Confession 2 - Faking it!

I was recently talking to a lady and she made the comment that she just couldn't "fake" liking someone or something when she really didn't.  I thought to myself... "You better never become a pastor's wife. I sure have.  Sometimes in the ministry 'faking it' is a must."  Right after I said it (to myself) a still small voice said to me, "O really, think about that."  So I have been thinking about it for about a month now.  Do you know what the Lord said to me....'Faking it' is only necessary when I am in the flesh.  If I am "walking in the Spirit" I don't have to 'fake' anything...I can react or respond in every situation with boldness. 

Let me explain a little bit further what I am talking about.  Sometimes we encounter people who are just plain selfish, or moochers, or  dumb"simple", etc.  Sometimes you just want to "give it to them RAW"; but instead you smile and be sweet and help them, or promise to pray with them about a certain situation. I am not saying that I should always respond how I would like.  Sometimes it is right to keep quiet.  But it is important to BE REAL.  So often when we have been at this thing for a while we know what is expected of us so we do that; but that which we do is not what we wanted to do or what we had or felt in our heart and mind. 

Romans 7:14 - 25

 For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.
 For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.
 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
 I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.

Real live example

Recently we met with a couple who has been having a difficult time financially.  We explained to them about tithing (for the third time), talked with them about offerings and explained in detail about the importance of establishing and sticking to a budget.  They nodded their heads and when the conversation was over they handed us some money (Evidently they didn't get that a partial tithe is not a tithe; but at least they are making an effort) and seemed encouraged.  The next day they called and asked for a ride to the store and after that a ride to Burger King - where they spent almost 1/18th of their total month's income on one meal.  I wanted to refuse to taxi them and then give them a piece of my mind; but after some prayer, I decided instead to let them make their own decisions without my input. I had to go to the store anyway, and even though that fast food sure smelled good, I had chili cooking at home! These are professing Believers. I was reminded that some folks learn best from the school of hard knocks and the Holy Spirit is able and willing to help us when and if we allow Him. If they won't allow God to help them, what makes me think that anything I say will change them. Initially I slapped a fake smile on my face and demonstrated a fake willing spirit.  Then I whispered a little prayer of thanks for the work and grace of God manifested in my life and asked for Him to do a work in their lives as well.

There was a time when I was a new Christian that all I could to was take.  I simply had nothing to offer; but to grow in the Lord I needed a Bible.  Someone bought one for me.  I needed a ride to church.  I was bussed to and from church sometimes five times a week and all I could offer was a shallow thank you-if I said that.  I went to a Christian school for five years; my family may have paid 5% of the bill.  I did do some work scholarship; but I am sure it didn't cover what was lacking.  Some faithful college students paid my school bill for a while; but they couldn't support me forever.  Mooch. Guilty! Selfish. Guilty! Undeserving. Guilty!  I could go on. 

I hope this little post will encourage you to BE REAL.  Let the Lord work through you in the lives of others.  The world doesn't need any more phonies.

Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Until Next Time,

Coming soon..."So you want to win a bus kid?"

September, October Prayer Letter

October 22, 2012

Dear Pastor and Praying Friends,

Praise the Lord that the three digit temperatures of our Arkansas Summer have ended and Autumn has brought with it some beautiful, cool weather. We also praise God for His goodness to us and our church and this season of blessing. Since our last letter we have seen many souls saved and baptized.

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and , lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” - Matthew 28: 19,20

Two of the people who were baptized I met one Saturday while on visitation. The girlfriend and her sixteen year old “step-daughter” called us for a ride to church about a month later. We continued to visit them on Saturdays and eventually the man joined his family in church.

I often preach about God’s desire for our homes. By that I mean God desires for there to be a saved and surrendered husband and wife first and then children to follow. You can’t unscramble eggs, but you can make them better. After attending several services and hearing this type of preaching; this couple approached me about getting married. During the process of marital counseling I asked them their salvation testimonies and found out they had a Church of Christ background. The lady thought she had lost her salvation and the husband couldn’t give me a clear and sure testimony of having been previously saved either. To make a long story shorter, they both received the Lord that day and were scripturally baptized the next. Two weeks later we had a beautiful wedding at our church.

