Posts by Dorci

Not a 9-5 Job

Posted on by Dorci

Pastors only work a couple of hours on Sundays, right?  Maybe a couple more if there’s a midweek study?  Well, not quite.

Not even close.

Besides spending time in prayer, studying God’s Word and preparing the teachings, pastors oversee all the church staff, each ministry, all the events, manage the church building maintenance, allocate church finances, counsel hurting people, resolve disputes (at least try!), perform weddings and funerals, and I’m sure a lot of other things that we don’t even know about.

And they do it all while also managing their own household, marriage, children, all with the same challenges we all have.

And it’s not only what they do, but how God calls them to do it – with all love, grace, mercy, humility, wisdom, patience, and stewardship.

In his first letter to Timothy (third chapter), Paul says, “Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect.  (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. He must also have a good reputation with outsiders, so that he will not fall into disgrace and into the devil’s trap.”

And speaking of the devil, make no mistake, pastoring a flock is a front lines position. Pastors, and their families, are particularly open to spiritual attacks.

This is not a job, but a calling they pour their hearts into, day in and day out, 24/7, and pastor burnout is not uncommon.

That’s where we come in. 

“Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to appreciate those who diligently work among you [recognize, acknowledge, and respect your leaders], who are in charge over you in the Lord and who give you instruction, and [we ask that you appreciate them and] hold them in the highest esteem in love because of their work [on your behalf].”
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 AMP

Every Sunday we walk in and sit down, taking for granted that someone has laid down his life in service to the Lord and to us, to feed us, to train us, to care for us as the Lord would have him do.  Showing our appreciation is the very least we can do to serve them back, to encourage them, to let them know their service is not in vain, but is making a difference in our lives.

Of course that can be done any time of the year, but to come together in October to corporately show our appreciation during Pastor Appreciation Month is a way we can stand together with our pastors, and their families, as one in the Lord.

Thank you, pastors!

 

Heavenly Father, we lift up our pastors to you and ask that you would fill them up with your Spirit, and renew their hearts with the love, wisdom, and encouragement they need to continue faithfully in the service you’ve called them to.  We pray you would strengthen their marriages and protect their families from the enemy.  Help us to never take for granted all they do, and remind us to pray for them, this month and always.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

 

 

Why Christmas in the Fall is a Good Thing – Really

Posted on by Dorci

Soon (if we haven’t already) we’ll be seeing Christmas decorations in the store and hearing Christmas music, and we’ll start saying to each other “Can you believe there’s Christmas stuff up in the stores already?”

But there’s one good reason to start talking about Christmas in October, and that’s for Operation Christmas Child. This year will be the 26th year Samaritan’s Purse has collected and delivered shoeboxes to children all over the world, not only giving them gifts they never would have otherwise had, but introducing them to the love of Jesus, and immeasurably changing countless lives forever.

And in order to get those shoeboxes where they need to go before Christmas, collections begin early – a mere 44 days from today, November 18th to the 25th.  Just click on the hyperlink above and they’ll show you how to pack a shoebox and where your local drop-off locations are.

Yes, it’s easy, and it’s definitely a lot of fun, especially if you take your kids to help pick out the gifts or have a shoebox packing party.

It’s a simple act for us to do, but the impact the gift boxes have on these kids is not small.  Here’s the story of Boun Thorne.  It’s a tough, real story of a girl who grew up with no hope, finding hope in the person of Jesus Christ through someone who took the time to fill a shoebox with some simple gifts, and the power of His love, and how God’s blessed her since.

 

How God Can Put Together the Broken Pieces of Our Heart

Posted on by Dorci

Last weekend our church had the distinct privilege of hearing this man give a little bit of his testimony about what happened on the day this photo was taken and afterward.  You might be familiar with this image of Chris Fields and Miss Baylee Almon that was taken, unbeknownst to him, on April 19, 1995, the day of the Oklahoma City bombing.

