www.frankievalensministries.com and www.frankievalens.com

HISTORY-WISE - We’ve been kind of on vacation since our last newsletter, and we have been blessed by that. Having about a month without concerts is pretty rare for us, but the Lord knew we needed the rest, and we took advantage of that. The bills got paid, we’re not out on the streets, and we’re certainly not starving (those of you who have seen us lately can verify that statement!). "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me."

That is a song from our latest CD entitled We Stand In Awe, and has been blessing many people in our concerts as Frankie sings it. It’s a wonderful old gospel song, and that song was one of my Dad’s favorites that he sang a lot.  Psalm 84:3 says that "...the sparrow hath found an house..." and Luke 12:7 says: "Ye are of more value than many sparrows." Did you get it? He provides for the sparrows; He’ll provide for you/us. What a concept!

Our concerts and traveling also provide us with serendipities along the way. This is one of the many times I speak of "the God of small things." Back in the early 80s I was a top Avon representative and then became a district manager, where in the first year of management, out of 3,000 Avon districts in the country at that time, my district was #10.  Not bad for a rookie! Recently we were in concert in that same area of western Kansas where I was a district manager, and at all three concerts there was someone from my Avon past at each concert. What fun!

BLESSINGS-WISE - All glory to God our Heavenly Father!

"You are so dear to me! I thank God for putting such ‘blessed’ people in my life. Thanks for all your work for the Lord. We had such a blessing from the concert and church service... You are a ‘barrel’ of fun, too!!"

"This world is in such a mess. You are few and far between. One of a kind, actually."

"You said some things tonight that needed to be said at this church."

"We loved your concert and it was a great hit. So many comments about you that would warm your hearts. May God bless you always."

"This is just what I needed tonight."

"May life bring you a reflection of the kindness you’ve shown to others. Thanks you for your thoughtfulness."

MUSIC-WISE - Civilla Durfee Martin was a Canadian by birth who became a school and music teacher, later giving that up to travel with her husband, Dr. Walter Martin, and assist him in evangelistic meetings. She says: "Early in the spring of 1906, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle--true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nigh twenty years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle’s reply was simple: ‘His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.’ The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the imagination of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn ‘His Eye Is on the Sparrow’ was the outcome of that experience." The day after writing the song, she mailed it to the famous Gospel composer, Charles Gabriel, who penned the music. (from Then Sings My Soul by Robert J. Morgan, p. 261)

Why should I feel discouraged?

Why should the shadows come?

Why should my heart be lonely

And long for heaven and home?

When Jesus is my portion

My constant friend is He.

His eye is on the sparrow,

And I know He watches me.

DID-YOU-KNOW-WISE - One of the comments we often hear about those who choose the New King James Version of the Bible over the Authorized King James Version is that they just changed the "thee’s and thou’s" to "you and yours." Did you know that the KJV uses the plain word "you" over 2,000 times? And consider these verses that use both "ye" and "you" in the same verse:

Numbers 16:3 - "...Ye take too much upon you..."

Numbers 16:7 - "...ye take too much upon you, ye sons of Levi."

Numbers 16:8 - "...Hear, I pray you, ye sons of Levi..."

Jeremiah 29:7 - "...whither I have caused you...for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace."

Jeremiah 29:8 - "...deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed."

Jeremiah 29:12 - "Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you."

Can you see that if you categorically change all "ye’s" to "you", you have altered the meaning of those spoken to? "Ye" and "thee" are used when needed to distinguish between the Greek singular and plural; "ye" is plural, and "thee" is singular. By using those particular renderings, the KJV gives an exact representation of the Greek word. In certain places in the bible — Matthew 16 and other places — the singular and the plural become very important. (See "Which Bible Is God’s Word?" by Gail Riplinger, p. 11)

And here is an e-mail we received: "Dear Frankie and Phyllis, I just wanted you to know that my Dad and I (and now my mom) are reading The New Age Versions of the Bible book [by Gail Riplinger]. I didn’t believe everything you told me about the book, but as I am reading it, I see why you are so adamant! My dad and I both feel that the fear of God is refreshed in our hearts because of this book and the proof that it shows. For my dad’s birthday he wants a brand-new King James Bible and a good concordance to go with it.  (Smile)  You both planted seeds that fell on soil that is willing to research this.

