Are You Choosing to Drink Poison???

"Bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die." -Randy Alcorn

Many of us have sinned by being bitter about something in our life. You may have experienced bitterness as a result of something done to you, something not done for you, or even as you compared your lack of something to someone else's plenty. Bitterness is like a bloodsucking leech that constantly sucks at your soul until you are spiritually dry. It is very dangerous for a believer to hold onto bitterness. It has a terrible snowball effect; it will keep growing & growing til it's dealt with. If you are struggling with the sin of bitterness, here are a few verses that can help you go from a bitter heart to a praising heart.

1) Confess that bitter thought/attitude right away! Hebrews 12:15
2) Ask the Lord to replace that bitterness with His truth & wisdom. James 3:13-18
3) Recall God's goodness to your mind. Lam 3:19-24

Only the Living God can turn a horribly sour situation that you've experienced into something pleasantly sweet (Romans 8:28). He desires all of his children to thrive by His grace and not just survive. Bitterness stifles us from fulfilling all that He wants to do for us, in us, and through us for His glory. If you have bitterness in your heart, do the above 3 things and it may be a good idea to have someone pray with you and keep you accountable in this area. Also, Psalm 34 is a good chapter to meditate on.


So, put down that poisonous drink then "taste & see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8)!

Dominican Republic Trip

Our Lord Jesus Christ wonderfully answered all of our prayers and the many prayers that were lifted up on our behalf. We were blessed far more abundantly than all that we asked for or imagined (Eph 3:20). God's hand of favor covered us on our trip to the Dominican Republic and He richly graced our children while we were away. To God be the glory! Thank you for partnering with us in prayer.

~Kempton & Caryn


FYI - If you would like to listen to Kempton's sermons from the DR, click on the links below.
Sermon #1 and Sermon #2.

10 days…10 messages…10 years!

Earlier this year, our hearts were burdened to not waste our upcoming wedding anniversary on ourselves, but to spend it on joyfully serving others for the sake of the gospel. Little did we know that the Lord would “open up a door” to travel to the Dominican Republic (DR) together to “proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9)! Lord willing, we will be serving the precious people of the DR, June 9th through June 18th (10 days).

Lord enabling, Kempton will be preaching 10 messages at a National Conference to hundreds of souls (young and old) gathered together from around this spiritually-ripe country. This includes preaching at all of the Sunday services at one of the host churches.

We are also excited about spending the last 3-4 days of the trip enjoying God together and His goodness to us as we celebrate 10 years of marriage!

Please pray that:
* God’s chosen would be saved through the gospel. (2 Thess. 2:13-14)
* God’s church would be built up in love. (Eph. 4:11-16)
* God’s hand of favor, protection and blessing would be upon Christian, Carysse and Caryn’s parents as they so graciously care for their grandchildren. (What a gift!) (Ps. 5:12)
* God would enable us to humbly & joyfully “outdo others in showing honor”. (Rom. 12:10)
* God would guard our hearts and minds from worldliness, pride, various lusts and the schemes of the devil. (I John 2:15-17, Eph. 6:10-20)
* God would enrich our marriage to more gloriously display His gospel design. (Eph. 5:22-33)
* God would cause Isaiah 6 (theme text) to happen as Kempton preaches through the chapter!

Thanks! ~Kempton and Caryn

“I will show My greatness and My holiness and make Myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord!” (Ezekiel 38.23)

(I will try to give updates on my blog depending on if we have internet access or not.)

"How Can I Help Her?" - FINAL Tip

Continue to include her in your life

Your friend may already feel isolated and alone because of her situation. One of the worst things you can do is to stop including her in your life. Yes, your friend’s life may be drastically different now, but she still desires friends and people in her life who care about her. Continue to invite her & her child to play dates, parties, etc. Don’t pry or get offended if she never comes. Being the only mom present with a child who has special needs is more difficult than you can imagine. However, it’s even harder when you stop getting invited. So, keep that door open and let her decide whether she will walk through it or not. If it’s just too difficult for her to bring her child out, you can plan a Mom’s Night Out – she’ll love & need a break!

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I hope this series has been a help to someone. I realize that the mom you are trying to help may not even be a believer. All these tips can still apply. However, the best way you can help her is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with her. The only way that she can truly be completely helped in this situation is by the true Helper (John 14:15-17). As you desire to comfort your friend be sure to introduce her to the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3-5). His grace will ALWAYS be sufficient (2 Cor. 12:9-10)!

A friend loves at all times.

Proverbs 17:17a

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(Read the previous posts in this series.)