Archive for the ‘Beyond the Manuscript’ Category

#Throwback Thursday: Pastor & Deacons: Servants Working Together

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As we reminisce on the over forty years that God has blessed Ambassador International to remain in business, we are highlighting a different #backlistbook each week in a series called #ThrowbackThursday.

Carl Herbster has served for over 20 years as pastor of Tri-City Baptist Church in Independence, Missouri. The church has started several other churches, operates a Christian school, and a Christian camp (Southland Christian Camp), and is heavily committed to foreign missions.

Ken Howerton is a certified program manager with IBM. He has served as chairman of deacons in two churches. His wisdom and stability and his commitment to the Lord’s work, have made him a gracious servant and wise counselor.

As fellow servants in the same church, Carl Herbster and Kenneth Howerton collaborated in the writing of Pastor & Deacons: Servants Working Together to answer questions such as:

  • How should a church be organized?
  • What functions do the pastors, deacons, and congregation serve?
  • Who qualifies for the offices of pastor and deacon?
  • How should a church manage its finances?
  • How does a congregation biblically address problems?

Pastor and Deacons by Carl Herbster and Ken HowertonPublished by Ambassador International on September 1, 2006, the “on-the-job,” real-life experiences of the authors make this a particularly practical book and no less relevant to churches today.

Pastor & Deacons is a practical exposition and application of biblical principles of church organization and leadership, and is a must-read for pastors, pastoral staffs, deacons, and any other church leadership. Don’t trust us? Trust the word of evangelist Tom Farrell who endorsed this book saying, “Pastor & Deacons is a must-read for all those in church leadership . . . . This book is biblical, practical and helpful. It is chock-full of “how to” ideas that will strengthen relationships and promote spiritual unity in the local church. The principles on church discipline and the chapter on “Dealing with Difficulties” are worth the price of the book. Pastor, get this book and you will refer to it often.”

You can add Pastors & Deacons  to your Goodreads HERE and you can learn more and find purchase links HERE. This book is currently available in paperback and ebook.

For a limited time, you can grab the Pastors & Deacons ebook for .99; however, if you have a father in your life who works in church leadership, this book would also make a wonderful Father’s Day present! He will love and appreciate it for years to come!

A Pastor’s Struggle with Mental Health: May is Mental Health Awareness Month

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FINDING THE INSIDE SMILE AGAIN

Dear Pastor Jeremy.

It’s been a while since I reached out to you with a word of encouragement. Though you do not seek it from man, I acknowledge your hard work as you seek to glorify God through your ministry. It is not easy. You are called to study the divine scriptures and to walk the road with others as they navigate their way through sorrow, pain, and trials. It is my prayer that this letter will empower you through the mighty working of the Holy Spirit to minister His truth regarding a pressing need all too common and all too overlooked.

Everyone is so busy these days trying to stay afloat in stormy seas of family relationship, personal difficulties, work challenges, and financial matters. I too have found that everything on my to-do list for the day cannot be accomplished in the hours given. It has left me feeling overwhelmed and emotionally drained. Because you desire peace and victory for me, I need to let you know how I am feeling.

I have attended church for as long as you have. I listen intently to your messages each week and find great comfort for my depression in the Scriptures you share passionately. How present Jesus has been as I walk the unpredictable road of my mental health-related issues and intense counseling sessions.

Next to my bowl of cereal in the morning is the anti-depressant medication I must take before I finish my coffee.

By three in the afternoon, my energy is running on fumes. As the sun sets in the evening, so the anxiety rises to take its place. And as my head hits the pillow, they who are hidden in the darkness empty barrels of the toxic sludge of PTSD and wounded memories in my mind.

God has brought me a long way on the road to healing, but sometimes I still attend church with a warm smile on the outside and unsettling heaviness on the inside. I rise in God’s grace to serve Him and His people, but often at the same time I fear the darkness I can see approaching from a distance.

Smiling on the outside is easier than smiling on the inside.

A service can go well without it being well with one’s soul. I know God wants me to smile on the inside. He wants me to rejoice. He knows too that depression isn’t a coat that can be taken off and stored in the closet.

There are some days that are so hard, and praying is difficult. I barely say anything. I carry my Bible under my arm and sorrow in my heart as I enter the sanctuary. Though I am still quite young, there are times when I feel very old on the inside. I desire to know God and experience Him afresh, but so often I struggle to do so because it feels like my eyes are stinging from the coarse grains of sand the storm of mental-health struggles has kicked up about me.

