Singing Ministry Sends Out the Gospel Message!

Pastor J singing "Little Is Much"

It All Started from simple roots, a child sitting on her mother's lap, learning harmonies she found so beautiful then as she grew and began to sing in the family ministry, "Lively Stones Family Ministry" She began to find the melodies reached into her soul and the words she found so intense, so compelling, "that this God she is singing about would want me, someone like me." Thus began Her Passion... and a lifetime of Service to Her Lord and Savior as King of Her Life, the only way she knew she could give back, and give Her all to Him, was in the Words of the Music she heard and could Sing.

From Pastor J: "My Singing Ministry and Passion to Serve Comes from the Humbled Heart of God's Child. I have been singing since I was old enough to hold a microphone, sharing the gospel of Christ has been the most important thing in my life since I was a small child. I told someone recently, sharing the gospel of Christ isn't something that I do to get attention, for a title, a big place in the church, it is because I am COMPELLED to share it by the Holy Spirit.

It took me a long time to understand and to be able to figure it out for myself, but I found out, when you are walking each day with your Lord, when He has shown you what He suffered, bled and died for, and that He came back to this earth for You, it becomes the most humbling, broken, and special change in your heart and life you can ever imagine. I look at what He did for me, all He suffered for, and I can't help but want to shout from the roof tops all He has done for all of us, what He is coming back for, and what this whole thing is about. It is about HIM, our Savior Jesus Christ. It is about God and King, and in the truest sense of it all, it is ALL ABOUT ME AND YOU. He came and did all these things, just for Me and You, so that we could have eternal life in Heaven with Him. How amazing is that, that I am that important for God to send His son to die for me, or for you. Who am I?

It has taken me a long time to get to a place that I could believe with all my heart that I was worthy to serve my God, that I could do it on my own, without the support of family and friends that I held so dear, and that I could do it through God's power, not my own. I thought I had to be in control of everything, every aspect of my life had to be planned down to the letter, I had to know exactly what was going on and when every moment of my life. Then one day God told me, "I thought this was about Me, I have a job for you to do, but until you can let go, submit to my word, my authority, and my will, you are going to be stagnant, just sitting here waiting on the phone to ring. You have to let it all go, let me lead you, let your husband be the head of his home and over this family, let Him hear from me and I will lead and direct this family, ministry, and you. I couldn't believe what He was asking me to do, how God who knew me so well, was asking me to Let God? What was He thinking? But I knew what it was, I had to let go and give Him my will, so His could be made known to our family. It was honestly the hardest thing I have ever had to surrender, but I tell you, surrender and submission can be so sweet, so inviting, and so blessed. I never want to turn back now, or ever."

We started Living Sacrifice Ministries in 2003, we thought it was to be  a singing ministry only, sharing the Gospel of Christ to any and all who would listen in songs and testimony. It seemed like the next logical conclusion in our marriage and in our walk with the Lord. We love to share the gospel of Christ, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ for the salvation of our souls from the sin in our lives. We carry His message to churches all over the community, the county and the state, to any church, organization or individual who invites us to come and share.

Pastor Robert Tells us: "Our Ministry is about sharing the Gospel message, it is about learning to build a one-on-one relationship with our God and King and learn to live as Christ lived, and gave Himself for the Church." We are to put our all on the alter for God, to put our own selves, our own desires, and our own selfishness aside for the ones we are trying to witness to, the ones we want to win for Christ. They MUST SEE JESUS IN ME and IN YOU, that is the witness they need to know about Christ. You remember how you saw Him through others, the ones who brought you to the cross, to the place where you accepted Christ for yourself. Where was that for you? How did it make you feel knowing God gave His Son for You and that His Son, FREELY laid down His Life for you? Are you willing to put it all on the cross for Him? Are you willing to share the Gospel of Christ with others? 

We need your help and support in this endeavor. We want to be able to share the Gospel everywhere we go, but we need your invitation into your churches, your communities, and bring us to the place where we can share the love of God to the Lost in your area.

We are now booking Concerts, Revivals, and other Special Events for the 2013 Calendar Year, and we would love to have it full and ready to be made public to our supporters by the end of the year, so you can plan to attend our special events that God has asked us to create. It is up to you, pastors, churches and other leaders in the community, to allow us to come share the Gospel of Christ, to advance the Kingdom of God.

