There are hurting people everywhere

There is so much hurt and suffering in the world today. So many people living without hope. It's in my hometown and it's in your hometown. All you have to do is take a moment, look around and listen. You see it in the eyes of the people and hear it in their conversations. I challenge you to pray and ask God to show you these people. I'll take that challenge a step further. Pray and ask God to show you the people and then ask Him to use you to bring His hope into their lives. Before you pray, make sure you are serious, because God will do it. Don't pray that prayer if you're not willing to follow through.

I wrote an earlier blog about an early morning prayer meeting Martha and I attended. We've been ministering to the homeless and poor for years -- four years as husband and wife and eight years all total. At that prayer meeting we asked God to pour out His love on the hurting in Dothan, Ala. We asked him to use us, work through us.

You've read how God answered that prayer just minutes later. He brought Dave and Bryan into our lives. They're the two homeless men who were living in a tent. You noticed I used the phrase "were living in a tent." They are now in a hotel where people can stay weeks at a time. This will be their first night in a real bed with a shelter over their heads this week. They now have food in a refrigerator and freezer. They see how God is working in their lives, and while they are tired, they are very thankful. The next step is getting Dave a job, then getting them into their own home. Dave has a heart for the ministry, and God is already using him. They both are allowing me to speak into their lives and give them advice as well. Pray for me that I will give them the right advice.

Today, while we were waiting in line to check them into the hotel, Dave and I were talking about Jesus and the ministry. I heard a guy in front of us mention that he's a carpenter and there's no work right now. He didn't know how he would pay for his rent, but his former boss loaned him the money for another week's rent at the hotel.

As Dave and I were walking to check out the room that was available, that man stopped us and said he heard us talking about a ministry. He said, "please pray for me" and started to walk into his room. At the same time, Dave and I said, "we'll pray for you right now." The man's name is Russ and he invited us into his room and we prayed. He's hurting really bad. He's going through a divorce, doesn't have a job and doesn't know where his next meal is coming from.

He has food now and I pray some hope. Martha and I visited him tonight and prayed with him. He desires to be back with his wife, to have a job, and be at peace again. He asked if we would come see him tomorrow for Bible study. How could we say no? So, I told him and then Dave, that we'll go to the Atlanta Bread Company for lunch tomorrow and have a Bible study there. Hopefully Bryan will be able to join us.

Russ wants to go to church with us Sunday morning. If Bryan isn't working, he will be in church with us as well. Dave will be at another church on Sunday because of a prior commitment, then at Harvest the next Sunday.

God is moving and working. I was thinking tonight. Where was Jesus when He walked the earth? He was ministering to the poor and hurting. Martha and I are so thankful for this ministry and for the call God has on our lives. God has moved us to another level now. It's hard to explain, but every where we turn God leads us to see people hurting. I pray we'll always be ready and able to help and bring them the greatest hope of all, and that's life and salvation in Jesus Christ.

Thankful for Thanksgiving outreach

Today was an incredible day. It's a Thanksgiving Martha and I will remember for a long time. More than 50 volunteers helped make this outreach so successful. We have never had so many volunteers. It was awesome to have so many people with servant hearts working together as the Body of Christ to share the love of Jesus with so many people.

As always is the case with a Love In Action outreach, there were volunteers from a variety of churches. There were volunteers from Harvest Church in Dothan, First United Methodist Church in Dothan, First Baptist Church in Dothan, Southside Baptist Church in Ozark, Ala., and The Potter's House in Enterprise, Ala.

Our goal was to serve 250 dinners. We ended up with 358 dinners. We served turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, green beans, sweet potato casserole, peas, carrots and a variety of desserts.

We delivered 100 dinners to Mama Tina's Mission House, then went out into the toughest and most poverty-stricken neighborhoods in Dothan. In addition to serving dinners to hundreds of people, we also prayed for many people. Many of them asked us to pray for them. We served and prayed with the homeless, gang members, prostitutes, drug dealers and users, good people who live in dangerous areas, mothers, children ... all kinds of people. We wanted them to know that Jesus loves them and so do we.

An added blessing was Dave and Bryan Albertson volunteering with us. Dave and Bryan are the homeless men I wrote about in previous blog entries. They wanted to be involved. They have seen the love of Jesus poured out on them this week, so they wanted to be part of the outreach and serve God. They did a great job.

