Thursday, September 30, 2004
When thinking of a better tomorrow, you better do something about it today!
-Lyn Sahr
-Prov 4:25 NIV
Let your eyes look straight ahead,
fix your gaze directly before you.
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Helping others may not be on your agenda today but it may be on God’s agenda for you today. The gift of helps is not something old fashioned, it never becomes out of style! So, if you really want to be stylish, spend less time worrying about what you are going to wear today and more time thinking about who you might help today!
-Lyn Sahr
-1 Cor 3:12-15 NIV
If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. 15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Have you ever been short of money? There was a time in my life where I thought I was the only one that ran out of money but I have come to learn that most people have more month than they have money!
When we talk about money in ministry/church a lot of people seem to get offended. Ironically, the scripture refers to money quite often in one way or another. Yet, many people still want ministries/churches to remain silent on the subject. That being the case, it would seem the best alternative is to encourage people to read their Bibles in hopes that they would discover how money fits into ministry and the need of the church.
Give generously to your church with tithes and offerings. You will be surprised of the wonderful blessings God will give you when you turn your checkbook over to Him!
-Lyn Sahr
-Mal 3:10-12 NIV
0 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.
Monday, September 27, 2004
Isn’t it great to be alive! Sometimes we forget to “smell the roses” as they say. Life is so precious and we should not take it for granted but rather inhale the sweet smell of life each and every day. God did not give life to make it boring, tedious and depressing but rather precious. Every day is a new “Holy Special Delivery!”
Wake up and smell the c… alling!
-Lyn Sahr
-2 Cor 2:14-16 NIV
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. 15 For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.
Sunday, September 26, 2004
As we go through this life, God wants to prove His faithfulness to us. Part of that comes in showing us that with Him, nothing is impossible.
A couple of weeks ago, I was faced with a long 1800 mile trip. I had never driven so far alone and didn’t want to try it, but it became apparent that I would be driving alone. Wondering why God would make me travel alone, I headed out. It didn’t take long for me to realize that God wanted to prove to me that He is faithful. I wasn’t traveling alone, He was with me every mile of the trip.
It is easy to think of all the things we can’t do, but God wants us to know that if He is with us and we are in His will, there is nothing impossible.
-Ardis Rivera
-Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through Him who gives me strength
Saturday September 25, 2004
We recently embarked on the Novak summer vacation. All eight of us crowded into our minivan–six children, two parents, enough gear to outfit an NFL team, and of course everyone’s extra family member “Little Debbie!” (those are snack cakes for those outside of the United States ). We drove over 1500 miles during the week away from home and traveled for several days in the Canadian wilderness en route to visit relatives in Thunder Bay , Ontario .
Having to make a border crossing with our “crew” was interesting to say the least, but getting into Canada was nothing like getting back into our own country. A brief “hello” and explanation why we were going into Canada and we were soon on our way into the Canadian countryside. But coming back into the U.S. (through a different city), the border guard wasn’t in a mood to joke (even though we offered him Tim Horton doughnuts). “Picture ID’s?” “Who is in the vehicle?” “Why are you coming in at this border station several hundred miles away from where you exited?” “Who are you visiting?” These were some of the questions asked of us to get back into our own country.
We obviously did make it back home (without leaving any of our six kids behind with the border guard), but the experience made my wife and I think of what it’s like to stop being close to God, and then coming back to him. No matter how far away you go, your Heavenly Father is there with open arms, waiting for you to come back (think of the story of the prodigal son). No picture ID or harsh questions…just open arms and love. If you have been “vacationing” from God, isn’t it time to come back?
-Garrett Novak
-Luke 15:18-20
I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men. So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
Friday, September 24, 2004
Home and Away Ministries and Pine City Community Church are blessed ministries. It is easy to think that because there is a financial struggle that God is not blessing. But in fact, He is blessing. We distribute food to hundreds of families in need each and every month. This is a blessing for all. We work with over 150 churches in Mexico and this next year we will have five different conferences there for men, women, youth, pastors and couples. We are setting up our first sister churches with churches there and here in the USA in November. We are negotiating for a building in Monterrey to headquarter our ministry there to house guest quarters, offices, a free medical clinic for pastors and their families, a media center/library for pastors and classrooms for Leadership Training. We are looking at offices and warehouse space in the USA to house the ministry and warehouses for food distribution to other ministries.
