Past Dynamite News

I was doing some work on my blog sites today and came across this post from November 4, 2007. Some of you may recall that during this time Jerry and I went to Lake Havasu City, AZ. to plant a church, and from the very beginning God honored us with powerful services and dynamic growth. I consider that out of all the decades of our ministry, the three and a half years we were there were some of the most blessed of all our ministry. Much of our work was done with alcohol and drug challenged people.

I weep at this moment as I think of those dear people and their little children. Hard? It was the hardest church work we ever did. Rewarding? Yes, absolutely the most rewarding of all.

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CHRIST ALIVE CHURCH Lake Havasu City, Arizona November 4, 2007

“We had rented 40 extra chairs, and on Saturday, Michael met with Jerry and me to set up for the Sunday morning service. When we started putting the chairs out, though, it looked like so many, that Michael’s faith and mine faltered a bit, and we decided to leave about a dozen of them stacked in the hall.

But we had invited lots of people. I had mailed letters to every person who has ever visited our church, we had made and distributed flyers, we had an article in the local paper, Jerry had made dozens of phone calls and personal contacts and Michael had invited everyone of the “Goatheads,” a yuppy, motorcycle group based here in Lake Havasu. Earlier in the week, one of them had called Mike to ask, “Is it okay if we ride our bikes to church?”

“Of course. Not a problem at all,” he had told them.

Jerry and I arrived at the church around 8:30 and there were already a few people there. But it was around 8:45 that we heard the roar of the bikes and soon the parking lot was inundated with motor cycles, so that finally there was hardly room to park.

They came pouring in, and quickly I told Brandon, “Set up the rest of the chairs.” When we had registered and counted, we found that 85 people were at Christ Alive today! Recall that we have only been here 8 months. We were ecstatic.

Brother Pence of Prescott, AZ. has a most remarkable testimony of a healing from cancer. The doctors had given him two weeks to live. He had 22 tumors in his lungs from a cancer that had metastasized from his kidneys.

He had lost 60 pounds, had made all his funeral arrangements even to picking out his casket…Here, he is showing the packet from the mortuary where he had made the arrangements. But God had different plans and has completely healed him! All the tumors have gone, his racking cough is cured, and recently, his doctors declared him completely cancer free. His testimony is incredible.

Ernie, who is pictured here is suffering from pancreatic cancer, and the doctors have not given him a good prognosis. He came to Christ Alive today believing God for a miracle in his own life.

I was touched by the generous response of the audience, and their involvement with worship that to many of them was unfamiliar. They were extremely receptive to the Word of God as it was preached, and to an invitation to join in our Pentecostal worship. All over the room, both men and women were openly crying.

At the conclusion of the very appropriate sermon, Brother Pence invited everyone to the front who needed special prayer. Ernie was the first to leave his seat and head to the pulpit. Here you see him being prayed over.

Please pray for our work here. These people are precious–some of them know God in a measure–others have a very limited knowledge of Him. Jerry and I are desperate to be able to point them to Jesus, the only Saviour.

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So, here we are many years later, retired now, someone else the pastor in Lake Havasu City. Both Jerry and I count it the greatest of joys that God called us to do a work for Him among those very dear people.

Fireworks Finale at Lake Havasu

Finale, originally uploaded by Shirley Buxton.

Chloe was worn out from senior camp and from our long trip back home, so she slept until after 10:00 yesterday. After solidifying our plans for the day, she and I went to Dillards…found awesome bargains. I’ll take pictures later and show you, but she found a couple of pairs of shoes for $9.95 each; one pair had been $100.00. We were ecstatic at such finds. Bought her a few tops, then back home, where after a bit of lunch, I sought out a napping spot!

At 6:00 we joined Dustin and his family at the lake, ate hamburgers, the girls swam, then around 9:00 began the fireworks display. It was gorgeous. Aren’t they always?

Love the shot at the top of this post. Look closely to the far right and you will see Chloe and her friends watching the display from within the cool waters of Lake Havasu. Click on the picture, where over on Flickr you can see the picture in a larger size.

Sad

A couple of hours ago in the library checkout line, I stood behind a cheerful looking group consisting of two fairly young, attractive women, with five well-dressed children–children ranging from 5 or 6 to 10 years old, I would say. The women were conversing as I joined the line.

“Well, did you get remarried,” said one lady to the other.

“Uhh, no. I didn’t. But we have two kids together.”She waved a hand toward a couple of the youngsters.

“Same with me. We have three. I’ll never get married again.”

It made me sad.

