Thursday, August 11, 2016

Summary of City Reach Dayton

This post is a summary of City Reach Dayton. I am so thankful that we had a great time in Dayton, Ohio. God moved in the lives of people in each and every service. It was a wonderful meeting and especially wonderful in our home area and working with our home church.

Each night God was drawing men and women from the community and we had no less than three in the altar every service and some nights much more than three. That makes every dollar spent, every ounce of strength expended and every prayer prayed worth it all.

I want to recognize each church and each individual that carried some of the City Reach Dayton load, including churches that were not directly co-hosting the meeting. Several folks went the extra mile to help and encourage and it was all needed and appreciated. We are indebted to every one of you.

I want to especially recognize my home church Dryden Rd. Pentecostal Church. They went way beyond the call of duty to support City Reach Dayton physically, financially and in many other tangible ways. I appreciate our Pastor Bennie Sutherland and our Associate Pastor Gary Lee for helping push City Reach Dayton so much.








As I have mentioned in other City Reach summaries, I love hearing from the local Pastors after City Reach. Their input is critical to us and I lean on their advice and leadership in going forward.

From Pastor Tim Blevins
First Pentecostal Church of Murlin Heights, Dayton Ohio


Thanks so much for your labor and burden for City Reach Dayton. Although I was not able to attend every night, several folks did and were quick to fill me on the success of each service, especially the response during the altar service.  On the nights that I did attend, I was impressed with how well the services were ran.  Each service was pointed and focused to the needs of the neighborhood visitors.  The songs, testimonies, and sermons were all aligned to reach the lost and help the hurting souls in the community.  Thank you!

Prior to this year's City Reach Dayton, most of our church members had not been involved with a tent revival.  The first time my 6-year old daughter saw a tent she asked if a circus was in town.  This was the only reference she had of a large white tent.  But now, our point of reference has changed and we can better explain old-fashioned tent revivals.

Even before the tent revival started, several church members were willing to get involved by passing out flyers and helping to setup the tent.  Although none of us had any experience doing so, the Boggs family knew exactly what they were doing and made it fun and easy for us to follow instructions.  Others were able to attend the special revival services and were pleasantly surprised at the response from the community.  This response was a welcome sight and went a long way to encourage us to continue working for the Lord by reaching the lost.  May God continue to bless your ministry as you reach other cities across this country!

Tim Blevins
First Pentecostal Church of Murlin Heights
______________________

Here are some of the links to posts about City Reach Dayton. I hope you enjoy reading and viewing the pictures.

Davy

City Reach Dayton 1
City Reach Dayton 2
City Reach Dayton 3
City Reach Dayton 4
City Reach Dayton 5
City Reach Dayton 6
City Reach Dayton 7

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Monday and Tuesday in Maine

Monday and Tuesday were action packed and we have the pictures to prove it. It really seems like Monday morning was about four days ago so maybe we squished a little too much action into two days!

We left CBD in Peabody, Massachusetts Monday morning and pointed the BoggsMobile north toward Maine. We were not in any hurry and there is so much to see along the way so we took our time leaving Massachusetts, driving through a little sliver of New Hampshire and then into Maine.

One thing in short supply in New England is RV parks big enough to accommodate the bus. That is especially true in August at the height of their short summer camping season. I was having a very hard time finding a place to park near the coast but Bro. Jimmy Millikin secured permission for us to park at Bro. Steve Reynold's church in Arundel, ME just south of Portland.




We pulled in Monday and then took the Green Machine south a very few miles to the beautiful towns of Kennebunk and Kennebunkport.





Bro. Millikin also highly recommended The Clam Shack! It was great!


This is a Maine specialty, a Lobster Roll.


After strolling through town a few hours we drove along the coast admiring the beauty.

We were headed specifically for St. Ann's Episcopal Church. St. Ann's is a summer chapel. It is an amazing building situated in an absolutely amazing location. I fell in love immediately and put in my application as Pastor or janitor right away.

These next two pictures were taken while standing in the same place. The first is the church and the second is turned 90 degrees to my right and you can see the ocean!











This is the summer home of the Bush family. It is a small distance up the road from St. Ann's.


