HISTORY-WISE -  While on our last tour, we stayed at a small, quaint motel, and immediately noticed there was no telephone!  We did have our cell phone, so we were not completely out of touch with the world.  However, we noticed a phone jack, just no phone.

It wasn't until we had been gone sometime from there that we were referring to the business card for the motel, and this is what it said:  Room phones available!  Air conditioned!  And Color Cable TV!  They were probably way ahead of their time, several decades ago!  Oh yes, by the way, they also had Elec. Plug-ins for RV hookups!  But we did have a much-appreciated quiet stay there.

We have probably completed the most intensive tours we have undertaken in a long time, and we have had some fantastic concerts.  As you have probably seen on our itinerary, we took a two-week tour to the east coast, then were back three days, and headed up to Minnesota and Iowa.  We were heading to Minnesota during about four of the six inches of rain they received.  We were there during that major flooding, although we were never in danger, nor even saw the flooding.  At our concert  with the Epiphany Lutheran Church in Eagle Lake, MN, however, there was a large "pond" of water on the church lawn,  and the pastor commented that they had waterfront property, but weren't supposed to!  All the houses in that community had flooded basements, but apparently the people wanted to get away from the "mess" and we had a great concert attendance.

One concert in Des Moines, IA had to be canceled because the church was without electricity due to stormy weather.  We sure don't do much without electricity!

We were with Pastor Steven Hultengren at the Elysian, (MN) Assembly of God for a morning and evening concert.  During the afternoon he was going to do his jail ministry, so he asked if we would autograph a few of our small pictures for the inmates.  We autographed ten of them, and when we returned for the evening concert, the pastor told us that the men were so touched that we would take the time to do this small thing for them, that several nearly had tears in their eyes.  And the best news - ALL TEN GOT SAVED!  Isn't it amazing what God can do with a picture!

In the God-answers-prayer department, a part of one of my teeth had broken off and obviously needed immediate attention.  I had to work that appointment into the three days between concerts, so all the dentist could do was a temporary situation, and we scheduled the provisional crown for two weeks later, when we would return from that tour.  As we left for the tour, the tooth began aching some for a couple of days, and I told the Lord that I couldn't do all those concerts with a tooth ache, so would He please take the pain away.  Do you know that I did not have another pain from that tooth until I had my appointment two weeks later?  Now, is God just totally awesome, or what?

And in another God-answers-prayer department, Frankie developed a sinus infection while we were on that tour, and several concerts were in question because he didn't think he'd be able to sing.  However, I have said many times that God equips us to do what He has commissioned us to do.  And Frankie was able to do all the concerts scheduled, even with the sinus infection.  In fact, one pastor's wife said she couldn't tell that he had a problem at all.  We had even canceled the last concert for that tour, but Frankie seemed some better, so we re-scheduled it.  We've also said that God lets people hear what He wants them to hear.

However, upon arriving home, it became very clear that we know that we know that we did those concerts by the grace of God, because Frankie sort of just fell apart, and even at this writing is still trying to recuperate.  This probably just has to run its course, but we hope that course will not be too long.

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

***Praying with & for you both that the Holy Spirit will continue to make the message you both carry a plain one:

Specifically, that God has to do with ALL of life.  Therefore, it's perfectly okay to sing a love song while representing The Author of all real Love.  We do not try to keep God in any box, room, locker, or church in order to somehow keep Him from interfering with "real" life at work or at play.  God is God, and His opinions (cleverly disguised as commands) as outlined in His Word extend to every facet of the human experience:  worship, work, play and leisure.  Carry on; carry on.

***Awesome newsletter.

***As far as the FVM news, I am proud of you two and how you've taken the trials and tribulations you have ENDURED into the ministry.  One man's trial is another man's education.  Thanks for sharing with others so we can all grow in Christ together.

***You don't know me but I wanted to let you know how much I enjoy receiving your newsletter...The diet drink information is really interesting. My brother-in-law has lupus but I am not sure if he drinks diet drinks...I will find out though.

***Thanks, Phyllis, I enjoy your newsletter!

***I love your newsletter!  I get to learn so many things!

KJV-WISE  - Dr. Kent Hovind, Creation Science Evangelism, says:  "I didn't use it [the King James] for a long time.  Brand new Christian, I'm reading my...Revised Version.  I got it at the Methodist Church.  I was reading it and underlining it and making notes and my preacher said, "Kent, you need to get a Bible."  Well, I was kind of offended.  "I've got a Bible."  He said, "No, you don't," and he told me the story...and he was right. I will stick with the King James.  There are some words that are hard to understand, but I would rather try to raise my intellect up to the Bible, than bring the Bible down to my intellect [Ed: my emphasis], one of the other reasons I use King James."  (from Creation Seminar Series video, Part 7, on the validity of the King James Bible as authority)

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

Aspartame Testimonial:  Hi, you two - Something very interesting happened to me and I wanted to share it with you.

