We are thrilled to get mail from some of the greatest people in the world. In this mail box we want to share a few of these letters. Although there is not enough space to share them all, we select ones that we feel you will enjoy, and ones that particularly touched us. We also will share, from time to time, some articles sent to us that we feel would be of benefit to all. Thank you for stopping in, and we trust these will bless you as much as they did us. We also welcome your notes to us anytime. Our e-mail address is BroBobChap@aol.com
From: jnbdow@plateautel.net (Barbara & James Dow)
To: BroBobChap@aol.com
Dear Brother Bob,
I wish to take a moment of your time to Thank You for being in Tucumcari NM at
the very time you were. I know God sent you to wake our son to the need for
salvation. He was in church on Easter Sunday morning (First Baptist Church) as
you gave your message. He was touched deeply by your message and was saved by
the Grace of God. I saw it in his face when he returned home that day. He fought
the turbulent battle between his heart and his addiction of the devil for two
weeks when God came to him, put his arms around him and took him to rest with
him. It broke our hearts to loose the physical son we knew , we so hoped he
could make it with God's help and help others kick this terrible addiction of
alcohol. It is so hard, he would have been 39 on the 8th.
I could go on and on, but I won't. Just want you to know how thankful I am God
brought you here at the time he did. It was meant to be.
I AM going to heal on a DAILY basis, starting NOW with the help of GOD. Thank
you so much.
Sincerely,
Barbara Dow and James Dow
Parents of James (Jimmy) Dow, Jr.
Home From Kosova
Dear Bob, Becky and Chuck,
Praise God, I am back home. The 2 week mission trip to Kosova was a
success. I went as a carpenter to help rebuild roofs on homes that had
been burned by the Serbs during the time of their ethnic cleansing and
construct shelters using insulated garage door panels. There were 8
Americans and 7 U.K. team members who meet in the city of Gjakova and
worked in the 5 villages close by. This mission trip was different from my
other trips because the push was construction, not preaching. However, I
had wonderful times just being friendly with the families of the homes we
repaired and the shelters that were constructed.
A mother and her 3 children come to mind. I installed 3 temporary windows
in her house and later constructed a shelter for her. The reason she
qualified for a shelter was there were no ceilings in the house and it
would have done very little good to try and heat it this winter. Her story
is like most of the people of Kosova. Her husband was shot by Serb police
in their back yard in front of her and the children. In fact the shelter
was built over the spot where he died. Tragedy after tragedy is so common
there. If the truth was known every family in Kosova had family members
killed or missing. Yet I found the people to be friendly and loving to us.
I have no idea how many seeds I planted or watered, but God will bring the
harvest.
The people are so happy for NATO’s help backed by the U.S. One man had a
picture of President Clinton, in a plastic holder he carried in his pocket,
and he showed it to me, then he kissed it. The wild thing about the
incident is he also had a picture of Monica Lewinsky along side. The
pictures had been cut out of some magazine.
Many of the wonderful people I met want me to come back for a longer time.
One of our drivers named Safet Vila said I could stay with him and his
family. He has a wife and 5 children. He cried when we said goodbye when
I left. The more I travel the more I realize Jesus Christ is the ONLY
answer for mankind. Only God knows what it will take to wake the American
public up to this fact.
My prayer is America will wake up before it takes some horrible thing to
happen to draw the people together.
The Kosovaans are working together to rebuild their country and there is a
true spirit of unity with them. They will succeed because they have the
will to do so.
In His service,
Bob Claus
WHAT WILL 10 CENTS BUY
Bobby was getting cold sitting out in his back yard in the snow. Bobby didn't
wear boots; he didn't like them and anyway he didn't own any. The thin
sneakers he wore had a few holes in them and they did a poor job of keeping out
the cold. Bobby had been in his backyard for about an hour already. And, try as
he might, he could not come up with an idea for his mother's Christmas gift. He
shook his head as he thought, "This is useless, even if I do come up with
an idea, I don't have any money to spend."
Ever since his father had passed
away three years ago, the family of five had struggled. It wasn't because his
mother didn't care, or try, there just never seemed to be enough. She worked
nights at the hospital, but the small wage that she was earning could only be
stretched so far.
What the family lacked in money and material things, they more than made up for
in love and family unity. Bobby had two older and one younger sister, who ran
the house hold in their mother's absence. All three of his sisters had already
made beautiful gifts for their mother. Somehow it just wasn't fair. Here
it was Christmas Eve already, and he had nothing. Wiping a tear from his eye,
Bobby kicked the snow and started to walk down to the street where the shops and
stores were. It wasn't easy being six without a father, especially when he
needed a man to talk to. Bobby walked from shop to shop, looking into each
decorated window. Everything seemed so beautiful and so out of reach.
