I pray all of you had a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! God was/is doing some awesome things in getting us to Japan!

Bible Baptist

We started the Month at Bible Baptist in Brunswick, GA with Pastor Mike Landrum. This church has faithfully preached The Gospel as Long as I can remember. Every year our family goes camping at Jekyll Island, GA for Thanksgiving. I learned how to ride my bike on that Island, just to give you an idea how long we’ve been going. Each year we went, we would attend church at Bible Baptist. God has done tremendous things world-wide through this church! Many have accepted Christ through the preaching of God’s Word.

We praise The LORD that a young woman, named Ashley, accepted Christ after I preached out of Romans! God was working through the whole service, and at the invitation Pastor Landrum said that someone needed to get saved! After the service, Ashley came to us and said she accepted Christ! She had heard the Gospel for over 20 years and never accepted Jesus. She had prayed a prayer as a child. Would you take a moment and consider your own salvation? It’s not about a prayer you pray. It that were the case Catholics would be saved. They pray all the time. They’ve never accepted Christ alone as their savior! They depend on their prayers, church, priests and other works for their salvation. What are you depending on? A prayer? Or do you believe that Christ is Lord and died on a cross for your sins, paying your sin debt. Do you believe He is sufficient? Have you acknowledged your sinful state and turned to Christ alone for your only hope of forgiveness? If you haven’t done that, I encourage you to talk with you Pastor and accept Christ! Please be in prayer for this church and new convert in Christ!

Smyrna Baptist

This church was such a blessing to us! As we walked in we were greeted with smiles and right hand of fellowship. I was amazed at the outreach of the church with visitation and Gospel preaching! This church has impacted their community with the Truth!

Pastor Adams introduced us and gave me the opportunity to preach. As I closed the message I read Romans 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men… This verse reveals the sad reality of the lost. The wrath of God abides upon them and many of them don’t know the name of Christ! They don’t know what Christ has done for them! I read some comments from an article about dealing with death. These are the comments:

“Bassmaster22

Oh man, dealing with death. I’m an atheist, so it’s particularly mind boggling and difficult for me. I know it’s probably off topic, but death deeply scares me.

Joz Jonlin @Bassmaster22

There’s a certain amount of hopelessness in knowing that not only will I die, but everyone I know will die, and everyone who will ever live will eventually cease to exist. Eventually, the earth will be destroyed. That means everything you’ve ever done or experienced is for nothing. What’s the point of anything if everything will eventually cease to exist? All the struggle and strife within human existence is for naught. Is there a god or gods, or are we deceiving ourselves when we believe in any type of higher power? Is what we experience real?

Aikage @Bassmaster22

I know what you mean. My wife can somehow ignore it but I have spent many nights just laying there eyes wide open, heart hammering, hoping that they figure some way to make me live forever.

David Galvan @Bassmaster22

I’m also a former Catholic, now atheist. I completely understand what everyone in this thread is saying/feeling.

I actually tried to go back to believing at one point, even going to confession and telling the priest that I wished I hadn’t turned away from God. But like you, I found that I simply COULDN’T go back 

But when it comes to the subject of death, the atheist view is a bummer. No way around it. When we die, our brains shut down, neurons stop firing. We don’t experience consciousness, or dream, or meet up with long lost family and friends. We just cease. And yes, that deeply scares me, because I don’t want to cease. I want to exist. And the thought of not existing, and never existing ever again in eternity, saddens and terrifies me.

I’d love to be wrong about this. I’d love it if I had a soul that could exist independent of my body. I’d love it if I could go on existing for the rest of eternity, able to re-unite with the souls of other loved ones and friends, long since passed.. The idea of an afterlife  is beautiful and some of the most comforting thoughts to come out of religion.

I don’t have comfort to offer. I am motivated by my fear of death to do my very best to make a positive contribution to humanity before I die. 

