Happy Birthday to...

My Wife!!! Yahoo, Marsha Renee turns ***(clears throat)*** today!!!
Baby doll, I hope you see this...I love you very much and hope it is a great day. I wish I didn't have to go to work today so we could spend the whole day together, but I'll see you this evening. Love you...HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARSHA RENEE!!!
Love,
Donald Ray

To everyone else who sees this...
Happy my wife's birthday to you! You may get the picture that I like birthdays. heh heh...Haley and I have been singing to her since Sunday. It started with "Happy It's almost your birthday to you", then on yesterday to "Happy day before your birthday..." then I managed to get in the official birthday song at about 3:39 am this morning and two or three times since. It's now 6:15 and I have to go to work.
Later...

Hey, I'm Back

Wow...I didn't realize it had been so long until I seen Sister Smiths post. Sorry. I have been really busy, plus we've all been taking turns being sick and stuff. Haley had strep throat. Taylor and Marsha have each had sinus infections. I have just been having more fits with my stomach problems plus a four day headache at one point which I still cannot explain. Any way...we all seem to be mended up for the time being, Thank the LORD.
Plus it's been very busy. Church events, and stuff. Brother Jernigan asked me to be District Overseer for the Eastern half of Kentucky. That includes five churches, one of which has no pastor. Yep, Raceland. I'll be watching over that work again for the time being while Brother Jernigan prays for a Pastor. Please help us to pray. The people there are wonderful and are being so strong and having such great attitudes about it. But they need a regular pastor. It is such a big deal that we find someone who can go.
Beside all that, our local church in Winchester is getting very busy. We are in the opening stages of a "Coat Drive" to help provide some winter coats to needy folks in our community. In addition to that the church is working through the school system to sponsor a family for Christmas. In other words, we are buying Christmas gifts for a family who are in need. It is something we did when I pastored at E'town a few years ago. It was really a blessing for us and them. We are also looking into the possibility of opening a food pantry to operate in our town of Winchester.
Beside this we are going to be having a bake sale the first weekend of December, go Christmas Caroling at local Nursing homes near Christmas. Also, Brother Terry has come across an opportunity for us to begin ministering in the local jail.
Oh, yeah, and Ministers convention is next weekend. Whew...that was tiring.
Our local folks here are determined to reach out into the community and touch people for Christ. They want to minister to the whole community. I'm very excited about that. We've got good times ahead.
Anyway, it's good to be back blogging.
God bless y'all...
Brother Donnie

Catch somebody in the act...

...of doing something good!!

Think about it. We hear all kinds of news every day of people doing horrible things. On the news we see it every day, and occasionally we'll see someone do a news item about a simple human interest story about someone doing something good, and it is treated as "fluff" and hardly considered newsworthy. Well, why not? Why isn't it newsworthy to find someone doing something good?
Well, I think it is. When we see a brother or sister doing something good, I don't see any reason we shouldn't put a hand on their back, and let them know we appreciate it. Watch it make their day. Feel it make yours. Give God the Glory!
Here's a little challenge...
Next time you are at church or at work, maybe at school, or even when you are at home, catch someone in the act of doing something good! Let them know they've been caught. Even though they are probably doing it because it is the right thing to do and not for the attention it could get them, I bet they'll appreciate that you noticed. Look for good things...think about good things!
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report: if there be any virtue, if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8
God bless you...
Brother Donnie

An Encourager of the Brethren...

I once heard a brother give what I considered to be a great compliment to an older minister in the state where they both had labored for years. The younger pastor was talking to the overseer, and he said "Brother LaSure is an encourager of the brethren." I don't remember a lot of what he said after, but that comment has always stuck with me. An encourager of the brethren. Of course, he was an encourager of all the saints. From that time on I watched the older fellow as often as I could get around him, and I found it to be true. He was indeed an encourager.
I should think that every Christian would want to be one...that we would all ask the Lord, "Where can I sign up?" Too many today want to be any thing but the one thing we all should desire to be, an encourager. After all, we already have an accuser. That position is already filled. Thank God we also have an adviocate. One of my favorite scriptures speaks of our "advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous..." It's found in I John 1:1. Thank God for our advocate, and for all the encouragers. I want to be one, don't you? Let's all sign up right now to be an "Encourager of the Brethren", An "Encourager of the Sisters", An Encourager of the Saints".
God bless you all...
Brother Donnie

Busy week...

Man what a busy week. I haven't really had time to blog in a while, but I thought I'd better say a few words. It's been so cold here today. That's the news. Man...no wonder I haven't blogged in a few days. Not much happening. But as always, God has been so good. He continues to bless us.
We had a fellowship meeting Sunday night at Russell Springs church with our new Regional Overseer, Brother Jernigan. It was a great meeting and everyone seems very excited about the new year. Brother Jernigan preached a great message and it was just a good service all around.
Saturday we go to a hayride at Elizabethtown, KY. We used to pastor there and love the people very much so It will be nice to go to one of their hayrides again. We used to have so much fun. It is held on a pretty good sized farm way out in the country that beklongs to one of the church families there.
I gotta go for now, but I want everyone out there to just know that you are loved. God is in control and is already taking care of whatever situation you are facing.
God bless you...
Brother Donnie

Goin' Campin'...

