Please Don't Pray for Me!

As you may have seen on the news (or experienced in person), Tulsa suffered a major ice storm a few weeks ago. At the height of the storm, almost 90% of the city was without electricity.

We were very fortunate to only have our electricity out for about 36 hours, but many people were without electricity for a week or more.

We (our family and Sheila's mom and dad) have a total of 5 houses, several outbuildings, more cars than we can drive and a bus on about 8.5 beautiful acres with lots of trees - all of which suffered at least some damage. Literally hundreds of tree limbs, many of them very large, broke and fell during the ice storm. We were very blessed in that we did not suffer any major damage to any of our structures or anything of value, although limbs fell all around everything.

I guess another blessing is that we (by sometime this summer when we are finished cutting up all the downed limbs and taking out the trees that were too damaged to survive) will soon have a lifetime supply of firewood!

Many people were not so fortunate.

Sheila and I both work in the legal field. Sheila is the Administrator (financial and HR manager) of a law firm and I manage our business which is a placement agency for legal professionals.

One of the great tragedies of the ice storm was that a couple, both well known and respected Tulsa attorneys, had their house catch on fire in the middle of the night as they tried to use their fireplace for heat. Both of them died of smoke inhalation. He was dead by the time the firefighters found him and she passed away about a week later, never having regained consciousness.

I did not attend the funeral, but heard that at his service, the minister reported that the prognosis for the wife was very bleak and she was not expected to live, and he asked that people pray for her passing.

Now, while I think I understand what he was asking, it also really bothered me.

You see, when I read my Bible, I see a God who could heal any disease, who could perform any miracle, who could even raise the dead.

My Bible also tells me that my God is the same yesterday and today and tomorrow - that He does not change.

My Bible tells me that I should pray for anyone who is sick and that God will raise them up, that the fervent prayers of a righteous man avails much, that whatever I ask in Jesus Name will be done and that if I command, in faith, a mountain to move that it will move.

Now, I am realistic enough to know that God does not always answer prayers exactly the way I pray them. Everyone I've prayed for to be healed, has not been healed exactly like I've prayed it. God has not granted me everything I've asked in prayer and not everything I have prayed for has come to pass.

I understand that God will not heal everyone, because my Bible also says that it is appointed to man once to die and so there will come a time for all of us that we will not be physically healed and will die. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, but Lazarus is not still alive. Each of us will die sometime.

BUT - I have also prayed when God has been gracious and has provided the healing for which I and other were praying.

Last year, I prayed for a young man named Tommy whom I had never even met (and still have not) who had been diagnosed with Schizophrenia.

His mother said that about 4 years previous, he had gone from being a happy, normal teenager to being unable to function on his own, his life destroyed by this affliction and that he had to be heavily medicated just to be managed. I began to pray that God would deliver him and after a week or so of fervent prayer, I felt a real peace about the situation. About 6 weeks later, I received an email from his mother telling me that he was so much better, that it was like he had been healed. I emailed back that maybe it seemed like her son had been healed, because God had healed him.

Several years ago, our sister-in-law, fell into a coma following knee replacement surgery. Doctor's told us that MRIs, CT scans and brain scans showed severe brain damage. They said that there was a 92% chance that she would never come out of the coma and that if she did (an 8% chance of that), she would remain in a vegetative state, unable to communicate or care for herself in any way. There were a lot of us who refused to believe that and we began to pray. Every time I visited her, I would whisper in her ear, over and over again, "In the name of Jesus, wake up and be well." About 6 weeks later, she woke up and was immediately able to to understand us and to talk to us. It has been a long haul, more than 100 days in the hospital and much therapy, but today, other than some short term memory issues, she is fully healed.

I could list several other instances when prayers have been miraculously answered.

And, I could also tell you of times when they have not.

I don't think that any of us will fully understand in this life, why God answers some prayers just as we pray them and other time it seems in our limited view that He does not. I don't know why sometime God still does the miraculous and some times He does not.

But, I think that we must, in faith, continue to pray for and continue to expect the miraculous. I think we must never sell God short, never limit Him with our prayers.

On those occasions when God is gracious and sends the miracle, then we praise Him and give Him all the glory!

On those occasions when God, in His great purpose and wisdom, does not send the miracle (at least not as we've prayed it), then we praise Him and give Him all the glory!

So - back to the title of this post. If I am ever diagnosed with a life threatening disease, if I ever suffered severe brain damage, please do not pray for my passing, but leave that part up to God. In fact, if you are not willing to pray, in faith, for my complete and miraculous healing, please do not pray for me!

If God decides to heal me, then we can praise Him together! But, if God decides instead that it is my time to be called home, then throw me a going home celebration filled with praise and worship and great joy and tell everyone you know how good God was to Jim Rutherford!

BTW - if you ever ask me to pray for you, please know that I'll be praying and expecting a miraculous healing from God on your behalf!