Another one of the people who were baptized is a young lady in her twenties. (Her brother and niece were saved and baptized here in July.) She came for a visit and raised her hand for salvation during the invitation. My wife took her out and talked with her. She prayed to be saved that Sunday! The next day she called us about her twelve year old son. He had asked why she left at the end of the service and what the papers we gave her about baptism meant. I told her to read the papers to him and that we would talk with him later to make sure he understood about salvation and baptism. The next Sunday we showed him from scripture how he could know he was saved and he prayed and received the Lord as well. Afterward he said he wanted to be baptized because now he was saved just like his Mama. So, that day we had two baptisms instead of one. This young lady’s zeal and trust in the Lord has been a real blessing to all of our church family.

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundatly.” - John 10:10

These families represent the burden of our ministry here. There are so many people in Newport shacking up – some in their forties and fifties who just never thought it important to be married. There are even more religious people here who are on their way to Hell. Thank you for your prayers and financial support which enables us to show them God’s desire for their souls as well as their lives.

Prayer Requests

· We are asking God to double our number by next Fall. This would give us about fifty souls on Sunday mornings.

· Wisdom and provision as our family moves from the church into the parsonage.

· That God would bless us with good health. Recently our whole family was down with some type of sickness. On top of the sickness I had an allergic reaction to something and it turned my eyes fiery red. After I preached Sunday morning one of our members (who is a nurse) came to me and said, “You look awful!”.

In His Service,

Pastor Raymond Beckles

May-June Prayer letter

Dear Pastor and praying friends,

“And I will make them and the places round about my hill a blessing; and I will cause the shower to come down in his season; there shall be showers of blessing.” Ezekial 34:26

Normally this time of year people start disappearing, the church’s giving dies down, and we seem to have to work hard to keep everyone’s morale up; but these past two months have definitely been a season of blessing for us. Two adults have been saved, three families have started attending regularly, and three children were saved during one of our Thursday evening Bible studies. The Thursday that those children and one gentleman were saved we had a college singing group with us and they were a tremendous blessing. We don’t know that this is our “due season”, but we do praise the Lord for His blessings thus far.

Another blessing we have noticed is that the people here in Newport have changed drastically in their demeanor toward us. Previously they were cordial, but kept their distance. Recently people in the community have asked us whether or not we lived in Newport and how long we have been here. One lady in the care home expressed how sad she was to hear that we were leaving. The talk around town is that a lot of new churches start here; but they don’t stay long; and the pastors of these new churches never live here in Newport. It is blessings to have the people of Newport realize that we are here to stay and that we are here for them. Please keep our ministry in your thoughts and prayers as we endeavor to be a church where people will be introduced to Christ and taught Biblical truth that will break the cycles of sin in their lives. What a blessing it would be if the three visiting families would become active members and if two other families that we have been in close contact with would come to church. We know that the Lord can do a mighty work in their lives; but the Devil knows that as well and he is working overtime to keep them away.

On a personal note…

Our family is doing great! Just this week we celebrated Fathers’ Day, Cassidy’s first birthday (June 17) and Aaliyah’s birthday (June 18). God is so good! Thank you for your prayers and financial support.

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9

Sincerely,

Pastor Raymond Beckles

Lighthouse Baptist Church

Newport, Arkansas

Who is this man!?!

My Beloved preaching at Lighthouse Baptist Church

Last night my husband preached an amazing message about prayer!  As I sat in the back with my two little hooligans princesses I was amazed at the preacher and man of God he has become. Anyone who lives in or around Newport and missed that message truly missed something special. When I left the service I felt like I was ready to change in my super soaker for a fire engine and charge the fires of Hell -through prayer- for our Lord.  Of coarse all you blessed ladies who have a husband who is also your pastor probably know exactly what I mean.



