September 19, 2012
Greetings, friends! We give thanks to our Lord for you and for your prayers.
BATON ROUGE, LA – First Baptist Church: I am very grateful to Pastor Oren Conner for the privilege of preaching at First Baptist on Sunday, September 9th. This was very special for me for two reasons. First, this congregation has very warmly hosted our weekly Gathering of Men luncheon since 1999. Also, this was the first church that I visited when I came to LSU as a freshman in the summer of 1968. I was something of a wandering, seventeen-year-old soul as I sat near the back of that beautiful sanctuary with its massive white pillars. Little did I know that one day my Lord would actually allow me to serve Him in that very pulpit from which Dr. Norris Palmer preached to me on that morning.
COVINGTON, LA – Grace Family Church: On Saturday, September 8th, through the kind invitation of Lavon Welch, Ed Miltenberger, and Eric Cooper, I led a seminar on how to preach from the epistles at GFC.
MINDEN, LA – First Baptist Church: A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting with Ty Pendergrass, Pastor Leland Crawford, and Ass’t. Pastor Jim Wallace to discuss strategy for the establishment of a men’s ministry at First Baptist Church. They are now moving forward with their plan! On Thursday, October 11th, our long-time friend, Judge Wayne Smith of Ruston, LA, will be the speaker for an evening outreach event. Please pray for Wayne, and if you are in that area, I hope you will consider attending this meeting. In January FBC will begin their weekly ministry to men as Pastor Leland will be teaching “The Quest for Authentic Manhood” (a series written by our brother Robert Lewis, also originally from Ruston).
PERU MISSION – Seminary (Presbyterian): Through the invitation of another dear friend Steve Hill, I will be teaching expository preaching in the seminary of Peru Mission from October 1-10. I have also been asked to speak at evening outreach meetings. For several days, I will be in the city of Cajamarca (pop. 217,000) which is situated in the northern highlands at an altitude of 8,900 ft. One of our visits to churches will take Steve and me into a remote area even higher in the Andes Mountains. Then on Friday, October 5th, we will take an overnight bus down to Trujillo (pop. approx. 315,000) on the Pacific coast where I will preach at several churches on Sunday and will then teach another group of seminary students, beginning on Monday. Please pray for safety and for effectiveness in teaching. Also, please pray for Steve and his wife Dianne.
RUSTON, LA – "Monday Morning for Men": A new, but long-awaited ministry endeavor! As some of you know, Ruston, Louisiana is very dear to us. In the 1970's and early '80's, we enjoyed wonderful years in ministry there before moving to England in 1984. Twenty-four years later, in 2008, our son Jake and his family moved back to Ruston. Since before he arrived in Ruston, he has strongly encouraged me to do men's ministry there. Well, at last, on Monday morning, September 17th, at 6:00 a.m., we began!
Exactly 40 of us came into the lovely conference room provided by First National Bank. The men came from a number of churches and denominations. Their ages ranged from about twenty to eighty! My message was on the never-ending discovery of God: “You shall seek Me and find Me when you search for me with your whole heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). We then divided into small groups for discussion of the passage and prayer.
Would you please pray for the protection of this effort and of all of the men who are involved? Please pray for Bec and me as we make this weekly 8-hour round trip, and please pray and ask God to cause all of us to grow in our obedience to that commandment that guides us into the fullness of who we are as human beings: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37-39).
A brother in Ruston has developed a website: www.mondaymorningformen.org There you can find our guide for meditation and an audio file on the great commandment. It is entitled “The Great Theme of Your Life”
In our great Savior,
Rod and Bec
P.S. As we are about to enter the final quarter of this year, we must address the matter of finances in a bit more direct way. We need additional monthly supporters. Please know that any amount will be deeply appreciated. Thank you for whatever you may feel led to do.
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