. A while ago i called someone and asked them if the Holy Spirit was with them. They said they Thought so. I said have you spoke to the Holy Spirit today? Their answer was no. Is it any wonder that we get so wore out, so overcome when we try to live life without the Lords help? Each of us need to learn more and more to walk with the Spirit and then we can have TRUE REST! 

 It is Thursday morning and what a week we have had. We have ministered in Marion, Kokomo, Peru, Sweetser, Converse and other places in between. We have ministered to individuals and to groups. But one thing is for sure "The Power of the Gospel" is still effective. Thanks for the prayers as we preached my mothers husbands funeral. Many were lost and the clear simple presentation of the Gospel was given. Pray now that the seed planted will grow good fruit. We all know that the SEED is perfect but the Soil is another story. Lets prepare the soil with prayer. This morning at 7 A.M. I met with a young 31 year old man who was saved 2 weeks ago at Liberty. He is planning on baptism in 2 weeks, PTL. He has begun his discipleship classes and what a GLOW he had today sharing how His life has changed. It is so fulfilling to see the Lords work in the life of people. Pray for this mans wife and 2 children as he leads them into the will of the Lord. Late last eve my mother called to tell me she appreciated my message at the funeral. She wanted me to know that my preaching the Gospel was just what was needed. She shared with me that Chick {her husband} had told her just a few days before that he did really mean what he did with me 3 weeks before in asking the Lord to forgive him and save his soul. Mom wanted me to know that he told her she needed to go back to church. Please pray for my mother. The longer I live and minister to people the more I am reminded that the most important thing we can do is to give the Gospel. It really is the one thing that matters most, one second after death. REMEMBER to honor your MOTHER'S this week. I just finished my message for Sunday and it was convicting to me. GIVE YOUR FLOWERS BEFORE THE FUNERAL!! GIVE YOUR THANKS AND APPRECIATION BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!!  Some may say I can' honor her she is not honorable. Honor the position as God says. If there has been Abuse or Abandonment practice understanding and FORGIVENESS. Life is to short to harbor bitterness, it will only destroy you and yours. Leave the pain in the past. Maybe you will need to have a talk, not a mean talk or a vindictive talk but a talk to leave the wrongdoings in the past and to have reconciliation today. It's possible in the POWER of the Lord! Just decide to obey that 5th Commandment, "HONOR YOUR FATHER & YOUR MOTHER! Love You!  

PS

Let me encourage you to share this blog with others. Let them know about it! 

 It is Monday morning and just finished our weekly staff meeting. How thankful I am for our Pastoral staff. They are hard workers who really know what it is to walk with God. On Monday I am extremely tired and I know they are also, because of all they do during the week and especially thru the weekend. Let me encourage each of the Liberty Family to tell the Assistant Pastors thanks this week. Let their wives and children know how thankful you are for them also. We had a great day yesterday. Had 2 adult ladies saved in the morning services, praise the Lord. Randy Ollis had one of the most powerful testimony's you could ever hear! If you would like to hear it or see it again stop by the Welcome Center and order a CD or DVD. Maybe you know someone who could benefit from listening encourage them to go to resources on this websight and listen.  Many were helped in their walk with the Lord! This week I have a really crazy schedule {I normally do but this week is more so}. Tomorrow I have the honor of watching our Daughter-In-Law Megan graduate from College. She has earned her Teaching degree! It will be special to show our love and respect for her and the hard work it took to accomplish this. On Wendsday morn I will preach my mothers husbands funeral, I really covet your prayer support. Lots and lots to do for the Lord. I am so thankful for all the opportunities the Lord gives to help others and to serve HIM! Please pray for us this week also as we go deeper into our Assistant Pastor search. 

Hey if you are reading the Blog let me encourage you to make a comment so I know I am not wasting time writing to no one! Have a Great Week! 

 It is Saturday morn and had a great time in Mens Prayer this a.m. Had over 20 men show up to do the most important ministry possible, PRAYER! Now we re getting ready to go out and Visit for the Lord. Some we are planning on seeing are new converts and we will talk to them about following the Lord in believers baptism. Some are visits of first time attenders, some in the hospital and some absentees. You know when you "Cease being a missionary you become a mission field'! Please pray for my mother today, she lost her husband this morning at around 2 a.m. Thank God Chick was saved 3 weeks ago in the nursing home. He was very sincere and just a few days ago reassured my brother Chuck that he meant his prayer of repentance and acceptance of Jesus with all his heart. It was a blessing to lead him to Jesus. Again please pray for my mother Louise , this is the second time in the last few years she has had to bury her husband. Have a great day of representing the Lord to your world. 

 Had a wonderful midweek service last night. Great crowd in Awana, Youth, Yams, and Adult Electives last night had near record attendance. Because of a labor shortage I rode the South Marion bus . I plan to do so until the labor problem is solved. We had right at 60 riders, and what a great time we had. I led them in Bible Quizzing and lots of Bible lessons. On the way home we did it all over again. What great potential to see these little ones come and hear about Jesus! I can still see their faces and their eyes . Without the Hope of Jesus and His salvation these children and teens will only grow harder and farther from the plan and purpose our Lord has for them. As we went thru areas of the city we saw many others who we did not have time, money, manpower and resources to reach. My prayer is the lord will help us to do more, but this will require much more resources in so many areas. HE IS ABLE. I am asking the Lord today for a great burden, and a greater vision not only for bus children but for all children of our area. Also for teens, young adults, families, widows and widowers. May I encourage you to pray the same and avail yourself to reach out wherever you are. It wont be long till this world is over and the only thing that will count is what we did for Christ. Our Lord loves these people so much, how can we not love them the same? If He is # 1 in our life then His burden and compassion should be ours also!!!!!!!!!

 If you have been around Liberty for very long you know that April 29, 1973 is a special day for this preacher. It was the day I was saved. No doubt the greatest day of my life. This past Tuesday it meant that I was saved for 35 years. It was a wonderful morning for me as I spent a little quiet time with the Lord just telling Him how appreciative I was for Him and His Gift of Salvation. Around 11:30 am I was to have lunch with a fellow and when we got to the restaurant some other men showed up . Seems they had been talking and just wanted to let me know how thankful they were for my salvation as well. Thanks for the cards from others. And just think we will celebrate our NEW BIRTH all thru eternity. Have you thanked the Lord lately for your gift of salvation? Why not pause for a moment and let the Lord know how appreciative you are?