BEGINNING WITH HIM
June, 2001 Edition
As is the continued tradition, the first E-Mail Ministry (EMM) message
of the month is my chance to talk to all of you about EMM and other
related items.
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR TODAY’S MESSAGE:
[An E-Mail From A Subscriber] [Support E-Mail Ministry]
[E-Mail Ministry eCards] [Crayons]
[I Quit!] [Listen]
[American Revival] [Safest Place On Earth]
[Where Are You From?] [Usage Of E-Mail Ministry Messages]
[Poll Questions] [Links Page]
[Christian Walk & Outreach Web Ring]
* * *
AN E-MAIL FROM A SUBSCRIBER
“Since I have received your e-mails I have focused on using the one each
day to help someone. I am trying to help my granddaughter become a
Christian and her husband. The joy she receives when I forward something
to her is exciting. She is so open to receiving and understanding more
about God’s word. I send many of them to friends and it isn’t long until
they get around and come back to me. I love to start my day with your
Bible verses [on the web site] and have my devotions with them daily.
This is really a wonderful service you are providing and I just wish I
would have been with you longer. It really helps me grow in Christ as
well as witness to others. Thank you so very much for having a ministry
like this. My husband is our Sunday School class president and he uses
your messages to read to the class. You can be so very proud of the
contribution you are making to peoples lives. We thank God for people
like you for sharing.” — Mary S.
Note from doug: I thank God for people like Mary S. and the rest of you
who send the EMM messages on to others. The main purpose of EMM is to
be a tool you can use to reach out to others in a simple, easy way.
Keep up the good work, all you good and faithful servants!
* * *
SUPPORT E-MAIL MINISTRY
I would like to thank all of you who have sent in donations. If you have
not made a contribution and have been blessed by this ministry, please
ask God what He would have you do. You may make donations by credit
card at: https://www.emailministry.org/ccbill/index.htm Credit card
donations can be made as a one-time donation or as a monthly recurring
donation.
You can also make a donation by check. Checks can be sent to:
E-Mail Ministry, Inc.
P.O. Box 944
Garden City, MI 48136-0944
If you make a donation of $25.00 or more I will send you a copy of Max
Lucado’s exciting new 64 page evangelistic book “He Did This Just For
You”. It’s the perfect way to help you introduce the gospel to your
family members, friends and acquaintances as well as strengthen your own
faith. This has been a popular offer and supplies are limited. Hurry
now, don’t miss out on this wonderful book!
E-Mail Ministry is exclusively supported by its subscribers. I do not
accept any compensation for my efforts with this ministry. Donations
are solely used to offset the growing costs of this ministry. It is my
prayer that, like God’s grace, EMM always remains free.
* * *
E-MAIL MINISTRY eCARDS
As announced last month, you can send electronic cards (eCards) from the
EMM web site. The cards are good, ol’ fashion, Christian kind of cards
for all occasions or for no occasion at all. The good thing about the
EMM eCards is that the person who receives them doesn’t have to have
internet access. They can read them right in their e-mail. The web
page address is: https://www.emailministry.org/ecards.htm
* * *
CRAYONS
We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some
are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors…. but
they all have to learn to live in the same box.
* * *
I QUIT!
I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult. I have
decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year-old
again.
I want to go to McDonald’s and think that it’s a four star restaurant.
I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make a sidewalk with
rocks.
I want to think M&Ms are better than money because you can eat them.
I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my
friends on a hot summer’s day.
I want to return to a time when life was simple. When all you knew were
colors, multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes, but that didn’t
bother you, because you didn’t know what you didn’t know and you didn’t
care.
All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all
the things that should make you worried or upset.
I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good.
I want to believe that anything is possible. I want to be oblivious to
the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things
again.
I want to live simple again. I don’t want my day to consist of computer
crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more
days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip,
illness, and loss of loved ones.
I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth,
justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind, and making angels in
the snow.
So . . . here’s my checkbook, my car-keys, and my credit cards. I am
officially resigning from adulthood.
And if you want to discuss this further, you’ll have to catch me first,
cause……
……..”Tag! You’re it.”
* * *
LISTEN
When I ask you to listen to me
And you start giving advice
You have not done what I asked.
When I ask you to listen to me
And you begin to tell me why I shouldn’t feel that way,
You are trampling on my feelings.
When I ask you to listen to me
And you feel you have to do something to solve my problem,
You have failed me, strange as that may seem.
