7/16/06

Don't be Just
Fisher
Men,
Be
Fishers

1
Of Men !
By vanderKOK
Good Morning Everybody!

Let's begin the E-Church Service with a Song of Praise

Song: Only a Beam of Sunshine !

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/n/onlybeam.htm

Isn't that a great warmup song? And there's been a lot of sun in the sky
beating down upon us lately. But we need as much "son light" from the
fellowship of Christ beaming all over the place.

Song: Shine for Jesus Where You Are

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/s/f/sfjwyare.htm

Prayer: Dear God let us shine, Jesus, shine--for You! Let us be a witness to
the world of Your compassion, grace, and love. Let us persevere despite
insults and injuries--for YOU , knowing that You will reward us in the
end. Let us persevere like football players on the field--despite insult and
injury --we know the reason for being here--to win people to Christ, for
Your Kingdom of God--for Our Kingdom of God. Hear our prayer oh
Lord !

And one more Song:

Song: All the World for Jesus !

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/l/allthew4.htm

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That's what it's all about, folks--victory for Christ! We are here as both
sheep and shepherds. Sometimes we are leading, other times we are
following. When we are tired and weak we draft on the energy of others.
When we are strong we lead others and they draft behind us.

Opening:
I spent the last few days cleaning up a guest house in an undisclosed
location where I can stay from time to time. It gives a little space to move
around--store a few things, even sleep there sometimes. And I'll talk more
about that later. There's even some orange trees and lemon trees that I can
pull a few fruits off of now and then and make some juice --hand squeezed.

I framed and hung a few posters I picked up in the Netherlands a few

years ago. I spent most of the time just recuperating from exhaustion from
being on the road for so long--a nonstop pace --doing ministry and
evangelism--much of it E-Church style around the country & world, but
also some local interaction.

And even when I'm doing E-church evangelism and outreach I still do it on
the road (95% of the time). I believe in the power of presence--in actually
going to a community and learning about it and meeting people even if
sometimes that just means walking my dog down the street and saying
hello to people as I walk. Sometimes I put "Christ my Pilot" cards under
windshield wipers. So there's a physical component to the "electric
evangelism". This makes it more "incarnational."

While there only a few people stopped by--one of them Doug Timmer--who
is my dad's half brother. Also the lawn man came by one day. Next door
they were having a garage sale and I picked up a few things--a nice lamp, a
few photoalbums, and a picture frame.

Turns out it was actually an estate sale--the elderly man who had lived
there since '65 had died in September 2005 and the family was selling the
house. I talked to the son-in-law for a little while. He owned a
photography shop for several years--that's why they had so many picture
frames and photo albums for sale. He said they were buying a place in
Colorado to live part -time as well.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 4:18-20

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And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two
brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his
brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were
fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me,
and I will make you fishers of men." 20 They
immediately left their nets and followed Him.
Matt 4:18-20 (also see Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11)
NKJV

Message:
Don't be Fishermen, Be Fishers of Men !
I noted in my opening remarks this morning about some of what I did
this week--establishing a little place to rest and arrange my personal
belongings a little bit better. It's like an office, but it's also my "prayer
chapel" and a utility room of sorts.

And I also made the time I spent there into a three day "prayerathon"
--specifically asking local Bellflower pastors to pray for me and for a
few specific Bellflower residents, as well as Bellflower in general and
beyond Bellflower, although I was concentrating mostly on Bellflower
specifically for the three day prayerathon.

And one of the persons I was asking the pastors to pray for was Doug
Timmer, mentioned above (and shown in attached photos). Doug
Timmer is my dad's step brother. After my dad's mom died (my
grandmother Kathryn Schaap Kok) my late grandfather, the Rev.
Gareth Kok, remarried to Ada Timmer (whose husband John , of
Holland, Michigan, had also died at an early age).Gareth & Ada did
not did not have any more children together as a couple, but they
brought together five children from each of their first marriages. This
made a family of ten children--like the Brady Bunch, but even larger.

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On the Kok side there was Sherwood, James, Faith, Gary, & Kay. On
the Timmer side there was Marvin, Bruce, Mary, Karen & Doug. All of
them were raised in a "Calvinistic" setting. Growing up they all lived in
Holland, Michigan for a while. And then most or all of them also lived
in parts of southern California for a while, growing up. That's because
my Grandfather Gareth Kok kept moving to new church locations--a
common practice of CRC pastors--especially then but even still so albeit
to a lesser extent, today.

The Timmer & Kok kids were all "churched" kids--and all of them
went to Calvin College, at least for a little while, as well. But not all of
them remained highly active or committed to the church--at least not
the visible church (i.e. attending church in a formal way at a physical
location). The Timmer kids, especially, seemed to fall away from church
attendance, and don't speak much about church, religion, or
spirituality; nor seem at all interested in conversation in such regards.
It's not perfectly clear why.

This is not to say any of them are "bad" people--nor that they are not
Christian--although I have a difficult time understanding how
"Christians" can be "silent." Nonetheless, there may be some
"posturing" involved in the dynamics with the Kok-Timmer bunch.
They are all grown adults of course, some of them with children.
Although Doug married once--he subsequently divorced and never had
any children. He left Calvin College after two years and attended a few
community colleges in southern & central California while also playing
basketball. He has an athletic physique. How long he can last totally on
physical prowess is the question, or concern.

And another dynamic I am concerned about is that Doug, having been

the "baby" of the family (i.e. the last one born) as well as being a
handsome man has relied solely upon social interaction and social
intelligence to get what he wants or needs. He uses his looks, his brawn,
and the situation to determine how to interact. Is this bad? Not always--
some of it is social intelligence, but sometimes it loses integrity, and the
social interaction loses authenticity if it becomes just "one upping"
others, or if it becomes a form of "classical competition. "

Now when I see Doug in passing he does not converse anymore--not

even social niceties. It's just come and go--hello, goodbye. It's as if he's

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"posturing" to force something. He even sometimes says my name with
a little bit of a "sneer" as if I was a "bad guy."

What I began to realize was that he may be a little bit jealous of me

when I come around my folks house in Bellflower and enjoy social
interaction with the folks or just being around the folks home. Why
would he be jealous? Well--as I said he was the "baby boy" in the
Timmer family and for many years he lived right next door to his mom
(Ada) and stepdad (my grandfather Kok, the retired CRC pastor) who
retired on Arkansas Street in Bellflower, just down the street from
Bethany CRC. Doug helped the two of them in their old age, as did my
dad, Jim Kok, who lived a few blocks away.

