TOP 10 MOST READ BOOKS

AGE DOESN'T MATTER TO GOD

Tom Flaskerud 1:31am May 26 Friday, May 25th: Thank you for your prayers. Tonight was our last event of this tour. We were at the Inglesia Methodist Libre in Papalote and God blessed as 74 people prayed and responded to the invitation to receive Jesus Christ into their lives. Of these 37 indicated a first time acceptance of Christ, 28 registered a rededication, and 9 indicated 'other commitment'. A very special first time acceptance of Christ occured when an 84 year old man who said he had never been in a church at anytime in his life came forward and asked to receive Jesus Christ. This was an exceptional experience with God due to his age and the fact that he had never gone into a church before. This was definitely a "Divine Appointment". Praise God for His grace and love that has touched so many of these Mexcian people. We would like to thank Pastor Ramon Rubio and his wife Esther, Dr. Don and Ilene Nagle, and Pastor Moises and Tere Rodriquez affiliated with Northern Light Ministries who spent several days in January traveling to the locations we have been at and did all the initial groundwork of contacting and arranging for this Freedom Team Mexican Tour. Thank You and may God richly bless you for your time and efforts! We leave at 9AM tommorrow morning to return home and will be traveling for 3 days. We would appreciate your prayers for a safe and uneventful trip home. Thank you for all you prayers and the blessing you have in helping reach many of these people with the message of hope and salvation found only in Jesus Christ. Bless You, Pastor Tom Flaskerud

Power in the Mouth

Tom Flaskerud

1:08am May 24

Wednesday, May 23rd:

Tonight we were in Mulege B.C. in the center of town in the town plaza. A very powerful movement of the Holy Spirit was being poured out on the town. We won't know the final count of registered decisions until tomorrow due to some decisions cards not being turned in by a couple of new helpers. What we do know is the more than 21 prayed to make a decision for Jesus Christ. Of the cards we received tonight 10 people indicated a first time acceptance of Jesus Christ, 7 indicated a rededication, and 4 indicated other commitment.

Two police officers who were on patrol stopped to obeserve the Power Explosion and ended up praying and making a decision for Jesus Christ.

The movement of God continued for a considerable time after the Power Explosion ended with a number of people coming for specials prayers and desperate needs. This special outpouring of God leds me to believe that Revival started tonight in Mulege and will continue to spread through this littel town of 3,111 Mexican people. Praise God for His infinite wisdom and power.

Thank you for continuing to lift up our Team in prayer and know that God is answering your prayers. Bless You, Pastor Tom 

Freedom Team Prison Ministries Power Packed Explosion

HANDING OUT GOSPEL TO INMATES

Tom Flaskerud 12:52am May 23 Tuesday, May 22nd: God continues to bless with drawing souls unto Himself. We were again blessed tonight as 46 people prayed and responded to the invitation to make a commitment to Christ. Of these 8 indicated a first time acceptance of Jesus Christ, 24 made rededications, and 14 indicated 'other commitment'. The ages of the respondents ranged from 9 years old to 70 years old. The temperature was very hot and in spite of the heat we were blessed with a very receptive audience. Praise God! Thank you for your prayers. Bless You, Pastor Tom Flaskerud

Carla Flaskerud on Prison Ministries Trip

Carla Ripping Huge Phone Book 

Tom Flaskerud

1:11am May 22

Monday, May 21st:

Your prayers were extremely effective today. Leaving Viacaino B.C. at 6:45 AM the Team traveled 142 kilometers to Santa Rosalia where we went into the prison at 9:30 AM. Even though it was early in the day the temperature inside the prison yard climbed to 40 degrees celsius which equals out to 104 degrees Fahrenheit which was very hot for us Northerns. Yet God blessed very stongly as His Holy Spirit feel upon the prison yard and 118 prisoners prayed and made a decision for Jesus Christ. Of these 83 indicated a first time acceptance of Christ, 24 indicated a rededication, and 11 indicated other commitment. A very blessed and very powerful Prison Power Explosion of God's grace and love for these prisoners.

At 7:30 PM we were at the Event Center in San Lucas which is about 25 kilometers South of Santa Rosalia. Again God poured out His Spirit as 41 Mexicans prayed and made a decision for Jesus Christ with 19 indicating a first time acceptance of Christ, 18 rededications, and 4 other commitments. The message of salvation and hope in Jesus Christ was powerfully lifted up and God's presence was strongly felt again.

Due the response at the San Lucas Event Center the Power Explosion for Tuesday, May 22nd has been moved from a church to Center Park in the middle of Santa Rosalia. Those organizing the locations were very eager to see many more people have the opportunity to attend this event. Please lift this up in prayer and that again God would use us to bring souls into His Kingdom.

