Landmarks

Thank you so very much, from near and far the gifts and notes came in to wish me a Happy Birthday.  It warmed my heart more than I can say.  My Donny got to come home on my birthday and my daughter and daughter-in-law had a big day in San Francisco planned.  It was a wonderful time.  Martin and I took the birthday gifts and treated the whole family to a couple days at the Spa in Carmel, California near where my daughter and her husband live.  What a much-needed time away, it was a wonderful time and is a beautiful memory!  Thanks for that. 
 This year marks many things:  The ten-year anniversary of the ministry, my 50th birthday, and my 30th wedding anniversary to Martin.   It also marks the one-year wedding anniversaries for both of our children.  When landmarks come up in our lives, we do well to ponder life as we bring Thanksgiving to Him.  In the Old Testament they called this an Ebenezer.
 1 Samuel 7:12 “Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the LORD helped us.”
 Why are these words important? They are important because if we don’t stop to ponder the good things of God, they will go unnoticed and if they go unnoticed, they will be unappreciated and thereby unprotected and at risk of being lost.  Hold dear the wonderful things the Lord has blessed you with, even if it looks like a trial.  Trial by fire produces pure gold and so even the fire is good.  May we shout “Hosanna in the Highest” as the children did when Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey.  “Hosanna” means that they were willing to be saved at all costs… they just wanted Jesus! When we want the Lord to show up on a fire-breathing stallion, sometimes he quietly comes on a donkey.  He is still the Lord.  He is just proving a different thing in us than we wanted!  It’s all for Him, so He gets to make the rules.  Be of good cheer today, the Lord has overcome the world according to John 16:33.
 Take a moment to be grateful for what the Lord has done and let Him inspire you to the greatness that is ahead.  He is always talking to us, but we are not always listening.  Take some time to listen today.  You will be surprised at the pleasure He finds in you and the goodness He has in store for you.  A thankful heart walks in hope and gains great mercy.  May we know we are blessed and offer that “knowing” up to our Lord as a living and breathing grateful sacrifice.  HAPPY EBENEZER!

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.  He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.  For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast. The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.  The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” Psalm 33:6-12

Using our Resources Wisely

At Abba’s Heart Ministries, we strive to use donations and gifts wisely, to honor the Lord, and the giver of the finance.  While we love to provide this quarterly newsletter at no cost to you, there is expense to us.  It has been about ten years since we have taken a look at our mailing list and wondered if all of these people are still interested in reading this newsletter.
 To ensure that we are sending the HeartBeat to people who are reading it, we ask you to return the form on the next page.  That way we will continue to send it to you.   It doesn’t matter if you have never made a donation.  That is not what this is about.  We expect that we will not be hearing from people who are throwing it away without reading it, and as stewards of the resources we have been given, we would like to remove them from the mailing list.   Since you are reading this, you are one of the people we want to keep sending the HeartBeat to!
 If you can’t find a stamp, you may email your name and address exactly as it is on the mailing label to dora@abbasheart.com, or create a login on our website.  (A great idea even if you do have a stamp handy!)
 If we don’t hear from you, this could be the last time you hear from us, so please don’t forget to let us know you are interested in reading about what the Lord is doing through Abba’s Heart Ministries and Rev. Sandi Querin.

Stories of Glory

   He came in from Oregon.  He said he flew in for the night.  His flight was leaving early in the morning.  He was in trouble and a lot of it.  I don’t want to know because God knows… but he needed to share and he kept sharing.  Things I didn’t want to hear.  How does a man go that far down into a pit?  He said he began to think about doing things and couldn’t stop thinking of doing them and then he became what he fantasized he would do.  The devil…  He is unrelenting in his pursuit of us.  Oh if we would understand that we must know our adversary and avoid his ambushes by bringing “every thought captive under Jesus Christ.”  He had become a child molester.  A leader in his church, “happily married” with four daughters and now he was eyeing his daughters with lust.  Such a cry for help.  The Lord says that when we cry out to Him and seek Him, He will be found.  And so it is.  He was delivered that day.  He said images were shadowy before and faded, with no color.  After prayer he shouted that “the color” was back.  Such a joy the Lord deposited into his heart.  Set free.  He confessed to those he needed to and now is in jail.  His family has forgiven him and he is walking out getting well in a “safe place.”  He tells me that it all started in his mind…  The thing you carry around with you and can’t get rid of…  your brain.  The devil is slick that way.  But, as we know it is true, God is “slicker!” 