Tomorrow we are going to put them in a local hotel for the next week. That will get them out of their tents and into a room where they can get some good sleep, shower, stay warm, and be safe. Dave is continuing to look for work. Bryan is working at a fast food restaurant. I believe it will only be a matter of time before they are in their own place.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered today. Thanks to everyone who prayed for this outreach. Thanks to everyone who cooked and gave financially to make this outreach possible. A special thank you to First United Methodist for opening their church to us and allowing us to use their kitchen and fellowship hall. We couldn't have done this outreach without their generosity. Also, a special thanks to our home church, Harvest. About 40 of our volunteers were from Harvest.

Ready to serve dinner

The turkey has been sliced, the dressing and sweet potato casseroles are ready to cook. We're ready for our Thanksgiving Day outreach in Dothan, Ala., where we're going to serve at least 250 dinners tomorrow. The food looks good. In addition to the turkey, dressing and sweet potato casseroles, we will serve green beens, rolls and desserts.

We want to thank First United Methodist in Dothan for opening up their wonderful kitchen for us. We'll be cooking bright and early and then preparing the plates in their kitchen.

We're expecting a lot of volunteers. Mine and Martha's phones have been ringing with people telling us they are going to help us tomorrow. We're excited. For many people, it will be their first exposure to people living in severe poverty. Some are bringing their children so they can learn to serve the less fortunate and to see how fortunate they are.

We pray that everyone will have a great Thanksgiving, and please pray for the outreach.

Meeting Bryan

Tonight I met Bryan. He is Dave's son. They are the ones in my last blog who are homeless in Dothan and living in a tent in the woods. Dave kept his word and came to the Church of the Nations' Thanksgiving service tonight. Bryan came with him.

Bryan is quiet. Around Dave everyone is quiet, because he loves to talk. And that's OK. He has some interesting stories to tell. He's a nice man.

When I first met Bryan tonight, he wasn't smiling. Going through what he and his dad are going through would take the smile off of most people's faces. Throughout the service I prayed for him and asked God to touch him.

After the service I asked Brian if he needed to talk to get some things off his chest. He said "yes, how did you know?" We talked for about 30 minutes, then we prayed. He said he had accepted Jesus, but there are issues in his life he needs to deal with. He understands that Jesus is the only way.

The youth group from Harvest did a great job tonight. The youth worship team did a wonderful job of leading us in worship tonight, then the youth performed a drama. It was very powerful. Bryan said, "it was awesome."

After the service we went to McDonald's to eat. During the meal I saw Bryan smile for the first time, then he laughed. I knew at that moment, Jesus was working in his heart.

Please pray for Dave and Bryan. I told them tonight that I know they are going to be fine and God will turn their situation around. I guaranteed them God would if they trust completely in Him.

Martha shared her favorite verse with them, Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

My wife is so precious. Dave and Bryan both smiled after she shared that scripture with them. Our God is so good.

A call for help

God is so amazing. He is really stirring the waters here in Dothan, Ala. He is gathering a remnant of His people to do a great work. One of our pastors at Harvest, Sean Nix, invited Martha and me to a time of prayer this morning at Dothan Christian Fellowship between 6-8. Martha and I usually aren't up at 5 a.m. We usually try to squeeze every second of sleep in that we can. I joked with her last night by saying, "Gosh, you always have to sacrifice something when God is moving in your life." :-)

We went to bed early and got up relatively easy at 5 a.m. There were around 20 people praying at DCF. A good number of teens were there, and there were some people our age and some older. A young man played the guitar and we prayed. We prayed silently, then at other times some of us prayed out loud. At times, the young man would sing a new song that God had placed on his heart.

The prayers were of repentance, of intercession for our city and region. We prayed for God to work through His people in Dothan to show the people His love. It was a great time of prayer and sharing God's word.

Martha and I left about 7:30 so she could get to work on time. Here's where it gets really good. You've heard the saying, "be careful what you ask for." Minutes after praying to God to empower us to help people, my phone rang. A man in need of help saw the Love In Action sign on our warehouse that was installed last week. My phone number is on that sign.

The man's name is Dave, and he was getting a tire worked on at a tire shop close to the warehouse. He had gone to the Piggly Wiggly to check about a job. He's an electrician, but just recently got laid off. He and his son are living in a tent here in Dothan. His son is working and just got his first pay check.

I told him I would meet him at the warehouse in 20 minutes. He arrived just after I did. He's probably in his 50s and very nice. He said he was born again and loved the Lord. He shared his story with me, and he's been through one heart break after another. I told him it wasn't a coincidence that he called. I then shared with him about the prayer meeting this morning and how we were asking God to help us help others and show them His love. His eyes teared up. He knew God had a plan for him.

