How Great is Our God!

The following thread is what has been happening on my facebook page the past few hours.  Someone suggested I copy and paste it here on my blog.  I thought it a great idea so here it is.  I hope everyone receives a blessing by reading the great testimonies posted here.

Ronda C Hurst

You just never know. One of the men we baptized on Sunday is a result of the very first park service we had where we baptized his children. He came in contact with some of our people this past week and he remembered them from the park a few years back. He was ready for salvation and came Sunday, was baptized and received the Holy Ghost. You just never know what your efforts will produce.

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    Jason West Amen. My mom came to God by entering her name into a drawing for a Free Bible a the First Church’s Peanut Brittle Booth at the County Fair. 

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    Jason West ‎2 weeks later, a Family came knocking on her door downtown San Jose, and said she won the Free Bible, but she has to have the Free Bible Study that goes with it. 31 years later…here we are. I thank God for people that put time and effort of putting together that booth and sat that booth for hours, for a single mother to eventually push a 2 year old in stroller past it, and be drawn to it. 

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    Ronda C Hurst Bro. Jason, That is incredible! Those folks’ crown will be full of stars. Heaven will be such an awesome place, just to see and hear the testimonies of how many people are saved because someone set up a peanut brittle booth at the fair and offered a free Bible Study. 

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    Jason West You just never know who will be impacted. 

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    Tanya Hale Treasure Wow that was an awesome testimony!!! 

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    Elaine Long Totally awesome. Thank you Jesus. 

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    Ronda C Hurst 

    Okay, Jason got me to thinking……..When my grandmother (Layne) received the Holy Ghost way out in West Texas (Mountain Top), she was the only one to receive it in that revival. The Lord spoke to an old time preacher man (Wilkins) to go …out there and have a revival. There was no church. He just went out and started preaching. My grandmother was touched and repented. She was so desperate to receive the Holy Ghost that she began to fast because she said that food didn’t taste good. My grandfather was an incredible cook and a Southern Baptist. 🙂 He was so angry that she was under so much conviction and not eating that he fixed a meal of Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Biscuits, Cream Gravy, etc and set it on the table and called for the children (Dean, Scoper, Murray[my dad], Doug and I can’t remember if Don was born yet) to come to the table and eat. He called for Grandma too. They all came, ready to eat. Grandma approached the table but when she stood there and looked at the food she began to cry and said she couldn’t eat. “What do you mean you can’t eat”, Grandpa said. She replied, “I want the Holy Ghost”. At that moment, she fell to the floor under the power of the Holy Ghost, speaking in another language as the Spirit gave the utterance. She was ecstatic! Grandpa was furious! Eventually, he received the Holy Ghost too. My dad (Murray L. Layne) received the Holy Ghost in a hog pen that they had cleaned out and scrubbed to make a prayer room.
    Even though some may say that was not a successful revival, I must differ. If Bro. Wilkins had not obeyed the call of God to go then my Grandmother may never have heard the gospel truth. And, consequently my dad would not have heard the call of God on his life. Not to mention the countless thousands that his ministry has touched through saints and ministries that were under his. Including: Keith (his son), Linda (daughter) married to Wendell Elms (both sons are preachers of the gospel). Myself (daughter) married to Nathan Hurst (our son is a preacher of the gospel and our daughter is married to a preacher of the gospel). Karla (daughter) married to Gene Holley (both sons have a call of God on their lives). Like I said, Heaven will be an incredible place to see the many souls whose lives were changed simply because ONE man answered the call to go to West Texas and hold a revival and ONE lady received the Holy Ghost and this precious truth.
    Do you think I’m going to give up?! Well, think again. This Truth and my heritage is way too precious to me to allow anything in this world to stop me from entering Heaven’s gate!See More

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    Jacque Howell Oh Ronda. I am so thrilled to hear this story. I had never heard it before. I just read it to my parents and they didn’t know it either. Thanks for sharing it. 

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    Don Doran 

    Sister thank you for sharing with us this great testiimony…I am a product of your father’s ministry, received the Holy Ghost in his church 1965 and have been preaching the gospel for 40yrs. 

