“Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God has done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”
Refrain from the hymn Count Your Blessings by Johnson Oatman, Jr – Public Domain
What a great song to have stuck in your head!
We are blessed to announce that our church, Baptist Bible Church in Sparta, MI received the amount they asked for from the Lasko Foundation. Thank you for your prayers! We have been blessed to be a part of this church family since we moved to Michigan, and it is exciting to see God’s hand in this new building!
After Christmas break and throughout January our family was hit pretty hard with a couple different colds. It is frustrating to be sick and miss out on things. Yet, “when you are discouraged”, counting your blessings naturally changes how you view things. It was a blessing to have Brian home and to get caught up on paperwork. We are thankful that the family is getting healthy again!
Brenda is currently teaching an online chemistry class for Maranatha Baptist University. She is being stretched in this new role, but having a lot of fun at the same time.
We are blessed by the gift of money for our truck fund at CBM. Additionally, we are blessed to have a new individual supporter as well as a partnering church increase their support. Our last financial debt has been paid!! We made our very last mortgage payment. These are the easy blessings to count. However, it’s not as easy to count our blessings when it came to readjusting our support percentage. It became clear to us that our original budget numbers needed to increase. The hymn reminds us: “Do not be discouraged, God is over all”.
As we have counted our blessings, we thank God for your prayers and financial support and we rejoice in what God has done!
Fulfilling the great commission together,
Brian, Brenda, Amanda, Luke, Nathanael and Rebekah
“Count Your Blessings”
1 When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged,
thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
2 Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings,
ev’ry doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.
3 When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings,
money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
4 So, amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings,
angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
Praises
- The Lasko grant for $385,000 was approved for Baptist Bible Church!
- We are healthy!
- We are debt free!
- Brenda’s college class is going well!
- We re-started the young marrieds Bible Study!
Pray with us
- Continued safety for the builders as they work toward finishing the project at Chardon Baptist Church in Chardon, OH.
- Brian as he helps with planning the budget for the Baptist Bible Church build.
- As we take over the job of housing coordinators for the CBM Family Conference in July.
Build site
Chardon Baptist Church Chardon, OH
- The builders are currently in the middle of remodeling the foyer and the men’s and women’s bathrooms.
Kids’ Corner
What is your favorite winter activity?
- Amanda (17) “Snuggling under warm blankets.”
- Luke (16) “Helping with the Lake Effects (winter retreats) at Lincoln Lake Youth Camp.”
- Nathanael (13) “Sledding.”
- Rebekah (11) “Sledding and ice fishing.”
Support
- Raised: 70%