...YEEEEEEHAAAAWWWW!!!
Our family and my wife's aunt, uncle, and cousin who went in with us on the little pop-up camper are going camping tonight. It's just a one night trip and it is at a campground close to home, but I'm still very excited. We're going to Fort Boonesboro State Park campground. It is a nice place down by the Kentucky River. Tommorow there is a car show there, so I'm double happy. I love the old classics.We've got the girls bikes and stuff, plus we've been gathering food and stuff all week. Ad cold Ale * (ky's own soft drink). Awesome...
So we come home tomorrow, I do a little yard work, and then we get to go to church Sunday Morning. Woohoo! I know there will beblessings waiting for us there!
Sunday night we have a district meeting in Russell Springs, KY with our new overseer, Brother Paul Jernigan. We're very excited to see him, and to work with him this year. It's gonna be such a good year!
I better run, gotta get the rest of the stuff in the truck and take off. After all, the campground i 5 miles away...heh heh
God bless you all...
Brother Donnie

Praise God...

...for another outpouring of His Spirit! We had a wonderful time in the Lord tonight at The Church of God at Winchester, KY! Our Victory Leaders Band director, Sister Sam (Saundra), said she had been unsure what to do tonight, but she had decided to have a service centered around "Praise".After some prayer and the offering, and a special song, we had some good Spirit filled singing and the altar began to fill up. The two young girls who were saved last week were back tonight and they were both there along with the slightly older girl who prayed with them last week. She is about twelve and has been saved for awhile. I remember her receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost in camp, I think two or three years ago. She has been sick a lot lately, but has been riding the altar and really getting blessed. One of the younger girls has been sick as well. She was at the hospital last night. The doctors evidently think she may have appendicitis. She was in the altar praying for God's help. Our "older" crowd, from VLB's to the oldest ones were gathered around them in the altar..Awesome, just Awesome. Around 8:25 the Sister turned the service to me and the Holy Ghost hit me and I suddenly felt like preaching and exhorting. The Lord has put a hunger for Souls in me and I began to talk abvout it. Once again the Holy Ghost began to move over us all and we just had a spell. Praise God! He is so good to us.
I hope you all out there don't get tired of hearing me talk about this. I just can't help it. I haven't been this excited in years. I can remember when I first got in the ministry and first began to feel the annointing of the Holy Ghost. I'd get so full sometimes I thought I might just bust! I felt that way again lately and it feels so good...I want to see somebody come and get their soul saved and their life all straightened out so bad I just about can't stand it....well, Thank God!
I'm rambling again...sorry. I just tell this stuff for a testimony for God, and in hopes that it will encourage somebody. Maybe somebody will run across this blog and a desir ebe awakened in them to seek forgiveness for their sins, and they could get saved...Maybe somebody is discouraged...don't be! God is real and He loves you...
God bless you all...
Brother Donnie
I can't wait to post some more good things about the Lord...

A Beautiful Day

Man the weather has been nice here today. We've been having an unbelievable amount of rain in KY for weeks. I guess it's been that way a lot of places. But the last couple of days have been really beautiful. Thank God for it. Although I generally like a little rain, especially when I'm working (keeps me cool), it has just been raing constantly. But God knows best.
We got the camper out and popped it up. It was the first time. We are thinking of taking it out maybe this weekend. There is a campground near her, at Fort Boonesborough State Park. There is a big carshow this weekend, so we may not be able to get a space, but there is a chance. Either way I plan to go look at the hot rods. I love old cars.
At any rate, there's not much to write about tonight. Plus I;m tired and have to get up early tomorrow. I'll try to be more interesting tomorrow night, I guess.
By the way, things are still going great at church. We're planning to have a revival around the second week of November. I called a good friend and asked him to come and be evangelist. I believe he is the right choice. I'll say who it is as soon as he gets back with me to confirm it. Our church is very, very excited and getting more and more excited for REVIVAL!! Hunger seems to be one of the biggest keys to revival. The people have to be hungry. Lord, help us to get hungry for REVIVAL!!
Another thing I'm excited about is an invitation I got to preach in a local Pentecostal church. I've attended one of their services a while back when one of our members was asked to sing during their revival with her sisters. Her landlord goes to church there. He asked her husband Sunday to tell me to let them know when I could come over and preach in their Saturday night service. He wants to know plenty ahead of time so they can get it into the newspaper and try to build up a good crowd. Very exciting!
Wel, I better get going...
God bless...
Brother Donnie