My Beloved at home in California



 I married a man of integrity and I am so thankful for that; but I also married a man who truly loves God.  I am not afraid to trust him with my future and with the future of my children because I know that he strives to depend on the Lord to direct his every step.  Because my husband does not like for me to blog about him I will close now by saying I am SO blessed and God is SO good!!!

Cousins

For the past two weeks I have been a little busy.  We decided to bring my niece back with us from OKC since we had to head back that way in a couple of weeks anyway.  We all had a blast!!!  I will post more about this fun time later.  Ta-ta for now.

Until next time,

Praise the Lord...

It seems my husband may have a part-time job at Wal-mart!  When we first arrived in Ark.  he put in countless applications from every job from janitor to astronaut (not quite; but you get the picture!) and we received not one phone call.  Last Thursday we had lunch with a visiting preacher and he asked us about our finances so we gave him the update. In passing my husband mentioned that he always wanted to work for Wal-mart; but not even they would hire him!  Well, yesterday afternoon he received a phone call for a job interview to be a greeter, today he had the interview during which they found out he was mechanically inclined so they offered him a job as a tech in the tire and lube section...if he passes his drug test :).  We are excited!!!  My husband said that if the Lord permits, we will save  and look for two months, then move into our very own home!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Praise the Lord!!!

Until next time,

Tinyla

A Burden for Newport

With this post I hope to share with you our burden for Newport as well as some of the blessings and obstacles we face.  I may have mentioned before; but I don't remember, how we came about being in Newport.  Here it is again in a nutshell.

We were contently serving the Lord at Bethel Baptist Church in Wilson, NC  as assistant pastor and wife when we received a message from our pastor about a phone call from Arkansas.  A couple, the Parkers, had started a church in Newport about three years before; but now believed the Lord wanted them to go to Alabama and start a church in Bro. Burt's home town. (This was his original burden; but his paster - Pastor Patterson of Jacksonville Baptist Temple - needed a man to fill the pulpit in Newport where souls had been led to the Lord; but there was no good Bible preaching church for them to attend, so the Parkers filled the gap.  For three years they drove an hour and a half each way for every service and ministered to these people.)  We returned the call and prayed about the move for thirty days.  The Lord confirmed that Newport was the place for us in several ways; so we packed our belongings (all that would fit in our van and a small trailer) and headed for Arkansas.  You can read more about that "adventure" here.

Now that we have been  living in Newport, I can officially say...the honeymoon is over.  PLEASE don't misunderstand.  I love serving the Lord with my husband.  I wouldn't trade being here for the world; but reality has set in.  (I am sure those of you who are missionaries or pastors wives especially understand what I am saying.)  When we first arrived, everything was new and exciting - even camping out in the church on the weekends; but now (for starters) I am ready to move into a home. We decided to move into the church to save time, money, energy, and to allow us to go visiting and soulwinning on a regular basis. I have been praying fervently for this since I found out I was expecting.  Would you join me? 

Also, as we have been knocking doors in Newport and Diaz (a SMALL neighboring town), we noticed that there are at least eight government housing editions in Newport alone; plus there are a lot of HUD homes in this area as well.  What this means is that there are a lot of people in Newport (population 8,700+) who depend on the government for their housing, food, medical attention, etc.  Normally in places like so, these people have a mentality that go along with that lifestyle.  They often feel that everyone "owes" them something.  We have experienced this first hand.  Many have discovered that we are the "new church on the block" (which will soon be changing because two churches are being erected (one Church of Christ and one non-denominational) AND we live in the church; so they "visit" us often (and not on Sunday or Thursday) asking us for diapers, food, milk, formula, gas money, in one case - housing (read all about that here.) ect.  We do what we can; but we try to look at this as an opportunity to share the gospel and invite them to church.  We have had some takers and one couple has actually been visiting quite frequently.  Praise the Lord that as of last week Friday, we have knocked every door in Newport and Diaz.  Now we are going back for round two as well as following up on those who seemed interested; but may need a little nudge. 