Thank You,
Pastor Tom

Next Chapter of Life

The quotation reminded me that on March 11, 2012 I committed myself to the next chapter of my life. Until then, my focus remained on life with husband. He could fix this or that. He would plant the flowers. He’d know when my car needed tires. Or how empty my bed without him.

On that Sunday in March our Pastor read from Joshua 24, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” I scrawled across a note paper, “Me and my house, Paddy and me, we will serve the lord.” My anger spilled through the ink until a still small voice inside said, “Kat, ask me. Just ask me.”

After the sermon I bawled a bucket load of tears, asked the Lord to forgive me for not trusting him with all the little things in my life and determined I could live without husband.

Freedom comes when we let God have full control of our lives.

quote from ♥ >>>> www.lifelovequotesandsayings.com

The Freedom Team in Worship

Walking the Human Plank

From Mexico on Sunday, May 20th:

Thank you for your continued prayers.

This evening we were at a Municipal courtyard in Vizcaino B.C. and the weather was beautiful. The Freedom Team Power Explosion was well received by the people and God again allowed us to be a part of His great harvest with 43 people of all ages responding in prayer and making a decision for Jesus Christ. Of thos who filled out decision cards 20 indicated a first time acceptance of Jesus Christ, 22 indicated a rededication, and 1 indicated 'Other Committment'. Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness.

The event was organized by Pastor Lazaro of NLM Ministries who has been in Vizcaino with his wife, Letti, and 2 daughters for the past 8 months beginning a new church work. Also a big blessing was from Pastor Ceballos and his wife, Laura, who pastor the Calvary Chapel in Vizcaino. They brought chairs and people from their church to help and encourage us.

The event was opened by Pastor Moises and Tere who along with their son, Moy, do an excellent job with their gifted music.

Tomorrow we leave at 7 AM and drive 142 kilometers to Santa Rosalia where we do a Prison Power Explosion at 10 AM in the Santa Rosalia Prison.

Again thank you for your continued prayers.

Bless You, Pastor Tom

The Freedom Team In Mexico

The Freedom Team in Mexico Prison 

Tom and Carla Flaskerud and The Freedom Team from Bend, Oregon are in Mexico going from prison to prison to present the gospel to inmates.

Pray for the team, for their health and strength.

Tom and Carla Flaskerud married in 1978, but Tom has quite a history before accepting Christ as His Savior. For one thing, he kidnapped Carla. Seriously. Over the next few weeks I'll talk more about the Freedom Team and the positive impact they have on those forgotten souls within the prison walls. Men and women who are in the prison from a life of crimes, many of them heinous crimes and the they are lost because they don't know Jesus as Savior. Pray for each one hearing the gospel message for the first time.

	Tom Flaskerud

email:office@thefreedomteam.org pastortom@thefreedomteam.org from Carla on Saturday:  We have internet! Praise God. We are in Guerrero Negro. We did two programs yesterday, one in a rehab and one in a church. They both went well. The team is doing great, no one has been sick or gotten an injury. The people are very responsive and we are seeing the Lord do mighty things. Thanks for all the prayers. We will tour the salt mines here today and then leave for Vizcaino after that. We had 27 1st time registered decisions, 10 rededications, and 9 other commitments. We will be on the road for another 5 days. Not sure where we will be staying just yet. If we have connections we will post again. Glory to the Lord.

My Blue Datsun

Have you heard the true story where an elderly woman pulled a gun and screamed at the four men in a car, “I have a gun and I know how to use it.” Of course, the men jumped out of the car and ran. 

Truly shaken up, the woman put the groceries in the car, got behind the wheel and found her keys didn't  work.

Later she walked into a police station. She explained her plight in detail to a sergeant. The man in uniform couldn’t keep from laughing. He finally pointed to the four pale white males at the other end of the counter reporting a high-jacking by an elderly woman.

My story isn’t better, but just as embarrassing.

Stephen Bly died in the summer of 2011, but his words of wisdom will live on in my heart forever. In the summer of 2008 Steve was the keynote speaker at Oregon Christian Writers Conference. These are notes I captured in one session--wish I could share his humor, too. 

Steve Bly’s formula for non-formula fiction: Certain things he tried to include in all his books.

1. Have the reader on the edge of the chair every 12 minutes. (from Stephen Spielberg, i.e., Raiders). Every chapter should get the reader excited and scooting up to the edge.
2. Write the dialogue for the whole chapter before I write anything else.  They start to talk and he starts writing to move the story along.
3. Every 20 pages, I make sure I have included all 5 senses.
4. Every 100 pages of mss add humor—give the reader a laugh.
5. Every 100 pages give the reader something to cry about.
6. Try to include memorable minor characters.
7. Point to turning point when the protagonist’s life turned around.
8. No paragraph over 150 words.
9. Have six sentences that are six or less words on every page. Mix lengths.
10. Read every chapter out loud 3 times. Third time: Get a quiet place where it’s just you, and read it to the Lord.

