Have you ever thought about everything that is supposed to make us happy?

This week we received advertisements for a book about garden secrets. If we would simply try it, (risk free!!!) we would learn everything we need to know about successful gardening, and we would be thrilled with the results and it would bring us much happiness. Just three easy payments of $9.95. I also received a notice saying that we were one of the finalists in a contest, and I was sure to win several million dollars if I would just renew my subscription to the Reader’s Digest. They said that all my financial problems would soon be over and I could live in luxury and plenty from here on out. (In the VERY fine print it stated that my chances were about one in three hundred million. Aw shucks!) We also received a political brochure from our state representative saying that if we would just fill out this survey, then he would support our position and that he would make us quite happy.

The best of all promises came from a Christian publisher who promised that for $14.95 a month, plus shipping and handling, he would send a tape from one of several popular Christian authors that would enable us to "overcome challenges", "get closer to God", "feel more of His presence", "be at peace", "be filled with the Spirit of God", "be set free", "know God’s will", and a long list of other good things. There were fourteen full pages of promises, and all this was for those who were too busy to spend much time reading the Bible!!!

Individuals who are addicted to alcohol or other drugs are some of the unhappiest people I have known. However, the way to peace and fruitfulness is quite simple and it is free. When I go to the state drug and alcohol treatment center here in town and talk about recovery from drugs, the message is simple. I tell them to trust in Jesus Christ to pay for the penalty of their sin and commit themselves to walking with Him. I help them to develop a Bible reading program, encourage them to develop a regular habit of praying, and to get involved in a good Bible- teaching church. Believe it or not, it works. There are no books or tapes to buy. Last month four men accepted Jesus Christ, and several recommitted their lives to serving our Lord Jesus Christ. In one of the men there were more changes in his life than I have ever seen in a new born Christian. It was thrilling. Down the way I will share more with you.

Before I finish this letter, I want to say that I am certainly not opposed to good Christian books, tapes, etc. I have a collection myself. However, I am convinced that the proliferation of Christian books and other materials have muddied the water and detracted from the simple goal of learning and living His Word. Many spend a lot more time listening to what others say about the Word than they do learning from the Word itself. This can lead to fruitlessness and defeat. In the Word of God there is power. If we are going to have peace, to be happy, to know and to walk with God, we will have to spend a lot more time getting to know, to live and to meditate on the Word of God, not on what others have said about his Word.

And by the way, we bought the gardening book and are looking foreword to resuming our gardening which we have not done for many years.

Not long after we came home from our trip, a young lady with a history of addictions called and said that she had been told that we teach the Bible straight. Would we teach her? She came over and Linda and I got acquainted with her. She has been coming over for three weeks now and is eagerly studying with us. Last week she came to church and brought her mom and sister. Pray for her. She is a brand new Christian and has a lot of testing and hard choices ahead of her. Also pray that we will have wisdom in discipling her.

Last week at the state treatment center where I do "volunteer" counseling, I talked to a young man in his late twenties. He had started drinking as a four year old child. All he ever knew was drinking and carousing which he thought was a normal life style. He had not been in church since he was very young when his grandmother would take him occasionally. He had never read the Bible and, as far as he knew, he did not know anybody who was a Christian. Yet the whole time I talked to him, I strongly sensed the Spirit of God at work. He eagerly and enthusiastically accepted the Lord Jesus Christ. What a pleasure and joy to see one more person come with joy into the kingdom God. Again, we would ask you to pray for "Pete". He has a time of testing and growth ahead of him.

We want to say thank you to all of you who faithfully pray for us and give toward our financial support. May God bless you for it.

Four years ago an individual entered a drug and alcohol treatment program and wanted a Bible when I offered him one. He was not ready to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, but after he left the program, from time to time, he would read the Bible. After four years of alternating periods of relapse and sobriety, he decided to come into the program again. This time the Spirit of God was at work and he was ready to listen. He was ready and anxious to put his trust in Jesus. It was exciting for me to be able to lead him to the Lord afer planting the seed four years ago. What a blessing!

