NOTE FROM LES
Dear Friends,
It seems the Lord is now opening the doors for us to resume some of our traveling and seminar teaching. We will begin August 26th and finish September 7th, with stops in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. After a couple of weeks at home we'll be heading to Russia and a week of teaching in a Bible School and other places. There will be room for 35 individuals to join us, but they will fill quickly on a first come first serve basis.
We hope to start traveling again in 2007. If you are interested in our coming to your area please let us know so we can construct an itinerary. As before, we do not expect compensation.
Finally, we get countless numbers of letters asking about cremation. This has been, and still is my basic answer. Scripture does not address it. There is no such statement as "Thou shalt not cremate." It has no bearing on our eternal destiny or God's ability to resurrect ashes. But, (a term I use quite often) we have to look at the Big Picture. God's favored nation, Israel, beginning with Abraham seeking a burial place for Sarah, to the present Jews, have been meticulous in the proper burial of their dead. Even today if bulldozer's building a road in Israel turn up human bones, everything stops until it is determined that there are no more, and then they are given proper burial. The pagan world, more often then not, burned their dead. In fact, when Great Britain ruled India, they put a stop to the Hindu practice of laying the living wife of the deceased husband beside him and burned them both together. Recently, there has been a movement in India to reinstitute the practice. If cost is the primary reason for cremation, just consider a cheaper casket. For thousands less dollars, you can be buried in a pine box. We do not need $10,000 bronze caskets, observed for a few moments and then buried six feet under. Think of our pioneers. Many were wrapped in nothing more than a blanket. Most were buried in a wooden box.
WHAT IN THE WORLD
The following is more of the article featured in Priority One that we began in the last newsletter. Our thanks for allowing us to reprint this fine paper.
"Confident Hope as a Lifestyle"
"Just as faith is developed in the believer as the Word of God is internalized, so also confident hope comes to those who depend on the word of the Lord for instruction in righteousness. Those Thessalonians already had a growing confident hope because of Paul's few weeks of teaching. Both of his letters to them were sent to explain more fully the eschatology he alone had learned *during the three years he spent at the feet of the risen Savior on Mt. Sinai. The better believers know Jesus Christ through the Word of God in our day, the more they will understand the promise of His return, and the greater will be their confident hope.
There is an interesting contrast to be noted between Paul's first letter to them, and how he begins the second. In the first, he rejoices in their faith, hope, and love. In II Thessalonians, chapter one, he writes, "We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you toward each other abounds."
Conspicuous by its absence is the expected use of the word hope. Apparently this young church was going through a terrible time of persecution, and although they had been taught that Christ was coming to take them out of this world before the wrath of God descended, there were some who understandably suspected that His wrath was already being experienced. The second chapter's first verses comforted them,
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him, that you be not soon shaken in mind or troubled, neither by spirit nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand."
What this shows us is that, like our faith, hope ebbs and flows. The Word of God causes faith to grow, but when difficult circumstances confront us, false teaching challenges us, and trials distress us, confident hope is likely to weaken, even crumble. So to keep their expectancy of Christ's return strong, believers must constantly lean upon His promises. He is coming back, and we shall meet Him in the air. The Psalmist writes, "My soul faints, longing for your deliverance. But I have put my hope in your word". Is that not as well a very strongly to be desired testimony for every redeemed child of God today?
*Emphasis is that of Les Feldick.
NOTE FROM LAURA
Thanks again to everyone that keeps me and our family in your prayers. I'm doing fairly well and I have even begun to work a little for the ministry again. I can answer the phone with the use of a hands-free headset and I am also able to write letters using a voice program. (I had no idea that almost every computer has so many accessibility options!) God continues to be so good and I always know that He is with me.
NOTE FROM THE OFFICE
I'm sure the rise of inflation is something that all of you are familiar with. We have seen everything from the price of a gallon of gas to a gallon of milk increase drastically over the past couple of years. Unfortunately, the ministry is feeling this economic crunch as well. Our printer tells us the price of stock paper has gone up the last three times he has ordered it, and we all know that postage rates increased again this year. In fact, postage rates have increased at least four times since there has been any pricing change in our products. However, the Lord has been good and the ministry is truly blessed, and we feel we don't have to pass any of these increases on at this time. This said we do want all of our friends to know that a slight increase in pricing may be something that is inevitable in the future. To keep costs down as much as possible, we mail products "Library Rate" through the postal service unless otherwise specified. Please keep in mind that this delivery process takes extra time, and allow us 4 -6 weeks for delivery.
We are having our data base "cleaned up" this quarter, there are still many of you who may receive duplicate mailings. At current volume it is very difficult for us to find all of the duplicates. If you do receive a duplicate mailing or if there is something incorrect about your name or address, please call or send the new or correct information along with the old information so it can be changed.
Thank you for writing the invoice number for payments or the word donation if so designated on the memo line of your checks. It helps us so much and speeds things up a little too.
On or around year end, "Through the Bible" will go through what we call "the turn-around." This means that the programs that are broadcast 5 days a week will catch up with the programs that are currently being taped. At that time, your stations will start from the beginning (in Genesis) and the entire series will air in order again. So, don't be surprised near the end of the year when Les will suddenly appear to be 15 years younger!
If you are looking for solid Grace Teaching for children ages 6 -13, Grace Harbor church offers an excellent study. For information about the Miners Club program, call or email Grace Harbor Church, Rolling Meadows, IL at 847-640-8422 or www.grace-harbor-church.org.
A trust has been established for Laura Thomas. If you would like to contribute, you may make checks payable to Laura Thomas Supplemental Care Trust and send to the ministry.
New TV Stations!
Cedar Rapids, IA Ch.48 KPXR 12-12:30 P.M. Mon- Fri
Additional new stations
San Antonio, TX Ch. 35 KRRT (WB) 6:30-7 A.M. Mon-Fri
As always I have to use this means of responding to the hundreds of personal notes you send our way. How we thank God for every one of them. We want you to know that our prayers for you ascend daily, and how we feel and appreciate your prayers on our behalf.
It has been the policy of this ministry to pay every radio and television station every month and to this date we have never run a deficit. We learned early on that it takes 12 - 24 months for a new audience to pay its own way. Consequently, we have to have enough reserve to pick up the bills until the new audience becomes 100% self-supporting. We praise the Lord that in these last few months your giving has been so phenomenal that we have suddenly built up enough reserve to begin negotiating with the i-on (formerly PAX) network, who were excited about airing our program. As a result, the following stations have been added and will begin airing Through the Bible on June 26th. Please pray with us that we will be able to maintain the cost of these new stations.
Jacksonville, FL Ch.21 WPXC 1-1:30 P.M. Mon- Fri
Raleigh/Durham, NC Ch.47 WRPX 11:30 A.M.-12 P.M. Mon-Fri
Portland, OR Ch. 23 KPXG 7:30-8 A.M. Mon-Fri
Greensboro, NC Ch.16 WGPX 11:30 A.M.-12 P.M. Mon-Fri
Charleston, WV Ch. 29 WLPX 10:30 - 11 A.M. Mon-Fri
Red Lion/Harrisburg, PA Ch. 49 WGCB 8:30-9 A.M. Mon-Fri