Marathon Ministry Newsletter for December 2006 (archived)

The most costly gift we could ever give to you that doesn’t cost us a thing is Jesus!
He paid the costly price of His life for your sins when he died for you on the cross.

The most cleansing gift we could ever give to you is the Blood!
It washes out every sin you have or could ever commit.

The most beautiful gift we could ever give to you is salvation!
It beautifies your countenance & how you live and look.

The most valuable gift we could ever give to you is love!
Love is priceless, beyond value.

The most meaningful gift we could ever give to you is the Holy Spirit!
He gives meaning to your life through wisdom, knowledge & understanding.

The most touching gift we could ever give to you is prayer!
We pray on a regular basis for our donors and all who request prayer.
And many call to tell us how God provides.

The most permanent gift we could ever give to you is heaven!
You get there by the Door, which is Christ.

May your Christmas be a magnificent celebration of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Love in Christ,

Philip & Chase

Page 2

The Cross, The Blood, The Resurrection, The Praise

November 28: I had a day off and planned to golf at Bristol with a friend, Jerry Linkous.
The night before, I learned that another golf friend, Ike Turner, was in the hospital at Bristol. He had caught his left hand on a thorn and contracted a staph infection (I had caught my left hand on a rose thorn the week before, went to the emergency room Sunday, got a penicillin shot & Cipro antibiotic, swelling has been up & down since, but nothing such as Ike).
We went to see Ike before golf and prayed. He told us of another man a few rooms down the hall (Skip Profitt) in serious condition. We went to see him & prayed.
Earlier, I had a call from one of our Bible study attendees. His daughter Joanne Allen, 40, was in the same hospital ICU with a heart attack. I committed to visiting her.

The Cross:

In the elevator going down to visit Joanne, a lady visiting her mother in the hospital said to me, “I love your cross necklace” (I’ve worn my hand carved olive wood Israeli cross since God called me to ministry in 1986).
I told her she could own one for $ 15.00 and I had them with me. “I want one”, she said. Jerry got one from the van while I visited with Joanne, who committed her life to Christ as we prayed together. Her tears changed to smiles.
The two were sitting in the lobby when I returned, and I talked with Shatan Newman, asking about her and Jesus.
Praying with her right there she committed her life to Christ, shedding real tears of contrition, then joy.

The Blood:

As I shared with each of these ladies, the Holy Spirit dealt with them, and they learned that only the Blood of Christ could help them.
Their faces changed from worry to comfort.
They received the gift of God’s only Son’s sacrifice in Blood for their sins.

The Resurrection:

I explained that Jesus came alive from the grave for one reason only. That He would live in each person who would trust and receive Him as personal Savior. And that He alone could and would give them eternal life in the resurrection after this life.

The Praise:

We praise God that we are led by His Holy Spirit to go to visit the sick.
We praise God that He alone puts people in our path who need to hear His Truth in word and deed.
We praise God that we have His gospel of Jesus Christ as Savior to deliver to those who need to hear it.
We praise God that His Holy Spirit goes with us to guide our hearts and minds to touch hearts for Christ.
We praise God that as He sees fit He allows us to reap the harvest of souls to increase the population of heaven.