I was also talking to another man who accepted the Lord in the center about three months ago. His enthusiasm for the Lord was contagious. As we talked, I made a statement that he didn’t have to be a theologian to lead another person to the Lord. He then rather enthusiastically recounted that while he was still in the recovery program he had told another resident what he had learned from me and the other resident had gotten saved. He said "I just told him what you told me, and he got saved". Shortly after finishing the program and going back home (in Missouri), he was talking to another addict and led him to the Lord.

Most of the time when an individual leaves the recovery program I never see them again. I often wonder how they are doing. From time to time God opens the door and lets us see a little of what He is doing in the lives of these men. What a blessing!!!

Come visit the rain forest of northeast Oklahoma. Well, we’re not really a rain forest but the month of June sure seemed like it. We had about twenty-four inches of rain at our house. We have a small rain gauge, and it’s kinda fun to keep track of how much rain we get. We live on a small hillside and whenever we get three or four inches of rain in a fairly short period of time, it causes some small washouts in our driveway. It is not serious, but more of a nuisance. I normally have to smooth the driveway two or three times a year, but I had to do it three times in June alone. We have an old 1945 Ford tractor we call "Poor Baby" that we use to smooth out the road. If I pat him real gently and promise to let him spend the night in the garage, he will normally run long enough to get the job done. The hills around us are greener than normal because of all the rain and they are really beautiful now.

About seven years ago we accepted an individual named Randy into the recovery program at

Riverview Center. On his way to Riverview, he started drinking and then lost his way. He wound up at an apartment building not too far from Riverview. While parked there, he fell asleep behind the wheel of his car. Someone called the police and Randy was hauled off to spend a day drying out in the county jail. The next day he called Riverview and wondered why we had called the police. Actually it really wasn’t us at all. Ron and Jenna Coleman were helping us at the time and Ron went down to pick him up at the jail and bring him on out to Riverview.

We went ahead and accepted Randy into the program. As we began working with him, it became evident that he was a genuinely saved man, and that he was sincere in his desire to live for the Lord. As time passed, Randy showed an unusual ability to understand and to teach the Word of God. Occasionally I would have him teach part of the Bible study and he would do a very good job, better than many more experienced teachers that I have heard. Before he graduated from our program, I strongly encouraged him to get some more training and become a Bible teacher.

After leaving the program he witnessed to his own family and led one of his teen-aged sons to the Lord. Later however, we were disappointed to hear that he had relapsed and started drinking again. We lost track of him until last month when I received an invitation in the mail to attend

an ordination service. The person being ordained was Randy. I called him on the phone and had a thrilling time catching up on everything that had taken place. He had gotten back on track with the Lord, and began studying in earnest. Early this year he was called by a church in western Oklahoma to be their pastor. In our conversation he told us that Riverview had had a profound spiritual impact on him and that God had used individuals at Riverview to bring him back to walking with the Lord. He was extremely appreciative of the individuals on the staff who had guided him back to the Lord.

What a blessing to hear this voice from that past and find out that God is very much at work, even when we don’t know it.

PRAISE

In the past eleven years of working with alcoholics and other drug addicts, I have had the privilege of leading Whites, Indians, Blacks, and Hispanics to the Lord. A couple of weeks ago I was able to lead a Jewish man to faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. He was open and ready to put his faith in the Messiah. What a blessing!!! Last Friday, I talked to another man who was eager to put his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Many, perhaps most, of the men who come into the recovery center don’t own much more than the clothes they have on; however this man was fairly well to do with a considerable amount of savings. He had spent most of his life earning a big salary. However, when his wife divorced him and gained custody of the kids, he found that money was a very empty companion. For the next six years he was very unhappy and restless and increasingly turned to alcohol to kill the hurt. During this time God was also active drawing this man to Himself. He began attending churches, including several Baptist churches, trying to find the way to know God. During all this time evidently no one had explained to him the simple plan of salvation. After I carefully explained it to him, he immediately, without any hesitation, literally fell on his knees in tears and poured out his heart to God and accepted Him as his own Lord and Savior. I don’t believe that in my years of ministry I have ever talked to a person more ready to accept Him. Again what a blessing!!!

