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(352) 447-2731 GLORIA ADAMS, PRES.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

I read somewhere recently that Jesus never laughed. While it is not specifically recorded that He did I am certain He had a sense of humor. I think if there was not much laughter it did not point toward Him but rather to the times. We all know that there is an appropriate time to laugh and a time better suited to a sober attitude. This is confirmed to us in the Word, and well illustrated in this joke.

A priest and pastor from the local parishes are standing by the side of the road holding up a sign that reads, "The End is Near! Turn yourself around now before it's too late!"They planned to hold up the sign to each passing car."Leave us alone you religious nuts!" yelled the first driver as he sped by. From around the curve they heard screeching tires and a big splash. "Do you think," said one clergy to the other, "we should just put up a sign that says 'Bridge Out' instead?"

Psalms 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Now it occurs to me that neither joy nor sorrow, nor laughter or crying should be judged good or bad. It is as the great comedians say all in the timing. So then we must discern the times to know whether something is funny or not. Now let us consider the meaning within the following scripture.

Joel 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

I think it entirely possible and even likely that He did not mean that the day would be greatly terrible as it will be a time of celebration of Jesus’ return. I do not believe He meant a terribly great day either. I believe He meant it as it was written. That is to say the day will posses both characteristics. It will be both terrible and great at the same time. Much in the same way we grieve the loss of a love one after an extended illness. We sorrow at our loss while we take comfort in the fact they no longer suffer. But for those who have passed in the Lord we have great joy in our heart that they are now with Him even while we shed many tears at our loss. So then His coming is much the same. There will be much loss for many but also great Joy for those who watch for His appearing. In other words it will most certainly be a terrible day for those who do not know Him. But it will be a great and joyous day for His people. For those of us blessed with the salvation of our Lord Jesus it will be a time of shouting and dancing and singing. I close with these thoughts and with the following Word for your consideration.

Luke 6:21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.

Psalms 126:5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

Job 8:20-21 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers: Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.

In the Love of Jesus

Pastor Jeff

THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD

From:

Hello Jesus Is! This testimony is long overdue. My name is B.L. I came to Jesus Is in 1991. I stayed 11 months before the Lord ordained me to leave. At that time I was the longest staying person there but it was worth it. I became rooted in the Word and things of God. I began a personal relationship with my Lord Jesus Christ. Not only with my Lord, but Dad and Mom Adams and the Jesus Is! family. On Dec 15, 1991 I became ordained under the leadership of Pastor Adams which until this very day has stayed faithful to His call. I became a servant, their friend, then joint heirs with my Savior. It hasn’t always been easy but God is true to His Word. He has never left me nor forsaken me. Even through ups and downs He has been faithful. In May of 2007 I moved to New Jersey after receiving 2 stints in my heart. I decided to apply for Social Security Disability at which time I was sent to a State Dr. The Dr. sent me to have an x-ray done. One week later I received a phone call from the Dr. telling me the x-ray showed a mass on my upper right lung and to come pick up some paper and go directly to the emergency room after my exam. I was told by the Dr. I had lung cancer which started a chain of events. It was non stop from Dr. to Dr., tests after tests, clinic after clinic, medication after medication. I received 33 hits of radiation and 7 chemo treatments. I was told that the cancer was in stage 3 but was treatable. Through all of this the Lord kept me. He provided everything I needed. There was never a fear but a great expectation that God would honor His word concerning me. Today I stand in awe of God’s saving and delivering power. I am cancer free. I’m still preaching the Gospel of My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Mom, thank you for loving me and praying for me. You have shown me the Word of God, that Love conquers all. Be blessed my mother. I Love You. Sincerely Yours in Christ, B.L.

From: Newberry, FL

To everyone at Jesus Is! R. and I want to wish you a joyous holiday. We think about you every day and keep you all in our hearts and prayers every day. God blessed me and brought me to you and He worked through all of you to save my life and changed my life and today because of God and Jesus Is! I have a beautiful and blessed life. So I say to all of you, my brothers and sisters, I love you and I know God is going to keep blessing you. Happy Holidays and a Prosperous New Year. R. &J. F.

From: Chiefland, FL

Dear Mom, We think of you often with thankful hearts. Your work as the hands and feet of Christ to the "beaten up" (my son’s description) souls who show up on your doorstep is a light to the rest of us. I wish we could have known Dad Adams – we hear so much about him from the Staff. Enclosed please find a love gift toward the ministry. Much love & blessings in Jesus. I.E.