But Pastor, I’m not giving up. Don’t get me wrong, there is no confidence in the flesh.

No neuron or muscle, talent or accomplishment serves as a cure to soothe the inflammation of the mind and restore the missing inner smile. If I gave up, where else could I go? Where else could “we find a friend so faithful Who will all our sorrows share?1 Christ is our Truest Friend. He is the only dependable Friend of the church. I love God because He first loved me. I have tasted the Living Waters and have lost my desire for the cup of the world. I sing the hymns and choruses of old because they confirm what God has done in me. Partaking at the Lord’s table with Him is truly a sacred time. If I walked away from church and from serving God, then I would deny the confidence that “… I will see the LORD’S goodness while I am here in the land of the living” (Psalm 27:13).2

I know you are aware of the struggles Christians face as they live as Christ’s ambassadors on the earth. You have preached often about the bitter experiences of Joseph, David, and Paul. You haven’t been afraid to take your congregation through the pages of Job and Hannah’s story. You’ve encouraged the children of God to “have a cup of tea” with Thomas, Peter, and John.

I’ve seen you at times wearing an outward smile. I am not foolish enough to believe you have it all put together.

Each precious soul in the body of our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ needs to find and keep their inward smile – a joy that is not dependant on good times or feeds off outward enjoyment of things. The church needs to return to the safest arms and warmest heart. He will not reject us though we come still wearing the heavy coat of depression to worship Him. The Shepherd knows how to carry His lambs and how to break the jaws of the wolves that stalk the flock.

When that darkness envelopes me, I have found Psalm 43:3-4 most uplifting: “Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. There I will go to the altar of God, to God-the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!” 

It doesn’t take a professor of Theology to understand where a broken heart and troubled mind can go to be counseled, comforted, and restored.

I’m learning that the only way I will find my inner smile is to follow God’s light and truth to the place where He restores it anew. It leads to a place where I am touched by the Master’s hand. It is a place where holy acoustics convey the Father’s heart and words with perfect clarity. Though I suffer outwardly and emotionally, I do not need to ask Him to call me home. All that matters is that He calls me “beloved.” How often, dear Pastor we forget that God still Is everything He was, and that because He restored the inner smile of Joseph, David, Paul, Job, Hannah, Thomas, Peter, and John, He will do it for His bride today. I know it is your testimony too. May we all submit to His holy work and good plan as we work the corners of our mouths by flexing the muscles of faith.

Dear Pastor Jeremy, I encourage you to spend time in this Psalm. Follow His light and truth. Look into the matter thoroughly. I know you’ll be encouraged.

In Christ’s service
Pastor Jeremy

Jeremy Dykman is a pastor with a heart to serve God and a calling to share God’s Word with others. He was born in South Africa and spent thirty-nine years in Johannesburg before moving to Canada with his wife and two sons. Jeremy has recently released a book detailing his personal journey with depression. Room 13B is available through your favorite retailer.
 
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1 What a Friend We Have in Jesus. Lyrics: Joseph Medlicott Scriven. Music: Charles Crozat Converse. Published in Sing His Praise by Gospel Publishing House, Springfield, Missouri, (1991).

2 Scripture quotation taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation. NLT® Text Edition: 2012. Copyright © 2012 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Carol Stream, Illinois.

#Throwback Thursday: Declutter Now!: Uncovering the Hidden Joy and Freedom in Your Life

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As we reminisce on the over forty years that God has blessed Ambassador International to remain in business, we are highlighting a different #backlistbook each week in a series called #ThrowbackThursday.

This week’s featured book is Declutter Now!: Uncovering the Hidden Joy and Freedom in Your Life by Lindon and Sherry Gareis which was published by Ambassador International on August 20, 2012.

Lindon and Sherry Gareis, certified Christian Life Coaches from Glendale, Arizona, are the founders of Action Plan Ministries. Their blended family includes three sons and one daughter – Trent, 25, Ryan, 24, Devin, 22, and Sarah, 22. Lindon and Sherry love being outdoors, love being together, and are committed to a lifelong honeymoon.

Negative clutter can invade every area of your life—not just your closets. Relationships, finances, kids, jobs, health and spiritual wellbeing are all adversely impacted by the unnecessary and harmful stuff we accumulate and hold onto. That could be physical junk or emotional baggage. Husband and wife Lindon and Sherry Gareis, authors of Declutter Now! Uncovering the Hidden Joy and Freedom in Your Life  know this from firsthand experience. “This clutter gripped Lindon and I and held us back from the freedom to enjoy what we really felt called to,” explains Sherry. “And that was ministry.”

