Newsletters

Lately, I’ve been reading about David. You know David: the king of Israel, the worshiper of GOD, the lover of GOD, the writer of songs, the builder of worship instruments. When I read about David, every, single time, I am moved by his passion & commitment to the Lord. He goes to great lengths to remain faithful to the Lord, and his steadfast trust & hope in the Lord are unparalleled, in many respects. David had to run from Saul for years, & even had opportunity to kill Saul on two occasions. And yet, he would do nothing to harm, ‘the Lord’s anointed’, even as he, himself, had been anointed to be king of Israel one day.

David was fearless when he worshiped the Lord. He told his wife, Michal, when she made fun of him for his passionate display of worship upon bringing the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem, that the Lord had anointed him ruler of Israel, and that he would, in fact, celebrate before the Lord, and be even more undignified in his own eyes, but he would not hold back in front of the people (II Sam. 6:21,22).

This is how we should be before the Lord: fearless, unafraid to passionately display the love we have for the One Who saved us from death, hell & the grave. When we live a life of worship in this way, others are moved to seek out the One we love. Oh that we could introduce others to our Lord, simply by the passionate act of worship we display before Him daily!

When Wayne & I returned from our Christmas trip to the East coast, I asked the Lord to open up some doors of opportunity to do worship. When a couple of these invitations came, I was so excited! And I found it no coincidence that I just so happened to be reading in I & II Samuel. I was daily being reminded of what it is to have the heart of a true worshiper. When I see the faces of the men at the Aqueduct outreach in Tijuana each week, I am reminded of His great love for these dear ones. I see their countenance change when they get into the presence of the Lord, through the atmosphere of worship! As the Lord inhabits the praises of His people, His presence brings peace, joy, hope, change. We’ve heard the word ‘change’ bandied about in the last few years. But real change, only comes from knowing the One Who can truly change hearts, & minds. It is our prayer, as we get the chance to take worship into the streets, buildings, churches, communities & even the nations, that true change will come within the heart of men & women. That they too, will become passionate & committed worshipers of GOD, even as David was.

Would you stand with Voice of the Bride, this year, as we develop the worship arm of this ministry? Would you pray for the Lord to send more worshipers to minister with us, and those who would have a heart for the poor as well? It is our sincere prayer that we would be able to say, along with David,

““Sing to the Lord, all the earth; proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.

tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For

great is the Lord & greatly to be praised….Let the heavens be glad & let the earth

rejoice; and let them say among the nations, ‘the Lord reigns’”…I Chr. 16: 23-25 & 31.

Thank you & blessings to you this month!!

p.s. thank you for prayers for our ongoing support and for safety and health. For Wayne related to ongoing back pain the past couple weeks. Also for Carol’s hands and arms from playing guitar more often.

Happy New Year Friends. We hope your Christmas and New Year with your family was blessed. Our’s was, as was our drive across the country! Yes, we drove again, nearly 5,700 miles round trip! We have done so quite a few times now, and though many find it hard to believe, the time goes rather fast. There is so much to see in this great country of ours. And of course, we enjoy one another’s company, having also celebrated 19 years of marriage during this holiday season. We consider ourselves blessed.

“I believe that as we bring worship and compassion to the poor, God wants us to help them not only with their physical needs, but also with a ministry that brings change and healing to their mindset; a healing of their self esteem, and a restoration of the dignity of heart that comes from knowing they are created in the image of God….As we draw the poor into a life of intimate worship and fellowship with the Lord, He not only takes people out of poverty, He takes poverty out of the people.” [D.W]

During our holiday break we received a few phone texts from our ministry partners reporting on how the Christmas festivities and outreaches were going in Tijuana. It is always bittersweet to be away during Christmas as we do not get to participate in the passing along of the toys and gifts that we collected for the children and others. However, we smile anyway, knowing that the kids are also smiling. We realize how grateful they are without having to be present to see it.

Referring to passage Luke 4:14-21, “ Proclaiming the whole gospel, then, means much more than evangelism in the hopes that people will hear and respond to the good news of salvation by faith in Christ. It also encompasses tangible compassion for the sick and the poor, as well as biblical justice, efforts to right the wrongs that are so prevalent in our world. God is concerned about the spiritual, physical, and social dimensions of our being. This whole gospel is truly good news for the poor, and it is the foundation for a social revolution that has the power to change the world. And if this was Jesus’ mission, it is your mission, and it is the mission of the church.” [R.S.]

It is good to be able to step back and reflect on what it is that God has called us to. The holiday travel was a good time to do so. During my rest time, I (Wayne), read from a book I received for Christmas entitled, “The Hole in our Gospel” by Richard Stearns, President of World Vision U.S. Some of the quotes in this letter are from his book so that we may reflect on them together. I have been further inspired, as well as further challenged. Perhaps you will be as well.

“Some people have even described a ministry of compassion as a discovery of Jesus sacramentally present in the poor in a similar way that He is present in communion… Often, the presence of Christ is deepest and strongest among the people and in the situations where we are least comfortable.” [D.W.]

I also read “Kissing the Face of God – Worship That Changes the World” by Dale Walker, Pastor of Heart for the World Church and HFTW Ministries missions organization. We quickly discovered in this book, that it beautifully weds who we are, concerning worship and compassion, and how we want to represent VOB. You will see a couple of nuggets quoted from Dale’s book as well.

Referring to passage Matt. 25:31-46, “…the sheep had acted in tangible and loving ways toward the poor, the sick, the imprisoned, and the vulnerable, while the goats did not. Those whose lives were characterized by acts of love done to “the leasts of these” were blessed and welcomed by Christ into His Father’s kingdom…..Let me take some liberties in this paraphrase. – For I was hungry, while you had all you needed. I was thirsty, but you drank bottled water. I was a stranger, and you wanted me deported. I needed clothes, but you needed more clothes. I was sick , and you pointed out the behaviors that led to my sickness. I was in prison, and you said I was getting what I deserved.” [R.S.]

We are eager and excited to start this new year. We look forward to seeing what the Lord wants to further do with worship and compassion for the lost, as we continue to be HIS ‘Voice Of the Bride’.

Love Wayne & Carol

p.s. Carol has received several worship invitations both here and in Mexico. Please pray for anointing, clarity, protection and guidance.