For more info. check out Stephen Bly online  

Finishing Dad's Novel was a Family Affair #1

I first met Janet and Steve Bly at a writer's group in 1980. Both of them helped me master the art of writing and publishing. Janet posted a "Finishing Dad's Novel was a Family Affair" in Nine parts. You can read them all and see Janet's photos on On the Bly website. Be sure and scroll down to the first page to read the journey of Janet and her sons. Kat 

My husband, Stephen Bly, hated half-done jobs. But more than that, should I say to him, “You know, some day it might be nice if we did this or that . . .”, the mere mention of something I wanted repaired or built became to him an uncompleted project, something he had to get done now. He couldn’t stand to let a ‘to do’ list lie around more than a day or so. 

In early January 2011 he determined to tackle three big undertakings and finish them by summer: 1) oversee the pruning of more than sixty tall Ponderosa pines in our yard, 2) hire a re-roofing of the house, and 3) complete his contracted 106th novel, Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot.

A few weeks later he played 18 holes of golf. The next day, he could hardly stand for more than a few minutes without sitting, breathing hard. We found out he had pneumonia. His almost 5-year battle with prostate cancer began to take its final toll. The next four months he spent more days in the hospital than out with one complication after another. He passed away on June 9th, 2011.I determined to finish the projects for him. I hired a tree trimmer. I found a roofer.Meanwhile, my sons each said to me, “Let’s get that book done. I want to help.”At the start, I sensed the wisdom and perhaps God’s individual purpose for including our sons in this undertaking. They had their dad’s genes in creativity and wit. Together they’d impart their father’s personality. I couldn’t do it without them. I also discovered the value of their on-the-spot feedback and weekly encouragement.


The contract had been signed, the advance given. I emailed the editor and asked for permission for my sons and me to finish writing the novel and for a deadline extension. 


“I’d like very much to publish Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot as a tribute to Steve,” she instantly wrote back.

She gave us four months, until November 1st. The third project on the list became a family affair.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Janet Chester Bly has authored 31 nonfiction and fiction books, 19 of which she co-authored with Christy Award winning author, Stephen Bly. Titles include The Hidden West Series, The Carson City Chronicles, Hope Lives Here, and The Heart of a Runaway. Her 3 married sons, Russell, Michael and Aaron, live down the mountain with their families at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers in Lewiston, Idaho.

Stuart Brannon's Final Shot--A Finished Family Project

The first chapter of Stuart Brannon’s Final Shot by Stephen Bly peaks interest. The prologue mentioned Seaside, Oregon—an interesting setting for the legendary Stuart Brannon—a man that drove cattle all over South America and managed to bring a thousand Mexican beef into the Arizona Territory all by his lonesome.

  

Bly started Brannon’s Final Shot before he died, June 9, 2011. His wife and sons finished the project. They kept the legendary Stuart Brannon in and out of many a fracas, avoiding the dime novel author, Hawthorne Miller and added a bit of romance. I’m sad this is the last of the Brannon series.

Clean Up in Aisle Three-Adventures on the Way to the Altar

Enjoy Guest Blogger: Lori Roeleveld

Once upon a time, I worked as a houseparent in a Christian agency caring for troubled children. There were several houses on the property and each was assigned a different supporting church to attend with our wards.

Unhappily, I found myself worshipping in the stiffest, most solemn congregation on the list of contributing parishes. These were some long-faced, serious, scowling believers, I tell you that! If the gospel is good news, no one had told these brothers and sisters. It was like attending calling hours for Jesus week after week.

In my house were several older teens and three, rambunctious eight-year-old boys. The older teens were as frightened as I was of our fellow worshippers, so they caught on immediately that this was not a place to cause trouble and behaved appropriately but eight-year-old boys have the spiritual gift of squirming.

One Sunday, two of my boys, Eric and Marcus, were plaguing one another throughout the deadly proceedings. I scowled. I pointed fingers. I made the death sign across my throat. All to no avail. Suddenly, just as the ushers presented the collection at the altar, the two took to pummeling one another so hard they rolled out of the pew right into the aisle!

Signs for Teen Bedroom

When our oldest daughter moved into her own bedroom, she grew plants. At one time we counted 43 beautiful plants in her 9 x 12 square foot room. That’s a great accomplishment for a teen, especially keeping them alive.

She babied her plants, watered and fertilized them. That wouldn’t be bad, but her door opened into a hallway and across from the doorway into the kitchen.