    Your grandparents were very good friends with my …parents when we lived in Fresno and I remember many an evening visiting with them. What wonderful people they were. I remember Pop Layne testifying of how God had saved him and delivered him from coca-cola, among other things. Precious memories and their finger prints are on my life. I too have a precious heritage…again, thanks! God Bless…See More

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    Felissa N Jeff Woods THAT IS WONDERFUL! 🙂 

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    Karla Layne Holley Wow!! Awesome stories all around. So thankful for my heritage and for what God is still doing today!!! 

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    Scott Sarria Incredible! GOD is awesome… 

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    Rene Brewster Oh how awesome!!! I love hearing stories like this. You are so right, you just never know what a word or act of kindness will mean to someone down the line. 

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    Rene Brewster 

    Ok so after reading the testimonies here goes. Thirty years ago the church I was saved into used to go out every Saturday and knock on doors and offer free bible studies. They each took maps of part of the city with their route in yellow …high light. The men who had our area felt as if God told him to go off his highlighted route and to knock on our door. That day he spent 3 hours with us, my husband and I, telling us of the one God message. We did take the bible study, got baptized and received the Holy Ghost and I will never turn back!!! The wonderful thing is I found out later that my grandpa was a oneness preacher in the UPC and that my mom was raised UPC but because she was backslid and estranged from her heritage she raised us Catholic. Still God remembered the prayers of my grandparents, that I’m sure they prayed and brought, eventually, all of the grandchildren to baptism and allowed each of them to receive the Holy Ghost.See More

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    Kelly N Debbie Howard That is awesome!!!! 

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    Ronda C Hurst ‎@Rene, That is so awesome! Holy Ghost Inspired witnessing is the best! What was your grandfather’s name? The Lord stored your grandparents tears/prayers in a bottle and when it was time He poured them out on you. Your testimony brought tears of thankfulness to my eyes.

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The Very Same Power

A great message was preached today by Nathaniel, “The Very Same Power”.  I’m thankful for the power of Christ that lives in me.  I am looking forward to the day when that power that raised Christ from the dead also quickens this mortal body and I am changed, in the twinkling of an eye.  Keep looking up!  Jesus could come at any moment!

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Can You Say BLESSING!

Whew!  What a week!  We flew out last Monday to attend “Because of the Times” conference in Alexandria, Louisiana.  There are so many blessings associated with this trip I’m not quite sure I can put into words how grateful I am.  We were going to drive to “Because of the Times” but Nathan received a phone call on the Thursday before we were going to leave on Sunday and the conversation went something like this…”Nathan, I heard that you and Ronda are driving back here to BOTT?…Well, I won’t have that.  You would be exhausted by the time you got here and if the Lord wanted to speak to you (and He will), you would be too tired to receive it.  You get online and get a ticket and fly back here and let me know how much when you get here….”  WOW! Can you say BLESSING!  Of course there is more to that conversation but I don’t have time nor space to put it all here. 🙂  I got the best tickets I could possibly find and we flew.  Thank You! Thank You! Thank You to Bro. Anthony and Bro. Jim for blessing us this way.  Thank you just doesn’t seem quite enough for that kind of blessing, however it comes from deep within my heart.  We flew into Dallas, Texas and rented a car to drive the rest of the way to Alexandria.  It is about 5 hours and since we got in late and our luggage was not on our flight and we had to wait another 2 hours for it to come in, we decided to get a room in Marshall, Texas. My husband asked the desk clerk for a downstairs room so we would not have to take all of our luggage into the elevator and up to an upper level room.  He said, “Sure”.  Then he said, “I don’t have any king size beds downstairs”.  Nathan said, “That’s fine. Two doubles for tonight will do”.  When the clerk handed him the receipt to sign, the balance was 0.00.   Nathan asked, “how much is the room?”  The clerk replied, “I’m giving it to you tonight since I don’t have a king size bed downstairs.”  Nathan said, “You don’t have to do that”.  He said, “I want to. Manager’s privilege.”  So, what was going to cost us $115.00 ended up being free.  WOW!  Can you say BLESSING!  We got to Alexandria Tuesday Afternoon and began to prepare for BOTT. Tuesday Night service was tremendous and I knew we had made the right decision to attend BOTT 2009.  The theme this year was II Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.  All I can say is, buy the cd or DVD set and be blessed. One of the messages this week I felt as if the preacher was standing right in front of Nathan and I and preaching solely to us.  I know a lot of people felt that way but that is the wonder of anointed preaching.  It ministers to different people all in one setting. WOW! Can you say BLESSING!  On Wednesday afternoon a minister walked up to my husband and handed him something and said, “You and Ronda go have lunch.”  When we got outside and looked, it was 2 one hundred dollar bills. Wow! Can you say BLESSING! We had a good lunch. 🙂  And then, Nathan turned around and blessed someone else with one of the hundred dollar bills.  That’s how it works isn’t it?  You give and give and then God pours you out a blessing you can’t quite contain.  You then turn around and give some more and then, God just does it all over again.  You cannot out give God! 