He described a little bit about that horrific, rainy day that would end the lives of 168 people, 19 of them children, and injured more than 500.  How rows of first responders dug their way through rubble, 5 gallon buckets at a time, passing each one behind him or her until late into the night, looking for people, dead or alive.  How they had to try to match body parts to the rest of the body. How they came across a woman, barely alive, and were able to get her to safety, only to learn later that she and her unborn baby didn’t survive.

And how another firefighter handed Miss Baylee (the name her family called her) to him for a few moments while he went to find something to lay down so they wouldn’t have to lay someone’s precious child directly on the ground. Even how the Pulitzer Prize winning photo itself caused a lot of grief and controversy.

Chris struggled hard to deal with all that had happened.  Sometime later, when the smell of wet cement triggered a flashback of that day, he began to realize just how much the events were affecting him.

Chris talked about the fact that his mom had always been the family’s prayer warrior, and she told him God had a plan for him.  But Chris didn’t see it, and he decided to make his own plan, and he moved away from his wife and young sons.

Chris’s wife, Cheryl, talked about the fact that she didn’t grow up in a Christian family like Chris had.  Still, when her husband left, she turned to the Bible. People encouraged her to read the Psalms, and when she didn’t understand something, she called Chris to explain. And she began to pray.

She didn’t try putting on pretenses with God. She was honest. She prayed that if Chris wasn’t coming back, the Lord would take away her love for him.

Some people might not dare pray a prayer like that. Some people might just get mad at God and not pray at all.  And they might miss out on all God wants to do in their lives because of it.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

Cheryl kept praying, and never once did God turn her away for praying that prayer. On the contrary. Sitting in the presence of God, over and over, allowed God to work in her heart. Of course, God didn’t take away her love for Chris. He strengthened it.

God filled Cheryl with His amazing grace. And when Chris called one day about a year and a half after he’d left, Cheryl said, “Come home.”

And he did.

I’m sure the road since hasn’t been easy. There’s been counseling, and Chris still gets emotional talking about it. But with God they’ve persevered.

Since then Chris and Cheryl have spoken to many groups about PTSD, and about the hope that God gives. Looks like Chris’s mom was right (as moms often are).

The enemy does not have the last word. he will not have the last word as long as we sit with God and pour out our hearts to Him. He will never turn away someone who’s genuinely seeking Him, no matter what the prayer.

God’s not one bit surprised at the thoughts we have. He knows our hearts better than we do and already knows the thoughts we have. He just wants us to be honest, and know we can go to Him with anything. He’s our loving Father, and He wants us to know that no matter how broken our hearts are, if we’ll offer up those pieces to Him in prayer, He can put them together even better than they were before. If we abide in Him – cling to Him – through the good, the bad, and the ugly, He can fill us with His love and grace and mercy, fulfill His plans for us, and set us on a path we never dreamed possible.

 

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you so much for all you do.  Thank you for loving us through everything, for giving us your strength and courage as we go through trials.  Help us to give you our hearts, no matter how dark they seem or how many pieces they’re in, so you can heal them and fill them with your light. Help us to daily abide in Christ. Help us hold onto Him, to pray without ceasing, no matter what. Make us more than conquerors, Lord, and we pray that you have the last, victorious, glorious word in our hearts and in our lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Clotheslining satan

Posted on by Dorci

Ah, the enemy.  he may be stupid, but he’s relentless.

I’ve found one of the most dangerous times for a believer is right after God gives us a victory.  He brings us through a hard fought battle and we might be tempted to celebrate, sit down, and relax.  But satan knows that, and he’s not about to let us off the hook that easy. he’ll try coming at us again and again.

Maybe God’s given us the ability to forgive someone.  The next day, and the next and the next, the enemy will try dragging us back into the mess and remind us of the way that person hurt us, filling our minds with things like “shouldn’t you have the right to be angry…”

Maybe God’s filled us with a godly contentment with our circumstances…“but you could’ve been doing that…”

And so it goes.

God reminds us though, that we can choose what to think, and that in Christ we have the power to “…take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5b

I call it clotheslining satan.

