Grace Notes – Page 31 – Tomorrow's Forefathers, Inc.

The Yellow Soap Dish

February 7, 2013 Grace Mally3 Comments

I just returned from a ministry conference at Emmaus Bible College. I was there with a table representing Bright Lights. It was very encouraging to rub shoulders with some neat ministries and missionaries.

I had the privilege of hearing David Croudace speak (pictured above). He has been a missionary to Africa for the past 50 years, and he and his wife will be returning to Africa soon, although he is 80 years old. His wife told me, “It would be more comfortable to stay here but there is work to do there.” It reminds me of a quote I heard once about how God’s people don’t retire, they refire!

Mr. Croudace explained about God’s faithfulness through the years. He recalled this story from their early days of ministry:

One day his wife thought You know, it would be really nice if I had soap dish. So she prayed, “Lord, please send me a soap dish. And it would be great if it was yellow to match in this room.”

Guess what arrived in a package shortly after her prayer? A yellow soap dish.

This was an encouragement to them to continue to make their needs known not to men, but to the Lord. And this is what they have done throughout their 50 years of ministry. They have not asked for money, but have made their needs known only to God (following the pattern of George Mueller and the orphanage).

It is an easy thing for the Lord to provide for the needs of His servants! And it brings glory to Him when we demonstrate the faith to trust Him–watching HIM provide for needs that no other human even knew about.

If anyone would like to hear some stories and teaching from Mr. Croudace, see here.

“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” Malachi 3:10

Miscellaneous/Thoughts

The Romans Challenge

February 1, 2013 Grace Mally61 Comments

About 2 weeks ago, Nickie and I began a “Romans challenge” where we are reading Romans 1-8 every day for 50 days. This was recommended to us by a friend who did this as a new Christian (when he was in his 20’s). It had such a dramatic effect on his walk with Christ and understanding of the gospel that he’s been an advocate of this plan ever since.

Romans builds in a systematic way, so it is helpful to read those chapters all together to grasp the flow of the argument being made. It establishes an understanding of the whole context: starting with creation, God’s wrath toward sin, and our hopelessness, and then dives into the amazing news of Jesus’ perfect life, sacrificial death and resurrection—and what all of this means for us as believers!

It takes most people about 45-60 minutes to read chapters 1-8, depending on how fast you read. But the goal is not speed, it’s comprehension. [smile]

So … WHY read Romans this much? When we saturate our minds, day after day, with God’s magnificent explanation of the gospel in Romans, we develop a greater understanding of the depth and beauty of the gospel. The greater our understanding of it, the greater our delight in it! Gospel truths will then overflow to others in our conversations as we both edify believers and evangelize the lost.

Today was my 14th day, and I definitely have a much stronger grasp of Romans than I did before. It keeps getting better the more I read it! I have been e-mailing some friends (especially girls who helped with our overseas Bright Lights conferences) and many have been interested in joining. As of yesterday, there were about 50 of us reading Romans 1-8 every day! But in the last 24 hrs, 34 more people have joined the plan! (Sarah sent an e-mail about it to all the leaders of Bright Lights groups.)

I am filled with joy about this … especially because many of these friends have also expressed their desire to witness more. What greater witnessing training could any of us receive than to thoroughly know Romans?!

SO (did you guess I was getting to this? [smile] ) if anyone else would like to join, please let me know! I would be happy to add you to my e-mail list. I’m sending out weekly e-mails with tips and ideas. If you don’t have my e-mail, please leave a comment and I will get in touch with you.

This afternoon, I received this e-mail from a friend:

“Already God has used this Romans reading to prepare me for something He was going to use me for! Yesterday I flew to Alaska from Boston, and by God’s providence, traveled the whole day with a “stranger friend.” The young woman I sat next to on the plane was friendly and talkative. We began chatting right away, and continued to for almost the entire 5 ½ hour flight, got Hot Dogs together at our layover, and stood in the cold at 1am waiting for the shuttle where we finally parted ways! As we began chatting and getting to know each other, I began praying that the Lord would help to turn the conversation to spiritual things. Sure enough, the lady asked me about a book I was reading (it was a Lamplighter book, “Stephen, Soldier of the Cross”). “There it is! Thank you Lord!” I thought as I began to explain the plot of the book and the life of Stephen, a martyr for Christ. We continued to talk about God, the Bible, Jesus Christ, and other matters … She calls herself a “Christian” but did not have a salvation testimony. Many of the things she believes are based on her personal feelings, though she prays often and is seeking God’s will for her life. Continually, I brought her back to the Bible, and almost all the topics we covered, were in Romans 1-8! Though I am only on day 5 of the 50, I was familiar enough with the chapters already to find the pertinent verses! It was such a blessing to be prepared to wield my sword! Praise the Lord, I look forward to seeing how He will continue to use this long-term reading of Romans 1-8!”