Love in Christ Jesus,


Jim

A Great Christmas Gift

There is a guy named Stuart Shepard who does a kind of Op Ed series called Stoplight for Focus on the Family. Usually these pieces are pretty humorous and kind of a "you need to really stop and think about this." And, some of them can be pretty hard hitting - again, in a humorous way. You ought to check out his archived videos, you'll really enjoy them.

He recently took a different approach in a video editorial he called "A Christmas Story" and I think you'll both really enjoy it - but I also hope you'll act on it. Just click on the link below and then click on the red light.

A Christmas Story by Stuart Shepard

Hope you and yours have the most blessed Christmas ever - and make it extra special by being a blessing in some way to someone who really needs to be blessed!

Love in Christ Jesus,

Jim

A Side of My Wife You've Probably Never Seen!

http://www.southheightschurch.com/Podcasts/Pods/KissingThePig.html

You have got to click on the link above and watch this video!

My beautiful, fantastic, incredible wife, Sheila, (in addition to being my partner in ministry) is the worship leader at South Heights Assembly in Sapulpa, Oklahoma.

She joined the staff there about a year ago, just prior to their annual pie auction which is the primary fund raiser for the Missionettes (the elementary girl's program). Since she had only been on staff for about 3 weeks prior to last year's pie auction, she was given a pass when it came to the part of the auction when the opportunity to throw a pie in the face of a staff member is auctioned off.

However, faced with taking a pie in the face this year, Sheila, who is somewhat claustrophobic and cannot stand to have anything in her face, even water from a shower, especially covering her nose, mentioned at a little after-church gathering several months ago the she'd rather kiss a pig than take a pie in the face.

Well ... guess what! Click the link above and see what happened!

I also am attaching another video below (not very good quality, but you'll get the idea) of a United Way fund raising event at the law firm at which Sheila is the Administrator, in which, try as she might, she could not avoid taking a pie in the face, but as you'll see, I have a very creative wife. Get a load of that outfit!







Love in Christ Jesus,

Jim

It's Called Christmas with a Capital "C"

Pretty cool video by an group called "Go Fish".

One of my preacher buddies, Mike Sublett, Hi-Land Christian Church in Pampa, TX sent it to me.

I've not been very good about updating this blog - but I'm making an early New Year's Resolution to do much better, so check back often over the next few weeks and hold me accountable.

There will be some fun stuff, some serious stuff, some more Christmas stuff and who knows what else.

But - right now - let me be the first to say - Merry Christmas with a Capital C !

Love in Christ Jesus!

Jim

Are Your Ready?

What a powerful video!

And what a reminder that Jesus may come again at any time!

Certainly, if you read God's Word regarding what the world will be like when Jesus returns, it is apparent that those times are upon us. It may be 10 years or 20 years from now, but as this video portrays, it might be in just a few minutes.

Let me ask you this - if you knew Jesus were coming in 30 days, is there anything about your life that you'd change?

Is there something that you'd stop doing and for which you'd seek repentance, because you'd be afraid it would keep you from heaven?

Is there something that you should be doing that you'd start doing? Maybe you've been intending to talk to a loved one or a friend or a co-worker about Jesus and trying to lead them to salvation, but just keep putting it off because you are afraid you'd offend them? Maybe you keep telling yourself there will be a better time?

It is so easy for us to think that we have plenty of time, that we can change later or we can talk to that person about their soul some other time, but the fact is that Jesus could come at any moment - and, as Christians, we ought to be living our life with that realization - with that kind of urgency - no only in regard to assuring our own salvation, but is reaching the lost around us.

The fact is - THERE IS NOT PLENTY OF TIME!

THE TIME TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT IS NOW!!!

It may be that Jesus doesn't return for another 20 or 30 years, but you might not have more than today - more than these next few hours.

Last week, an 18 year old girl who had graduated last year from the same Christian school two of our kids attend(ed) was driving home from church and another car clipped her car causing her to spin into another lane of traffic where her car was hit and she died from her injuries. She was a wonderful Christian young lady. She'd made straight "A"s, was a star athlete, a beautiful and sweet girl and I am sure that death was far from her mind and that anyone who knew her would have thought that she had many wonderful years ahead of her. Yet, her young life ended in a moment.

The Bible tells us that, at best, our life is like a mist which appears for a moment and then is gone.

Let me ask you that question again - Are you ready?

If not, you need to get ready - TODAY!

Love in Christ Jesus,

Jim

Joseph Harp Correctional Facility

Yesterday afternoon Sheila and I made a drive we've made many times before. We left Tulsa about 4:30 and drove (too fast) the 150 mile, 2.5 hour trip to Joseph Harp Correctional Facility near Lexington, Oklahoma. I've been going down there for 9 years, most of that time for a once a month Chapel service. Sheila has been going with me for almost 7 years. About a year ago, because of time constraints and the high price of gas, we cut back from once a month to once a quarter.

