Hello Family – we are so pleased to share with you our first newsletter as Shepherd Ministries of Central Texas. We pray you are blessed by it! An ongoing duty for being a faithfully present minister is not only maintaining past relationships with God encounters, but also being ready when the Lord presents new opportunities for us to be His vessel to shine through. “What does that even mean?” you may ask. Well, let me give some examples. We have established many connections with others that love to help people. One such “soul lover” is a Wesley Nurse named Delilah, a bi-lingual woman of many talents who called us wanting to know how to help “Jack”. I quickly asked for Jack’s phone number and called him. Turns out, Jack needed help moving in a few days, and he has health challenges that prevent him from doing this without help. I decided to get his address for a one-on-one “encounter,” which is my favorite way to connect. By the time two hours passed, Jack had shared his struggles and had a heart full of gratitude for our response. We worked with him to get a plan together, which began easing his mind. I invited Jack to attend a men’s Bible study at the church the same evening and it was good to see him there. And yes, this all happened in the same day. God can move quickly in the hearts of those who seek Him, and a few days later, Jack and I went to the Colorado river at Fisherman’s Park, where Pastor Billy baptized him. It was so beautiful! (Acts 2:38). Jack came out of the water glowing, and we sat him down so he could witness six more people being baptized. One of those others being baptized was Angela, who Laura has been spending time with at a class for new believers. Laura attends this class with new believers she invites, so they don’t feel awkward or alone. Laura was honored to assist Pastor Billy with baptizing Angela, which for us in the Christian community is a declaration that we identify with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and our willingness to follow Him as our King until He returns. The true transformation of sincere believers is astonishing, and we are so awed by what our God can do through people whose hearts beat for Him! We have also witnessed God’s presence in times of turbulence. On March 21st, many towns in Bastrop and Williamson Counties found themselves on tornado watch, and the city of Round Rock was hit by a cyclone, which took everyone by surprise. Laura and I served with Austin Disaster Relief Network days after the event and provided emotional and spiritual support to many who were affected by it. Laura ministered to one woman still reeling from the event, full of nervous energy as she told her story. She mentioned she was watching the news, which is how she was warned about the cyclone. She and her husband were heading to the closet when her doorbell rang. She ran to answer it, and a young lady was standing at the door asking to come in for safety. She let her in and took her into their safe place - just as she asked the girl her name, the tornado had passed, and there was no more wind. They had some major damage to their house, but she said because her interest was on the girl more than the storm, she didn’t even realize what was going on around them. The young lady, a house guest of their next-door neighbor, was left home alone and was afraid. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the tornadoes, but many received extensive damage and this lady’s neighborhood had just regained electricity five days after the tornado. After praying with this woman, she was relieved to know that we were there to listen and help. Trained to respond to this kind of trauma, Laura explained that her nervous energy was normal behavior for a normal person who had gone through an abnormal event. She explained that many other emotions would arise in the coming days and to be on the lookout for what she might experience with herself, her husband or even neighbors that have also been affected. ADRN serves the hurting, providing resources to help restore lives. Jesus heals the hurting, and Laura and I know first-hand how gentle He is with those who experience the damage and trauma when natural disaster hits the place they call home. Knowing that we are stronger and more effective when we band together and serve, Shepherd Ministries of Central Texas will be joining a group of other Christian ministries in Bastrop County. The Bastrop Christian Ministerial Alliance (BCMA) is a diverse group of Pastors and Leaders of ministries within the Bastrop area that meets once a month to address the needs of the community and they plan events to bring the city of Bastrop together for Christ. Recently, they hosted an early Sunrise Service on Easter Sunday for the whole community of the city of Bastrop. And through BCMA, Bastrop is one of two cities in Texas that have signed up for the March for Jesus, the other city being Dallas, Texas. We invite you and your family to join us here in Bastrop, Texas at Fisherman’s Park on June 4th at 9:00 a.m. at the Pre-March Rally starting point. We will march to the Bastrop County Courthouse through downtown Main Street beginning at 10:00 a.m. Rain or Shine! The specific purpose of this occasion is to positively declare Who we are for, not what we are against. We will leave our denominational differences behind to come together to lavish all our praise upon Jesus. It’s going to be phenomenal! We are stronger and more effective too because of your prayers and support. If you want to partner with us, please find our donation link at www.centraltx.org. Any gift amount would be greatly appreciated. We are extremely blessed to be able to write to you today. We pray all is going well with you and your family. Please email or call us with any prayer needs or let us know of someone who needs help, we will be happy to assist in any way we can. We love you family. May the Lord bless you and keep you!
0 Comments
|
AuthorShepherd Ministries of Central Texas Archives
August 2024
Categories
All
|