WEATHER

I know you don’t read these letters to find out about Oklahoma weather, but it sure has been crazy here. In our last letter we talked about the rainforest of Northeast Oklahoma. June was a very wet month with 24 inches of rain at our house. In August and September, I could have invited you to the desert of Northeast Oklahoma. They turned out to be the driest months on record and also one of the hottest with temperatures well over 100 for several weeks. It was drier and hotter than the even the dust bowl years. Now in the first part of October we are having record cold days. In the last few years I have planted a bunch of fruit and nut trees. Between the weather and the deer, they have had hard starts in life. Oh well, we still like and enjoy Oklahoma. (Most of the time).

It’s holiday season again. It’s a time to be happy. We get together with relatives and friends. We eat big meals. We buy, we give and we receive gifts. We celebrate the coming of a new year. Charitable programs seem to abound-- angel trees, coats for kids, meals for the poor and homeless, bikes for kids who can’t otherwise afford one, free long distance phone calls for those who can’t afford to call home. The list of charitable activities goes on and on. It is good to see people genuinely caring about their fellow human beings who are less fortunate. It is also good to see our friends and relatives, our children and our grandchildren.

Yet one does not have to look far to see shallowness. Thanksgiving Day parades that have no thanksgiving, Christmas where Santa and commercialism, not Christ, are exalted, and the new year begins with revelry without a thought of the Lord Jesus Christ. This kind of holiday "cheer" may mask, but does nothing to heal, things such as the pain, hurt, guilt, fear, bitterness and unhappiness, that so many, both Christians and non-Christians, feel so deeply.

This sounds gloomy and depressing, but the longer I work with people the more I see how deeply many people are hurting, and they don’t have much hope that things will get better. It does not have to be this way. As Christians we can use the holiday season to reaffirm and deepen our walk with Him. Over and over Scripture instructs us to be thankful. It is very hard to be angry, fearful, discouraged, and genuinely thankful at the same time. As we celebrate the birth of Christ, we can commit ourselves to being a real disciple of Christ. When we are a genuine disciple of Christ, our spirits are free, not in bondage to pain and discouragement. We can look forward to a new year, eagerly expecting God to work through us.

What is happening is that we have let society take control of our lives. Take back the control and give it to the Lord Jesus Christ. May I make three simple old fashioned suggestions for making this real?

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
Romans 8:32

We appreciate your prayers and your giving, which enable us to serve the Lord among the Indian people and others here in Northeast Oklahoma.

In the years that God has allowed me to minister to alcoholics and other drug addicts we have seen some thrilling results. In December, three more men made professions of faith. This is always a real privilege to be used by God in this way. From time to time we hear from someone we have worked with in the past. Sometimes it is a real thrill to hear how they are still walking with God. Other times, however, it is a real heartbreaking story. Just yesterday we got a long

e-mail from a wife that told us the following story about her former husband who was one of the men who had come to our program at Riverview Center. I really believe that Jay (not his real name) had genuinely accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior. However he turned back to his old sinful lifestyle. Here is a quick recount of the story.

After Jay finished the program at Riverview Center, he went back to his wife and for a time they did well. He was attending church, had a good trade, plenty of work, and he seemed to be rebuilding his life. However, with time, Jay began to give in to old temptations and started drinking again. He left his wife and married another woman who was a professing Christian, but who had anything but a Godly influence on Jay’s life. He continued drinking and that marriage ended in disaster. Later he married another woman. That marriage also ended in divorce. Jay still continued in his addictions. By this time his health was so bad that he was barely hanging onto life. He was homeless, destitute, friendless, dirty and cold. He went back to his first wife and tried to get her to care for him. When she refused, he went back to his last wife for assistance. While driving her car he had a massive heart attack, swerved into oncoming traffic and hit a van head on. He and the couple in the van were all killed. They cremated his body and his remains were put in a "borrowed" grave.

As I was read this story, I felt for his first wife whom I know had loved and prayed for him and encouraged him to walk with the Lord. I was also reminded of how Satan treats those who serve him. Sin has its appeal, but its final end is destruction. I thought about how satisfying it is to serve the Lord and how He brings blessing to those who serve Him. I also thought about Christians who complain that it is too hard to serve the Lord. If only they would stop to realize how much God loves us and how much He saves us from. God help us to be faithful servants.