Remember, this isn't about us, it isn't about the show, it is about God. It is about Saving the Lost, Restoring the Wandering, and bringing them back to God.

Calvary Promotions and The Minister's Quartet are hosting a Benefit Concert and Silent Auction 

October 27, 2012 at 5:00pm 

Location: 

The Church at Linwood
561 West 600 North
Alexandria IN, 46001. 

Featuring: 

The Minister's Quartet, The Jubilee's  The Bell Family, Forever Blessed Trio, Mike Pender, The Clausen Family, and Master's Own. 

Free Admission but we will be taking up a love offering 

As a Benefit Concert, ALL PROCEEDS GO TO the Griffin Family!!!
This concert is to benefit Ms. Griffin's 11 year old daughter who has a very serious illness and has many medical bills that the insurance will not pay. God has told us to help with the least of these and to love the little ones, we must help and love her into His kingdom.

There will also be a Silent Auction which has items donated from local businesses.
Such as... Car washes, Photo Sessions, Tanning and lots of other items.
CASH, CREDIT, OR CHECK are accepted for donations and purchase of these auction items!

Flier for the Concert on October 27th. We hope to see you there!

Earthly Fathers are a Glimpse of Heavenly Father

God created man to take care of the earth, to tend to the plants and name the animals. He thought that man could rule over this world and make it even more amazing as it was filled with more, as everything was to be fruitful and multiply. God did not want man to be alone, so He created a woman for the man. ONE woman, for ONE man... He wanted her to be by his side, to be his helper, to rule with him, not for Him to rule over her, that is why she was taken from his side, not his head to be head over her, nor his foot for him to walk over, but to be partners, to live together, grow together and to love together.

God wanted man and woman to create children, to give this world other men and women to marry, to have families and to fill the earth with his creation, His children. He had every intention on this being a partnership forever, down the line, to work together and to honor and cherish one another. After the temptation and fall of Adam and Eve, God put Adam over Eve as the head of the household, to have one to be the "responsible party" in the family. One that would have to answer for the actions of the family, one to be able to teach right from wrong, one to show love, compassion, and to teach what the Lord would have for each of the members of the family to do with their lives. The wife was put under the husband, in subjection to his authority, because God wanted just one to answer for the family, and since Adam let the fall happen by partaking of the fruit himself, God chose Adam to be that head over all.

He needed the man to take the control of his family, to be the responsible one for the spiritual guidance and leadership of the home. He intended for Adam and for all males to be that head person, to show unconditional love to one another, just as God had shown to Adam and Eve. Yes, He did punish them for their disobedience by removing them from the garden, making them have to work for their own food from now on, but He made them clothes by spilling the blood of an innocent lamb, making their clothes from its skin, and making sure they had provisions until they were established for themselves. He held them accountable, but He still showed them His unconditional love by giving them life, forgiving them and clothing them. He showed them that even though their fellowship with Him would not be in the cool of the day walking through a beautiful garden, but that He would always be there when they called, He would always still provide and take care of them when they needed Him.

God created a heart in a man, to be full of love for his family, to show them right from wrong, to answer for their sins or wrong doings, to teach them about their God, and to show them unconditional love, so that way, when it came time for them to decide for themselves, and someone began telling them of their heavenly father, they would be able to understand that love a little better, through the unconditional, abounding love of the father God gave them.

In our world today, when a man and woman split up, divorce, or move away from one another, for the most part, the mother takes the kids, seems like the natural, logical choice, because they are so nurturing and caring of their own children, but the men seem to settle into a life of single, manhood. As if their children no longer matter. Some think, "as long as they are getting money from me, they should be fine, they know that is the love I have to give." Others just think, "she had them, they're her kids, period." Our children are growing up without their fathers, without that glimpse into their heavenly father, because their's just gave up and walked out. Not their job, I suppose.

Here is the thing, IT IS THEIR JOB, it is more than their job. How are children to understand it when we say, "God will never leave you, nor forsake you..." "Your Heavenly father loves you unconditionally, you can call on him anytime, night or day?" They can't imagine what that type of love from a "man" or "Father" would be, because they don't see it in their own fathers, so how can you compare. It is in their feeble attempts to understand the spirit world and God's love through the eyes and actions of their own earthly dad, and can't figure out what they are talking about.

