CAN’T WAIT TO GET THERE

I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself…

As I sit here today and share my thoughts with you, I am celebrating my 35th spiritual birthday. He came because of me—that’s why He died on Calvary. It seems like yesterday. It was about 11:10 PM on a Sunday night, and I was on my way to work at Caterpillar Tractor Company. While driving my truck, I heard an 82-year-old preacher preaching the gospel with passion and grace that was empowered by the Spirit of the Lord. This was the second week in a row that “I just happened” to tune him in. His broadcast only lasted for 10 minutes, but he could say more in that amount of time than many could say in an hour. When he got to the end of his message, he asked if we believed what he had read and preached from the Bible. I was thinking to myself, “Sure, I’ve heard that before.” Next he asked, “Where do you believe it?” and then paused for what seem to me like an eternity. I didn’t have a clue about what he meant. Then suddenly, like a great trumpet, his voice pierced the sound barrier and he said, “If you didn’t know the answer to that question, you will miss heaven by 18 inches. That’s the distance between your head and your heart.”

“Head and heart, what is he talking about?” I thought. Then he said that a person that only believed in his head was spiritually dead and on his way to Hell. As soon as the said that, the Lord spoke to my heart and said that the person he was talking about was me. The preacher assured everyone that God was not willing that any would perish and He loved us so much that He gave His Son to die for our sins. At that moment I knew two things: God loved me and it was my sins that caused Christ to suffer on the cross. Tears began to run down my face as I called out to Christ to be my Lord and Saviour. In a moment my life was transformed. Something was different. While the tears were still streaming from my eyes, I prayed: Lord I have lived my life for 27 years the way I have wanted to, but now I just want You to take it for Yourself and use me to be a blessing to others. A year later He spoke to me again and called me to preach and has been there to lead and guide me ever since. I just can’t wait to see Him and tell Him myself how much Calvary means to me. What an awesome God!

NEW ASSIGNMENT

As many of you do, I have a list of people that I pray for and during one of my prayer times I was thinking of a young fellow named, Tyler. He is the 17-year-old son of one of our hotline callers. I actually had the joy of leading this lady’s JW mom to the Lord. On one of my trips last year, I met the elderly JW (now an ex-JW, praise the Lord) at her daughter’s home. The ex-JW lady was concerned about her daughter’s salvation and her family’s spiritual needs. When I talked to her daughter about her salvation, the only thing I knew for sure is that she was confused and angry with God. Six years ago her son Tyler (he was 11 then) was hit by a car while riding his bicycle. He survived but has been institutionalized ever since the accident. His body was broken in so many places that after six years they are still doing corrective surgery. He is completely paralyzed, has brain damage, and can only communicate by winking his eyes. Is God so mean that He would do this to my son, is the state of mind that people come to when they see the before and after pictures of someone like this. Well, by the grace of God, we did help the family see that it was not God who was driving the car that day and in spite of what they think sometimes, God still loves each of them very much. The day that I was praying for this family, I was thinking: “How can a boy like this be saved?” That moment the Lord spoke to my heart and said that he must hear the gospel. I said, “That’s great, Lord; I know a missionary in that city. I’ll get him to make the visit.” The Lord said, “No, I want you to visit the boy.” I don’t know about you, but at this point I began to tremble with both joy and fear. To be continued!

HOTLINE AD NETWORK

On the front page of our last prayer letter, we asked all of you to consider reaching JWs and Mormons in your area by placing our hotline ad in your local paper. We are pleased to say that Calvary Baptist Church in York, PA has led the way by running a four week ad on Sundays during this month. Sunday’s paper has the largest circulation and is the most read. The church had a rather interesting time getting it all together. First, an ad like this is seldom well received by the media and if they get some negative calls from JWs or Mormons, they often fear a lawsuit. Freedom of the press is a thing of the past—it’s business that rules the market-place, and for the media, that’s no place for religion. Second, the paper said they could run an ad for $4000. It took a little straight talk from the man placing the ad to get them to stop playing games and agree to run the ad in the main body of the paper for about $160 each week. Third, one better proof-read the ad both before and after because, “for some reason,” the ads always have mistakes.

The same week that I was so encouraged by this ad running, I got a call from the Thrifty Nickel (now American Classified) that their corporate headquarters called them here in Georgia and told them they were pulling my ad (scheduled to run in 14 cities in the Southwest), that it “could” not run anymore. They have been running my ads for over 10 years.

When I found out that the current owners of this paper are Mormons, I wasn’t at all surprised. So I thought, What can we do now? We can build a national network of Baptist Churches to run ads in their local papers. Who will be the next to join and help us to get started???

“PUTTER’S PEN”

“For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?” Matthew 19:5

January 26, 2008, David Nathan Weeks left father and mother and took him a wife; the lovely Christie Moon became the other Mrs. David N. Weeks. What a beautiful wedding it was. The bride was absolutely beautiful, and the groom was quite handsome. If you don’t believe me, just ask Christie’s parents.

After the wedding, Dave and I returned home to a quiet, empty house. We are now officially empty nesters—PRAISE THE LORD!—and I still have my sanity to enjoy that quiet house. There is one thing I am still having a hard time getting used to, though, and that is the new title I have acquired: Mrs. David N. Weeks, the old one.

Until next time—Jehovah-jireh, "Putter"

Bro. Dave & Putter