Message of Salvation Given at the Funeral

The staff at Fox Creek were very saddened to hear that our dear friend and colleague, first grade teacher, Mrs. Smiley, was no longer going to be seen throughout the hallways of our school again. I was elated to know that she was saved and with our Wonderful Lord and Savior, but sad for all of us that are left behind and those dear little first graders that don't quite understand everything that has transpired. We found out that Joyce had cancer in May and now, only 6 months later, she is no longer suffering, but is praising God at this very moment!

When I was at the visitation this past Thursday I found my way up to the casket and cried tears of sadness for her wonderful husband, Jim, her daughters, sons-in-laws, dear grandchildren, and for myself too because she was such a sweet blessing and I will need to wait to see her when I am also with our Lord. When I got to her one son-in-law, the one that was going to be officiating at the funeral on Friday, I asked him if he was going to be preaching the plan of salvation and he replied, "I will and that is what Joyce wanted. She didn't want us to spend time talking about her, but to tell others about the Lord and how they can spend eternity with him." Well, on Friday, our ENTIRE staff, except for one teacher and one of our administrative assistants, was in attendance and they were presented with the plan of salvation. Thank you, Joyce, for allowing us to give this message loud and clear to those who so desperately need to hear it and don't seem to understand how important it is to take that leap of faith NOW. There is NO time to wait . . . we never know when our last breath on this earth will be. Please pray for the teachers at Fox Creek and for their hearts to be opened and willing to submit themselves to our gracious and loving God who is also a good and righteous judge.

Please also pray for Jim, her loving and devoted husband, who now goes home to an empty house. May he find comfort and peace during this difficult time, as well as the staff and students at our school.

Where Will YOU Spend Eternity?

Oh, it was sweet to sit down and talk with one of my daughter's 14 year old friends, Nicolle, last night while she was sitting in our kitchen. We were all talking about something . . . and I asked Nicolle if she had ever received a million dollar bill? She smiled when I gave it to her and then I proceeded to give her the BIG money, a few more million dollar bible tracts, AND showed her the optical illusion one too! She was amazed and excitedly told Kienna, "So that is where you got all of those!"

I asked Nicolle, who came with us to church last week, if she knew where she was going to go when she dies. She told me that she was hoping she would go to heaven. I asked her why she thought she would go to heaven and she was pretty flustered because she really didn't know why and tried to recite some things that she has heard in the past, but really didn't know how to respond. I then took her through three of the commandments and said that if she were to stand before God on judgment day, where she would go and she said, "I guess I would go to hell." Then, I got to tell her about the best news of all. "You don't have to go to heaven. What you need to do is find a quiet place and pray to God. You need to ask the Lord to forgive you of all of your sins and believe that Jesus came upon this earth to die for our sins so we could spend all of eternity with Him." She replied, "I really need to do this!" Hooray! I was elated and thankful that the Lord gave us the opportunity to talk. It was such a blessing and I praise God for the time we had.

I asked Nicolle if she would like to come to church with us and she said that she would LOVE to and that her mom is looking for a new church. Pray that they are able to come and the Lord speaks to their hearts! - Amy
"On the day when the Lord Jesus comes, . . . all the people who have believed will be amazed at Jesus." 2 Thessalonians 1:10

Did You Copy That?

Standing next to the copier during a much-too-short lunchtime, I had the opportunity to talk with a colleague. Vickie had just made some copies and I had to make a few before the bell rang and I needed to pick up the kiddos for the afternoon. The Lord gave me just enough time to ask this super sweet and very energetic woman, Vickie, where she went to church. I told her that I went to Calvary and absolutely LOVE it because I have learned so much, have learned to grow in my relationship with the Lord, AND most importantly, KNOWING where I will spend eternity. Growing up Catholic I only had hopes that I would be good enough to go to heaven, but now I KNOW what the bible says.

I proceeded to ask Vickie where she was going to go when she said and she replied with, "Heaven" and I asked her why. She didn't really have an answer so I asked her if she thought she was a good person and then took her through three of the ten commandments. I explained the whole courtroom scene with Vickie and that if she were to be found guilty, she would spend all of eternity in hell. However, if she asked for forgiveness of her sins, and believed that Jesus died on the cross for her, she could have eternal life with the Lord!

We didn't have too much time to expound on this, but she sweetly smiled and me and said that it was nice talking with me. May the Lord work on her heart so she can truly have eternal life!
(Did she copy that? I HOPE SO!) - Amy

Do You Know Where You Will Go When You Die?