I know that I said that I would stop writing about Oklahoma weather, but.... after 24 inches of rain in June, near record heat and drought in August and September, now November was the coldest November on record and December was the second coldest December on record. We also had the most snow ever recorded in December. In December we also had an ice storm that has left some 28 people dead. We had a bout an inch of ice covering the roads, trees, power lines, and everything else. Just about an hour south of us they had two to three inches of ice covering everything. The cold, the nearly doubling price of natural gas, the power outages, and the water outages has caused a lot of misery in this part of the country. We were unable to leave our house for about four days, and we were without power for about seven hours, but we were prepared and suffered no undue hardship.

By the way does anybody know who won the national collegiate football championship this year (grin)?

Several years ago Neomia and her mentally challenged twenty-four year old grandson began attending our church. Since they seldom had transportation, we began picking them up and bringing them. For the next three years they missed only two or three services. They were there Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, prayer meetings and at all special meetings. Neomia would listen carefully and as time passed I could see evidence of spiritual growth. I looked forward to the day when she would begin taking an active part in the ministry of the church. Her faithfulness was a tremendous encouragement to us. Over time, Linda and I developed a deep appreciation and love for her.

It was evident that Neomia had had a hard life and she had deep winkles in her face. For the first several months she said very little. As time passed she began to talk freely and we gained insight into her past and her family. She loved her grandchildren and deeply felt their many problems. Often when we would pick her up for church, it was evident she was troubled. She regularly asked for prayer for various individuals in her family. As she talked she would begin to feel better. She developed a love for singing, and would often request several songs in our service. As we sang, I could often see the tension begin to leave her face and she would be more relaxed and would enjoy and sometimes participate in the service. In the last year or so she began requesting more songs that looked forward to heaven. Although she never said anything, I believe that she began to suspect that she would soon be going to where she would no longer face the difficult troubles and trials of this life.

One evening Neomia was having trouble breathing and asked to be taken to the hospital. It was soon discovered that she had terminal cancer throughout her body. Three weeks later she went to her home in heaven. She left a big hole in our hearts and in our church.

Good-bye Neomia. Enjoy the peace you so deeply wanted. We miss you. We will see you soon.

Thank you Parker Road Bible Church (Chicago area) for putting on the new roof on our house. What a blessing you were. You saved Linda and me many many hours of work and trouble. Thank you and God bless you.

Every couple of years or so Linda and I take a fairly short deputation trip to the Northwest to give a report of our ministry to churches and individuals who faithfully support us. This year we are planning to attend our annual missions conference in Nebraska the first of August and then to go on up to Idaho for the rest of August and the first week in September. If you would like us to come to your home or church, it would be an encouragement and help to us.

Early this spring, Chad, a thirty-five year old man accepted the Lord in jail and then came to the drug and alcohol recovery program where I met him. He was having marriage problems and his wife’s parents were strongly urging his wife to divorce Chad. I was able to encourage him and give him some marriage counseling. Chad is out now but he still faces more jail time. However, Chad is a changed man and his marriage is doing well. They both have a strong desire to serve the Lord and they are getting involved in a local church. Pray that Chad’s commitment will remain strong and that their marriage will stay strong, especially if Chad has to do some more time.

Several years ago, I had talked to another man about accepting the Lord while he was in the recovery program. He did not respond at that time, but later when sitting in a jail cell he remembered what he had been told and accepted the Lord while alone in his cell. He now has a desire to live for the Lord. What an encouragement it was to hear him tell his story.

I was sitting at a park bench in Veteran’s Memorial Park in Boise, Idaho, reading my Bible and praying. Linda and I were beginning a deputation trip and I was asking God to use me in the lives of people who needed know Him or who needed encouragement in their walk with Him. I don’t know that I have ever seen a prayer answered so quickly. When I opened my eyes, I was surprised to see a man standing just a few feet away. We began to talk and I listened to his story which sounded so familiar. He and his first wife were divorced and now he and his second wife were fighting and were separated. He deeply missed his kids. He was away from his home, alone, angry, hungry, and had no one to turn to for help. After a meal together, and more talking, I carefully explained the plan of salvation to him and showed him how he could be completely forgiven, and how he could find peace with God. While he had heard some of it before, he had never had anyone explain it to him so he could understand. I could sense the Spirit of God at work and he eagerly prayed and accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. What a blessing!!! As I look back on it, again I can see that it was 100% God at work and nothing of me. I did not go looking for him, or even expect him, but God brought him and almost stood him right beside me. What a God we have!