But both my grandfather Gareth Kok and his second wife, Ada, passed
away around the turn of the century, and were buried in a local
cemetary in Bellflower/Cerritos. Their house was sold and Doug no
longer had anybody to care for or to care for him. For a while Doug
lived in Redondo Beach which is right next to Manhattan Beach where
his brother Bruce lives. Bruce works for Aerospace Corp and is married
to Anne and has two adult children, John & Nick. Doug loved playing
beach volleyball and riding his bike and working out. He made ends
meet by being a waiter at an upper scale restaurant called the Chart
House. We would go there periodically as a family when he was working
and have a nice meal. He can be a gregarious fellow.

But he can also be a little bit nasty. And he's being "nasty" now to me,
as best as I can tell--because he's jealous that I can come to my folks
house in good standing and say hello and sometimes even stay there.
Doesn't that sound strange?

But there's some big differences between myself and him. I stayed in
college and graduated. Then I worked full time at Pine Rest Hospital for
a year and then went to law school. I left law school after a semester and
realized God had a different calling for me. I didn't know exactly what,
yet. I did a semester of Social Work education at California State Long
Beach and worked in the emergency room at St. Marys in Long Beach
but didn't get along that well with Jim Wenrick, the MSW mentor at
the time. I left after a semester and returned to Calvin College and got a
teaching degree.

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This was two more years of education for a second BA. During off time
I travelled and volunteered--doing a summer mission in the Philippines
with Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM, 1992) and doing
disaster relief in Costa Rica (1991) where I stayed and tutored two
elementary kids for several months as well. And I worked in the resort
town of Jackson Wyoming for two summers. Then I taught high school
English full time for two years in Coachella Valley 1994-96) And then I
returned to Seminary--my ultimate destination I later realized--even
though I didn't much like the seminary environment.

I stayed at Calvin Seminary for a year (1996-97) and then I transferred

to Fuller Seminary in Pasadena (1997-2001). While studying at Fuller
and completing all the Masters requirements I also made ends meet and
helped young people as a substitute teacher. Are you getting the
picture? I stayed busy--and I followed my vocational calling to help
people--either in education or in ministry or both.

While teaching and going through seminary I started my own ministry,

Mustard Seed Ministries. And then I added E-Church to the things I do
every week. Are you getting the picture? I've remained constructively
involved in helping people.

But there are people who do not remain so constructively involved who
make it their occupation to give the "appearance" of being so. I think
Doug Timmer is a great person and has done some great things.
Unfortunately, I don't think he truly feels he has accomplished much. I
wish he had persevered in education. Underlying great potential I see
low self-esteem.

And this translates sometimes into insecurity. I think he has a strong

need for social approval from my dad & mom, Jim & Linda--almost to
the extent that he wants to be their "boy" so to speak. Since his mom &
dad are both gone he has nobody to give him a "pat on the head" so to
speak. I think he's transferred that over to my mom and dad and I
become "competition" for him when I come by.

I felt it very strongly for a while, and still do. He's not nice to me. He
sort of scowls at me when I come by. And for a while I stayed away, in
part, because of it. Who wants to be in an environment where one is not
respected--nor in the case of Doug--truly understood. I don't think he

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has the slightest idea of what I've done or been through--my
experiences, my accomplishments, etc. Given he left education I don't
think he truly respects it.

The only problem is that this is my parents house, not Doug's.

Further complicating matters is the phenomena of people wanting to be

around the pastor--in this case not me as much as Pastor Jim who has
been doing ministry for many years--from Ann Arbor, Michigan, to
Gowanda, New York, to Iowa City, Iowa, to Grand Rapids, Michigan,
and finally to Garden Grove, California (and Bellflower). Jim is known
in ministry and is constantly surrounded by people. He has groups from
the church over to his house. He socializes with Richard Mouw the
president of Fuller Seminary. He obviously knows and interacts
occasionally with the Schuller preachers (Robert H & Robert A et. al) ,
His income is greater than mine.

Does this mean Jim is a better pastor than me? Closer to God? Not
necessarily. It just means Jim has been in the ministry longer --and
more formally, than myself. But that's a different story --for a different
time. Jim has his "niche" --especially CPE (Clinical Pastoral
Education) and the Care & Kindness Conference , whereas I have mine
(right now especially E-Church, among other things).

One thing my dad, Jim, & Doug Timmer, have in common is their
physical prowess. Both Doug & Jim were good athletes. My dad excelled
even more in basketball than Doug. This means that both of them have
or had a tendency to rely upon their physical prowess and their
physical stature. Now Jim would vehemently object to my saying this--
and I'll admit he has made an intentional effort to change--and he has a
lot; but there's still some physical aspect to his modus operandi (m.o.).
Same goes for Doug.

As I was saying they use their physical stature in various ways to create
the situation they want or try to. Whether it is the way they step into a
social situation or go through the check out line at the grocery store, or
what have you--part of their m.o. is physical. And this is probably true
of many of us--how we use our physical largesse (or lack of) is the
question? You can use it with integrity or otherwise.

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Jim stuck with education--going through Calvin College & Seminary--
grant him that. He's not "all brawn". Doug has much less education or
respect for it. He's relied upon not only his physical stature but growing
up in a culture that awards or awarded (more so several years ago then
now, although still today to a certain extent) simply being white and
knowing English. That's why a lot of "whites" could get away with
dropping out of school--more so than now.

And so Doug is nervous and insecure and relies upon things to stay the
way they are--apparently he thinks they can and will forever. But they
won't. Even if I don't change things, God will. People will die, cultural
norms will change. And if he doesn't change with them or learn how to
properly address things that concern him, he's going to be left behind,
so to speak.

Which is why I wish he would simply get involved with the church. But
he won't. And that's about all I'm going to say for now about Doug
Timmer (but I might add an attachment about him to this message).

And it's a matter of prayer. My mom wants to reach him. She will bend
over backwards to reach him. I'm less patient. She's teaching me in this
regard, but I don't think she realizes how he is posturing in a way that
could harm me (i.e. he wants to make me look bad so that he will look
good). On the other side of the family my Uncle Gary who lives in
Grand Rapids (also the baby of the Kok side ) does this to a certain
extent as well.

I ask for your prayers about this. I want Doug to be respected as

an “elder” but sometimes he acts very childish---age
inappropriate. And it is hindering my development if I don’t
address it. I need to be treated and respected as an adult doing
something constructive with my life in education and ministry,
and he interferes.