Pine City Community Church has no money but after 18 months it purchased an 8,000 sq ft building with a relatively small mortgage and a growing congregation. Last Sunday it held Sunday School for the first time and the midweek Bible Study is blossoming. It is a blessed church that is sharing the blessing with everyone the congregation members come in contact with.
Blessings come in different ways and to judge any ministry based upon their financial needs or the shortage of funding is not a true picture of the power and presence of God in what is being done. It is hard to understand but sometimes financial struggle is part of the molding and purifying process for a ministry. We accept that.
-Lyn Sahr
-Deut 28:8-14 NIV
8 The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.
9 The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. 10 Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. 11 The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity–in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground–in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.
12 The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. 13 The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. 14 Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.
Thursday, September 23, 2004
It is amazing how the days turn into weeks, the weeks to years and the years into a life time. Last Friday my step father died and we had his funeral on Tuesday. Prior to that we had our staff person from Mexico home and then I was in Mexico from the 10th-16th of September. The schedule has been impossible and the ChurchMouse Chronicles has suffered as a result of it. I apologize for that.
Things have changed the past 30 months with the development of Pine City Community Church and Home and Away Ministries. My schedule has become impossible and again, the ChurchMouse ministry is suffering. So over the past several weeks I have tried to prayerfully consider what I can do and can’t do in ministry because I can’t do everything. And the ChurchMouse Chronicles is a non-revenue producing ministry which means that the other ministries carry the financial support for my family and the expenses of the ministry. But the fact is that this is a very difficult time financially for all ministries and we are no exception. Our church is still on the development stages as we finished our second year in July and I draw no salary from it. Therefore, Home and Away Ministries, Inc. is the only source of financial support that I receive from any of the three ministries and I would be embarrassed to tell you how little that was this past year. My wife Lonna is an elementary and learning disabilities school teacher. She has had two jobs eliminated in the past four years and is presently substitute teaching a day or two a week. Obviously, we cannot live on what we are earning from our efforts during this time. So, I prayerfully considered what we were going to do for the next nine months to survive. I share this not for your sympathy but rather your understanding of our recent inconsistencies.
The ChurchMouse has been writing daily thoughts since October of 1997. I have enjoyed the opportunity to share with you each day. I am going to continue all three ministries until June, 2005. At that time I will re-evaluate and see where God leads. I will try to be as consistent as possible during the next few months and be as big of a blessing to you as God will enable.
So, keep our ministries in prayer as we need to add four staff people in Monterrey and five staff in the office here as we depend upon God for his leading and provision.
The hand of God has a difficult time leading those who try to walk alone!
-Lyn Sahr
-Ps 86:11-13 NIV
Teach me your way, O LORD,
and I will walk in your truth;
give me an undivided heart,
that I may fear your name.
12 I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart;
I will glorify your name forever.
13 For great is your love toward me;
you have delivered me from the depths of the grave.
Saturday, September 4, 2004
We recently embarked on the Novak summer vacation. All eight of us crowded into our minivan–six children, two parents, enough gear to outfit an NFL team, and of course everyone’s extra family member “Little Debbie!” (those are snack cakes for those outside of the United States). We drove over 1500 miles during the week away from home and traveled for several days in the Canadian wilderness en route to visit relatives in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Having to make a border crossing with our “crew” was interesting to say the least, but getting into Canada was nothing like getting back into our own country. A brief “hello” and explanation why we were going into Canada and we were soon on our way into the Canadian countryside. But coming back into the U.S. (through a different city), the border guard wasn’t in a mood to joke (even though we offered him Tim Horton doughnuts). “Picture ID’s?” “Who is in the vehicle?” “Why are you coming in at this border station several hundred miles away from where you exited?” “Who are you visiting?” These were some of the questions asked of us to get back into our own country.
We obviously did make it back home (without leaving any of our six kids behind with the border guard), but the experience made my wife and I think of what it’s like to stop being close to God, and then coming back to him. No matter how far away you go, your Heavenly Father is there with open arms, waiting for you to come back (think of the story of the prodigal son). No picture ID or harsh questions…just open arms and love. If you have been “vacationing” from God, isn’t it time to come back?
-Garrett Novak
-Luke 15:18-20
I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men. So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