The more I see of people the more I see that they are troubled and hurting. Few, including many Christians, have real peace. Some of us who have been Christians for a long time have lost our perspective. God regularly saves us from situations that would cause deep hurt and trouble, and we don’t even know it. Much of the time we are not thankful. When, for our own good, God does allow pain and hurt, we question his goodness and faithfulness. And we are so busy that we hardly notice when others around us are hurting and need us to encourage them and to lead them to the Prince of Peace.

After two months on the road it was good to get back home again. We enjoy our home. It was also good to get back to ministering to alcoholics and other addicts, and getting back to jail again (that is-- holding services in jail). It was good to get back to the Indian people again. All you Whites out there look awfully pale and unhealthy.

Pray for us. Pray that God will give a productive ministry with the Indian people. They too are troubled and hurting. They need the Prince of Peace.

Christmas...

...For Christians, a time of thanksgiving. The Lord Jesus Christ was born, He lived, He died, and He was raised again so that you and I could have life. Millions through the centuries have been blessed. Thank You, Lord!!!

To raise his Son, God chose the most educated theologians, rich in worldly goods, in places of power and influence, so that his Son would get the best upbringing possible. No, we know it really didn’t happen that way. In fact, God chose two very "ordinary" "common" people, Joseph and Mary, to raise his own Son.

God has a place for the well educated, the well-to-do, and the rich who are committed to serving Him. Yet I suspect that down through the centuries, it has been the common ordinary people who have done most of the Lord’s work. Most of the ministry God has placed in my hands has been with ordinary people. In fact, many, perhaps most, are poor and have in one way or another suffered more than most people.

We, the ordinary people, are regularly berated for being ordinary. We are told that if we would have more faith, pray harder, read the Bible more, resist Satan, be filled with the Spirit, be more faithful in church, have a servant’s heart, etc., etc., etc., that we wouldn’t be such an ordinary Christian and we would be used by God in a powerful way. We are told it’s unspiritual to have hard times and get discouraged.

"Worthless like me"

When he said these words I cringed inside. The disappointment and anger in his voice and soul were evident as he spoke. Here was a talented individual that could not even be "ordinary" because of a severe handicap. Inside I too felt some anger. Why does God allow bad things to happen to his own people? It certainly was not the first time I had considered this question. I have learned to deal with the difficulties I still have from encephalitis. I have seen good come from it in my own life, but I was having trouble accepting the severe limitations I was seeing in someone else.

As I thought about, it my mind went to what I had been reading and thinking about in

II Corinthians 3-5. We are being transformed into His likeness. We reflect his glory. Our reflection of his glory does not happen because we are well known, rich, talented, or free of physical handicaps. It happens as we know and daily walk with God. It does not take an extra-ordinary super saint to reflect the Lord Jesus Christ and to be used by Him. Ordinary people with many problems can live, day to day, reflecting Jesus Christ. That is what God put us here for and that is what brings him glory.

As we walk with Him and submit to Him, He will open up doors of service for Him. For the vast majority of us it will not be in ways that influence great crowds of people. I have often been asked by someone if I would pray about something. In a sense, that is a small ordinary thing. I will have to admit that at times I have not taken it very seriously. I was busy with "more important" things like writing lessons and teaching in churches. Recently the Lord swatted me along side the head and showed me the value of this very ordinary ministry. I was asked by two separate people to pray about family situations. I responded with two more or less routine prayers. Later when I saw these two men again, they were both excited and happy. One wife had been saved and the other man’s marriage had been greatly improved. Both felt it was the prayers that made the difference. As I listened to them, I was both happy and convicted... convicted because of my own attitude and happy because God had worked.