It was starting to get dark and Bobby reluctantly turned to walk home when
suddenly his eyes caught the glimmer of the setting sun's rays reflecting off of
something along the curb. He reached down and discovered a shiny dime. Never
before has anyone felt so wealthy as Bobby felt at that moment. As he held
his new found treasure, a warmth spread throughout his entire body and he walked
into the first store he saw. His excitement quickly turned cold when the
salesperson told him that he couldn't buy anything with only a dime. He saw a
flower shop and went inside to wait in line. When the shop owner asked if
he could help him, Bobby presented the dime and asked if he could buy one flower
for his mother's Christmas gift. The shop owner looked at Bobby and his ten cent
offering. Then he put his hand on Bobby's shoulder and said to him, "You
just wait here and I'll see what I can do for you."
As Bobby waited he looked at the beautiful flowers and even though he was a boy,
he could see why mothers and girls liked flowers. The sound of the door
closing as the last customer left, jolted Bobby back to reality. All alone in
the shop, Bobby began to feel alone and afraid. Suddenly the shop owner
came out and moved to the counter. There, before Bobby's eyes, lay twelve long
stem, red roses, with leaves of green and tiny white flowers all tied together
with a big silver bow. Bobby's heart sank
as the owner picked them up and placed them gently into a long white box.
"That will be ten cents young man." the shop owner said reaching out
his hand for the dime. Slowly, Bobby moved his hand to give the man his
dime. Could this be true? No one else would give him a thing for his dime!
Sensing the boy's reluctance, the shop owner added, "I just happened to
have some roses on sale for ten cents a dozen. Would you like them?"
This time Bobby did not hesitate, and when the man placed the long box into his
hands, he knew it was true. Walking out the door that the owner was holding for
Bobby, he heard the shop keeper say, "Merry Christmas, son." As
he returned inside, the shop keeper's wife walked out. "Who were you
talking to back there and where are the roses you were fixing?"
Staring out the window, and blinking the tears from his own eyes, he replied,
"A strange thing happened to me this morning. While I was
setting up things to open the shop, I thought I heard a voice telling me to set
aside a dozen of my best roses for a special gift. I wasn't sure at the time
whether I had lost my mind or what, but I set them aside anyway. Then just a few
minutes ago, a little boy came into the shop and wanted to buy a flower for his
mother with one small dime. "When I looked at him, I saw myself, many
years ago. I too, was a poor boy with nothing to buy my mother a Christmas gift.
A bearded man, whom I never knew, stopped me on the street and told me that he
wanted to give me ten dollars. "When I saw that little boy tonight, I knew
who that voice was, and I put together a dozen of my very best roses."
The shop owner and his wife hugged each other tightly, and as they stepped out
into the bitter cold air, they somehow didn't feel cold at all.
May this story instill the spirit of CHRISTmas in you enough to pass this act
along.
Have a Joyous and Peace-filled season.
-Author unknown
I ASKED GOD
I asked God to take away my pain. God
said, No. It is not for me to
take away, but for you to give it up.
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. God said, No. Her
spirit was whole, her body was only temporary.
I asked God to grant me patience. God said, No. Patience is a
by-product of tribulations, it isn't granted, it is earned.
I asked God to give me happiness. God said, No. I give you blessings,
Happiness is up to you.
I asked God to spare me pain. God said, No. Suffering draws you
apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.
I asked God to make my spirit grow. God said, No. You must grow on
your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. God said, No. I will
give you life so that you may enjoy all things.
I asked God to help me LOVE others, as much as he loves me. God
said...Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.
-Author unknown
To: BroBobChap@aol.com
Bro . Bob Harrington,
You probably won't remember me , but When I was Just a child living
in a small town called " DuckHill" in Mississippi . You made a impact
on my life as back then I was just a young babe in Christ ,Our Lord, and
I heard you preach and got real excited...well to make a long story
short I scraped up $5.00 dollars ( that was a lot to me back then ) and
sent it off to you ...I think I wrote a small letter to you . Anyway
from either you or your ministry back then came to me ..a Record (of
which i played till it wasn't any good) and a Big Holy Bible (family )
and a whole assortment of tracks to help me ( I Believe ) My Mom
didn't know what to think.... ..'cause she did not know I had sent your
ministry anything... and when I told her she sat me down and tried to
show me that you had sent me back more than I could ever pay for at
that time and tried to instill in me the value of the gifts I'd received
, course being a child I just thought it was grand just to be getting
stuff in the mail ...cause I expected nothing back. After that I never
again heard from you or your ministry . As the years have past I know
now what my Mom was trying to teach me. ( which to me is...no matter how
little a person gives or does for you Try to give back more without
thought to being paid back..... ) kinda like The Word teaches..if a man
asks for your cloak give him your coat also ... sorry if I didn't
quote it correctly ,but I got my Bible in my work bag ( I'm a
correctional officer in Memphis). I always take it with me there.
