HISTORY-WISE - Our schedule has been slowing down for some time now, so we are not doing as many concerts as in previous years, in which case we don't have as much to report.

We did have a tremendous weekend in Nebraska recently.  Most of the comments below are from that venue.  PTL!  We did have quite an experience at the Red Cloud Opera House, where they not only sold out (seats 180), but had to turn people away.  And the volunteers usually get to sit in on the concert, but the place was so full, they had to stand out in the foyer!

Because of our latest CD entitled "Looking Back", we have more "gospel" music we can include in our oldies concerts now, and we are glad for that.  The songs are truly "oldies", just in a different nature.  Where can you find a greater message than "Listen everybody 'cause I'm talkin' to you / Jesus is the only One to carry you through / You better get you ready for I'm tellin' you why / Jesus is a'comin' from His throne on high."  (from "Wonderful Time Up There").  We get to sing that as an "oldie."  Isn't that great, and what a witness!

Someone asked recently what we do in between concerts.  Here are some examples, ministry-wise:

We practice on new music; we review "old" music - when we haven't had a concert in a while, things slip away - senior moments happen!; Frankie is cold-calling for additional bookings then following up on contacts; he is also our accountant so keeps quite busy with just that aspect alone; He is my mother's accountant as well, so must keep her finances aligned; I am doing computer work in sending out confirmation letters and concert packets; updating our ministry information on the computer and online; maintaining an up-to-date e-newsletter mailing list; an occasional nap, and we do have some friends we play Mexican Train dominoes with occasionally.  We enjoy that for light-hearted, sometimes hilarious evenings of fun.  One of those evenings we were having some "problems" with Frankie, so it just came out - the new "f" word - "Frankie"!!! 

BLESSINGS-WISE - All glory to our Heavenly Father!  What they're saying.

***HI - ENJOYED YOUR VISIT TO OUR CHURCH AND PLEASE COME BACK REALLY SOON.

***Anyway, she told me this because she would liked to have come to Riverton Sunday morning to hear you, or to Superior.  She would like to hear the gospel concert.

***(from a pastor) Dearest new Friends in Christ! 

***What an inspirational treat to be part of your audience on Sat. night!  Thanks for coming to Red Cloud and bless you for the music.

 

***"Saturday night was wonderful and fun, but Sunday morning was even better. It was awesome.   And in response to our article in last month's e-newsletter about Frankie and the Samson wig episode came the following:   ***I am with the little yellow man rolling in the isle...... Wish there could have been a camera in that room.......  We could send it in to Funniest video program and win big bucks!!!!!    ***Ughhhh.......maybe you should hire a stage hand to help Frankie do his quick(or not so quick) changes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  What a HOOOOOT!  I can just see this happening!   ***You couldn't have scripted this any better.  You ought to write a skit about  it.

KJV-WISE  - This column is a regular feature of our e-newsletters. We maintain that the Authorized King James Version of the Bible is the only pure Word of God.  

Some folks like to say that many of the King James words are either difficult or archaic.  There is some truth to that, but they are the pure words of God, so why not try to understand them, then?  We have a small booklet called, "The King James Bible Companion - over 500 archaic words defined," and when we come to a word we're not sure of the meaning, we can look it up, and learn something new.  Below are listed some of the examples:

"abase" - make or bring low; to humble (Job 40:11)

"affright" - To frighten (Deut. 7:21)

"ague" - A fever (Lev. 26:16)

"ambassage" - Ambassador(s); a message (Luke 14:32) 

"Ariel" - "Lion of God."  name for Jerusalem (Isa. 29:1-2, 7)

"bethink" - Come to one's senses; consider (I Kings 8:47)

"choler" - Anger, wrath (Dan. 8:7, 11:11)

"churl" - A rude, harsh person (Isa. 32:5, 7)

"emerods" - Hemorrhoids; tumors ( I Sam. 5:6)

And now you have not only increased your vocabulary, but you have stayed with the pure Word of God, which is "quick [alive, living] and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword."  (Hebrews 4:12 KJV)  And you did it - God's way.

HEALTH-WISE - "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest...be in health..."  III John 2

(from the Internet) Here is a short list of examples of "Whole Food Signatures."  
 
 A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.

 Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

 A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

  Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

 Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Eggplant, Avocados and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? .... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

   Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

   Grapefruits, Oranges , and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes.

What an Awesome GOD! 

MUSIC-WISE -

Our latest CD project, Expect the Unexpected, is nearly ready for distribution.  Actually this was the first project we ever produced and it was recorded in 1990, only on cassette.  (Never heard of a CD then!)

Some months ago a friend and I were visiting by e-mail when she mentioned something about the concept of being content where you are.  I told her that I had written a song on just that subject years ago, so she said she'd like to have a copy.  Several weeks later Frankie and I went digging and found the cassette, so we took it to the studio and had it re-mastered by Haskell Cooley Studios (of The Cathedrals fame - pianist, that is), adding on two additional songs to make twelve songs.  I (Phyllis) wrote all the songs, arranged them and played on all but one, described later.  Frankie and I sang and we originally used musicians from a church we were attending at the time for the additional accompaniment.

The songs are from my heart.  I was told once that if I wanted my music to be published, it would have to be in "such-and-such" a style.  I said I don't write to publish; I write what is from my heart.  So the songs are not the "usual" style out there, but neither are they "far out."  Actually they are very enjoyable, and with much meaning in the words.  From the CD insert, here are some of the notes with a sample of lyrics from the songs:

• After I had written the song, "Be Patient", Frankie and I sang it for a friend to hear.  She exclaimed, "That's where you are in your life right now!"  It's in a modified blues style.
  "You tried it and failed, You did it your way,
  But then the Lord said, 'Be Patient'..." 
• "Praisin' My Lord" is in the 50s style of Fats Domino.

  "Praisin', yes, indeed, I'm praisin', yes, for sure, I'm praisin',

  Yes, I'm praisin' my Lord..." 
• "Be Content Where You Are" - the reason for this CD.

  "Whatever your circumstance, You're right where He wants you,

  Give Him the frustration; He'll lighten the load for you."
• "Friends" was originally submitted to, and published by, Standard Publishing for use in one of their Vacation Bible School courses.  This song is in the style of "Sunrise, Sunset."
  "Friends take care of each other,
  And I'll take care of you."
• "This Wonderful Life" is in a ragtime style with a melody and a counter-melody.

  "You are the Light of my life, My ev'ryday Sunshine

  A breath of spring when even clouds are grey."
• The "Praise Medley" is comprised of two choruses, "It's A Beautiful Day", a joyful praise chorus, and "Praise Your Name, Lord Jesus," a more worshipful chorus.  While living in San Diego, California, Frankie and I were driving around one Saturday afternoon to enjoy the gorgeous day, and I declared, "It's a beautiful day to praise the Lord!"  I then sang a melody to the words, "It's a beautiful day," and Frankie answered back, "It's a beautiful day."  The next phrase came, and Frankie answered it, and I "wrote" the song as we continued to drive around that sunshiny afternoon. 
  "It's a beautiful day - to praise the Lord...
  To be filled with his spirit, His grace and His love..."
• Some years later we were house-sitting for some folk in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, and one day while I was in the shower I began singing my praises to the Lord - "Praise your name, Lord Jesus."  Succeeding days in the shower I would add a little more, and after several days, finished my praises in the shower of who My God is to me.
• "Praise Your name, Lord Jesus, Praise Your name,

  You are Wonderful, You are Counselor,

  You're the Everlasting Father,.." 
• The title song, "Expect the Unexpected" is taken from Habakkuk 1:5 and tells the stories of Gideon and Joshua.  This is a big production number.

  "Expect the unexpected...Let the power of God flow thru you...