God uses ordinary people in many "ordinary" ways. If you are one of those ordinary people, I encourage you to regularly look for ordinary ways to serve Him and reflect Him. That brings joy to the heart of God.

Many of you will remember that in the early 1990's, I often mentioned Clark Wilson, a Choctaw Indian man, in our news and prayer letters. I first met Clark in southeastern Oklahoma in the fall of 1988. We spent many hours studying, praying, planning, and working together. As Clark grew in his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, he became one of the most dedicated servants of the Lord Jesus Christ that I have ever worked with.

Clark was a gifted man. He had been a multi-millionaire, but he lost it all because of his alcoholism. When Clark was at the bottom in a pit of hopelessness, despair, and near suicide, he cried out to God for help. God answered his prayer and Clark came to the point where he understood the plan of salvation and accepted it. About one year after that, I met him and we began studying and working together. It became Clark’s passion to help other addicts to find salvation and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ.

It was through Clark’s influence that Linda and I began to have a ministry with alcoholics and other drug addicts. Eventually Clark and his wife Glenda, and Linda and I moved to Tahlequah Oklahoma, where we started Riverview Center, which was a ministry to addicts. With help we fixed up an old camp and invited men who were addicts to come and learn about the Lord Jesus Christ. I served as the Bible teacher, director, fund raiser, peace keeper, etc.,etc., etc. Linda was the cook and the oil which kept the whole thing functioning somewhat smoothly. Clark taught the men about faith in God and victory over addictions. Clark went from being a multi- millionaire to living on about five hundred dollars a month, and although he had difficult times, overall he loved it. He loved his Lord and he loved serving Him.

After working together for about six years, one night in 1994, Clark and I were sitting on his front porch talking. I vividly remember a statement he made. He said, "Phil, I have never told this to another person, but I have asked God to allow me to lead one hundred people to the Him before I die". Clark’s burden was for alcoholics and other addicts although it certainly was not limited to them.

God in His Sovereignty chose not to answer that prayer. The very next day Clark went into the hospital and about a month later died of Guillon Barre syndrome. It didn’t make sense to me,

and I often wondered why God chose to take him home; however, God is sovereign and we see only a very small part of the whole plan of God. I myself had just recovered from a second near fatal bout with viral encephalitis. Shortly after Clark’s death, as I was thinking about all this, I asked God if He would allow me to lead those one hundred addicts (and others) to the Lord.

Although it has not been my major ministry, since that time I have continued working with addicts. From time to time I have individually talked to many addicts and God has brought some of these men to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. On March 26^th, 2002, about eight years after Clark’s death, I had the privilege of leading the one hundredth individual to make a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. What a blessing to see that God has answered Clark’s prayer, just not in quite the way Clark asked or expected it. In addition to those one hundred individuals, there have been many others who have been helped back on the path of walking with God again.

It is not my plan to keep track of numbers. Numbers can be deceiving and lead to pride in self; however, I have kept track of these so we could tell when Clark’s prayer was answered. Pray for this ministry as I continue to work with addicts. I am fully aware that many of these men slip back into their lifestyle of addiction. I also know that some of them remain faithful. There have been families reestablished, and at least one man and maybe a second, who are now pastors.

Two lawn mowers were running in the neighbor’s yard about a 150 feet away. Under a tree nearby a guitar was playing and the youth were singing. Kids and adults were continually going from place to place just a few feet away, and I was leaning against a 500 gallon propane tank teaching an adult class about creation and what it means to be created in the image of God. I had to raise my voice to be heard above the lawn mowers, the singing, and people talking nearby.

I was wondering whether anybody could hear me, let alone understand what I was teaching. Yet many of them seemed to be listening intently. Linda, who was in the class, also noticed how closely they seemed to be listening. There were 25 adults from at least four different Indian churches attending.

In the first class on Monday night, I distinctly sensed that some of the approxmately15 adults attending were quite cool and not at all sure about the White man who was teaching (me). By Tuesday night they were more relaxed and even asked some questions. By Thursday night the class had grown to 25 individuals and in spite of the distractions, many listened very carefully. Two asked me to pray that they would be more obedient servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. On Friday, several expressed their appreciation for my coming and teaching them.