By Thursday Night you are very tired at BOTT but you don’t want to miss anything so you still get there early and anticipate what the Lord might do next.  Well…Royce Wilson preached an incredible message.  Just buy the DVD.  I can’t begin to describe it and what I felt.  At the end of the message Nathan and I walked to the front to pray.  Sis. Vesta Layne Mangun got a hold of me.  When she gets a hold of you, you will probably be there awhile. 🙂  We had the best time in the Holy Ghost.  She prayed, spoke in tongues, prophesied and we even danced a little.  This was another blessing too precious to really put in words. Wow!  Can you say BLESSING! 

We left BOTT refreshed, renewed, lifted up and challenged.

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Friday Evening we met Greg, Monya, Macy and Melody Henry in Dallas at Pappadeaux for dinner.  We had a great time with them.  Macy and Melody are growing up so fast.  They both made the honor roll in school and we are so proud of them. 

After dinner we drove on up to Wichita Falls to be with Gene and Karla for the week-end.  Saturday we relaxed and just enjoyed being with them and Cameron and Chad.  Sunday was an incredible day of worship and the word. The power of God was so strong in both services.  It was incredible.  

We got home last night and I am so thankful to be here.  We got out of Wichita Falls just in time.  I heard that they are iced in today. 😦 

God is good to His people!  I pray you all have a BLESSED week.  He has done marvelous things! 

Wow!  Can you say BLESSING!

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Peace

Luke 7: 36-50

“How did he know everything I was thinking?”  That was the question asked to one of the lady’s in our church by the visitor with her today.  He (I don’t know his name) had just said to her a little while ago, “I can make more money in one week, selling drugs, then in a whole month on a regular job, but I have no peace.”  So when he walked into our church today and the pastor began to preach from Luke 7:36-50, he was amazed.  The last verse (50) says this, “And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.”  It would have been enough just to be forgiven, but the Lord gave this woman a special gift when He said, “Go in Peace”.  At one point in the sermon my husband stopped and said, “I don’t believe I am just preaching a sermon today.  Someone has come looking for peace.  This is where you find it….”  The man came to the altar and wept and wept before the Lord.  I didn’t know his story until after church, but when I heard it, it touched me deeply.  He has just been out of prison a few days and God allowed him to step into our church and hear the message he needed to hear. We serve such an awesome God and His mercy and grace never cease to amaze me.  God is so willing to forgive.  It doesn’t matter where you have come from, He still wants to forgive and He has plenty of mercy to be given.  His supply is not running low. I am looking forward to what God will do in this man’s life.  Yes!  There is a peace that passes all understanding and I’m thankful for it.

No one can touch you like Jesus can.  No one can give you peace you cannot understand.  No one can bind your wounds with nail scarred hands.  No one can touch you like Jesus can.

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Did You Feel That?