Declutter Now by Lindon and Sherry GareisDeclutter Now! encourages readers to declutter every area of life: your heart, mind, body, soul and home. “We find false security in our stuff. We keep company with the wrong people for the wrong reasons. We hold on to negative and painful feelings,” says Lindon. “Think about all of the unnecessary things we gather from these behaviors and choices—stagnant lifestyles, needless and excessive stuff, financial debt, obligation, guilt, extra weight, anger, hurt, discontentment, addictions; the list is endless.” Declutter Now! will help the reader let go of those negative influences that impact our quality of life and our relationship with God. Since decluttering removes what you don’t need and gives you more of what you do, it only makes sense your spiritual journey will benefit too.

 

 

For a limited time, you can grab the Declutter Now! ebook for .99! Don’t miss out on this spring cleaning aid!

 

You can add Declutter Now!  to your Goodreads HERE and you can learn more and find purchase links HERE. This book is available in paperback and ebook.

The Mother’s Day Booklist We Can’t Forget

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It’s almost Mother’s Day!

That day of the year that we celebrate the women who birth us, raise us, and read to us.

In honor of mothers, we’re highlighting a few (of the many) great books that we have – written by mothers.

The Longest Goodbye

What happens when your mother no longer remembers you? When her body remains but her mind bids you the longest goodbye? Shelly Calgano goes into that and more in her book, The Longest Goodbye.

What Now? Finding Renewed Hope in Christ After Loss

Kaitlyn Odom Fielder became a mother long after she had lost her own mother…and father…and siblings. Her story of waking up in a hospital bed orphaned and without her beloved siblings and the life she lead after that tugs at every heartstring. What Now? is available now, and is sure to move your heart.

Help! I’m a Foster Parent

Written for anyone who loves foster kids or their parents, and shows the real-life, on-the-ground experiences of families who operate in the foster care system.

Help! I’m a Foster Parent is a must-read for everyone. But again – we encourage you to bring tissues.

Waiting is the Night

What do mothers do at night? Wait. Pray. Wonder.

Waiting is the Night is written for anyone who has stared at the darkness and waited for light to break. But for mothers, this title speaks to their very fiber of being. This is the book for the tired, weary mother. For the mother who desperately needs encouragement. For the mother who does not sleep at night, but waits.

This Mother’s Day, give the mothers in your life the gift of a book that speaks to her.

#Throwback Thursday: Esther: Reflections From An Unexpected Life by Jennifer Westbrook Spivey

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As we reminisce on the over forty years that God has blessed Ambassador International to remain in business, we are highlighting a different #backlistbook each week in a series called #ThrowbackThursday.

This week’s featured book is Esther: Reflections From An Unexpected Life by Jennifer Westbrook Spivey which was published by Ambassador International on March 14, 2008.

Through Queen Esther, the course of history was changed. It is nearly impossible to imagine our world today had Haman been successful in his attempt to wipe out the Jews altogether. Her story is, in the easiest terms and by the most convenient definition, an historical account of how God delivered the Jews from total destruction at the hands of an evil man. However, to describe Esther’s story as a mere historical account does not do justice to this powerful and dramatic life. Esther’s life was, in every way, unexpected. The untrained observer looking at this young Jewish woman may not have thought much of her at all. Certainly there was nothing extraordinary about where she lived, when she lived, how she lived, or even who she was.

In Esther: Reflections From an Unexpected Life, readers will come to know several important people: Esther, the Jewess still living in the city of her captivity, even though the captivity has been over for many years; Mordecai, Esther’s guardian and cousin; Ahasuerus, king of Persia; and Haman, the evil man using his influential position with the king to plot and against the Jews. Readers will also come to know a few others who have smaller roles in this story, but are equally significant: Vashti, the dethroned queen; Memucan, one of Ahasuerus’ many advisors; and Zeresh, Haman’s wife who unwittingly encourages her husband to his own tragic end. Whether good or bad, each of these people have something to teach us in their examples.

This inspirational study is divided into ten weeks, each week divided into five days of “mini lessons.” Each lesson begins with an illustration that introduces the idea of the personal application for the day before getting into the Word. Each lesson may take about ten to twelve minutes, so it can easily be added to your daily quiet time. If you do not currently have a daily quiet time, this little study may serve as a great tool to help you develop that important discipline. Also, after reading through Esther and studying this book, you will see that it is not at all just dry history: it is a powerful and timeless example to what God can do with a person completely submitted to Him, regardless of personal cost.