While I don’t want to make him feel as an “outcast” he cannot be

more “in “ than me in my own family. When I go to my parents
house and backyard, the house and backyard is more mine than
his (and I don't have a lot to call my own right now). When I
went over to my Grandpa Kok’s house on Arkansas Street the

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house and backyard was more his than mine—and he
undoubtedly inherited some of the proceeds from it.

I think he needs to be “family” more with his own family (i.e his
siblings Bruce, Marv, Karen, & Mary) than with my family. Pray
that somehow the dynamic will change without any real hard
feelings being exposed.

And pray that my mom will understand this as well—as much as

she believes in reaching out evangelically to Doug—there is also
the question about whether there comes a time when you say
he’s not going to change. And if you keep reaching out more to
Doug than to your own son what will be the ultimate result?
Doug needs to establish his own manly way of life. He’s a grown
man.

And by the way, let me say something further about the

"physical " element people use in their way of life. Sometimes
society to a certain extent forces it upon us. Clerks can do it
sometimes. They try to control and use "social engineering" in
certain ways. One way they do so is by the way the refer to you--
sometimes "sir" other times "buddy" other times "pal" , maybe
even "dude" --female clerks might call you "hon" (short for
"honey") or "sweetheart"--and it all depends upon how you
"carry" yourself. And they are trying to influence the outcome of
social perception in so doing.

There are times when I feel like yelling to a clerk "I don't care if
you think I'm a sir or buddy or a dude or whatever. I wish you
would just do your job and give me my change" But then other
times I see their need and insecurities and try to be empathetic.

Sometimes we end up acquiescing to this social pressure (most

of us have the necessity of interacting with clerks and other
sorts of sometimes unscrupulous employees) and use our
physical aspects to influence how we get treated. Some wear
suits and are very formal so that they will be respected. Some
gals expose a lot of cleavage--relying upon men's subtle sexual
inclinations. Others don't care as much and just ignore the

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social pressure. Some must be aware of it and must respond to
it. It all depends upon what you do for a living and the nature of
the interactions you experience.

As Christians I say that we have a responsibility to influence

society more so than clerks and others who have self-serving
interests. Our interest as Christians should be for the betterment
of others and the welfare of society. We want to be creating a
milieu of respect for others--as well as a milieu of excellence--
doing our best in whatever we do but mostly in reaching out to
others evangelically. This involves "care" as well.

But sometimes with all the systemic variables in the way—it can
take some work and prayer and perseverance to make “simple”
evangelism happen. With all the cultural and social “ clutter” so-
called simple evangelism is not always so simple or easy.

And I think about fishing. When I first learned how to fish it was
as simple and easy as carrying a bamboo pole down to the local
pond around Grand Rapids—such as Reeds Lake or Campau
Lake, and putting a worm on a plain old hook and catching a few
sunfish, sometimes no bigger than one’s hand.

As I got older and started fishing for bigger fish the complexity
of catching them increased as well. New poles, longer lines,
different types of bait, and then add a boat to it—and you need a
“fish finder” and downriggers, and larger and fancier types of
bait or lures. And all for what purpose? To catch a fish—not
even so much for the sake of survival today—there are
commercial fishermen who do that for us. This is “sports
fishing.”

But when Jesus was walking on earth it was less a matter of

pride and competition as much as it was a perceived need for
survival. The fishermen Jesus addressed were fishing for the
market. But you get the feeling that they were also competitively
inclined and attracted to the “hunt.” I get the feeling that there is
some cross over between sports fishing and commercial fishing
—there’s some similarities.

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Jesus changed the “zeitgeist” of the fishing culture back then
by telling them to transform their zeal for catching fish to a zeal
for “catching” men—spiritually.

We, as Christians, are to use all our intelligence and zeal to

reach others, in Christ ! This underscores the importance of
educating ourselves to a certain extent as to how to go about
doing what we do. As we become better fisherman we don’t
continue using a bamboo pole and worm but we learn new ways,
better ways, of reaching people. We study how the people think.
What are the social and governmental influences upon them?
What kind of education do they have? What language do they
speak? How does their language and culture effect their ability
to learn about God and draw closer to Him?

A lot of this is what they call “missiology” in seminary. The

same way you might study a culture in preparation for military
warfare you might study them and prepare for spiritual
interaction. A lot of what we do prior to any actual meaningful
evangelism is really what I call (and learned at seminary) “pre
evangelism.” Prior to reaching people I would want to know the
culture, the laws, the social situation, and have a little bit of a
“map “ in mind as to how the neighborhoods are structured.
Otherwise we will be quickly defeated and demoralized.

Relating this back to Doug Timmer—he knows or knew the

“neighborhood” of southern California better than I did—
definitely more so twenty years ago, a little bit more so ten years
ago, not as much so today.

Even if I wanted to reach out to him, in Christ, he being resistant

has the advantage of “knowing the neighborhood” better. And
being a competitor and physical athlete who is inclined towards
classical competition, he would simply laugh at me. My younger
brother, Steven, also knows or knew southern California better
than me. When we moved to California in 1984 I was a senior in
high school. He was a 7th grader.

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He stayed in California and graduated from Valley Christian High
while I returned to Grand Rapids and graduated from Grand
Rapids Christian High. He had several years of socialization in
southern California with class trips and athletic events etc that
socialized him to the area.

Fortunately, my brother Steve is committed to attending church

in Redlands, but in terms of speaking to him at a larger Christian
level he has some of that “local resistance” –a sense of
satisfaction, maybe even smugness, about being a “local” to a
certain extent.

Ironically, the real locals are sometimes less resistance than

some of the half-way locals. Neither Steve my brother or Doug
Timmer my uncle are really “locals.” As I mentioned Doug lived
in Holland Michigan for a while and my brother was born in
Grand Rapids and grew up there until 7th grade.

Even take my Uncle Barry Bosscher (who married my Aunt Kay).

He is originally from Grand Rapids but undoubtedly has or had
a much better mental map of southern California having worked
in the Los Angeles County Assessors Office for most of his
adult life. He’s a good Christian man and attends the Reformed
Church in Artesia.

And they have two great kids, but if I wanted to engage with him
on a level that had to do with the real estate and layout of Los
Angeles he would surely know more in that regards. Twenty
years ago all the more so. Ten years less. Today, even less so. I
don’t know a lot or any of the specifics about being a County
Assessor but now I know much more about southern California
and the culture and the map . I can communicate better with
Barry in such regards because of this but nonetheless we don’t
have a lot of face-to-face interaction.

