The Clay is You! Wow what a great message by our good friend and brother in Christ Chaplain Charles Stephens. When we surrender our lives to Christ we are giving Him permission to put us on the potter’s wheel and mold us into what He wants us to be. We are that lump of clay on God's Wheel of Life and no matter what we do, no matter what mistakes we make, God will not throw that clay away. When we fall off the wheel He just picks us up and molds it again trying to make us into what we need to be for Him, to serve Him. In Jeremiah 18 it says, “the word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying arise go to The Potter's House and there I will cause you to hear my words,” God is telling each and every one of us arise and go to the Potter's house and He is going to speak to us. He is going to cause us to hear His words. When He gets us in the place that we're ready to listen,that is when He can mold us into the vessel that He will use. No matter what you're going through, or what is happening in your life, God wants to mold you into something that He can use. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done, God is ready to move you into something special if you will allow him to do that, but, we have to get to the place where we can hear God and let him speak to us and He will do it. In Isaiah chapter 6, I just love this scripture here, it says “I heard the voice of the Lord saying whom shall I send and who will go for us then I said here am I send me and He said go and tell the people.” That is God speaking to each and everyone of us!! Go and Tell OTHERS! God wants to raise you up and mold you back into something that He can use, and He will do it if we allow him to. I love the verse in the second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17 this is one of the most powerful verses you'll ever hear and it says, “therefore if any man being in Christ he is a new creature old things are passed away behold, all things become new.” Isaiah 64:8 says, “But now, O Lord, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand.” Charles message title is,”The Clay is you.” Friends we are the clay we must come to a place of surrender and allow God to mold us into the vessel that He can use. We must let go and Let God have complete control of our lives. Lonesome Road Radio has an app in your app store on your phone. Please download the app! If you like, I can text it to you and then you can share it with all your family and friends, text me at 618.383.2107 We can send you the app to share!!! We are also printing brochures to invite Trucking Companies to join us. We are inviting them to partner with us and let us advertise their company and help them get some great Christian drivers. We are now offering advertising spots on Lonesome Road Radio for whosoever would like to advertise their business or company to our listeners. You can call 618.383.2107 if you are interested in partnering with us to stretch this net across America. We offer affordable advertising for you and your business. We still need to hear from you!!! In January 2024 we will be starting 2 mailing list. One for the CD’S & Newsletters and one for our podcast cards & newsletters. We want to make this as simple and easy for all our listeners, so please let us know which list you would like to be on. We are looking forward to what God is going to do with Lonesome Road Ministry and family in 2024. If you do not contact us I will decide which list to put you on. We want to keep you as part of the Lonesome Road family. Our podcast cards are starting to catch on and many people are listening to the podcast and sharing them with family, friends and neighbors. Let us help you be all that God has called you to be. Let’s work together to reach your family. God's Professional FightersIf a professional fighter is determined to win they enter the ring prepared. They have a plan of attack – a strategy that will penetrate their opponent’s defences. What’s more, they have strong resolve to keep fighting if they get knocked down. Winning fighters don’t give up; they get back up, reassess and keep on fighting until the bell rings. Teachers of God’s Word are like professional fighters – if they are determined to win souls to Christianity they need to be prepared. If they continue to step into the pulpit unprepared, pandering to minority groups, or intimidated by members of the congregation, it won’t be long before they are ‘KNOCKED OUT’ from the pulpit. Teachers of God’s Word should keep in mind their job is not to win friends but to win over people to God’s way of thinking. God’s teachers must hit with the Truth, employing various techniques of exhortation and encouragement. Sometimes the Truth will bruise, but the pulpit is no place for pussy-footing or pulling punches – God’s Word should never be watered down or adjusted for political correctness. For these reasons, God’s fighters will often get knocked down. When this inevitably happens, they should not listen to the ‘boos’ or ‘cheers’ of the crowd. The only voice to heed is that of their coach (the Holy Spirit). When knocked down, great spiritual fighters will always get back up, reassess the situation, retrain as needed and return to the pulpit ever faithful to God’s plan. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15