It made me sad because of the children. It made me sad because of their daddies. It made me sad because of their mommies. It made me sad because of their pappys and of their grannys. It made me sad because of our country. It made me sad because of our world. It made me sad because of God’s Word.

Citywide Ladies Bible Study

On Thursday morning, I finished my studying and made 10 copies of the material I would hand out. In the early afternoon, I whipped up a batch of excellent cookies, arranged them nicely on a plate, and covered them with stretchy Saran wrap. I think it was around 5:40 that I gathered my Bible, teaching notes, and sunglasses. I pecked Jerry good-bye.

After I slipped 10 slim bottles of water into our small red cooler and loaded it into the car, I drove around to the office here at DJs, clinked 10 dimes into the money jug, unlocked the little ice house, and poured a 7 pound bag of glittering ice over the water bottles. There. Now, I was set. At our ladies bible study we would nibble on freshly baked cookies, and swig icy water.

At the library, I unloaded my things at the curb, setting the plate of cookies atop the small cooler. A couple of teen-age boys sat about, and I playfully spoke to them, “Don’t you eat my cookies now.” They just looked at me, not displaying much of a sense of humor. Anyway, I parked the car, walked to my snack trove, found it to be undisturbed and carried it inside the building.

“What group?” asked the friendly security guard when I walked to his desk and asked to be admitted to my room.

“Christ Alive.”

“Oh, sure.” He unlocked both doors to the lovely conference room that seats 15 people. I arranged the snacks, my Bible and notes, then because I was early for the 6:30 Citywide Ladies Bible Study, I prowled around the library a bit.

At 6:10 I settled into my chair at the head of the long, wide table and waited for my eager students. I waited longer, looked at my watch, and waited more. No one came.

Well, I thought, I’ll stay a little longer in case they’re all caught in traffic. I helped myself to an icy water and a crisp cookie. Wiped my mouth daintily with a fine napkin. I waited.

At 7:10, I gathered my Bible, teaching notes, handouts, cookie plate and red ice chest. I perched sunglasses on my nose and walked to the car.

If I ever harbored any arrogant thoughts about the excellence of my teaching or visions of women wildly fighting for a chair at the City Wide Ladies Bible Study, it was soundly smacked on Thursday evening in Lake Havasu City, Az. I drove home, unloaded my things, sat myself down on the couch and waited for Jerry to finish showering.

“Care for a water?” I asked, when, looking puzzled, he walked into the living room.

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My devotional blog is here.

Masche Sextuplets Have Their First Birthday

Lots of people have come to my blog looking for news of the Masche sextuplets, whom you may recall live in Lake Havasu. At the time of their birth, as you can imagine our town was abuzz with the news. I wrote about them at that time here and here.

It’s been a year now, since the doctor showed that little one to his mother. All the babies are very healthy, progressing normally, and seem to have none of the problems that are often associated with multiple births.

Our local paper had quite a write-up last week, but I can’t seem to get the link to work, so I’m bringing you news from the Tucson Citizen.

Six isn’t the only number in the Masches’ lives. Since welcoming their children into the world a year ago, numbers and schedules, from medical bills to diapers, have sent the couple’s heads spinning.

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24: Number of bottles prepared each day.

5: Loads of laundry a day.

2: Number of washing machines in the house. Also the number of days Jenny may go without showering.

20,000: Diapers collected.

during a Phoenix-area drive.

46: Ounces of powdered formula used at each feeding.

36-45: Diaper changes in one day.

$240: Cost for well-child visits for all six kids ($40 co-pay for each).

3: Kids bathed each day: girls one day, boys the next.

12: Hours of sleep the kids get each night.

Blessed with an even temperament, Jenny takes in stride the ups and downs of mothering six kids at once. “You just don’t have an option,” she said. “You can hate every day or love every day. So I love every day.”

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Hers begins at 7 a.m. That’s when the babies start to rustle in their cribs, waking up by chattering to each other. Jenny listens in on the monitor. All of the kids are in the same room, each in his or her own crib.

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If they awake before 7, they have learned to wait.

“Bottles don’t come until 7,” Jenny explained.

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From the Tucson Citizen

Bailey
Bailey is full of surprises, is sneaky, very clever and knows how to get private attention.

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Here’s a good link with lots of info and a very neat video. Guess what. Jenny Masche just ran a marathon. Not kidding. Take a look.

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I hope to see the babies out and about some day in Lake Havasu, but so far I haven’t. An amazing story of a uniquely blessed family.

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My devotional blog is here.