Home from Wales!

The Team from Berean Baptist church that went with me to minister in Wales is home safe and filled with praise for what they saw the Lord doing among the Lord's people on the other side of the ocean. We had a wonderful trip. We saw many special things on our journey but it must be emphasized that the purpose of the trip was to minister and to serve not to sight see and have a holiday. Our Welsh hosts took very good care of us and we did in fact have opportunities to see many wonderful things and places. But the real joy of the trip was to spend time serving the Lord and being among the Lord's people.

I cannot say enough about the help and leadership that Eric Stewart is displaying in his young ministry. He has been such a blessing and an encouragement to me. He is growing in his faith and in his ability to serve. I am very pleased with the spirit and attitude of this young man of God. The entire Team did a splendid job serving and ministering to the people in Wales. I received many kind and appreciative comments from the folks over there. I prayed that we would be a blessing to them and it appears that that was indeed the case. If this be so I give the Lord all the glory for what He did through all of us while serving His people in that wonderful land.

As always, I was personally refreshed by the ministry and spiritual influence of Vernon and Dewi Higham. These are truly two of our Lord's choice servants. I ask all of our Berean members and friends to uphold them in your prayers as they serve and proclaim the gospel of grace to that place where God has placed them!

The conference at Pembroke, Wales was well attended. There were pastors from both England and Wales present. The singing was magnificent and it greatly encouraged me to see that our worship and praise could be so powerful without having to resort to the cheap music of the pop culture to make it relevant. God moved in our midst. I believe that the Lord Jesus was magnified by the wonderful preaching of Dewi Higham on the great gospel of grace and by Vernon Higham on the Law of Love. Vernon gave a wonderful exposition of the Ten Commandments that was such a blessing to all of us there. The fellowship was indeed sweet and it was such an encouragement to see how God is working amongst the dear flock at Tabernacle Church Cardiff.

I have returned home greatly encouraged and refreshed from being with the Lord's people. Please keep our students in the Emmaus Road Academy in prayer and continue to pray for the Tabernacle Church in Cardiff that God will use them to influence many thousands around England and Wales in the days and years to come. God bless you all. Love Pastor Dickie

Emmaus Road Academy going to Wales!

I am going to Wales to preach at a conference for two weeks with Dewi Higham. Traveling with me are some of the students from our academy. The students coming with me are Dan Kusky, Scott Schroeder, Brent Campau, Gene Lukonen, Andrew Felten, and Eric and Lori Stewart. Our desire is to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Jesus Christ to the people of Wales and England. I am very excited to have these students traveling with me to the conference this year.

One of the things I am trying to help these students realize is that the Lord is working today all over the earth to fill the world with the glory of His Son! Today, more than ever before, it is essential for Christians to have an eschatology of victory. I meet believers everywhere who have retreated and almost given up any hope of seeing a revival or outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We are truly living in days of unbelief and pessimism.

Jesus told us He would build His church and the gates of Hell would not prevail against Him. We are going to Wales to preach, pray, and to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ by our testimonies, preaching, and all that we do. Keep us in prayer! As we are away may the Lord bless all of you at Berean. God bless you all! Love in Christ, Pastor Dickie

Have a great 4th of July!

This is a great nation. We have been blessed by the Lord with freedom and prosperity. This 4th of July I urge all of you to give thanks to the Lord for all of His blessings on our country. This time of year should cause all of us to pause and return praise to the One who has been so good to us. As a nation we should repent of any and all sins that may be grieving the Lord. Here are some things that we might take to the Lord in repentance:

1. Repent of our spiritual apathy.

2. Repent of our guilt as a nation for allowing abortion to kill so many innocent lives.

3. Repent of the moral pollution that we have allowed to fill the youth of this nation.

4. Repent that we have elected leaders who have no moral courage to do what is right no mater what the cost.

5. Repent that we have not sought the Lord for a national revival.

I love this country because of our religious liberty. Our forefathers came here to be able to worship God without government interference. We have the greatest government on earth. But it is important that we not take it for granted. To keep this nation great we must be a godly and holy people. May God bless each of you as you celebrate this holiday with your families.

