Without wanting to or knowing it, we can give Satan a foothold in our lives. In Joe Beam’s book “Seeing the Unseen” he lists various doors that we can open that allow Satan to enter and control us. This list includes lying, anger, stealing, slothfulness, unwholesome talk, bitterness, rage, brawling, slander, every form of malice and refusing to forgive. Any of these sins can go un-noticed and without wanting to, we give Satan a foothold in our lives. Any of these traits can happen in day to day dealings with family, friends, fellow workers and acquaintances.
The item I’d like to discuss further is “Refusing to Forgive.” This open door to Satan has been my greatest challenge during the past 5 ½ years. A divorce can be one of Satan’s easiest foot holds. The only way of confronting this was to work hard at trying to forgive. This avenue for sin is talked about throughout the Gospels. Jesus had a lot to say about forgiveness. Matt. 6:14; “for if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” Matt. 18:21: “Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” The answer we all know is 70 x 7. Mark 11:25-26 “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so your Father in heaven may forgive your sins.” Luke 6:37: “Do not judge and you will note judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 17:4: “Even if they sin against you seven times a day and seven times come back saying “I repent”, you must forgive them.”
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People coming to us for assistance often remark that they heard about Singing Oaks through agencies in Dallas, Plano, McKinney or other area cities. They also remark that they came to Denton because they knew that they would receive help. Because of that, we probably have more homeless family inquiries than other city of our size in the Metroplex.
These facts will hopefully be of interest to you.
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In Genesis 2:18 the Lord said, “It is not good for man to live alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” This principle began with creation. God knew that his creation, if left to himself would be incomplete.
There are many of us who have lost our companions by death or divorce. Obviously death had no recourse and divorce is generally impossible to undo.
When we observe our daily walk, you see the interaction of men and women in various activities. I was eating alone at the Cracker Barrel yesterday and couldn’t help but notice the number of retired couples enjoying their meal together. Many were talking privately and some were talking with other couples. Their enjoyment was quite obvious and readily noticeable to us who are alone. I enjoyed observing these exchanges yet it made me sad to be unable to participate.
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I’m sure many of you have been captivated by the recount of 3 year-10 month old Colton Burpo’s visit to heaven as told in Scott Burpo’s book “Heaven is For Real.” Scott is a Methodist minister from Imperial, Nebraska. For those who have not seen the movie or read the book, Colton nearly died from a ruptured appendix. After 15 nightmarish days in the hospital Colton’s battle was won.
This is where the story of how Colton’s encounter with Jesus began. During his surgery he had the out of body experience where he was up above the doctors viewing what was going on. During a road trip to visit a new born cousin, Colton’s mom questioned him about this. His answer was, “Yes Mommy, I remember, this is when the angels sang to me.” This statement prompted a stop at an Arby’s parking lot where he was questioned further. What did the angels sing to you? Jesus Loves Me and Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho. “His answers were quick and matter of fact, without a hint of hesitation.” What did the angels look like?” Colton said one looked like Grandpa Dennis, but it wasn’t him because Grandpa Dennis has glasses. Growing serious he told his dad that Jesus had the angels sing to me because I was so scared. They made me feel better. “You mean Jesus was there?” Yeah, Jesus was there. “Where was Jesus?” “I was setting in his lap.” The parents stopped questioning and quietly agreed that they really needed to talk about this.
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The bicycle ministry here at Singing Oaks began because of a request from a client who asked for help in finding a bike for her brother. Jerry Browder and others from Singing Oaks were volunteering at Our Daily Bread when this request was made. Jerry talked with her and volunteered to find a bike. Her brother was having to walk or hitch-hike to Lewisville daily to work at a minimum wage job. This bike solved his walking problem. This request sparked a thought in Jerry’s mind that bikes would be a great addition to our benevolence program.
Prior to this we had given away a few bikes that were donated to us but we had not yet announced we were in the “bike business”. Jerry found a source for bicycles in Dallas. He got connected with this group and we began accumulating bikes to give people who were coming to our food pantry and clothing room.
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