Statistics show that boys without their father are more likely to join violent games than to get involved church services, because they are looking for no condemnation, belonging and family. Girls are looking for a father figure, one who will show them unconditional love, whether for ever or just right now. They begin to sexually active to anyone who will pay attention to her, usually at the very young, tender ages of between 10 and 14, instead of being an older teem member. They run the risk of high teen pregnancies because they feel, "at least I will have someone who will always love me, and won't walk away," which usually backfires on them as well, somewhere in their future with their own children.

We need our father's back. Dad, they need YOU. They need to know they can see you, hear you, feel you close to them, and they need to see or hear you, their fathers, talk about how much you love them, your hopes and dreams for them, and that no matter what is happening between mommy and daddy, that they are not pawns in your game, but your children as much as they are hers. Give them your all, just as your heavenly father gave us His, when He put His own son on the cross to die for us all, so that we had a way of escaping hell. Don't you want that for your own children?

Ministering to the Heart of a Kingdom Man!

As we set out this week, I just really felt impressed upon this morning to encourage all the wives to pray for your husbands, we need to hold our husbands up in prayer and let God have His way in our husbands lives. God wants our men to step up and be the man He created them to be, He wants them to show our children what a Man of God, A Kingdom Man looks like, so they have examples for their own lives.

I know that some of you are thinking, "my husband is the leader of my home, he is a man of God... I don't have to pray him into the Kingdom," God has given so many of us a good, righteous, Holy man for Him, and that is wonderful that God has so many men already working on His behalf, Here is the thing, Satan knows it too, that is why we need to continue to Hold them Up, Bind Satan in their lives, and ask the Holy Spirit to give them encouragement, minister to their hearts from the inside, and strength as they lead our families. Everyday, each one of us need to thank God for our husbands, Speak to God the husband you see in Him. The virtuous woman LIFTS her husband up to the position she sees in him by speaking it out loud and claiming the promises and the word of God on their husbands. 

As a Kingdom Man, our husbands still need their wives to
continue in prayer for them, the battle for their minds isn't over
with the prayer at the alter for salvation, it continues on as our men
continue in Christ to lead the families as God would have them to lead.

We help our husbands become that man for God's Kingdom through our prayers, ministering to their hearts in love, peace, and encouragement. God will lift them up to their place of HONOR in the home, through your prayers and words. "If you are faithful in the small things, we will be suited for the great things God has planned for you." You just have to be faithful to this for your husband.

We, as a society of women, can work with God to bring to life, restore, and encourage our Kingdom Husbands and Fathers, but we have to do it, be faithful, and strong in their stead. Stand in the gap for your families. Satan is working hard to bring down the Kingdom men in our lives who are striving to Be what God wants and needs them to be in our world, and it is the strength and prayers of the wives that will help keep our men strong in the Lord. We have to bind Satan in his attacks, and continue to help our men in their position to LEAD OUR FAMILIES!!! 

From Guilt and Condemnation to New Life!

So many times, we spend time asking questions like, "Why does God punish us? Why do the punishments last so long, and why are they so harsh? We even ask "Why does He keep punishing me over and over again for the same sin? It was a long time ago and I asked for forgiveness for that sin, why is He still reminding me of my sin if I am forgiven?" 

I can tell you this question is one that everyone asks at one time or another in their life, even pastors, ministers, and other people who work in the church. I can tell you for a fact, even for myself it was something that I struggled with for so long, and I didn't know where to turn or how to get my heart and mind clear from my past to be able to move ahead to be able to Serve God in any capacity. You see, my spirit and my mind believed belonged to God, I got saved so many years ago, and I never doubted my salvation, but my heart belonged to another, someone and somethings that I couldn't let go of for a long time. I struggled with sin, guilt and lived daily with condemnation not only from others, from my family, and from Satan, but largely from myself. I knew I was not living right, I knew my heart was not letting go and wasn't ready to give up the sin and pleasure that had been holding on to me for so long. When that sin no longer was a "pleasure" and the guilt was too much, I wanted to walk away, I wanted to give my heart to God too, but the pull on my heart was just too strong and I couldn't let go, not just yet, and though I struggled with all of this for so long, the more everyone pushed me to let it all go and let God have His way, I continued to fight, pull away and ignore pleas of help and rescue from myself.

