I am soooo thankful today for Jesus, His love, and the opportunity to know HIM!!! If you are reading this post and are not sure what it means to know Jesus, I would love to share this with you.

God is perfect, and He created each of us. We are unique and divinely loved by Him. Due to the choices we have made in life that are outside of God’s perfection, this world is broken and our lives to some degree or another are broken as well. The choices we have made have severed our relationship with God. The consequence for these choices and missing the mark of God’s perfection, is separation from Him.

However, God loves us so much, that although each of us has in some way or another taken action to pull away from Him, He took the separation from Himself that should have been upon us, and placed it on His son Jesus Christ. Jesus died on a cross 2000 years ago and took upon Himself the very essence of separation from God.

Three days later, He defeated death and rose again, conquering the power of death and separation from God forever!

Today, we have the opportunity to receive this precious gift of life that God offers us through His Son Jesus! He offers us the opportunity to have our relationship to God restored again! The Bible says, in the book of Romans- chapter 10- verses 9 through 10: “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Saved from what? Saved from separation from God now and forever. Jesus came so that we could live life to its fullest- so that we could have a relationship with God restored again despite the fact that each of us has in some way or another chosen to turn our own way, .

I hope that this Thanksgiving you will find hope and encouragement in this good news!!! That God loves you, and that while we have tried to push God out of our lives, He has sought to lovingly draw near to us! Truly something to be grateful for!!!!

I pray that through Jesus’ sacrifice you will allow God to draw near to you today!

Love to all of you and a very blessed Thanksgiving!


Lynette

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has appointed me to preach the good news to the poor, He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn and provide for those who grieve in Zion- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise in stead of a spirit of despair." Isaiah 61:1-3a


Hello Everyone,

It is so awesome to know that the scripture above describes our Savior- Jesus Christ!

As many of you know, on March 23rd, 2010, my dad was rushed into surgery after results of his MRI showed an infection in his lower spine that was moving up the spinal chord. The doctor's told my step mother "he has to go into surgery NOW. Every moment counts." My father had been in extreme pain, and by the time he went into surgery he did not have sensation from the waist down. 

It feels like just the other day that I was eagerly praying in the waiting room while my father was in surgery. In the middle of the night, the surgeon came to tell us that they had completed the surgery and that the infection was one of the worst if not the worst of its kind that the neuro-surgeon had ever seen. We listened intently as he told us that he did all he could to give my father the best chance of recovery. At the time, I wasn't quite sure what that meant. 

We went into the recovery room where my dad was still drowsy from anasthesia. There, we prayed over him and I sang him a worship song. I later found out that he could hear me singing to him that night and that he was encouraged by it. 

One week following his surgery, my dad was asking me questions about prayer and about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. On March 31st, 2010, just one week after his surgery, my father prayed to ask Jesus into his heart!!! A decision that forever changed Him and gave him true and everlasting life!!! Thank You God!!!!!!!

For the next three and a half weeks, my father remained in intensive and critical care, where he began to listen to audio sermons and teachings about God's Word, the Bible. My dad listened intently and soaked up truth as he listened. 

He was later moved to a regular hospital room where he began to listen to scripture on the audio Bible. My dad would pray throughout the days and the nights as he was in the hospital where he stayed for about 4 months. 

When the time came for my father to be moved to impatient rehab, he had no place to go as he did not have insurance going into the surgery. He had applied for rehab at the county's hospital, one of the largest hospitals in Miami, and had been denied. Coming to the edge of his time at the local hospital and when he could not stay there much longer, God miraculously opened the doors for him to be moved to Healthsouth Rehab hospital in the southern part of Miami. It was such a reminder that God always knows what's best for us, even when our hearts and minds are set on something different. 

At Healthsouth, my father received EXCELLENT care and attention. He began intense physical and occupational therapy and grew in strength, encouragement, and in Christ. Praise the Lord! 

In mid-August, my father was released from Healthsouth as his insurance would not pay for additional impatient therapy. For the first time in over 4 months, my father went home! Yesterday, my father completed his outpatient physical therapy evaluation at the county hospital where in August, he was accepted to attend outpatient therapy! Praise God!!! He will start his outpatient physical therapy sessions next week and will also be receiving occupational therapy. 

Most of all, my father continues to grow in his walk with the Lord!!! This is the greatest gift!!!!

Today, is the sixth month mark from my father's surgery. We reflect on the miracles that God has worked. We thank Him for the life He has given my dad, we thank Him for the continued healing and recovery for his body, we praise Him for His provision, and we give Him heartfelt thanks for His salvation and hand on my father's life!!!!

I thank each and every one of you for your prayers for my father!!!!!!! He has asked me to please thank every one who has been praying!!!! 