Over that time, we have ministered in other prisons, doing bigger events and to more people and every once in a while even had a church or organization at least cover our costs, but there is something really special about Joseph Harp!

Prison ministry is an amazing thing. I will readily admit that there are many times, when we are trying to get away from our jobs and rushing to get to the prison on time and trying to figure out what to do with kids that we don't have a very good attitude as we are heading out. We are both so incredibly busy with our jobs and family and other ministry, that as we prepare to head out to Joe Harp, it sometimes seems like a pretty big burden.

Even though we often leave Tulsa out of almost grudging obligation, once we walk into that prison, God does something amazing (because that is just the way He is!) While we have gone to Joe Harp hoping to bless the men who are incarcerated there, to encourage them in some way, God uses the services there, the men there, to bless and encourage Sheila and I far, far more than we ever bless them. We have so many times walked into that prison beaten down, discouraged, worn out and heavily burdened and we walk out refreshed, renewed, revived, encouraged and with a reminder of how greatly God has blessed us in calling us to ministry.

God has blessed both Sheila and I in allowing us the opportunity to minister to congregations of hundreds of people and I am thankful for that. There is a certain synergy in large crowds of people and it is always humbling to me to see large numbers of people coming to the alters at the end of a service in response to the way God has spoken through me. And, I'll admit that there was a time in my life when I would have said "I'd a lot rather preach to 500 or 5,000 or even 50,000 than to preach to 50." And, I hope and pray that God is gracious enough to use me to preach to hundreds of thousands of people, that many people are healed and many souls saved.

But, God and I settled that numbers thing a few years ago - and there is nothing quite like being with those 30 or 40 or 50 men who pack themselves into that little Chapel at Joseph Harp. You see, as odd as it may seem, I think that God uses Sheila and I more effectively in that little prison Chapel then He does anywhere else. And, a large part of it is those men. Sheila and I show up just in time for the service and the men are already packed into the Chapel just waiting on us and they are there with an expectation and an excitement. They are there ready and anxious to worship and to hear God's word. They are expecting to be encouraged, touched and changed. When those men worship, it is genuine and it is passionate. They respond to God's word in true repentance and humbleness. Our service there starts at 7:00 and we are supposed to be off the prison yard by 8:50, but we never make it because I'm still trying to pray with men who have responded to the invitation. The prison officials used to threaten to not let us come anymore, if we wouldn't leave on time, but God has been gracious and, I think, they've just kind of accepted it.

Sheila told me last night that actually about a year ago when the guy that is kind of in charge of our services told us that they had moved the time up that we had to be off the yard from 9:00 to 8:50 (allegedly because of us!) that I said "No problem! We'll just make sure we are leaving the Chapel no later than a quarter after nine." And, that he and she just looked at each other in disbelief and it has been a standing joke ever since. I don't think that could possibly be true, but she claims it is! They would probably ask you to pray that those in charge at the prison continue to be understanding (or at least tolerant), because I think they've both given up on me conforming to the time constraints.

Seriously, I do want you to pray for our ministry at Joseph Harp, as well as the other prison ministry we do from time to time. We go to Joseph Harp every time there is a 5th Tuesday in a month, so mark it on your calendar and keep us in mind as we drive down and back (5 hours total) and from 7:00 till 9:00 p.m. while we are in service there.

I also ask that you pray for four men specifically.

One is named Patrick. It is not important for you to know why Patrick is in prison, but I do want you to know that he is a new man in Christ Jesus. He is the reason we started going to Joe Harp and one of the main reasons we continue to go. Patrick may be the finest Christian man, friend and brother-in-Christ that I've every known. He is an encourager to so many, and not in the least to Sheila and I. Please pray that God would encourage and strengthen Patrick and his wife, Amy. Please pray fervently that God would make a way for his release. Patrick has been used greatly over these last 10 years and he has been so faithful and such an example of the joy we can have in Christ no matter our circumstances, but I believe it is time for the next chapter of his life and for physical as well as spiritual freedom.

Also, pray for John and Robert. They are the leaders of a Christian Club (or organization) in the prison called The Brotherhood of Jesus Christ. It is the oldest and largest such group or club in the prison and they do such wonderful work and are so effective in their ministry within and even outside the prison, but they have been informed that they must take the name of Jesus Christ out of the name of their organization and that they must take all reference of ministry and of Jesus from their bylaws. I'm not sure of all the whys, but they seem to believe, at least at this point, that they will still be allowed to continue the club and the ministry they do, and that they will just have to call the club and the work they do by some other name. Both of these men really need Godly wisdom, direction and strength as these changes are made and other men look to them for leadership.

Finally, pray for Chaplain Ron Grant. Ron is a good man and I know that he is doing all he can for the cause of Christ within the constraints of the system. Ask God to bestow upon Ron strength and wisdom and as much freedom to do his job as is possible.