  Test Him! Try Him! Glorify Him! Wonder in awe before Him!
• "The Lord Is Exalted" is from Isaiah 33:5 and is in the style of a Jewish dance.
• "You Alone" is based on Jeremiah 17:14 and is a powerful praise and worship song.
  "Lord, You alone can heal me, You alone can save,
  And my praises are for You alone."
• Some years ago our oldest daughter called me to ask if I knew of a song for the books of the Old Testament.  She already had a song for the books of the New Testament, but I didn't know of one at the time.  However, a few days later, I woke up around 2:00 a.m., and the old hymn, "Standing On the Promises" came into my head.  Then I began thinking of the Old Testament books, and they started fitting into that song, and by the next morning, Malachi was at the very end of the song!  Yes, I know it was a God-thing!  The children singing on "Books Of the Old Testament" are K-5 students from the Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kansas.  They are directed by Cheryl Shellenberger, music teacher at Sunrise and pastor's wife of the Derby (KS) Church of the Nazarene.  The song is a joyful interpretation of the old hymn, arranged by Tim Raymond of Wichita, Kansas.
  "Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, etc.........!"  (You know the words, or at least know where to find them!)
• A song of personal testimony, the first section of "My Child" came about while I was lying on the couch one day, expressing my own feelings about the frustrations I was experiencing.  The second section was the Lord's answer to me.  In a poignant setting, the song begins:
  "Yesterday I let the circumstances
  Stand in the way of what I thought I knew.
  I wanted to give up; My flesh said, 'Oh, just quit!'
  But then I knew the battle was on."
• I was filling a temporary work assignment for an oil company that was moving from Denver to Houston.  There was no one in the office because they had moved, but the company still had to keep the phones on, so for lack of work to do, I sat down one afternoon, and the monologue, "Little Red Wagon" was born.   Our daughter Heather, who was thirteen years old at the time, (now has four children of her own) can be heard as the child speaking.
  "And then one day as I was praying,
  I heard a voice say to me,
  'My child, you're the Little Red Wagon.
  I made you as my special gift.'"
   
  The CD will be on our web site soon and can be ordered there through PayPal, or directly from us now.  It will be $17.00 (which includes shipping).  Our mailing address is:
   
  Frankie Valens Ministries
  620 N. Rock Road, #230
  Derby, KS  67037
   
  If you want something new, fresh, somewhat different from the norm, alive and meaningful, "Expect the Unexpected."

  

• LAUGH-WISE -    

  Here are some fascinating statements on old tombstones:

  ***Harry Edsel Smith of Albany, New York:  Born 1903 - Died 1942.  Looked up the elevator shaft to see if the car was on the way down.  It was.

  ***Here lies an Atheist, all dressed up and no place to go.  (In a Thurmont, MD, cemetery)

  ***Here lies Ezekial Aikle, Age 102.  Only the Good Die Young. (On the grave of Ezekial Aikle in East Dalhousi Cemetery, Nova Scotia)

  ***Here lies Ann Mann, Who lived an old maid but died an old Mann.  Dec. 8, 1767 (In a London, England cemetery)

  ***Anna Wallace - The children of Israel wanted bread, And the Lord sent them manna.  Clark Wallace wanted a wife, And the Devil sent him Anna.  (In a Ribbesford, England, cemetery)

  ***Here lies Johnny Yeast...Pardon me for not rising.  (In a Ruidoso, New Mexico, cemetery)

  ***Here lies the body of Jonathan Blake.  Stepped on the gas instead of the brake.  (In a Unionstown, Pennsylvania, cemetery)

  KID-WISE - 

  ***My six-year-old nephew Julian likes to talk to everyone.  On a short road trip, I stopped to pay a toll.  As I pocketed my change, Julian leaned forward and yelled, "Thank you!" to the toll collector.  There was no reply.  He repeated his comment but was again met with silence.  As I pulled away, he called out, "We don't HAVE to shop here, you know!"

  ***One day my 14-year-old son came home and happily told me about a dance coming up at his school.  He was very excited about going, and I asked him if he was going to invite a girl to go with him.

  "Nah," he replied.  "My friend Robert and I are going stagnant."

   ***When my daughter was 13, we took a trip to London.  As we travel around our country, we see many signs which say "For Rent."  The British have signs which say, "To Let."  At one particular spot in London where we could see many "To Let" signs, my daughter looked around and said, "Where's the I?"

  SCHEDULE-WISE - Here is our Itinerary for the present month and the upcoming month, so you can not only keep track of us, but also pray for us.