But I am hoping some of this can change for the better. I'm
hoping to engage with those I haven't engaged with much at all
in previous years. Nonetheless, I have also used my zeal for
Christ to reach those less challenging but nonetheless still
difficult.

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I try to reach convenience store clerks and people working in
stores. I talk to you in my Sunday Message. You respond--which
I appreciate. I hope for an evangelical "ripple effect" from my
message. Things I tell you maybe effect how you relate and
interact with others.

And I continue to pray and ask for your prayers. I left the "prayer
chapel" this morning and came over here to Seal Beach for a
change of settings and to compose and transmit the morning
message. I like trying to go to a new setting every week . It
inspires my thinking and makes it more interesting for you.
Don't you think? If you want to know more about the history of
Seal Beach go to
http://www.orangecounty.net/cities/SealBeach.html#history

Seal Beach is adjacent to Sunset Beach, and if you keep going

south on PCH you come to Huntington Beach. If you go north
you pass through Long Beach and then San Pedro and Palos
Verdes around the point to Hermosa, Redondo, and Manhattan
Beach, among others. I rode my bike down here once from
Bellflower.

I came here more often when I was younger--when we first

moved here and went to the beach, went boogey boarding.
Later, but many years ago, I even entered the lifeguard tryouts--
which involves swimming out to the end of the pier and back--
the top swimmers are given the job as lifeguards for the
summer. I was not even close to being a top swimmer. But I
gave it the old "college try" as they say.

This is a typical beach community with the beach culture in

place--the fishermen, the hedonists, the sunseekers, the
boaters, the shop owners, the tourists, et. al. It's what you think
of when you're back east and imagine living in southern
California near the beach. I know this area and the Manhattan
Beach area because I have an uncle in each place. So when I
was younger I would combine a trip to see them with a trip to the
beach.

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But the "beach culture" is ephemeral--meaning it is fleeting. It
has no long term value or purpose. Those who live the "beach
life" are not building their house on the rock. Their lives are "day
to day" without a lot of ultimate purpose. Maybe they just like
the feel of the ocean or the suspense of catching a fish. Maybe
they are there just to look at "chicks." Growing up you learn
these things and eventually realize the ephemeral nature of such
a lifestyle. But some continue as adults the same way--never
maturing.

As Christians in Christ we mature and grow. This is not to say

we can't "go to the beach" once in a while even as adults, or
take our kids there or even look for a wife there (good luck) (I'm
still looking by the way but not at the beach); but it is not our
preoccupation, or shouldn't be---unless we have a ministry at
the beach (which is not a bad idea). .

In fact the beach culture may be one of the most ripe settings for
evangelism--but even though the need is there the positive
reception often isn't. Christians are still stereotyped in a
negative way by parts of culture, and especially parts of
Hollywood. Pastors are still sometimes portrayed or mis-
portrayed as stern and legalistic; and Calvinism is still one of
the biggest targets (even at Fuller Seminary), sometimes, but not
always, rightly so.

Fortunately this is fading to a certain extent. Some of the older

film makers and Hollywood producers are less influential. And
we, as Christians, can make inroads as long as we do so
carefully and don't live up to negative stereotypes.

Seal Beach is one example of beach culture. Wherever you are,

you might have something similar. In Michigan I remember the
beach culture in Holland. Even the "Christian kids" engaged in
the beach lifestyle. Growing up it's natural--as we get older
though we mature and grow wiser so that we can teach our kids
and other kids about the right path to take. At the same time we
let kids "live and learn" --sometimes the hard way. God is in
control.

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The last few days I spent at the prayer chapel and organizing
things. I made some orange juice from real oranges which I hand
squeezed myself. I bought a few things at the estate sale next
door. I drove around the neighborhood and walked around the
neighborhood (and this is not my permanent neighborhood, I'm
just visiting). I saw Joel Slenk washing his van over on View Park.
I pulled out an old football uniform from my high school days. I
picked up some ribs at Chris 'n' Pitts over on Artesia Blvd.

And I continued to scan pictures from photo albums so that they

are available on my computer and which I will make available for
others. I went over to Food Saver and bought a bunch of produce
at a good price and made a nice big salad. I spent time
recuperating. Physically I am not in great condition. I need more
exercise--especially in the abdomen area. I spend too much time in
the car. So pray for me to work on physical conditioning--making
time for it.

This morning I puttered around Seal Beach and took a few pictures
(see attached) and composed my morning message. The surfers
were already out by 7 a.m. Somebody caught a stingray or what he
called a "bat ray" at the end of the pier--and left it lying out in the
sun. I walked my dog down the pier --not noticing the signs that
said "no dogs" until I came back-- at the end of the pier somebody
warned me that I might get a citation. Fortunately I didn't. I haven't
been to Seal Beach in over a year or at least nine months.

It's another hot day here. There's been a wildfire raging over in the
Yucca Valley area as anybody who follows the news knows. I
drove over to Sunset Beach where my Aunt Karen & her friend
Vanna used to live.

I passsed by the Naval Weapons Station and the Submarine

Memorial--dedicated to submarine soldiers who lost their lives in
combat. It's a nice memorial--too often ignored by the locals I
think. It reminds me to pray for our troops--who are fighting for our
freedom and the freedom of others. Whether you agree with the
war or not you can still pray and care for the troops.

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And this is the day that God has made--it's a day to
rest and relax and praise our Lord. Let us pray:

Prayer: Dear God, I thank you for giving me the ability to deliver
this message to others around the country today. Let it be a
blessing to them and let them support me in prayer for the
specific things mentioned above. Let the Body of Christ relieve
my burdens, Lord. I thank you for the Body of Christ around the
country and around the world. Let us praise Your Name.

Song: Just a Word for Jesus

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/u/justword.htm

Song: Beautiful Sabbath

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/e/a/beautsab.htm

And I have a big trip coming up this week. I'll let you know about
it when I return. I'm praying for all of you in general and some in
particular and ask for the same from you. God bless you all.
Have a great week.

TRUST IN THE HOLY SPIRIT OF JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVIOR

EVERYWHERE YOU GO!

VanderKOK

J.P. Kok
Pastor Kok III
JOHN THE EVANGELIST FOR CHRIST
Song: Come Blessed Spirit, Source of Light !
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/b/cbsslite.htm

Good Morning Everybody!