Anyway I found one of you records at a yard sale and I bought it ..even
tho I don't have a record player ..you know cassette tapes and compact
discs now.... (laugh) I always wanted to thank-you personally for
giving me a great start in finding and starting my Walk with God. I will
Keep You I my prayers. just to have found that your still here is a
blessing to me . Well it hard to put into words why your my favorite
preacher, but if you ever come to preach here in Memphis , let me know
for I would love to hear you preach again, & maybe if God willing I'll
get to meet you. May the blessings of our Lord Christ Jesus be with
you always. Your Brother in Christ, Ronald W.
Montgomery
p.s. If you have any of your old sermons on cd's or cassettes please
let me know where I can buy them thanks again - Ron
BOB , YOU HAVE BEEN A GREAT
BLESSING ON ME. I WAS AT THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH IN OAKWOOD GA. AT THE REVIVAL.
I HOPE SOME DAY GOD WILL USE ME IN HIS WORKS.
THANK YOU
LOVE
JIM AND JUDY
Dear Brother Bob,
When I was saved in 1973, your records and tapes, along with those of Jack
Van Impe, became important parts of my growth, maturity and understanding.
I had heard rumors that you were back-slidden and had left the ministry but
found the rumors to be distressing and hard to believe.
Now I see, by your testimony, that those rumors were true, but praise the
Lord you have repented and have been restored.
It is partly due to those tapes, but mainly due to the Lord's urging, that
I am now witnessing on the Internet. You see, I was 33 when I was saved
and was a hemiplegic following a suicide attempt. I felt that I could be
of no service to the Lord and was resigned to simply trying to live a
Christian life devoid of the joy and satisfaction of any real service.
Over the years, the Lord developed the interests and then the minimal
skills in me which would enable me to participate in world-wide
evangelization while in my own home. When I was ready, I began getting
e-mail messages from people asking if I were Don Henley the musician. I
didn't even know who Don Henley or the Eagles were but the Lord began
leading my thinking, "If people were interested in finding the musician,
then I could purchase a domain with my name on it and people would come to
it out of curiosity. Once they were there, I could present the gospel to
them." I put up that site and through it have now reached over 17,000
people. That's a small number as far as evangelization goes, but a great
joy to me and you are, in some measure, a partaker in whatever fruits that
it produces. One other interesting thing is that I thought of you just
last week. I thought about quoting a couple of things from your early
records but was uncertain because of those rumors and that I didn't know
the current status of your life. Now I know that it will be acceptable to
drop a few of your pearls of wisdom onto my site and I know that you have a
website to which I can link those quotes.
--
May the Lord bless and keep you and may Satan ne'er defeat you. May you
have life without an end; may the Lord become your closest friend.
In His service,
Don Henley
To: BroBobChap
just a quick thank you for making it so easy to be a christian at first I was
kinda shy about my beliefs but the way you describe the gospel makes it so easy
for me to keep my faith. god bless you and thanks again.
sean shelton, st.louis,mo
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
When in sorrow, ........................... call John 14.
When men fail you, ........................ call Psalm 27.
If you want to be fruitful, ............... call John 15.
When you have sinned, ..................... call Psalm 51.
When you worry, ........................... call Matthew 6:19-34.
When you are in danger, ................... call Psalm 91.
When God seems far away, .................. call Psalm 139.
When your faith needs stirring, ........... call Hebrews 11.
When you are lonely and fearful, .......... call Psalm 23.
When you grow bitter and critical, ........ call I Corinthians 13.
For Paul's secret to happiness, ........... call Colossians 3:12-17.
For understanding of Christianity, ........ call II Corinthians:15-19.
When you feel down and out, ............... call Romans 8:31.
When you want peace and rest, ............. call Matthew 11:25-30.
When the world seems bigger than God, ..... call Psalm 90.
When you want Christian assurance, ........ call Romans 8:1-30.
When you leave home for labor or travel, .. call Psalm 121.
When your prayers grow narrow or selfish, . call Psalm 67.
For a great invention/opportunity, ........ call Isaiah 55.
When you want courage for a task, ......... call Joshua 1.
For how to get along with fellow men, ..... call Romans 12.
When you think of investments and returns,. call Mark 10.
If you are depressed, ..................... call Psalm 27.
If your pocketbook is empty, .............. call Psalm 37.
If you are losing confidence in people, ... call I Corinthians13.
If people seem unkind, .................... call John 15.
If discouraged about your work, ........... call Psalm 126.
If you find the world growing small and yourself great,.. call
Psalm 19.
Alternate numbers:
For dealing with fear, ............... call Psalm 34:7.
For security, ........................ call Psalm 121:3.
For assurance, ....................... call Mark 8:35.
For reassurance, ..................... call Psalm 145:18.
Emergency numbers may be dialed direct. No operator assistance is
necessary. All lines to Heaven are open 24 hours a day! Feed
your faith, and doubt will starve to death!
-Author Unknown