Thank you for your prayers in these matters!

Love in Christ Jesus!

Jim

My Friend Sonny!

I know it is hard to believe, but those three old guys along side me in the picture above were classmates of mine at Ozark Christian College! (Just kidding about that old thing, guys!)

We recently had a small reunion at Baker's Catfish House just north of Muskogee, OK. Our wives were with us and I've got pictures of them, too, but they all look so good, that including them would really make us look old!

From left to right is yours truly, Phillip Walton (a preacher in San Antonio, TX), Sonny Scott and Dan Wilson (a preacher in Bixby, OK.)

The picture on the left is a close-up of our dear friend Sonny Scott from that same evening. On the right is a more recent picture of Sonny with another friend from college, George Williams. Sonny has been undergoing some heavy duty chemo and has lost that beautiful head of hair he always had. George doesn't have an excuse! Actually, George shaved his head in a show of friendship when Sonny lost his hair, but I'm not sure how much hair George had to start with.

I love you, Sonny! But, I'm not shavin' my head!

Actually, I think Sonny looks pretty good with his head shaved - a little like actor Woody Harrelson - don't you think?

Sonny discovered right around the first of the year that he had cancer of the esophagus and stomach and had surgery in which they removed almost all his esophagus and about half his stomach and made a very small esophagus and stomach with what was left of his stomach. He, also, underwent chemo at that time.

Everything was going well, until about a month ago when a PET scan showed two spots on the back of his stomach and a more recent test showed four other spots.

Sonny is in the midst of 12 weeks of chemo and radiation.

I want you to join me in praying and believing that God will supernaturally and miraculously heal Sonny! The God we read about in the Bible and His son, Jesus, while here on earth, was a God of miracles - a God of healing - and my Bible tells me that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow!

I know that God will heal Sonny one way or the other. Either he will be miraculously healed, as we are praying, here on earth to God's great glory - or he will be ultimately healed with a new body in heaven.

The Apostle Paul said in Philippians 1:21 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two; I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body."

Sonny said the other day "Either way, I win!"

Sonny's life has been one of "fruitful labor" as a minister of the Gospel and one of Oklahoma's most progressive prison wardens. He even gave the okay for this old outlaw to go into prisons to preach the Gospel! And, I have a feeling that Sonny still has a lot more to accomplish before God calls him home. So, while it would be better for him to be with the Lord now, I'm praying that God will be gracious and that Sonny will be with us for a long time to come as a living testimony to the fact that God is still doing miracles today!

I have two other friends going through similar trials with cancer and I'm going to ask that you also pray with me on their behalf.

Cheryl Thompson is a wonderful Christian woman, wife, mother and grandmother! She is a member of our church and the grandmother to two of my families favorite young men, Kyle and Kory Miller. Christian young people today are under constant attack from every side and it can be really tough on the ones striving to live a life which reflects Jesus Christ. It becomes even more difficult when Satan has the opportunity to whisper in their ear "If there really was a God, how could He let something like this happen? You might as well not even bother praying because God's not going to answer." I know with all my heart, that God has great things planned for both Kyle and Kory, but right now, those boys still need their grandma and I know that they need to see a miracle from God and so I'm praying as much for them as for Cheryl. When you get as far down life's road as I am, you can look Satan in the eye and say "I know my God is able, because I've seen Him do miracles again and again and again, so even if He doesn't do one now, I'll trust Him still." But, when you are just 16 years old, your faith is not supported by that foundations of miracles and it is far more easily shaken. Join me in praying for Cheryl, and also for Kyle and Kory.

Jo Burchett is a long time friend of my wife, Sheila, and has been like a grandmother to our daughter, Savannah. Jo has been battling lung cancer for the past few years and I'm going to ask you to pray for her, as well. Jo's husband, Tom, is also one of our favorite people and it would do that old cowboy a lot of good in a lot of ways to see his dear wife miraculously healed.

You pray - and I'll pray - and I'll keep you posted!

Love in Christ Jesus,

Jim

As I've gotten older, family has come to mean a lot more to me than it did when I was a kid or even a young man.

The picture on the left is my Grandpa and Grandma on my Dad's side - James A. Rutherford (although everyone called him "Brother Jim") and Millie Rutherford.

My grandpa did not become a Christian till he was in his thirties, but when he did give his life to the Lord, he was serious about it! It was not too long after he became a Christian that he felt there needed to be a church in Tulsa that was just interested in following the Biblical example of what church was like. No denominational affiliation, no man-made doctrine. He got a few other people together (about 14, I think) and they started a church in an old barber shop.

They had a part-time preacher, who was also a part-time school teacher, but it was not long before the part-time preacher got an offer of a full time teaching position in another town.