Here are some quotes that should cause us all to think!

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money." Alexis de Tocqueville

“America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

Have a great holiday!

Sincerely,

Pastor Dickie

Visit to 'The Holocaust Memorial' in Detroit

This week I went with a group from our church to the Jewish Holocaust Memorial in Detroit. It was a very moving experience. We took a tour of the facility and had a wonderful guide who gave us a passionate and informative overview of the Holocaust that happened in Europe during WWII. I could not help but wonder how it is that people could be so cruel and inhumane to other people. We are shocked by the atrocities that Nazism perpetrated on the Jewish population of Europe.

Yet today there are atrocities and genocide being committed every day. Humanity is surely sick. It is my conviction that the precious gospel of Jesus Christ is the only true antidote to the moral ills of our world. When people are changed by the good news of Jesus Christ they are transformed from being selfish, arrogant, mean spirited, and potentially dangerous people to those who are lovers and worshippers of God.

What makes this change happen? It is the gospel of Christ. By the preaching of the gospel men are transformed and made holy. Our lives are turned around and we are given the desire to treat all men with kindness and dignity. This is the miracle of the New Birth. Jesus said, "Ye must be born again." I am greatly saddened by all of the terrible suffering that the Jewish people endured during the Holocaust. And I am saddened by all of the tragic suffering that so many people are facing today. The answer to all of this, however, is to proclaim the unsearchable riches of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ makes the difference in our lives. And Christ is the need for our country and for our world.

When I became a Christian the Lord taught me to love my enemies, treat all men with love and respect, to die to self, and to be like Christ in my dealings with my fellow man. The Gospel of Christ teaches us to walk with God, to be unselfish, to be generous, to be thoughtful, to be compassionate, to be approachable, and to be holy. This is the goal of Christian living. I pray for all of you to know the Lord and to be conformed into His image as you live your life in this fallen world.

God bless you all.

Happy Father's Day!

This Sunday is Father's Day. When Moses was leading the children of Israel through the wilderness he came to the Promised Land. Because of his own personal sins and failures the Lord did not permit Moses to enter into the Land of Promise. But He did allow Moses to help lay the ground work of their entry into the land. One of the things that Moses did was to remind the children of Israel of God's promises and of God's laws. In the Ten Commandments we read that we are to honor our fathers and our mothers. This is found in Deuteronomy 5:16. As we gather in church on this Sunday it is my prayer that we will all take time to thank God for His many blessings and gifts to us and that we will also take the time to thank our fathers for all that they have done for us as well.

Recently I read a wonderful book by Mark DeMoss on leadership principles. The book is called, The Little Red Book of Wisdom. This is a book that every Christian father, and leader should read. I was deeply touched by how tenderly Mark DeMoss spoke of his earthly father. Mr Arthur S. DeMoss died a number of years ago. After his death he left for the work of the Lord a large fortune that he had put into a foundation to ensure that the work of the Lord continued long after he had gone to heaven. Arthur DeMoss was a great man of God. His impact on his son Mark was very evident in this book written by his son Mark. In this book Mark DeMoss tells of three things his dad taught him that he never forgot and that changed his life forever. Here's what he learned from his dad:

1. Give to God the first hour of the day. Arthur S. DeMoss would spend the first hour of every day in his morning watch. He sought after God like a man seeking after some great treasure. His hunger for God made him come to the Lord every day to seek fresh manna from God.

2. Give to God the first day of the week. Arthur S. DeMoss set aside each Sunday to be a day of rest and worship. He made sure his family was in the house of the Lord each week. This was a lesson that Mark DeMoss never forgot. We do our families a great disservice if we neglect to take them to the Lord's house for worship each week.

3. Give to God the first dime of every dollar. Arthur S. DeMoss tithed on all that he made. To fail to tithe is to rob God and to lose many blessings that would have been yours if you had been obedient to God's command.

