Lake Placid, FL

Church: Community Church of God at Lake Placid
Pastor: Rev. Joe Dehart
Date: January 25, 2009

Thank you folks for your warm friendly welcome and for your contributions to my start-up budget.

When church software would not cooperate to display my PowerPoint presentation, teachers to the rescue! Thank you Georgia DeHart and another teacher for idea to save my Powerpoint to hard drive then burn to a CD. Sanctuary equipment then displayed it. Yes!

2-4-09 PRAISE Report: I just learned that my missions work will included in the Faith Promise budget for the fiscal year 2009-10 at Community Church of God at Lake Placid. PTL!

Fast Ends / Breakthroughs & Perspectives Class begins

My church’s 21-day fast ended this past Sunday, January 25. It was a growing, strengthening, deepening experience.

I prayed for my church, its leaders, and especially for more children’s ministry workers. I also prayed for strength, wisdom, discipline and diligence as I started the Perspectives class and for support raising to return to Africa as a career missionary.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

Getting up earlier, I am keeping up with the 2009 Thru the Bible Reading Guide Global Missions. I started with ‘The Message’ version, but went back to my favorite NIV Life Application version that I find so very enriching. I am back to spending more focused time in prayer in morning via A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) rather than when driving to work.

Missionary support raising has been moving slowly. Breakthrough came with the opportunity to attend a Boot Camp for Personal Support Raising (http://thebodybuilders.net/bootcamp/index.html) on Feb. 9-10 in Nashville TN. The Boot Camp is an intense two day training seminar to give us the Right Perspective, new skills, and a workable plan. I am working on the 24+ hours preparation.

The Daniel Fast that includes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, water, and natural juices laid a foundation for healthy eating. As with Daniel and his friends in the Old Testament, I feel stronger and plan to continue with these things regularly along with poultry and fish. I don’t crave sweets like I used to and get along well without coffee. Green tea is so much healthier.

January 11- May 10, I am attending The Perspectives Study Program (http://www.perspectives.org/) mostly in Indialantic, FL (Melbourne area). This class is strongly recommended by Global Missions and others, I am enjoying the inspiring guest speakers from various missions backgrounds.

Daniel and Juice Fasting Begins

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

As with many other churches in January, my pastor has again challenged our church family to begin the New Year by deeper Kingdom seeking (Matt. 6:33) via fasting and prayer.

Fasting is a practice that places the physical appetite second to spiritual matters. Our fast started January 4th during morning worship service and ends January 25th at worship service. During these 21 days, the goal is to devote extra time to individual prayer and Bible study and to seek God’s direction for our lives and the life of our church. I am keenly aware that I need extra strength, wisdom, discernment, discipline, and guidance as I prepare for the exciting new direction in which God is leading me.

There are many ways to fast, some of the more common methods for extended periods being water/juice OR the Daniel Fast. For the most part, I have chosen the Daniel Fast (Daniel 10:3); at other times I plan to consume just juice and water.

While the Daniel Fast is a partial fast, (rather than total abstention from all food) it still provides many of the attributes of denying the self and seeking God. Basically is a fast from meats, dairy, sweets, processed & fried foods, caffeine, and fat products. The Daniel Fast includes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds, water, and all natural juices.

Daniel Fast Resources:
~ http://danielfast.wordpress.com/
~ http://www.christ-web.com/missions/farho/daniel-fast
~ http://www.jentezenfranklin.org/fasting/danielfast.php

“Your Personal Guide to Fasting and Prayer” By Dr. Bill Bright http://www.ccci.org/growth/growing-closer-to-god/how-to-fast/index.aspx

Chinese Family Christmas Guests

The International Friendship Ministry presents the chance to share our love for Christ with a “mission field” that God brings to our doorsteps. Hosts can make an impact on a university student’s life for eternity by reflecting Christ’s love to him/her.


This year 50 international students (and family members) from universities around the country came to Orlando area for the holidays, some who did not know about Christmas. Students stay with Christian families, attend church and experience Christmas celebrations with them, visit area attractions with the IFM group. Students attend a conference on Christmas Eve where they hear the Creation Story, the Christmas Story and the Story of the crucifixion and resurrection. All the students actually learn to tell the Christmas story.

December 22-30, 2008 I hosted a family of 3 from Beijing, China in my condo via International Friendship Ministry. Jin, the mother, is a PhD student in electrical engineering at Univ. of SC in Columbia. With Jin were husband Goa and 13-year old son Jonson.

~ Jin enjoys cooking and I love Chinese food. It was fun learning to make pork dumplings and egg drop soup.

~ We attended a beautiful Christmas Eve service at Northland, A Church Distributed and the family went with me Sunday morning to New Beginnings (formerly First Church of God, Orlando).

~ Jin's family joined the Caldwell (two missing from pic) and Schaeffer/Bryant families and I for Christmas dinner.

~ Sunday afternoon we walked around Downtown Disney and visited in a nursing home a 90-year old blind widow from my church. They shared New Years greetings in Chinese.

~Jonson and I both love jigsaw puzzles, we all put together a 700-piece sea scene puzzle with Orca whales.

To help encourage the family spiritually I gave them reading material: Jon-NIV Teen Study Bible; Goa-The Power of Praying Through the Bible, Omartian; Jin-Become A Better You, Osteen (a favorite author of hers).