 

 

 

 

“shouldn’t you have the right to be angry…” 

I stick out my arm (figuratively, of course), and in my head (or maybe out loud if nobody’s around) I immediately yell “NOPE!”  Clotheslined.  Stopped.

“but you could’ve been doing that…”  “NOPE!”

“but what about what that person…”  “NOPE!”

“but…”  “NOPE!”

I don’t entertain the thought.  I simply say no to his lies and stop the enemy right in his tracks.

I’ve taken my thought captive and made it obedient to Christ – to His victory for me, to His love for me, to His grace and mercy toward me, to walking in the abundant life He’s given me.

I don’t have to allow myself to be pulled back into the pit, back into unforgiveness, back into anger, back into discontentment… I can keep walking in the Spirit and remember that “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” John 8:36

 

“Heavenly Father, thank you for the victorious life you’ve given us through your Son, Jesus.  Thank you for giving us a sound mind and for equipping us with the tools to fight the enemy. And thank you for your joy, and for humor.  We praise you, and we pray it all in the name of Jesus Christ, our Victor, amen.”

 

Sunday Praise and a Prayer for Miracles

Posted on by Dorci

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you.  We praise you for your immeasurable love and grace and mercy, and for your joy that surpasses all understanding.  Thank you for the joy of our salvation that resides deep in our souls and remains no matter what’s happening at the surface of our lives.

Father, we come to you and petition for those who have been affected by storms and hurricanes.  For those who have lost loved ones we pray that you would comfort them in a way that only you can.  We pray you would provide for them in miraculous ways. We pray you would provide food and medicine and clothing and shelter. 

We pray for restoration and salvation. We pray for wisdom and hope and healing to hearts and to the land. We pray for those first responders and those who are there in your Son’s name to bring provisions and to wrap their arms around them in love. 

Father, the devastation seems overwhelming, but we are asking you, the One who is omnipotent – all powerful, and omniscient – all knowing, the One who is El Shaddai – The All Sufficient God, to do miracle after miracle in the wake of these storms.

May your powerful name be called upon over and over, and may you hear and answer those calls over and above anything we could ever ask or think. May your holy name be glorified, Lord Jesus.  We trust you and we thank you in advance for all you’re going to do.  In Jesus’ Holy and Precious Name, the Name above all names, amen.

Saturday Song – God Only Knows

Posted on by Dorci

I haven’t posted a song in a while, but I just saw for King & Country’s and Dolly Parton’s video for God Only Knows, and I had to share it with you.

My friends, God’s love knows no bounds.

Lord, help us remember that when we’re out in the world, when we’re at home, when we’re at work, when we read the news, when we share on social media, when we’re before you in prayer.  Thank you, Father, for your grace and mercy, and for your forgiveness through Jesus Christ. None of us would survive without it. May your love shine through us.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

 

 

God Only Knows
for King & Country

Wide awake while the world is sound asleepin’
Too afraid of what might show up while you’re dreamin’
Nobody, nobody, nobody sees you
Nobody, nobody, nobody would believe you
Every day you try to pick up all the pieces
All the memories, they somehow never leave you
Nobody, nobody, nobody sees you
Nobody, nobody, nobody would believe you
God only knows what you’ve been through
God only knows what they say about you
God only knows how it’s killing you
But there’s a kind of love that God only knows
God only knows what you’ve been through
God only knows what they say about you
God only knows the real you
There’s a kind of love that God only knows
There’s a kind of love that
There’s a kind of love
You keep a cover over every single secret
So afraid if someone saw them they would leave
But somebody, somebody, somebody sees you
Somebody, somebody will never leave you
God only knows what you’ve been through
God only knows what they say about you
God only knows how it’s killing you
But there’s a kind of love that God only knows
God only knows what you’ve been through
God only knows what they say about you
God only knows the real you
There’s a kind of love that God only knows
There’s a kind of love that
There’s a kind of love
There’s a kind of love that
There’s a kind of love
For the lonely, for the ashamed
The misunderstood, and the ones to blame
What if we could start over
We could start over
We could start over
Oh for the lonely, for the ashamed
The misunderstood, and the ones to blame
What if we could start over
We could start over
We could start over
‘Cause there’s a kind of love that God only knows
God only knows what you’ve been through
God only knows what they say about you
God only knows the real you
But there’s a kind of love that God only knows
God only knows what you’ve been through
God only knows what they say about you
God only knows the real you
There’s a kind of love that God only knows
There’s a kind of love that
There’s a kind of love
There’s a kind of love that
There’s a kind of love
God only knows where to find you
God only knows how to break through
God only knows the real you
There’s a kind of love that God only knows

