FALL 2017
Greetings & Blessings Faithful Followers of Team MissionAccess!
As we Fall into Winter 2017 I am thankful for Faithful Followers like You who “Like” what we do and support us Exceeding Abundantly throughout the year.
Click here to find out more: MA FALL 2017 OPPORTUNITY LETTER: Leaving A Legacy 112917
Thanks For The Opportunity!
In His Accessible Grace,
Linda Thacker
Executive Director
Greetings & Blessings Faithful Followers of Team MissionAccess! Today marks the 500th Anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the door of Wittenberg Chapel and transforming the Church forever.
If Martln Luther had a Life Verse it would be:
Ephesians 2:8-9 (NASB)
” For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Suffice to say that in the 1500 years since its birth the Church had wandered far from the Gospel. “Indulgences” were sold to pay down time spent in purgatory as the price for earthly sin. But Lo & Behold! A humble monk named Martin Luther could remain silent no longer, releasing the power of The Word still resounding throughout our world today.
Eric Metaxas, in his new book “Martin Luther: The Man Who Rediscovered God And Changed The World” simply cannot overstate the significance of Luther’s role in history.
So Rejoice this Happy Reformation Day 500 with Eric’s interview on The 700 Club:
In His Accessible Grace,
Linda
Greetings & Blessings Faithful Followers of Team Mission Access! Delighted am I to welcome back Larry Thacker as our distinguished Guest Blogger yet again this month with his timely message entitled All Things.
Our home state of Texas is still reeling from devastating floods unleashed after Hurricane Harvey. Tens of thousands of Texans have been forced to flee with just what they can carry. Especially hard-hit are People & Families affected by Disability, many of whom are trapped in their homes waiting for help to arrive.
Thankfully an Army of Volunteers with boats, bungees and brave bare hands is helping to Seek, Snatch & Save tens of thousands of families all along the battered coast. Praise God for them!
So how are we as Christians supposed to explain this ‘Act of God”? Especially to those who lost everything? I pray that Pastor Larry’s thoughtful message emboldens you to turn hearts to Jesus…even in the midst of the storm.
“ALL THINGS” WITH PASTOR LARRY THACKER
In His Accessible Grace,
Linda
Greetings & Blessings Faithful Followers of Team MissionAccess! Let’s chat about something Christians simply LOVE to talk about, shall we? Let’s chat about Hell!
(insert awkward silence here)
Moved by a local news story about a 65-year old woman who died in a South Dallas house fire, her charred power chair could easily belong to so many people at Bartimaeus Baptist Temple (our home church for people and families affected by disability)– including me! This Hellish vision prompted my Bible Study focused on “fire” which led to this simple verse:
Jude 1: 22-23 NIV: “Be merciful to those who doubt; 23 snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear-hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.”
Expanding that search to the phrase “Christians Hell” I found only 13 verses! Look up “Heaven” and there are 422 verses! Do a similar search on Amazon for books and only two are listed. Suffice to say Christians are somewhat squeamish when it comes to discussing Hell. But we HAVE to talk about it!
However in Matthew 10:28 NASU Jesus does not shy away from it, saying “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”
Q: So What?
A: Because Hell is eternal separation from God! And without getting into some deep theological weeds, we know Jesus did go to Hell (only briefly Thank God) after His Crucifixion and before His Resurrection three days later. And if He allowed His Only Son to go there He will allow anyone to go there also.
OK so what should Our Response be? Perhaps the late great Preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon offers the most powerful, compassionate response: “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.” (SOURCE: http://christian-quotes.ochristian.com/christian-quotes_ochristian.cgi?find=Christian-quotes-by-Charles+Spurgeon-on-Hell)
Let us therefore proceed with haste to Snatch & to Save The Lost and to Repeat For His Glory!
In His Accessible Grace,
Linda
Greetings & Blessings Faithful Followers of Team MissionAccess! So lemme ask you: Are You Suffering? Or Sanctifying? Today’s Blog is based on my recent Bible Study at Bartimaeus Baptist Temple entitled: “Suffering 2.0–The Sanctification Upgrade.”
