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In
This Issue |
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1.Lessons from Nature
2. More Change Coming
3. The Children of
Light
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Prisoners Still
Asking For Bibles
We have sent
over
120 Bibles to the Correctional
Units at Pine Bluff, Tucker, Newport and
Texarkana. There are still many inmates who
are asking for an embossed Bible. Please
help us meet this need. If you would like
to donate a Bible to one of these inmates,
e-mail and ask for a name.
Bible
Outreach |
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President's
Corner
by Brent Holt
This was an eventful past week. If you are
reading this newsletter and are not living in the area
of our home office here in northeast Arkansas, you may
not have been affected by our recent ice storm. I’ve heard that
it was the worst ice storm for the area since the
1930’s.
There was so much ice that most every tree around
here is broken either a little or a lot. Trees fell on
power lines and utility poles snapped like
toothpicks.
The entire region lost electrical power and many
of us were without it for most of the week. Normal life came
to a screeching halt and we had to do things differently
for a while.
For me, one of the most uplifting things
about adversity and hard times is the way we are drawn
together as family and friends to help each other
through the hard times we are experiencing. I can positively
say that without my family this last week would have
been extremely difficult.
As things
get back to routine now that the electricity is back on,
I have been thinking about how many people out there
have ice storms in their spiritual lives every day. How many people
have had their “power” out for most, if not all of their
lives? That
power is the saving love and salvation that is only
available in Jesus. What if this
past week, the electric company workers worked
diligently to restore power only to their own houses and
then left the rest of us to fend for ourselves? Obviously, we’d
still be in the dark. I like this
analogy on several levels. First, the
electric company workers couldn’t do much good if they
didn’t have at least some knowledge of electricity. Just like them,
we are called to know the Lord and study His Word. Secondly, they
had to apply their knowledge to help the masses who were
without electricity. Likewise, we
cannot just sit on the knowledge we have of Jesus and
hope other people will somehow catch on. Thirdly, I doubt
that even a majority of the electric company workers
know everything there is to know about electricity. Most probably
can’t describe all the physics and ins-and-outs of
electrical power.
However, they obviously know enough to spread the
electrical power to others as testified by the fact that
my home’s lights are back on. Just like them,
we as Christians need to use the knowledge that God has
given us to help spread His Word (power) to those still
in the dark, even if we personally don’t feel like we
know it all.
If we are waiting for that, we will never be
ready to go do anything.
I could go on with this
analogy but my point is that if you are experiencing an
ice storm in your spiritual life, I suggest seeking out
the source of power by getting into the Word. Also, just like
you would in a worldly disaster or tragedy, seek support
and help from others. That is what the
Church is called to do. If you don’t
feel like you are currently in the middle of a storm (or
even if you do), then I suggest that you are called to
be a worker in bringing the power to others. There is no
other category to fall in to. Just like in
Pocahontas this last week, you are either without power
or you are one of the people trying to get others
connected to
it. |
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Bible Verse of the Month
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new
creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new
things have come. 2 Corinthians
5:17 |
Suggestion Corner
We would like to hear from you. If you have
any suggested improvements to our program, embossing tips,
ideas on who and where to share our Bibles, or
positive stories of people who have been blessed by
our program. E-mail us at:Goodideas
Number Please?
Our company phone number is
available for use. Many people would rather
call in their order instead of using the internet. We
understand and we want to offer that convenience. The
number is:
877-686-7379. |
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Lessons From
Nature
We recently experienced an ice storm in
our local. While I walked around through the ice bloated
flora, I realized that the Holy Spirit was sharing
something very interesting in the midst of the
storm. I
thought I would share it with
you.
The ice storm was made possible because of the
right combination of events. The closer to the freezing
point the temperature came, the greater the chance for
freezing rain and not snow or sleet which are much less
destructive. Only a few degrees can make a tremendous
difference.
It is the same with each of us. When the storms
of life come, and they will come, our degree of
relationship with our Father God can make all the
difference in the world as to the outcome. Many survey
the storm with the intellect and run frantically around
in panic mode convinced that there is no way out. Then
there are those who combine the intellect with their
faith. While the storm seems overwhelming, that small
seed of trust attempts to rise in their heart to
encourage them. The battle in the mind between the
intellect and their faith can be severe and traumatic
and in the end, one of the two will prevail. Lastly,
there are those whose relationship with God is solid.
They have read His Word and they have learned to program
their heart with the Word. When the storms come and the
rains pound against the house, the Word of comfort and
trust wells up within them and becomes an anchor that is
immovable. The difference in all three groups of people
is only a matter of
degrees.
As the storm moves over the landscape, every tree
and bush becomes covered with ice. First a thin coating,
then completely engulfed. The response of the tree or
bush to the added trauma and weight dictates the future
of the plant. If it remains rigid and stiff, the weight
of the ice will eventually overpower it and destroy its
limbs and branches. But if the tree will bend with the
weight, once the ice melts the tree will emerge unharmed
and unchanged.
It is the same with us. Jesus encourages us to
refrain from being stiff-necked and hardened of heart.