Esther: Reflections From an Unexpected Life is a thought-provoking must read for all Christian women. For a limited time, you can grab this ebook for .99! Don’t miss out!

 

You can add Esther: Reflections From an Unexpected Life to your Goodreads HERE and you can learn more and find purchase links HERE. This book is available in paperback and ebook.

#Throwback Thursday: Biblical Leadership: Becoming a Different Kind of Leader by Ken Collier and Matt Williams

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As we reminisce on the over forty years that God has blessed Ambassador International to remain in business, we are highlighting a different #backlistbook each week in a series called #ThrowbackThursday.

This week’s featured book is Biblical Leadership: Becoming a Different Kind of Leader by Ken Collier and Matt Williams which was published by Ambassador International on April 1, 2004.

Biblical Leadership is written by two long time Christian leaders who have had years of practicing Biblically based servant leadership. At age eleven, Ken Collier accepted Christ as his Savior at a Christian camp in Alabama. In the years to follow, the Lord continued to use camp ministries to mold his life in service for the Lord. After receiving a degree at Bob Jones University, Ken joined the full-time staff of The WILDS in North Carolina, where he now serves as the camp director. In addition to his camp responsibilities, he is a deacon in his local church where he teaches the adult Sunday School class. He and his wife, Mardi, have three sons and one daughter.

Matt Williams is Associate Pastor of Tri-City Ministries in Independence, Missouri where he has served for thirty-two years. He is also Executive Director of the Mid-America Association of Christian Schools and the Missouri Association of Christian Schools. He has spoken at numerous churches, conventions, and the American Association of Christian Schools Student Leadership Conferences across the nation. He is the author of How to Be a Team Player and Enjoy It. Pastor Williams and his wife, Donna, have been married for thirty-three years and have five children.

There are many different types of leaders—leaders in the business world, in government, in the home, and in the local church, but sadly, many times leadership has been completely contrary to what the Bible teaches.

Many leaders are focused on what they can get from their positions of authority rather than on what they can give to the works in which they are involved. While some view it as a tool for popularity and power, leadership is a privilege. Leadership requires responsibility.

Biblical Leadership teaches biblical leaders how to be people of integrity and humility—leaders who are willing to be different.

Biblical Leadership  will open up your understanding to a complete new look at Biblical leadership, and for a limited time, you can grab this ebook for 1.99! Don’t miss out!

You can add Biblical Leadership to your Goodreads HERE and you can learn more and find purchase links HERE. This book is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook!

#Throwback Thursday: George Beverly Shea by Paul Davis

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As we reminisce on the over forty years that God has blessed Ambassador International to remain in business, we are highlighting a different #backlistbook each week in a series called #ThrowbackThursday.

George Beverly Shea: Tell Me the Story, An Authorized Biography by Paul Davis was published by Ambassador International in 2009.

Throwback Thursday: George Bevery Shea by Paul DavisGeorge Beverly Shea has witnessed to more than 220 million people, in over 185 countries around the world, making him one of the most well-known gospel singers of all time. His decades-long partnership with Billy Graham took him to stages in every state and on every continent, but that doesn’t mean Bev Shea should be labeled as a performer or an entertainer.

No, he was God’s instrument for bringing the hope of the gospel around the world. This biography is a detailed and fascinating look into the life and music of the man often called “America’s Beloved Gospel Singer,” an ordinary insurance worker God used to spread the gospel to every continent.

You can add George Beverly Shea to your Goodreads HERE and you can learn more and find purchase links HERE. This book is available in hardcover, paperback, audiobook, and ebook!

Jesus Was On My Airplane!

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We are delighted to bring back one of our most popular series! 

We’ve put out a call to our incredible authors, asking for written pieces on topics of their choosing.

Rose Spiller, together with Chris Paxson, founded Proverbs 9:10 Ministries and writes books on theology and how to study the Bible!

The Bible Blueprint

No Half-Truths Allowed

The Final Exodus

We are thrilled that Rose contributed her skills and knowledge to our newsletter, and think you will be too!

So without further adieu, here is Rose’s piece, written just for us to share with you!  

 

Jesus Was On My Airplane!

Okay, maybe I took a little artistic license with the title of this post to get your attention since the truth is that Jesus, being Omni-present, is on everybody’s airplane every time!

But sometimes, He decides to make His presence known! On a recent flight, God used the flight attendant to show me that the “emergency talk” you hear on airplanes is not just about how you should respond in an air crisis.