The church looked for a preacher, but wasn't having an success and as a few of the member left, the remaining men came to my grandpa and told him that since he was the one who really got the church going, that he would have to preach till they found a real preacher. He agreed on the condition that they would keep looking for a preacher. He was the "fill-in" preacher for the next 26 years at what became Cincinnati Avenue Christian Church in Tulsa, OK. By the mid-50s the church was running 800+ people and 100+ were being saved and baptized every year.

The picture on the right is of the church in the early days on a church picnic/camping trip to Missouri. My grandpa and another man from the church spent all night catching frogs and then woke everyone else up about 6:30 a.m., gave everyone a frog (or two) and took this picture. My grandpa is the dark haired man in the upper right and my grandma is the young woman who is the third from the left. The three kids in front are (l to r) my dad, Jim, my uncle, Dean and my aunt Ann.

I've had a lot of people tell me what a great preacher my grandpa was and how there has never been another preacher like him. And, he must have had a great influence on a lot of people - especially his own family. My Dad and both his brothers, Dean and Shan, became preachers. They all three were/are great soul winners and church builders. Between my brother and me and my cousins, there are 6 more preachers. My uncle Shan, preaches in Greenwood, Indiana at a church of 2000+, my cousin David preaches in Clovis, California at a church of 3000+ (and my Uncle Dean is one of his associate pastors) and my cousin Dudley preaches at a 10,000 member church in the northwest part of Los Angeles. One minister friend of mine referred to our family as a legacy of preaching.

My dad and I were talking not long ago and he said that by most standards that my grandpa was not really that great of preacher - that he really just stood and read his sermons. Dad said that if just judged on speaking ability, eloquence, etc. that grandpa was not really all that good at preaching.

So - what was it that caused him to be such a great soul winner and such a great church builder? Why do so many people remember him as being such a great preacher?

It was because when he became a Christian, he was serious about it. When he gave his heart to God, he gave 100%. When he became a Christian, he took the great commission as his personal calling. Everything else became secondary. Because he had given his heart so completely to Jesus, his heart became like the heart of Jesus - especially concerning the lost. He had a great compassion for the lost and a great passion for winning them to Jesus Christ. And, that came through in his preaching. It came through one on one. It came thorough in the way he lived. And, it touched people. He would cry over people. He would stay up all night praying about someone. He'd get mad at people. He'd even tell them off (in love and truth), if that is what it took. His purpose in life became telling others about Jesus. And, he was relentless. A man told me that he gave his heart to Jesus during a service my grandpa was preaching and he came on the 23rd verse of Just As I Am! My dad tells me that if grandpa knew there was someone in the service who needed to make a decision, he'd just keep singing the invitation till they came. He'd even stop in-between verses and plead with that person, doing every thing but calling them out by name.

When was the last time you even gave any thought to the condition of someone's soul, let alone wept about it or stayed up all night praying about it? How seriously do you take the work of Christ?

Roy Lessin wrote:
God in not looking for those who are clever,
But for those in whom He can be wise;
He is not looking for those who are talented,
But for those to whom He can be all sufficient;
he is not looking for those who are powerful,
But for those through whom He can be almighty!

If you want to be really used by God - used to a far greater measure then you could ever imagine - all you have to do is to give your heart to Him 100% - live as holy a life as you can - pray that God will lay upon your heart the same compassion that Jesus had for the lost - and then just be ready and willing to be used! AND GOD WILL USE YOU!

Love in Christ Jesus,

Jim

A Mother's Love

If you've not seen this music video by Sara Evans and Brad Paisley, you need to watch it. It is a duet over video taken from the Mel Gibson movie "The Passion of the Christ".

I remember that as I watched the movie for the first time, that these scenes were the most touching to me. I'm not sure I had ever thought about the incredible pain and sorrow which Mary must have felt watching her son beaten and crucified.

Even though I am a father, I don't really believe that I can fully understand the depth of love that a mother has for her child. It is just not the same. God just did not wire us up that way.

We often talk about how great is God's love for us in that He sent His one and only Son to die for our sins that we might have forgiveness and eternal life with Him in Heaven, but just as Jesus was God's Son, He was also Mary's son. There is no question that it must have broken God's heart to see His Son rejected, beaten and crucified by the very people He'd been given to save, as He watched the sins of the world be placed upon His perfect, sinless Son. But, as Jesus was beaten and crucified, God knew that His death was not permanent, that the grave could not hold Him, that in three short days, Jesus would walk out of that tomb more alive then ever and would be restored to the full glory and honor that were His.

But what about Mary? As she had seen Jesus rejected in his ministry, as she watch him be arrested, beaten and crucified, as she went with the others to place his beaten, broken, lifeless body in the tomb, she must have be certain that it was the end, that her precious son was dead, gone, that she would never see him again - that it was over, finished. How her heart must have broken? There must not have been an once of comfort. She must have asked "God, how could you let this happen?"