I really appreciated that note from Jordan, because she brought out a true point I wanted to make anyway: Studying Romans helps to both strengthen our confidence in our knowledge of the gospel and increases our eagerness to share it.

I have also been encouraged by all the other testimonies I’ve been receiving! Here’s a sampling:

“I’ve been understanding these passages more than I ever have before … it really helps reading it all together as one ‘thought,’ rather than as separate ‘thoughts.’” – Bailey, BL Leader in Arkansas

“God has used this to reveal so much to me, and I am so excited about His Word!” – Katrina, Canada

“… I’m only on day 12, but it’s been a really neat thing so far! I am understanding those chapters like I never have before.” – Kristin Youngblood (BL leader in Texas)

“… we have grown so much for the Lord!! You can learn so much reading it every day!! I love it!” –Michailia, BL Leader in Alaska

“I am going to totally do it and I am going to mention it in our meeting tomorrow. I would like to see if the other girls might be interested in trying it too.” – Sarah, BL Leader in Nebraska

“I am enjoying it so much! Today is my third day … and I am also coping the book of Romans into a notebook during my study!” Janessa, BL Leader in Texas

“I got through all chapters in 45 min! I’m so excited, not so much about the short amount of time (although hehe that is exciting too, since I have been taking 2 hours), but also because of what I’ve gained. Keeping in mind what you said about reading it all as a whole and ignoring chapter breaks, I changed my reading approach. Usually I read detailed-ly, stopping after each chapter if there’s some insight to journal about… So today I tried ignoring chapter breaks and title breaks (my Bible has a lot of titles), going straight from one chapter/section to the next. I also didn’t journal till the end. It was so great. I got distracted much less, and it was exciting to start to see how the passages all fit together!! I know it is good to be detailed at times, but I am beginning to see that it is also very beneficial to read the Bible as a whole and learn to see the bigger picture and how it all fits together!! …I’m really excited and I just wanted to share it with you!!” –Judith, Australia

And it has been exciting to see how the Lord has prepared peoples’ hearts for this:

“Hi Grace! Ok, true story here… I’m working on memorizing Romans right now, and as I was reviewing chapter 5 this morning I realized it’s still quite rough and that I don’t have the ‘flow’ of the previous chapters down as much as I’d like. It occurred to me that, in addition to working with the flashcards I’ve made and working on one section at a time, I also should starting reading through all the chapters regularly- yes, it would take extra time, but probably worth it, right? Still pondering this, I put aside my Bible and checked my e-mail, and read yours first! I would love to join you ….” -Kea, Alaska

“God is so neat in how He weaves everything I’m studying together. Even the set 5 lessons are going right along with what I’m studying in Romans. Our adult SS classes at church just started studying the book of Romans in January, and I started trying to memorize chapter one, so reading through chapters 1-8 every day goes right along with it!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think that is so neat and was smiling very big when I read your e-mail last night.” – Kim, BL Leader in Indiana

“I would love to take on this challenge in my own life, and am planning to start today. I have such an acute desire to delve into Word in a deeper way, so I am very excited to embark on this study. It’s quite amazing to me how God works; for a while I’ve been working on memorizing Romans 8. I’m only in the beginning of the chapter so far, but this is such a powerful chapter to read/recite! So to know that there are other young people who are studying these passages at the very time that God laid Romans 8 on my heart just thrills me! What a beautiful thing this is…this journey on the set-apart Narrow Way.” – Amber, BL Leader in Virginia

“I would be thrilled to join you in reading this passage of Scripture. I just finished reading “Morning Star of the Reformation” – the book about John Wycliffe – and it really made me think about how much we take for granted having the Word of God so readily available to us. It just makes me long to read it even more!” – Danielle, BL Leader in Maine

Family News

A Cool Guy Preaches On Haggai

January 29, 2013 Grace Mally4 Comments

Last week my brother Stephen preached at our church on Haggai. I’m glad that he rehearsed his message with me and Sarah the day before because that was a lot of content to process (and he talks fast!).