One evening several months ago Eli Nofire, an Indian man from another Indian church in Tahlequah, called and asked me if I would be a member of a team of teachers that was going to hold summer Vacation Bible Schools in Indian churches that were too small to have Bible schools on their own. I readily agreed, and became the adult teacher on the team. That is how I came to be leaning against a propane tank teaching an adult class near the town of Jay, Oklahoma. I was the only White teacher on the team. I taught in week long Bible schools in five different churches. At first I did not think many adults would be attending, yet week after week the classes had between 15 and 20 people attending even though these were very small churches. In almost every church, adults, including some pastors, from several different churches attended.

The lessons that I was teaching were the first lessons in a series of teaching "seminars" I have been writing and preparing to teach in the Indian churches of northeast Oklahoma. I have been writing study guides to go along with the lessons. After I teach the lesson, I make the study guides available to whoever wants them. These guides are fairly complete (10-20 pages) and cover the topic being taught much more thoroughly than can be covered in an evening’s teaching. These guides take a lot of time to write and at times I wondered if I should spend so much time at it. However, I was more than a little surprised at how eagerly they were taken. We gave out over 400 study guides this summer. Individuals would come back and ask for more to give to friends and family members.

These five weeks of teaching were a big encouragement to us. We saw a hunger for solid Bible teaching among the Indian churches that I had not seen before. The vast majority of the preaching in the Indian churches is evangelistic. Solid Bible teaching is almost non-existent. As a result, the churches are weak and very small. I had one individual tell me that they had 21 people saved in their church last year, but now not one of them was still coming to church. Most Sunday School teachers do not have a very good perspective on teaching the Bible. Another door that is beginning to open is to train teachers, but that is a topic for a future letter.

I believe God has given us the responsibility of upgrading the quality of Bible teaching in the Indian churches of northeastern Oklahoma. This is an immense responsibility. The obstacles are so big that only God Himself can remove them. We need His continual strength and direction. It will involve a lot of praying, teaching and training.

We need your prayers.

Our church, Elm Tree Baptist Church, has just received a building permit to begin building a new church. Work on the building should begin within a couple of weeks. The pastor,

DJ McCarter, has a vision of helping other struggling Indian churches. That is a topic for a future letter.

Years ago Sue accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, but as time passed and she experienced some hard years, she strayed away from the Lord. About a year and a half ago she began attending church again. For most of that year and a half she has been coming to my Sunday School class. It has been a source of satisfaction to see her steady growth in the Lord. In this period of time she has befriended Ann, a very troubled 15 year old girl, who from time to time would also come to class, but never said much. (The names have been changed.)

Ann did not know the Lord. The more I found out about her, I was again saddened to know how much some kids have to go through. There are kids out there like Ann who have experienced more pain, hurt, and trouble than many adults suffer in a life time. It is unbelievable what some kids go through. Our society pretends to love children, but in reality, millions of selfish adults are willing to sacrifice their kids on altars of their own so-called rights to personal freedom, fulfillment, greed, and pleasure.

Last Sunday Ann accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal Savior. What a joy!!! Linda observed that it was the first time she had seen Ann really smile. Seeing Ann come to know God was real special for both Linda and I. How does one describe the value of one troubled 15 year old young lady coming to know the Lord? I, for one, am committing the rest of my life to encouraging Native Americans and others to know, to walk with, and to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

What a blessing that Sue, a middle aged woman, was willing to take the time and energy to befriend a young 15 year old girl who desperately needed someone to love her. Because of Sue, Ann came to know the One who loves her the most, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We would appreciate your prayers. We are feeling a little overwhelmed by everything we need to do. Also pray for our finances.

Christmas!

Another Christmas season!!! Another opportunity to grow in our love and commitment to honoring and serving the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope that this season will be a time of genuine spiritual growth in each of our lives.

Lately as I have taught various classes in different churches, it seems as if the Lord has been reminding me of the total impossibility of any person accomplishing any spiritual goal in our own human efforts. We know this intellectually, but I have been sensing the need to be a person that God can work through to accomplish his own will and purpose.

