Learning from Jesus while Making Ornaments!

               As I spent time making this year's ornaments,  Jesus spent the time teaching and reminding of so many things.

     The recipe for the clay is 3 ingredients - corn starch, soda, and water.  As I stirred and stirred this conglomeration on the stove top I thought it would never turn in to the "smooth mashed potato consistency" the recipe said it would.  The first try at the recipe I was too impatient (as usual).  Dough stuck the to rolling pin and board.  Then when I tried to lift them from the board they became misshapen - edges were rough and ornaments cracked while drying in oven. 

 Next batch I took my time.  Oh my! What a difference.  Those ingredients really did look like smooth mashed potatoes with enough time given.  I kneaded the cooled dough for several minutes till it became more pliable which made rolling it out a breeze.  After cutting each heart shape a stamp was then used to impress an image on the heart.   A small straw was used to pierce a hole in the top of each heart.  I lifted it from board and very carefully took my finger to smooth out the edges before placing on dehydrator trays to air dry. I then placed the dehydrator close to the fireplace so they would dry.

                Bet you didn't think you would be reading a recipe did you!?  I really am going somewhere here!  As I worked with the second batch of ornaments I thought of how so many times in my life I get impatient with God's timing and though things turn out ok He desired so much more then just ok- He had a really good plan.

 I thought of how-

       -God can take this crazy mixture of humanness  and make something out of it

      - we are kneaded and molded by Jesus, His whole desire to make us more pliable and useful for              His glory.

      -He makes us a new creation, giving us a new heart, stamping us with His name and seal because He    chose to be pierced for our iniquities so we could enjoy awesome relationship with Him!

      -the Spirit lovingly smoothes out those rough edges, sometimes using the iron sharpens iron person or    circumstance to do so.

 I hope in the promise that just as the heart ornaments, when we go through the fire of trials, His promise is that we will be refined - looking more like Jesus.

               A red and white striped string was used so that the heart could be useful as an ornament or present tag.  By His stripes we are healed, The blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin,  He makes us white as snow......

   My, the simple but divinely awesome truths - the heavenly blessing we have all received because of Jesus, Emmanuel, God with Us, came born of a woman born under law to redeem those under the law that we might receive the rights of sons (and daughters).  His recipe for our life is good!

                What a reason to celebrate!  And I do hope you are celebrating and not just getting through this Christmas Season as I have heard so many lament this year.  As the Message Translation so wonderfully states, let me encourage you to "Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing" Ps 51:8  Don't just sit and watch dancing with the stars- Get up and Dance! Dance with Jesus this Christmas!

               Speaking of dancing, we are dancing in praise to our Father for each of you. Thank you for your faithful prayers, support, and love for us and the ministry He has here in SE Colorado.

Glidden's Christmas Newsletter 2012

Below is our Christmas 2012 letter- if you will right click and open in new tab then when that comes up click on the newsletter it will open up large enough for you to read comfortably.  It won't open up in bigger format if you just click on it- you must right click and  open in new tab or window -

Thank you to each one that take time to read and pray about what Jesus is doing here in SE Colorado!

Merry Christmas-

October News!

Below is our October Newsletter.  If you right click and open in new tab then click on the image it will enlarge to make for easier reading.

A friend told me if I saved the newsletter in a png format it would be more clear for reading but I am having trouble doing that as it is not an option for saving on my computer. I would be so grateful if anyone could help me make this change or some other way to read this.  All the clicking and such does make it confusing and I would love to make it easy for all to view.

Rodeos and Fly Fishing! June Update

I wanted to share with you a glimpse of the LaVeta Rodeo Bible Camp this year. Again Mary was very involved in the vital task of preparing and serving food to the campers and staff. Mary and Bill & Barb Fair and their daughter Amy, (InFaith missionaries in Pagosa Springs,CO.) do an amazing job of making sure everyone is well nourished.

 Again this year I was blessed to serve as a team leader for 11 incredible young men (ages 13 -15). The theme this year was "Crossroads". During both the morning and evening devotion time we looked into God's Word to see what He is saying to us about the crossroads we face each day in our choices. We also talked about how Jesus places us at crossroads in our culture and gives us platforms on which to show our world who Jesus is. As team leaders we are asked to not only commit to 4 intense days of event clinics, Bible study, chapel, and one on one time, but also staying in contact with our team members throughout the year.

