The Greatness, Grandeur, and Glory of Our God

The Greatness, Grandeur, and Glory of Our God

“There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.” Psalm 86:8-9 (ESV)

“I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm 145:1-3

Songwriter Stuart K Hine, author of the song “How Great Thou Art,” gave Psalm 86:9-10 as his inspiration for the song, which I can seldom sing all the way through without choking up too much to be able to verbalize the words. Recently, Scott Riggan referenced Psalm 145:1-3 on the screen as he led us in singing “How Great Thou Art.” It’s true that our world, our country, and perhaps your own life is in turmoil right now, so I believe that the greatest need for Christians is to remember the greatness, grandeur, and glory of Almighty God, and trust that He is still in control. Our times are in His hands, and He knows what He is doing! Let’s focus on what the Scripture says, and this song reflects!

How Great Thou Art

O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder

Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy pow’r throughout the universe displayed.

Refrain: Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When thru the woods and forest glades I wander

And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;

When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur

And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze;

Refrain

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;

That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,

He bled and died to take a way my sin;

Refrain

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation

And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!

Then I shall bow in humble adoration –

And there proclaim, my God how great Thou art!

Refrain

Amazing Quotes

“There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help, through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deuteronomy 33:26-27 (ESV)

“When you follow God’s will for your life, you can see how yesterday’s events prepared you for today’s challenge and tomorrow’s opportunities.” ~ David Jeremiah

Seeing the Big Picture

(Viewing Life from God’s Eternal Perspective)

If you were caught in big city traffic during rush hour, wouldn’t it be a great advantage to you if you had phone contact with a friend in a helicopter (or on a cliff overlooking the city), who could tell you where to turn and go to avoid the snare? That is my mental picture of what it is like to be able to trust God with our future outcome, and in our present traffic-snare-like-decisions. How wonderful to be able to turn to Him at all times and in all situations when we don’t know where to turn! Let’s remember – and never forget – our amazing resource: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:4-9 (ESV)

Even when we think we know what we are doing, and why, we really have little knowledge of what God Himself already sees in the big picture. For example, as a young couple, when our son, Randy, was about one and half years old, we decided to adopt a Korean daughter through Holt Adoption Agency in Creswell, Oregon, just south of Eugene, where we were living and serving at Norvale Park Church of Christ. Two of the families in our congregation had cute, smart, young Korean daughters from Holt Agency, so we decided to offer a good home to one of their baby girls. We named her Sandra Joy (which sounds good with Randall Troy, doesn’t it?). We had no idea how much joy she would bring into our lives, or how protective Randy would be of his little sister! Now Randy is so dependent on her secretarial and accountant skills for his iD Fence business (since he doesn’t like taking care of the details) and we had no idea how much we would be depending on her skills in our latter years. She is a vital co-worker in our Overseas Outreach mission, and because of her we also have beautiful (and smart) grandkids! We realize now that before we ever signed up to adopt that sweet little baby girl, God saw and designed these fantastic results. Our awesome God sees the big picture while we are still squinting to see the little picture right in front of us!

“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” Psalm 139:13-13 (NKJV)

In the Valley

We realize that some of you reading this may be struggling to see around the next curve in the valley of depression or despair. What am I trying to tell you? Go back and re-read Philippians 4:4-9, then Psalm 23, then look up to the One who sees the big picture! And He is the One who holds the future in His hands. Also, He is the One who holds you in His heart. 😊