If you are a mother, maybe you can imagine the pain she felt over those next few days. They must have been the longest, darkest days of her life. Imagine the sorrow and the tears. Imagine the questions. God had selected Mary above all other women to be the mother of Jesus, so we know she was a Godly woman, yet, in her sorrow and pain, she must have questioned God.

I do not think it was by happenstance or chance, but by God's great love and mercy, that Luke records that Mary was with the other women who were the first to arrive that glorious Sunday morning to find the tomb was empty - that her precious son, Jesus, was risen! And, in that moment, everything that had been so wrong was made so right - all the pain and sorrow was, in an instant, replaced by overflowing joy.

If you are a mother (or father) and your heart is broken today over your child, remember Mary and her broken heart. It may seem to you today that your child has turned their back on home and on God and that all hope is lost and the pain and sorrow are unbearable. Maybe it even seems to you that God is doing nothing, that He has not heard your prayers and your cries. Maybe you are questioning how God could have let this happen. It may seem that not only has God deserted your child, but that He has deserted you as well. But, the truth is this: God's heart is broken over your child! And, God is heartbroken by your pain and your tears. And, even though He may seem to your eyes to be doing nothing, God is working in ways which you cannot see, ways that you cannot understand and He will make right all that is now wrong, because that is His promise and God is faithful!

My precious mother must have prayed many prayers and shed many tears and her heart must have broken again and again as I wandered in that "far country" for 18 years. There must have been many times that she was tempted to give up hope, that she must have questioned if God was hearing her prayers and she must have wondered how God could have let her son go so far astray. And, yet, through it all, God was still working in my life, always protecting me, always calling me back to Himself, always working to bring me to my senses. I guess that I must be pretty stubborn, because it took a long time, but I finally did come to my senses and made my way home.

My mom just saw the beginning of my coming home, but there has not been, nor will there be, one time that I preach, that I do not think of my mom and the joy that must fill her heart as she looks down from Heaven at her son who has come home! Her son whom she will see again and for all eternity!

I love you, Mom!

Jimmie

Our New Friend Gao Yue aka Iris

We had the wonderful privilege of having Gao Yue from Chengdu, China with us from Sept. 1-23. Iris (the American name she picked for herself) is part of an exchange program through Jenks High School and Chengdu High School #7. Our daughter, Katie, will be going to China in March '08 to spend a little over 3 weeks, two of which will be spent with Iris.

I think that Iris was very impressed with the USA and especially Tulsa. We treated Iris to all kinds of "American" food while she was here. In China, the only American food they have is KFC, McDonalds and Pizza Hut. The picture at the upper right is our first Sunday dinner with Iris and her first chance to sample Italian food. Clockwise from the lower left: Me (Jim Rutherford), Sheila (my beautiful, wonderful, incredible, fantastic wife!), Houston (our son), Kyle Miller, Amy Gibson, Kory Miller (all three from our church youth group), Katie (our daughter), Iris and our friend, Tim McClung.

Iris got to meet the Mayor of Tulsa, visit Philbrook and Gilcrease Museums, see the famous "Blue Whale" on Route 66 in Catoosa, visit a working cattle ranch, go to a football game (Jenks v. Union, one of the great high school rivalries in America). You can follow this link to see many more pictures. http://shoutlife.com/profile-view.cfm?uid=48729
You'll have to sign-up for a ShoutLife account to view the pictures, but you should do that anyway. ShoutLife is a Christian Alternative to Facebook or MySpace. When you sign up, let me know by inviting me to be your "friend"!

Or, you can go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=15565&l=b732b&id=526231179 to access the pictures on Facebook, even if you don't have an account.



Iris was asked to come to Wright Christian Academy to talk to our daughter Savannah's 5th grade class and this is a video of Iris rapping to the 4th and 5th grade class at WCA in response to their request to hear what Chinese sounds like.

Iris experienced many "firsts" while with us - Barbeque (no better place then Oklahoma for that!), Mexican food (Chimichungas were the favorite) and a lot of other new foods, wearing high heels and wearing a formal, she learned many new words (wait till you see the next video I'm going to post of Iris) and made many new friends.

The most important "first" that Iris experienced was attending Church for the first time! I'm not sure she understood much of the preaching, but she told Sheila after the service that "The music warmed my heart."I believe that the Holy Spirit was softening her heart through music to create a desire to better understand what Christianity was all about - or better yet, to understand the One who Christianity is all about! As Iris asked us many questions, we were able to share some of our beliefs. Iris and her family do not practice any Religion, as is the case with most in China. If they have learned anything about God, it is that he is an imaginary figure. The night before Iris left for home, our last gift to her was a Bible in Chinese. I hope that you'll agree with me in prayer that the Holy Spirit that warmed her heart through the music she heard in church will continue to create a desire in Iris to learn more about God, until not only He, but His wonderful Son, Jesus, are no longer imaginary figures, but have become REAL to Iris. And, that through Iris, He will become real to her family and her friends and to many more in China. Pray also, that, like the Ethiopian eunuch, as Iris has questions, that God will send someone to her with the answers that she might understand and believe!