Let's begin the E-Church Service with a Song of Praise

17
Song: Only a Beam of Sunshine !
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/n/onlybeam.htm

Isn't that a great warmup song? And there's been a lot of sun in the sky
beating down upon us lately. But we need as much "son light" from the
fellowship of Christ beaming all over the place.

Song: Shine for Jesus Where You Are

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/s/f/sfjwyare.htm

Prayer: Dear God let us shine, Jesus, shine--for You! Let us be a witness
to the world of Your compassion, grace, and love. Let us persevere
despite insults and injuries--for YOU , knowing that You will reward us
in the end. Let us persevere like football players on the field--despite
insult and injury --we know the reason for being here--to win people to
Christ, for Your Kingdom of God--for Our Kingdom of God. Hear our
prayer oh Lord !

And one more Song:

Song: All the World for Jesus !

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/l/allthew4.htm

That's what it's all about, folks--victory for Christ! We are here as both
sheep and shepherds. Sometimes we are leading, other times we are
following. When we are tired and weak we draft on the energy of others.
When we are strong we lead others and they draft behind us.

Opening:
I spent the last few days cleaning up a guest house in an undisclosed
location where I can stay from time to time. It gives a little space to
move around--store a few things, even sleep there sometimes. And I'll
talk more about that later. There's even some orange trees and lemon
trees that I can pull a few fruits off of now and then and make some
juice --hand squeezed.

I framed and hung a few posters I picked up in the Netherlands a few

years ago. I spent most of the time just recuperating from exhaustion
from being on the road for so long--a nonstop pace --doing ministry and

18
evangelism--much of it E-Church style around the country & world,
but also some local interaction.

And even when I'm doing E-church evangelism and outreach I still do it
on the road (95% of the time). I believe in the power of presence--in
actually going to a community and learning about it and meeting people
even if sometimes that just means walking my dog down the street and
saying hello to people as I walk. Sometimes I put "Christ my Pilot"
cards under windshield wipers. So there's a physical component to the
"electric evangelism". This makes it more "incarnational."

While there only a few people stopped by--one of them Doug Timmer--
who is my dad's half brother. Also the lawn man came by one day. Next
door they were having a garage sale and I picked up a few things--a nice
lamp, a few photoalbums, and a picture frame.

Turns out it was actually an estate sale--the elderly man who had lived
there since '65 had died in September 2005 and the family was selling
the house. I talked to the son-in-law for a little while. He owned a
photography shop for several years--that's why they had so many
picture frames and photo albums for sale. He said they were buying a
place in Colorado to live part -time as well.

Scripture Reading: Matthew 4:18-20

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon
called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they
were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make
you fishers of men." 20 They immediately left their nets and followed
Him. Matt 4:18-20 (also see Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11)
NKJV

Message:
Don't be Fishermen, Be Fishers of Men !

I noted in my opening remarks this morning about some of what I did

this week--establishing a little place to rest and arrange my personal
belongings a little bit better. It's like an office, but it's also my "prayer
chapel" and a utility room of sorts.

19
And I also made the time I spent there into a three day "prayerathon"
--specifically asking local Bellflower pastors to pray for me and for a
few specific Bellflower residents, as well as Bellflower in general and
beyond Bellflower, although I was concentrating mostly on Bellflower
specifically for the three day prayerathon.

And one of the persons I was asking the pastors to pray for was Doug
Timmer, mentioned above (and shown in attached photos). Doug
Timmer is my dad's step brother. After my dad's mom died (my
grandmother Kathryn Schaap Kok) my late grandfather, the Rev.
Gareth Kok, remarried to Ada Timmer (whose husband John , of
Holland, Michigan, had also died at an early age).Gareth & Ada did not
did not have any more children together as a couple, but they brought
together five children from each of their first marriages. This made a
family of ten children--like the Brady Bunch, but even larger.

On the Kok side there was Sherwood, James, Faith, Gary, & Kay. On
the Timmer side there was Marvin, Bruce, Mary, Karen & Doug. All of
them were raised in a "Calvinistic" setting. Growing up they all lived in
Holland, Michigan for a while. And then most or all of them also lived
in parts of southern California for a while, growing up. That's because
my Grandfather Gareth Kok kept moving to new church locations--a
common practice of CRC pastors--especially then but even still so albeit
to a lesser extent, today.

The Timmer & Kok kids were all "churched" kids--and all of them
went to Calvin College, at least for a little while, as well. But not all of
them remained highly active or committed to the church--at least not
the visible church (i.e. attending church in a formal way at a physical
location). The Timmer kids, especially, seemed to fall away from church
attendance, and don't speak much about church, religion, or
spirituality; nor seem at all interested in conversation in such regards.
It's not perfectly clear why.

This is not to say any of them are "bad" people--nor that they are not
Christian--although I have a difficult time understanding how
"Christians" can be "silent." Nonetheless, there may be some
"posturing" involved in the dynamics with the Kok-Timmer bunch.

20
They are all grown adults of course, some of them with children.
Although Doug married once--he subsequently divorced and never had
any children. He left Calvin College after two years and attended a few
community colleges in southern & central California while also playing
basketball. He has an athletic physique. How long he can last totally on
physical prowess is the question, or concern.

And another dynamic I am concerned about is that Doug, having been

the "baby" of the family (i.e. the last one born) as well as being a
handsome man has relied solely upon social interaction and social
intelligence to get what he wants or needs. He uses his looks, his brawn,
and the situation to determine how to interact. Is this bad? Not always--
some of it is social intelligence, but sometimes it loses integrity, and the
social interaction loses authenticity if it becomes just "one upping"
others, or if it becomes a form of "classical competition. "

Now when I see Doug in passing he does not converse anymore--not

even social niceties. It's just come and go--hello, goodbye. It's as if he's
"posturing" to force something. He even sometimes says my name with
a little bit of a "sneer" as if I was a "bad guy."

What I began to realize was that he may be a little bit jealous of me

when I come around my folks house in Bellflower and enjoy social
interaction with the folks or just being around the folks home. Why
would he be jealous? Well--as I said he was the "baby boy" in the
Timmer family and for many years he lived right next door to his mom
(Ada) and stepdad (my grandfather Kok, the retired CRC pastor) who
retired on Arkansas Street in Bellflower, just down the street from
Bethany CRC. Doug helped the two of them in their old age, as did my
dad, Jim Kok, who lived a few blocks away.