 It has been awhile since I’ve seen God come with such reckless abandon on somebody.  And of course, it was a child.  A pure and sweet, simple and true … child!  She began to see visions of the glory of God and scenes from heaven.  I walked by her and was able to see it myself.  So, I sat with her and we watched “the show.”  She held my hand and put her head on my shoulder and said, “Isn’t it just beautiful?”  Yes, it is!  She made herself available to the Lord and so wonders were there to behold.  The power of compelling children to be children of God and not just children when they are in church…  We must make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit’s causes and desires over the Kingdom.

 I never saw her before.  As I walked by, the Lord said to her, “He’s with me, don’t be afraid and stop worrying.  I have a work for you to do, so get up and let’s go.  He is with me, he is with me!”  I kept walking, thinking… “Well, that is none of my business.”  She stayed to the very end of service, not wanting to bother me.  Then she came to me and said, “My husband died a year ago and I have been tormented that he didn’t make heaven.  He was a quiet man and I never pushed the point and I never really knew.”  I said, “So now ya know!”  We laughed and enjoyed the simplicity and power of God.  The Kindness of His Heart showered joy that day.  I understand she is getting involved in women’s ministries at her church and doing very, very well. 
 To God be the Glory, for the great things He has done!

Retreats!

We enjoy putting on memorable and life-changing retreats here at Abba’s Heart Ministries!  We are still getting reports on the great time the guys had at King Camp at the end of May with speaker Joe Morales from Arizona.  As we look ahead to the coming year, we are finding that retreat locations are asking for commitments and deposits earlier and with less flexibililty than they have in the past.  So, if you are planning on attending a retreat, we need to know by September 1st. 
  Before we commit to non-refundable deposits and room guarantees for the upcoming retreats, we have to ask you if you are planning to attend.
 Please return the reply form below with your deposit to let us know which retreats you are planning to come to.  A deposit of $50.00 per person, per retreat, will ensure that you have a spot.  We will not be mailing out retreat brochures to the entire mailing list.  This is it!

Queen Camp is a women’s retreat held in the fall at the Tenaya Lodge near Yosemite National Park in California.  This year it will be held November 14-16.  In order to get the large meeting room we enjoyed last year, we need 75 more confirmed reservations, ASAP!  Will you be there?  The cost is $395.00 per person. www.queencamp.info. 

Common Ground Retreat for Couples will be held February 14-15, 2009.  If you would like to spend a weekend with your spouse exploring God’s will for your marriage and having a unique prayer time as a couple with Rev. Sandi Querin, please let us know you are planning to come.  The cost will be determined when the location is secured.  Last year it was $425.00 per couple, and we have tentatively reserved the same location in Pismo Beach, CA.
www.CommonGroundRetreat.info

King Camp is a men’s retreat held in the foothills on the way to Yosemite National Park, at the ECCO facility.  It will be on May 22-24, 2009.  Speaker Joe Morales from Arizona is willing to return for next year.  Are you?  The men had a wonderful time getting close to God and enjoying the recreation of the California foothills.  The cost is $195.00 per person.  Please let us know with your deposits if we should do it again.
www.kingcamp.info

The Leukemia Journey Continues

Our son, Donny, who has been suffering with Leukemia for almost two years now, is at UCSF in San Francisco following the bone marrow transplant which took place on July 2 with his sister Cynthia’s bone marrow.  He will not be home until November.  So, we travel back and forth trading the privilege of being his caretaker with his wife, Amy.  I marvel at how Donny and Amy embrace this journey as God’s choice for them and they truly “count it all joy” as they walk in such peace with the Lord Jesus…   As a mother, I prayed for a manifested immediate miracle, but as a woman of God, I must receive and believe what comes this way, knowing God is in control of the package it arrives in, as well as what is in the package.  The Lord told me when my boy got sick, “I’ve got him.”  And, I instinctively knew that I don’t get to tell God what “I’ve got him” looks like.  So, we trust and learn to love the waiting!  We know it is still true today, “The Lord our God in the midst of us is Mighty!”   Zephaniah 3:17.  No matter what it looks like, this is truth!  To God be the glory so He is greatly glorified!

Note from Brenda:
We have set up a fund for Donny’s treatment expenses on our website.  Many of you have generously provided funds for travel, hotels, and meals for the Querins, and the expenses are keeping up with you!  We are posting updates on Donny’s progress on a regular basis.  Visit www.abbasheart.com/donationlist.asp to donate, and www.abbasheart.com/donnyupdate.asp to know how to pray.

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Click here to register for a retreat.