MUSIC-WISE -

             It Is No Secret What God Can Do             

Back in the 50/s there was a well-known radio host/comedian/song writer in Hollywood named Carl Stuart Hamblen who was noted for his drinking, womanizing, partying, etc.

One of his bigger hits at the time was "I won't go hunting with you, Jake, but I'll go chasing women."

Hamblen was a heavy drinker who swore off demon rum and made religion a central part of his life in 1949 after attending "Youth For Christ," a historic revival meeting held in Los Angeles.   After attending the revival meeting and coming away from it troubled, Hamblen and his wife paid a call to the evangelist at 4 a.m., asking to be saved.  It was reported the singer was "broken up and crying."  And the evangelist said, "We've been praying for you for weeks."

Earlier the evangelist went on Stuart Hamblen's radio show as part of a media push to raise interest in advance of the revival meeting.  They were having trouble getting any advance press coverage, so his appearance on Hamblen's show was a boon to them.  And rather than poking fun at the Reverend, Hamblen told his listeners to "go on down to the tent and hear the preaching."

Shortly after his conversion, a friend named John took him aside at a party and said, "What's this I hear - you got religion?"  Stuart answered, "It is no secret what God can do in a man's life," and to this, John said, "Well, that sounds like a song," thereby planting the idea in the songwriter's mind.

A year after his discovery of the Lord, Hamblen wrote "It Is No Secret," a tune that brought him tremendous acclaim as it became the first cross-over gospel, country, and pop ballad, reaching the number one spot on all three charts. 

And as they say, "The rest is history."

And by the way, the friend was John Wayne, and the young preacher - Billy Graham.

(This information came from an Internet e-mail and snopes.com)

"It is no secret what God can do,

What He's done for others, He'll do for you.

With arms wide open, He'll pardon you.

It is no secret, what God can do."

AMAZING FACTS-WISE -  In 1826, as John Walker, an apothecary, stirred a new mixture of chemicals, a drop dried at the end of his stirring stick.  While cleaning off a crust lamp with the stick, it suddenly ignited--the first match.  But it was Samuel Jones who saw its practical value, and he called his first commercial matches "Lucifers."  (from Hidden Truth: Amazing Bible Facts Revealed, p. 28)                                  

LAUGH-WISE -  

For all you choc-o-holics, here are the Rules of Chocolate:

If you've got melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.

Chocolate-covered raisins, cherries, orange slices, strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

The problem:  How to get 2 pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car.  The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

Diet tip:  Eat a chocolate bar before each meal.  It'll take the edge off your appetite and you'll eat less.

If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer.  But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's wrong with you?

Money talks.  Chocolate sings.

SIGN-WISE -

***Toilet Out Of Order.  Please use floor below.

***In a laundromat:  Automatic washing machines:  Please remove all your clothes when the light goes out.

***In a London department store:  Bargain basement upstairs.

***In an office:  After tea break, staff should empty the teapot and stand upside down on the draining board.

***Notice in health food shop window:  Closed due to illness.

***Outside a second-hand shop:  We exchange anything - bicycles, washing machines, etc.  Why not bring your wife along and get a wonderful bargain?

DID-YOU-KNOW-WISE -  Some facts about the 1500s, Part II.

***Sometimes folks could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special.  When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off.  It was a sign of wealth that a man could bring home the bacon.  They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.

***Those with money had plates made of pewter.  Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death.  This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

***Bread was divided according to status.  Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

***England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people.  So they would dig up coffins and take the bones to a bone-house, and re-use the grave.  When re-opening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside, and they realized they had been burying people alive.  So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, thread it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell.  Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be saved by the bell, or was considered a dead ringer.

And that's the truth!  (from Call To Decision Ministries MINUTEMAN NEWS)

KID-WISE - An area minister tells of his first Sunday in a new parish and his children's time.  It seems the sanctuary in the church had some magnificent stained glass windows, so his message centered on how each of us is called of God to help make up the whole picture of life.  Like the pictures in the windows, it takes many little panels of glass to make the whole picture.  And then he said, You see, each of you is a little pane."  And then pointing to each child individually, "You're a little pane, And you're a little pane, And you're a little pane.  And..."  It took a few moments before he realized why everyone was laughing.  (from the Lovilia [IA] Circuit Writer)

INFO-WISE - Here's a mathematical formula that might help you answer some questions:

If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Then: H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K

8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E

11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E

1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

And look how far the Love of God will take you.