Then one day, I just looked up, said, "it's over, I'm done." Walked away and never looked back. I fell to my knees and begged God to forgive me, to renew a right spirit in me and to renew my mind and sanctify me wholly for His service, and from Satan's snares. I knew right then and there I was forgiven. I felt new inside, in my heart and in my mind. I knew that I could stand proud as a Child of God and heir to His kingdom, and that I no longer had to be ashamed of my sins or my past, because God had brought me through, He had been working on me, and I was now HIS forever!

Satan kept bringing this sin to my mind, he kept trying to put memories in my head, kept putting people in my path to tempt me and others to condemn me and try to make me feel bad for my past. They kept asking me, "How are you SUPPOSED to serve God after all the things you did, after all the sin and everything you put your family through." For a long time, I kept thinking, "they're right, how can I be a minister, how can I work with people to save their marriages, restore the family units and show others the way to God after all I have done, after everything I have been through." They had me beat down so much, I could just feel Satan dancing around me saying, "I have you, I have you, la di da da da... hahahaha...!" I would go to the altar, I would plead, beg and ask God, "Why do you keep bringing this up to me? Why do you keep punishing me for my past" I thought we had everything taken care of so I could serve you again."

One day, a pastor friend of ours was sitting with me, we were talking about the strong desire to serve God I had, but how I keep getting set back from God's punishment on my past. He told me something very similar to what I am about to tell you now. It changed my life forever.


God tells us in the bible in Hebrews 8:12, "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember them no more." Jesus told the woman caught in the act of adultry, "Where are those accusers were there None that accused you?" when she told Him they were gone, and none to accuse her. So He said, "Neither do I condemn thee; go, and sin no more." John 8:11

You see, God does not want you to live a life of condemnation, He wants you to live a life of abundance. (John 10:10), He loves you, and in His mercy, He forgives you of any of your sins once you have sought forgiveness for them and TRULY REPENTED of your sins. True Repentance is, "A Change of your heart, mind, soul, and life, to renew your mind and not live and do the things you did before your repentance." If you have repented, to God it is over and done with, but you need to understand something else, God does forgive you and He forgets whatever it is... But even in His great forgiveness, just like as a child, if we have sinned, God does rebuke or punish us, it is usually a punishment in love; one for us to learn from and strengthen our grip to Him. Once the punishment is over, it's over. He doesn't double punish or prolong punishments.

There is a point to make, once sin is truly dealt with, it is over, if all you did was, "I felt a little guilty and so I am gonna pray a little prayer to get rid of the guilty feeling for now, and so many think that's enough. If you ask God to forgive, He won't notice that your heart and the sin isn't truly dealt with, it is just forgiven for the moment. When you seek forgiveness and the sin was never REALLY dealt with, and then the Holy Spirit will continue to deal with you to stop and seek true repentance. You are not free from the pull of the sin and the power it has over you, until you ask God to help you with it, ask Him to remove the draw from you, help you with the temptation, and to provide the strength to walk away and turn your back on what you struggle with. Once you settle the sin in your heart, mind and soul, it is settled.

So when you feel like the sin has come back to remind you, to pull you back in, and to make you feel unworthy of God's love and grace, you need to know and understand that on one hand, God has forgiven you, but on the other hand, Satan, in His battle for your mind, will do anything and everything to destroy your walk and relationship with God. He will do anything to make you doubt your forgiveness and your restoration with the Lord. He will do anything to make you think that trials and troubles LOOK like continued punishment and condemnation from God, WHEN IT IS REALLY, Satan's Game, His  guilt and condemnation in your mind, and NOT punishment from God, that looms over us when we feel like an attack is not letting up.
When you were a child, you would do something wrong, your parents would have to punish you, it is the same as a child of God. When we sin, we have to take our lickings when we do wrong, but once your punishment is complete, it is over forever. God doesn't prolong punishment, He doesn't punish you over and over again, just once for the sin you confessed, but it is Satan who tries to bring it up and make you feel like it is God bringing it back up again. God doesn't do that, so when you feel Satan's attack on your life, you have to rebuke Satan, say something like, "I settled that with my God a long time ago, and YOU are not going to keep bringing this up, because In the Name of Jesus Christ, and His shed blood, I have been set from from the Sin, the Guilt of Sin and Condemnation, and I am free from the attacks you lay on me..." Speak the name of Jesus, the Bible says, Satan can't even stand in the presence of His name, and that Demons tremble at the sound of the name of Jesus Christ.