If you’ve been wondering about the significance of Zerubbabel being a ‘signet ring,’ the chronological order of the minor prophets, why the dates of Haggai’s four prophecies are important, the difference between Darius I (the Great) and Darius the Mede, or practical lessons we can take away from the book of Haggai, this sermon is for you!

Stephen ended with three questions:

“Is there someone who I could ‘spur on’ to good works by words of encouragement?”
“In what ways should I be more diligent in what God has told me to do?”
“If I remember that the Lord Himself is with me, how will that affect my perspective each day?”

Witnessing Stories

Waiters, Insects, and Gospel Tracts …

January 23, 2013 Grace Mally9 Comments

Yesterday afternoon Sarah and I went out to eat for her birthday.

Our waiter was very friendly.

After we paid, as our server was about to walk away, I said, “Oh, wait—we have something for you.”

He came back and I handed him a “Good Person Comic”. I try to give waiters gospel tracts in person now rather than just leaving it on the table. It’s more personal and it often opens a door for conversation.

He stood there for a second looking at it and muttered something…. which I can’t remember. It wasn’t exactly unfriendly, but it prompted me to ask, “Do you get many of those in here?”

“Oh yeah—all the time,” he said.

“Really? So can I just ask you something—do you notice a difference in how much people tip when they give these out?”

“Yeah, it’s lower.”

“Really?” we asked.

“Do you think people think of the tract as part of the tip?!” Sarah asked.

“Yeah, it seems like they do,” he affirmed.

“That’s really sad.”

“You know the coolest one of those we’ve seen?” he lit up and laughed, “There were these cards with insects on the front. They were like baseball cards, but with insects! That was so cool,” he said.

We nodded and smiled, wondering if those were from us. Later that day, Sarah remembered being at that same restaurant with my grandparents a few weeks previously and leaving several insect animal card tracts. So we were glad to hear they were well received. (They almost always are. If you’re interested, see these “Creation Cards” [smile])

Our waiter also shared a story with us of his conversation with some people who were pushy about their beliefs and aggravated him.

“Well, different people have different motives,” we mentioned.

He agreed.

“For us,” we said, “we pass these out everywhere—and it’s not because we are trying to get people to our church or anything — it’s just because we believe it’s the truth. And for us, if we didn’t share it, it would be kind of like knowing the cure for cancer and not saying anything.”

“Yeah, that’s a good perspective to have,” he said.

Our waiter yesterday was not the only one who has told me that “people who leave tracts tip less.” I remember one waitress who told me she dislikes Sunday afternoons because of all the stingy Christians. And I’ve heard similar reports from other sources as well. Of course, it isn’t true across the board, and I’m sure servers who are already antagonistic towards Christianity are extra sensitive to this and may exaggerate the statistics they share. But whatever the case may be, if we are going to be imitators of God (Eph. 5:1), we must be generous!

Please do not read this and be discouraged about giving tracts to servers! Just remember to tip well with your tract.

Here are a few other suggestions:
1) Try to get to know your waiter/waitress. If we are friendly and enjoyable to serve, it lays a great foundation for then sharing about the Lord.
2) Try handing them a tract in person instead of leaving it on the table. Even better, give them something bigger like a DVD or book.
3) Pray for them even before you arrive at the restaurant.

I had prayed yesterday morning that we would be able to witness to our waiter at lunch. Although the talk with him wasn’t what I was expecting, I think it was beneficial. I think the gentle explanation with the tract was what that guy needed at that time.

Thoughts

A Few Thoughts from Paul’s Prison Epistles

January 21, 2013 Grace Mally2 Comments

As I posted a few weeks ago, in the beginning of January, I spent 3 and 1/2 days in northern Minnesota with about 40 other young people studying Paul’s prison epistles: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. Though we should read the Bible daily, it is a valuable thing to we immerse ourselves for a lengthy period of time in the Word. When we focus on studying the Word with others for a period of time, looking from many perspectives and discussing questions and insights, not only does it make an impact on our lives, it also makes for great fellowship! Below are a few brief thoughts from that time.