Another thing that happened on visitation recently was while my husband was going door to door, he stopped to talk to a young man about the Lord and the man pulled out a marijuana joint and started rolling it up right in front of him!  I was shocked!  My husband warned him about the danger of that stuff after he had invited him to church; but he didn't seem to care.  OFTEN we knock on doors and when the door opens we smell a strong aroma of what we call herbal essence (marijuana) hit us in the face. It is almost like an epidemic or something.  Raymond preaches often about the power of Christ to free people from addictions and the importance for us to make decisions early about staying away from harmful substances.

Once again, I love being involved actively in the lives of other for the Lord's sake; but anyone serving the Lord needs prayer and needs to be praying.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that we (my husband and I) may be the only ones praying for many of these folks by name.  This year my spiritual challenge is to increase my prayer time dramatically. 

This post is getting long so I must end it; but thank all of you for reading! And a special thanks to all of you who pray for us!

Until next time,

Tinyla

Hazardous weather

This past Thursday evening we had 24 souls in church!  This is a major blessing considering we only had nine  in church on Sunday and there was no snow on the ground.  I tried to tell my husband that no one would send their children to church in a van with half bald tires on such a night; but he didn't listen (Bless his heart!)...and of course he was right - again.  He said last time he cancelled services because of snow he saw several vehicles out driving to who knows where, so he figured they may as well be coming to church.  Well, we had a great service.  Most of our audience was teenagers and the Lord had put it on his heart to speak about the importance of being and having the right kind of friends.  Praise the Lord! 

Change

Dear Pastor and Praying Friends,

The year 2010 was an exciting year of change for our family. We moved from North Carolina to take a church in Arkansas, we visited our families in Oklahoma and California for the holidays,  Aaliyah celebrated her first birthday, and we found out that we are expecting to have another baby in early June of 2011. The Lord truly has been good to us!

We praise the Lord that Lighthouse Baptist Church of Newport, Arkansas also experienced many changes last year. In our last letter we reported that we were experiencing a steady increase of visitors and members, and boy was it great. Unfortunately the steady growth did not continue; but we are encouraged by God’s word, “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalms 126:6). The year 2010 ( specifically September through December) allowed us to experience the joy of seeing ten souls saved and one baptized!

As many of you know, we have been praying for ten men to join the church and become faithful, active members.  This past Sunday we had five men in church. We pray that this will be the year that we reach that goal of ten faithful men; then next year we can start praying for ten more! In closing, please continue to pray with us about the following:

• Wisdom about our church van which currently is not running
• Housing in Newport
• Financial Wisdom
• A safe delivery of our little one expected in June
• Ten men to join the church and become faithful, active members



In His Service,

Pastor Raymond Beckles

December meeting - Godly Roles

Here is a copy of our Ladies Bible Study for December.   I just wanted to share this lesson to maybe be a blessing and encouragement to you.  Remember; God, our Designer, knows what is best for us.


December 6, 2010



Godly Roles : A Woman’s place

What exactly should a woman’s place be in the world today?

The world  (media, professors, etc.) tells us...

Scripture tells us.....



1 Timothy 3 (emphasis on verse 11,12)
Titus 2:1-5, 12 - 15
Ephesians 5:21 - 33
Proverbs. 31:10-13

From this, we summize that... (application)

“The Woman is the Holy Spirit of the Home.”

What does this statement mean to you?


“The woman wasn’t created from the man’s head or heel; but from his rib.”

What does this statement mean to you?

“The man was created in-complete; not the woman.”

What does this mean to you?

“She doesn’t rule the world, she rules the ones who rule the world.”

What does this statement mean to you?

“Followers make leaders more easily than leaders make followers.”

What does this statement mean to you?

“A follower follows even when he/she doesn’t have the right kind of leader.”

What does this statement mean to you?



This meeting was more a question and answer session than most.  I basically wanted to give the ladies some food for thought.  Most of what we discussed was foreign to them; but I think they have a desire to live for God, so they were open to what the scripture had to say to us.

