Chouteau

We pressed into worship this morning and 2 residents rededicated themselves to the Lord.

I realize the staff needs to continue to work however I've noticed that as they walk through the room they are singing along with us. They have a smile on their face and are very appreciative of what we are doing. We are seeing residents become more respondent the more they press into God. Realize, the God of the Bible is real. His power and love work in any situation and any circumstance.

We are traveling throughout eastern Oklahoma:

Strengthening The Saved - Saving The Lost

Okemah

I am in Okfuskee county this morning. Okemah is the county seat of Okfuskee county. This is just 1 of 25 counties we travel to. We are raising our hands and our voices as we magnify the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There are approx. 25 residents who showed up this morning. This is a significant percentage of those in this facility. The staff is very grateful we are her because there are not many churches or ministries who minister here. This afternoon I'll be traveling to Seminole county and the town of Wewoka. Once again we will press in to the Word of God and share the Good News that Jesus is Lord.

Sapulpa

This morning a young gal came into the service in a wheel chair. I would guess her to be in her 30's. She had a stroke 2 years ago and still has no use of her left side. When I asked her if I could pray with her she just lit up. We are sharing the Good News. Jesus said in Luke 4:18-19, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."

Muskogee

I'm told we had 41 residents in the service this morning. That's one of the largest groups we've had here. We lifted our voices to the Lord and gave Him praise. Several of the residents have been in this service since I started more than 6 years ago. We are family! They are definitely not shy about their faith. What a tremendous testimony to the power of God, no matter what your age or circumstance.

Broken Arrow

I have been to the Broken Arrow facility 4 times now. The staff is getting to know this ministry. As I entered the building there were several staff members who asked for prayer for them and their families. In the service itself, we talked about running our race. As a runner, when you see the finish line you don't slow down, you speed up. You get excited about crossing the finish line. That's exactly how it should be with our spiritual race. When we see our spiritual finish line we should get excited and sprint to the finish. There were many tears during the service. At the close many of the residents said, it was just what they needed, "we are so glad you came" and "when will you be back".

This afternoon I'll be in Cleveland. The last time I was there, people came out of the woodwork. You know what I mean by that? It seemed like they hadn't heard these hymns for years.They were very excited and didn't want us to leave.

Find out what God has for you to do and do it. It will be the most exciting and fulfilling thing you could ever do!

We continue to:

Strengthen The Saved - Save The Lost

Pryor

It's wonderful how these services can interrupt the residents normal day to be something abnormal, something supernatural. Many times it's not until the next time I come back that I will hear of something that happened to someone as a result of the last service. This morning there was a young woman who came into the service and began to speak to me. That may not seem like a big deal but I had never heard her speak before. I would guess her to be in her teens with physical problems from birth. Last month I had laid my hands on her and prayed for her. There appeared to be no response but we kept the switch of faith turned on. This morning she heard the music and new it was me. Apparently she demanded to come to the service. She looked at me and with a loud voice said, "lemonade!" We didn't know she liked lemonade. She wanted ME to get her the glass of lemonade. Before the service was over I had brought her 3 glasses of lemonade. Sometimes it's the little things in life that can make such a difference. I believe this is just the beginning for her. Yes Lord, You are so Good!

Glenpool

 "Jesus is the sweetest name I know. . ." is the hymn we used to started this mornings service. You could see residents settling in, closing their eyes, and raising their hands as they began to worship. What a great way to start the day and the week. There is a peace and calm that comes as we put our trust in Him. If you don't know Jesus as your Lord and Savior you can and you should. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Okmulgee

The presence of God was very strong and powerful this morning. We started sing praises to our Lord and just continued throughout the hour. There were hands in the air and tears in our eyes as we worshiped Him. God is so good!

Muskogee

There are many, many residents here at Brentwood who love the Lord. We raised our hands and worshiped Him for quit a while. Then, we looked at the last sentence of Psalms 91:4 which says, "His faithful promises are your armor and protection." NLT We had some shouting going on when they discovered the promises were their armor and protection. That makes you want to know more about the promises. I left them with a book I put together called "His Promises ~ My Faith". It is the promises in the Word sorted by topic. Each chapter being a topic. It's a much easier way to find the promises you are looking for. After the service there were several resident who wanted individual attention. we continue to: Strengthen The Saved - Save The Lost

Claremore

We had a wonderful time in Claremore. I was told to go to the "Gold" hall because they were ready to sing and dance.After we had sung for a while, I wondered if they were really ready to dance. So, I began to sing "Hotel Hallelujah". They really did want to dance; both the residents and the staff. It got a little wild but it sure was fun. After the singing was over one of the residents said, "Let me show you how fast I can run", and he took off. He could run pretty fast but what was funny was to watch the staff run after him. Everyone really did like it and said, "The residents just came alive. Let's do this again." I think we will! This morning was "The Joy Of The Lord".

