Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Monthly Update - December 2018

Making a difference update, from the recovery field – December 2018 edition… Below are some bullet points of the highlights that happened in the Life Issues ministry over the last month:

- A few of us helped to decorate HBF for Christmas on 12-1, which got us in the holiday spirit.

- My boss at work resigned on 12-5 after 35 years, so that was a shock to many of us, and really was a low time for me personally and made me consider other things that I take for granted.

- My Adult Bible Fellowship (Sunday School) celebrated together @ Lily’s House (LH) this year, since the young ladies that live there attend our class & come to Life Issues. This was a fun time for all and was well attended (probably 15 adults and 10 kiddos), and the LH girls prepared most of the food for us and really went all out to make this an enjoyable evening! Santa made an appearance and distributed gifts to children, and I gave a devotion about the story of the candy cane.

- While talking with one of our students who had recently been to a court date, he told us that two different circuit judges at the Cass County Justice Center have our Pat and I’s business cards on their podium / benches in the court rooms, in order to recommend us to their clients! I rejoiced hearing that news, knowing that we’ve got favour with God and man – Luke 2:52!

- Several of us and HBF members helped a family move on 12-20.

- Life Issues had a Christmas party on 12-21 and Santa showed up for that too, along with a couple of elves! There was food in abundance that night too, and most of the folks stayed around and helped clean the church that night too.

- One of our students (CP) that accepted Christ earlier in 2018, got baptized on 12-23, hallelujah!

- A Christian business owner in Harrisonville collects money from special sales and blesses multiple families @ Christmas time, and this year he allowed me to designate a family for me to distribute funds too, and this year we got to give $150 to a family in need on 12-22, what a blessing that was!

- Life Issues helped a family purchase a starter for their van on 12-31, to get them back on the road!

- Life Issues purchased about $140 worth of food for our pantry, so that we’re stocked up again and ready to distribute to the poor and needy.

- HBF distributed 23 Christmas boxes of food, and about half of them were to LIM students / families.

- We had two couples from our ministry that got engaged in December; one of the couples is getting married in January (this month) and the other couple is waiting until July 12th; I love seeing young people in love!

- Below is a brief testimony from one of our lady leaders that I’m very thankful for:

I started attending life issues in the fall 2016 to support my fiancé in his recovery program. I continued to attend over the next year to support him in his recovery. As I attended life issues I realized the program could help me with my issues as a flawed Christian. I was saved in 11/1983, but I still have to work on my sinful nature. Over the last 2 years of attending life issues, it has helped me grow close to Christ. I have become a member of HBF as well. I have learned to trust in God and allow him to work on my fiancé’s recovery. As my trust grows in God so does my obedience. I have kept Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” in my heart. Every person who attends life issues is at war with Satan even if you have no addiction.

I continued to attend life issues for maintenance of my Christian life. As a Christian, I continue to maintain good works, proverbs 16:3 which will help my mind stay established with God, Jesus Christ. Titus 3:1 “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates to be ready to every good work”. Attending Life Issues helps me keep God close to my heart and has taught me to forgive anything, Matthew 5:44-47, and is helping me serve only one God, Jesus Christ. Psalms 1:1-6. I have improved my prayer life, fellowship and reading the word because of my regular attends at life issues. Psalms 18:3 helps protect me and any Christian stay close to God, and Life Issues can help any person wanting recovery and a closer life with God, Jesus Christ. Life Issues has shown me how to have more peace and I have seen how it has helped people seeking recovery through our Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah 26:3-4, “Thou will keep him in prefect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength”. -- Smile & God bless your day, SR



Sincerely, Steve Fleshman – Life Issues pastor and founder, Proverbs 4:23…


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