I told him to take whatever he needed. He said, "I don't want to take too much, because there are people in worse shape than I am." He's not the only homeless person I've heard say that. I helped him pack up some blankets, pillows, pillow cases and hygiene items. He was so happy to get a tooth brush and tooth paste. He said he had lost his. I also told him to pick out one of the nice winter leather coats we have. They are nice and lined, so they will help keep him and his son warm.

As we loaded his car, I saw that his front right tire was going flat. He said the shop had just plugged that tire. I told him before he left I wanted to pray with him. He wanted me to. I prayed for God's favor and for God to pour His love out on Dave.

About 10 minutes later, Dave called me and he was excited. He said the tire shop gave him a free tire. They put it on and said it was free. He said that was God already working in his life.

That's called hope, and we know that only Jesus can give us true hope.

For those who don't know, I'm the editor of the Dothan Eagle. One of our reporters is working on a Thanksgiving story about people who are hungry this Thanksgiving. This morning she came into my office and said she's having a hard time getting in touch with anyone in that situation. I told her about Dave. I called him and asked if he would be willing to talk with her. He was. I pray someone who can give him a job will see that story.

There is a church called Church of the Nations on the other side of the Piggly Wiggly where our warehouse is at, and they are serving Thanksgiving dinner for the needy tonight. Martha and I haven't met the pastor, but the youth from Harvest is helping serve tonight. So, we're going to be there to help and meet the pastor and his wife. I invited Dave and his son to the dinner and Dave said he will be there. Be praying for Dave and his son.

God is amazing. Martha and I have dedicated our lives to helping the homeless and poor, and to reaching the lost. This morning, after being involved in a great time of prayer, God opened another door. And, it was a direct answer to prayer. God's love is amazing.

Those of you in Dothan, keep praying. Those who live elsewhere, believe God to start a great movement in your hometown. Start praying and start doing His will. God is looking for people who will stand in the gap and who are available to Him. I'm thankful and humbled that God is working through Martha and me and Love In Action. It's exciting to be a part of what God is doing here in Dothan, throughout the nation in the inner cities, and in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Martha's personal devotional yesterday was Matthew 19:26: "Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Yes they are, and I believe Dave will see that too.

A great conference

Today ended our annual Fall Renewal Conference at Harvest Church in Dothan, Ala. Dr. Bill Ury preached today from Matthew 28:18b-20: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

It's a very familiar verse to most of us. It's the Great Commission that Jesus gives all of us. However, Dr. Ury explained it in a way I've never heard before. When Jesus says "go and make disciples," I've always taken that as a command, and it is. However, He's not just saying go and save the world ... see you later ... have a nice life. The translation of the word "go" means "going." As Dr. Ury said, that doesn't make sense in English. "Therefore going." It's not grammatically correct.

Jesus is saying to all of us, just like he said to His disciples, "come on, go with me." Notice Jesus said all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him. The Father gave Him that authority. Jesus also says He is with us always. We can't reach our city, our region, our nation, our world without Jesus. When we do things in our own power we fail. When we do it with Jesus, we are always successful. He has been given all authority and He wants us to go with Him and reach the world.

It was a great message. All five of his messages were great this weekend. As Pastor Ralph said this morning, this is probably the most challenging conference we've had at Harvest; the most where we were challenged by God's Word.

It was an awesome conference, and I thank Pastor Ralph and everyone on staff at Harvest for this wonderful conference. Thanks for putting it together, for bringing in Dr. Ury, and for everyone who did everything behind the scenes to make the conference such a great success. I want to especially thank Cheryl Hidle and the entire Harvest Praise Team. Y'all were awesome and led us into the presence of God during every service. You always do every week. Ministering three straight days and for five services is a lot. You are very much appreciated. And, thanks to Dr. Ury for challenging us with God's word. You were a tremendous blessing to Martha and me, and to everyone who attended.

Now the key is implementing everything we learned and were challenged with during the conference. If we don't do that then we wasted our time this weekend. Martha and I are excited about putting God's word into action in our lives.

Wow, what a great day!

This was indeed a great day. It started bright and early at 8 a.m. with Dr. Bill Ury leading a men's Bible study. He challenged us with do we want to have a heart like Saul or a heart like David. Then from 9-11 a.m. he led a Bible study for everyone. He taught from Hosea. He brought out so many awesome points. It really ministered to Martha and me.

