After 14 long months....

Jimmy has arrived on American soil, headed home to Texas, to see his family. He has been serving in Iraq since November 2007. Lindsey just called to let us know that he had called from Maine, and will be arriving later today at Fort Hood, TX, where he is stationed.

God has kept him safe again!!!! A few months ago, some of the men in Jimmy's team were facing a difficult mission and some of them were struggling with the uncertainty of the task. Jimmy confidently told them, "Stay close to me! My Mom and Dad are praying and my Mom told me that she was praying for God to put me in a bubble of protection. Stay close to me and you can be in it, too!" Thank God for the provision of safety for all our troops that are in harm's way.

It will be several weeks before we will be able to go see Jimmy due to work and financial constraints, but just to know that he is back in the States is awesome!

Please remember to pray for our troops. It is vital to their well being and ultimately ours as well. It is the sacrifice of our troops that has kept our nation more safe that it would have been without it!

Jimmy, we are glad that you are almost home!!!!!

Keep the faith!

CARRY ON!

Joy ........

I was sitting in the favorite chair, when the phone rang! The voice on the other end was excited. And the news that was spoken into Glenda's ear caused her to exclaim with joy. Last year at this time, we were struggling with the fact that our son, Jimmy, had deployed prior to Thanksgiving to Iraq for a 15 month deployment. But the news came last night! Jimmy will be leaving Iraq on 6 Jan to come home to his family!

It was just this week that Jaxson told his mom, "I have a new way of singing, 'All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth' . It went like this, 'All I want for Christmas is for my dad to come home...' I can imagine the excitement that those precious children have as they prepare for Jimmy's arrival in a few days. Just think, They will have Christmas in December, and another "Christmas" in January!

We are looking forward to seeing Jimmy and the family sometime soon. Jimmy called earlier this week and indicated that he would be home soon.

This is a season for families to come together and celebrate the GREATEST GIFT EVER GIVEN, the coming of Jesus into this world to fulfill the Old Testament prophecy that a savior would come. Jesus came, as promised! And He is still coming to those who will believe.

As the Whetstone's gather this week, we are going to enjoy our precious grandchildren. Alex, Nick, Jacob, Christopher, Tripp, and Madellyn are here with us. Shane and Diane, Tanja and Rob, and Mother will sit down and enjoy the children as they celebrate. They will celebrate by opening gifts and playing. What a blessing! Then in January or February, we will do it again with Jimmy and Lindsey, Jaxson, Juliet, and Johnny! As my old friend, Charlie would say, "You've got it made!" I didn't realize that Charlie was such a great prophet! I've got it made! It is not the wealth of this world that satisfys. It is the warmth of our heart as we celebrate Jesus with those whom we love!

Glenda and I will celebrate together the joy of being together with our Family! We are so blessed!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all of you! And a happy NEW YEAR!

CARRY ON!!!

Ever get tired......

I'm not talking about tired after a long day's work, or a stressful week. Some time ago I heard a story about a preacher that went for an interview with a pulpit committee. After a lengthy interview, one 'of the committee asked the preacher why he had left his last assignment. His response was, "It was due to illness and fatigue." Someone slipped away to the phone and called the last pulpit chairman and asked why had the Pastor left. Their response was, "We were sick and tired of him!"

The scripture tells of more than one incidence where there was frustration in the hearts of great men. One was seen sitting under a tree moaning about his plight, while God was actively sending him fresh food for his enjoyment! God had to remind him that he was not alone. Another man of God, in his frustration, disobeyed the Lord by smiting the rock when he was told to speak to the rock. That incident cost Moses the opportunity to enter into the Land of Promise.

We all face times of discouragement and personal anguish. Loneliness is not a joyous place. But we must realize that we are never alone. We are not forsaken.

I remember the words of a friend that passed away a few months ago, who often told me, "You got it made!" We always laughed about that statement. But really it is the truth! We who walk in the fellowship of the Lord have a destiny that will lead us into glorious victory! If we walk with the Lord, He has never had a failure!

In these recent days, we all have struggled with the financial crisis that our nation is faced with at this time. Some of my friends have lost $1,000s of dollars in the markets. It would be easy for them to become disillusioned. But one of those friends told me that through this crisis, he has learned to cry out to the Lord for wisdom and peace. And the awesome thing about it is that peace has come to his heart.

David said in the Old Testament, that while in his distress, he cried unto the Lord and the Lord heard him. That is a secret to facing the uncertainty of life. TRUST IN THE LORD! He will not fail you! A dear missionary friend spoke at a church where I was pastor and the conclusion of his message to us was to PLOD ON! So...... Here we go, plodding on! And on! And on!

Now go to bed, and get some rest! The Lord has sent his angels to watch over you and all that you have! He will sustain you!

Keep the faith!

CARRY ON

Just a note to let you know...