But both my grandfather Gareth Kok and his second wife, Ada, passed
away around the turn of the century, and were buried in a local
cemetary in Bellflower/Cerritos. Their house was sold and Doug no
longer had anybody to care for or to care for him. For a while Doug
lived in Redondo Beach which is right next to Manhattan Beach where
his brother Bruce lives. Bruce works for Aerospace Corp and is married
to Anne and has two adult children, John & Nick. Doug loved playing
beach volleyball and riding his bike and working out. He made ends
meet by being a waiter at an upper scale restaurant called the Chart

21
House. We would go there periodically as a family when he was working
and have a nice meal. He can be a gregarious fellow.

But he can also be a little bit nasty. And he's being "nasty" now to me,
as best as I can tell--because he's jealous that I can come to my folks
house in good standing and say hello and sometimes even stay there.
Doesn't that sound strange?

But there's some big differences between myself and him. I stayed in
college and graduated. Then I worked full time at Pine Rest Hospital for
a year and then went to law school. I left law school after a semester and
realized God had a different calling for me. I didn't know exactly what,
yet. I did a semester of Social Work education at California State Long
Beach and worked in the emergency room at St. Marys in Long Beach
but didn't get along that well with Jim Wenrick, the MSW mentor at
the time. I left after a semester and returned to Calvin College and got a
teaching degree.

This was two more years of education for a second BA. During off time
I travelled and volunteered--doing a summer mission in the Philippines
with Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM, 1992) and doing
disaster relief in Costa Rica (1991) where I stayed and tutored two
elementary kids for several months as well. And I worked in the resort
town of Jackson Wyoming for two summers. Then I taught high school
English full time for two years in Coachella Valley 1994-96) And then I
returned to Seminary--my ultimate destination I later realized--even
though I didn't much like the seminary environment.

I stayed at Calvin Seminary for a year (1996-97) and then I transferred

to Fuller Seminary in Pasadena (1997-2001). While studying at Fuller
and completing all the Masters requirements I also made ends meet and
helped young people as a substitute teacher. Are you getting the
picture? I stayed busy--and I followed my vocational calling to help
people--either in education or in ministry or both.

While teaching and going through seminary I started my own ministry,

Mustard Seed Ministries. And then I added E-Church to the things I do
every week. Are you getting the picture? I've remained constructively
involved in helping people.

22
But there are people who do not remain so constructively involved who
make it their occupation to give the "appearance" of being so. I think
Doug Timmer is a great person and has done some great things.
Unfortunately, I don't think he truly feels he has accomplished much. I
wish he had persevered in education. Underlying great potential I see
low self-esteem.

And this translates sometimes into insecurity. I think he has a strong

need for social approval from my dad & mom, Jim & Linda--almost to
the extent that he wants to be their "boy" so to speak. Since his mom &
dad are both gone he has nobody to give him a "pat on the head" so to
speak. I think he's transferred that over to my mom and dad and I
become "competition" for him when I come by.

I felt it very strongly for a while, and still do. He's not nice to me. He
sort of scowls at me when I come by. And for a while I stayed away, in
part, because of it. Who wants to be in an environment where one is not
respected--nor in the case of Doug--truly understood. I don't think he
has the slightest idea of what I've done or been through--my
experiences, my accomplishments, etc. Given he left education I don't
think he truly respects it.

The only problem is that this is my parents house, not Doug's.

Further complicating matters is the phenomena of people wanting to be

around the pastor--in this case not me as much as Pastor Jim who has
been doing ministry for many years--from Ann Arbor, Michigan, to
Gowanda, New York, to Iowa City, Iowa, to Grand Rapids, Michigan,
and finally to Garden Grove, California (and Bellflower). Jim is known
in ministry and is constantly surrounded by people. He has groups from
the church over to his house. He socializes with Richard Mouw the
president of Fuller Seminary. He obviously knows and interacts
occasionally with the Schuller preachers (Robert H & Robert A et. al) ,
His income is greater than mine.

Does this mean Jim is a better pastor than me? Closer to God? Not
necessarily. It just means Jim has been in the ministry longer --and
more formally, than myself. But that's a different story --for a different
time. Jim has his "niche" --especially CPE (Clinical Pastoral

23
Education) and the Care & Kindness Conference , whereas I have mine
(right now especially E-Church, among other things).

One thing my dad, Jim, & Doug Timmer, have in common is their
physical prowess. Both Doug & Jim were good athletes. My dad excelled
even more in basketball than Doug. This means that both of them have
or had a tendency to rely upon their physical prowess and their
physical stature. Now Jim would vehemently object to my saying this--
and I'll admit he has made an intentional effort to change--and he has a
lot; but there's still some physical aspect to his modus operandi (m.o.).
Same goes for Doug.

As I was saying they use their physical stature in various ways to create
the situation they want or try to. Whether it is the way they step into a
social situation or go through the check out line at the grocery store, or
what have you--part of their m.o. is physical. And this is probably true
of many of us--how we use our physical largesse (or lack of) is the
question? You can use it with integrity or otherwise.

Jim stuck with education--going through Calvin College & Seminary--

grant him that. He's not "all brawn". Doug has much less education or
respect for it. He's relied upon not only his physical stature but growing
up in a culture that awards or awarded (more so several years ago then
now, although still today to a certain extent) simply being white and
knowing English. That's why a lot of "whites" could get away with
dropping out of school--more so than now.

And so Doug is nervous and insecure and relies upon things to stay the
way they are--apparently he thinks they can and will forever. But they
won't. Even if I don't change things, God will. People will die, cultural
norms will change. And if he doesn't change with them or learn how to
properly address things that concern him, he's going to be left behind,
so to speak.

Which is why I wish he would simply get involved with the church. But
he won't. And that's about all I'm going to say for now about Doug
Timmer (but I might add an attachment about him to this message).

And it's a matter of prayer. My mom wants to reach him. She will bend
over backwards to reach him. I'm less patient. She's teaching me in this

24
regard, but I don't think she realizes how he is posturing in a way that
could harm me (i.e. he wants to make me look bad so that he will look
good). On the other side of the family my Uncle Gary who lives in
Grand Rapids (also the baby of the Kok side ) does this to a certain
extent as well.

I ask for your prayers about this. I want Doug to be respected as an

“elder” but sometimes he acts very childish---age inappropriate. And it
is hindering my development if I don’t address it. I need to be treated
and respected as an adult doing something constructive with my life in
education and ministry, and he interferes.

