Tedious Work and Tears of Thankfulness and Joy

Every year in December and January I start pulling all the records together for Boggs Family Ministries from the previous year. December was so busy that everything was pushed into January and I have been finishing the project this week. Our financial year ends in December and I need the information to present to the board during our annual board meeting. That meeting is by conference call Saturday so I was down to the wire.

As I am compiling figures, preparing donation acknowledgment letters, writing letters to churches we have been to during the year and preparing my report I often become sidetracked by names and notes I have written down during the year. Memories flood in and I stop to thank God, whisper a prayer or weep at the providence of God and the goodness of His people.

Every church we have preached in through the year is listed. As I total up the offerings I relive moments from revivals all over the country. I think about the great services we have had, the folks that were saved, healed and delivered. I think about the spiritual refreshing our family has received right in the midst of ministering to others. I think about the fellowship that we enjoyed, the friendships that were formed or renewed and the super great meals that were provided for us.

I am overwhelmed by the kindness of churches and Pastors that invite us to sing and preach. What an awesome privilege and opportunity to minister among such great people.

Yesterday sorting through the records from 2014 I thought about the piles of snow in Missouri, the bitter cold in Oklahoma and Kansas, the beautiful spring in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia and all the great revivals we enjoyed in each of those places.

I thought about Allentown Campmeeting,  Pentecostal Fire Youth Conference, the blessed time we spent with family in eastern Kentucky at Carter Caves State Park and our unforgetable trip to New York, Boston, Massachusetts and tent revival in Vermont.

I thought about Odie going blind in one eye, the fear, the torment and the confusion that went with it. I recalled the people of God rallying around us in prayer when we felt vulnerable and exposed. I remembered the grace of God, His healing touch and the wonder working power that brought her sight back and restored that eye to 20/30 vision.

I thought about getting to preach some revivals near home including our home church and how much we needed and enjoyed all of that in addition to the Indoor Fellowship Meeting at our home church at Dryden Rd.

I recalled the nearly two months we spent in Arizona, California and Texas. The move of God we experienced at the dedication service of Amazing Grace Tabernacle in Atwater, California will stand as a highlight of our lives for quite a while. It seems that every revival on that trip was special to us.

I thought about another tremendous season of tent revivals. I remembered all of the hard work and hot services but those memories pale in comparison to the recollection of churches being encouraged and folks that had never been to church getting saved under the Blue and White Gospel Tent.

Thinking of tent revivals naturally led me to thinking about City Reach 2016 and the individuals and churches that have caught the vision of City Reach and are praying for it, planning for it and even providing for it financially and other ways.

I noticed the names of churches that have been faithful to have us and help us for many, many years. God has blessed us with wonderful friendships and relationships in churches all over this country.

I noticed the names of individuals that have prayed for our family and our ministry for many years and have helped us financially at critical times. God bless you for your concern, tender compassion and encouragement you have provided.

I noticed the name of a widow that sent an offering to help build a church in Nigeria and I stop to thank God and ask Him to bless her for her sacrificial giving.

I stopped and spent a while weeping and thanking God in response to one particular offering we received in 2014. I will share with you part of the text from the handwritten note that accompanied it.

Bro. Davy, Sis. Kelly and Sis. Odie,

As you have been ministering to our church and children for many years, you have been there on Sunday morning as our kiddos march proudly around the church gathering their "Pennies for Missions" in their little buckets. They do this diligently each Sunday.... It has taken them about 7 months to gather this sum and since they love your singing and ministry so much our Pastor felt that God had laid your ministry on his heart. We hope this small offering will help you spread the Gospel to some lost souls. 

Wow! Can you tap your neighbor on the shoulder and say buckets of tears three times? There is no way we can live up to that. We do nothing to deserve that. God help us. That wipes me out even now thinking about it.

It is just another example of God and His people going way beyond the call of duty to love us while we minister the Gospel and doing everything in their power to help us spread the Gospel to as many as possible in these last days.

We put the Mission Marchers offering into City Reach 2016. Their Pennies for Missions will help set the tent up in a metropolitan area some where in the USA. When a lost and wayward son or daughter gets saved in City Reach next year and allows God to turn their life around, God will know exactly where the credit goes and it will not be me.

Well, you can see why it takes me so long to get all of this done. It is tedious work and it is often interrupted by tears of thankfulness and joy. Every where I look over this past year I am reminded of God's goodness, His amazing grace and guidance and the gentle kindness of His people.

That fills me with a calm assurance that He will direct each and every step of this year and the years to come. I am sure that even though I am unsure of the path and my steps are unsteady, God is in control!

God bless you and thanks for reading.

Davy

Schedule Change

We are having a great time here at Cedar Creek with Pastor Darius Templeton and his folks this week. God is blessing us with good altar services. We are also enjoying fellowship from surrounding churches and friends passing through the area. There were several area Pastors here last night and it was great to have them with us. We will try to post pictures by the end of the week.

Odie always used the same sentence concerning our schedule in her On The Road Again newsletter, including the one that just hit people's mail boxes last week. Here is what she says. "All these dates are subject to change (Like Maybe Tomorrow)." As is almost always the case, the schedule changes that happen usually happen immediately AFTER we publish a newsletter.

We were supposed to leave here Saturday morning and travel to Flat Branch Assembly about 55-60 miles from here and begin revival Sunday morning. We have been planning on being there for over a year but the flu and all kinds of other sickness has intervened. Pastor Jim Koen called me Tuesday evening right before church and confirmed what he had thought the day before. They were not going to be able to have revival.

Pastor Koen felt bad about it and we all hate it but there was nothing he could do about all of the sickness. Maybe we will try again another day.

So that cuts us loose next week and I am still considering my options. There are several churches in this area that have asked us to come but 4-5 days notice is not enough time to announce a revival in most churches. I do have an idea what we will do but I need to settle it in my mind with a good dose of prayer. I will let you know when I know.

I woke up Monday morning with a feeling like something was going to happen to prevent revival at Flat Branch but I had no idea what that something would be. God knows and has a plan. It will be interesting to see what God is doing.

You can always view our full schedule HERE or click on the BoggsMobile on the left of the blog for the same link.

Thanks for tuning in today. God bless you.

Davy

Pool Rules

I am a little short on time this week.

I do have something interesting to show you that I had forgotten about. I do not think I posted it earlier. We ran on this sign at an RV park swimming pool.

I am certainly not an expert on swimming pool rules but all of these seem pretty standard except for #4. I think rule #4 might be a dead giveaway that we have stopped at an RV park for senior citizens only. It was not the kiddie pool and besides that I do not think the kiddies wearing diapers are going to read the sign.

Update: One of my dozens millions of readers sent me the picture below a few moments after I posted this. Check out rule #6 and rule #7. They kind of go hand in hand...



Let me zoom it up for you...



That is hilarious and makes me want to get sick at the same time. It makes all those harsh pool chemicals make sense, right? Man, that is funny.

Many thanks to Bro. Gary Lee for the picture.

Thanks for reading.

Davy