A Message of Hope

This past Monday night, as wild fires were raging across West Texas, another West Texas family also lost their home in a fire.  Only this family wasn’t living in West Texas at the time.  Yancy and Sherry Fariss are translating the Bible in Guinea, West Africa. 

As their house burned, Sherry heard their seven  year old son, William, saying some powerful words that resembled a psalm.  In the chaos of the moment, she was not able to write down the words at the time.  But a couple of days later, he was still saying them, so Sherry wrote the words down as William dictated them to her.  Here is William’s psalm:

Through wind and rain
Through fire and lava
The Lord will never leave you.
Through earthquakes and floods
Through changing sea levels and burning ash
The Lord will never leave you.
If you love Him, He will bless you
and He will give you many things.
Who can change the Lord’s words?
Who can stop the Leviathan?
The Lord, of course.
Who made everything?
Who made the animals?
Who made the dinosaurs?
The Lord, our God.
Who can stop the Lord?
Who can chase a cheetah across the plains of Africa?
The Lord, He can.
Who can stand on Mount Everest?
Who can face a rhinoceros?
The Lord.
The Lord can give you sheep and goats and cows and ducks and chickens and dogs and cats.
The Lord can give you anything He wants to.
Just like David fought Goliath or Daniel lived throughout the lions’ den.
Just like Moses on the mountain, just like the Israelites fought the Jebusites.
The Lord will never stop His power.
Who can face a tyranosaurus rex?
Who knows what kind of animals lived thousands of years ago?
The Lord! He knows.
Stop all the evil, and be kind to one another.
Who can stop the Lord?
Who can face an elephant?
Who is brave enough to face a lion?
The Lord.
Who’s as fast as a horse?
Who can catch a blue whale?
Who is brave enough to face a giant squid?
The Lord.
Just as Jesus died on the cross, so the Lord had done so.
The Lord will never leave His people. The Bible is His word.
The Lord is a good leader.
Just as Moses and Aaron led the Israelites into the desert, so the Lord had done so.
Who can see the dinosaurs? Who can face the behemoth?
The Lord who loves you.
And He will not forsake His people. The end.

To learn how you can help the Farisses, go to the Pioneer Bible Translators web site.

This Sunday I’m going to be talking about Spiritual Warfare.  When I read Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power,” my thoughts went immediately to something I watched on the Internet last week.  Rick Burgess is one of the hosts of the Rick and Bubba Show, a morning show heard on many radio stations, especially in the Southeast.  A couple of weeks ago, he lost his 3 year old son, Bronner, in an accidental drowning.  His words of faith and challenge at Bronner’s funeral service, should challenge all of us.  You can read a transcript of Rick’s words, or watch the address, contained in three You Tube videos, below.

Rick Burgess, “A Father’s Heart,” Part 1

Rick Burgess, “A Father’s Heart,” Part 2

Rick Burgess, “A Father’s Heart,” Part 3

You can also download the audio file here.

I hope to resurrect this blog to post things that I believe will be encouraging to our church family and any others who might be checking in.  Today I was incredibly moved by this article/video about an American soldier who returned to Iraq to adopt a handicapped child.  I think you’ll be blessed by taking the time to read/watch it.  (The article is primarily a transcript of the video, depending on your internet connection.)