John Piper’s excellent book Acting the Miracle: God’s Work and Ours in the Mystery of Sanctification defines Sanctification as “the modest theological term we Christians use to refer to the process of being Holy.” [i] Books, Bible Studies, Sermons and Seminars abound exceeding abundantly on this thorny theological imperative.
Bottom Line? It’s TOUGH! So I’ve got Good News…and Other News. Let’s start with that:
There Are No Points If You Caused It
1 Peter 2:20 NASU says: “For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.”
But Good News! God Will Help You Through It!
Isaiah 41:10 NASU says:
‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, surely, I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
Thankfully Our Awesome Lord shows us it’s not only possible, He’s given us clear evidence in the Believers like David Brainerd who have gone on before. Though we have ample evidence of David’s sanctification from his personal diaries, it is this humble postscript penned by Jonathan Edwards (who published them after David’s death) whose own 18-year-old daughter Jerusha also died of TB after caring faithfully for the dying missionary:
“She had not seen one minute for several years wherein she desired to live one minute longer, for the sake of any other good in life, but doing good, living for God, and doing what she might for His Glory.” [ii]
May Her Humble Example Serve To Redefine Sanctification As A Suffering 2.0 Upgrade For His Glory!
In His Accessible Grace,
Linda
[i] 1 John Piper & David Mathis, “Acting the Miracle: God’s Work and Ours in the Mystery of Sanctification” (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2013), Kindle Edition.
[ii] 2 “The Life And Diary of the Rev. David Brainerd” (with Notes & Reflections by Jonathan Edwards) 1749, Kindle Edition.
Greetings & Blessings Faithful Followers of Team MissionAccess! Ponder with me this month the concept of Legacy. How shall we honor not just the Milestones on our Christian journey but more significantly the Process we go through to prayerfully become transformed into the image of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ?
So let’s talk Diamonds, shall we?
I’m not talking literal diamonds though they certainly are precious. I believe our Lord is interested in creating diamonds of a far greater value. In fact I never cease to be amazed by how Our Awesome Lord allows suffering to produce Spiritual Diamonds out of us.
Our Scripture passage focuses not so much on the Product but on Process:
Psalms 66:10-22 NASB
“For You have tried us, O God;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
11 You brought us into the net;
You laid an oppressive burden upon our loins.
12 You made men ride over our heads;
We went through fire and through water,
Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance.”
Question: Who is “You”? And what is He doing? More importantly who is *NOT* doing it?
Ah! But Look closely: WHY is He doing it?
Oh Precious Peeps! (Insert Heavy Sigh Here) So much of our focus remains fixed on the “What” we’re going through. And rightfully so because we are urged to “Pray Without Ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17 NASB) for others as well as ourselves. But the Power lies not in the What but in the “WHY”: “YET You brought us into a place of abundance!” Amen & Hallelujah!
Speaking of Diamond’s Best Friend…it’s God! So why not get to know Him better? Here’s a suggestion: try simply spending more time with Him focused on the Why with a Daily Devotional. Joni Eareckson Tada’s powerful classic Study entitled “Diamonds In The Dust” I Highly Recommend!
In His Accessible Grace,
Linda
Greetings & Blessings Faithful Followers of Team MissionAccess! As we boldly step out on faith in 2017 I simply wish to encourage you to anticipate Fresh Blessings as we press forward towards the Goal in the newly-minted Year ahead.
Let’s revisit the beloved story of the “Fishes-n-Loves” in Matthew 18–but do it through fresh eyes, shall we?
OK lemme set this up: Jesus is now in full Ministry Mode and wows the crowds when He performs miracle after miracle including feeding 5000 Fans without the help of Ubereats (in fact with just two fish and five loaves of barley bread). By the time we arrive at this passage His Disciples have “been there done that,” and should be anticipating a miracle, right?