Then tonight he taught from 1 Kings 22. He talked about a relatively unknown prophet named Micaiah. He was the only prophet out of 300 the king had who would tell him the truth. The king didn't like it, but Micaiah would not back down. In fact, he said, "As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him only what the LORD tells me." (v. 14)

The challenge tonight was, who will be the "one." Who will be the one to stand for God under any and every situation? It was a very powerful message. I asked a dear brother of mine at Harvest to pray with me. God has given me some awesome opportunities to lead in both church and in the secular world. I wish I could say I've been 100 percent in taking advantage of every situation for God's glory, but I can't. There have been times I've messed up. There have been times I should have been "the one" for God. Brian prayed over me and prayed for boldness. I want more boldness for the Lord.

The praise and worship was great again tonight. I really didn't want to leave. The sweet Spirit of God was resting in the house tonight. I praise Him for that.

It was wonderful to worship with my great brother Justin Swasey tonight. He came from Enterprise to attend tonight's service. Thanks for coming Justin. Martha and I love you Bro. I pray God touched you tonight.

I pray everyone will have a great day at church tomorrow.

Awesome first night

The first night of our Fall Renewal Conference at Harvest Church in Dothan, Ala., was awesome. Cheryl Hidle and the Harvest Praise Team rocked the house for Jesus tonight. From the very first note there was an awesome freedom in the sanctuary. You could tell people were prayed up and came expecting tonight. The praise and worship was awesome.

Dr. Bill Ury brought a great message out of Mark 10:17-23. He preached on the "Good Life," and that's allowing God to live through you. Too often we try to live for God through ourselves. It's only when we open up completely to God and allow Him to live through us do we truly live the "Good Life." His message was a lot better than what I just wrote. I'll be buying the CDs from this conference to share with others and to review myself. The man is a great teacher of God's Word.

Well, it's time for bed. The men are getting together with Bill early in the morning, then he's teaching a seminar from 9-11 a.m. for everyone. Saturday's service begins at 7 p.m. If you can come, I encourage you to do so. You will receive a great blessing. Bill's teaching will challenge you.

New video

Here's our latest video. This one shows the incredible donation of supplies from Brett Robinson Vacation Rentals and Real Estate in Orange Beach, Ala. We want to thank them again for this incredible donation, and we want to thank Justin Swasey again for his help unloading the truck at our warehouse.

New sign at warehouse

Our new sign was installed today at our warehouse. We're excited to get the sign installed. Things are beginning to come together at the warehouse.

Two weeks ago a big mud hole that was in front of the big roll up door at the warehouse was fixed. We're working on the inside to get electricity ran into the part we're going to use for an office and conference room. We're also working on installing a bathroom. We're working with the city of Dothan to make sure everything is done by code.

You can go to our Web site at www.loveinactionministries.com (there is a link on this blog page) and see a slideshow of the sign installation.

Fall Renewal Conference

If you live in the Dothan area, I would like to invite you to join our home church, Harvest Church, for our annual Fall Renewal Conference this Friday-Sunday (Nov. 21-23). Harvest is located at 2727 Fortner Street in Dothan, just off the Ross Clark Circle.

Dr. Bill Ury will be the guest speaker. I've never heard him before, but I trust my pastor and if Ralph says Bill is an outstanding speaker, then I know he is. I've heard others say the same thing.

The conference will be held Friday and Saturday nights beginning at 7. Dr. Ury will be the guest speaker at all three Sunday morning services too. There will also be a session from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday. Nursery will be available at all services.

In Harvest's most recent newsletter, here is Pastor Ralph's suggestions for how to get the most out of the conference:

• Come ready to seek Him in worship. This is a short conference (only Friday night through Sunday morning), so come prepared and expectant. Friday and Saturday nights we will have extended worship and ministry following the service.

• Ask the Lord to move in you! Pray for personal breakthroughs and transformation.

• Ask Him to deepen your love for Him and your relationship with Him.

• Determine to have someone pray for you at least once.

• Pray for others at Harvest as God brings them to mind.

• Pray for our church – for deeper love, devotion, and passion for Christ, for His kingdom, and for the world He died for, to use this conference to continue shaping us into the family of believers He wants Harvest to be.

I hope you can attend at least one of the services. If it is anything close to as good as our spring conference was, then you will receive a tremendous blessing. I know God spoke to my heart and ministered to me in a mighty way during the spring conference. And, it wasn't long after that when God started opening more doors for our ministry.