Until next time,

Tinyla

Home Alone!

Praise the Lord!!!  We came home Saturday night to an empty church.  It felt good...until about 10:30.  I felt a little strange to be in bed reading alone.  Raymond was studying, Aaliyah was asleep, and my two little friends who liked to bring me a HUGE pile of books to read to them right before bedtime were in their own home.  Then I got a huge smile on my face imagining them taking the books to their mom instead!  I rolled over and finished reading my own book.   Life is great!!! 

Guests part three

So they found a home, have signed the lease, moved their furniture in; but still are with us.  Why?  Because the electric company turned off the electricity and won't be able to come out until Tuesday or Friday to turn it back on.  Let's hope it is Tuesday; but if it's Friday....I will be quoting a lot of scripture to myself about loving our neighbors and such!  Not that I haven't enjoyed our guests; but too many women in the kitchen is never good!  Praise the Lord for my Beloved who is making the most of this opportunity to be a blessing to others.  I need to be more like him!

Until next week,

Tinyla

Guests!

So much has been going on in Newport that I don't quite know where to begin.  I guess the most dramatic thing that has happened thus far is that we have guests.  Yes, guests in our home in the church!  About a month ago, a young couple stopped by because they needed some gas money to get to a nearby town to look at and hopefully get a home.  They had been on the streets for weeks and were excited to finally get a breakthrough; but they were out of money.  My husband, who is probably the most tenderhearted man I know, of course forked up $30 (which we don't normally have - sometimes God blesses you so that you may bless others) and told them to call him when they got back in town.  

We went and bought an air mattress and set up my Sunday school classroom (it has it's own bathroom; and the young lady is pregnant) as a temporary home for them.

Well, to make a long story somewhat short (especially because my husband is waiting for me!); they didn't get the house...so a temporary two night stay has turned into a month.  AND, they already had two children that were staying with a friend.  So now our home has four adults and three little children running around in it!  What a change!!!   I'll fill you in with more details later.  Until then,  PLEASE pray for us!!!!!

Happy Walking!

This Sunday we had our first baptism (Praise the Lord!!!)  It was a teenage girl who was saved about three weeks ago. Everything went smoothly; but the water was ice cold!  My husband stayed up until about two in the morning trying to fix the water heater; but he needed a part to finish the job.  It was hilarious to see her face when she came out of the water;  but I must tell you about another funny incident that also happened Sunday.  Our van route came in and attendance was a little low.  One boy was up and ready; but took one look at the van and didn't see his friend on it and decided not to come (what he didn't know was that his friend came in with his mother and sisters later in their family car).  Another boy came in and I noticed that he looked a little sad so I began to talk with him.  He followed me around and we chatted and he ended the conversation with, "I'm just gonna walk home!".  (His mother - who he and the rest of his siblings live with on most weekends - was supposed to come and pick him up later that day and he didn't want to miss her.)  I thought he was joking so I said, "Happy Walking!"   I didn't realize he was serious!!!  I heard the door open and close behind me; but our youth worker had been standing outside so I thought it was him coming back in for the morning service.  I went to the piano and we began the service as usual.  We sang the morning song, and my husband noticed that Brian was not in the service, so after the song was finished he asked, "Where is Brian?"  Everyone started looking around; but  not me.  I gasped!  I told my husband about our conversation and he sent our youth worker to go and get him.  He was half-way home!  Praise the Lord nothing happened to him.   I am sure he would have said, "Mrs. Beckles said it was OK." 

I learned a very important lesson.  Take everything a nine year old says seriously!!!