I was sitting at my son's first basketball game of this season and I had the opportunity to visit with a friend I haven't really seen since last year and she was telling me all about her husband and how he had surgery to remove a growth that literally showed up on his shoulder last week. The surgery took three hours and they are anxiously awaiting the news about this growth on Tuesday. The conversation quickly turned to faith and how you feel peaceful when you know that you have submitted yourself to God and know that HE is the one that is in control.

She excitedly proceeded to tell me that her and her husband went to a fabulous movie last night and asked if I had seen the movie, Facing the Giants? I replied that I had and gasped at the idea that she had seen the movie, Fireproof, because I have been wanting to see this wonderful movie. As it turned out, they did see Fireproof AND at a local movie theater! We talked a little about this movie and, knowing that she was a Catholic, I asked her if they gave the plan of salvation in the movie, not sure if she knew what this meant and that it would open the door to going through the plan. She said that they did and I told her that I had the wonderful opportunity to listen to Kirk Cameron talk at the truly inspirational Transformation Conference last year in St. Louis and asked her if she has ever seen a million dollar tract. She hadn't so I gave her several, but we didn't really go through the tract or talk about it much as we were suppose to be good moms and make sure to not miss a beat on the court with our son's playing basketball.
I took her through the "Good Person" test and she told me that she had never thought about the whole courtroom scene and I knew that she was really thinking about all of this! Growing up Catholic myself I would hear lots of people talk about hopefully going to heaven or thinking that you were going to heaven because you were good and/or because God is a loving God.
I turned to her and asked, "Do you know where you will go when you die?"
"I'll go to heaven."
When I asked her why? She answered with, "I'm a good person." Then she looked at me with concern in her eyes and jokingly said, "Amy, I felt so sure of myself and now I'm not so sure. I was feeling fine until I came to this darn basketball game." She asked me what she could do?
I told her that she needs to sit down and ask the Lord to forgive her and to put ALL of her trust in Jesus. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and though shalt be saved!" Know that Jesus died on the cross for your sins so that you can KNOW that you will be in heaven for all of eternity. No one can get to heaven because of our sin and we can only get to heaven through our wonderful Savior's free gift. Will you choose his free gift and spend all of eternity in heaven? Pray to the Lord and try to be more like Him.
"Well, what if I sin again?" "We all do, but we can't lose our salvation. The Lord wants us to ask for forgiveness and to try and turn away from sin. "What about if someone murders someone?" "If you break one commandment, no matter which one, we are unable to get into heaven on our own."
She inquired several times about which church I go to and I told her. Maybe the Lord will send her our way to grow in her spiritual relationship with our awesome Savior AND KNOW where she will go when she dies. Her faith is beautiful . . . I pray that she puts all of her trust in God and feel confident about eternity!
At this point, the game was over and she had several tracts in her hand to take with her. I pray that she reads the tracts and is open to talking again later this week or at our very next game.
(As for her friend sitting next to her, when asked about her thoughts on all of this, she really just wanted to stay out of it, but I gave her a million dollar tract too and know that the Lord has big plans for me on Saturday afternoons at Game Time Gym.) The Lord will come out on TOP during this basketball season! - Amy

Did You Get One of These?

I went with Travis' 3rd grade on a field trip to Wild Life Prairie Park in Peoria today. It was so fun to play hooky from the office and explore nature on a perfect fall day. Travis wanted to take two tracts with him as we were loading up this morning. We folded two $1,000,000 bills and put them in his cargo pockets. I'd told him before we left we couldn't just leave them anywhere - since we didn't want to litter in a state park - that we'd have to give them to someone.

The moment presented itself when we were checking out in the Country Store. One of the women behind the desk asked what school the boys attended. They said, "Calvary Baptist Academy". At her baffled look I added "in Normal, Illinois". I turned to Travis and said it was time to hand out a tract which he tossed on the counter. Not understanding one of the cashiers spoke to a man by the counter that he'd dropped some money. I opened it up and handed it to her and showed her the back and the information about salvation. While she read it I grabbed Travis again (he was shopping) for the second tract and handed it to the other cashier, who had finished with the other couple in the store.


Both women were reading them then and asked where we got the tracts. I said our Sunday school class handed them out on the Constitution Trail with free water and gatorade and that they couldbe purchased at www.LivingWaters.com. They asked Josh M. where he attended church and he said, "The same place as I go to school - Calvary Baptist Church." By then I had all five boys in my group rounded up with purchases secured and we headed for the snakes and reptiles. We thanked the two women on our way out and they wished us a good day as well. I didn't have as much faith as my son did when he put those two tracts in his pockets before the field trip. I went so far as to say to him he was responsible for taking them out of his pockets at the end of the day so they didn't go through the laundry.