When hard times come, we bend in response. By this I
mean that we are willing to change under the direction
of the Word and our trust of God’s faithfulness. Joseph,
in the Bible teaches us this most profoundly. He had
every right to resist, remain embittered, and refuse to
trust God’s ways. But, he chose to bend under the weight
of his trial and in the end he became the second most
powerful man in the world at that time. When we
understand that we are in training by our Father
(Hebrews 12), we realize how inevitable change is and
how moldable we must be in the “Potter’s hands.” The
trees are (or at least some of them are) and after the
storm they emerge stronger because the storm has removed
the dead and weakened branches that might have hampered
their growth. Those trees that refuse to bend are broken
off at the ground.
There is one more part to this lesson and may be
the most profound. From the Father’s perspective, He
loves the ice storms. It is at these times that we, His
children, are tested and tried in the arena of faith.
Without faith it is impossible to please Him and most of
us learn to develop our faith in the fray. A pearl never
becomes a pearl without the confrontation from the sand.
The knife never becomes sharp without the pressure of
the grinding wheel. Jesus said that while we were in the
world, we would have tribulation. Why? Because, just
like the trees, we become better because of trials. The
Bible says that it pleased the Father to crucify Jesus.
Jesus became the Pearl of Great Price, but not without
confrontation.
Realize that as you read this, God loves you and
wants the best for you. As we experience the pressures
of this world and the storms that it generates, be
encouraged that God’s Word is true for you and that if
we change according to It’s direction, we will emerge
stronger than ever.
I encourage all of you to read the Word every
day. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and guide you into
all truth as you read. Jesus called the Word, the Rock.
If we build our “house” on this Rock, no matter what
comes, we will prevail – just like the trees.
DFH
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More change on
the Horizon
Next month will be the
one year anniversary of Bibles Cover The Earth! Thanks to all of
you who have been with us from the beginning and to all
of you who have joined us since. Many may be
wondering what the future holds for Bibles Cover The
Earth. From
the beginning, our vision has been to see a Bible in the
hands of every person that wants one and we want to
empower Christians with more time and resources to be
able to go and do the work of God’s Kingdom. During this next
year Bibles Cover The Earth will continue to grow and
change to accomplish these goals.
Currently,
Bibles Cover The Earth is in the process of making some
big changes that hopefully will make the program much
easier and much better. Details will
follow in future meetings, emails and newsletters but
some of the plans include lowering the cost to join
while making the embossing kit optional, offering the
option of having the Bibles Cover The Earth company
emboss your Bibles each month, and offering a way for
churches and ministries to be a part of the program both
as Bible Outreach partners and as participants in the
marketing program.
If you maybe have lost sight of your initial
reason for joining Bibles Cover The Earth, let these
plans for upcoming change excite you again. Plan on
revisiting the list of people who you think or thought
might be interested in joining our mission and
vision. Go
ahead and start working on a new list so that when these
new changes and ideas are finalized, you will be
ready. The
thought of what the future can bring is exciting! As Paul says in
Romans 8:31, “If God be for us, who can be against
us?”
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THE CHILDREN OF
LIGHT
As we approach our anniversary, I would like to
share something that was the motivation for starting
Bibles Cover The Earth. Two years ago, the Lord shared
with me that Satan would try to destroy the Church by
cutting off the necessary finances needed to function.
We can see that beginning to happen all around us. Many
people are loosing their jobs and businesses are
shutting down which ultimately means that people have
less money to spend and less money to give to their
Church.
I believe that the Holy Spirit gave us the plan
of Bibles Cover The Earth as a way to support the Church
in this time of need. This period of
drought for the Church has been designed to be a wake-up
call as far as “doing things as usual.” By this I mean
that God is looking to His children to understand the
importance of His Kingdom vision and to count it as a
pearl of great price and to use every viable means to
bring the vision to fruition. I have shared with you
many times that Luke 16 contained the scripture verses
the Lord used to introduce the concept of Bibles Cover
The Earth to me. “The children of this world in their
generation are wiser than the children of light.” This
is a challenge by Jesus to His church. We continue to
evolve Bibles Cover The Earth in every way possible to
make is easier for people to understand. One of the
problems we all deal with is that our lives have become
so bogged down with the cares of this world that we have
no time for the things of God.
I believe that what the Church is getting ready
to experience is God’s way of bringing His children back
to what is important. Will it work? I guess we will see.
Many churches are going to suffer due to a lack of
funds. What may be the Church’s greatest hour could
possibly result in failure due to a lack of preparation.
As time goes on many people will seek the assistance of
the Church only to find it unavailable due to a lack of
finances.
The compensation plan of Bibles Cover The Earth
provides the opportunity to provide a huge revenue to
any church. Every dollar can go to building God’s
Kingdom on this earth. It may not be the only answer
that God has for these troubled times but it certainly
could be. As they say in stock market lingo, “timing is
everything.” That may be true for all of us and for
Bibles Cover The Earth as things unfold in 2009. I
believe with all my heart that our heavenly Father is in
control and as more and more people seek His guidance in
the midst of their struggle, God’s Word will become a
true light in the darkness and the children of that
light will arise to the occasion. It is the goal of
Bibles Cover The Earth to be a source of support not
only in 2009 but in the years to come. With your help,
it will be done. -DFH
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Prayer For Your
Geneaology
On the back of your instruction booklet is a
prayer for your genealogy. God can only build this
business and we can only succeed if we are praying
for ourselves, our geneaology, and the company.
Please either make a copy of the back of the
instruction booklet or tear off the back and stick
it on your refrigerator where you will be reminded
every day to pray. There is truly strength in
corporate prayer. |
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