Tulsa

It is so good to be in Tulsa. This is one of the largest nursing homes in the area. As a result, we have the opportunity to minister to many people: residents, staff, family, and friends. There are many here who love the Lord. One gentleman who loves the Lord is called "Mister T", because of all his jewelry. They also call him "Hat Man". He does love his hats. We are strengthening The Saved - Saving The Lost. Now, it's time to head to Bartlesville.

Wagoner

There were several residents who continued to stream in as we sang: Amazing Grace, Oh How I Love Jesus, Standing On The Promises, etc. We lifted our hands to our wonderful Lord and Savior. Several who live here have had and are having challenges. So, we looked at God's Protection. Psalms 91: 4b says, "His faithful promises are your armor and protection." NLT We are standing on the promises of God. Hallelujah!

Stigler

I am celebrating my birthday in Stigler and Quinton today. We raised our hands as we rejoices in the Lord. He is worthy to be praised. I have known most of these residents for the last 6+ years. We talked about the 3 P's of the Bible: Protection, Power, and Persistence. It is good to know that God protects us. He gives us the power to run our race, but we must be persistent to get the job done. We must have that "can do" attitude. Like my pastor says, I cannot be defeated and I will not quit." We continue to be on the road: Strengthening The Saved - Saving The Lost.

Muskogee

For several years now East Gate Village in Muskogee has been my largest meeting. We started out in a small room at the end of one of the halls. We were asked to come to the main central room where there is more space and everyone can hear. We are proclaiming the Good News Of Jesus Christ from the mountain tops. For many of the residents this is their only church. We preach, teach, lay hands on the sick, pray for one another, and do the things that churches normally do. People ask me, "How is that working?" And I always respond, "It's working very well. we don't focus on our differences. We focus on what we have in common. We focus on Jesus and His Word."

On The Road: Strengthening The Saved - Saving The Lost

Wilburton

This is another facility where we have become family. I come once a month but according to them that's not enough. The administrator is a preachers daughter who has played the piano her whole life. She knows all the favorite hymns by heart and wants to play. The residents have asked to have a singspiration the next time I come. We just might do that. At the close of the service I was able to hand out several bibles. We continue to:

Strengthen The Saved - Save The Lost

Tahlequah

Here in Tahlequah we are family. I told them I felt like I was coming to a family reunion and meeting family I never new I had. We sang praises to our Lord and Savior with hands raised to Him. They really wanted to sing a lot this morning so we did. Eventually we went to Psalms 91 and looked at God's mighty Protection. God is so Good!

Glenpool

While I was leading the music this morning I was looking and thinking about each individuals life. Something amazing struck me. Those that have friends and visitors coming, on a regular basis, are more happy and stable than those who don't. God's love takes people to their highest level of life. As I moved around the room and honestly loved and cared for the people they improved in every way: spiritually, emotionally, physically. Let's be intentional about God's love every where we go. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Eufaula

It's exciting and fun to watch God work. As we started our service this morning a young lady came in looking for a resident. She found her in the group of people who came in for the service. I could tell she was a little hesitant to come in so I let her know it was just fine. She could come in and do what ever she needed to do. (She was there on business. She was there to evaluate a resident.) She sat down next to her "client" and soon began to smile and write. She was witnessing the entire group, including her resident, "wake up". They were singing, clapping, and raising their hands to the Lord. She acted like she had not seen them like that before. She was so glad she came in and decided to stay for most of the service. The Word of God is very powerful. It can quicken the spirit of man like nothing else can. God is so Good!

Muskogee

As I entered the meeting room this morning, the room was full. Both residents and staff were getting ready to worship the Lord. It's going to be a great day!
This is my anniversary. Ann and I have been together for 43 years. This morning we talked about the power that becomes available to you as you follow the Lord. When you make the decision to focus on Him He becomes the glue that holds everything together. He Protects you, He becomes your Power, and He give you the kind of Persistence that is necessary to get the job done. It's that persistence that causes my Pastor, Pastor Hagin, to say, "I cannot be defeated and I will not quit." Many time when I find myself in a tough situation I can hear him saying that - I cannot be defeated and I will not quit.

Warner

When I walked into the nursing home this morning, this is what I heard. "Thank God You're here. It's the only chance we have to go to church." That is very encouraging to me personally but also a truth that most people do not think about. Unless we come to them and provide a service or program for them they will not have it because they cannot get out. There were several this morning who were depressed. Perhaps during the holidays, they realize more than other times, they feel trapped. I had a chance to pray with several residents. Staff also thanked me for coming. They too realize the holidays can be hard on the residents. I was reminded of the phrase the Lord gave me for the nursing home ministry - "Strengthening The Saved - Saving The Lost." This morning we did a lot of strengthening and encouraging. This gets right down to where "the rubber meets the road".