Tuesday morning we left in the Green Machine exploring the coast line going north toward Portland. It is absolutely gorgeous all along the way.

We were on our way to Cape Elizabeth to meet Steve and Karen at The Lobster Shack.






We found it!


After a great meal and great times with family we all ventured farther north to Rockland, Maine to be in tent revival with the Reynold's and to hear Bro. Jimmy Millikin preach. We love being with the Millikin's and we enjoyed the preaching so much. Bro. Jimmy is my favorite evangelist and he preached outstanding last night.



Those of you that know me well, know that I love the sight of this tent as much as I loved St. Ann's. Of course the tent would look better next to the ocean!






Davy and Bro. Jimmy Millikin


Davy, Bro. Jimmy and Pastor Reynold's (He is the Pastor of the church where we are parked)





Bro. Jimmy, Steve and Karen


Bro. and Sis. Reynold's



After church we turned south and drove two hours back to the BoggsMobile. We plan to move toward Vermont this afternoon but I do not know exactly where we will land tonight. Unless things have changed in the last two years, we will not have much phone service in Lowell, Vermont. If you do not hear from us, that will be the reason.

Thanks for reading. Have a great day.

Davy

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

The Providence of God

There are times when I am overwhelmed with amazement at the wonder of God. It often happens when I am watching the providence of God at work in our lives. We may never fully understand any of the events in our lives and things we do partially understand may take years to develop, but I love to watch the providence of God emerge into something I can comprehend.

I had a moment of clear understanding Sunday morning while I was preaching at Bethel Revival Center in Everett Massachusetts. I was marveling at what God was doing in hearts right in front of me when my mind swooshed backwards in time over 27 years ago.

In 1989 Pastor Al Hunt asked his brother in law, Bro. Kim Meyers to preach an Easter fellowship meeting in Wallville, Oklahoma. For some reason I ended up driving Bro. Kim from Ohio to preach that meeting. While there I met some great folks, including several Pastors.

One of those Pastors was Bro. Kevin Clounch. I preached for him on Sunday morning while there. Fast forward to early summer of 1990. Bro. Kevin was Pastor of another church and I was working a temporary job that was about to end. He asked me to preach him a revival and some how I found myself agreeing to do so.

Through that revival and a series of convoluted and vaguely remembered events, I met Pastor Terry White from Wichita, Kansas. He was visiting friends that came to revival. Eventually Bro. Terry asked me to preach a revival for him and I did that a few times through the years.

In 1999 I went, at Bro. Terry's recommendation, to Pastor in Wichita. While there I met the DiZazzo's. I have been preaching revival for them since 2003. I was preaching Sunday morning for Pastor Orville as a direct result of my relationship with the DiZazzo's.

Watch this with me. 

People hearing the word, folks receiving help, God changing lives Sunday morning was the result of a random invitation from Pastor Hunt to Bro. Meyers.

A fluke decision for me to drive Bro. Meyers to Oklahoma. 

A chance meeting with Pastor Clounch.

A fortuitous invitation from Pastor Clounch for me to preach revival when he really barely knew me.

An arbitrary decision by Pastor White to spend his vacation visiting friends in Oklahoma and then going to revival with those friends when he probably really needed some time away.

And then revivals in Wichita.

And Pastoring in Wichita.

And many wonderful revivals for Pastor John DiZazzo at Bethany in Wichita.

And this random, hastily planned side trip to Boston (Everett).

And finally the connection I felt while I was preaching and the confirmation I received from men and women at the altar and after service as they told what God was doing in their lives at that very moment.

Are these casual, aimless, designless, purposeless, accidental events in our lives and the lives of others?

A thousand times no! When Pastor Al Hunt picked up the phone 27 years ago, when Pastor Kevin Clounch called me 26 years ago, when all these other things happened, God knew I would be preaching Sunday in Boston and tent revival later this week in Vermont (Another direct result of all of this). God knew who would be there. God knew what they would need. God knew what I would need to say. God knew it all and He knew it all before I had a clue.

That is the providence of God and that is why I stand amazed! What an awesome God we serve! I say, "Do it again, God! When I do not understand. When I do not have a clue. When I think it is random or even worthless. Work your will and your way and your wonder!"

God bless you. Thank you for reading.

Davy