While I don’t want to make him feel as an “outcast” he cannot be more

“in “ than me in my own family. When I go to my parents house and
backyard, the house and backyard is more mine than his (and I don't
have a lot to call my own right now). When I went over to my Grandpa
Kok’s house on Arkansas Street the house and backyard was more his
than mine—and he undoubtedly inherited some of the proceeds from it.

I think he needs to be “family” more with his own family (i.e his siblings
Bruce, Marv, Karen, & Mary) than with my family. Pray that somehow
the dynamic will change without any real hard feelings being exposed.

And pray that my mom will understand this as well—as much as she
believes in reaching out evangelically to Doug—there is also the
question about whether there comes a time when you say he’s not going
to change. And if you keep reaching out more to Doug than to your own
son what will be the ultimate result? Doug needs to establish his own
manly way of life. He’s a grown man.

And by the way, let me say something further about the "physical "
element people use in their way of life. Sometimes society to a certain
extent forces it upon us. Clerks can do it sometimes. They try to control
and use "social engineering" in certain ways. One way they do so is by
the way the refer to you--sometimes "sir" other times "buddy" other
times "pal" , maybe even "dude" --female clerks might call you "hon"
(short for "honey") or "sweetheart"--and it all depends upon how you
"carry" yourself. And they are trying to influence the outcome of social
perception in so doing.

25
There are times when I feel like yelling to a clerk "I don't care if you
think I'm a sir or buddy or a dude or whatever. I wish you would just
do your job and give me my change" But then other times I see their
need and insecurities and try to be empathetic.

Sometimes we end up acquiescing to this social pressure (most of us

have the necessity of interacting with clerks and other sorts of
sometimes unscrupulous employees) and use our physical aspects to
influence how we get treated. Some wear suits and are very formal so
that they will be respected. Some gals expose a lot of cleavage--relying
upon men's subtle sexual inclinations. Others don't care as much and
just ignore the social pressure. Some must be aware of it and must
respond to it. It all depends upon what you do for a living and the
nature of the interactions you experience.

As Christians I say that we have a responsibility to influence society

more so than clerks and others who have self-serving interests. Our
interest as Christians should be for the betterment of others and the
welfare of society. We want to be creating a milieu of respect for
others--as well as a milieu of excellence--doing our best in whatever we
do but mostly in reaching out to others evangelically. This involves
"care" as well.

But sometimes with all the systemic variables in the way—it can take
some work and prayer and perseverance to make “simple” evangelism
happen. With all the cultural and social “ clutter” so-called simple
evangelism is not always so simple or easy.

And I think about fishing. When I first learned how to fish it was as
simple and easy as carrying a bamboo pole down to the local pond
around Grand Rapids—such as Reeds Lake or Campau Lake, and
putting a worm on a plain old hook and catching a few sunfish,
sometimes no bigger than one’s hand.

As I got older and started fishing for bigger fish the complexity of
catching them increased as well. New poles, longer lines, different types
of bait, and then add a boat to it—and you need a “fish finder” and
downriggers, and larger and fancier types of bait or lures. And all for
what purpose? To catch a fish—not even so much for the sake of

26
survival today—there are commercial fishermen who do that for us.
This is “sports fishing.”

But when Jesus was walking on earth it was less a matter of pride and
competition as much as it was a perceived need for survival. The
fishermen Jesus addressed were fishing for the market. But you get the
feeling that they were also competitively inclined and attracted to the
“hunt.” I get the feeling that there is some cross over between sports
fishing and commercial fishing—there’s some similarities.

Jesus changed the “zeitgeist” of the fishing culture back then by telling
them to transform their zeal for catching fish to a zeal for “catching”
men—spiritually.

We, as Christians, are to use all our intelligence and zeal to reach
others, in Christ ! This underscores the importance of educating
ourselves to a certain extent as to how to go about doing what we do. As
we become better fisherman we don’t continue using a bamboo pole and
worm but we learn new ways, better ways, of reaching people. We study
how the people think. What are the social and governmental influences
upon them? What kind of education do they have? What language do
they speak? How does their language and culture effect their ability to
learn about God and draw closer to Him?

A lot of this is what they call “missiology” in seminary. The same way
you might study a culture in preparation for military warfare you might
study them and prepare for spiritual interaction. A lot of what we do
prior to any actual meaningful evangelism is really what I call (and
learned at seminary) “pre evangelism.” Prior to reaching people I
would want to know the culture, the laws, the social situation, and have
a little bit of a “map “ in mind as to how the neighborhoods are
structured. Otherwise we will be quickly defeated and demoralized.

Relating this back to Doug Timmer—he knows or knew the

“neighborhood” of southern California better than I did—definitely
more so twenty years ago, a little bit more so ten years ago, not as much
so today.

27
 Even if I wanted to reach out to him, in Christ, he being resistant has
the advantage of “knowing the neighborhood” better. And being a
competitor and physical athlete who is inclined towards classical
competition, he would simply laugh at me. My younger brother, Steven,
also knows or knew southern California better than me. When we
moved to California in 1984 I was a senior in high school. He was a 7th
grader.

He stayed in California and graduated from Valley Christian High

while I returned to Grand Rapids and graduated from Grand Rapids
Christian High. He had several years of socialization in southern
California with class trips and athletic events etc that socialized him to
the area.

Fortunately, my brother Steve is committed to attending church in

Redlands, but in terms of speaking to him at a larger Christian level he
has some of that “local resistance” –a sense of satisfaction, maybe even
smugness, about being a “local” to a certain extent.

Ironically, the real locals are sometimes less resistance than some of the
half-way locals. Neither Steve my brother or Doug Timmer my uncle
are really “locals.” As I mentioned Doug lived in Holland Michigan for
a while and my brother was born in Grand Rapids and grew up there
until 7th grade.

Even take my Uncle Barry Bosscher (who married my Aunt Kay). He is

originally from Grand Rapids but undoubtedly has or had a much
better mental map of southern California having worked in the Los
Angeles County Assessors Office for most of his adult life. He’s a good
Christian man and attends the Reformed Church in Artesia.

And they have two great kids, but if I wanted to engage with him on a
level that had to do with the real estate and layout of Los Angeles he
would surely know more in that regards. Twenty years ago all the more
so. Ten years less. Today, even less so. I don’t know a lot or any of the
specifics about being a County Assessor but now I know much more
about southern California and the culture and the map . I can
communicate better with Barry in such regards because of this but
nonetheless we don’t have a lot of face-to-face interaction.

28
But I am hoping some of this can change for the better. I'm hoping to
engage with those I haven't engaged with much at all in previous years.
Nonetheless, I have also used my zeal for Christ to reach those less
challenging but nonetheless still difficult.

