Praise God for new roofs at LIA

The new roofs are such a great blessing. The membrane material is the best roof you
can have on flat roofs. Apaxx did an excellent job taking great care in installing it.

Every time it rained, Dan and I sighed and started moving buckets and totes around to catch the leaks from our porous roofs here at Love In Action. It had been a long-time prayer request for provisions to put new roofs on our buildings. We are very thankful and excited to report God has answered those prayers.

We now have a new roof on both of our buildings. No more leaks! Praise God! We thank the individuals who donated financially to make it happen. May God bless you more and more.

I remember the days our late brother Rick Denney would be up on the roof working to stop the leaks. Our friend Charles would often be on the roof with Rick. I suctioned gallons and gallons of rain water off that ponded on the roof to keep it from leaking any worse.

Even when Bro. Rick was on his death bed he was thinking about the roof. I would visit him after a heavy rain and he would ask about the roof. He couldn't talk, but I could read his lips. I know he is smiling from Heaven now that we have these new roofs.

Apaxx did a great job installing the new roofs. The membrane material is the best kind of roof you can have for flat roofs. Their work is top-notch; high quality work with high-quality roofing materials. They had to tear off, rebuild, and change the topography of one of our roofs because it was in such bad shape.

The new roofs protect the integrity of our buildings. It will also allow us to expand our ministry in suites 5 and 7. We are praying about exactly what God wants us to do, but we do believe He is leading us to expand our medical ministry with the Samaritan Clinic in suite 5.

We are in need of more room to conduct discipleship classes, so at least part of suite 7 will probably be used for that.

Please pray for the finances to remodel those two suites. It will take a lot of work, but it will be worth it as we will be able to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through acts of compassion even more with the expansion of those two suites.

We are so thankful for these two new roofs. Now when it rains Dan and I just smile and say, "Praise God! No more leaks!"

God is so good and faithful. We thank Him for His great provision and for each of you who financially supports Love in Action. May God bless you all.

The new drains (above), combined with the new topography on the roof, makes
the rain water drain off very quickly. No more ponding like the old roof. Praise God!
The new vent covers (below) were also badly needed.

Praising God for another good doctor report

Three years ago I didn't know if I would live to see another day, much less another year. Complications from a prostate biopsy nearly took me out.

I was in the hospital for the second time in a month this time three years ago. In addition to my kidneys shutting down, blood pressure bottoming out, and being very sick, I experienced excoriating pain in my back. I couldn't move, much less walk.

In 2014 my PSA jumped to over 6. It remained elevated over 6 in 2015. So, a biopsy was performed. One report stated I had prostate cancer. Another said they weren't sure. Later in the year I went for another biopsy for a second opinion. That one showed something really small and what they said was non-aggressive. It was after that second biopsy things went awry.

I was on my back for three months, unable to walk as the infection settled in my spine. I was quarantined in my hospital room, but my precious bride never left my side. I remember telling Martha I was ready to go home to Heaven and be with Jesus.

There were some touch and go moments, but obviously, God brought me through it. And, for the third consecutive year, I'm thankful to say I received another excellent report from my urologist in Birmingham today. My PSA is in the safe and healthy range of 2.49. To God be the glory! I believe God has healed me. That's the only explanation I can give for a PSA above 6 for two years to where it has been now the past three years.

A friend asked me this weekend what did I think it caused my PSA to drop so significantly. I responded, "Prayer, lots of prayer."

Martha and I both shed tears of joy again this afternoon in Birmingham and praised God. I told God that obviously, I want to be well, but I also want Him to get all of the praise, honor and glory for it. My prayer is my testimony will encourage someone. I pray that someone reading this or someone who hears me talk about it, will realize there really is a God and give his or her life to Jesus. I pray someone's faith will be increased as he or she face serious health issues, knowing they can trust God with their health.

Around five years ago, God miraculously healed Martha when a lump was discovered on one of her breasts. We are so thankful for God's healing power on our lives. We know it's all for His glory, and for us to continue doing His work that He has called us to do.

So be encouraged. Call out to God, no matter what the situation looks like. Give it to Him. Put your faith in Him. When you do, it's amazing how calm and relaxed you can face your situation. I remember no matter how much pain I was in, I knew God had me. I thought about the pain Jesus went through for me and knew what I was experiencing was nowhere close to what He went through to bring salvation to all who believe.

Since 2015, I've understood and lived by what the Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:21, "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." That's how I will always face life now. I had to go through that valley to understand that. So whatever you are going through, trust God. Let Him teach you want He wants to teach you in that valley. And know if He brings healing then to live is Christ. If He takes you home to Heaven, then to die is gain.

I know one day I will leave this world, and I look forward to it. For on that day I will see my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ face to face. But until He calls me home, I will thank Him and praise Him for all He does for me every day, and continue to live for Him.

Launch of food trailer a great success

Serving lunches to those in need with the LIA food trailer Saturday at the library.

I'm always excited about a ministry opportunity at Love In Action, but this past Saturday the level of my enthusiasm and expectation rose higher and higher as the day approached. A long-awaited prayer request had been answered and was about to be launched. Saturday was the maiden voyage of our new food trailer.

God has blessed us with a beautiful, well-built food trailer that we will use to reach thousands of people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ through acts of compassion. Those acts will be providing food for those who don't know where their next meal is coming from. Imagine being hungry and wondering where and when you will eat again and a pickup truck pulling a trailer pulls up. The side of the trailer goes up and people are handing you food from that trailer. You would have no doubt that God has not forgotten you.

That happened Saturday as we used the food trailer for the first time.

We started the day by serving BBQ sandwiches from the trailer at Love In Action. I wanted to start at home so we can learn what we need and don't need without being out in the city unprepared. It worked out great. Bro. Robert hooked up a new electrical plug for the trailer, and Bro. Bill brought us some step-down connections we needed to plug the trailer in. From that point, everything worked perfectly.

Our friends from Wiregrass Church smoked six Boston butts for the BBQ sandwiches. Our brother Erik knows how to use that smoker. That was some delicious BBQ, and all of our friends thought so, too. We served 100 meals at Love in Action.

Later Saturday afternoon, Martha, Dan and I took the food trailer out into the community. The trailer has a built-in, self-contained battery, so the lights work when we are out in the community. We took BBQ meals, fish dinners, and vegetable soup to a couple of low-rent hotels, the public library parking lot, and tent city. We served 75 more meals, but what made the entire day with the trailer worthwhile was a young man at one of the hotels who gave his life to Jesus.

A soul saved and 175 meals served made for a great first day with the food trailer. We know God is going to use this food trailer to reach thousands of people. We will be able to provide for physical needs, which will open doors to tell people about Jesus.

We thank God for this wonderful tool to spread His Gospel and meet needs.

The team from Wiregrass Church who helped us break in our new food trailer.

Making BBQ sandwiches inside the new Love In Action food trailer.