Would you commit with me to pray for these young men. Maybe you would like to commit to praying for one or 2 specifically - I would love to give you a first name and other info so that you could pray.

As soon as Rodeo Bible Camp was over I shifted gears to help with a Boy's Fly fishing and Faith Adventure here in Walsenburg. A pastor here in Walsenburg put this together and for the rest of the week I got to help and learn about fly fishing. One morning I was blessed to get to present the faith lesson to this group.

 The last couple of days have taken me to some very remote places (ranches) to serve hospice patients and their families. I have driven over 500 miles to visit with 3 of them. Some might think that is not very cost effective especially when gas is $3.70 a gal. "but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." Acts 1:8 NASB. If I put that into a simplified version that would be applicable to Mary and I, the last part of this verse would read " the remotest canyon and mesa of the frontier of SE Colorado." What a privilege to be the conduit of the "Message".

 Thanks for partnering with us in prayer and financial support!

 Bill and Mary

May Newsletter-

Below is May's Newsletter. I have had trouble getting it to where you can be able to read but think I think have figured out a way for you to read the newsletter- if you will right click and open in a new tab then click on the newsletter that comes up in the new tab it should enlarge for you to be able to read it. I am working on trying to figure out how to format the newsletter in a PDF format which is supposedly easier to read.

If you would like to be added to our email list or would like to receive our snail mail newsletters, we would love to add you to our list. Just email us by using the email link on profile page, or emailing us at gliddenamf@ymail.com

Christmas 2011 Newsletter

Below is our Christmas 2011 newsletter- again the newsletter itself won't enlarge for reading so the content is below-I think blogger changed the way it is storing the files or something- or geez could it be me???

 QUESTIONS

I just received an email from a friend that directed me to a youtube sight where the recent song “Where’s The Line To See Jesus” was sung.

      If you haven’t heard this song I encourage you to listen to it. It is a challenging question for each of us in this season, a time when the commercialism, materialism, and many activities tend to pull us into their grasp. As I listened to this song the other question seemed to be – when we sit with Jesus what do we say or ask? That question really catches my attention as I examine the Christmas narrative. Will I come before Jesus as the Magi did?      

Mat 2:11  And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

or will I just present Him with my personal wish list? 

      There have been many times this year when we have had opportunities to explore profound questions with people.   Questions like “How do you view God?”, “Who do you believe Jesus to be?”, “Do you know about the free gift that God desires to give you?”, and “What is a gift?”. These and other questions may come up at Coffee & Chat, the food and clothing pantry, camps, sitting at the bedside of a hospice patient, or any place when the Holy Spirit is opening the door.

       As a volunteer chaplain with hospice, my first encounter with our patients/family is to inquire of their desire for Spiritual Care. Even when they decline Spiritual Care services, we make sure the door is always open in the future.

     One patient who declined, within a few days called me to come as a volunteer to sit with and assist the patient for most of the day.  So throughout the day we talked of his ranching, his career as a geologist, worked on his motorized wheelchair, had wheelchair races (he has 2), helped him with tours of his art gallery, worked on his rototiller, and talked about his struggle with believing in God. Meanwhile Mary was spending the day with his wife.

     The Apostle Paul tells us that the mystery now manifested in His saints is Christ in you, the hope of glory. That is why one of my prayers is to be invited back. Every time we step into a home, we know that Jesus is present and He will orchestrate a right time for the important questions to be raised. 

 

Family News

    We were so blessed to have both Jonathan and David with us for a week in October.  It has been at least 7 years since we were all under the same roof . (Yes, Jonathan made it safely back from his motorcycle trip to Central America)  We had a great time clay pigeon shooting and getting the compound bows out. 

     Jonathan worked so hard while he was here removing awnings, patching stucco and pressure washing the outside of the house in order to get it ready to paint this spring.

     The next weekend  I (Mary) met my sister Kathy in Albuquerque to bring Mom up to Colorado for the week.  We had a great time and it went so fast.  I think she was ready to go home as we had her running with all the things we do.

     Then we were blessed again by getting to go to Alamogordo to spend Thanksgiving with family. 