  APRIL

  Sun, Apr. 20 - 6:00 p.m. - Forrester Baptist Church - Heavener, OK - 918-653-4405

  Sun, Apr. 27 - 10:00 a.m. - Vintage Place (R) - Derby, KS - 316-788-9600

  Sun, Apr. 27 - 6:00 p.m. - First Christian Church - Derby, KS - 316-788-5503

  MAY

  Sun, May 4 - 1:30 p.m.- First Baptist Church Senior Adults (R) - Haysville, KS - 316-524-4254

  Thu, May 8 - 7:00 p.m. - Halstead High School - Halstead, KS - 316-835-2682

  Sat, May 10 - Reserved

  Sat, May 17 - 10:00 a.m. - Antique Car Show/Community Christian Church (R) - Moore, OK - 405-912-9673

  Sun, May 18 -10:15 a.m. - Community Christian Church (R) - Moore, OK - 405-912-9673

  Sat, May 24 - Helen Cook School of Music Spring Recital - Heavener, OK - 918-571-2794

  Sun, May 25 - 6:00 p.m. - Rogers Wesleyan Christian Cafe - Rogers, AR - 479-636-8022

  (R) indicates a return ministry.

  FOOD FOR THOUGHT-WISE - From the Heart of a Pastor

  Hello loved ones in our Lord Jesus Christ.

   

  We just finished services and it was on my heart to bring up a couple of things I'm sure you already know.

   

  In about 320 A.D. Or so (didn't take the time to look up the exact date, but that's not the point).  Constantine had the counsel of Nicene where they decided to change the time of Christ's Death and Resurrection to coincide with the Spring Equinox and the celebration of Easter the Fertility goddess of the pagans that had joined the Catholic Church.

   

  We all know that Christ is our Passover and that he died during the final Passover of his life.  This is well attested to in the Gospels.

   

  The Bible in Lev. 23:5 tells us when God would have the Jews commemorate the Passover.  He was very specific; it was to be the 14th day of the first month, which is the month of Nisan (March-April)

   

  Have you noticed that the Passover is the 20th of April this year?  So Christians are celebrating Easter which they think is the time of the Resurrection about a month early, oh but pagans know that this is really the celebration of their fertility goddess Easter.

   

  It angers me greatly that most Christians are so uninformed and really just don't care.

   

  We have decided that we are not going to celebrate the Resurrection Day next year until the time of Passover as set in the Bible; we don't care what the pagan calendar says and we surely don't care when the spring equinox is celebrating pagan Easter.

   

  Well, I believe I've done what the Lord wanted me to do by writing you with this.

   

  God Bless,

   

  The date for Easter is determined by the date of the first Full Moon after March 20, so it is astronomy-based; Resurrection Day should be the first day of the week after Passover, which is God-designed.   Easter for 2009 is April 12th.  Passover for 2009 ends on Thursday, April 16th, so Resurrection Day would be celebrated on Sunday, April 19th.  Why couldn't we begin now to determine that we are going to be God-based for the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord on April 19th, 2009?   We do not have to, nor need to, be forced to accept the dictates of the world.  We should be more concerned that our actions and decisions are based on God's plans, not man's.  Pastors, you could be the catalysts for this to happen by your educating your people to the truth.  This could turn into a ground swell that could well affect all of Christendom.  What a tribute to the "Resurrected One."  Let's really Go with God on this one.

  LAST BLAST-WISE - In Florida, an atheist became incensed over the preparation of Easter and Passover holidays.  He decided to contact his lawyer about the discrimination inflicted on atheists by the constant celebrations afforded to Christians and Jews with all their holidays, while atheists had no holiday to celebrate.

  The case was brought before a judge.  After listening to the long passionate presentation by the lawyer, the Judge banged his gavel and declared, "Case dismissed!"

  The lawyer immediately stood and objected to the ruling and said, "Your Honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case?  The Christians have Christmas, Easter and many other observances, Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah...yet my client and all other atheists have no such holiday!"

  The judge leaned forward in his chair and simply said, "Obviously your client is too confused to even know about, much less celebrate his own atheists' holiday!"

  The lawyer pompously said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any such holiday for atheists.  Just when might that holiday be, your Honor?"

  The judge said, "Well, it comes every year on exactly the same date - April 1st!  Since our calendar sets April 1st as "April Fools Day," consider that Psalm 14:1 states, "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God."  Thus, in my opinion, if your client says there is no God, then by scripture, he is a fool, and April 1st is his holiday!

  Now have a good day and get out of my courtroom!!"

  FINAL ADMONITION-WISE - "For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad."  Luke 8:17 KJV