The first things that is always pointed out on the airplane are the emergency exits. One should always note, though, that the best exit may not be the one in front of you. God, too, has given us an emergency exit – it’s called prayer!

Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." No matter what situation we find ourselves in, our first response should be to find the emergency exit and go to God in prayer. Once we have handed it over to Him, we can feel safe knowing that He will handle the situation by always doing what it is for our spiritual good and for His glory. We need to remember though, that the best exit from our situation may not be the one that is in front of us; it may be one behind us and that makes it difficult to see with our forward-facing tunnel vision.

Step two, an oxygen mask will drop from above.

We are always cautioned to put our own mask on before assisting someone else with theirs. Friends, this is the Word of God! Only God’s Word has the life-giving, life-transforming, life-saving message we need for our very existence!

And as 2 Timothy 2:15 warns us, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” We need to have our own mask firmly in place (knowing God’s Word) before helping others with theirs!

Step three, your seat cushion is also a life preserver.
Pick it up and hold on tight! Is there any clearer picture of Jesus?! Romans 10:9 tells us, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” It is not enough pick up the seat cushion (confess that Jesus is Lord), you need to hang onto it tightly (believe in your heart).

Only then will you be saved!

And the last step, should the lights go out in the plane, there are lights along the aisle that will illuminate allowing you to see where you are going. This is the Holy Spirit!

Ezekiel 36: 26 – 27 says, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.”

We are all born dead in our sins and in the darkness of that sin state.

It is only by the illuminating work of regeneration by the Holy Spirit that we are able to see what Jesus has done for us and that our way is made clear. And after He regenerates our hearts, He indwells in us sanctifying us, guiding us so that we are able to find our way. God doesn’t just send us up in the air on our own. He has graciously and mercifully put a complete rescue plan in place for His people so that whatever may
occur while we are flying through life, in Him, we will be equipped to handle it!

You can follow Rose and Chris on their website Proverbs 9:10 Ministries, or on Instagram, or Facebook.

 

 

#Throwback Thursday: Christian Men of Science: Eleven Men Who Changed the World

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As we reminisce on the over forty years that God has blessed Ambassador International to remain in business, we are highlighting a different #backlistbook each week in a series called #ThrowbackThursday.

George Mulfinger started writing Christian Men of Science: Eleven Men Who Changed the World in 1967 and worked on it as time permitted throughout his life, eventually bringing in his daughter, Julia, to write with him. After George died of cancer, Julia picked up the manuscript where he left off, and using his excellent notes and bibliography, and she finished it for him, with Christian Men of Science: Eleven Men Who Changed the World being first released by Ambassador International on November 30, 2001 and republished on April 1, 2004.

Most of us have been led into believing that any scientist worth his salt is an atheist. The truth of the matter is that some of the greatest experimentalists and theoreticians have been Bible-believing Christians. We should study these men—men who have been properly oriented to God’s Word and His creation. They had unusually keen minds to use in carrying out the Lord’s will for their lives, and they could rightly interpret the scientific evidence.

Unfortunately, our knowledge of these men is eroding as libraries gradually discard the older biographies written by Christians. They are being replaced by more up-to-date books, written for the most part by biographers with an antireligious mindset. The newer biographies tend to describe the man’s scientific work adequately, but they fail dismally in communicating the true picture of the man himself and the motivation for his work.

George and Julia asked two questions when determining who to include in the book: (1) Did he profess Christ as his Savior? (2) Did his life manifest the fruit of the Spirit, the good works evidenced by true Christians? It is quite possible that we, as authors and readers, will not agree with each man about every point of Biblical doctrine or that we do not necessarily agree with each man’s denominational affiliations; however, we can appreciate the testimonies of these men while not insisting that they conform to our every standard. Each man in this book showed a genuine love for Christ and was willing to live by His teaching, including: Johannes Kepler, Robert Boyle, David Brewster, Michael Faraday, Samuel Morse, Matthew Fontaine Maury, James Clerk Maxwell, Lord Kelvin, Howard Kelley, Henry Morris, and Walt Brown.

In the short biographies in Christian Men of Science, we are presented with a distilled version of each man’s scientific accomplishments and the evidences of his Christian faith. These testimonies demonstrate that true scientists can be genuine Christians, and that faith in God and the authority of the Bible is not a sign of inferior intellect.

You can add Christian Men of Science to your Goodreads HERE and you can learn more and find purchase links HERE. This book is available in paperback and ebook!