Today in our church service we had just finished singing the song, “How Great Is Our God”, and as we worshipped, the presence of the Lord came into the sanctuary so beautifully.  It was as if a strong but gentle breeze came across me.  Just about that time one of the praise team members (Cassandra) turned around to me with awe on her face and tears in her eyes and said, “did you feel that”.  Oh yes! I felt it! “How Great Is Our God”.  Just about that time I happened to see one of our new lady’s (that we baptized during SWBC downtown) and she had both hands raised in worship and was speaking in a beautiful language as the Spirit gave the utterance, giving praise to God.  It was just one of those very special times of worship.  My husband preached an incredible message about grace and I watched as so many received blessings.  Watching the new babes in Christ learning how to receive from God again is so wonderful.  God continues to pour out His spirit on us and I am so thankful.  It won’t be long before we hear the trump of God sound and we will be forever in His presence.  Our work and toil on this earth will be finished.  I look forward to that day.  Services like today make me want to be in that atmosphere for eternity.  I love feeling that “strong yet gentle” breeze of the Holy Ghost.  God Bless!

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Section 2 Youth Rally

We had a great time last night in Delano at the Section 2 Youth Rally.  Brian and Jana Allard was a great host church.  We enjoyed meeting the Sectional Youth Director, Bro. and Sis. Steven McDaniel and enjoyed a good time of fellowship after service with them.  Nathan preached a great message on “Love’s Natural Enemy”.  The presence of God moved in a special way.  It is always good to worship with young people and ministers of like precious faith.

I was also able to visit just a little bit with Sis. Wilson, a lady I have always loved since I was a little girl.  This picture is of her with her two daughters, Paula and Jana, and their two daughters, Sara (Paula’s) and Bryn (Jana’s).  Click on photos to enlarge

Brian Allard, Steven McDaniel, Nathan Hurst (after he preached), Gaylen Cantrell, Michael Todd.

Josh, Candace and Chloe Tredway and Bro. and Sis. Tredway.

Blake couldn’t take anymore. 🙂  I wonder how many Pentecostal kids have slept on and under the pews. 🙂

Thanks, Section 2 Youth for a good rally. See you all soon.

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HIS GRACE…OUR HOPE

HIS GRACE…OUR HOPE was the theme for our !st Annual Missions Conference. Every service was awesome in it’s own way. I must give credit where credit is due to Teresa Sarria for putting together such a great conference. Teresa you are incredible!

Friday Night started with the children bringing in flags of different countries while the song “Jesus Loves the Little Children” was being played. Then as they got to the front they sang the song and then posted their flags into the holder that had been made for this purpose. After they exited then 2 United States Marines came in carrying the American Flag and the Marine Corps flag. When they got to the front and the Marine Corps flag was being lowered Kyle Valenti played the National Anthem on the guitar and then Nathan led us in “The Pledge of Allegiance”. After the Pledge of Allegiance we all sang, “God Bless America” and then Nathan prayed for our country and it’s leaders. It was a very touching moment. Of course, I am always touched by patriotic things and this was no exception. We then turned our focus to Foreign Missions. Bro. Bruce Howell (director of Foreign Missions U.P.C.I.) had a personal message for us via DVD. He thanked us for what our church had done in the past for missions and for what we were going to do in this conference and the coming year. It was very special. Then, Luis began the song, “Amazing Grace” on his saxophone. No other instruments accompanied. It was beautiful. Gary Hurst then began to tell of the the great things God is doing in the foreign field. At different intervals of him reading the statistics of how many have received the Holy Ghost, been baptized in Jesus Name, churches started, etc. different ones sang the song “Amazing Grace” in a foreign language. Faith Nova sang in Japanese, Amanda Silveira in French, Dominic Ingram in Portuguese and Matthew Silveira in Spanish. It was beautiful. Then the whole congregation sang at the conclusion of the report and I don’t think I’ve ever heard Amazing Grace sung with such passion. Missionary John Beek and his wife were with us and he preached and shared his burden for Scotland. It was great!