• After spending over three days studying these books I felt like I moved backwards not forwards in my understanding of them! I love that. They are inexhaustible, and that’s the beautiful thing about studying God’s Word.

• It’s notable that Paul’s “prison epistles”—the letters he wrote while he was in undesirable physical conditions – are some of the most joy-filled and uplifting sections in all of Scripture.

• “Leftover grace.” This term was used as we were studying Ephesians 2. Praise God that He has way more grace than just the grace needed to save us! And this grace He will continue to give us forever! “…in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:7)

• Ephesians 4:15-16 – We are being fitted together with the brothers and sisters around us not just for now, but for eternity! Colossians 2 also speaks about how we are being knit together in love. Our love for each other, and our ever tightening relationships in the body of Christ is setting the stage for beautiful things ahead. Things are just beginning.

• One benefit of studying several New Testament books in a close time-proximity, is that the repetitious parts stand out. We are reminded that some commands God repeats frequently—and it’s important to take those commands seriously! The instruction to “give thanks” is a superb example of that.

• “Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication …” (Phil 4:5-6) The girl sitting next to me turned and pointed out that we often connect the phrase “The Lord is near” with the previous verse, and do not notice that it’s an important introduction to the following verse. Because the Lord is near we do not need to be anxious.

• Just as Paul was interceding for Onesimus, so Christ intercedes for us. I suggest that you re-read the little book of Philemon and look for pictures of Christ interceding for us. Notice the phrases such as “Lay it to my account” (Philemon 1:18) and “Receive him as you would receive me” (Philemon 1:17).

• I love how encouraging Paul is as he exhorts. When there is a “don’t,” he gives a “do.” It is so important in discipleship not to simply tell people to refrain from the wrong thing but to help them wholeheartedly embrace the right thing. If you’ve never noticed this theme in Ephesians 4 especially, I highly recommend you read it with this perspective.

Creation Museum/Miscellaneous

Goodbye Dinosaur! :(

January 14, 2013 Grace Mally8 Comments

For over two years we have had this um … cute little dinosaur in our bookstore.

He made a great display, and, side by side with our model Noah’s Ark, we felt like we owned a mini-Creation Museum, right in our own bookstore! Well, not exactly. But anyway, our personal little museum is now down to only one piece, because it was time to return the dino to the Creation Museum.

Though we were sad to see our dinosaur leave, it did provide a nice excuse to make another trip to the the Creation Museum!

“If we’re going, I think we should bring a group!” my dad said.

The Lord pulled together a group to come with us in a sort of miraculous way (through my dad “randomly” bumping into a friend at the store!) and we had a terrific trip.

Most of the group sat in front of the dinosaur …

…and Nolia and I had a unique experience with the dinosaur in the back. It was a bit tight, but we had fun. (Right Nolia? [smile])

This is just a tiny fraction of one of the pathways. The whole Museum grounds were lit beautifully (as it is every December). For more pictures see here.

The best part of Christmastown was how the gospel saturated the presentations, especially the presentation by the “archaeologists”, as pictured here. Thousands of unbelievers from the community come to see Christmastown at the Creation Museum and then hear the gospel.

I was volunteering nearby as a greeter, so I got to hear the message about twelve times [smile], which was fun, esp. since both of the archaeologists were friends from the times we have helped with the NEA outreach.

After one of the presentations, my friend Grace Ramsek and I began talking with two girls who didn’t have a good grasp on the gospel. Their youth pastor observed our conversation and expressed how much he appreciated that we talked with them. He explained that many of the girls from his inner-city youth group were there at Christmastown that night.
“I pray for them so much,” he explained, expressing that they had a lot of needs.

I offered to talk with the rest of his group, and this evolved into a little gospel sharing time with about ten of them which lasted, maybe, 30 minutes. We praised the Lord for allowing this opportunity. (We were praying that he would provide someone to witness to!) And we pray that the Lord continues to work in their lives.

The Ramsek family was very hospitable to host all ten of us! Here we are in the middle of a great discussion, sharing ministry reports and talking about evangelism and many other topics.

The adventures of traveling down a steep snowy driveway with a big van.

The Creation Museum has a fantastic new display about “Lucy”. They created a model of what Lucy likely looked like.

Underneath the display are many pictures that people have drawn of what they think Lucy looked like, based on their imagination. They make her look somewhat human by drawing white around her eyeballs (something no apes actually have) and giving her human shape and expressions … but it’s really all a big hoax. Lucy was just an ape.

