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!

~

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

~

(Read the previous posts in this series.)

"How Can I Help Her?" - Tip #4

Just Do It!

Instead of saying, "Let me know if you need anything...a meal or someone to watch the kids." Say, "I would like to bring you a meal this week, which day & time would work best for you?" or "I would like to take your kids to the park on Saturday, would that be o'kay?" She is most likely overwhelmed with all that is going on in her life. She can't even think straight so she probably won't have any immediate answers when she's asked, "How can I help you?" or "What do you need?" As the old Nike Ad. said, "Just Do It!" Bring over meals, babysit their kids, do their gardening, give gas cards & gift cards to local restaurants. I even heard of a group of friends pitching in to hire a maid to clean their friend's house.

Our friends, Mike & Robin, were a huge blessing to us when Christian was in the hospital. Mike would just call Kempton up and ask him to go to lunch. Robin would bless Christian with gifts for his bedside and also give me gifts. They bought us a gas card because we had to travel each day to the hospital. They did all of this without asking. We felt so encouraged & loved by their service to us. So, do whatever you can to help your friend's family. They will appreciate any effort you do to show you care.

Molly Piper wrote a detailed list of "10 Tips for Bringing Meals to a Grieving Friend." It is very informative & insightful.

(Read the previous posts in this series.)

Schedule and Priorities

The following is today's devotional from Nancy Leigh DeMoss.

“They want me to help decorate the church Saturday night, but I can’t even get my own house straightened up! What should I do?”

Nancy Leigh DeMoss: There are a lot of books and seminars on time management, but the best counsel comes from God Himself. I’m learning to submit my calendar and daily schedule to the Lord to seek His will for my priorities.

When interruptions come, I ask Him for wisdom to know whether they’re from Him or whether I should avoid them as unnecessary distractions. I try to remember Proverbs 16:3: “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”

There will probably never be enough time in a day for you to finish your whole to-do list. There definitely won’t be time for you to do everything everybody else wants you to do. But there will always be enough time for you to do everything on God’s to-do list for your day. When is the last time you asked for His direction?

"How Can I Help Her?" - Tip #3

Pray, Pray, Pray

Many people think, “I guess all I can do is pray.” On the contrary, praying is not the least thing that you can do, but the best. I really believe that the supernatural peace and joy that I have had during my journey is the evidence of God hearing the prayers of His people on my behalf. The Word says, “Pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” (Eph 6:18). We must pray for one another at all times with all types of prayers. However, how do you pray for a mom in a situation that we have been discussing? First, ask her how you can specifically pray for her. In addition, here are some other things that you can pray.

1. Her walk with the Lord – If she’s not a believer, pray that the Lord will use this situation to draw her to Himself. If she is a believer, pray that her faith will not fail. Pray Romans 15:13 for her.

2. Her marriage – Pray that her and her spouse will be grace-filled & peaceful towards one another. Pray thay they would turn to one another for comfort & encouragement and not away from one another. Pray that they would set aside alone time with one another to cultivate intimacy & oneness. Pray Col 3:12-15 for them.

3. Her children – Pray that they would be covered with God’s protection and favor. Pray that the siblings would not be bitter or jealous of the time & care given to the child in need but instead grow a loving heart of understanding and have an increased desire to serve and help. Pray Numbers 6:24-26 for them.

4. Her family time – Depending on the situation, they may not be able to spend a lot of time together as a family. Pray that those times would be sweet moments of grace, unity, peace, and joy. Pray that each member would be given the grace to accept their family’s “new normal”. Pray Ephesians 3:14-21 for them.

5. Her child in need – Pray for healing of the body &/or mind according to God's will. Pray that they would grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. Pray that they would feel God’s love through their family & others. Pray that the works of God will be displayed in them (John 9:3).

(Read the previous posts in this series.)