You have the Power to overcome this fight for your mind with Satan, through the power of God, in the Name of the Lord, Jesus Christ and through the blood of the lamb. Once you have seek forgiveness and truly repent, let your sin, guilt and condemnation go, once you do, God will not continue to condemn you of your sin, so neither should you.

Ps 103:5-12 "Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He mad known His ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will He keep His anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. AS FAR AS THE EAST IS FROM THE WEST, so FAR HATH HE REMOVED OUR TRANSGRESSIONS from us."

What is a Living Sacrifice? From Pastor Bob

How many of us reading this blog really know what being a "Living Sacrifice" for Christ truly is? How do we know for sure if we are being a Living Sacrifice? Is God pleased with our Sacrifice to Him? How can we know?

Psalms 51:17 says, " The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

To be a Living Sacrifice, you have to be able to humble yourself, and submit to God's leading.

Psalms 34:18 says, "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."

In order to be a Living Sacrifice, you have to be born again into God's family. You must come to Him with a humble, submissive and repentant heart, and call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. We dwell with the Holy One once we have done this step in our lives.

Isaiah 57:15 says, "For thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

Isaiah 66:2 also says, "For all those things hath mine made and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and tremble at my word."

You see, the Lord will dwell and look to us that have the repentant heart and a submissive spirit. Being a Living Sacrifice is totally, humbly, and whole heartedly submitting and surrendering to the calling God has in and for our lives. God has a plan for us, the scriptures say, from the womb, He had a plan for you, and once we are saved, He wants to begin building a One-on-One relationship with Him, so He can teach you all things, bring all things to your heart and mind, and sow in you the seeds you will need to obey and follow His will and direction on your life.

Since God sent His son to die for us, that is the least we can do for Him. We owe Him our whole life for what He did to provide a way of escape from hell.

Romans 12:1 tells us, "I beseech ye therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a Living Sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."

When we follow His plan, we enter into His blessing. God's blessing is where you want to be, always, because the alternative is not that wonderful of a place to be.

I spent a few years running away from God and from my calling, and believe me, there is no future in disobeying God's call. I got real tired of running from God, He is in much better shape than I am without Him. You see, when you live life the way you want to, without Him, without His blessings, you think things are wonderful, great, no one could do it better, IN THE BEGINNING, but, the scriptures tell us, that whatever we sow, that will we also reap (harvest). Even though I repented of my life of sin, running from God and doing things my own way, I still have to pay the consequences for my own sins of the past. He doesn't remember them anymore, but there is a time when you have to stand up and take responsibility for your disobedience and neglect of your call. God does not let the punishment slide, just because you seek Him and repent. That isn't the way the world works. You see, you pay for your past. You pay for your sins. Maybe not through the hands of God, but it could be through unwanted, added expenses on your family, indebtedness that you can't do anything about now, because it is consequences of past actions.

It may not be financial for you, David had an affair with a married woman, the seed from their relationship caused him to order her husband killed on the front line (Murder) to cover up sin. God took the child from them, not because He wanted to punish the child, but because He wanted David and Bathsheba to repent and see they should not be blessed for their sin.

It may be a relationship that needs to end because it has brought you down farther and farther than you ever planned to go, it keeps you walking a path further and further away from God. It may be incarceration for a past action you thought you got away with one day, but the scriptures say, "be sure your sins WILL find you out." There are so many more examples I can give you, but I think you already see and know what your struggling with in your own life.

Take the time to study the scriptures, know what God has for your life, speak to Him in prayer and meditation of His word, wait up on that still small voice that so longs to speak with you. Be that Living Sacrifice that God has planned for your life, that living testimony of His love and what He can do in your life when you come to Him and let Him have control. He will make it worth your while and take you places that only you dream about! The blessings He has for you, O What a Thrill and a Privilege to know and serve God. He loves you more than you can ever imagine, He wants you to know just how much and what He has waiting for you, will you take that step? Will you be a Living Sacrifice for God today?