From:
Sent: Monday, October 09, 2006 10:50 PM
To:
Subject: Prayer Update 10/09/06 Change of seasons
Monday, October 9, 2006
Dear Family
and Friends,
On October
17th, just one week from tomorrow, our family is planning to drive to
Taking the
opportunity to attend a father-son retreat, Dad, Derrick, David, Samuel,
Matthew and I drove up to the northwoods of
The main
speakers at the conference, Bob and Joe Norvell
presented messages on the theme of being more than conquerors through Christ.
When we really begin to understand what Christ has done for us through His
death on the cross, and our position with Him, we can be more than conquerors
in the challenges that we face in our lives.
Joe shared
some key messages on how we can experience the abundant life that Jesus
promised to us. Not a life free from pressures and trials, but experiencing the
power to rise above these challenges in the joy of a relationship with the
Lord. It is not by struggling and striving, but by trusting in the Faithful
One.
Between the
sessions was time set aside for the fathers and sons to spend time together,
and the
I had never
swam so far before, and it took me three tries
to finally pull myself into the boat where Dad and Matthew were rowing
beside us. Looking at my tired arms with admiration, 8-year old Matthew
asked, "Do you feel stronger?" I smiled, as he went on, "Your
arms look a little bigger now." I had to smile at his heart-felt efforts
to encourage his shivering older brother.
Returning
back to the farm, I began working in earnest to move forward on the programming
project that I am doing for Character First! in
One of the
joys of the Christian life is seeing not only God's work in the big things, but
also His hand in the little things. The Bible tells us that God knows the hairs
on our head and every step we take. He created the universe, (just step outside
at night and look up at the stars), but He sees the little sparrow fall from
its nest. His thoughts towards us, the Bible says, are more than can be
numbered!
Well, it
wasn't a sparrow, but it was a little silver pendant on Rachelle's necklace
that had fallen off somewhere, and we couldn't find it. Just the walk across
the grass from our house to the van would entail a search of several hours,
even if we knew for sure that it was there. After helping with some initial
searches, we stopped and prayed that the One Who knows all things might allow
us to find this missing item.
Rachelle
thought that we should try driving to the town hall, a few miles away, where we
had voted for an election a few days before. It might have fallen off in the
parking lot when we got out of the car. We drove to the spot, and less than
thirty seconds later, we were holding the pendant in our hands. It was just
another testimony to a loving Father that knows our every care! Nothing is too
small for Him.
Of several
churches that the Lord has allowed us to share at in the past month, a special
highlight was the
This was
David's first opportunity to share the story of Isaac in a public meeting, and
the Lord's blessing was clearly upon it. A number of people were in tears, and
I think all were touched with the message of living with a passion to serve
God. The slideshow of pictures, the traditional dress, and special music made
for a memorable evening.
Sitting at
one of the tables for the meal, I shared with the couple next to me about the
work we are doing with Character First!, and the work
in
Two weeks
ago, the three oldest of us, (Adam Derrick and Rachelle) were somewhat
unexpectedly blessed with the opportunity to go to the
I really
appreciated the tone that was set when Woody announced that on the
first night, there would be no volleyball in the gym, but we were encouraged to
get to bed early so we could get up early for a time alone with the Lord the
next day. These "sunrise encounters" as they were described in the
schedule, would give us the opportunity to spend time in prayer and Bible
reading in the stillness of the dawn.
Of course
getting up early and going out in the woods does not merit you any special
favor with God, but how many times do we miss God's voice because we are so
busy going through our daily routine, with our mind already on the projects of
the day? As with any true relationship, God is interested in our hearts.
Do we have a heart like David in the Psalms; "O
God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth
for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dray and
thirsty land, where no water is;"? (Psalm 63:1)
The first
morning was a little cool and a drizzling rain made me grateful for my coat and
poncho, but through the next few days I did enjoy some very special times alone
with the Lord.
The
speakers for the conference were especially good, and Ken Pierpont gave some
really outstanding messages on what it means to have a daily relationship with
the Lord. Sunday morning's session was like the frosting on the cake as three
pastors shared from their lives a message entitled "The Sacred Rhythm of
the Mountaintop & Marketplace."
Based on
the pattern we see in the life of Jesus, the title describes how Jesus would
have times of intense ministry to multitudes with His disciples, and then how
He would withdraw for solitude fellowship with His Father in prayer. We need
both of these things. We need seasons of ministry and giving out, but we also
need times of being alone with the Lord, and hearing His still small voice in
our hearts.
Receiving a
call from some dear friends last week, our family was a bit surprised at the
request. On behalf of a Christian ministry in the area, they wanted to take our
family to the Cities, all expenses paid, to purchase clothing for our family as
we prepare to go back to
You should
have seen our family going through the store, piles of shirts, pants, coats,
sweaters, skirts, dresses, etc. piling up on the carts. Can you imagine going
through a store, just thinking, "what do I need
for this next year..." and putting everything you need into the cart? They
told us not to look at the price, but I was amazed to find shirts and pants for
a few dollars, and in far better shape than my worn out ones at home!