Please continue praying for my father's continued healing and for all that God desires to do in and through his life! Thank you so much!!!

Below, I have included a journal entry that I wrote on August 4th while my father was in the rehab hospital in southern Miami. I hope it will give you a glimpse into the miracle of what God has done and is doing!  May God bless each of you! Much Love, Lynette

August 4th, 2010:

Last night while visiting my dad at the rehab hospital, one of the nurse assistants came in when we were just finishing praying. When she asked us if we wanted her to leave, my dad said that she did not have to leave and explained what we were doing. She said she would like to listen and as we prayed, she quietly bowed her head and held her hands together. After we finished praying she said how beautiful it was. 

I learned that she came from a Muslim and Catholic background as she grew up in the Latin community. She said that she currently works with an elderly woman who was a preacher in Jamaica and who is always talking to her about God. Mercy says that her employer is always making her read scripture out loud as part of her care taking duties to her. I smiled as I looked back at her and said "you're there for a reason." "That's exactly what she says!" Mercy replied. 

We continued to talk about the Lord, and Mercy expressed how she has seen God at work in her life and how every time she tries to leave her employer, something continues to keep her there. We prayed for Mercy and a short while later, I left. Today I found out that my dad continued to speak to Mercy when I was gone, telling her that she needs to believe, and fully surrender to God, because that is where she will truly see what it is like to have Him in her life. He told her that it is not just about knowing about him, but surrendering to him! 

When he shared this news with me today, I said "dad, that is so awesome! God is using you to share His good news!" My dad responded by saying "Yup, I want my life to be used by Him to share the good news. Whatever He tells me to do, I want to do it. I want my life to be lived in obedience. His command is what I do." This was such a joy to me and I said "Dad, that's what truly living is all about." He responded "Yes, that's what living is. It took me a long time to figure it out, but it's true."

As I left the hospital room into the halls and out to the parking lot, I smiled and I laughed, and I thought about all of the times as a little girl and adolescent that I would pray for my dad and try to tell him about Jesus through Christmas cards and poems that I would write. I thought about the conversations that I would try to have with him about Jesus. I thought about the years of praying and waiting, and hoping that He would give his life to Jesus. And I thought about today and this moment-how sweet, how beautiful, how absolutely divine! 

God knew of this day all along! He knew when my dad would come to know Him. He knew that we would have these last four months of hospitalization to dig into His Word and grow in His truth, He knew that my dad's life would be saved from physical and spiritual death, and He has given my dad a heart to follow Him no matter what!

God, for all of these things and so much more, I am eternally grateful!!! Thank You, Thank You, Thank you!!!!

My heart rises up in praise to You for great things You have done and are doing!!!!

Amen!!!

Hello Everyone,

As you may know, I have been in Miami over the past 4 months although I previously was living in Nashville, which is where the Artists in Christian Testimony International Offices are located. Below, please see a note from Byron Spradlin of A.C.T. International on ways that we can help those that are a part of A.C.T. and were recently affected by the flooding. If you are unable to click on the link below, you may go to www.actinternational.org for more information on how to help. Thank you so much and I again, thank you for your prayers and support for my father!!! I will be writing an update on his progress in the next few days! Lynette

A.C.T. Intl Families Hit Hard by Flood

It was a very humbling experience to watch people I do not even know try to salvage my photo albums, wash mud off of my furniture, mop floors, and pump out water from under my house.  When I was completely exhausted another wave of helpers would drive up in a truck with great joy and comfort to strengthen our weary hands.  It is an awesome and beautiful experience to see the body of Christ rally together and help those in need. We also had the most unique experience of having the National Guard evacuate us.  Five huge trucks came to get the people out of the neighborhood.  They had to use boats to get people out around my house.  They said the water was rising another four feet and we had 15 minutes to gather our things and get out.  Through all of this the Lord gave us great strength of spirit and peace of heart.  There was even great laughter in the truck as we realized that some of the men had grabbed the women's shoes in the crazy rush. I am thankful for all the people who came to help after our house was surrounded by a 4 foot river. Churches came by & brought water, food & hands ready to work. We tore out all the damaged drywall in the garage. AC unit, furnace, & hot water heater were destroyed. Because of the fast current, our landscaping was torn up. Today, we begin the process of trying to salvage some of our landscape. Thanks again for your prayers, emails and FB posts, Sharon and Bob

Would you like to help?


Flood Relief Fund, we will distribute these funds to those within or partners with our ministry who need help.

To make a donationClick Here

Thank you for your support and prayers.

The testimony above from one of our A.C.T. Intl ministry staff is just one of many stories of families across the state of TN devastated by the record breaking flood last weekend.  Some of the hardest hit families are right here in the Nashville area, including some of our A.C.T. Intl staff. If you would like to make a tax-deductible gift to our special