We are still around! It has been a very busy season. We are working around the clock it seems. Thank God the price of fuel has gone down!

We are faced with the choice as a result of last Tuesday's election to do the right thing regarding our new president-elect. I assure you that I did not support the election of Mr Obama. There are many reasons why, his stance on Israel, his views on abortion, his postion on marriage being between a man and a woman are among the many. But I am not writing to stir the pot concerning the election.

We are instructed by the Word of God that we are to pray for those in authority. My son, Pastor Shane, reminded us of this in the service this past week. I was reminded of the sermon that I preached right after the election of Bill Clinton. It was based on the life of Daniel, who served in several administrations, all of them which did not adhere to Daniel's values and beliefs. However the scripture speaks of Daniel as being a man of an excellent spirit. That is how I want to be known.

I commit to pray for Mr. Obama. I want him to be a successful president, and not a failure. I want him to lead our nation in a positive manner. It will require the leadership of our Father to quide his steps and fill him with wisdom. Let me challenge you to join the commitment to pray for this administration more than any that has preceeded.

HE, our Father, can do it!

Keep the faith!

CARRY ON!

Your Faith....

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and evidence of things not seen. We are so prone to place faith as a hard thing to manifest. But in many situations, Jesus reacted to "your faith".

God is not a creator that holds back on his promises to see just how high we will jump or how many rivers we will swim in order to recieve his blessings. That is just not in the character and nature of God. It is the "father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom". He wants to shower us with the blessing of his favor!

A little girl came to a service recently, and after the service came to the evangelist and said, "My best friend is blind and tomorrow I am going to bring her to church so that you can pray for her. I know that when you pray for her, she will be able to see". There is nothing like the faith of a child, and the pressure was on to not let this child down, so the evangelist spent the night and day in prayer for the anointing of God to bring a deliverance for this child. When the service time came the little girl and her friend was sitting on the front seat. At the conclusion of the message that evening, the little girl brought her friend up for prayer. The evangelist prayed a simple prayer, and the child was totally healed! How did it happen? The faith of a little girl that believed that her Father God was all that He declared Himself to be! " I am the Lord that healeth thee!" was more than just a passing statement. It is a TRUTH of who God is!

Reach out to Him in faith today! You have the faith to believe. God instilled it in your heart. Rise up and believe. All things are possible to them that believe

Keep the Faith!

CARRY ON!

SEPTEMBER is half gone!

I can't believe it, September is half gone and it will soon be a year since I left the city and moved to the country! I miss the city. But then, I missed that abcessed tooth, too!

Glenda and I are as busy as a flea at the humane society! A priority has been football this fall. We have three grandsons that are actively engaged in football. We try to make all of the games. What a joy to see the passion of these great boys as they condition themselves as athletes. They are each very intense. We are so proud of them!

Each of our grandkids are important to us! We only have 9! They range in age from 15 to 4 months! Today I went by to see Madelyn. She was in a very pleasant mood, and while I talked to her she began to giggle. I was beaming! Then I realized that she was probably thinking "This is the funniest face I have ever seen!"

I just returned from Eastern Georgia where I was the guest speaker at Grace Community Fellowship in Thomson, GA. We had a great time together celebrating their 5th Anniversary! Congratulations to Richard and Jennifer Kitchens!

The miles are stacking up on the road with me. I never thought I'd get weary of driving, but sometimes I just look forward to stopping and resting! Wednesday was one of those days. I drove 980 miles that day! I could hardly stand when I got back to the farm.

Upcoming services are scheduled for Calvary Pentecostal Church at Sebree, KY and at the Proctor Community Church in Proctor, OK . Please be sure to pray for these events that they will result in a harvest of spiritual benefits.

Glenda's brother Jerry is back in the hospital in Nashville in very guarded condition. Please remember him in your prayers. I am very concerned about him. It was only the grace of God that he survived the last episode. God is so faithful.

I would loke for you to pray for Glenda and me. We are faced with a great deal of issues most of which are surrounded by financial pressure. It has been touch and go for us this past year. But as I mentioned, God is faithful!

I appreciate those of you who check the blog and respond!

Keep the Faith!

CARRY ON!

I can't believe that it has been this long!

Just to update, Jerry is at home and recovering. There are still some issues concerning his health due to the ordeal, but he is at home!

The grandkids from Texas are in town, along with the rest of the clan! We are delighted that they are going to all be together for a few days. Maybe I'll get a few new pictures for the blog!

This has been a very busy week for me. I have driven nearly three thousand miles since last Friday afternoon. That is very tiring, I assure you. But it sure is nice to have the opportunity to work.

There are several events upcoming that I will be sharing as they occur in the various areas where Glenda and I will be involved in ministry. We are looking forward to those opportunities with great joy.

Don't forget us! And if you will, send me a note if you are watching this site. I will try to do better!!!!

Keep the Faith!!

Carry ON!