Mardi Gras is Approaching FAST!

Hi prayer friends,

We are in hot pursuit for men to step up with us to witness for our Lord Jesus Christ at the Mardi Gras.  We need your prayers to the Father for Him to send forth laborers into His vineyard at the Mardi Gras.  We have what we call a “Early Bird Special” discount on the donation.  It is $50.00 cheaper for those who get their donation and registration in by this coming Monday, January 28th.  Having this “Early Bird Special” is a help to the men and it is a huge help to our Administrative Team so we will know, for the most part, those who are coming.  Then we will meet on Tuesday January 29th to select men for the many positions to serve at Mardi Gras.

This Sunday, at Christ Church in Fairview Heights, Illinois, the NGL men will wear our NGL T-shirts over a long sleeve matching color sweater and enlist  all the men we can.  Max Vick, in Tennessee, has been enlisting in a big way.  Peoria had an area wide promo meeting with David Cain from Georgia as their speaker. Nebraska is picking up speed.   Pray for the Lord to touch and anoint men this Sunday at church to enlist others  to come with us to Mardi Gras for our 34th Annual Mardi Gras Adventure.

So I am asking prayer for the Lord to call men forth especially this last Sunday before the Early Bird deadline on Monday and for the Lord to grant wisdom as our Administrative team works this coming Tuesday to pick men to be in key leadership positions.  I want to see EVERY man come with us and learn how to minister and grow closer to the Lord building on each mission trip.

All of us have “fallen” one time or another or both.  Mardi Gras is a place where we see the lowest levels of depravity.  It is sickening to see and it does the same to our Lord.  However, this is what we all look like without the Lord and He is able to touch men’s lives at any depth.  I pray each year the Lord will give us His heart for the people and “awaken” us to our need to get back up from our failures through:

REPENTANCE in our small group meetings.
FORGIVENESS:   Revealing who we need to ask forgiveness for what we have done to others or forgiving what others have done to us.
RESTITUTION:  It isn't enough to say we are sorry.  We must in all ways possible find out how we can regain our relationship with those we have hurt or have hurt us.
MOVE ON:  God is the God of the second chance.  So my hope is that each of us attending Mardi Gras will return with less of ourselves, be ministers of reconciliation after being reconciled to God and move on the journey for our Lord in 2013.

Love ya’s

Fred
II Timothy 2:2  My life’s calling, Mardi Gras, my work place

Mardi Gras 2013 Recruitment

Let’s go get’um guys!

As you know, we hold to Psalm 133 for the anointing to come down and go through the ministry.  The anointing was strong at our Men’s Retreat in September.  The anointing has been strong on the Administration and cooking team.

NOW IS THE TIME FOR THE ANOINTING TO BE UPON EACH ONE OF YOU to get excited and enlist men for this 34th Annual Mardi Gras Experience.  We have TWO Sundays left to enlist men at church before the JANUARY 28 DEADLINE for the “Early Bird $50.00 Discount.  I am praying tonight and will be especially tomorrow morning for the Lord to use each of you as His spokesmen to get men on board for His Harvest.

I know of no place on earth that the Lord will use more from February 8-12 to have the opportunity to share the Love of Jesus more than at the Mardi Gras.  God ALWAYS MEETS US THERE.  Don’t miss it and don’t let those you know miss it either.  We all will come home leaving more of ourselves behind and  holding tightly to the “Rod of God.”  I believe the Lord will call forth many men to the harvest fields of the world through this mission.

Sarge, who has spent the last four years in Vietnam, is home on furlough and will be with us manning his treasured “Manhole” cover over by Jack’s Brewery.  Max Vick has been working hard enlisting men in Tennessee.  Max has made some special “crosses” for every man to wear.  Hans Soon and the guys in Peoria, Illinois had a great Promo meeting with the Steve Miller Band and David Cain from Georgia leading the charge.

Brenda Stutzman, who went to be with the Lord recently, had an influence on our ministry like no other with the Clown Ministry, will be honored at our opening meeting in Hattiesburg, MS.

The Lord is calling for men for His work and you and I are invited to join Him in the enlistment.

See you soon in Hattiesburg on Friday, February 8th.

Love ya’s and so honored to serve with you,

Fred
Isaiah 6:8

Weekly Prayer Requests for December 10, 2012

Hi prayer friends,

I hope you are enjoying this Christmas season.  We go to church where our son, Shane, is the pastor.  He is majoring on “FEAR NOT” and using the Psalms.  I didn't realize how many people get depressed during Christmas because of the past death of loved ones, broken relationships and so on, so his message yesterday on Psalm 3 was very good.  Counting all the services, over 2000 people were in attendance.  (The church has grown from the 200’s 14 years ago to what it is today.)  God is good!

Mardi Gras excitement is growing.  We have most of our camp leaders on board.  This month we will be contacting Squad leaders, leaders and assistant leaders.  Please pray for the Lord to call forth “laborers for His harvest.”  What better gift could we give our Lord than the gift of ourselves in service with Him?  (Isaiah 6:8)

We will have our time here with Shane’s family at Cracker Barrel on December 21st and then leave to South Dakota to be with our daughter Jill and her family over Christmas and New Year’s.