But look what they say:
“And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread. 6 And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” 7 They began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “He said that because we did not bring any bread.” 8 But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? 9 “Do you not yet understand or remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets full you picked up? 10 “Or the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many large baskets full you picked up? 11 “How is it that you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?” Matt 16:5-12 NASU
Bottom Line is this Peeps: Fear Not! If He did it before He can do it again. Regardless of what you are going through He’s got Fresh Blessings exceeding abundantly. Plus Doggie Bags O’ Blessings to take home. Though your challenges of yesteryear may creep unwelcome into the New Year, His Mercies already beat them over the threshold.
May Fresh Blessings abound for You and Your Fam in 2017 & beyond!
In His Accessible Grace,
Linda
Greetings & Blessings Faithful Followers of Team Mission Access! While we breathe a huge sigh of relief that our collective Christmas craziness is winding down and set our hearts on a hopefully Happy New Year ahead, let’s consider something that may have may have gone MIA this season: JOY.
So let’s unwrap Joy, shall we? James 1:2-4 NASU says:
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
The Key Verse in that passage is: Consider It All Joy. The NIV says we are to Consider it PURE joy. Each of those words is a Bible Study in itself! But’s Go For The JOY.
Doing just a simple concordance search reveals a Whole Lotta Joy in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament books of Psalms and Isaiah. But it is only in the New Testament that a more excellent Joy is revealed:
John 15:11 NASU
“These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.
Wow! Check it out! God through His mind-blowing Gift of His Son & Our Savior Jesus Christ gives us full access to His uniquely personal Joy that Lives 24/7 IN All who Believe.
Now THAT’S a Happy New Year!
In His Accessible Grace,
Linda
Image Source: Shea Fam Archive
Greetings & Blessings Faithful Followers of Team Mission Access! With less than two weeks left before we elect our next President I urge you—nay I beseech you–to Think For A Change.
Recently I read a fascinating book entitled “The Art of Thinking Clearly” by Rolf Dobelli which digs deeper into some of the cognitive cliffs we leap from so willingly to our peril and why. But there is a way cooler Bestseller that offers a preemptive plethora of wisdom about how best to employ those glorious minds that we’ve been entrusted with to Think.
I’m sure you’ve heard about it: we know it as simply The Bible.
Of the Top 7 Bible Verses About The Mind due to limited time, space and attention spans I choose to focus on this gem from Luke:
Luke 10:27 “And he answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’”
The other verses reinforce quite clearly that our minds are always on His mind, as ours should be on His. In fact as Christians Our Minds and His Mind should be one and the same.
So before you head to the polls to vote, check out what each candidate represents. Read both the Republican Platform as well as the Democratic Platform.
***DISCLAIMER!!!***: I AM NOT ENDORSING A CANDIDATE NOR A PARTY!
My deepest desire and most hopeful prayer is simply that you Think–& VOTE–For A Change: for You and Your Family, our Nation and Our Future.
In His Accessible Grace,
Linda
Image Source: goo.gl/LNwD1L
Greetings & Blessings Faithful Followers of MissionAcess Inc.! I am honored to shine a well-deserved spotlight on my Good Friend & former DTS classmate Dieula Previlon. Wife, Mom and Evangelist, Dieula heads ElevateHer–an amazing ministry on a Mission To Empower The People of God to Heal, Find Purpose and Hope Through Jesus Christ.
Born in Haiti, Dieula immigrated to the US in the late 70s. After attending Rutgers University she taught Middle School but felt compelled to sojourn to DTS in 2004 to expand her education. After graduating with her MABC (Masters in Biblical Counseling) in 2007 she served as Missions Pastor & Director at Irving Bible Church. Later she joined Redeemer Evangelical Covenant Church as Associate Pastor to oversee Local and International Missions.
In 2008 Dieula boldly pressed forward with her new ministry delightfully named ElevateHer International. Now Dieula is unleashed to use her God-given talents to truly bless women worldwide:
Listen to her Bless Us with Her Message at Bartimaeus Baptist Temple!
What a powerful message to all People & Families Affected by Disability! But especially to women who either personally or as caregivers often bear a heavier burden of disability. What Joy to break free in order to become everything Our Awesome God created us to be.
Thank You Dieula for your tireless efforts on our behalf! May God Elevate Your Ministry Worldwide!
In His Accessible Grace,
Linda