L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While hard work and knowledge will get you close, and attitude will get you there, It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!  (from the Unionville-Mt.Hermon United Methodist Church Newsletter)

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. 

 

Sat/Sun, Sep. 8/9 - 7:00 p.m./10:30 a.m. - First Baptist Church - Fairbury, NE (R) - 402-729-6668

 

Sun, Sep. 9 - 7:00 p.m. - Smith Center United Methodist Church (R) - Smith Center, KS (R) - 785-282-3728

Thu, Sep. 13 - p.m. - AmeriKids/North High School Auditorium - O’Fallon, MO - 636-379-9543

Fri/Sat, Sep. 14/15 - 7:00 p.m - Farmington Music Theater (R) - Farmington, IL - 309-245-9966

Sun, Sep. 16 - 10:45 a.m. - Foursquare Gospel Church (R) - Monmouth, IL - 309-734-3052

Sun, Sep. 16 - 6:00 p.m. - First Christian Church - Macomb, IL - 309-837-6473

Fri, Sep. 21 - 7:00 p.m. - West Haysville Baptist Church - Haysville, KS - 316-524-6302

Sat, Sep. 22 - 7:00 p.m. - Sallisaw Seventh Day Adventist Church - Sallisaw, OK - 918-775-6481

Thu, Sep. 27 - 6:30 p.m. - Beta Sigma Phi/Xi Theta Kappa/Woodlawn UMC - Derby, KS - 316-788-2091

Sat, Sep. 29 - 7:00 p.m. - First Southern Baptist Church - Fredonia, KS - 620-378-3191

 

Fri/Sat, Oct. 26/27 - 7:00/6:30 p.m. - Ft. Worth Northwest Seventh Day Adventist Church - Ft. Worth, TX - 817-625-1764

 

Sun, Nov. 4 - 6:30 p.m. - Miltonvale Christian Church - Miltonvale, KS - 785-427-3376

You can see that we have several open dates in both October and November, and December is completely open.  If you have not had us in your church for a while, perhaps a date in one of these months would work for you.  We also have a nice Christmas program for churches and class parties and other organizations.  Call us or e-mail us a fvpv7@sbcglobal.net if one of these dates would work for you.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT-WISE - Urgent Recall Notice! 

The Maker of all human beings is recalling all units manufactured, regardless of make or year, due to serious defect in the primary and central component of the heart.

This is due to a malfunction in the original prototype units code-named Adam and Eve, resulting in the reproduction of the same defect in all subsequent units.

This defect has been technically termed "Subsequential Internal Non-Morality," or more commonly known as S.I.N., as it is primarily expressed.

Some other symptoms include: 1) Loss of direction; 2) Foul vocal emissions; 3) Amnesia of origin; 4) Lack of peace and joy; 5) Selfish or violent behavior; 6) Depression or confusion in the mental component; 7) Fearfulness; 8) Idolatry; and 9) Rebellion.

The Manufacturer, who is neither liable nor at fault for this defect, is providing factory-authorized repair and service free of charge to correct this S.I.N. Defect.  The Repair Technician, Jesus, has most generously offered to bear the entire burden of the staggering cost of these repairs.  There is no additional fee required.

The number to call for repair in all areas is: P-R-A-Y-E-R.

Once connected, please upload your burden of SIN through the REPENTANCE procedure.

Next, download ATONEMENT from the Repair Technician, Jesus, into the heart component.

No matter how big or small the SIN defect is, Jesus will replace it with:  1) Love; 2) Joy; 3) Peace; 4) Longsuffering; 5) Gentleness; 6) Goodness; 7) Faith; 8) Meekness; 9) Temperance.

Please see the operating Manual, the B.I.B.L.E. (Believer's Instructions Before Leaving Earth), for further details on the use of these fixes.

WARNING:  Continuing to operate the human being unit without correction voids any manufacturer warranties exposing the unit to dangers and problems too numerous to list.

DANGER: The human being units not responding to this recall action will have to be scrapped.

The SIN defect will not be permitted to enter Heaven so as to prevent contamination of that facility and the cessation of pure joy there.

Thank you for your attention.

GOD

Note:  Please assist where possible by notifying others of this important recall notice, and you may contact the Father any time by "kneemail."

The PAPAW   (from the Internet)    

 LAST BLAST-WISE - [A local teen] told about a girl working at a business that was recently robbed.  She was confronted by the armed robber and ordered to go into a room with him but refused.  He kept telling her to go and said, "Do you want to die?"  She looked at him and said, "I know where I am going if I die..do you?"  (from The DCN Connection)

 FINAL ADMONITION-WISE - " And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends;..."  Job 42:10 KJV