We often speak of the power of the Gospel and the power of God's Word. Pray with us that Iris will experience that power as she reads God's Word for the first time!

I'm going to write more about Iris in a few days and will, of course, keep you posted as Katie goes to China in March.

Love in Christ Jesus!

Jim

Message "Living Above Lukewarmness"

The following in a link to a sermon I preached at South Heights Assembly of God in Sapulpa, Oklahoma a few weeks ago, when Pastor Bob Warman was gracious enough to let me preach for him.

http://www.we-stream.net/Video/LukewarmChristianity.swf

I want to thank my dear friend Duane Conatser (pictured here) for not only being the videographer who recorded the message, but for being the computer guru who set it up as streaming video.

Duane and his wife, Marilyn are two of my very favorite people! The were a vital part of SouthWest Christian Fellowship when Sheila and I were the pastors. They have been members of South Heights, where Sheila was called as the Worship Leader in October, for the last 4 years.

Duane is quite a guy. He is a self-taught computer genius. He is so good at what he does that that not only has he been employed for years by the Bayer Corporation to create training and instructional videos for some of the complex medical equipment they sell, but they have allowed him to work from his home in Tulsa, instead of moving to corporate headquarters in New York.

The exciting news is that Duane is retiring from the Bayer Corporation, but he is not retiring from computer work. Duane is gong to devote his skills and expertise to helping churches and ministries with websites, videos, etc. - including helping me update our 4Winds Ministries website! So, keep an eye out in about 30 days or so as that takes place. We'll be adding sermon video and audio to the site and some of Sheila's music and maybe even some praise and worship.

Again - Thanks, Duane - for the blessing you are to me!

And, it is my hope that the video Duane created of this message is a blessing to each of you who watch it!

Love in Christ Jesus,

Jim

The Most Powerful Video I've Ever Seen!

My cousin, Dudley Rutherford, is the Pastor of 10,000 member Shepherd of the Hills Church in the northern Los Angeles area. He is a very gifted preacher, as are many in my family, and this is truly one of America's great churches. Dudley also has a blog which I check out every few days and this video was on his blog. It is, as he described it, the most powerful video I've ever seen.

It reminded me of three great facts:

1. We are in a constant and fierce battle against evil every moment of every day. Even at those times when it does seem that we are under attack, Satan and his demons are still at work in ways he hopes we won't notice until it is too late.

We must never let down our guard and we must never give up the fight, for if we will but fight, we can be certain that Jesus will come to the rescue!

Paul reminds us "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:12-17

2. Even in those times when it seems that all is lost, in our darkest hour, when it seems as if we have gone too far to ever make it back - God loves us! And, He will make a way even when it seems there is no way! After all, He loved us so much that He gave even the life of His own Son on our behalf!

3. There is always hope that the prodigal will return! Maybe you have a loved one who has given in to the enemy, who has made wrong choices, who is at this moment running after sin. Take hope in the great fact that when they "come to their senses", that Father God is waiting with open arms to welcome them home and to restore them to Himself. Even though it may seem to our eyes that God is doing nothing now, He is moving in ways that we cannot see or understand and when the time comes that your loved one reaches out to Him, He will in strength and in power to break every stronghold and loose every chain that has kept His dear one from Him. Remember, too, that God loves the one you love even more than you love them.

Love in Christ Jesus!

Jim

Tears & Trials

It seems to me that over the last month or so, I have had so many dear friends and even family who are going through times of tears and trial. For some of these dear Christians, the trial is physical as they face cancer and other serious health issues and the uncertainty those problems hold. Several others are facing serious issues with their teenage children and the decisions they are making about their lives - and it just does not get much more emotional and tearful than that. I have several friends who are in the midst of legal problems and the uncertainly as to how those issues will be resolved.

When we face life's most difficult trials, especially those which seem to drag on and on, it is so easy to get discouraged and to become weary even in our faith. Even as we are surrounded by caring and praying friends and family, it is often hard not to feel that we are facing our trial all alone and that, perhaps, even God has forgotten about us.

If you are in the midst of one of these trials and you feel yourself worn out, cried out, all alone and forgotten, it is my prayer that you might find encouragement in this quote from Charles Spurgeon:

"When a tear is wept by you, don't think that your Father does not see it. Your sigh is able to move the heart of Jehovah; your whisper can incline his ear to you; your prayer can stay his hands; your faith can move his arm. Do not think that God sits on high in eternal slumber, taking no account of you. Engraved on the Father's hand your name remains, and on his heart.
He thought of you before the worlds were made. Before the channels of the sea were scooped or the mountains lifted their heads in the clouds, he thought of you.
He thinks about you still."