How One Degree Equals a Million Miles

Posted on by Dorci

You get on a plane bound for Paris.  Your future spouse is waiting, along with your wedding party, your officiant, and all your guests.  You fly for what feels like forever and finally land, only to find out you’re in Belgium instead. 

Now, Belgium is nice, but it’s not Paris, and it’s not what you planned.  The pilot profusely apologizes when he realizes he’d set his course one degree off.  One degree?  How could one degree cause such a mess?

God told Adam “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”  Genesis 2:16-17

Enter the serpent. The master of “It’s only one degree…”

He says to Eve,“Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?'”  Genesis 3:1

Already he’s begun planting doubt and confusion in her mind. “Wait, did God say that…?” And she replies,“We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden(so far so good), and you must not touch it, or you will die.”

Uh oh.  One degree off.

The serpent retorts,“You will not certainly die. For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Funny how satan always makes it seem like we’re missing out on something when in reality he is enslaving us.

Of course we know the rest of the story.  Eve goes one degree off by adding something God did not say (“you must not touch it”) and she’s suddenly off course.  Then, as she’s off the path God plotted for her, her pride takes her another degree by doubting God’s motive, and then another by coveting, and she walks over to the tree, plucks the juicy fruit, and takes a bite.

She hands it to her husband, he shrugs his shoulders (conveniently forgetting what God had told him), and he takes a bite, too.

And suddenly sin enters the world.  And the story continues to this very day, and the world is a million miles off from what God desired.

Yes, we have Christ and the cross, and anyone who puts their faith in Him is forgiven of all their sin. Jesus Christ has defeated the enemy and through Him we have victory over sin and death.

Still, the battle is not over.  The war of degrees continues, and we are warned “Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

Jesus may have won our souls, but satan’s looking to swallow our lives, our service to the Lord, and our witness to the world. And he does it one degree at a time.

“Did God really say…not to eat that, not to drink that, not to watch that, not to read that, not to smoke that, not to go there, not to do that? Everybody else is doing it. Your friend is doing it and see what a great person he is?  Your Christian friend posted it and it sounds inspirational. Yeah, that’s not what the Bible says, but it’s the 21st century. Your pastor is reading it. It’s a Christian book, right?  So what about the parts that aren’t exactly scriptural. It doesn’t matter.”  

One degree. And then another, and another.

Just a meme. Just a book. Just a movie. Just a piece of fruit.

Discernment gets walked out of the cabin and relegated to the backseat. We base beliefs on who is saying it, rather than on what is said. On its popularity, rather than God’s Word. On our political affiliation, rather than our position in Jesus Christ.

We adopt beliefs because they sound good, and though they may be part truth, they may also be part untruth – just one degree off – and we adopt the belief, mixing it with some truth, and then other untruths we are bombarded with from the world are built on that, decisions are made based on those unscriptural beliefs, and soon we look back and around, and we’re lost. We’re far from God, and the lion is crouching in the bushes, stealing God’s plans and replacing them with needless pain and suffering.

Maybe the question we all need to ask ourselves is – who is my pilot?  Me or God? My feelings or God? The world or God?

He will never lead us off course. Yet when we find ourselves off the path, with Him, through Christ, there is an abundance of mercy and forgiveness. We are always one prayer of repentance away from being whisked back to God’s side, walking with the Spirit again.