Newport News

So what has been happening in Newport?  About a month ago a man, whom we will call David, was saved!  He promised us that he would come to church;  but he didn't know when because he works a lot. When he first answered the door he didn't seem very receptive; but when my husband asked him if he wanted to know that he could go to heaven, he said yes.  They sat there and he listened.  We soon started to see tears running from his eyes.  (If you knew David, you would know that this was not normal.)  He prayed and asked the Lord into his heart that day.  Two weeks later he came to church and brought his wife.  They came back that evening, and the next Sunday, and the next Sunday evening (along with thier daughter and granddaughter).  Well, to make a long; but exciting story short, David's wife prayed to recieve the Lord last Sunday and they both plan to be baptised soon.  Isn't that wonderful!  David and his wife (we will call her Abigail) have been experiencing a lot of heart-ache lately.  He recently found out he has lukemia, he recieved a serious injury at work, they have some financial struggles, and their children (one of them and her "spouse" and child) live with them, etc, etc, etc.  I can't wait to see what the Lord is going to do in their lives. 

It is great to be an instrument in God's hands to change lives and influence people.

Weeks five and six in Newport

Since we have been in Newport:

1.  Three souls have been saved!

2.  Our record number of children in attendance has beeen 23, but twelve have been coming faithfully to every Sunday and Thursday evening service.

3.  Our Sunday evening attendance has gone from four (our family included) to seven (our family not included) with a record of 27

4.  And God has shown Himself strong in the area of providing for our family.



5.  We have had 1 power and water outage



6.  We have spent 18 nights camping in Newport



7.  And last; but not least...we have come to realize that if you are going to be a preacher, missionary, or evangelist, you MUST love church.  Last week alone we went to three different churches and attended six services.

8.  Praise the Lord!!!!

Weeks One and Two in Newport

Now that you have read about our trip to Newport, here are a few highlights about our first two weeks.

 - Raymond has preached six sevices.
 - One soul has been saved on Saturday visitation!!!
 - We have enjoyed meeting many new people in Newport as well as Jacksonville.
 - We have unloaded and almost completely unpacked everything.
 - Aaliyah has enjoyed meeting new friends in the nursery in Jacksonville as well as Newport.
 - I have met one natural sista in transition (saved and a member of JBT) and am looking forward to  meeting many more at the meet up in August.
 - I FINALLY got to blog!

What a Trip!!!

Somehow we managed to make a 16 hour drive turn into a three day trip!

Our plan was to leave NC Friday evening and arrive in Jacksonville sometime around 3:00 p. Well, it didn't quite work out that way. We were still unloading things from the house - to put on the curb - late into the night. Raymond ran a quick errand to Lowe's and when he returned he noticed the fan on the van was still running to cool the engine down long after the had shut the motor off. Finally, it did turn off and we were glad until we found out why it turned off. We got in the car and turned the key....nothing! The battery had died. Well, our landlord made it clear that if we stayed one day longer we would have to pay another months rent, so we decided to stay in the van until we could get a jump the next day. Praise the Lord our neighbor had worked late that evening and around three in the morning he came home and Raymond flagged him down. It took about two hours; but we got the batter fully charged and officially headed out on Saturday morning around six. We gassed up and noticed the temperature signal come on in the van - it was about to overheat. Raymond removed the sensor - and everything was fine for a while (45 minutes) until we reached the Raleigh area and it started to overheat again. We made a pit stop and Raymond worked on the van for a few hours until we got everything fixed and the vehicle was again trip ready (or so we thought). ( I didn't mind because we got to go eat at a great Thai restaurant and I got to go shopping at Trader Joes:)


By this time it was late and we were tired, so we booked a hotel - that allowed pets - and headed out again next morning after church. All was well until we heard a loud BOOM! - a tire on the trailor blew. Time for another pit stop. Raymond put on the spare, then we went to the next town we saw and shopped around until we could find a place that carried the right size tire for our trailor.

On the road again, no more vehicle incidents (unless you include the top blowing off our trailor in the mountains of NC during a rainstorm!); but once we reached Nashville, Tennessee we learned that the Wolfe river had overflown its banks. We - along with hundreds of other travelors - spent the night on the side of the road hoping it would be safe to travel I-40 sometime early the next day. It wasn't. We had to take an 8 hour detour through Kentucky and down to Arkansas.

We finally made it to Jacksonville sometime around 10:00p.m. Monday evening!

What a trip!!!