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NEWSLETTERS -> DECEMBER 2007 Changed by a Look These men who came in search of the Christ Child were
probably astronomers from Arabia or some far Eastern country, therefore
referred to as "wise men." I believe they were wise for some other
reasons. Wise men still seek Him. I used to see the phrase quite often at this season
of the year before it become politically incorrect. The Bible says, "The
fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." (Ps 14:1) Again the
Psalmist says, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament
sheweth his handy work." (Ps.19: 1). It takes a lot more faith to believe
in evolution than it does to believe in creation and a
creator. Jesus is revealed to those who truly seek
Him. We may not be lead by a star. We have the Bible and
the Holy Spirit to guide us. Jesus may not be revealed in a special sign
in the heavens. The Holy Spirit will reveal Him in the Scripture. If you
really want to find Jesus seek Him with all your heart and God will reveal
Him. Those who find Him and worship Him have their
direction changed. It not enough to seek Him and find Him, a lot of
people are wise enough to know there’s a God. We must worship Him. We must
not only give our treasures, we must give Him our hearts. When Matthew
says, "they departed into their own country another way". (Matt. 2:12) He
was referring to their geographical direction. I know however that these
men never walked the same after finding and worshiping the
Christ. How would rate your year good, fair, or poor? As we
begin a new year, some of us need to spend more time worshiping The King.
It will change the direction of our life. Jesse Family News At present Jeff is staying with Julian and is making another attempt at getting his life straight. Please continue to pray for him faithfully. Julian and Gina continue to be the two busiest people we know. Julian has accepted the position as Interim Youth Director at Reavis Memorial Baptist Church in High Point. He works a full time job at FurnitureLand South and continues to lead mission trips. Gina is office manager for her company. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day at their home. More than likely, we will not see them anymore until Christmas, but we have three of the girls most every week-end. The grand kids are still GRAND. Miss Hillary is a varsity cheerleader for Trinity High School where she is a freshman. She got her learners permit in October. Katie is taking Clarinet lessons for the band at her school. Julie is taking horseback riding lessons and becoming more of a cowgirl each day. Lauryn is the typical first grader. We think she would move in with us if she could. (See next paragraph for more information on Ceana.) Dan and Jaye are enjoying watching Ceana learn new things and grow every day. She will be seven months old by the time you read this. They are still working at FurnitureLand South. They are still active at Triad Community Church. Dan plays Bass for the worship band and Jaye is involved in the Creative Arts Ministry. Linda and I are still overly blessed. So far Linda has been able to manage her diabetes with diet and exercise. I am still not back to walking as well as I was before surgery. I feel myself improving everyday. We enjoy traveling over the state and representing our Lord Jesus Christ and Clifton Road Baptist Church in churches across the state. Our greatest blessing is the time we spend with our five GRANDS. Jesse Ministry Totals January-December Revivals…10 Sermons Preached…63 Children’s Church…13 Approx. Mileage…7718 mi. Be a part of our financial team and help us minister to smaller churches. All gifts are tax deductible. Please Mail gifts to: Jesse Crooks Ministries P.O. Box 2445 Thomasville, NC 27361 Report from Reach Out Ministries, Our Missions Division Greetings from REACH OUT: We just wanted to update everyone on the progress of Reach Out ministries. We have been slowed up some what since I have been blessed with the Youth Pastor's role at my church. However, we are on the move once again. The 2008 year is fast approaching and I have scheduled a trip back to Honduras in order to help lead some men on a construction venture. We will be working on the newly evangelized area of OTATALA, which has most recently built a church. I was part of a team that helped evangelize this community back in January of this year. God has blessed them tremendously. We will be putting a roof on the building as well as constructing several classrooms as they have increased in numbers so rapidly. We ask that you all be in prayer as this time approaches. Our budget has not been met for this year and I would like to work on it early for next year. The cost of this trip is $1000. Our prayer is that God will meet the needs we have financially and continue to groom us spiritually. On another note, my wife and I will be leading our youth group in July of 2008 to do host another VBS in Villa Allicia. We will send another note as details come together on that trip. Thanks for all you do and have done. As always, whether you participate financially or not, please remember to pray
Committed to Him, Julian & Gina Crooks<>< What others are saying : Dear Jesse,
Jesse is a dynamic speaker! His enthusiasm for God is overwhelming and his teachings are 100% biblically based. With Linda by his side, Jesse speaks with the anointed authority given to him by the Holy Spirit. As he combines humor and God’s word, Jesse confidently inspires soul winning stories for the new and seasoned Christian. I can truly say, by the response of my congregation, that lives are changed by the commitment of the Great Commission that is shared by Jesse and Linda Crooks. Pastor Phillip K. Hawkins
I just want to thank you and Mrs. Linda for coming and sharing Jesus with us. I wanted to write to you already, but I didn't want to just write what I was feeling. I wanted to see the fire in the hearts of our people. That was confirmed this morning. There is a whole new love for Jesus in the hearts of our people and a feeling that ... "if Jesse can do that for Jesus... I can do something for Him too." I want to encourage anyone who feels that their church has lost sight of the goal, you call Bother Jesse. Let them see what God can do with one man whose heart is fully surrendered to Him. It will change their lives! Rev.
Steve Parker |