Love ya’s,
Fred
John 3:30

Praying for Mardi Gras

Hi NGL Partners,

The New Year has arrived and it is time to put the “push” on for our Annual Mardi Gras Outreach, February 17-21!!!!!

It is distressing that many people make a “decision” for the Lord and that is as far as it goes. Salvation is just the entrance into the exciting life God has prepared for His children. The Great Commission is really The Great Adventure for all of us as Christians. In this New Year, we all need to take stock of how we are moving along in our relationship with the Lord helping His Kingdom come.

Preparation is essential for a great Mardi Gras experience. The old saying goes: “Fighters don’t become great in the ring; they just get recognized in the ring.” This is true for with us for each Mardi Gras experience. This will be my 37th Mardi Gras and it is just as important to prepare for this one as it was for my first one. So let’s get on board together in preparing our hearts for His service.

Prayer is the key to life, ministry and Mardi Gras!!!!! The difference it will make in this coming Mardi Gras and in our lives will be amazing. The book we will be using together is “Praying Hyde.” This is the most basic book on a life of prayer that I have ever read. When I started the ministry years ago, I encouraged men to read “Praying Hyde” to learn how to meet with God for a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This book is profitable for us not just to read, but to meditate on and incorporate the principles in our lives. You can find the book on-line at Amazon or your book store can order it.

Get the book and let me know how it affects you and your life and I will share the findings with others.

Love ya’s,
Fred

Prayer List:
1. Pray for the Lord to call forth men for this harvest at Mardi Gras:
2. Pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit to fall on all of us;
3. Pray for the men going with us to have a meaningful encounter with the Lord;
4. Pray for the lost to have a meaningful encounter with the Lord;
5. Pray for those who receive Christ to continue their pilgrimage with the Lord;
6. Pray for protection and safety

Weekly Prayer Request, Dec 27, 2011

Hi prayer partners,

We are spending a few days here in South Dakota seeing my daughter, her family and getting to spend time in reflection before going back home and getting on the ball for Mardi Gras. I am spending more time in prayer for all the things that go into our Mardi Gras experience. This will be my 37th Mardi Gras. Each year the experience is more precious as I get to visit each of our 5 camps and hear the testimonies of how the Lord is dealing with and through each man. Moses wasn’t called in the Mall or sitting on the couch. I have seen God use the Mardi Gras to touch and change men like no other place or event. I feel so privileged to get to work with those the Lord calls out to the event and especially for those the Lord call "out" from the event.

Thanks for your love and joining me in praying the Lord of the Harvest to call men forth for His Kingdom enterprises throughout the world. The men being called out will meet many obstacles and will need our prayers and support to help them through the hurdles. Each man "needs" these hurdles to help him draw on the Lord like never before. Each year, I find the need to spend more time with the Lord in preparation.

In His service,

Fred
Joshua 1:9
New Living Translation (NLT)
"This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Nugget of Preparation

Hi prayer partners,

As most of you know, I have missed very few days in the last 35 years without reading Oswald Chambers and I still do. However, sometimes something comes across the “waves” that stirs and confirms what I believe. I am sure things happen for all of you that way as well. A friend of mine and the ministry has been used of the Lord in mighty ways. However, he has been going through some tough times and had a very important meeting, encounter with someone and needed guidance. It never ceases to amaze me how the Lord prepares us for such meetings. He went to a national conference that he normally has a part in the leadership. However, this year, he had no responsibilities at the conference. So he was able to go to the sessions like all the other people. The Lord had prepared this conference especially for him. Below is the “process” he learned and applied and used in his “confrontation” meeting last night.

Love ya’s and can’t imagine what it would be like without you and don’t even want to try!

Fred



Heart Preparation Before the Lord

1. Quiet yourself down. Be comfortable. “Be still and know….” Psalm 46:10 Ask for the Holy Spirit. “I will go to my guidepost” Emmanuel “God is with us”.

a. We must be child-like. Keep it simple. Picture yourself as an 8 year old child

b. Listen, listen, listen….”I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me” Habakuk 2:1-2

2. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Use vision as part of your prayer and use the “eyes of your heart” to see. A picture is worth a thousand words. Genesis 15:5-6. Do not picture fear, guilt, lust, sin, etc. Place your whole self into the vision/scene. Participate in the scene. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring the scene alive! Ephesians 1:17-11 When the scene comes alive it becomes a vision. We can step from a Godly imagination into a vision.

a. Focus on Jesus… the Author and Finisher of our faith.

b. Imagine the WORD.

c. Enter into HIS rest.

3. Tune to Flow… God’s voice can sounds like spontaneous thoughts that light upon your mind (flowing). The anointing flow takes over!

a. Tune to flow….become an extension of Jesus in flow… God’s voice sounds like spontaneous thoughts that light upon your mind (flowing). The anointing flow takes over!

b. John 7:37-39 “rivers of living water” begin to flow

c. His voice sounds like flowing thoughts, emotions, words and visions.

d. Speaking the oracles of God

e. Yield to the flow… the river of God within us.

f. Examples exercise to meditate on…
i. Lord, do You love me?
ii. Lord, how do you see me?
iii. Lord, what do you want to say to me?

4. Write out the flow of thoughts and pictures. Journal your these thoughts and visions. Share your written flow with fellow Christians. Especially if you are unsure.