     This is just a glimpse of why we can’t thank those of you who faithfully pray and faithfully give financially, enough for allowing us to be available 24/7 to bring the power of Christ’s redemption into life’s situations and homes in the frontier regions of SE Colorado.

     Most of all thank you Jesus for your Gift to all who will believe!

Search and Rescue And Dancing With Jesus and Grace

Below is our October 2011 Newsletter.

Please click on page- it will come up in a new window. If you will then click on that again it will enlarge so that you can read it!
For some reason it is not wanting to enlarge so the content of newsletter is below picture of newsletter
(will I ever get this computer stuff figured out????)

God continues to amaze us with His delightful  and unusual ways of using His children - Hope you will enjoy reading a few of those unique encounters.

Search and Rescue

   Labor Day Mary and I decided to take the day off and drive up to Cordova Pass at 11743 ft. elevation. This pass is closed because of snow more than it is open. Here you are in the shadow of the Spanish Peaks and the view is spectacular. Soon after beginning a short hike we heard a Sheriff’s deputy calling someone’s name. Wondering if we could be of help we circled back and met up with the deputy. He had determined the lost man was somewhere out on a ridge off to the right. We found out the lost man’s name (Tim) and said we would take the top of the ridge and try to intercept him. Without going into all the details, Mary and I found Tim out on the ridge. We chatted for a bit and then began leading him out of the woods. We soon met up with the deputy who had gotten a little turned around. On the way out Mary and I each asked Tim if he had been doing any praying while he was lost. We were hoping this would open up some conversation. Each time Tim just said “no”.

    As we were coming out a deputy who does Search and Rescue showed up with a 4 wheeler. We made it back to the cars and the 2 deputies, Tim, and Mary and I were standing around talking. The deputies told Tim how “lucky” he was to have been found and brought to safety so quickly. They assured him they would have found him, but also explained that they have never had it happen so quickly.

As we talked, Tim turned to me and said “you know when you asked me if I was praying and I told you no. Well I want to tell you that I had a peace about the situation out there.” Mary interjected “well we were praying for you”. Tim went on to tell how when he has been in the area before, his cell phone has never worked, BUT it did today. It seemed to me like a great time to give thanks to God and I asked them if they would mind me praying with them. No one objected so we stood in the parking area of Cordova Pass and thanked God for His provision and care that day.

    It is moments like that and many other situations that make InFaith a great name for our mission and what we do.

Dancing With Jesus and Grace

     

   “Grace”  has End Stage Alzheimer’s/Dementia and on my prior visits I have wondered if any ministry was actually taking place. But today we found “Grace” in her room and asked her about her pictures. You can’t understand most of what she is trying to say. Grace likes to hum and as we stood talking to her she began to hum. Mary listened close to try to figure out what she was humming. Being unsuccessful, Mary asked if she could sing Amazing Grace. She smiled. As Mary sang that and several other songs Grace took our hands and swayed with the music and smiled the biggest smile. That day there was no doubt that Jesus was in the midst of that room ministering to Grace.

   We walked across the street to see “Joy”. As she came to the door and saw us she exclaimed “God sent you when I really needed you”! Not only has she lost her husband this year, but last month her sister who raised her passed and she was having a really rough day. For the next couple of hours we encouraged her with God’s words to us to comfort and strengthen us in times like this. We also talked about how He uses these situations in our lives to stretch us and equip us for what He has ahead of us.

Same Mission– New Name

 

  The mission we serve with, which has been known in the past as The First Day Society, The Adult and Sunday School Union, The American Sunday School Union, and (most recently) American Missionary Fellowship, has changed its name to InFaith.  As missionaries, we walk in faith daily, depending on the Lord to meet all our needs, and to place us exactly where He desires to use us each moment as we serve Him right here in the United States.

  InFaith missionaries are called to a variety of ministries around the nation, but we are all united in our faith in Christ and our desire to tell others about Him. In changing our name, we have not changed our core theology, our day-to-day ministry, or our focus on the United States. We have simply changed the way we present ourselves publicly, in the hope that we can better communicate what we do as a mission.

Thank you for being such a vital part of this ministry with your prayers and support! We are so blessed to have you as part of the team!