So if you haven’t been to the Creation Museum yet, you must go … and if you haven’t been to the Creation Museum for Christmas Town yet, I highly recommend putting it in your schedule for next December!

Miscellaneous

Tract Organization Process :)

January 8, 2013 Grace Mally8 Comments

Today I have been organizing several boxes of tracts and I have been thinking about how grateful I am for all the young people God has raised up to get them out … into the hands of a world that really needs them! A while back, we started putting “witnessing packets” together for our book table at Bright Lights conferences, and I have been very pleased with how popular the packets have been! (They are a combination of sample tracts and materials to get people started in witnessing.) Also, local young people have distributed a lot of tracts at the University of Iowa over the fall months … so we have been making many purchases from Living Waters! [smile] Yay! But it’s encouraging to remember that now, not just in Iowa, but in all the cities and countries we have been to recently, young people are excited about witnessing and gospel tracts.

Soon I will be posting a few things about what I learned at the Bible retreat, about our recent trip to the Creation Museum to return a dinosaur, and a few more highlights from our overseas trip!

Family News

Story Book Lodge Christian Camp

January 4, 2013 Grace Mally4 Comments

I am currently in northern Minnesota at Story Book Lodge for a camp with about 40 other young people for 3 ½ days of Bible study. We are going through Paul’s prison epistles expository style, doing about one chapter per session. It’s been wonderful! The sessions are led by a father or one of the older young men here, with discussion following. Personal Bibles study is great, but there are special blessings that come when you are studying Scripture with a whole group of people who love the Lord. Yesterday we did Ephesians, and tonight we finished Philippians and started Colossians. Hopefully later I will post some of the things I’ve been learning.

Here Dan (my cousin Priscilla’s husband) is teaching through Colossians chapter one. He brought out a lot of great points I hadn’t thought of before – it was a great session.

Playing broom ball on the lake this afternoon—so much fun.

I Shall Be Like Thy Son

And is it so I shall be like Thy Son? Is this the grace which He for me has won? Father of glory, thought beyond all thought—In glory to His own blest likeness brought!

Oh Jesus Lord who loved me like to Thee? Fruit of Thy work, with Thee, too, there to see
Thy glory, Lord, while endless ages roll, myself the prize and travail of Thy soul.

Yet it must be Thy love had not its rest were Thy redeemed not with Thee fully blest. That love that gives not as the world, but shares all it possesses with its loved coheirs.

Nor I alone, Thy loved ones all complete In glory round Thee there with joy shall meet –All like Thee, for Thy glory like Thee, Lord, Object supreme of all, by all adored.

J.N. Darby 1800-1882

Family News/Miscellaneous

Good To Be Home!

December 20, 2012 Grace Mally6 Comments

I am going to pause from sharing about the trip to post some pictures from today! When we arrived home from Australia there was no snow, so you can imagine our delight when we heard a blizzard was coming!

This post is especially for all our special friends in tropical places. We miss you and wish you could be here at our home to enjoy the beautiful white scenery we woke up to this morning!

Right here Stephen is telling me to get out of the way because I am about to get my face full of snow as he turns on the snow blower.

My mom, Sarah and I went together and bought Stephen and my dad a snow blower for Christmas this year … a little early so we’d have it in time for the blizzard.

We get quite excited about storms, so we had to celebrate with pumpkin bread this morning (Sarah’s favorite).

…made with freshly grated nutmeg. [smile] Does anyone out there grate your own nutmeg? I had never done it before, but I bought some fresh nutmegs (is that what they’re called?! haha) at Victoria’s Market in Melbourne, Australia. It’s amazing how much more flavor freshly grated nutmeg has!

Isaiah 1:18 says “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” What an incredible transformation. What an amazing God.

Well, many power lines in the area are going down, so I am going to post this before I lose internet!

Miscellaneous

Prayer for Mr. Biegler

December 18, 2012 Grace Mally9 Comments

Please pray for Nickie’s dad, Todd Biegler, who has been battling cancer for about a year and a half. Pray for wisdom in decisions, and healing from two infections as he is scheduled to have surgery next week. He is in the hospital right now.

Last night Nickie and her brothers and sister came over for dinner along with and Cheryl Kissling, a friend of all of ours.