Recently, at Bill Weech’s memorial service, Pastor Monte shared a stirring story. I don’t know if this story is based on a true account, or if it is a parable, but it has a powerful message. Here it is: There was a skilled orator, who trained as a performer for Shakespearian plays, who chose a young boy (about twelve years old) to accompany him on a tour across many states. The boy was to serve as his stagehand for setting up and taking down props. The performer had a unique way of closing each presentation – he would use his oratory skill to dramatically quote Psalm 23. Each time he concluded his presentation, the audience gave him a standing ovation with loud clapping and cheers. The boy listened intently and had memorized what his employer presented. The boy also noticed how the long tour, intense presentations, and late nights were wearing on his boss, so he volunteered to help by quoting Psalm 23 at the conclusion. His employer brushed it aside until one evening he was so exhausted that he agreed to have his helper quote Psalm 23. When the boy first stepped out on the stage, he was shaking and obviously very nervous, but soon grew confident and let Psalm 23 flow from his lips. When he concluded, there was no standing ovation and no loud cheers. The audience was gripped in awesome silence. When the boy came backstage, his employer congratulated him, then asked for his secret. How did you do that? The boy replied, “It’s pretty simple, really. You know the Psalm; I know the Shepherd!” How about you? Do you know the Shepherd? Are you putting your trust in the One who sees the big picture? The One who is holding you in His heart?

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save
‘Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

There in the ground, His body lay
Light of the world, by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave, He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

Written by: Stuart Townend and Keith Getty, 2006

From Our Mailbox

“Dear Rick and Della. In these warm days of rejoicing and coming together as a worldwide family we would like to thank you for your constant faithful prayers, support, guidance and encouragement (for Christian Center for Science & Apologetics). It is in the times of struggle and hardships that your prayers and care encourage us most, and the power of our Lord amazes us more than ever! It has been over 800 days of war, which forced practically all our teammates to become refugees and IDPs dispersed across Europe. Nevertheless, due to technology and your fraternal care, we are able to keep the ministry pace, impacting even more lives for Jesus. You have been with us as we traveled long miles, spoke at multiple seminars and lectures, published a new book almost every month and exceeded a million views with our videos. Our volunteers and coordinators are spread among IDPs and refugees, in the foxholes and bunkers, among people who continue to dwell in the battle zones and even in the occupied territories! We praise the Lord, Who has faithfully led and guided our ministry to this point as well as thank Him for the great joy and privilege to partner with you in the adventure of serving Him together!

Thank you for your prayers and financial support. Yours by the grace of Jesus, Sergei Golovin, president”

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From Issues in Education: “Just as it takes extreme pressure on a lump of coal to make a diamond, so it takes extreme heat to purify gold so that it becomes white hot to burn away the impurities. How long does the goldsmith keep it in the red-hot fire? Long enough so he can see his face reflected on the surface of the molten gold. So God allows us to go through the fire of adversity long enough that He can see Christ reflected in our character. Faith is so important that it determines our eternal future – heaven or hell. Our faith determines our eternal destiny. People have gone through severe tortures, like Richard Wurmbrand (Voice of the Martyrs), who experienced unimaginable torture for his faith in Christ. He was in a Romanian prison fourteen years, three years in solitary confinement where he almost lost his mind.

As Paul wrote, ‘We despaired of life itself. We felt we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.’ 2 Cor 1:9 When we come to the end of ourselves, to that place of utter despair, we can find a new reservoir in His grace. Even if we don’t get an answer for why we suffer, we will get glorious answers in the world to come when we will be blessed forever with unspeakable joy and indescribable peace and inexpressible intimacy with Christ. Richard Wurmbrand said he came through with greater faith and love of God.

• ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.’ Hebrews 11:1
• Faith is not trying to believe something regardless of the evidence. Faith is daring to do something regardless of the consequences.
• Faith is more than thinking something is true. Faith is thinking something is true, then acting on it.”

“Palestinian Delusion”

“Is America wasting billions of dollars in a futile attempt to bring peace to the Middle East? Is the conflict between Israel and Palestine just about land, or is it part of an unsolvable spiritual war? On this program, we include cuts of past US Presidents, Bush and Obama, calling for Israel to get out of ‘occupied’ Palestinian land. Obama endorsed a major Palestinian demand telling Israel: Go back to the 1967 borders!