I believe if you are prayed up and come expecting God to do something in your life during conferences like this, and during regular church services, then God will move mightily in your life.

An incredible donation

It's been a busy, but a very good weekend.

On Friday, Martha and I rented a 24-foot truck and traveled to Orange Beach, Alabama, to pick up sheets, blankets, mattress covers and pillows from our friends at Brett/Robinson Real Estate and Vacation Rentals. They are such a tremendous blessing to Love In Action. Thankfully, they had five of their workers helping us load the truck. They worked hard and fast and soon that big truck was completely loaded from front to back and top to bottom. We barely got the door closed. It was an incredible donation.

How much did we bring back to our warehouse? Well, let me put it this way. When we stopped at a weigh station in Florida, the officer informed us that our truck was 2,300 pounds over its weight limit. I'm not a trucker so I didn't know what was going to happen, but he told me to have a good night and that was it. Whew! Martha was in the truck praying the entire time I was in the office talking with the officer.

On Saturday, Justin Swasey, who is one of our board of directors, met us at the warehouse and helped us unload it. Thank you Justin! It took the three of us 2.5 hours to unload it, which is less time than we thought it would take. I also want to thank our warehouse neighbors, the Piggly Wiggly, for letting us borrow a cart. That saved all of our backs. Thanks David!

We also want to thank another LIA board member, Mike Shroades, for taking the three of us out to lunch. We needed some refueling after unloading that truck.

Now we have a bunch of sheets and mattress covers to ship to Haiti the next time we ship a container over there. The blankets will be a big blessing to the homeless. We actually need more blankets, so if anyone would like to donate blankets, please do. It looks like it's going to be a longer winter than usual this year, so we will need more blankets.

We also received another blessing on Saturday. We got a call from our home church, Harvest Church, and they had women's and children's clothes to donate to LIA. The church had asked people to donate clothes, then yesterday people who needed clothes could come and pick out what they needed for free. What wasn't taken was donated to us. The bags of clothes filled the back of our Tundra, and they were nice clothes and exactly what we need for Haiti. Thank you Harvest!

Thanks again to Brett/Robinson. That business and their people are a tremendous blessing and we appreciate them and everything they do for us. We pray God's richest blessings upon them. If any of you ever vacation in Orange Beach, which is a beautiful beach on the white sandy coast of the Gulf of Mexico, give Brett/Robinson a call about their condos at 1-800-211-7892 or visit their Web site at www.brett-robinson.com.

Looking for some help

If you live in or near Dothan, Ala., and aren't doing anything around 9 a.m. this Saturday, we could sure use your help at our warehouse.

Martha and I are renting a 24-foot truck and going to Orange Beach, Ala., this Friday to pick up a bunch of sheets and blankets from our friends at Brett/Robinson. We usually take our pickup truck and cargo trailer, but there are always a lot of sheets and blankets left behind. We are going to try to clean out their warehouse, so there will be a lot to unload Saturday. Brett/Robinson will have workers meet use at the warehouse to help load the truck.

If you can help, our warehouse is located at 1140 Montgomery Hwy., Dothan, next to the Piggly Wiggly. If you haven't seen the warehouse, please come check it out. It's easy to see the vision for this ministry once you step inside the large warehouse.

Thanks and God bless.

A dying child's last wish

Here is a link to an incredible video on CNN.com about an 11-year-old child in the state of Washington. He is dying from leukemia. He only has a week to live. Do you know what his last wish is? No, it's not to go to Disney World or to meet a famous person. It is to feed the homeless in his community.

Get some tissues ready before watching this video. This child is a great inspiration. He proves that none of us have any excuses. Let's be sure to be about our Father's business.

Here's the link: http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2008/11/09/jaffey.wa.last.wish.komo

Thanksgiving Day outreach

I can't believe it's nearly Thanksgiving. I am looking forward to sitting down at Mama Mills' kitchen table in New Brockton and enjoying a delicious dinner with family. We will have more than enough to eat, and I know I will be miserable after dinner. Sounds familiar?

Throughout my entire life, I've never known anything but big Thanksgiving dinners with my family. Unfortunately, many people won't experience such a wonderful day with plenty of food this Thanksgiving. This year, more than in recent years, more people are struggling. More people have fallen into poverty and more people are homeless.