I try to reach convenience store clerks and people working in stores. I

talk to you in my Sunday Message. You respond--which I appreciate. I
hope for an evangelical "ripple effect" from my message. Things I tell
you maybe effect how you relate and interact with others.

And I continue to pray and ask for your prayers. I left the "prayer
chapel" this morning and came over here to Seal Beach for a change of
settings and to compose and transmit the morning message. I like trying
to go to a new setting every week . It inspires my thinking and makes it
more interesting for you. Don't you think? If you want to know more
about the history of Seal Beach go to
http://www.orangecounty.net/cities/SealBeach.html#history

Seal Beach is adjacent to Sunset Beach, and if you keep going south on
PCH you come to Huntington Beach. If you go north you pass through
Long Beach and then San Pedro and Palos Verdes around the point to
Hermosa, Redondo, and Manhattan Beach, among others. I rode my
bike down here once from Bellflower.

I came here more often when I was younger--when we first moved here
and went to the beach, went boogey boarding. Later, but many years
ago, I even entered the lifeguard tryouts--which involves swimming out
to the end of the pier and back--the top swimmers are given the job as
lifeguards for the summer. I was not even close to being a top swimmer.
But I gave it the old "college try" as they say.

This is a typical beach community with the beach culture in place--the

fishermen, the hedonists, the sunseekers, the boaters, the shop owners,
the tourists, et. al. It's what you think of when you're back east and
imagine living in southern California near the beach. I know this area
and the Manhattan Beach area because I have an uncle in each place. So
when I was younger I would combine a trip to see them with a trip to
the beach.

29
But the "beach culture" is ephemeral--meaning it is fleeting. It has no
long term value or purpose. Those who live the "beach life" are not
building their house on the rock. Their lives are "day to day" without a
lot of ultimate purpose. Maybe they just like the feel of the ocean or the
suspense of catching a fish. Maybe they are there just to look at
"chicks." Growing up you learn these things and eventually realize the
ephemeral nature of such a lifestyle. But some continue as adults the
same way--never maturing.

As Christians in Christ we mature and grow. This is not to say we can't

"go to the beach" once in a while even as adults, or take our kids there
or even look for a wife there (good luck) (I'm still looking by the way
but not at the beach); but it is not our preoccupation, or shouldn't be---
unless we have a ministry at the beach (which is not a bad idea). .

In fact the beach culture may be one of the most ripe settings for
evangelism--but even though the need is there the positive reception
often isn't. Christians are still stereotyped in a negative way by parts of
culture, and especially parts of Hollywood. Pastors are still sometimes
portrayed or mis-portrayed as stern and legalistic; and Calvinism is
still one of the biggest targets (even at Fuller Seminary), sometimes, but
not always, rightly so.

Fortunately this is fading to a certain extent. Some of the older film

makers and Hollywood producers are less influential. And we, as
Christians, can make inroads as long as we do so carefully and don't
live up to negative stereotypes.

Seal Beach is one example of beach culture. Wherever you are, you
might have something similar. In Michigan I remember the beach
culture in Holland. Even the "Christian kids" engaged in the beach
lifestyle. Growing up it's natural--as we get older though we mature and
grow wiser so that we can teach our kids and other kids about the right
path to take. At the same time we let kids "live and learn" --sometimes
the hard way. God is in control.

The last few days I spent at the prayer chapel and organizing things. I
made some orange juice from real oranges which I hand squeezed
myself. I bought a few things at the estate sale next door. I drove around
the neighborhood and walked around the neighborhood (and this is not

30
my permanent neighborhood, I'm just visiting). I saw Joel Slenk
washing his van over on View Park. I pulled out an old football
uniform from my high school days. I picked up some ribs at Chris 'n'
Pitts over on Artesia Blvd.

And I continued to scan pictures from photo albums so that they are
available on my computer and which I will make available for others. I
went over to Food Saver and bought a bunch of produce at a good price
and made a nice big salad. I spent time recuperating. Physically I am
not in great condition. I need more exercise--especially in the abdomen
area. I spend too much time in the car. So pray for me to work on
physical conditioning--making time for it.

This morning I puttered around Seal Beach and took a few pictures (see
attached) and composed my morning message. The surfers were already
out by 7 a.m. Somebody caught a stingray or what he called a "bat ray"
at the end of the pier--and left it lying out in the sun. I walked my dog
down the pier --not noticing the signs that said "no dogs" until I came
back-- at the end of the pier somebody warned me that I might get a
citation. Fortunately I didn't. I haven't been to Seal Beach in over a
year or at least nine months.

It's another hot day here. There's been a wildfire raging over in the
Yucca Valley area as anybody who follows the news knows. I drove
over to Sunset Beach where my Aunt Karen & her friend Vanna used to
live.

I passsed by the Naval Weapons Station and the Submarine Memorial--

dedicated to submarine soldiers who lost their lives in combat. It's a
nice memorial--too often ignored by the locals I think. It reminds me to
pray for our troops--who are fighting for our freedom and the freedom
of others. Whether you agree with the war or not you can still pray and
care for the troops.

And this is the day that God has made--it's a day to rest and relax and
praise our Lord. Let us pray:

Prayer: Dear God, I thank you for giving me the ability to deliver this
message to others around the country today. Let it be a blessing to them
and let them support me in prayer for the specific things mentioned

31
above. Let the Body of Christ relieve my burdens, Lord. I thank you for
the Body of Christ around the country and around the world. Let us
praise Your Name.

Song: Just a Word for Jesus

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/j/u/justword.htm

Song: Beautiful Sabbath

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/e/a/beautsab.htm

And I have a big trip coming up this week. I'll let you know about it
when I return. I'm praying for all of you in general and some in
particular and ask for the same from you. God bless you all. Have a
great week.

TRUST IN THE HOLY SPIRIT OF JESUS CHRIST OUR SAVIOR

EVERYWHERE YOU GO!

VanderKOK
J.P. Kok
Pastor Kok III
JOHN,
THE EVANGELIST FOR CHRIST
Song: Come Blessed Spirit, Source of Light !
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/b/cbsslite.htm

TAGS: FISHERMEN, FISHERS OF MEN, REEDS LAKE, DOUG,

TIMMER, CRWM, COSTA RICA, CPE, SLENK, SEAL, SUNSET,
BOSSCHER, KAY, pre-evangelism, grandpa Kok,

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