Bassmaster22 @David Galvan

This. Everything you said is EXACTLY what goes through my mind. Even though I’m an Atheist, I would LOVE it if I was wrong all along. I would LOVE to be certain that there’s not only something after death, but something BETTER than what I have here right now. 

Can you hear the hopelessness?

Can you hear the fear?

The wonder? The doubt?

Can you hear them pleading for truth?

All around us people simple don’t know that Jesus conquered death! Death has been defeated! We don’t have to fear it any more! Many of them have lived a vain, empty religion that offers nothing more than morals. They follow a dead religion that leads them to dead hope! No wonder they leave it and adhere to the

lies of atheism! Atheism is no more dead than their legalistic religion! Oh, that we would be a witness to those around us!!! They’ve been lied to! Satan has blinded them! They’re only hope is the light of the Glorious Gospel!

The people of Smyrna Baptist listened with open hearts to The Word of God, and there was a good response in the invitation! This church has been taking the Gospel to Pensacola! Take a moment and consider how has your town been impacted with the Gospel? Are there still people around you that haven’t heard!? I challenge you to look out the window and see.

Last Fall, after thousands of man-hours of planning, preparation & training, our home church hosted an event entitled “Hell’s Gates.”

Over the course of 7 sell-out evenings, more than 3,500 people walked through this outdoor reality drama depicting the end times. Many of these people left eternally changed. All of these people left challenged.

This October, you will have a chance to experience that same heart-pounding, thrilling journey of Biblical proportions. If you live anywhere near Atlanta or North Georgia, you will want to be there. Bring a friend. Bring your family. Bring your church. You don’t want to miss it.

In anticipation of larger crowds, this event has been expanded to 11 nights. For detailed information and to buy individual or group tickets, visit: http://www.hellsgates.com/

Here recently several events have taken place that I ask you to pray for. All of these are close friends of mine, and would mean so much to us if you would pray for them.

Pastor Jay Reed has a one year old daughter named Savannah. She was diagnosed with Leukemia about 6 months ago, and has been battling it ever sense. She has faced many hardships with chemotherapy. Pastor Reed is a supporting pastor and our prayers go to him and his family. Please pray for the health of his little girl!

A few weeks ago, Austin Gardner found out he had a fist sized tumor on his kidney and it was cancerous. On June 7th he had his kidney removed with the tumor. Praise the Lord that there was no trace of cancer anywhere else! Please pray for his recovery. The Lord has greatly used Bro. Gardner in my life, and I’m thankful to call him a friend. See more information on his recovery at Visionbaptist.com

A few days after Austin Gardner’s surgery, his son David Gardner ruptured his appendix. The surgery went well and has almost fully recovered.

Last week Leah Green was hit by an oncoming truck that drifted into her lane. She suffered severe liver damage, her leg was crushed, and ankle broken. She is out of immediate danger, but she still has surgeries to go through.  Please pray that her surgeries go well and she will recover! You can keep updated on how she is doing at projectna.com.

Also Last week Asunta Tubillas was hit by a car that backed into her and pinned her between her car and the other. She suffered severe bruising to the leg and broke a rib. Praise the Lord her two children that were standing with her were not seriously injured. Her husband Ronald is the Pastor of two churches here in GA, and I can’t imagine how this burdens him. Please pray for her quick recovery.

On June 21, Pastor Dan Bailey, a supporting pastor, will be having cataract surgery at 7:00 AM. They were such a blessing to us when we visited them, and I ask that you would pray that his surgery would go well. Also the surgery is costing them $3000.00 and they are praying the Lord will provide. If you would be interested in giving toward his surgery, you can send a check to his church at P.0. Box 91 Royston, Ga. 30662 and make it out to Dan Bailey and in the subject line mark eye surgery.

I believe Satan is waging an all out war against God’s children, but we serve one who is greater! Sometimes we forget to pray for others around the world, but let us remember to pray a hedge of protection around those that are serving the Lord. Thank you once again for your prayers, we desperately need them.