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Luke 9:62 And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. October marks 23 years in ministry. Lonesome Road Ministry was founded in October 2000. From a Cassette Tape Ministry to a CD Ministry, to Podcast Ministry to Radio programs, to now we have our own radio station. There has been so many ups and downs. As you listen to our October Podcast/CD, I will share the first times when I was ready to give up and quit. I called my mentor Ray Sisk and told him the church I was attending and had started the tape ministry at, had decided I could no longer do a tape ministry. I was in tears when I called Ray and he told me that day, and I will never forget his words. Ray said, “Son you done put your hands to the plow, If God has called you to do a tape ministry, then you do a tape ministry. Don’t let no one tell you you can’t. If you’re sure God has called you to do a tape ministry then you do it out of your house, your garage, or wherever you can. You must do what God has called you to do.’ Fast forward 23 years later and over 3 million cassette tapes, CD’S and now we are switching to making Collector Cards with a QR code on the back that folks can scan with their phones and bluetooth into their vehicles to listen to our podcast. I remember when we switched from Cassettes to CDs for quite some time we were producing both tapes and CD’s until the tapes were eventually not requested. That is where we find ourselves at again. We are making CD’s and the Collector cards both and we will continue to make both as long as there is a demand for CD’S. We will continue to make the CD’s for those who still want them. But we need your help ! Due to winter we have so many damaged and broken CD’S, starting in 2024 we will try and start sending out newsletters and the podcast cards. So if you would like to continue to receive the CD’s just drop us a line in the blue envelope provided and we will make sure you receive your CD. We want to be good stewards with your money you send us. The postage and cost of CD’s continues to rise. So we need your help! November & December we will be sending out CD’S & Newsletters same as always. We are willing to continue sending out the CD’s to all who are listening and passing them on so don’t hesitate to let us know your preference, CD’S or Podcast Cards. But we do need to hear from each of our listeners by 2024. We refuse to quit! There is no place to quit when you sign on to serve God. God called us to this ministry and we will continue to reach the lost, broken hearted and confused souls all across America and into all the world with this media ministry. The vision of Lonesome Road Ministry has not changed, the methods may change but the message stays the same. We are to go out into the highways & hedges and compel others to the Lord. Using whatever tools God places in our hands, CD’s, Podcast Cards, Bibles, Testimony Books, Radio Programs and now Lonesome Road Radio! Together we can make a difference in the lives of OTHERS The Card Above is to help others find our Radio Station and the card below is to invite others to our Conference call line. We are also partnering with the Midnite Crusaders to stretch a net across America. Come join us and be a part of our growing family. We can send you these to share!!! We are also printing brochures to invite Trucking Companies to join us. We are inviting them to partner with us and let us advertise their company and help them get some great Christian drivers. We are now offering advertising spots on Lonesome Road Radio for whosoever would like to advertise their business or company to our listeners. You can call 618.383.2107 if you are interested in partnering with us to stretch this net across America. We offer affordable advertising for you and your business or trucking company. The easiest portrait for an artist to paint is a self-portrait. The artist intimately knows their own features and all they need is themselves, a mirror and the right light. Plus, when the artist is ready to paint, they are always ready to model. Added to this, they have the luxury of reworking their own image until it is exactly the way they want.
On the other hand, there are numerous problems painting someone else’s portrait. The subject may not be available when the artist is ready to paint. The subject may be a fidgety model. Then, on completion, the subject is rarely satisfied with the finished result. As Christians, we should be constantly working on our own “soul-portrait”. We do this by looking into the Mirror-of-the-Word, illuminating ourselves in the Light-of-Truth, and painting with Brushes-of-Faith. The more we practice the better our technique and our soul-portrait will be composed of graceful inner beauty and coloured with Christ-like attributes. However, as we work on our own portrait there is always the temptation to dabble in other people’s paintings. When we hear an inspiring message we think someone we know needs to be hearing this. Or, when we read a compelling article we apply it to someone else – instead of ourselves. It’s not a bad thing to want loved ones to hear messages that have personally impacted us, but the problem comes when we get frustrated when they show lack of interest. The fact is they may not be ready for that information at their present stage of growth. We should stop dabbling in other people’s portraits and concentrate on our own Christian image. As long as we are alive we are a work in progress. If we use the right techniques, eventually our soul-portrait will have a striking resemblance to that of Christ and when we exhibit ourselves to the world people will start asking (without coercion) what joyful colours and inspirational methods we used, so they can apply them to their own soul-portraits. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17. |
Gary RayburnI logged over 4 million miles as a truck driver from 1972 - 2007 and I have written a lot of it in my songs. God has taken me off the road and put me into full time ministry, but I still have a heart for all you drivers out there. Archives
September 2024
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