Responding to the American ‘peace plan,’ we insert cuts of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s powerful speech delivered before both Houses of Congress as he thundered, ‘Our conflict has not been the establishment of a Palestinian State but the EXISTENCE OF A JEWISH STATE! For Israel to go back to the 1967 borders would make tiny Israel, the size of New Jersey, a mere 9 miles wide in some areas! Jerusalem MUST NEVER AGAIN BE DIVIDED!’ (Standing ovation.) He continued, ‘We gave up land and what did we get? More war. Can you imagine living in a city where your enemy is able to shoot missiles at you, and you have only seconds to seek shelter? Many of our friends and family died over this conflict! Israel lives with this every day.’”

“Is Israel occupying Palestinian land?”

“Are the Palestinians a unique people? Who are these Palestinian people, and how are they any different from the other Arabs in surrounding nations? They are no different! They are Arabs – the same in language, culture, history and religion as all the other Arabs. In fact, the first leader of Palestine, Yasser Arafat, was an Egyptian. In the 1960’s, Arafat and the Russian KGB decided to invent an ethnicity – the Palestinians. This has been the most successful campaign in history so that American college students naively go on crusades to defend this supposedly disenfranchised minority/underdog that’s really just a deception. They are deceived to support Palestine and attack Israel.”

“Where Did the Palestinians Come From?”

“Before the war, the surrounding Arab nations threatened to destroy Israel and warned the Arabs living in Israel to get out or die! Many of the Arabs left, but those who stayed in Israel after Israel won the war and turned the desert into a prosperous nation, have flourished. Those who fled Israel and remain outside are the Palestinian ‘refugees’ living ‘squalid lives!’ In essence, they are being used as mere pawns to keep this conflict going.

Who owns the land?

The Palestinian delusion is an invention to manipulate the world into thinking they’re a unique people deserving of a homeland. Why don’t all the other Arab nations take these Palestinians into their huge countries instead of trying to force them into tiny Israel? They are kept out to keep this conflict going. It’s really a ‘spiritual war’ between the God of the Bible and their moon god, who isn’t a ‘god’ but a fallen angel, Satan.

To wipe Israel off the map, the Romans changed the name of Israel by inventing the name Palestine from Israel’s enemies the Philistines! Robert Spencer, the author of The Palestinian Delusion – The Catastrophic History of the Middle East Peace Process, says the root of hatred is based on Islam’s dedication to the destruction of Israel. College students are being deceived into supporting the supposed Palestinian victims.”

“Exposing Planned Parenthood”

Parts 1 & 2

“Planned Parenthood was founded on the same evil concepts that motivated the Nazis! How has our nation degenerated so that we allow people to do what the Nazi’s did? Planned Parenthood’s founder, Margaret Sanger, was a eugenicist who influenced Hitler and the holocaust.

The great horrors of the holocaust didn’t begin in the gas chambers at Auschwitz but in the minds of people like Hitler and Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood. Hitler instituted eugenics in Germany to weed out those who were deemed unfit, inferior or disabled; to purify the human race. Sanger wanted to purify the human race by eliminating ‘Hebrews, Slavs, Catholics and negroes.’ Margaret Sanger was the first to coin the term ‘birth control’ as a nice way of saying ‘elimination and reduction of people!’”

“Sanger Wanted to Eliminate the Human Weeds to Purify the Human Race”

“Sanger describes the eugenic value of eliminating persons – minorities, the sick, and the disabled to stop the spawning of a class of humans who never should have been born. In her book, The Pivot of Civilization, Sanger wrote, ‘…We prefer the gradual suppression, elimination and eventual extinction, of defective stocks—those human weeds which threaten the blooming of the finest flowers of American civilization.’ In THE US v. Sanger, she was charged under federal law in July 1914 for using the mail to ‘incite murder and assassination’, because she used the mail to distribute her article, ‘A Defense of Assassination’ in her newsletter, The Woman Rebel, No Gods, No Masters, Vol. I, No. 5. Sanger believed that lower forms of life must give place to higher types.

So Sanger’s American Birth Control League was instrumental in influencing the Supreme Ethics Court in Nazi Germany and reported on how well the Nazis were eliminating the worst human strains in a humanitarian way.