He taught me two important things:
1. Travel with tracts and you'll know when the moment presents itself and
2. If you give the tracts away they won't be left in your pocket to go through the wash.
Janean

Satan Tried to Make Us Feel Defeated

Jennifer and I were thankful to the Lord for the victory in Cedric that we continued to go about the Lord's business and joyously pass million dollar tracts out to those at Steak'n Shake. As Jennifer went to one side, I went to the other and came upon a young man sitting by the kitchen entrance. I walked up to him and handed him a tract and said, "Here's a million dollars! It's a bible tract that asks a million dollar question." He looked at me with a very eerie gaze and said in a monotone voice, "Do you have a bible?" I replied, "Yes, I do. Would you like one?" "Yes" - again in a low, monotone voice. I motioned to Jennifer and said, "He would like a bible and I'm going to get him one." Jennifer asked if a I had one and I replied that I did - a small Evidence Bible that I had just placed on the passenger seat in my van right before I left.

When I came back into the restaurant, Jennifer was talking to Alberto and he was having extreme difficulty staying on track with what she was saying and he kept interjecting questions as he continued to glare at Jennifer. Jennifer asked me to pray for all of us (for his heart and eyes to be opened AND for our safety.) (You can get more of what was said between Jennifer and Alberto on her blog at www.fishers4men.com. I was praying for all of us during so much of this conversation, but ultimately Jennifer took Alberto through a few of the Ten Commandments and I showed him some scripture in the Bible so he could determine whether he was destined for hell or heaven. He finally said, "I accept Jesus." and Jennifer replied, "It takes more than that." We left him with the Bible and some other literature to read. We prayed for him and KNOW that we planted some seeds and whether they develop is between our wonderful Lord and Savior and Alberto.

As we drove, we discussed the wonderful victory in Cedric's decision to surrender his life to the Lord, and how the devil was not going to get us to feel defeated when he put Alberto in our path. The Lord is faithful!

John said, "If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 John 1:7. (Also 1 Pet. 1:19; Rev. 1:5.) When God cleanses us from all sin we are totally clean. It is as though we had never committed a sin. "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us." Ps. 103:12.

If you desire a new life in Christ, I urge you to repent of all your sins and experience the wonderful, powerful "new birth" of water and the Spirit! God is willing and waiting to change your life for the better, today! "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that ALL SHOULD COME TO REPENTANCE." 2 Pet. 3:9.

by: Amy

Surrendering to Our Lord and Savior

Jennifer and I were excited to meet at our local Steak 'n Shake to do some "fishing". When we walked in, we scoped out the few people that were inside and pointed out two people that were sitting on the ride side of the restaurant that we could witness to. As the hostess was leading us to the left side, we politely asked if we could sit on the right side. As she changed direction she was taking us still away from the people we had already decided on to witness to. Jennifer and I looked at each other and shrugged thinking that this isn't where we wanted to go, but we knew that God is in control and HE is the one that will seat us in the exact location we need to be in. Jennifer reassured me that we could witness to our waitress and as she finished saying that, Cedric rounded the corner and cheerfully greeted us.

It was evident that Cedric was a people person and seemed extremely cheerful. He brought us our drinks and asked us if we needed anything else . . . Jennifer took no time in reeling him in as she asked, "Would you want to be warned if hell were a real place?" His face went from a genuine gesture of friendliness to pure business. He was definitely taken aback by Jennifer's directness and sincerity. He quickly sat down next to me as though this has been weighing on him for his entire life and he could no longer stand without the strength of our Lord. He told us that he knew hell was a real place and that he was heading there because of his lifestyle and some of the decisions he has made. He told us that he prayed each and everyday and was able to quote scripture throughout our entire conversation.

As he was taken through the law, he kept finishing our sentences with scripture and admitted that he would be found guilty, according to God's Law, and was destined for hell. He knew that he had to surrender himself to God, but something was holding him back. Ultimately he stated that he just couldn't surrender everything because he was not good enough or perfect enough. "Why would the Lord die on the cross for me after all of the things I have done in my life? I have two sons that are not right with the Lord and I pray for them everyday." Jennifer reminded him that because he was not right with the Lord, the Lord will not hear your prayers.

"Cedric, you are not assured another day on this earth and your next breath may be in Hell." This hit him like a ton of bricks, he hugged himself, closed his eyes, and repeatedly stated that this is not what he wanted. "So what is stopping you from giving everything to God?" He quickly bowed his head, took our hands in his, and prayed an absolutely beautiful prayer of repentance. The tears on his face, coupled with the new glow on his face, proved that the heavy load had been lifted and he could KNOW for sure where he would spend eternity.
What an awesome God we serve! We are thankful that we can now call Cedric our brother!
by: Amy