There may be consequences of our sin, though, which is why God lovingly warns us to always be alert and of sober mind. Let us “resist {the devil}, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”  1 Peter 5:9

We’re all in the same boat, or plane, in keeping with my original analogy. We need each other’s prayers and encouragement and strength as we walk this walk, and we can only do that as long as we’re walking next to our Lord, and not off eating fruit that’s bad for us.

God’s given us an entire garden of life-giving fruit. Let us revel in His provision, stay on course, walk with Him and do His will, and remember that one day we will see “Paris” – the great place of the marriage of the Lamb and His Bride.

“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give Him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and His bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)”
Revelation 19:6-8

 

My Mother’s Journey

Posted on by Dorci

The following is an update on my mother and her life since I wrote my original testimony.

***

There are lyrics that sometimes come to mind when I think of my mother – “I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger…”

My mother tried to maintain some sense of normalcy in my early childhood. I see pictures of her looking radiant and beautiful on their wedding day, and she worked with the Phoenix Mountains Preservation Council and led our Girl Scout troop. 

At the same time she looked like an active, productive woman, wife, and mother, she was also playing with ouija boards, tarot cards, and seeing things none of the rest of us saw.  Her mind and personality began to change, or perhaps be revealed. At some point her health began to decline, and her past collided with the spiritual darkness she dabbled in, and it all came back to haunt her, and all of us. 

As a child, though, all I knew was my mother didn’t love me. By the time I was 17 and left home at her request, irreversible damage had been done to our whole family.

After I was saved several years later, I tried desperately to have some kind of relationship with her. I prayed for her salvation. I invited her to church and to a women’s retreat. But it always went horribly, painfully wrong. And I knew if I was ever going to have a chance to heal, I was going to have to let go of my desire to have a relationship with my mother. That dream would have to remain a dream. And so it was.

My mother had always agonized over tragedies she’d endured as a child, a teenager, and a young adult, but it was not that long ago that one of her sisters told me that as a child my mother had once purposely jumped in front of car. Something had been wrong for a long time, maybe from the womb. I do know she held a lot of pain inside her mind and heart. 

The longer I lived the more I came to understand the effect all that pain could have on a person, especially when that person doesn’t know Christ. And the more I walked with Christ, the more He gave me the ability to forgive her. And the more I was able to forgive her, and He began to heal my own mind and heart and fill them with His grace and mercy, the more empathy I had for my mother.

Then one early morning I got a call from my sister saying our mother’s health was severely declining, that she probably wouldn’t be with us much longer, and did I want to go see her? I opened God’s Word and prayed about it over the next hour or so, asking Him to speak to my heart and show me what to do. His still, small voice prompted me to go. 

We visited her in the assisted living place she now called home.  I sat on her bed in front of her with my new mind and new heart, and told her I loved her. She laid there and looked me in the eyes with a slight smile on her face. What little she did try to say my sister had to interpret.  I held her hand and we just looked at each other. She wasn’t throwing things, screaming, or calling me names. She was looking at me with love in her eyes. We were able to communicate a bit, and had a picture taken of the three of us. That day was the only good memory I have of my mother, and I am grateful the Lord allowed me to have it.

Though in the past she’d claimed to be a Christian, I never saw any fruit of it, so I continued to pray the Lord would have mercy on her. He knew the truth, whether she had ever been converted or not, and I trusted Him to do what needed to be done for the salvation of her soul. 

I was able to make a couple more trips to see her, once while her eyes were still open, and again after she’d slipped into unconsciousness. Still, I knew my God wasn’t limited to our state of awareness of this world, and I continued to pray.  I prayed the Lord would not let her go until she had received Him as Lord and Savior and was filled with the redeeming, sealing, promised Holy Spirit.

The nurses said she didn’t have much longer, yet she continued to live, and I continued to pray.  A trained hospice worker said she probably wouldn’t live more than 24 hours, yet she continued to live, and I continued to pray. Wherever her mind and heart were in this state, Jesus was there.  And maybe He had her attention more during that time than ever before. Over the next week I kept praying for mercy, for grace, and for saving faith to fill her. And then one day, she was gone.  