‘Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, and light for darkness!’ Isa 5:20”

“Man without God is a monstrosity.”

“When 67-year-old, retired, pro-life grandmother, Sandra Merritt, discovered that Planned Parenthood was harvesting LIVE baby body parts, she met with the perpetrators and filmed their conversations negotiating higher prices for live baby livers, hearts, brains and lungs for research on baldness. Incredible! Baldness. Her videos shocked the world. Ironically, Planned Parenthood sued HER in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit to silence and punish her so she could never again expose Planned Parenthood. The abortionist, Dr Deborah Nucatola, tells how she grabs the baby by the feet, while the baby is still alive, pulls it out breach and removed intake live organs to be sold for as much as $17,000. Cutting out a baby’s organs while the baby is still alive gets much higher prices than organs from dead babies. This is diabolic!…”  End of quotations from Issues in Education

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From Our Mailbox Continued

“This is a tragic day for America. The guilty verdict issued hours ago against former President Donald Trump is a clear abuse of our justice system. This politically motivated and stacked trial is what we have come to expect in communist China or North Korea—not in the United States of America. The totalitarian impulse of the neo-Marxist Left is to suppress and silence political opposition using any means necessary. But here’s what we must understand: What just happened is not only about Donald Trump, and it will not stop with him.

The Left is not only waging legal warfare against Donald Trump. They are attempting to prevent half the country from having any say in the governance of our nation, and they have weaponized the legal system to ensure their success at any cost. They are already using our legal system to go after pro-life activists and patriotic Christians who defend religious liberty. The Deep State is spying on conservative parents and churches, treating them like enemies of the state. They have even gone so far as to compare caring parents to terrorists.

The Left has repeatedly contested that conservatives are a threat to our democracy. Yet, they are the ones who are aggressively attacking our Constitutional Republic with blatant disregard for our fundamental rights. We cannot remain silent against such explicit tyranny. Today’s verdict is a clarion call for every God-fearing, America-loving Christian and our fellow citizens who believe in faith, family, and freedom to run, walk, or crawl, if necessary, to the polls this November.” ~ Gary Bauer, Senior Vice President of Public Policy, James Dobson Family Institute

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“Dear Rick, I hope you and Della are well and enjoying the Lord’s blessings. Thank you for your faithfulness over the years! May God continue to bless and guide you as you serve Him and reach out to others with the Gospel! Yours in Christ’s grace, Jonathan Turner” (Key Communications)

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“Hello, Rick and Della! Yes, we share your long term, long held vision of transferring your circle of influence and outreach to some other individual or entity! It does seem that Good News Productions, Intl. may be a great fit, especially since Sergei already has a working relationship with GNPI. Hooray to David Davolt for seeing that and orchestrating a conversation. May God indeed lead Mike and the GNPI board as they consider adopting the ministry of Overseas Outreach. You asked about ongoing financial support if/when the Russian-speaking outreach shifts to GNPI oversight. Stan and I would prayerfully consider that; however, realistically, our ability to continue to give will likely diminish with a reduced, fixed income in the not-so-distant future. We know that you will keep us informed.

Slowing down…. it is right and good, as God designed us to pass the baton of our spiritual experience and kingdom work on to trustworthy harvesters. I hope that this process is very satisfying to you and Della, personally. The LORD has blessed me so very deeply to be able to entrust many of my areas of ministry to younger people AND to allow me the privilege to remain serving in those areas under those younger people! What a rich gift this is to me! You two have been uniquely gifted for a very personal, one-of-a-kind seed-planting, disciple-making, foundations-teaching ministry. Your love for God and for people is a beautiful thing! I hope it brings you both great joy to reflect on the ways God has used you to grow His Kingdom. You will continue to be faithful to what He calls you to. Let’s all do THAT! With our love and respect, Stan and Vicki (Grove)”

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As an introduction to this next message, here is my note to John & Ira Murphy: “Good morning, John & Ira. Your June Odessa Mission Newsletter is truly interesting and inspiring. Your faithful service for many years is now bringing a wonderful harvest in the wake of all the chaos and bloodshed of war.”