Several
hours later, the shopping was winding down, and the row of carts at the front
of the store began to grow as the various Wallers
brought their things to the front. An older lady walked into the store, and a
look of amazement came across her face as she looked across the eleven carts
lined up behind the register. "What's going on here today? Are they giving
stuff away for free? Wal-Mart's not going to be happy about this!"
It was like
Christmas, we said later, as we gathered in the living room that evening to go
through our bags of clothing. The Lord had most unexpectedly blessed us in a
very practical way as we prepare to go back to
Lest you
think that life must always be wonderful for the Wallers,
let me also say that these days have not been without challenges. I believe
that when God opens a door for ministry, there is also adversity and
resistance. The Adversary of our souls would like nothing better than to quench
the light that God wants us to shine. We don't fear Satan, but we are
not ignorant of his devices. We are told, "Be sober, be vigilant..."
The other
day I was sitting at the dinner table where my brother was explaining the
details of a software purchase that had turned out to be a scam. Another
brother had still not seen any trace of a trailer and load of hay that he was
supposed to be paid for a week ago. I had gotten a package that day in the
mail, but discovered that the shipper had made a mistake and we got the wrong
package. -And the countdown of days marches on.
I trust
that the Lord is going to work out all these things, and we are already seeing
this, but it is a daily challenge to just trust the Lord, and let Him work out
the details as we stay in His will. I had to laugh as we were talking with a
local pastor who had invited our family to his home for dinner. He said that he
prays for us every day, sometimes several times a day, -which we deeply
appreciate. He then told us that he prays we will have adventures! Well, God is
certainly answering his prayer! -But I appreciate the heart behind it.
This pastor
wisely understands that when the unexpected happens, we often see the hand of
God. How could God work out difficult situations in our lives if we never have
difficult situations? How can God show the exceeding greatness of His love and
power unless we really need it? I love the verses in Romans five: "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations
also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience experience; and
experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed;
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is
given unto us." Romans 5:3-5
One of the
projects that I have wanted to work on this summer was to organize a list of
people who don't have access to e-mail, but would like to receive these Prayer
Updates by mail. I am very excited to see this finally coming together. Using
the NetPost service on USPS.gov, it looks like I can
upload and send out printed copies of my update (even from
My goal is
to expand the reach of these updates to some of our friends that don't have
access to e-mail. If you or someone you know would like to be on this
list, (or the e-mail list) please let me know, and I can add their
name and address. We know that God is also doing special things through many
other families and ministries, but If these updates
would be an encouragement to you, we would love to send them.
Praise
Points:
- I am so grateful for the refreshing summer at
our farm in
- Praise the Lord for His special provision for
our clothing needs! This will be a real blessing as we travel on to
- Thank you for praying for our airline ticket
situation. We now have the tickets in hand, and ready for our trip.
Prayer
Requests:
- Pray for the details that have yet to be worked
out for our return to
- In the midst of our preparations for the trip to
- With all the projects to finish, people to see,
and things to pack, pray that the Lord will continue to give us good rest
and health as we prepare for the trip. The journey to
Pictures:
The Waller guys. Matthew was quite excited to be able to go on the
father-son
retreat, and fit right in with the group, even though he was
one of
the youngest ones in attendance.
Sarah's
cooking skills continue to be a great blessing
to our
family.
Back at the
Several of
us joined Grandma for lunch after a dentist appointment.
The Waller
carts made quite an impressive lineup as we got ready for
checkout
with our clothes for
It has been
a full and rich summer at the farm, and in some ways it is
hard to
leave, but we also look forward with eager anticipation to the
opportunities ahead of us in
You can
see many more new pictures on the Prayer Update section our family
website
Taller
Waller Quote:
Sitting
around our kitchen table after a meal one day, I took the opportunity to join
in on the conversation about some of our animal projects. Although most of my
days are spent working at the computer, I do try to keep at least vaguely aware
of the animals we have out by the barn.
Recalling a
pretty yellow colored cow I had seen in the pasture the other day, I thought I
would make an attempt at intelligent conversation with the farmers of the
family. "So, Derrick," I asked, "what breed of cow is the charolais colored one?" (I thought it was pretty good
that I had remembered the technical name of the color.) After the laughter had
subsided, I discovered that I must have been the only one that didn't know that
Charolais WAS
the breed! Oh, well, I will try harder next time. :-)
Thank you,
dear family and friends, for your prayers and interest in our family! In
just a few days we are scheduled to fly to
In Christ,
- Adam
Family
Website ~ http://cadlinx.com/wallerfamily
"And
let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint
not." - Galatians 6:9
If for any reason you would prefer not to receive these e-mails, just reply with "unsubscribe" in the subject line. If this e-mail is being forwarded to you, just let me know and I can put you on the regular list. - Adam