We wanted to know where we could get these books; can you get them in bulk? We don’t suppose that you can even get them in a Christian book store..any info would be nice." (DVW - age 16)

HEALTH-WISE - We have talked often about the dangers of aspartame, found in over 5,000 products. Do your own Google search to read about it, and how it came to be an accepted product in today’s food industry, even though the testing of it caused holes in rats’ brains.  The following is an e-mail Frankie received from his oldest son:

"About two years ago I got Aspartame poisoning and needed to detox from it (took two months). Once ya know about the ‘Sweet Poison’, you read everything you buy, making sure it’s not in there. It’s amazing how many products this crap is in and how many different names it goes by as well. What alerted me to a problem was blurry vision, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, slurred speech, dizziness, and lack of focus and thought. I now have a very tiny black spot in my right eye (the beginnings of Retina Detachment) and my right eye is a little blurry and I will need glasses shortly. To this day I know if I have consumed anything with Aspartame, cause I know how it feels. This stuff is BAD news and I can’t believe it’s still on the market and in EVERYTHING!!"

If the product says "Diet" or "Lite", it probably has aspartame in it, as well as being in many other products. It isn’t called aspartame poisoning for nothing, folks. Get rid of those Diet Cokes and Pepsi. And a by-the-way: aspartame causes sharp blood sugar surges in diabetics.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT-WISE - "Am I supposed to tithe from the gross or the net?"

You’ve heard it, maybe even said it. Well, consider the following:

Genesis 14:20 - "And he gave him tithes of all."

Leviticus 27:30 - "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy unto the Lord."

Leviticus 27:32 - "And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord."

Deuteronomy 12:17 - "Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or [the tithe] of thy wine, or [the tithe] of thy oil, or the [tithe of thy] firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock..."

Deuteronomy 14:22 - "Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year."

Deuteronomy 26:12 - "...all the tithes of thine increase..."

II Chronicles 31:6 - "...they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the Lord their God..."

II Chronicles 31:12 - "And brought in the offerings and the tithes and the dedicated things faithfully..."

Nehemiah 10:37 - "...and the tithes of our ground..."

Malachi 3:8 - "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings."

And the final word: Malachi 3:10 - "Bring ye [remember: "ye" is singular] all the tithes into the storehouse..." Why? "...that there may be meat in mine house..."

Did I hear you ask, "Am I supposed to tithe from the gross or the net?" I didn’t think so.

AMAZING FACTS-WISE - The Bible never says the forbidden fruit was an apple. It is only called the fruit of the "knowledge of good and evil." It might not have looked like anything we have today, but this is where we get the name "Adam’s apple" — the forbidden fruit supposedly got stuck in Adam’s throat. (from Hidden Truth-Amazing Bible Facts Revealed, p. 11)

LAUGH-WISE - Here are the Year’s Best (actual) Headlines of 2006:

"Something Went Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says." (No, really?)

"Police Begin Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers." (Now that’s taking things a bit far!)

"Is There a Ring of Debris Around Uranus?" (Whaaat??)

"Panda Mating Fails; Veterinarian Takes Over" (What a guy!)

"Miners Refuse to Work After Death" (Those good-for-nothing lazy so and so’s!)

"Juvenile Court to Try Shooting Defendant" (See if that works any better than a fair trial!)

"War Dims Hope for Peace" (I can see where it might have that effect!)

"If Strike Isn’t Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile" (You think?)

"Cold Wave Linked to Temperatures" (Who would have thought?)

"Enfield (London) Couple Slain; Police Suspect Homicide" (They may be on to something!)

"Typhoon Rips Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead" (Did I read that right?)

SIGN-WISE - Sign over a gynecologist’s office: "Dr. Jones, at your cervix."

On a plumber’s truck: "We repair what your husband fixed."

On the trucks of a local plumbing company: "Don’t sleep with a drip. Call your plumber."