Saturday Night was our Home Missions service. The Sign Co. began the service with the song, “Father, Can you Hear Me?” They did a superb job as usual. Then Danelle Silveira sang, “Marvelous Grace” and that was incredible. Then Vessels of Honor sang, “Until We Care”, and Scott Sarria sang the song “Every Man” with a power point presentation. Bro. Stuart Young and his family were with us from Livermore and he preached on “Who Are You”. We so enjoyed having them and Sis. Young’s parents, The Johnson’s with us in service tonight.

Sunday was another great service with Faith Promise being the theme for today. We just had church! The chorale sang, “Until We Care” again and then we sang, “Say So”! Bro. and Sis. Randy Keyes was with us today and what an incredible message he preached!!! Bro. Keyes is one of the most faith building preachers I know. He preaches with such faith that you can’t help but grasp hold of some of it while the word is going forth. AWESOME! INCREDIBLE! I am so excited about what our church did for missions and in their sacrificial giving that I could almost burst. It is amazing how God really turns His focus on a people when they turn their focus on the harvest. My oh My! Enjoy the pictures! His Grace….Our Hope!

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Relationship With Christ

Today was a blessed day!  The Sunday School lesson in the Adult Bible Class was taught superbly by Bishop B.J. Hurst.  He did an incredible job in teaching about our love for God, each other and the lost world we live in.  I so enjoyed class today.  Then we started our worship service as always with prayer and asked that God would meet with us today.  And OH how He did!  Our son, Nathaniel preached an incredible message about our passion for God, His Word and Prayer.  The Spirit moved in such an awesome, convicting way that I believe everyone in the congregation was at one time on their knees in prayer and renewed commitment to God.  A great time of consecration was made by many, young and old alike.  I wept along with my husband at the altar and as I turned to look, at one point I saw other husbands and wives and families praying together.  It was such a precious time and then I began to listen to the words that Danelle, Matt and Amanda were singing, “I’m coming back to the heart of worship.  And it’s all about you, it’s all about you Jesus.  I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it, when it’s all about you.  It’s all about you Jesus”!  How true that song is.   It went right along with what Nathaniel preached and how it is our relationship with God that matters the most. At the close of service, Victoria Sarria was baptized and her Grandpa, Bishop B.J. Hurst did the honors today.  It was so precious.  Then he also baptized a new man, Mike in the precious name of Jesus.  It was the perfect conclusion to a beautiful day in the Lord.  I want to stay close to the altar and keep the word of God ever present in my life.

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A Refreshing!

After a very busy week, walking into the sanctuary of The Pentecostal Church was so refreshing. God met with us in a spectacular way in our Sunday Services. The worship service was on top shelf and so refreshing. The chorale was incredible as they sang, “When I Worship” and “I Came”. Then my husband preached yet another fantastic message, “A Sacrifice that Pleases God”. Then to top it all off we baptized one of our little children. It was simply a great day. God always knows exactly what we need and when we need it.

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Blessed, Again

We were blessed to have with us this past Wednesday Night, Michael and Miriam Sponsler. The Sponsler’s are missionaries to Argentina. They shared with us their burden for the country of Argentina and Bro. Sponsler preached a great message on, “A Place Prepared For You” (not sure if that’s correct title). Mike if you read this, you can correct me on the title. 🙂 It was a message of great faith.

We enjoyed fellowship with the Sponsler’s not only because of their missionary status but also because they are dear friends. Miriam was raised in Kennewick, Washington and was in my in-law’s church. She was 10 years old when they went to Kennewick over 40 years ago. She stated in church Wednesday Night that she owes her salvation to God and Pastor and Sis. B.J. Hurst. How precious it is to see one of yours fulfilling the call that God has placed on their life. I know my father and mother in-law are proud of Miriam. In fact, it is her brother, Wayne Clemetson that now pastor’s the church in Kennewick since my in-laws retired. So, now you can see why this was an extra special time for all of us.

Miriam, if you read this, I love you bunches and am proud to call you friend. Even though we don’t get to be around each other that much, I always enjoy it when we can.

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