Odessa Mission Newsletter: LFU Project (June 2024) Health Update – I’m happy to say that on March 1^st my double-bypass surgery at VCU in Richmond, VA was successful and I was quite surprised to be walking around the ICU the following day. After three months I’ve lost 23 pounds, I’m prayer-walking daily, and I feel good. God heard your prayers and I am exceedingly grateful to you all!

Update on Victory Church (Odessa, Ukraine)

   Last September we began supporting my friend Sergei Privalova and his wife Olena. Though most of their congregation fled to Europe they stayed put and continued ministering via food distribution and the preaching of the Word taking their average weekly attendance from 40 to over 200 resulting in 21 baptisms by the fall. In May, after 8 straight months of food assistance leading to this year’s average weekly attendance of 330, they finally concluded that program but not before baptizing five people during the winter and another six in March with yet an additional five preparing to be immersed this summer. Moreover, Mihael, a man whom they baptized last year that subsequently enrolled in V.C.’s Bible institute to formally train for ministry has been instrumental in leading at least three couples to Christ since his conversion. Thank you for supporting them!

Update on Word of Life Church (Odessa, Ukraine)

   W.O.L., like many Ukrainian churches today, actively serves its community and we’re helping. Every Saturday at 10AM they conduct benevolence-based outreach programs to address people’s most basic needs and make Jesus’ love palpable for some 200+ visitors. Entropy, sadly, caught up with their 19-year-old keyboard two months back so we decided to donate our Nord Electro 5 keyboard that had simply been collecting dust in our Odessa home. Surely, it will serve them well.

Update on Evangelism Church and Mercy House Rehab Center (Kharkiv, Ukraine)

   Since E.C.’s minister, Vitali Lakh, now serves on the battlefield as a chaplain, David Lakh has temporarily assumed his Dad’s responsibilities at the church. Special prayer requests have been made concerning God’s protection for Vitali and that he receives an honorable discharge from his military duties as soon as possible.

   Four men have now successfully completed our program at Mercy House Rehab Center and transitioned out of our facility in order to support themselves. One of our graduates, Valera, decided on June 2^nd to ‘put on Christ’ (Galatians 3:27) and another, Genia, is preparing to do likewise in the fall. Please keep Dmytro and his team in prayer as they faithfully minister to the three remaining residents: Artyom, Slavik, and Dima.

Iryna’s Arts-based Ministry (Richmond, VA) Note: Ira is Iryna’s nickname.

   In February Iryna started using her knowledge of the arts to conduct workshops for teens in the local Ukrainian community in hopes of creating friendship-evangelism opportunities. Consequently, one boy name Artyom decided to join our kids for a week at Oak Hill Christian Camp this summer.

Wanting to support what we do? Checks are payable to Calvary Christian Church and mailed to Steve Dunham at: 338 N Snead Street, Ashland, VA, 23005. By writing “Odessa Mission” in the memo you’ll help us to cover our stateside operating expenses. Or, you can write “LFU Project” to have 100% of your donation (minus wiring fees) support Ukrainians in need. Wanting to learn more about us? Just subscribe to ‘Odessa Mission Updates” on Facebook. This will allow you to receive our latest news, pray more specifically, and even share our updates online to help spread the word.

“Sing praise to the Lord for His answers to prayer.

Sing praise to the Lord for He always is there.

Sing praise in the sunshine and praise in the rain.

Sing praise in the midst of each trial and pain.

Sing praise for the fact He is faithful and true.

Sing praise for new life when this life is through.

Sing praise to your Maker for blessings each day.

Sing praise to the Lord as you go on your way.”

~ Shasta Hutton

“Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.” Psalm 63:3-4 (NKJV)

Thank You, Lord, for those who pray and give to Overseas Outreach!