A Few Things to Remember
Can’t believe here we are Dec. 16, 2001, celebrating the Christmas season. Feel like in a dream.
I think PBC has a great chance to do well here in Vancouver. Kinda like this story:
"How many customers did you serve today?" the manager asked.
"One."
"Only one."
"How much was the sale?"
"$58,334.00"
Flabbergasted the manager asked him to explain. The boy said, "First I sold the man a fishhook. Then I sold him a rod and a reel. Then I asked him where he was planning to fish, and he replied down the coast. So I suggested he’d need a boat - he bought that six-metre motor boat. When he said his car might not be able to pull it, I took him to the auto department and sold him a big vehicle."
The amazed boss asked, "You sold all that to a guy who came in for a fishhook?"
"No," the salesman replied. "He actually came in for a bottle of aspirin for his wife’s migraine. I told him, ’Your weekend’s shot. you should probably go fishing.’"
Look outside, almost every weekend in Vancouver is practically shot. Nothing but rain, my memory is poor but I think u can count on your fingers in on one hand in past 3 months if there was actually a weekend that was sunny. So if u can get people to own up that their weekend is shot, as you talk to your neighbors and friends and invest in a really exciting and enticing worship service where folks encounter God like the contemporary service which we just got off the ground, staffed by on-fire welcoming friendly people, with a great servant attitude which I spoke of this morning, . why? they may just go to church. May be, just maybe they will show up. So I say keep the momentum going…
I think also Vancouver is ripe for the picking. People seem to believe in anything these days…
EG Original Letter circling the Internet:
The date of the attack: 9/11 - 9 + 1 + 1 = 11.
September 11th is the 254th day of the year: 2 + 5 + 4 = 11
After September 11th there are 111 days left to the end of the year.
119 is the area code to Iraq/Iran. 1 + 1 + 9 = 11
Twin Towers - standing side by side, looks like the number 11.
The first plane to hit the towers was Flight 11.
There are more. . . . . . .
State of New York - The 11th State added to the Union
New York City - 11 Letters
Afghanistan - 11 Letters
The Pentagon - 11 Letters
Ramzi Yousef - 11 Letters (convicted or orchestrating the attack at the WTC in 1993)
Flight 11 - 92 on board - 9 + 2 = 11
Flight 77 - 65 on board - 6 + 5 = 11
Response from David Pawson:
WOW, I’m a goner! There are 11 letters in the name "David Pawson!" I’m going into hiding NOW. See you in a few weeks.
Wait a sec...I just realized "YOU CAN’T HIDE" also has 11 letters! What am I gonna do? Help me!!! The terrorists are after me! ME! I can’t believe it!
Oh darn, there must be someplace on planet Earth where I could hide! But no!!!! "PLANET EARTH" has 11 letters, too!
I know, the Red Cross can help. No they can’t... 11 letters in "THE RED CROSS," I can’t trust them.
I would rely on self defense, but "SELF DEFENSE" has 11 letters in it, too! Can someone help? Anyone? If so, send me email. No, don’t! "SEND ME EMAIL" has 11 letters!
Will this never end? I’m going insane! "GOING INSANE"??? Eleven letters!!
Nooooooooooo!!!!!! I guess I’ll die alone, even though "I’LL DIE ALONE" also has 11 letters!
Oh boy, I just realized that America is doomed! Our Independence Day is July 4th . . . 7/4 . . . 7 + 4 = 11!
P.S. "Foolishness" also has 11 letters.
Another thing I want to leave u with, is that some folks are just slow in coming to Christ. It may take a lot of convincing and praying on your part.
Stories from Travel Agents:
-- I got a call from a woman who wanted to go to Capetown. I started to explain the length of the flight and the passport information when she interrupted me with "I’m not trying to make you look stupid, but Capetown is in Massachusetts." Without trying to make HER look like the stupid one, I calmly explained, "Cape Cod is in Massachusetts, Capetown is in Africa." Her response; . . . click.
--
--
A nice lady just called. She needed to know how it was possible that her flight from Detroit left at 8:20am and got into Chicago at 8:33am. I tried to explain that Michigan was an hour ahead of Illinois, but she could not understand the concept of time zones. Finally, I told her the plane went very fast, and she bought that!
--
A woman called and said, "I need to fly to Pepsi-cola on one of those computer planes." I asked if she meant to fly to Pensacola on a commuter plane. She said, "Yeah, whatever."
--
A man called and had a question about the documents he needed in order to fly to China. After a lengthy discussion about passports, I reminded him he needed a visa. "Oh no I don’t, I’ve been to China many times and never had to have one of those." I double checked and sure enough, his stay definitely required a visa. When I told him this he said, "Look, I’ve been to China four times and every time they have accepted my American Express."
--
A woman called to make reservations, "I want to go from Chicago to Hippopotamus, New York." The agent was at a loss for words. Finally, the agent asks: "Are you sure that’s the name of the town?" "Yes, what flights do you have?" replied the customer. After some searching, the agent came back with, "I’m sorry, ma’am, I’ve looked up every airport code in the country and can’t find a Hippopotamus anywhere." The customer retorted, "Oh don’t be silly. Everyone knows where it is. Check your map!" The agent scoured a map of the state of New York and finally offered, "You don’t mean Buffalo, do you?" "That’s it! I knew it was a big animal!"
So start at where folks are at? U can’t dump the whole the Bible into some one’s lap and expect them to be a Bible scholar instantly. Transformation by God’s power may take a longer time. God’s timing sometimes just doesn’t match up to our high tech microwave time zones.
So work hard at serving with all your heart cos you know God loves u and God loves it when u work well tighter for Him. It is not a fruitless exercise, is a great work that God can’t forget. See my Bible tells me:
Hebrews 6:10-15
10 For God is not unfair. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other Christians, as you still do. 11 Our great desire is that you will keep right on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. 12 Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and patience.
God’s Promises Bring Hope
13 For example, there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying:
14 “I will certainly bless you richly,
and I will multiply your descendants into countless millions.”
15 Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.
Be like an Abraham and receive what God promised…
9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God on the throne and from the Lamb!”
11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell face down before the throne and worshiped God. 12 They said,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength
belong to our God forever and forever. Amen!”
13 Then one of the twenty-four elders asked me, “Who are these who are clothed in white? Where do they come from?”
14 And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.”
Then he said to me, “These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb and made them white. 15 That is why they are standing in front of the throne of God, serving him day and night in his Temple. And he who sits on the throne will live among them and shelter them. 16 They will never again be hungry or thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat. 17 For the Lamb who stands in front of the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe away all their tears.”