God has given Linda and me a tremendous responsibility-teaching Indian people of northeastern Oklahoma to know and to walk with God. We need you to partner with us in accomplishing this commission, by praying for us and praying for the Indian people and others that we work with.

In the past we have deeply appreciated those of you who regularly prayed for this ministry. I am convinced that any "success" we might have had is a direct result of the prayers of God’s people. We would like to strengthen this prayer support by sending very current weekly or semi-weekly prayer requests by email to those of you who would like to be part of an on going prayer support team. This can also be a two way prayer support team. Send us your prayer requests, and it will be an honor for us to pray with you for your requests.

If you would like to be part of this email prayer team, send us your email address and let us know. Our email address is philb@intellex.com. We give you our word that we will not give your address to any to anybody’s mailing list.

In the last couple of months our ministry to alcoholics and other drug addicts at the state treatment center has totally changed. There have been new state regulations, a new director, and a totally different program has been implemented. Instead of leading group therapy sessions which were mandatory for all the clients, Linda and I are now leading a voluntary Bible study on Tuesday evenings. This has both positive and negative sides to it. However, so far, attendance has been real low. Somehow or another there seems to be a spiritual opposition to the ministry. We would appreciate your prayers for this ministry.

Dear Friends,

In the month of December, there were some exciting answers to prayer. Let me tell you about them, but first can you take one more mention of e-mail?

We would like to use e-mail to send as many of our prayer and news letters as possible. Over time, that will save us a considerable amount of money. However, we cannot do that unless we know your e-mail address. We would appreciate it if you would send us your e-mail address so that you can receive these letters by e-mail. Send your address to philb@intellex.com We would appreciate it. We will absolutely not give your address to any commercial or non-profit organization. We will continue to send the letters by regular mail to those who do not have e-mail.

A couple of months ago we initiated an e-mail prayer support team. Every week or so, we send out current prayer requests and ask people to pray. I am convinced this prayer support team has already had a very positive impact on our ministry here. If you would like to be part of this prayer support team, then send us your e-mail address and specifically indicate that you would like to be a part of this regular prayer ministry. We will not put anybody’s name on this prayer team unless they specifically ask to be on it.

In the past few months I asked many of you to pray relating to our ministry with alcoholics and other drug addicts at the state program here in Tahlequah. There was a complete revision of their program and almost a complete change in personnel. It looked for a time that the ministry there might be over. However, clients have the right to "practice their religion" and several were asking for Bible instruction. After several talks with the new director, I was asked to be the volunteer chaplain of the center. It was arranged that I would lead Bible studies on Tuesday evenings, and that I would arrange to have services for the residents on Sunday morning.

Since I was already involved in a teaching ministry on Sunday morning, I could not work out a schedule that I could lead Sunday morning services, so I made arrangements for some others to lead that service. In Tahlequah there is a Christian retirement center where there are many retired missionaries and pastors. I made arrangements for some of these men to lead these services. Their response was enthusiastically positive. These are mature Christians and they are doing an excellent job. They have provided topnotch music and Bible teaching/preaching. I personally lead the first service of the month and they lead the other three.

All this was set in motion in early December (2002). In the month of December there were at least five individuals who made professions of faith. One that I personally had the pleasure of leading to the Lord was a young mother of four who was only about twenty three years old herself. While we were talking she made the statement that she was so tired of living the kind of live she has been living and she knew that she needed God’s help. She gladly received the Lord Jesus Christ into her life. The change in her was evident. She now has hope for the future and it shows in her face.

Another major blessing in December was the marriage of our daughter Roxanne to

Stephen Scott Clark at Eagle Heights Baptist Church near Boise, Idaho. Stephen is a Christian who is committed to serving the Lord. We have enjoyed getting to know him. I had the privilege of performing the marriage ceremony, and it was a special wedding. We stayed for Christmas with them and with our son Tim and his family. We also got to spend some time with grandkids. It was an enjoyable time.

We continue to serve in our primary ministries with the Indian people of northeast Oklahoma. In our next letter we will bring you up to date about this ministry.

Thank you all for your prayers, your love, and your support.

In His Service,