Only God knows what happened in those twilight hours, but I am trusting He heard my prayers.

And I am trusting that one day we will all be together again, perfected in Christ and filled with love for one another the way we were always meant to be, basking in the joy of Christ forever and ever.

For His Glory,

Sunday Praise and a Prayer for Love

Posted on by Dorci

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you.  We praise you for your love, your grace, and your mercy.  We praise you for your faithfulness, and for the hope only you can give.  Father, we lift up our country today.  We are hurting in the face of still more tragedy which has become far, far too common. I pray that no matter how often we see it, may we never get used to it.  May it break our hearts, not harden them. May it cause us to trust you more, not less. May it continue to bring us to our knees in prayer, rather than throw up our hands in defeat. We pray for all who have been affected, that you would be near them and comfort them as only you can, our Mighty Father. 

Father, help us remember that we who are your children are the light of the world. You have made us to be a city set on a hill, not to be hidden.  May we hold high our light – your Spirit of love within us – for all the world to see.  May we put away our sins and our distractions and walk worthy of the calling with which we were called.  Take away our mentality that growing in you can wait until tomorrow; praying can wait until tomorrow; reading your Word can wait until tomorrow, obeying you can wait until tomorrow…

Wake us up, Lord!

May we who are the body of Christ start within the church, and love each other. May we, by your power, put away our pettiness, our judgments, our biases, our cliques, our jealousies, our pride, and just love each other. May we repent where we need to repent, and love each other, forgive each other, extend grace and mercy to each other. People are hurting, in the church and out. May we open ourselves up to be vessels of love to those who are hurting and make it our mission to never be the cause of someone else’s pain.

May we take seriously the commandments we’ve been given – to love you and to love each other. Remind us daily, our gracious Father, that it is we in the church who have your love and we are to extend it to one another, and to those you place in our path.  May we shine so brightly with your love that the world sees it, is drawn to you because of it, and we see a revival, in the church first, and throughout our country and beyond.  May we see people coming to you in droves, by faith, receiving you as their Lord and Savior. May you bring healing to our land. 

May we glorify and magnify you, Lord, walking in love and boldness, showing the world that the way to hope and peace and love is a path that walks straight to the foot of the cross, and that anyone and everyone, no matter what they’ve done, is invited to come, acknowledge their sin, be forgiven by the sacrifice given for us by Christ, and receive the love they’ve always needed. Father, renew our passion for you, for one another, and for the lost.  May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.

Sunday Praise and a Prayer for the Persecuted

Posted on by Dorci

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise you, and we thank you for all you’ve blessed us with.  Forgive us for the times we take those blessings for granted, and we ask that you would remind us often to be grateful to you for pouring out onto us more blessing, more freedom, more love and grace than we can imagine.  I pray our gratitude will lead us to be a fountain of that love, grace, and mercy that you’ve so generously given to us.

Lord, we lift up our brothers and sisters around the world who are being persecuted for their faith, those who are in prison, who are being tortured, who are separated from their families.  Father, in Jesus’ name I pray you would fill them with your Holy Spirit and your might so that all you desire to accomplish in and through them will be done. May you do miraculous things, things that only you can do.

Lord, please fill them with your peace that passes all understanding; fill them with your strength to go on from one hour to the next; fill them with your love and forgiveness so that their hearts don’t become hardened or bitter; fill them with your joy so they are a light to those around them; fill them with boldness to continue proclaiming the gospel and the name of Christ; fill them with hope as they remember their great reward is with you. 

May they feel your presence with them, and may you, in the mighty name of Jesus, bind the hand of the enemy. May our brothers and sisters continue to trust you, put their faith in you, and may they see, even if only a little bit, the fruit of their labor.  And may we always remember them in our prayers, and honor them with our lives, boldly and freely proclaiming the gospel and the name of Jesus Christ.  It’s in His precious and matchless name I pray, amen.