Creation Chronicle, January 2014

As the hart (a deer)panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God. (Ps 50:10)

Greetings and a Blessed Christmas to each of you! 2013 will be history soon, and it’s time to look to 2014. Thank you for taking time to read this newsletter!

FULL Summer!

The LORD provided an extremely blessed and FULL June through August! For the first time in our ministry we were booked for VBS throughout the summer, with the week of July 4 even being filled! We are grateful for the meetings and for the many ways in which the LORD provided for and protected us in travel. For instance, after the long trip from Spooner, WI to Canon City, CO, our water pump went out. However, God provided a Ford diesel mechanic in the church who did the work at no charge! All we did was purchase the part. This repair was VERY timely since the next week we were in Gunnison, CO and had to cross Monarch Pass (11,000’)! Time and again over the years the LORD has provided like this, and we are grateful to HIM. Since 1997, we can recall only a handful of times that we’ve been on the side of a road somewhere. To God be the glory! Overall this past summer, we saw about 530 enrolled with an average attendance of 28 in 13 weeks of VBS. Most importantly was seeing children make decisions for eternity! There were 20-25 decisions recorded, 17 of which were salvation decisions.

BUSY FALL!

On the heels of our last VBS, we were back in UT for the annual Onion Days city fair. Each time we’ve been there, it has always been a highlight of our year! It’s such a blessing to distribute materials that point people to the Creator and His Word, and to speak of the evidences for Christianity. This year, we met a ‘confident’ evolutionist who even received a DVD from our book table. After the fair, we had a meeting in Marysvale, UT before traveling to the needy Northwestern states of OR and WA where the LORD filled nearly a month of meetings! Of four weeks, two were in churches that were new to us! We look forward to the next time we can get to that area.

Lions & Tigers…

…ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee… Who knoweth not that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this? Job 12:7, 9

Animals—known and unknown—are AWESOME, God-given tools to use in pointing people to the Creator! In addition to His creatures bringing us to the existence of God, they also proclaim His wonderful design! Whether bears, deer, woodpeckers, mammoths…even bigfoot … all of God’s animals are wonderful tools to proclaim the Gospel! In 2014, we will use our jungle theme for VBS and revival meetings. The Jungle Tales series includes messages about big cats, monkeys, snakes, dinosaurs, and gators, with titles such as: "Consider the King" (big cat presentation), "Lifting Up the Serpent," "Behold Now Behemoth" (about living dinosaurs) and "Monkey Business." The lion—-king of beasts—-holds a perfect spot in the Bible as the Creator chose to use this mighty creature as an illustration of both Himself (“the Lion of the Tribe of Judah” Revelation 5:5) and Satan who “…walketh about as a roaring lion…”(1 Peter 5:8). We look forward to sharing these messages in 2014 in VBS and revival meetings, as well as in a series of conferences in October. Please pray as we plan some exciting things!

Annual Fellowship

We now are planning on our 2nd annual

Southeast Baptist Creation Fellowship

February 10-12

Faith Baptist Church

Hickory, NC

We look forward to morning and evening sessions, a luncheon for pastors, and the ministry of friends in creation ministry, Steve Lawwell (Echoes of Eden Ministries in Christiana, TN) and Matthew Speights (Greenville, SC). For more info, check out: WildernessWonders.org and make plans to join us for this special time!

Why?

One may wonder: Why do you continue in creation ministry? Don’t most people believe in creation and a Creator? Since the mid 1800s (escalating after the 1925 Scopes “Monkey Trial”), our nation has moved away from its foundation of “we hold these truths…that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator…” On every hand, we are inundated with evolutionism and humanistic ideas, and its focus on young people. With such a flood of goo-to-you, “millions of years” indoctrination, we who believe the Bible are not even exempt from the influence. A theologian in the 1800s, Charles Kingsley, received Darwin’s book, The Origin of Species, with great enthusiasm. Due to his belief in evolution, he promoted the idea that the Australian Aborigines were animals and not able to take in the Gospel! In short, one reason we continue to proclaim creation is because of the EVOLUTION LIE that has SO negatively affected and destroyed millions (e.g. Hitler) by turning them away from the Creator and His Word, to fairy tales. This year, we learned of two more preachers who believe the Bible but accept evolutionary concepts which seek to undermine God’s Word (e.g. “gap theory” or “day-age theory”). The many issues in our nation today can and must be traced to the failures of those who claim to believe and proclaim the Word of God! Our greatest challenge in creation ministry today is not the evolutionists or evolution-teaching TV programs, books, museums, zoos, or aquariums. After serving in this ministry since 2000, the greatest challenge is preachers. While parents, teachers, and young people generally understand the needs, an estimated 90% of independent Baptist preachers are blinded to the foundational need for creation teaching and preaching in our day. But the work of opening blind eyes is a miracle only the LORD can do, and we are ready as only one of a growing number of creation ministries that are available for the Master’s use in helping pastors and their church members learn the whys and whats of creation. We need men and women in churches who are like the men of Issachar in 1 Chronicles 12:32 and had “understanding of the times.” Too many people in church leadership are afraid to stand and speak the TRUTH! I offer a CHALLENGE. Let us lay aside a stand-our-ground approach, and let us move forward to meet the ‘Goliath’ of evolutionism. Let’s take action to impact our culture for TRUTH!! David said, “Is there not a cause?” and then ran toward the enemy with rock and sling (1 Samuel 17). Let us recognize the IMMENSE need for the creation message in this darkening world. Then, will you JOIN WITH US in taking up your sling and stone? Let us know at jeffandheather@juno.com that you will join us! May God help us to make a difference!

Remembering the Creator

Jeff & Heather