Arthur S. DeMoss was a man who loved God. May we each be those who love God as well and leave for our families a legacy of love, trust, example, and faithful Christian living so that those who come behind us will see our lives and be led to Christ.

I trust that you will all have a wonderful Father's Day this Sunday!

Book Recommendation...

May I recommend a wonderful book by Charles Spurgeon? It is C. H. Spurgeon on Spiritual Leadership. Every Christian who takes seriously the command to disciple the nations should read this book. There are keys to being a great leader that are often overlooked in many circles that discuss leadership. From a Christian perspective we must consider the things that matter most to God. This book will enable you to focus on these different aspects of leadership that are essential to being a truly great leader.

Here are some of the aspects of spiritual leadership that Spurgeon addresses:

1. Having a passion for prayer
2. Having a faith that endures
3. A committment to holiness
4. A heart for service
5. A love for the Lord and for His Word
6. A willingness to suffer
7. A passion for souls
8. The power of a single focus

Here are a few quotes from this book.

"The best spiritual leaders are those who are always learning. They're the ones who ask, How can I do this better? How can I have a greater impact? How can I inspire the people around me upward and onward in their Christian growth? How can I glorify God more?"

"If any of you should ask me for an epitome of the Christian religion, I should say it is in that one word--prayer."

On the subject of faith Spurgeon said, "Go in for great things, brethren, in the name of God; risk everything on His promise, and according to your faith shall it be done unto you."

On holiness Spurgeon said, "We are watched by a thousand eagle eyes; let us so act that we shall never need to care if all heaven, and earth, and hell, swelled the list of spectators. Our public position is a great gain if we are enabled to exhibit the fruits of the Spirit in our lives; take heed, brethren, that you throw not away the advantage."

I would encourge all of you to purchase this book and to devour its contents. It will be a great blessing and will transform your life and help you to become a better spiritual leader for the Kingdom of God in the days and the years to come. God bless you all,

Pastor Dickie

Reading The Bible

I want to share with all of you my method of reading the Bible. There are many different ways that people may choose to read their Bibles. One method of reading the Bible is to simply begin in January and read right through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Another method of reading the Bible is to use the Bible reading program that was put together by Robert Murray McCheyne. McCheyne's Bible reading program can be found by googling this on line. The method I use, however, is one that I have found to be very helpful for my spiritual growth and development. Here's what I do each day. Let's suppose we are beginning on January 1st. I begin reading several chapters in the Old Testament at the book of Genesis. I will also read a 5 chapters from the Psalms each day. Next I will also read one chapter from Proverbs that corresponds with the day of the week. Each month I will have gone through the Psalms and Proverbs. When I finish the Psalms and Proverbs I begin again with them. I also begin reading on January 1st in the New Testament at Matthew's gospel. I read several chapters of the gospels each day. When I finish with Matthew I go to Mark, then Luke and finally the book of John. When I come to the end of John's gospel I will go back to Matthew and start once again. So you can see I am continually cycling through the four gospels. Next, on January 1st I also start reading Acts. Everyday I read several chapters in the New Testament. When I come to the end of the New testament I go back to Acts and start all over again. This program keeps me rotating through the Bible on a number of levels. I am continually going through the Old Testament, the Psalms and Proverbs, the four gospels, and the New Testament. Some days I may read more than others. On Sunday, the Lord's Day, I read quite a bit more.

This method is really a feast for me. It is like a smorgasbord of Bible reading. Every month I am going through the Psalms and Proverbs. And throughout the year I am going through the four gospels and the New Testament. The Old Testament takes longer to get through. But by this method I am constantly exposing my heart and mind to the precious Word of God. One should do whatever works best for you. I have found that this method has fed my heart and kept my life enriched in the Word.

My concern is that many people do not read the Bible on a regular basis. I will be finishing my next book entitled Living For Jesus. This book will have an entire chapter on the Word of God and the reasons why ones must immerse their heart and soul in its precious contents. As your pastor and friend I plead with all of you to read, read, read, the Word of God. Do not neglect this precious book. It is food for your soul. God bless you all. Love in Christ, Pastor Dickie