On a maternity room door: "Push. Push. Push."

A pizza shop slogan: "Buy our pizza. We knead the dough."

KID-WISE - JACK (age 3) was watching his Mom breast-feeding his new baby sister. After a while he asked: "Mom, why have you got two? Is one for hot and one for cold milk?"

MELANIE (age 5) asked her Granny how old she was. Granny replied she was so old she didn’t remember anymore. Melanie said, "If you don’t remember, you just look in the back of your panties. Mine say five to six."

STEVEN (age 3) hugged and kissed his Mom goodnight. "I love you so much that when you die, I’m going to bury you outside my bedroom window."

BRITTANY (age 4) had an ear ache and wanted a painkiller. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a childproof cap and she’d have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked, "How does it know it’s me?"

SUSAN (age 4) was drinking juice when she got the hiccups. "Please don’t give me this juice again," she said. "It makes my teeth cough."

SCHEDULE-WISE - We include our Itinerary for the present month and the upcoming month in each newsletter, so you can not only keep track of us, but also pray for us. God (and our mechanic) keep our 252,000-mile van working well, and we thank both of them.

Sat, Mar. 10 - 6:00 p.m. First United Methodist Church - Great Bend, KS - 620-793-3102

Sun, Mar. 11 - 2:00 p.m. United Methodist Church - Phillipsburg, KS - 785-543-2454

Sun, Mar. 11 - 7:00 p.m. First United Methodist Church of Norton - Norton, KS - 785-877-2196

Sat, Mar. 24 - 7:00 p.m. Tin Lion Coffee House - Fairview, OK - 580-227-2880

Sun, Mar. 25 - 10:00 a.m. Fairview First United Methodist Church - Fairview, OK - 580-227-4759

Fri, Mar. 30 - 7:00 p.m. Ordination of Pastor William McCary/The Church of the Shepherd EMC - Grove, OK - 918-786-5113

Sat, Mar. 31 - 1:00 p.m. Benefit for Christian Help Center/First Christian Church - Grove, OK - 918-786-6798

Sat, Mar. 31 - 6:00 p.m. Power House/Noel United Methodist Church - Noel, MO - 417-475-3814

Sun, Apr. 1 - 10:45 a.m./2:00 p.m. First Christian Church - Vinita, OK - 918-256-6202

Sun, Apr. 1 - 7:00 p.m. Ketchum United Methodist Church - Ketchum, OK - 918-782-9037

Sat, Apr. 14 - Cornelius 50^th Wedding Anniversary - Solomon, KS

Thu, Apr. 19 - 7:00 p.m. Cornerstone Seventh Day Adventist Church - Wichita, KS - 316-688-5789

Sun-Wed, Apr. 22-25 First Baptist Church Revival - Bellafonte, AR - 870-743-1471

(We’re looking for a concert in the Durant, OK area for Friday, Apr.27)

Sat/Sun, Apr. 28/29 - 6:00 p.m./10:40 a.m. Spence Park Baptist Church - Balch Springs, TX - 972-814-7532

Sun, Apr. 29 - 6:00 p.m. Memorial Baptist Church - Denton, TX - 940-387-2104

We might mention that our Valens-tine concert schedule for 2008 is already starting to fill up. It looks like it will be mostly in Kansas this time, so if you’re in the area and would like to be included, e-mail or call us. Here is the schedule so far:

Sat, Feb. 9 - 6:45 p.m. Valens-tine Banquet/Udall Nazarene Church (R) - Udall, KS - 620-782-3683

Sun, Feb. 10 - 7:00 p.m. Valens-tine Banquet/Cornerstone Seventh Day Adventist Church(R) - Wichita, KS - 316-688-5789

Sat, Feb. 16 - 7:00 p.m. Valens-tine Banquet/The Lord’s Chapel - Talmage, KS - Pat Walker

LAST BLAST-WISE - "God is God. Because He is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will, a will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to." — Elisabeth Elliot

FINAL ADMONITION-WISE - "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever." Isaiah 40:8 KJV

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