Cross 

 Point

MONTHLY GATHERINGS (7:00 p.m.) (Board meeting at 5:00 p.m.)				WALKS
June 14		FUMC Marietta		Men’s Walk #71		09/25/08-09/28/08
				Women’s Walk #72		10/02/08-10/05/08

The apostle Paul had two really good friends. One was Luke “the beloved physician” who stuck with Paul after all the others had forsaken him. The other was Timothy whom Paul called “my own son in the faith.” It is believed by many that when Paul had been stoned by the mob at Lystra, dragged out of the city’s gates and left for dead, it was Timothy who went out and found him after the mob had left, put his arms about his bleeding body, carried him to safety, and nursed him back to health.

Finally the great apostle had just about reached the end of the road. He was in jail in Rome, probably to be executed. But even if per chance he were spared, his frail and tired body couldn’t last much longer. He wrote two letters to his friend Timothy in which he said, “Do your best to come to me soon....Come before winter.”

Why “before winter?” Because when winter came, navigation closed down on the Mediterranean. If Timothy didn’t make it before winter, it would be too late. It was before winter or not at all. I wonder how Timothy responded to this very urgent appeal.

There’s an old saying and you’ve probably heard it—“Opportunity knocks but once.” But that’s not true. Actually opportunity knocks many times, but it does have a way of knocking for the last time.

I don’t know how many times I’ve picked up the phone and heard theses words, “Dan, can you come over right now?” People know when they want help; they know when they need someone. I know that a moment’s delay is a lost opportunity, perhaps the last opportunity.

Paul said, “Come before winter.” It will be Father’s Day soon. Every father plans on being a pal to his children. But fathers reckon that they need to get established in business. There is work to do, and golf, and dinner meetings, and the need to sleep past the Sunday school hour on Sunday, than this and that. If we love our children, it must be “before winter.”

Did you know that there’s a window of opportunity for persons to go on the Walk to Emmaus? Is a potential pilgrim who is “ready’ right now to go, is he or she saying, “Come before winter?”

DeColores,

Dan Patman
Cross Point Walk to Emmaus #1
Table of Mark

BOYS : AUG 21-24TH AT CANYON CAMP-HINTON,OK
GIRLS: AUG 28-31ST AT CANYON CAMP-HINTON, OK.

IF INTERESTED CONTACT BECKY JENNINGS AT jenningsdewayne@yahoo.com OR PAUL ENRIGHT AT paul@enrights.net

Hello. My name is Butch Coffey, Crosspoint Walk to Emmaus #69, Table of Mark. As anyone who has been on the Walk can attest, there are no words that can describe the experience. I simply tell everyone that it was the best three days of my life so far.

If anyone wishes to take their relationship with the Lord to another level, I highly recommend it. What really stood out in my mind the most was Saturday night. As we all were gathered at the altar, and the last of the candle bearers passed in front of us and left the room, my attention immediately went to the other end of the hall to the brightest thing in the room. It was a picture of Jesus. I believe it was at that point I felt closest to my Lord.

Later I saw that He did not have a look of doubt, frustration, or pain of betrayal on His face, but the expression I expect He’ll have when we see Him again. As if He were saying with out-stretched hand, “Welcome my good and faithful friend. I’m so very glad to have you here with Me, what a glorious time we’re going to have”. And I’m sure we will !

The bird on the wire sings out his song
Shouting His praises all the day long,
Thanking the one that always does give
All that he has and needs to live

The magnificent tree sways in the breeze
It’s wants and cares are met with ease
A sun filled day or a rain gently driven
Perpetual blessings that are freely given.

The beautiful flowers that bloom in the spring
Are they needful of one little thing
They’re clothed in Your splendor and majesty
A living testament for all to see

Thank you my Lord for the bird and the tree
For the flowers in Spring, and all that I see
Thank you for your blessings of love
That rain down like sunbeams from Heaven above

My name is Rev. Duane Baker, Crosspoint #9, Table of Matthew. I work at the CCA Davis Correctional Facility in Holdenville, Oklahoma as the coordinator for Horizons Communities In Prison. Horizon Communities is a product of Kairos Prison ministries. A large number of my friends are from Emmaus and Kairos. For that reason I have decided to share this Fourth Day story with all of you.

God is so good and so extraordinary in how he brings about his many blessings into our lives. This story began when an Emmaus friend, Rick Litchfield, called in September to ask me if I could help provide a ride to Oklahoma City for his sick sister. He explained that she was very ill and so could not drive herself to her doctor’s appointment. I agreed and so a new relationship began in my life.

Rick’s sister is Debra Owens, another member of the Crosspoint Emmaus community. I had briefly met her before but this was my first time truly getting to know her. Debra was dealing with a chronic condition that had put her into the hospital for two weeks at a time repeatedly over the past year. She was physically unable to sit up during the drive to OKC and had to lay in the seat with pillows and blankets. The doctors wanted to remove her colon but had informed her that if they did the needed operation she would likely die on the operating table.

Debra had lost over seventy pound in just a few months and could not stop that process. The doctors told her to eat four big meals per day and to drink high protein drinks throughout the day. For some time the weight loss continued and then it finally stopped and she slowly began gaining weight.

Throughout her ordeal Debra has been blessed with a sense of peace from God. She has had a confidence in the many prayers that were being lifted up for her. She knew in her heart that God wanted her to be able to continue raising her daughter and to have many more years to do his work.

We had started to get to know each other on the trips to the doctor’s office. However, one evening while at a Kairos four day weekend I decided that I would call Debra and ask her out on a date. She accepted and our relationship continued growing. We continued the trips to the doctor along with other exciting dates. One very special date included a proposal of marriage. Debra accepted but we had to wait to decide when we could get married because we didn’t know when her operation would take place.

The doctors finally set the date for the surgery. They did an excellent job. Debra is doing well and has even returned to work full-time. We rejoice in all that God has done and we want to invite all of you to come and join us for our very special day. The wedding is set for Sunday, June 28th at the First United Methodist Church on 14th and Broadway in Ada, Oklahoma at 3:00 p.m. Please join us on this day as we celebrate together in God’s gift of life.

2008 Cross Point Emmaus Board of Directors

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OUR NEXT GATHERING IS ON JUNE 14TH AT 7:00 P.M. FUMC-Marietta. Make it a priority to stay connected to your brothers and sisters in Christ! Come to the gatherings and bring a friend!