That still doesn’t sound bad until you add the two weeks of clothes littering the room, her school work in piles and of course, the smell of the fish oil used on the plants.

Her father and I figured a dirty bedroom didn’t hurt anyone—until the smell permeated the kitchen.

Before we invited guests I hung signs on her door:

Disaster Area

Gas Mask Required Upon Entry 

Hard Hat Area 

Clean it Out Today or Else

Open the Door with Caution

I have no idea what the “or else” might have included because daughter always complied to the signs.

   

Sometimes I do wonder if those signs are what created such a perfectionist. Her house, even when her children were little, was and is, always spotless. 

Wish that daughter lived closer now, she could teach me a few organization skills. My house isn’t bad, but my office—oh my. Wonder if I added house plants if it might "feel" better?

There have been great moments living Life as The Lionhearted Kat. Sometimes I’m like my photo above, eating pizza,

Resting, relaxing and refreshing old relationships.

Other days I making all these new acquaintances—doctors, residents, nurses and other caregivers. I’m not a caregiver anymore and I don’t have a live-in-caregiver with me now, but my heart hurts for those in the caregiving situation. Many times they hide the weariness, but if you catch them alone, they let their guard down.

Receive the Blessings Offered

At the beginning of my breast cancer journey I received a book, “Midnight Meditations: A Journey Through Cancer and the Lessons Learned Along the Way.” By Roger and Debbie Bennett.

Roger journaled his feelings when he couldn’t sleep. His lessons written over a twelve year time period became my encouragement.

One night I picked up “Midnight Meditations.” The book fell open to page 41.

The other night a pastor shared something with me. He was basically at a loss for words, but he did say something that caused me to think. He said, “Roger, God is going to send people to bless you and support you during this valley. It may be financial; it may be just running errands. I want you to remember that you are not in charge all of the time—let people bless you.”

I’m a giver. My parents were givers. My grandparents were givers before them. It’s fun being the giver. Years ago my professor Mrs. G. B. Williamson said, “The Bible says it’s more blessed to give than receive, but without a gracious receiver the giver is robbed of a blessing.” I taught that lesson many times, but until breast cancer and husband’s death, I did not realize the full extent of the meaning.

Its 32 months since I put aside self. More people than I can name blessed my life with their help—my prayer is that God will continue to bless them.

Ready to Work

"Reporting for duty, Mook."

Husband dressed up for many Easter dramas, Bashful the Clown, and even when he signed in for housework duty. He loved an audience. Paddy and I were two that applauded his nonsense the most. 

A few years ago someone gave him three one million dollar bills—fake of course. He offered them to clerks in the grocery stores, asked the bank to change one for smaller bills, and he shared one of those bills with granddaughter Savannah.

Last week Savannah lost her wallet. She texted her mom in a panic. Marcy found the wallet in her car, snapped a photo, texted it to Savannah with a note:

Little girl…I have kidnapped your wallet. You will be contacted with further instructions on where 2 make the million dollar cash drop. I accept only large untraceable bills and remember….no police or no deal.

Imagine Marcy’s surprise when later that night Savannah whipped out her million dollar bill to pay for her wallet.

Life is what we make it.

Savannah and her mom chuckled at the memories of Grandpa and his million dollar bill.

The photo of a great Saturday morning salute brought me chuckles. Husband thought himself really cute. I must have thought him cute, too. I snapped the picture.   

Six Weeks of Easter

I don’t remember the actual title, but one year I wrote a six week celebration of Easter. When I presented the idea of involving all ages over several weeks before Easter, husband quickly reminded me we did not have a budget for extra anything.

It didn’t take long to find a willing and talented crew to help. I had a vague idea of what I wanted, the group brainstormed and then it happened.

Our costumes were sheets we gleaned from a motel and second hand clothing. In two days our church foyer became a Jewish marketplace. The platform was transformed into a village. For hours Wanda, Bob, Slim, Candy, husband the Carpenter girls and I built scenery.

Slim, the artist made cardboard into a barn puppet stage. Wanda had an eye for décor and created a small home with curtains, baskets, and weeds. The Carpenter kids helped build rocks from crumpled paper bags.

What did we purchase? Duct tape, masking tape and black markers.

What did we learn? It is a lot of work to present a drama for one week—lots more when you include different ages for different Sundays and add a choir, too.

Togetherness. More than church family, we played, laughed talked and created. Our congregation became totally enmeshed and involved in the last days of Christ’s days on earth and the resurrection.

Christ died that we might live. That each one might have life and have it more abundantly.

And husband, The Rev. Crawford, preached in his Biblical best. And me, I directed the choir in my fine inexpensive costume. (Note my toes.)