The Bible promises that our Heavenly Father knows when even a sparrow falls, that He knows the number of hairs on your head, that He knows you by name, that He loves you and that He will NEVER leave you or forsake you. God knew you before you were born and he has a plan for your life and it is an eternal plan, it is not on hold or forgotten. God thinks of you still!

The trials and tears of today are known to your Heavenly Father. He knows what you are facing and He sees every tear that falls and because of that, you can be certain that it will be alright, that soon God Himself will wipe away every tear. He has not forgotten you, He thinks of you still and always will.

Love in Christ Jesus,

Jim

Preaching at South Heights

What a privilege it was for me to preach at South Heights Assembly of God in Sapulpa, Oklahoma this past Wednesday evening!

South Heights is the church at which my wife, Sheila, is on staff. She was hired last October to be their worship leader and, if I do say so myself, is doing a fantastic job. Sheila would very humbly tell you that all the credit goes to God who has so richly blessed her with the talent to do what she does and so faithfully pours out the anointing of His Holy Spirit each time she leads. I think it is that humble dependency on God that sets her apart from so many other worship leaders.

I've been in services with well known worship leaders like Darlene Zschech of Hillsongs and Lindell Cooley when he was at Brownsville Assembly (Revival at Brownsville) and God has blessed Sheila with that same ability to lead people into truly anointed worship in which the Holy Spirit is able to move in powerful ways and the manifest presence of God can genuinely be felt.

When Sheila and I pastored at SouthWest Christian Fellowship, we were in service together every Sunday, but now that I am involved in evangelist work and, especially since God lead Sheila to South Heights, it is a rare privilege for me to preach when Sheila is leading praise and worship.

I want to thank Pastor Bob Warman for being so gracious in occasionally asking me to preach for him. I know that it is difficult for a pastor to give up his pulpit, but it is real blessing to me to get to preach at my "home" church - and all the more so, since Sheila is leading worship!

I think the service, or at lest the message, was video taped and if I can get a copy, I'll see if I can't get it uploaded to the blog! God was so faithful in touching His people through His Word. As I preached from Revelation 3 on Living Above Lukewarmness, a spirit of conviction feel upon many in the church and I hope you get a sense of that on the tape.

The truth is that all of us could be a little hotter in our relationship with Jesus and in our desire to serve Him by telling others about Him.

Love in Christ Jesus!

Jim

What is His Name?

Most of the Book of Proverbs is written by Solomon, the king of Israel, who was the son of David, king of Israel, but the 30th Proverb is written by a guy named Agur.

He starts out asking a question that each of us must answer.

In Proverbs 30, verse 4, he asks "Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know!

Almost everyone believes in some kind of god or higher power, but the truth is that there is only one true God and it is the God who created the universe, who created man, who knew you before you were ever born, who has directed and numbered your days, who even knows how many hairs you have on your head - who knows YOU by name! And believe it or not - GOD LOVES YOU!

God has only one son and his name is Jesus. And, the Bible says (John 3:16) that God loved the world (and especially you) so much that he let his only son Jesus be put to death on a cross so that who ever believes in him (and that includes YOU) might not perish (die), but have eternal life!

That is pretty awesome!

No matter what the circumstances of your life, no matter what kind of things you've done, no matter how badly you've fouled up your life, God still loves you and wants nothing more than for you to have a personal and eternal relationship with him through his son Jesus.

What is his name and who is his son? That's the question you need to be able to answer!

Love in Christ Jesus,

Jim

Part 3 "Keys to New Beginnings"

The following three videos (in reverse order) are parts 1, 2 & 3 of a message preached at Victory Christian Church in Tahlequah, Oklahoma on the Sunday prior to the arrival of their newly called minister.

This message from the Book of Joshua is filled with great lessons for anyone who is ready to move from the circumstances in which they've been to a place of new beginning.

I believe it will be not only encouraging, but life changing if you've felt you've been wandering through life not knowing what to do next, trapped by circumstances and are ready to move to a living a life of purpose and blessing.

Love in Christ Jesus,

Jim

Part 2 "Keys to New Beginnings"

Part 1 "Keys to New Beginnings" Sermon at Victory Chrsitian Church

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Video sent by VictoryofTahlequah

Welcome to my Blog!

It is my hope that the words, stories, pictures and whatever else I'm lead to post, will be a help and an inspiration to you - that they will in some small way help you make it through a difficult circumstance in your life - or encourage you to turn to Jesus as your Savior and to make Him the Lord of your life. Those are life's most important decisions, because they are the only decisions you'll ever make in this life that have eternal consequences.

Some will be funny - others will be touching - some will be uplifting - and others will just reveal a little about how God is using me and my wife, Sheila, through 4Winds Ministries and Project Turning Point.

May God make Himself ever more known to you and may He bless you richly as you give more of your life to Him.

If you are touched by something I post or just need someone to pray for you, please let me know!

Love in Christ Jesus,


Jim