On Thanksgiving Day, here in our hometown of Dothan, Ala., Love In Action is going to prepare and deliver delicious Thanksgiving dinners for 250 people. Some will be homeless and others will be too poor to provide their own dinner. Our prayer is that through this act of kindness, people will see the love of Jesus Christ and accept Him as their Lord and Savior. We pray that for 250 people, this Thanksgiving will be one they remember fondly.

If you live in the Dothan area and would like to help, I invite you to join us. The good folks at First United Methodist Church in Dothan are going to let us use their kitchen. Love In Action will be cooking all of the turkeys, green beans, dressing and rolls. If you want to cook some sweet potato casseroles and/or desserts, please do so.

We will meet at First United Methodist, 1380 West Main Street, at 8:30 a.m. Thanksgiving Day and finish preparing everything, and then we'll dish up the food into the containers. At 11 a.m. we will start distributing the food throughout some impoverished areas in Dothan.

Here's a link about this outreach on our Web site http://www.loveinactionministries.com/thanksgiving_day_outreach.htm

If you want more information, send me an e-mail at kentuck@loveinactionministries.com or call me at 334-494-4995.

If you cannot participate, but would like to donate money to help cover the costs, please send your donation to: Love In Action, P.O. Box 85, Dothan, AL 36302. Or, you can donate online at the bottom of our home page: http://www.loveinactionministries.com

Please pray for this outreach and please help us help the poor and homeless have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Celebrating our anniversary

Four years ago today, God blessed me with the most awesome, sweet, loving, beautiful woman in the world. Martha and I exchanged our wedding vows four years ago today, and these have been the best four years of my life.

I've never met anyone as loving, caring and sweet as my wife. Martha is the most beautiful woman in the world too. I've never experienced this kind of love before. I know it is God loving me through her.

She's my wife, my best friend and my ministry partner. I told her from the beginning that marrying an editor probably isn't the easiest thing in the world. Some times I have weird hours and long days, like getting home at 2:30 a.m. on election night. But, instead of complaining, she does things like baking cookies for my newsroom and bringing them to us while we're waiting for election results to come in. My staff loves Martha too. In fact, I don't know of anyone who has met Martha who doesn't love her. Even 400 editors at a convention in New Orleans thought she was just the greatest. They were right.

Have you ever ministered to the homeless with your wife? Let me tell you, it's one thing to minister the love of Jesus to people, but to do it with your wife is one of the greatest feelings you will ever have.

Love In Action International Ministries has grown tremendously these past four years, and that's no coincidence. It would not be where it's at today without Martha. We work together in running this ministry. What's cool, is she's loved every minute of it. No complaining. No staying at home while I respond to God's call on my life. She is right there with me, together. God has a call on her life too. He's called us together, and it's been the most incredible four years anyone could ever pray to have. I can't wait to see what this next year holds, and the year after that, and on and on.

Nope, there is no one like my Martha. I love you Martha, so very, very much. Other than Jesus saving me, you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. I hope I tell you enough how much I love you. Thank you for loving me like you do. Thank you for supporting me in everything I do. I wouldn't be where I'm at in my career without your love and support. Our ministry wouldn't be where it's at without you.

I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you.

Happy anniversary beautiful.

- Ken

A prayer request for my nephew

My nephew, James Reid, and the Alabama National Guard unit he has been training with for the past year left Tallassee this morning heading to Indiana. They will train there for the four to six weeks, then deploy to Iraq for a year.

Many of you know James as he has taken part in many of our outreaches. He was a fixture at a lot of our Jesus Jam Festivals, especially the ones we did locally. Remember the flips he used to do? He's always been a clown. I always get blamed for that for some reason. :-)

James is very special to me, as are all of my nephews and nieces. I love them all very much. Please pray for his safety and for the safety of everyone in that national guard unit and for all of them to come back home safely.

Pray for James' wife, Krystle, and their two precious children - Kenny (2 years old) and Wyatt (6 weeks old). Pray for all of us in his family as we will miss him tremendously.

Pray for all of our American troops in Iraq, Afghanistan and everywhere throughout the world. Pray for their families. Pray for all of our nation's leaders as well.

Some of you have gone through this already with members of your family. It's a tough time. But, we know God is with James. We're very proud of him. He's a fine young man with a beautiful family.

Here's a link to a column I wrote recently about James: http://www.dothaneagle.com/dea/news/opinion/columnists/article/my_little_buddy_is_going_to_war/42830/

Thank you for your prayers.