From: Ocala, FL

Dear Sister Adams, Sorry I’m unable to support the ministry more! I pray this is a blessing. May you and the Staff, also everyone there, have a blessed Christmas and New Year! A sister in Christ, C.S.

From: Tallahassee, FL

G. was at Jesus Is! many years ago. He’s been clean and sober now for 13 years. We are thankful to God for His grace and love that brought us through the whole experience. He saw us through some hard times and He’s still helping us. Hope this helps in some way to help someone else find their way. G&V M

From: DeFuniak Springs, FL

Dear Residents and fellow listeners, some of you may know me. Some of you may not. I’m 23 years old and am 2 years into a 7-year prison sentence. Right now I’m so filled with the Spirit I’m shaking? I got goose bumps. Can I get an A-men? I’m a three time veteran of the Jesus Is! Program. As a matter of fact, I have probably sat in the very chair you’re sitting in now. Stop looking for a lover! Stop it! For the only relationship you should be looking for in this program is Jesus Christ our Lord! Stop telling war stories under the tents and awnings. Stop feeding into the devil’s lies. Stop loving the desires of this world and start loving the one and only true God! Because the world and it’s desires will pass away but the man who does the will of God lives forever! Stop riding both sides of the fence! I’m here to tell you today it will never work! Stop complaining about the simple task you’re asked to do throughout the day and start being thankful! Gossip! Ah! Stop it! Stop talking about others and start talking about what God has done good in your life. Stop looking at other people’s problems and start looking at your own! 9 times out of 10 you have the same problem! Stop dreading the Friday night marathons and start being grateful God’s shown enough grace that you’re even alive to be there that Friday night. Stop it! Stop it I say! Each and every time I graduated the program God has blessed me abundantly, so abundantly I forgot where it came from. As soon as I forgot it was gone in a blink of an eye. Never turn your back on God. I’m here to tell you it is not pretty. Stay away from the lust of your flesh in the program. Relationships from there do not work because you spend more time thinking of your lust than you do the Word of God. I’ve been through 2 relationships that originated from there. I’m here to tell you it does not work. It’s a disaster you would rather not go through. If you even make it through it. Criticize me. Call me a hypocrite if you like, but I speak the truth. So why should you listen to this 23-year-old kid in prison? Because I’ve been there, done that and by the grace of God from my mistakes I’m still alive today to tell you about it! This started out as a testimony. I’m not sure what it is now. But I do know it’s the truth and words from God and if you think none of this applies to you, and you don’t care about a word I just said, then maybe you should say this prayer with me.

Lord, I’m a sinner. Please forgive me of all my sins. I bow down and open my heart for and to You. Please receive me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus Name. A-men. L.B.

We are hoping to start on the parking lot as early as next week! We are trusting the funds are sufficient. After the parking lot we estimate approximately fifty thousand will be needed to finish the inside. This is huge for a ministry of our size but small compared to what it has cost to get to this point. Praise God we owe no one as we have never put this ministry in jeopardy by borrowing funds. God has provided to this point and we are sure He will touch hearts to provide the rest. As the hungry numbers grow, this new facility will make it possible to feed thousands. It is one thing to say God loves you while quite another one to show it. Please help make showing God’s love here possible.

We are making steady progress as God provides. If you desire to be a part of what God is doing here but do not know how, let me encourage you. Some have blessed with money while some have blessed with food. Still others will donate a car or boat or some vehicle to be used or sold to continue this work. A few have remembered this ministry in their wills and many have donated their time and skills. They all have one thing in common. They have given unto the Lord. We are anxious to move on to the next phase. We are trusting God that wall insulation will be provided soon.

God has provided as needed at each phase and I am confident He will continue to bless both this project and all who are involved. I place a few pictures to show current progress on our web site each month. So please keep up to date by visiting WWW.JESUSIS.COM.

We started December with twenty three men. Seven left and eleven graduated. Eighteen new men entered the program. We started with eleven women. Four graduated and one left. Six new women entered the program. There are at time of printing twenty three men and eleven women in the program. One man and two women are committing to stay for a year as staff trainees.

The building fund balance is $12,020.06 after expenses and with deposits for November of $5,889.43