Rogers Update 1/28/2019
January 29, 2019
Dear Friends,
The famous words, “God is good all the time!” are certainly true – not just when life is going well and God is doing what we want, but also when life is challenging and God is doing something that doesn’t make sense to our limited understanding. However, it is a special joy when God does the unexpected that is more than what indeed was anticipated! Sit back, relax, and listen to this!
First, let me share that I am in Oceanside, California, helping some precious brothers and sisters in Christ (one of my supporting churches) while their pastor gets away for some much deserved time off. I realize that it is a “tough” situation for me to have to do ministry in southern California, especially during the middle of winter, but I do enjoy serving the Lord wherever the assignment! The truth is serving the Lord is always challenging even in “paradise!” Pray for God’s people here as they serve the Lord in the middle of a vast ocean of human need!
Now back to my story of how great God is! While I was in California ministering, our house furnace in Indiana decides it is time to finally end all efforts of ever heating the house again. It has tried that a couple of times this last year, but we were able (through the efforts of a repair man) to convince the furnace to hang in there a little longer. Beabea commented, “Why does this stuff seem to always happen while you are away on a trip?” Meanwhile, out here in California, I am preaching one of my favorite books of the Bible, the Book of Habakkuk. This amazing story tucked away in the minor prophets deals with a man of God who doesn’t understand why God is doing things the way that God is doing things. How God is acting makes no sense to Habakkuk, and he tells God what he thinks about it in not so polite words. As this biblical account unfolds, God patiently works with His prophet to help him realize trusting his Lord is more important than understanding. Of course teaching such a message would certainly cause the one teaching it to totally trust the Lord even if a “difficult” situation suddenly occurred in his life – right? Hmmm…
I remember hearing the cost to replace the furnace (they are not cheap) and just hanging up the phone kind of numb. I had this distinctive Habakkuk type urge to explain to God why this didn’t make sense. After all, I was one of the good guys serving Him. I was also sure there were plenty of ungodly people who had furnaces working just fine. I wanted so much to remind God about how much money was actually in my bank account and make sure He remembered my slightly less than 50% support level. A spiritual battle now took place. I found myself spending the next couple of days redetermining regularly that God was still God and wasn’t in a panic about what was going on. I finally accepted my fate that I was going to have to make payments on a new furnace, and God would have to supply the funds. (Surely God could come up with a monthly payment each month. To be honest I just didn’t like the idea that I would have to trust Him with supplying the payment each month. This initial situation was hard enough without having to get my mind straight every four weeks!) As I was processing these feelings that I was dealing with, I reminded myself of a definition of faith that I have often said while preaching a sermon, “Faith is the decision to trust God even when I doubt!”
Then I received an email from BEM informing me of what had come into my account. There were the usual encouraging gifts that we had grown use to receiving, but in addition to that – an individual (who knew nothing of the expired furnace) had sent enough money in a one-time gift to cover the entire cost. How wonderful to know that I had completely trusted the Lord through this whole experience without a single doubt! Okay, so I had lots of doubts! Listen, I am just human, right? Amazing, with all my doubts, all my concerns, God was just being God! When it was all said and done, I felt like God was patting me on the head, saying, “I will never leave you or forsake you!” Oh, yes, Beabea enjoyed handing the check to the furnace people for the full amount!
Could God have worked differently? Of course! Had God not sent the money to our account at the mission, He would have still been good! Thank you, Lord, for patiently working with me!
Another reason to rejoice (even more than the news of God’s provision for our furnace) is I received a phone call from my grandson, Garrett, a few days back. He told me that he had trusted Jesus to be his Savior and that he was going to Heaven. Let the angels break out in song! Hallelujah! Rejoice with me that another grandchild has come to Christ! Grandparents, keep praying! I mean I had tears of joy in my eyes! Are tough missionaries allowed to cry? (I don’t mean about furnaces…) God is good!
I will be home most of February. It will be great to see Beabea. I can’t wait to snuggle in our nice warm house! In March I will fly to Fairbanks, Alaska where I will be speaking in a couple of churches. In one of the churches, the pastor will be gone on a ministry trip to China. I will be taking over his responsibilities while he is gone. Let’s see, from sunny California to the white wonderland of Alaska. It is never boring serving God!
Missing Beabea and loving Jesus,
John (and Beabea) Rogers
jtrbem@gmail.com
7265 West 320 SouthRussiaville, IN 46979Home: (765) 889-3264Cell: (765) 753-0056 Commissioning Church: Shepherd Road Baptist Church, P.O. Box 1054, Mulberry, FL 33860 Barnabas Enrichment Ministries
P.O. Box 229
Elkhart, IN 46515-0229(765) 667-2532
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