Listen! All I asked is that you listen.
Not talk or do, just hear me.
Advice is cheap: fifty cents will get you
Both Billy Graham and Dear Abby in the same newspaper.
I can do for myself, I’m not helpless.
Maybe discouraged and faltering, but not helpless.
When you do something for me that I can and need to do
For myself, you contribute to my fear and weakness.
But when you accept as a simple fact that I do feel what I feel,
No matter how irrational, then I can quit trying to convince you
And get about the business of understanding what’s
Behind this irrational feeling.
And when that’s clear, the answers are obvious
And I don’t need advice.
Irrational feelings make sense
When we understand what’s behind them.
Perhaps that’s why prayer works.
Because sometimes God is mute.
And He doesn’t give advice or try to fix things.
He just listens, and let’s you work it out.
So please listen and just hear me.
And if you want to talk,
Wait a minute for your turn
And I’ll listen to you.
— Author Unknown
* * *
AMERICAN REVIVAL (A message from a subscriber)
“My name isn’t important, but what I have to say is. I have a friend
who has been an airline stewardess for a long time with a major airline.
This woman flies all over.
She shared that she believes that a revival is happening in America.
She cannot ever recall a time of seeing so many people reading their
Bibles on the airplane. She said that the number of people who are
reading their Bibles on the planes is dramatically increased in
comparison to the past. She said it is at such a level that you can’t
help but notice.”
Note from doug: This is wonderful news. It is a good way to quietly
spread the Good News and to encourage others to be open about their
faith! I remember flying back from Europe on a business trip and took
the time to write a “Walk to Emmaus” talk. I had a wonderful
conversation with the lady next to me about the subject (Body of
Christ). Who knows how many others overheard our conversation and,
hopefully, were ‘watered’ by it.
* * *
SAFEST PLACE ON EARTH
Do not ride in automobiles: they are responsible for 20% of all fatal
accidents.
Do not stay home: 17% of all accidents occur in the home.
Do not walk on the streets or sidewalks: 14% of all accidents occur to
pedestrians.
Do not travel by air, rail, or water: 16% of all accidents happen on
these.
Only .001% of all deaths occur in worship services in church, and these
are usually related to previous physical disorders.
Hence the safest place for you to be at any time is at church!
See you Sunday!
* * *
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
If you are from a country other than the United States, please let me
know by sending an e-mail to: emailministry@emailministry.org
E-Mail Ministry has a mission to reach “all nations” and needs your help
to accomplish this calling! Currently, EMM is in 56 countries (added 3
new ones this month) but there are many more to reach! To see the list
of countries and the world map, go to:
https://www.emailministry.org/subscribe/index.htm#SubscriberMap
* * *
USAGE OF E-MAIL MINISTRY MESSAGES
As always, feel free to send these messages on to others as the Lord
leads you. I respectfully request that when you forward the messages
on, please leave the ‘header’ and ‘footer’ information in place so that
others may know about this ministry and how to subscribe.
Also, feel free to use these messages in your church bulletins, sermons,
bible studies, etc. If you do use the messages, please put “Message
distributed by E-Mail Ministry (https://www.emailministry.org)” at the
bottom of any material you use. That way more people will become aware
of this ministry.
* * *
POLL QUESTIONS
The results of the April poll question can viewed at
https://www.emailministry.org/pollresults.htm. Here is the April poll
question (Go the web site at: https://www.emailministry.org/#Polls
register your vote!! Please do NOT send me an e-mail with your vote!)
Q: What are you going to do with your federal surplus tax
refund?
* * *
LINKS PAGE
Thanks to all of you who submitted a link to be added to the EMM Links
Page. To recommend a Christian site, please use the ‘Add a Link’ form
at: https://www.emailministry.org/links/index.htm#AddALink
You can add a link from your web site to EMM. Simply copy the following
html code into your web page using your html editor:
* * *
CHRISTIAN WALK AND OUTREACH WEB RING
The “Christian Walk and Outreach” web ring is intended to hook together
Christian internet sites which promote Christian lifestyles, aid
Christians in their walk with Jesus and reach out to seekers. The web
ring is up to 15 sites. If you have such a site, please join this web
ring by using the link found on the web ring table:
https://www.emailministry.org#Webring
* * *
I pray this message finds you growing in the understanding of how much
God loves you.
— doug
Founder, Editor, Webmaster & ‘Chief Bottle Washer’ of E-Mail Ministry